Eric Idle gets his tongue around the Penis Song (Not the Noel Coward Song)

Whiling the time away on this rather dull and rainy Sunday evening... ahead of the announcing of the EU election results tonight, browsing round my Facebook, I came across this gem posted by one of my friends there. Since I haven't posted many 'Funnies' lately I thought I would share it with you here!

The 'Penis Song' (Not the Noel Coward Song) is a song originally from the Monty Python film The Meaning of Life and released on the album Monty Python Sings.

In the film, it is sung by Eric Idle at a piano in the persona of a Noël Coward-style lounge singer, hence the sub-title of the song 'Not the Noel Coward Song.'

Beginning by addressing his audience, the singer says:

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Here's a little number I tossed off recently in the Caribbean!"

This initial innuendo is the opening gambit to the series of euphemisms that follow... alluding to male genitalia. The overall message of the song appears to be summed up in its opening line:

"Isn't it awfully nice to have a penis?"

Naturally, I'm thinking it is... it is!! Ha ha!

Here's the video - Hope you enjoy it!



More info at 'Penis Song' (Not the Noel Coward Song) - information from Wikipedia

Wishing Susan Boyle well...

I'm sad to hear the news that Susan Boyle has been admitted to The Priory clinic amid fears over her health following Britain's Got Talent Final on Saturday.

Britain's Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle has been taken to the Priory clinic after the Saturday night TV show final left her 'exhausted and emotionally drained'.

'She has been seen by her private GP who supports her decision to take a few days out for rest and recovery,' said a statement from programme-makers Talkback Thames.

In my blogging about her.... I've always thought she's a bit of an 'oddball'. The mind is a very fragile thing... and the line between being doolally and 'normal' is very fine... and in any case... what IS normal? Remember the Jack Nicholson film 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest'? That film said it all!

The turn of events during the last day or so are sad for Susan but she's in the right place and I hope they give her the care she needs and help pull her back on track after the huge pressure and change in her life recently.

I wish her well and hope for a speedy recovery!

You can watch the video of her great performance on BGT Final on Saturday here. Can't post it here as 'embedding' has been disabled by YouTube for some reason.

Susan Boyle not quite 'on the mark' on Britain's Got Talent semi final

Last night on Britain's Got Talent (BGT), my fears for Susan Boyle, which have arisen over the last couple of weeks, following her spectacular performance on her stunning BGT debut, were sadly realised!

Two weeks ago, Susan stunned the world with her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream from the musical Les Miserables. She was simply fantastic... and the whole world agreed.

Since then, she has appeared on 'Larry King Live', on 'the Oprah Show'... and over 100 million people across the world have watched her videos on YouTube.

I don't know about you, but during the last two weeks, I have felt the expectations building up in a way that must have put huge pressure on her. As Simon Cowell says on the video below:

"The whole world is watching Susan Boyle perform tonight. I wouldn't want to be standing where she is right now!"

Well, in the event, sadly, last night... that pressure showed!

In the BGT semi-final last night, Susan Boyle was clearly very nervous. Right from the first note of 'Memory', the 'Cats musical classic', Susan's voice cracked and she missed the note. Her breathing seemed to me laboured... and she knew it. You can see her in the video... clutching her tummy following that note. As a result, the combination of the pressure on her and the knowledge that she had missed that important first note also affected her timing... and it all came close to falling apart for her.

To her credit.... she kept on and she did manage to pick herself up about halfway through the song... but again at the end... I'm afraid she had difficulty maintaining that very difficult high note... her voice quavering badly!

What do you think? If you missed her performance last night, you can judge for yourself. Here's Susan Boyle singing 'Memory', from the classic musical 'Cats' on Britain's Got Talent semi-final last night:



On her debut, there is no question Susan 'nailed' 'I Dreamed A Dream'. Last night... she didn't 'nail' 'Memory', arguably, a much more difficult song. The nerves and the pressure... sadly beat her!

Nevertheless, it was still a 'goodish' performance, and there's no doubting her obvious talent... she has a remarkable voice and can sing... no question about that! She also has a capturing personality... if slightly 'oddball'!

If she's going to win this year's BGT, Susan needs to get hold of herself, calm down and dominate her totally understandable nerves. She'll need to show us her 'real stuff' next time round... and once more 'nail' whatever song she chooses. She will also need to be careful with that choice!

I like her a lot. I love the joy she clearly feels when she sings for us. It's an intrinsic part of the charm we all recognise in her. I also like her personality with that hip swivelling stuff when she's excited... though some disagree. One comment I saw says "it was cute once... maybe... but it's time to move on". Trouble is... it wouldn't be her then would it? I like her as she is, that's part of her 'oddball' charm... and her 'man of the moment'... Piers Morgan, thinks so too!

Here's a funny excerpt of the goings on backstage last night from Piers Morgan's blog:

"I'm also never going to forget what happened to me at 10:32pm last night.

Because that was the moment when Susan Boyle ran down a flight of stairs at the Fountain Studios in Wembley, North London, flung herself into my arms, and planted a five-second 'smacker' right bang on my lips!

It wasn't entirely unexpected.

A few minutes earlier, Susan had declared her feelings towards me in a rather more public way by dancing a little jig of joy on stage after winning last night's first Britain's Got Talent semi-final, and shouting: 'THIS IS FOR YOU, PIERSY BABY!'

But that was positively restrained compared to what happened backstage.

To say Susan was pleased at getting through to the final is probably the understatement of the century. You have to remember that until a month ago nobody had ever heard of her, but now she is the most downloaded, and talked about, woman on the planet. The pressure that comes with all that attention is absolutely huge, and I could tell she was incredibly nervous when I spotted her standing on her own in a corner backstage before the show started.

Then she came out and missed her very first note on Memory, and I think everyone watching feared it had finally got to her.

But Susan quickly recovered, got into her stride, and ended up delivering an absolutely stunning version of the Cats musical classic that brought house down, and thrilled the world all over again just as she did in her original audition.

If you thought she looked thrilled on stage, you should have seen her off it. She was absolutely exploding with excitement, relief and pure, unrestrained joy.

'You did it!' I said to her, as I spied her heading up the stairs near the judges' dressing room area.

'Oh Piersy!' she shouted, then skipped down the stairs, jumped on me and kissed me full on the lips for quite some time.

'I've been kissed now!' she laughed, then she danced another jig, and ran off again.

I'll be dining out on that for the rest of my life!

If you agree with my comment and thought Susan Boyle looked nervous when she stepped on stage to sing Memory, you'd be right. That's because during rehearsals, Susan nearly fell over as she walked toward her microphone, on the stage.

More evidence of her obvious nerves can be found on Susan's BGT blog, when she said, "I got a bit of shock during rehearsals... I nearly fell flat on my face"!

Following this close call, to keep accidents at bay, the soles of Susan's shoes were apparently scored so they gripped better and Susan breathed a sigh of relief when she made it across the stage.

The Lothian lady enjoyed her time backstage preparing... although the pampering made her a little perplexed.

She told us, "Every few minutes, someone comes up to me and asks me to back to make-up".

"I've been in there three times already - but I keep going back again.

It's all going to be very thick by the time we get to show time.

It's a job that's never finished... like painting the Forth Bridge!"

Well... one thing those horrid people can't make any more stupid comments about are her eyebrows. (as they have done). These have clearly been worked on... and she looked very good and still very much herself. As I say, she does have an 'oddball' sense of humour and capturing personality.

I very much hope she does a little better for the Britain's Got Talent Final... and hope she wins... but lots to do... and she hasn't got this in the bag... yet!

Juan Luis Guerra and memories of great coffee and friends

Many years ago I was introduced to the wonderful music of Juan Luis Guerra by a dear friend from the Dominican Republic, who I had the good fortune to meet and work with at Victor Chandler International, a firm of offshore bookies (or sportsbook to our American cousins) in Gibraltar during my time there in the late 90's.

Juan Luis Guerra-Seijas (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican singer, songwriter and self-producer who has sold over 20 million records worldwide and has won numerous awards, including eleven Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards. He won 5 Latin Grammy awards in 2007 in the same night which ties him with Juanes to hold the record for most Latin Grammys won in one night. He was born in Santo Domingo and is the son of Olga Seijas and Gilberto Guerra, a basketball player.

He is one of the most internationally recognized Dominican artists in decades. His pop style of merengue and bolero and Afro-pop/Latin fusion have garnered him considerable success outside the Dominican Republic.

Juan Luis Guerra is sometimes associated with the popular Dominican music called bachata and while this association is partially true, he actually uses the basics of Bachata rhythm with a more bolero feel to the melodies in some of his songs.

He does not limit himself to one style of music, instead, he incorporates diverse rhythms like merengue, bolero-bachata, balada, salsa, rock and roll and gospel.

'Ojalá Que Llueva Café' ('If only it would rain coffee') is one of his most critically acclaimed self-written and composed pieces and one of my all time favourites... and I don't mean just from Juan Luis... I mean... of all the music I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy!

A remix of 'La llave de mi corazón' ('The key of my heart') with Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas is also an example of his fusing of different genres.

Here's a great YouTube video of my 'all time' favourite song, 'Ojalá Que Llueva Café'. Watch out for the kids chorus near the end... it always near brings a tear to my eye!



The song brings back many great memories of my friendship with Pedro (on the right in the pic - me on left) and his lovely wife Milady (pronounced Mi-lad-i) when they used to take pity on me and feed me loads of great food, fantastic Dominican Rep coffee (El Presidente) and wines, beers and Ron Barcelo, a rum from the Dominican Republic... not necessarily in that order, while we listened and danced (not with Pedro but not something unknown! ) to Juan Luis and lots of other music from their part of the world. Halcyon days!

Juan Luis Guerra @ Amazon

His latest album:



If you liked that... and want some more, here's a great playlist for Juan Luis Guerra @ YouTube

Search for more music from Juan Luis Guerra @ Amazon.co.uk

Neil Sedaka's 'Going Nowhere'... a song for our time perhaps

Not that I want to bring a depressive note to your Sunday!

Lord knows there is enough to thoroughly depress us out there in our news media today... what with MPs reducing the 'mother of parliaments' to morally defunct disrepute, continuing conflicts across the world, concerns over climate change and how best to deal with it... the hysteria about swine flu... thankfully now calming down to more sensible proportions!

But... that's the news... and I guess it's 'business as usual'. Not too many positive stories are ever published and they're rarely 'breaking news'.

But... taking all this into account, it did strike me today, that Neil Sedaka's wonderful song... 'Going Nowhere' IS a song for our time.

My thoughts turned to this song last night, when a friend on Facebook posted a video (as we do) of 'Laughter in the Rain', which was a hit from the album of the same name for Neil Sedaka back in 1974. I bought this album at the time and Sedaka has always been a favourite ever since. That album was packed full of some wonderful songs from this (to my mind) highly underrated composer.

One of the best songs, at least for me, in the album was 'Going Nowhere', a powerful song full of paradoxes. A mixture of despair, with some very depressive sentiments... and, curiously, at the same time, full of hope!

The song always brings a tear to my eye! Have a listen and see what you think:



Powerful... thought provoking stuff eh?

In case you missed anything, here's the lyrics:

'Going Nowhere' Lyrics

Considering...
So many folks, dissatisfied with everything,
Who need someone to understand they're lonely, they're lonely,
And they're not alone.

And everywhere
They shrug their shoulders, tell themselves that they don't care,
And all the while they make believe they're happy, oh they're happy,
But not really.

And they're asked to hold the world together,
Make it happen, give it children,
Who in turn are turning on to going nowhere.

And all the strength they'd ever need to help them
Has been wasted, remains hidden,
In the confusion of going nowhere.

And who am I...
To criticize the world that I have grown up in.
Most of you would tell me that I'm crazy, yes I'm crazy,
I can't help it.

I understand
That where you are is where you've been so many years,
And things that tend to change you, tend to hurt you, yes they hurt you,
Very deeply.

And still you try to hold the world together,
Make it happen, give it children
Who in turn are turning on to going nowhere.

And all the strength they'd ever need to help them
Has been wasted, remains hidden,
In the confusion of going nowhere,
Going nowhere,
Going, going, going nowhere,
Going nowhere.

Other versions

Whilst for me... this song will always be Sedaka's own (well he did write it and sings it rather well), another version which I really like, strangely, is the Lena Zavaroni version.

Lena Zavaroni was a Scottish child singer and a television show host... and a bit of a sensation in the mid 70's following an appearance on Hughie Green’s Opportunity Knocks.... much like Susan Boyle on 'Britain's Got Talent' recently.

With her album 'Mama! He's Making Eyes At Me' at ten years of age, she is the youngest person in history to have an album in UK album chart top ten.

Later in life she hosted tv shows and appeared on stage, often with Bonnie Langford. Sadly, Lena died at the age of 35 after a long battle with anorexia nervosa.

Here's Lena in 1981, aged only 18 years old singing 'Going Nowhere' live. A very powerful performance... and one that, in the light of what was to take her from us so soon... is all the stronger for it. Very sad!



Related Links

More information on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Neil Sedaka

Lena Zavaroni

'Moody' encouragement for Brown... to Go Now!

Following my post last night telling Gordon Brown... For God's sake go... I thought I would give him a little 'moody' encouragement...



In just a little over 24 hours, the petition has reached 6,916 (as I write). Come Monday morning... when people start emailing it around offices, this figure will soon spiral into the tens of thousands!

If you haven't yet voted on the Downing Street online petition asking Brown to resign... here's your chance to ask him to go... NOW!

Scottish newspaper reveals Susan Boyle's first ever recording

I'm still completely bowled over by Susan Boyle... and today even more so!

I just came across this 'exclusive' from the Scottish Daily Record revealing Susan's first ever recording, made back in 1999, when she sang that famous old blues ballad 'Cry Me A River' for a charity CD... and as you can hear... it's quite simply... brilliant!



Quite remarkable! I don't honestly think I've ever heard this song sang better... ever!

Only 1000 copies of the disc were ever produced, but as you can see, the Daily Record got hold of this long-forgotten recording and it’s now on YouTube.

A showbiz insider said: “This is a real coup for the Record. The whole world would have wanted to find this.

“People will be scrambling to get their hands on this CD. They will be like gold dust soon.”

It's already all over eBay... with loads of obvious recordings of this bit of audio on this video... available for only 99p... to the full CD currently being bid for at £280... clearly this is going to become a collector's piece... oh and there are hundreds of 'I love Susan Boyle' t-shirts too!!

What a phenomenon Susan Boyle is. 'Overnight sensation' doesn't begin to describe the sensation Susan has become... worldwide... in just a week. By this weekend, clips of her singing on Britain's Got Talent had notched up almost 50 million views on YouTube!

I think the explanation is in this article on the BBC's Entertainment page 'How Susan Boyle won over the world'. Here, Lisa Schwarzbaum, a writer for US celebrity magazine Entertainment Weekly said "the performance was a powerful reality check". She wrote:

"In our pop-minded culture so slavishly obsessed with packaging - the right face, the right clothes, the right attitudes, the right Facebook posts - the unpackaged artistic power of the unstyled, un-hip, un-kissed Ms Boyle let me feel, for the duration of one blazing showstopping ballad, the meaning of human grace.

She pierced my defences. She reordered the measure of beauty. And I had no idea until tears sprang how desperately I need that corrective."

Yep... I think she's hit the nail on the head. That is precisely what is going on here!

Ms Schwarzbaum's post was followed by comments from scores of readers (they're still posting today) saying they watched the clip repeatedly, with the same emotional response... in fact, if you read my original post... you'll see my reaction was also pretty much the same:

"Susan Boyle creates one of those moments... when the hair on the back of your neck tingles... and for no apparent reason... one stupidly feels like crying.... well those of us who have a heart that is!"

Susan Boyle... already the peoples' winner

Susan Boyle has become an overnight success on the internet!

With over a staggering 8 million views now on her YouTube videos, she's already the people's winner!

Clearly... she's also a winner with Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, as you can see from this video!

Can't wait for this week's show... Britain's Got Talent!

I take my hat off to... Susan Boyle... who Wowed us on Britain's Got Talent

I like to watch Britain's Got Talent now and then during the initial stages, mainly because I can't get enough of the delicious Amanda Holden!

To be fair, most of the acts one sees at this stage are pretty much... forgettable.

Now and then though... the programme throws up some amazing gems... which leaves us 'drop jawed' and stunned... amazed in the realisation... that there ARE some fantastic hidden talents out there in Britain! Remember Paul Potts or Connie Talbot?

Saturday threw up such a moment... and brought us Susan Boyle, truly a gem from West Lothian!!

Susan Boyle's story is very ordinary... her looks are... it has to be said, with all due respect to her... very ordinary too. But boy... when she started to sing, her powerful rendition of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables (or Les Mis as it's popularly known), it really made everyone sit up!

Susan Boyle's beautiful voice, in perfect pitch, surprised everyone... especially the panel members who's stunned look was hilarious.... judge for yourself:



Note: Unfortunately... for reasons best known to YouTube, the embedding of this video has been "disabled by request"!! (Whose request I wonder... the programme makers??) Anyway... there's loads of Susan Boyle videos available on YouTube... click here!

Amazing right? They say... 'never judge a book by its cover'... but of course, we all did... but, this was yet another moment that brings home to us how true this phrase is in relation to people too!

Susan Boyle creates one of those moments... when the hair on the back of your neck tingles... and for no apparent reason... one stupidly feels like crying.... well those of us who have a heart that is!

Amanda Holden said it was a "complete privilege listening to that"... and I'm pretty sure you agree right? I hope you too thoroughly enjoyed Susan Boyle's first moment of stardom. I'm betting it won't be her last!

Good on yer Susan... I take my hat off to you!!

Update - Wednesday 15th April 2009 : Tonight... the sensation Susan Boyle has created... with nearly 8 million views of her various videos on YouTube... has propelled Susan to even make it on BBC 1's Evening News at 6 o'clock!

Handel Easter and the 'Hallelujah' chorus

Since it's Easter... and since this week also marks the 250th anniversary of the death of George Frideric Handel, one of the most celebrated English composers... I thought I would tie these two moments together and offer you a little bit of the much loved 'Hallelujah Chorus' from Handel's Messiah!

'Messiah' was conceived originally for secular theatre and was first performed during Lent, because of the theme it covers... the presentation of Jesus' life and its significance according to Christian doctrine, it is very much also tied to the Easter period.

Whilst it may have become more common practice, especially since Handel's death, to perform Messiah during Advent, the preparatory period leading up to the Christmas season, rather than during Lent or at Easter, Messiah is still often performed in churches as well as in concert halls at Easter.

Christmas concerts often feature only the first section of Messiah plus the 'Hallelujah' chorus, although some ensembles feature the entire work as a Christmas concert.

Nevertheless, the work is still also very much heard at Eastertide, and selections containing resurrection themes, along with the much loved 'Hallelujah' chorus, are often included in Easter services, particularly because the text of this most famous movement, which concludes the second of the three parts, is drawn from three passages in the New Testament book of Revelation:

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever! (Revelation 11:15)

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings... and Lord of Lords! (Revelation 19:16)

This video offers the more traditional 'Hallelujah' chorus, performed here by the Ambrosian Singers, a small professional London choir founded in 1951:



For best results... turn your speakers UP!

All Stand for the 'Hallelujah' Chorus

In many parts of the world, it is the accepted practice for the audience to stand for this section of the performance.

Tradition has it that King George II rose to his feet at this point. As the first notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king rose. Royal protocol has always demanded that whenever the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarch's presence. Thus, the entire audience stood too, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries. It is lost to history the exact reason why the King stood at that point, but the most popular explanations include:

• As was and is the custom, one stands in the presence of royalty as a sign of respect. The Hallelujah chorus clearly places Christ as the King of Kings. In standing, King George II accepts that he too is subject to Lord of Lords.

• He was so moved by the performance that he rose to his feet.

• He arrived late to the performance, and the crowd rose when he finally made an appearance.

• His gout acted up at that precise moment and he rose to relieve the discomfort.

• After an hour of musical performance, he needed to stretch his legs.

There is another story told (perhaps apocryphally) about this chorus that Handel's assistant walked in to Handel's room after shouting to him for several minutes with no response. The assistant reportedly found Handel in tears. When asked what was wrong, Handel held up the score to this movement and said, "I thought I saw the face of God"!

A Soulful Celebration

The 'Hallelujah' chorus is also very popular with Gospel Choirs around the world. Here is a very typical example from the Celebration Gospel Choir:



This is a cover song from the award-winning CD Take 6 produced by Mervyn Warren et al, a Black Music Version of the oratory of Georg Friedrich Handel from 1741. The Original CD featured many well known R&B artists like Al Jarreau, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Patti Austin, and many more, and won a Grammy in 1993.

According to the YouTube video, the Celebration Gospel Choir are the first to perform the whole work live. This performance was filmed on Dec 13, 2008 at the Capitol in Mannheim, Germany.

Personally, while I can enjoy both, I tend to favour the more traditional version which is one of my all time favourite choral works. Singing the 'Hallelujah' chorus in the safety of a church congregation (lost and hidden away in the crowd) is a great pleasure. It's also great for singing along at bath time, the only time I should ever be allowed to sing. That in itself is debated by some and it is said, an exercise certainly not for the appreciation by others!

BBC Radio 3 Programmes - Handel's Messiah, Handel Week

BBC - BBC Radio 3 Programmes - Performance on 3, Handel's Messiah, Handel Week - The Messiah Part 1

BBC Radio 3 will be broadcasting a special concert of Handel's Messiah, during their Handel Week, at 19:00 BST on Tuesday 14th April 2009. The concert will be broadcast from Westminster Abbey to mark the 250th anniversary of Handel's death.

St James Baroque join the Choir of Westminster Abbey, conducted by James O'Donnell, with a quartet of soloists, for a performance of Handel's most celebrated oratorio, the Messiah.

Westminster Abbey is the place where Handel is buried, and during his lifetime it was the focal point for much of his religious music.

If you miss this broadcast... you may be able to catch it later on the BBC iPlayer (UK residents only) using this link... but you'll have to hurry as it will only be available for a short time. If you missed it... there's always a very reasonably priced recording available at Amazon... see below!

Handel at Amazon.com



Browse more of George Frideric Handel at Amazon.com

A is for Allah... said the good Catholic

Today is Good Friday... and on Good Friday Catholics and Christians across the world commemorate and remember the day that Jesus was killed on the cross... an event that is central to Christian theology.

He was nailed to a wooden cross by Roman soldiers. This is the reason why the cross is an important sign for Christians today. There are crosses in churches and many Christians wear a cross on a chain. At Easter people eat 'hot cross' buns which have a cross shape on the top... and are delicious (I love them toasted with a little butter and jam).

Christ's Crucifixion is remembered across the world today. In Jerusalem large crowds of Christians take the same path as Jesus along the Via Dolorosa. This is replicated in many other countries, where people act out the story of Jesus' last day while others march in processions or watch and think about the events which happened long ago.

Good Friday, for Christians, is traditionally supposed to be a sad day and churches never have flowers or decorations on this day. However, with society moving into more secular times these days, many do not celebrate, remember or even know what Good Friday is about. If you want to know or need to refresh your memory, you can find out more about Good Friday here.

Now to get to my point... and I know you may have been a little surprised by my blog post's subject heading... having said a little bit about what this day is about... what I want to especially do today, as my contribution to Good Friday is... to remind you about the universal Christian belief that Jesus gave up his life for the good of everyone.

To do this, I am sharing with you today, a lovely song from an old favourite of mine... Yusuf Islam... who used to be known by his stage name of Cat Stevens:



A is for Allah is the title song of a double album created for Muslim children by Yusuf Islam, (formerly known as Cat Stevens), released in July 2000 and was posted on YouTube... in support of peace across the world!

This song was written in 1980 upon the birth of his first child, a daughter named Hasanah. Because she was the first of five living children to come, Yusuf Islam's concerns about how she was to learn the Arabic language, to read and understand the Qu'ran, while living in Western society struck home. He himself was raised in London, the same city where they still lived, and had kept a home there throughout his life. Islam was a recent convert to Islam himself, and was just realizing the great task laid before him, and many other Muslim families in securing an Islamic education as well as schooling that could be considered the very best he could give his children.

Thus, Yusuf Islam as a Muslim musician, used the song as a vehicle to teach children about the 28-letter Arabic alphabet, creating a very lovely song and video in the process... and giving us a little bit of an antidote against all the 'bad press' that we are bombarded with these days... about Islam and Muslims.

Today, on this Good Friday... I am using it to remind us that, as the song says, there is only one God... who died for all of us on the Cross at Golgotha.

Have a Good Friday all... and a Happy Easter!

Read more about Good Friday and Easter @ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Yusuf's Latest Hit Album

Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) is an incredible songwriter. We know this because he's released a heap of inimitable songs through the years, beginning with his classic album, Tea for the Tillerman, to which, no doubt, his latest effort, An Other Cup, refers. 'Tea' was a refreshing blend of folk and contemporary pop music, infused with the inspirations of nature and peace, two things still vital in his latest album, An Other Cup.

Search for more music from Yusuf Islam or Cat Stevens @ Amazon.com

The Shipping Forecast... more than just bad weather

Call me weird (many often do) but for me, BBC Radio 4's Shipping Forecast is not just about weather... good or bad... it is also always a singularly wonderful, emotive and nostalgic experience to listen to!

The Shipping Forecast is a four-times-daily BBC radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. It is produced by the UK Meteorological Office (part of the Ministry of Defence) and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (part of the Department for Transport). (These forecasts are also sent over the Navtex system using a similar format and the same sea areas).

There are four Shipping Forecasts broadcasts per day:

• 0048 - transmitted on FM and LW. Includes weather reports from an extended list of coastal stations at 0052 and an inshore waters forecast at 0055 and concludes with a brief UK weather outlook for the coming day. The broadcast finishes at approximately 0058, and is followed by a short goodnight message and the National Anthem.


• 0520 - transmitted on FM and LW. Includes weather reports from a coastal stations at 0525, and an inshore waters forecast at 0527.


• 1201 - normally transmitted on longwave only.


• 1754 - transmitted on longwave only on weekdays, as an opt-out from the PM programme, but at weekends transmitted on both FM and Longwave.

The Shipping Forecast - A Distinctive Appeal

Because of its unique and distinctive sound, the broadcasts have an appeal beyond those solely interested in nautical weather!

The waters around the British Isles are divided into sea areas, also known as weather areas (see map above) such as Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber, Thames, Dover, Wight, etc.

Many listeners find the well-known repetition of the names of the sea areas almost hypnotic, particularly during the bedtime (for Britain) broadcast at 0048 GMT.

Like me, many listeners regard these broadcasts with affection. In Great Britain the Shipping Forecast often comes up in general knowledge quizzes and is the butt of many affectionate jokes. It is also a subject that has often influenced many in popular culture. Due to its set rhythm, calm enunciation, and evocative names, the Shipping Forecast can sound quite poetic when broadcast and it is perhaps not surprising that it has featured in songs and poetry as a result. Artists as diverse as Radiohead, film director Terence Davies and poet Seamus Heaney have used it as literal and metaphoric inspiration.

You can enjoy the hypnotic quality of the Shipping Forecast in this very emotive (well it is to me) video here:



‘Sailing By’ Theme

In addition to the broadcast, one of the Shipping Forecast's intrinsic attractions is without doubt the beautiful and very calming theme tune, ‘Sailing By’. Played as a prelude, ‘Sailing By’ was composed by Ronald Binge and acts as a bridge between the end of regular BBC Radio 4 programming and the broadcast itself.

Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of British band Pulp, chose ‘Sailing By’ as one of his Desert Island Discs when appearing on the programme.

If you've never heard ‘Sailing By’, you can listen to it here... it's the first track of this video. If you are familiar with it, you will hopefully enjoy losing yourself for a moment in this beautifully calming, nostalgic and lovely piece of music... enjoy!



The end of this piece of music is normally followed by the BBC's time signal... the 'pip... pip.. pip...', followed then by the Shipping Forecast. Pity I couldn't find this properly reproduced on YouTube!

You may well be forgiven for wondering why the music is set to a background of the TV 'Test Card' and the CEEFAX page. Well, apparently, 'Sailing By' was also the title track of this CEEFAX AM tape which was in service between March 1983 and the summer of 1984 on BBC1 in the stand-alone slot pre-Breakfast Time. I chose this particularly video because it is the one that more faithfully replicates the Shipping Forecast's current theme music.

A different 'take' on the Shipping Forecast

Now... a slightly different and, for me, hysterically funny 'take' on the Shipping Forecast:



BBC Radio 4's Brian Perkins read Les Barker's version of 'The Shipping Forecast' from 'Guide Cats for the Blind'; a series of three CD's released to help raise funds for The British Computer Association of the Blind.

Fans of the 'Shipping Forecast' might also like to check out Charlie Connelly's excellent book 'Attention All Shipping'.

Sources

BBC > Weather Centre > Coast and Sea > Shipping Forecast

The Shipping Forecast - Information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The BBC Shipping Forecast: A Unique Broadcasting Experience by Radio 4

The Pogues' 'Irish Rover' and memories of Murphy's Bar Gibraltar

I was trawling around YouTube this afternoon looking up some stuff when I came across this fantastic video of The Pogues and 'The Irish Rover'!

This song was a massive hit for The Pogues in 1987 when they recorded it with The Dubliners and used to be played regularly at Murphy's Bar in Gibraltar.

Apart from the fact this is a brilliant Irish song, it's a great example of The Pogues wonderful mix of traditional Irish music, punk rock and jazz.

For me, the song also has a very nostalgic resonance as it brings back some great memories of many a crazy night (and of many dear friends) at Murphy's Bar (and the Aragon Bar earlier) during my time in Gibraltar around the late 90's and early 2000's. Here's a pic (left) of Jean and Grace (two of the 'Murphy Sisters') behind the bar at Murphy's.

Anyhow... here's The Pogues and The Dubliners, giving it some wellie! I hope you enjoy the song... it may strike a chord with you too:

Lyrics

Here's this version's lyrics:

On the Fourth of July, 1806
We set sail from the sweet cove of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
For the Grand City Hall in New York
'Twas a wonderful craft
She was rigged fore and aft
And oh, how the wild wind drove her
She stood several blasts
She had twenty seven masts
And they called her The Irish Rover

We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrels of stone
We had three million sides of old blind horses hides
We had four million barrels of bones
We had five million hogs
And six million dogs
Seven million barrels of porter
We had eight million bails of old nanny-goats' tails
In the hold of the Irish Rover

There was awl Mickey Coote
Who played hard on his flute
When the ladies lined up for a set
He was tootin' with skill
For each sparkling quadrille
Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet
With his smart witty talk
He was cock of the walk
And he rolled the dames under and over
They all knew at a glance
When he took up his stance
That he sailed in The Irish Rover

There was Barney McGee
From the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnny McGurk
Who was scared stiff of work
And a man from Westmeath called Malone

There was Slugger O'Toole
Who was drunk as a rule
And Fighting Bill Treacy from Dover
And your man, Mick MacCann
From the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover

For a sailor it's always a bother in life
It's so lonesome by night and by day
'Til he launch for the shore and this
charming young whore
Who will melt all his troubles away
All the noise and the rout
Swollen poitín and stout
For him soon the torment's over
Of the love of a maid he's never afraid
And old sot from the Irish Rover

We had sailed seven years
When the measles broke out
And the ship lost its way in the fog
And that whale of a crew
Was reduced down to two
Just myself and the Captain's old dog
Then the ship struck a rock
Oh Lord! what a shock
The bulkhead was turned right over
It turned nine times around and the
poor old dog was drowned
I'm the last of the Irish Rover

More info on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The Pogues - The Irish Rover

Royal Marines Excercise their Freedom of the City of Gibraltar in Weekend of Commemorative Events

Last Saturday, in torrential rain, the Royal Marines exercised their 'Freedom of the City of Gibraltar in a weekend of events commemorating their long history and association with the Rock.


On the 24th of July 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession with France and Spain, a combined fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke, assisted by Field Marshal Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, captured the Rock of Gibraltar. English ships bombarded the city while a force, comprising of 1,900 English and 400 Dutch marines, in an amphibious assault, stormed the defences, captured the Town and prevented Spanish reinforcements reaching the fortress.

Later, in the months following the capture of the Town, the English force of marines withheld a prolonged siege from October 1704 to April 1705, thereby achieving 'immortal glory' according to commentators at the time.

(Note: The Acts of Union, which joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into a single United Kingdom of Great Britain... making the English marines and Gibraltar British, was not until 3 years later in 1707)

'Gibraltar' became the only one of many battle honours that the Royal Marines include in their 'Globe and Laurel' insignia (left) when, in 1827, George IV, faced with having to choose battle honours from an extensive list, decided that Royal Marines’ 'Colours' would in future bear the symbol of the ‘Great Globe itself’ and that thereafter the only battle honour on Royal Marines’ Colours would be that of Gibraltar. So he ordered them to wear it with pride... and they do!

In 1996, the Corps was granted the 'Freedom of the City of Gibraltar'. On Saturday 28 February, 78 Marines from Taunton-based Alpha Company of 40 Commando accompanied by the Band of Royal Marines Scotland returned to the scene of their most famous and historic battles and conducted a ceremonial parade exercising their right, marching through the streets with 'fixed bayonets', the only time that a service force can do so in peacetime.

A large contingent of veterans, members of the Royal Marines Association, many of whom had travelled to Gibraltar from far and wide, also participated, marching proudly with the younger marines in the parade.

The parade, under the command of Major Sean Brady, the Commanding Officer of Alpha Company, assembled at Casemates Square, then marched off along Main Street.

Despite the torrential rain the Marines were applauded along the way by hundreds of proud locals and many visitors, who lined the route.

As they marched past the Piazza, the Marines saluted a gathered throng of dignitaries outside the the Assembly House (Gibraltar's Parliament), including Mayor Mommy Levy who was surrounded by Royal Marines 'Top Brass' including the Commandant General Royal Marines, Major General Garry Robison, Brigadier Noble, the Deputy Commandant General of the Royal Marines and Lieutenant Colonel Paul James, the Commanding Officer of 40 Commando.

Here's a video of the Royal Marines and Band marching through Main Street:



To finish the day off in style, a public reception was then held on their behalf by the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Robert Fulton KBE, himself a Royal Marine.

Royal Marines Memorial Unveiled

In 2006 the Gibraltar Heritage Trust suggested that a monument be erected to mark the long historical association between the Royal Marine Corps and the Rock of Gibraltar.

On Sunday, in a ceremony at Europort, Chief Minister Peter Caruana (seen here in the middle) unveiled the monument which commemorates the Royal Marines history and long association with Gibraltar. It is sited near the point where the Marines first came ashore in 1704. Commandant General Royal Marines, Major General Garry Robison, dedicated the monument. More on this story here.

This ceremony had to be hastily-rescheduled as it was originally planned for Saturday. Unfortunately, the torrential rain on Saturday made it impossible for the ceremony to go ahead as planned and so was able to be postponed to Sunday lunchtime.

You can read more on the Unveiling of the Royal Marines Memorial here.

Royal Marines Band Concert at St Michael's Cave

The weekend’s events of celebration for the Royal Marines culminated on Sunday evening with a concert given by the Band of Royal Marines Scotland at St Michael’s Cave.

St Michael’s Cave was packed and the audience were able to enjoy an evening of inspirational music from a Band that only a few days ago was playing at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The concert ended with a standing ovation for both the musicians and the conductor, Principal Director of Music, Lt Col Chris Davis.

The concert was marked by another significant moment. This was Lt Col Davis' very last appearance as conductor, in a military music career that began when he joined the Royal Marines as a musician in 1975.

Brigadier Noble, the Deputy Commandant General of the Royal Marines thanked Lt Col Davis for his immense contribution to Marines' music. The retiring conductor was clearly moved by the significance of the occasion.

In addition to thanking the conductor, Brigadier Noble also asked the audience to reflect on the fact that many Marines are currently serving in Helmand Province, in Afghanistan.

Related Posts

You can see more posts on these events by clicking on the links in 'Related Links' box on the right margin.

Images Credit

I am indebted to HQBF for many of the images of the events shown here which are courtesy of Lt Col (Ret'd) Stuart Green, Media Ops Officer and Cpl Ralph Merry, Command Photographer, Media Operations - HQ British Forces Gibraltar.



Search for more Royal Marines Bands Music.

In my Inbox today... a video of an amazing music machine!

In my Inbox today... the amazing video of an incredible music machine which was built as a collaborative effort between the Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory and the Sharon Wick School of Engineering at the University of Iowa.

Watch this:



Absolutely remarkable right? Amazingly, 97% of the machine's components apparently came from John Deere Industries, who make tractors and farm machinery and Irrigation Equipment of Bancroft Iowa. Yes... farm equipment! (presumbably except for the bongos!)

The email says it took the team a combined 13,029 hours of set-up, alignment, calibration and tuning before filming this video but as you can see it was WELL worth the effort.

It is now on display in the Matthew Gerhard Alumni Hall at the University and is already slated to be donated to the Smithsonian.

Ahhh... but wait just a second....

Hoax Slayer, famous for "debunking email hoaxes and exposing Internet scams since 2003"... in fact... perhaps sadly, two years ago, exposed this "incredible Music Machine from the University of Iowa"... excellent and remarkable as it is... as a prank... yet another of the many internet hoaxes that go (and come) around daily!!!

In December 2006, Hoax Slayer said the video itself is certainly an incredible and inspiring piece of work. However, far from being a remarkable work of engineering, it is in fact a very clever piece of computer animation and does not depict a real machine made of farm equipment at all!!

The video features a piece of music called Pipe Dream, (if you liked the video you'll love this link) that was created by Wayne Lytle and Dave Crognale and their team at Animusic, a content creation company located in Austin, Texas in the USA.

The company has created a number of quite amazing 3D computer graphics music animation videos that are available via the company website. According to information on the Animusic website:

"Both the graphics and the music are entirely digitally synthesized. Virtual instruments are invented by building computer graphics models of objects that would appear to create the sound of the corresponding music synthesizer track. Graphical instruments range from being reminiscent of existing instruments to arbitrarily abstract."

Some unknown prankster saw fit to create this email and fanciful tale to go along with the unusual video. No names no packdrill... but one can't help giving a sideways look at John Deere Industries and Bancroft of Iowa... a nice bit of advertising for them! :)

Even the university departments named in the message appear to be fictitious. There is no record of the 'Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory' or the 'Sharon Wick School of Engineering' at the University of Iowa... or anywhere else for that matter!

According to an article about the prank email, on Iowa's KCRG:

"The machine is supposedly a collaborative effort between the Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory and the Sharon Wick School of Engineering but if you search the campus high and low you’ll never find either of those buildings. They don’t exist."

Hoax Slayer rightfully concludes "there is no need to malign this fantastic animation by tacking on a foolish and totally fictitious cover story".

"Such clever work speaks for itself and needs no embellishment. Moreover, the real creators of the animation deserve credit for their genius."

If a friend forwards this email to you, now you can let them know the reality... and true origin of the remarkable 'farm machine music' video!! :)

Gibraltar in popular culture

I've been trawling around the net recently, looking for any Gibraltar Blogs I may have missed. Disappointingly, it seems I haven't missed much. If you're interested, I have linked any I have found on my sidebar... those of any note anyhow. If you run or write a blog related to Gibraltar... then let me know!

However, whilst surfing about, I revisited a favourite page about Gibraltar on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, which includes loads of information about the politics, economy, history and culture of Gibraltar.

Poking about, I came across some interesting notes on Gibraltar... in popular culture and I thought I would share them with you.

Film

* The film The Silent Enemy was filmed on location in Gibraltar in 1958. It is a dramatisation of the period during the Second World War when Lionel "Buster" Crabb served as a mine and disposal officer in Gibraltar while frogmen of the Italian Navy's Tenth Light Flotilla were sinking vital shipping.

* The opening scene of the film The Living Daylights (from the James Bond film series) takes place in Gibraltar.

* In the German-language film Das Boot, a German U-boat struggles in its attempt to get past the British Royal Navy in Gibraltar to relocate to a base in the Mediterranean sea.

Literature

* Anthony Burgess's novel A Vision of Battlements (1965), chronicling the troubled love-life of the British soldier Richard Ennis, is set in Gibraltar.

* The satirical novel Gil Braltar by Jules Verne (1887) describes an almost successful attack by our famous apes on the fortress of Gibraltar.

* 'The Day of an American Journalist in 2889', an 1889 Jules Verne short story, also mentions Gibraltar as the last territory of a British Empire that has lost the British Isles themselves.

* Raffles' Crime in Gibraltar by Barry Perowne, a Sexton Blake story, is set in Gibraltar in 1937 (U.S. title: They Hang Them in Gibraltar).

* Scruffy by Paul Gallico is set on Gibraltar during World War II. It follows the steady decline in the size of the Barbary Macaque (our apes or monkeys) colony and the possible fulfillment of the superstition or legendary prophecy that Gibraltar will fall to the enemy if they disappear.

* As Molly Bloom is a native Gibraltarian, references to Gibraltar appear throughout James Joyce's Ulysses (1922). A sculpture of Molly Bloom as imagined by local artist Jon Searle is on display in the Alameda Gardens.

* Arthur C. Clarke's novel The Fountains of Paradise mentions the 'Gibraltar Bridge', a novel infrastructure connecting Europe and Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar. This is no longer so far fetched as plans are currently being looked at to build such a bridge.

* John Masters book The Rock is a collection of short stories set in Gibraltar: These range from a story set in prehistoric times to one suggesting a possible future for the Rock.

* In Maud Hart Lovelace's book Betsy and the Great World, the heroine goes on a cruise to Europe and makes a stop at Gibraltar, where she learns about its history and legends, and goes shopping.

Music

* In 1782 Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed a fragment for voice and piano to celebrate the Great Siege of Gibraltar titled Bardengesang auf Gibraltar: O Calpe! Dir donnert's am Fusse.

* The Beatles' song The Ballad of John & Yoko identifies Gibraltar as the place where John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married.

* In 1952 American country singer Frankie Lane had a song called The Rock of Gibraltar, which made it to #20 in the US Top 40

Notable or famous Gibraltarians

Notable or famous Gibraltarians include:

* William George Penney was a physicist responsible for the development of British nuclear technology following World War II.

* John Galliano is a four time British fashion designer of the year.

* Albert Hammond is an international singer, songwriter and producer.

* Henry Francis Cary (1772 - 1844) was a translator and poet.

* Thomas William Bowlby (1818 - 1860) was a correspondent for The Times in Germany and China. He was captured and imprisoned by the Tartar General Sengge Rinchen whilst on correspondence duties in Tongzhou, Beijing.

* Frederick Stanley Maude (1864 - 1917) was a General who led the successful campaign in World War I to capture Baghdad over the winter of 1917.

* John Beikie (1766 - 1839) was a merchant and political figure in Upper Canada.

* Don Pacifico (1784 - 1854) was a Gibraltar-born Portuguese Jew, most famous for the Pacifico incident, as described in the book Don Pacifico: The Acceptable Face of Gunboat Diplomacy.

* John Montresor (1736 - 1799) – Gibraltar-born military engineer in the British service active in North America, his amorous exploits inspired the best-selling novel Charlotte Temple.

* Gustavo Bacarisas (1873 - 1971) was a Painter.

You can find more books, music, films and other items of popular culture related to Gibraltar by visiting our Gibraltar Online Book and Film Store or exploring the graphic links on the right sidebar here.