Listening to.......

[Andy]

1975's Hissing of Summer Lawns. As we sit in the garden in bright Solstice sunlight...

[Ian_]

Just picked up Rod Picott's "Welding Burns" for a couple of quid. Excellent album. I'll try to catch him on his UK tour soon.

 Oof! I read that as "Wedding burns"  

[GubGub (Al)]

A friend sent me their spare copy of a recent Steve Hackett live album. I didn't have any Steve Hackett solo material but it was most enjoyable and led me into a Genesis and Peter Gabriel fuelled weekend.

This morning it is an After The Fire playlist of my own devising.

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

A friend sent me their spare copy of a recent Steve Hackett live album. I didn't have any Steve Hackett solo material but it was most enjoyable and led me into a Genesis and Peter Gabriel fuelled weekend.

This morning it is an After The Fire playlist of my own devising.

Sounds like my kind of weekend  

I'm going to spend the day listening to Acid House and Rave classics, because I need repetitive, mindless rhythms so I can concentrate on some tricky coding      

[GubGub (Al)]

A friend sent me their spare copy of a recent Steve Hackett live album. I didn't have any Steve Hackett solo material but it was most enjoyable and led me into a Genesis and Peter Gabriel fuelled weekend.

This morning it is an After The Fire playlist of my own devising.

And following on from that, my new CD reissue of Mike Rutherford's Smallcreep's Day has arrived in the post today. It has been out of print for decades. More Genesis than most Genesis after Duke.

[Alan2]

The Hissing etc.  was my entry point with Joni Mitchell.   I still think it's a very fine record, but seldom play it now.  I think her final album, Shine (2007, LP 2019), is one of her finest.

[Jules Gray]

The Hissing etc.  was my entry point with Joni Mitchell.   I still think it's a very fine record, but seldom play it now.  I think her final album, Shine (2007, LP 2019), is one of her finest.

Ah, the good old Hissing Etc.

Jules

[Will S]

Having a first listen to Jethro Tull's The Zealot Gene via Spotify. I was wondering what it would be like, given the comments that have been made about IA's voice, and was surprised that it sounds much better than I had expected. Though as I listened, it seems to me that maybe he has had to adapt his singing voice - there is very little of the trademark sneer in his voice I think.  Anyone else have any thoughts about it?

[davidmjs]

Having a first listen to Jethro Tull's The Zealot Gene via Spotify. I was wondering what it would be like, given the comments that have been made about IA's voice, and was surprised that it sounds much better than I had expected. Though as I listened, it seems to me that maybe he has had to adapt his singing voice - there is very little of the trademark sneer in his voice I think.  Anyone else have any thoughts about it?

It's a massively less powerful instrument than it was.  He seems to deal with it by a) doing an awful lot of that sort of 'speaking/singing' thing and b) it is very "forward and up" in the mix.  I can't imagine that would make it easy to reproduce the material live?

I'll be honest and say it's not something I'll listen to a lot.  The material is stronger than the presentation, I think....

[GubGub (Al)]

Big Session Vol 1. - Oysterband & friends

It is sort of an overlooked Oysterband album and I certainly haven't listened to it in eons though I went to one of the shows and really enjoyed it. I don't know whatever happened to Vol 2.

[John From Austin]

Small Faces - Live 1966

This week I received my autographed LP and CD from Kenney Jones. It is an amazing snapshot of mid-sixties British R&B/Punk. The recording quality is so-so (drums and bass are mixed down and lack clarity), but Mac's keys and especially Steve's voice are crystal clear. The girls scream between songs, but are mercifully quiet while the music is playing.

Steve Marriott fans must own this. There's a case to be made that he was the finest white R&B singer of his generation, and this recording is further evidence. His voice was a gift from God. This is just loads of fun and I'm so happy Kenney put it out in the world.

[davidmjs]

Small Faces - Live 1966

This week I received my autographed LP and CD from Kenney Jones. It is an amazing snapshot of mid-sixties British R&B/Punk. The recording quality is so-so (drums and bass are mixed down and lack clarity), but Mac's keys and especially Steve's voice are crystal clear. The girls scream between songs, but are mercifully quiet while the music is playing.

Steve Marriott fans must own this. There's a case to be made that he was the finest white R&B singer of his generation, and this recording is further evidence. His voice was a gift from God. This is just loads of fun and I'm so happy Kenney put it out in the world.

I must get that.  I saw Steve Marriott in a pub (possibly the Sir George Robey) in the late 80s and it was one part brilliance to 4 parts depressing.  The poor bloke was struggling.  But in his day....I'm certainly not going to argue with you.

[John From Austin]

Small Faces - Live 1966

This week I received my autographed LP and CD from Kenney Jones. It is an amazing snapshot of mid-sixties British R&B/Punk. The recording quality is so-so (drums and bass are mixed down and lack clarity), but Mac's keys and especially Steve's voice are crystal clear. The girls scream between songs, but are mercifully quiet while the music is playing.

Steve Marriott fans must own this. There's a case to be made that he was the finest white R&B singer of his generation, and this recording is further evidence. His voice was a gift from God. This is just loads of fun and I'm so happy Kenney put it out in the world.

I must get that.  I saw Steve Marriott in a pub (possibly the Sir George Robey) in the late 80s and it was one part brilliance to 4 parts depressing.  The poor bloke was struggling.  But in his day....I'm certainly not going to argue with you.

Here's a fabulous Youtube clip of SM in 1985: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMCgqjYA424

According to setlist.fm, he came through north Texas in 1983 and 1985, playing small clubs. Those would have been my only opportunities to see him, and I confess I was barely aware of his existence back then. Itchycoo Park was the only Small Faces song I had heard. Where's that time machine when I need it?

[RobertD]

Small Faces - Live 1966

This week I received my autographed LP and CD from Kenney Jones. It is an amazing snapshot of mid-sixties British R&B/Punk. The recording quality is so-so (drums and bass are mixed down and lack clarity), but Mac's keys and especially Steve's voice are crystal clear. The girls scream between songs, but are mercifully quiet while the music is playing.

Steve Marriott fans must own this. There's a case to be made that he was the finest white R&B singer of his generation, and this recording is further evidence. His voice was a gift from God. This is just loads of fun and I'm so happy Kenney put it out in the world.

I must get that.  I saw Steve Marriott in a pub (possibly the Sir George Robey) in the late 80s and it was one part brilliance to 4 parts depressing.  The poor bloke was struggling.  But in his day....I'm certainly not going to argue with you.

Here's a fabulous Youtube clip of SM in 1985: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMCgqjYA424

According to setlist.fm, he came through north Texas in 1983 and 1985, playing small clubs. Those would have been my only opportunities to see him, and I confess I was barely aware of his existence back then. Itchycoo Park was the only Small Faces song I had heard. Where's that time machine when I need it?

One of my lockdown discoveries was Ronnie Lane. I knew the name but never heard his own music, and am still only marginally familiar with Small Faces & Faces. Did you happen to catch Ronnie during his latter days in Texas?

[John From Austin]

One of my lockdown discoveries was Ronnie Lane. I knew the name but never heard his own music, and am still only marginally familiar with Small Faces & Faces. Did you happen to catch Ronnie during his latter days in Texas?

Indeed, twice. November 28, 1983 (Reunion Arena, Dallas, ARMS Concert, with Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and many others. Ronnie closed the show with "Goodnight Irene.") October 14, 1988 (Continental Club, Ronnie Lane and Slim Chance. I didn't know his Small Faces material, at the time, but I remember "Annie" and "April Fool" from Rough Mix, and he opened and closed the show with "Ooh La La," which was poignant given his frail condition. "I wish that I knew what I know now when I was stronger...")

Of the remaining Small Faces, I saw Kenney Jones with The Who in Dallas in 1982 and with ARMS in 1983, and Ian McLagan in Austin twice with his Bump Band at the Lucky Lounge, again at a British Invasion-themed show at ACL Live with Eric Burdon and the Zombies, and leading the band at Auditorium Shores for the Road to Austin all-star show in 2007). To top it off, both Mac and I were present at the Headliners Club when Pete Townshend delivered a somewhat vulgar speech at the SXSW Music Festival many years back.

[ColinB]

King of America by Elvis Costello.

I bought the cd re-issue after the cassette I originally bought got mangled. It came with a 21 track bonus cd which if I'm being completely honest I've probably only listened to once.

[Jules Gray]

which if I'm being completely honest I've probably only listened to once.

You say that like it's unusual. That's the case with about half of my entire collection. Madness.

Jules

[davidmjs]

which if I'm being completely honest I've probably only listened to once.

You say that like it's unusual. That's the case with about half of my entire collection. Madness.

Jules

Madness indeed.  Less is always more.  I'm moving closer and closer to stopping buying music and culling my collection by about 75%.

[ColinB]

which if I'm being completely honest I've probably only listened to once.

You say that like it's unusual. That's the case with about half of my entire collection. Madness.

Jules

I listen to that album fairly often as it's my favourite release of his. But I suppose we get suckered in to buying these re-releases with bonus cds which makes it feel like a bargain but we all know we will rarely listen to all the demos etc.

Having been doing radio shows for most of the last 12 years I've accumulated a large number of promo cds but thankfully these days they mostly come as downloads. And I have donated quite a few over the years to my local Oxfam shop.

I do still like browsing in my local HMV but have only been in once so far this year. I bought Frank Turner's new album with added acoustic bonus tracks! I just can't help myself.  

[Will S]

which if I'm being completely honest I've probably only listened to once.

You say that like it's unusual. That's the case with about half of my entire collection. Madness.

Jules

Madness indeed.  Less is always more.  I'm moving closer and closer to stopping buying music and culling my collection by about 75%.

My wife would be very happy if I did that.    Not sure I'm there yet, though...  I do buy more music as downloads these days, though.