Home James…
…and don’t spare the horses.
Yes, we are back. What an enormous relief, I hear you all cry. How did you ever get by without me. Well before I get back to my usual crisp, clear and perfectly formed blog posting* I have some bits and bobs to round up, so this will be a bit of an all-over-the-place post.
Christmas lists:
Yeah, I’ll probably be making at least one. Top 20 albums perhaps, but not much more than that because I just can’t quite be arsed. A lot of people are making Festive 50 lists in honour of the great John Peel, but I am not sure I could face it. The avalanche of new songs in 2007 reduced to fifty? I doubt I could whittle them down, but I may yet have a go.
The Contrast Podcast is doing one, and listeners and participants are invited to take part. It’s a great project, so if you don’t know what I’m talking about then bugger off and have a listen. Just email Tim your top five songs of the year, in order, by November 27th and you’ll be counted. The whole lot will come out as a series of podcasts over the Christmas period, which sounds rather jolly. Details on participating can be found at the bottom of this post.
Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit – Leftovers
The Waiting Room will also be doing a big old Christmas Special, with special listener requests. It doesn’t have to be at all related to Christmas, so if there’s something in particular you’d like to hear then leave a comment on the site or email DC direct and let him know. My vote was for No Christmas in Kentucky by Phil Ochs which, if you know it, is a relentlessly depressing song about poor people not being able to afford the sort of stuff everyone else takes for granted at Christmas time, and just how bleak Christmas must be if you are living in poverty and abandoned by your nation. I couldn’t find an mp3 though, so the festive spirit has been given a temporary reprieve.
Decoration – Only a Plague Can Stop Us Now
Other Shit:
Mike at Manic Pop Thrills reckons we should try and engineer a Christmas #1 for Malcolm Middleton in the UK charts. Given that the song in question is entitled We Are All Going to Die, I think you’ll agree that there could be no better choice. Given that the likely winner is some ratty old transvestite from The X-Factor, I think we owe it to ourselves as a community to get Malky in there if at all possible. Help save Christmas for the misanthropes! ‘We’re All Going To Die’ gets a digital only release on 17th December and I’m not sure where to buy it just now, so I’ll try and remind you all closer to the time.
Blogfresh Radio has been scraping the bottom of the barrel once more and invited me to talk about Found, one of last week’s reviews. Click here for the appropriate episode.
The Sequins – Treehouses
The Daily Growl – or Tim, as he’s known to his mates – took me on a pilgrimage to the new Rough Trade record shop when I was down in London, where I spent almost a hundred quid on vinyl. What a moron. And before you ask, no I can’t afford it – not anything like. Still, I have accumulated enough singles recently that record companies have sent me as promos that I figured I might as well give in and buy a record player. Some fifteen years after they became obsolete. Genius.
Phil Ochs – Talking Cuban Crisis
*Anyone sniggering at this is barred.
Ach, it was a pleasure. But does spending a hundred squids on vinyl make you a moron? Nah, you’re my hero now. That’s the sort of extravagance I aspire to, but never quite have the courage to do…
You can always buy one of them new USP record decks what plays through your computah, like, & you can turn your favourite grooves into MP3s. Only about 160€uros for a cheap one, apparently.
I am thinking that is exactly what I might do. Although I have a splendid old 70s Technics amp and there is a definite appeal to the idea of wiring up a turntable separately, with a pair of big old speakers, and treating it with a little more respect.
I’ll change my mind the minute I want to post an obscure b-side though, of course.
Whaddya mean, obsolete, toad? hell, if I could give out free flexis instead of mp3s I would… : ))
Imagine – a music blog that sent a free 7″ to everyone who clicked on a song link!
I recently spent £45 on a single record .. so don’t feel bad .. and no, I can’t afford it either. Be careful, it’s a slippery slope.
Thanks for the plug for the CP Festive 50 too. All lists before next Tuesday will be intergrated into the grand scheme of things. Will you be sending a list Mr T.?
£45?? Christ, did the cashier throw in a swift one off the wrist in the store cupboard as well?
I would like to send in a list very much, but buggered if I think I’ll be able to do it. It will end up being really rather arbitrary I fear.
oh yes… forgot to say… ta again for the second shout out in as many posts for the Chrimble Spesh. We’re getting some, err, interesting choices. Whether I actually have the will to go find some of the, err, things a number of people are asking for remains to be seen. Moral: never give your email address out on radio, no matter how scattered you think the demographic is.
Anyhoo, side note: on this evening’s show/tomorrow’s podcast (is that replacing the old “today’s new’s/tomorrow’s fish & chips wrapper” standard?) i will be joined throughout by the other half of Drunk Country. Expect chaos & swearing. & a terrible mic hiss as the mixer’s up the shitter.
DC
So not much change then?
Swearing. Tsk tsk.
Me-fucking-ow.