A compendium of musical delights by Alan and Margaret Ashworth
This always seemed to me an odd topic for a pop song but it’s very catchy. The Antoinette was a real ship which sank in 1895, though all the crew survived. The … Continue readingDave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich: The Wreck Of The Antoinette
FOR a change, I am going to write about something I have never seen in the seven years or so we have lived in Lancashire. Before this we were in … Continue readingNo more brushes with foxes
This was Cliff’s second No 1, the follow-up to Livin’ Doll. It was the first record after the Shadows changed their name from the Drifters to avoid confusion with the US … Continue readingCliff Richard and the Shadows: Travellin’ Light
Another that is a bit after the peak of pop but it’s good. It was written by group members Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey. It was recorded in … Continue readingThe Eagles: Hotel California
I AM the proud possessor of a book called Historic Steam Boiler Explosions by Alan McEwen. It is a fascinating account of the death and destruction wreaked for decades of early industrialisation by … Continue readingHorror at Greendale Mill
The first surf song to be a No 1 hit in the US, this was part-written by Brian Wilson and given to Jan and Dean, who completed it, though only … Continue readingJan and Dean: Surf City
This was written by Boudleaux Bryant. The Everly Brothers recorded it in just two takes on March 6, 1958, with Chet Atkins on guitar, and it was released the following … Continue readingEverly Brothers: All I Have To Do Is Dream
THIS is my favourite time of year, when the buds are starting to burst and everything is still to come. I have just realised that it was exactly a year … Continue readingCome for a walk with me
I am ashamed to admit that until I looked it up I did not know the Beatles recorded this song by Mitch Murray in 1962, before Gerry and the Pacemakers. … Continue readingGerry and the Pacemakers: How Do You Do It?
It’s taken me a long time to get round to one of the best known 60s numbers. The music, influenced by J S Bach’s Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 BWV1068 (‘Air … Continue readingProcol Harum: A Whiter Shade of Pale