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Cryptic Album titles ‘23

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About three years ago there was a very entertaining thread of cryptic crossword clues that revealed the titles of albums, once you worked it out.

You don’t need money to have a little bit of fun. So shall we do it again? (4,3,1,6)

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  13. Can I be the first to say that with all cryptic crosswords, when faced with questions like those above I simply have no idea about the answer, but when somebody reveals it, I go, “Of COURSE it is!” and question my own intelligence for not seeing it.

    I could have sat here for a very, very long time before I figured out Liege and Lief or Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake. I’m afraid my aged brain works in a very simple, straightforward way. But, if I’m in a quiz where the questions start “What was the name of…” or “Who had a hit with…”, I’ll have a fair chance of taking home the silverware.

    Brains, eh? What *are* they like?!

    • Naturally some general knowledge and smarts help, but it’s a skill that can be learned. To take Liege and Lief as the example, as an experienced crossword solver I immediately noticed ‘upset’ as a likely indicator of an anagram. To a solver who had never heard of L&L that might not be a lot of help, especially as they are uncommon words, but I had, and the additional knowledge that Hubes was the setter meant the answer occurred to me me in as long as it took to read the clue.

      • And with my entry (Suburban Shade – Darkness on the Edge of Town) I imagine you associated “suburban” with the Gothic black Chevrolet Suburban vehicles which are commonly used by federal intelligence services, such as the Secret Service, and thereby thought of “Darkness”. And then you probably recognised that “shade” is, in fact, an anagram of Hades, the Greek god of the dead and the king of the underworld, which would have led you to “Edge of Town”. Had Black Celebration not beaten you to it.

      • Indeed @Gatz I wonder if I’d just put ‘loyal and ready’ you’d have got it.
        Yes it can be learned a friend could rattle through a cryptic crossword with astonishing speed, I started on cryptics during lockdown still slow but getting there.

    • Used to enjoy the NME* and Melody Maker crosswords, and then later the Mojo and Uncut* ones. Cryptic clues are baffling until you get used to the compiler’s style, which takes some time and effort.

      *Both crosswords compiled by Trevor Hungerford.

  42. Having never knowingly done a crossword, this is the most incomprehensible thread ever. Wouldn’t have got a single one! Seeing behind the curtain a bit is good though. It’s clever. And confusing. I can’t even get some of them when the answer is given…

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