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

/> Darren Emerson, the disc jockey contributor to the Underworld music project, was born on this day back in 1971 in Hornchurch. His group's biggest claim to fame is their unforgettable input into the soundtrack of the cult classic 'Trainspotting' movie. The item in question, 'Born Slippy.NUXX' is one of those catchy, infectious recordings that has struck a chord with everyone who has had the supreme good fortune to hear it. This anthem of doomed youth, finding solace in unprescribed 'medication', is one of the leading contenders for the best song of the 'nineties. It's simply one of those dance tracks that only paralysed people could possibly fail to move their body too.
{Also on this date, President Clinton visits Northern Ireland in 1995}

MAY 1ST
You Do by McAlmont And Butler (1995)
from the album The Sound Of McAlmont And Butler
If 'Born Slippy.NUXX' is one of the anthems of the 1990s, then McAlmont and Butler's 'You Do' can lay a credible claim to be the best love song of this decade. Bernard Butler had enjoyed chart success with Suede before stepping away from the comfort zone of a group and chancing his arm in a duet. Butler was born on this date in 1970 in Stamford Hill, east London. In addition to his guitar contribution, Butler also co-produced this modern romantic classic with Mike Hedges. Let it not be said that love songs are the exclusive preserve of 'fifties crooners. This epic composition, the duo's second hit single, suggests otherwise.
{Also on this day, in 1960 Gary Powers is shot down over the Soviet Union}

MAY 2ND
We Do What We're Told(Milgram's 37) by Peter Gabriel (1986)
from the album So
Lurking amongst the nine recordings that comprised Peter Gabriel's highly acclaimed 'So' album, there lay a terrifying vision of life in a totalitarian dictatorship. Appearing two years after 1984, here was a song which was the audio equivalent of George Orwell's frightening peep into the future, with his seminal publication of 1948. This penultimate track is short, but far from sweet, as a mass of voices pledge their commitment to "do what we're told", rather like human robots. This extraordinary piece of music makes for uncomfortable listening and yet it is compelling. It encapsulates the admirable Gabriel's desire to offer thought-provoking music and stretch the listener with new sounds. Contributing to this disturbing item is Gabriel's regular guitarist David Rhodes, who was born this day in 1956. Rhodes weighed in with his six-stringed instrument on such tunes as 'Sledgehammer', 'Red Rain', and the wondrous 'Games Without Frontiers'.
{Also on this date, HMS Conqueror sinks the General Belgrano in 1982}

MAY 3RD
December 1963(Oh,What A Night) by The Four Seasons (1975)
from the album Who Loves You
Oh what a song. Early 1976 was a very special time for me, as I remember: oh what a song. Actually, I have few recollections of the music scene in my infant years, and it would be thirteen years before I acquainted myself with this wonderful dance-floor smash hit. It was the group's only British chart-topper. The Four Seasons had reached the summit of the Billboard charts more than a dozen years earlier, but they could not cope with the burden of providing the American challenge to the Beatles and the ensuing 'British invasion'. Therefore, the toe-tapping treat that is 'December 1963' was a most welcome return to top form. Frankie Valli was born on this day in 1934. He has recently joined fellow performer Steven Van Zandt in 'The Sopranos'. With Al Martino previously guesting on 'The Godfather', one could be forgiven for thinking that the appearance of musicians in these Mafia situations was a case of art imitating life.
{Also on this day, Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives win the 1979 general election}

MAY 4TH
Aint No Mountain High Enough by Diana Ross (1970)
from the album Diana Ross
Any misconception that Diana Ross would fail to flourish in the absence of her Supremes' umbilical cord was truly demolished by this stunning love song. It is more than merely a syrupy helping of romance, but an up-tempo recording which belongs in both disco compilations and in the greatest-ever love songs' category. This piece of pop from the very top drawer comes courtesy of the prolific song-writing duo of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Today is the anniversary of Ashford's birthday in 1942 in South Carolina. This composer was also responsible for co-producing The Supremes' collaboration with the Temptations, entitled 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me', as well as co-producing this American chart-topper.
{Also on this date, in 1982 HMS Sheffield is crippled by an Argentine Exocet missile}

MAY 5TH
Concrete Jungle by The Specials (1981)
from the album Dance Craze
This urban social commentary originally formed part of the Specials' impressive debut album, but an infinitely superior version surfaced eighteen months later on the 'Dance Craze' soundtrack. It epitomises all that was good about the British ska revival, namely a frantically paced rhythm, alongside lyrics that wailed of injustice, violence, and danger on the inner-city streets of the UK. The Specials were the leading artists of the remarkable Two Tone Records independent label, and they counted amongst their number Roddy Radiation, the lead guitarist. He was born as Roderick James Byers on this day in 1955. Coventry's finest septet scored no fewer than seven out of seven for their releases which made the British Top Ten, including two Number Ones, but with the success of 'Ghost Town', three members exited the combo to form the Funboy Three. Consequently, Radiation and the remaining three were never able to re-capture the magic of this item, one of the greatest live recordings in pop history.
{Also on this day, the SAS storm the Iranian embassy in London in 1980}

MAY 6TH
Great Balls Of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis (1957)
available on the album Golden Hits Of Jerry Lee Lewis
Otis Blackwell who penned hits for the likes of Elvis Presley and Jimmy Jones fell permanently asleep on this date in 2002 at the age of 69. Perhaps his most famous composition was 'Great Balls Of Fire' by the uncompromising, dyed-in-the-wool rock 'n' roller Jerry Lee Lewis. One of the greatest icons of the 1950s, Jerry Lee was no stranger to controversy. Mind you, when you marry your thirteen-year-old cousin, then you are courting infamy. Jerry Lee never enjoyed the sustained chart success that characterised Elvis Presley's career, but in terms of charisma, he had few equals. 'Great Balls Of Fire' is his signature tune and the only British chart-topper he achieved. The song revolves around Jerry Lee's moral dilemma over playing rock 'n' roll (the devil's music) and therefore incurring Hell's balls of fire when his time on Earth is over. Aside from the religious turmoil that afflicted Lewis's soul but which never compromised his lifestyle, this single showcases his trademark 'pumping piano'.
{Also on this date, Roger Bannister runs the mile in under 4 minutes in 1954}

MAY 7TH
What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted by Jimmy Ruffin (1966)
from the album Jimmy Ruffin Sings Top Ten
Jimmy Ruffin was born on this day in 1939 in Mississippi. His three minutes of fame came courtesy of a great soul recording which penetrated the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This song has such enduring appeal both in the music and the sentiments of the lyrics that it still receives extensive radio airplay four decades after it became the latest Tamla Motown success story. However, what became of Jimmy Ruffin?
{Also on this day, Willy Brandt resigns as West Germany's Chancellor in 1974}

MAY 8TH
Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) by Talking Heads (1980)
from the album Remain In Light
In 1980 the Talking Heads enchanted music listeners with their characteristically bizarre 'Remain In Light' project. These 'far out' New Yorkers could scarcely be accused of delivering songs that all sounded alike. One noteworthy creation was the album's opening track, driven on by an energetic percussion. There is something indescribably appealing about this recording which frankly slips into the monotonous refrain of "Goes on/And the heat goes on." Chart material, it wasn't. Compulsive listening, it was. Other album highlights included 'Houses In Motion' and the hit single 'Once In A Lifetime'. One of the quartet, drummer Chris Frantz, was born on this date in 1951. His group continued to offer the occasional jewel, but perhaps 'Remain In Light' represented their creative peak.
{Also on this date, the SAS kill 8 IRA men in an ambush in Loughgall in 1987}

MAY 9TH
Uptown Girl by Billy Joel (1983)
from the album An Innocent Man
It took Billy Joel's fabulous 'Uptown Girl' to dislodge Culture Club's 'Karma Chameleon' from the Number One spot in Britain, no mean feat given that the latter would wind up as the biggest-selling single of 1983. Joel's only UK chart-topper was a far distance from his effort 'Piano Man', released a full decade earlier. 'Uptown Girl' was assisted by a memorable video during which Joel's eye-catching other half (the model Christie Brinkley) joins Joel and various dancers for an excellent choreography routine. It is no exaggeration to state that this smash was one of the great dance-floor tunes of the 'eighties. The artist responsible, Billy Joel, was born this day in 1949 in the Bronx in New York.
{Also on this day, in 1974 impeachment hearings begin against President Nixon}

MAY 10TH
Desire by U2 (1988)
from the album Rattle And Hum
Mr. Paul Hewson, alternately known as Bono, surfaced on planet earth on this date in 1960 in Dublin. By the mid-eighties, he and his buddies in U2 were well on their way towards world domination. Bono always prided himself on lyrics and songs that were a bit more thought-provoking and soul-searching than the standard rock formula of female conquests and/or feeling the blues from unrequited love. U2, one could counter, were a group that took themselves far too seriously. Mind you, the record-buying public didn't seem too bothered. They simply proceeded to their nearest music retail outlet and purchased