Beautiful

Pelé. The greatest player of all time. And that's not up for debate. His CV ran to two words: 'Footballer. Humanitarian'. The beautiful game - a phrase he may or may not have coined - described the sport he'd loved from a young boy to the day he died. And he was a beautiful man. He fought tirelessly for the poor in his native Brazil and when he stood on the world stage as part of the UN, always with a smile on his face, people listened.

In a playing career that spanned three decades (he started professionally with Santos in 1956 and bowed out in 1977 whilst with the New York Cosmos) he scored over 1200 goals, including 92 for his country between 1957 & 1971.

Famously, on 19 November 1969 the player born Edson Arantes do Nascimento found the back of the net for the 1,000th time during a league game at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. 

...

However, here's a sure fire goal (seemingly) you won't see in Pelé's stats; thanks to a truly miraculous save from England's Gordon Banks in the Mexico 70 World Cup. This was my first World Cup and, like millions of others around the world, glued to their TV sets, I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. Cue David Coleman...

Pelé (1940-2022)

Get Beck

Beatles cover versions are ten a penny. Some good, some, er, not so good. Plus ça change. As with any reworking of someone else's song, unless you're bringing something new to the table, it's probably wise to stay the hell away.

Jeff Beck knew the rules. As did Jan Hammer. Listen to them giving the B side to I Feel Fine a right seeing to. I love this. It first appeared on Beck's second solo studio album Blow by Blow in '73. But it was a couple of years later when I first became aware of it (albeit in a live setting) when Fluff Freeman would play Beck and Hammer's album to death on his Saturday afternoon rock show. Not 'arf!

★

Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group - She's a Woman (1977)

Flying Squad

Sydney Sweeney is an accomplished American actress. Her multifarious, not to mention award winning, work spanning film and TV include Once Upon a Time in Hollywood & The Handmaid's Tale. She's also an honorary Rolling Stone; you guessed it, she was in that video. Los Angeles motorists on the road that day still dine out on her iconic drive down Sunset Boulevard.  

Jaune

With maybe the exception of James Brown, smooth jazz torch carrier Bob James has probably been sampled more often than anybody on the planet. And mainly by the hip hop fraternity: it's been said, on more than one occasion, that hip hop owes a massive debt of gratitude to this most unlikely outlier. His numerically sequenced albums One, Two, Three & BJ4 released between 1974 and 1977 have been mined mercilessly. 

★

But it's this song that he's probably still best known for. Here's a quite beautiful pared back arrangement of the theme from Taxi.

Bob James - Angela

Buí

EC was here

My rudimentary knowledge of Elvis Costello has always lead me to believe that whenever he picks up a guitar, sparks will fly. That was certainly the case in 1977, the year he unleashed his debut album My Aim is True: a tour de force, for sure, and a platter I remember featuring  during our Vinyl Sessions at the Carousel.

★

Likewise in February 1989 during the  course of a mere three songs (all from 'Spike') he sets out his intent from the get go and delivers a quite staggering session for Dutch radio.

Amarillo

A huge regret of mine is never having seen Michael Nesmith (with or without his trademark woolly hat); when the Monkees got back together for the first time in the late 80s (riding high on the wave of an MTV revival of their 60s TV show) I was lucky enough to see them live - with a full band but sans Nesmith - at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham. I still have the programme somewhere.

If you haven't already, his solo work is well worth digging out: you won't be disappointed. I love this next song. I also love its title. If you don't know what propinquity means, look it up (it's fascinating. And far reaching). Nesmith's song explores the propinquity effect. It's been covered loads, not least by fellow Monkee Micky Dolenz, but Nesmith's rendition (below) is utterly beguiling.

Michael Nesmith - Propinquity (1971)

★

Michael Nesmith (1942-2021)

Kimanjano

In September 1970, shortly after leaving the Impressions, Curtis Mayfield released his first solo album. Simply titled Curtis it documented the social changes that were happening around that time; music historians will note that it predated (by over six months) Marvin Gaye's What's Going On? - a platter that plowed a similar political furrow. But Curtis had a groove all its own. How could it not? An edited version of this next song dominated the charts and over 50 years later remains a bona fide soul classic. However, this is how it was meant to be heard...

Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up (Extended Version)

★

Curtis Mayfield (1942-1999)

Galbinus (somewhat yellow)

Reading Charity Chic's guest1 blog the other day I was taken with the photograph of August Darnell wearing a rather snazzy yellow jacket. It put me in mind of the guy whose photo I took a couple of weeks ago at #Pride in Nottingham. The coolest dude I'd seen all day, by a country mile.

Not many men can get away with wearing yellow; a while ago now I took a series of selfies of me in a yellow shirt standing in front of various yellow doors. I really must pick that one up again - it was great fun. But I digress. So who can get away with yellow? Well, for me, it all comes down to one2 man. And that man is Mick Jagger.

The above photo was taken in 1974 with his then ball & chain, Mrs. Bianca Jagger. They were married in 1971 but hit the rocks in '78; rumour has it they got joint custody of the wardrobe. 

Here he is wearing more garments that are neither custard nor mustard. Suit you, sir! 

1. I very nearly submitted this to the great CC, but I've already promised him that my first guest spot will be when I finally get round to recounting my Rocket from the Crypt story and the time I saw them at King Tut's in Glasgow.

2. Not Freddie bloody Mercury in his Live Aid bolero jacket.

Yellow

DELIVERING FLOWERS

Today's offering, in true Sesame Street style, is brought to you by the colour yellow. Three photographs - two shot in Nottingham during the recent Christmas break, and the third of my daughter-in- law's footwear taken in Manchester sometime last year. The idea to show them together is kind of obvious and I think (well, I would say this wouldn't I?) pleasing to the eye. Unless, heaven forbid, you suffer from Xanthophobia.

NG - ONE

YELLOW LINES

I came very close to choosing The Race by Yello to sign off today, but thought it a tad obvious; though, ironically, Behind the Wheel by Depeche Mode (seen here in yellow vinyl), I think, more than tips its hat to Yello's Vicious Games. It's a small world. And yellow.

Depeche Mode - Behind the Wheel (1987)