This thread is a compendium of niche and obscure facts about the fab world of pop music that are not widely known. It may get you out of trouble in a pub quiz one day.
My staggering fact is that the only Pink Floyd album that only has members of Pink Floyd playing on it is Animals. There are either uncredited or credited guests. Meddle almost qualified, but Seamus the Dog is on it.
(I fully expect lots of ‘Thelonius Monk lived in a 13-dimensional house’, ‘Vardis invented Yarg cheese’, and all the usual ones)
->
Candida Doyle, the keyboard player from Pulp, was a founder member of Insane Clown Posse, but left before they got big.
She was replaced by Graeme Garden, of course, which split the Goodies. After that Bill Oddie joined Jamiroquai.
ooh, goody…. time to trot out my favourite one (which I’m sure I’ve posted here many times before)….
Chas & Dave played on Eminem’s first big hit “My Name Is” – before they were cockney rockers par excellence, they were session musicians, who played on Labi Siffre’s “I Got The”, which was sampled by one Marshall Mathers (or probably his producer Dr Dre)
Dave Peacock has a business decorating gypsy caravans (very beautifully in fact).
This is another genuine one. Santana have had so many members, they’ve actually had two different players with the same name (Chester Thompson).
The Miles Davis group also had two players with the same name (Bill Evans).
Oh! I should have known that.
Surely that can’t be right, that pink Floyd fact…? In fact I’m determined to prove you wrong. Ummagumma? More? A Saucerful of Secrets?
Norman Smith on Saucerful. Lindy Mason on the other two.
What about Piper? Obscured by Clouds?
Norman Smith again on Piper (drums and vocals)
Mapuga tribe – chant on “Absolutely Curtains” on Obscured By Clouds
If Seamus The Dog counts as a guest on Meddle, what about the actual animals that make a noise on Animals?
Uncredited. Seamus had a better agent.
In fact, I think the fame must have gone to his head. Notice that they’d replaced him with Mademoiselle Nobs for the Pompeii film? I bet there’s a story there.
The discussions were had about his replacement in the kitchen; Seamus was outside at the time.
My point is that if you discount the animals on Animals, you should also discount Seamus on Meddle. In which case, there are two albums with just the four Floyds.
The Animals on Animals are sound effects, where as Seamus was actually in front of the microphone.
Ugh. Even I’m starting to doubt myself now 🙂
Tigger is starting to make me think that the fly deserves a writing credit on Grantchester Meadows.
Atom Heart Mother does not feature any cattle but does, ironically, feature a pig.
Atom Heart Mother also has Alan. In fact, Alan gets more of a credit on Atom Heart Mother than Richard Wright does on The Wall.
I wonder if the lack of guests in the studio is what split them up during Animals.
Well Syd Barrett turning up during Wish You Were Here didn’t fucking help.
They were effects laden on top of recordings of actual animals.
Are you suggesting we should discount the Liverpool crowd on Meddle?
….I bet you bloody are.
What??
I CAN’T HEAR YOU!
Paul Wellers first live gig was seeing Status Quo.
When The Jam started they used some of the Quos amps – borrowed from Rick Parfitt.
Down Down at the tube station at midnight
Roll Over Lay Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
Start! Again And Again
You’re In The Army Now, Little Boy Soldiers
Rockin’ All Around The World
Same blokes who wrote In the Army now came up with Rock me Amadeus.
Would have liked to hear Quo have a bash at that
They’re from the same neck of the woods i.e. Woking/Sheerwater.
I thought Francis Rossi was Wokingham way? His family were the Rossi’s Ice Cream family I’ve been oft told.
His family were indeed the Rossi Ice Cream bods with a fleet of vans.
He was born in Sarf London.
Rick Parfitt was a Woking boy, and bought his Rock Star Mansion in Sheerwater
Harry Connick Jr was taught piano by the man Dr John called “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced”, James Booker. Booker came to the attention of Harry Connick Sr, the DA, who kept him out of jail in return for piano lessons.
Booker played on Trick Bag by Earl King, I think anyway. I love that record.
Me too. Wikipedia agrees with you, though it’s quite hard to hear a piano.
That’s because piano means quiet.
Yeah, especially if Keith Jarrett is playing.
Or John Cale.
Well James Booker wasn’t noted for his pp.
Oh I say.
None of The Ramones were actually related.
The Carpenters never had any aptitude for joinery or simple woodork
Ray Cooper became a percussionist after becoming distracted while making his barrels, using them as makeshift congas.
John Shuttleworth would be utterly proud of that second line!
*sucks teeth* ‘ That mortice-and-tenon isn’t your best work, Ken’.
Colin Blunstone decided to work in insurance when The Zombies (first) broke up
Jah Wobble was a London Transport Tube driver.
Ashley Hutchings worked as a postman in Etchingham after the break up of the Albion Country Band .
Brian Eno comes from a family of postmen.
Ashley Hutchings is an anagram of Ya Such Thin Legs.
I think I still have the copy of Southern Rag with that very anagram mentioned.
I couldn’t remember where I heard/read it first; I can remember the chap at college who told me it.
I think I must also have heard ‘Ladies and gentlemen I’ve suffered for my music . . . and now its your turn’ about the same time, which I think was a Neil Innes line.
Indeed it is.
Actually, I think it was Vivian Stanshall Esq. who first uttered it. Neil just knew a good punchline when he heard one.
I think he did announcements rather than drive, but I stand to be corrected.
Well he did tweet he was back driving, I thought he was a ticket collector.
“Let it happen, bass player…..”
^ that’s an excellent joke, in case you’re wondering.
Well, it make I larf, Moosey.
I don’t get it, I wish I did cos I like Jah Wobble and I’m a root note plodder.
He lives in the glorious northern town of Stockport. His son had trials with Stockport County
This is true. His son played in the same team as my mates son, Bramhall way.
80s edition:
1) The “old man” in the spoken part of The Human League’s “Love Action” is Lou Reed. The sub-title of the song is “I Believe In Love”, the name of Phil Oakey’s favourite Lou Reed track.
2) When Soft Cell were looking for a cover version to be their 2nd single, the choice was between Gloria Jones’ “Tainted Love” and the Four Seasons’ “The Night”. They chose… wisely.
(2) I’d bet The Night would have been brilliant as well.
As it was usually the last track of the night during their farewell Irish tour, The Night was probably the last song the wonderful Microodisney ever played live.
I’m sorry to report I like Intastella’s version.
I seem to recall Marc Almond regretting the choice of b-side (Where Did Our Love Go?). The single sold millions, and they missed out on the cash a self-penned flip side would’ve accrued. Someone on here will know more about this than I do, but didn’t Queen have a similar finger-wagging disagreement after Roger Taylor bagged the b-side to Bohemian Rhapsody?
It definitely used to be the case that b-sides earned money off the a side, but not sure exactly how that worked.
Equal royalties I am pretty sure A’s and.B’s not distinguished
Yes, exactly @Dai. For royalties, there was no difference between A and B sides as far as I know, hence a lot of acts putting some duff song they had written on the B side of their certain smash hit cover version.
Captain Sensible apparently made sure that the B side to Happy Talk was self-penned, as he thought it would be a big hit.
I don’t think Roger bagged the B-side to Bohemian Rhapsody, as I doubt the band thought it would be as big as it was. What’s interesting is that despite this, none of the subsequent big hits written by Freddie had one of his songs on the b-side.
Play the Game / A Human Body
No I meant one of his own songs. You’d think that after being burnt like that he would have insisted that Somebody to love, We are the Champions, Bicycle Race, Don’t Stop Me Now and Crazy Little Thing would have had Freddie B sides. None of them did I think.
He also tried to give his old bandmaster an income by sticking a mega mix (a la Stars On 45) on the B side of Glad Its All Over
(Damned On 45 )
I have trotted this one out before, but it is due for an airing as it must be five years since I last mentioned it.
On the song Hello Hello on Caravan’s If I Could Do It All Over Again… album, they employ a pair of hedge cutters for percussive effect.
I suspect this is the only instance of hedge-clippers being used as part of the instrumentation for a song.
There’s a pair of scissors on, is it, The Flaming Lips?
{edit}: it was Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – She Taught Me How To Fly
I guess that will have been played by Jeremy Stacey- incredible musician who also plays in King Crimson.
Never knew this til a Pitchfork piece flashed up on FB the other day. Chevy Chase played with Becker and Fagen at Uni pre Dan I think. Apparently he had perfect pitch and time, described as an excellent drummer ver Dan.
That’s a great one!
I used to have a Chevy Chase album, now you mention that. It was a bit rubbish.
Chicago’s House music pioneer, Farley Jackmaster Funk, used to live in Barnsley.
Kid Creole lived in Dinnington (near Rotherham) for a few years.
Marvin Gaye lived in Ostend for the 18 months before Sexual Healing.
You’d need Sexual Healing after that…
Edwin Starr lived in Polesworth, which made it handy for when Bruce Springsteen invited him onstage to sing “War etc etc ooof!” with him and the E Street Band at the NEC in 1999.
Remember it well
Thought I spotted you in the queue for the toilets.
Edwin only sang “War etc etc ooof!” on that one unfortunate occasion when he was jabbed in the ribs with a baguette.
New Orleans born pianist Champion Jack Dupree lived in Halifax for a while.
“Dull but worthy” Cambridge singer-songwriter, Boo Hewerdine, is responsible for Tina Turner’s 1980s comeback.
Greg Walsh was employed to produce The Great Divide’s dreadful single Whispered In Heaven. The band’s keyboardist/guitarist/songwriter had formerly worked in the warehouse for Andy’s Records, had a large collection of soul singles, and Walsh asked him for songs for Tina Turner to cover.
Walsh’s next job was co-producing (with Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware*), Tina’s version of Let’s Stay Together.
(*) but he doesn’t like to talk about it
He chose well!
I would have thought Heaven 17 (ie the BEF) were responsible for TT’s comeback…
You’d have thought Martyn Ware would have mentioned it before, would you not?
Oh, hang on, he does. All the bleedin’ time…
I remember him and the other one ‘singing’ background vocals with Tina on The Tube. It was horrible.
Grant Shapps MP (major pillock?) is Mick Jones cousin
Which Mick Jones?
The Clash
(not Foreigner or Leeds United)
Question mark unnecessary.
Hank Wangford sides as a consultant in contraceptive medicine, but denies his songs have the same effect….
I was working with him on his book in the 90s when he went off to Sarajevo on one of his regular conflict gynie trips, which involved arriving precipitously in a Hercules for fear of missiles..
‘Keep your head down, Hank,’ I said.
‘I’m a gynaecologist, it’s what I do,’ came the reply…
Donovan provided backing vocals on “Billion Dollar Babies” (maybe everyone know, but I didn’t).
To nit pick your Animals fact (well you did say nerd!) On the 8 track cartridge version, there was a linking section of Pigs on the Wing which had a guitar solo from Snowy White.
“While you’re here, you might as well play” said Roger Waters
“It wasn’t even my guitar. I didn’t have it with me that day.”
But it was dropped from all other releases.
Yeah I know. But it doesn’t count- hardly anyone has heard that version and it’s not actually on the album.
Fair enough (I did say nit picking)
nice pick of a nit though @Timbar
Consider that nit well and truly picked. I wish they would officially release that version.
It was the hook to buy the Snowy White “Goldtop” compilation
(Which was where I got the quotes from)
My absolute favourite pub quiz question:
What was David Bowie’s first hit song?
Define “hit.” Top 40? Which country?
There’s got to be a catch with this question!!
….er, wasn’t a hit at all really, I’ve just discovered. I thought it had scraped into the top 20 but apparently not.
It was however on the radio a lot and appeared on Ken Dodd’s TV show, he said, clutching at straws….
Is it ‘The Laughing Gnome’?
No, it’s “Over the Wall We Go” by Oscar, BKA Paul Nicholas.
AKA Ivor Bird.
@Billybob-Dylan
There’s apparently an updated version amongst the extras on Toy
The man playing the synth solo on 10cc’s ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ was wearing football boots during the recording session.
Here are some bits n pieces I found interesting – some of them may be well known, but . . .
Snooker star Steve “Interesting” Davies plays modular synth in a band with the guitarist from Gong and The Cardiacs. I have their excellent LP “The Utopia Strong”.
I also have a ’75 LP by a band called The Movies which was produced by Pete Gage of Vinegar Joe who was married to Elkie Brooks for a while. Sandy Denny once mooted the idea of recording an album of covers with Elkie and Maddy Prior but it never happened. The singer of The Movies, Jon Cole, was the man who found Sandy collapsed at the foot of the stairs in their mutual friend Miranda’s house.
I have an LP by Bandit from ’76 which was pushed aside by the emergence of punk, eventually causing the band to split. All five members went on to significant success with later musical ventures: Jim Diamond (PhD etc), Danny McIntosh (Kate Bush), Cliff Williams (AC/DC), James Litherland (Colosseum; also James Blake’s dad), and drummer Graham Broad (Eastenders’ doof-doof drums and much more).
Maria McKee (Lone Justice) and Bryan MacLean (Love) had the same mother.
Phil Spector played lead guitar on The Drifters’ “On Broadway”.
Bruce Woodley of The Seekers wrote songs with Paul Simon most notably “Cloudy” on “Parsely Sage …” (for which he initially received no writing credit but did get royalties) and the million-selling “Red Rubber Ball”, a Top 5 hit for The Cyrkle.
Slash (Saul Hudson)’s father Anthony Hudson designed Joni Mitchell’s “Court & Spark” album cover. His mother Ola was a costume designer for various musicians incl John Lennon, David Bowie and Diana Ross.
Axl Rose was briefly married to Don Everly’s daughter.
The Steely Dan song “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” is not about Rick Derringer as is often thought, but Rikki Ducornet who Donald Fagen had met at Bard College. Even though she was both pregnant and married at the time, he gave her his number. Ducornet was intrigued by Fagen and tempted to call him, but she decided against it. And @mikethep was once her editor!
And finally, everyone knows about the Charlie Drake single “You never know” . . . .
The Utopia Strong albums are really good.
This song by Brenda Lee is the answer to a trivia question but what’s the question?
Question- What song is playing on the radio in Radar Love?
“The radio’s playin’ some forgotten song
Brenda Lee’s “Coming On Strong”
That’s a lovely fact, @Cookieboy
My favourite pop fact is that the song “This Ole House” (made famous by dear old Shaky) was written after the songwriter found a dead body in an abandoned house while out on a hunting trip somewhere remote.
He then concocted a scenario whereby the house was so hard to maintain that the man just gave up and died, figuring that he was just as dilapidated as the house.
It’s quite a dark song. Green Door always seemed a bit strange as well. Why isn’t he allowed in?
I was reading an article about prohibition the other day, and it mentions that speakeasies often had green doors to identify them. I heard somewhere it was about a lesbian establishment, but this is not substantiated anywhere (thank you Wikipedia). Anyway, Fozzie Bear’s version is the best.
When she was on Later, PJ Harvey claimed that Wang Dang Doodle was about lesbians, because it’s based on “The Bull Dagger’s Ball”.
They ought to have changed the title, in that case…
It’s a brothel, no? All the ones round here have green doors, at any rate.
Probably, although he could just ask someone how much it costs to get in?
If it was a pub or an off license, then I reckon Shaky would have had no qualms whatsoever.
Yeah but you know what it’s like: you’re young, in the Welsh valleys, you’ve just grown your first quiff. You don’t really know how the world works, y’know?
Hence the double-denim
The BIGFUCKOFFDRUM in the chorus of The Boxer was recorded in an elevator shaft.
The BIGFUCKOFFDRUM on Street Fighting Man is a child’s toy.
Some of the drums on Unkown Pleasures were recorded on the roof of Strawberry Studios
And the hi-hats were an aerosol hairspray can. And the squeaky studio lift features.
They make drums for grownups as well…?
PS. I’m totally patenting that adjective. You’ll be hearing from my solicitors about this. As well as about the other thing. You heard.
Steve Peregrin Took played a Chad Valley kit with Tyrannosaurus Rex
Re: The Boxer – I remember reading that in NME’s Book of Rock Facts (or whatever it was called).
I don’t know if this counts, but I am the walrus by the Beatles is the only song to have been number one & number two in the singles charts at the same time.
Christmas 67 the Fabs were number one with hello goodbye – (IATW was the B side), & number two was the soundtrack EP from magical mystery tour & IATW was on that.
The first version of IATW was called I Am The Pangolin, but it didn’t scan.
The walrus was Justin Long.
That definitely qualifies. I didn’t know that and it’s a great fact!
Not clear who you’re replying to. Me or Retro?
Jack
In 1978 the US government fed names into a computer in order to come up with a Mr. Average American, a new “John Doe”. The name the computer chose was James C. Morrison.
As this was the time of the first Doors revival (“American Prayer”, “Apocalypse Now”, etc.) and poor Jimbo was everywhere suddenly, the whole project was soon forgotten.
I always like the German standard name – Max Mustermann. (or Erika)
Sounds like a porn star.
I’ve always liked the fact that the Jacksons’ 1978 hit single “Blame it on the Boogie” was written by Michael Jackson.
But not THAT Michael Jackson.
It was written and first recorded by an English singer-songwriter called Michael (‘Mick’) Jackson.
The Jacksons did a cover version of it soon afterwards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blame_It_on_the_Boogie#Mick_Jackson_version
OK, that’s probably the best one so far.
There was a documentary about this a couple of years ago called The Other Michael Jackson: Battle of the Boogie.
Barry Wom plays Drums on Lou Reed’s Transformer
I spoke to Barry after a Rutles gig we had quite a long chat, on leaving I said without thinking “bye Barry” “John” he insisted.
Oh and he met his wife at Muswell Hill Athanaeum which featured in The Kinks hit Come Dancing.
Stuart Sutcliffe was in the first Beatles tribute band.
The School for the Blind that Ray Charles attended was segregated.
Fantastic and rubbish at the same time.
Tying to the Paul Simon thread. Mother and Child Reunion is an over-literal translation for the Chinese phrase for Chicken Omelette.
More of a soup, actually, but there are eggs in it. Here is the recipe:
https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/mother-and-child-reunion-chicken-and-corn-egg-drop-soup/
Frank Sinatra recorded “One For My Baby (One More For The Road)” on five separate occasions.
Willie Nelson also recorded it on two occasions.
Just the one version by Iggy Pop.
When he was young the lyricist Hal David shared an apartment with Warren Beatty.
Warren had so many women chasing after him he couldn’t keep it straight who was who.
He devised a strategy, when they rang up and said, “Warren it’s me” he replied, “What’s new pussycat?”
John Mayall’s mum lived next door to my first girlfriend and John himself went to school with my mate Pete’s dad.
What is the link between The Ruts, The Commodores, Kim Wilde and Jools Holland you ask? Well…
Before the Ruts emerged, guitarist Paul Fox, my bassist pal Martin Connolly and drummer Dave Ruffy were in a funk band called Hit and Run.
Gary Barnacle (sax) and Luke Tunney (trumpet), later known as The Horny Horns and later still members of Jools Holland’s band, were the brass section and JD Nicholas (later to join Heatwave and later still to move to the USA and replace Lionel Richie in the Commodores) was the singer. Ruts bassist Segs and singer Malcolm Owen were Hit and Run’s roadies.
Gary Barnacle was also married for a while to Kim Wilde.
My pal Martin was the bassist for Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts for a few years and also played bass for Vardis.
Pick the bones out of that one, Pete Frame!
You’d have thought Gary would have clung on to Kim…
Kim Wilde to Kim Barnacle would have been the best pop star name change since Terence Trent Darby turned into Santander.
I was banking on someone bringing TTD’s name change up
Terence Trent D’Abbey National?
He’ll always be Terence Trent Water Authority to me.
Wonder if that’s why Kim Wilde did a cover of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”.
Then morphed from Santander to Bank of AntandDec according to those appalling adverts.
Dave Ruffy has played with just about everybody, you could add Kirsty MacColl to the list.
The Waterboys too.
And World Party. And Aztec Camera. And Sinead O’Connor. I could go on (and on).
He played with Prefab Sprout for a while too, I recently discovered.
I think he’s worked with David Lynch too, can’t remember in what capacity….
I can’t remember what it was, but I remember he was excellent.