Sunday 24 August 2008

Cooling Towers Tribute

Well the cooling towers came down yesterday morning to mixed feelings in South Yorkshire yesterday. My Sister and Brother-in-Law really liked the cooling towers whereas I was indifferent to them. I thought they were nothing special yet I doubt anything special is going to replace them. EON say it would have cost to much to maintain them and money speaks. I may now live in Bristol but I was born in Sheffield and was brought up in a small town south of Sheffield so if anyone asks where I'm from I say Sheffield with pride - and I'll continue to do so until I start saying "where's you to?", that's "where are you?" to anyone not from the West Country. Below is my playlist of Sheffield bands as a tribute to the towers.

Babies - Pulp

Pulp, the first super band in Sheffield in my time. My sister was in to them in a big way and we always used to sing this together. I put this in ahead of other songs as it was the first one I was in to and because Jarvis name checks a road in Sheffield - Stanhope Road.

MP3: Babies - Pulp

Fake Tales of San Francisco - Arctic Monkeys

I think this is the first song I heard of Arctic Monkeys. Schonberg sang it lots as it became available. Perhaps because he's not from New York City, he's from Rotherham. He also lived close to Hunters Bar (called this because it used to be an old trading post), Schonberg did you used to be in the Arctic Monkeys? Come to think of it you never see Schonberg and Alex Turner in the same room at the same time...

MP3: Fake Tales of San Francisco - Arctic Monkeys

What Will You Do When The Money Goes? - Milburn

A band that seems to create a lot of debate on the internet. Some say they just copied the Arctic Monkeys style, then others point out that they were around first and that they have a different sound. All I know is I like this song (what else matters?)

MP3: What Will You Do When The Money Goes? - Milburn

What The Milkman Saw - Reverend & The Makers

In this song John McClure writes that "this isn't murder it's just Grenoside" an area of Sheffield in the north of city. I'm told that this lyric isn't very unique as around the time Bowie was singing "This aint rock ’n' roll, this is genocide" someone defaced the Welcome to Grenoside sign to say "This ain't rock 'n' roll, this is Grenoside". Thanks to Jim for that little nugget.

MP3: What The Milkman Saw - Reverend & The Makers

Boy Wonder - Speedy

MP3: Boy Wonder - Speedy

Goodnight - Babybird

Forget You're Gorgeous (although it taught me how to spell) this is Babybird's song and reminds me a little of Pure by The Lightening Seeds.

MP3: Goodnight - Babybird

Shot At Politics - Little Man Tate

From their new album, well worth downloading.

MP3: Shot At Politics - Little Man Tate (Link removed)

Giddy Statospheres - The Long Blondes

A great riff starts this Blondie esq track off.

MP3: Giddy Statospheres - The Long Blondes

Baby You're My Light - Richard Hawley

I've been wanting to shoe horn this song on to my blog for a while now. What a beautiful song, I originally heard it on a compilation tape my mate Jim did me years ago.

MP3: Baby You're My Light - Richard Hawley

Temptation - Heaven 17

Oh you've got blue eyes, of you've green eyes....

MP3: Temptation - Heaven 17

20 to 9 - Tiny Dancers

Hailing from West Yorkshire and based in Sheffield, Tiny Dancers mention "far away away from this town of steel" in their most well known song Wait For Me. I have posted this track instead as I've already posted Wait For Me in the past and I think this shows another side to the band. Terrible name for a band but that never stopped Shed Seven...

MP3: 20 to 9 - Tiny Dancers

Breathe (A Little Deeper) - Blameless

I didn't know until recently this band were from Sheffield, in fact I'd assumed they were from America. I picked up their album when I was living in Reading for a bargain £1 only to find that it didn't have this song on it. I eventually tracked the single down on eBay. I used to listen to this loads when I was at Sheffield Hallam and so it always makes me think of Sheffield even if I didn't know the band were from there.

MP3: Breathe (A Little Deeper) - Blameless (right click)

She Said - Longpigs

A bit cliched to put this song on as it's the most well known but it was the song I would scream away at in The Leadmill with my friends. When I first heard this song I thought they would be a one hit wonder but Q Shoes assured me it was a quality album and he sure was right. I even got chance to see them play at the Octagon, they didn't disappoint. In fact I have only seen Pulp and Longpigs in Sheffield (I have seen a few of the others but sadly not in Sheffield).

MP3: She Said - Longpigs

Daydream In Blue - I Monster

A great summer song from two Sheffield based producers, Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling. Dean Honer also being involved with The All Seeing I which leads me nicely on to...

MP3: Daydream In Blue - I Monster

Walk Like A Panther - The All Seeing I

With Tony Christie on vocals this song's lyrics were written by Jarvis Cocker.

MP3: Walk Like A Panther - The All Seeing I

Everything is Everything - Paul Heaton

A Sheffield United fan, Paul invited the staff at the club to see the Beautiful South at Sheffield Arena. I got to go as a plus one and it's the only time I've had a back stage pass at a gig probably not the most rock 'n' roll band to have a back stage pass for but I was grateful anyway.

This is from his solo album, not one to play in front of the kids. I guess you get used to swearing like that if you have to watch United week in week out.

MP3: Everything is Everything - Paul Heaton

Waster - Gomez

From the Machismo EP this is a great song. OK so you want to know what they've got to do with Sheffield? Well they met at the University of Sheffield and their manager lives there. Does that count. It was either that or I put a track on from ABC and I didn't fancy that.

MP3: Waster - Gomez

Pure New Pleasure Seeker - Moloko

I'm not really why Wikipedia class this band as from Sheffield. OK they met at a party in Sheffield but is that really enough to calls them from Sheffield. Well as it gives me the excuse to post the extended album version of this song I think it's right good.

MP3: Pure New Pleasure Seeker - Moloko

A good link is Sheffield Blog/ especially for the coverage of the Cooling Towers demolition.

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