Ah yes, the Famous Charisma Label, owned and run by the legendary Tony Stratton-Smith (known as “Strat”). Sadly, he had problems with alcohol and died young. I like this tribute to the man:

“The after-party [of […]

R.E.M.’s Nightswimming. Strings arranged by John Paul Jones out of Led Zeppelin. They come in at about 1:10. Nice.

For European non-mainstream jazz, you can certainly add the Swiss HatHut label, founded 44 years ago by Werner X. Uehlinger. Its catalogue contains an absolute wealth of the most radical and far-out honking and skronking.

1. I thought I was the only person in the world who’d seen and loved David Simon’s brilliant Show Me A Hero, but the fact that it makes no. 63 in the Guardian’s list suggests that I’m not.

2. Six Feet Under […]

Re: Rhode Island,
Obviously, Rhode Island is a state, and I was wondering whether there is an island that’s actually called Rhode Island.
(Googles for a bit)
It turns out that one of the islands in the state […]

I sometimes get the Lost Prophets muddled up with the Last Poets …

Has anyone mentioned the trousers that Gene’s wearing on the back cover of “No Other”?
They are … quite extraordinary.

Re: “I do enjoy the discussion about the quality of songs, George v Paul.”

Paul comments on the newly unearthed tape: “I thought until this album [i.e. Abbey Road] that George’s songs weren’t that good, […]

Well, there’s one island that I’m surprised no one’s mentioned yet, and that, of course, is the “Isle of Greece”. I refer you to Charlene’s memorable pop ditty and huge No.1 hit “I’ve Never Been to me”:

“Oh […]

I was interested to read that England full-back and European Footballer of the Year Lucy Bronze actually grew up on Lindisfarne.

I saw Q-Tips once, in Manchester, in about … 1981-82-ish? I can remember a couple of things about the gig:

1. I was rather well refreshed.
2. Q-Tips were suprisingly good.

Yes, good call on Das Leben der Anderen. Great film.

Yeah – it quickly gets better, as Roy Andersson’s “Du levande” (“You, the Living”) sneaks in there at no. 93 on the list.
I bumped into the great Swedish auteur in an Indian restaurant in Stockholm a few weeks […]

Oooh – I see that your favourite is there at no. 37 on the Guardian’s list, Lodey.

Re: “The Revenant”

Did you accidentally mention the same film twice, or are there two separate films entitled “The Revenant” that you would like to have seen in the Guardian’s list?

Hmmm … only £55 for the 20-disc Kathryn Williams “Anthology” box set. That’s a reasonably fair price, I’d say.

Wasn’t sure about that Weyes Blood album at first. But it’s really growing on me now.

Yeah, I think that Boris Johnson would’ve struggled against Michael Holding on the bone-dry Old Trafford pitch.

Ystradfellte in the soutwestern part of the Brecon Beacons is quite a nice area. At least it was 30 years ago, when I last visited it …

I only have 2 Gene Clark albums:

No Other
Here Tonight: The White Light Demos

They’re both very good.

What else from the Clark catalogue do I need?