The George Lite Zone

I just watched 5 hours of season one of the HBO show The Wire back to back. A damn fine series. The Wire has got to be in the running for greatest TV show ever.

The show has the texture and pacing of a novel and is set in the city of Baltimore. Reaching levels of realism never seen before in a cop show (a lot of the actors actually came from the streets) it knocks programs like The Sopranos into a cocked hat.

Each season focuses on a different aspect of urban life. Season 1 focuses on the battle between the police and the pushers, Season 2 the plight blue-collar workers, Season 3 the political scene, Season 4 the school system and in the fifth and final season the press.

With brilliant acting, storyline and characterisation, it is as much a social commentary as a cop show. All in all the show can only be described as a masterpiece. Go watch it.

Am I mad, in a coma, or have I just been listening to the Life On Mars Original Soundtrack CD. Most excellent. Not surprising really as the picking ground for material, the 70’s, has been identified as the best decade for popular music.

My only criticism of it is the lack of any Hawkwind, not that I’m biased, especially as the show has featured Brainstorm, Silver Machine, Urban Guerrilla, Ejection and You Shouldn’t Do That over its two seasons. Still there’s always the potential for a second soundtrack album at some stage in the future and plenty of material still to chose from.

Track Listing

1. King Of The Jungle (dialogue)
2. David Bowie - Life On Mars
3. Roxy Music - Street Life
4. Wings - Live And Let Die
5. ELO - 10538 Overture
6. John Kongos - Tokoloshe Man
7. Atomic Rooster - Devil’s Answer
8. T Rex - Rock On
9. Free - Little Bit Of Love
10. Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and the Upsetters - Jungle Lion
11. Armed Bastards (dialogue)
12. The Sweet - Blockbuster
13. The Faces - Cindy Incidentally
14. Ananda Shankar - Snow Flower
15. Slade - Coz I Luv You
16. Mott the Hoople - One Of The Boys
17. Lindisfarne - Meet Me On The Corner
18. Frankie Miller - I Can’t Change It
19. Thin Lizzy - Whiskey In The Jar
20. The Audience - I Had A Dream
21. Uriah Heep - Traveller In Time
22. Nina Simone - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
23. I Want To Go Home (dialogue)

For the curious and sad amongst you, a full listing of music used in the show follows.

Series 1

Episode 1.1

• David Bowie - Life on Mars
• Blue Öyster Cult - Stairway to the Stars
• Lou Reed - I’m so Free
• The Who - Baba O’Riley
• Deep Purple - Rat Rat Blue
• Deep Purple - Fireball
• Cream - White Room

Episode 1.2

• Wings - Live And Let Die
• Deep Purple - No One Came
• Willie Lindo & The Charmers Band - Drum Song
• Thin Lizzy - Saga of the Aging Orphan
• Deep Purple - Lazy
• Pink Floyd - One of These Days
• The Upsetters - Dream Land

Episode 1.3

• The Sweet - Ballroom Blitz
• Uriah Heep - Gypsy
• Free - Wishing Well
• Atomic Rooster - Head in the Sky

Episode 1.4

• Hawkwind - Brainstorm
• David Bowie - Jean Genie
• Jethro Tull - Cross-Eyed Mary
• Hawkwind - Silver Machine
• Slade - Gudbuy T’Jane
• The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses
• The Sweet - Blockbuster

Episode 1.5

• Thin Lizzy - Call the Police
• Status Quo - Good Thinking
• Thin Lizzy - The Rocker
• Cream - White Room
• T. Rex - Jeepster
• Roxy Music - Would You Believe
• Hawkwind - Urban Guerilla
• Hawkwind - Ejection
• Coloseum - I Can’t Live Without You
• Roxy Music - Mother of Pearl
• Nina Simone - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

Episode 1.6

• Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World

Episode 1.7

• The Hollies - I Can’t Tell the Bottom From the Top
• Britney Spears - Toxic
• Peters and Lee - Welcome Home
• Pulp - Disco 2000
• Nina Simone - Sinnerman

Episode 1.8

• Atomic Rooster - Friday 13th
• Atomic Rooster - The Rock
• John Kongos - Tokoloshe Man
• Atomic Rooster - In the Snow
• Atomic Rooster - Devil’s Answer
• Wizzard - See My Baby Jive
• David Bowie - Life on Mars
• Lindisfarne - Meet Me on the Corner
• Free - Little Bit of Love

Series 2

Episode 2.1

• Atomic Rooster - Head in the Sky
• Roxy Music - Street Life
• Atomic Rooster - Break Through
• Chicory Tip - Son of My Father
• Three Degrees - Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon
• Dusty Springfield - Spooky
• Three Degrees - Year of Decision
• David Bowie - Star Man

Episode 2.2

• Mott the Hoople - Sweet Jane
• Mungo Jerry - In the Summertime
• Derek Wadsworth - Ain’t Got No
• Uriah Heep - Love Machine
• Uriah Heep - Bird of Prey
• The Hollies - Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress
• Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Episode 2.3

• David Cassidy - How Can I Be Sure
• Audience - The Big Spell
• The Sweet - Hellraiser
• Lindisfarne - Poor Old Ireland
• Barclay James Harvest - When the City Sleeps

Episode 2.4

• Frankie Miller - I’m Ready
• Lindisfarne - Court in the Act
• Santana - Samba Pa Ti
• Slade - Coz I Love You
• David Bowie - Aladin Sane
• T Rex - Rock On
• Barclay James Harvest - When the City Sleeps
• Gilbert O’Sullivan - Alone Again Naturally

Episode 2.5

• Hawkwind - You Shouldn’t Do That
• Roxy Music - Just Like You
• ELO - 10538 Overture

Episode 2.6

• Cozy Powell - Dance with the Devil
• Atomic Rooster - Breathless
• Ananda Shankar - Snow Flower
• Elton John - Rocket Man
• The Audience - I Had a Dream
• Shocking Blue - Hot Sand
• Uriah Heep - Traveller in Time
• Thin Lizzy - Whiskey in the Jar

Episode 2.7

• Traffic - Many a Mile to Freedom
• Traffic - Evening Blue
• Roxy Music - Virginia Plain
• The Faces - Cindy Incidentally
• The Sweet - Done Me Wrong Alright
• Cream - Crossroads
• The Sweet - Rock ‘n’ Roll Disgrace
• Mott the Hoople - One of the Boys

Episode 2.8

• Alvin Stardust - My Coo Ca Choo
• Elton John - Funeral for a Friend
• Atomic Rooster - Decision/Indecision
• Tom Waits - I Hope I Don’t Fall in Love with You
• Israel Kamakawiwo’ole - Over the Rainbow
• David Bowie - Life on Mars
• Mott the Hoople - One of the Boys
• David Bowie - Changes

Hawkwind: Do Not Panic

Told for the first time, the inside story of Hawkwind, one of Britain’s wildest acid rock bands.
Includes interviews with Lemmy, Terry Ollis, Nik Turner and writer Michael Moorcock. Strong language.

BBC Four, Fri 30 Mar, 21:00-22:00 60mins Stereo Widescreen

“You Shouldn’t Do That” opening Life on Mars last week and now this. Someone at the BBC has excellent taste in music. It’s quite ironic that an episode with Sam speeding should feature a Hawkwind track without Lemmy on bass. They should have gone with Motörhead instead.

Nice to have an excuse to blog the Hall of the Mountain Grill album cover. It goes well with the print of Dave Hardy’s artwork I picked up at Novacon last year that’s hanging on my wall.

We watched the first 2 episodes of Heroes tonight. Excellent stuff, looks like it’s going to be up there with Battlestar Galictica as another must see show. Good characterisation, storyline and the future arrival of George Takei and Christopher Eccleston to look forwards to make it an SF fans wet dream. Bring it on.