Music

As part of the ongoing vinyl replacement program, I finally bought ‘Unknown Pleasures’, ‘Closer’ and ‘Still’ today. 25 years on - ‘New Dawn Fades’, ‘She’s Lost Control’ et al still sound absolutely fantastic.

Doug Burns has a new job and is spending some time in Canada, hugging his new colleagues. Like most roving consultants holed up in lonely, bland, nondescript hotel rooms with only an ironing board, TV and mini-bar for company (oh sorry that’s me not Doug), Doug’s thoughts inevitably starts to turn to loved ones back at home (including his cuddly toys and music collection). Fed up with the banality of Radio Ottawa, Doug recently pleaded for suggestions and recommendations for new music....

Dave Grohl’s tribute to Kurt.

Over Christmas, I was drying dishes, desperately trying to avoid conversation or being dragged into a impromptu board game. From upstairs, I heard a strange sound; the (discordant) opening chords to ‘Smoke On The Water’ by Deep Purple. Repeatedly. Nothing too surprising there as my 12 year old nephew had been given an electric guitar for Christmas. I asked him who had taught him the three chords and he answered ‘Norman Junior’....

Absolutely nobody writes in to ask: ‘Norman - what fabulous, chart topping, pop-tastic long playing records are on your Christmas list this Yuletide ?’ Snow Patrol - Eyes Open Pleasant enough. Why change a winning formula ? (see also R.E.M). Minor obsession with open and shut (Eyes Open, Open Your Eyes, Hands Open, Shut Your Eyes) and a nice contribution from Kate Bush Martha Wainwright on ‘Set The Fire To The Third Bar’....

Here is a series of email exchanges I had with Mark Burgess in late 1998. I converted the original text to HTML and corrected a couple of minor typos. I’m a great fan of The Chameleons and recently was sad enough to transcribe a few quotes from bootlegs and put them on the Web. Interesting, I’ll check it out next time I’m online. Were you a big fan of The Fall ?...

BBC2 Friday night. A repeat but memorable for some great footage, interviews and these two quotes from Mark E. Smith John Walters wrote me a letter and said, you know, ‘you are the worst group I’ve ever seen in the [laughs] in the history of mankind’ [laughs]. He was good like that, John Walters was. You ever meet him? No, he was f**king fantastic. He said, ‘you were the worst, tuneless, rubbish I’ve ever heard’, you know, ’even worse than Siouxsie and the Banshees’....

Thoroughly enjoying ' Margave of the Marshes' and pleased to see The Chameleons get a mention: For David Fielding of The Chameleons, that meant loitering outside Broadcasting House in order to press their tape directly into John’s paw. In the case of The Chameleons, John thought he was the victim of a practical joke after listening to their demo: the recording was so accomplished that he suspected he had been given a cassette of an established band....

The Killers are in the UK to promote ‘Sam’s Town’ and their new facial hair. The band made an appearance on Jonathan Ross’ show playing the single ‘When You Were Young’ and ‘All These Things I’ve Done’. Radio 1 also had a 2 hour feature including interviews and a concert from Blackpool Empress Ballroom recorded on Friday 8 September. Irritatingly, the BBC haven’t grasped podcasts yet and the concert includes some of the following songs but not necessarily in this order....

Last night the book club met again after the summer recess. Rosemary Barnstormworth suggested an interesting tome titled ‘Margrave of the Marshes’. This is John Peel’s partly completed autobiography which was completed by his family after his untimely death. I really think I am going to enjoy this one. For example, in the foreword, his children describe a list of potential titles How’s Your Flow ? Wet Echo Flying Cream Shoes Goatman Codds If He Ever Hits Puberty Buckskins and Buggery The Wotters Won The Race A History of the Iodine Trade 1847-1902 An ABC of High-Jumping The Questing of Stempel Garamond: How He Overcame The Gelks and Punished The Dwellers with the Well Jesus Wasn’t Made of Fish I have already laughed out loud more then once although I find some of the sentences long and rambling....