Today’s Yesterday Knockout

UB40 Topped UK Singles Chart With NEIL DIAMOND Song ‘RED RED WINE’ 36 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

15 October 2019

Band:UB40
Song: Red Red Wine
Album: Labour Of Love – released in 1983
Note 1: Smart move to cover this 1967 Neil Diamond song.
Top-notch tune, lovely lazy feel and tasty swagger
Note 2: UB40 taught that the original version was by Jamaican
singer Tony Tribe who covered Diamond’s song in 1969
Note 3: UB40 topped the UK Charts 36 years ago, 15 October 1986

Here’s the UB 40 cover, c’mon, you know the words…

The 1969 ska/reggae Tony Tribe take…

And here’s a smooth original 2008 live version
at Glastonbury by NEIL DIAMOND himself…

UB40: Facebook

OASIS Released Glam Stomper ‘CIGARETTES AND ALCOHOL’ As A Single 25 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

10 October 2019

Band: Oasis
Song: Cigarettes And Alcohol
B-sides: ‘I Am the Walrus’ (live) / ‘Listen Up‘ / ‘Fade Away’
Released: 10 October 1994 – 25 years ago today
Album: On their debut LP Definitely Maybe
Note 1: NME dubbed it back then – rightly so – as their T.Rex song
Note 2: It peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart (higher than their
‘Live Forever‘ anthem) and sold over more than 400.000 copies

OASIS: Facebook

OASIS: Facebook

ELASTICA Released Catching ‘CONNECTION’ Single 25 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

8 October 2019

Band: Elastica
Who: London Britpop band led by Justine Frischmann (ex of Suede‘s
frontman Brett Anderson and Blur‘s mastermind Damon Albarn)
Song: ‘Connection‘ / B-side: ‘See That Animal’
Released: 10 October 1994 – 25 years ago
Album: Featured on their self-titled debut LP released a year later
Note 1: The intro synthesizer part (later repeated as a guitar figure)
was lifted from the guitar riff in British post punk band Wire‘s track
‘Three Girl Rhumba‘. A judgment resulted in an out-of-court settlement
Note 2: The single peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and
was pretty successful overseas where it reached #53 on the US Billboard
Hot 100, #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and #9 in Canada

Here’s the original recording…

And here their performance on American TV on the ‘David Letterman Show‘ (1995)

ELASTICA: Facebook

JOY DIVISION Released Buzzing ‘TRANSMISSION’ Single 40 Years Ago Today…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

7 October 2019

Band: Joy Division
Song: Transmission / B-side: ‘Novelty‘
Released: 7 October 1979 – 40 years ago today
Note 1: It was originally recorded in 1978 for the aborted self-titled
album, re-recorded the following year at a faster tempo and released
by label Factory as the band’s debut single
Note 2: Famous music journalist Greil Marcus said about the song: “It’s
a dramatization of the realization that the act of listening to the radio is a
suicidal gesture. It will kill your mind. It will rob your soul.”
Note 3: Bassist Peter Hook remembers the following: “We were doing a soundcheck
at the Mayflower (club in Manchester) and we played ‘Transmission’. People had been
moving around, and they all stopped to listen. I realized that was our first great song.”

“Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio”

Here’s the legendary live‘Transmission’ performance
on BBC’s youth television program Something Else
on 15th September 1979…

And here’s the original version…

JOY DIVISION: Facebook

THE BEATLES Released ‘SOMETHING’ As A Single 50 Years Ago Today…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

6 October 2019

50 years ago today, on 6 October 1969, THE BEATLES released ‘SOMETHING‘
written by George Harrison (his first A-side) for his then wife Pattie Boyd as a single.

The B-side was ‘Come Together’ a classic Lennon/McCartney collaboration. Both songs
came from their excellent Abbey Road album.’Something‘ was a No 1 hit in the US,
Australia and several other countries, in the UK it peaked only at #4. It was covered
by a string of artists such as Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra, Isaac Hayes, King Curtis,
Martha Reeves and The Vandellas and many more.

Here’s that timeless diamond…
‘

THE BEATLES: Website – Facebook

Surf Legends THE BEACH BOYS Turned CHUCK BERRY’s ‘SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN’ Into ‘SURFIN’ USA’… 55 Years Ago

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

5 October 2019

45 years ago today, on 5 October 1974 Californian surf-pop legends THE BEACH BOYS hit the top spot of the US Albums Chart with their hits packed compilation album ‘Endless Summer‘. One of the standout highlights on the LP was definitely ‘SURFIN’ USA‘, released as a single 10 years before in 1964, 55 years ago. A song with lyrics by mastermind Brian Wilson set to the steamy music of ace hit ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ by rock hero Chuck Berry.

Here come the surfers…

And here’s the late great Chuck Berry‘s steamroller ‘Sweet Little Sixteen‘…

THE BEACH BOYS: Facebook

QUEEN Topped The US Singles Chart With Bass Stomper ‘ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST’ 39 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

4 October 2019

Band: Queen
Song: Another One Bites The Dust
B-side: ‘Dragon Attack‘ in the US / ‘Don’t Try Suicide‘ in the UK
Album: The Game – June 1980
Note 1: The song was written by bass player John Deacon
Note 2: It’s the best-selling Queen single ever, yes better
than ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘, with sales of over 7 million copies
thanks to its success in America (total of 31 weeks on the chart)
Note 3: It topped the US Singles Chart on 4 October 1980,
39 years ago today. It peaked at #7 in the UK

QUEEN: Facebook

32 Years Ago Today M|A|R|R|S Scored A No 1 UK Hit With ‘PUMP UP THE VOLUME’…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

3 October 2019

Artist: M|A|R|R|S
Song: Pump Up The Volume
Who: M|A|R|R|S was a British recording act
formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox
Note 1: The song’s title was directly inspired by
a lyrical sample from ‘I Know You Got Soul‘ by
labelmates Eric B. & Rakim
Note 2: It was this project’s one and only recording.
It hit the top spot of the UK Singles Chart 32 years
ago today, on 2 October 1987

Pump/turn up the volume here…

THE KINKS Released ‘STOB YOUR SOBBING’ As A Single 55 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

2 October 2019

Band: The Kinks
Song: Stob Your Sobbing / B-side: ‘Beautiful Delilah’
Album: Self-Titled Debut LP
Note 1: Legend goes Ray Davies wrote the tune about
a crying girlfriend he broke up with
Note 2: In 1979 amidst the post punk explosion in the
UK Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders covered the song,
turning it into a successful catchy pop hit
Note 3: Ray Davies & Chrissie Hynde had a relationship
and a child after The Pretenders recorded The Kinks‘ song
Note 4 : The Kinks released the song as a single on
2 October 1964, 55 years ago, only in… South-Africa

Here’s The Kinks original…

.
And here comes The Pretenders cover…

The Pretenders single sleeve, 1979…

PRINCE Scored No 1 Hit In The US 35 Years Ago Today With ‘LET’S GO CRAZY’…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

29 September 2019

Artist: Prince
Song: Let’s Go Crazy
B-side: ‘Take Me With U‘ in the UK and ‘Erotic City‘ in the US
Album: Purple Rain – his sixth album – released 24 June 1984
Note 1: The song is thought to be exhortation to follow Christian
ethics, with the “De-elevator” of the lyrics being a metaphor for the Devil
Note 2: The single hit the top spot of the US Singles Chart (his second
Number One in America) on 29 September 1984, 35 years ago today

Go crazy here…

PRINCE: Facebook – Website