“Rarely have I ever bought an album with so much anticipation and felt so badly let down” – comments Carl of The River on the Springsteen thread. “Sounds like the jumping-off point for a whole nuther thread” thinks this robot. I suppose, for me, the record that best fits this criterion is Aztec a Camera’s “Knife”. I adored their debut and played it incessantly. The lead single from the new album was ace, and I was all set for Rodders to drop a classic and become a massive star at the same time. I hated the cover and hated Mark Knopler’s production – I guess the goal was a more “sophisticated” sound, but the record just sounded jaded, especially during the nine minute title track. But the major problem was a lack of good songs. Which unloved record at the bottom of your pile did you purchase with sky high anticipation?

Actually, it’s down below

A well crafted sitcom episode is a thing of beauty, to be sure, but it’s the sketch which is the 7″ single of comedy, perhaps. I saw this recently on a repeat channel. Not having seen it in a couple of decades, the meat of the thing was fixed in my mind, but I’d forgotten how deftly the first part entices you into the heavy punches of the latter part.. Go on, post a comedy sketch that tickles you..

Great news, pop pickers! The new Beatles E.P. Has come into my possession. I can tell you side one has a couple of John Lennon numbers, contrasting the rambunctious Revolution with the gentler, more melodic Dear Prudence. Side two showcases the songwriting talent of George Harrison, kicking off with While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The last song, Back In The U.S.S.R. betrays a playfulness which is explored extensively on the memory stick of bonus tracks which early purchasers of the single can get for free. Being The Beatles, it’s not entirely without merit – the noisy Helter Skelter is quite thrilling and I can imagine them returning to the I’m So Tired melody to re-record this song properly for a future album. Non-fans may lose patience with what, for the most part, is just some whimsical blowing off of steam and cul de sacs of recording desk experimentation. The lads even toss off what appears to be their (parody of a?) future Eurovision entry Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. Another exciting new release is the new E.P. From The Clash. Side one has Safe European Home and English Civil War. Side two has Stay Free and Tommy Gun. The band are apparently in » Continue Reading.

Someone posted a Heaven 17 clip here a while back, which reminded me how much I liked the idea of that band – electronic pioneers trying to make funky new pop while critiquing the prevailing ideology of the time with songs like Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry and Play To Win. The iconic cover of the Penthouse and Pavement Lp was irresistible – but ultimately I found the music a little underwhelming (although I did prefer their BEF – again, fantastic idea – compilation). In contrast, I remember thumbing through the Sundays back in the day and reading about the “best new show on American tv”, which was about a family whose patriarch was in the New Jersey Mafia. I groaned, thinking the operatic take on the mob had been done to perfection in the Godfather films and the seedier, mundane, low-rent end had been been well documented in films like Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco. Despite the good word coming from my mates, I avoided The Sopranos until well into its third series. As recently as last year the prospect of a tv show based on the film Fargo seemed like a terrible idea. This time I was in » Continue Reading.

Talk of NWA on a n other thread reminds me again of how often in the last few years someone has recommended some hip hop album to me and I’ve put it on only to find myself groaning within minutes at lyrics which are not only infantile and/or offensive, but are pretty much the same infantile or offensive lyrics I groaned through last year and the year before that. I don’t mind any amount of swearing and I’m cool with songs that I disagree with (several of my favourite reggae songs take time to remind me that I will burn in hell) and tbh if the music is strong enough I can stomach a great deal. Still, I thought it would be nice to start a collaborative Spotify playlist of 21st Century hip hop tunes with lyrics that don’t appall, and in some cases are actually pretty good. And one from Dizzee Rascal, who gets points for trying when those who should are shirking.. Please add more. Most of mine are from the usual suspects and I can’t wait to hear some “new” (*just so you know, there will be swearing and I haven’t tried to censor the “N” word).

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Dear Sir, As discussed in our recent phone call I am seeking funding for research I am conducting into hypotheses formulated by our foremost pop stars. Until now my work has been a mixture of the perfunctory, such as routine paternity testing (“Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby?” – where a quite startling number of results came up “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”) and the truly unpleasant (“How Deep Can Sh*t Get?”). Our phone call ended abruptly and I suspect this is because in the earlier letter I sent you my young assistant – against my wishes! – placed “What’s Inside A Girl?” At the top of a proposed list of suitable areas of inquiry. He’s a bright young fellow so rather than dismiss him I taught him a lesson, tasking him with the onerous chores of a one-question cinema survey (“Have You Seen ‘Her’?”) and a tedious trek around the country’s railway network (“Does This Train Stop On Merseyside?). It is my feeling that the substantive work in this field lies in revisiting established truth which may lack rigorous foundation (there are some real flakes working in this field, let me tell you!) or whose certainty » Continue Reading.