.. but bless his heart, apart from releasing an album every other month, you can now have this for free. His version of Swift’s 1989 was top notch and he has oft quoted Nebraska as a continuing inspiration (and, to be fair, there’s usually at least one track of each his albums that could have been lifted from the original). Bless him.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/ryan-adams-bruce-springsteen-nebraska

Tis that time of year when the AfterWord Hive starts to buzz with thoughts of which gnarled OAP is going to win “AW Album of 22” poll. I shall be spending December entombed in Château Wrongness whilst my knee new doth protest loudly and no doubt painfully. I am therefore more than happy to take up the reins of stewardship once more but also equally happy if some other mug fancies having a go. Let me know in the coming week or so and all being well voting opens 1st December. In the meantime here’s something to remind us all of the sheer joy and beauty of Pop, Pop Music.

Have you heard?

Tis a new day, a new Wordle thread. Oh, joy!

First we had the infamous “Is it Red or is it Brown?” fiasco. Now you lot seem to have messed around with the Track Function. I can’t be the only one (?) who uses Track as primary navigation – a great feature. This morning I hit Track and the only the newest comment appears. When I hit Older Comments it takes me back to the top of the thread (which for the Wordle thread is roughly 4368 posts ago.). If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?

Just finished watching the Baz’ film. The two leads are both fantastic, can’t imagine that one of them won’t get an Oscar. Not enough early Elvis for my liking but talking of such things:

I think he’s still the biggest selling solo artist of all time (just ahead of Ed Sheeran?) and at one time the Hall of Fame would have had him alongside The Beatles and Dylan in the ”Rock n Roll Gods” section.

I know 47 billion people (I’ll check that figure later) still troop into Graceland each year and no doubt the film will help boost his sales for a while but, as far as I can tell, most young people I know (Hello, Maël!) rarely, if ever, mention him. An Afterword Search reveals the last Elvis thread on here was Junior’s in 2016. I never much liked Elvis mainly because my elder brother adored him and then, of course, the Vegas Years. Saying that, I always thought he would be one of those artists whose reputation would never dim. I’m not after what you lot think of Elvis per se but whether or not you think I’m Wrong in thinking that in, say, twenty years » Continue Reading.

My friend, Amer Corbin, says Hi and then says: “This young woman has banished the idea in my mind that the fairer sex can’t do what men do with skill and authenticity. I’m not talking about songwriting ability or poetry. I’m talking about graft. This girl has got it in spades. Much like girls playing soccer it’s a thing that has to be worn down. At first its cute then it’s threatening. I’m not threatened anymore by the fact that this girl could run rings around me as a drummer. I’m enlightened by it. The gold is that she’s fu****g brilliant.”

As ever, Amer is, well, Amer.

It’s fab!

No need for a poll this year – given previous OAP winners, a seventy-five and an eighty year-old are a shoo-in. No spreadsheets for me this year ..

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/25/the-past-is-immaterial-ry-cooder-and-taj-mahal-reunited-after-56-years?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

…of the AW Wordle discussion? Fewer folks posting daily now. I still like sharing my successes (and my bitter failure), discussing tactics, ethics, marvelling at Chiz’s audacity etc. If the few of us that are left wish to carry on, here’s the new place. If not, I’ll just sit here and count the tumbleweed.

Seems this has tickled our boy’s fancy…

..but my friend on The Island thought this might be of interest to some on here.

Cool and double cool

https://www.pbs.org/video/austin-city-limits-7th-annual-hall-of-fame-honors-90-min-ije3u7/

It’s time for The AfterWord to select its Album Of The Year!

I will spend the next month collating shedloads and bucketfuls of entries into a spreadsheet the size of Antarctica (which even in these Climate Change days is pretty damn big, let me tell you).

92.37% of the nominations will bear names only three people have ever heard of but in the end, and is our way, a motley collection of old blokes and at least two, maybe even three, young (?) women will hand over the trophy to whichever white, ancient rocker has summoned up enough creative energy to release something “new and exciting” this year.

Go on , I dare you all to prove me Wrong!

Usual Rules apply: Albums released in 2021 Re-releases, remasterings etc are not allowed (polled separately, if Dai can be arsed?) Previously undiscovered , unreleased and unheard masterpieces which have never seen the light of day before Jan 1st 2021 are allowed Taylor Swift’s “Red” is definitely allowed You can list as many records as you like but only 20 will actually count. 20 points to your first choice, all the way down to 1 for your last You don’t have to » Continue Reading.

Aliens have landed. flee, flee!

I simply cannot believe how good Taylor’s re-recording of “Red” is. I wasn’t totally convinced with “Fearless” but here she takes an already blistering album and makes it even better. Genius, genius,. Also including a full ten minute long unexpurgated version of “All Too Well” – venom, regret, poetry. And then this ..Saturday Night Live. Bow down and worship.

Great stuff

A friend, currently exiled on an island, is fascinated by these videos of which, apparently, there are many. Anyone else similarly spellbound?

I think you’ll find I had Sam Fender’s debut album in 2018 as one of my Records of the Year. You lot seem to have been very quiet about him since then. Played the new album twice today and, let’s forget Tigger and his boring old man rules, it’s a belter! Am I right or, far more possibly, am I Wrong ?

Apparently “stoned” in Maori is “blurry-eyed”. I love this girl!

…someone says “no new posts for well over 24 Hours?

Well I never

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/12/bowie-bed-hopping-and-the-blues-the-wild-times-of-dana-gillespie?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Apparently if you give a Nazi salute to the guy on the door…

https://guitar.com/news/music-news/eric-clapton-refuses-play-venues-require-vaccine-proof-covid/

An interesting article by one of our old “chums” (?) got me remembering. You buy a record cos you love the band/artist. You are beside yourself with excitement. The needle drops onto the shiny new vinyl and thirty five minutes later you cry “What is this shit?”. Of course the record isn’t really shit, it’s just, you know, ok. But it’s by one of your favourite bands and it’s just ok. You play it several, indeed many more, times but the magic has gone, the love affair is over. For me it was Abbey Road. What’s yours? ps I’m not really looking to debate the worth of Abbey Road (many on here apparently adore it) but instead seeking for your own moment when the shark jumped.