Friday 22 June 2007

Harry Rodger Webb


A blog inspired by her indoors about the English attitude to a Legend, Sir Cliff Richard!

I guess this started a few years ago for me when I used to work on the night shift. The old boys, who had worked there forever, had control of the radio station. Every night we had to listen to 'Fossil FM' or Capital Gold as it is better known! Now I don't mind a golden oldie once in a while but, every night, all night, come on! What made it worse was, you'll know this if you have ever listened to Fossil, they play the same songs over and over, with a penchant for the Beatles! I used to like the Beatles, but because I had them rammed down my throat every night I cant stand them anymore. Now, to my mind, there were a hell of a lot of good songs in the 50's, 60's and 70's so why play the same ones over and over? Also, an icon of that era was Cliff, they never played any Cliff!

Cliff had 14 number 1 singles spanning 5 decades from the 1950's and missed out in 2006 with a number 2 or would have made it 6 decades! He has spent 1983 weeks in the British Record Charts, the only other artist/s to surpass that being Elvis! Cliff even had the best song ever not to win the Eurovision Song Contest, 'Congratulations'!

If you don't like his music you still have to admire his achievements! Unfortunately in this country people who do well are knocked back all the time. Cliff with his clean cut image, his bachelor life style and Christian beliefs do not conform and he is branded as a freak! If he had done drugs, slept around and trashed his hotel room radio stations would still play his music!? Cliff Richard openly laments the lack of commercial support from radio stations and record labels. He points out that many documentaries charting the history of British music fail to even mention him.

I think it's a shame we should get behind our winners in this country, love them or hate them and Sir Cliff is definitely a winner!

Sorry about my rant but you did ask! Do I like Cliffs music? Guess you'll never know!!

7 comments:

katy said...

thank you, i guessing that you do but just wont admit it! i admitted to being a cliff fan and the stick i took, but hey i dont care, saw him for the 1st time in nov, posted some pics from the concert loved it!

Queen Vixen said...

Cliff - legend! Like you say love him or loathe him, he is an institution. Fossil FM, nice one! I sooo agree with you, the same old stuff played over and over. Take the Beatles, when do we ever hear the later stuff? Not often and it was far more complex and interesting.

Summer Holiday, Living Doll and the inspirational Carrie. Good old Cliff. I dont have a blue rinse, and do not own too many of his tunes but respect where respect is due!

Fire Byrd said...

When I was a little girl my sister and I played an imaginary game in which i was married to Cliff, my sister was married to Adam Faith. I was Helen Shapiro or Dusty Springfield and my sister when she wasn't being Sandy Shaw, was for some inexplicable reason called Jenny. So the name of the game was Cliff and Jenny.

That piece of nostalgia has never ever been disclosed before. Thank goodness no-one can see me blushing, well i was 7/8 at the time.
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Chris King said...

Cliff is alive in Blogland! Keep this up and he'll be headlining at Glastonbury next year!!

Chris King said...

Reminded me of the time me and my mate rang radio 2 (yeah I know) for a competition to win 2 tickets to a Cliff concert. They said they'd ring back but never did. Thank god, because we didn't know what the hell we were going to if we won!!

Anonymous said...

The radio stations in the UK should play Cliff more. His latest album is great. Something's Going On is the name of it. He has never been given the respect he deserves musically or as a human being either. I am from the US and I like him and his music.

Lady in red said...

I actually like most of his music but as you say it isn't cool to admit it