The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

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Get your harpsichord on

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For the past few years I have been enjoying more pop from the outskirts of the 60s. The bits that don’t sound sound like the Beatles or Stones, basically, when musicians let rip with harpsichords, celestes and lots of delightful picked bass. I also wished I had more of the Broadcast and Stereolab songs I liked in the one place. There was nothing for it but another high-concept playlist composed of exotic 60s pop and the artists who love it. Below is a first draft. I feel sure the massive can recommend more artists from both eras. I don’t want to get involved in “that’s not exotica, it’s west coast psych”; let’s think of how best this can all knit together. If there is a deficit, I’d say it’s on the 60s side. But I want an equal split, 60;s and contemporary-ish. Enjoy.

Dear God!

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The weekly posting from The World’s Worst Records blog arrived today. I was shocked. How could he lump XTC, Todd Rundgren and the delightful track Dear God in with his usual “audio atrocities”. I am a big fan of the blog, the author and the two books he has written. He must be mistaken.

Relax dear reader. This version is the one recorded by Todd for his LP (Re)Productions, a collection of tracks he produced for other artists. The conflict he had with XTC during the sessions for Skylarking are well documented and are worth reading about on the blog. In the meantime I am going to search out more of Todd’s versions to see how bad they really are.

http://worldsworstrecords.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/dear-god.html

Star Trek Quiz

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Just for fun. Can you name the rock star who plays the Antedean dignitary in the photo? That’s him on the right in the purple doodad. I expect a correct answer by the time I awake in the morning. No cheating or googling and have a cup of tea ready. Thank you.

https://flic.kr/p/BtMH7T

How do you co-write a song?

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Here is an example of a song from Greg lake’s first solo LP, co-written with someone you would not expect to be associated with the Prog warbler. They did not actually sit in a room together to write the song. Here is what Greg says.

“I wanted to do a ???????? song on an album because I respect him a lot as a writer and as a performer, and I had a friend who used to be his tour manager. I didn’t want to do one of the regular songs of his that people cover. I wanted to see if I could get something unusual to sing, maybe something that he had not released. He gave me a half-finished song, and he said, ‘If you can finish it, then that might be the best solution,’ so that’s what happened.”

Guess the ???????? No cheating. The prize for the first correct answer is a copy of my forthcoming Green Christmas CD. Second prize? 2 copies….

Trick Or Treat Tunes

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Can you suggest any tunes for scaring away the anti-social vandals, I mean trick or treaters, tomorrow night? I fancy keeping this full tub of Swizzels assortment to myself, washed down with Hobgoblin’s Black Wych Porter. Yummy!

Know Your Car Warning Lights

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Another post in my occasional series of Educating Afterworders.

Thank me later (or not at all. I don’t care. I’m only human y’know. I don’t have to do this. There are charity shops out there I have not visited yet and some I have not been to in a few weeks. They could be bursting at the seams with new stock of marvellous LPs, Okay some will be scratched to high blazes and I will have to, sadly, leave them there but at least I tried to liberate them. What have YOU ever done to save the planet from wasteful record buyers? Eh? Eh?)

https://flic.kr/p/vcy1ZW

It’s A Tragedy

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The first ever post I made on the old Word blog was a video by the band Tragedy – a heavy metal tribute to the Bee Gees. Their CD is fab and plainly bonkers. I thought the band had split up but then today I spy this video on Facebook. Then I read they are touring the UK and they are blooming playing Manchester on Sunday! ARE YOU WITH ME BOYS AND GIRLS??

The HSBC Song

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This track is from a 1966 special star cast recording, featuring Jon Pertwee as Fagin.

Why should we break our backs Stupidly paying tax Better get some untaxed income Better pick a pocket or two

Trivia

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If you search for Gobshite on Google Maps it takes you to Edge Hill University. I was told at the weekend it directed you to Anfield.

Hundreds* of you demanded another track from Father Francis that I decided to let you have this one. It’s the way I groove.

*Nobody at all