Fairytale of New York

Okay, X-Factor was knocked to the number 2 UK chart position for the Christmas number 1 single… beaten by a social networking pushed project – Rage Against The Machine took the number 1 spot as people stood up to the Cowell lead X-Factor machine.

The thing is it needed to be done – but no-one will argue that RATM’s song isn’t exactly “Christmassy”….

As such, just before Christmas I decided to push for a Christmas number 1 that is Christmassy…. and what could be better than “Fairytale of New York”….

FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK XMAS No.1 2010 and @FairytaleNY2010

Fairytale of New York has never been number 1 in the UK, yet is often voted as the best Christmas song out – so I figured it was about time we got it to number 1…

Added to this, it is the 10th anniversary of the sad and tragic death of Kirtsy MacColl, when she was hit by a speed boat in dive restricted waters whilst on holiday. This tragedy has never been properly resolved – and after 9 years of fighting for justice the case has finally run out of anywhere to go as the authorities have closed the door on it.

The day people will need to buy Fairytale of New York to make it count for a Christmas chart release is the day after the 10th anniversary of this untimely passing of Kirsty – so getting Fairytale of New York to number 1 will be a tribute, a return to a Christmassy song for Christmas, and another kick in the teeth to those that set up TV shows to force a manufactured number one.

Fairytale of New York is not a manufactured number one – Sure we will be pushing to get it there, but for over a decade it has been in the Christmas charts and it is a well loved song. It hasn’t just been made up to grab money for Simon Cowell…

This project is still in the initial stages, but much like RATM, we will be making sure Fairytale of New York does good. As such there will be a charity donation system set up. This will all be sorted as the project progresses.

I have contacted various people within The Pogues camp, and also to Kirsty MacColl’s mother. I would like them to be involved as this would be very important to the project.

There is a Facebook page set up : FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK XMAS No.1 2010

I won’t be able to do this on my own, so FTONY isn’t an “I” thing… it is a “WE” project – and I am currently being ably assisted by Phil Karn (met thanks to Twitter). There may be more people called in to help – and we’ll be grateful for any help!

I have started this group early as I want to build up the numbers of followers throughout the year. For most of the year the group will be a little quiet – just general chat and news – I don’t want people to burn out too soon!

As the time to buy draws near come November/December 2010 I shall then kick the group into action with group emails to ramp up the drive to get that number one spot.

You can also follow via Twitter with @FairytaleNY2010

If you want to get involved, you can email me at fairytale@sometimespace.com

Please spread the word!

Let’s get a Christmas song to Christmas number one – a song that has not been there before… and we can all remember Kirsty MacColl at the same time!

Thank you!

X-Factor Versus Rage Against the Machine

Okay, too much has been said about this already, but Simon Cowell really foot and mouthed it – and it sums it all up.

He complained that the push to get Rage Against the Machine (RATM) to number one for Christmas was both silly and cynical. He did not like the idea of this manufactured push to number one – hinting it was unfair….

With this in mind, please think about this….

Cowell puts on X-Factor to build up the buzz and hype around some wannabe pop stars.(These singers may have talent, but it really doesn’t matter, as all Cowell is doing is using them to his own cause).

He plans the show so that it ends just before Christmas.

The show hype is planned to hit fever pitch just in time for a Christmas release…. That’s a bit unfair…

All that built up hype from the TV show is then focused on the X-Factor winner (It doesn’t matter who wins…). It is unfair on all the other bands and singers that don’t have Cowell’s budget and the X-Factor backing.

On top of this, Cowell chooses a song from a current singer who already has a huge fan base… not just a huge fan base, but a huge fan base that crosses over into the X-Factor viewer fan base.

Yes… the X-Factor Christmas release already has fans BEFORE its release… before the singer is even chosen.

Cowell even said the song was chosen to boost the winners chance of a Christmas number 1!!!

So Cowell, shut the Hell up with your calls of  “unfair”  – You put everything into getting that number one spot – you do it for the money and you don’t care who your singer is, because you know the public will buy it anyway after all the planning you put into it.

It isn’t about the music, it’s about raping the British public for their money. It has so much planning, the singer doesn’t come into it.

So, who will win?

The chosen charity will get cash (a good thing)

Cowell will win, after all, the public brought into his crap, brought the single and after the prize money, expenses etc are split, he’s no worse off as the public financed it all with the record sales….

BUT ULTIMATELY RATM will win….

Even if they didn’t get number one, even if they only got into the top ten they will have won…. they will have got the message across that we, the thinking public, don’t want your forced X-Factor song EVERY BLOODY YEAR. That’s a win, even if the X-Factor had come in at Number 1.

If you really like Joe, then how can you let Cowell and his publicity machine use him – whore him out – as a puppet – just to line THEIR pockets…?

If you Love Joe… Buy RATM!

Puppet Boy

UPDATE – WELL DONE RATM!!!! Number One!

The UK’s Xmas Number 1 is Rage Against The Machine selling 502,672 copies. X Factor Joe is Number 2 having sold 450,838.

Joe – Keep up the music – but do it in your own time.

The RATM campaign was run by  @Jon_Magic & @Moogyboobles – Well done!

From Guns to the X-Factor to Augmented Reality

Flickr reorganised my photo’s & broke picture links….

So… let’s try again – and this time with an update & more pictures!

I was on the lookout for some captioned t-shirts recently and just couldn’t find what I wanted. In the end I found a place that allows you to design your own… and sell them if you want.

Well, I purchased the one I wanted (after designing it…) – and once it arrived I was impressed by the print quality and the actual quality of the t-shirt. I then went back to the store and looked into how to sell my designs, after all, why not?

Since then I have added several designs – including a mug and notebook case to go with all the shirts…

If you like any of them, go to http://sometimespace.spreadshirt.co.uk/ and have a shop around… if you can’t find what you want, I might be able to sort something out for you (if you don’t want to do it yourself!).

I started out with some shooting orientated ones and then added a few more various others…These are a few of the designs…

SOMETIMESPACE – THE SHOP

Click the shop link above to buy any of the items below! These designs are on shirts, bags, mugs, bumper stickers…. Go for it! Alex needs new shoes!

Deny the X-Factor and choose the greatest Hallelujah

The late, great Jeff Buckley is a great hope for us all! He may well posthumously save us from another commercialised x-factor Christmas…

The Jeff Buckley version of “Hallelujah” is regarded as one of the greatest renditions of Leonard Cohens “Hallelujah”.

Now I like Leonard Cohen – He’s a great song writer, but vocally he but he is very much Marmite – you either love him or hate him. Leonard does make funeral music seem like energetic pop/disco, but that is his style – love it or hate it!

I’m not one to say the original is the best, and in Leonards case, he wrote a great song here that Buckley really did wonders with.

But once again X-Factor takes a cover of a successful song and runs with it to try and get yet another Christmas number one.

Sure, Alexandra Burke has a good voice for certain songs – but the music and vocals are far, far too powerful for this wonderful song.

Rufus Wainwright did a very good version too – and like Buckley, it is kept simple – and better for it. You may remember it being used in “Shrek”…

Buckleys Version is already getting a lot of sales and is a contender to keep us free from yet another X-factor whitewash Christmas. If you were thinking about getting Burkes version, then think again…try Buckley, and then make your choice.

Please note though – if you are buying off of the net (this from a Facebook site wanting a Buckley Number 1) –

To make this as easy as possible we have posted the download links below:

http://www.7digital.com/artists/jeff-buckley/hallelujah-1/ – unencumbered high quality 320k mp3 89p (that’s what I’m getting next week).

http://www.tunetribe.com/product/index.html?id=604507 – cheaper but semi-crippled WMA (windows file) only 49p

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=254578201&s=143444 – 79p but DRM AAC file from Apple

HMV
http://hmv.com/hmvweb/digitalSearch.do?simpleSearchString=jeff+buckley&simpleSearchString=jeff+buckley&pGroupID=8&searchUID=&btnSubmitSearch.x=17&adultFlag=false&btnSubmitSearch.y=4&primaryID=8#
Near the bottom, 69p.

PLEASE DONT PURCHASE FROM AMAZON AS THEY DO NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE UK CHARTS…

P.S: I hope the links I have added don’t get messed up and seem to imply things other than they were intended…

Before anyone says it – I know Cowell owns the rights to Hallelujah, so whatever one you buy, you put money in his exceedingly high trouser pockets – but at least with a purchase of Buckley’s version we stand a chance of having a non-X-factor, non-commercial tat Christmas.