1982 - A Year in Music

In 1982 a single really was a single. They sold by the bucket load and a monster hit was a destroy all in its wake kind of a hit. Eye of the Tiger 5 million sold (I pity the fool!). Do you Really Want to Hurt Me 6.4 million and so on.

There was only two places to hear your music; Radio 1 and Top of the Pops. After being exposed to Simon Bates, Mike Read, Dave Lee Travis and Steve Wright it's a wonder I have any interest in music at all. The Top 40 run down on a Sunday night was a major highlight of the week. Some bright spark in BBC scheduling in the early 1980's followed up the chart show with Alexis Korner, thank God, and I inadvertently ended up listening to the blues.

It's almost an embarrassment of riches to choose from for my singles of the year, although this is tempered by number ones from The Goombay Dance Band, Tight Fit, Shakin Stevens and Renee and Renato. My choice for single of the year would be Aint No Pleasin You by Chas and Dave, which I think is magnificent, even though they are Spurs fans. Fittingly, this is their Top of the Pops performance, introduced by the above mentioned tit, Simon Bates.

So here's the full list, with vids of the highlights.

Chas & Dave – Aint No Pleasin You

Fat Larry’s Band – Zoom

Africa Bambaataa – Planet Rock

Blancmange – Living on the Ceiling

Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy

Bruce Springsteen – Atlantic City


Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Jackie Wilson Said

Duran Duran – The Chauffeur

George Thorogood – Bad to the Bone

Grandmaster Flash – The Message

Joe Jackson – Stepping Out

John Cougar Mellencamp – Jack and Dianne

Robert Wyatt – Shipbuilding

Stevie Nicks – Edge of 17 (which passed me by in 1982 but was introduced to me via the glory of School of Rock).


The Alarm – Marching On

The Associates – Party Fears Two

Willie Nelson – Always on my Mind

The Best Albums of the Noughties

This morning I received an email from a chap (once) called Fog, who sent me a link to the NME's Best Albums of the Noughties, as mentioned in The Guardian. I forwarded this on to co-blogger Peter, who, in his own words, pounced upon it 'like a fat boy at a buffet' (see his post below). Now, being a fat boy myself, and fond of a good buffet (preferably an Argentinian breakfast buffet) this seemed like an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Of course the NME's list is for skinny white boys with stylishly feathered locks, not a chubby baldy man like myself (or Peter - no offence). So, from the fat perspective, here are my 00's best albums. It looks like Neil Young hasn't made a decent album in ten years and I aint got the blues no more .....

2001
Rufus Wainwright - Poses


2002
Foo Fighters – One by One
Audioslave – Audioslave
Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around
Maná - Revolución de Amor
Los Lobos - Good Morning Aztlán


2003
Molotov - Dance and Dense Denso
The Frames – Set List


2004
Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose
Ray LaMontagne – Trouble
Green Day – American Idiot
The Soundtrack of Our Lives – Origin Vo1. 1


2005
The Boxer Rebellion – Exits

2006
Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Jerry Lee Lewis – Last Man Standing

2007
Mavis Staples – We’ll Never Turn Back
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand

2008
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

2009
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

The Gaslight Anthem

New Jersey's The Gaslight Anthem were joined onstage at Glastonbury by their compatriot Mr. Bruce Springsteen, for their '59 Sound. Look at old Bruce here, having a great time. This is quality.

StornoBoss 2009

My Glastonbury 2009 highlights arrived the other day. I see Lauren Laverne is still getting regular work. I've rather grown into liking a bit of Bruce over the years, so was looking forward to a big bad Boss set, then I found the whole thing a bit of a let down. Maybe I'll just stick to Nebraska and have done with him. Everytime he went off on one about the E Street Band I just thought 'Oh put a sock in it', which I'm sure isn't the effect he was looking for, particularly with a set that is a a full 90 minutes plus extra time and pens. And the giving of the cup. But, to be fair to him, here's Johnny 99 minus the pomp of the E Street and all that nonsense, given a folked up big band kind of a stomping.


I'm not sure how many artists set out to be delightful, but that's how I found Stornoway, who, you might guess from their name, are from, yes, Oxford. I can't find the live clip from the BBC, but here is the video for the song they performed. Previous years Glasonbury highlights have included Seasick Steve and others, and this lot are among the best.