The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

Menu

Navigation

All About Eve

by 9 Comments

The first few All About Eve albums have been reissued with extra tracks etc. **Thrilled**. Used to love AAE back in the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfonGzxq778

“Roger Waters – The Wall”

by 17 Comments

Venue:

Broadway Cinema, Letchworth

Date: 29/09/2015

It’s a performance of ”The Wall” interspersed with Roger making a road trip from Blighty across France where he visits the first World War grave of his Grandfather, eventually arriving at the Anzio/Monte Cassino war memorial where his father died in action. The massive stage show and concert with crack band features the likes of our Rog alongside Snowy White, Dave Kilminster and GE Smith on guitars. The Waters’ pipes are in good form, and there’s a “Dave” replacement for second vocals and a spot of reinforcement on the odd high note. Fair enough. He’s never struck me as an especially charismatic bloke but he fronts the ensemble really well and it must have been a hell of a moment for him personally. Guitar nerds will appreciate Snowy using a Dave Gilmore Stratocaster model – surely a (possibly personal) not so mute tribute to the man it now appears to take 3 top players to replace? The band recreate the album as superbly as you’d expect. The lighting, images and overall show is mind boggling and it must have been quite an occasion to be there. The menacing fascistic uniforms and many of » Continue Reading.

New Dangermouse!!!

by 6 Comments

I might be last to the party here but someone just casually mentioned in the dancing thread that there is a new Dangermouse remake starting tomorrow – 6pm on CBBC. Alexander Armstrong is voicing DM. This will be major news in our house. Twang Jr soaked up the box set from about age 3 and pretty much knows it off by heart. Faced with an autocratic Mrs.T demanding homework or similar duty, he will still mutter “Si Baroni” under his breath.

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/26/return-of-kids-tv-show-danger-mouse

Martin Barre – “Back to Steel”

by 10 Comments

What does it sound like?:

The 6th solo album from (currently moribund) Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre. Last year’s double live/studio album reflects the sound of his touring band at the time, and was preceded by “Away with Words” which is a largely acoustic (and quite exquisite) reinterpretation of Tull numbers. The latest album reflects Martin’s newfound confidence as a songwriter, harking back to his early days as a blues rocker as a jumping off point. There’s plenty of his tasteful acoustic playing, not only on guitar but also encompassing banjo, mandolin, bouzuki too. There are a couple of Tull reinterpretations – a much heavier “Skating away on the thin ice of a new day”, and a more faithful “Slow marching band” with multi layered guitars replacing the piano and strings of the original. An oddity is a beefy riff laden “Eleanor Rigby”, originally conceived as a Tull live interlude but fully realised here. It’s a very diverse set, bridging the old school blues rock Martin would have played in clubs in Birmingham in the late 60s through to more contemporary FM radio friendly sing along choruses and chamber folk rock.

What does it all *mean*?

Within Jethro Tull, » Continue Reading.

Greatest TV theme tune?

by 69 Comments

Unashamedly nicked from the Grauniad, what’s your fave TV theme tune, and why? I immediately thought of “Stingray.” Back then, as a nipper, there was nothing more exciting. These “people” had American accents (yes kids, once it was unusual, or at least notable). Viewing it now, the sight of all those exclusively WASP right on “World” (AKA American) Aquanaut Security Patrol dudes in their uniforms, where any perceived alien threat could easily be sorted out with a Sting missile, fills me not with disgust at a misguided and over simplistic world, but with a sense of loss at the easy certainties of the era, when (channeling Gil Scott Heron) TV was in black and white, and so was everything else. And it starts with sirens, an explosion, and kettle drums. What more do you want?

Jimi Hendrix – “Freedom” – live at the Atlanta Pop Festival

by 17 Comments

What does it sound like?:

Surely everyone has heard Jimi Hendrix? It sounds like that! (More below)….

What does it all *mean*?

Well, to this reviewer it just reaffirms, if it needed any affirmation, what an extraordinary musician Jimi Hendrix was, and you can only imagine the charisma surrounding him which could probably be seen from outer space. He plays beautiful blues (the version of “Red House” is one of the best I’ve heard, and I have the “Red House” CD containing only live versions of that song), burning rock and out there stoner (see recent thread) blissed out jamming on “Spanish Castle Magic”. His singing has never been better, and gives lie to those who suggest he can’t sing. He was dead less than three months later.

Goes well with…

Contrary to popular cliché you don’t have to be out of your box to appreciate Hendrix – I cooked the lunch with it on loud and it sounded bloody fantastic. The only problem is it’s hard not to be distracted by it, so working from home music it ain’t.

Might suit people who like…

You probably already know whether you like Jimi. I confess he is someone I » Continue Reading.

Labour leadership – anyone watching?

by 285 Comments

I’m not a member, but occasional voter, however I’m quite fascinated. If it is Corbyn, I’m starting to wonder if it IS electoral suicide…maybe this is a big change moment. Perhaps there’ll be a groundswell of support for a rebalancing of wealth etc. Who knows!

The Section – “Section S”

by 12 Comments

What does it sound like?:

The Section were the backing band for pretty much all the US West Coast 70s artists, from James Taylor and Carole King to Jackson Browne and several thousand recording dates in between. Signed up when someone heard them jamming, they made this hitherto unavailable set of instrumentals. Whilst the playing is impeccable, so is the taste as anyone who recognises the names Leland Sklar, Craig Doerge, Danny Korchmar and Russ Kunkle would expect. As a bonus a very young Mike Brecker adds sax to a few numbers. It is jazzy in the way that Steely Dan are – highly melodic and grooving beautifully whilst constantly keeping your interest and avoiding the temptation for muso widdle widdle wibbling.

What does it all *mean*?

Great players make great music when left to their own devices. They know when to go for it and when to STFU. Limited players can make great music too of course!

Goes well with…

I got in the habit of listening to it whilst cooking with a large glass if red to hand.

Might suit people who like…

West Coast, Steely Dan, great ensemble playing.

Audiophile lunacy

by 33 Comments

As my other thread may intimate, I’m looking to improve the performance of my main stereo somewhat. It’s decent if oldish kit (Arcam, Mission 741), but seems a bit muddy in the low end, and I’d like a bit more clarity. Never having been more than an amused onlooker of the audiophile world they are as bonkers as ever, with their 200 quid a foot speaker cable etc. There are glimmers of sanity though…here are my conclusions…..

1. Speaker positioning makes far more difference than the cable, especially distance from walls 2. Bi wiring makes a theoretical difference, but in the words of the scientific paper I read on the subject, moving your head slightly whilst listening would probably make more difference than biwiring 3. Budget but decent speaker cable is noticably better than cheap, and almost indistinguishable from super expensive 4. The T&E electrical cable they use for your ring main in the house is better than most speaker cable (solid copper, 12 AGW!!!) 5. The position you sit in makes a massive difference, as does the room layout, furniture etc. As most of these things are unavoidable constraints, beyond a certain point most further refinement can be ignored.

» Continue Reading.

Reference CDs

by 54 Comments

What are your choices for CDs which sound fantastic, sonically? The ones you play to test out a stereo, if you ever do….and does anyone have experience of those audio test/reference CDs?

Grammar question

by 31 Comments

Question posted by one of my favourite podcasters – The History of the Crusades podcast. I think I know the answer…what do you think?

Okay – I need some help on the heading for the next episode. In the episode, three separate characters undergo three separate changes of fortune. So, should the heading be: (a) reversals of fortune (b) reversal of fortunes (c) reversals of fortunes or (d) none of the above Any ideas? Someone well versed in the intricacies of the English language needs to save me from making a grammatical face plant…help!

Steely Dan – Southland

by 9 Comments

What does it sound like?:

Well, like a good bootleg (indeed, apparently these recording have been out there since broadcast) but here they’ve been cleaned up and mastered and they sound fantastic. This is the original Dan plus Michael McDonald on piano and occasional vocals (no David Palmer – good, for this punter). Baxter and Denny Diaz play like mad men, and it must have been great to see them back then. Dan and Walt hated touring but the audiences must have loved it based on these examples. There’s a radio show from Boston (not a college town..) and the Record Plant from March ’74, right before “Pretzel Logic” came out.. Jim Hodder swings like a bastard and Don is terrific on keys as well as issuing the Fagen sneer throughout.

What does it all *mean*?

It won’t convince any non-fans, but anyone who likes the Dan, especially those who maintain that anything after “Aja” was worthless, will love it. I have been playing it on heavy rotation and continue to marvel at the sound of great players playing great songs, live. The songs benefit from a looser feel and a spot of jamming, belying the idea that the » Continue Reading.

Podcast tonight?

by 5 Comments

Anyone fancy doing a podcast tonight? No special theme, bit of a chat, maybe talk plans for the summer, festivals….reply here or PM/email me. Skype a requirement as ever, otherwise all welcome. Say 9.00 pm?

Your best Dylan songs?

by 110 Comments

Let’s have an AW poll – your best Dylan songs. Usual rules apply – choose five, ranked so that number one gets five points down to last which gets one. The bar drops Sunday night so I’ll do the five bar gates on Monday and publish the too songs, albums etc. Then “Like a Rolling Stone” wins. Or will it…..

Favourite western?

by 69 Comments

We did this at the old place, but I find such threads useful reference points so what the hey. Your favourite western? And why? Me – there are many, but I’ll say “The good, the bad and the ugly” for reasons too many to list, but, oooh, the music, Clint, Eli Walach, the atmosphere…it’s a masterpiece. And at the other end of the scale, “Silverado” – rites of passage buddy movie, great cast, cool, funny, unpredictable – who saw the cows coming the first time they saw it? Costner on fire…baddies super bad, goodies flawed but good , Kevin Kline – here’s to the good stuff.

No monster lists – just the ones you really like.

You?

Labour leadership

by 65 Comments

The Labour leadership contest is shaping up. It seems to be setting on Burnham, Kendall and Cooper. I’m politically unaffiliated, though instinctively soft left liberal by nature. My instinct is a Milibandesque agenda fronted by Andy Burnham doesn’t sound like a winner, though I thought he did well on John Pinaar last week, and I always quite lilked Yvette Cooper but she seems to be living up to her Hacker reputation of not saying much which upsets anyone. I’d never heard of Liz Kendall but (given my stated position) I quite like her.

Interesting New Stateman assessment.

Thorts?

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/06/were-beginning-see-outlines-labour-leadership-race

Awake

by 36 Comments

You know when you have nights with irrelevant crap whizzing round in your head so you can’t sleep? That.

Where are the titans?

by 114 Comments

Hendrix on the Lulu show. We’ve all seen it. But FFS, it was the Lulu show! And listen to the noise he makes! Quite apart from the fact that other than maybe a dozen people in tbe King’s Road, no one even looked like that! Truly a being from another planet, changing everyone’s sense of what’s possible with a few bits of wood and some valves. Where are today’s game changers? (…I do hope there are some…).

Bit of jazz

by 3 Comments

I like jazz, me. I saw this duo a couple of years ago and find I regularly come back to their album “MY duo”from which this is the opening track….

How’s your election night?

by 30 Comments

I just played a gig, rocked the house, and now have pint of Speckled Hen, 2 fingers of single malt, a tub of pistachio nuts, the Beeb and my mandolin so I am set for the night. How is it for you? Drama already with the exit polls….

Johnny B Goode (s)

by 11 Comments

Twang Jr is learning “Johnny B Goode” to play at school at the end of term. We have just spent a very happy half hour watching different bands take it on, ranging from the outer planetary (Hendrix) to the execrable (AC/DC). But my favourite is Johnny Winter from my all time fave live album “And – Live” back when live albums is what they played rather than what proTools did for them in the studio 6 months after the gig. Bum notes? Who cares. Rick Derringer on 2nd guitar. What’s your favourite “Johnny B Goode”?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jARuqUntPiI