Monday, Monday

I used the above title for today’s blog because it’s Monday (pretty obvious) but also because they are playing a song on TV at the moment advertising something and the tune and the artists singing it were on my mind constantly all weekend…..and then it came to me – The Mamas and the Papas. A bit sugary for some but they were like the Seekers (before they became the New Seekers), only they could sing, and Monday, Monday was one of their best. 

Unfortunately I never saw them live but maybe that’s just as well, as when I see a group on TV either singing or more likely, their ‘Greatest Hits’ being advertised and I say that I’d seen them live, the kids roll about laughing. They think Abba was some post-war group (I suppose they were but very post-war) and Simply Red were something from the big-band era. Anyway it led me to think about the groups, bands, singers I’ve been privileged to see over the years.

My first wife, Fiona, and I used to go to some of the dingiest clubs in Glasgow but we still managed to see some of the best bands going. We saw Cream (with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton), Humble Pie (with Pete Frampton and Stevie Marriott) and The Dream Police, who were a Glasgow group who hit it big, albeit briefly.

When we’d grown up a bit we were privileged to see The Carpenters (yeah yeah, go on have a go) and then Abba (loving me loving you – ahaaaa) both in Glasgow. I’m sure they were fantastic concerts but strangely I only remember the Carpenters because Karen died a few years afterwards and I just thought it was such a waste of a talented life.

Later on I went to Wembley to see Simply Red and the thing that sticks in my mind, about 20 years later, is that as soon as the group struck the first note, the sound was so tight. It wasn’t like a group of guys on stage playing instruments. The sound that came from the stage was like a full orchestra on a record. The sound was that good. It was amazing.

A few years down the road I went to Wembley again to see Dire Straights and also Status Quo and only a few years ago, I took J and the kids to London to see Busted. It was great. The music, and singing, whilst nowhere near as good as their records, was still electric and the whole of Wembley arena was buzzing. The atmosphere was amazing – the kids loved it. A few months later the group split up so it turned out to be one of their last gigs.

And finally, last year, I saw Norah Jones in an outside concert but it was rubbish. She’d only made a couple of records I’d liked so once she’d sung those I was off – I was fed up standing. How times change?

So who would I like to see now. Well Girls Aloud of course. I would just sit (I hope) a be mesmerised by those gorgeous girls, especially Cheryl whom I’ve never forgiven for marrying that creep Cashley Cole (the footballer). I’d also like to see Take That (without Robbie) because the standard of Gary Barlow’s songwriting is terrific and the concert would be really professional. Who else? Well, Simply Red are probably just as good as when I saw them before because Mick Hucknall wouldn’t drop his musical standards and finally, I’d love to sit in the audience with Celine Dion (yup – I know) because she has the most amazing voice you’ve ever heard.

So there you go – Busted to Celine Dion. Who can beat that?