Awful songs that somehow made it.

AlexC

Surely somone has mentioned N-N-N-N-N-N-Nineteen by Paul Hardcastle.

S'posed to be some moving tribute to the futility of Vietnam. All I heard was a shit pop tune.

Neill

AlexC said:

Surely somone has mentioned N-N-N-N-N-N-Nineteen by Paul Hardcastle.

S'posed to be some moving tribute to the futility of Vietnam. All I heard was a shit pop tune.

Rory Bremner's version was much better...

The Commentators - 19 Not Out - YouTube

koneguitarist

I always wanted to be in a glam rock/show band, playing all the 70s hits, will probably go down a storm! 

AlexC

koneguitarist said:

I always wanted to be in a glam rock/show band, playing all the 70s hits, will probably go down a storm! 

Have to get yourself a SuperYob Guitar.

koneguitarist

I would literally cut a guitar up to do something like that or the star one like ABBA used! 

koneguitarist

Years ago back about 77-78 there was a show and that used to play our social club all matching wine red guitars, a Strat a Les paul and a precision and they wore cream suits, with big collars etc, looked cool as hell at the time. Banging out songs like Yellow River, Knock Three Times, is this the way to Amarillo crowd loved them.  

Jalapeno

koneguitarist said:

I would literally cut a guitar up to do something like that or the star one like ABBA used! 

Careful, so did the Glitter Band  

Philly_Q

koneguitarist said:

Years ago back about 77-78 there was a show and that used to play our social club all matching wine red guitars, a Strat a Les paul and a precision and they wore cream suits, with big collars etc, looked cool as hell at the time. Banging out songs like Yellow River, Knock Three Times, is this the way to Amarillo crowd loved them.  

They could do the exact same set now, as a nostalgia act.  If they could still fit in the suits...

EricTheWeary

I was thinking of My Coo Ca Choo by Alvin Stardust, for some reason, which got to 2 in the UK charts. If I've understood it correctly from Wikipedia there was a guy called Peter Shelley who devised the Stardust character, wrote and sang the song. Bernard Jewry ( aka Shane Fenton) took over the Stardust role and became famous. So, not actually the bloke we all know as Alvin Stardust who sang My Coo ca Choo even though Jewry appeared on TOTP,etc,etc. Odd.       

Neill

EricTheWeary said:

I was thinking of My Coo Ca Choo by Alvin Stardust, for some reason, which got to 2 in the UK charts. If I've understood it correctly from Wikipedia there was a guy called Peter Shelley who devised the Stardust character, wrote and sang the song. Bernard Jewry ( aka Shane Fenton) took over the Stardust role and became famous. So, not actually the bloke we all know as Alvin Stardust who sang My Coo ca Choo even though Jewry appeared on TOTP,etc,etc. Odd.       

I didn't know that story but it is apparently true.  

I quite like the song actually, but it is a shameless rip off of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" and I'm surprised Shelley wasn't sued over it - he would be today I suspect.   

What was also pretty shameless was the way in which Jewry then aped the look/style of the real "Ziggy Stardust" which as every schoolboy knows was supposed to be the 60's rocker Vince Taylor.  

So a chancer with limited ability gets famous on the back of other genuinely talented people.  Thank goodness that can't happen today.

Philly_Q

EricTheWeary said:

I was thinking of My Coo Ca Choo by Alvin Stardust, for some reason, which got to 2 in the UK charts. If I've understood it correctly from Wikipedia there was a guy called Peter Shelley who devised the Stardust character, wrote and sang the song. Bernard Jewry ( aka Shane Fenton) took over the Stardust role and became famous. So, not actually the bloke we all know as Alvin Stardust who sang My Coo ca Choo even though Jewry appeared on TOTP,etc,etc. Odd.       

I never knew that Bernard/Shane/Alvin wasn't actually the singer on that single.

So it's a sort of Boney M/Milli Vanilli situation.  Weird.

Neill

Philly_Q said:

EricTheWeary said:

I was thinking of My Coo Ca Choo by Alvin Stardust, for some reason, which got to 2 in the UK charts. If I've understood it correctly from Wikipedia there was a guy called Peter Shelley who devised the Stardust character, wrote and sang the song. Bernard Jewry ( aka Shane Fenton) took over the Stardust role and became famous. So, not actually the bloke we all know as Alvin Stardust who sang My Coo ca Choo even though Jewry appeared on TOTP,etc,etc. Odd.       

I never knew that Bernard/Shane/Alvin wasn't actually the singer on that single.

So it's a sort of Boney M/Milli Vanilli situation.  Weird.

Except that unlike that funny guy in Boney M and the Millies, Jewry could actually sing.  I seem to remember seeing him do Coo Ca Choo live on some variety show way back and you didn't immediately think oh that's not how the record sounds.  I'll give him credit for that. 

koneguitarist

My first big gig was Alvin Stardust at the Caerphilly Double Diamond in 1974 I was 12 . 

koneguitarist

I don’t think Alvin “stole” anything, he was asked to take over. As Shelley had no interest in it. If he stole anything it was Elvis 68 tv special with leathers and big sideburns. 

scrumhalf

Alvin wore black gloves on TOTP because he was apparently dying his sideburns black but ended up with hair dye all over his hands.

I never knew it wasn't him on the single. It's a bit odd that Shelley gave it away but happily released the godawful "Love me love my dog" under his own name.

Rock and roll, eh? 

Neill

scrumhalf said:

Alvin wore black gloves on TOTP because he was apparently dying his sideburns black but ended up with hair dye all over his hands.

I never knew it wasn't him on the single. It's a bit odd that Shelley gave it away but happily released the godawful "Love me live my dog" under his own name.

Rock and roll, eh? 

I'm giving you a wiz for deftly bringing us back on track..!

But, you have also resurrected a painful memory there which until now I had completely forgotten about.  I remember being with my mates in the pub one day and instead of putting "Radar Love" on the jukebox, I must have pressed the wrong key or something and got "Love me Love my Dog".  I was still being ribbed about that when I was in my 50's.  And I didn't even have a dog.

AlexC

Far too many people on this Forum know far too much about Alvin Stardust... weirdos!
(Wasn't he married to Liza Goddard?)

guitars4you

koneguitarist said:

I always wanted to be in a glam rock/show band, playing all the 70s hits, will probably go down a storm! 

I know a few guys who use to play in a Sheffield based band called 'The Gutter Band' - I know the drummer very well - Full time pro band and did enough work etc to employ a couple of roadies as well - Admittedly the days when working man/social clubs paid a good wage 

They all dressed up etc and did all such songs

guitars4you

I recall in 1978 playing in a 4 piece function band - I was 18 - We'd earn £50 each per gig - equates to about £250 each person per gig at today's rate - 3 gigs at the weekend - So £750 per week based on todays inflation calculator  - Numbers included Amarillo, Rockin' all over the World, so plenty of 'dross' but the crowd would dance, sing and enjoy - Yes we had a matching shirt/trousers etc 

I bet with the amount of tribute bands around today, that such bands could do a decent 'cabaret' style act, with a better form of credibility - Put a Spotify style playlist together, some lights + a decent PA and you can provide a 'party/wedding' the whole evenings entertainment if required - Such provide what they want and not what you want

@Neill mentioned Sweet - Those guys could actually play - many of their B -sides were good songs - I was brought up on Slade, Mud, Sweet and T-Rex so part of my 'youth' 

Philly_Q

AlexC said:

Far too many people on this Forum know far too much about Alvin Stardust... weirdos!
(Wasn't he married to Liza Goddard?)

He was indeed.  And he also used to co-present The Rock Gospel Show on BBC1.  It wasn't very Rock.