Thursday 30th September 2004 [Posted Thursday, September 30 2004 by MC_]

Beverley Knight feat Redman Made It Back 99 - Beverley Knight is from Wolverhampton, as are Slade - The word “slade” shares many of the same letters as the word “spade”, which is something you might take to the beach - The beach is a fun place to go as long as you don’t mind getting sand in your shoes - “Sand In My Shoes” is the latest musical offering from Dido, who once performed in front of 80 000 people at a One Big Sunday in Leicester - Leicester City Football Club are nicknamed the Foxes - Foxes like to attack chickens, which is why they are often protected by wire fencing - Fencing of a different type is a sport enjoyed by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson - Bruce Dickinson shares the same surname as David Dickinson from Bargain Hunt - Hunt first name James was a famous racing driver from the world of F1 - “F1” is a key that you might find on your keyboard, as are “Caps Lock”, “E” and “I” - “E” and “I” are the initials of Eddie Izzard - and Eddie Izzard is a good example of a man who likes to wear womens clothes, and so when he’s all in the gear I guess you could say that he’s a dude who looks like a lady - Which links us to Aerosmith and Dude (Looks Like A Lady) Released - February 1990 Peak Chart Position - 20 Album - Available on their August 2002 “O Yeah - Ultimate Hits” double compilation

Wednesday 29th September 2004 [Posted Wednesday, September 29 2004 by MC_]

U2 One - U2’s latest record is called Vertigo - Vertigo is what you might get if you’re scared of heights - “Heights” rhymes with “tights”, which are what robbers sometimes wear on their face to disguise their identity - The word “identity” is an 8 letter word, which would be very impressive if you could get it on countdown - Countdown first started in 1982, the same year that “Come On Eileen” was a number one chart topper for Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Dexy’s Midnight Runners were led by Kevin Rowland - Roland Rat was big mates with Kevin The Gerbil - “Gerbil” rhymes with “herbal”, which is a word associated with shampoo, cigarettes and various types of remedies - “Remedy” was a fantastic record by The Black Crowes - Crows can be a menace to farmers crops, and in that respect share something in common with locusts - Locusts have wings, as do wasps, bees and hornets - Hornets “rhymes” with “cornets” - and a cornet is what you would have with your 99 - Which links us to Beverley Knight feat Redman and Made It Back 99 Released - April 1999 Peak Chart Position - 19 Album - Track 2 on Beverley’s debut album “Prodigal Sista”

Tuesday 28th September 2004 [Posted Tuesday, September 28 2004 by MC_]

Blur Country House - Blur’s Country House enjoyed one of the most high profile chart battles for the coveted number one spot nearly ten years ago, when they were up against Oasis and Roll With It - Blur won this particular battle and the man who delivered the news to the nation was the one and only Mark Goodier - Mark Goodier shares the same surname as Mark Hughes, whose Blackburn side were beaten one nil last night at Charlton - Charlton are the team supported by Rodney and Del Trotter in Only Fools And Horses - Horses are one of the few types of large animals that are good for riding on, other examples of course being camels and elephants - Elephants are the primary source of Ivory, and scientists are now able to identify the DNA make up of an ivory tusk, and locate quite precisely the elephant source from which it came, providing an important tool in the fight against illegal poaching - Poaching of a different type is a popular form of cooking eggs - Eggs are sold by the dozen, which is a word meaning twelve, although interestingly in the field of bakery, a bakers dozen actually amounts to thirteen - and thirteen is another good example of a prime number, meaning that it’s only divisible by itself and one - Which links us to U2 and One Released - March 1992 Peak Chart Position - 7 Album - Taken from their classic November 91 number 2 album “Achtung Baby”

Monday 27th September 2004 [Posted Monday, September 27 2004 by MC_]

Felix Don’t You Want Me - “Felix” is the name of a famous fictional cat, along with Garfield, Top Cat and Bagpuss - “Bagpuss” sounds a bit like “bagpipes”, which are played by the Scottish at special occasions and times of celebration - “Celebration” is a classic record by Kool & The Gang, who also scored a big hit with Cherish in 1985, the year that Live Aid took place in both London and Philadelphia - Philadelphia is a famous type of cheese, as are Edam, Cheddar and Gorgonzola - If you remove the “Gorgon” part of Gorgonzola you’re left simply with “Zola”, as in Zola Budd, who was one of the most famous female bare foot South African Olympic athletes of all time - Time passes like sands through the hourglass - Glass is something that needs to be blown - If you add an “I” to “blown” you get “blowin”, as in “Blowin Bubbles”, which is a song you’d be familiar with if you’re a supporter of West Ham - West Ham youth product Joe Cole is now finally getting a game at Chelsea - and Chelsea’s famous supporters include a certain Damon Albarn from Blur - Which links us predictably to Blur and Country House Released - August 1995 Peak Chart Position - 1 (infamously) Album - Available on both the number one album “The Great Escape“ and on their November 2000 Best Of compilation

Friday 24th September 2004 [Posted Friday, September 24 2004 by MC_]

Feeder Seven Days In The Sun - Seven days in the sun might also be referred to as being one week - One Week was a big hit for the Barenaked Ladies, with whom we played Wembley - Wembley was the location of the 1995 Cup Final, where Everton beat Manchester United - Disappointingly Manchester United are currently languishing in mid table, while Everton are third and look set to qualify for the Champions League - The Champions League is on telly this coming week, on Tuesday and Wednesday - “Wednesday” has the most letters of any day of the week, with an impressive total of 9 - 9 is an odd number, as are 11, 13 and 15 - 15 is the amount of players in a Rugby Union team - “Team” is an anagram of “meat” - “Meat” rhymes with “wheat”, which is what you might expect to find growing in a field - Field Of Dreams is a crap baseball film starring Kevin Costner - Kevin Costner shares the same first name as Kevin The Gerbil - Gerbils are scared of cats - and one of the most famous cats in the world is of course Felix - Which links us to another Friday Tedious Link dance classic, Felix and Don’t You Want Me Released - August 1992 Peak Chart Position - 6 Album - Available on a boxset album I seem to be mentioning quite a lot on this page, The Ministry Of Sound’s “Club Classics”

Thursday 23rd September 2004 [Posted Thursday, September 23 2004 by MC_]

Sugarhill Gang Rapper’s Delight - Rapper’s Delight was released in 1979, the same year that The Knack had a big hit with My Sharona - Sharona rhymes with Corona, which is both a type of pop and also the name of the band responsible for The Rhythm Of The Night - Night is a word associated with owls - Owls in the world of football refer to Sheffield Wednesday, who look set to appoint former Plymouth and Southampton boss Paul Sturrock as their new manager - The manager picks the team - There’s no I in team, nor are there any W’s, L’s or P’s - Peas provide a good accompaniment to pies - Pies need to be cooked in the oven - Oven work should always be carried out using appropriate oven gloves - If you remove the G of gloves and replace it with a C you get “cloves”, which is how garlic grows - Garlic is used heavily in much Mediterranean cooking, in countries such as Italy and Spain and stuff - and Italy and Spain both enjoy a pleasant climate, making them affordable and accessible locations for a short mini break, if you fancy spending say “seven days in the sun” - Which links us to Feeder and Seven Days In The Sun Released - April 2001 Peak Chart Position - 14 Album - Taken from their top five album Echo Park, released back in May 2001

Wednesday 22nd September 2004 [Posted Thursday, September 23 2004 by MC_]

Oasis Champagne Supernova - Supernova Heights was the name of a very famous house, a bit like Southfork Ranch in Dallas - Dallas has an American football team called The Cowboys - Cowboys wear chaps - If you add the letters T, I, C and K to chaps you get “chapstick”, which is what you might apply to your lips if they are dry - Dry is the opposite of wet - Wet Wet Wet are a Glasgow band fronted by Marti Pellow - If you swap the E in Pellow for an I you get “pillow”, which is something you might have stuffed with feathers - “Feathers” rhymes with “leathers”, which are the most sensible garments to wear when riding a motorcycle - Motorcycle Emptiness was a big hit for the Manic Street Preachers - The Manic Street Preachers are a musical trio, or a three piece - “Three piece” is a phrase commonly associated with furniture suites - Furniture needs to be delivered, and is normally protected during transportation with wrappers - and when you think of the word “rappers” in the context of the most important and ground breaking record in the history of hip hop, you think of Rapper’s Delight by the Sugarhill Gang - Which predictably links us to the Sugarhill Gang and the awesome Rapper’s Delight Released - December 1979 Peak Chart Position - 3 Album - Available as track 9 on disc 2 of Kiss’s “Hip Hop Classics” double CD compilation

Tuesday 21st September 2004 [Posted Tuesday, September 21 2004 by MC_]

Coldplay Yellow - “Yellow Submarine” was a number one for The Beatles in the summer of 1966, shortly after England won the World Cup - The next World Cup is to be staged by Germany, who’s capital is Berlin - Berlin the band topped the charts in 1986 with “Take My Breath Away”, from the soundtrack of Top Gun - Top Gun was the film that catapulted Tom Cruise to mega stardom, and secured him lead roles in future classics such as Cocktail, Rain Man and Days Of Thunder - The Days Of Thunder soundtrack featured Maria McKee’s “Show Me Heaven” - “Heaven” rhymes with “7”, which is a prime number, as are 3 and 5 - 5 is the number of gold rings in the well known Christmas song - Christmas always happens on the same date each year, unlike Easter and Chinese New Year, which both move - The word “move” is often associated with the word “house” - and if you move house, you might celebrate finally getting into your new home by opening a bottle of champagne - Which links us to the greatest song ever to feature the word “champagne” in the title, it is of course Oasis and Champagne Supernova Released - Shockingly never as a single, another reason why it goes down as such a classic Peak Chart Position - N/A Album - Taken from the truly awesome “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” - the UK’s 2nd biggest selling album of all time

Monday 20th September 2004 [Posted Monday, September 20 2004 by MC_]

Marrs Pump Up The Volume - Mars is a planet - The plural of planet is planets - “The Planets” is a famous piece of classical music by Holst - If you add an “E” and a “R” to Holst, you get “Holster”, which is what a cowboy might keep his gun in - “Gun in” rhymes with “Sun-In”, which is what you use to bleach your hair - Hair needs to be brushed, as do teeth - Teeth come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, such as incisors, molars and canines - “Canines” is also a word referring to members of the dog world - “Dog” rhymes with “log”, which is what you might find in a forest - Forest Fruits is a popular flavour of yoghurt - Yoghurt is a good example of something best eaten with a spoon, and in that respect shares something in common with soup - One of my favourite types of soup is leak and potato - “Potato” is a six letter food word, as is “banana” - and bananas are yellow - Which links us predictably to Coldplay and Yellow Released - July 2000 Peak Chart Position - 4 Album - Taken from Coldplay’s superb debut album “Parachutes”, number one back in 2000

Friday 17th September 2004 [Posted Monday, September 20 2004 by MC_]

Green Day Basket Case - Green Day hail from America, and in that respect share something in common with The Eagles - The Eagles is the nickname of Crystal Palace - Crystal Palace are managed by Iain Dowie - The name “Dowie” shares many of the same letters as the word “window” - Windows have frames, as do spectacles - Spectacles rest on the ears and upon the bridge of the nose - The nose provides the housing for the nostrils - “Nostril” sounds a bit like “kestrel”, which is both a type of lager and also the breed of bird that Kes was - If you swap the “K” of Kes for a “W” you get Wes, host of The Official Chart Show, Sunday afternoons from 4, only on Radio One - One Big Weekend takes place all this weekend live from Perry Park in Birmingham, with special guests mouldylookinstain - A stain can be hard to shift, as can a snooker table - Snooker is a popular sport in this country, as are badminton, judo and cycling - and cycling is a sport where it would be advantageous to carry a pump - Which links us to Marrs and Pump Up The Volume Released - September 1987 Peak Chart Position - 1 Album - Available on Disc 3 of "The Ministry Of Sound Club Classics Box Set", out to buy in shops now

Thursday 16th September 2004 [Posted Monday, September 20 2004 by MC_]

Jamiroquai Too Young To Die - Die is the singular version of dice, which also means to chop food into cubes - “Cubes” rhymes with “pubes”, which signal the national transition into adulthood - “Adulthood” shares the same word ending as “Neighbourhood”, which was a 1996 hit for Space - Space is the final frontier - “Frontier Psychiatrist” was the title of a record by The Avalanches - Avalanches only occur on cold mountains - Cold Mountain was an Oscar winning film last year starring Renée Zellweger - Renée Zellweger shares the same first name as René Artois, the character played by Gordon Kaye in the TV series Allo 'Allo! - “Allo 'Allo!” is the way that the French answer the phone, while the Japanese equivalent is “Mushi Mushi” - “Mushy” in English is a word associated with peas - Peas are green, as is grass, which provides the perfect surface for a picnic, while picnicking requires a basket - and if you had a huge picnic basket, say the size of a suitcase, it’d probably be like a “case basket”, or if you prefer a “basket case” - Which links us to Green Day and Basket Case Released - Originally in 94, but then became a hit on re release in January 95 Peak Chart Position - 7 Album - Taken from their number 13 UK debut "Dookie", released in November 1994

Wednesday 15th September 2004 [Posted Monday, September 20 2004 by MC_]

Supergrass Sun Hits The Sky - Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey’s dad Chris Goffey used to be a presenter on Top Gear, along with Jeremy Clarkson - Jeremy Clarkson shares the same surname as Alison Clarkson, who is better known to the world of music as Betty Boo - Betty Boo shares the same christian name as Betty Rubble - Rubble shouldn’t be mistaken for “ruble”, which is the unit of currency in Russia - Russia is governed by president Vladimir Putin - If you add an additional “T” and a “G” to Putin you get putting, which is what you might do if you were playing golf and were on the green - Green first name Sarah is married to Mike Smith - Mike Smith shares the same first name as Mike Rutherford, from Mike & The Mechanics - Mechanics fix cars - and cars are the indulgence of Jay Kay from Jamiroquai, although he’s currently banned and having to drive his cars in his back yard - But still, when you think of cars you think of Jay Kay from Jamiroquai - Which links us to Jamiroquai (featuring Jay Kay) and Too Young To Die Released - March 1993 Peak Chart Position - 10 Album - Taken from their debut album "Emergency On Planet Earth", a number one back in June 93

Tuesday 14th September 2004 [Posted Monday, September 20 2004 by MC_]

Michael Jackson Billie Jean - One of the most famous Billie Jeans is Billie Jean King, who was a famous lesbian tennis legend and in that respect shares something in common with Martina Navratilova - Martina Navratilova was born in Prague, making her originally a Czech - Check 1-2 was a backing band for Craig McLoughlin, who scored a big hit with Mona - The Mona Lisa is a famous painting that is situated in The Louvre, in Paris - Paris Hilton is heiress to a hotel empire and is also now a movie actress - Movie Star was a hit last year for Stereophonics - Stereophonics’ Kelly and Richard Jones both share the same surname as Aled and Rachel Jones, despite the fact that none of them are actually related - “Related” rhymes with “belated”, which is the type of wishes sent on an overdue birthday card - Birthday cards come in envelopes of every colour of the rainbow - and a rainbow is created when sunlight refracts through water droplets held in the air, following a period of sustained precipitation, when the sun quite literally “hits the sky” - Which links us to Supergrass and Sun Hits The Sky Released - June 1997 Peak Chart Position - 10 Album - Available on "Supergrass Is 10 - The Best Of 94-04", which reached number 4 back in June of this year

Monday 13th September 2004 [Posted Monday, September 13 2004 by MC_]

Faithless Insomnia - The lead singer of Faithless is a good friend of mine called Maxi Jazz, who was at my 30th birthday party - “Party People.. Friday Night” was a big hit for 911 - 911 is like the American version of 999 - If you flip the number 999 upside down you get 666, which is the number of the Beast - Beast rhymes with “Feast”, which is something that you might buy from an ice cream van - Ice cream vans always carry the slogan “mind that child!” - Child was a big hit for Mark Owen, as was Clementine, which is a type of small orange not dissimilar to a satsuma - If you remove the first four letters of “satsuma” you’re left simply with “uma”, as in Uma Thurman, the star of Kill Bill - Bill Beaumont used to be a team captain on A Question Of Sport, opposite Ian Botham - Ian Botham has a son called Liam - Liam Neeson is a famous Irish actor who starred in Love Actually, which was written by Richard Curtis - Richard Curtis shares the same surname as Tony Curtis, who was the father of Jamie Lee Curtis - Jamie Lee Curtis starred in A Fish Called Wanda - Fish blow bubbles - and Bubbles is the best friend of Michael Jackson - Which links us predictably to Michael Jackson and Billie Jean Released - January 1983 Peak Chart Position - 1 Album - Available on last years “Numbers Ones” compilation, which suitably reached number one

Friday 10th September 2004 [Posted Friday, September 10 2004 by MC_]

Cast Walkaway - Cast’s beautiful Walkaway was horrifically butchered a couple of years ago in an advert for a well known Swedish retailer of self assembly furniture - “Furniture” is a word that encompasses everything from tables to chairs - Tables and chairs have legs, as do elephants and tigers - Tigers are now an endangered species as a result of over hunting, and need to be protected to prevent them from becoming extinct like the dodo - The word “dodo” shares many of the same letters as “Dido” - Dido had a big hit last year with White Flag - White flag means surrender while a red flag means no swimming - “Swimming” is a word associated with trunks, while trunks are associated with elephants, which never forget - Never Forget should have been the final single by Take That, but instead they signed off with a very limp wristed cover of How Deep Is Your Love by the Bee Gees - The Bee Gees topped the charts in 1978 with Night Fever - Night fever shouldn’t be mistaken for scarlet fever, which I had once and it wasn’t very nice, and made it difficult for me to sleep because I was so itchy and stuff - and if you naturally have problems sleeping, it could be that medically you suffer from insomnia - Which links us to Faithless and Insomnia Released - First in December 95 and then in October 96 Peak Chart Position - 3 (on re release) Album - Taken from their UK debut album “Reverence”, released in November 96

Thursday 9th September 2004 [Posted Thursday, September 9 2004 by MC_]

Madonna Vogue - Vogue is a type of dance, a bit like the mashed potato and the shag - “Shag” is a word associated with carpet, while a carpet can give you burns unless you treat it with respect - “Respect” was a classic hit for Aretha Franklin - Aretha Franklin has recorded with George Michael - George Michael is of Greek descent originally, a bit like Nemone - Nemone is a long distance runner, like a modern day version of Zola Budd - Zola Budd was famous for not wearing shoes and in that respect shares something in common with Jo Whiley and Sandie Shaw - Sandie Shaw shares the same surname as Tracy Shaw, who used to be in Coronation Street - Coronation Street was first broadcast in December 1960, meaning that if it was a person it’d currently be 43 years old - If you take 43 away from 100 you get 57, which is the amount of varieties that Heinz have - If you add an “E” on the end of Heinz you get Heinze, as in Gabriel Heinze, who has just turned up for work at Manchester United - and Manchester United this summer signed Wayne Rooney, who despite being an Evertonian, was still prepared to turn his back on the club that nurtured him, and “walk away” - Which links us to Cast and Walkaway Released - March 1996 Peak Chart Position - 9 Album - Taken from their top 7 UK debut album “All Change”, released in October 95

Wednesday 8th September 2004 [Posted Wednesday, September 8 2004 by MC_]

George Michael Too Funky - “Funky” rhymes with “monkey”, which is an example of a primate you might find in Africa - Africa was a big hit for Toto (target) - Toto was the name of Dorothy’s dog in The Wizard Of Oz - The Wizard Of Oz featured the characters Tin Man and Scarecrow - Scarecrow and Mrs. King was an early 80’s American series starring Kate Jackson (target), who was of course one of the original Charlies Angels, along with Farrah Fawcett - “Faucet” is an American word meaning a tap, as in a bathroom tap or a kitchen tap - “Tap” is an anagram of “Pat”, as in Pat Benatar (target) who had a hit with Love Is A Battlefield - Battlefields these days tend to be places of historical interest, a bit like castles - Castles In The Sky was a seminal record by Ian Van Dahl - Ian Van Dahl shares the same christian name as Ian McShane, who is probably best known for playing Lovejoy (target), the antiques dealer who you might describe as being a bit of a rogue - and if you replace the first letter of the word “rogue” with a “V”, you get Vogue - Which links us to Madonna and Vogue Released - April 1990 Peak Chart Position - 1 Album - Available on Madonna’s number one 1990 Best Of compilation “The Immaculate Collection”

Tuesday 7th September 2004 [Posted Tuesday, September 7 2004 by MC_]

Guns ‘N’ Roses Paradise City - Former Guns ‘N’ Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum are now in Velvet Revolver with Scott Weiland, formerly of the Stone Temple Pilots - Pilots need to have 20-20 vision - Vision is what the eyes are there for - Eyes are a part of the body that work in pairs, and in that respect share something in common with ears and feet - “Ears” and “feet” are both words that can be associated with corn - Corn is produced from the crop wheat - If you add the letters “U” and “S” onto the end of “wheat” you get Wheatus - Wheatus had a big hit in 2001 with a cover of A Little Respect by Erasure - Erasure were made up of singer Andy Bell and keyboard goon Vince Clark - Vince Clark used to make up about one third of the duo Yazoo, along with Alison Moyet - Alison Moyet is a good example of a dominant front person from an 80’s duo, who then goes on to enjoy a successful solo career - and in that respect she shares a lot in common with George Michael - Which links us to George Michael and Too Funky Released - June 1992 Peak Chart Position - 4 Album - Available on Disc 2 of “Ladies and Gentleman: The Best Of George Michael”, released in November 1998

Monday 6th September 2004 [Posted Monday, September 6 2004 by MC_]

Strike U Sure Do - As well as being a word associated with matches and industrial action, “strike” is also a big word in the world of ten pin bowling - Ten pin bowling involves the use of special footwear, as does golf - Golf is played on a course - A course of a different type is what might be plotted by a sailor - “Sailor” is almost an anagram of “Scolari”, as in Luiz Felipe Scolari the manager of Portugal - Portugal is a major producer and consumer of fish - Fish need to be caught - Cort first name Carl now plays for Wolves, having failed to impress at Newcastle - Newcastle was the setting for the Jimmy Nail detective series Spender - If you add the word “big” to spender you get “Big Spender”, which was a hit for Shirley Bassey - Shirley Bassey is Welsh, as are Colin Jackson and Aled - Aled is scared of spiders - Spiders are a good example of a scary animal that begins with the letter “S”, and in that respect share something in common with snakes - and snakes used to be the pet of choice for guitar legend Slash, formerly of Guns ‘N’ Roses - Which links us predictably to Guns ‘N’ Roses and Paradise City Released - March 1989 Peak Chart Position - 6 Album - Can be found on their number one Best Of compilation from earlier this year, “Guns ‘N’ Roses: Greatest Hits”

Friday 3rd September 2004 [Posted Friday, September 3 2004 by MC_]

Tone Loc Funky Cold Medina - Funky Cold Medina was a big hit in 1989, the same year interestingly that the Berlin Wall came down - The Berlin Wall situation was the theme behind the song “Wind Of Change” by The Scorpions - Scorpions have a sting in their tail - The plural of tail is tails, which is the opposite of heads - Heads need to be held high - High is the title of a beautiful record by Feeder - Feeder are led by singer/songwriter Grant Nicholas - Nicholas Witchell is a famous newsreader from a golden age, and in that respect shares something in common with Moira Stewart - Moira Stewart shares the same surname as Rod Stewart - Rod Stewart used to be the wrinkly love interest of Rachel Hunter, who is from New Zealand, a bit like Zane Lowe - Zane Lowe shares the same surname as both Rupert Lowe and Rob Lowe, who starred in St. Elmo’s Fire - Fire can be caused by the careless use of matches - Matches are ignited when the sulphur based tips are heated through the medium of friction upon a rough surface, and this process of ignition is commonly known as a “strike” - Which links us to Strike and U Sure Do* (*I love this song) Released - Originally in December 94, but then it became a hit on re release in April 95 Peak Chart Position - 4 Album - Available on numerous dance compilations, such as The Ministry Of Sounds “Old Skool Club Classics”

Thursday 2nd September 2004 [Posted Thursday, September 2 2004 by MC_]

Foo Fighters Learn To Fly - Learn to fly is something that new born eagle chicks have to do once they’re old enough to leave the nest - “Nest” is a word that can be applied to tables - Tables rhymes with fables, which are written by Hans Christian Andersen - Hans Christian Andersen shares the same surname as Pamela Andersen, who has fake boobs a bit like Jordan - Jordan still appears to be dating Peter Andre - Peter Andre shares one of his names with Andre Previn, who is a classical musician and plays the piano - The piano is one of the heaviest instruments you can move into a flat, and could result in you giving yourself a hernia - “Hernia” shares many of the same letters as “Narnia”, which was a fictional place behind the wardrobe in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - Wardrobe shares the same word ending as bathrobe, which is something commonly stolen from hotels - Hotels can be found all around the world in such diverse places as Coventry, Singapore and Reykjavik - Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland - Iceland is, as the name suggests, quite “cold”, but is also apparently quite “funky” - and when you think of the words “cold” and “funky”, or if you prefer “funky” and “cold”, in the context of great records, you think of Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc - Which links us to Tone Loc and Funky Cold Medina Released - May 1989 Peak Chart Position - 13 Album - Taken from Tone Loc’s only UK album release “Loc’ed After Dark”, number 22 back in March 89

Wednesday 1st September 2004 [Posted Wednesday, September 1 2004 by MC_]

The Charlatans One To Another - A charlatan is somebody who might try and pull the wool over your eyes, unlike a sheep which has wool all over it’s body - Body Rock was a 1985 hit for Maria Vidal - Vidal Sassoon is a famous hairdresser who also makes shampoo - Shampoo got to number 11 in 1994 with the song Trouble - The word “trouble” is often associated with the word “strife”, as in “trouble and strife”, which means wife in cockenee rhyming slang - If you swap the A in slang for an I you get “sling”, which is probably what you’d wear round your neck if you’d broken your arm and had it in a plaster cast - Cast had a top 8 hit in 1996 with Sandstorm - Sandstorms are common in desert areas where camels are able to close their noses and other orifices to stop the sand getting in - and this clever body protection trick is I suppose a bit like sumo wrestlers, who are apparently able to withdraw their testicles to prevent them from getting injured if they get clattered in the knackers - if you add the word “yard” to knackers you get Knacker’s Yard, which is where old horses go to die - Die rhymes with fly, and when you think about the word “fly” in the context of great records you like to hear at about 9 o’clock in the morning, you think of Learn To Fly by the Foo Fighters - Which links us to the Foo Fighters and Learn To Fly Released - October 1999 Peak Chart Position - 21 Album - Taken from their November 99 top 10 album “There Is Nothing Left To Lose”