This turned out to be a bizarre find. This song is reported to be about a sailor named Owen Coffin. I never heard this story before, but it is quite morbid.

This is from Wiki:

“Owen Coffin (August 24, 1802 – February 2, 1821) was a teen-aged sailor aboard the Nantucket whaleship Essex when it set sail for the Pacific Ocean on a sperm whale-hunting expedition in August 1819, under the command of his cousin, George Pollard, Jr. In November the next year, a whale rammed and stove in the hull of the Essex in mid-Pacific, and the ship sank steadily.

The crew of the Essex escaped in small whaleboats, with sufficient supplies for two months, but were not rescued in that time. During January 1821, the near-starved survivors began to eat the bodies of those who died. When even this resource ran out, the four men remaining in Pollard’s boat agreed to draw straws to decide which of them should be slaughtered, lest all four die of starvation. Coffin ‘lost’ the lottery, and was shot and eaten. The captain volunteered to take his place but Coffin refused, saying it was his ‘right’ to do so that the others might live.”

Now I don’t know how much of the story is fact or fiction, but further reading tells that Owen was Pollard’s nephew and he refused to eat the meat. The irony of it all is that one of the thee remaining sailors died a few days later. Makes you wonder if Owen’s sacrifice was for not. What a horrid tragedy.

From 1971 Mountain’s Nantucket Sleighride:

I always thought this was a KISS song. I had no idea it was a cover until today. Once again I admit… I live in a hole. 🙂

From 1972: Argent – God Gave Rock and Roll to You

I have a passion for haunting music and was quite surprised to find that this was around in the 70s.  I couldn’t stop listening to it.

From 1972: Renaissance – Rajah Khan. (It’s a long one.)

Budgie, a Welsh band that formed in 1967, is considered one of the earliest heavy metal bands. They have influenced many of today’s popular bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. They were not well known in North America and I didn’t even hear of them myself till about five years ago.

Budgie – Breadfan

I am going to sneak out of the 70s to 1981 for this post. New Wave was starting to become popular as the 70s were coming to a close and the 80s was full of this genre of music.

Our Daughters Wedding (who took their name from a greeting card counter) produced Lawnchairs in 1981. The band was short lived and dissolved completely in 1984. I like this tune because it reminds me a lot of Gary Numan and Kraftwerk.

http://youtu.be/6YXgeC4fJkQ

The A’s were a Philadelphia band that went gangbusters in the local scene during the 70s, but failed to catch national success.

The A’s – After Last Night – 1979

Which is a shame because I like their sound.

Have a great weekend, and a great holiday weekend if you are in the states!

Though Cinnamon Girl was a very popular song John Entwistle’s version didn’t seem to get the popularity that it should have. I love this cover of Cinnamon Girl from 1971.

In case you don’t know John Entwistle, he was the bass guitar player for “The Who”. 🙂

In my continuous effort to turn Jane into somewhat of a “punk appreciator” I bring this week to a close with another one of my punk favorites.

The Jam was popular in the UK but not in the US. I am starting to wonder why all this great music never arrived here. And is it true for the opposite? Did a lot of great music in the US never make it to the UK?

Anyway there is The Jam from 1979:

Have a good weekend everyone and I will see you on Monday. 🙂

Jilted John was a character created by comedian, actor, and musician Graham Fellows from England. This is a bizarre song that was picked up by a major label and became a one-hit-wonder, reaching number 4 in the U.K. charts in 1978.

I loved it when I first heard this song about two years ago. A fun punk song. (Don’t be surprised when you are milling about and start singing “Gordon is a moron”.)

Watch the guy on the far right. His actions are hilarious.