I shall have to investigate. I’ve been meaning to buy a watch to celebrate / mourn hitting 60 and I’ve always liked the idea of an Omega Speedmaster (the Moon watch). But they look a bit dull in reality. There are […]

For some reason many of the shoe makers I like have either gone out of business or no longer sell their wares over here. I’m not too eager to buy shoes online – I can’t face the faff of sending stuff back umpteen […]

I have several watches ranging from a lovely, simple Seiko automatic that I’ve had since I was around 12 to a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Duo. Never serviced, the Seiko runs faultlessly and accurately. The JLC is […]

I forgot Villagers at the Roundhouse. So that makes six gigs since August, which may be more than I averaged in the Old Normal.

Five for me (so far): Caribou at that permanent fairground venue (Pleasureland?) in Margate back in August. The Manics in Brighton, then three in a week: London Grammar, The Darkness (not quite firing on all six, […]

I agree. Great to see the rehearsals with Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, Jan Garbarek and so on as well as footage from his early career. I remember a South Bank Show from the early 80s that introduced me to his […]

Even newer is “Spanish Model”, a remake of “This Year’s Model” but with Spanish language singers handling the vocals. It’s great and has barely been off the stereogram for the last few weeks. The Attractions’ […]

Maybe it’s a simple case of turning up the volume, but most of these bands sounded extremely weedy to me then and now, all trebly guitars and no bottom end. Not very heavy at all.

I have that on vinyl. I remember it being a bit crackly, though, even on my Linn Sondek. Can I now cash it in and retire?

You’re right! I’ve had it on all afternoon. Great songs, interesting lyrics and I love his voice.

Philip K Wrigley – son of the company’s founder. No idea what the K stood for. I rather like the idea of being immortalised (or maybe not entirely immortalised…) in a food (kind of) product.

Yes, the endless trudging through the Steppes can be a tough sell to the lads, but the ones who haven’t left / lapsed into unconsciousness / confiscated the remote from me perk up for the raid on Vladimir and the […]

1 – Bonnie and Clyde – 1967
2 – Lamerica – 1994
3 – Heat – 1995
4 – Andrei Rublev – 1966
5 – Live Flesh / Carne Tremula – 1997
6 – Calvary – 2014
7 – Senna – 2010
8 – Three Colours: Red – 1994
9 – The […]

It’s a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod World

An excellent list, with one exception. I went to a screening of “Life is Beautiful” at whatever London Film Festival it first showed at. Having endured Mr Benigni in “Johnny Stecchino”, I had intended to avoid him […]

Me too. I wish they would come up with some new material.

1 – If you Wait – London Grammar
2 – Lost in the Dream – The War on Drugs
3 – De-Loused in the Comatorium – The Mars Volta
4 – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco
5 – The Civil Wars – The Civil Wars
6 – Queen of […]

Baerwald’s 1990 album Bedtime Stories is also worth investigating, although the Larry Klein production is quite dated. With David Ricketts – the other David – he was heavily involved in Sheryl Crow’s breakthrough […]

1 – Grace – Jeff Buckley
2 – Boom Town – David and David
3 – Soro – Salif Keita
4 – The Colour of Spring – Talk Talk
5 – Maria McKee – Maria McKee
6 – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan
7 – New Gold […]

28. The Scream, Siouxsie and the Banshees?