Musings on the byways of popular culture
by 18 Comments
So finally watched the film girl on the train ( starring Emily blunt) I enjoyed it but not as much as the book, possibly because as often happens I read a book , imagine the characters have a certain look , or. Style and then the film or t. Tv programme turns them into someone else.
In this case Americans. have any other books or films moved towns and countries like this .
by 23 Comments
My old iPod Touch seems unlikely to last much longer – the battery currently won’t last as long as the length of an album without recharging. I want to replace it – I can’t justify the cost of an iPhone much as I’d like one, and I’m quite happy to carry on using my old Nokia mobile… I really need it most as a music player that’ll take good-quality photos and has a really good battery life. I’m tempted to just get another iPod Touch – even though it appears it’ll soon be obsolete – or I could fo for a cheaper smartphone (under £200). Any thoughts/suggestions/insults? Thanks
by 23 Comments
Presence is rarely mentioned as more than one of their lesser albums, and perhaps it is, but Achilles Last Stand is one of their best songs – THE DRUMMING! All the guitars! The sheer gallop! Sometimes, for my money, it´s even better than Kash-feckin´-mir.
For Your Love and Nobody´s Fault But Mine are heavy, forceful rock, the playful strut of Hots On For Nowhere has lots of charm (not a word usually associated with Led Zeppelin) and Tea For One is a beautiful late night ballad, on par with, dare I say it, Since I´ve Been Loving You.
Due to being wheelchair bound following a car accident, Plant´s voice is more relaxed than usual. This is where he found his mature approach to singing.
The whole thing has a nice live in the studio feel, except perhaps all the guitars on Achilles. The Rolling Stones had booked the studio, and thus made sure Zeppelin had a deadline to meet – probably a good thing at that stage. It kept the sessions fresh.
Anyone else with a soft spot for Presence?
by 20 Comments
There is a new compilation, just released, of Fairport Convention 1968-78. This contains 7 discs, a booklet and a poster in a boxed set.
This will take me time to work through, since there is a lot of material here (including BBC Broadcasts and live shows), quite a lot of which has been previously unreleased.
Worth a look, if Fairports are your bag. I got mine in Head Records (Leamington Spa) for £60. Not sure if better deals are available.
Author:David Weigel
This is a history of progressive music, written by a fan who was born in 1980. It is mainly a story of the bands themselves, based on various memoirs, interviews, and journalism of the time. It starts with the Karn Evil cruise, where a ship sets out from Miami with 3,000 fans and various musicians, some revivalists, and others from the golden era. This leads Weigel to an entertaining history of what was once one of the most biggest forms of popular music, to becoming one of the most criticised, which at the same time maintained a loyal following and attracted new players and fans along the way.
Like almost any musical or artistic genre, it can almost to dissolve if you think about it too closely. It’s a pretty broad church that can include both ELP and Kevin Ayres, both in musical and commercial terms. And it’s hard to define the dividing line between the progressive acts and others – was Bowie on its fringes when we worked with Fripp and Eno? I also don’t remember anyone at the time being a fan of only Prog – albums by Genesis might be found on a shelf » Continue Reading.
by 18 Comments
Author:Andrew Cartmel
I rarely read fiction these days, but for some reason this popped up in Mr B’s Kindle recommendations and he passed it on to me. The Vinyl Detective can supposedly find any record, not matter how rare, and here he is tasked by a shadowy agent (a gorgeous woman, of course) with tracking down an obscure jazz title from the 1950s by a long-dead pianist. The mystery deepens as a series of grisly murders begins to follow him around, and our hero realises that this is about more than just record collecting.
A gripping detective story of two halves (in fact Side 1 and Side 2), it’s also very funny, with some lovable characters, and some not so lovable. The level of detail aimed at music fans and vinyl geeks should appeal to many here on the Afterword; as well as runout grooves and catalogue numbers there are charity shops, a car boot sale, jazz chat, copious amounts of weed, more charity shops, cats, an LA record store, yet more more charity shops and even a Disco Antistat. Also, be sure to keep some decent coffee in the house, because even if like me you don’t often drink » Continue Reading.
by 2 Comments
What does it sound like?:
The first five Top albums are given a vinyl reissue in this five lp box set, all in their original sleeves too.
This is the band from their roots, in the days before they discovered synthesisers and drum machines, and is all the better for it.
The first album starts off as they meant to carry on, setting out their stall with gritty bluesy rock. It’s reasonable enough as an opening effort, without there really being any particular standouts – Shaking Your Tree and Brown Sugar are maybe the best tracks. A promising debut nevertheless.
The follow up, Rio Grande Mud, followed twelve months later in April 1972. This set refined their formula somewhat into more memorable rhythms, producing a hit US single with Francine, plus live favourite Just Got Paid. The band are still finding their feet – and their sound – though.
The big commercial breakthrough came with their third album, 1973’s Tres Hombres. They’d now settled on a template that was to bring them great success in the ensuing years. If you’re not familiar with this album, check out Jesus Just Left Chicago, La Grange, Waiting For The Bus and » Continue Reading.
Seemingly not. Still, how often do you hear of book signing sessions at off-licences?
by 10 Comments
What does it sound like?:
Santana’s and The Isley’s mutual appreciation goes back a long way. Carlos recalls hearing Twist & Shout on the radio in 1962 and thinking he’d like a piece of that chart action. In the seventies, The Isleys went to see Santana live and were inspired to create the sound of their best album, 3+3. Carlos returned the compliment by covering That Lady. Finally, Ronnie Isley met Carlos and his wife, Cindy, backstage when Santana were opening for Rod Stewart. Carlos rates Ronnie as one of the best vocalists of all time and told him so in gushing terms. Soon, Ronnie was singing on Santana IV and now their collaboration has broadened to include Ernie Isley on rhythm guitar, both Isley wives on backing vocals (Kandy and Tracy), the rest of Santana, including Cindy on drums, Greg Phillinganes on keyboards (a stroke of genius by Ronnie) and a whole album. Carlos produces, arranges and provides the main drive behind the project, yet is generous enough to take second billing to the man who sang the song played for the first dance at his wedding in 2010, The Look Of Love.
The production is lush, multi-layered, » Continue Reading.
by 22 Comments
This from the Observer Gossip Section via the Sunday Times
Neymar’s father asked Paris St-Germain to delay formal negotiations with Barcelona over a £450m deal for his son until after 31 July – the day he earns a £23.3m commission for his part in persuading the 25-year-old forward to sign a new contract last October. (Sunday Times – subscription required)
£23.3 million (million!) for his part in persuading his son to sign a new contract
The footie season starts next Saturday, at least for the Championship and other leagues. Can I be bothered? My team Ipswich rolled over and lost 6-1 (6-1!!) to Charlton in their last pre season match. Can I be bothered ? Probably not.
by 4 Comments
I set my self a challenge of playing a minimum of 3 cd’s every weekend that I haven’t played for a year. This weekend I played Bobby Charles – Last train to Memphis,Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s harvest and Michelle Shocked – Captain swing. Michelle Shocked sounding great – she is an odd one. Seen her live twice – Excellent at one gig and shambolically awful at another. Still love her though.
by 59 Comments
Van’s recent album cover art really is an impressive contribution to his catalogue of shite covers but there are many contenders. So I’ve catalogued some of my personal favourites.
Of course, there are many that are just plain boringly repetitive: the silhouettes- The Man and Back on Top. Are they from the same photo shoot? Nay the same set of album cover possibles even? Then there are the close ups of Van usually sporting a sullen disposition: Into The Music or Keep It Simple. How about the pointlessness of Avalon Sunset? Couldn’t even come up with a clip art sunset! Veedon Fleece , a sublime album but how about them colours. I thought it might be in the style of a 30s postcard but that sounds a bit too clever for George Ivan’s covers.
What about twee ? Oh we’ve got twee. How about Magic Time , two people dancing, a cliched pose in a forest in the dark. Then there is Keep Me Singing with a drawing of a red robin. Geddit, bird’s sing. Gee that was brilliant ,not.
Born To sing, No Plan B perhaps not his worst cover but an appalling title as well really » Continue Reading.
What does it sound like?:
The main album is loosely conceptual – with a theme throughout that all the songs take place at night. It starts with the pulsating ‘For Your Own Good’ – somebody wanting to go out, and concludes with “Footsteps’, where somebody is waiting for their lover/partner to come home. In-between you get a bit of country (‘You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk’), the BBC radiophonic workshop (‘Radiophonic’) and a Kylie duet (‘In Denial). The 2017 remaster brings enhancement – particularly with the new vinyl pressing of the original album. The CD version come with two additional disc of b-sides, PSBs own remixes and demos from the 1996 to 2000 period, highlights include a duet with Elton John and a version of ‘New York City Boy’ called ‘Paris City Boy’, sung entirely in French. ‘Nightlife’ is a fabulous mix of lush strings (the Craig Armstrong produced tracks) and banging beats, produced by either David Morales or Rollo, of Faithless fame. They dressed up for this album, famously with crazy wigs and costumes designed by award-winning theatre designer Ian MacNeil. It wasn’t to everybody’s taste, but I actually think this one of PSBs » Continue Reading.
by 25 Comments
What does it sound like?:
Was it really five years ago that Paul Simon appeared at Hyde Park – where did that time go? Finally, we get this two cd plus dvd set to commemorate the occasion, and damn fine it is too.
The first half of the set combines a selection of his hits, starting off with the sublime Kodachrome and including Dazzling Blue from his then current album So Beautiful Or So What. Perhaps the centrepiece of this first set is four songs performed by and with Jimmy Cliff, although annoyingly while all four appear on the dvd, only two appear on the cd itself. Throw in crackers like 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, Slip Slidin’ Away and Hearts And Bones and you’ve already got the makings of a great show.
However, the highlight of this package for me is the second set, which showcases a performance of the seminal Graceland album, featuring to great effect Ray Phiri, Hugh Masakela and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. A great album majestically performed – I’m sure most know the songs by now, but suffice to say there’s an absolutely great version of Under African Skies included. To be fair » Continue Reading.
