Cool Manchester

I will always look at 2003 with great affection, it was a ridiculously eventful year for me with ups and downs but I won't bore you with my personal life on here!

The chart this week in that year was a very interesting one:

1 Tatu All The Things She Said
2 Christina Aguilera Beautiful
3 Justin Timberlake Cry Me A River
4 DJ Sammy The Boys Of Summer
5 Sinead Quinn I Can't Break Down
6 Junior Senior Move Your Feet
7 Kelly Rowland Stole
8 Eminem Lose Yourself
9 Busted Year 3000
10 Good Charlotte Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous
11 Dannii Minogue I Begin To Wonder
12 Ainslie Henderson Keep Me A Secret
13 Turin Brakes Pain Killer
14 Daniel Bedingfield If You're Not The One
15 Kira I'll Be Your Angel
16 Jay-Z featuring Beyonce Knowles '03 Bonnie And Clyde
17 Appleton Don't Worry
18 Melanie C Here It Comes Again
19 Cam'ron featuring Juelz Santana Hey Ma
20 Big Brovaz OK
21 Moloko Familiar Feeling
22 Sean Paul Gimme The Light
23 Girls Aloud Sound Of The Underground
24 Oasis Songbird
25 David Sneddon Stop Living The Lie
26 Sarah Whatmore Automatic
27 Soda Club featuring Hannah Alethea Heaven Is A Place On Earth
28 Eminem Sing For The Moment
29 Counting Crows featuring Vanessa Carlton Big Yellow Taxi
30 Nelly featuring Justin Timberlake Work It
31 Jurgen Vries featuring CMC The Opera Song (Brave New World)
32 LL Cool J featuring Amerie Paradise
33 Royksopp Eple
34 Blazin' Squad Reminisce / Where The Story Ends
35 Darius Incredible (What I Meant To Say)
36 Panjabi MC Mundian To Bach Ke
37 The Coral Don't Think You're The First
38 Massive Attack Special Cases
39 Red Hot Chili Peppers Can't Stop
40 Love Inc You're A Superstar

There is a definite move in this year towards the US orientated R & B/Pop that is now dominating the UK charts with Nelly, Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J and others and a couple of tracks that can only be described as painful on the ears [you decide which tracks I'm talking about!]

There's also large reality TV presence in this chart with three acts from The Fame Academy [Quinn, Henderson and Sneddon], Darius from Pop Idol and Girls Aloud from Popstars The Rivals.

Two tracks in this list though are absolutely outstanding and rank amongst my favourites songs ever made, ever!

Junior Senior - Move Your Feet

Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not The One

Do you have any favourites on this list? Share your memories in the comments section

I didn't know what to expect with this film, whilst a great cast there may be, that does not necessarily mean the film will be good. With trepidation in place, compounded by the average age in the screen probably being twice my age. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. In a whirlwind of sounds, colours and sights, you are transported to India along with the retirees and are engrossed by everything that happens. 

The Stranglers

Album by Album

Career Retrospective

Part Two

By Andrew Barclay

In 1978, The Stranglers were big news. The band’s first two albums had sold very well, and although they weren’t strictly punk, that movements supporters adopted the band with open arms. A big out door gig at Battersea power station was held in 1978, and the bands third album, ‘Black and White’ was released. This album showed some different sides to the band’s music not previously heard on the first two albums.

‘Black And White’ begins with a strong, pacey track called ‘Tank’. It was aggressive in tone, much like the bands earlier output, but was more accomplished musically, and was a fine introduction, to what would be a very fine album indeed.

‘Nice and Sleazy’ is next, and a bona fide Stranglers classic. The wonderful reggae tinged song harped back to the overall arrangement and sound of ‘Peaches’, and is certainly in league with that song quality wise, whilst not in any way being a copy of it. The irresistible chorus “nice and sleazy does it, does it, does it every time” is infectious, and the danceable music is note perfect. The band played this on Top Of the Pops, and they looked and sounded like a band at their peak.

Cavan Moran

Lustless Love/Loveless Lust EP

Review by Andrew Barclay

Cavan Moran, former front man with celebrated acoustic based outfit 'These Eyes Are Cameras' returns with his solo offering.

‘Until The End’ starts the EP off with some superb writing from Cavan, all wrapped inside a delicate melody. “I told you before, and I’ll tell you again, from the top of my lungs, to the tip of my pen” is a reaching lyric, and is just one example of how good a writer Cavan actually is.

Album By Album

Career Retrospective

Part One

By Andrew Barclay

The Stranglers have long been one of the UK’s most respected bands, playing high octane punk rock in the late 70s, before dipping their toes into the New Wave, then settling into radio friendly pop in Hugh Cornwell’s latter period with the band.

Most groups call it a day when such charismatic leaders leave, The Stranglers kept on going, with a truly enigmatic replacement in the form of Paul Roberts, and then on his departure, changing the vocal duties yet again. In the first few parts of the Album By Album career retrospective I’m going to concentrate on the Hugh Cornwell years, yielding what many still say is the golden era of The Stranglers musical output.

This is purely a look at the bands studio albums, and not a peek into the band members private lives. If you're a Stranglers fan, I hope you enjoy reading this look back as much I did writing it