1986 – Think Bensonium

Song 5: A Rainy Night In Soho, The Pogues

Roderick Benson — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:36:27 +0000

So this post marks the sad passing of Shane MacGowan on the 30^th of November 2023. Sadly Shane’s general lifestyle was not that conducive to longevity. Probably his most famous hit was Fairytale of New York which was a duet between him and the late Kirsty MacColl who passed away tragically young in a bizarre boating accident. Shane also covered the Australian classic written by Eric Bogle The Band played Waltzing Matilda a song about Australian Anzac day which commemorates Australian’s who lost their lives in active combat.

Song 4: Ship of fools, World Party

Roderick Benson — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 23:00:04 +0000

On the 19^th of July 2022 the UK recorded the hottest temperatures since records began topping over 40°C in some areas of the country. Yet earlier this year on a Facebook discussion group, I laboured in vain against those who continue to deny the overwhelming data that indicates we are moving the earth’s atmosphere dangerously away from the goldilocks zone by increasing levels of greenhouse carbon dioxide from 280 ppm to now over 400 ppm. Sadly, I do not think we as a species are altruistic enough to stop catastrophic climate change.

Ship of fools by World Party was released in 1986 long before people were talking about global warming. In those days, the subject of discussion was the hole in the ozone layer. This song now seems horribly prophetic and as for “paying tomorrow”, that tomorrow is now today as we begin to bear the first fruits of global heating; effects that are only going to get worse and worse as we progress through the 21^st century.

Day 451: There is a light that never goes out, The Smiths

Roderick Benson — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 23:00:00 +0000

In this final week of Covid Island Discs I am citing bands that should really have been cited during the 65 week disruption we have experienced in the UK. Amazingly this is the first time I have cited a Smiths song and this one reminds of my late best friend Jonathan Higgs. Jonathan had what one could describe as an avant-garde personality and this was a song that he particularly liked. I still have such distinct memories of him singing the lines: “if a ten ton truck should kill the both of us” as if it was only yesterday; yet it was when we were both at Sydney University back in the 1980s. Sadly poor Jon died of liver cancer in 2017 just a few months after my Mum passed away at the age of 87. I guess the one thing that life has taught me is that it is brutal. I guess Jon’s appreciation of this fact made him connect to the Smiths in a way that passes most of us by. God bless you Jon, I miss you .

Day 426: Life’s what you make it, Talk Talk

Roderick Benson — Wed, 19 May 2021 23:00:28 +0000

I really like the piano in this Talk Talk classic although the name of the band reminds me of UK mobile phone company.

Day 394: Don’t tear it down, Spy versus Spy

Roderick Benson — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 23:00:28 +0000

This Aussie band makes its long overdue debut today in Covid Island Discs. This song is probably their most famous. A song that if you grew up in Australia in the 70s/80s, you will know because it was regularly played on Aussie radio and at those brilliant teenage parties that form such wonderful memories for me as a now “50 something” year old. Perhaps the “Don’t tear it down there is life it yet” could be applied to all us old fogies as we enter the twilight years of our lives.

Day 300: Papa Don’t Preach, Madonna

Roderick Benson — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

So this is the first Madonna song to make it into Covid Island Discs. Although I’m not a great fan of Madonna, I do like this song. It also captures an intense family moment as a daughter begs her father that she will go through with an unplanned pregnancy and that she loves the father of her child. Madonna’s voice is also powerful in this song.

Day 217: Don’t Dream it’s over, Crowded House

Roderick Benson — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

So at the 6 month point in Covid Island Discs we had a song by the band Split Enz called Six Months in a leaky boat. Neil and Tim Finn joined forces with Nick Seymore and Paul Hester to form the band Crowded House and this is one of their classics.

Day 188: True Faith, New Order

Roderick Benson — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I shared a hit from Joy Division. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, after Ian Curtis committed suicide the remaining band members formed the band New Order. This is probably their best known hit. Now I have lived more than half my life in Manchester, I guess bands that were home grown in Salford are like my fellow locals.

Day 160: Don’t give up, Kate Bush & Peter Gabriel

Roderick Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 16:41:52 +0000

When I turned 21 my lovely Seaforth Fellowship friends bought me a CD player: a cutting edge piece of tech all those years ago. They also bought me my first CD to go in it which was Peter Gabriel’s album “So”. I still have the CD in my collection and this beautiful duet between Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel is on the album (I mean CD).

Day 114: Livin’ on a prayer, Bon Jovi

Roderick Benson — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 13:37:22 +0000

“Oh, oh half way there, oh oh livin’ on a prayer.” Bon Jovi is always an exciting musician to listen to and this really is one of the hard rock classics which gets the most amazing amount of crowd participation I have ever seen (or more accurately heard). When the crowd sing the chorus it really sounds incredible and must have been an amazing experience for those were at this concert. What is even cooler is the crowd easily hit the key change in the final chorus, I guess that is the advantage of having over 60,000 people singing unison.