Wow, this is amazing. Somewhat ironically given I was just posting today about technology bring used to airbrush the past, I’ve just seen this which was released a couple of days ago. Genesis in their prime, in concert at Shepperton Studios, now given the deluxe HD treatment. It looks incredible. When I get a spare hour I’m going to watch this on the big telly.

Hearty applause to everyone involved.

https://www.loudersound.com/news/genesis-shepperton-4k-remaster?fbclid=IwAR0nPHdHZsiYCvTRF-Z-ccydumI21JVxGU6pbBLRJBmkzDmBr96FZtkTTUM

Apologies for the clumsy title, but I’m not really sure how to sum this up in a snappy way, and I know “AI” isn’t actually the proper term (but is fast becoming the commonly accepted buzzword for this type of thing).

What I’m talking about is the possibilities that technology is now giving us to unearth old music and make it listenable for us. Of course it was the Beatles single that got me thinking on this course, but I’m not really wanting to start another Beatles thread.

The thing is that, whatever you think of the artistic and cultural merits of the song Now and Then, the technological aspects of it are astonishing. This was a hissy, unlistenable, home demo quality tape from over 40 years ago, with Lennon’s voice buried behind a clumsily played and intrusive piano. And yet, like archaeologists unearthing a tomb, the boffins managed to extract an isolated stem of Lennon’s voice in startling clarity.

When you think about it the possibilities are endless. There are so many bits of audio ephemera out there for all our favourite bands that you can start to see this is the tip of a very large iceberg. I’m » Continue Reading.

I’m starting to feel a bit churlish for being so negative about the new Beatles song, and what with that and barrel-scraping from Kate Bush this week there’s been plenty of talk about acts who are trampling over their legacy with poor taste.

So as an antidote, let me ask this. Which acts in your opinion have a well-tended legacy?

King Crimson springs to mind. All their repackages and re-releases seem to be tasteful and good value for money.

Way, way back in January this year, I pledged to create a list celebrating my 50th birthday this year – my 50 favourite things (books, songs, albums, films, etc) from the year of my birth, 1973. I’ve linked to the post here where I was asking for suggestions about what what to include (and very interesting all your suggestions were).

As is the way of things, life got in the way and I forgot all about it. But the recent re-releases of Dark Side of the Moon and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic have reminded me what a great year it really was for music, which has prompted me to finish my list.

So, apologies in advance for indulging me, but I’m going to go through my list now, in reverse order, one entry a day, until I reach my top choice just before Christmas. Feel free to chip in, slag me off, express incredulity, applaud my choices or remind me what I’ve missed out (spoiler – don’t wait for Tom Waits or Steely Dan to make an appearance).

Unlike Kid Dynamite’s current massive list project, I pledge to at least try and finish this in the time promised (one entry » Continue Reading.

No reason to post this really, I just love it and not sure how well known it is, and it popped up during a recent YouTube rabbit hole adventure.

In 1987 Kate Bush (not a frequent live performer at the best of times) sang Running Up That Hill live at a comedy festival for Amnesty International, that Secret Policeman’s Ball thing. And she was joined by David Gilmour on guitar and backing vocals.

I think it’s a spine tingling performance. It takes everything that was so wrong about the 80s (big hair, Miami Vice jackets, guitars with no headstocks for gawd sake) and makes something live and vital with them. Plus it’s a nice reminder to millenials that this song was a Big Thing before Stranger Things.

Thought it would be fun to have a little companion thread to the recent one by Black Celebration. What are some notable times where you have been totally wrong about something?

I remember back in the noughties when the iPhone was being rumoured, but no one knew what kind of a beast it was going to be. At the time phones were getting more fancy and complicated: so I was convinced Apple were going to reclaim the phone market with something that was simple, stripped down, small, functional, sturdy and cheap. And I was looking forward to it because that suited me fine (I had previously been a fan of the ipod Shuffle).

Anyway, I was obviously totally and spectacularly wrong. The iphone turned out to be the most expensive and complicated phone yet. Now every phone seems to have a million ‘apps’, is as big as a brick and costs the same as a car (OK, slight exaggeration) . We live in an online, touchscreen world. And it was the iphone that took us down that path.

I held out getting a smartphone for years, but it’s just too inconvenient now to get by in today’s world without one. » Continue Reading.

Feels a bit superfluous since there already was a definitive version 10 years ago (and now Steven Wilson is remixing it AGAIN), but if I had a hundred quid to spare for this type of thing it looks like a very nice package. A plethora of different remixes, including Dolby Atmos and an instrumental version (if you want a break from all those crazy Jon Anderson lyrics!), plus some previously unreleased live recordings.

https://www.rhino.com/article/yes-sounds-bigger-than-ever-with-the-yes-album-super-deluxe-edition

I have no reason for posting this other than that it made me chuckle. I have no idea why I found it so funny.

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-07-31/chinese-zoo-denies-sun-bear-is-human-in-a-bear-suit?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3WouEyFrAcBNfJeShaFs2NcssnL76tngBMyKonmGZ2njcIfntb_DhbHlE#Echobox=1690814179

Interesting article in the Guardian today – I don’t know who Dan Brooks is so I can’t really comment on his background or wider views.

He makes some interesting comments about the concept of “selling out” and how this was so important to bands in the 90s like Nirvana, but how the concept has now become a bit outdated and doesn’t seem to mean anything any more. Streaming algorithms (he argues) have helped to kill the concept of surprise and experimentation, and taken the mystery out of what sells and what doesn’t, so no one is bothered about acts “selling out” any more.

I know this kind of view is likely to rub some people up the wrong way on here, but I’m honestly not trying to start an argument and I do like to hear people’s views from both sides on this. I’m broadly on Dan Brooks’ side here, I think, but I can see why people would disagree with some of his pronouncements like “only a fool would write a song to make money” (a concept David Hepworth for one has argued vehemently against, as he pretty much sees all pop music as essentially driven by commerce and » Continue Reading.

At the risk of opening the guitar nerd floodgates, I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread where we can talk about our favourite guitars that we own.

I’ve always craved a Gibson Hummingbird or a Martin D-45 but unlikely to ever own one. I could never justify the cost and I’m a solid realist (ie: cheapskate) when it comes to spending money on musical instruments. I think once you get to a certain level it’s only marginal gains for mega bucks.

But I think you will always grow to love the instruments you have, if they are half decent and you have time to get to know them. I’ve had my two favourite acoustic guitars for years, and I’ve played them to death (which is what guitars are FOR after all). I love them both although I always feel slightly ashamed at people with fancier guitars: must remember it’s the player not the tools who makes the difference! Mine are both strictly consumer-level models:

– Takamine EF261S – bought about 2005: I’m pleased to see this model is now worth about double what I originally paid for it. I wanted a reliable gigging guitar and » Continue Reading.

I’m just starting this new thread so we can freely discuss the ending to Succession but not spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet.

Does that make sense? Mods, I’m happy for this to be deleted if it breaks any rule!

Edit: Spoilers are fine as long as you don’t put them in the OP so they can’t  be avoided and they are clearly signposted in the Header – your helpful Mod Team

I myself will need to collate my thoughts a bit before I comment. I feel I haven’t taken it all in yet.

Ah go on then, since the main Desert Island Discs post was so much fun. Ten albums you would take to a desert island.

No box sets, that’s cheating. But I suppose greatest hits albums are okay. As are DJ mix albums.

I’m setting a rule for myself of no more than one album per artist, but you can choose to ignore. Up to you.

1. Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield (2001 SACD quad mix) 2. Sgt Pepper – Beatles (1987 CD) 3. Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One – Liam Howlett 4. Vaughan Williams – A London Symphony (1913 version) – Richard Hickox/ Chandos 5. Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain 6. Gustav Holst – Cloud Messenger (Hickox/ Chandos again) 7. Endtroducing – DJ Shadow 8. Wildflower – The Avalanches 9. Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd 10. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway – Genesis

Ed Sheeran in court being accused of copying Marvin Gaye (again).

I particularly like the closing paragraph in the attached Vulture.com article:

“Did Sheeran commit a crime? No. Sheeran is accused of copyright infringement in a civil lawsuit. Whether one believes “Thinking Out Loud” is a crime against music remains an entirely separate issue.”

https://www.vulture.com/2023/04/ed-sheeran-copyright-lawsuit-over-marvin-gaye-song-explained.html

Maybe because I’m having a (short) breather in between busy projects, so taking some (well deserved) sneaky downtime on the boss’s dollar, but the issue of skiving is on my mind. The ethics of it, when and where it is appropriate, how common is it?

Sometimes (in the financial industry anyway) I feel there is a mass, known-but-never-admitted, “secret”; that skiving is totally prevalent, done by everyone, and no-one thinks there is anything wrong with padding out your work activities to appear busy. And I’m pretty sure if a four day week ever became common practice, people would have no trouble getting their stuff done in four days instead of five. Probably only a minimal number of mugs/ dedicated workers (choose your own phrase) are actually being as productive as they can be in their work hours.

So: skiving. Have you? Do you still? Ever been in a job where it is just expected and accepted? Do you feel guilty about it? Or is it a legitimate way to still stick it to the man a bit in this dull modern world? is it a bad thing, or is it just a word invented by the Establishment to denigrate those » Continue Reading.

Dublin purveyors of doom-laden folk music, Lankum, have been mentioned a couple of times on these pages. They’ve released a new song to promote their forthcoming album, and it’s a real cracker.

Approach with caution, as you maybe have to be in the right mood for it. It’s nine minutes long, starts acapella, and builds up into a funereal drone-based cacophony that sounds like Satan humping a hurdy-gurdy and makes The Wicker Man feel like a children’s birthday party by comparison. In other words, business as usual.

Singer Radie Peat has an astonishing voice, and when supplemented by the guys all harmonising behind her it’s quite a sound. More power to them, as they could so easily use their talents to go lighter and more commercial and make a killing on the Celtic Connections circuit. Instead they do uncompromising stuff like this. It’s a long, long way from The Dubliners or Christy Moore.

Plus they are coming to Glasgow in May. Yay!

Just for fun, but I am looking for help in a list I am compiling.

I turn 50 this year, and I was born in 1973. I want to create a list of 50 great things of 1973. (Do I need to justify why I want to create a list? No I don’t. This is the Afterword). It started out as just 50 great films (for a film discussion group I am in) but I am widening it to albums, TV shows, books, art, etc as I just can’t find enough things to fill the list.

Suffice to say, all the obvious things I believe I have already, including (but not limited to) Dark Side of the Moon, The Wicker Man, Don’t Look Now, The Princess Bride, You’re So Vain, Tubular Bells, The Sting, etc etc etc.

Looking for suggestions as I’m still struggling. Anything created/released in 1973. I’m sure I must be missing some obvious stuff I haven’t thought of. I would share my list so you can see what I don’t have, but I don’t want to spoil it. Will share it with you once I’ve written it!

I need at least 50 things better than Tie » Continue Reading.

I won’t say anything here, but spoilers in comments so don’t read unless you have watched it!!

SPOILERS

Did anyone watch this tonight? I’m not sure what to make of it. Think I will need to let it sink in. In the five years since it has last been on the telly it’s grown into a bit of a touchstone, so (for me anyway) there were crushingly high expectations for this reunion episode that were never really going to be fulfilled. It will need some time to sink in, and perhaps a couple of rewatches.

I couldn’t help feeling it came very very near to jumping the proverbial shark. But I can’t deny I had a big smile on my face by the end of it.