Greetings earthlings :) I have been having very unsatisfying, uninterrupted sleep for the past month or so, so when i slept for about 8 solid hours last night I was most pleased. Nay, delighted. So i feel all invigorated to do this post today instead of tired and bleary - and isn't that what matters most? Well now i'm waffling, which is kind of a strange expression is it not? I mean, what on earth does it mean? Who on earth came up with such an expression? These are just some of the questions that probably kept me up at night ;) Or not... Sheesh, i should just get on with today's post...
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THE COVER BOYS:
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Yes, the Take That adoration committee that is TheZapping continues... not only are my foxy elder statesmen of pop heading for a number one this sunday with Patience, but they are proving their musical "chops" with a visit to Jo Whiley's Live Lounge just yesterday...Check out their acoustic romp through the Kaiser Chiefs' Every Day I Love You Less and Less. Great choice of song and it's nice to hear Mark get some vocal time as this song is most suited to the type of music he was producing solo. I really think that their album will be huge, and while not every single will be a number one, i think they do have a solid base of old and new fans that could sustain them for a while yet. And thanks to poppostergirl and zapping reader Guy, here are the Shirley Bassey and Keane songs i referenced to yesterday... Thank you so much guys for sending me those! Plus some of those cool Charlotte Church show cover versions Zeon is raving about right now...
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MP3: Take That - Every Day I Love You Less and Less
MP3: Keane - Enjoy The Silence
MP3: Shirley Bassey - Get The Party Started
MP3: Charlotte Church & Alesha - Somebody Told Me
MP3: Charlotte Church & Nerina Pallot - Message In A Bottle
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THE NEED FOR LOVE: Most people think that the Beatles were/are the ultimate pop group. I never really got them - i mean, yes I can completely see the marvel of their 3 minute creations and how they defined music for generations to come (and influenced so many acts, including my beloved McFly). But I always favoured Abba as the genius that shaped how my popworld developed. However, every now and then I get a yen for the Beatles music and their new Love album is the cd i've been waiting for them to make. It's actually the soundtrack for a new Vegas show by Cirque De Soleil but works amazingly well as an album on it's own (whatever your level of familiarity with the band...) The songs are deconstructed and recreated in such a sparkling way that they sound completely modern and relevant in today's market. Indeed album highlights such as Strawberry fields Forever, Help and I Want To Hold Your Hand could easily be singles today. But it's anthemic All You Need Is Love that gives me a glimpse into why people continually and utterly adore this band...
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LINK: Purchase The Beatles Love cd
LINK: The Cirque De Soleil Love show
MP3: The Beatles - All You Need Is Love
MP3: The Beatles - Help
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THE JUNGLE CRUISER:
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I've always been a bit anti Matt Willis, and i suppose i'm not really sure why. He always seemed the drunk, pillsed up, extraeneous one in Busted. Charlie went indie, James went onto Busted2.0 so there wasn't really much call for Matt other than as tabloid fodder. So he kinda continued to fly under my radar. Until I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here started last week. Glancing at it with a passing interest, i soon became hooked on David Gest's wild stories (my mother was a nun, my father a fisherman, both had only one leg each; my maid's name is Vaginica Semen. I call her Vag for short :O ) and Jan Leeming's unfailing belief that she can sing. And i started to notice Matt as a person who was actually quite charming, considerate and witty. It's not the sort of reality tv that creates headlines for him, but perhaps more importantly (as likeability is a big part of a popstars appeal for me) it got me to pick up his debut album this week. And I liked it. A lot...which led me to think the moral to this story is never doubt Poppostergirl ;) The album is clearly influenced by the music of Green Day and the showmanship of Robbie. Singles Up All Night and Hey Kid deserve to be bigger than they were and next single Don't Let It Go To Waste has a chorus so immense, it's surprising that planning permission wasn't required. Luxury details his time in rehab and From Myself Baby is such an exercise in musical restraint that it proves less is certainly sometimes more. My big pop surprise of 2006...
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LINK: Buy Matt Willis' Don't Let It Go To Waste
LINK: I'm A Celebrity website
MP3: Matt Willis - Don't Let It Go To Waste (demo)
MP3: Matt Willis - Luxury (demo)
MP3: Matt Willis - All These Things I've Done (killers cover)
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THE SHOULD'VE BEENS (an occasional feature):
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Remember when Stock Aitken and Waterman ruled the late 80s/early 90s? If you wanted a hit back then, all you had to do was pop along to their studios and they would knock one off for you in the backroom. Which sounds incredibly filthy ;) And actually sounds like i'm knocking their contribution to the pop world - i'm not. Much of my youth was spent listening and loving the pop gems. I think the brilliance of them was that actually any of their artists could have sung any of their songs and made it work. Which brings me to Big Fun. Really they should have been a lot bigger than they were - 3 lads dancing and singing was all vogue ever since NKOTB invaded our shores. They had hi-nrg disco covers of Blame It On The Boogie and I Feel The Earth Move, duetted with cheeky chappess Sonia on charity songs and popped out S/A/W classics with surprising ease. Their debut (and only?) album was a glittering feather boa of camp discomania wrapped in gay boy pop - so pretty bloody brilliant in it's cheesiness then. Plus the title of the album was such a double entendre it was almost embarrasing to read. At least it took the attention away from their bulging packages though...
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MP3: Big Fun - I Feel The Earth Move
MP3: Big Fun - Can't Shake This Feeling
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QUICK BITZ/BLOG WATCH:
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~ Be sure to check out the amazing Auntie Mabel on myspace. Not only is she an ambient folk singer educating our fair nation, she has brilliant songs like What About The Poo... word is she is fingering Almighty for a remix of this song ;)
~ You can listen to Antony Callea's new cd A New Chapter just by clicking here. Isn't technology marvelous? ;0
~ Sarah McLachlan's Stripped performance is up and mighty good it is too. You would be a fool not to pop over there and let her chilled out bliss wash over you. A fool!
~ Phew - despite mediocre ratings the so brilliant it won't be appreciated in it's own lifetime Veronica Mars has had another 7 episodes added to it taking it up to 20 for this year :)
~ is it just me or does Trent from Pink Is The New Blog not trust people to take pics of him?! They are almost always him taking the shot from his left side while pouting for Victoria Beckham at his sidekick cam ;) Still, PITNB remains my daily place for all essential gossip!
~ Check out my lovely Maroon 5 in the new Johnny Cash video up on youtube. Adam = RAR!
~ And the rar-some Nick has a whole month of weird and wonderful Abba covers up at his always excellent site. I'm so excited by this I almost did a love wee...

Winners of the x-factor voting contest are revealed here - you can also vote for your overall winner. Do so by friday at noon please :)
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Coming soon: something on pop photographers; another book club; Richard Marx?!?!; a walk down the Avenues; dad rock; some album reviews; more greatest hits done right; dyyce and young divas; Canadian Idol; fashion stuff; something on christmas tours; the 24 days of christmas; some more Jadion stable stuff - and lots more too.