Band Name Origins, Final Recordings, Shell’s Unlikely Beginnings, and Salty Language
Al and Marty, hosts of Fun Facts and Sidetracks, broadcast from their studio in a converted oil tanker and cover off music trivia, company history, the origins of word and lots more.
They explain where several bands got their names (including Radiohead, Motörhead, Simple Minds, Roxette, The Rolling Stones, The Pretenders, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Jet, Panic! at the Disco, Death Cab for Cutie, Flock of Seagulls, Lady Gaga, Nazareth, and Franz Ferdinand).
They discuss notable artists’ final recorded songs or last material, including Otis Redding (“Sittin’ On The Dock of the Bay”), Janis Joplin (“Mercedes Benz”), Jim Morrison (“Riders on the Storm”), Elvis (“Way Down”), John Lennon (working on “Walking on Thin Ice” and demo “Grow Old with Me”), Amy Winehouse (“Body and Soul”), Freddie Mercury (“Mother Love”), Warren Zevon (“Keep Me in Your Heart”), Chris Cornell (“You Never Knew My Mind”), David Bowie’s “Blackstar” track (“Lazarus”), and Glen Campbell (“I’m Not Gonna Miss You”), plus last recordings by bands breaking up - Roxy Music’s “Avalon,” The Police’s 1986 tracks, The Beatles’ last full-group session “Because,” and Cream’s “Badge”. They then trace Shell from an 1833 London seashell/antiques business to bulk oil shipping, the first tanker through the Suez Canal, a 1907 merger with Royal Dutch, wartime roles, “Seven Sisters” status, and supertankers and end with an etymology segment linking “salary,” “salad,” “salsa,” “sausage,” “salami,” “sauce,” and “sauté” to salt.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
01:35 Band Names Origins
03:32 Deep Purple Sidetrack
04:09 More Name Inspirations
06:42 Last Songs Intro
07:08 Sudden Final Recordings
15:07 Lennon Sidetracks
19:30 Knowing It Was The End
23:04 Bowie and Gervais Story
25:58 Glen Campbell Farewell
26:41 Bands Final Tracks
27:06 Guest Vocalist Discovery
27:53 Session Musicians Pay
28:38 Police Final Sessions
31:18 Police Live Memories
32:19 Beatles Last Recording
33:43 Cream Goodbye Album
35:05 Shell Origin Story
37:48 Oil Tankers And Branding
43:21 Wars And Seven Sisters
46:54 Modern Shell Mega Projects
50:49 Salt Words Etymology
54:54 Wrap Up And Farewell
If you have a fun fact you’d like us to share, send us an email to:
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The boring disclaimer: We do try to double-check all of the facts we talk about. If something isn’t quite correct, we humbly apologise. Credit to our many sources including, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, Tim from Kicking Harold, Mental Floss, Wikipedia and so many more.
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