Like
most music fans, my inbox often contains several emails
to YouTube links each day.
So I thought it would be good to highlight the best of them
in a new section called
YouTube Of The Month.
Onto YouTube #46, and with the back catalogue of Savatage
set to receive an overhaul, I couldn’t resist nominating
‘Gutter Ballet’,
the title track of the now sadly defunct Floridian
band’s sixth album, from 1989.
What a song! What a voice! What a guitarist! What a video!
(cont’d page 94…).
More
soon. Please feel free to email
your suggestions for this page. Scroll
down the page for previous YouTubes Of The Month
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Here's
#1. Click on the play button to watch
'Lost Angels', from Sweet's 1977
album 'Off The Record'. Thanks to Jerry Ewing for bringing it to
my attention.
Okay,
# 2 is 'Shitkicker', from American Dog's 2005
album 'Foamin' At The Mouth Live'
Brought to my attention by none other than Michael Hannon
of Columbus, Ohio!
#3
is... Raven... 'Don't Need Your Money', live version
of a song from the band's 1981 debut 'Rock Until You
Drop'
#4
is Status Quo filmed live in 1974, but
originally recorded on the previous year's seminal 'Hello!'
album. This li'l beaut was forwarded on by Colin
Harkness of Bolton
#5
is 'Angel Witch' by Angel Witch, from the
1980 album of the same name.
Shame the music isn't quite in sync with the visuals, but
beggars can't be choosers. Selected by Jerry Ewing
(again).
Here's
YouTube Of The Week #6. A brilliant live version of AC/DC's
'Rocker' filmed at Essex University
in Colchester, 28th October 1978. Complete with Angus Young's
smoking satchel.
Brought to my attention by Nige Glazier
of Reading. Top work, fella.
Here's
YouTube Of The Week #7. 'The Line Went Dead' by McQueen,a band so good it's almost possible
to forgive them for hailing from Br***ton. Check out the
girls' album 'Break The Silence'.
Recommended by Matt from Demolition Records.
YouTube
Of The Week #8 is a real blast from the past.
This excellent footage of the Young & Moody
Band, with guests Lemmy from Motörhead,
Cozy Powell and (ulp!) The Nolan Sisters
playing 'Don't Do That' first appeared
on Tiswas in 1981.
Sender Adrian Pedersen from Oslo wanted
to know the identity of the "fantastic Art Garfunkel
lookalike" on vocals.
It's Ed Hamilton, a great singer whose voice sounds a bit
like John Lawton of Heep fame.
YouTube
Of The Week #9 is an oddity. Check out this version of UFO's
'Rock Bottom' from 1973, but with different lyrics.
Mr Mogg's propensity for forgetting his own words is legendary,
of course, so he wins extra brownie points for getting through
this alternative set without a slip. Or was this the way
he intended them to be all along? Answers on a postcard.
The link to this week's suggestion for YTotW was sent to
me by Batttttty... who else?!
To
celebrate the fact that we're onto YouTube #10 - double
figures, at last - I'm making my own selection this time.
I've just finished transcribing an interview with Fountains
Of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger and felt compelled
to re-visit the saucealicious video for 'Stacy's Mom',
starring Rachel Hunter, from the masterfully hummable
'Welcome Interstate Managers' album. Never before
have The Cars been so satisfyingly plagiarised... enjoy!
(Love
Me Tonight and Without Your Love) from the band's
self-titled debut album in 1979.
How brilliant that when producer Tom Dowd runs through the
line-up, claiming that "each member of the group has
the potential to be a superstar", Michael Bolton's
name is mentioned last. Submitted by John Dryland of
Cargo Records.
Had
quite a few nice emails about YouTube #11, so here's something
related.
Former Blackjack singer Michael Bolton's 1985
album 'Everybody's Crazy' is, of course, a landmark
of the AOR genre.
Here's its wondrous title track. Submitted by the not-quite-so-wondrous
Jerry Ewing.
Two
for the price of one this time. My sincere thanks to James
Mitchell of the Edinburgh-based bandVantage
Point
for submitting YouTube #12, a pair of hilarious TV adverts
for Judas Priest's 'Turbo' album, released
back in 1986.
The campaign to make Rob Halford the first ever gay James
Bond begins right here!
Here's
YouTube #13 - definitely an unlucky one. May I present Headgirl,
the Motörhead-Girlschool amalgam,
looning around with the old Johnny Kidd & The
Pirates song 'Please Don't Touch' on
Top Of The Pops.
Would've been way back in February 1981. This gem was brought
to my attention by my old mate Nigel Glazier
from Oxfordshire. RIP, Kelly Johnson.
As
this clip's supplier, Rich Wilson of Manchester,
so wisely theorizes, YouTube #14 might just turn out be
YouTube Of The Year.
The classic line-up of Marillion reuniting
at the Hobble On The Cobbles Festival in
Aylesbury on 27.8.07
for a version of their debut hit single from 1982 that caused
grown men to weep with joy.
Ladies and gents, I give you 'Market Square Heroes'.
YouTube
#15 is a cool animated promo for 'When The World
Was Round', a song from Ian Hunter's
excellent latest album,
'Shrunken Heads'. It was brought to my
attention by Mick Brown of Hunter's label,
Jerkin' Crocus Records.
Mick is a top fella, except for supporting his local team...
yes, the vile Seaweed shite.
Oh
wow... what a find, Canadian soft rock geniuses Max Webster
playing 'Paradise Skies', from their 'A Million
Vacations' album,
on Top Of The Pops, and introduced by that grinning buffoon
Peter Powell ("Hard and heavy" my ass - MW were
neither of the sort).
The YouTube info box claims that this clip, unearthed by
John Dryland of Cargo Records, was filmed in 1977,
but in fact the song wasn't a hit until the album's release
two years later. Enjoy!
So
sorry that YouTube #17 has been such a long time coming.
Recorded live in 1981, this marvellous TV clip
of 'Astra Wally' features the classic line-up of
Rose Tattoo (Angry Anderson, Pete Wells, Mick Cocks,
Geordie Leach and
Digger Royal) in action. Christ, they were an excellent
band. Takes me back to the days of seeing them at the 'old'
Marquee Club in Wardour Street. Much appreciation to my
fellow Heepster Alan Keetley for bringing it to my
attention.
YouTube
#18 is something that you must've thought you'd never see
again; four-fifths of the classic Krokus
line-up
- vocalist Marc Storace, guitarist Fernando Von Arb, bassist
Chris Von Rohr and drummer Freddy Steady -
playing a medley of the tracks 'Tokyo Nights',
'Bedside Radio' and 'Heatstrokes'
on Swiss TV.
Krokus' 1980 album 'Metal Rendez-vous'
is one of my all-time favourites, so thanks to Peter
Evans in Nuneaton for forwarding the link.
So
we're onto YouTube #21, wisely selected by my old boogie-head
buddy Colin Harkness.
I present a piece of definitive glam-rock history - The
Sweet peforming one of the very first singles I
ever bought,
'Teenage Rampage', on Top Of The Pops during January
of 1974.
There was no need to "lock up your daughters"
from the limp-wristed deejay fella at the end, I suspect.
Here's
one of my all-time fave songs, performed by another of my
all-time fave groups.
Yes, it's Europe adding their thumbprint
to 'Love To Love' with an orchestra in
their Swedish homeland back in January.
Stay tuned as next month we'll be bringing you Hellhammer's
acoustic rendition of 'Afterglow' by Genesis.
Thanks for the Batttttty (who else?) for
the tip-off.
YouTube
#23 features Susanna Hoffs, the doe-eyed former Bangles
frontbabe and future Mrs Ling (had she played her cards
right), sashaying her way through Bad Co's 'Feel Like
Making Love' back in 1991. Suggested by my ol' Spider
buddy Colin Harkness,
who quite rightly asks: "Is it just me, or is it hot
in here...?" Um, I'm just off for a lie down...
And
so to a timely YouTube #24. Rock Candy Records
recently re-issued the self-titled debut from Romeo's
Daughter,
partly produced by the celebrated Robert John 'Mutt'
Lange back in 1988.
As recommended by Paul Wilcox of Oxford,
here's 'Heaven In The Backseat', as featured
in the
fifth Nightmare On Elm Street movie (hence Freddy Krueger's
inclusion in the video).
Welcome
to YouTube #25. David Coverdale of Whitesnake
strutting his stuff on the daytime chat show/gossip-fest
Loose Women.
This is absolutely priceless stuff. What a ham... Thanks
to Malcolm Dome for the link.
I'm
indebted to Dave Derry of Pontefract for
tipping me off about this little beaut. YouTube #26 is the
original Diamond Head line-up
performing 'Helpless' on the BBC Midlands
TV programme 'Look Hear' way back in 1980.
The guys look so young, it's positively frightening.
This
guy has got what my son Eddie would probably term “a
potty mouth”. Josh Homme calling
out an audience member
at a Norwegian festival earlier this summer. Dee Snider
would be proud of the Queens Of The Stone Age frontman’s
verbal combative performance. Thanks to Rich Wilson
for bringing YouTube #27 to my PC screen
Here’s
this month’s YouTube, and it’s a real corker
– Montrose playing debut album classic
‘Bad Motor Scooter’ on TV in
1974,
with an incredibly youthsome and hirsute Sammy Hagar
on vocals. Recommended by my old tape-trading buddy Tony
Crowley from Norwich.
Now
this is indeed a gem – the Ronnie James Dio-fronted
Rainbow performing ‘Gates Of Babylon’
in 1977.
I’m indebted to my old boozing buddy Malcolm Dome
for being so kind as to have mailed it to my inbox.
Yet
more audio-visual buried treasure, this time unearthed by
my old mate from Reading, Nige Glazier.
What we have here is ‘Gravy Train’, Bruce
‘Bruce’ Dickinson’s final song as a member
of Samson, performed at the Reading Festival
in August 1981 – I’m trying to recall whereabouts
I was in the crowd.
The footage is a bit grainy, but the sound is excellent.
RIP Mr Samson, six years on and still missed.
My
thanks to Pete Feenstra, who sent this link of the
Pat Travers Band performing ‘Boom Boom (Out
Go The Lights)’
at a gig in North London’s Whetstone on 26th October,
2008. PT still rocks: It’s official.
Onto
YouTube #32. I’ve been in a bit of Slade mood
recently, so here’s the band’s 1974 hit 'Everyday'
performed before some classic haircuts and jumpers on Top
Of The Pops. Recommended by my boogie buddy, Colin Harkness,
whose band Spider actually got to tour with Noddy and chums
in 1981.
Thanks
to Alex Dunbar from Paisley for this link to Lizzy
Borden’s ‘Me Against The World’
from 1987’s sensational ‘Visual Lies’
album.
It still annoys me when Lizzy sings: “This ain’t
no false façade” – what other type of
façade is there?
But ‘MATW’ is as fantastic a slice of stompalong
glam-metal as you’ll see/hear.
In
celebration of Dan Reed’s return to the rock
music scene, here’s his goosebump-inciting hippy anthem
‘Rainbow Child’,
which dates back to the singer’s newly-shavenheaded
days of the late 1980s.
Thanks to Lesley Cotton of Exmoor for providing the
suggestion/link. More next month
FM
are to play the Firefest again, so what else could
the 35th YouTube Of The Month selection possibly have been
but the preposterous promo for ‘That Girl’,
taken from the UK band’s seminal ‘Indiscreet’
debut?
Pink suits are bloody well mandatory on this one, folks.
Chosen by… well, me actually. But you knew that…
YouTube
#36 is the clip that everyone’s talking about –
Metallica jamming on Saxon’s ‘Motorcycle
Man’
with that band’s singer Biff Byford during
a gig at the Palais Omnisport De Bercy in Paris. Terrific
stuff…
YouTube
#37 - This three-song video from Alice Cooper has
been on the net since last October, but it’s the first
time I’ve seen it.
Check out the inter-linked promos for 'Vengeance Is Mine',
'(In Touch With Your) Feminine Side' and 'Killed
By Love' – all from
the Coop’s current album ‘Along Came A Spider’
– and enjoy.
YouTube
#38 was suggested by Sam Hyde from Lincolnshire.
I used to love Wrathchild, a band I saw many, many
times onstage. ‘Stakk Attakk’ was, of
course, the title cut
of the self-styled Evesham glam-rock warriors’ debut
from 1984, produced by Robin ‘Heartline’
George.
Unearthed
by site regular Mark Taylor, Krokus perform
‘Bad Boys Rag Dolls’ on the much-missed
Saturday morning TV show Tiswas back in 1982. There’s
no sign of the Phantom Flan Flinger, but at least the Swiss
metalheads were introduced by my then wife-to-be, Sally
James.
And
with no further ado, here's YouTube #40. The reunited Airrace
performing 'Caught In The Game',
from their 'Shaft Of Light' album, at the River Rooms
in Stourbridge earlier this year. Enjoy!
I
wasn’t at Steel Panther’s recent
show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in
London but this excellent clip of their
hairspray-tastic opening song, ‘Eyes Of A
Panther’, sure does make me wish that I’d
gone!!
On
to YouTube #42 and my friend Caroline Greenwood has
dredged up this footage of Napalm Death performing
three tracks
('Lowpoint', 'The Kill' and 'Dead')
on the UK show TFI Friday back in February 1999.
Haven’t seen this l’il beaut since… well,
since I was in the crowd for it!
Spotted
by my pal Nige Glazier, here’s one for fellow
fans of Francis Dunnery – the man
himself performing ‘Calling To You’
onstage
at the Walls in Oswestry on 6th November 2009, in the company
of a special guest… a certain Robert Plant.
It’s camera-phone quality but… enjoy!
I’ve
been listening to a lot of Magnum this past week,
‘Back To Earth’ is such a classic song.
This version, from Hammersmith Odeon in March 1988,
just before they broke big with ‘Wings Of Heaven’,
is superb.
I love the shot of the venue’s exterior; such a shame
the cameraman failed to capture Malcolm Dome’s
near-legendary scuffle
with a ticket tout as we left the pub.
’YouTube#45.
Although it's edited, unfortunately, it’s joyous.
Emerson Lake & Palmer playing the first part
of classic ‘Pirates’,
complete with orchestra at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal,
1977.
I **cannot** wait to see them again at the High Voltage
Festival this summer.
