Musings on the byways of popular culture
Derek Trucks is on Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast this Thursday. Seeing as Marc’s a bit of a guitar geek it should be good. I get his newsletter email each week where he posts selfies with his latest guests. Derek’s beard is getting rather wizardish these days.
by 4 Comments
I suspect this one might be suited to @duc01 but I could be wrong. Heard a rather splendid track from a recently released live album of this trumpeter. Don’t know anything about him other than what I have read since hearing that track. Amazon shows a fair number of albums, some of which are apparently hard to find. Can anyone make any recommendations?
by 57 Comments
Talk of redundancies all over social media. Not clear to me whether all the titles have been closed, but infer3nce is that they might have been. Anyone about to renew a sub might want to check afore doing so.
by 72 Comments
As a child of the seventies the DC5 have hardly entered my musical consciousness – except of course Bits and Pieces, Catch Us If You Can and Glad All Over – and apparently many other singles. I watched the quite-frankly gob-stopping BBC4 doc broadcast last weekend. Jaw dropping in its hagiography – which was fairly engaging while we were in the sixties and on the Ed Sullivan Show, completely risible when spending 30 minutes discussing Time: the Musical as if it were the natural successor to West Side Story (only with an important message for humanity thrown in). Bruce, Stevie, Paul – all of the contributors were First Name Only Needed people, and if they didn’t quite look as traumatised as Johnny Depp in that Australian borders video, looked as if they had been heavily leant on by the producer (ah – who is it? One DC) to position the DC5 as at the right hand of the Beatles. We also very much enjoyed Tom Hanks giving a three-hankie performance on their induction into the rock and roll Hall of Fame.
So…5 mins on Wikipedia reveals that DC controlled the master tapes for their music only leasing them to the » Continue Reading.
by 7 Comments
This poll is for your favourite re-issues of 2016. The rules are simple; you can vote for up to 10 of your choices which must be pre-2016. Example Kate Bush`s `Before The Dawn` qualifies as does Dylan`s `66 re-issues. Scoring is simple 10 points for your first choice down to 1 for your tenth choice. If you select less than 10 your first choice gets 10, second choice 9 and so on. Any disagreements will no doubt be settled in the usual AW way, which is as we all know, b@ll@cks.
Polling ends Saturday December 31st at 23.59. Admin could you keep this Blog near the top of the page please.
by 50 Comments
I got zero out of ten. You?
by 8 Comments
Any new discoveries while trawling through the picks?
That Quantic album really is very good. I put it on for a listen last night… first few bars, hmmm, am I in the mood for this? Ten minutes later the housework had become a submlime skankathon. Love it. Ska and dancehall meets 80s student union reggae. Wonderful suff and looking forward to a few more discoveries.
by 12 Comments
For some reason, the new Paul Simon has missed my attention until I saw it nominated by so many people in their 2016 best ofs.
Just played it and this track stood out. I love the overlay of his strong melody with the,now trademark, under bubbling rhythm.
by 28 Comments
I’m in a small pub (I know – get me!) watching a band prepare for a gig (roadie’s PIN number of 1212 has had a regular outing). I reckon I’ve already heard, through their rehearsing, some of their ‘best bits’. They seem to be an Americana / alt country type of outfit and therefore would be fine playing unplugged in such a small venue. Yet they have a guy with an iPad monitoring their every sonic nuance as if they were the Stones about to play Wembley.
I’ve witnessed this phenomenon quite a bit recently – covers bands only appearing on stage after 10pm for example. I mean Jesus H Christ..*
*not the band’s name but an expression of exasperation 😉
by 30 Comments
What’s the best thing you have listened to in 2016 that wasn’t released in 2016?
by 70 Comments
Here’s three for a kick-off:
“If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all”
“I was looking for a job and then I found a job, and heaven knows I’m miserable now”
“I’m so tired, I’ll have another cigarette, and curse Sir Walter Raleigh – he was such a stupid get”
by 1 Comment
I just saw this on Facebook. Toe curling in some parts but hugely enjoyable in others. 1985 eh? “
Rory Gallagher fans should skip to the end. “Once this hi-tech synthesizer carry on cools down a bit” …..
There’s a special Xmas bonus point for those of us who recognise Barry Martin from his (then) day job. No mention of the harmonica player at the end. Mark Felton maybe?
by 18 Comments
Following the farce of Scotland playing in pink at Wembley, I’m watching City v Arsenal at the moment and Arsenal are in yellow. Since when were sky blue and red similar colours?
by 13 Comments
16 years gone and it never feels fair or right that someone so full of life should not be here for longer
https://youtu.be/UyR-1RijX1k
by 4 Comments
What does it sound like?:
Like a Del Amitri album. No wait, come back, because it’s better than that. New life breathed into songs so familiar for a fantastic cause. Justin Curries gift as a songwriter and lyricist is brought into even sharper focus by new arrangements and vocals. Who knew these songs could so suit a female voice. “Whiskey Remorse” by Naomi Bedford becomes a folk tour de force, just gorgeous. “Sleep Instead Of Teardrops” by Frances Thorburn becomes something completely different and more emotional and that’s saying something if you know the original. The changes to “Not Where It’s At” and “Last to Know” actually make you wonder if the original just got it all wrong. A spoken word “Nothing Ever Happens” opens and s faithful jangly version by Travis ends the covers in between I cried 4 times, gasped several more and loved it to bits. Some bloke called Percy Darlinghurst finishes it all off and he must be very proud of what’s gone before. A glorious, uplifting, heart breaking album for a a group of glorious, uplifting, heart breaking people. Buy it, enjoy it, feel good about it, what more do you need this time » Continue Reading.
by 39 Comments
All the way through to Christmas eve now…….
https://theafterword.co.uk/my-nan-in-laws-record-collection-or-an-afterword-advent-part-2/
by 11 Comments
Any tourist from Canterbury, Dover or Rochester, visiting Stockholm and chancing to walk through Medborgarplatsen (Citizen Square) yesterday afternoon would have had a very bizarre experience.
As they entered the square, a black-clad Goth girl would have offered them a black paper flag with the word Kent on it. They would then have walked into a crowd of young people, some dressed as zombies, many crying, gathered around a large black banner bearing the name of their home county. There was even a dog. looking rather down in the mouth, with a Kent banner on his doggy jacket. If they’d asked, they’d have been told: “This is it. The end of Kent. The very last day! Would you like to join our Kent funeral procession?”
Yikes! Time to ring home and find out what in heaven’s name has been happening?
No need to panic Kentish maids and Men of Kent!
As some of the AW know, Kent is the name of an Eskiltuna band who played the final date of their farewell tour yesterday. Founded in 1990, they announced that they were throwing in the towel earlier in the year by means of a spooky YouTube video. The news rapidly » Continue Reading.
by 3 Comments
Susan slept here. Definitely a Hollywood writers writer of a movie. Lots of in jokes that are really funny and some great lines. ” I thought you quit drinking?” ” I only say that when I’m loaded “
2016 has been a pretty shoddy year for celebrities passing on but as we get older I suppose thats only to be expected as the people we grew up with age alongside us. I was shocked by Bowies passing, unexpected, start of the year and all that but not upset. I think Marc Bolan was the first of my heroes to die but I was too young to feel anything, life is for living, punk was exploding, exciting times. I was off on an early holiday to Greece, copy of Mojo to hand for the plane journey and flicking through it noticed that Frank Tovey had died. I welled up, I didnt know why. Frank aka Fad Gadget died on 3rd April 2002, he was 45. He left a wife and two children. I wasn`t a massive fan, never saw him live, had some but not all of his output, so why did it upset me so much? In a pre Twitter/Facebook world I found out about his death a month after it had happened. He had sort of retired from music, with a brief reappearance to support Depeche Mode, good old Frank I remember thinking but I still didnt » Continue Reading.
Apologies if this has been done already and I’ve missed it, but I thought I’d post my gigs of the year and invite others to do the same.
I’ve been to more live shows in 2016 than I have in some time – 40-plus – though a quick run through of my diary reveals my old fart tendencies.
1 – Edwyn Collins, The Roundhouse, January 29. Front row seats for my of my favourite artists, and we spent a couple of hours after the show with him and got Paul Cook’s setlist signed by everyone on stage. One of the highlights of my musical life.
2 – Lloyd Cole and the Leopards, Brooklyn Bowl, August 19. London’s worst venue, but a rare chance to see Lloyd do some old and I loved every minute. I bought a CD of the show and was delighted that my calculated shot at getting on the recording had worked. It’s the CD I’ve played the most this year, the man deserves more recognition. The Union Chapel acoustic show was just as good.
3 – Billy Childish and the CTMF, The Lexington, May 21. I’ve seen Billy do his R ‘n’ B thing dozens » Continue Reading.
by 33 Comments
Sleigh bells ring – are you listening? Its a beautiful sight and s(n)o(w) on…..
I am not the Grinch who hates Christmas or the spectre at that feast but I feel the need to do a PSA about this time of year. It’s hard.
Whether its the pressure of the season to be jolly or the endless images advertising the perfect Christmas of Mr & Mrs Smugbastard and their drooling offspring this is a really tough time for many people. Some of who you may know very well or might actually be. It could be SAD, the decreased daylight hours, the cold snap and it could just be that what ails you all year round seems particularly intense in winter
I had the cause to call The Samaritans helpline three times this week – although I could have been more if I had been braver – after feeling myself spinning out of control. After what felt like hours sobbing in a heap, wracked with pain and loneliness at my depressive state I needed to talk to someone. It really didn’t matter who. I didn’t choose a friend not because they would not be of help or comfort but because I » Continue Reading.
by 16 Comments
Author:Daniel Lanois
I bought this book second hand on a whim as Lanois had produced a few albums I really liked. Part way in I was ready to ditch it. He came across as a nerdy rebel, chronicling his life in a fairly perfunctory way. However, my opinion changed as I read on.
As you’d expect, there is a lot of techno talk about different types of gadgetry, the importance of the feel and establishing the groove ahead of everything else. Surprisingly, there is very little on the making of his own records or writing his own songs – you’d think The Maker at least would get a few paras. Personal life gets short shrift too. He acknowledges he is an eccentric, that like his father he is always moving on, and life with him can be difficult. But, when he suddenly shut down his massive New Orleans set up and sold all his motorbikes and moved to Mexico, he simply describes the motivation as “for personal reasons”. Personal reasons- this is an autobiography isn’t it? A motorbike accident that nearly killled him gets no mention. Partners, wives, children, if he has them, go unmentioned.
Some albums such as Emmylou’s » Continue Reading.
I ask you this every December (I think this is the 8th year I’ve asked, blimey). Did you have a good year? Globally, we can probably agree that it’s been an unprecedented stinker. But personally? I’d love to know. I’ll tell you about my year in the comments.
Hannah x
by 9 Comments
Just popped in here for my morning dose of popular culture trivia to discover a series of ten or so posts in a variety of different languages (arabic may be one) that seem to be offering jewelry and other items for sale.
Good luck Admins in clearing up that mess.
I suspect that this kind of thing happens a lot on the internet. A popular site gets bombarded by bogus posts generated by a computer.
I hope this is a one off.
And also hope that the rogue computer did not try to post some bogus posts for the Best Albums of 2016. Is nothing sacred to these bloody hackers?
by 24 Comments
I should know this but don’t.
I’ve got a few cassette’s I want to digitise. I have a high end cassette player and apple mac and a macbook air and a hi fi system.
Can I achieve what I want with items?
thanks
