Europops and Alcovision!!

Sunday May 25^th 2008

Bank Holiday Sunday and the weather was Rubbish!!!!!!. Last week we featured mostly winners from previous Eurocontests across Sunday Breakfast. This week following the debacle that was the semi-finals , the contest (Russia won…. Andy joint Last??????) and of course Sir Terrys outburst I felt that we ought to give you chill out space. This space would not contain any Euro lyrics needing to be untangled (see www.eurovision.tv for more details of naffness!) and the space would provide a calm environment to recover from the alcopop induced hangover just beginning to seep slowly through the back of the eyeballs all the while the sickly sweet taste lingered. To cut a seemingly very long story short I played instrumental interludes. These included

            Falcon                                                 The Rah Band

            Mah Na Mah Ma                                    Piero Umiliani

            Hymn                                                   Moby

            Egyptian Reggae                                  Jonathan Richman and the Modern

Lovers

            Thunderbirds                                       The Barry Gray Ochestra

            The return of the Los Palmas 7            Madness

Essential Classics with our now customary mention of Sir Richard Nott this week featured the huge 1867 hit ‘The Blue Danube’ . When first released it failed to chart as it too had dodgy lyrics to accompany it but the composer Johann Strauss II quickly ditched the lyrics , re-mixed it and re-released it just in time for the 1867 World Fair in Paris. This helped Strauss on the road to be coming ‘the waltz king’ with waltzing becoming more popular in Vienna in the 19^th century than say ……. raving! He lived from 1825 to 1899.

I looked again at headlines from the local papers between 8 and 9 and then 8.30 brought

                        The Golden Year

                        Tunes Were

                        You Bring Me Joy                 Rhythm Factor

                        Breakfast at Tiffanys                  Deep Blue Something

                        Gangstas Paradise                   Coolio feat LV

                        Random Clues

                        In September of this year the DVD was announced and eBay was founded!

                        In December the Eurpoean Court of Justice ruled that all EU  football players

Have the right to a free transfer among member states at the end of their contract

                        And in this year the UK’s oldest investment banking firm Barings Bank

collapsed after Nick Leeson lost $1.4 billion by speculating on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Did you guess that the year was 1995…………!!!!!!!!!!

Musical changing rooms this week featured The Barry Gray Orchestra and the Theme from Thunderbirds segued seamlessly………hah!! …….Into the rather frantic Busted Theme from the Thunderbirds Movie (with real people if you see what I mean) The only two things these tunes apparently have in common is

1             Both start with 5,4,3,2,1

and

2                     The both contain the word Thunderbirds.

Fascinating……….but hey it’s just for fun!!!!  Following a scan through the Sunday papers we welcomed Andrew back from his travels and having confessed to him my abject failure throughout the programme to be able to pronounce the Latin names of those trees which were planted in Shenfield I left for a little rest before returning at 6pm. More of that later!!!!!

Join me this Sunday for Sunday Breakfast between 7 and 10 am on Phoenix98fm or at www,phoenixfm.com and see me on the webcam……on second thoughts maybe that’s not such a good idea so early on a Sunday morning…… especially with your breakfast and all…..!!!!!

See Ya!