Wednesday 30th June 2004 [Posted Wednesday, June 30 2004 by MC_]

Basement Jaxx Rendez-Vu - “Rendez-Vu” is a French word, as are poisson, baguette and beret - The plural of beret is berets, which shouldn’t be mistaken for berries, which you might find in a fruit salad - Fruit salad is often served with cream - Cream Of Mushroom is a type of soup - Soup is best eaten with a spoon - Spoons are the cutlery of choice for high profile bender Uri Geller - Uri Geller shares the same surname as both Monica and Ross Geller, who were characters in the now defunct series Friends - Friends was set in New York, even though secretly it was filmed in LA - LA stands for Los Angeles, the city of angels - Angels was a big hit for Robbie Williams and featured on the album Life Thru A Lens - The plural of lens is lenses, as in contact lenses which I can’t wear until I clear up my rare and serious eye condition called conjunctivitis - Conjunctivitis affects the eye area around the eyeball - Ball is a popular surname for celebrities with first names such as Alan, Bobby, Johnny and of course Zoe - and when you think of the name Zoe in the context of early 90’s one hit wonders who sung about changeable weather in the form of sunshine on rainy days, you think of Zoe and Sunshine On A Rainy Day - Which links us predictably to Zoe and Sunshine On A Rainy Day Released - August 1991 Peak Chart Position - 4 Album - Available on the dance compilation “Back To Love Vol. 1”

Tuesday 29th June 2004 [Posted Tuesday, June 29 2004 by MC_]

The Cult She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult are led by frontman Ian Astbury - Ian Astbury shares the same christian name as Ian McCaskill the weatherman - The only song I can think of that features the word “weatherman” in the title is Blame It On The Weatherman by B*Witched - B*Witched are Irish, as are the Corrs - Corrs is also a type of beer - Beer is brewed from hops - Hops is a word also associated with rabbits and BMX bandits - If you add the words “one” and “arm” to the front of the word “bandits” you get “one arm bandits”, which is another word for fruit machines - Fruit machines are found in pubs, as are pool tables - Pool tables have pockets and in that respect share something in common with trousers - Trousers are one of the few things that can be worn by men, women and children - and children are more likely to get lost at airports and sporting events, and in these circumstances can normally be found at the meeting point - and meeting point when said in French is pronounced “Rendez-Vu” - Which links us predictably to Basement Jaxx and Rendez-Vu Released - August 1999 Peak Chart Position - 4 Album - Track one on their debut album Remedy, released back in May 99

Monday 28th June 2004 [Posted Monday, June 28 2004 by MC_]

James Come Home - Come home is what we’ve done after our two and a half week exile in a Portuguese villa - Villa in the world of football are managed by David O’Leary - David O’Leary shares the same surname as Dermot O’Leary - Dermot O’Leary shaves his head - Head & Shoulders is a famous brand of shampoo - Shampoo had a 1994 hit with Trouble - Trouble rhymes with rubble, which is the surname of Flintstones characters Barney and Betty - If you swap the E in Betty for a U you get butty, as in bacon butty which was a breakfast treat for us this morning and something that we’ve been missing - Missing You was a 1984 hit for John Waite - John Waite shares the same surname as Terry Waite the former hostage - The word “hostage” nearly rhymes with ostrich, which is the fastest of all running birds - Birds that are in danger might be kept in a sanctuary - and if the sanctuary was run by a woman on a commercial basis, I suppose you could say that she would be selling sanctuary - Which links us to The Cult and She Sells Sanctuary Released - May 1985 Peak Chart Position - 15 Album - Found on their February 93 Best Of Compilation, entitled “Pure Cult”

Friday 25th June 2004 [Posted Friday, June 25 2004 by MC_]

LL Cool J Phenomenon - The word “phenomenon” is an F sounding word that begins with the letters PH, like the name Philip - Prince Philip is the husband of the Queen - Queen Elizabeth II is the name of a famous ship - Ship Of Fools was a hit for Erasure - Erasure keyboardist Vince Clark was also in Yazoo, along with Alison Moyet - If you swap the last letter of “Moyet” for an S you get Moyes, who is the manager of Everton - Everton entertain title holders Arsenal on the opening day of the new season, while Leeds United play host to the mighty Derby County - Derby County are nicknamed the rams, which are the male equivalent of sheep - Sheep are the primary source of wool - Wool is sold in balls, unlike hay which is sold in bails - If you remove the S from bails you get bail, which is often paired with the word “out” - and out is sadly what England are this morning after losing their Euro 2004 quarter final match on penalties last night to the host nation Portugal, which means that for England another tournament is over and for us, it’s time to come home - Which links us to James and Come Home Released - July 1990 Peak Chart Position - 32 Album - Taken from their 1998 number one best of compilation, The Best Of James.

Thursday 24th June 2004 [Posted Thursday, June 24 2004 by MC_]

Madonna Into The Groove - Into The Groove was a big hit in July 1985, three months before the birth of Wayne Rooney - Wayne Rooney is without doubt the player of the tournament for Euro 2004 in Portugal - Portugal will be beaten by England tonight - Tonight was a top 3 hit in 1990 for New Kids On The Block - New Kids On The Block star Donnie Wahlberg is the brother of Marky Mark Wahlberg, who himself scored a top 14 hit with Good Vibrations in 1991, along with his group The Funky Bunch - The Funky Bunch shouldn’t be mistaken for the munch bunch, which are a type of children’s book and yoghurt - Yoghurt contains live bacteria, as does Aled’s room in the villa - Villa first name Ricky is a famous footballer from Argentina - Argentina is a large country in South America and in that respect shares something in common with Brazil - Brazil is a country that’s given it’s name to brazil nuts - Nuts can be colloquial slang for testicles, which are anatomically located outside of the main body of the human body, in order to keep them cool - and when you think of the word “cool” in the context of American urban artists that have two initials at the start of their name, you think of LL Cool J - Which links us to LL Cool J and Phenomenon Released - November 1997 Peak Chart Position - 9 Album - Taken from his October 97 album of the same name

Wednesday 23rd June 2004 [Posted Wednesday, June 23 2004 by MC_]

Zero 7 Destiny - If you add an apostrophe, “s” and “child” to the end of the word “destiny” you get Destiny’s Child, the band that launched the careers of Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland - Roland Rat on the other hand had his career launched by former BBC Director General Greg Dyke - A dyke is a type of river feature, as is a weir - “We’re not going home” was a popular chant in Lisbon after England’s 4-2 thumping of Croatia - Someone from Croatia is called a Croat - The word “Croat” shares many of the same letters as the words “goat”, “boat” and “coat” - A coat is what you wear when you’re cold - Cold rhymes with gold, which is measured in carrots - Carrots are a favourite food of rabbits, which in turn are a popular dish of the Spanish - The Spanish were beaten by the Portuguese the other night, who now face England in the quarter finals - The number of teams in the quarter finals is eight - Eight divided by four is two - and two is the exact number of children that Madonna has - Which links us to Madonna and Into The Groove Released - July 1985 Peak Chart Position - 1 Album - Available on Madonna’s number one Best Of CD “The Immaculate Collection”, released back in 1990 but still available here via amazon.co.uk.

Tuesday 22nd June 2004 [Posted Tuesday, June 22 2004 by MC_]

Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl now fronts his own band and they’re called the Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters is a US air force term for UFO’s - UFO’s come from space - Space the band once did a roadshow with us in the pouring rain in Rhyl - “Rhyl” is one of the few words in the English language not to contain any vowels, another one of course being rhythm - Rhythm is a quality required by all drummers - Drummers in the world of Bernard Matthews are actually drumstick shaped bits of turkey - Turkey the country sadly didn’t qualify for this years European Championships in Portugal - Portugal is who we will play in the quarter finals on Thursday - Thursday is the only day of the week to begin with the letters “Th” - The initials TH in the world of Premiership football stand for Tottenham Hotspur - Tottenham Hotspur are a London club - London, or more precisely the London borough of Stockwell, was the birthplace of the actor Roger Moore, who starred as James Bond 007 - and if you remove the first zero from the numbers 007, you’re left simply with zero seven - Which links us to Zero 7 and Destiny Released - August 2001 Peak Chart Position - 30 Album - Taken from their top 30 debut album Simple Things, also released in August 2001

Monday 21st June 2004 [Posted Monday, June 21 2004 by MC_]

Livin' Joy Dreamer - A dreamer is someone who probably spends a lot of time asleep - The opposite of asleep is awake - A wake is something that takes place after a funeral - Funeral For A Friend are a band from Wales - Whales are related to dolphins - Dolphins in the world of American football come from Miami - Miami Sound Machine were fronted by Gloria Estefan - Gloria Estefan shares the same first name as Gloria Gaynor - Gaynor Goodman is a famous name in the world of vintage page 3 models - Page 3 models are traditionally top heavy - Heavy rhymes with both chevy and levee, which were the subject of the song American Pie by Don McLean - Don McLean is a famous American singer who is now sadly dead, a bit like Kurt Cobain from Nirvana - Which links us to Nirvana and Smells Like Teen Spirit Released - November 1991 Peak Chart Position - 7 Album - Can be found on both the 1991 album Nevermind and their Best Of CD, which was released in 2002. As you also may have gathered, there was plenty of critical flaws in today’s link - for more details check the reviews page.

Friday 18th June 2004 [Posted Friday, June 18 2004 by MC_]

Robbie Williams Strong - Robbie Williams lives in LA and likes dogs, which are two things that he shares in common with Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzy Osbourne has a daughter called Kelly - Kelly rhymes with wellie, which is something you would wear on a foot - A foot is also a unit of measurement, commonly used for the calculation of human height - Height and weight often go together, which is interesting because they also share all but one of their letters in common - The word “common” can also be used to describe a small patch of grassy park land - Park land shouldn’t be mistaken for Parklife, which was a single for Blur - Blur rhymes with buerre, which is the French word for butter - Butter is regarded as being a dairy product, as is milk - Milk comes from cows - Cows were promised to the Swiss team if they beat England last night, which they obviously won’t be getting cos they didn’t, and all that crazy Swiss talk of a cow a man win bonus meant that they must have been living in a dreamland - and somebody who lives in a dreamland and dreams a lot about stuff would be referred to as being a “dreamer” - Which links us to Livin' Joy and Dreamer Released - May 1995 Peak Chart Position - 1 Album - Available on numerous dance compilations, including “Dave Pearce Presents 40 Classic Dance Anthems Vol. 1” (I know)...

Thursday 17th June 2004 [Posted Thursday, June 17 2004 by MC_]

Groove Armada At The River - The word “armada” is synonymous with the Spanish, who are also famous for making omelettes - Omelettes are what we all had for lunch yesterday, which were really nice - The word “nice” shares exactly the same word construction as Nice, which is a city in France - France narrowly beat England on Sunday which means three points are required tonight against the Swiss - The Swiss are skilled in the art of making watches - Watches are worn by referees - The word “referee” rhymes with Geoffrey, who was a character in Rainbow - Rainbows are created by the refraction of light within water particles - Water particles are the main components of clouds - Clouds are less common in Portugal than they are in say somewhere like Manchester - Manchester was the birthplace of our guest on Monday, who was Mr Noel Gallagher - and when Noel Gallagher has a cup of tea, he likes to have two teabags in it rather than just one, because he likes his tea to be strong - Which links us predictably to Robbie Williams and Strong Released - March 1999 Peak Chart Position - 4 Album - Taken from Robbie’s November 98 number one album “I’ve Been Expecting You” (Track 1)

Wednesday 16th June 2004 [Posted Wednesday, June 16 2004 by MC_]

Spice Girls Wannabe - The video for the Spice Girls' Wannabe was shot inside London’s St Pancras station - If you add the letters A, R and Y to station you get “stationary”, which is a word associated with static vehicles, pens and paper - Paper comes from trees - Trees produce carbon dioxide during the process of photosynthesis - Photosynthesis is one of the longest words in the English language, capable of netting you mega points in scrabble - If you swap the first B of scrabble for an M you get “scramble”, which is probably my favourite type of eggs - Eggs are produced when a chicken mates with a cock - “Cock” is a word that precedes Robin in the word of fictional characters and follows shuttle in the world of badminton - Badminton the place is famous for it’s horse trials - Horse trials are now an Olympic event, a bit like rowing - and rowing is a sport which can only be staged somewhere with a river, as rowing quite obviously has to be done “at the river” - Which links us to Groove Armada and At The River Released - August 1999 Peak Chart Position - 19 Album - You will be able to find it on their new Best Of album, which is released a week on Monday (June 28th 2004)

Tuesday 15th June 2004 [Posted Tuesday, June 15 2004 by MC_]

Black Grape Reverend Black Grape - One of the members of Black Grape was called Kermit, although he was a rapper not a frog - If you remove the R from “frog” you get fog, which is something you might find on the Tyne - Tyne Daly co starred with Sharon Gless in the popular American series Cagney & Lacey - “Lacey” is a word often associated with doilies - Doilies rhymes with oilies, as in “oily rags” which is cockney rhyming slang for fags - Fags have been banned in all public places in the Republic Of Ireland - The Republic Of Ireland football team are managed by Brian Kerr - Brian Kerr shares the same surname as Jim Kerr, who has a son with Patsy Kensit - Patsy Kensit was the lead singer in the band Eighth Wonder - The greatest band to feature the word “wonder” in their name were The Wonderstuff, who hail from the Black Country - The Black Country is also the home of Slade - Slade’s frontman Noddy Holder has curly hair, as does Mel B - and Mel B first made her name as Scary Spice in a band called the Spice Girls - Which links us predictably to the Spice Girls and Wannabe Released - July 1996 Peak Chart Position - 1 Album - Taken from their debut number one album Spice, released in November 1996

Monday 14th June 2004 [Posted Monday, June 14 2004 by MC_]

N-Trance Set You Free - N-Trance were also the band responsible for the 1995 cover of Stayin' Alive, which featured the vocal talents of Ricardo Da Force - If you remove the “Da Force” bit of Ricardo Da Force you’re left with Ricardo, the Brazilian heshe who achieved fame on The Salon and looks a bit like Louise Redknapp on steroids - If you add an A to the front of steroids you get asteroids, which can be a hazard to those navigating through space - Space shares many of the same letters as the word “spice” - The plural of spice is spices, which are kept in a rack - “Rack” is a word associated with lamb, as is shank - Shank rhymes with Hank, as in Hank Marvin who is “in The Shadows” - In The Shadows was a recent hit for The Rasmus, who I think are from Finland - Finland gets very cold and is an ideal habitat for reindeers - The word “reindeers” begins with the letter R, as does Romania, raccoon and Rhyl in North Wales - and it was in Rhyl many years ago that we first met Shaun Ryder, former leader of The Happy Mondays and the brief but brilliant Black Grape - Which links us to Black Grape and Reverend Black Grape Released - June 1995 Peak Chart Position - 9 Album - Taken from their August 95 number one album “It's Great When You're Straight…Yeah”

Friday 11th June 2004 [Posted Friday, June 11 2004 by MC_]

The Chemical Brothers and Noel Gallagher Setting Sun - A setting sun is something which is best seen if you’re facing west - If you add the word “wild” to west you get Wild West, which is somewhere you’d expect to find cowboys - Cowboys wear hats - Hats were traditionally the primary industry in Luton - Luton is now famous for it’s airport - An airport is somewhere that has a runway, as does a fashion show - A fashion show is somewhere you might see Vernon Kay - Vernon Kay shares the same surname as his Bolton compatriot Peter Kay - Peter Kay advertises bitter - Bitter the taste is one of the five senses - If you add an extra sense there would be a sixth sense - The Sixth Sense was a film starring Bruce Willis - Bruce Willis starred in Die Hard where a load of people were held against their will by baddies - and if you were unfortunate enough to be held captive by gun-toting baddies, you would probably be hoping that one day they’d “set you free” - Which links us to N-Trance and Set You Free Released - Firstly in May 1994, then became a hit on re release in May 95 Peak Chart Position - 2 Album - You can find it on their best of album, The Best Of N-Trance.

Thursday 10th June 2004 - NO LINK TODAY [Posted Thursday, June 10 2004 by MC_]

Due to the Where's Aled Airport final over-running badly. Half time and Carpark Catchphrase were also cancelled. They all should be back tomorrow when the show is live from Portugal.

Wednesday 9th June 2004 [Posted Wednesday, June 9 2004 by MC_]

Take That feat Lulu Relight My Fire - “Relight my fire” is what an annoyed barbecuer might say if some idiot had just spilt water all over his briquettes - Briquettes rhymes with crickets, which make a noise by rubbing their little insect legs together - If human legs rub together it tends to result in chafing - Chafing can be alleviated with the help of talcom powder - Talcom powder is white and therefore not a great thing to have in your hand luggage - “Luggage” is one of the few words in the English language that contain’s three G’s - Three G’s is what you might be pulling if you were an astronaut experiencing re entry - Re entry is prohibited in many nightclubs unless you have a stamp on your hand - Hand rhymes with rand, which is the currency of South Africa - South Africa are to host the World Cup after Germany - Germany is the birthplace of Boris Becker - Boris Becker recently got caught with his trousers down in the broom cupboard of the appropriately named “Nobu” restaurant - Nobu is a big favourite with celebs such as Ant and Dec, Kirsty Gallacher, The Chemical Brothers and Noel Gallagher - Which links us predictably to a record which features The Chemical Brothers and Noel Gallagher, it is the Chemical Brothers and Setting Sun Released - October 1996 Peak Chart Position - 1 Album - This track featuring Noel Gallagher is available on both the 1997 album Dig Your Own Hole, and on their recent 1993-2003 Singles album.

Tuesday 8th June 2004 [Posted Tuesday, June 8 2004 by MC_]

Supergrass Richard III - Supergrass have now made a Best Of album and in that respect share something in common with Queen - Queen Latifah is now an actress and recently starred in a film alongside Steve Martin - Steve Martin’s filmography includes lead roles in Father Of The Bride, The Man With Two Brains and The Three Amigos - Amigos is a Spanish word meaning friends - Friends the TV series is to spawn a Joey based spin off series entitled Joey - A joey is a type of baby kangaroo - Baby kangaroos are carried around in their mothers pouch - The word “pouch” shares many of the same letters as the word “poach”, which is something that concerns chefs and gamekeepers - Gamekeepers tend to be big fans of wax jackets - Jackets can also be found on potatoes - Potatoes are grown across much of the UK, including England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland - Scotland is the birthplace of Lulu - and Lulu featured on Take That’s 1993 hit single Relight My Fire - Which links us to Take That and Lulu and Relight My Fire Released - October 1993 Peak Chart Position - 1 Album - Can be found on both their 1993 album Everything Changes, and their Greatest Hits album from 1996

Monday 7th June 2004 [Posted Monday, June 7 2004 by MC_]

Rest Assured Treat Infamy - The word “infamy” is applied to people who are famous for doing bad things - A bad thing is the opposite of a “Good Thing”, which was a 1989 hit for the Fine Young Cannibals - Cannibals like to eat other people and cannibal tribes still exist in Papa New Guinea - A guinea was a type of old fashioned coin - The word “coin” shares many of the same letters as the word “loin”, which is a popular type of pork - The non eating of pork is something shared in common by both the Jewish and Muslim faiths - Faith was a 1987 hit for George Michael, who is of Greek descent, as is Nemone - Nemone is like a proper female runner, a bit like a modern day Zola Budd - Zola Budd is famous for not wearing shoes, as is Sandie Shaw - Sandie Shaw shares the same surname as Mark Shaw, who was the lead singer of Then Jericho, whose biggest hit was called Big Area - and when you think of a big area, you probably think of large estates with acres of land that were originally owned by Kings and Queens of Britain, such as William The Conqueror, King Harold and of course Richard III - Which links us to Supergrass and Richard III Released - April 1997 Peak Chart Position - 2 Album - Taken from the 1997 release “In It For The Money”. Now also available on the new Supergrass Best Of Album, which is released today.

Friday 4th June 2004 [Posted Friday, June 4 2004 by MC_]

All Saints I Know Where It’s At - As well as being the name of a now defunct girl group, All Saints is also a popular name for a church - Church first name Charlotte is a famous Welsh woman and in that respect shares something in common with Sian Lloyd - Sian Lloyd shares one name with Lloyd Grosman, who is mates with David Frost from their days on Through The Keyhole - Keyhole is a word that links locksmiths and surgeons - If you add a T to the word “surgeon” you get sturgeon, which is a type of fish responsible for caviar - Caviar is very expensive and is often served with champagne - Champagne is named after a region in France - France is much bigger than the UK, as is Canada, Nigeria and Argentina - Argentina was the home of Eva Peron, who was a central character in the film Evita - Evita sounds a bit like Ryvita, which is a type of crackerbread - Bread is a popular form of Breakfast throughout much of Europe - and Europe is a top destination for British holidaymakers, who just like to sit back, relax and be somewhere where “rest is assured” - Which links us to Rest Assured and Treat Infamy - Available on : Now 39

Thursday 3rd June 2004 [Posted Thursday, June 3 2004 by MC_]

The Charlatans North Country Boy - The Charlatans are fronted by Tim Burgess - Tim Burgess shares the same christian name as Tim Rice, who in turn shares the same surname as Anneka Rice, who used to present Treasure Hunt before being replaced by Annabel Croft - Annabel Croft is good at tennis, as is Tim Henman who is now through to the semis of the French Open - “Open” is a sign you might see on the door of a shop, as is “push” - Push It was a big hit for Salt N Pepa - Salt and pepper are collectively known as condiments - Condiments shares many of the same letters as “conditioner”, which is something that you put in your hair - Hair can be both thick and thin, and in that respect shares something in common with bread - Bread and fishes both featured in the bible, as did donkeys, frankincense, saints and apostles - and if you had a load of saints and apostles and then all of the apostles decided they’d had enough and wanted to go home, you’d be left with a group of people who were “all saints” - Which links us to All Saints and I Know Where It’s At

Wednesday 2nd June 2004 [Posted Wednesday, June 2 2004 by MC_]

Shaggy Oh Carolina - Oh Carolina topped the charts in February 1993, the same month that Lenny Kravitz had a big hit with Are You Gonna Go My Way - “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” is a question frequently asked by hitchhikers - Hitchhikers can often be found at motorway service stations, as can fruit machines and refreshment facilities - Refreshment facilities are important for people who drive long distances because tiredness kills and you should take a break - “Take A Break” is also the title of a womans magazine full of gossip and tit bits - Bits rhymes with kits, which is what the mothers of sporty children have to wash - Washing is traditionally hung on a line - Line dancing is popular with fans of cowboy boots - Cowboy boots should ideally have spurs - Spurs is the new home of goalkeeper Paul Robinson - and Paul Robinson was born in 1979 in Beverley, making him not only an accomplished goalkeeper but a “north country boy” - Which links us to The Charlatans and North Country Boy

Tuesday 1st June 2004 [Posted Tuesday, June 1 2004 by MC_]

Michael Jackson Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough - Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough featured on the classic album Off The Wall - “Off The Wall” is a phrase that could be used to describe the game of squash - Squash of a different type is a drink and also referred to as cordial - Cordial is a word that might be associated with an invite - The word “invite” is made up of exactly six letters, one less than “marmite” which has seven - Seven was a film starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt - Brad Pitt is married to Jennifer Aniston, who didn’t go to Paris - Paris is the capital of France - France is home to the world famous Bayeux Tapestry, which is a popular tourist attraction, a bit like Stonehenge is in this country - Stonehenge is a popular place for Druids - Druid rhymes with Clwyd, which is a Welsh county - The American equivalent of a county is a state, such as California, Texas or indeed North Carolina - and if you were to remove the first N, R, T and H from North Carolina, you’re left simply with O Carolina - Which links us to Shaggy and Oh Carolina