Watching TOTP2 (I think) the other day, I happened across early 90s banger Naked in the Rain, by Blue Pearl. Choon, as it happens.
Turns out, little did I know, that Blue Pearl were not a contrived early 90s house cash-in studio act, but were in fact (mainly) Youth out of Killing Joke and vocalist Durga McBroom, who is known to me not in this guise, but as the long time backing vocalist for late era Pink Floyd, along with her equally fantastically christian-named sister Lorelei (and Sam Brown).
So, Massive, what else don’t I know that I really ought to?
That Nanette Newman baked the cake on the cover of Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones.
Deliah Smith says it was her.
There’s only one way to resolve this.
Nanette vs Delia – FIIIIIGHT!
What with her hands being so soft as a result of her having spent years with her arms elbow deep in mild, green Fairy Liquid, Nanette has no chance
Two bakers enter. One baker leaves
It was Delia, original sleeve notes state that Nanette “Newman” sang backing vocals on 2 tracks, this was an error it was actually Nanette Workman
I believe they didn’t put her real name because she wasn’t supposed to work – no permit or something. Delia’s How To Cook is one of the best cookbooks ever. I am a fan. Of course she made the cake. Sometimes it’s good to be a bit daft. In my world at least.
Rod Stewart played harmonica on Millie’s “My Boy Lollypop”.
You know the rumour about Mark Almond (previously Rod Stewart) involving a stomach pump?
Rod has always denied playing harmonica on “My Boy Lollypop”
Never knew Rods hit “Sailing” was a cover version
Never knew Christianity came a long time after the Old Testament
Not exactly linked facts
I’m kind of baffled by your second fact there. Is it just that you didn’t realise the big J didn’t make an appearance until the new testament?
I know that says more about my religious education… I must have been looking out the window
My technical drawing teacher at school went to school with Mr Almond. (Apparently nicknamed “Prune” IIRC.)
It sounded like it was quite a hoot…
Coincidentally Marc Almond was the year above me at school. My mate briefly dated his sister I think.
The story was that Youth met Durga backstage after a Pink Floyd gig, was smitten & said “I can make you a star”.
The album “Naked” shows the PF connection, with David Gilmour. Rick Wright, & Guy Pratt involved.
In the YouTube comments for this Storm Thorgerson directed video, Durga explains that he, Gilmour & Wright didn’t charge anything.
Here are the album credits from the ‘Naked’ LP cover:
Gary Barnacle on sax?
Scraping the bottom…
Stick with him, he might get better
He and Luke Tunney (trumpet) recorded as The Big Horns with The Ruts on “The Crack”.
Previous to that they were the horn section of a funk band called Hit & Run with Dave Ruffy and Paul Fox and including singer JD Nicholas, who went on to join Heatwave and later replaced Lionel Ritchie in The Commodores.
Segs and Malcolm Owen were Hit & Run’s roadies.
Gary was married to Kim Wilde for a time.
Gary and Luke went on to play in Jools Holland’s orchestra.
He was also half of Leisure Process, who released this fab single (produced by Martin Rushent)…never knew till today that there was a video clip for it.
Probably one of the most of-it’s time singles of it’s time.
Catchy!
I can see why that didn’t get airtime – not safe for Swap Shop.
In Marc Almond’s band The Mambas too IIRC.
The Capital of Kazakhstan:
Before 1993: Alma-Ata
1993: Alma-Ata renamed Almaty
1993-97: Almaty
1997: Capital moved to Akmola
1998: Akmola renamed Astana
2019: Astana renamed Nur-Sultan
2022: Nur-Sultan goes back to being called Astana
I wish they’d make up their minds.
You know the sax solo on Baker Street? You’ll never guess who played it.
Surely we can ask the singer…?
I’ve some very distressing news.
Nick Lowe’s middle name is Drain.
His parents must have had a sense of humour.
Two minutes walk from our house is a Methodist Chapel which for a few years a sign on the window declared the vicar as one Nick Lowe.
I never met him but I assume he knew of the Shting Shtang hitmaker.
‘Yes, what indeed is so funny about peace. love and understanding?’ countless sermons must have included.
For some years the vicar at St. Andrews in Rushmere was one Richard Thompson.
I expect you know this, but Barry Manilow didn’t write “I Write the Songs” – it was Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys.
Not very exciting, I know, but I am very dull and it was the first fact off the top of my head.
Joe Satriani sang backing vocals on the first Crowded House album.
The Rutles’ Stig O’Hara played drums on ‘Weather With You’.
The Rutles’ Barry Wom played drums on “Bullinamingvase”
Mick Jones and Allan Clarke were both Leeds United stalwarts before turning to music and joining The Clash and The Hollies respectively. Later their captain Billy Bremner was poached by Rockpile
Didn’t Mick Jones then get transferred to Foreigner for a record fee?
Correct
David Harvey’s son was the bloke with the silly hat in East 17 who managed to run himself over.
Oh … and Trevor Cherry was Neneh’s uncle
Wobbly legged Liverpool keeper jerzy dudek was the illegitimate
half-brother of 70s guitar god les dudek
On a football tip, I’m sure all Afterworders know that Gil Scott-Heron’s dad played for Glasgow Celtic. The away Cup tie against Dundee will not be televised!
I did NOT know that. I thought for a minute you were joking!
I too thought it was a joke. Turns out that Gil’s dad was an interesting chap.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Heron#:~:text=Gilbert%20Saint%20Elmo%20Heron%20(9,and%20musician%20Gil%20Scott%2DHeron.
He made his way across the sea
So that all men could brothers be
Flight of the Heron by Michael Marra
Wow! Thanks @bigstevie.
That’s a great song.
Excellent!
When the Beatles (with Pete Best) played “Please Mr Postman” for a BBC session in early ’62 it was probably the first time a Motown song was played on the BBC. Others may know this – but I didnt.
Thanks @chilli ray virus. That was interesting.
It led me to this:
My first thought was “Dusty” but the RSG Motown episode was 1965 (and not the Beeb)
I think this is right…
The rarest record of all time – there’s one original copy – “That’ll Be The Day” / “In Spite of All the Danger” by The Quarrymen was played over a week, several times a day, for the hundreds of women working at the Littlewoods Pools Company in 1958… making them the first people outside the immediate families to hear “The Beatles” on record.
The ballet dancer on the cover of the Tull’s “A Passion Play” was also a Hill’s Angel.
Also Beethoven was a terrible dancer.
Cue Yakkety Sax video…
Here’s an interview with her…
https://jethrotullgroup.proboards.com/thread/231/interview-ballerina
Interesting, thanks.
“Only A Fool Would Say That” by Steely Dan is a song mocking John Lennon’s “Imagine” which they thought was dangerously insensitive and naive.
The Mothers of Invention album title “They’re only in it for the money” was Zappa’s comment about The Beatles after hearing Sgt. Pepper, hence pastiche cover.
A pedant writes…it was ‘We’re Only In It For The Money’.
I love the album but never knew that it was a dig at the fabs. I guess the album cover was a clue..!
Pity Zappa’s record label Verve got cold feet and used an alternative cover, the pastiche was the inverted cover. A brilliant album.
Pendant think again. They played FZ the album and asked him what he thought of it. He said, “I think TOIIFTM”. The Mothers title came later.
Sorry if I misunderstood @Twang, but your post said ‘the Mothers of Invention album title ‘They’re only in it for the money’. Pendantry indeed!
Ah yes, badly expressed! 🙂
Jedward have a brother called Kevin.
And he’s sure to go to heaven……
In his younger days legendary Country singer Charley Pride was a professional baseball player and apparently a good one. However the most noteworthy moment from his days on the diamond was that he and a player named Jesse Mitchell were once traded for a bus. If you don’t believe me here’s what Charley had to say in his 1994 autobiography… “Jesse and I may have the distinction of being the only players in history to be traded for a used motor vehicle.”
Oh the Crystal Chandelier’s smashed up. I hit it with a ball…
Lennie Peters of Peters and Lee fame (Welcome Home), was the uncle of Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones.
He was blinded in one eye after a car accident aged 5 and in the other, when a brick was thrown, aged 16. I bet when the second accident happened he must have thought “Oh, for fuck’s sake, what are the odds!”
Of course if it hadn’t have been for the earlier accident, he’d have seen the brick coming
@chiz
Even sadder was the fact that that brick ended his 11-year reign as monarch of the Land of the Blind
@Jaygee
Shouldn’t smile, but am. I love subtle humour like that.
Also worked under the ‘protection’/patronage of the Krays in the early 60s London club scene. Geezer!
“Don’t stop til you get enough!” – what a toe-tapper! But in my head I tend to make up the words just before the chorus. About a minute ago, I looked it up.
“Keep on, with the force, don’t stop” apparently.
I thought it was “Keep on, with the post office”
I thought it was post op, hoping you’d get better after your medical procedure.
I thought it was “Keep on, do the bus stop” like it was some dance move.
Come on… it’s a four star stop
Come on… when the Force starts up.
I thought it was “keep on with the post-war” – in other words “we are still in a period of economic recovery after 1945, so just hang on in there, tighten our belts and we will get thorough this period.”
And then he sings “Don’t stop til you get enough!” which is the complete opposite sentiment to the preceding.
It’s like Billie Jean, when he sings “take my strong advice, remember to always think twice” and then immediately after that “Don’t think twice! Don’t think twice! Hoo!”.
He’s all over the place.
See now I wish it was ‘keep on with the post office’ and I’ll never be able to hear it any other way
Also, I think I confessed this a couple of years ago.
Due to its inclusion on a ROCK compilation we had in the house when I was a very small nipper – I always completely loved Hawkwind’s Silver Machine. It’s still astonishing, I think.
And yet…I was well into my fifties when I found out that the vocalist is Lemmy.
Tremendous stuff, people.
I’m having a lot of fun working out which are true and which are you just making stuff up to mess with my head.
I’m doing exactly the same with Kid Dynamite’s Top 100 Albums thread.
Ha! Me too 🙁
the hits are coming!
….later
Matt Laug, current occupant of the AC/DC drum stool, one played with Scottish fopp Gary Clark in the band King L.*, and on a solo album by East Anglian fopp Boo Hewerdine.
(*) dreadful band names – there’s a thread in there.
I remember one song by King L.
It was called “First Man on the Sun”.
It was actually pretty good. Sounded a bit like Danny Wilson.
When I say “Danny Wilson”, I don’t mean the former Luton Town and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Danny Wilson, I mean the Scottish pop band Danny Wilson.
Ah yes, the band formerly known as Spencer Tracy.
As in ‘He Looks Like Spencer Tracy Now’ by Deacon Blue.
As in ‘Deacon Blues’ by Steely Dan.
As in Steely Dan the {stop right there: Ed}
Paul McCartney’s corpse has rotted by now.
He hasn’t let it hold him back though.
Lieutenant Pigeon had a number one hit in 1972 with “Mouldy Old Dough”. The band’s name Lieutenant Pigeon is an anagram of Genuine Potential.
They lived and famously recorded MOD in a house right opposite Kingsway Library in Coventry. Used to walk past it at least once a week when I was a kid. Pretty sure the members (sans the old dear) were in Staveley Makepeace
Gary Numan’s producer is Techno ex-chart star Adam F.
Adam F’s dad is Alvin Stardust, aka Shane Fenton of the Fentones.
I am not related to either, but my Best Man is related to one of Showaddywaddy.
Bernard Jewry was neither the original Alvin Stardust nor Shane Fenton.
The first Shane Fenton, Johnny Theakston, died of rheumatic fever, just as the band had been booked to audition for the BBC & Jewry (roadie to the band) took over the vocals, keeping the stage name in tribute.
My Coo Ca Choo was sung by Peter Shelley (Gee Baby) but the writer & producer didn’t want to perform live & wanted someone to play the part. The first 3 singles were sung by Shelley, giving Alvin/Shane/Bernard time to settle into the role.
In related trivia, Alvin Stardust was in the Buzzcocks.
Are you sure you’re not thinking of The Chipmunks?
Peter Shelley (Gee Baby) was the father of the Canadian singer-songwriter John Southworth.
Another of Alvin Stardust’s sons is now headmaster of Keir Starmer’s Alma Mater.
Ipswich Town have had two strikers called David Johnson. Both scored their debut goals for the club in 1-1 draws.
The first David Johnson opened a menswear boutique in town – Jonty’s – which at one point was was the most frequently ram-raided shop in Suffolk.
Never understood that niggle with Derby County.
The rhythm section on Everything but the Girl’s massive 1995 chart-bothering banger ‘Missing’ comprises Dave Mattacks and Danny Thompson.
And Judy Dyble topped up her pension fund by singing on Techno bangers.
Well, quite…
Oooooh I like that one. That Danny guy certainly gets around doesn’t he?
After one of their infamous fights and drinking/passing out sessions, Danny nailed John Martyn under a carpet while he was still unconscious (JM, that is…).
@Arthur-Cowslip Congratulations.
Oh dear. I’ll get me coat.
The character Major Tom in David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and “Ashes to Ashes” was (probably) inspired by the father of the former prime minister John Major…..
Posters advertising circus performer Tom Major (John’s dad) were known to have been displayed around Brixton at the time that young Mr Jones wrote said ditty.
I really want that to be true. Oh yes.
Rabbit hitmakers Chas & Dave appear on Eminem’s track “My Name Is…”
Before they were better know as a rockney double act, they were session musicians and appeared on Labi Siffre’s “I Got The…”, which went on to be heavily sampled by Mr Slim Shady.
Chas Hodges was with Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and Heads Hands And Feet prior to teaming up with fellow session player Dave Peacock for Chas&Dave. He also played uncredited on many of the tracks recorded by Joe Meek in the early ’60s.
During the early days when I worked in Hong Kong, I occasionally used a Canadian radio DJ called Ken Lundgren for voice over work Long after he’d left town, I bought a copy of Rock Family Trees and found he was another one who’d worked with Joe Meek.
Blair Cunningham, drummer of Haircut 100, was the younger brother of Carl Cunning, drummer of the Bar-Kays, who was killed in the plane crash that also claimed Otis Redding.
At the end of the track “For Your Pleasure” by Roxy Music, the actress Judi Dench can be heard saying “You don’t ask why”.
Adam Faith had three cats which he named Wilson, Keppel and Betty – in memory of his “great days in variety”/London Palladium beginnings.
AF’s last words were along the lines of “it’s shit this Channel 4, isn’t it?”
God help me, but I believe it was Channel 5 that proved terminal for Faith
Film-maker Spike Lee’s dad played bass for the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem.
Fish Feathers McTeeth is the estranged half brother of TV personality Martin Lewis.
Ray Clemence, Glenn Hoddle and Steve Archibald are among a select group of performers to appear twice on the same episode of Top Of The Pops
(All with the Spurs 1982 FA Cup song, and Clemence & Hoddle with declaring this time they’ll get it right with England World Cup Squad, and Archibald having a dream with Scotland)
I was taught secondary school French by Tony Galvin’s wife.
An international player for Republic of Ireland, despite being born in Huddersfield
(one of the early Grandparent-heritage qualifications before Jack Charlton introduced the “Do You Like Guinness” rule)
I was taught chemistry in my first year of secondary school by “Big” Jim Telfer, Scottish rugby international and future team coach.
Of course, it’s an odd boy that doesn’t like sport…
I went to an SRU, as it then was, coaching course in Edinburgh. Big Jim turned up.
To this day, I still haven’t met a man who carried such an air of intimidation.
I remember a lesson on oxygen/carbon dioxide/lactic acid/respiration, where he made the whole class run once round the school boundary before the lesson. On reflection, that’s as much biology as chemistry – I suspect he did it for the laugh, especially with plodders like me in the class…
…and you’re absolutely correct: there wasn’t much cheek given in his class!
Peter Shilton sung on four chart records, including a number 2 and a number 1. You can insert your own number 2-related jokes about 1982’s This Time (We’ll get it Right).
Eric Clapton was very fond of a pet hen, which he named Hortense Cholmondley-Farquharson.
In the 1970s, EC had a young puppy called Dragon, who liked to run away when off the lead, which is why he spent most of the decade chasing {that’s enough of that: Ed}.
The school for the blind that Ray Charles attended was segregated.
That must have been logistically tricky.
Not really
Lemmy Mötorhead could speak Welsh
The late great Gerry Kenny bassist with The Rats* the first English band to be signed by CBS AKA ‘The Minister Of Noise’, ‘Sir Freddie Viadukt’ and a member (with his wife) of Brenda and the Beach Balls used to cut my hair.
*This is the group The Rats from Earlestown, Merseyside. They released 2 7” singles with CBS.
I go to the same barber as Michael Weston King.
Gerry cut Lee Scratch Perry’s hair on one occasion.
Both the Velvet Underground and the Grateful Dead were originally named The Warlocks.
I know that you are all enormous fans of Lily Collins and Emily in Paris.
Back in the day, her dad played the drums and sang in an obscure prog music combo.
Taylor Swift was named in honour of James Taylor.
However, James never really caught on, so her parents went with the second name instead.
Former Bowie sidekick Earl Slick spent much of the late 1990s selling timeshares in Florida
Robert Palmer’s Addicted To Love was originally a duet with Chaka Khan.
Bri asks a question – “anybody ever noticed the B52s don’t have a bass player?”
Funny he should mention it: neither did The White Stripes
The beat spacing and pause in STAYIN’ ALIVE is used as a guide for performing CPR ———uh uh uh uh (pause- Stayin’ Alive, Stayin’ Alive) uh uh uh uh (pause -Stayin’ Alive, Stayin’ Alive)———the “uh uh’s” being the chest pumps.
Pamela Anderson’s dad, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, invented the Anderson Shelter.
@skirky
I want this to be true!
Sorry to spoil it but I heard it was Jon Anderson’s dad.
Or is that just a wondrous story?
Possibly just a tale from……….
“It’s Got To Be-ee-ee-ee Perr-fect” chart botherer Eddi Reader was once in scratchy post-punks Gang Of Four.
Eddi’s brother Frank Reader is the singer in Scottish janglers Trashcan Sinatras.
The Trashcan Sinatras’ guitarist, John Douglas, is Eddi Reader’s husband.
Eddi Reader once wore my hat for a gig at Warwick Arts Centre, after she cut her head on some backstage scaffolding.
That’s enough Readers, eh readers? – Ed (not Eddi).
…and here she is, backing vox and perc – one of my favourite old clips!
https://youtu.be/1-780DO3E3A?feature=shared
For a decade from 1982, Janice Long was Maggie Philbin’s sister-in-law.
Keith Chegwin was Janice’s brother and Maggie’s husband.
Did Janice ever play the Brown Sauce single?
Janice Long was a contestant on the first episode of 321
Kurt Vonnegut wrote more than a dozen successful novels and other works, often to great critical acclaim and inspiring more than one generation to become scientists, writers or world-weary misanthropists.
He had an uncle who invented the push-bar emergency door which has undoubtedly saved considerably more people than died in the bombing of Dresden. So it goes..
Top Hollywood funnyman Jack Black is the son-in-law of the late, great jazz double-bass player Charlie Haden.
Jack Black’s mother was Judith Love Cohen, an aerospace engineer who worked on the Hubble telescope and the Apollo space programme. Her son Neil Siegel, Jack B’s half brother, was heavily involved in the development of GPS technology for mobil phones.
Watching a Talking Heads interview clip this lunch time, it remended me that until a couple of years ago I had no idea that Jerry Harrison had been a member of the Modern Lovers prior to joining TH.
Lead Sister Andrew Eldritch was born and raised in Ely, Cambridgshire.
I’d always assumed he was from Leeds.
Well, the cathedral is pretty gothic (perhaps.) It’s certainly impressive.
I didn’t know that David Holmes met Sinéad O’Connor at Shane McGowan’s funeral. I bet Shane’ll be very surprised to hear that too. Must be true though – BBC says so:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67207695
I see the BBC has now erased all trace of its erroneous claim from the article. I hate that. Whitewashing. Re-writing history. Freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. Plus, makes my comment now look erroneous. Am suing.