The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

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Top of the Pops re-runs lately…

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The saga continues on BBC4, we’re now in mid-1988, where following a run of shows in which T’Pau performed the singles you never knew that they had, the very un ToTP Magnum appeared (Start Talking Love, to be exact, or Sweet Talking Love, as it was introduced as) live, Hazell Dean made her comeback with Who’s Leaving Who?, and Danny Wilson and Fairground Attraction gave us 2 nailed on 80s classics, the latest episode surely had the greatest disparity between sheer brilliance and total dross that there has ever been in ToTP history. It was the (mercifully brief) era of the “parody song”, so while on the one hand, the Adventures made their ToTP debut live in the studio performing the utterly magnificent Broken Land (oft quoted as the most played song on Radio 1 in 1988), they were sandwiched in between Harry Enfield’s “Loadsamoney” (which was bad enough) and the truly awful Start Turn on 45 (Pints)’ “Pump up the Bitter” (“Howay, turn, give us some of your housey housey music, bonny lad…”).

How did this happen? Does anyone on here actually own that Pump up the Bitter single? I hope not…

» Continue Reading.

UFO – Last Orders tour

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Venue:

Rock City, Nottingham

Date: 26/03/2019

Despite being a fully paid up member of the denim and leather brigade in the 80s, I’ve never seen UFO live before, never even owned an album. The closest I got was when “Lights Out” was a track on the “Live and Heavy” compilation I had as a boy, and the first gig I ever went to was MSG, who played “Doctor, Doctor” and “Rock Bottom” as encores. You know a fair few UFO songs though, despite them never quite cracking it as a “big” act, remaining generally a Championship team, if you’ll forgive the football analogy. But of course, their “Lights Out” double live is a thing of rare respect, universally held up to be one of the greats. I didn’t own that either. (See above) So, my first UFO gig is their farewell tour. This is a band who released their 4th album when Barry Sheene was world 500cc champion the first time. Me and the band are 51 as I write… Tara Lynch (“Gui-Tara” apparently…) gets the place warmed up with some full on shredding rock instrumentals and a decent tune or three, getting a decent response for her troubles. » Continue Reading.

The perils of posting a photo of the setlist without checking…

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If easily offended by some of the more incendiary rude words, this probably isn’t something you want to click on. If you don’t mind, or you’re already familiar with the contents of Mr Grant’s latest album, and the mugs on sale at the merch stand, read on…

Nice review of the recent John Grant gig at Rock City, but as someone has pointed out in the comments, you may want to take the photo of the setlist down, given the title of the 5th song. It’s a family newspaper etc. I just hope it doesn’t make it to the print edition.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/music-nightlife/john-grant-dark-hypnotic-entertaining-2513352

ATM (slight return) – Wireless in-ear headphones…

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I think we’ve done this before, but technology moves on apace. Certainly faster than my brain can cope with.

I’d like to buy some wireless in ear buds/phones things, but there’s a bewildering array. As there’s no-one I trust more than you fine people in matters like this, any help you can offer/recommendations you can make will be very gratefully received.

Budget is perhaps up to 3 figures if your praise is suitably effusive. But doesn’t have to be. (The budget, not the praise.)

Thanks in advance.

Spelling it out…

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We’ve almost certainly done this before, but since the passing of Aretha, where the list starts, surely, what songs do we all know that spell out something, letter by letter, in the lyrics? We all know the obvious, 70s D I S C O and D I V O R C E, but where are the more obscure ones? Any big words? Which song has the longest word/phrase? Two from me to start.

https://youtu.be/LfXqJth6Eo4

C L A S S I C

https://youtu.be/gZb8nEemK2k

B L U E C O L L L A R J A N E

Songs that mention cetaceans…

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I’ve just returned from Baja California, Mexico, on what I would probably say is the world’s best whale watching trip, all 12 days of it. We were taking on the boat one night, and music came up… So, oh Massive, what songs do we know that mention our whale and dolphin friends (specific species or just generally) in the lyrics and/or title? If I may start with Yorkshire scamps Terrorvision, and one of their finest. https://youtu.be/An59zXVEFFE

ATM # lost count – Oslo, New Year break

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Ladies and gents I’ll be in central Oslo over New Year for 3 days, with the FPO and our (female) mate. Any things I/we should definitely see or do? Are there any public NY celebrations in squares or parks? Is alcohol as ruinously expensive as I’m led to believe? Do I need cash or are Norwegians as card mad as Swedes? Any other general tips? (Apart from “Wrap up warm/Get your vest on” etc…) Can you get Jools’ Hootenanny on TV? (OK, don’t worry about that one…)

Any thoughts gratefully accepted.

The Hooters, Hamburg, 5 July 2017

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Venue:

Markthalle, Hamburg

Date: 05/07/2017

OK Afterworders, we all know that the first band on at Live Aid was ‘ver Quo, yes? Bonus points if anyone knows who was first on at Philadelphia? Yes, it was the Hooters, a band so ignored in the UK and long forgotten that they’re a bit like Iceland. 99% of people have never been, and 99% of the people who have, have only been to Reykjavik. As a test, see if you can name any other City in Iceland? As a further test, even if you’ve heard of them, how many of you own a Hooters album? The defence rests, your Honour. Philadelphia’s finest, The Hooters are in fact, still going, especially popular in Germany, and, here’s the thing, I utterly absolutely and fantastically love them. Ostensibly, they’re the band who harbour the uber hit song writers Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (One of US, Time after Time, Private Emotion, Old Before I Die, Gimme a Stone and a fair few others) and they play a kind of music that is somewhere between roots, rock, folk, reggae and ska, with mighty tunes, the kind of choruses you can’t stop humming and a joy » Continue Reading.

Hi-fi house clearance

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A friend of mine’s brother has just died in sad circumstances. On looking at his house, it appears that is is, to quote my mate (who isn’t overly technically musical) “Full of old hi-fi type things. And I mean, full. There’s dozens of things in there, I don’t even know what some of them do.” From the brief description I have, it looks like there are a fair few fairly serious hi-fi separates. Clearly, this is a house clearance job for a specialist, to ensure that my mate gets fair value for the said bits of kit, but neither he nor I know where to start, who to trust etc.

Do any of you splendid chaps and chap-esses know of such a reputable person or firm that we could have a word with regarding all this?

(Location is Notts, BTW)

Craig Finn – live in a suburban Nottingham living room

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Venue:

Graham’s living room

Date: 20/04/2017

My first experience of a “living room” gig, fortunately one of my favourite front men, on his own, with a great new album to plug, only about ¾ of a mile down the road, near where we used to live. Enough to call a halt this week on my usual Thursday evening “world to rights” session with Smudger of this parish. Craig was tuning up when I arrived, but the natives appeared friendly so I repaired onto the back yard/lawn, where a succession of very friendly, interesting and likeable people (from reasonably far and wide (and West Bridgford)) came, mingled and went. Showtime, and everyone siphoned in through the French doors, to exhortations to “come closer”, so, cushion in hand, I did. Immediate stage left, leaning on (while sat down) some kind of flight case, a sofa and a CD rack. I got comfy about 3 songs in… Craig called us to order and began a guitar only (as he was all night) “God In Chicago”, during which you could’ve heard mice farting next door. Wonderful in all respects. Preludes, Jester and June, Tangletown and Be Honest followed from the new album, with » Continue Reading.

Ooops. Any worse examples than this?

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At work today, one of my early emails was from our esteemed national trade association, who send a daily email which is basically a digest of the day’s mainstream news stories covering our industry.

There’s a bit of a preamble every day, which among other things normally covers celebrity birthdays.

I quote from today’s email…

“Finally, happy birthday to Tippi Hedren, Dolly Parton, Michael Crawford CBE, Janis Joplin, Richard Lester, and Katey Sagal. “

I wonder if the author even knew who Janis Joplin was, or if he did, wondered why she’d been a bit quiet lately…

I’m sure the Massive will have other stories to tell.