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Brian Protheroe — Pinball
Album: Pinball
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 313









Released: 1974
Length: 3:05
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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And I've run out of pale ale
And I feel like I'm in jail
And my music bores me once again
And I've been on the pinball
And I know longer know it all
And they say that you never know when you're insane

Got fleas in my bedroom
Got flies in my bathroom
And the cat just finished off the bread
So I walk over Soho
And I read about Monroe
And I wonder was she really what they said

Got a call from a good friend
Come on down for the weekend
Didn't know if I could spare the time
I knew a woman who was crazy
About a boy who was lazy
But it didn't work out 'cos they just couldn't make it rhyme

Hey Jude you were alright
I could have grooved with you all night
But you turned your back on the party game
Mama if i keep my head clean
Will I really have a good dream
Or will I wake up in confusion just the same

And I've run out of pale ale
And I feel like I'm in jail
Got fleas in the bedroom
Got flies in the bathroom
Got a call from a good friend
Come on down for the weekend
Hey Jude you were alright
I could have grooved with you all night

And I've been on the pale ale
And I feel like a pinball
Comments (63)add comment
wow, for me this song's got a neat quality (the whole set really!), has some special deep quality sound I really dig right now

Thank you DJ 
Posted 8 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
Had a pale ale with BP in a pub this year. Great trip and very nice guy.

One great story: sharing his birthday cake with Art Garfunkel back when they (BP & S&G) had the same manager.
Posted 8 years ago by Steely_D    [ Reply ]
Rockin'

{#Dancingbanana_2} 
Posted 8 years ago by floydoftherocks    [ Reply ]
Noel sent me here...
Posted 8 years ago by Majestic    [ Reply ]
+1   I LOVE, LOVE,  LOVE this song.
-1    I was not able to find another Brian Protheroe song worth listening to. 
Posted 9 years ago by JeniQ    [ Reply ]
Not my favorite BP but outstanding nevertheless. The unsung musical genius of the 70s in my book. Can we hear more?
Posted 9 years ago by wgsu_1978    [ Reply ]
Brian Protheroe getting a second life thanks to Morrissey and Noel Gallagher. Noel's song "Riverman" is done in the style of Pinball after having had this song played to him by Morrissey in a bar in Los Angeles.
Posted 9 years ago by Majestic    [ Reply ]
How have I never heard this before?  Nice.
Posted 9 years ago by casey1024    [ Reply ]
 apd wrote:
Oh. My. Gawd. Suddenly it's 1973 and I'm listening to Radio 1. Is Dave Lee Travis going to back-announce it?
 
Sound like we were listening to the same station at the same time! Thought Dave Lee Travis was a creep even back then before his spectacular fall from grace.
Posted 9 years ago by ScottishWillie    [ Reply ]
flies in the bathroom lol!
 what is this song actually called? the album is Pinball
Posted 9 years ago by jocelynsart    [ Reply ]

{#Roflol} 
Posted 10 years ago by expertTexpert    [ Reply ]

Posted 10 years ago by DaveInSaoMiguel    [ Reply ]
 (former member) wrote:

The fan site (mine).

He's put out a few very good things, but he's mostly an actor now. This is something that he created on his Mac to accompany his song.

 



 
Very Cool, thanks for sharing former member doofenschmertz
Posted 10 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
This makes me think of Jonathan Coulton, both in terms of musical and lyrical phrasing.
Posted 10 years ago by q4Fry    [ Reply ]
 MizzFarola wrote:
Yup, love this song too, takes me back to teenage years... someone back in March said it reminded them odf Fleetwood Mac.   No no!  TRAFFIC (*Low Spark of HH Boys*)

 
I agree with the Traffic reference. This song sure takes me back...
Posted 11 years ago by Jellocat    [ Reply ]
Yup, love this song too, takes me back to teenage years... someone back in March said it reminded them odf Fleetwood Mac.   No no!  TRAFFIC (*Low Spark of HH Boys*)
Posted 11 years ago by MizzFarola    [ Reply ]
 MinMan wrote:
Great tune, haven't heard this in ages. Amazing how timeless it sounds.

 
I don't know about the sound, but some of the song references are very much of their time. "Pale ale" and "pinball" are both long in the past, in the UK at least. It used to be that every other pub had at least one pinball table, but now they're rarer than rocking horse shit, much to my chagrin, as I was a pinball ace in the day. As a beer variety, "pale ale" was associated with dusty bottles at the back of pub bars, and now the name is hardly used, having been superseded by blonde ales, and preceded and superseded by IPA, a style which goes back to the 19th Century.
Posted 11 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]

What a great song!
I think I'll pop on over to Amazon and pick up a copy of the....
List Price: $12.98
Amazon Price: $90.05

... maybe not.
Posted 11 years ago by bc    [ Reply ]
Great tune, haven't heard this in ages. Amazing how timeless it sounds.
Posted 11 years ago by MinMan    [ Reply ]
 Cynaera wrote:
Oooo - I really like this one. It follows Jeff Talmadge's "Take A Drive With Me" perfectly.  I am sufficiently creeped-out.  Home alone, with weirdness in the neighborhood and cops cruising all around, apparently looking for an escaped criminal...

Yep, perfect atmosphere for this set.  Gonna go lock the doors now, and load the gun.  Oh, wait - Bro has the gun. I have a bb gun with no bbs. I suddenly feel very vulnerable... {#Lol}
 

We miss you so much, Cynaera...

love this song...
 
Posted 11 years ago by Lazarus    [ Reply ]
Suddenly there's a "...la-la-la-la-la..." in the background choir..?
I lave it!

PS. Fleetwood Mac (Man of the World) is playing now, and there's a big similarity indeed!
Posted 12 years ago by RoelantSiekman    [ Reply ]
Nice...  seems as if I must have just guessed this was Bob Welch and/ or Fleetwood Mac when I heard it, always dimly, with no info or anything, over the years...now that I know who it was, it still doesn't register but the Time does, and the Timeless quality of good music done well throughout...
Posted 12 years ago by coloradojohn    [ Reply ]
In 1973, Protheroe was playing the part of a pop singer in a play called, Death on Demand, when a representative from Chrysalis Records heard a song he had written for the show. His first single, "Pinball", was released in August 1974, and it entered the UK Singles Chart at number 40 and reached a peak of number 22.<2> Then followed by an album of the same name.
Posted 12 years ago by Bobert_ParkCity    [ Reply ]
 Cynaera wrote:
Yep, perfect atmosphere for this set.  Gonna go lock the doors now, and load the gun.  Oh, wait - Bro has the gun. I have a bb gun with no bbs. I suddenly feel very vulnerable... {#Lol}
 
Hey, the criminal wouldn't know there were no bbs in there.  Getting shot with one of those hurts!

Posted 12 years ago by Byronape    [ Reply ]
This is fun!{#Dancingbanana}
Posted 13 years ago by spindrift    [ Reply ]
 jtomato wrote:
WSAY in Rochester, NY. WOW! What a good song. And station!
 
Yo!  Good taste you have there.   {#Cheers}
Posted 13 years ago by cohifi    [ Reply ]
Oooo - I really like this one. It follows Jeff Talmadge's "Take A Drive With Me" perfectly.  I am sufficiently creeped-out.  Home alone, with weirdness in the neighborhood and cops cruising all around, apparently looking for an escaped criminal...

Yep, perfect atmosphere for this set.  Gonna go lock the doors now, and load the gun.  Oh, wait - Bro has the gun. I have a bb gun with no bbs. I suddenly feel very vulnerable... {#Lol}
Posted 13 years ago by Cynaera    [ Reply ]
WSAY in Rochester, NY. WOW! What a good song. And station!
Posted 13 years ago by jtomato    [ Reply ]
'Kinell! I've not heard this since hearing it on Capital Radio back in the late 70s whilst living in London. Nice retread :)
Posted 13 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]
Very few of the songs released when I was *cough* four *cough* have aged this well. Very nice.

{#Sunny}
Posted 13 years ago by lexica    [ Reply ]
 dyharenas wrote:


Wow, pretty ageless then. Sounds cool in 2011 too.
 
I would have had no trouble at all believing this was a current single.

Posted 13 years ago by rah    [ Reply ]
who knew Hugh Grant could sing?
Posted 13 years ago by Jelani    [ Reply ]
 Poacher wrote:

Ahhh. Light and Bitter. . . the students drink. You got over a half a pint in bitter topped with a bottle of light ale which meant you actually got about a pint and a quarter. Then you drunk three quarters of it and asked for a half a pint to 'top up' the glass thereby getting another three quarters of a pint for the price of a half. It all added up when you were skint!

In 1973, Protheroe was playing the part of a pop singer in a play called, Death on Demand, when a representative from Chrysalis Records heard a song he had written for the show. His firstsingle, "Pinball" was released in August 1974, and it entered the UK Singles Chart at number 40 and reached a peak of number 22. 

This track is a real blast from the past. Loved it in 74, love it now. 
 

Wow, pretty ageless then. Sounds cool in 2011 too.
Posted 13 years ago by dyharenas    [ Reply ]
 ianmoff wrote:
Does anyone remember Pale Ale?

Can't remember the price but a Light and Bitter was 17 1/2 pence (17.5p) 

 
 
Ahhh. Light and Bitter. . . the students drink. You got over a half a pint in bitter topped with a bottle of light ale which meant you actually got about a pint and a quarter. Then you drunk three quarters of it and asked for a half a pint to 'top up' the glass thereby getting another three quarters of a pint for the price of a half. It all added up when you were skint!

In 1973, Protheroe was playing the part of a pop singer in a play called, Death on Demand, when a representative from Chrysalis Records heard a song he had written for the show. His firstsingle, "Pinball" was released in August 1974, and it entered the UK Singles Chart at number 40 and reached a peak of number 22. 

This track is a real blast from the past. Loved it in 74, love it now. 
Posted 14 years ago by SquiddlyDiddly    [ Reply ]
Hmmm. Just got up to see who this was - sounded kind of cool. 
Turns out I'd already heard it and rated it a seven.
Don't remember that.
Hmmm... 
Posted 14 years ago by Jelani    [ Reply ]
We love this song.
Posted 14 years ago by Dynai    [ Reply ]
Me gusta mucho! {#Devil_pimp}
Posted 14 years ago by TravelRat    [ Reply ]
this is also my first time hearing this...
Posted 14 years ago by Giselle62    [ Reply ]
Great tune!!!   I remember hearing it way back when, then never hearing who did it.
Posted 14 years ago by bindi    [ Reply ]
Does anyone remember Pale Ale?

Can't remember the price but a Light and Bitter was 17 1/2 pence (17.5p) 

 
Posted 15 years ago by ianmoff    [ Reply ]
I lived through the 70s and I'm pretty sure I never heard this. What's the story?
Posted 15 years ago by Shimmer    [ Reply ]
Damn, haven't heard anything from this guy in a long time...
Posted 15 years ago by DaveInSaoMiguel    [ Reply ]

Posted 15 years ago by n4ku    [ Reply ]
WOW! An old friend stopping by after a very long time... nice and simple. Great memories! THANKS!

{#Wave}
Posted 15 years ago by SpamNRice    [ Reply ]
Wow, this is a blast from the past, right enough. I loved this when it came out, and it's still tasty after all these years. I wonder how many of our younger listeners know what a pinball machine is? Once upon a time every other pub and club had pinball machines, now you can't find them anywhere, even in amusement arcades. I spent all those years becoming an absolute feckin' ace on the pinball, and all that hip-swivelling skill is now completely redundant. Sad, or what? ;-)
Posted 15 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]

And I've run out of pale ale
And I feel like I'm in jail
And my music bores me once again
And I've been on the pinball
And I know longer know it all
And they say that you never know when you're insane

Got fleas in my bedroom
Got flies in my bathroom
And the cat just finished off the bread
So I walk over Soho
And I read about Monroe
And I wonder was she really what they said

Got a call from a good friend
Come on down for the weekend
Didn't know if I could spare the time
I knew a woman who was crazy
About a boy who was lazy
But it didn't work out 'cos they just couldn't make it rhyme

Hey Jude you were alright
I could have grooved with you all night
But you turned your back on the party game
Mama if i keep my head clean
Will I really have a good dream
Or will I wake up in confusion just the same

And I've run out of pale ale
And I feel like I'm in jail
Got fleas in the bedroom
Got flies in the bathroom
Got a call from a good friend
Come on down for the weekend
Hey Jude you were alright
I could have grooved with you all night

And I've been on the pale ale
And I feel like a pinball 


Posted 15 years ago by lee_sf    [ Reply ]
Oh. My. Gawd. Suddenly it's 1973 and I'm listening to Radio 1. Is Dave Lee Travis going to back-announce it?

Posted 15 years ago by apd    [ Reply ]
 Shesdifferent wrote:
Seems like I have heard this before somewhere, regardless...I love it
 
Same here.  I MUST have heard it years and years ago but have no idea of when or where.   Solid 7.
Posted 15 years ago by ronniegirl    [ Reply ]
 iggam wrote:
He looks like Hugh Grant.
 
Crossed with Dustin Hoffman.  This is the sort of retro dreaminess I can really appreciate this morning. 


Posted 15 years ago by redeyespy    [ Reply ]
Stylistic. he's got a groove going here . . . .
Posted 16 years ago by jjbix    [ Reply ]
EthicalDilemma wrote:
Jesus, this is awful
yes---did I just hear a line that his music bores him?
Posted 16 years ago by Gednabb    [ Reply ]
Jesus, this is awful
Posted 16 years ago by EthicalDilemma    [ Reply ]
sounds Good
Posted 16 years ago by HombreDeMezcal    [ Reply ]
OMG. Dmax, you've finally gotten your wish after all these years! I like this.
Posted 16 years ago by Leslie    [ Reply ]
Posted 16 years ago by n4ku    [ Reply ]
Thank you whoever uploaded this. I've got this on vinyl from it's original release, however this is not the original version from the 1974 LP.
Posted 16 years ago by RadioDoc    [ Reply ]
dmax! Where are ya?
Posted 16 years ago by AliGator    [ Reply ]
Seems like I have heard this before somewhere, regardless...I love it
Posted 16 years ago by Shesdifferent    [ Reply ]
first comment. He looks like Hugh Grant.
Posted 16 years ago by iggam    [ Reply ]