Our St Andrews night special certainly threw up plenty of nominations for Scotland's best voices. The popular vote was behind blokes like Bon Scott, Michael Marra and Frankie Miller
Wednesday is the launch of our Get It On advent calendar. Every night we'll open another door and reveal what's behind it. For Wednesday it's Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. So, tonight's theme is a night of Scrooge-like tendencies. Let's have complaining songs, grumpy pop stars, and the artists who have said 'bah humbug' to the world. Surely, heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now is a shoo in for this theme?
( I am also willing to accept requests from bloggers who might occasionally exhibit some of the afore mentioned 'bah humbug' tendencies. Obviously that wouldn't apply to any of you lot though!!)
Is it Moira Anderson or Marti Pellow? Sharleen Spiteri or Susan Boyle? Julie Fowlis or John Martyn? To celebrate St Andrews Night we are asking you to get in touch and nominate Scotland's best voices. It's not about the songs tonight - it's all about the singers. We're not necessarily looking for the most technically gifted singers but perhaps the ones that have made the most impact. There are some like The Proclaimers that very obviously celebrate their roots but maybe one of the more soulful voices will get your vote. I think it's going to be a fiercely debated theme on the blog...
Judy Garland and Tinchy Stryder share mine while Miss Babs will be blowing out her candles alongside Mel C of The Spice Girls. Who do you share your birthday with and what's their best track? That's Monday's theme so get in touch with your birthday buddies. If you don't know who they are then just tell us what day you were born on and we'll do the rest.
Thanks to all on the blog for the suggestions for tonight's theme. given the plunging temperatures outside we have decided to go with Glen Miller's suggestion of things to keep us warm. A drop of Hot Chocolate perhaps or maybe a touch of Peggy Lee's Fever? Cosy up in front of the radio and get your suggestions in...
Teacher is very impressed by the standard of homework submitted on the blog this week and as Lord Sugar might say, ' I have arranged a treat for you all!' Friday's theme will be chosen from the blog and only from the blog! So, what's it to be bloggers?
We need to have your suggestions in by lunchtime tomorrow so we can get organised for the show. So, chat among yourselves and see what you think will work for Friday's show.
The themes we've had this week have all been pretty varied so I'm happy not to place any restrictions on your creativity. Capt Ramius has got us started with his true fans idea which I like a lot. I've wanted do a 'not their biggest hit' kind of show for a while so that could fit the bill. Let me know what you think...
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖwork week has been great fun and I've spent a lot of time on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Bitesize site which helps kids revise. I figured it might help me with my 'marking'. As I failed to get to grips with the concept of Pi then I think I need to do a lot more reading. Mind you if tomorrow's subject is religious Education then I'm going to have to do some serious cramming overnight.
According to the Bitesize website, ÌýRE now covers topics such as god, death, human relationships, poverty and wealth, prejudice and discrimination, religion, science and the environment, sanctity of life and war and peace. A bit like Bob Dylan I suppose.
Whether it's Noah and The Whale or Genesis that you fancy hearing then get your final batch of homework in for tomorrow...
Ìý
I'm pleased to say that everyone handed in their PE homework on time and some bloggers will be going home with a 10/10 in their jotters. Step forward Teacher's pet Mazzystar for suggesting A Tribe Called Quest. I was very impressed by Bryan Gregg, who suggested Aretha Franklin's R-e-s-PE-ct! Give that man a gold star.
On Wednesday you will have a double session of homework to complete, and that will be maths and science. Will you get top marks by suggesting E=MC2 or My Chemical Romance? You decide...
There's more homework to be done on Tuesday's Get It On. It's PE and as I mentioned on air please be sure to bring your kit. Those without plimsolls will be forced to do it in their bare feet and don't even think about asking what happens if you forget to bring your shorts!
Songs about physical education then, unless you have a note from your mother...
Ìý
It's a Get It On homework week and each night will have a different subject. Please set aside enough time to complete your homework and find a quite place in the home to concentrate so you wont be disturbed when you try to complete your suggestions. All the homework set this week is expected to be completed by all bloggers. Some sections will be manageable and others may be more of a challenge. If any of you fail to complete your homework on time then you will need to send a note to Miss Babs and she will come up with an appropriate punishment...
I found some rules on a website which may be useful for those of you who are supervising blogger's homework:
"You might want to make a simple homework chart and put a sticker or a smiley face on it every day that homework is completed without a fuss (obviously, this is for younger bloggers!). A certain number of stickers earn a special treat. Or, you may tell your blogger that if he does his homework all week, you will take him out for ice cream or rollerblading. Don't over-reward or put yourself in the position to treat, treat, treat every weekend. I've said it before, but it absolutely bears repeating: Your job is not to bribe your blogger into doing homework!"
Tonight's subject is foreign languages. This can be 'songs sung in...' or included in the title of the song or the artist. You now have just over six hours to complete your homework which must be handed in by ten past six...
£50 for Talking Heads, £30 for Lady Gaga and amazingly £160 for Gong. Thanks to everyone who donated tonight for our Pudsey Jukebox special. I reckon we must have brought in around £700 which includes a huge donation from Henri Hannah who bid for the chance to be our 'voice-over man' for the night. Superb work Henri and thanks for a nice gesture ( and the banana loaves).
We've all been fundraising in here as well and our team contributed to the in house cake stall by baking and more importantly buying fab cakes. I took part in a sponsored 60m sprint with several members of the sports and news departments. As you can probably tell from the expression on my face, I came last. Yes last!!!! The race was won by sports reporter Kheredine Idessane who completed a difficult course, in a head wind, in a time of 8.1 seconds.
I have no excuse for my performance other than I wisnae very good. I was going to say that sprinting is a young man's game but I have new found respect for the legend that is John Beattie. He might be retired from professional rugby but he can still take off like a rocket across the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ car park.
It's a pound play for Pudsey tonight. Ask for whatever you like but if I play your song I ask that you donate at least a pound to ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children In Need. A pound would be good, but I have to say I rather like the sliding scale of prices devised by Captain Ramius elsewhere on the blog. Oh and regular bloggers will not want to miss tonight's opening voice over!
Who did Neil Sedaka have in mind when he pleaded with Carol that he wasn't a fool? Who was pretty, pretty Peggy Sue actually married to and what did Eric Clapton's wife do that was so wonderful tonight? (Actually, don't answer that last question!)
Wednesday's theme is 'songs inspired by real life women' so should end up being a celebration of womankind. I wonder if it's possible to do a similar show of the songs inspired by blokes? Let me know your thoughts....
Monday's theme of sleepy songs was very popular and we got some really good shouts, but I found it all a bit unsettling. I'm just not used to playing that many laid back songs in one show. My body clock is nowadays geared up to peaking between 6pm and 8pm. It's when I'm at my perkiest and I just found I couldn't chill out tonight. Maybe if I'd done the show from my bath with a glass of red wine then that would have helped. Not much fun for Kirsten though, especially as the bubbles would have fizzled out before the 7 0 clock news!
Tomorrow night it's 'songs about class'. So songs about the upper, middle and working classes as well as the war between them. Surely the Braggster must make an appearance?
'Two hours of the songs that send you to sleep' is maybe not the most enticing programme billing that's ever been written but it does sum up Monday's show. What I'm after are the tunes that help you unwind, some truly relaxing pop music and your suggestions of the artists with the most soothing voices ever.
So, re-laaaaaaaaax....and get in touch.
Once again, your Remembrance Day contributions made for a remarkable programme and for me, one that was a real honour to present. I tried my best to include most messages but inevitably there were some I didn't get round to.
I wanted to bring this great story to your attention. It was sent in by Aileen Farquharson who had asked for The Great Escape theme as reminded her of her father.
"He was one of the 'lucky' ones who survived WW2. He was in the 51st Division The Black Watch and was captured at St Valery (at Dunkirk). He was marched into Poland to begin his time as a POW. However, when he saw the film with Steve McQueen's famous bike ride, he pointed to the screen and said out loud "I did that!". Well it transpired he was a habitual escapee and on one of his attempts he stole a motor bike, only to be captured again because....wait for it... it ran out of petrol! Because he was a habitual escapee he was apparently put into Stalag 8b which was for men like him who caused the Germans a lot of bother. He was there until the end of the war. He said they wakened one morning to find the guards had deserted the camp and Russian troops arrived and freed them. Anyway, that's one from someone who survived."
We had so many stories like that tonight so thanks again to everyone who got in touch.
Friday's theme will be chosen by contributors to our Facebook page so at this stage I still don't know what we are going to have as a theme. Next week is Children In Need and that means the following Friday wil be a blog only theme suggestion.
Tomorrow and on Remembrance Sunday ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland is broadcasting a number of programmes to mark Remembrance Day. Our contribution will be a special programme featuring songs of remembrance and gratitude. We did a similar show last year and I was really moved by the contributions made by our regular listeners as well as those who had just tuned in on the night.
In particular I was honoured that so many people got in touch with their memories of loved ones who sacrificed their lives for their country. It was a humbling experience.
I had a great morning last week talking to a group of trainees who are in the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ learning media skills and how they can use those skills to find full time employment. I went along to talk about Get It On and what goes on behind the scenes on the show. As part of the session the group 'workshopped' a few theme ideas and we got some good ones for future shows. So, thanks to Dave, Gillian, Glenn,Jan, JP, Natalie, Nick, Robert, Shona and Tania for your hard work. The theme that we are going to go with is: 'The songs that sound better after a few drinks'.
Is it the heartfelt ballads that have you greetin' after one gin too many or is it the party anthems that get you on your feet after a few beers?
Of course we want to promote responsible drinking on Get It On but I do think that certain songs are like fine food and much more enjoyable when accompanied by a well chosen wine...
Ìý
Excellent show tonight so thanks to all who contributed. Here's to the band name generator that I referred to on air. Hours of fun can be had, especially if like me you have a juvenile streak!
I promised I'd put the top five names suggested up on the blog and they are as follows:
1. Death By Milkfloat
2. Elias and His Zig Zag Jive Flute Band
3. Ken Dodd's Dad's Dog's Dead
4. Dananananakroyd
5. Thirty Odd Feet of Grunts
Tuesday's show is 'mum and dad's taxi'. We get loads of nightly suggestions from folk who are stuck in the car while their offspring are out enjoying themselves. If that's your role in life nowadays then let us know what are the songs that keep you entertained while you wait.
You don't have to be a parent to participate of course. What are the tracks guaranteed to relieve the boredom of a long wait in the car? Get in touch and let me know...
So, the end of a great week and I have to start by thanking Madmac for the idea. It's been a great way to breathe new life into familiar themes and there have been some cracking songs suggested. I thought Frightened Rabbit was a standout song on Celtic night and Lesley Gore's Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows definitely lived up to it's billing as 'the happiest song I have ever heard'!
Monday night's theme is strange artist names. Obviously I mean artists with strange names rather than strange artists with names! We Were Promised Jetpacks and Half Man, Half Biscuit have already been suggested for this theme which came from Gary in Ardrossan.
I'm looking forward to hearing your shouts and keeping my fingers crossed for another week like this one.
Ìý
Tonight's 'culture zone' theme was great fun with some smashing puns being suggested. I loved Bach to Black, Monet Monet, and Go Wilde In The Country! It was also an education - who knew that China In Your Hand was inspired by Mary Shelley's famous novel??? Here's what is says on Wikipedia:
"The song's lyrics refer to the novel Frankenstein and its author Mary Shelley. This is more readily heard on the longer album version of the song, as the re-recorded single edit omits most of the more obvious references to the book. The song's title was more unclear however and when quizzed, co-writer Ron Rogers was unsure of to what it referred. Lyric writer Carol Decker explained that it is the effect that if you hold a china cup to a light, you can see your hand through it - therefore 'china in your hand' means something that is transparent."
And as for T'Pau's name, John Mac in Campbeltown pointed out that it came from a character T'pring who was meant to marry Spock but knocked him back. Can't think why!
Friday is our final zone and it's comedy. So, I'm looking for songs about laughing, joking and even smiling. Should be a fun end to a good week of Madmac's themes.
It seems from the response to Wednesday's show that the art of conversation is not dead. A huge amount of folk got in touch so thanks to all who contributed. Madmac's week of themes continues with the 'culture zone' on Thursday. So it's songs about art, theatre, opera and the rest. Looking forward to hearing your suggestions...
Talking Heads, The Gossip and The Whispers are just three of the artists who could feature on Wednesday's show. We are continuing our week of themes inspired by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland's zones and we now turn our attention to the conversation zone.
As well as artists like those I've already mentioned let's have songs about all kinds of verbal commjuncation. We'll include whispering, shouting and everything in between. I suppose as listening is part of the art of conversation I should include that as well.
If it's two hours of babbling, blethering and verbalizing it will not surprise regular listeners to know that it's Miss Babs producing!!!!
Monday night's show was a great way to start the week. I had my doubts about an entirely celtic edition of Get It On, but as always you came up with a rich and varied playlist including one or two real surprises. Gaie's Frightened Rabbit shout really stood out for me.
Tuesday's theme is going to be 'history'. It's the 2nd of our week of themes suggested by Madmac and his idea is to tie them in
with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland's online zones.
We could have songs about ancient history as well as more recent events and don't be shy of including those songs which reference musical history as well.
