The Song For Today by Jimmie Oliver (free ebook reader for ipad TXT) 📖

Jamaican music was becoming vogue. More than merely a rant against the folly of the war in Vietnam, this anti-war song brought home the painful truth that many young men go off to war.....and never return.
{Also on this day, the Community Charge, or 'Poll Tax', is introduced in Scotland in 1989}

APRIL 2ND
What's Happening Brother? by Marvin Gaye (1971)
from the album What's Going On
Today marks the anniversary of the birth of marvellous Marvin Gaye in 1939. This troubled soul was one of the giant recording acts from the Motown factory of hits. Of particular note was his seminal long player of 1971 called 'What's Going On', which marked a new chapter in black music. Here was a cycle of songs which addressed the world and the parlous state that it was (and still is) in, hence the album title. At last a black recording star revealed his social conscience, and these black consciousness tracks were a welcome step away from the commercial formula of manufacturing dance records and love songs which ensured maximum airplay and reasonable sales. However, kudos and respect finally filtered through with Gaye's critically acclaimed 1971 project. I especially favour the second item on the album, arguably an extension of the title track, in which the singer, on top form, questions the listener about the development (or lack of it) of the human race. Mankind may have been deteriorating, but Marvin Gaye's quality recording most emphatically was not. This obscure gold nugget is marginally better than another outstanding Gaye album track, 'Just To Keep You Satisfied', from the 'Let's Get It On' recording.
{Also on this date, in 1982 Argentinian forces invade the Falkland Islands}

APRIL 3RD
Secret Love by Doris Day (1953)
from the soundtrack album Calamity Jane
Fifties icon Doris Day was born on this date in 1924. Day enjoyed a dual role as an actress (in the likes of 'Pillow Talk') and as a singer with such hits as 'Whatever Will Be Will Be'. Perhaps only Marilyn Monroe and then the emergence of Connie Francis could rival Doris Day's billing as the most prominent female in American show-business in the 1950s. Although many will argue in favour of 'Que Sera Sera', I suggest that the beautiful 'Secret Love' is the popular lady's finest recording. Taken from the soundtrack of her starring role in 'Calamity Jane', this smash hit occupied eight weeks at the top of the British singles chart at a time when there was still no such thing as rock 'n' roll or 'dance music'.
{Also on this day, the first mobile telephone call takes place in New York City in 1973}

APRIL 4TH
Coz I Luv You by Slade (1971)
available on the album Slade Smashes!
Dave Hill of Wolverhampton's greatest group, Slade, was born on this day in 1946. His band, originally a skinhead combo, re-invented themselves to be in the vanguard of what has come to be known as 'glam rock'. Slade were memorable on a number of levels. Firstly, they were the first performers in Britain to consistently hit the coveted Number One position on the same week that their singles were released. Secondly, they rather irritatingly liked to miss-spell their song titles, a move which probably only enhanced their street credibility with the 'yoof' crowd. 'Coz I Luv You' was the group's first chart-topper. It's not the typical rocker that the outfit were associated with, and yet it has an obvious charm. At a time when many musicians were starting to take themselves a bit too seriously, Slade's sing-along teenage anthems were perhaps a welcome and unpretentious diversion.
{Also on this date, in 1968 Martin Luther King is shot dead in a motel in Memphis}

APRIL 5TH
Negative Creep by Nirvana (1989)
from the album Bleach
On this day in 1994 whilst a rock icon was ending his life at the age of only 27, a cottage industry was born. Kurt Cobain dramatically blew out his brains, bringing to an end a musical career beset by both fame and personal torment. Thereafter, a multitude of magazine and newspaper articles, books, and documentaries attempted to unravel the enigma that was Kurt Cobain. Cobain by his own admission grew up as a nerd who subsequently became the idol of the disenfranchised youth of 'Generation X', for whom the 'American dream' was anathema. Cobain's group Nirvana started their own recording career with an album entitled 'Bleach', whose power chords and raw energy were a throwback to the heady days of punk rock, a dozen years earlier. A case in point was the track 'Negative Creep', which both revealed Cobain's sense of self-loathing and paved the way for the grunge music phenomenon, which was a sound that was the very antithesis of the expression 'easy listening'.
{Also on this day, Winston Churchill resigns as the British Prime Minister in 1955}

APRIL 6TH
Think For A Minute by The Housemartins (1986)
from the album London 0 Hull 4
Stan Cullimore of the Housemartins was born on this day in 1952. His group were architects of a soulful guitar music that flourished all too briefly. Before Paul Heaton sought refuge in the Beautiful South and Norman Cook re-invented himself as Fatboy Slim, Hull's finest band bequeathed an admirable legacy of tunes which can be unearthed on their 'best of' compilation called 'Now That's What I Call Quite Good'. I can still recall the 'Top Of The Pops' appearance for the excellent 'Think For A Minute'. The song boasts a tremendous instrumental break featuring the trumpet and drums, but when it was translated onto the television screen, the lads mockingly left a trumpet sitting atop the piano as a tongue-in-cheek reminder of the miming format of 'Top Of The Pops'. I also still remember that painful occasion when my mummy pointed out to this slow learner that the artists on 'Top Of The Pops' weren't actually playing their instruments at all. It was almost as disappointing as being informed that Santa Claus doesn't exist, apparently. Is that true?
{Also on this date, in 1998 Tammy Wynette dies at the age of fifty-five}

APRIL 7TH
Everlasting Love by The Love Affair (1968)
from the album Everlasting Love Affair
On this date in 1950 Steve Ellis was born. His group, the Love Affair were responsible for two of the best singles to decorate the British pop charts. First and foremost was 'Everlasting Love'. Right from the outset, the drums usher in an infectious song that ought to sweep away any listener on a tidal wave of emotion. If there was such a thing as Academy Awards for popular music, this chart-topper would be short-listed for Best Single of the 1960s, Best Number One of All-Time, and Greatest-Ever Love Song. Also worthy of note is 'Rainbow Valley', which was a commendable follow-up hit. However, against the gargantuan 'Everlasting Love' it pales into insignificance. To any of the younger generation who may not have heard this historic smash hit, I'm afraid that you've had a deprived upbringing.
{Also on this day, motor racing driver, Jim Clark, dies in a motor racing accident in 1968}

APRIL 8TH
Hey Jude by The Beatles (1968)
available on the album Past Masters, Volume Two
At the beginning of Beatlemania in 1963, Julian Lennon was born on this date. The baby was in some respects an encumbrance for his father, who along with his band-mates were wooing females everywhere with their exciting new sound. Consequently, John's marriage and child were hushed up, as the Beatles cultivated the somewhat false image of four eligible pop stars. Nevertheless, the young Julian would provide inspiration for two of the fab four's most notable recordings: 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' and 'Hey Jude'. John protested that the former was not an LSD tribute song, but rather a result of his little boy's drawing. I'll let the reader decide on the validity of this. Meanwhile, the creative mind of Paul McCartney drew upon his own assurances to the infant who was sad about the imminent break-up of his mum and dad. Before he knew it, Macca had formed yet another memorable chart-topper from his "Hey Jules, don't make it bad." Along sprang a lengthy, arms-swaying classic pop song which enjoyed a mere eight weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The flip side, 'Revolution', was perhaps the better track, but 'Hey Jude' was further evidence of Paul's ear for a commercial tune.
{Also on this date, in 1992 the tennis legend, Arthur Ashe, reveals that he has AIDS}

APRIL 9TH
So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright by Simon And Garfunkel (1970)
from the album Bridge Over Troubled Water
Renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright died on this day in 1959 at the age of ninety-one. He would remarkably provide the subject material for a Simon And Garfunkel composition a decade later. Following immediately after the equally stunning 'The Only Living Boy In New York', this tune is one of the handful of songs from the 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' project that didn't receive much recognition. Clearly the huge-selling long player featured a few major hits, notably the title track which became a Transatlantic Number One. Nevertheless, the tribute to the departed architect is a superb exposition of the duo's irresistible harmonies - at least until the harmonies evolved into disharmony. Here is a recording that feeds off a combination of a strings arrangement, acoustic guitar, and vocals. As a result, it works like a charm.
{Also on this day, John Major's Conservative Party win the 1992 British general election}

APRIL 10TH
Elephant Stone by The Stone Roses (1988)
available on the album Turns Into Stone
Ace sticksman Alan 'Reni' Wren was born on this date in 1964. He would become the latest in a growing line of Mancunian musical heroes. It's well known that Manchester is depicted as a city of rain, the very embodiment of the 'it's grim oop north' myth. However, the advent of a succession of new wave and indie stars conspired to transform Manchester into the most attractive city in Britain - at least in the eyes of the young generation. At the forefront of the 'Madchester' era of the late 1980s were the Stone Roses. These four young men proceeded to record some of the most jaw-dropping tracks that ever graced popular music. A prime illustration of this is the single 'Elephant Stone' which hurtles along at a frantic pace, thus