The Song For Today by Jimmie Oliver (ebook reader with highlight function .TXT) 📕

AUGUST 28TH
Always The Sun by The Stranglers (1986)
from the album Dreamtime
Johnny Rotten may have scoffed that they were short-haired hippies, whilst their sound was sometimes a bit too reminiscent of the Doors, but the Stranglers contributed many fabulous recordings which still merit attention. Classic punk tunes such as 'Peaches' and 'Get A Grip On Yourself' were followed by the remarkable interpretation of 'Walk On By' and the outstanding 'Golden Brown'. However, my own preference is for 'Always The Sun' which sounds nothing like the new wave wonders that the band are usually associated with. With a message not unlike 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life', Hugh Cornwell and the gang remind us that in spite of all the disappointments and negativity in our lives, "there's always the sun." Well, at least in hot countries, there's always the sun. I trust that this brilliant tune is not an endorsement of that awful Sun 'newspaper'. Anyhow, Hugh Cornwell, the group's lead vocalist, was born on this date back in 1949. Cornwell's colourful life has included a B.A in biochemistry from Bristol University and a stint in Pentonville Prison.
{Also on this date, in 1996 Prince Charles and Princess Diana are officially divorced}

AUGUST 29TH
I Can't Help It by Michael Jackson (1979)
from the album Off The Wall
In my semi-humble opinion, 'Off The Wall' is marginally superior to Michael Jackson's next two albums, 'Thriller' and 'Bad'. From this outstanding long player, I am favourably disposed to the tremendous dance song 'Rock With You' as well as the title track, but the gold medal should be awarded to the lesser-known recording, 'I Can't Help It'. Not only is it one of the great, undiscovered love songs, but aside from the singer's helpless infatuation, the music is just sheer beauty. The lyrics include: "like a trip to Heaven", and when you hear the sumptuous strings that decorate this item, you know exactly what the singer means. Not even 'One Day in Your Life' can quite compare. Michael Jackson was born on this day in 1958 in Indiana. He's one of the world's greatest singers, but a fragile and odd human being.
{Also on this day, the actress Ingrid Bergman dies in 1982 on her 67th birthday}

AUGUST 30TH
International Jet Set by The Specials (1980)
from the album More Specials
Detractors might point out that the Specials' second album was a retreat from their frenetic ska sound towards a more pseudo-sophisticated 'muzak' that belonged in supermarkets. This is missing the point that 'More Specials' possessed thrilling dance songs like 'Sock It To Em JB' (their James Bond tribute) and the instrumental 'Holiday Fortnight'. However, for me, a leading contender for the single of the decade comes from the extraordinary, penultimate track, 'International Jet Set'. Probably drawing upon their experience of transatlantic flights earlier in the year, the group deliver a superb musical soundtrack to a celebrity (played by Terry Hall) bemoaning his jet set lifestyle. This remarkable offering formed one half of a Double A-side with the admirable 'Stereotype', and it found its way into the UK Top Ten in the autumn of 1980. One word of warning should be issued: If you have a fear of flying, then you won't want to hear the end of this song. Bass guitarist and author of 'Ska'd For Life', Horace Panter was born on this date in 1953 in Croydon, south London.
{Also on this date, in 1984 the Space Shuttle Discovery begins its first voyage}

AUGUST 31ST
Ballerina by Van Morrison (1968)
from the album Astral Weeks
Van Morrison's album 'Astral Weeks' is an acquired taste. It is one of those records that didn't shift many copies, yet it has won many admirers among various music critics ever since. I have belatedly warmed to its eight tracks. 'The Way Young Lovers Do' is a marvellous up-tempo number, but it is probably overshadowed by the lovely 'Ballerina'. With a truly beautiful musical accompaniment, Van sounds so vulnerable with his line: "If somebody, not just anybody, should wish to get close to you...for instance me babe." Van has continued to accumulate considerable acclaim for his subsequent projects, but 'Astral Weeks' is arguably his finest effort. Today also happens to be the anniversary of the birth in 1945 of 'Van The Man', alternatively known as George Ivan Morrison.
{Also on this day, Princess Diana dies in a car crash in Paris in 1997, aged 36}

SEPTEMBER 1ST
Beat Surrender by The Jam (1982)
available on the album Snap!
'Beat Surrender' was the Jam's swansong. The formidable three had announced their break-up and then subsequently chose to release this item as their final single. Far from being a tearful goodbye, the lads bow out with an energetic tune, assisted by the presence of a horns section. Such is the British record buyer's taste in music that the group's fourth chart-topper was evicted from the chart summit by Renee And Renato's vastly different 'Save Your Love'. The band's bass player, Bruce Foxton, was born on this date in 1955 in the Home Counties locality of Woking. Unlike Paul Weller, Foxton's flirtation with fame terminated with the end of the Jam.
{Also on this date, in 1969 Colonel Gaddafi leads a successful coup in Libya}

SEPTEMBER 2ND
Can't You Hear Me Knocking by The Rolling Stones (1971)
from the album Sticky Fingers
A number of candidates have been suggested as who was the fifth Beatle. One theory is that Billy Preston's presence at the 'Let It Be' recording sessions transformed the fab four into a briefly multi-cultural quintet. Preston, famed for his contribution to the 'Get Back' single then gave service as a session musician to the Rolling Stones. Their collaboration on the brilliant 'Sticky Fingers' album culminated in the superb 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking'. Mocked by a few people as a bit over-indulgent, this track evolves into a protracted jam in which the organ of Billy Preston and the saxophone of Bobby Keys are very much to the fore of the instrumental second half of this composition. This song is at least on a par with the other great cuts from this excellent long player, which includes such treats as 'Brown Sugar', 'I Got The Blues', and 'Moonlight Mile'. Billy Preston was born on this day in 1946. He went on to deliver a huge smash with a duet alongside Syreeta called 'With You I'm Born Again' as well as the hit single, 'That's The Way God Planned It.'
{Also on this day, the British entertainer Roy Castle dies in 1994, aged 62}

SEPTEMBER 3RD
Something Else by The Sex Pistols (1979)
available on the album Flogging A Dead Horse
In the absence of the departed Johnny Rotten, budding star Sid Vicious stepped up to the microphone and offered a few admirable cover versions. One such Sid karaoke classic was his rendition of the late Eddie Cochran's 'Somethin' Else'. This storming rocker benefits from the guitar work of that nice, polite Steve Jones. Jones, a former cat burglar, was born on this date back in 1955 in Shepherd's Bush, west London. Having previously helped himself apparently to some of the contents of the Keith Richards and David Bowie households, Jones would star beside Sid Vicious in the Malcolm McLaren-dominated movie, 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'. 'Something Else' forms part of the film's soundtrack, and it deservedly found itself subsequently occupying a lofty position in the UK Top Ten in the immediate aftermath of the death of Sid. Jones's other great claim to infamy was his rather amusing, foul-mouthed outburst at Bill Grundy on television which sparked nationwide fury against the 'offensive' Sex Pistols in early December 1976.
{Also on this date, the eBay internet site is created in 1995 in California}

SEPTEMBER 4TH
Middle Of The Road by The Pretenders (1984)
available on the album The Singles
This marvellous tune proved that there was life after Jimmy and Pete. In spite of the obvious need for changes in personnel, the Pretenders managed to soldier on with the occasional gem. One particular highlight is the single, 'Middle Of The Road', which contained in its accompanying video a portrayal of the group appearing on television, whereupon their performance is curtailed by a spoof demonstration. Today is the anniversary of the birth in 1951 in Hereford of the drummer, Martin Chambers. Chambers later left the Pretenders, having not been able to acclimatise in the absence of the deceased Farndon and Honeyman-Scott. He eventually resumed his position several years later at the drums to revive his association with Chrissie Hynde.
{Also on this day, Mark Spitz wins his 7th gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics}

SEPTEMBER 5TH
Who Wants To Live Forever by Queen (1986)
from the album A Kind Of Magic
Showman par excellence Freddie Mercury was born this day in 1946 in Zanzibar. Although his band Queen enjoyed the bulk of their success on the back of their 'seventies projects, the fabulous foursome made a welcome return to form with the 'A Kind Of Magic' album. Following fast behind their triumphant appearance at Live Aid, the group offered such new delights as 'Friends Will Be Friends', 'One Year Of Love', and the marvellous title track. However, I would argue that the long player's best song and most poignant moments arise from the item, 'Who Wants To Live Forever'. Mercury would only survive this particular recording by five years, and its lyrics could almost serve as a fitting epitaph. This giant of a tune is one of the highlights of the 1980s, alongside their previous hits 'Radio Ga Ga' and 'I Want To Break Free'.
{Also on this date, Palestinian gunmen seize 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics}

SEPTEMBER 6TH
Another Brick In The Wall, Part II by Pink Floyd (1979)
from the album The Wall
Pink Floyd's bass guitarist, chief composer, and unofficial leader, Roger Waters, was born on this particular date back in 1943 in Surrey. A few months later, his father, Eric Fletcher Waters, would lose his life during the ill-fated Anzio landings, south of Rome, in early 1944. The death of his father