Last night was George Michael night on X Factor – a particularly ill-starred night as far as the contestants went, with a number of duff performances.
Yet again, Joe McElderry was the star of the show with his version of Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me. As Louis Walsh – Mr Rulebook for this year’s X Factor – pointed out, it’s technically an Elton John track and not a George Michael one. George only guested on it.
Surprisingly, though, none of the judges picked up on the fact that Stacy Solomon also sang a technically ‘illegal’ song. I Can’t Make You Love Me was indeed recorded by George Michael, as part of Double A Side back in 1997 with Older, but that was a cover version.
The original rendition was recorded by Bonnie Raitt. Clearly Louis, Cheryl, Dannii and Simon don’t know their music as well as they think they do.
If you ask someone to name a great drummer, chances are they’ll plump for the likes of John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Neil Peart or even Ringo Starr (!).
It’s unlikely that the drummer they suggest will be Bernard “Pretty” Purdie. Which is a shame, because the guy is the world’s most recorded drummer ever.
He’s sat behind the drums on more than 3000 albums, playing for the likes of Aretha Franklin, Donnie Hathaway, Isaac Hayes, Rolling Stones, James Brown and Tom Jones.
Still not convinced? Watch this video of him drumming. He is one cool guy and you’ll come away with a biiiig smile.
Posted on the October 25th, 2009 under music by rob
I remember well when The Proclaimers burst onto the scene in the mid-1980s. Even though they looked as if they should be mocked with their geeky specs and extraordinarily strong accents, there was something undeniably compelling about their music.
Most people remember ‘(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles’ and ‘Letter From America’, which was, indeed, their breakout hit and the one that firmly entrenched them into the hearts of most British music-lovers.
However, I was always more taken with one of their follow-up tracks, Sunshine On Leith. Far more poignant and elegiac, it seemed to sum up the Proclaimers for me far better.
The only recording I ever had of it was a dodgy home-taping from a R1 Simon Mayo show (I know because his voice comes in over the start of the song), so I finally downloaded it recently and can’t stop listening to it. If you’ve never heard it before, or even haven’t for a long time, give it a listen. Beautiful.
She follows Siobhan Donaghy (who left in 2001) and Mutya Buena (said bye in 2005) – both of who have attempted solo careers with less than spectacular results.
What’s more bewildering is that Heidi Range and Amelle Berribah are going to continue as the Sugababes, seamlessly replacing Keisha with Jade Ewen, last year’s failed UK Eurovision entrant.
Am I the only one who finds this just a little bit strange? How can a group that has none of its original members honestly pretend that they’re the real thing?
Some time last year, The Temptations appeared on Jonathan Ross’ Friday night show and, as fantastic as they were, it was a shock to discover that only one of the five was an original member – at least one was there, though.
There are numerous versions of the Drifters in existence on the tour circuit and surely they can’t all contain an original member, while the Beach Boys play in about three different incarnations, although not all by the proper name.
I suppose there will be money for the Sugababes in around 10 years when the original three decide to reunite and warble some of their early hits, but in the meantime this latest chapter in their history sums up how deceptive the music industry really is.
Anyway, here’s a video of the original line-up performing Overload, back in 2000
I remember well when The Proclaimers burst onto the scene in the mid-1980s. Even though they looked as if they should be mocked with their geeky specs and extraordinarily strong accents, there was something undeniably compelling about their music. 
It was inevitable, but yesterday 
