the uk blog of recycled news, gadget tidbits, new media pipedreams, search engine marketing fluff and record collecting tales.

Saturday, October 23

and in one moment i went from being a music fan to a record collecting geek

It's finally happened, the somewhat inevitable step up from being a casual record collector to a bit of a geek happened today.
Again down the British Heart Foundation Record and Book shop I decided to delve into the six for a quid box, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Maybe it's not quite that bad, but there's little explaination for these purchases.

First up the album that was the turning point, Elton John 'Ice on Fire' Since I got hold of about six Elton John in one go a few months ago I've been on the quest to collect the whole back catalogue, I got a couple more for my 21st. I'm still a few off but this purchase was the significant one, as I have only listened to one half of one Elton John album since my birthday last month despite have a ten odd albums of his, then today saw fit to purchase another one. Still it does have Nikita on it.

Second up is a slightly rough copy of 'Now thats what I Call Music Ten' which has some amazing tracks on it, even if in need of a bit of a clean, but 'Never Gonna say Goodbye' by Communards followed by M/A/R/R/S 'Pump up the volume' is worth the less than twenty pence ot set me back, and besides it's given me a new challenge, get every vinyl release of 'Now' Book makers are now taking bets on whether I will have started 'every number one 45 ever quest' before christmas.

Next purchase was the 'Westside Story OST' Thankfully I can kid myself that I can Kid myself I might one day use 'America' when Dj-ing at Hothouse.

With all the talk of Band Aid III it seemed only right I acquired either a Midge Ure or Bob Geldof LP, I opted for the former. I already have 'Viena' The All Music Guide to Ultravox dedicates a grand total of three words to Rage in Edenin the bands overal profile, so it promises to be an interesting listen.

and apparently accorsding to the ever reliable AMG

Go West's second album continued in the style of their debut, and while it still has a couple of undistinguished moments, the best moments indicate that the group's songwriting skills are sharpening. The results are enjoyable, New Wave-inflected '80s dance-pop.


So and finally prehaps the most emanbresing of the purchases, Whitney Houston's debut, I bought this for one reason really, th last couple of weeks at the HotHouse I've had people requesting 'I wanna dance with somebody' which isn't on this album, but its my justification anyway.

Wednesday, October 20

been a slightly surreal 24 four hours

Didnt get up to an awful lot yesterday but still seemed to be a bit of a weird day,

Firstly managed to have Wife Swap on in the background with out the incredible urge to slit my wrists,I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, but maybe its cause it was about nationality rather than class difference so it could have been construed of slight antropological interest rather than the usual lets laugh at the poor person or lets laugh at the rich person.

Secondly after listening to the excellent Oneclick/comedy show on Radio One i thought why not listen to 'The Lock Up' as I havent for ages, and a mates band had their single played out, even better when i think the lucky owners of 'Is this SHT' have had the track for over two years.

And watched half of two films when a little bit faceless, firstly 24 Hour Party People which i was really enjoying before the dvd player went haywire, but that might be because I'd only see the Joy Division Bits rather than the Happy Mondays Bits.

And Ferris Day Off, which again I was enjoying till the dvd player went loopy, still best be off cause iI gotta learn in an hour the new playout system for URF and be able to teach it as well which might be fun...

Monday, October 18

UK Music Hall Of Fame - Founding Members

Well seeing as I'm useless and missed the first episode before the repeat I'm gonna do a whilst stop run down on the program thus far, make vast generalizations, use huge brush strokes and generally question the logic of the 'Steering Panel' Behind the choices and in this post specifically the 5 artists that the Panel have chosen as founding members for the hypothetical Hall of Fame, the idea being that these sacred cows should be in there beyond any doubt, So lets have a look at the list.

The Beatles - I've seen a bit of debate in the blogosphere of late questioning the status of The Beatles, but in a TV program with a proviso of acknowledging the best UK pop music, its impossible to envisage the Beatles not being a "founder" (their words not mine)

Madonna - Now this one really did confuse me a bit, I'll touch upon the Eighties in more depth as I go through that episode, but really I can't see Madonna as one of the Five greatest artists of Pop, I can't help but wonder where it not for Michael Jackson's current legal 'difficulties' that this place was ear marked for him.

Bob Marley - At first I was a bit unsure of Marley being a shoe-in for the Five sacred cows but the more I think about it the more deserving I think he is, he music was great, he represented a whole musical spectrum, a whole country, a whole religion and 'No Woman, No Cry' is amazingly amazing.

Elvis Presley - Like it or Lump it we all saw this one coming, of late I've grown in my respect for Elvis, not only did he do the stompers, which I was too quick to dismiss he also did the heartfelt ones, @are you Lonesome' and arguably one of the best songs ever written 'Suspicious Minds' I mean that's up there with 'Tainted Love' 'Hey Jude' 'Heard it Through The Grapevine' 'Sittin on the Dock of the Bay' 'A Change is gonna come' and 'Positively 4th Street' (Blimey that list could keep going, I mean I've barely touched the eighties and none form the nineties..)

U2 - Now after Madonna being included this doesn't seem so crazy, I mean I like U2, I like them a lot but by including them you have to understand that it has been stated the are therefore better than Dylan, The Stones, The Kinks, Marvin Gaye, Otis Reding, Prince and Michael Jackson, I don't think they were the most accomplished Rock band of the Eighties or the Nineties, but I agree that they're probably more worthy than Madonna.

My new favouritest shop

I discovered the shop a while back but only now I have a little bit of money to my name have I had a chance to look properly, but the British Heart Foundation Charity Record and book shop.

For a measly £3.50 I managed to procure myself a few decent gems, and Didn't have to trek all the way back to my parents to get soaked looking through with squillion copies of K-tel compilations of easy listening standards at a carboot sale.

probably the most worthless but most rewarding is a compilation called Modern Heroes which is the first release on TV Records. As a rule I tend to stay away from compilations, the whole reason I started buying vinyl was to hear the album tracks to the great singles I already knew, but this one I found impossible to resist.

But the premise of this compilation seemed great, a few songs by artists I love, but not the obvivous ones, and a few tracks I'd never heard of but if were anything like the tracks I did know I woulda landed on my feet, I'm half way through the first side now and really enjoying it, Granted most of you won't give a flying hoot about the tracklisting, but as I couldn't find the tracklisting online at all, as I figure its long since deleted I thought I'd post it up in case should anyone ever google it.

Side One
Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
Don't Go - Yazoo
Cantonese Boy - Japan
Love Shadow - Fashion
Hanging Garden - The Cure
Today - Talk Talk
I melt with you - Modern English
African and White - China Crisis
Don't Run away from here - Strange Arrangement
I want Candy - Bow Wow Wow

Side Two
Hard Times - Human League
Bamboo House - David Sullivan/Ruichi Sakamoto
Leave in Silence - Depeche Mode
Promised You a Miracle - Simple Minds
Windpower - Thomas Dolby
Space Age Love Song - Flock of Seagulls
Made in Japan - Nancy Nova
Spirit - Bahaus
Sensitive - Mick Karn
Big Bean - Pig Bag

The most expensive of what I brought surprisingly was Lionel Ritchie - Dancing on the Ceiling, Poor Lionel everyone thinks he is an absolute joke, especially the circles I move in, personally I love the cheesiness his songs have but ultimately still respect him as one of the most enduring people to have come out of Motown, and what's a quid , to hear a crackly version of 'Say you, Say me'

There was a load of Billy Joel there and as I have nothing by him I thought I owed it to my pop collection to purchase one, I went for Innocent Man, which I'll justify to the snobs by saying I bought it so I could use uptown world to Dj with but just between me and you its cause I don't think Joels all that bad.

Again I opted for something out of the eighties (I blame Channel 4 UK Music Hall of Fame for the eighties on last night for it.) This time it was Nik Kershaw, I have loved the track "Wouldn't it be Good" since I heard a Soulwax cover of the track. I love it when you come across an Mp3 like that where it reminds you of how great the original was.

Dare by Human league has been one of the most played Vinyl I've bought so it seemed only time I invested in another album of there's, as fate would have it it's turned out to be the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced Crash, I know barely nothing about the tracks on this album so expect more about that as I listen to it.

And Finally I opted for The Housemartins - London 0 - Hull 4, which has inspired a question for the up coming music pub quiz I'm organizing: Which Musician/Group is not from Brighton? Fatboy, Eighties Matchbox or Electric Soft Parade. (I love that even more for the unintentional pun on the Fatboy Slim track 'You're not from Brighton') Personally Based on the two tracks I know "Happy Hour" and "Caravan of Love" The House Martins are vastly underrated.

Not bad for £3.50

What does it say about me...

I'm dj-ing at the Union club tonight (again...) and its a school disco night

Firstly let me say that the theme had nothing to do with me, its about as old hat as trucker caps.

Anyhow as is the law with these thing fancy dress is compulsory, well not for the punters but for those organizing it and muggins, well I was searching through my large collection of acquired ties, most of which I can never conceivably see myself wearing but daren't throw them out just in case. And found myself with the predicament of having two school ties.

Firstly the fairly standard navy blue slightly tattered with multiple school logo's on, the apparent "school tie"

And also I have my bright turquoise senior prefect tie, (yes I was a swot) it is still kinda obviously a school tie but less so.

As far as I can imagine its very unlikely anyone from my old school is gonna be there, so the fact I feel compelled to wear the prefect tie will never be picked up on but I still feel like a right royal wally for choosing it.

Sunday, October 17

The chav issue

My flat mate bless her decided in her wisdom to magnet to our fridge a Daily Mail double page spread about Chav's.

Oh the comedy of it all, however it really brought home to me the fundamental prejudice in the chav-baiting (as well as the need for a ban on comedy news features) Its a case of the middle class mocking working class culture. I mean admitably the group is an easy target, with the self parodying nature of the group but fundamentally any mocking of chavs is I'm laughing at you because I'm posher than you.

Is that funny?