All Time Top Ten - Turn it up to Eleven

Highway to Hell

Turn it up to Eleven

When stuck in traffic, the windows are down, because the air conditioning needs regassing or your car is devoid of that particular optional extra, what tune on the radio gets you cranking the volume up to 11 and singing along without a care for who can hear you? Everyone has their idea of what is "The" top ten tunes, so what would be mine? The top five in my list chose themselves, but it was difficult to choose numbers six to ten; it was more a case of what track or artist to leave out than which ones to keep. Anyway, the following list is my definitive Top Ten - Turn it up to Eleven... feel free to agree or disagree!

1. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again

The intro on this tune sends shivers down my spine. The organ, the guitars, the drums; you know something good is going to assail your ears. The lyrics can only truly be appreciated by those with a few decades under their belts and have lived through boom and bust, incessant conflicts and the ever naive optimism of the next generation who believe that they can change the world and make things better. Roger Daltry, Pete Townsend, John Entwistle and the enigma that was Keith Moon - The Who, one of the best things to emerge from 60's Britain.

2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along the Watchtower

When people think of Jimi Hendrix, they often forget that his fame started with the formation of his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The trio consisted not only of the left-handed genius guitarist Jimi Hendrix, but had Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. Other bands, such as The Police and The Jam, have followed the three piece setup, but, in my opinion, nothing will ever beat The Jimi Hendrix Experience as the archetypal three piece combo.. Written by Bob Dylan, this is the definitive version of All Along the Watchtower, although I would recommend listening to the quirky XTC version and that produced by The Fratellis.

3. Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing

I like most everything produced by the band fronted by another guitar genius, Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits are not everyone's cup of tea, but the guitar playing style of the band's frontman, so different to how others play the instrument, gives the band its distinctive sound. When, in the summer of 1985, Live Aid was the phenomenon that threatened to wake the world up to the greed of the few over the plight of the myriad of the Earth's poor and needy (it failed, but that's another story), Dire Straits was one of the bands I wanted to see and they didn't fail to deliver. I would recommend watching their Live Aid set on Youtube.

4. The Temptations - Papa was a Rollin' Stone

Originally written for and performed by The Undisputed Truth, the version of Papa was a Rollin' Stone most people will know is that by The Temptations.The bass rift introduction is immediately recognisable and lets the listener know that one of the best groups to produce records for the Motown label is about to entertain them for the next 6:54 to 12:02 minutes, depending on whether they are playing the single or album version. I was torn between this song or Ball of Confusion for The Temptations, but this song came out on top.

5. Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds

No top ten list should be without the one entertainer whom nearly everyone in the civilised world and beyond has heard of. Elvis Presley, along with Muhammed Ali, Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, et al, is one of the iconic celebrities of the 20th century. From including him in this top ten list, the next choice, i.e. which of his songs to include, was extremely difficult to make. From the songs above, you can probably tell that I like songs that have a social message, so In the Ghetto is a favourite, but, going with the definition of "Turn it up to Eleven", Suspicious Minds is my favourite Elvis track to perform in that hot, summer traffic jam and then I am one with the consummate performer.

6. U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday

Live Aid in the summer of 1985 was a defining moment for many people. For U2, already successful in their own right, it propelled the Irish band into the realms of superstardom. Many bands have a few decent hit songs and then fade into obscurity when life's other pressures take over. Some manage longevity by producing hit after hit by their exploration of new styles and innovations, and U2, has been one of those bands. The intro to the song, the distinctive drum beat, leads the listener into a story of social deprivation and lost hope and, although one of the bands earliest hit singles, it remains one of their signature songs.

7. The Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK

One Saturday, at the end of an early shift, I was sat in the office compiling my shift's performance figures. with the radio gently playing BBC Wiltshire in the background. Anarchy in the UK by The Sex Pistols came on and it immediately got cranked up to eleven, prompting some of my staff to wonder at my sanity and the younger ones to ask what the song was. Only the best punk anthem ever was my reply. Enough said.

8. The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil

Another product of the 60's that has stood the test of time, The Rolling Stones were to The Who what Blur was to Oasis in the 90's. Whilst Gimme Shelter is a favourite of mine, I prefer the version by Grand Funk Railroad. Therefore, and probably following the pattern of songs with a social message, Sympathy for the Devil, has to be in my top ten "Turn it up to Eleven" list. For an excellent alternative version of this song, try that produced by Guns N Roses.

9. Slade - Cum on Feel the Noize

Everyone of every generation from the early 70's to now know Slade. Merry Christmas Everybody was, by Noddy Holder's own admission, never meant to be a song to be taken seriously; more an album filler than anything else. Still, Noddy and the rest of the band's bank accounts are topped up every year by the festive royalty cheques dropping on their doormats each Christmas. Prior to their 1973 Christmas number one, Slade released a single earlier in that year which went straight into the number 1 slot in the charts. Cum on Feel the Noize should have you singing along at eleven whether you know the lyrics or not. The Oasis cover version is good, but it's not quite Slade.

10. Joe South - Hush

Hush has been covered by the great and the good over the years. The Kula Shaker version is the one played on most radio stations these days, although the Deep Purple version is popular. However, the song written for and first performed by Billy Joe Royal, is best sung by the writer himself, Joe South. Listen and you decide.

Well, there's my list of "All Time Top Ten - Turn it up to Eleven" tracks. I've omitted many songs and artists that I would crank up to eleven, but the list is for ten and no more. Meatloaf, Queen, The Beatles, Free, Steppenwolf, ELO, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, etc, there'll be room for them on other lists, but just not this one.

All Time Top Ten - Turn it up to Eleven
The Who Won't Get Fooled Again	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHhrZgojY1Q
The Jimi Hendrix Experience All Along the Watchtower	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLV4_xaYynY
Dire Straits Sultans of Swing	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ffIJ7ZO4U
The Temptations Papa was a Rollin' Stone	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJV2pWFyfn4
Elvis Presley Suspicious Minds	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBmAPYkPeYU
U2 Sunday Bloody Sunday	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgyVvoODWGA
The Sex Pistols Anarchy in the UK	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBojbjoMttI
The Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBecM3CQVD8
Slade Cum on Feel the Noize	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTEGxVDHpGU
Joe South Hush	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M9se64HoTg

 

Preston North End v Swindon Town - Post Mortem

Having witnessed their team strive valiantly to reach the League 1 Play Off Final on Sunday 24th May 2015, Swindon Town fans had hoped to be celebrating promotion to the Championship come the final whistle that evening. Failing that, a competitive game with the Town making a good fist of it and losing to the odd goal would have allowed the Swindon fans to return home down the M4 with their heads held high, knowing that their team had given its all in the pursuit of promotion. The result, 4 - 0 to PNE, gave a worthy promotion to the northern club whilst the Robins' abysmal record at the "New" Wembley continued (Played 3 Lost 3) and the club, and fans were left to rue what might have been. Some time has now passed and perhaps, now emotions are not so raw, it is time to open up the League 1 Play Off Final cadaver, poke around the entrails and perform a post mortem on the event that saw the West Country club confined to the third tier of English football for one more season.  

The Tactics

The approach Lee Power, Chairman of Swindon Town FC, and Mark Cooper, the Manager, have towards their brand of football is to get the team playing attractive, entertaining and exciting football. The passing game, moving the ball from the back, through midfield towards the strikers up front has held the interest of all those who have witnessed the team playing this season and, for those of us who can remember (where has the time gone?) the teams of Ossie Ardiles and Glenn Hoddle in the early nineties, it has brought back memories of those good times when Swindon Town twice managed to reach the top tier of English football. 

However, the season has been long and what might have been surprising, new and difficult for opponents to contend with in the first few games in which the young team played, with analysis, teams were able to assess the Robins' tactics and adapt their own style of play to nullify Swindon's passing game. Playing with three at the back is a dangerous ploy when the opposition has a fast attack and leaves a team vulnerable to a counterattack, especially if the other team plays with three up front. The goal difference at the end of the season of +19 is decent enough, but the top three teams in League 1 had goal differences of +58 (Bristol City), +57 K Dons) and +39 (Preston North End) - Swindon Town may have scored 79 goals in the league competition, but the team let in 57, a testament to the vulnerability of the attacking football style adopted for the past season.

That being said, the team were full value for the money spent watching them and the view of some

(not mine) that they were relegation-fodder was ill-founded. Top of the league in January 2015, Swindon Town seemed destined for automatic promotion until it became mathematically impossible after the season nose-dived over Easter. However, a play off place was assured and this led Mark Cooper to decide to rest key players over the following weeks. Defeats followed and, to some, the feeling that Town had lost their momentum going into the play offs did not auger well, especially when it became clear that Nigel Clough's Sheffield United would be the opposition in the Play Off Semi Final. The away win was tight at 1 - 2, but the home leg produced a phenomenal 5 - 5 draw after Swindon had been leading 3 - 0 after only 18 minutes. The way Sheffield United was allowed to get back into the game and boss the home side once again highlighted the defensive frailties of the team.

Jermaine Beckford

Meanwhile, Preston North End had seen off Chesterfield with an aggregate score of 4 - 0 having won away 0 - 1 at the Proact Stadium and 3 - 0 at Deepdale. With the euphoria of getting to Wembley blinkering most Swindonians to the attacking prowess of the Final opposition, it shouldn't have passed the Swindon Town management team by that Jermaine Beckford, a loanee from Leicester City, had hit top form for the most important game of the season.

The Play Off Final

The day of the final saw thousands of Swindon Town fans descend on the home of English football, Wembley Stadium, a jewel set in a rancid sea of industrial estates, inadequate road transport links and car parking facilities. Optimism was high, but there was the nagging doubt in many a Moonraker's mind that the "real" Swindon Town would fail to turn up. And so it was to be.
A previous incumbent of the Swindon Town manager's hot seat would have been up 25 hours a day analysing the opposition ensuring that the team he put out would have had the best advantage of defeating them on the big day - Paolo Di Canio may have his faults, but doing his homework is not one of them! However, it would seem that this part of strategising passed Mark Cooper and his team by as Jermaine Beckford was allowed to roam the field and score at will. As for the players, with many of them coming to the end of their loan spell or contract, or having whimsical thoughts of moving on and playing for a "bigger" club, it could be argued that their hearts were not in it; defeat was inevitable before the team had even boarded the coach for London.

2015/16 Season

Mark Cooper

The team that saw so much success in League 1 in 2014/15 is no more. There are some familiar faces, but essentially, the Swindon Town squad of last season has been decimated and a new setup is being formulated as I write. Whether this season's team will be as adept at controlling the ball and finding the net as last year's crop of players remains to be seen. However, from his two seasons in charge of Swindon Town, Mark Cooper must learn to adopt his tactics the better to outwit and outplay the different opposition he is to meet each week. This was the major failure of last season and the biggest learning point for Cooper and the rest of the County Ground team from the debacle witnessed at Wembley on Sunday 24th May 2015.