Music for the masses

Well, as much as I get frustrated by things being sealed before they are ready*, I have just cast my votes in the YakYak Dancing About Architecture Festive Fifty to add my views on the music of the year.

So, for what it is worth, here are my favourite songs of the year:

1 – The Prodigy: Omen. This was destined to be my number one for the year as soon as I heard it, just top notch stuff.
2 – The Wildhearts: You Took The Sunshine From New York. Would have been number one if not for the Prodge. A sad song when you listen to it, but I find it quite uplifting musically and as some of my flickr contacts have been to the big apple this year I have some great images to go withi this.
3 – The Black Crowes: I Ain’t Hiding. The Crowes get funky in a 70s disco.
4 – Bruce Springsteen: Queen of The Supermarket. He can still do beautiful stuff about the ordinary world, although I wonder when he was last in a supermarket.
5 – Heaven And Hell: Eating The Cannibals. Dio/Iommi/Butler/Appice - Metal majesty!
6 – Jem: I Want You To… Not sure why, but this song has been stuck in my head all year so had to go on the list.
7 – Go Home Productions: Everybody’s Looking Rosy In My Garden. Home grown fun.
8 – Iron Maiden: Rime Of The Ancient Mariner (Live). A cheat really, but having loved the song since the 80s the live album gives me an excuse to vote for it.
9 – Pixie Lott: Girls And Boys. Fun pop and very catchy.
10 – Slayer: Americon. Maximum heaviosity.

Not expecting much from my selection to make the final fifty as I seem to be quite wide of the beam from many other forumites, but participation is the name of the game.

Other lists of things I liked this year to follow after it finishes!

* I can still recall being gobsmacked at seeing the book "The Chronicle Of The 20th Century" in the shops in the late '80s and thinking stuff might still happen that was worth putting in. Given that a few months later the Berlin Wall came down, communism collapsed etc I think I was ight to never buy the thing.

Major and Minorettes

Major and Minorettes
Originally uploaded by The original SimonB

Urp, where did that last week go?

Anyway, summer is now making a proper appearance and to go with it the carnival season is upon us. A much shorter procession than in previous years and no "extras" in the form of firework displays or concerts etc owing to the main sponsor pulling out. But then it would have been hard for them to justify pumping cash into this when staff are losing shifts.

Despite the lack of floats the majorettes were out in force. What is it that attracts girls (and indeed the occasional nervous looking young lad) to join these outfits? Most of the activities youngsters can get involved with I can sort of see a point to - cubs, scouts, brownies, even normal dance classes can add skills and things that might come in handy in later life. But what can shaking some pom poms or twirling a baton prepare you for? All the troupes have their lead car bedecked with trophies - presumably earnt through out-twirling their rivals - and lurid matching uniforms but I'm not sure why they exist other than to pad out processions and fill a ten minute slot at summer fetes.

Answers on a postcard!

And if you want to see more from Saturday just click on the girls to go through to Flickr.

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Now off to Warwickshire for a few days. Travelogue when I get back.