Just Another Blog From a Woman

2019 Culture Review: the best TV, Books and Music

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Hi there! Long time, no new post, but here I am spouting my opinions for anyone who’s prepared to listen. So, I bring you my succinct cultural review of 2019. I have yet again completely failed you regarding film this year. I blame it on the fact that I have moved further away from my local cinema plus it’s just so bloody expensive to go to the cinema these days. So, again, it just wouldn’t be fair to say which I think are the best films from this year. Onwards with music, books and TV though. I’ve been fully engaged with all of those as per. There’s a longer playlist at the end of the best singles and album tracks from the year for y’all.

Best Books I’ve Read This Year

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

(Now one of my all time books)

Lady Sing the Blues by Billie Holiday

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Reasons To Stay Alive/Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig

(Couldn’t decide between the two of these, so I cheated and put both. Also, everyone should be made to read them both as law)

Best TV Programmes

10. This Way Up

Very enjoyable look at a woman recovering from a breakdown. Served with humour, sensitivity and great on screen chemistry between Aisling Bea and Tobias Menzies.

9. Dead to Me

I loved this show that was focussed on grief with a twist (or two). Christina Applegate was absolutely fantastic in this and if she doesn’t win all the awards, then -well- award shows will be dead to me. Ahem.

8. Unbelievable

One of several shows that leave the viewer shaking their heads and reeling with anger from the lack of justice. The two detectives played by Toni Collette and Merritt Wever are fantastic as is Kaitlyn Denver who plays the main victim Marie. Unbelievable, but very watchable.

7. Queer Eye

If ever there was a penultimate feel-good TV programme, this is it. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and I promise that’s not purely down to the thirst factor that Antoni brings. Can the Fab 5 be my new best friends, please?

6. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK

Controversial opinion: I think this UK version of RuPaul’s Drag Race is better than the American one. And I LOVE the American one. It was so very British, from it’s carry on humour to it’s fashion to it’s guest judges and cultural references. I also loved how the British version was slightly less bitchy and the queens seemed so much more supportive of each other. And for the record, I was #teamBagaChipz

5. The Virtue

Well, this just compounded my opinion that Stephen Graham is one of the best British actors around at the moment. This is a heartbreaking programme about child abuse and its affects on adulthood (yep, it’s not for the faint hearted) with phenomenal acting and writing.

4. Fleabag 2

Bye bye Fleabag, one of the most innovative, emotive and funny TV programmes for years by the stupidly talented Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The last scene was perfection. Two confessions: I think Olivia Coleman is better in this than in The Crown and I fancy Andrew Scott.

3. When They See Us

Never has a TV programme made me so angry. The acting is outstanding by all involved, but especially Jharrel Jerome. I’m so glad it got the recognition it deserved.

2. Chernobyl

What an achievement Chernobyl was. Again, memorable performances from everyone especially Jarred Harris (another wonderful British actor) and excellent storytelling.

1. Stranger Things 3

Bit of a welcome relief from some of the hard-going TV programmes on my list. For me, this has been the best season of Stranger Things yet. They’ve ramped up the 80s-ness, the humour was very much intact and it kept you at the edge of your seat throughout. Nothing made me as happy as when Dustin sang The NeverEnding Story theme tune with his girlfriend over the phone. The whole season was a complete and utter joy.

Singular Episodes That Deserve Recognition

Broad City: Final episode– a beautiful and moving tribute to female friendship.
Game of Thrones: The Long Night– I don’t think I took a breath for the whole episode. Everyone involved should be commended. Stunning soundtrack too. It’s just a shame that Game of Thrones didn’t end with this episode.
The Crown: Aberfan– utterly heartbreaking episode. Jason Watkins who played Harold Wilson was particularly fantastic in this episode.
Seven Worlds, One Planet: Europe– mainly for the hamsters.
Derry Girls: Across the Barricade– when they find out that they finally do have something in common with the Protestant kids and The Cranberries start playing in the background. Nice touch.
Glastonbury: various coverage– I used to go every year when I was younger, but a bad back and finances means that my days of going to Glastonbury are well and truly over. However, I have the best time on my sofa with a G&T in hand watching my favourite acts on the telly. This is mainly due to the exceptional coverage that the BBC provide. One of the many reasons, I’m more than happy to pay my TV license. My favourite acts that I watched from the comfort of my living room were Stormzy, Kylie, Lizzo, The Cure, Janelle Monáe, Dave, Miley and Christine & the Queens. I even enjoyed the bizarreness of The Good, The Bad and The Queen.
Ant & Dec’s DNA Journey: Okay, so actually both episodes were excellent, so I’m cheating here by adding another programme. This was fascinating both on a historical level and with regards to DNA research, but it was also both very moving and very funny. Great stuff.

Best Albums

5. Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka

4. On The Line by Jenny Lewis

3. Office Politics by the Divine Comedy

2. Cuz I love You by Lizzo

1. Ghosteen by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Top Ten Tunes

10. Cellophane by FKA Twigs

9. Will We Talk by Sam Fender

8. If You Need Me by Julia Michaels

7. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish

6. Norman and Norma by The Divine Comedy

5. All Mirrors by Angel Olsen

4. Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have- But I Have It by Lana Del Rey

3. Juice by Lizzo

2. Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten

1. Sight of You by Sigrid

Honorary mention for best video: Vossi Bop by Stormzy

So, you know the score. Which song, album and/or TV programme are your favourites from this year? And please, please let me know which have been your favourite films that you’ve seen this year. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Extended 2019 playlist:

Pride Playlist

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

I’ve done a Pride playlist! I’m not one to shy away from dancing to a gay anthem and I wish more than anything I could be at London Pride today. So, to compensate for not being able to go I compiled a Pride appropriate playlist and you might enjoy it too, especially if you’re lucky enough to be attending. Enjoy and wave those rainbow flags high!

I’m a Winner Baby!

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Unbelievably, the unbelievable has happened. I only went and scooped myself a prize at the Annual Bloggers Bash this year! My little blog won the Best Entertainment Blog category. So I’m here to say a big, fat THANK YOU to every one who took the time to vote for my blog. It means so very much and I am eternally grateful. Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend the ceremony in London to collect my prize, but I’d like to give a big shoutout to the organisers of the ceremony and thank them for all the hard work they put into the awards every year. You can see a list of the winners and nominees HERE.

As I’m taking a short blogging break, I thought it would be a good idea to put all my favourite and most popular blog posts, here in one post. So, if you so wish, have a peruse of all the best posts I’ve done since I started my blog back in December 2015.

My Most Popular Posts of All Time:

10. Ironing, Why Bother?

9. F**KING SCOOTERS

8. A Guide to Hanging Out With Cloth Ears

7. The Rise of Eating Disorders in Children

6. 10 Most Influential Albums of My Teenage Years

5. Everyday Sexual Harassment

4. Dear Stephen

3. British Actors Playing Americans on TV Shows

2. Things I Wish I’d Been Told Before I Became a Mother

1.Why Women’s Procreation Choices are None of Your Business

My Top Ten Tunes Series (that featured 10 songs and news from every year from 1960-2018)

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

My Top Tunes from a particular artist

Beatles Björk Blur The Cure George Michael

Kylie Minogue Madonna Prince Pulp Suede Tori Amos

As a matter of interest, do you have a favourite post of mine? If so, I’d love to know, so please tell me in the comments. My personal favourite will always be Dear Stephen.

Don’t forget, I’m currently writing for Talk About Pop Music website where I am reviewing every single UK Number One that has ever existed. I know. Quite the challenge, but I’m loving it. The latest ones are HERE.

Just Another Monthly #3

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Something to think about:

It’s a question that has been posed many times before, but one I have never given much thought to. So, I asked myself, what celebrity guests would I invite to a dinner party. My dinner party is for celebrities that are still alive only (because otherwise, I’d probably only have a table full of dead people) and it’s a dinner party for 8 people (including myself), so I need to invite 7 celebrities. So, the celebrities that would be receiving this very exclusive invite would be:

Sir David Attenborough: ok yes, let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. I mean, who wouldn’t want Sir Dave at their dinner party? He would probably terrify me talking about how messed up our planet is now, BUT we all need that. We all need to be scared about our planet’s health right now.

Rupaul: YASSSSSSSS queen. Of course. Obvs. He is incredibly interesting, wise and so much fun. Rupaul would be a definite at my dinner party.

Sir Ken Robinson: Who? The very clever creativity expert, speaker and international educationalist. If you’ve ever watched his TED talk you’d understand why I’d want him at my dinner party. He’s incredibly charming and witty, but that aside he is fascinating. One of those people you could listen to all day. I bang on about my love for Sir Ken in my blog post about the importance of creativity for children HERE

Michelle Obama: Major girl crush on our Shell here. I can just imagine it: Michelle lining up the sambucca shots at 2am, regaling us all with tales of the White House and slagging off Trump and I am 100% here for it.

Danny Dyer: Why? Do I really need to explain? Because it’s DANNY FACKING DYER that’s why. He would also be sat next to me, so we can slag off David Cameron together. Twat.

Rylan: Because, well……Rylan. Also, he would clearly be excellent company, a whole lot of fun and is actually a lot more intelligent than his TV persona portrays.

Vanessa Feltz: Damn straight, I went there. Come on, she would be absolutely brilliant at a dinner party. I bloody LOVE mouthy, clever women, so Vanessa is right up my street. And if Vanessa can’t make it, I’d invite Kathy Burke.

This now begs the question, who would you invite to your dinner party?

Something to be cheerful about:

Cheerful and delicious, a 64-metre-long “fatberg” in Sidmouth has finally been removed. Workers winched down a manhole wearing special breathing gear, chipped away at the mass of congealed oils and rubbish (mmmm) and filled 36 tankers. The fatberg will now be converted into energy to use at a sewage plant. Good work!
The Duchess of York has not only embarked on writing poetry, but her best pal Will.i.am. wants to set her poetic verses to music. Apparently, he refers to her as his “homegirl” and as the “real Fergie”, and the two of them regularly take tea together. Watch out for the music collaboration the world has probably not been waiting for.
A wildlife expert, Kate MacRae, has built an adorable bird box that looks like a miniature living room inside for the birds in her garden and has set up live cams inside. It is absolutely gorgeous. You can view this live cam and others that she has set up HERE.

Something to buy:

Black Floral Print Tie Sleeve Tea Dress, £28, from Miss Selfridge

Rock & Pop Icons Tea Towels, £12, full range from Bold & Noble

Something to read:

Half the Sky: How to Change the World by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn.

This is another one of those books that everyone should be forced to read (I really should do a post on that), it takes you around the world meeting amazing women who have survived or are still struggling in terrible circumstances. Here’s one fact that my mind is still reeling from in the book:

More girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they are girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century combined.

It’s not a book to be taken lightly. It’s a difficult read, detailing female oppression across the world. What’s great about the book is that it talks about ways and initiatives that local women in these countries have been able to help themselves (and this seems to be the most effective way as opposed to the “white saviour” method). This book leaves you with a feeling of angry injustice, but also a feeling of respect, awe and hope for these women. Everyone should read this book and read it now. The website for the Half the Sky movement is HERE.

Something to watch:

I have been watching so many good programmes of late and these are the latest that I thoroughly recommend.

Derry Girls Season 2

Russian Doll

After Life

Fleabag Season 2

Broad City Season 5 (last ever season whaaaa!)

Something to cook:

Goats Cheese & Walnut Gnocchi

Speedy and very easy dish that you can quickly cobble together for a fresh evening meal.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 pack of gnocchi

1 pack of green beans (or any greens you fancy)

Butter

Couple of fistfuls of walnuts

Garlic Clove

Goats cheese

Half a lemon

Salt & pepper

Method

Steam the greens for 6 minutes or so
Then fry the greens in a bit of butter along with the walnuts
Add the gnocchi to the water you used to steam the greens and boil for a couple of minutes
Add the garlic clove (crushed or chopped- whatever you prefer) to the greens & walnuts and fry for a minute
Juice the lemon half and chop the cheese
Drain the gnocchi
Mix the gnocchi, greens & walnuts together along with the goats cheese, lemon juice and seasoning
Shove in mouth

Again, many apologies for the terrible food photography. It’s not my forte.

Something to help save the planet with:

I’m bit of a Paperchase whore to be honest with you, so I was super pleased to hear that they have brought out their own Conscious Living stationary range. Everything is made from recycled and ethically resourced materials. They’ve used materials such as old coffee cups, recycled leather, bamboo fibre, sugar canes and old water bottles to make their products. You can view the full range HERE and read about the different materials they’ve used HERE. Prices range from 80p to £20. Well done Paperchase.

Something to enjoy from the Blogosphere:

I’ve mentioned this before, but Christine from I’m Sick and So Are You is a terrible writer and her blog is awful. This particular post of hers left me feeling absolutely nothing and definitely isn’t one of the most important blog posts I’ve ever read. If your body isn’t quite what it used to be, it might mean nothing to you too. Definitely don’t read this post called An Ode to a Broken Body HERE.

Something to listen to:

Something to laugh at

Louis Theroux reviewing UK rap:

Just Another Monthly #4 will be back in one month’s time.

Don’t forget you can vote for Just Another Blog From a Woman to win a blogging award **HERE in the Best Entertainment Blog category.**

Top 15 Tunes That Make Me Sob Like a Baby

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Recently, on Twitter someone asked what songs make you cry? I immediately thought of the song that makes me cry like no other, but I then thought of so many more that render me pretty useless, sobbing like the emotional nightmare that I am. As I wrote about the 15 films that make me cry like a baby HERE, I thought I’d do a similar post with songs. For me, nothing evokes emotion more than music. Some of these songs are here for no other reason than they are emotional songs that make me cry and some are here because they have very personal reasons attached to them. I was going to write about why I selected each song, but then I realised it wouldn’t make for the most cheerful of posts. So, I’ll just simply leave the selected songs here.

15. They Won’t Go When I Go by George Michael

14. Hurt by Johnny Cash

13. Winter by Tori Amos

12. Stay Another Day by East 17

11. When I Die by Lush

10. Who Knew by P!nk

9. Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel

(Bloody Watership Down)

8. The Whole of the Moon by the Waterboys

7. Breathe Me by Sia

6. E.T. theme tune

5. This Woman’s Work by Kate Bush

4. Memory from the Cats soundtrack

3. Disarm by Smashing Pumpkins

2. Distant Sky by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

And the song that makes me cry like no other is…

.

1. When I Grow Up from the Matilda soundtrack

Exhibit A: the lyrics “When I grow up, I will eat sweets everyday” (oh the pureness of it)

Exhibit B: the lyrics “When I grow up, I will be brave enough, to fight the creatures that you have to fight beneath the bed each night, to be a grown up”

God damn you Tim Minchin *waves fist at air*

The One That Almost Made It: Creep by Scala & Kolacny Brother

This kind of list, is always going to be subjective and obviously very personal, so tell me which tearjerkers would make your list in the comments below.

See you on 12th April for Just Another Monthly #3

Top 15 The Cure Tunes

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

The Cure as babies (1980)

Here’s my top 15 The Cure tunes. Spotify playlist at the end as always.

15. Jumping Someone Else’s Train (1979, did not chart, Boys Don’t Cry)

14. Let’s Go To Bed (1982, no.44, Japanese Whispers)

13. Why Can’t I Be You? (1987, no.21, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me)

12. A Forest (1980, no.31, Seventeen Seconds)

11. Killing an Arab- notably now sung as Killing Another (1978, did not chart, Boys Don’t Cry)

10. Friday I’m in Love (1992, no.6, Wish)

9. The Lovecats (1983, no.7, Japanese Whispers)

8. Inbetween Days (1985, no.15, The Head on the Door)

7. Lullaby (1989, no.5, Disintegration)

6. Close to Me (1985, no.24, The Head on the Door)

5. Lovesong (1989, no.18, Disintegration)

4. The Caterpillar (1984, no.14, The Top)

3. Pictures of You (1990, no.24, Disintegration)

2. Just Like Heaven (1987, no.29, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me)

And my all time favourite Cure song is…

.

1. Boys Don’t Cry (1979, did not chart, re-released in 1986, no.22, Boys Don’t Cry)

The One That Almost Made It: Mint Car (1996, no.31, Wild Mood Swings)

Don’t forget to tell me below which is your favourite The Cure song below.

See you next week for the Top 15 Tunes That Make Me Cry Like a Baby!

For more musical artist top tunes click on the link:

Beatles Blur Björk George Michael Kylie Minogue Madonna Prince Pulp Suede Tori Amos

Just Another Monthly #2

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Something to think about:

My most hated word in the English language? Just.

“Why are you doing it like that? Just do it like this?”

“Just do it”

“Just don’t do it”

“It’s easy. Just…”

“Just. Just. JUST”

Why does such a seemingly inoffensive word rile me so much? It presumes so much. It presumes that the answer to your problem is simple and why haven’t you thought of it? It’s ok, the irony is not lost on me. The word just is in both my blog name and this post’s title. However, it’s the use of the word just when telling someone to do something that specifically gets my goat. Here’s an example:

Some years ago, when I was having terrible problems settling my baby in a cot for the first time, I had a little moan about it at the baby group I regularly attended.

“She won’t settle. She screams. She cries. She doesn’t like the cot at all and was much happier in her moses basket.”

“Ah,” interjected a fellow mum, “just put her in a sleeping bag in the cot”

“I’ve done that. It didn’t make a difference” was my reply

“Just put her in the moses basket in the cot, to get her used to it”

“Yep, tried that too. Also didn’t work”

“Just comfort her whilst she’s in the cot crying, so she knows there’s nothing to be scared of”

“I mean, I’ve definitely done that….”

“Just leave her to cry it out”

“Sure, I’ve done that too, but she seems particularly unhappy…”

“Well, I don’t have any other suggestions. Sorry”

And that was the end of the conversation. The thing was, I wasn’t looking for advice. I merely wanted to have a moan. To get it off one’s chest as it were. And all I wanted in return was a “oh dear, that must be shit. It will be ok though” type response. Instead, I was left feeling even more frustrated than before the conversation.

Here’s the thing, it’s my theory that most of the time when someone is upset about something or having a moan about something, they rarely want or need advice. Chances are if they’re relatively intelligent, they’ve already tried all the obvious solutions. All they need is someone to listen and allow them to vent. We all need this outlet.

In a world where mental health is on the increase and we are encouraged to talk about our problems, we need as much encouragement to ensure people know how to listen and give people space to talk. It’s all very well giving advice and I’m sure people like the mum in my example have good intentions, but we should not underestimate the power of just listening and just letting people talk. Ha. Oh ok, perhaps I don’t dislike the word just all the time.

By the way, my baby got used to the cot. All she needed was a bit of time to get used to it. Nothing else.

Something to be cheerful about:

5,000 people queued up in the rain to see if they were able to help save the life of one little 5-year old boy. Oscar Saxelby-Lee has a very rare form of blood cancer and needs a stem cell transplant in the next 3 months. After an appeal for potential donors, almost 5,000 people turned up at Oscar’s school to register for testing to see if they’re a match. This is over double the amount of people that have turned up for any other appeal for donors from the DKMS blood cancer charity- the previous record being 2,200. A further 1,000 people have since registered to be tested to see if they’re a match for Oscar.

India has opened its first hospital for rescued and abused elephants. The hospital in Uttar Pradesh has already treated 26 elephants. The elephants have mainly been rescued from tourist attractions such as circuses, street-riding and also from private owners. Elephants held in these conditions results in them developing many health conditions and malnutrition. The hospital has plenty of sophisticated equipment such as ultrasound scans, radiology, laboratory testing and a hydrotherapy pool to help nurse the poor elephants back to health. Once they are healthy again, they are sent to elephant sanctuaries to spend their retirement in full health and happiness.

Something to buy:

Louche Jude Pooch Pyjama Shirt, £45, from Joy the Store

Senora Ceramic Vase, £39.99, from Okla

Something to read:

I’ve already talked about my love of food HERE and mentioned Ruby’s newsletter there, but I implore you to read this book by Ruby. It’s one long love song about food and reasons to enjoy it guilt free. Honestly, you won’t be able to read it without salivating. There’s also the odd recipe sewn in between all the chapters about why food matters and why we should enjoy it. It’s all about the pleasure.

Something to watch:

Anybody that follows me on Instagram, will know that I’m currently obsessed with the Netflix reality makeover show Queer Eye. It’s so much more than a makeover show though. There’s more focus on making people feel happier with themselves and their lives. The Fab 5 (Karamo, Jonathan, Antoni, Tan and Bobby) spend a lot time sitting down with their heroes (as the participants are referred to as) talking to them and finding out about their lives and pasts. The show is engineered to be incredibly emotive, but if you’re like me then you’re rather partial to a tearjerker. I’ve become obsessed with the show, binge watching the first two seasons, but for me the best thing about the show is the Fab 5. Their charisma and warmth is infectious. I am desperate for them to be my new best friends. And the good news is that the new season is on Netflix from today. So grab a box of tissues and get watching Queer Eye.

Something to cook:

Shakshouka

Okay so boiling an egg in a frying pan of tinned tomatoes, may not sound the most appealing, but trust me this recipe is delicious. It’s a very comforting and warming dish (and looking out of the window right now, we still need that comfort and warmth) plus the ingredients are usually always at hand. It’s traditionally a North African/Middle Eastern breakfast, but I have it for lunch.

Ingredients (serves 1)

Olive Oil

I garlic clove

Chilli flakes (as much as you like)

Paprika

1 egg (or 2 if you’re hungry)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

Salt

Parmesan

Method

Fry the garlic in the oil with the chilli flakes for a minute
Chuck the tin of chopped tomatoes in and get them boiling
Crack the egg in the middle
Sprinkle parmesan on top (again, as much as you like)
Put a plate or lid over the frying pan and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 5 mins
Serve with a thick slice of buttered bread and more parmesan on top

Tip: you can pad this meal out with sliced peppers and/or onions. Fry them first before you add the tomatoes and egg. You can also add other spices to it that you might enjoy such as cumin and cayenne pepper.

Sorry my food photos are pretty rubbish, but trust me- this is bloody lovely.

Something to help save the planet with:

cardomom-dental-floss-georganics-1138x1138

Natural Dental Floss £5

Plastic-free dental floss! I use this regularly (do I get a sticker?) and it’s as good as regular floss. It’s made from natural and sustainable silk, PETA certified cruelty free, 100% natural with no chemicals and it comes in a little reusable glass jar. When you finish the floss in this jar, you can buy refills, which in turns helps limit plastic waste. You can buy it in either mint or cardamon flavour. Oh and the floss is compostable. So what are you waiting for? Get flossing! You can get it HERE

Something to enjoy from the Blogosphere:

Please pop over to Angela’s blog and have a read of her candid and (as always) thoughtful post on co-parenting HERE. She always writes so well and this is an exceptional post on the difficulties of having to regularly wave goodbye to your child.

Something to listen to:

Just Another Playlist #2- A weekly mix tape of an eclectic collection of tunes (maybe to listen to while you make the Shakshouka)

Something to laugh at:

Imma just gonna leave this here without comment:

Don’t forget you can sign up to receive this monthly newsletter straight into your mailbox. Just click the little “Follow” box at the bottom, right hand of the screen and enter your email address

See you next week for the top The Cure songs and Just Another Monthly will be back in a month’s time!

Top 15 Tori Amos Tunes

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

First of all, did you know that Tori was originally in a pop-synth 80s band called Y Can’t Tori Read? To appreciate how amazing they were, HERE is a video of theirs. I think you’ll agree, they were pretty special. Oh and here’s an even more special photo of Tori from those days:

You can hardly tell it was the 80s

Tori seems to be an artist that divides opinion. She’s marmite. You either love her or hate her. I think it’s safe to say, that I indeed love her. I first discovered her as a 15 year old in my bedroom getting ready for school one morning, engulfing myself in Exclamation! perfume and cleansing with Anne French cleanser when Simon Mayo played Silent All These Years on his radio breakfast show. It was love at first…listen. Tori has supported many a teenager during the 90s through any difficult times. So many people of a certain age, will have that Tori album that helped them survived. Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink and Scarlet’s Walk all did that for me. Tori has built a fiercely loyal fan base and for good reason. She connects with her listeners, she tells her stories candidly and wears her heart on her sleeve. She has also consistently released new material throughout her career, rarely taking a break. She is undoubtedly an album artist rather than a singles artist, as you’ll be able to tell from this list, many of the songs listed are album tracks rather than singles. And which is my favourite of her albums?

Favourite Tori Amos album: Little Earthquakes (1992, no.14)

And, here are my top 15 Tori Amos tunes.

15. Jackie’s Strength (1998, did not chart, From the Choirgirl Hotel)

14. Icicle (1994, album track, Under the Pink)

13. Happy Phantom (1992, album track, Little Earthquakes)

12. A Sorta Fairytale (2002, no.41, Scarlet’s Walk)

11. I Can’t See New York (2002, album track, Scarlet’s Walk)

10. Putting the Damage On (1996, album track, Boys for Pele)

9. Precious Things (1992, album track, Little Earthquakes)

8. Yes, Anastasia (1994, album track, Under the Pink)

7. Spark (1998, no.16, From the Choirgirl Hotel)

6. Taxi Ride (2003, did not chart, Scarlet’s Walk)

5. Professional Widow- Armand’s Star Trunk Funkin’ Mix (1996, no.1, Boys for Pele)

4. Me and a Gun (1991, did not chart, Little Earthquakes)

3. Silent All These Years (1991, re-released in 1992, no.26, Little Earthquakes)

2. Cornflake Girl (1994, no.4, Under the Pink)

And my all time favourite Tori song is…

.

1. Winter (1992, no.25, Little Earthquakes)

The one that almost made it: Smells Like Teen Spirit (1992, B-side to Silent All These Years in the UK)

Don’t forget to tell me which is your favourite Tori Amos track below.

See you next week for Just Another Monthly #2 and the following week will be top tunes from The Cure!

For other musical artist top tunes click on the link:

Beatles Blur Björk The Cure George Michael Kylie Minogue Madonna Prince Pulp Suede

Top 15 Suede Tunes

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Older and less heroin addled Brett Anderson is fit.

Oh yes, (just) another blog post, (just) another Britpop band. And today, we’re talking about Suede. So we had the Oasis vs Blur thing. We had Pulp challenging both of those bands for the Britpop crown and then we had Suede. Suede who sometimes (wrongly) get forgotten about or dismissed when discussing the best bands from that era. Suede who’s loss of their key songwriter after (actually during) the recording of their “difficult second album” spelled the demise of the band, but leader vocalist (and their other key songwriter), Brett Anderson was having none of it. 30 years after forming (happy anniversary guys) they are still churning out the tunes. In fact, their 8th studio album was released last year and I named it as one of my favourite albums of the year (right HERE in fact). Also, slight side note, but am I the only one that remembers the original rivalry was in fact between Suede vs Blur and not with Oasis? Does this make Blur the real troublemakers?

Favourite Suede album: Suede (1993, no.1)