The Beatles are, in my humble opinion, the greatest band ever, but below are a few unsung heroes of pop....

Well I like them anyway.......

SWEET

"We want Sweet, we want Sweet, we want Sweet...."The opening to one of Sweet's classic 3 minute singles from the 70s, 'Teenage Rampage'. Probably the greatest glam rock band and one of the unluckiest with 5 singles stopping at number 2 in the UK singles chart. Only the mighty 'Blockbuster' managed to make it all the way to the number one spot. I finally got to see the Sweet play live in 1991, although by this time there were 2 versions of the group touring, one fronted by lead songer, Brian Connolly, and the other by lead guitarist Andy Scott. I saw Brian Connolly's Sweet and although very ill by that time, Brian's enthusiam and love of the songs was still evident.. Brian eventually died in 1997. There are still 2 versions of Sweet touring today. Andy Scott's Sweet are still going despite numerous line-up changes, and bass player Steve Priest who is now based in the States has recently got together another version of the band. RECOMMENDED LISTENING  'Sweet Fanny Adams' - their best album...... 'Ballroom Hitz' - greatest hitz collection featuring all of the classic singles.... TRIVIA   Sweet's great 1974 single 'Turn it Down'  only reached  number 41 in the UK charts.......this was mainly due to a BBC ban because of its lyrical content. The offending lyric?......... "So for Gods sake Turn it Down!". WE WANT SWEET! ...WE WANT SWEET! JOHN OTWAY   I was introduced to the John Otway phenomenum by my wife Carrie, who was already a fan and owned many albums and singles, and had seen Otway live in the early 80's.I knew him from his 1977 duet with Wild Willy Barrett, 'Really Free', but that was it. After listening to Carrie's albums, I became a minor fan, but it wasn't until I saw his live show that I became hooked. I first saw him on the 'Naughty Rhythms Tour' in 2000 along with Dr Feelgood, Eddie and the Hot Rods, and the Hamsters. He undoubtedly stole the show, leaving me and many others wanting more. It was the amazing hit campaign of 2002 that really caught the imagination of his fans. After choosing 22 flops as a follow up to 'Really Free', Otway decided that for his 50th birthday, he would like a second hit, only this time he would let the fans choose the song. A hit Cd was sent out to fans containing 11 songs, some old,some new, and the fans duly voted for their favourite. The winner was a song called 'Bunsen Burner',inspired by a piece of John's daughter's chemisty homework, and using the riff from the Trammps 'Disco Inferno'. Despite some stores refusing to stock the single, and some radio stations not playing it, the single, released in 3 different mixes!, stormed into the top 10, ridding Otway of his one hit wonder status forever.The second 'hit' and Otway's 50th birthday were celebrated in style with a concert at the London Palladium which we were lucky enough to attend. In March 2003, I emailed Mr Otway,to ask what the chances were of him playing a surprise gig for my wife Carrie's birthday in December 2003. Amazingly, this gig took place on 5th December 2003, when Otway appeared as the surprise guest at Carrie's party at Lemsford Village Hall. It was an amazing night and one that me, and particularly Carrie, will remember for years to come. At the end of the final song 'Headbutts', I even got to perform the final headbutt on the microphone (an honour usually reserved for one of John's band.) Thankyou John, and here's to your next hit, in 2027! Try and catch Otway live if you can.........click on the link on my links page for a list of upcoming gigs..... RECOMMENDED LISTENING 'Greatest Hits' - features both 'Hits' and a selection of covers and original songs, all in the inimitable Otway style.  TRIVIA  despite making the top 40 only twice in 25  years, John Otway has sung on a number one hit. He appeared on the charity record 'You'll Never Walk Alone' as part of 'The Crowd' in 1985.........  apart from Otway's 2 'Hits', he also appeared on Top of the Pops in 1980 , dressed as a soldier, banging on a drum, as part of Jona Lewie's backing band on 'Stop The Cavalry'. Watch both the hits below! HITS !   MEN WITHOUT HATS Hailing from Canada, Men Without Hats centred around the three Doroschuk brothers, Ivan,Stefan and Colin. They produced one great album (one of my all time favourites), hence their inclusion in my 'Pop Idols' section. The album was 1982's 'Rhythm of Youth' which not only included their classic 'Safety Dance', but other great synth based tracks like 'Living in China', 'Ideas for Walls' and 'I Got the Message'.  Nice! RECOMMENDED LISTENING 'Rhythm of Youth' - Classic synth-pop..... CHRIS RAINBOW Hailing from Glasgow and changing his name from Harley to Rainbow, to avoid confusion with Steve Harley who had just hit the big time with Cockney Rebel, Chris Rainbow made some great singles in the mid seventies. Despite some airplay, particularly from Capital's Kenny Everett, who was a big fan, none of them managed to hit the charts. Songs like 'All Night', 'Give Me What I Cry For', and 'Solid State Brain' all had distinctive harmonies, reminiscent of the Beach Boys. In fact, Rainbow pays tribute to Brian Wilson in the song 'Dear Brian'. After the lack of success of his solo career, Chris Rainbow appeared as guest vocalist on many of the successful 'Alan Parsons Project' albums, and for a time also played with the band 'Camel'. RECOMMENDED LISTENING 'The Chris Rainbow Anthology' (double Cd collection) - all of the great singles and also includes various jingles recorded for Kenny Everett's Show.....

Another great synth-pop band who produced some catchy singles, the best known probably being 'Living by Numbers' (see below). Lead singer and songwriter Tony Mansfield later went on to be a successful producer, most notably on the no. hit 'Happy Talk' by Captain Sensible...

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

• 'From A to B'. Their debut album containing their 4 hits and other great tunes.

Fronted by Welshman Green Gartside, Scritti Politti peaked in 1985 with the classic album 'Cupid &Psyche 85' which included the top 10 hits 'The Word Girl' and 'Wood Beez (pray like Aretha Franklin'). The next album 'Provision' contained the hit 'Oh Patti' featuring legendary trumpeter Miles Davis. Their last album 'White Bread, Black Beer' was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize.