July 9, 2016

 

 

 

Close your eyes and ‘Listen To The Music’

by The Doobie Brothers, & you’re back in the Bar,

of Manchester’s hottest night club,

co – owned by the No 1 Footballing star.

 

‘Take Me In Your Arms’, another Doobies favourite,

then later, ‘What A Fool Believes’ coming in 79,

and with ‘Rock The Boat’ by The Hues Corporation.

Life was so happening and fantastically fine.

 

‘Long Tall Glasses’ supplied by Leo Sayer,

and ‘One Man Band, also in 74.

‘When I Need You’, his No 1 of 77;

a hit with couples, on every dance floor.

 

‘Sad Sweet Dreamer’ by Sweet Sensation

another brilliant 74, Number One.

And ‘Rock Your Baby’ at No.1 for George McCrae,

in this year when Slack Alice, second to none.

 

‘(Win Place Or Show) She’s A Winner’ –

in 74, gave The Intruders a top 20 fit.

when ‘Georgy Girl’, in Washway Road, Sale,

reminded us of The Seekers, much earlier hit.

 

‘Summer Breeze’ by The Isley Brothers,

their top 20 hit of the day.

then ‘Harvest For The World’ two years later,

when life still perfect, in every way.

 

‘Don’t Stay Away Too Long’, in 74,

had Peters & Lee fans tapping their feet.

And ‘All Of My Life’ by Diana Ross,

a fitting song, for this Manchester retreat.

 

Slack Alice will never be forgotten:

What joy, when to Bootle Street, we all strode.

And for those with a stronger constitution;

The Embassy Club, was just up the road!

 

 

 

 

‘Rubber Bullets’ and ‘Wall Street Shuffle’

came from Stockport Band – 10cc.

and ‘Giving It All Away’ was Roger Daltrey

without The Who, in 73.

 

Also in this year, ‘Walk On The Wild Side’

by the lovely, late Lou Reed.

And ‘Stop, Look, Listen (to your heart)’,

Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye did plead.

 

‘You Make Me Feel Brand New’ by The Stylistics,

and ‘Midnight At The Oasis’, from Maria Muldaur.

and ‘Albatross’ from Fleetwood Mac,

guaranteed a fab night, for sure.

 

‘When Will I See You Again’ sang The Three Degrees.

‘Ring Ring’ from Abba, came the reply.

‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’,

sang Elton John, as we waved our goodbye.

 

Whatever the era you lived through;

be it The Ritz or Mr Smiths, your feet found,

or the meeting place of the moment,

when none better, than Rowntrees Sound!

 

Or if Top Of The Town, your favoured venue,

and Takis along Oxford Road.

Or the infamous Oasis in Lloyd Street –

your much loved, borrowed abode.

 

The Swingin Sixties saw Manchester Buzzin

and through the 70’s, still heart and soul…..

And Slack Alice gained a welcome brother,

when Oscars, saw the dice roll.  

 

 

 

 

June 5, 2016

 

 

 ‘Ossie’s Dream’ sang Tottenham Hotspur

keeping ‘81’ FA Cup dreams alive.

‘Here We Go’ sang Everton FC

with Howard, back in 85.

 

Going it alone in song,

in 87 were Chris & Glenn.

Their ‘Diamond Lights’ at No.12,

just missing out on the top ten.

 

‘Glory, Glory Man United’

reached 13 in the charts in 83,

but with ‘Come on The Reds’, in 94

finally at No.1 was Manchester Utd FC.

 

In 72. came ‘Blue Is The Colour’

making it to No.5  for Chelsea FC

In the 90’s, ‘No one can stop us now’ & ‘Blue Day’

and then ‘Blue Tomorrow’, in 2000, finally.

 

In 78, ‘We’ve got the Whole World in our hands’

sang Nottingham Forest FC & Paper Lace.

In 70 ‘Back Home’ No.1 for the England World Cup Squad.

And in 90, ‘World in Motion’, again taking a No.1 place.

 

‘Anfield Rap (Red machine in full alert)

in 88  shot up to No. 3 in this chart mix,

then ‘Pass & Move (It’s The Liverpool Groove)

reached No.4  by The Boot Room Boys of 96.

 

So many more songs to choose from;

some more in tune than others.

But the sentiment always the same,

Footy folk, a solid band of sisters & brothers.

 

 

 

 

May 30, 2016

 

 

There’s The Shaymen and The Silkmen,

and many clubs called The U’s.

There’s The Shrimps and The Shrews,

and lots of clubs called The Blues.

 

There’s Railwaymen and Tractorboys,

and The Brewers and The Shots.

There’s The Cobblers and The Glovers,

and The Red Devils with the hots.

 

There’s The Spurs and The Gunners,

and The Toon Army and The Tykes,

and The Hammers and The Potters,

and The Pilgrims taking hikes.

 

There’s the Rams and The Wolves,

and The Eagles and The Seagulls.

There’s The Mariners and The Owls,

and The Saints and The Gulls.

 

There’s The Shakers and The Trotters,

and The Cherries and The Tangerines.

There’s Pompey and there’s Posh,

and Canaries in yellows and greens.

 

There’s The Black Cats and The Tigers

and The Hatters and The Dale.

There’s The Bluebirds and The Wanderers,

and The Terriers and The Vale.

 

There’s The Baggies and The Toffeemen,

and many called The Claret and Blues.

There’s Donny and there’s Palace,

and many more I could chose.

 

Whatever club our inclination:

Whichever club holds dear, our heart,

we’ll stick with through the ages,

til the day that we depart.

 

Whether riding high in the top flight,

or in the family leagues below,

Football is our Saviour,

and the game we all love so.

 

Written by Harriet Blackbury

 

 

December 26, 2015

 

 

Oh knee that will not bend.

Oh agony that will not end.

A high tackle to defend!

To the ground I now descend.

 

Oh whistle that should have blown.

Oh hope that now has flown.

No sign of sympathy shown,

as I lie here and groan.

 

Oh red card that never came.

Oh yellow card, the same.

He got off without blame,

and left me bloody lame!

 

 

September 6, 2015

 

 

Gerry and the Pacemakers, with this song,

never could have known,

how famous their anthem would become

with Liverpool’s – ‘You’ll never walk alone!

 

‘When The Saints go marching in’,

is Southampton’s trusted tune.

Whilst Man City supporters identified,

with their version of – ‘Blue Moon’.

 

I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles;

synonymous with West Ham & Bobby Moore.

Whilst ‘Z Cars’  -the theme of Everton,

and also Watford, but why – I’m not sure?

 

The Dave Clark Five’s ‘Glad All Over’,

brings out Crystal Palace smiles.

Whilst up at Tranmere Rovers,

they run out to – ‘The Rockford Files’.

 

The theme from 633 Squadron,

I hear, is Bolton Wanderers song,

and ‘Im A Believer’ by The Monkees,

is sung at Wigan, by their army strong.

 

‘Is this the way to Amarillo’

fills Chesterfield fans with fire,

and Stoke City’s anthem – ‘Delilah’,

from Tom Jones, confirms their desire.

 

Aston Villa I’m told, come out to,

– Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’,

Whilst Arsenal prefer ‘The Clash’,

though if I’m wrong, they’ll be annoyed.

 

Club Anthems always touching,

sending arrows to the heart,

as generations come together;

a way of life, right from the start.

 

Whether playing in the Sunday Leagues,

with Dad stood on the touch-line,

or being the one in a million,

who for a top club, sign.

 

No difference, the commitment.

No less thrilling is the game.

Football is an institution,

loved by young and old the same.

 

Written by Harriet Blackbury

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 1, 2015

 

 

The glamorous Beverley Sisters
throughout the fifties had hits,
with ‘I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus’,
and ‘Willie Can’,  following in fifty six.

Joy, being the original Wag,
married to Billy Wright.
Always elegant and bubbly,
and a total delight.

Other hits being ‘Little Drummer Boy’,
and ‘Little Donkey’ in fifty nine,
Those 3 sisters of early television,
really were divine.

Once more the music industry,
has lost another celebrity, (celeb-rit-ee)
as sadness surrounds the ground,
of Wolverhampton F C. 

By Harriet Blackbury

for LDOK.net   Tony’s Time Machine.

 

 

June 24, 2015

 

 

Back in the 60’s

when Bob Lord was king,

and life at Burnley FC

went with a swing,

 

A young fan of the club

to Turf Moor would hurry.

He watched every home game,

and was known as Gerry.

 

He stayed loyal through grim times,

and many there were!

But success came as well

for supporters to share.

 

Gerry liked a good sing-song;

a laugh and a joke,

and like the Houghton Weavers,

preferred to sing mostly ‘Folk’.

 

At times when Burnley lost,

he’d sing a shanty or a dirge,

and take requests from Blackburn fans;

‘sing Wild Rover’,  they’d urge.

 

He saw many games abandoned,

due to a water-logged pitch,

or ten inches of snow,

sent by the Pendle witch.

 

But with dogged determination,

and a folk song in his head,

he’d go to most away games;

to which ever town that led.

 

And though he could have followed,

Preston, Wigan or Bury?

He stayed loyal to his team,

did dependable young Gerry.

 

He even shunned watching Bolton,

when at it’s height with Allardyce.

And saw Rochdale and Bury as non-starters,

though was dragged there once or twice,

 

always under much duress,

with some relative or friend.

whilst his heart would be with Burnley,

playing down in Brighton or Southend!

 

When his fave Manager – ‘Stan the man’,

Hip-hopped down to Gigg Lane,

Gerry did attend more games there,

once he’d recovered from the pain.

 

So Folk music and Football

sure have floated his boat,

since back in the sixties,

when he wore his duffel coat.

 

‘Those were the days’ sang Mary Hopkins,

and Roger Whittaker sang Durham Town.

Whilst Haslingden’s very own Gerry,

was the local folk hero, renown.

 

So whether it’s ‘Gerry – the singer’

or ‘Gerry – the Burnley fan’,

he’s stayed true to what he loves,

because he’s just that kind of man.

 

 

 

 

 

I will love you until

the pigeons stop cooing.

 

I will love you until,

all the cows stop mooing.

 

I will love you until

Carlsberg stop brewing.

 

I will love you until

the opposition stop booing.

 

I will love you until

I don’t know what I’m doing.

 

But at the football ground,

I will always be queuing.

 

 

 

June 7, 2015

 

 

Thirty years and nothing,

No contact, no hearsay.

The thought of re-uniting,

has my mind in disarray.

 

To meet up at the cricket ground,

was a brainwave, I have to say,

If he’s looking rather dodgy,

I can just go on my way.

 

He got me into music,

back then, in the day,

I’ll offer to buy him a beer;

I can’t see him saying ‘nay’!

 

Can he have changed ‘that’ much?

Until we meet, I just won’t know,

But we both still like cricket,

so it’s now on with the show.

 

And if he does my head in,

after the first nervous hour,

I can pray for divine intervention:

‘Please god, let there be a shower’.

 

And if it turns out well,

a second meeting there could be.

But one step at a time,

right now, will do for me.

 

Later that same day

 

The day went very well;

rain didn’t stop play.

Old memories flooded back;

we sure found plenty to say.

 

 

We spoke of happy times,

when we’d met at grammar school,

after he’d fallen off Mount Snowden:

– What a silly fool!

 

And how he wrapped his Mum’s car,

around a telegraph pole,

at Bowland’s ‘cow arc’ bend,

with me, in the passenger role!

 

And how he got me into music;

mostly rock and folk.

And introduced me to good ale;

he sure was my kinda bloke.

 

So yes, at the close of play,

we both were back on song,

a bit older and much wiser,

but we so, still got along.

 

And as Lanky, Lanky, Lancashire,

in our ears did ring out,

we turned to each other knowing,

our friendship, solid, without doubt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written for LDOK.net  

( Tonys Time Machine)

To hear the concluding part

to Harriet’s poem,

tune in on Wednesday

11am – 1pm

 

 

 

« Older Posts — Newer Posts »