It’s been (at least) twenty years since Neil Young released a wholly satisfactory album. I like Neil a lot, not in the same way I once loved Dylan but , you know, he’s like a friend, a really good friend, who messes around with you but he’s still a really good friend. And now we have “Hitchhiker”. One night in 1976 armed only with “booze, weed and cocaine” Young, producer David Briggs and friend Dean Stockwell sat down in a Malibu studio. The next morning they had an album brimming over with absolute gems, nary a false step except maybe a stoned stumble, a missed chord here and there, a few misshapen, forgotten lyrics. Most of the songs (only two “new” on here) appear on later albums (like Powderfinger without the raging guitar but amazingly all the better for it) but here we have testament to what one guy and one guitar can do: stripped-down songs, fragile yet powerful singing and most startling of all – in one take, in one night a perfect album. One day soon when my initial euphoria has calmed down somewhat I will try and post a proper review. In the meantime my question is » Continue Reading.

I know I’m not the only Hüsker Dü fan on this board.

I was sad to read to day that drummer/songwriter/vocalist Grant Hart has died of cancer aged only 56. Grim news indeed.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7964914/husker-du-drummer-grant-hart-obit

The Beach Boys, The Beatles & Bob Dylan were referred to as the AW`s `The Holy Trinity` by Tahir recently.

This causes me to ask some questions, just two really.

1) Has anyone, prior to Tahir ever referred to The Beach Boys, The Beatles & Bob Dylan as the `Holy Trinity`?

2) Why do people resent acts who are obviously talented and have achieved their deserved fame and fortune? There are also many acts who once again are obviously talented but have not received their deserved fame and fortune. I can name many and so can you fellow AWers but this is not the fault of the so-called `Holy Trinity`. So why the resentment?

…that CSNY came to play.

14th September 1974,CSNY played Wembley Stadium to bring their world tour to a close.

Supporting acts included Joni Mitchell and The Band.

Their full set was pro-shot and is available on dvd of you know where to look.

Did any Afterworders attend this event?

Not a particular fan of the four circles myself, though I would quite like to be in the position of choosing between it and its Teutonic rivals, but found this ad very appealing. Surely one of the best theme tunes of the ‘golden age of telly’ (quotation marks very much intended) Are you free?

Farewell then, Billy Batts. Now go home and get your shine box

Unsurprised that the 40 Watt Club makes up part of the set, nice if it is unedited and complete. No idea what a Dolby Atmos system is or whatever but that demos set is intriguing. As I championed it as their best on a podcast way back when this is a no brainer for Xmas

CD1 1 Drive 2 Try Not To Breathe 3 The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite 4 Everybody Hurts 5 New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 6 Sweetness Follows 7 Monty Got A Raw Deal 8 Ignoreland 9 Star Me Kitten 10 Man On The Moon 11 Nightswimming 12 Find The River

CD2 1 Drive (Live At The 40 Watt Club / 11/19/92) 2 Monty Got A Raw Deal (Live At The 40 Watt Club / 11/19/92) 3 Everybody Hurts (Live At The 40 Watt Club / 11/19/92) 4 Man On The Moon (Live At The 40 Watt Club / 11/19/92) 5 Losing My Religion (Live At The 40 Watt Club / 11/19/92) 6 Country Feedback (Live At The 40 Watt Club / 11/19/92) 7 Begin The Begin (Live At The 40 Watt Club / 11/19/92) 8 Fall On Me (Live At The 40 Watt Club / 11/19/92) » Continue Reading.

The name of a song by Tower of Power, as I seem to recall. But more to the point, and more urgent, seems to be the question what is a hipster? There seem to be so many conceptions:

Someone who wears sunglasses at night. Someone who wears very skinny pants with an unusually styled beard. Someone who manages to like Captain Beefheart, The Velvet Underground and Igor Stravinsky, but not the Beach Boys. Someone who was born too late to have heard of any of the above but who says the word ‘dope’ a lot (as noun and adjective). Anyone you don’t like. Anyone who likes stuff that you don’t understand. Someone who’s into Foucault, postmodernism and being non-binary. Someone who knows what it means to ‘take an insurance piss’. Someone who pretends to like progressive jazz, but can tell you that prog rock is crap. Someone who despises anyone that likes anything s/he used to like just last year. Someone who says ‘cool’ a lot, but who will stop doing so as soon as it starts to seem uncool. Anyone who’s mentioned by Doug Henwood in connection with gay porn. Doug Henwood. Someone who only ever wears black and » Continue Reading.

After looking through the Do you really like that? Honestly? thread I finally understood that this blog is all about what you don’t like. Why didn’t I realize that before?

So now I think that my dislike of the stupid cult of the holy trinity (B-Boys, Beatles & Bob) needs to be stated here. It belongs here. Especially here. It’s a veritable manifesto, not just a cranky opinion.

So I say it again. Ha!

Crimson’s live album gets a deluxe reissue in November. Details are on the SDE site – I won’t copy the link as it always seems to cause problems – but looks like Colin H has already been there 😉

Bought myself a black filter at the leisure centre while taking the boblets to their swimming lesson.

Boblet 2 returns from her lesson.

Her: “I can smell your coffee.”

Me: “I see. I myself cannot. You use Evyan skin cream, and sometimes you wear L’Air du Temps. But not today.”

Nearly did a victory lap of the place.

Any good moments from the lives of Afterworders lately?

As my mum lives reasonably close to my office I usually pop in for a bacon sandwich once a week. Following the bacon sandwich and to accompany my cup of tea she usually asks me if I would like a bar of chocolate. They are stored in a Tupperware container and last week her selection included Fry’s Peppermint Cream bars. It is so long since I saw these that I had assumed there had stop making them. I have to say it was a delight. But the question is whatever happened to the Fry’s Five Centre bar?

I know this is an old track, but for some reason it’s been on the local radio a lot these past few weeks. Everytime it comes on though, I automatically think it’s a World Party track (even though I do actually know it’s by the New Radicals)

Is it just me or were they really separated at birth ?

And feel free to use this thread as an excuse to post your most favouritist World Party track (or other tracks that sound like them)

Can I save this and come back to it?

Can I save this and come back to it?

In my Turtles listening marathon (don’t ask) I was reminded of this wonderful song, and it of course includes the fabulous immortal line “You’re my pride and joy, etc.”

Now, are there any other songs with such office routine poetry? Love songs that sound like they were written by an accountant? The only one I can remember is a sentimental German schlager which includes the German equivalent of “as I’ve mentioned above”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBBCarZWL1M

.. traffic on t’Afterword seems to have increased quite a bit in the last week.