The Specials

For various boring reasons, this review is a week late. Some Historical Context A few weeks ago I told you all how much I disliked reggae. But ska is different to reggae. Ska isn’t one of my favourite musical styles but there can’t be many people who were listening to popular music in the late… Continue reading The Specials

The Velvet Underground and Nico

This week’s classic album is another one that I recommended. It’s The Velvet Underground‘s debut album from 1967. Some Historical Context It feels like I’ve always loved The Velvet Underground but that can’t possibly be true. I think I actually discovered them about thirty years ago. I know that I saw Nico in concert in… Continue reading The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Harder They Come

This week’s “classic album” is Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come – which is actually the soundtrack of a film and therefore contains some songs that aren’t by Jimmy Cliff. Some Historical Context This will be short. I’ve never heard this album before. Oh, I know who Jimmy Cliff is and I recognise a few… Continue reading The Harder They Come

Highway 61 Revisited

Week two in the “listening to classic albums” music club. This week it’s Bob Dylan‘s 1965 album Highway 61 Revisited. Some Historical Context This album was released just before my third birthday so, unlike last week’s album, I have no memory of the album coming out. In fact, I can’t really remember when I first… Continue reading Highway 61 Revisited

A Night at the Opera

I’ve joined a music club on Facebook. It’s a bit like a book club but instead of reading a book you listen to an album. This week we’re supposed to listen to Queen’s A Night at the Opera. Here are my thoughts. Some Historical Context I had this album soon after it came out in… Continue reading A Night at the Opera

Boothill Foot-Tappers

Gather round boys and girls and let Uncle Dave tell you about the Boothill Foot Tappers. It’s the early 1980s and punk rock is pretty much dead. A number of bands are experimenting with combining the spirit and energy of punk with more traditional forms of music. The best-known example is probably the Pogues version… Continue reading Boothill Foot-Tappers

Some Gigs

It’s been a busy few weeks for gigs. I thought you might be interested in a summary of what I’ve seen recently. 9 Oct: The Sixteen Starting with something a bit different. A nice drop of Thomas Tallis (and a few other things) in a local church. The Sixteen are great – but I’m not… Continue reading Some Gigs

Flaming June and Fire Up Mary

Over the last couple of years I’ve been getting back into the habit of seeing live music. But most of the gigs I’ve seen recently have been at relatively large venues. I haven’t been going to places like Wembley Arena, but I’ve seen a lot of gigs at places like the Union Chapel and the… Continue reading Flaming June and Fire Up Mary