The Canterbury lot seemed to have an ongoing contest for silly titles, from Soft Machine’s “Esther’s Nose Job” to Caravan’s “The Dog, The Dog, He’s At It Again”. And the Hatfields, of course, as already noted.

As far as Hatfield and the North titles go, I’ll go with “Fitter Stoke Has a Bath”.

OK, here we go. Once again, it’s been a great year for music, and once again my listening has largely swerved the usual suspects, so, with little hope of many of these making your cut:

1. Lost Crowns – Every […]

Saw Dylan Howe fronting his own jazz quintet several times, and they were terrific. Since then, of course, he’s been a fixture with The Blockheads.

His doubts about the wisdom of splitting the songs across Apple Venus and Wasp Star raise an interesting thought. What would the best song sequence be for a Wasp Apple Venus Star hybrid album? Anybody fancy trying […]

Eh?

For me, there’s too much filler on the album – half the tracks are pretty dreary… BUT: The opening “School” is an absolute stunner, with “Bloody Well Right” completing a terrific opening one-two salvo. Further […]

Great review, Carl. I’d go along with just about all of your comments, particularly those about Dave Lawson’s vocals. They were a frustrating band, on album; even on their purely instrumental tracks there were […]

In retrospect, the lunar landing module looks almost as rickety as… a bicycle!

Oh yes, that “does anyone remember laughter?” is an enthusiasm-killer, right enough. And *ALL* call-and-response makes me feel a gig has suddenly turned into a kiddies’ birthday party. Infantile, crappy padding.

Side 3 of Yes’s TFTO always catches me out. This otherwise groovy jazzy workout is briefly interrupted by probably Jon Anderson’s twee-est recorded moment, when over a delicate acoustic guitar he starts bleating […]

I remember that Steeleye tour with the Mummer’s Play – I think Gryphon were the tour support band. Both bands were ace, though I could have done without the Mummer’s Play, tbh.

I think I’ve posted this info before, but:

The first band I ever saw live on stage was Van der Graaf Generator, at the George Hotel in Walsall. It was 12th December 1971. I was 14 years old; my friend PJ’s d […]

It’s given me one or two headaches in the past, but on the whole this is bad news for me. I use a number of apps which have iTunes integration – prime example being Get iPlayer Automator – that integration […]

Love it when the OP breaks his own rule, straight out of the trap! (6 not 5!)

Odd one, this, since as has been noted, your first few albums ever owned are going to have a major advantage, since they were all […]

Smut, I know, but this one has always made me giggle. https://youtu.be/Dax_tnZRExc

Leaving aside questions of musical taste, or of Major-League names vs. lesser artists, I’d say the only way to gauge whether or not a festival has “run its course” is by examining ticket demand. Since this year’ […]

I was never a fan of “The Blues”, yet I adored Rory. Saw him many times in Brum and Wolvo, and it was always a great night. One night (at Brum Town Hall, I think), his band had been delayed, so he played a few num […]

Brown, obvs. Though if we’re playing hardball, it’s a layer of fried tomatoes, doused with chilli sauce, sausages on top, then a dollop of brown sauce. Lovely.

Who’s Next