Have to say, the result aside and some of the individual performances aside, it was great to see Jonny Wilkinson back in an England shirt and back performing well in an England shirt.

To see him charging around Twickenham putting in big hits at every opportunity after what he’s gone through over the last well 6 years really is a joy to watch. Yeah I know he’s been back here and there since that glorious night in Sydney but it feels like this different. Should we be thanking the French

And when you look at the football squad Fabio released on Sunday night, you think to yourself where are the Wilkos, can’t we have 11 players who are willing to stand up like Jonny and represent their country with three lions on their chest, when they head for South Africa next summer.

As Wilkinson puts his shoulder into another tackle against someone far larger than himself you think back to a previous meeting against the football side’s next opponents, 2002 World Cup in Japan, would Jonny have chickened out of that challenge as Beckham did that led to Brazil’s equaliser? No.

Would Jonny turn his back and ponce out of blocking every shot on England’s goal the way Rio Ferdinand does every time there’s a chance he might get hit with a ball? No.

And when Ashely Cole hinders so many forward movements because he is scared stiff of even trying to kick the ball with his “wrong foot”, because he at least knows he is inept with his right peg. You think of that moment in Sydney when the ball flew back from Dawson, it was on the “wrong” side, Jonny would have to use his right foot to take the drop and win the World Cup. Did he have a moment of blind panic, stutter around looking for any other option than using the foot that wasn’t his left, getting his body in sch a position he could do only one thing and kick it backwards with his left…

Click here to view the embedded video.

…did he buggery, he didn’t give it a second thought and popped that ball over with ease with his “wrong” foot.

The England football team need to have the initialism WWJD instilled into their thinking – What would Jonny do?

They could also take a long hard look at another returning World Cup winner on Saturday, how many of those under Fabio would hand back half a million quid compensation so they could come back and play the game the way Steve Thompson did? AH but Beckham’s going to turn out for Milan to make sure he’s fit for the World Cup. Yes for his own personal glory and how much will he be paid for this sacrifice.

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“Ultimate Guitar Speed Learning System” The Fastest & Easiest Way to Accelerate your Guitar Playing Click here to check it out NOW! It’s got heaps of hot tips & tricks.

A) It’s Darren Bent
2) He’s thrown himself to the floor well before any contact
x) It’s Darren Bent

Ah the old chestnut of the scorn ex coming back and getting revenge, oh it happens, happens when that ex has the ability and isn’t one of life’s confused individuals.

Even ‘Arry’s missus understands to make the point, rub their nose in it you have to actually succeed, she would have put that penalty away – as everyone on the planet said at the exact moment Bent missed it, straight after we all said “the beach ball would have scored” – but the she probably wouldn’t have dived to win it.

Of course Bruce was in full “don’t you know who I used to captain” whinge mode after. Bent had to get out of the way of the on coming ‘keeper, he didn’t dive he did his best to make sure he wasn’t taken out. By falling right down in Gomes’ path, like you would, I mean who would try and leap over a prone ‘keeper, try and get the ball to score when you can fall down?

So a woeful performance by Spurs, played off their own park and a 2-0 victory, the kind of result that has your media pundits creaming themselves over the likes of the poppyless ManUre and Chelski, who after 12 games we are just 3 points behind.

Now ‘Arry may have done a great job in persuading Levy to get shot of Bent – and as ‘Arry said the chairman did a great job getting Sunderland to cough up the £16m he coughed up in the first place – but he hasn’t been doing a great job with the team of late. He’s going to have to figure out that the 4-3-3 with three real strikers Crouch, Keane and Defoe up front doesn’t work.

Why did he buy Kranjcar if he ain’t going to start him in these types of games, hopefully the complete change around in the game after the Croat came on will have sunk in. Though would it mean ‘Arry would have to bench Keane, who does seem to have to start every game now, but then why not go back to the style at the beginning of the season that worked with the two little guys Keane and Defoe, up front in a 4-4-2.

He’s also going to have to figure out that using Jenas in the midfield doesn’t work when there’s four there never mind just three. Yes the bad trot of late has coincided with the loss of Modric and now Lennon but a major part of it has been the return of the waste of space that is Jenas. It’s no coincidence that Palacios hasn’t looked his best these last few games, it’s being stuck next to Jenas. If ‘Arry doesn’t sort it out quick smart poor old Wilson will be heading the same way as Zokora, who looked the part before he had to play every game next to the feeble Jenas. Come on ‘Arry it’s not rocket surgery.

Luckily on Saturday Huddlestone decided to stand up and do the work of Jenas and cover for Palacios’ suffering from Jenasite exposure. Now with that performance and Hudd’s ability in passing the ball his inclusion in Fabio’s “experimental” squad for the Brazil friendly is understandable but somehow Fabio watched that game and picked Jenas and Bent

Undoubtedly though the man of the match and Spurs saviour was Gomes, who again showed that he is a great shot stopper, with some truly outstanding saves but he still has those mad moments and gifts refs the chance to award penalties too often with mad rushes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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1900, Len Spencer, believed to be the first nationally known recording star, releases his biggest hit “Arkansaw Traveler” … his other hits include “Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom De Ay,” “A Hot Time In The Old Town,” and “Hello! Ma Baby” …

1928, a candle starts a fire in a French Gypsy caravan … the left hand of 18-year-old guitarist Django Reinhardt is badly burned, leaving two fingers useless … with his right leg also injured, Django is bedridden for 18 months and uses that time for therapy, rebuilding his guitar chops so that by the mid-1930s he is a master of swing guitar and ultimately one of the best guitarists in any genre …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1964, “Oh Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison turns gold … it is his ninth and last Top Ten single …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1970, Jim Morrison gets six months in the slammer for exposing his privates in Miami … Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas marries actor Dennis Hopper … proving wrong those who said the marriage wouldn’t last a week, they divorce eight days later … Bob Dylan records “George Jackson,” a tribute to the black militant leader killed in a California prison shootout …

1971, while The Allman Brothers are on a break from touring and recording, guitarist Duane Allman loses control of his Harley-Davidson and is killed … Allman was trying to avoid a construction vehicle that abruptly stopped midway through a turn …

The Allman Brothers Band – “Whipping Post”

Click here to view the embedded video.

1972, James Taylor and Carly Simon tie the knot in her Manhattan apartment … they will separate ten years later …

1975, Queen releases “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a single … with three and-a-half minutes being the standard time limit for a single, the band and producer Roy Thomas Baker have to convince EMI executives to release the six-minute recording without any edits … the single tops the U.K. chart for nine weeks and goes to #2 in the U.S … it will go to #1 again in the U.K. in 1991 after lead singer Freddie Mercury’s AIDS-related death …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1977, during a London concert Elton John announces that he is retiring from live performance … as with most rock ‘n’ roll retirements this one is short-lived … The Bitch is back by February of 1979 … Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Waltz, commemorating The Band’s last concert at Winterland in San Francisco, opens to rave reviews in New York … Ozzy Osbourne quits Black Sabbath but returns a few weeks later …

1983, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon becomes the longest-running album ever on the Billboard chart at 491 continuous weeks …

1986, The Beastie Boys release their debut License To Ill … it will become the first rap album to reach #1 …

1988, Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain smashes his guitar onstage for the first time at the Evergreen State Dorm Room Party in Olympia, Washington …

1991, a crowd of more than 300,000 attend a free show in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park called “A Benefit for Laughter, Love & Music” to commemorate the death of rock promoter Bill Graham … the bill includes The Grateful Dead; Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young; Joan Baez; Santana; and Journey who reunite for the memorial show … Graham died on October 25 when his helicopter hit a utility tower … blues, soul, rock, and country are all well represented when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts Bobby “Blue” Bland, Booker T & The MGs, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, The Isley Brothers, The Yardbirds, and Sam and Dave …

1992, Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin sign a $39 million publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music …

1995, Hootie and the Blowfish and Bob Dylan reach an out-of-court settlement over the band’s unauthorized use of Dylan’s lyrics in their song, “Only Want To Be With You” …

1996, Michael Jackson announces that he and friend Debbie Rowe are expecting a child … the King of Pop denies tabloid reports that the baby had been conceived using artificial insemination and that Rowe was paid to bear the child … the pair will marry two weeks later …

1998, Kiss launches its Psycho Circus tour on Halloween in Los Angeles … thousands attend in costume and The Smashing Pumpkins are the opener … Ol’ Dirty Bastard of Wu Tang Clan is arrested for threatening to kill his former girlfriend … he is apprehended while climbing over a security gate at the woman’s place of employment …

1999, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, and John Entwistle, the surviving members of The Who, reunite for the first time in two years for a concert in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand … KISS, Tony Bennett, and the Dixie Chicks also are on the bill … the webcast concert marks the launch of Internet video company Pixelon …

2002, hip-hop giant Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC is shot dead in his Jamaica, Queens recording studio … police pursue many leads and theories as to motive: unpaid drug bills, rival rappers, armed robbery, insurance scams, a rivalry with Murder, Inc. over 50 Cent, and more … the crime remains unsolved …

2004, Eric Clapton is made a commander of the Order of the British Empire in a Buckingham palace ceremony … Commander Clapton also announces that he and his wife Melia McEnery are expecting a child in January …

2006, a mere five months after settling to the tune of $12 million with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer over payola charges, Universal Music Group is back in hot water on charges that two of its labels engaged in pay-to-play practices that boosted the chart positions of CDs by JoJo and Nickelback … L.A.-area boy scout troops have begun offering a patch to scouts who learn about copyright laws and pledge not to pirate movies and music … scout’s honor …

… and that was last week that was.

Arrivals:

October 29: composer Vivian Ellis (1904), jazz arranger-composer Neal Hefti (1922), The Big Bopper J.P. Richardson (1930), Mickey Gallagher of Frampton’s Camel (1940), Denny Laine of the Moody Blues and Wings (1944), Peter Green, founder of Fleetwood Mac (1946), Roger O’Donnell of The Cure (1955), Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot (1955), Randy Jackson of the Jackson 5 (1961), Einar Orn Benediktsson of The Sugarcubes (1962), Peter Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies (1965), Douglas “SA” Vincent Martinez of 311 (1970), Toby Smith of Jamiroquai (1970)

October 30: trumpeter Clifford Brown (1930), rockabilly star Ray Smith (1934), Grace Slick born Grace Wing (1939), Timothy Schmidt of The Eagles (1947), Jim Messina (1947), David Green of Air Supply (1949), Otis Williams of the Temptations (1949), Joey BellaDonna of Anthrax (1960), Gavin Rossdale of Bush (1967)

October 31: Dale Evans (1912), Bernard Edwards of Chic (1952), South African rocker Johnny Clegg (1953), U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. (1961), Adam Horovitz a.k.a. King Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys (1966), Vanilla Ice born Robert Van Winkle (1967), Linn Berggren of Ace Of Base (1970)

November 1: blues songstress Sippie Wallace (1898), Peacock Records founder Don Robey (1903), Barry “Ballad of Green Berets” Sadler (1940), Rick Grech, bass player for Blind Faith and Traffic (1946), Dan Peek of America (1950), Ronald Bell of Kool and the Gang (1951), Lyle Lovett (1956), Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers (1962), Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen (1963), Willie D of The Geto Boys (1966), LaTavia Roberson of Destiny’s Child (1981)

November 2: trumpet legend Bunny Berigan (1908), Keith Emerson (1944), J.D. Souther (1945), Dave Pegg of Jethro Tull (1947), Maxine Nightingale (1952), Carter Beauford of the Dave Matthews Band (1957), Bobby Dall of Poison (1958), Matt Sorum of Cult, Guns N’ Roses, and Velvet Revolver (1960), k.d. lang born Katherine Dawn Lang (1961), Alex James of Blur (1968), Reginald Arvizu of Korn (1969), John Hampson of Nine Days (1971), Nelly (1978)

November 3: Brian Poole of The Tremeloes (1941), Marie McDonald Lawrie a.k.a. Lulu (1948), Adam Ant born Stuart Leslie Goddard (1954)

November 4: Four Vagabonds singer John Jordan (1913), Delbert McClinton (1940), Dan Hartman (1951), Squeeze singer-guitarist Chris Difford (1954), pianist Yanni born Yiannis Hrysomallis (1954), James Honeyman-Scott, guitarist for the Pretenders (1957), Puff Daddy (1970)

Departures:

October 29: saxophonist Henry Berthold “Spike” Robinson (2001), jazz bandleader Woody Herman (1987), King Harvest drummer Wells Kelly (1984), guitar master Duane Allman (1971)

October 30: crooner Robert Goulet (2007), Ramones co-manager Linda Stein (2007), Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC (2002), TV host and musician Steve Allen (2000), British blues diva Jo-Ann Kelly (1990), hard swingin’ sax man Chu Berry (1941)

October 31: John Holohan, drummer for Bayside (2005), record exec Lester Sill (1994), A Chorus Line producer Joseph Papp (1991), Procol Harum drummer B.J. Wilson (1990), guitarist Malcolm Hale of Spanky and Our Gang (1968)

November 1: Mothers of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black (2008), hip-hop record exec Shakir Sweet (2008), Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac (2008), Grand Funk Railroad manager Terry Knight (2004), classic blues singer and pianist Sippie Wallace (1986), pioneer Delta blues singer Tommy Johnson (1956)

November 2: Sammy Kaye Band singer Wandra Merrell (1994), Mississippi John Hurt (1966)

November 3: singer Art Wood (2006), Lonnie Donegan (2002), blues harmonica player William Clarke (1996), songwriter Mort Shuman (1991)

November 4: Shonen Knife drummer Mana “China” Nishiura (2005), Bobby Nunn of the Coasters (1987), Hi-Lites singer Ronnie Goodson (1980)

© Toxic Web

“Ultimate Guitar Speed Learning System” The Fastest & Easiest Way to Accelerate your Guitar Playing Click here to check it out NOW! It’s got heaps of hot tips & tricks.

Forget the Curse of Donnie, Curse of the Republicans, this is the big one and when Mariano got Victorino to ground the ball to Cano and the Yankees players almost made it onto the pitch from the dugout before the ball found it’s way to Teixeira’s mitt at first, it was the end of a long wait.

It was a curse that started some time ago, in the dim and distant past before mortals could get their hands on teh interweb, back when we only knew of The Babe and Joltin’ Joe. Back when the BBC ruled sport in Britain and Dickie Davies – he never did finish painting that ceiling – sat there on a Saturday afternoon in an ITV studio knowing most of the viewing public were watching Grandstand as he introduced World Of Sport’s latest bizarre offering between the racing and the wrestling.

I’m pretty sure we witnessed Bucky Dent hitting a homer of some significance, back when I remember a wiry, mustachioed man in pinstripes with a 1 on his back going mental at an ump, kicking dirt at him, after a batter was called out when either the official or the batter or both were looking up at the passing BA 747 flying overhead in an advert for said airline.

Something caught my attention, then my family from New York came over for a visit, I saw that famous logo in other places and that was it. But there wasn’t much baseball round here, my first trip to a playing nation meant my first bat and first ball. That first ball also helped my allegiance as it contained the book pictured on the right, Catfish was wearing the right uniform and that ubiquitous logo was right there on his cap.

Downtown in the city we lived in there was an amazing sweet shop, but I’ve never been the one for gorging on candy I was more interested in little packets of cards and the first packet I got contained one card that just sealed it. How could Goosge Gossage not have me hooked into a life as a Yankee fan?

A trip to the baseball nation followed, I could now get my own Yankees cap, jacket, jersey, the mitt didn’t quite work out right but the Nolan Ryan job was the right price. Just couldn’t see a game as it was the wrong time of year. Still it was going to be a good time to be a Yankee fan Donnie had arrived. But no the Toxic Curse had kicked in the very moment I clamped my allegiance to the most successful and famous team in the sport. A glory hunter they said in the late 90s, ah yes the 1980s was just non stop glory. It’s hard to remember throughout it which was the most glorious moment, was it watching Bobby Meacham commit his last two errors as a Yankee player? Or was it watching Rickey, Donnie, Winfield, Randolph amass a whole hit between the four of them. Hell I didn’t even get to see that wiry little guy from the ad all those years earlier, he’d been sacked a few weeks earlier for the fifth and final time and Sweet Lou didn’t throw a fit. Or was it all those playoffs they didn’t reach?

There certainly wasn’t much glory when British TV decided, on the back of the NFL success, to give the game a go. Now what would be the worst year of that decade for baseball to be shown on telly with respect to a Yankees fan. Oh yes it would be ‘86 now wouldn’t it, the Curse was working overtime that year. Your execution, would you prefer the gas chamber or the electric chair? Red Sox or Mets, thank you very much Channel 4.

Back to the States, I know lets head over to Uncle Tech’s to see England in the World Cup, thank you very much Graham Taylor. Oh well I’ll get to see the Yankees, thanks to the updates from my uncle I knew they were doing well. Top of the AL East, best record in the AL, second best in the majors. Bernie was burning, Paulie was hitting, Donnie had hopes. So what happens? The strike, baseball ends the middle of August, the Curse strikes with a vengeance.

At this point the Curse decides to play a cruel trick 1996 comes round, Pettitte, Jeter, Tino it was all here, it ended with #23. But better news was to come Channel 5 started broadcasting and decided to fill the wee small hours with various off the wall shows, including live MLB, just at the right time the beginning of a dynasty. Then the Curse pointed something out, you can’t get 5 round here, the signal isn’t strong enough. 1998, ‘99 and 2000 passed with only teh interweb reports to follow. A couple more World Series appearances followed, but no wins, 2003 was the first thing I blogged about, testing various blogging packages. Damn fish.

Then finally a digibox, C5 is available, A-Rod is at the hot corner, all is well with the world. They’re on the TV every Sunday and Wednesday it seemed. Happy, happy, joy, joy. 101 games won, A-Rod spanks the Twins, the Sux are getting a lesson and then the Curse plays it’s cruelest trick yet. Game 4, it’s a Sunday, it’s the only game in town, live on 5. Live up to a point, that point being 6 o’clock, when they just cut off because some kiddies show has to be put out. You stay up all that time and it’s a mad rush to the PC to find out what happened, though I wish I hadn’t.

Game 7, Wednesday, so again on C5, didn’t really need to stay to the end the moment Ortiz hit the bleachers in the 1st, it just had that feeling written all over it. One curse had ended because The Curse was more powerful.

The following four years saw things go from bad to worse, the Sux winning another to the Yanks not making the playoffs last season. And then rumours started that changes in broadcasting rules meant C5 could get away with not using the live baseball to fulfill certain broadcasting requirements, it was to be binned by the channel.

Season ‘09 started again with hope, a new stadium a new hope, hope that big spending brings. It also started with revelations, injuries and results that dented hope. I decided to test the Curse, I wouldn’t blog as much about the games, just the odd thing here and there, Swisher pitching, milestones for Mo and Jeter, the anniversary of the Iron Horse’s last game and retirement. All I had was interweb reports, highlight videos and blogs for what was going off out there. Funnily it seemed to have a positive effect on my fantasy team, one brief moment I was top of that C5 league, then August hit and I turned from Matsui to Cano in this World Series.

So 103 wins was reached, playoff bound, it had to happen I couldn’t watch it. Twins dispatched with ease, then the dreaded Angels, how many times had they destroyed the Yanks when I could view games? But no they’d bottled up ever mistake and error they could have made in those past games just for this series. I only viewed a bit of the games online, I was testing the Curse, it was working the Yanks were in the Series.

But I could test it no more, I couldn’t resist. I tuned into game 1, Cliff Lee worked the Curse to the full. Phills were up, I left early the Yanks lost. Even with this I couldn’t stop myself I had to watch games 2,3 and 4 each time the Yanks were ahead when I stopped viewing and each time they won, was the Curse working a pattern here? It did it again in game 5, Yanks losing, I’m off Yanks lose.

But game 6, I was going to stick this one out, it was going to end the Curse and at about 4:50 am, fittingly with Mariano on the mound, the Curse died a death. #27.

Apologies for this rambling mess of a post but, like CC, Pettitte and Aj, I’m on short rest so while there may be touches of CC and Andy in there it’s more likely to be an AJ game 5 ramble.

© Toxic Web

Song Surgeon – The Ultimate Musician’s Tool

Click here to view the embedded video.

The “Them Crooked vultures” album sounds like one of those to pre-order…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

…so when I got a voucher for CDWow through the email that’s exactly what I did.

© Toxic Web

Play Your Favorite Song Better

Yeah I know it technically it’s not right, though ‘Arry said his team played like a Sunday football team but Saturday Early Afternoon, Sunday Morning doesn’t work, much like Spurs didn’t in the embarrassing 3-0 defeat to the Wandering Woolwich scum.

Who didn’t have a bad feeling once certain players started gobbing off about the shift in balance and such crap. Oh christ this has got shambles written all over it Robbie. And then the team sheet, when will ‘Arry learn Jenas equals failure, when you need to fight and keep the ball the last person you should be giving that responsibility is the first name down.

Though of course he wasn’t the only one. Little or no effect in going forward Crouch was far too isolated as those well I was going to say around him but it’s more in the same postcode decided they were going to be David Beckham for Hallowe’en and hump long balls over Crouchy’s head, though at times they gave him a sporting chance and found the very top of his full frame stretched out with a leap.

Those that didn’t want to be Beckham figured this is monsters and ghoul time, Hallowe’en, so their choice was of some classic movie characters, The Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster and zombies. Of course old style zombies, original “Night of the Living Dead” stuff you know slow and lumbering undead not the modern trend for zombies the type that would look at Usain Bolt as a quick snack.

The scum have a throw – urrrrghhhh me like brains, where shopping mall – as they all stand off look around let the throw come in watch it go by. Ledley, through the match should he could keep up with younger fitter players over a distance but a sharp take off was lacking. Seconds later to just give the ball away like that was unforgivable and such a surprise it was Palacios at fault. The Honduran has had some indifferent performances lately, all seemingly coinciding with the return of a certain someone in midfield.

And that was the main problem with the whole 90 minutes, Spurs for all the talk never really bothered to put much effort in, as the scum didn’t exactly set the world alight because they didn’t have to. All those that were happy to see O’Hara shipped off on loan to Portsmouth and want the deal to be made permanent because the little fella isn’t the most technically gifted player about, would you have taken him putting the effort in he always did for us and can be seen doing week in week out at Pompey? Christ even Boateng puts more effort in down there than what was put on show for a clash for a top 4 place.

Once that first goal went in that was it game over, never mind the second, heads went down, body language said a lot. After each goal went in they actually managed to appear less interested, which you’d imaging would take some effort, so it must have just been an illusion. As ‘Arry sat there twitching, looking into the far distance, Whinger getting all steamed up and all jacket throwing mad as they were cruising 2-0 up.

What would they have been like if Bentley had been sent off, could – should? – have been two yellows, with the way red cards were handed out in the Premier League at the weekend it could have been a straight sending off. The first incident when he stuck his arm out at the ball should have been a yellow and a slap around the head for being so stupid. Then when he went in with a two footed challenge it was a surprise he survived, when 8 others were given their marching orders on Saturday plus another on Sunday he was a lucky boy.

Hindsight is a great thing, 20/20, but when you have Crouch in there width is required the kind of width that doesn’t come from the formation ‘Arry put out. Unless the fullbacks do the job, Corluka doesn’t have the pace, should Hutton have played? Should Bale have been brought on earlier? Why was Jenas left on? Bassong has done not bad but should Ledley have been partnered up with Woodgate?

Would it have all been different if Modric and Lennon were quicker healers and Defoe wasn’t a complete idiot at times. Would it have been different if there had been less talk and more action?

Click here to view the embedded video.

© Toxic Web

Learn to play CLASSIC guitar leads

With his latest Effectology volume Bill Ruppert has decided to use his Ibanez Jem a few well chosen Electro-Harmonix effects pedals to make some weird non-guitar noises just in time scare off those pesky kids at Halloween.

Starting with the classic Twilight Zone intro music, through the sound of time ticking away, the bell tolling for thee, to a windswept graveyard, you hear voices from the other side, in the distance you hear Igor at the organ in the castle, while his master is at work in the laboratory*, where you find a small girl throwing up green soup, swearing at a priest and doing strange things with her head**…

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can get all the settings Bill used for the various wild and wonderful sounds heard above HERE.

* The classic creepy movie staple the Theremin.

** The Exorcist theme from Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. Though I have to say I found that particular film to be one of the most boring over hyped I’ve ever watched.

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FREE – Stairway to Heaven Guitar Lesson

Sad news yesterday that David Shepherd lost his battle with cancer.

A top bloke and great umpire throughout his career in the white coat, an ump that everyone in the game respected, as he umped the game with an authority built on a jovial smile and a joke.

Suppose he’ll ultimately be remembered by most for the little hops when the score was on Nelson, an idiosyncrasy that added to the charm of the man and the game, built out years of superstition that cricketers build up and not some stupid affectation of others. Whereas Shep did it to “help” either side from losing a wicket, it wasn’t to the detriment of the game – who could forget Courtney Walsh hopping along with him – or to get his fizzog in the limelight such as others. Shep being an old pro of a player knew that the fans were there to see the players not the officials, unlike a certain Billy Bowden.

And how many officials in modern sport would fret so much over getting decisions wrong as Shep did after the England v Pakistan game at Old Trafford in 2001, when he incorrectly gave out three English batsmen after the Pakistan bowlers had over stepped the crease for no-balls. How many would be so disappointed that they would be seriously thinking of packing it all in? Shep did, but was thankfully talked out of it by those that knew it he was too good at the job to go out on such a sad note.

After a pretty handy county playing career it was followed by 22 years at the top, overseeing 92 Tests and 172 one-day internationals, as an ump. The kind of figure and character we probably won’t see the like of again on the field of play.

‘Arry doesn’t seem to know anymore, looks like telling to “”just fucking run around a bit” like he did when the big Ruski came on against the Scousers just under a year ago.

‘Arry revealed this week that even Guus Hiddink doesn’t know how to get through to his international striker, now Guus is one of the best man managers about, ‘Arry ain’t too bad at that game either. Last night was a time for Pav to show he wants to be a Premier League player at Spurs, even if it was in the League Cup game.

With Defoe out, Lennon coming off last weekend injured there’s places up for grabs against the wandering Woolwich scum on Saturday. What better way of staking a place than put in a performance in the 2-0 victory over Evertonat The Lane in the Carling Cup last night?

David Bentley staked a claim, with his best performance for some time. You could tell he wants to face his old team, he desperately wants the chance to repeat that goal from last season’s 4-4 game. It made him show the heart and desire to have a good shout of a place in the starting XI, not just as a bench warmer, as he did the simple things and for the most part cut out the showboating crap. And not just out wide, where he made good use of the final ball but also later on when he came inside, dropping in the hole. Though this all created a bit of work for the right back Hutton, but he showed a commitment that means his name should be in the reckoning come the weekend.

Now if only Pavlyuchenko had shown up the way those two did, he is a decent striker, just one goal no matter how scruffy could be the changing point. Maybe if he’d been on the spot to tap in Keane’s dribbler of a penalty things would have been different but then it would have taken a bit more effort to get into that position to have one of the six attempts to score.

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© Toxic Web

Click here to view the embedded video.

Seems to have provoked mixed feelings since it’s release nearly two months back, but I do like the new Black Crowes album, I like the funk of “I Ain’t Hiding” (above) along with the bluesier side of things on “Before the Frost…” and I like the bluegrass feel of the accompanying free download “…Until the Freeze”.

That is all, move along now folks…

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That gives the Sky/BBC “Big 4″ fanboys the opportunity to crow and say “I told you so” even when they didn’t, as Spurs lose a sickener at home to Stoke.

One of those days you realise how stupid it was Defoe to get sent off for nothing last week, forget missing the midweek League Cup tie and the scum next weekend, he was probably missed more against Stoke on Saturday. Someone who could put the ball in the back of the net would have been handy but having a small, speedy, mobile striker would have caused Stoke more problems than Spurs did. Yes Crouch had plenty of chances and their ‘keeper was the man of the match but in reality what would the big lump of defenders Tony Pulis has at his disposal rather face, high balls up to tall thin Crouch or a nipper little ankle biter skipping round them like Defoe?

One of those days when you really miss Modric, but then there’s been a few of them lately.

It was one of hose days when the luck decided not to show up for one team, the ref helping to prove the point that the closer officials are to an event the less likely they are to get it right. A trip in the box but I was looking straight at it a few yards away and saw nothing, couldn’t have happened. How many times do you see a linesman standing right next to the players involved give the throw/corner/goal kick the wrong way?

It was one of those days when certain players didn’t cover themselves in glory and I’m not just thinking of Lennon’s decision that he didn’t fancy carrying on after taking a knock from the eventual match winner. Though it was one of those days that started out so well, Jenas benched? Surely not, did Levy sanction that move ‘Arry? But then as an impact substitute I doubt Stoke were filled with much fear.

But it was one of those days really highlighted through all the finger tip saves by the ‘keeper that Spurs won’t get anywhere really until the defenders and midfielders do as much to prevent a goal being conceded as the whole of the Stoke squad. It’s not luck that Stoke striker Beattie cleared yet another chance off his line, it’s a team ethic that makes it so galling when you see lily white shirted players lallygagging back in defence and poncing out of blocking shots on goal.

No I don’t want to see Spurs like Stoke, is it a compliment that teams are now thinking of parking the bus at The Lane? But I would just like to see a bit more of that do or die work ethic. That added to the undoubted skill there is would make for a team that would seriously challenge.

“One of these days, I’m going to cut you into little pieces”

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“Ultimate Guitar Speed Learning System” The Fastest & Easiest Way to Accelerate your Guitar Playing Click here to check it out NOW! It’s got heaps of hot tips & tricks.

1883, New York sees the grand opening of its Metropolitan Opera House …

1956, R&B singer Clarence Henry’s "Ain’t Got No Home" is released on the Argo Records label … because he sings like a frog on the record, he is nicknamed "Frogman," and for the rest of his career is known as Clarence "Frogman" Henry …

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… on a lesser note, an oddly gyrating singer with an equally unusual name makes his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show … he’s called "Elvis" something or other …

1960, Ben E. King, former lead singer for The Drifters, records his first solo numbers, "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand by Me" …

1962, Steveland Morris Judkins makes his first recording … instant success eludes him with this first record, but the accolades are not far away for the artist eventually known as Stevie Wonder … James Brown records a live show in the face of objections from his record label … an in-concert soul album has never been done before … Live at the Apollo, financed by Brown himself, turns out to be among the Godfather of Soul’s most brilliant performances … the album goes on to sell millions …

James Brown – “I Lost Someone”

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1964, after an audition with EMI, a London band known as The High Numbers is rejected … who? … exactly … formerly known as The Who, the name change is imposed by manager Pete Meaden, who, adding further insult, dresses the boys in mod suits … not to worry, the kids turn out alright … they resume their name and climb to fame …

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… Buddy Holly sound-alike David Box who worked briefly with The Crickets following Holly’s death, ironically dies in a plane crash coming back from a gig …

1966, The Beach Boys’ "Good Vibrations" charts for the first time on its way to #1 … the single is the result of six months work and 17 sessions in four different studios at an unprecedented cost of $16,000 …

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1972, Philly soul singer Billy Paul gets on the soul charts with "Me and Mrs. Jones" … the song holds the top position for three weeks and later becomes a soul classic …

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1973, John Lennon files suit against the U.S. government alleging that the FBI tapped his phone in an effort to deport the former Beatle …

1975, justifying his title The Boss, Bruce Springsteen makes both the cover of Time and Newsweek …

1978, Sid Vicious attempts to off himself at Rikers Island, where he’s awaiting trial for the murder of Nancy Spungen … the misfiring Pistol will get out and O.D. before he can be prosecuted for the crime …

1980, Jefferson Starship bassist Paul Kantner’s brain starts bleeding during a recording session … he recovers fully after a few weeks in the hospital …

1988, after more than a decade of rancorous relations with John Fogerty, the aptly named Fantasy Records launches a suit claiming he plagiarized his own song, “Run Through the Jungle” with his solo effort “The Old Man Down the Road” … despite the fact that John Fogerty apparently sounds alike, this is one Fantasy that will not be fulfilled … the court rules in Fogerty’s favor six years later …

1995, business manager Yolanda Saldivar is sentenced to life for the murder of Tejano singing star Selena … she murdered the singer upon being confronted about embezzled funds … and let that be a lesson to all those contemplating a life of crime as hedge fund managers … never try to cover up embezzlement with murder … it doesn’t play well in court …

1999, an animated debut of Korn’s new single "Falling Away From Me" debuts on the season premiere of South Park … Tina Turner announces plans for her final stadium concert tour …

2001, in the midst of flagging computer sales, Apple announces its new MP3 player, the iPod … the immensely popular portable player signifies a new beginning for Apple and new company mantra, "iPod, therefore I am" (financially solvent, that is) …

2004, Ashlee Simpson is busted lip-synching on Saturday Night Live when the backing tracks with vocals from the song Simpson had performed earlier in the evening begin to play just as she is about to perform her second number … always a woman of integrity, Simpson takes the heat explaining, “My band started playing the wrong song.” … earlier in her career, in an interview with Lucky Magazine, Simpson talked about lip-synching: "I’m totally against it and offended by it. I’m going out to let my real talent show, not to just stand there and dance around. Personally, I’d never lip-synch. It’s just not me” … crusading New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announces that he has launched an investigation of payola practices in the music business … EMI, Warner Music Group, Sony-BMG, and Universal receive subpoenas demanding that they produce communications with independent record promoters—the middlemen paid by record companies to get airplay … during a call-in talk show on San Francisco radio station KGO shockjock Howard Stern tears into FCC Commission Chairman Michael Powell, whose agency had previously issued big fines against Stern for indecent on-air remarks … Stern accuses Powell of getting his government gig by virtue of his father Colin Powell’s heft as U.S. Secretary of State …

2005, U2 guitarist The Edge, producer Bob Ezrin, Gibson Guitar, and Guitar Center join forces under The Edge’s Music Rising banner to supply instruments to Gulf Coast musicians devastated by Hurricane Katrina … the two corporate partners pledge a minimum of $1 million … after taking heat for a copy-protection system that buried software deep in computers making them susceptible to viruses, Sony BMG announces it will stop embedding the anti-piracy software on its CDs … aarrgh, mateys … no friggin’ with the riggin’ … aargh, aargh, aargh …

2006, in an odd case of life imitating art, Paul McPike, a 32-year-old grocery store employee from Medford, OR, files a lawsuit charging that Green Day’s American Idiot album is entirely made up of songs that he wrote 12 years earlier when he was in high school … McPike says that he used to regale his high school pals with the original versions of "Jesus of Suburbia" and other classics back in 1992 … he believes that someone must have surreptitiously recorded one of his performances and leaked them to Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong … McPike, who has not recorded or performed since high school, offered Green Day’s album itself as evidence, claiming that Billie Joe didn’t sing the lyrics exactly as written on the album’s insert … we’d make the obvious Paul McPike/American Idiot joke, but it’s far too easy, and American Psycho is already taken … damn you Christian Bale, you stole our idea before we were able to think of it … we smell a lawsuit …

2007, Wu-Tang rapper RZA comes out on top in the Hip-Hop Chess Federation tournament in San Francisco … commenting on his strategy, RZA intones, "When my queen comes out, she’s comin’ out to shake her ass" …

… and that was the week that was in matters musical.

[Compiled by the Musician’s Friend copywriting staff]

Arrivals

October 22: Bobby Fuller of "I Fought The Law" fame (1943), punk rocker Stiv Bator, born Stivin Bator (1949)

October 23: rockabilly artist Johnny Carroll (1937), Freddie Marsden of Gerry & The Pacemakers (1940), Brill Building songwriter Ellie Greenwich (1940), rock parodist Weird Al Yankovic (1959)

October 24: harmonica player Sonny Terry (1911), 1950s R&B singer and pianist Willie Mabon (1925), Santo Farina of Santo and Johnny (1937), record producer Ted Templeman (1944), Steppenwolf drummer Jerry Edmonton (1946), R&B singer-songwriter Monica, born Monica Denise Arnold (1980)

October 25: Jon Anderson of Yes (1944), Arrested Development rapper Speech, born Todd Thomas (1968)

October 26: country singer Keith Urban (1967)

October 27: Nashville pianist Floyd Cramer (1933), session guitarist Kermit Chandler (1945)

October 28: country fiddler Charlie Daniels (1936), gravel-voiced singer Ted Hawkins (1936), British blues-rock legend Graham Bond (1937), Hank Marvin of The Shadows (1941), Wayne Fontana, of Wayne Fontana and the Mind Benders (1945), Rickie Reynolds of Black Oak Arkansas (1948), Thelma Hopkins of Tony Orlando & Dawn (1948), Stephen Morris of New Order (1957), singer-songwriter-guitarist Ben Harper (1969), singer Justin Guarini (1978)

Departures

October 22: Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller (1994), folk singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl (1989), Jane Dornacker, singer and dancer with The Tubes (1986), ’50s pop crooner Tommy Edwards (1969), barrelhouse pianist Walter Davis (1963)

October 23: R&B singer Ted Taylor (1988), Leonard Lee of the pop duo Shirley and Lee (1976), Buddy Holly sound-alike David Box (1964), Al Jolson (1950)

October 24: keyboardist Merle Saunders (2008), Sandy West, drummer and cofounder of The Runaways (2006), album cover illustrator Phil Hays (2005), gospel-trained crooner Joe Henderson (1964)

October 25: BBC DJ John Peel (2004), R&B keyboard player and singer Jon Thomas (1995), singer George Lee of Ruby and the Romantics (1994), Howard Blauvelt, bassist with Billy Joel (1993), country crossover singer Roger "King of the Road" Miller (1992), legendary rock promoter Bill Graham, born Wolfgang Grajonca (1991), singer Margo Sylvia of The Tune Weavers (1991), Johnnie Richardson, female half of the R&B duo Johnnie & Joe (1988), R&B/jazz saxophonist Willis "Gator" Jackson (1987), Gary Holton, lead singer of The Heavy Metal Kids (1985)

October 26: U.K. pop star Alma Cogan (1966), singer Wilbert Harrison (1994)

October 27: legendary producer Tom Dowd (2002), rockabilly artist Donnie Owens (1994), founding T-Rex member Steve Peregrine-Took, born Steven Ross Porter (1980)

October 28: Dolly’s partner, country singer Porter Wagoner (2007), R&B singer Billy Wright (1991), jazz arranger Oliver Nelson (1975), R&B reedman Earl Bostic (1965)

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Chickenfoot that is with their new video for “Sexy Little Thing”…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Haven’t actually listened to the album for a bit now, except for the odd track that is played on PlanetRock but still one of the albums of ‘09.

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“Ultimate Guitar Speed Learning System” The Fastest & Easiest Way to Accelerate your Guitar Playing Click here to check it out NOW! It’s got heaps of hot tips & tricks.

And he let Defoe know it after it took some of the gloss off Spurs 2-1 away win over his and the player’s old club Pompey.

Jermain can be like that. At times he has to learn to curb it. I couldn’t have told him more. I sat him down at half-time and said to him: ‘Don’t do anything silly. We can’t afford to go down to 10 men here. Don’t let us down’.

But he let himself down, he let us down as well. He could have cost us the game. The way he reacted, it was disappointing. I gave him a rollicking in front of all the lads, to be fair. I said to them all before the game that there was a lot of hype around this match. Anyone who’s going to get carried away and start kicking and fighting people, that’s not what we’re here to do.- ‘Arry Redknapp

So a straight red means three missed games, Stoke in the league next weekend, Everton in the Carling Cup – may not have played anyway – and then worst case scenario teh scum in the league following that.

You prize prannet JD, maybe we should have played the new striker that the 5Live reporter announced before the game, Dermain Jefoe, I’m sure he wouldn’t have bothered with that pretty pathetic “stamp”. A cheap shot yes but he didn’t exactly follow through with it and will it be the same penalty handed out to Robert Huth of Stoke for his blindsiding forearm smash round Upton’s head?

Anyway back to the game, like so many in ‘Arry’s year in charge a typical Spurs game bar one important feature the end result. Dominate the first part of the game, have plenty of chances but only take one, strangely manage another goal later on then be under the cosh at the end. But whereas before when conceding one would lead to an equaliser or even a winner Harry has instilled a certain amount of resilience that has seen the winning position hung onto until the final whistle.

Yes they rode their luck, Gomes doing his best to show why he got the Octopus nickname with some outstanding saves but then mixing the sublime with the ridiculous and having his David James’ moments. Though I know which I’d rather was wearing the no.1 jersey after the January transfer window. Yeah I know a change of heart over the big Brazilian since his early days, much like ‘Arry…

Gomes was absolutely fantastic. When he first joined the club, Tony Adams (then assistant to Redknapp at Portsmouth) told me that Spurs had signed one of the best keepers in the world. Tony knew him from his days in Holland.
“When I took over at Tottenham it didn’t look that way, but he’s really looked the part since then. He came back from injury against Preston in the Carling Cup and he was even better that that and in training he’s looked great as well. It was a hard decision to leave Carlo out because he’s done well, but Gomes is fit again and he was terrific for us, a top, top goalkeeper.- ‘Arry Redknapp

Also helped by the inability of Pompey’s striker Dindane, though I’m sure when he missed that first half sitter – open goal couple of yards out, toe poke over the bar – he wasn’t helped by that crown there is to the pitch in the penalty area.

I can see why they would want to take Dos Santos again, after a failed summer bid, maybe a loan deal would work out for all concerned and then ‘Arry would be happy to bring him back like he did with Defoe, Keane, Shimbomba. And hopefully he’ll do it when O’Hara’s loan ends, he’s not someone we can let go of lightly especially when Palacios misses games because the junta orders him to stay in Honduras and celebrate. The Pompey goal had a certain rig to it, Kaboul to Brown to Boateng but funny how even they won’t go for Jenas.

I can’t see Dos Santos being given the role to fill in for Defoe in the games he’ll be missing from the England man will have to hope no one makes a compelling case to keep the spot it could have a detrimental effect on his summer trips being on the bench unless he’s one of those that fall out with Fabio’s criteria of being a first team regular.

Portsmouth 1 – Spurs 2 highlights

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An added bonus ex-Spurs Darren Bent’s assist for the only goal as Sunderland beat Liverpool…

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Steve Bruce said only a “saddo” would know the rule in that situation, well we certainly wouldn’t expect an ex-player and current manager to know a rule would we. But maybe Steve could answer one question was Pugwash actually saying “Calm down, calm down” when Bruce took objection to his watch pointing and looked like he might thump the Spaniard.

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Play Your Favorite Song Better

1908, Columbia runs an ad in The Saturday Evening Post touting its new two-sided records …

1949, future Dead Boys leader Stiv Bators is born Stivan John Bator in Youngstown, Ohio …

The Dead Boys – “Search & Destroy”

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1954, The Penguins record the doo-wop classic “Earth Angel” … the song will choreograph a million back seat couplings …

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1956, “Love Me Tender” is the first single to enter the pop charts at #1 … Elvis’ recording, based on the sentimental Civil War ballad "Aura Lee," also appears on the Country and Western and R&B charts …

1957, Paul McCartney makes his live debut with the Quarry Men at New Clubmoor Hall Conservative Club in Liverpool …

1958, Tommy Facenda, a backup vocalist for Gene Vincent, charts with a single called “High School U.S.A.” … the tune is released in 28 versions, each name-dropping a different major high school across the country … the combined sales get the single to #28 on the pop chart …

1961, 20-year-old Bob Dylan records his eponymous debut album accompanied only by his guitar and harmonica … studio cost is a whopping $400 … filling out the studio’s tax reporting form, he lists his name as “Blind Boy Grunt” … the young folkie goes on to become one of the most important musical figures of the 20th century … meanwhile in Britain, the Beatles join forces with Gerry & The Pacemakers for a one-off show … the combine is billed as The Beatmakers …

1962, "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers is the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit … cannily released to coincide with Halloween, the novelty tune with a Boris Karloff-like spoken vocal reappears on the charts in 1970 and 1973 …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1965, a San Francisco collective calling itself The Family Dog presents a rock ’n’ roll dance and concert at the Longshoremen’s Hall … on the bill for "A Tribute to Dr. Strange" are The Jefferson Airplane, The Charlatans, The Marbles, and The Great Society …

1966, Joan Baez is arrested along with 124 others at an anti-draft demonstration outside an induction center in Oakland, California …

1967, the "tribal rock" musical Hair opens off-Broadway … Jimi Hendrix sits in with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers at a club in northwest London … Jimi borrows Mick Taylor’s Les Paul Sunburst and manages to burn some incredible blues even while playing lefty with a guitar strung for a right-handed guitarist, that is, upside-down with low E string nearest the floor …

1968, RCA releases Jose Feliciano’s groundbreaking, bluesy rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" … the blind singer had been roundly booed for his performance of the song at a World Series game earlier that month … Led Zeppelin make their live debut appearing at University of Surrey, England … John and Yoko are busted for possessing pot at their London apartment … a month later, they plead guilty and are fined $150 … this would later cause problems with the U.S. immigration office and the FBI …

1969, with about a year’s worth of practice, practice, practice, under their belts, Led Zeppelin kicks off their third U.S. tour at New York’s Carnegie Hall … also in The Big Apple, The Who start a six-night stand at the Fillmore East with a two-hour show featuring their new rock opera Tommy … Leonard Chess, the founder of Chess Records, dies of a heart attack at age 52 … one-hit-wonders the Crazy World of Arthur Brown reach #2 on the pop charts with "Fire" co-written by lead singer Brown and organist Vincent Crane … Brown’s stage act is highlighted by his wearing a crown that’s on—wait for it—fire …

1971, a crowd expecting ’50s teen idol Rick Nelson to play all his old hits at a Madison Square Garden show turns surly when he insists on performing new material … the hostile reception is later memorialized in his song "Garden Party" that becomes a hit the following year … a line from the song goes, "If memories are all I’d sing, I’d rather drive a truck"…

1972, in the wake of weak sales of their latest album Mardi Gras, and dissension by band members over John Fogerty’s lock on writing and publishing of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s music, the band calls it quits … leader Fogerty goes on to a robust solo career while rhythm section Stu Cook and Doug Clifford eventually form Creedence Clearwater Revisited over the opposition of Fogerty … Chuck Berry scores his first and only #1 Pop Chart hit with "My Ding-a-Ling," an ever-so-slightly salacious bit of silliness …

1973, The Stones’ "Angie" is the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit … supposedly a paean to David Bowie’s missus, the song is covered by Tori Amos in the ’90s … the Supreme Court refuses to review a Federal Communications Commission directive ordering broadcasters to censor songs with drug-oriented lyrics before airing them … it will be another three decades before the FCC becomes concerned over breasts…

1974, soul singer Al Green is seriously burned when a disturbed girlfriend tosses a pot of boiling grits on him … the incident results in Green becoming a minister … it will be 2003 before he releases another recording of secular music …

1976, Ike and Tina Turner split up their act … the Sex Pistols sign to EMI records for $68,000 … Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots reach #1 on the U.S. hit parade with "Disco Duck" …

1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd fans are stunned this week when they learn that band members Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, and Ronnie Van Zant have died along with three members of their entourage in a plane crash in a swamp near Gillsburg, Mississippi …

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Asbury July 13th, 1977

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… The Jam’s new single is "This Is The Modern World" …

1978, Keith Richards receives a suspended one-year sentence after pleading guilty to heroin possession in Toronto … he’s also ordered to play a charity concert for the blind … at CBGB’s in NYC, The Police make their U.S. debut … the tour consists of 23 gigs in 27 days across the U.S. in a station wagon packed with their gear …

1979, Swedish popsters ABBA appear in Vancouver for their first North American concert … The Buggles top the UK pop chart with "Video Killed The Radio Star" …

1980, The Dead Kennedys unleash their latest 45rpm vinyl assault "Kill The Poor" … the picture sleeve shows a bulldozer with a scoop full of dead bodies …

1985, A-Ha becomes the first Norwegian group to score a #1 U.S. hit with "Take On Me" …

1986, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards rock out at an affair honoring Chuck Berry on his 60th birthday captured on film for the movie Hail, Hail, Rock ’n’ Roll … Keef and Chuck getting on well regarding amps and how to play “Carol” …

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Leave the amp as I set it! That’s my amp and I’m setting it the way I wish it!…That’s the way Chuck Berry plays it, you understand?- Chuck Berry

… former Tubes singer Jane Dornacker, who had gone on to a new career as a traffic reporter, dies in a New York helicopter crash … this week also marks the first time ever that three femme popsters hold down the first three positions on the pop chart … in order they are: Janet Jackson with her “When I Think of You,” “Typical Male” by Tina Turner, and Cyndi Lauper with “True Colors” …

1991, John Mellencamp is hospitalized in Seattle after suffering a dizzy spell … a doctor later attributes his malady to "too much coffee, stress, and not enough breakfast" …

1992, the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Tribute concert in Madison Square Garden includes guest George Harrison, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Roger McGuinn, and Tom Petty … Sinead O’Connor is booed off the stage by the hostile crowd reacting to the singer’s appearance two weeks earlier on Saturday Night Live when she tore up a picture of the Pope …

1995, Generation X loses another distinctive voice when Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon is found dead of a cocaine overdose on the band’s tour bus in New Orleans … Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde makes a return trip to her hometown of Cleveland to sing the national anthem at game three of the World Series …

1997, Elton John’s loving tribute to Princess Diana, a remix of "Candle In The Wind," is declared by the Guinness Book of Records to have become the biggest-selling single of all time, having sold 31.8 million copies in less than 40 days and raising $34 million for charity …

1998, the publisher of Alice Cooper’s “Eighteen” files suit against Cooper’s primary makeup-rock competitors KISS, claiming they ripped off his song “Eighteen” for their song, “Dreamin’” … Cooper has nothing to do with it and hasn’t even heard the KISS tune … asked about the outcome years later, Cooper says, “I think we all forgot to show up at court. Paul Stanley bought me a cheeseburger to make up for the whole thing” …

2001, VH1 hosts its Concert for New York, which raises over $30 million for victims of 9/11 with performances by such heavy hitters as The Who, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elton John, and Bon Jovi …

2003, singer-songwriter Elliot Smith takes his life in Los Angeles … a hero of the Portland, Oregon, indie-rock scene in the ’90s, Smith gained national prominence after director Gus Van Sant tapped him for the soundtrack to the 1997 film Good Will Hunting … Smith’s song “Miss Misery” was nominated for an Oscar the following year … a posthumous release, From A Basement On A Hill, includes material the singer was working on when he died …

2005, Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton is arrested in connection with the beating of six gay men in June 2004 … Banton had a hit with the song “Boom Bye Bye,” whose lyrics refer to burning and shooting gays … Rivers Cuomo, frontman for Weezer, announces he’ll return to Harvard University to complete his last semester for a bachelor’s degree … Cuomo’s higher education had been interrupted a couple of times by touring and recording in the College of Musical Knowledge …

2006, New Zealand country singer Keith Urban checks into rehab to deal with an alcohol addiction, causing him to miss the Country Music Association Awards show where he is nominated in four categories … Neil Young’s 20th Bridge School acoustic concerts host an array of unusual performances including Trent Reznor playing unplugged in front of a string quartet … other headliners include Dave Matthews Band, Death Cab for Cutie, and Brian Wilson … Young sits in with, and energizes, many of the sets … after completing the first leg of a North American tour, Who leader Pete Townshend reveals a new, curmudgeonly persona in an interview with Rolling Stone … the aging rocker disses aging rockers proclaiming that he doesn’t want to witness "old guys in their self-congratulatory mode" … rambling on, he says, "I don’t want to go out and see Bob Dylan. I don’t want to go out and see The Stones. I wouldn’t pay money to go see The Who, not even with new songs.” … leading some old-time Who fans to wonder if going out to see the latest incarnation of the Moon-less, Entwistle-less band could result in their being fooled again …

2007, former member of The Smiths and current Modest Mouse multi-instrumentalist Johnny Marr is appointed visiting professor at Salford University, near Marr’s home town of Manchester, England … he’ll teach classes about recording and pop music … this same week, Kid Rock is busted for misdemeanor battery following a scuffle in a Waffle House outside Atlanta … the Kid got into it with a male customer who engaged in a verbal exchange with one of the women in Rock’s entourage … he’s released on $1,000 bail after spending the night in lockup … on a more peaceful note, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, and David Crosby sing a rousing rendition of CSN’s "Teach Your Children" and other peace-oriented songs at the Pray for Peace concert held in Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral …

… and that was the week that was in matters musical.

Arrivals:

October 15: blues singer Victoria Spivey (1906), orchestra leader Bobby Gimby (1918), R&B singer Marv Johnson (1938), Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters (1946), Chris De Burgh of “Lady in Red” fame (1948), Tito Jackson of The Jackson Five (1953), R&B singer Ginuwine, born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (1970)

October 16: Mississippi bluesman Big Joe Williams (1899), songwriter-producer Burt Kaempfert (1923), Nico of the Velvet Underground (1938), Fred Turner of BTO (1943), Bob Weir (1947), Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet (1959), Michael Balzary, better known as Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers (1962), Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips (1969), Chad Gray, lead vocalist for Mudvayne and Hellyeah (1971), pop/blues-rock singer-songwriter-guitarist John Mayer (1977)

October 17: jazz drummer Cozy Cole (1909), recording expert John Mosley (1914), British record executive Louis Benjamin (1922), trombonist Rico Rodriguez of The Specials (1934), Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts (1941), pop singer Gary Puckett (1942), James Tucker of The Turtles (1946), Mike Hossack of the Doobie Bros. (1948), country singer Allen Jackson (1958), Rene Dif of Aqua (1967), reggae singer Ziggy Marley, son of Bob Marley (1968), Chris Kirkpatrick of ’N Sync (1971), Eminem born Marshall Bruce Mathers (1972), hip hop/reggae musician Wyclef Jean (1972)

October 18: Chuck Berry (1926), Ronnie Bright of the Coasters (1938), The Association’s Russ Giguere (1943), singer-songwriter Laura Nyro (1947), Joe Egan of Steeler’s Wheel (1949), Gary Richrath of REO Speedwagon (1949), Doobie Brother Keith Knudson (1952), trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (1961), Dan Lilker, bassist for Anthrax, S.O.D., Nuclear Assault, and Brutal Truth (1964), Peter Svensson of The Cardigans (1974)

October 19: Piano Red born William Lee Perryman (1911), Kings of Rhythm drummer Billy Gayles (1931), Dave Guard of The Kingston Trio (1934), Peter Tosh of The Wailers (1944), soul singer George McCrae who had the hit "Rock Your Baby" (1944), Jeannie C. Riley "Harper Valley P.T.A." (1945), Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid (1946), Wilbert Hart of The Delfonics (1947), Patrick Simmons of the Doobie Brothers (1948), Nino DeFranco, singer and guitarist with The DeFranco Family (1956), Karl Wallinger of World Party (1957), singer/Broadway actress Jennifer Holliday (1960), Dan “Woody” Woodgate of Madness (1960), Pras Michel of The Fugees (1972)

October 20: jazz innovator Jellyroll Morton born Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe (1890), Johnny Moore of The Blazers (1906), master producer Tom Dowd (1925), electric sax man Eddie Harris (1934), rockabilly-ette Wanda Jackson (1937), Jay Siegel of The Tokens (1939), Ric Lee of Ten Years After (1945), Al Greenwood of Foreigner (1951), rocker Tom Petty (1953), Mark King of Level 42 (1958), James George “Soni” Sonefeld of Hootie and The Blowfish (1964), rapper Snoop Dogg born Cordazar Calvin Broadus (1971)

October 21: bop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (1917), salsa queen Celia Cruz (1924), manager Jo Lustig (1925), Manfred Mann AKA Michael Lubowitz (1940), Memphis guitarist and producer Steve Cropper (1941), blues guitarist Elvin Bishop (1942), Kathy Young of Kathy Young & The Innnocents (1945), Lee Loughnane of Chicago (1946), Brent Mydland of the Grateful Dead (1952), Go-Go’s guitarist Charlotte Caffey (1953), Eric Faulkner of Bay City Rollers (1955), Julian Cope of Teardrop Explodes (1957), six-string slinger Steve Lukather (1957), early rapper Harold “Whiz Kid” McGuire (1961)

Departures:

October 15: Canadian punk rocker Frank Kerr (2008), songwriter Terry Gilkyson (1999), Tasha Thomas (1984), singer-songwriter Jud Strunk "Daisy A Day" (1981), Bobby Lester of The Moonglows (1980), pop songwriting giant Cole Porter (1974)

October 16: jazz vocalist Etta Jones (2001), singer Ella Mae Morse of “Cow Cow Boogie” fame (1999), Santana keyboardist Rich Kermode (1996), jazz drummer Art Blakey (1990), jazz drummer Gene Krupa (1973), Leonard Chess, co-founder of Chess Records (1969)

October 17: pop songstress Teresa Brewer (2007), composer Berthold Goldschmidt (1996), Chris Acland of Lush (1996), Criss Oliva of Savatage (1993), country-pop singer Tennessee Ernie Ford (1991), blues woman Alberta Hunter (1984), New Orleans guitarist Edgar V. Blanchard (1972)

October 18: soul singer Dee Dee Warwick (2008), reggae star Lucky Dube (2007), singer-actress Julie London (2000), Broadway singer-dancer Gwen Verdon (2000), New Orleans sax man Lee Allen (1994), songwriter Ed Labunski (1980), Houston bluesman L.C. Williams (1960)

October 19: New Orleans drummer Earl Palmer (2008), actor-singer-comedian Rudy Ray Moore (2008), harmonica great James "Snooky" Prior (2006), rock journalist Greg Shaw (2004), Alice Cooper lead guitarist Glen Buxton (1997), soul singer Wade Flemons (1993), Level 42 guitarist Alan Murphy (1989), Delta bluesman Son House (1988)

October 20: bassist Paul Raven of Killing Joke and Ministry (2007), jazz pianist and vocalist Shirley Horn (2005), Merle Travis (1983), Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines—all of Lynyrd Skynyrd (1977)

October 21: jazz trumpeter David Ayler, younger brother of saxophonist Albert Ayler (2001), J Church frontman Lance (2007), singer-songwriter Elliot Smith (2003), Henry Vestine of Canned Heat (1997), Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon (1995), Elvis’ bassman Bill Black (1965), Jay Perkins, brother of Carl and Luther (1958)

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