Modern Technology...

Ain't it brilliant?

I'm sat here at my computer with 49.5 days worth of music on my hard drive. And it's still not complete - there are still more CDs to rip.
And do you know what the best thing about this is? I can kick the thing into random and I can sit here and listen to a bewilderingly wide range of genres at any time I like.

Well, I can, just as long as my darling wife doesn't do something to the computer that makes it think that all my music is now stored in a different drive. And meantime, my media player is looking for 18,590 tracks that have just upped and disappeared from the drive I told it to find everything.

So, instead of sitting here and listening to my music while typing out a nice blog, I've spent the last couple of hours waiting while all the old, defunct track links were deleted and then had strong words with both it and my wife as to where and when and how to find my music.
And then checking through it manually to make sure none of the data was corrupted in any way. I'll tell ye what though... some interesting album artwork cross-overs going on...

Apologies and a recommendation

Yeah - sorry about the delay. Just got caught up in a few things.

Anyway - here's a little bit of music I want to point your way. I like a lot of music; a sentence that rings true on so many levels. However, one of the genres that particularly floats my boat is the Blues. Specifically, Delta Blues and slide guitar - although Chicago Blues comes pretty close.
The thing is, living in Eastbourne (UK) means that I am blessed with a certain outfit that occasionally takes a turn in the town centre. This band, a three-piece by the name of Red Jackson, never fail to make me stop and enjoy their skill as I'm passing.


They have just released their second album on CD (just £10 including postal delivery, folks!), and it's another wonderful slice of covers and original tracks. If you're into Blues at all, then you're going to love these guys (and yes, that IS an upright bass in the picture.)

For the official Red Jackson website click here.

Record Breakers (part 1)

This is the first in an occasional series in which I induct various acts, tracks (or whatever) into a nonsensical 'Guinness' Book of Records.


HEAVIEST PERIOD
Leona Lewis - Bleeding love for most of the year and still going strong.

LONGEST GAME OF 'HIDE AND SEEK'
Bono - he still hasn't found what he's looking for, after two decades of trying.

LARGEST LUNGS IN THE WORLD (AND POSSIBLY THE UNIVERSE)
Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown - considering there's apparently no air, they don't half on, don't hey?

That's it for now. More when I think of them

Advertising Space (Robbie Williams)

There's a single out this at the moment, and it's right in at number one. And if anybody plays it in my presence or asks me my opinion, then there may well be physical violence.

First up, I hate Mariah Carey. She represents, IMHO, the very worst that is vapid, style-over-content drivel that is wheeled out in the name of music. There is nothing original in her songs (none of which have been written by her), the themes are always the same whiney trash and, while I freely admit she can sing, the trouble is trying to get her to bloody stop.
It's a common malaise in so-called R 'n' B these days; we know you can sing, yes we can tell you took lessons, but for gods' sakes, when will you realise that scales are supposed to be a practice exercise, not an integral part of the song? Or is it that you simply cannot hold a note?

Then there are reality shows. If it wasn't too late, I would demand that Simon Cowell be hung, drawn, quartered and then fed to the ravens at the Tower Of London for the damage he's done to the accurate perception of the music business.
Needless to say, I don't watch X Factor.
Apart from Will Young and Girls Aloud, there have been no long-lasting survivors from reality music shows (although Liberty X looked like they were going to rub Heresy sorry, Hearsay's nose in it for a while). This is generally because they come from nowhere and suddenly find that being a recording star is - oddly enough - bloody hard work. The latest darling from this world is Leona Lewis who has doubly earned my wrath for the twin crimes of being a reality show winner who has opted to sound like Mariah Carey.

And finally, there are charity singles. Now, once upon a time, these didn't use to be too bad. Comic Relief, especially, could be relied upon to provide us with something that strayed satisfyingly from the norm. Naff it may have been, but at least Hale and Pace's 'The Stonk' was a bit of fun in the name of a good cause.
Then it changed. First, there was a dodgy cover of Alice Cooper's 'Elected' with an embarrassing Mr Bean in the video. Then, it was just Westlife fooling around for the benefit of Claudia Schiffer while they murdered Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl'.
From that point on, it's been cheesy covers all the way, all because a familiar song seems to get more money for less effort than a new song.

Until now, the utter nadir of these elements combined had been Elton John butchering what had previously been a beautiful song in a nationally mawkish display of poor taste over an adulterous woman most people barely knew.

And now, vying with that, the X factor finalists have dropped our sights even further by releasing a cover version of Mariah Carey's 'Hero'. It's a charity single, in aid of Remembrance Day.

Actually, and it makes me feel a little ill to say this, it's more correctly an advertising ploy by the people behind X Factor to get folks to take notice of what they're doing. Is it really that much of an honour to get a bunch of talentless unknowns together and cobble together a halfway acceptable tune? Maybe if it was a bunch of mates from the Dog And Duck, but there's far too much going on for this to be innocent in any way.
Yes, I know that the proceeds are going entirely to charity, but look at the exposure these people are getting: Going by current practices, there'll be a few of them hoping to have recording careers in the future - despite not winning the competition - and being involved in this is going to make them look good. The company itself (Simon Cowell, in other words), also benefits in exactly the same way. Even more so, in fact.

Am I being too cynical? I'd like to think so, but I have a sneaking suspicion I'm spot on.

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO (for a touch of realism)

When I'm cooking burgers (George Formby - honest!)

I had to share this with you - a little clip from Youtube that manages to rip the piss out of George Formby AND George Foreman in one fell swoop.

History Repeating (Propellorheads ft. Miss Shirley Bassey)

For your delight and entertainment, I present to you my new album. However, I suggest you don't bother rushing out to buy it, because I'm going to reissue it in a few months' time with and extra tune or two and call it a 'Deluxe Edition'.

Wouldn't it save so much of the average punter's money if recording artists and/or companies came out with something like that right at the start? But no. We'll get hooked on a new act and grab ourselves the album either as soon as we can or when we get around to it. And then find we should have held out for that all-inclusive, bells-and-whistles version that gets put out later.

Case in point: Amy MacDonald came along last year as the latest female singer-songwriter with a folksy touch. For me, certainly, all the right buttons were pushed and I decided to put her album a little higher up my 'must get' list than some other outstanding albums. Today, I found out there's going to be a 'Deluxe Edition' of This Is The Life.

Normally, I wouldn't worry too much for one or two new tunes, but it seems it comes with a whole second disc. Now, that really really hacks me off. I want to know what the new songs and live tunes sound like, but I don't want and can't afford to buy an album, 50% of which I already own. It's clearly not going to be up to scratch for a full album in itself, but I don't see what's wrong with simply pushing out an interim disc, even if it's just an e.p.

Now, there's a format that died with the advent of CDs. Considering singles got stacked with remixes and demo or live versions, the whole idea of 'b' sides tunes and the e.p. has gone out of the window.

Ranting over, I just want to point out that I don't necessarily mind the idea of an upgraded version of an album - it's just the timing that stinks. What is the point of reminding people of something they haven't yet forgotten?
Hand in hand with this, I also would like to say that I'm actually all in favour of deluxe editions when the original release was nearly ten years or more previous. Vinyl albums are especially benefiting from this kind of treatment; Lee Perry's 'Super Ape' albums have been remastered and perched nicely together, side-by-side on one CD album. 'This Year's Model' by Elvis Costello has has the Deluxe treatment, and deservedly so; it was one of the best albums of the 1980s. Certainly, not all the tracks bear up to close scrutiny, but it's like a behind the scenes documentary of the original classic.

Amy MacDonald would have done better to have born this in mind. Either bring out two versions there and then or wait until you really do need to remind people what you sounded like back in the day.

TODAY, I AM MOSTLY LISTENING TO:

The rhythm thief (Sparks)

Don't you hate it when you lend a CD to someone and it never gets returned?

Three months and counting, I've been waiting for a lad by the name of Dean to bring back my Madness box set. Every day at work, I've been giving him stick about the discs' continued absence. I've even taken to calling him The Amnesia Kid.

"Morning Dean - I see the world hasn't ended today. I take it that means you don't have my CDs?"
"Hey, Dean - have you heard 'One Step Beyond' today? No, neither have I..."
"Guess what's going to happen tomorrow, Dean? That's right - I'm not going to get my Madness box set back then either."
"Morning, you thieving bastard."
"Dean's not in? What's up with him? Bad case of amnesia?" (this to his brother-in-law)
"Coughthief!"
"Not got the CDs? That's alright, I've got something else for you. It might sting a bit, mind you..."

It's just a shame I don't charge like the library does for overdue items. I'd be well minted by now...