Listening to.......

[Jules Gray]

Chris Difford - The Last Temptation of Chris

What a great title!  

Jules

[Nick Reg]

Chris Difford - The Last Temptation of Chris

What a great title!  

Jules

There's a song called Fat As A Fiddle.

[GubGub (Al)]

Chris Difford - The Last Temptation of Chris

What a great title!  

Jules

It is also a pretty decent album.

The previous one, I Didn't Get Where I Am contains a song called Cowboys Are My Weakness which is one of the best things Chris has ever written

[blagden]

Susan Tedeschi - Wait For Me, Dave Mattacks on drums recorded in Brookline USA 2001?

How did that happen?

[Alan2]

Keith Christmas:  Timeless and Strange (compilation) (Castle CD, 2004).

[GubGub (Al)]

Trying to inject some semblance of festive feeling against the odds.

Live In Concert - A Winter Union
With Joyful Call - A Winter Union
Christmas Album - The Albion Band
The McGarrigle Christmas Hour - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
All Are Safely Gathered In - The Albion Christmas Band

[Poor Will (Bill)]

Jethro Tull “Songs From The Wood” Steven Wilson remix.
Getting in a festive mood.

[Shane (Skirky)]

Susan Tedeschi - Wait For Me, Dave Mattacks on drums recorded in Brookline USA 2001?

How did that happen?

Wasn’t he living in the area at the time and, well, it is his job…  

[blagden]

Martin Simpson - Kind Letters based on the very unscientific basis that I saw him in Fatface this afternoon.

[ColinB]

I missed hearing about this when it was broadcast a couple of months ago but just gave it a listen on Sounds.

Acid Dream: The Great LSD Plot
In the 1970s it’s estimated that about 60% of the world’s LSD came from one place: Wales. This is the story of an attempt to start a revolution of the mind, from a Welsh farmhouse

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0d6bs79

[RobertD]

Blondie-Against The Odds 1974-1982 box set. Other than the hits, I never explored Blondie's catalog that much. In fact the only one I sort of remember as a full album was Parallel Lines, which was one of those inescabable albums back in the day. This set has been very revealing to me therefore. As a boxset, the large in physical and content size is impressive. As I said on FB, the layout actually reminds me of one of those Taschen art books, with lots of great rare photos, and variety of color used. I only wish I had a coffee table for it to take prominent position!

[Nick Reg]

Blondie-Against The Odds 1974-1982 box set. Other than the hits, I never explored Blondie's catalog that much. In fact the only one I sort of remember as a full album was Parallel Lines, which was one of those inescabable albums back in the day. This set has been very revealing to me therefore. As a boxset, the large in physical and content size is impressive. As I said on FB, the layout actually reminds me of one of those Taschen art books, with lots of great rare photos, and variety of color used. I only wish I had a coffee table for it to take prominent position!

I love box sets but they do take up a lot of space.

[Alan2]

Al Stewart  :  Modern Times  (BGO CD, 2000).

A favourite, and I like this CD edition.

[ColinB]

I've had something of an RT fest these last couple of days playing most of his studio albums from Rumor and Sigh up to Still. I hadn't listened to Sweet Warrior and Dream Attic in ages and enjoyed revisiting them.

Now listening to the compilation Beat The Retreat - Songs by Richard Thompson.

[davidmjs]

Well, my first album of the year is... https://burdellen.bandcamp.com/album/a-tarot-of-the-green-wood

Listened twice already this morning.  It's breathtakingly good.  A bit late to the party (released 31/10/22) but very happy to have found it.

[Nick Reg]

Been working through Unta's Stranded In Reality again

[Alan2]

Vinegar joe:  Finer Things  - The Island Recordings 1972-73 (Esoteric 3CD box,  2021).

Well named set. Considering the rather average stuff one knows or knows of from the period,  these albums are real quality.

[Andy]

Camel - Moonmadness. In 1976 Wendy and I loved this and still do.

40 minutes can seldom be better spent.

[GubGub (Al)]

Today is the first day of the Christmas period (we are still within the 12 days right?) when I have felt remotely like doing any extended listening so my Santa deliveries are to the fore.

Only The Strong Survive Bruce Springsteen's album of soul covers. It is pleasant listening and makes for decent background music for the sorts of household chores I have been undertaking this morning but really, much like Dylan's Sinatra albums, what's the point? Bruce plays a lot of this sort of stuff with the E Street Band, usually as encores and I would much rather have had a compilation of those live recordings than this but it won't get turned off if it randomly appears on shuffle.

World Record - Neil Young & Crazy Horse. I have to say I like the way this album sounds a lot. Having seen the Harvest Time movie just before Christmas this sounds to me of a piece with that sort of vibe. It is certainly my favourite of the three recent Crazy Horse albums. Of course the songs themselves are nowhere near on a par with that early 70s output (though I do think Chevrolet is a new Neil classic). Where I have a problem is with some of Neil's lyrics. I am sure his on the nose environmentalism is very noble but what purpose does it serve when it is only being heard by a decreasing audience of the already converted? A Neil Young song is not going to save the world in 2023 but a great Neil Young song would still have the capacity to inspire in other ways.

Queen of the Whirl - Eliza Carthy & The Restitution. This is, of course, great. My favourite Eliza album is Big Machine with The Wayward Band and the live shows that accompanied it were stunning. This is a look back over Eliza's 30 year career but very much in the style of The Wayward Band. In other words it brings the noise to the folk which is my favourite combination. Right up my alley. Highly recommended.

[davidmjs]

World Record - Neil Young & Crazy Horse. I have to say I like the way this album sounds a lot. Having seen the Harvest Time movie just before Christmas this sounds to me of a piece with that sort of vibe. It is certainly my favourite of the three recent Crazy Horse albums. Of course the songs themselves are nowhere near on a par with that early 70s output (though I do think Chevrolet is a new Neil classic). Where I have a problem is with some of Neil's lyrics. I am sure his on the nose environmentalism is very noble but what purpose does it serve when it is only being heard by a decreasing audience of the already converted? A Neil Young song is not going to save the world in 2023 but a great Neil Young song would still have the capacity to inspire in other ways.

These are the lyrics to your new Neil classic:

One, two, one, two, three
Almost got an old Chevrolet
Man, that car was talking to me
Chevrolet
Pretty red lights and the paint was gleaming
I was seeing myself in a different way
Chevrolet
Shifting gears, I had to pull away
Lost on the winding highway in my mind
Oh, but it feels so good
How will it comfort me
Burnin' all that fuel again?
Gone is the crowded highway
Lost, are the roads we left behind
Found in the place they live inside me
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Wanderin' with an ancient Nomad
On the dusty lanes of this old highway
Chevrolet
Never lost before I found you
Now I need to just forget our bad turns
Chevrolet
What a curve and what a way to go
We took it fast before we took it slow
Oh, and it feels so good
Rollin' the window down
Ivory wheel in my hands again
Gone is the crowded highway
Lost, are the roads we left behind
Found in the place they live inside me
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet

Honestly, the guy can't write anything other than trite these days (imho).  Some of his lyrics were always a bit like this (T-bone etc), but it's all so utterly one-dimensional these days.  Throwaway stuff.  Why expect us to bother?  Heartbreaking.