RIP Les Reed

Les Reed, the songwriter behind Tom Jones' classic hits Delilah and It's Not Unusual, has died at the age of 83.

Les Reed, pictured with unlikely Adidas poster boy Tom Jones

Reed had been the pianist with The John Barry Seven and the conductor of his own orchestra but it's his incredible catalogue of 60+ hit songs that he'll perhaps be best remembered for. Here's just a few examples of those chart toppers;

Reed's songs were recorded by artistes ranging from big American stars like Elvis, The Carpenters and Bing Crosby to homegrown talents like Kathy Kirby, Lulu and Des O'Connor. He wrote the scores for the films Girl on a Motorcycle, The Bushbaby, One More Time, George and Mildred, Creepshow 2 and Parting Shots and he was also responsible for co-writing the 1967 novelty song Who's Doctor Who by then Doctor Who actor Frazer Hines and the B-Side to Leeds United's 1972 Cup Final single, Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! Better known as Marching Together, it's a song still sung by supporters of the club on the terraces both home and away to this day.

RIP

Lost His Voice

Who would axe Sir Tom Jones in favour of Boy George?

The BBC that's who.

In a shock move announced over the weekend, the BBC have axed Tom Jones from the fifth series of their talent show The Voice, which he had worked on as a coach from the off for the past four series. He will be replaced by Culture Club singer Boy George with the excellent Paloma Faith replacing Rita Ora who has already signed up with rival show The X Factor due to schedule conflicts. will.i.am is now the only sole survivor from the first run. Tom reported the news via his Twitter feed; "Shocked and disappointed about The Voice UK. I was TOLD yesterday. No idea, no conversation, no warning. To the fans, thank you for your support over the last four years"

The other coach, Ricky Wilson, claims the arrival of Boy George to the coaching team will make for a "thrilling and unpredictable series" In other words, the BBC wanted a bitch on the show. Someone to do the Cowell like insults. Ho hum.

It's a baffling move really, with many critics suspecting ageism, the old BBC friend, is at play here. Personally I think its ridiculous to have given him the boot - you only need look at the blind auditions to see how many performers come along simply with the hope of meeting Tom and the dream of working with him, citing him 'a legend'. Somehow I can't see the same appeal for the guy who sang Karma Chameleon can you?

A plethora of petitions to get Sir Tom back on the show have popped up on Change.org. I don't suppose they'd make a jot of difference but if you're interested in signing follow the links here, here, and here

Out On Blue Six : Tom Jones feat Art of Noise

I love the story about the recording of this; how Tom sang the lyric 'Woman and girls rule my world' to which the producer stopped the recording and reminded him that the lyric Prince wrote and sang was actually 'Woman not girls rule my world' Tom replied that he knew that, but that he 'didn't want to leave anyone out' haha!

End Transmission

The Voice

OK, I did it again. I saw some episodes of The Voice again this year. I know, I know but I guess even I have to sit through some mindless crap for the masses once in a while!

And whilst the same things continued to annoy me; the gaggle of annoying contestants, the fact that once the 'battle rounds' kick in the show is crap, Jessie J's inability to not make everything about her every few minutes, Danny aka Bono O'Wannabe generally just being a grade A, own fart sniffing, tone deaf prick, the pointlessness of Reggie Yates (mate, do us a favour and go and do a Reggie Perrin) and Holly Willoughby's constant desire to want to push her boobs in the nation's collective face (here's the thing,she moans in the papers how she doesn't want her kids to grow up and learn she was known as 'Holly Willoughobooby' yet does this? Um here's an idea luv, put 'em away then!) Despite all of that, I did actually find some things to enjoy in this car crash of a talent show; the blind auditions are strangely addictive and Tom Jones and will.i.am continue to walk away with some dignity because the former seems like a thoroughly nice bloke and the latter clearly doesn't give a shit!

The really good thing about this series was that we actually had three artistes in the final who I could imagine having some semblance of a career; Andrea (the eventual winner) had a lovely angelic voice that just cried out for a folky/country/Eva Cassidy style career, whilst Mike intrigued for being a genuine sounding country and western singer...from Salford! (I imagine for sheer curiousity value alone he'd go down well in Nashville) and lastly their was Leah, a genuinely distinctive voice and talent and I daresay a future style icon for 'da kids'. Leah was the bookies favourite, but she seemingly surprised us all...by losing.

This duet between her and will was a real highlight I thought. Quirky, cute and sexy, I loved it

Now, there's a lot of online hate claiming Andrea won unfairly and on 'the sympathy vote' (Andrea has 90% blindness) This is frankly bollocks. Andrea won because she had a voice. Was it a better voice than Leah's or Mike's? Hard to say, but it was different and it clearly spoke more to that slice of the audience who actually picked up the phone to vote. 

That said though, I can see why there has been some outcry, because on the night itself Leah had the better songs and the better performances (as the above shows) Andrea, being lumbered on 'Team Danny' found herself coached and fashioned by Bono O'Wannabe, a man who knows jack shit about music but a lot about himself - as he's clearly in love with himself. So what did he do? He drowned her beautiful fragile voice out in a duet of his band's only big hit, the cock-rocky 'Hall of Fame', a terrible performance all round. And why did he do that? Because it's all about showing Bono O'Wannabe off, never about showing his contestant, Andrea off. It's a wonder she won really.

Out On Blue Six : Tom Jones

And now, listen up all you cats! Here's the theme tune....

I love O'Toole's dancing! It's not too dissimilar to my own (minus the stripping!)

End Transmission

That Was The Weekend That Was

Well, we've come to the end of the Jubilee weekend.

Last night saw a bizarre mixed bag of a concert outside the Palace, which frankly held more misses (Cheryl Cole and Gary Barlow ruthlessly murdering Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now', Robbie Williams twice, Cliff Richard and a severely in poor voice Elton John) than hits (Madness on the roof-I'd check if there's any lead left! Tom Jones, Jessie J, Will.i.am - just for being Will.i.am -  Stevie Wonder and a suitably bizarre turn from Grace Jones) but was watchable none the less after the dismal Thames pageant. 

As ever though the true wondrous spectacle of any such event has to be the beautiful Kate Middleton and her divine smile

My socialist roots get forgotten when it comes to a pretty girl *rolls eyes* Still, I would...it'd be my boldest and bravest step for class equality ;)

Definition of Upstaging

J Marie Cooper (Strictly Come Dancing singer) on The Voice, performing 'chest thrusts' 

That is 'The Sex' 

Sadly, she didn't go through. But the girl that did beat her, went out at the weekend!


Full video here. Chest thrusts at around 1 min 50 seconds. Yes, I'm a lech, I know.

I quite like The Voice; Yeah it's naff and a bit up itself in places, but it does seem to want to find new talent and, unlike the Cash Cow-ell enterprises, it does seem devoid of ego and actually about the contestants, giving them their say and allowing them their opinion and say. It's more like Opportunity Knocks than anything that odious aforementioned Flat Top creep has devised. And you can't deny the nous of the coaches; Tom Jones (roughly fifty years in the business and still going strong) will.i.am (globally respected performer, producer and all round likeable funky Yoda figure) and Jessie J (Top selling artiste on both sides of the pond) but Danny O'Bono-wannabe on the other hand....ugh. I hate him, how he beats his chest and rolls his fist at each song, flaring his nostrils like he's savouring his own farts. What a huge arrogance for such a little nobody.