(Brian Cox: Image via Wikipedia)

An interesting thing about physicist Brian Cox is that he was a one time member of the early to mid 90’s ‘dance’ band D:Ream. Mention of this fact is, predictably, on the Wikipedia page for Brian Cox where it says:

“He (Brian Cox) studied physics at the University of Manchester where he joined D:Ream, a group which had several hits in the UK charts, including the number one, ‘Things Can Only Get Better’, later used as a New Labour election anthem.”

That is factually correct. Brian Cox did join D:Ream and D:Ream did have several hits in the UK charts, including the number one ‘Things Can Only Get Better’. However Brian Cox did not perform on that number one hit at all – yet there are plenty of people out there who maintain that he did.

In the summer of 1992 D:Ream released the song ‘U R The Best Thing’, it slipped in to the charts at number 72 and dropped out the charts the following week. Early the following year they released ‘Things Can Only Get Better’, and indeed they did as this one managed to hit a peak of number 24 in the UK charts. They followed it up with a remix version of ‘U R The Best Thing’ and hit a peak of number 19. Follow up single ‘Unforgiven’ reached a peak of number 29 and the double A-side ‘Star’/'I Like It’ hit a peak of number 26. Then D:Ream hit the big time.

D:Ream – Things Can Only Get Better

Early 1994 saw a re-release of ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ and it raced to the number one spot for a total of 4 weeks. They then re-released (again) ‘U R The Best Thing’ and hit number 4 in the UK charts. Later that year they released ‘Take Me Away’ which hit a peak of number 18. The year of 1995 saw D:Ream release another 3 songs, ‘Shoot Me With Your Love (7), ‘Party Up The World’ (20) and ‘The Power (Of All The Love In The World’ (40). And that was that for D:Ream. Apart from May 1997 when the Labour party under Tony Blair ‘hijacked’ the D:Ream song ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ for their election campaign – the song returned to the charts at number 19.

D:Ream were the brainchild of Peter Cunnah, who wrote all the bands tracks and Scottish musician Al Mackenzie. The debut album from D:Ream, called D:Ream Volume 1, contains all but one of their hit singles. In the liner notes of the album it mentions all the people who played on each of the tracks. This is what it says:

All tracks performed by Peter Cunnah with :Take Me Away Backing Vocals Linda Duggan . U R The Best Thing Backing Vocals D’Borah Asher . Unforgiven Backing Vocals Linda Duggan . I Like It Backing Vocals Linda Duggan . Glorious Voice by Liliana Chachian . So Long Movin’ On Trumpet Gerry Ruddock, Backing Vocals Donna Gardier, Additional Programming Gaetan . Blame It On Me Hammond Organ Tom Frederikse, Original Piano Raine Shine, Backing Vocals Linda Duggan & Jamie Petrie, Congas Wendon Davis. Things Can Only Get Better Additional Keyboards Al Mackenzie, Additional Piano Tom Frederikse, Hammond/Piano Gary Meek, Backing Vocals Jamie Petrie, Peter Crooner, Kathleen Pearson-Thomas, Dylis Duku & Delphi Newman . Star Piano Brian Cox, Congas Wendon Davis.

As those line notes attest, the piano part on the D:Ream track ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ were played, in part, but Al Mackenzie, Tom Frederikse and Gary Meek. So no Brian Cox on that track then! In fact, the only D:Ream track on the album that does feature Brian Cox on piano is the song Star.

D:Ream – Star

So Brian Cox may well have been a member of D:Ream, who had a number one hit with ‘Things Can Only Get Better’, but he never played on it. The only chart hit by D:Ream Brian Cox did play on was Star, which hit a peak of number 26 in October 1993.

It wasn’t actually the first time though that Brian Cox had been in the UK charts though because in the late 1980’s he was a member of the band Dare. He was a member of the original line up of Dare and stayed for the recording of their first album ‘Out Of The Silence’ before leaving the band after receiving his degree in Physics. From that debut album from Dare two songs were released in the UK that hit the charts – The Raindance and Abandond – both in 1989. The two songs, featuring Brian Cox on keyboard failed to set the charts alight though, only reaching peaks of number 62 and 71 respectively.

So there you have it! One time ‘pop star Brian Cox, whose only taste of the top 40 in the UK charts was playing the piano on a song called Star, is now a physicist who has become a Television star and co-presents a show called Stargazing. How apt!

We saw Quinn with pink hair, smoking a cigarette and hanging with her new group of friends, the skanks, under the bleachers at McKinley high. I squealed with delight. She looked honestly punk and pained. She was beautiful. Her character had depth and this is what I looked forward to.

Then the season reintroduced us to Idena Menzel’s character. For those who don’t follow, she is the woman who adopted Quinn’s baby. It comes out, fairly quickly, that Idena’s character is building another glee club at McKinley to compete with the New Directions.

What I would have loved to have seen was staring the Glee writers right in the face. Quinn should have dug her heels into the punk rock world and resisted both groups. She should have put her emotional problems on display by taking these skanks, these outcasts, and while churning out the best of punk volume one, taken the show into an interesting direction.

But could the skanks do it?

I don’t know. I can’t say for sure. I wish I could say, definitively, but the truth is we’ve never heard from these other, minor characters before. But let’s assume they can sing decently. The glee writers would have made sure of this if they’d planned on doing anything with them so let’s just take talent as a given, and follow my train of thought. Okay?

By adding two female characters to this group of skanks, played by two actresses I’ll mention in a moment, they could have really driven home the point that Glee tries repeatedly to make: you should accept people for who they are, not what they look like or who they sleep with. 

This message has been the repeated theme of the show since it’s inception. I think the most shocking moment this was on display was when Kurt told his crush that bisexuality is what gay men call themselves when they don’t want to come out of the closet. He echoed something I’ve heard from the gay community many, many times. And then Blaine, Kurt’s crush, responded by calling out his bigotry. This wasn’t the only example but it was strong because it showed that bigotry comes in many, many shapes.

This punk club could have been the antiglee club. I’ll post some songs they could have done in a bit but first let’s meet the two members I’d have invited to join the show:

I am straight up in love with Zoe Kravitz. She’s freaking gorgeous and talented. She’s the daughter of rocker Lenny Kravitz but makes music of her own. Her band, Elevator Fight, have played several festivals including the Afro Punk fest in New York. Her singing has earned her a recurring role on Californiacation, playing the front woman of an all girl rock band. Their first song: Last Caress by the Misfits.

Now, this doesn’t sound like Glee material, but raw rock music can be played in any style. Even though I can’t stand My Chemical Romance, one of my favorite songs the cast of Glee have ever done was Sing!

And we just passed the 20 year anniversary of Nevermind, the classic album by the rock band Nirvana who helped make indie and punk music more accessible, even though they weren’t really all that punk. Say what you want about them, mock their frontman for his suicide all you want but they had a huge impact on what is defined as pop music. It’s because of them that Green Day and Linkin Park have jobs. Period.

I bring this up because there was a fantastic example of doing Rock songs in other genres. Charles Bradley did a brilliant cover of Stay Away that sounds NOTHING like a Nirvana song.

And let’s not forget Tori Amos’s cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Clearly, these rock songs can be translated in many, many genres. Even the Glee sound.

And this brings me to my next new star of Glee.

Frances Bean Cobain is the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. She had a suicide themed sweet sixteen featuring Mindless Self Indulgence. She draws creepy ass pictures. She’s lived a fucked up ass life and embodies the punk soul. 

With her on the roster, Glee would have had access to just about any song they wanted by association. Not to mention, they could do a shit ton of Nirvana songs. Frances doesn’t want to make her career out of her dad’s name but I’m sure this opportunity would be too much to pass up. Even if they never did a single Nirvana song, the anticipation of it would drive 90’s rock fans wild.

But, could you imagine a Glee version of some of Kurt’s famous covers? I would go insane at the idea of them doing Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Lead Belly.

And what about songs from bands who knew or liked Nirvana? Bikini Kill anybody? The Vaselines? Or they could do older songs, The Pixies would be a great choice, and the Runaways. The possibilities would have been endless. Literally.

So what, right? 

I know a woman who loves Glee with all her heart. She listens to the soundtracks and dances in her car to covers of rock songs she’d never heard. She adores the music of Glee and told me she’d never heard most of the songs they sing because she only listens to pop music.

I’ve honestly never heard most of the songs they do from musicals, but I enjoy them well enough.

This would have been a way for the glee show creators to give people like my friend, and people who are opposite of me and know only the musicals and none of the other music, into some of the most honest and raw music to ever be published in this nation. 

I teach Sunday school at my church. The kids I teach are teenagers and most of them mostly listen to Ke$ha. This makes me so sad. I’ve tried to teach them about Suicidal Tendencies, Pearl Jam, Iggy Pop and every other band I’ve ever loved but they see me as this old guy who likes weird shit. The music I like is irrelevant. 

It wouldn’t be if Glee did it. 

And They could have taken Punk Quinn into a whole new story. They could have written about how she pulled herself out of her depression and pain by being creative, by speaking her mind and being true to herself. Something Quinn has never done. She could have learned and grown into a person who is aware of the people around her, not of how she can manipulate them but how she can ease their pains. 

She could have been fantastic.

And the Glee club could have learned to love her despite her nose ring.

It would have been fantastic but instead, they undid it and made her evil and stuck up and manipulative again. No growth, no depth. It broke my heart. It made me angry at my favorite show. I’ve even considered writing fan fic and I loathe fan fic.

Now, if you’re thinking who cares if Glee features awesome music, I have an answer for that too. You should. If you’re a music geek like me, you value music and the power that it possesses to help people. And if you don’t value music on a deeply spiritual level, that’s cool. No hard feelings.

If you like Glee, though, you might be interested in stories that are clever and interesting and that would have been something that Glee could have done with the Skanks. While going on about Quinn learning to actually love herself, something she’s never done, Glee writers could have talked about serious issues such as:

• Self Harm. One of the skanks only lines in their episode of Glee was that she ate dog poop last summer. This is self harm. This is a girl crying out for help and she was easily thrown aside, and for what? A cheap joke. This character hates herself so much she actually fed herself dog poop to punish herself for… something. Wouldn’t it be amazing to find out what?
• Homelessness. Yes, yes, yes. They already talked about Homelessness with Sam (Chord Overstreet) but that was a kid who was lucky enough to have a family who loves him. He had friensd who helped him out with clothes and a bed to sleep in, even if it was at a motel. There are many kids, and they tend to be the kind who wear ripped jeans and flannel, who aren’t that lucky. They run away from home because their home is dangerous. They aren’t safe. Someone is hurting them. This would have been a great story to tell. Right?
• Drug Abuse. The show has touched on kids using drugs but it hasn’t really gone into depth about the struggle of hard drug use. One or more of these Skanks could have turned to drugs to get away from their pain. 
• Sexual misconduct. Some kids don’t handle pain by cutting or turning to drugs. These people, usually women, turn to sleeping with random people. Santana does this, a bit. But she’s more or less safe. One of the skanks could literally be putting herself in danger trying to escape what ever pain is in her heart. They joked about Quinn dating a 40 year old man. This would have been fantastic and a great counter story to Punk who started dating Idena Menzel’s character.
• Suicide. With Kurt Cobain’s daughter, the subject of suicide could have been so heart wrenching that even my mother would want to listen to Endless Nameless with me. 
• Graffiti. Speaking of Frances Bean Cobain, she’s a fucking amazing artist. She could easily vandalize McKinley High. It would be a great way to show her acting out and show how artistic expression can (and often does) make things better. She could also learn that she can be creative without hurting other people, like the Glee club. Sue, who is currently running for political office on an anti art campaign, could have pointed at the morbid paintings and used them to help her garnish support. 

In the end, the only thing I can do is get worked up every time Glee reruns come on and I’m forced to see the potential in this new season. And complain online. I’m good at that.
And if the Glee creators are out there, if you want, I’ll write the story lines for the skanks for scale or what ever. 

Artists like Skrillex and producers like Rusko have pioneered their own unique post-dubstep sound commonly known as “brostep”. Spin Magazine in 2011 referred to brostep as a “lurching and aggressive” variant of dubstep that prevails in the United States. Skrillex expresses his emotion in this music, generating millions of listeners that are attracted to this “grungy angry” style of music.

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With over 45 million views on youtube of Skrillex’s single “Scary Monsters and Sprites”, One can ask what makes this music so popular to pop culture in America? This music reflects the values and emotions that are expressed in the youth of America. The robotic and dirty anger expressed in this style can be interpreted to be the feelings that are trapped in many kids in the nation. Is is a real surprise that it has become a popular radio hit and club jam?

Is Skrillex sending a message to the listeners out there? What is so intriguing about this sound?
Music is an expression of emotion and a reflection of character. To the listeners of dubstep, with the music reflecting emotions that may be expressed through this music, is it aggression and noise that surrounds our youth? Is it the wobbling bass and powerful drops, or is it all in plain view robotic noise layed over a 140 tempo beat?

A direct connection between music and it’s evolution of society is a pattern that is seen throughout history. Where does dubstep fit in the society of America?

Translated by : Kim Stanley Robinson

Publisher:          Tom Doherty Associates

ISBN:              0-312-86143-5

I recently read Kim Stanley Robinson’s space classic “The Memory of Whiteness” which is his least scientific mystery set in the cosmos of a future universe. Hero Dent is a not very motivated farmer who writes music reviews for his planet’s music news. So when Johannes Wright, the 9th composer for the one man symphony instrument created by Arthur Holywelkin, goes on tour, Dent is asked to cover the tour. The plot follow the tour from the outer most planets inward toward Earth. Visits to Mars, the Jovian moons etc are colorful and relate to the partying atmosphere around a concert.

Johannes Wright makes a convincingly driven composer who has had to overcome addiction nephanthol in order to become the 9th composer. He only lives for music and is held captive to his music with few friends. And he is in search of the ultimate symphony, wanting to learn the secrets of previous composers.

The friendship that grows between Dent and Johannes Wright is based on their ability to communicate. And Dent’s amateurish ability as a musician that allows him to take part in a pickup band on their transportation. Their friendship helps other see Johannes Wright as a human being rather than something that is attached to the equipment he uses to create symphonies.

Meanwhile, the tour is being sabotaged by someone and only the tour’s security and Dent have any insight into who the villains maybe. The Greys are a sect of Mithraists, and Ekern is a member and Johannes Wright’s major competitor. Ekern makes a good villain because of his envy and because of his convincing attempts to derail Johannes Wright. The ultimate sabotage comes at the end with interaction with the mystical Greys.

The science in the story relates to the creation of music based on physics but it has the side effect that when played, people react emotionally. And it creates to physics and the universal model and for light. Johannes Wright’s experience searching for the music of physics and with the Greys is wonderfully mystical and thoughtful.

What is most fun about the story is creative ideas that are presented, especially Holywelkin’s one man symphony which creates images in the reader’s mind of the man banging cymbals, thumping a drum, blowing a harmonica and thrumming a guitar. Except it is all electronic and all orchestrated from a composer’s station but plays real instruments. Years later, the memory of whiteness is still a fun read.

This was the last chart hit in the UK from ABBA before they called it a day as a band. It reached a peak of number 33 in November 1983.

2. Thanks For The Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam) – Slade

Slade scored a total of 15 top 10 hits in the UK and this song was one of them. Released in the Spring of 1975 it peaked at number 7 in the UK charts.

3. Thank You – Dido

This Dido effort, that Eminem sampled for his track Stan, reached a peak of number 3 in the UK charts in June 2001.

4. Thank You For A Good Year – Alexander O’Neal

Alexander O’Neal released this song as a double A-side with Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire), reaching a peak of number 30 in the UK charts in December 1988.

5. Thank You My Love – Imagination

This was the last of 9 top 40 hits that Imagination enjoyed in the UK. It hit a peak of number 22 in the UK charts and managed to stay in the top 40 for a total of 7 weeks.

6. Thank You For Loving Me – Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi hit a peak of number 12 in the UK charts with this little ditty in December 2000.

7. Thank You Whoever You Are – Marillion

The peak chart success enjoyed by Marillion had been in the mid to late 1980’s, but he staged something of a comeback in 2004 with the number 7 hit You’re Gone, followed up by the number 16 hit Don’t Hurt Yourself. This one here reached a peak of number 15 in the UK charts in June 2007!

8. Thank U – Alanis Morissette

This was one of only two top 10 hits that Alanis Morissette enjoyed in the UK (the other one being Head Over Feet), it reached a peak of number 5 in October 1998.

9. Thank You – Jamelia

Jamelia had an impressive run of top 10 hits in the UK between 2003 and 2006 and this one was the best of the bunch in terms of chart placing, reaching a peak of number 2 in March 2004.

10. Thank God It’s Christmas – Queen

Not one of the biggest hits that Queen ever enjoyed in the UK, it only reached a peak of number 21 in December 1984.

The event hosted by Simon Mayo was webcast to Facebook, Mayo announced that the new album would be available to purchase in June 2012, with a series of worldwide shows going out from the Autumn. The event will be shown on a giant screen with CGI effects, and 3D holographic performers. A 35 foot high giant Walking Machine will be on the stage, firing out “real” heat ray blasts into the audience.

After years of playing the character of Herbert it is felt that Richard Burton (who died in the 1984) should step down as the main character, and has been replaced for the new performances by Liam Neeson.

Taking to the stage after the announcement, Liam Neeson and Jeff Wayne took to the stage to talk about the project. Wayne discussed how because things in the story, and in the music have moved on so much it was important to find a new Herbert.

The filming took four days to complete, all of which was done on Green screen so as to create the massive holograms. Neeson explained that the filming was not much different to filming Star Wars or Clash Of The Titans.

For the new show, the music has changed, with a move away from punk and disco, and bringing a more contemporary sound. Wayne said the sound would be a tight modern sound, while still holding the classical stringed roots of the original.

The new performers are remaining anonymous at present, with an announcement to follow early next year, as the release of the album drawers closer.  In questioning Neeson revealed he would not be one of the singing performers.

Jeff Wayne told Ben Hall of the times that the holographic performance will interact with real performers, and that the effects will be as good as technology will allow.

Neeson talked about Ellis Island which he filmed with the late Richard Burton, although he never spoke to Burton, he said he was amazed how this fit looking man he met of set, had died just two weeks after the shooting. Neeson stated he was not worried about comparisons to Burton, and stated that he was very flattered.

Wayne told a Camden journalist that when a War Of The Worlds album was re-released it fought of a battle against James Blunt. And in a comparison the same age group bought this time, as last time. So the story is being passed down to a young audience, and not simply a nostalgic audience that buys the re-releases/remixes.

The show will only be seen at arenas due to the size of screens, audience size, and the effects.

The show will air across the globe from November 2012.

And on that subject, every single one of the following songs also reached the number one spot in the UK charts, and they are connected by the fact they all have ‘one’ in the title. So without much further ado here is the list of the 17 UK number one hits with one in the title.

1. One Night by Elvis Presley reached number one in the UK charts in January 1959.
2. The Young Ones by Cliff Richard and the Shadows was the first number one hit of 1962.
3. You’re The One That I Want by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, from the film Grease, hit the top spot in June 1978.
4. One Day At A Time by Lena Martell reached number one in the UK charts in October 1979.
5. One Day In Your Life by Michael Jackson was the UK number one hit in late June of 1981.
6. One Moment In Time by Whitney Houston was number one in the middle of October 1988.
7. Sadness Part 1 was the one and only number one hit for Enigma, hitting number one in January 1991.
8. The One And Only was the one and only number one hit for Chesney Hawkers, hitting number one in March 1991.
9. 2 Become 1 by the Spice Girls was the last number one hit in the UK of 1996.
10. I Wanna Be The Only One by Eternal featuring BeBe Winans hit the UK top spot in May 1997.
11. Baby One More Time by Britney Spears was her first number one hit in the UK, hitting the top spot in February 1999.
12. She’s The One by Robbie Williams was the UK number in the middle of November 1999.
13. Independent Women Part 1 by Destiny’s Child hit number one in November 2000.
14. 21 Seconds by So Solid Crew reached number one in the UK charts in August 2001.
15. If You’re Not The One by Daniel Bedingfield was number one in December 2002.
16. One Night by Elvis Presley was back at number one in the UK in January 2005.
17. Number 1 by Tinchy Stryder was number one in April 2009.

To date that is it, the 17 UK number one hits with one in the title!

The ‘cover stars’ were an indication of Morrissey’s personal interests in obscure or cult film stars, including Stamp, Alain Delon, Jean Marais, Warhol protégé Joe Dallesandro, James Dean and figures from 1960s British culture, including pools winner Viv Nicholson, Coronation Street actress Pat Phoenix and Salford playright Shelagh Delaney.

The Smiths

The sleeve for the group’s eponymous was designed by Morrissey. It features American actor Joe Dallesandro in a cropped still from Andy Warhol’s 1968 film Flesh. In the uncropped version, Dallesandro appears to be masturbating a male co-star.

Meat is Murder

The Smith’s second album, Meat is Murder, featured an edited still from Emile de Antonio’s 1968 documentary In the Year of the Pig. The legend on the soldier’s helmet originally read ‘Make War Not Love’. Morrissey replaced it with his impassioned declaration of vegetarianism.  On vinyl and American CD releases, four copies of the image were used, whereas only one was used on European CD issues.

The Queen Is Dead

The Queen Is Dead was the third studio album by The Smiths. The album cover features French actor, Alain Delon, from the 1964 film L’Insoumis.

Strangeways, Here We Come

The sleeve for The Smith’s final studio album, Strangeways, Here We Come, features a murky shot of James Dean’s East of Eden co-star Richard Davalos. Davalos is looking at James Dean, who is cropped from the image. Dean was a hero of Morrissey’s, about whom the singer wrote a book called James Dean Is Not Dead. Morrissey had intended to use a still of Harvey Keitel in Martin Scorsese’s I Call First, but Keitel declined to allow him to use the image. In 1991 Keitel relented, and the image was used on t-shirts and stage backdrops for Morrissey’s 1991 solo tour.  The album takes its title from Manchester’s notorious Strangeways Prison. ‘Strangeways, of course, is that hideous Victorian monstrosity of a prison operating 88 to a cell,’ as Morrissey put it.

Louder Than Bombs

Louder Than Bombs was a compilation released as a double album in March 1987 by The Smiths American record company, Sire Records. The sleeve features British playwright Shelagh Delaney of Salford. The photograph was originally published in the Saturday Evening Post after Delaney, at the age of 19, had made a striking literary debut with her play A Taste of Honey. The play inspired many early lyrics written by Morrissey, particularly the song ‘This Night Has Opened My Eyes’.

At the Moulin Rouge: Two Women Waltzing (Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec)

Having got all my work up to date and written up and published my Apple and Almond Tart recipe on Triond (http://notecook.com/desserts/apple-and-almond-tart), I found myself with a little time on my hands and, as I’m my own boss, decided to settle down with a nice cup of tea and have a listen to some of the things that busy housewives in the UK would have been listening to on their wireless sets.

I’d already found out what music was popular in the UK music sheet charts in 1950 (http://socyberty.com/military/a-trip-down-memory-lane-music-from-1950) so, as I’m a golden oldie myself, it seemed like a good idea to relax with a few golden oldie tunes from 1951.

It appeared that the waltz and ballads were very much to the taste of music listeners in 1951 as the UK sheet music charts show, but it seems that Tweety Pie and Sylvester held a place in our hearts too! 

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat came to be Number One at the beginning of January 1951, replacing poor old Rudolph who’d been at the top of the charts for six weeks from the end of November 1950 right through Christmas and just into the New Year.  Presumably the hard working reindeer then returned to the North Pole with his other reindeer friends to rest until the following Christmas.

Beloved Be Faithful tipped Tweety off his perch to take the Number One spot for just one week at the end of January 1951.

Then we come into the Waltz zone.  The first to top the sheet music charts here was The Petite Waltz in the first week of February 1952.  This version is played by The Billy Cotton Orchestra – he and his instrumental wizards regularly came into our living rooms here on a Saturday night via our old black and white television sets.

The Petite Waltz remained in the top spot for a couple of weeks but was swiftly swept from the dance floor to be followed by The Tennessee Waltz.  This version is sung by the Pattii Page. 

It’s a bit of a tear jerker but it goes to show just how sentimental we can be here in the UK.  Our stiff upper lips were aquiver for nine weeks with this one, from mid February right through the month of March.

Eventually, it seems, we needed a bit of a “pick me up” so from 21 April the more uplifting Mockin Bird Hill took to our charts.  I’ve chosen my favourite version by Mary Ford and Les Paul.

Mockin Bird Hill held the Number One spot for 10 weeks and it wasn’t until 30 June that we saw a change.  After those 10 weeks we then decided to go back to a more sentimental song – With These Hands.  It remained in top spot for 3 weeks and this version is sung by Eddie Fisher.

Midsummer saw a slight change in tempo with a Hoagy Carmichael song, My Resistance is Low.  It was at the top of our sheet music chart from 21 July until mid August.

From 18 August the British populace decided to go back to sloppy stuff once more and we saw Too Young take the place of Hoagy’s song.  This song has been sung by just about every recording artist across the world it seems, but I’ve chosen this version by Nat King Cole as he’s still one of my favourite singers of the last century!  I can never get enough of Nat!  The sheet music charts here show just how popular the song was at the time.  It remained at the top for a total of 12 weeks, taking it right through until 10 November.

Presumably It became too old to be Too Young so was finally overtaken by Longing For You which remained at Number One until into 1952.  It seems our year had come full circle as we ended the year with a waltz!

I love this version by the beautiful Teresa Brewer. 

Well, following that hunt through the archives, I’m now going to make a cup of afternoon tea and have a quick waltz around the kitchen while I’m waiting for the kettle to boil!

Signing to Rough Trade Records, they released their first single, Hand in Glove, in May 1983. The record was championed by DJ John Peel, but failed to chart. The follow-up singles This Charming Man and What Difference Does It Make? fared better when they reached numbers 25 and 12 respectively. In February 1984, the group released their debut album The Smiths, which reached number two on the UK Albums Chart. In 1985 the band released their second album, Meat Is Murder. This was more strident and political than its predecessor, including the pro-vegetarian title track and the anti-corporal punishment stance of The Headmaster Ritual and Barbarism Begins at Home. The band had also grown more adventurous musically, with Marr adding rockabilly riffs to Rusholme Ruffians and Rourke playing a funk bass solo on Barbarism Begins at Home.

The Smiths have been hailed as the most important group to emerge from the British music scene of the 1980s. The band broke up in 1987.