Season 480 - I don't normally like tomatoes, John...but this is delicious!

bobjking

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Season 480 - I don't normally like tomatoes John...but this is delicious!

Ayup! Welcome to the 480th season of the ukulele!

I've made a short accompanying video below which explains how the idea for the season came about etc...which combined with this blurb should hopefully make some sort of sense...

What I'm asking for this week is songs by artists or from a musical genre that you aren't really a fan of but there's one song that, for some reason (maybe you can't even explain why), you like.
In my case, it's Coldplay. Not a fan. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I actively dislike them.
But there's one song that I really like! I think it's great!

Maybe, as an example, you don't like Heavy Metal as a rule but there's that one song by Judas Priest or whoever that you just can't help giving the old devil horns and headbanging along to. That's the one I'm looking for!

As an alternative, the opposite is also very welcome!

Maybe there's a band/artist or musical genre that you love but there's a particular song that just doesn't do it for you?
The one you always skip on the CD or you haven't bothered adding to your Spotify playlist...I want to hear that song! (In fact, that's possibly more fun - playing a song that you don't really like. Perhaps it's a chance to reclaim it and realise its potential!)
A little note to explain your choice would be cool too.

For the songwriters out there, originals are very welcome along the theme of liking something that you didn't expect to/weren't supposed to/against your better judgement etc...or the opposite, hating something that you thought you should/would like. Anything along those lines.

As a third option I welcome any song (original or cover) that is about, or mentions in any way (either in title or lyrics), tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes, plum, fried, tinned, pureed, sun dried, ketchup, whatever...all fair game!

Usual terms and conditions apply, no song limit, collaborations heartily encouraged, multi instrument extravaganzas too but keep that ukulele at the forefront of proceedings! Mention somewhere in your post that it's for season 480...you all know the score.

There will be a prize. The lucky (debatable...) winner will receive a copy of the 1972 Blue Peter annual featuring John Noakes and Shep on the cover! I know...it's almost too good to be true!

Anyway, I look forward to hearing your songs! Have fun!
Don't forget, Liz's season still has a day or so to run so there's still time to get cracking and get a song in for that!

Any questions/problems let me know!

Cheers,

Bobby x



Playlist (hopefully) here...https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkeR78vJYqptyzJwFUYlHYlti-_2DNfYq
 
As host, I'm going to immediately abuse my position of power and get my song in early as I've been at the pub and I'm ever so sleepy...

It's a Coldplay song. Their only good one.

 
If there's a 1972 Blue Peter album at stake I'm definitely in! Great theme! I could use a new doorstop, my Roomba keeps hiding the ones I've got.
 
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Great to see you hosting Bob! This is a new and interesting theme to me ~
 
Now this is INTERESTING ... liking things you shouldn't like and not liking things you should like; and then TOMATOES!!!!! A very clever theme, Bob, and my mind has now gone completely blank!
 
Normally i would generally listen to 50/60/70/80s rock / rock and roll, with a little bit of country thrown in. I'm not one for cheesy pop music, however i always had a soft spot for Dollar ... or maybe it was just a teenage crush on Thereza Bazar ;)
So for this week's theme, Maria and I are re-creating the sight and sound of Dollar with one of their hits 'Who Were You With In The Moonlight?' ... we're thinking of forming a tribute act and taking it on the road :) ...



dollar012.jpg
 
Great intro vid Roberto! Here’s a tomato song.As for “ Blue Peter “ I don’t think it made the telly down here. It is more commonly known as a serious medical condition that affects male extremities is very cold climates ! I broke my laptop today ( pro tip..don’t think you can change your own battery).
So I did a phone recording..one man band banging on tambourine with my foot.


-Not sure why video won’t embed - fixed it!

 
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I crossed paths with this song, via the radio, last week.
I have never really fit in with the "Heartland Rock" demographic and at one point in my youth, was a vociferous critic of such music.
Now my 'experiments in singing' have lead me all the way back around to this....

 
Great theme Bob, and it's funny you should mention Heavy Metal in your introduction. It's one genre which I have lived through and never really got much out of. Maybe I was scarred early on, when I found myself in a field full of Motorhead fans at one of their early festival appearances. Terrifying, I tell you...And then there was the whole crossover into Poodle Rock, when the size of the hair and the colour of the rolled-up jacket sleeve seemed to be important.
Anyway, this is one song from that genre which I did always enjoy, from Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, especially Graham Bonnet's vocal performance. Here I am proving that he was the man for the job.

 
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The scary thing about this theme is that we're probably all going to horrify each other with the artists we don't like. I promise not to be horrified by yours if you're not horrified by mine :).

Anyway, I'm not that keen on country music in general, although there are a couple of exceptions. And I'm afraid I can't think of any Kenny Rogers songs I like, except this one:



I've added a bit of tenor uke in the second verse, and a singalong chorus.

Possible reason I like this: there was a music room at a conference venue I was at a few years ago, complete with piano and guitar (but no ukes) and I remember being part of a bunch of, er, pleasantly merry computer scientists muddling their way through this one. Hopefully nobody heard us.
 
That's the only blue Peter annual I had as a child!
I think I still have it.
 
Growing up away from the UK I was fortunate enough to be spared the likes of McFly and Busted as a teenager. Sickly sweet boy bands pretending to be rock stars, definitely not my thing.

Then I managed to marry a woman who is obsessed with them will often play their stuff whilst doing housework. Anyway, a few years ago they merged to form one big supergroup of wank called McBusted, and somehow got Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 involved with a song which is actually a pretty good pop punk song. I like it mainly because it uses one of my favourite British traits of wishing a minor inconvenience upon someone as a way of insulting them.

So I dug out the most punk rock instrument I own, my Makala Dolphin, and spent longer on it than I'd care to.

 
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Bonjour, Bobby! Excited as I was by the thought of songs about tomatoes, I was totally perplexed by the rest of your theme - from both perspectives. Then, I remembered that I have really NEVER liked the Rolling Stones ... whilst I must admit to a sneaking admiration for Keef's longevity, I have always found Mick Jagger's posturings positively irritating. However, I DO really like some of their earlier songs and, most particularly, their double-A side single, originally released in 1967 and featuring "Ruby Tuesday" on one side and "Let's Spend the Night Together" on the other. I decided to tackle "Ruby Tuesday" first and will work my way up to "Let's Spend the Night Together" ... one has to take these things slowly!

 
We were wondering at the open mic thing the other day what it would take for someone to do a song they didn't like. I thought it'd be a fun challenge to find one...

I usually like Elton John and Bernie Taupin's work (for example, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a great album). But not "Your Song". I might have liked it once, but now I just find it nauseating and... well, I won't go into that, because loads of people love it and it was a massive hit, and I doubt they're interested in my opinion anyway. It's better than any of the rubbish I've ever come up with.

Anyway, I was browsing my music collection, noticed this, and thought "Haha, I could have a go at that" and, you know what... it turns out to be rather fun to play. Maybe with it being a piano song, the chord progression is pretty interesting and a good challenge for where I'm currently at, and overall it seemed to work quite nicely in D on the baritone uke. I guess that was the point of the challenge, so, here it is. Still don't like the song though, sorry!



Unlike some earlier takes with a snarky aside or two, I tried to take this one seriously! I didn't add any overdubs, though, because that would have involved listening to it again.

(Sorry sorry sorry I'll shut up now...)
 
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