My take on HOTH is that it marked an unwelcome move towards prog rock; long songs, arbitrary changes in time signatures, songs written in segments, pretentious lyrics etc.

The first 4 great albums were made by […]

I’ve got an original UK mono Box. It is a thing of beauty. As well as the actual rekirds it includes an orange folder containing 10 A4 prints of lyrics and illustrations, each printed on a different pastel […]

Excellent letter Colin. I agree with every word.

We watched and enjoyed this; cheerfully donating 20 quid to a good cause. We’ve seen Martin, Norma and Eliza many times over the years and they’re always great.

It’s been a very good year for re-issues; less so for new music IMO.

1) Jackie Leven – Straight out of Caledonia
2) Can – Live In Stuttgart 1975
3) Neil Young – Down in the Rust Bucket

@Moose The Mooche It was a free ticket. I saw both bands in their heyday and enjoyed them a lot back then. This time they were both quite enjoyable and everything but it struck me quite forcibly that they never […]

I wrote my previous post after returning from the same show. I found it too precise and polished for my taste though the Plant Talk was as good as ever. I guess I expected it to be more folkie if you like. I Bid […]

Got out to a few:
Moseley Folk (Waterboys and Richard Hawley both very good indeed.)
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – fine show
Saving Grace (Robert Plant) – good
Stray and the Groundhogs – dated
Van Morrison – […]

What terrible news. Condolences to family, friends and fans.

I have been enjoying Big, Big Train for 4 or 5 years now. I have my car player set to play random selections from an SD Card. It played a track from […]

Sad news. Rest in peace.

Mick Rock actually took a picture of me once. Well, he was aiming at David Bowie in the foreground, but he managed to squeeze me in the background. It was in Croydon in 1973.

Anyway, […]

Laura is truly great, but she can be difficult to get into somehow. I think it’s the astonishing dynamic range. Think Jeff Buckley’s Grace album: goes from very quiet to very loud in a heartbeat, usually in mid […]

No. It is a pressing fault though, just not the one you describe. I’ve had it on 2 rekirds, both times on the last track on a side. It’s a sudden drop in sound quality. Can also be accompanied by hiss.

I saw this on a big screen and was slightlly disappointed. I’m a big fan of the books and enjoyed the David Lynch film quite a lot. I think my expectations were too high.

This is a faithful replication of the […]

What a great interview. Thanks so much.

My Headmaster looked at me in Assembly one day and said, “Are you going to get your hair cut Robin?”

I replied, “No thank you Sir.”

Never heard another word.

Noted @BarryBlue. Thanks.

Thanks for correcting my spelling @duco01 .

I forgot to mention Twin Peaks: The Return. I found this both deeply absorbing and puzzling in equal measure. Brilliantly entertaining though. Watched it 3 times now […]

I should preface this by saying that I’m not much of a TV watcher; I prefer listening to music. My wife likes TV though, so I often end up seeing stuff just to keep her company. Anyway, here’s a few thoughts on […]

It is a fine album. The weakest song for me is the title track. It’s the title that’s wrong: pray just what is a “time passage” exactly? I get similarly annoyed by the Grateful Dead’s “Terrapin Station”. […]