Musings on the byways of popular culture
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It’s felt like a long time coming, but the “artist” formerly known as Prince is getting his collar felt. For “misconduct in public office”, so likely as a result of his activities as a trade ambassador rather than for any other improprieties it seems. And on his birthday too.
I bet he’s sweating now….
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A Happy New Year to you all.
This year’s chart has been entirely created by the hard work of @salwarpe, who has been the brains and the energy behind the compilation of the results, so hats off and thanks from all of us to him – a sterling job!
Before revealing 2025’s winners, almosts and also-rans, here is a reminder of our previous champions.
2018 642 albums nominated – winner Ry Cooder: Prodigal Son
2019 563 albums nominated – winner Bruce Springsteen: Western Stars
2020 531 albums nominated – winner Bob Dylan: Rough & Rowdy Ways
2021 565 albums nominated – winner Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raise The Roof
2022 556 albums nominated – winner Half Man Half Biscuit: The Voltarol Years
2023 574 albums nominated – winner Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit: Weathervanes
2024 – 558 albums nominated – winner: The Cure: Songs Of A Lost World
2025 – 590 albums nominated – winner: ??????????????????
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December is here and it is time for the only end of year poll that matters – The Afterword Album Of The Year. I suggest the same rules as usual. Name your Top 20, preferably using the format number, artist, album name (e.g. 1. Radiohead – OK Computer). Your number 1 choice will earn 20 points and the rest will be awarded 19, 18 etc.down to 1 point for your number 20. I know there will be those that think we should do it differently but over the years this seems to be the method that has ticked most boxes. Any questions of albums’ validity will be judged on a case by case basis, but I’m not looking to fall out with anyone over these judgements – it’s just a bit of fun innit?
The poll closes on 31st December at 11.59pm – results to be posted early in the new year.
Thanks everyone, and may the best album win….
Mods – any chance this could be pinned near the top of the blog?
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The President has kindly donated use of The Most Beautiful Golf Course In The World for our monthly gathering. So dust off your mashies, buff up your niblicks and join us. And when we’re done we’ll build a massive windmill on the first fairway.
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A Happy New Year to you all.
Before any results are posted I have to acknowledge the hard work of @salwarpe, who has done the vast, vast majority of the leg work on this enterprise this year. Any thanks that have been offered to me (and there have been plenty, thanks for your thanks) should really be directed towards him and his magic spreadsheet.
Before the excitement of this year’s results, here is a quick summary of the results from the last seven years.
2018 642 albums nominated – winner Ry Cooder: Prodigal Son
2019 563 albums nominated – winner Bruce Springsteen: Western Stars
2020 531 albums nominated – winner Bob Dylan: Rough & Rowdy Ways
2021 565 albums nominated – winner Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raise The Roof
2022 556 albums nominated – winner Half Man Half Biscuit: The Voltarol Years
2023 574 albums nominated – winner Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit: Weathervanes
2024 – 558 albums nominated – winner: ?????????????
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It’s that time of the year again folks. The rules remain unchanged – post your top 20 albums of newly-released material, preferably in the format: number, artist name, album name (e.g. 1. The Beatles – Revolver) and then just let Salwarpe’s magic spreadsheet do the rest.
The closing time and date for submissions is 11.59 on December 31st, with results posted early in January. If you do’t have twenty choices, just give as many as you can. Points are awarded 20 for number 1, down to 1 for number 20.
Good luck, and season’s greetings to one and all.
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Starting on 1st March – the first hole is Wordle 986. Let’s play nicely…..
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Before the results are released, here’s a quick summary of the last six years’ results (with thanks to Lodestone Of Wrongness, whose post from last year I have shamelessly cannibalised.
2018 642 albums nominated – winner Ry Cooder: Prodigal Son
2019 563 albums nominated – winner Bruce Springsteen: Western Stars
2020 531 albums nominated – winner Bob Dylan: Rough & Rowdy Ways
2021 565 albums nominated – winner Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raise The Roof
2022 556 albums nominated – winner Half Man Half Biscuit: The Voltarol Years
2023 574 albums nominated – winner ??????
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I think I volunteered to organise this somewhere deep in another thread, so here goes.
I suggest, as per previous years, that we post a top 20 with twenty points awarded to every number 1, down to one for every number 20. Any music newly released this year is valid, though I propose that live albums wholly or mostly comprising old material are included in any accompanying poll of re-releases. The poll will, as in previous years, close at 11.59pm on New Year’s Eve and results will be published on New Year’s Day.
Go on, post your favourites – you know you want to….
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The usual rules apply – par for each hole is 4 etc. Good luck to one and all.
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It seems the last thread has passed to the other side. So why not post your Wordle attempts here?
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Now let’s all play nicely!
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Venue: Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
Date: 1st September – 4th September 2022
As the nights draw in and thoughts turn to log fires and terrifying heating bills, there is one last hurrah available to the discerning music-lover. The first weekend of September has, for many years now, been my favourite of the year, being the weekend of the magical End Of The Road Festival. So off I head southwards to enjoy four days of age-inappropriate frolics with my compadres.
The first music for me, on Thursday evening, is Khruangbin. Their brand of space-age lounge music has become a hot favourite with taste-makers and hipsters over the last few years so their headline appearance on The Woods Stage is hotly anticipated. There is some initial disappointment as the first half of their set drifts by a little, tunes merging into each other with little to differentiate them. A medley of pop and hip-hop covers, including Spandau Ballet’s True, Dick Dale’s Misirlou and, spectacularly, Tom Tom Club’s Genius Of Love takes things up a gear and the crowd starts to move and engage. The latin flavours of Pelota and the funky People Everywhere (Still Alive) see the set close strongly. A qualified » Continue Reading.
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As it’s nearly the end of the year, how about a handy place to keep links to various end of year charts? Here’s the chart from the lovely people at Piccadilly Records to set us on our way.
https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/feature.php?feature=934
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Venue:
Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
Date: 02/09/2016
End Of The Road festival is now an established late summer staple for music aficionados. Held since 2006 in the glorious surroundings of Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset, the focus of the organizers appears to be to improve upon the quality of the audience’s experience each year. A laudable philosophy and one which has me slavering with anticipation from the March announcements of the line-up through to the festival’s opening on the first Thursday in September. The weekend does not disappoint.
Tent pitched and site orientation completed, the first music of the weekend is Margo Price on the Woods stage. Margo presents herself more as a farmhand at a barn dance/hoedown than the Midwest farmer’s daughter, complete with flowery dress, who appeared on Later With Jools Holland earlier this year. She has a blast and, although on occasions the lyrics are dangerously close to sounding like parody, her energy and excitement are contagious. Rambunctious closer “Hurtin’ On The Bottle” surely wins over any doubters.
Young upstarts Whitney have gathered positive press over the summer and their debut album “Light Upon The Lake” has considerable charm. Their performance on the gorgeous, enclosed » Continue Reading.
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I’m sure we’ve done this before, but why is the world so keen to be outraged? Today’s news features “outrage” at a comment by Chris Boardman and a (perhaps ill-advised bu surely not intentionally offensive) tweet by Ellen Degeneres. Links below:
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I used to think of myself as a fairly liberal, tolerant individual – then I saw this. Aside from anything else, how “self-sufficient” are you if you ask other people to fund your lifestyle? Hardly Tom and Barbra Good are they?
