Latest news with #HammersmithOdeon
The Guardian
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Aretha Franklin hits notes that bring me to shivering tears of ecstasy': Mick Hucknall's honest playlist
The first single I bought One of the first albums I bought was Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones; the first single was The Last Time. I was about 11 when my dad bought me my first record player, and I wore it out by listening to it so much. The first song I fell in love with My first love was an unrequited crush. I heard Let's Stay Together by Al Green on the radio, went out and bought it, and played it over and over to heal the pain of teenage rejection. The song that changed my life I Want to Hold Your Hand by the Beatles was the first song I remember performing. It was when I was about six, with a band at a wedding. I've since been told that I was singing even younger than that. A friend of ours was a landlady in a pub, and she used to stand me up on the bar when I was about three and have me sing to customers. Those Beatles double LPs, the red and the blue, 1962-66 and 1967-70, were among the first albums I bought when I was a kid. The song that is my karaoke go-to Papa Don't Take No Mess by James Brown, who is probably the most influential figure in the history of recorded music. The first gig we did as Simply Red, right after we signed our contract, was opening for him at Hammersmith Odeon. I remember him watching from the side of the stage with curlers in. The song I inexplicably know every lyric to Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two) by British songwriter Harry Dacre from 1892. I'm enamoured with some of the old songs. The melody just glues in your head and the lyric is beautifully visual. The song I can no longer listen to Mother by John Lennon. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is a stark masterpiece. This song is a little too close to the mark. The song that I secretly like, but tell everyone I hate 24 hours from Tulsa by Gene Pitney. The recording is tinny, even for the 60s. His nasal approach to the voice exacerbates that. However, that has its own charm too. It's an excellent song. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion The song that makes me cry There are moments in Mary, Don't You Weep by Aretha Franklin where the first lady of soul hits notes that bring me to shivering tears of ecstasy. A monumental performance. The song that gets me up in the morning Ravi Shankar has been my alarm clock for a few years. I've got his entire catalogue on shuffle and that's the first thing I hear every morning to get me ready to face the day. Simply Red tour Ireland and the UK from 23 September.
Forbes
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Bob Marley Charts A Brand New Top 10 Album
Bob Marley returns to Billboard's Reggae Albums chart with Uprising, which debuts at No. 9 thanks to ... More a new anniversary reissue, joining Legend and Exodus. Bob Marley performs on stage, Hammersmith Odeon, London, United Kingdom, June 1976. (Photo by Erica Echenberg/Redferns) *** Local Caption *** Bob Marley almost never strays from the top spot on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart. Along with his backing band, the Wailers, the superstar's Legend compilation has ruled for 286 of the 287 frames it has spent on the tally. It's not unusual for the iconic musician to claim more than one spot on the short roster, either. What is fairly unusual, however, is for Marley to score a new appearance on the Reggae Albums list, as he's been gone for decades – but that's exactly what he manages this time around. Uprising Debuts Inside the Top 10 Uprising, credited to both Marley and the Wailers, debuts at No. 9 on this week's Reggae Albums chart. It's the only new arrival this time around. Best of Shaggy: The Boombastic Collection by Shaggy reenters the list in the runner-up spot, hitting its all-time peak as it does. Bob Marley's Final Album Uprising was the final full-length released during Marley's lifetime. The collection dropped in June 1980, and although fans have been familiar with it for decades, it has only now performed well enough to appear on the Reggae Albums ranking. The project was recently reissued to celebrate its forty-fifth anniversary, pressed on a limited-edition vinyl filled with what was described as 'liquid sunshine.' The collectible nature of that pressing is likely largely responsible for Uprising finally landing on the Reggae Albums tally. Bob Marley Claims Three Spots on the Reggae Chart Marley fills three spaces on the 10-spot Reggae Albums chart this week. In addition to Uprising, Legend is once again ruling, while Exodus dips from No. 9 to No. 10. Among those three titles, only Legend appears on any other Billboard rankings at the moment. This week, it falls on both the Top Album Sales ranking and the Billboard 200, slipping to Nos. 40 and 65, respectively. Legend Nears 900 Weeks on the Billboard 200 While Legend doesn't appear anywhere near the top 10 on those other lists, as it does on the reggae-only tally, it has spent many hundreds of weeks on both Billboard's list of the bestselling titles in the country and the all-encompassing ranking of the most consumed albums. The compilation — one of the most successful of all time in America — will likely reach 900 weeks on the Billboard 200 in a little over a month. When it does, it will become one of only two titles to make it to that milestone.
Telegraph
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Bruce Springsteen: My first UK gig was so bad I got PTSD
Bruce Springsteen has said his first concert in the UK was so bad that he got post-traumatic stress disorder. The Grammy-winning American singer, 75, will appear in a new BBC documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of his 1975 Hammersmith Odeon gig. In an interview for the film, titled When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, the Born in the USA star said he was so disappointed in his performance that he couldn't watch the footage back for more than 30 years. Springsteen said: 'I went to a party that was supposed to celebrate my triumph, but I felt I'd been terrible and so I was embarrassed to even go in. I went in for a few minutes, couldn't stand myself being there, went out, ran back to the hotel, sat in my lonely room under a big black cloud, ate whatever I had and went to bed… I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show!' The singer, who was 26 at the time, performed at a sold-out Hammersmith Odeon – now the Eventim Apollo – with the E Street Band as part of the European premiere of the Born to Run album. The singer, from New Jersey, said he had been dismayed to see posters at the venue which proclaimed 'Finally London is ready for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band' after his record label had billed him as the next Bob Dylan. Fortunately, his second gig at the same venue one week later proved a triumph, but he did not return to the UK for another six years. Elsewhere in the one-hour documentary, Springsteen recalled his first trip to Newcastle for his 1981 The River Tour, which also saw him perform for six nights in Wembley Arena. 'It was huge for us to go to Newcastle,' he said, adding: 'All I knew was, Newcastle – The Animals! I was one of the biggest Animals fans, and to this day still am.' In the BBC Two programme, Springsteen also talks about his memories of first hearing a Beatles song and his 'love of all things British' in the 1960s. Other musicians also feature, including the English musician Sting, the E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt and the singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel. The programme celebrates Springsteen's UK tour last year and his awards, such as the highest honour at the Ivor Novello Awards – a fellowship of the songwriting academy. The BBC documentary promises to 'lift the lid on his early visits to the UK,' according to Rachel Davies, the BBC Music commissioning editor. She added: 'Bruce Springsteen is not only a global music icon, but he's an honorary Brit here in the UK. He's become one of our own.' Springsteen, whose career has spanned six decades and included 21 studio albums as well as an Oscar, a Tony and 20 Grammys, became the first international star to receive the prestigious music fellowship. He has also recently announced the release of seven new 'lost albums' of unreleased songs he has recorded over a 35-year period. Tracks II: The Lost Albums, to be released in June, includes 83 tracks recorded by Springsteen between 1983 and 2018. When Bruce Springsteen Came To Britain will be broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in May.
