Hoy os traigo una canción de no me acuerdo cuando jejejeje, pero me gusta mucho. Me trae buenos recuerdos ya que a mi hermana le encantaban los Spandau Ballet y era una de los tantos grupos que escuchaba.

Espero que la disfrutéis!

Spandau Ballet – Gold

Thank you for coming home
Im sorry that the chairs are all worn
I left them here I could have sworn
These are my salad days
Slowly being eaten away
Just another play for today
Oh but Im proud of you,but Im proud of you
Theres nothing left to make me feel small
Luck has left me standing so tall
Gold
Always believe in your soul
Youve got the power to know
Youre indestructable
Always believe in,because you are
Gold
Glad that youre bound to return
Theres something I could have learned
Youre indestructable,always believe in
After the rush has gone
I hope you find a little more time
Remember we were partners in crime
Its only two years ago
The man with the suit and the pace
You know that he was there on the case
Now hes in love with you,hes in love with you
And my love is like a prison wall
But you could leave me standing so tall
Gold
Always believe in your soul
Youve got the power to know
Youre indestructable
Always believe in,because you are
Gold
Glad that youre bound to return
Theres something I could have learned
Youre indestructable,always believe in

Today there is no special theme – just music that came along and touched me for one or the other reason…

Philippe Jaroussky – Vedro con mio diletto from Vivaldi (fascinating voice…)

Solomon Burke – Don’t give up on me… (rediscovered this great soulman just last week)

Spandau Ballet – Through the barricades (almost forgot about this song, what a shame!)

Robbie Williams – Miss Jones (go get THIS DVD – an evening at the Royal Albert Hall with HIM, swinging… awesome!)

Robbie Williams & Jane Horrocks – Things (one more – just because it is a great performance)

I need a break from discussing politics, health care, right vs. left, Sarah Palin; I want some comfort entertainment. If I want heavy, I’ll watch one of those high-brow movies Marilyn forces me to watch; if I want serious, I’ll read a book (so there, Kaarin); if I want something spiritual, I’ll listen to music; but when I want to travel far down that low road – and I do sometimes – I have TV. Although there are some seriously good TV shows that I watch (from Public TV specials to well-written dramas and sharp comedies), there’s no better diversion for me than frothy, salacious, superficial television. Whether it’s “Snapped” an Oxygen series about women who kill their husbands (I’ve managed to stay alive this long thanks to what I’ve learned from this series), or “Rock of Love,” which has absolutely no redeeming qualities, I simply love bad TV. Sometimes bad TV turns out to have redemptive qualities like “Tool Academy,” “From G’s to Gents” or “Charm School,” and sometimes good TV turns to junk: cable news — but it is always entertaining. So here’s a diversion for me, what I’m loving on TV right now.

1) Sue Sylvester/”Glee”: Jane Lynch, who I’ve loved forever, especially with her work with Christopher Guest (“Best in Show”), has the role of a lifetime in “Glee.” The show itself has its ups and downs for me — I thought it was brilliant at the beginning of the season, but this mistaken-identity-baby-daddy arc is not fun to watch. (Although Quinn is.) What is fun to watch are the production numbers when they’re hip and joyous (not Broadway-y and predictable); the actors, all without exception; and, most of all, big meany Sue Sylvester, the bulldog cheerleading coach who does not have an “off” button. She is fed, arguably, the best lines on TV, and she is so savoring her role, it drips all over the screen. She is, not arguably, the best character on TV.

2) “Curb”/”Seinfeld” Reunion: Finally, the reunion! Not only was the penultimate show of the season the best of both series, it was a nice homecoming for those of us who loved “Seinfeld.” You might have forgotten how likable Jerry was (I did) and he’s terrific in these “Curb” episodes. The minute you see his puppy dog face, it’s like welcoming an old friend back. The back and forth between him and Larry David is extraordinary to watch, and the insight into a “Seinfeld” table read is perfect TV. Add to that the typically-”Curb” story line about little Emma and her rash (remind me to change my daughter’s name) and little gems like addressing Michael Richard’s past racial troubles, and you end up with one of the most satisfying 36 minutes of television this season.  Even if Susie Essman was not in the episode.

The real star of the "Table Reading" episode?

3) “Tabatha’s Salon”: OK, call me gay, whatever, but “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover” is one of the most enjoyable reality shows on TV (and I watch them all, and I mean all). Much of that has a lot to do with the abrasive, but understandably confident hair stylist Tabatha Coffey (who, herself, was a reality show winner on “Shear Genius”). With her defiantly short, chopped platinum hair, seductive English accent, take-charge ultra-hip black outfits and take-no-prisoners attitude, she visits failing salons and gives them a turnaround.

The format’s great, especially the undercover surveillance cameras, the heavy-hands-on observation of the hairdressers at work, the destroying of dreams and careers, and the filth she finds when she first examines the salon, often wiping up chunks of disgusting hair and other foul refuse (only once did she cry, “I want my Mommy.”). The final assessment to the owner is especially fun, because it often involves firing someone who has most likely called her a bitch during the course of the show. The hour flies by, and it has as much to do with running a small business (Take that, “Shark Tank”) as it does with hairdressing (Take that, inane “Shear Genius”).  And there’s so much drama. If you think I’m gay for watching this, you should see some of the hairdressers!  Tabatha’s one of reality TV’s best host/stars, and the show is absorbing. Like a good conditioner.

4.  “Modern Family”: I have to say, I laugh out loud at this show more than any other. The acting is so top-notch and the funny characters are so filled-out by those great actors. The premise is simple. Here’s a modern American family, including a clueless dad, annoying teenage daughter, hapless mom, and a gay couple that happily gives in to stereotypes, but is still funny. There’s the hot Colombian second, and younger wife (Sofia Vergara)

Sofia Vergara, Ed O'Neill's hot, younger, second wife on "Modern Family."

and her way-too-mature pre-teen son, Manny, (played like a pro by 11-year-old Rico Rodriguez), who just about steals the show.

Modern Famiy's scene stealer, Rico Rodriguez, as the precocious Manny.

Just about, because Ed O’Neill (You know, Al Bundy) is so amazing in this show as the gruff, yet tender grandfather (and husband of the hot second, younger wife and reluctant stepfather to the precocious Manny). But it’s the tangents in which the show goes off that makes this a stand-out. Just this week they paid tribute to Both Spandau Ballet (Edward Norton in a funny turn as Izzy LaFontaine, bassist for Spandau Ballet) and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . You’ll never be able to listen to SB’s “True” again with a straight face. ” That is, if you we you were ever able to in the first place.

5.  “Parks and Recreation”: OK, I lied. The out-loud laughs record is not held by “Modern Family,” but rather by the very smart and funny P&R. Amy Poehler   and a brilliant ensemble cast (Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt, especially) romp through some very smart dialogue and topics, some never before seen on the always predictable and rehashed world of sitcoms. While “P&R” started off as an “uh-oh, where’s this going?” rip-off of “The Office,” it has matched that show (this past week’s “Office” with its Southern murder mystery parlor game was that series at its best). There are many smart (dare I even say “intellectual”) references sprinkled throughout the show, and the uber talented Poehler has a field day building her lovable character, Leslie Knope, as deputy head of a yokel Midwest parks department. She a larger aspirations.  This mockumentary always lets on that she’s smarter than we think, but if you begin to take her too seriously, she’ll do something so goofy, you’ll fall in love with her again and again. If you saw last season, and were disappointed with the first few episodes, do yourself a favor and watch again. If Amy Poehler doesn’t win an Emmy, the gig is rigged. I heart Leslie Knope.  As much as I heart Liz Lemon and the wildly crazy, funny and uneven “30 Rock.” Alright, I heart Tracey Jordan/Morgan, too.

Yes, I heart Tracey Morgan...Jordan.

6. “So You Think You Can Dance”: Best talent competition on TV, and certainly the best dance competition (yes, I even watched “Dance Your Ass Off!”). Forget the amazing, sometimes stunning dancing (hello, Legacy   ), and the totally sexy and extremely likable host, Cat Deely,   this show has turned me on to better music than “American Idol”: Mirah’s “The Garden”, Roison Murphy’s “Ramalama (Bang Bang), and most recently George Baker Selection’s “Little Green Bag.” The dancing…it’s sick, as judge Adam Shankman would say. (Where’s Mia Michaels this year? Boo.)  Did I mention that I hate dance? But I love SYTYCD. My money’s on Jakob, Legacy, Russell to all tie in the end.

7.  “The Good Wife”: Biggest surprise of this season. I had no idea what this show would be like. And it turns out it’s one of those lawyer shows. But with a million twists and the really, really good and riveting Julianna Margulies guiding it along like a laser.  Hands down, best new drama of 2009.

8. “Chopped”: Love this cooking show where four cheftestants have to make three courses out of unlikely ingredients. Yeah, yeah, I love every cooking show (especially any one that features Padma Lakshmi   ), and the new “Chef Academy” seems to have the winning ingredient of all these reality shows: a good cast of characters. Oh, and if Kevin doesn’t win “Top Chef”, I’ll be really surprised. Unless of course one of the innovative Voltaggio Brothers wins.

9. “True Blood”: I miss you, young Jessica, my favorite vampire.

"True Blood"'s Jessica, the brattiest and best teenaged vampire in Bon Temps.

If I had to pick my desert island show, this would be it. If the desert island had a TV.

10. “Mission Impossible”:  I am absolutely addicted to this surprisingly complex ’60s series. It’s on between midnight and 2 a.m. on the AmericanLife Network (ALN), and I am under its spell from the second it starts. There’s nothing like the Cold War and Latin American dictators to get your adventure-thriller blood boiling. Problem is, there is something about this guilty pleasure that puts me to sleep within 5 minutes of its distinctive theme. It never fails, no matter how wide awake or tired I am. So I DVR it, and during daylight hours, watch Cinnamon, Paris, Phelps and the gang keep the world safe. Like Jack Bower, but not.

11. “Dexter”: I’m still sticking with you Dexter even if I have to see John Lithgow naked and you are completely predictable.  I judge TV predictability on “Oz,” one of the most adventurous cable TV achievements. You never knew what to expect and which main character would be killed off. On “Dexter” you always know what to expect, and Dexter is always safe — but it’s done so well, it almost doesn’t matter. Michael C. Hall is an acting revelation, but it’s the opening credits that are so good, I’m in for the whole next hour.

Dexter/Michael C. Hall and his sister/wife Deb/Jennifer Carpenter. You figure it out.

“Great Expectations”

November 18th, 2009

In terms of the great comedy battle of 2009, which continues to rage amongst shows both new and old, Modern Family is at a distinct disadvantage: with Parks and Recreation delivering some legitimately great comedy and Community doing a really compelling and confident meta-storyline, the simplicity of this show is a disadvantage in terms of being flashy. There comes a point where the hype surrounding the show creates greater expectations than the storylines themselves can live up to in terms of their premise, requiring viewers to appreciate the strong execution where originality isn’t overtly present.

“Great Expectations” is a solid episode of the show, featuring a number of fun loving gags and a couple of big guest stars, but nothing stands out as particularly stunning as compared to some of the other comedies. In this instance, I think there was enough nuance to each individual story to continue to prove how strong the writers understand these characters, but it nonetheless follows similar patterns to what we’ve seen in the past. I think it’s one of their stronger episodes due to a nice role reversal, but it’s not reaching as high as some of the other comedies are right now.

For me, this episode is about the little things more than it is about the guest stars. While Elizabeth Banks (playing Cameron and Mitchell’s barhopping friend Sal) and Edward Norton (playing the bass player/backup vocalist from Spandau Ballet) are both very funny and integrated well into the episode, the storylines they’re involved in really have very little to do with them. I thought the Cameron/Mitchell story was perhaps the episode’s least interesting, if only because it was so predictable: we’re shown that they’re having trouble getting out with Lily around, they make a night out of it with a friend, and discover that their friend is jealous of Lily and devolves into a petulant child. There’s nothing wrong with the storyline, and Banks sells the child-like reaction perfectly, but the storyline had absolutely no twists or turns or nuances to it – just a couple of fun moments (Mitchell refusing to allow her to hold her, Mitchell’s “I’m going in!” Re: new boobs), and strong performances all around.

I thought the other two storylines were simply more interesting conceptually. Jay’s Night, featuring Sloppy Jays and western movies, was the sort of storyline that was charming because of how great Ed O’Neill is and more importantly how you get small little running gags like Gloria’s tone deaf singing or Luke taking everything that Jay says as a sign that he’s going to die soon. Combine with the running battle between Jay and Haley, which nicely ties into what we know of Claire’s own childhood, and the conclusion with Dylan wanting to stick around for Jay’s Night, and the storyline just had a nice flow to it. It was never overly dramatic or overly broad (Jay squirting Manny like a dog was perhaps a BIT broad), staying within a simple comic mode and delivering on its promise.

And I thought the Claire/Phil storyline was the episode’s strongest, if not comically, then certainly in terms of the characters. Phil is still a bit too much like Michael Scott (the scene listing off the things he wants could have very easily been put into Steve Carell’s mouth without much in terms of change), but as with Michael it’s always good when he gets to be the smart one. He, unlike his wife, is capable of being romantic, so the anniversary becomes about Claire’s struggles rather than Phil’s. It’s a nice change of pace, as Julie Bowen is likeable even when she’s incapable of being romantic and Ty Burrell was great in interacting with (his good friend) Edward Norton as they struggle over whether the charade (which was a pretty ingenious comic device) could be continued. Like I say, the big laughs weren’t there, but the emotional payoff was solid and it kept Phil out of his usual tomfoolery role.

Nothing complex, but a funny and enjoyable episode – no need to place it relative to anything else to enjoy that.

Cultural Observations

• Alex gets all of the best one-liners amongst the grandchildren, and here she both played into Haley’s vanity and created Luke’s trauma over her grandfather’s death. Hoping for another episode for her soon.
• I was thinking of how Edward Norton was going to do “funny” in this show’s style, and it’s clear now that I should have thought of “accent” right away. Always funny!
• Spandau Ballet, of course, is an actual band, although I didn’t entirely realize this until I heard him humming the melody of “True” and I realized I recognized it (but would never have known the band name). I did enjoy the joke the show got out of this, as the reason Izzy Lafontaine refused to continue the performance was that the song was called “True” and the story was false.
• Wait, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark was also a real band? Oh, The 80s.

Resoconto tutto speciale questo della decima puntata di X-Factor, perchè ieri ho assistito allo show dallo studio RAI di Via Mecenate. Scelta dettata non da sadismo innato, ma dal desiderio di rivedere la mia amata Mariah Carey dopo anni e anni che non passava dall’Italia (lo so,  lo so: molti di voi ritengono dettato da sadismo anche questo. Stronzi).

Pervaso da spirito degno della migliore carampana, ho affrontato la lunga diretta in compagnia di una manciata di altri coraggiosi eroi (che saluto!): il nostro gesto è stato premiato e la diva americana è apparsa in apertura di show cantando  I Want To Know What Love Is (ve ne avevo parlato QUI) per presentare il suo ultimo album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (che ho recensito QUI). Decisamente più in forma di come la ritraevano recenti foto, Mariah ci ha regalato una delle migliori performance live dell’intera promozione attualmente in corso: segno che l’Italia le fa proprio bene. Per me c’è solo una parola per definirne la performance: emozionante.

Chiusa l’onirica parentesi Carey, bisogna affrontare le 4 ore restanti. Qualche informazione random: lo studio che in tv sembra un’arena è in realtà grande come il salotto di casa vostra. Seguire la gara, poi, è praticamente impossibile perchè il pubblico in studio non sente nulla, grazie ad un audio pessimo.

Esprimo solo qualche piccolo giudizio su quel poco che mi è arrivato: Marco è la star indiscussa del programma e Paola di una bravura impressionante. L’eliminazione di Chiara contro Silver è qualcosa di a dir poco vergognoso e diciamolo senza tanti giri di parole: è uscita semplicemente perchè è grassa ed era ora di farla fuori a favore di un futuro prodotto discografico molto più spendibile fra mamme e bambine. Ma il confronto fra i due neanche esisteva: il talento da una parte e il nulla dall’altro. Si sa che nel nostro Paese ha sempre la meglio il secondo.

A tal proposito, concedetemi una digressione sociologica (detto così sembra una cosa seria!): non avete idea del livello del pubblico in sala. Orde di mostri creati ad immagine e somiglianza del pubblico parlante di Maria De Filippi. Gente che venderebbe i figli per mezza inquadratura televisiva, conciati come se la diretta in prima serata dovessero farla loro, agitati e coinvolti come se  fossero in gara. Una gran tristezza insomma.

Ma non mi pento: è stata un’esperienza divertente alla fine. E il blog meritava almeno una recensione live!
Per Mariah poi…questo ed altro!Alla prossima settimana amici di X-Factor: resistete con me fino alla fine vero?

PS: gli altri ospiti i geriatrici Spandau Ballet e il giovane più vecchio del mondo Matteo Beccucci. Tutta vita!

Website: www.xfactor.rai.it

Decima puntata di X Factor, adesso ne mancano ufficialmente tre alla fine. Doppia performance per i ragazzi. Una delle due canzoni è rigorosamente  di Micheal Jackson, un tributo al re del pop. L’altra è libera e fa piacere trovare una celebrazione – volontaria da parte della Maionchi - dei venti anni dalla caduta del muro di Berlino con l’assegnazione di “Alexander Platz“, canzone di Franco Battiato ricantata da Milva e intitolata alla piazza principale della ex Berlino Est.

Va sottolineata la magistrale esecuzione degli Spandau Ballet, che dopo oltre vent’anni sono ancora quelli di sempre. Tony Hadley è discretamente imbolsito ma canta ancora in maniera superba. Quando poi ci ha fatto risentire “Through the barricades” è stato davvero eccelso. Brava anche Mariah Carey. Di Becucci parliamo domani. Esce Chiara Ranieri, superfavorita per la vittoria che però è calata alla distanza, lasciando dentro Silver. A questo punto la gara diventa Marco Mengoni contro tutti. Le nostre valutazioni.

GRUPPI VOCALI

YAVANNA (Will you be there di Micheal Jackson e Alexander Platz di Franco Battiato) – Non siamo assolutamente d’accordo col giudizio di Morgan. A noi le Yavanna su questo pezzo meraviglioso scritto da Battiato sono proprio piaciute. Finalmente un pò di bella armonia vocale e la giusta interpretazione teatrale che non ha rovinato la seriosità del pezzo. La canzone di Micheal Jackson è il noto plagio (accertato dai periti: 32 note uguali) de “I cigni di Balakà” di Al Bano e Romina (non ci credete? Allora sentite  qui) e lo ci sguazzano senza problemi.

16-24 ANNI

MARCO MENGONI (Billie Jean di Micheal Jackson e Onda su Onda di Paolo Conte) – Questo ragazzo è una macchina. Canta bene qualunque cosa gli si dia da eseguire. Sul pezzo di Conte potrebbe dire che ha fatto la cosa migliore da quando sta dentro X Factor, donandogli una insolita allegria. Sul brano di Michela Jackson va liscio come l’olio, rispetto alle cose che ha fatto è quasi una sorta di divertissement. C’è dentro proprio tutto. E’il più costante nel rendimento, tiene benissimo il palco. Senza Chiara Ranieri, si avvia a grandi passi verso Sanremo

SILVER (The girl is mine di Micheal Jackson e Giornali Femminili di Luigi Tenco, poi Drive my car dei Beatles) – Semplicemente eccezionale. Autoironico, faccia da schiaffi quanto basta, sul pezzo di Tenco sembra Elio e Le Storie Tese senza Le Storie Tese.  Totalmente caltato nella orginalità del brano. Conferma la nostra tesi che i pezzi è meglio non conoscerli che conoscerli e non amarli. Bene sul brano nel quale Jacko duetta con Paul Mc Cartney: lui si fa entrambe le parti e va bene comunque. In grossa crescita, soprattutto ha smesso di stonare. Nonostante questo, si prende il primo ballottaggio della sua partecipazione. E lo affronta con stile e leggerezza, anche nella parte acappella, dove Chiara è nettamente superiore.  Resta dentro perchè è più pop.

CHIARA RANIERI (Vieni da me de Le Vibrazioni poi “Se mai” di Franco Battiato, versione italiana di “Smile” di Charlie Chaplin) – Va al ballottaggio  e poi esce perchè probabilmente è arrivata al massimo e perchè essendo già il massimo a livello vocale e tecnico di più non può dare.  Qui Morgan ha ragione: quando canta il refrain urla e lo fa suo. Leggera incertezza a metà del pezzo: sui brani più pop è meno forte che su brani più classici. A noi però è piaciuta perchè ci emoziona sempre e secondo noi meritava un posto sul podio. Bene al ballottaggio, anche se non come nella prima esecuzione di quel brano. A cappella stravince. Ma non basta.

 OVER 25

GIULIANO RASSU (The way you make me feel di Micheal Jackson e A chi mi dice dei Blue) – La canzone dei Blue è un pò così, ma non è quella che bisogna giudicare. Lui è bravo, ha grande voce. E lo sappiamo. Bene sui Blue, su micheal Jackson va molto meglio, finalmente è a suo agio e si sente. Ci piace – e forse si piace – sempre di più in inglese e per questo in un giudizio globale non ci convince come altri. L’impressione che abbiamo è di uno tutta tecnica ma che emoziona ad intermittenza.

PAOLA CANESTRELLI (I just can’t stop loving you di Micheal Jackson e Briciole di Noemi) – Sul brano che ha lanciato Noemi, confermiamo il giudizio della prova di ingresso. Grande “canna”, come dice Morgan (cioè voce mostruosa), ma pezzo sin troppo facile per una come lei, che insegna canto e sulle cose tecniche va in carrozza. La versione originale ci emoziona di più. Gradevolissima, invece, sul pezzo di Jacko: liberata dai vincoli del blues, dello rnb e del dover per forza sfoderare la sua vocalità in mezzo a ghirigori vari, mostra tutta la sua voce cristallina e la sua capacità interpretativa. Sa fare la cantante pop.

Questa sera andrà in onda su Raidue la decima puntata del talent show, X Factor. Oltre alla consueta kèrmesse musicale arricchita

Hoy voy a realizar mi homenaje al vigésimo aniversario de la caída del muro de Berlín de un modo un tanto particular, a través del grupo británico Spandau Ballet.

La banda toma su nombre de la prisión berlinesa de Spandau, donde se alojaron a los presos juzgados en los Juicios de Nuremberg, tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Fue cerrada en 1987 y posteriormente demolida tras la muerte de Rodolf Hess, último jefe nazi prisionero en ella. La prisión toma su nombre del distrito de Spandau, ubicado en el sector británico de Berlín Oeste.

Spandau Ballet es una banda británica de pop rock y new wave que fue muy popular en los años 1980, con su estilo romántico. Son de Londres y se formaron en 1979, disolviéndose posteriormente en 1990. Han vuelto a reunificarse en este 2009.

Tenéis más datos sobre la banda en esta página en Wikipedia y en su sitio oficial (en inglés), donde nos comentan que “han vuelto para un último baile”

1. Don’t “thank (her) for coming home” just so you can tell her you just sat the shit out of her chairs.

2. Also, next time, don’t lose her chairs. “I left them here I could have sworn” is not a plausible explanation for missing furniture.

3. Don’t fret about your “salad days slowly being eaten away.” At least that monstrous depression killing your soul will have loaded up on a lot of fibre and essential vitamins.

4. If everything in your life has cut you down to size, it’s probably not luck that’s “left (you) standing so tall” but the fact that no one wants to lend you any more chairs.

5. Contrary to what Spandau Ballet claims, gold is actually quite destructible. It would be best to shelve your plans of engaging the police in a shootout with only a solid gold suit on.

6. “Standing so tall” will not lead you to defeat “a high prison wall” unless you are standing on even higher stilts. (edf)

…TV-Produzent Wolfgang Rademann, Formel1-Fahrer Sebastian Vettel, Roland Emmerich, John Cusack, RTL-Moderatorin Nazan Eckes und Stargeiger David Garett.

Außerdem erwartet Thomas Gottschalk heute in Braunschweig auch noch Spandau Ballet, Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis mit “potentieller Skandalgefahr” (zumindest für das alternde ZDF-Publikum) gibt es Lady Gaga.

Lauwarme Kost gibt es auch in Sachen Saalwette, die ja eigentlich keine Saalwette mehr ist. Die Wette, mit der Michelle Hunziker Moderator Thomas Gottschalk herausfordert: Mindestens 1000 Menschen sollen sich am Abend nach dem Song „Thriller“ von Michael Jackson bewegen.

Je nachdem in welcher Form sich Robbie Williams und eben die skandalöse Lady Gaga sich befinden, könnten das zumindest die Höhepunkte der Show werden. Sollten sie aber auch nur ihr Standartprogramm abspielen um pünktlich den Flieger zu bekommen, dann darf man heute Abend sicherlich auch getrost etwas anderes anschauen.

Cheryl Cole, along with other music superstars Robbie Williams, Alexandra Burke, Alesha Dixon and The Stereophonics will take part in a special Help For The Hereos radio appeal for GMG Radio (a group owning various stations across the country including Real Radio, Smooth Radio, 106.1 Rock Radio and 96.3 Rock Radio).

The appeal centres around brave South Yorkshire soldier who suffered horrific injuries in Afghanistan is to be part of a star-studded charity appeal for his wounded colleagues on Tuesday.

Rifleman Craig Wood, from Doncaster, was blown up on patrol and lost both legs and a hand, aged just 18.

He will be telling his story for the Help For The Heroes charity which is setting up a network of recovery centres across the UK, providing practical, direct support for Britain’s wounded soldiers.

X Factor judge Simon Cowell and reformed 80s band Spandau Ballet will be guests on Chris Tarrant’s 9am to 11am show on the GMG Radio network.

Auction prizes include tickets for the X Factor, a visit to Jenson Button’s Brawn GP factory and the chance to have a personal performance of debut album Coming Home by new trio The Soldiers.

Chris Tarrant said: “Help for Heroes is a great charity doing a great job to help our injured service personnel and an excuse to team up with the guys at GMG to have some fun on the radio again.”

Source

The annual UK Q magazine awards, held last week, are guaranteed to provide some juicy rock-in-roll controversy and this year did not disappoint.  It was Amy Winehouse’s magnificently re-configured bosom that grabbed all the headlines when her bad girls, determined to get their time in the spotlight, leapt out of the hanky Amy called a dress. But the music though over-shadowed was not entirely forgotten. In no particular order and missing out the boring bits, the reader voted Q Awards went to:

• White Lies for best new act (think Echo and the Bunnymen meet Interpol)
• Spandau Ballet, of frills and hair flicks fame, scooped a Q Idol award. They’ve reformed and announced a series of UK tour dates for 2010.
• Kasabian triumphed with a best album award for West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
• Muse proved they are more than a Radiohead tribute band and scored the Best Act In the World today.
• Robert Plant not only got a good eyeful of Amy’s assets but also won the Q Outstanding Contribution To Music Award. Robert we salute you.
• Lily Allen got Best Track Award for The Fear from her album It’s not me, it’s you. Lily is always threatening to retire so this could be the pinnacle of her pop career. 

Arctic Monkeys, Yusef a.k.a Cat Stevens, Edwyn Collins, U2, Marianne Faithful, Sonic Youth, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Mr Hudson, Lady Gaga and The Specials all also felt the Q-love and received congratulatory trinkets. Well done chaps.

Just over a week ago I saw Spandau Ballet performing at the brand new LG Arena (I know this review’s taken a while, I blame A-Levels!). I must admit, I wasn’t expecting much from the concert – I didn’t know their songs very well, and we had tickets right at the back.

However, when we got to our seats, we were told that we had been relocated as our seats were limited view. This had happened before, when we went to the very same N.E.C (it’ll always be the N.E.C to me!) to see Take That (supported by the lovely Sophie Ellis Bextor) and we had a much better view. Twice in a row?! How lucky are we?!

Very lucky indeed! The seats were right next to the stage, and we had a fantastic view (if a rather sideward one)! I even got a smile from Tony Hadley!

So have Spandau Ballet still got it?

To be perfectly honest, I felt the concert got off to a bit of a slow start. For the first two songs (To Cut A Long Story Short and The Freeze) the band pretty much stood there, bunched together. It didn’t seem a very good use of the stage – the poor drummer looked very lonely indeed!

But by the time they played Only When You Leave they were filling the stage well and it remained this way for the rest of the night. And I must say at this point that having not really known their music until about a week before the concert, I really grew to like their music seeing them live, and one of my favorite of their songs is I’ll Fly For You. They didn’t really do anything special for this song, but that is exactly the point I have always made: you don’t need special effects for a good concert.

Spandau Ballet know how to perform without over the top effects (now Take That’s Circus tour was certainly a spectacular and I do think that Take That are very good performers, but it is a prime example of too much going on at once) and Tony Hadley’s voice is still incredible! As well as this they really connected with the audience, which is in my opinion the most important thing (next to of course actually being able to play the music!).

Once More is their new single from their recent greatest hits album (titled Once More!), and I really like it. Probably the best thing about Spandau Ballet is that their songs are instantly likeable, so if you’re not familiar with their music, I would definitely recommend it. I couldn’t name one song in the set which I took a dislike to.

Around half way through the set they played Round And Round. For this they played a video montage on the screen of old footage of the band, and you could particularly see at this point how happy they were to be back.

For With The Pride, they played a stripped down acoustic version with just Tony Hadley and Gary Kemp. I felt this really worked. This is the kind of thing which can go wrong or right, for example, seeing Snow Patrol at the M.E.N arena in March, Gary Lightbody played an acoustic of Run, and I felt it ruined the song a little bit. Run is a much more powerful song and needs to have a more full impact, and I feel it would probably have worked better with Chasing Cars. But anyway, I digress… I actually felt quite emotional watching this, and in a wierd way transfixed by the amount of camera flashes there were going off (clearly I wasn’t the only one!).

To finish the main set they played Chant No.1, Paint Me Down and True (better known to some as ‘The M&S music’!)

I liked what they did with chant No.1 and Paint Me Down. They performed them in a sort of medley, Paint Me Down interrupted Chant No.1 half way through. I liked this because I had thought that the two songs were very similar, so they flowed nicely into each other, and they certainly got the crowd going.

Finishing the main set with True was hardly surprising as it is one of their biggest hits. So obviously this got a great response from the audience. They had some lovely graphics on the screen accompanied by the effect of starlight.

I must say my main criticism really is that they often left very big pauses between lines in songs. It was almost like watching the Big Brother final! I understand why they did this of course – to build tension with the audience, but I did feel that on a couple of occasions they just left it too long and any tension they had built up was lost. During Fight For Ourselves (the first song of the encore) the audience didn’t know what to do. There was this big pause and silence from the audience! We started applauding because we thought it must be the end of the song!

And finally, of course, they finished with Gold. Another slight case of pause syndrome before the first chorus (but by no means a main offender!). This obviously got the greatest reaction of the night – and a well deserved one!

So, have Spandau Ballet still got it? yes! This was a much enjoyed night out, and Spandau Ballet definitely know how to put on a show which is an art that so many bands these days fail to do! I would definitely recommend you to buy tickets for this tour if you have not seen it already. And to all you nay sayers – Spandau Ballet are back!

Vanavond ga ik met een paar vrienden naar Spandau Ballet in de HMH. Jeugdsentiment zullen we het maar noemen. Niet dat ik een grote fan ben maar ach voor een leuk avondje stappen en gezellig wat bij kletsen is het goed genoeg hahaha. Na een zoektocht over het web kwam ik uiteindelijk toch 2 Spandau Ballet mashups tegen. Het zijn wel 2 foute maar ach dat sluit goed aan bij het imago van deze band.

Doc – Gold for the republic

Spider – Closer to gold

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So its Friday morning and I should be working on important things in the church office, but instead I find myself scanning the internet for news ahead of tomorrow’s North London Derby.  Whilist doing so I can across an article of famous fans from both teams and thought it only appropiate to have a face off.  Who has the best celebrity fans?  Arsenal or Tottenham, Tottenham or Arsenal?

Round 1:

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First up its overly smug Simon Cowell wannabe Piers Morgan for Arsenal against everybody’s favourite straight talking businessman Sir Alan Sugar for Spurs.

This one is an obvious win for Tottenham.  No questions.  Aint no one gonna mess wit the Sugar, specially when its the hard to like Piers Morgan.

Arsenal 0-1 Tottenham

•••••

Round 2:

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Next up, its former S-Club 7 hottie Rachel Stevens for Arsenal against the former Mrs Liam Gallagher Pansy Kensit for Spurs.

For me, the average man on the street would opt for Stevens everyday.  Even though Kensit seems like a lovely person and Stevens appears to lack a big dollop of charisma, I’m gonna be shallow and go for looks alone.  To which Rachel gets my vote.

Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham

•••••

Round 3:

For Arsenal: former Mr Darcy and all round British acting treasure Colin Firth versus ladies favourite Hollywood actor Jude Law for the Spurs.

A tricky one this.  Firth is favourite amongst housewives across the country, whilst most people have a liking for Law.  Purely on the basis that Jude has been a lifelong Spurs fan where as Colin only become a gooner after portraying one in the fil ‘Fever Pitch’, its got to be Law.

Arsenal 1-2 Tottenham

•••••

Round 4:

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For Arsenal: The very loveable, and frankly wasted on the X-Factor, Dermot O’Leary.  For Spurs: Twinkley eyed coffin dodger Bruce ‘Nice to see you to see you nice’ Forsyth.

Although Brucie is a bit of a legend, he is also annoying and a bit too old school.  Where as everyone loves O’Leary.  The man was a legend on Big Brother’s Little Brother and is a fine ambassador for Arsenal football club.

Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham

•••••

Round 5:

For Arsenal: Cheeky chappie, former Jonathan Creek and Stephen Fry wind up merchant Alan Davies.  For Tottenham: Everyone’s favourite, floppy haired posh comedian Michael McIntyre.

A real tough one this.  I’m a big fan of Davies, because of Jonathan Creek and his general brilliantness on QI.  However, you gotta love McIntyre.  The man is a comedy legend.  So its a draw, or as X-Factor would say ‘DEADLOCK’.  I am tempted to go for Davies as he’s more outspoken about supporting Arsenal, but I feel a draw is a fair result.

Arsenal 3-3 Tottenham

•••••

Round 6:

For Arsenal: irritating anarchist and former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon.  For Tottenham: Actor who famously played West Ham supporter Alf Garnett.

Appararently, when he’s not advertising butter or ‘fighting against the system’ Lydon is following the Arsenal.  But he’s still a plum.  So it has to go to Mitchell.

Arsenal 3-4 Tottenham

•••••

Round 7:

For Arsenal: New romantic ‘rocker’s Spandau Ballet.  For Tottenham: Soulful crooner Lemar.

Lemar has the aura of cool about him, where as the Ballet have numbers in their favour.  Purely because of Martin Kemp and Tony Hadley, its got to be Spandau Ballet.

Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham

•••••

Round 8:

So the decider goes down to these two.  For Arsenal: world’s most wanted man and all round Western hating cave dweller Osama bin Laden.  For Tottenham: drummer, musician, slapheaded gentleman.  Its Phil Collins.

When he wasn’t hating the West, bin Laden was enjoying its entertainments and famously went to see Arsenal play twice.  Collins is apparently a lifetime Spurs fan, although i’m pretty sure he also supports about 9 other teams including Man Utd so I’m tempted to go for another draw.  But then I remembered that bin Laden wants me dead where as Collins just wants me to buy his record.  So its has to go to Collins and Spurs.

Arsenal 4-5 Tottenham

So there we have it.  Apparently Spurs have the better celebrity fans.

Edinburgh is a great, historic city full of castles, historic dwellings and pubs, winding paths, and a fair dose of urban grandeur. It also has CD shops. Among those CD shops it the small independent Avalanche, just a skip off the famed Royal Mile. Although much revered by the locals, it’s actually not a terrific shop at all. It has a bad selection of anything that I would have considered interesting. It does have a sister shop, however, in Glasgow under separate management. That shop is very impressive indeed. The city of Edinburgh has no less than three HMV stores. I hit the one closest to the center of town, on Princes Street in New Town.

Avalanche

Bad Lieutenant, Never Cry Another Tear. Bernard Sumner, bereft of New Order since Peter Hook broke it up, has joined a new band where a couple of guitarists and vocalists have thrown together to make some vaguely Britpop sounding music, with the occasional participation of drummer Stephen Morris of Joy Division and New Order. Altogether, it’s not a displeasing album as Sumner’s famously cool voice sounds quite a bit warmer than usual against the symphony of strings that make up the songs. Still, you would likely give it a pass if you weren’t as big a fan of these guys as I am.

Buggles, The Age of Plastic. The Buggles were the band led by Trevor Horn, who famously had the first music video on MTV with the lead single from this album, “Video Killed the Radio Star.” As mentioned here before, Horn went on to produce some extraordinary New Wave but he cut his teeth as a musician here, turning out some wonderfully weird but definitely danceable sci-fi tunes. You would likely be surprised at how much you like it.

Monaco, Monaco. When New Order went on hiatus through much of the 1990s, bassist Peter Hook teamed up with vocalist David Potts, who had performed with Hooky’s former band Revenge. Their first album Music for Pleasure produced the widely recognized “What Do You Want from Me?,” which is often mistaken for a New Order tune due to Hooky’s easily recognizable bass playing and Potts’ icy voice, which sounds similar to Sumner’s. The second album from the group, after which it broke up, is hard to find but well worth the trouble.

HMV

Adam and the Ants, Dirk Wears White Sox. The three albums that Adam Ant did with a band called the Ants were remastered and re-released in 2004. I’ve picked up the second and third, but here is the first, which proclaims the band’s artistic intentions by invoking the name of British actor Dirk Bogarde, who made powerful and artistic films throughout the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. The album is much darker than most of the familiar Adam Ant material and never produced a hit.

Blancmange, Mange Tout. The extraordinary New Romantic band Blancmange, mysteriously named after a gelatinous dessert, saw its three albums remastered and re-released in the United Kingdom in 2008. The band has reformed to record new material after releasing three albums in the ’80s–which is good because these are three terrific albums. This album, their second, bears some terrifically bright dance beats combined with the deep and distinctive vocals of Neil Arthur in numbers such as “Don’t Tell Me” and an ABBA cover “The Day Before You Came.”

Editors, In This Light and On This Evening (2CD). Editors vocalist Tom Smith is often accused of borrowing a lot from Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, but once you see the charismatic Editors frontman in concert, you’ll know two things: 1. His admiration for Curtis is honest and honorable, and 2. His band has risen far past being just a Joy Division knockoff. This album, their third, relies much more on synthesizers than their previous two, although keyboards have always been a big part of Smith’s performances.

Sonic Youth, Murray Street.
Sonic Youth, A Thousand Leaves.
Sonic Youth, Screaming Fields of Sonic Love.

Ugh, Michael Darpino, what have you gotten me into? Collecting Sonic Youth albums without a roadmap is sometimes bewildering. For example, I unintentionally purchased the compilation album Screaming Fields of Sonic Love because I didn’t recognize it for what it was–and being overseas I had no Internet connection for research on the fly. Still, with the purchases of Murray Street and A Thousand Leaves, I not only have two very strong entries in the Sonic Youth catalogue, I’m a mere five albums from owning every studio album, should that be my goal. These two albums seem to have a much more contemplative tone than some of their others and as such represent some of their more downtempo yet radiant material–almost as if they had punkified the Alan Parsons Project or something. They totally love Sonic Youth over in the United Kingdom and I was pleased as to the number of their albums you could find much more easily than in the United States.

Spandau Ballet, Gold. While I was in Scotland, I saw the reunion tour of Spandau Ballet. It was a terrific show! And in anticipation of it, I picked up this greatest hits disc that came out while I was there. Did I really need it? No, but it has 17 of the band’s videos at a pretty good price. Being a class MTV-era music fiend, I love owning videos. Spandau’s videos also represent the height of New Romantic fashion, even the costume changes from the more avante garde to the well-tailored suits.

Ultravox, U-Vox. The classic line-up of Ultravox featuring incomparable vocalist Midge Ure reformed in 2009 for some reunion touring, which will extend into 2010. At the same time, Ure’s Ultravox output of five studio albums and one live disc were remastered and re-released as well. Imagine my surprise to realize then that I had missed picking up this album, the fifth and final studio album that Ure made with the band! It contains a number of hidden gems of the Ure/Ultravox catalog–including the soaring and melodic “Same Old Story” and the somber and dramatic “All Fall Down”–making it a worthy purchase indeed.

Esce il nuovo disco con due inediti di Tony Hadley e dei fratelli Kemp

Si chiudono alla O2 Arena le tre date londinesi del Reformation tour iniziato il 13 ottobre a Dublino, che ha riportato gli Spandau Ballet di nuovo insieme sul palco a vent’anni di distanza dalla loro separazione. Il gruppo di Tony Hadley e dei fratelli Kemp ritorna sulle scene in una versione nuova, un po’ attempata, ma che nello spirito assomiglia a quella di vent’anni fa.

Da ‘Only when you leave’ a ‘I’ll fly for yoù, passando per ‘Through the Barricades’, per chiudere poi con ‘True’ e ‘Gold’, la band ha tenuto il palco per quasi due ore. Il tentativo è quello di rianimare gli anni ‘80 e per il pubblico – quasi tutto della loro generazione – l’esperimento sembra funzionare. L’arena infatti è piena e il pubblico coinvoltissimo. Certo ci sono degli ovvi limiti dovuti al passaggio del tempo che ha segnato i cinque ragazzi, ma il loro ‘marchio di fabbrica’ che li aveva resi famosi negli anni ‘80 si sente ancora. Allora erano la faccia pulita del pop britannico, i rappresentanti di un elegante elettropop, che valse al gruppo l’etichetta di new romantics. Erano l’altro lato della medaglia rispetto agli altri britannici eccellenti del pop, i Duran Duran, con cui gli Spandau oggi dicono di aver avuto sempre un rapporto tranquillo. E quello stesso stile elegante, seppure modellato per il nuovo secolo, è riapparso sul palco della O2 Arena.

“Questo è il lavoro più bello del mondo. Non potevamo che tornare a farlo”, dice Gary Kemp prima di salire sul palco londinese. “Non ha niente a che vedere con i soldi”, dice Steve Norman.”E’ stato semplicissimo” dice Tony Hadley, la voce del gruppo, “adesso è addirittura più facile lavorare insieme. “E questo è solo l’inizio”, aggiunge Gary. Oltre il tour c’é un disco, ‘Once more’ che include i brani classici riarrangiati più due inediti e che sarà in vendita da oggi in Italia. Ma, dicono gli Spandau, le due cose sono distinte tra loro. Sembra infatti sia nato prima il tour a cui poi è seguito l’album. E loro preferiscono di gran lunga la parte live del loro ritorno alle scene. “Ora è addirittura meglio che vent’anni fa”, dicono. Così il concerto londinese del 21 diventerà un Dvd che testimonia il tour e che in Gran Bretagna sarà in vendita dal 30 novembre. Gli Spandau saranno in Italia a marzo: il 1 a Milano, il 2 a Roma e il 3 a Firenze. “Gli italiani conoscono meglio di tutti il valore della nostra ‘eredita””, ha detto John Keeble, il batterista del gruppo. Ecco perché i cinque ‘ragazzi’ dicono di non vedere l’ora di sbarcare in Italia.

Spandau Ballet’s stop in Glasgow, UK, on their Reformation reunion tour was not only an enjoyable romp through the band’s catalog but also convincing enough to make you believe they could stick around a while again.

The band certainly made a strong opening center stage, the five of them in tight formation, for a glorious rendering of “To Cut a Long Story Short.” From there, they spread out onto the stage and ran through steadily through songs both well known and slightly more obscure from the UK dance hit “Chant No. 1″ to more mellow tunes like “Communication.”

They ended the set with “True,” to which the entire crowd at the SECC sang along and swayed in rapt attention. An encore of two songs wrapped up the show with a thunderous performance of “Gold,” which not only had everyone dancing but practically shouting along in joy.

As for Spandau sticking around after this reunion tour, which already extends through Europe in 2010, the band has put out at least one new song, “Once More,” on a new compilation where they play their tunes in more stripped down versions. They performed “Once More” at the show, and frankly it’s an easy song to forget. It’s very pleasant but it feels a bit disposable.

What’s more convincing is that the band sounded terrific and all five members were clearly having a great deal of fun being back after 20 years away. Any animosity over their split appears to be earnestly settled. Any bad blood over lawsuits and recriminations seem to have been washed away-as demonstrated when Tony Hadley and Gary Kemp sat down together in the middle of the set to perform a somber but heartfelt rendition of “Pride.”

As Kemp, the band’s leader, and Hadley, the band’s face, sat alone together as older, wiser men, you felt they still had something more to say to the world as a band-which makes me think this much is true: We haven’t heard the last of them.

The Spandau Ballet classic Chant No. 1 (I Can’t Keep This Pressure On) has been given a disco re-rub by Flash Atkins as part of the Fags & Booze EP.

It features Crazy P’s Danielle Moore doing her best Tony Hadley impression on vocals.

The stems and parts to remix and re-edit can be downloaded by clicking HERE.

The best will be put out by We Are Woodville so email a link of your version to us by JAN 1st by clicking HERE.

Hear it here :

or find out more by going to : Flash’s blog

Martin with his Super 8: movie backdrop to the live show. Picture © by Shapersofthe80s

❚ EARLY IN THE RUNNING ORDER on the Reformation tour, the old romantics from North London recall their worldwide travels as one of Britain’s four key supergroups in the mid-1980s with another video montage. Providing an onstage backdrop as they play their hit from Dec 1984, Round and Round, the clips come from home movies shot by Martin Kemp on what he says was “the first thing I bought with my first wages from Spandau Ballet, which was £60 given to me in the middle of a nightclub. I went out next day and bought a Canon Super 8 cine camera. I loved it – it was my hobby for years.” This live performance was shot by Shapersofthe80s at London’s O2 dome on Oct 20, 2009. The band can’t resist turning round to view their onscreen larks, and Kemp owned up afterwards by being so distracted he frequently lost his place during the number.

➢➢ Run the video for Round and Round live:

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