5.15

I was lucky enough to see The 'Oo twice. The first time with Keith Moon (Charlton '76) and then again at Wembley in '79 with Kenney Jones. The Number One Son then picked up the baton in 2007 at his first (and last - he came back with trench-foot) Glastonbury when Ringo Jnr. was thumping the pagan skins.

Google will probably prove me wrong, but I'm (almost) certain they played this at all 3 gigs.

Have you got 4 together?

If George Harrison was feeling mischievous when asked for his autograph he'd often sign not just his own moniker, but those of John, Paul and Ringo too.

I wonder if he did mine?

The number of the counting shall be 3

When the late Stephane Grappelli recently turned up in EMI's vaults lurking on Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, it was likened to finding The Holy Grail. Grappelli had been working in Abbey Road Studios at the same time as the Floyd and was asked to come in and play with the band. Upon the album's release they said he'd been lost in the mix; more likely Gilmour and Waters had a fight about whose idea it had been and then dropped the veteran jazzer's deft solo altogether. Shame it's taken over 35 years to resurface.

(Grappelli comes in, beautifully, at 3:06)

1972

 Brew?

In 1972 The Sweet came of age. Bubblegum was visible only through the rear view mirror and Glam was fast approaching. They fulfilled over 120 dates that year, not only in this country but many in mainland Europe; Germany, Holland and Sweden would prove to be very lucrative markets for Messrs. Connolly, Priest, Scott and Tucker.

So with a set list that still included Poppa Joe, Co-Co and Little Willy, the RCA recording stars were still trying to find a running order that combined the lightweight pop they were known for and the heavier stuff you'd find if you flipped any of their singles over. (Wig Wam Bam wouldn't be released 'til September). The perfect vehicle to bridge the two distinct elements of their set was a Who medley - My Generation would eventually turn up on Desolation Boulevard - giving Andy Scott the chance to emulate his guitar hero, Pete Townshend. In fact, were it not for Brian Connolly's antics a couple of years later, The Sweet would have supported The Who at Charlton in '74. But that's another story.

The Sweet - I Can't Explain (1971)

1.1

It started at midnight; the first of the first. 2012 was a blank canvas. Only it's not anymore. It's just a snapshot in time. Already people have died, many more have been born and world events are skipping along at quite a pace. One may be the loneliest number. But not for long.