Football and Music

With the Eurovision Song Contest happening next month and keeping fingers crossed that this year’s UK entry at least does marginally better than last years disaster… I’ve decided to to a footie&music equivalent of the qualifying competition.

When I heard these two particular tracks I thought immediately of Eurovision. They really do (in my opinion) sound like an entry for Song For Europe.

After you’ve listened to both the entries below I want you to vote and help to decided which one is the Song For Middlesboro !

First up is local boy Ewan Carmichael, who prefers to go acoustic but is with a full band for this song »

» Ewan Carmichael - Dancing Out On The Street

- You can hear and download more songs by Ewan on his SoundClick.com page.

Next up is Danny McCoy who makes his living performing as a Bon Jovi tribute act. His song is from a few years ago when ‘Boro were promoted back to the top flight:

» Danny McCoy - We’re Coming Through

- You can hear Danny and his band - Bon Jordi do their version of Living On A Prayer on their Unsigned.com page.

So there you have it.
Now it’s your turn - listen to both entries and then vote below:

Postscript: I found out some extra information about one of the artists, but I’m not going to post it yet because I don’t want to influence the vote. I will update this entry with the results and what I discovered after the polling closes on June 1st 2008.

May 24th 2008: The results are in.

Football and Horses: With the Grand National happening tomorrow, I read this snippet via the last popbitch mailout:

>> National treasures <<
They don't make footballers like they used to

In the 1970s the Grand National, as an event, was dying. We all remember it as halcyon days, with Red Rum winning three times. But in 1977, when Rummie won his third race, fewer than 10,000 spectators were there. The race has been resurrected, in 2007, the crowd was 68,000. Back then Aintree was owned by an eccentric old lady, Mirabel Topham, with Ladbrokes having the thankless task of managing it for her. One poor chap was sent up to the course and given a scruffy office with a couple of desks and phones and told to sort out tickets, sponsors, hospitality - the lot. The only way he got through it was with help from a surprising source. Every day, after football training finished at Liverpool, Emlyn Hughes and Terry McDermott, big horse racing fans, came over with a crate of beer and got on the phones to make the sales calls. Somehow you can't quite imagine Torres and Kewell doing it.

Next item is via Reuters football news. It’s about Pele and Banksy and I like who Pele got to be his assistant for the match:

Pele and Banks XIs to meet in charity game, Tutu as coach

LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - Gordon Banks and Pele, who between them provided one of the World Cup’s most memorable moments, will come together in Stoke later this year.

Brazil great Pele will unveil the first part of a triple statue in honour of former Stoke City and England goalkeeper Banks at the club’s Britannia Stadium.

The unveiling on July 12 will be accompanied by a charity match between a Pele XI and a Gordon Banks XI to help fight poverty in Africa, the club said on their Web site.

Pele’s assistant manager for the match will be Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The match is also intended to celebrate the lives of two famous sons of Stoke-on-Trent, Josiah Wedgwood and Stanley Matthews. Wedgwood helped end slavery while Matthews, who began his long and illustrious career at Stoke, taught children to play football in Soweto, South Africa.

» Full article

I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, pound of bananas, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, alright how’s your Pauline ? , I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, knees up Mother Brown, I’m a Cockney,Got to my mickey, found me way up the apples, put on me whistle and the bloody dog went. It was me trouble telling me to fetch the teapots. I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, she’s alright - how’s your Pauline ?

I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, two pound a pair, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, What a load of old Pony, pukka, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m forever blowing bubbles, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, our Arthur, her indoors, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney. I was going for a ruby down the frog in the jar when the bone went. Cor blimey if it weren’t the trouble. I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney,She’d had her barnet done and bought a new tit for tat now her plates were giving her jib. I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney, I’m a Cockney Geezer.

» The 1975 West Ham FA Cup Final Squad - I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles

» I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles (singalong version)

» The Mighty Boosh - The Hitcher

I've been busy with other projects and editing the audio from my friends radio appearance. Never enough time in the day to get something posted.

- I was digging through my collection of CD’s (I have around 3000) looking for something else actually when I stumbled across something I forgot I had.

It is a compilation album released to commemorate the 1998 World Cup in France:

… and as a present for you out there… if you want it … is the entire thing to d/load for your collection.

Allez Ola Ole: the Music of the World Cup is a celebratory album with a samba beat. Apart from the Scottish and English contributions obviously. Africa is well represented too.

For those of you who don’t want all of it and just want a sampling, listen below. I’ve selected two stand-out tracks from the CD.

The first track is from a Brazilian act called “Skank“.

(Before I found the info about the band I did a google image search and photos of the obvious person came up.)

» Skank - É Uma Partida de Futebol

Next up one from the always excellent Youssour N’Dour:

» Youssou N’Dour and Axelle Red - Do You Mind If I Play

- For details on the whole album and a scan of the entire booklet look below the fold:

Read the rest of this entry »