THE LAST TURKEY

Shy and retiring comedian, Frankie Boyle, has been forced to quit his newspaper column at The Daily Record because he has had a disagreement with the editor. Poor Frankie, he is such nice, wholesome chap, I just cannot imagine why he would have to leave. He press release does provide some clues, though still, I am at a loss to explain why one of Scotland's biggest selling dailies could ever feel that their audience would not agree with his mainstream opinions - he is such a family man after all. His statement simple says:

Oh dear. Had to quit my Daily Record column over a moral disagreement. We disagreed over whether it was ok to make jokes about a dead child molestor. Here is the whole column, big love my n***ers.
Frankie x

Omitting a couple of rogue entries, here is the top 20 to 2:

02. Hey Jude/Let it be - The Beatles
03. All You Need is Love - The Beatles
04. Wouldn't it be Nice - The Beach Boys
05. California Girls - The Beach Boys
06. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
07. In my Life - The Beatles
08. She Loves You - The Beatles
09. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - The Beatles
10. Surfin' USA - The Beach Boys
11. Do it again - The Beach Boys
12. Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys
13. I want to hold your hand - The Beatles
14. Help me Rhonda - The Beach Boys
15. With a little help from my friends - The Beatles
16. Sloop John B - The Beach Boys
17. Twist and Shout - The Beatles
18. Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles
19. I Get Around - The Beach Boys
20. Can't Buy me Love - The Beatles

But the greatest of them all is yet to come. At number one is song that I not only rate as the best by either of The Beatles/Beach Boys, but also one of, if not the greatest song ever made. Even Paul McCartney rates it as the greatest of time, it is the perfect "God Only Knows" by Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys:



"God Only Knows" is the eighth track on the Pet Sounds album and one of the most widely recognized songs performed by American pop band The Beach Boys. It was composed and produced by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Tony Asher, and the lead vocal was sung by Carl Wilson.

The song broke new ground in many ways. It was one of the first pop songs to use the word 'God' in its title. The song was also far more technically sophisticated than anything the Beach Boys, or arguably any pop group, had ever attempted before - particularly the complicated melodic structure and vocal harmonies. As producer, Brian Wilson also used many unorthodox instruments for the genre, including the harpsichord and French horns that are heard in the song's famous introduction.

Tony Asher has noted the irony that this, one of the all-time great love songs, opens with the line 'I may not always love you' (although the line is turned on its head by the subsequent lines).

Mojo Magazine ranked the song as the 13th greatest song of all time. Pitchfork Media named it the best song of the 1960s. The song is 25th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

"God Only Knows" was one of the first pop songs to use the word "God" in its title (a decision that Wilson and Asher agonized over, fearing it would not get airplay as a result). As Brian's former wife Marilyn describes "The first time I heard it, Brian played it for me at the piano. And I went, 'Oh my god, he's talking about God in a record.' It was pretty daring to me. And it was another time I thought to myself, 'Oh, boy, he's really taking a chance.' I thought it was almost too religious. Too square. At that time. Yes, it was so great that he would say it and not be intimidated by what anybody else would think of the words or what he meant."

Tony Asher also explains that he and Brian "had lengthy conversations during the writing of 'God Only Knows', because unless you were Kate Smith and you were singing 'God Bless America', no one thought you could say 'God' in a song. No one had done it, and Brian didn't want to be the first person to try it. He said, 'We'll just never get any air play.' Isn't it amazing that we thought that? But it worked, and 'God Only Knows' is, to me, one of the great songs of our time. I mean the great songs. Not because I wrote the lyrics, but because it is an amazing piece of music that we were able to write a very compelling lyric to. It's the simplicity - the inference that 'I am who I am because of you' - that makes it very personal and tender.

Brian explains that although he feared putting the word 'God' in the title of the song, he eventually agreed to keep it. He explains that he agreed to keep the word 'God' in the title firstly, "because God was a spiritual word, and secondly, because Brian and The Beach Boys would "be breaking ground."

Brian Wilson originally intended to sing lead vocal on 'God Only Knows' but in the end he sacrificed the lead vocal to his brother Carl: "Well, I thought I was gonna do it. As the song progressed, I said, 'Hey, I feel kind of natural doing this.' But when we completed creating the song, I said my brother Carl will probably be able to impart the message better than I could, so I sacrificed that one. But he had a good time singing it."

Carl Wilson later described how lucky he felt being given the opportunity to sing 'God Only Knows': "I was honored to be able to sing that one. It is so beautifully written, it sings itself. Brian said something like, 'Don't do anything with it. Just sing it real straight. No effort. Take in a breath. Let it go real easy.' I was really grateful to be the one to sing that song. I felt extremely lucky."

Paul McCartney has expressed on a number of occasions his love for the song. In an interview with David Leaf in 1990, he stated that "It's a really, really great song—it's a big favorite of mine. I was asked recently to give my top ten favorite songs for a Japanese radio station...I didn't think long and hard on it, but I popped that [God Only Knows] on the top of my list. It's very deep. Very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me, that one. There are certain songs that just hit home with me, and they're the strangest collection of songs...but that is high on the list, I must say...God Only Knows' ' lyrics are great. Those do it to me every time."

Speaking on a special Radio 1 show to mark the British station's 40th anniversary, McCartney said "'God Only Knows' is one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it. It's really just a love song, but it's brilliantly done. It shows the genius of Brian. "I've actually performed it with him and I'm afraid to say that during the sound check I broke down. It was just too much to stand there singing this song that does my head in, and to stand there singing it with Brian."

Bono said in October 2006 during Brian Wilson's induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame that "the string arrangement on 'God Only Knows' is fact and proof of angels."

Commonly seen as the ultimate upbeat summer festival party-goer, Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993) was an American punk rock singer-songwriter who performed and recorded with many punk-rock groups during his career.

Allin is best remembered for his notorious live performances that typically featured wildly transgressive acts such as Allin defecating and urinating onstage, rolling in feces and often consuming excrement, committing self-injury, performing naked, and committing violent actions toward the audience—often doing many of these things simultaneously. Although more notorious for his stage antics than for his wide body of music, he recorded prolifically, not only in the punk rock genre, but also in spoken word, country and Rolling Stones-influenced rock. His politically incorrect lyrics, which often covered subjects such as misogyny, pedophilia and racism, deeply divided opinions of him within the highly politicized punk community. Though he had a devoted cult following, Allin's music has received mostly negative reviews from critics.

Also at number two is the poetic masterpiece and the Beatles' last ever release as a quartet (what a way to go!), "Let it Be". Quite simply amazing. Enjoy.



"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. Although credited to Lennon/McCartney it is generally accepted to be a Paul McCartney composition.

The single reached #1 in the U.S., Australia, Italy, Norway and Switzerland and #2 in the UK. It was the final single released by the Beatles while the band was officially considered an active group. Both the Let It Be album and the single The Long and Winding Road were released after Paul McCartney's announced departure and subsequent break-up of the group.

McCartney said he had the idea of "Let It Be" after a dream he had about his mother during the tense period surrounding the sessions for The Beatles (the "White Album"). McCartney explained that his mother—who died of cancer when McCartney was fourteen—was the inspiration for the "Mother Mary" lyric. McCartney later said, "It was great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing 'Let It Be'." He also said in a later interview about the dream that his mother had told him, "It will be all right, just let it be."

Critical reception for "Let It Be" has been positive. In 2004, it was ranked number 20 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Allmusic said it was one of "The Beatles' most popular and finest ballads". Ian MacDonald had a dissenting opinion, writing that the song "achieved a popularity well out of proportion to its artistic weight" and that it was "'Hey Jude', without the musical and emotional release."

John Lennon also commented on "Let It Be". Prior to a take during the 31 January 1969 recording session, he asked, "Are we supposed to giggle in the solo?" (This is a similar quote to Lewisohn's "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" (p170) but Lennon says "during the solo" not "in the solo" as quoted here). In Lennon's Playboy interview in 1980, he disavowed any involvement with composing the song. He said,

That's Paul. What can you say? Nothing to do with the Beatles. It could've been Wings. I don't know what he's thinking when he writes [sic] 'Let It Be.' I think it was inspired by 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters.' That's my feeling, although I have nothing to go on. I know that he wanted to write a 'Bridge over Troubled Waters.'

Ever wonder how long the longest ever "Sssshh" was? Or perhaps what the longest two-person comment thread on a facebook status update is? You must have pondered, even for just a moment, how deep the deepest ever known cameltoe was, surely? The highest ever wedgie? The tallest ever shaving foam wig? The longest game of fecth with a cat? Fastest consumption of a 24-ounce bottle of breakfast syrup? The most trivial pursuit questions answered Incorrectly in one minute?

Well, if you want to know the answer to all these questions and many more, now you can. The Universal Record Database has landed!! Guiness and the McWhirters: you need to up your game!

Never again will you have to wonder what the most arm wrestling victories by a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy is, because it is all recorded down!

What's more, you can now measure yourself against the world's best and perhaps even become a record breaker yourself.

So, if you want to be the best and you want to beat the rest - ooooh dedication's what you need. If you want to be a record breaker - ooooooh!!!

I have had a little cheat at number two as I have had to accept that I cannot decide between two songs and no other song in this list deserves to go either. So number 2 is in two parts.

Both these songs are very similar in my mind and both are beyond just music: they are absolute epics. At number two is "Let it be" and "Hey Jude" by The Beatles.

When I listen to one of them I think that it is unsurpasable, then I listen to the other and think the very same thing. Intertestingly, both songs were written towards the bitter end of the Beatles' years and both were pretty much solo efforts by McCartney (a further reason in my mind as to why McCartney was the greater genius of the Lennon/McCartney partnership).

First up, "Hey Jude"...



"Hey Jude" is a song written by Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon/McCartney, and released as a single by The Beatles in 1968. Originally titled "Hey Jules", McCartney wrote the ballad to comfort John Lennon's son Julian during his parents' divorce.

"Hey Jude" was the first single from The Beatles' record label Apple Records. Over seven minutes in length, "Hey Jude" was at the time the longest single ever to top the British charts. It also spent nine weeks as number one in the United States—the longest run at the top of the American charts for a Beatles single. The single has sold approximately eight million copies and is frequently included on professional lists of the all-time best songs.

"Hey Jude" begins with a verse-bridge structure based around McCartney's vocal performance and piano accompaniment; further details are added as the song progresses to distinguish sections. After the fourth verse, the song shifts to a fade-out coda that lasts for more than four minutes.

In 1968, John Lennon and his wife Cynthia Lennon separated due to his affair with Yoko Ono. Soon afterwards, Paul McCartney drove out to visit Cynthia and Julian, her son with Lennon. "We'd been very good friends for millions of years and I thought it was a bit much for them suddenly to be personae non gratae and out of my life," McCartney said. Later, Cynthia Lennon recalled, "I was truly surprised when, one afternoon, Paul arrived on his own. I was touched by his obvious concern for our welfare.... On the journey down he composed 'Hey Jude' in the car. I will never forget Paul's gesture of care and concern in coming to see us."

Although McCartney originally wrote the song for Julian Lennon, John Lennon thought it had actually been written for him. Other people believed McCartney wrote the song about them, including Judith Simons, a journalist with the Daily Express. Still others, including John Lennon, have speculated that McCartney's failing long-term relationship with Jane Asher when he wrote "Hey Jude" was an unconscious "message to himself". In fact, when John Lennon mentioned that he thought the song was about him, McCartney denied it, and told Lennon he had written the song about himself.

"Hey Jude" was nominated for the Grammy Awards of 1969 in the Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal categories, but failed to win any of them. It did win the 1968 Ivor Novello Award for "A-Side With the Highest Sales". In the NME 1968 Readers' Poll, "Hey Jude" was named the best single of the year. In 2001, "Hey Jude" was inducted into the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked number 8 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It came in third on Channel 4's list of 100 Greatest Singles. The Amusement & Music Operators Association ranked "Hey Jude" the 11th-best jukebox single of all time.

Loads more on one of the greatest songs ever written at wikipedia.

In Thomas L. Friedman's 1999 book The Lexus and the Olive Tree the following observation was presented: "No two countries that both had McDonald's had fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald's". While that statement was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, his point was that due to globalization, countries that have made strong economic ties with one another have too much to lose to ever go to war with one another. While the observation may have been true, the conclusions to be drawn are unclear. The global expansion of McDonald's restaurants is a relatively recent phenomenon when put into the context of the history of warfare, and, with a few notable exceptions, has proceeded into relatively stable markets.

The 2008 South Ossetia war between Russia and Georgia is a counterexample to the theory, both countries having McDonalds at the time (started in 1990 and 1999, respectively). Other conflicts that provide possible counterexamples, depending on what one considers "a war", include the 1989 United States invasion of Panama, the bombing of Serbia, and the Kargil War along with ongoing skirmishes between factions of India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region.

The appearance of McDonald's does not end an existing state of war: the states of Lebanon and Israel have been under a state of war since 1973, with South Lebanon occupied until May 2000 and a significant flareup in 2006, which did not hinder the establishment of McDonald's franchises in Israel and Lebanon in 1993 and 1998, respectively. The two countries engaged in a brief state of warfare in the summer of 2006.

Five most expensive Big Macs (as of 4 February 2009)

1. Norway - USD 5.79
2. Switzerland - USD 5.60
3. Denmark - USD 5.07
4. Sweden - USD 4.58
5. Eurozone - USD 4.38

Five most affordable Big Macs

1. Malaysia - USD 1.70
2. Hong Kong - USD 1.71
3. China, People's Republic of - USD 1.83
4. Thailand - USD 1.86
5. Sri Lanka - USD 1.95

Ten fastest earned Big Macs

1. Tokyo, Japan - 10 minutes
2. Los Angeles, United States - 11 minutes
3. Chicago, Illinois United States - 12 minutes
4. Miami, Florida United States - 12 minutes
5. New York City, New York United States - 13 minutes
6. Auckland, New Zealand - 14 minutes
7. Sydney, Australia - 14 minutes
8. Toronto, Canada - 14 minutes
9. Zürich, Switzerland - 15 minutes
10. Dublin, Ireland - 15 minutes

Ten slowest earned Big Macs

1. Bogotá, Colombia - 97 minutes
2. Nairobi, Kenya - 91 minutes
3. Jakarta, Indonesia - 86 minutes
4. Lima, Peru - 86 minutes
5. Caracas, Venezuela - 85 minutes
6. Mexico City, Mexico - 82 minutes
7. Manila, Philippines - 81 minutes
8. Mumbai, India - 70 minutes
9. Sofia, Bulgaria - 69 minutes
10. Bucharest, Romania - 69 minutes

We really are at the business end now of the countdown - any one of these remaining songs are worthy of the top and all are truly great songs.

At number 3 it is the Beatles' classic "All You Need is Love".

The video is taken from the song's first public performance on the programme "Our World" in 1967. "Our World" was, at the time, the world's biggest live broadcast event ever attempted reaching 400m people world wide.

Each of the 26 countries participating had a short slot on the programme to show the world what their country was like. The Canadians showed a short segment of a rancher herding cattle, the Japanese showed a segment on the construction on their new metro system, the Australians talked about trams, while the Americans went for a shot of a building in New Jersey said to have President Johnson inside. Then the cameras turned to London and this happened...



"All You Need Is Love" is a song written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney. It was first performed by The Beatles on Our World, the first live global television link. Broadcast to 26 countries and watched by 400 million, the programme was broadcast via satellite on June 25, 1967. The BBC had commissioned the Beatles to write a song for the UK's contribution. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at #362 in their 500 greatest songs of all time.

Asked to come up with a song containing a simple message to be understood by all nationalities, Lennon's "All You Need Is Love" extended the message he first tried in "The Word", from The Beatles' 1965 album Rubber Soul. "It was an inspired song and they really wanted to give the world a message," said Brian Epstein. "The nice thing about it is that it cannot be misinterpreted. It is a clear message saying that love is everything." Lennon was fascinated by the power of slogans to unite people and never afraid to create art out of propaganda. When asked in 1971 whether songs like "Give Peace a Chance" and "Power to the People" were propaganda songs, he answered, "Sure. So was 'All You Need Is Love'. I'm a revolutionary artist. My art is dedicated to change."

The Beatles decided the song should be their next single the day before the Our World broadcast. Released in the UK on July 7, it went straight to No. 1 and remained there for three weeks. It was similarly successful in the US, reaching No. 1 for a week (appearing on the American LP version of Magical Mystery Tour in November).

For the broadcast, the Beatles were (except for Ringo) seated on stools, accompanied by a small studio orchestra. They were surrounded by friends and acquaintances seated on the floor, who sang with the refrain during the fade-out, including Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Graham Nash, and Kim McLagan. Lennon, affecting indifference, was said to be nervous about the broadcast, given the potential size of the international TV audience. Dissatisfied with his singing, he re-recorded the solo verses for use on the single.

At number four is a song that captures the anxiety and innocent hopes of youth, "Wouldn't it be nice" by the Beach Boys.



"Wouldn't It Be Nice" is the opening track on the 1966 album Pet Sounds and one of the most widely recognized songs by the American pop group The Beach Boys. It was composed and produced by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Tony Asher and Brian Wilson, and the lead vocal was sung by Brian Wilson with Mike Love singing lead vocals on the bridge.

The layering of harmonies upon harmonies, and lyrics on top of harmonies make this one of the quintessential Beach Boys songs. In the Endless Harmony documentary, Brian Wilson described this song as "what children everywhere go through… wouldn't it be nice if we were older, or could run away and get married".

In a 1996 interview, Wilson stated, "'Wouldn't It Be Nice' was not a real long song, but it's a very 'up' song. It expresses the frustrations of youth, what you can't have, what you really want and you have to wait for it."

Wilson also used the title of this song for the title of his autobiography.

Today we have seen various reminders of the quirks and oddities of our political system; conventions and traditions that seemingly have no point but go back hundreds of years. The final stage in choosing the new speaker for the house will be getting approval from the Queen for the "Commoners" choice; she does this via the House of Lords, who will get Black Rod to walk to the Commons (where they will slam the door shut on him and he will bang on the door three times before they let him in... yet more tradition very brilliantly and convincingly disguised as pantomine) and he will let them know the Queen approves of their choice (presumably!).

Of course, this is an unscheduled appearance from Black Rod. He is most famous for his men in tights routine at the State Opening of Parliament once a year. On top of all the age old tradition you can gurantee seeing at a Black Rod occasion, is the relatively more modern tradition of a quip by the Beast of Bolsover - Dennis Skinner MP.

A staunch leftie, Skinner is notoriously anti just about everything, though especially the Tories, New Labour and the Monarachy. In the past his quips have included:

On arrival of Black Rod quipping "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label"; a reference to an advertising campaign at the time.

In 1992, he said to Black Rod "Tell her to pay her taxes"; at the time, this was an important political issue.

In 2006, Skinner responded to Black Rod's invitation with "Is Helen Mirren on standby?", in reference to the portrayal by Helen Mirren of Elizabeth II in the 2006 film, The Queen.

The beast has, as a result of his sharp tongue, been suspended many a time from the chamber. Reasons have included the time he called John Gummer as "slimy" and a "wart" or the time he boldly claimed that "The only thing that was growing then were the lines of coke in front of boy George and the rest of the Tories"

However, for me, Skinners' finest moment came in 1976...

Roy Jenkins was delivering his final speech to the Parliamentary Labour Party before he went off to Brussels to become President of the EU Commission. On the same day the MP for Ashfield, David Marquand (a close friend of Jenkins) was also leaving the Commons. Roy Jenkins said of his time in the Commons that he "leaves this party without rancour". Rancour being a particularly poor choice of word for Jenkins - he famously could not pronounce his Rs, instead they came out as Ws; Skinners' brilliant response was simply -"I thought you were taking Marquand with you".

Today the Speaker of the Commons, Michael Martin, resigns as an MP. Kind of.

It is actually not possible for an MP to resign, instead they are merely appointed to a new position that profits from the Crown.

Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. In order to circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used. Appointment to an "office of profit under the Crown" disqualifies an individual from sitting as a Member of Parliament (MP). MPs are commonly appointed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to one of the two following offices in order to allow MPs to effectively resign their seats:

• Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham and
• Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead

A number of offices have been used for this purpose historically, but only the Chiltern Hundreds and the Manor of Northstead are used today.

The offices are only nominally paid. Generally they are held until they are again used to effect the resignation of an MP. The Chiltern Hundreds is usually used alternately with the Manor of Northstead, which makes it possible for two members to resign at exactly the same time. When more than two MPs resign at a time, as for example happened when 15 Ulster unionist MPs resigned in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement on 17 December 1985, the resignations are in theory not simultaneous but instead spread throughout the day, with each member holding one of the offices for a short time. The holder may subsequently be re-elected to Parliament.

In 1623 a rule was declared that said that Members of Parliament were given a trust to represent their constituencies, and therefore were not at liberty to resign them. In those days, Parliament was weaker, and service was sometimes considered a resented duty rather than a position of power and honour. However, by a provision in the Act of Settlement 1701 (repealed in 1705 and re-enacted in modified form by the Place Act 1707), an MP who accepted an office of profit under the Crown was obliged to leave his post, it being feared that his independence would be compromised if he were in the King's pay. Therefore, the legal fiction was invented that the MP who wished to give up his seat applied to the King for the post of "Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds" or "Steward of the Manor of Northstead", obsolescent offices of negligible duties and scant profit, but in the King's gift nonetheless. The Chiltern Hundreds were first used as a pretext for resignation on 17 January 1751, by John Pitt, who wanted to vacate his seat for Wareham and stand for Dorchester. The Manor of Northstead was first used as a pretext for resignation on 6 April 1842, by Patrick Chalmers, Member for Montrose District of Burghs.

The prohibition was on an MP accepting an office of profit under the Crown, but it did not disqualify someone with such an office being elected to the House of Commons. As a result this meant a by-election when anyone became a government minister, including the Prime Minister. The law was partly changed in 1919, and finally in 1926, to end the need for members of the government to undergo re-election.

wikipedia

At number 5 is The Beach Boys' brilliant "California Girls". A song that marries the teenage sound of their early hits and the brilliant harmonies of their more grown up masterpieces.

One of my favourite pointless chats is discussing whether the Beach Boys are saying that they wish all the girls around the world were Californian girls or that all the girls in the world were in California. It becomes pretty clear when you listen to the lyrics it is the latter - that Brian Wilson et al. wishes all the girls from around the world were in California, presumably so they didn't have to travel around too much to see them.



"California Girls" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love and recorded by The Beach Boys in 1965. It features contrasting verse-chorus form. The song was released as a single, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also appeared on the album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!).

The song "California Girls" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. In 2004, it was ranked #71 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The music for the song came from Brian Wilson's first LSD experience. According to Brian Wilson himself in the Beautiful Dreamer documentary, shortly after taking LSD, he ran up to a bedroom and hid under a pillow, shouting "I'm afraid of my mom, I'm afraid of my dad." Some time later he left the room and went to a piano. He started playing in the bass the B-F#-G# pattern over and over, and then added in the right hand after a few minutes a B chord, moving to an A chord. Within a half hour, he had come up with the "well east-coast girls are hip, I really dig the styles they wear" part of the song. The next day, he and Mike Love supposedly finished off the remainder of the song.

"California Girls" was the first Beach Boys recording to feature vocals from Bruce Johnston, who had joined the group to substitute for Brian Wilson on concert tours.

The song has been prominently referenced by other artists on more than one occasion. Most notably, the Beatles' "Back in the U.S.S.R." is considered an homage to the song.

And now, the greatest fact you will read in this entire countdown:

Principal Belding from Saved by the Bell tells Zack that it is his all time favourite song and walks off screen, humming the song.

If it's good enough for Principal Belding, it's good enough for me!

The words "cheating" and "Olympics" go together hand in hand, a marriage made in hell but sadly accepted as inevitable by all. However, what the Spanish Paralympic Basketball team (and perhaps many others in the Spanish Paralympic Team) did in 2000 would have made even the most bare faced low down dirty cheat raise an eyebrow...



In the 1996 Atlanta Games athletes with intellectual disabilities were allowed to participate for the first time.

The 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, which had already seen controversy with numerous positive drug tests, would be the venue for the most scandalous events in the sport's history. Spain was stripped of their intellectual disability basketball gold medals shortly after the Games closed after Carlos Ribagorda, a member of the victorious team and an undercover journalist, revealed to the Spanish business magazine Capital that most of his colleagues had not undergone medical tests to ensure that they had a disability.

The IPC investigated the claims and found that the required mental tests, which should show that the competitors have an IQ of no more than 70, were not conducted by the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE).

Ribagorda alleged that some Spanish participants in the table tennis, track and field, and swimming events were also not disabled, meaning that five medals had been won fraudulently.

He went on to say that the Spanish Federation for Mentally Handicapped Sports (FEDDI) deliberately chose to sign up athletes who were not intellectually disabled in order to "win medals and gain more sponsorship". Fernando Martin Vicente, president of the FEDDI and vice-president of CPE, initially denied the allegations. After it was confirmed that 10 of the 12 competitors in the winning team were not disabled, Martin Vicente publicly apologised for the error and accepted total responsibility, resigning just before the findings were officially released.

Two weeks later the team were officially disqualified and was ordered to return the gold medals. The controversy has been cited as one of the "most outrageous sporting moments" in history.

Wikipedia

At number six is Brian Wilson's masterpiece; it was their first UK number one and perhaps the Beach Boys' most famous song of all. It is also the highest placed song from Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All-time" on The Summer of Love countdown, a track that took months to write - it's the brilliant "Good Vibrations".



"Good Vibrations" is a pop single by The Beach Boys. The song was composed by and produced by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Wilson and Mike Love.

Released as a single on October 10, 1966 (backed with the Pet Sounds instrumental "Let's Go Away For Awhile"), it was the band's third U.S. number-one hit, after "I Get Around" and "Help Me, Rhonda", reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1966, as well as being their first British chart-topper. Initiated during the sessions for the Pet Sounds album, it was not taken from or issued as a lead single for an album, but as a stand-alone single, and later placed on the album Smiley Smile eleven months after its release.

Wilson's publicist Derek Taylor described "Good Vibrations" as a "pocket symphony". It featured instruments unusual for a pop song, including prominent use of the cello and an electro-theremin. It is #6 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song "Good Vibrations" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.

Wilson recounted the genesis of the title "Good Vibrations" in his 1995 biopic, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, and at other times. When he was a child, his mother told him that dogs could pick up "vibrations" from people, so that the dog would bark at "bad vibrations". Wilson turned this into the general idea of vibrations (and Mike Love putting "good" in front of vibrations), and developed the idea of people being able to do the same with emotions.

Originally composed during the Pet Sounds sessions with original lyrics by Tony Asher, Wilson recorded the song in sections, at different studios in order to capture the sound he heard in his head. Building upon the layered production approach he had begun to use with the Pet Sounds album, Wilson devoted months of effort to this single track.

"Strawberry Fields Forever" and "A Day in the Life" records, [were] both inspired by the works of Brian Wilson (according to Paul McCartney).

The distinctive high-pitched sliding electronic sound in the choruses and at the end of the track was created with an electro-theremin.

David Leaf, author of the critically-acclaimed biography, The Beach Boys and The California Myth, said of the song, "Nothing but perfection here. The Beach Boys' first million-selling #1 hit...was a major technical breakthrough...the record that showed that anything was possible in the studio."

"Good Vibrations" earned The Beach Boys a Grammy nomination for Best Vocal Group performance in 1966 and the song was eventually inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994. It has featured highly in many 'Top 100 Records of All Time' charts and was voted #1 in the Mojo Top 100 Records of All Time chart in 1997. Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Good Vibrations" as the sixth best song of all time. The song was also voted #24 in the RIAA and NEA's listing of Songs of the Century. "Good Vibrations" is currently ranked as the #3 song of all time in an aggregation of critics' lists at acclaimedmusic.net.

At number seven a sentimental classic by the Beatles; it's hard to listen to this song without conjuring up some memories of your own - "In My Life"



"In My Life" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The song originated with Lennon, and while McCartney contributed to the final version, the extent of his contribution is in dispute. Released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul, it is ranked 23rd on the Rolling Stone article "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and placed second on CBC's 50 Tracks. Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.

According to Lennon, the song's origins can be found when English journalist Kenneth Allsop made a remark that Lennon should write songs about his childhood. Afterwards, Lennon wrote a song in the form of a long poem reminiscing on his childhood years. The original version of the lyrics was based on a bus route he used to take in Liverpool, naming various sites seen along the way, including Penny Lane and Strawberry Field.

However, Lennon found it to be "ridiculous", calling it "the most boring sort of 'What I Did On My Holidays Bus Trip' song"; he reworked the words with Paul McCartney, replacing the specific memories with a generalized meditation on his past. "Very few lines" of the original version remained in the finished song. According to Lennon's friend and biographer Peter Shotton, the lines "Some [friends] are dead and some are living/In my life I've loved them all" referred to Stuart Sutcliffe (who died in 1962) and to Shotton.

The song was played at Kurt Cobain's memorial. Cobain was an avid Beatles fan.

more here http://www.holytaco.com/passed-out-toilet

There is a reason this guy became a boxer and not, say, a physicist:

At number 8, it's the biggest selling Beatles song of all time: "She Loves You"



"She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney based on an idea by McCartney, originally recorded by The Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record in the United States by being one of the five Beatles songs which held the top five positions in the American charts simultaneously, a record which is still unchallenged. It is the Beatles' best-selling single in the United Kingdom, and was the best selling single in Britain in 1963.

The song was also the first time Lennon's name had taken precedence over McCartney in the credits — until then, they had traditionally been credited as "McCartney/Lennon."

In November 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "She Loves You" as the 64th Greatest Song of All Time. In October 2005, Uncut Magazine named "She Loves You" the third biggest song that changed the world, behind Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" and Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone".

It was the best-selling single of 1963, and remains the best-selling Beatles single in Britain today. It remained the best-selling single in the United Kingdom for fourteen years, only to be surpassed by Paul McCartney and Wings' "Mull of Kintyre".

When "She Loves You" came out as a single in America on 16 September 1963, nobody paid attention to it. Three months later, the Beatles released "I Want to Hold Your Hand", which climbed all the way to number one, launching the British invasion of the American music scene, paving the way for more Beatles records, and releases by other British artists. Swan re-released the "She Loves You" single, which began a fifteen-week run on the American charts on January 25, 1964, two of those weeks at number one. On March 21, Beatlemania had landed in America, spurred by the Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in February, where they performed, among other songs, "She Loves You". During its 15-week run in the American charts, "She Loves You" was joined by four other Beatles songs — at the top five in the American charts.

The lyrics were largely unconventional, again contrasting with the simplicity of "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Critics panned the song, dismissing the "yeah, yeah, yeah," as an uncouth slang from a fad band. The "yeah"s were to have a great effect on the Beatles image — in Europe, they became known as the Yeah-Yeahs.

At number 9, from the movie "Yellow Submarine", it is the psychedelic classic "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds":



"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song by English rock band The Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for the group's 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Inspiration for the song came from a drawing by John Lennon's son, Julian, which Julian called "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The song also sparked controversy when released, including being banned by the BBC because of the supposed reference to the drug LSD, with the letters of the title spelling Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Lennon would later deny the reference during an interview with Rolling Stone.

In later interviews, Lennon expressed disappointment with the Beatles' arrangement of the recording, complaining that adequate time was not taken to fully develop his initial idea for the song. He attributed this outcome to his extensive use of LSD at the time, which made him unusually passive and pliant in the studio.

According to the Beatles, one day in 1966 Lennon's son, Julian, came home from nursery school with a drawing he said was of his classmate, a girl named Lucy, whom Julian drew with diamond-shaped eyes. Showing the artwork to his father, young Julian described the picture as "Lucy — in the sky with diamonds." Julian later said, "I don't know why I called it that or why it stood out from all my other drawings, but I obviously had an affection for Lucy at that age. I used to show dad everything I'd built or painted at school, and this one sparked off the idea for a song about 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds'."

The Lucy referred to in the song was a classmate of Julian's at Heath House School named Lucy O'Donnell, born in Weybridge in 1963. Her married name is Lucy Vodden.

In 1974, Elton John released a cover version as a single. Recorded at the Caribou Ranch, it featured background vocals and guitar by John Lennon under the pseudonym Dr. Winston O'Boogie. The single topped the Billboard pop charts for two weeks in January 1975 and also appeared on the 1976 musical documentary, All This and World War II.

Elton John once said, "[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds] is a song that I never do in a set at a concert simply because it reminds me too much of John Lennon. This is the same with Empty Garden". Today, John does occasionally perform it. The single was later released on the 1996 re-release of Elton John's album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.

Fascinating story about a Canadian aircraft which ran out of fuel mid-flight...

The Gimli Glider is the nickname of an Air Canada aircraft which was involved in an infamous aviation incident. On 23 July 1983, a Boeing 767-200 jet, Air Canada Flight 143, ran completely out of fuel at 41,000 feet (12,500 m) altitude, about halfway through its flight from Montreal to Edmonton. The crew was able to glide the aircraft safely to an emergency landing at Gimli Industrial Park Airport, a former airbase at Gimli, Manitoba.

The First Officer proposed his former airforce base at Gimli as a landing site. Unknown to him, however, the base had become a dragstrip and had decommissioned one of its runways. As a result of the runway's conversion to use as a dragstrip, the runway now had two racing lanes separated by a guard rail running down the middle of it. Furthermore, a "Family Day" was underway at the dragstrip that particular day and the area around the decommissioned runway was covered with cars and campers. The decommissioned runway itself was being used to stage a race.

Kinder Eggs are sold all over the world excluding the United States, where the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits embedding "non-nutritive items" in confections. Additionally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall on the eggs in 1997. There are some stores in the United States that sell genuine Kinder Eggs, often in conjunction with other imported British or other European sweets, although their importation is technically illegal due to the 1938 law and 1997 recall.

When was the last invasion of Britain and how did a group of girls force their surrender?

The Battle of Fishguard was a military invasion of Great Britain by Revolutionary France during the War of the First Coalition. The brief campaign, which took place between 22 February and 24 February 1797, was the most recent effort by a foreign force that was able to land on Britain, and thus is often referred to as the last invasion of Britain.

The invasion was the plan of General Lazare Hoche, who had devised a three-pronged attack on Britain in support of Irish rebels under Wolfe Tone. Two forces would land in Britain as a diversionary effort, while the main body would land in Ireland. However, poor weather and indiscipline halted two of the forces, although the third, aimed at landing in Wales and marching on Bristol, went ahead.

The invasion force consisted of 1,400 troops from the La Legion Noire (The Black Legion) under the command of Irish American Colonel William Tate, 800 of whom were irregulars. Transported on four French warships under the command of Commodore Jean-Joseph Castagnier, Tate's forces landed at Carregwastad Head near Fishguard on 22 February, after a failed attempt to enter Fishguard harbour itself.

However, upon landing, discipline broke down amongst the irregulars, many of whom deserted to loot nearby settlements. The remaining troops were met by a quickly assembled group of around 500 British reservists, militia and sailors under the command of John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor. After brief clashes with the local civilian population and Lord Cawdor's forces on 23 February, Tate was forced into an unconditional surrender by 24 February. Later, the British captured two of the expeditions vessels, a frigate and a corvette. Despite all this, Castagnier managed to return to France.

The heroine of the hour was Jemima Nicholas, who with her pitchfork, went out single-handedly into the fields around Fishguard and rounded up 12 French soldiers and 'persuaded' them to return with her to town where she locked them inside St Mary's Church.

It is thought the French troops may have mistaken local women like her, in their traditional tall black hats and red cloaks, to be British Grenadiers when they stood on the cliffs above the British force lined up on Goodwick Sands at the surrender.

In 1853, amidst fears of another invasion by the French, Lord Palmerston conferred upon the Pembroke Yeomanry the battle honour "Fishguard". This regiment has the unique honour of being the only Regiment in the British Army, regular or territorial, that bears a battle honour for an engagement on the British mainland. It was also the first battle honour awarded to a Volunteer Unit.

A wreck of a rowing boat believed to belong to the invasion fleet was found in 2003 and lies off Strumble Head.

The full story can be found here.

It's The Beach Boys archetypal classic at number 10, and their first song to chart in the UK - "Surfin' USA".



Surfin' U.S.A." is the title of a song with lyrics written by Brian Wilson for The Beach Boys, set to the melody from Chuck Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen. "Surfin' USA" was recorded by The Beach Boys released as a single on March 4, 1963 and it also appeared on the 1963 album of the same name.

At the time that the song was written, Brian Wilson was dating a girl named Judy Bowles. Her brother, Jimmy Bowles, was an avid surfer. Brian thought to himself "what about doing surf lyrics and mentioning every surf spot in the state? They're doing it here, there, in this city and that, like Chubby Checker's 'Twistin' U.S.A.'." According to Brian, "I asked [Jimmy] to make a list of every surf spot he knew, and by God he didn't leave one out."

Frank Sidebottom recorded a verion as Surfin Timperley (Timperley being nowhere near the sea, and therefore not a place where surfing is possible). Redgum parodied this track as "Servin' USA". Alvin and the Chipmunks also released a cover version of the song. Pennywise have also covered the song at various live performances.

In the song the following surfing spots are mentioned, the majority of places being situated in California, two in Hawaii and one in Australia:

• "Del Mar" - Del Mar, San Diego County, California
• "Ventura County Line" - Ventura County, California
• "Santa Cruz" - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California
• "Trestles" - San Onofre State Park, San Diego County, California
• "Australia's Narrabeen" - Narrabeen, New South Wales
• "Manhattan" - Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County, California
• "Doheny" - Doheny Beach, Dana Point, Orange County, California
• "Haggerty's" - Haggerty's, Torrance, Los Angeles County, California
• "Swami's" - Swami's Beach, Encinitas, San Diego County, California
• "Pacific Palisades" - Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles County, California
• "San Onofre" - San Onofre State Park, San Diego County, California
• "Sunset" - Sunset Beach, Oahu, Hawaii - or - Sunset Beach, Orange County, California
• "Redondo Beach" - Redondo Beach, Los Angeles County, California
• "LA" - Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
• "La Jolla" - La Jolla, San Diego County, California
• "Waimea Bay" - Waimea Bay, Hawaii

A man walks into a petrol station and says, "Can I please have a KitKat Chunky?"

The lady behind the till gets him a KitKat Chunky and brings it back to him.

"No," says the man, "I wanted a normal KitKat, you fat bitch."

At number 11, it's the Beach Boys with "Do it again"



"Do It Again" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American pop band The Beach Boys. It was first released as a single by The Beach Boys in 1968 on Capitol Records. The song was recorded in May and June of 1968 and was included on the bands 1969 album 20/20. On the song there are some hammering sounds at the end of the track that originated from the Smile workshop session.

The lyrics to the song, originally entitled "Rendezvous", were inspired after a day Mike had spent at the beach in which he had gone surfing with an old friend named Bill Jackson. Mike then showed the lyrics to Brian, who succeeded to write the music to Mike's lyrics of nostalgia. Brian has stated in the past that he believes the song was the best collaboration that he and Mike ever did.

Many critics and fans noted the return to the surfing style, which the band had generally avoided since 1964.

Released on July 19 1968 in the United Kingdom the single, forty days after its release, peaked at #1 on the chart on August 28 1968, and thus becoming the band's second number one hit in the United Kingdom after "Good Vibrations" two years earlier.

The song was first featured on the 1986 film One Crazy Summer. The song was also featured in the 1996 film Flipper and the 2005 film Life on the Longboard. More recently the song was featured in the 2006 movie Happy Feet and subsequently was featured on the film's soundtrack. It was also the first song to be played after WCBS-FM reverted from the Jack FM format back to their oldies format on July 12, 2007.

As all my friends know, I've been building a kit car...for the last 6 years. It's been an on-running joke between us: whenever I say I've planned a weekend working on it, the usual response has been one of laughter. Well...... today I started the engine for the first time, and it sounds beautiful. I'm now on the home straight and should have it licenced and on the road by the end of the summer.

At number 12 it's the B b b b Beach Boys with Barbara Ann:



"Barbara Ann" is a song written by Fred Fassert and performed (as "Barbara Anne") by The Regents in 1961. The recording reached a peak position of #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart.

The most famous cover version is by the American pop band The Beach Boys. The song was released as a single on December 20, 1965, with the B-side "Girl Don't Tell Me". The song peaked at #2 in the U.S. and at #3 in the U.K.

In the "House Party" episode of the early 1990's television series Saved by the Bell, Zach, Slater and Screech lip-sync to the song while "cutting loose" at Screech's house when his parents are away on vacation.

The song at number 13 marked the invasion of the British music industry into America: I want to hold you hand by the Beatles.



"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English pop and rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded in October 1963.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the band's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, starting the British Invasion of the United States music charts. The song entered the chart on January 18 1964 at number 45 before it became the number one single for 7 weeks and went onto last a total of 15 weeks in the chart. It also held the top spot in the United Kingdom charts. A million copies of the single had already been ordered on its release. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became The Beatles' best-selling single worldwide.

Brian Epstein was getting worried about The Beatles' lack of commercial success in America—their earlier singles had flopped there—and so he encouraged Lennon and McCartney to write a song that would appeal to American listeners.

McCartney had recently moved into 57 Wimpole Street, London W1, where he was living as a guest of Dr. Richard and Margaret Asher. Their daughter, actress Jane Asher, had become McCartney’s steady girlfriend since first meeting earlier in the year. This location briefly became Lennon and McCartney’s new writing base, taking over from McCartney’s Forthlin Road home in Liverpool. Margaret Asher taught the oboe in a "small, rather stuffy music room" in the basement and it was here that Lennon and McCartney sat at the piano and composed 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'.

Capitol threatened to seek a court order banning airplay of "I Want to Hold Your Hand", which was already being spread by [Carroll] James [WWDC DJ] to a couple of deejays in Chicago and St. Louis. James and WWDC ignored the threat, and Capitol came to the conclusion that they could well take advantage of the publicity, releasing the single two weeks ahead of schedule on 26 December.

Read more at Wikipedia - a great entry which gives the full story of how The Beatles conquered America and left the door open for the Rolling Stones, The Kinks and a whole host of other British exports.

Number 14, a real little belter: Help Me, Rhonda by The Beach Boys:



"Help Me, Rhonda" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for their American pop band The Beach Boys. The song is notable for being the first Beach Boys song other than on their Christmas Album and first single to feature a lead vocal by Al Jardine.

The single peaked at number one in the United States, becoming their second U.S. number one single after "I Get Around". It peaked at number twenty-seven in the United Kingdom. The song is featured on most Beach Boys hits compilations; typically the single version is used.

The recording session of this song was infamously interrupted by the Wilson brothers' father, Murry, who openly criticized the Boys' enthusiasm. His criticisms drove Brian Wilson to the breaking point to where Brian screamed an expletive, removed his headphones and confronted his father. Shortly after defending his actions, Murry Wilson left the studio and The Beach Boys continued with the session. The recording reel continued to roll and recorded the entire confrontation which circulates among fans.

I went to see the new Terminator film last night. A review will follow. But it has nothing on the original two films. NOTHING!!

Tank Man, or the Unknown Rebel, is the nickname of an anonymous man who achieved fame and widespread international recognition as a heroic figure when he was videotaped and photographed during the protests at Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989. Several photographs were taken of the man, who stood in front of a column of Chinese Type 59 tanks, preventing their advance.

Little is publicly known of the man's identity or that of the commander of the lead tank. Shortly after the incident, the Sunday Express named the man as Wang Weilin, a 19-year-old student who was later charged with "political hooliganism" and "attempting to subvert members of the People's Liberation Army." Numerous rumors have sprung up as to the man's identity and current whereabouts, but none are backed by hard evidence.

I read an interesting obituary about the poet James Kirkup who recently diet the other day.

Wrapping up an investigation that began in 1996, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that they would not charge the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement after a complaint by religious conservatives over a hypertext link on their web site to a poem by James Kirkup, which has been agitating the sensibilities of the United Kingdom for the last twenty-one years. The poem was banned in 1976 under the UK's blasphemy laws, and remains banned to this day.

At the center of the controversy is the poem by James Kirkup - a poem in which he graphically describes his lust and love for a dead Jesus Christ, with whom he engages in an episode of necrophilic bliss.

At number 15, The Beatles and "With a little help from my friends":



"With a Little Help from My Friends" (originally titled A Little Help from My Friends) is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, released on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. The song was written for and sung by Beatles drummer Ringo Starr as the character "Billy Shears"; it is ranked #304 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Lennon and McCartney deliberately wrote a tune with a limited range - except for the last note, which McCartney worked closely with Starr to achieve.

Speaking in the Anthology, Starr insisted on changing the first line which originally was "What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you throw ripe tomatoes at me?" He changed the lyric so that fans would not throw tomatoes at him should he perform it live. (In the early days, after George Harrison made a passing comment that he liked jelly babies, the group was showered with them at all of their live performances.)

The song is largely in the form of a conversation, in which the other three Beatles sing a question and Starr answers, for example: "Would you believe in a love at first sight? / Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time."

The band started recording the song the same day that they posed for the Sgt. Pepper album cover (30 March 1967). The session finished at 7:30 the following morning.

There are numerous interpretations of the the song and it has achieved the number one position on the British singles charts three times; by Joe Cocker in 1968, Wet Wet Wet in 1988 and by Sam and Mark in 2004.

Before the rant, let me make one or two things clear. Firstly, I happen to think the London Underground is actually really rather good - far better than a lot, if not most, of the public transport systems I have used around the world, and infinitely better than cities that have sorry excuses for, or don't even have, a light railway system. Secondly, I am far from anti-union. I happen to think Unions are a force for good and most of the Unions in the country are run by responsible, realistic people and much the same can be said about their members. BUT:

Bob Crow can go to hell and the RMT are a bunch of sorry excuses for human beings and deserve little more than to be kicked in the balls by a man wearing steel toe caps on a daily basis. What a scumbag Crow is. Whereas most Unions consider the threat of a strike an action necassary if and only when negotiations completely fail, this tit uses it as his primary, hell his only negotiating tool for getting yet more and more pay rises.

So much for Boris' no strike agreement. God knows who fell for that one.

So, two days of commuting misery because the RMT have the negotiating skills and intelligence of left testicle and the only word they know is strike. At the very best they are absolute numbskulls, however I think they are far closer to bullying, lowlife wankers.

Bob Crow, you are without a doubt the biggest tosser in Great Britain.

(Apologies for the language in this post... and this old favourite youtube clip).

Very clever intro just makes this an even bigger win...

At Number 16, the Beach Boys with Sloop John B



"Sloop John B" is the seventh track on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album and was also a single which was released in 1966 on Capitol Records. It was originally a traditional West Indies folk song, possibly recorded earliest by The Weavers under the title "Wreck of the John B", the song taken from a collection by Carl Sandburg (1927). Alan Lomax made a field recording of the song in Nassau, 1935, under the title "Histe Up the John B. Sail". This recording appears on the album Bahamas 1935: Chanteys And Anthems From Andros And Cat Island. The song was adapted by Weavers member Lee Hays. The recording of the song which directly influenced The Beach Boys was by The Kingston Trio.

This version was ranked #271 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The John B. was an old sponger boat whose crew were in the habit of getting notoriously merry whenever they made port. It was wrecked and sunk at Governor's Harbour in Eleuthera, the Bahamas, in about 1900.

The single, backed with the B side "You're So Good to Me", was released on March 21, 1966. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 2, and peaked at #3 on May 7, remaining on the chart, in total, for 11 weeks. It also charted highly throughout the world, remaining as one of the Beach Boys' most popular and memorable hits.

In the film Forrest Gump, based on Winston Groom's novel, the song can be heard in the background playing on a radio as Lieutenant Dan, played by Gary Sinise, finishes his very cynical, revelatory lecture to Forrest and Bubba, played by Tom Hanks and Mykelti Williamson, respectively. The words, "This is the worst trip I've ever been on," help accentuate Forrest and Bubba's realization that they have arrived in a very tumultuous setting.

As you might expect, Banksy's website is really rather good...

At number 17, Twist & Shout by The Beatles... at least as performed by the Beatles - this is one of their few hits that was not a Lennon/McCartney composition. Seeing as this is case, it is a good excuse to put a bit of Ferris Bueller up on the Turkey... (Just in case you are wondering - it was John Lennon singing, not actually Matthew Broderick!):



"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns. It was originally recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles, with John Lennon on the lead vocals, and originally released on their first album Please Please Me.

The recording session for that album was their first album session, and is notable for ten songs having been recorded in a mere 10 hours (the remaining four songs had previously been released as singles). "Twist and Shout" was the last song recorded; producer George Martin knew John Lennon's voice would suffer from the performance, so he left it until last, with only 15 minutes of scheduled recording time remaining for the album.

Lennon was suffering from a cold, and was drinking milk and sucking on cough drops to soothe his throat. His coughing is audible on the album, and the cold's effect on his voice is audible in this recording. Even so, he produced a memorable vocal performance, a raucous, dynamic rocker. He later said his voice was not the same for a long time afterward, and that "every time [he] swallowed, it felt like sandpaper."

The Beatles' version of the song enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in 1986 after Matthew Broderick lip synced it in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Coincidentally, the Rodney Dangerfield film Back to School (released two days after Ferris) also featured the song, this one sung by Dangerfield himself and patterned after the Beatles' arrangement. The use in the two films help propel the single up the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at #23 that summer, giving the group their second chart single of the 1980s (the other being "The Beatles' Movie Medley" in 1982).

It's not funny, I know - but then again, neither was D-Day - but last weekend was one of the most significant dates in the history of Britain and Europe.

Aftermath
Siegfried Sassoon

Have you forgotten yet?…
For the world’s events have rumbled on since those gagged days,
Like traffic checked while at the crossing of city-ways:
And the haunted gap in your mind has filled with thoughts that flow
Like clouds in the lit heaven of life; and you’re a man reprieved to go,
Taking your peaceful share of Time, with joy to spare.

But the past is just the same-and War’s a bloody game…
Have you forgotten yet?…
Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you’ll never forget.

Perhaps one of the finest speeches ever given, Reagan captures perfectly the debt of gratitude we owe to the heroes of June 6th 1944

At Number 18, Strawberry Fields by The Beatles...



"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Recorded at the end of 1966, the song was written by John Lennon during the filming of How I Won The War and is formally credited to the Lennon/McCartney songwriting team. It is named after a Salvation Army house in Beaconsfield Road, Woolton, Liverpool where Lennon played as a child.

"Strawberry Fields Forever" was originally recorded for the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), but was instead released in February 1967 as a double A-side single backed with Paul McCartney's "Penny Lane". "Strawberry Fields Forever" reached number eight in the US, with numerous critics describing it as one of the group's best recordings. It is one of the defining works of the psychedelic rock genre and has been covered by many other artists. The song was later included on the Magical Mystery Tour LP (1967). The Strawberry Fields memorial in New York City's Central Park (near the site of Lennon's murder at The Dakota apartment building) was named after the song.

Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys said that "Strawberry Fields Forever" was partially responsible for the shelving of his group's legendary unfinished album, SMiLE. Wilson first heard the song on his car radio whilst driving, and was so affected that he had to stop and listen to it all the way through. He then remarked to his passenger that The Beatles had already reached the sound The Beach Boys had wanted to achieve.

This is brilliant...

At number 19, The Beach Boys classic and their first number one in the US: I Get Around



"I Get Around" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for The Beach Boys. The song features Love on lead vocal for the verse, and Wilson for the chorus. It is noteworthy for its back to front structure - it starts with a chorus and has two short verses.

The "I Get Around" single backed with "Don't Worry Baby" was released in the United States on May 11, 1964. The single entered the Billboard chart on June 6 at #17. The song reached the #1 spot on the Billboard charts on July 4, replacing "A World Without Love" by Peter and Gordon and thus becoming the band's first #1 hit in the United States.

The first film in which the song appeared was the 1984 film Surf II. In 1986, the song was heard in the Disney science-fiction comedy, Flight of the Navigator. The song was later featured in two films in 1987, both Good Morning, Vietnam and The Big Bang. Two years later the song was used in the 1989 film Look Who's Talking. The 1990 film Downtown also used the song during the movie. It was also featured in the 1997 film Bean. It was again used in the 1999 film Three Kings. More recently the song was used in the 2000 film Last Resort.

A version of the song was featured on various Hoveround advertisements, advertising electronically powered wheelchairs.

In one episode of The Muppet Show, Ms. Piggy along with other pig members of the cast, sing this song while riding Harley Davidson motorcycles.

In an episode of The Wonder Years, the song appears during the ending credits.

Who was better - The Beatles or The Beach Boys? The Beatles certainly had more hits than The Beach Boys and their catalogue is unrivaled by any band before or since; but The Beach Boys music has endured the years well and if anything become even more popular with Pet Sounds often recognised as even greater than Sgt. Pepper's.

To honour the two greatest bands of all time and welcome in the summer, starting today I will countdown my top 20 Beatles/Beach Boys songs.

At No.20 is Can't Buy Me Love by The Beatles...



"Can't Buy Me Love" is the title of a song composed by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and released by The Beatles on the A side of their sixth British single, "Can't Buy Me Love/You Can't Do That."

"Can't Buy Me Love" was recorded on 29 January 1964 at EMI's Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris, France, where The Beatles were performing 18 days of concerts at the Olympia Theatre. At this time, EMI's West Germany branch, Odeon, insisted that The Beatles would not sell records in any significant numbers in Germany unless they were actually sung in the German language.

Can't Buy Me Love became The Beatles fourth UK number-one single and their third single to sell over a million copies in the UK.

In the US, The Beatles established four records on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Can't Buy Me Love" at number one:

1. Until Billboard began using SoundScan for their charts, it had the biggest jump to number one: (number twenty-seven to number one; no other single ever did this).
2. It gave The Beatles three consecutive number-one songs ("I Want to Hold Your Hand" was replaced at number one by "She Loves You" which was in turn replaced by "Can't Buy Me Love").
3. When "Can't Buy Me Love" went to number one (4 April 1964), the entire top five of the Hot 100 was by The Beatles, the next positions being filled by "Twist and Shout", "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me," respectively. No other act has held the top five spots simultaneously.
4. During its second week at number one (11 April 1964), The Beatles had fourteen songs on the Hot 100 at the same time.