The Season so far.....

My first non match-going season in god knows how long, and what happens? United, top of the league, unbeaten, maximum points. Typical. If I was there, we'd be rubbish. It seems with International matches rearing their ugly heads again this weekend that it's an opportune moment to take stock of the Season three weeks in.

It's been a cracking start, with United playing confidently, and our main rivals stuttering - it's usually the other way round. Even with Scholes & Rooney out due to pre-season shenanigans, we've coped admirably, with the second string players stepping up and showing that they're up for it - Mr Fletcher notably - and Carrick looks to be fitting in well, though it's early days yet to be judging him. Goals seem to be coming from eveybody (Silvestre? Who woke him up?) and Ronaldo's getting jeered at every away match. Good. We love it when the world's against us, and although he's a little shit, he's United's little shit and don't you forget it. Good to see Chelsea & Arsenal getting beat as well. As the Tesco ad says, every little helps.

It's one of those season starts like the old days where we've got bizarre company below us. Portsmouth second? Villa third? Everton? The world's gone mad I tell you. "Ah, but it hasn't" says the voice of reason inside my head - it's amazing how a couple of inspired buys in the summer can lift a team, or in Villa's case, booting David O'Dreary and "deadly" Doug Ellis out and installing yer man O'Neill as manager. It seems there may be life in the Midlands yet (and it's good to see m'lady's beloved Wolves up there in the Championship - McCarthy's team don't play too pretty but they're grinding out results, and that's all that matters at the moment). Still it's early yet and we're sure that the once everything settles, you'll be finding Pompey and the rest in their natural midtable habitat.

So we come to the bottom of the Championship.. and doirty Mackem bastards Sunderland, who looked to be in freefall after "give the ball to" Niall Quinn's takeover, but things have taken a Rohld Dahl-esque twist with the appointment of his good mate (ahem) Mr Royston Keane as manager. Now, heaven knows what sort of boss he's going to be, but if he manages in the style of his captaincy, god help those players if don't give 100% on the pitch. He's played under two of the best managers ever (Clough & Ferguson) so something's bound to have rubbed off. He's not a man to accept second best, although you're only as good as the tools you've got to work with, so let's hope he can get those tools playing.

Now, I wonder who's sitting in my seat nowadays?

Single Review - U2 "Discotheque"

Last one for now... honest.

U2 "Discotheque"
Chart Position #1
Released February 1997

Of all the U2 singles, why this one, I hear you mumble? Well, why not?I love it and it pissed off a lot of their fanbase who refused to go with the band's new direction.

I really liked U2 in the Nineties. Don't get me wrong, I liked them in the 80s also but I began to tire of them around the "Rattle & Hum / we love America" era, and began widening my musical horizons a bit, but was pleasantly surprised to see that they too had widened their own when "Achtung Baby" was released, and I re-embraced the band. The ZOO TV era was U2 at the peak of their powers for me; playful, experimental, never dull and releasing some great music. When it was announced that their next album, "Pop" would be more dance orientated than their previous releases, it didn't bother or surprise me, bearing in mind their dalliance at that time with dance remixes and the "Zooropa" tracks such as "Lemon" & "Numb".

Unfortunately, 1997's "Pop" album was a bit of a disappointment all round, with the band seeming not to have the courage to go through with a total makeover; it sounded a bit "this will have to do" in places (due to them not having the record ready in time for the inital release date) and really only a couple of the tracks fitted into the "dancey" category, "Mofo", "Do You Feel Loved" and the first single, "Discotheque".

But what a opening single. Built around a rumbling Adam Clayton bassline, Larry Mullen Jnr's clattering percussion and the Edge's dirty guitar riff, this single is unlike anything that they released before or since. Bono wanders into "Fly" vocal territory throughout with lyrics faintly alluding to Ecstacy, whilst the track grooves along in a stop start manner - it's a really dense Flood production, with lots of busy layers going on, and one which they've never been able to pull off live. In retrospect, it also sounds like they've been listening a bit too much to "Begging You" by The Stone Roses... (but that's a good thing!)

The single version is the one to go for - the album version isn't quite right, being just not punchy enough, but the single mix (by Mark "Spike" Stent) is right on the nail. Of course, dressing up as the Village People in the video was something some fans have never been able to forgive. It seems as if the band have written this era off as a failure as well, continually trying to redo the tracks and making them worse (see the piss-poor new mixes on "The Best Of 1990 - 2000"). The following albums have seen them revert back to their old ways, almost going back to how they were pre-Rattle & Hum, which is a shame, as they could take more risks but seem to choose not to, having had their fingers burnt in the "Popmart" tour era.

But this was a number one single. Deservedly so in my opinion.

Single Review - Saint Etienne "You're In A Bad Way"

SAINT ETIENNE "You're In A Bad Way"
HEAVENLY HVN 25
Chart Position #12
Released Feb 1993

A fun throwaway SE track which has become a staple of indie discos since. Reworked from the basic version on "So Tough", the single version has the magical credit of "Additional production by Alan Tarney" - the man behind the best A-ha and Cliff Richard singles. His additional keyboard flourishes make this the pop gem it should always have been.

How can you not love a song which opens with:
"Toast is burned, / and your coffee's cold, / and you leave all the post `cause it's nothing but bills again. / Home from work, / put the TV on. / Get your kicks watching Bruce on the old Generation Game"

I've got fond memories as I saw them live for the first time around the time of this release, at Manchester University, supported by a little known group called... Pulp. Also, they did a couple of great appearances on "The Word" and "TOTP" for this single, where they looked fantastic, (well, Sarah did anyway).

Plus it's got 3 of the best additional tracks they've ever done on the CD & 12", with "Archway People", "California Snow Story" and "Duke Duvet", all interspersed with dialogue ala the first two albums ("Spongbake!")

And it was their highest chart position at the time.

Still, the band didn't like it: here they are talking about the track from Melody Maker:

Sarah: It was supposed to be a joke, but Alan McGee said "Brilliant! Got to be an a-side!" And it was our biggest hit.
Bob: He placed this huge millstone around our necks. Placed a huge albatross round our necks. Hahahahahaha! It was a big hit, though, wasn't it?
Pete: Albatross? Yeah, it was Number One.
Bob: No, You're In A Bad Way.
Pete: You're In A Bad Way was our Albatross.
Bob: It was supposed to be a cheesy Herman's Hermits thing, stupid lyrics and that. We wrote it in about ten minutes. We were in a big A-ha phase, and we thought it was going to sound like Cry Wolf, but instead it sounded like...
Pete: Cheese Wolf.
Bob: Oh dear.

Anyway, here's an NME cover from that time and the TOTP appearancea:

Single Review - James "We're Going To Miss You"

JAMES "We're Going To Miss You"
MERCURY CD JIMDD 24
Chart Position # 48

There's more to James than "Sit Down" & flowery t-shirts you know.

By 1998, James had released their "Best Of" and were on a second career high after 5 years of misfortune. However, beneath the surface there were still some in-house creative disagreements over their next move, and the following ironically titled album "Millionaires" was less experimental than before. Although generally well received by critics, it was surprisingly not well received by fans or the general record buying public (nearly always the case once a greatest hits is released - everything afterwards gets ignored). Which is a shame as there's some good stuff on here, the sublime "Just Like Fred Astaire" which we'll get to in due course and this: "We're Going To Miss You".

The album version is quite a dark track and not obvious single material, with a meandering intro. However, the band went back to the studio to rerecorded the track to making it more punchy, with the ever reliable Dave Bascombe on mixing duties for radio friendliness. It's got a superb rousing chorus (I love it when it sounds like all the band is singing together) and brooding verse lyrics which apparently are a spell against anybody wanting to do harm to Mr Booth:

"This is not, this is not, a song / This is a shield, this is a charm, with your name on / By this beat, by this verse, I'm protected / From your heat, and your curse, is reflected / If anybody hurts me"

Read into that what you will. Of course, it bombed, being released in December 1999, when nobody in their right mind would release a track, let alone the third song off an album. And James had only one more (excellent) single and album left in them before Tim Booth left, but I feel that they're a pretty much unappreciated & forgotten band these days and this needs to be rectified, starting here.

Single Review - Air "Surfing On A Rocket"

AIR "Surfing On A Rocket"

single released by Virgin: April 19, 2004

This has been on almost permanent rotation in the car for the last two weeks. Dunno about you, but after the "10000hz Legend" disaster, I wasn't expecting much from Air again. But "Talkie Walkie" was a return to the form that made "Moon Safari" an enduring classic... but this single from that album passed me by at the time. It was only recently on compiling a "Best Of" for the car that I picked up on it.

It contains one of the most gorgeous guitar lines ever (ahh, those minor keys), breathy French vocals (not female but the lads themselves), bizarre lyrics about surfing bombs, some great keyboard noodling in the middle and a sudden ending (always a winner). Nigel (Radiohead) Godrich's production is superb, giving a focus to the song that sometimes the band's own production lacks. It's a chill out track that deserves to be played LOUD.

Singles Reviews - New Order "Fine Time"

This is the first in a series of my own reviews of some of my favourite singles, first posted in the Cookd & Bombd forums, as part of their "Verbwhores 1000 best singles" thread.

Hope you enjoy.

NEW ORDER "Fine Time"

Factory FAC 223-7
Chart pos #11

New Order go to Ibiza and come back with this.

My first reaction to hearing this single on the radio for the first time was “What the fuck….?”. It sounded absolutely mad. Now I’m talking about the 7” version here. Not the album version, which is longer, rearranged with time to breathe. No, the seven inch, which compacts everything into a three-minute package of dance mentalness (which is odd really as you can’t dance to it).

This wasn’t, and still isn’t typical New Order. The track screams in all guns blazing, with Barney’s semi-angry vocal “You’re much toooooo youuuuuuuuung..” over a busy squelchy acid backing (apparently the genre called Balearic, m’lud). There’s no chorus to speak of. A pastiche of a Barry White lurrrrrve monologue (“Oooooohhhhhhh. Sophisticated laydehhhhhhhhh”). A dead stop in the middle of the track. Weird synthesized voices. No trademark Peter Hook bass until the end. And sheep noises. Add a beautiful Peter Saville sleeve (as ever) and Barney doing Bez-type dancing on prime-time TOTP and you’ve got a winner.

We thought that the “Technique” album would be more of the same. It wasn’t, and I’m glad, because this track stands on it’s own as a gem to be cherished. It hasn’t dated because it sounds like nothing around at that time or since. As innovative as “Blue Monday” but it’ll never get the praise. Except here.

Weight Update!

Weigh in this week, and I've lost six pounds, even with having to pig out at V2006. Hurrah.

To celebrate I had a Dominos.

Hmmmm.

V. Wet

We went to the V 2006 Festival at Weston Park last weekend and a jolly time was had. Here's a brief review.

Saturday

Rain.

Rain rain rain rain... rain. Which means mud. We'd been checking the weekend weather forecast over the previous few days, and the enevitable conclusion was that it was going to be wet and muddy. So one trip to Millets later, Celia & I were suitably equipped for the weekend in macs & wellies. The environment was not a prob. This being our third V at Weston Park, we were used to the layout and where everything would be... or were we? Oh no, co this time they'd changed the layout, for the better, and certain stages had moved (we never actually got to the Channel 4 stage all weekend).

After getting our bearings, and some well needed grub down us - hurrah for Giant Yorkshire Puddings with sausages, mash and gravy! - and getting our beer tokens and doing a little shopping (see Celia's groovy top, right) we saw some of Sugababes' set, before retreating to the JJB Tent/Arena to listen to Imogen Heap and then Nerina Pallot who was really good, in a early Sheryl Crow sort of way. More beers and a trip to the Bacardi stage followed - a weird place rammed where the bartenders poured and served your Bacardi drinks in time to the very loud DJ set in the background, whilst the springy floor meant that everybody there was bouncing up and down in time to the beats. As it was so rammed it felt necessary to get doubles - see left.

And still the rain came down - the ground was holding up reasonably well and we didn't care about the rain due to our protective gear. However, we fancied seeing something guaranteed to be good, and Paul Weller on the main stage wasn't doing it for us, him playing shite album tracks when all the crowd wanted was a few singles and some Jam tracks. So back to the JJB to see The Beautiful South. Unfashionable they may be, but boy did that tent rock. SingalongaSouth time with "Rotterdam", "Good As Gold", "You Keep It All In" & "Old Red Eyes Is Back". Fabulous.

We got out in time to see Faithless tearing the main stage apart with their hits, transferring surprisingly well to the live arena and making the place seem like a club. Night drew in, the rain eased slightly, and Morrissey took to the stage for the finale, playing a set comprised mainly of his new album, some recent singles and Smiths classics like "Panic", "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" (we didn't), "Girlfriend In A Coma" before rounding off with a fierce "How Soon Is Now". Great stuff for an oldie.

Then the long walk out. What would the next day bring?

Sunday

Sunsheeeeeeeeiiiiiiine.

Yes, no rain today, and no reason to rush to see anybody. We meandered in to hear the end of Kula Shaker, did a little bit of shopping again in one of the clothes stalls, whilst listening to The Magic Numbers in the background, more Yorkshire pud (hurrah again) and beers before settling down to listen to Bloc Party, who were alright but never anything better than background fodder. Over to the JJB for Echo & The Bunnymen, who never let me down, doing a 35 minute set of hits - tremendous stuff. We got sidetracked after this trying to get an inflatable Motorola V3 phone from the area where the promo guys were throwing them into a hungry waiting crowd. It was only thanks to the tenacity of Celia that we managed to wrestle one away from some guy who tried to nick the one I had my grip on. So we had something comfy to sit on, whilst watching Keane and having a beer/breezer .

Then came Beck, and his puppet band, which had to be seen to be believed. It's odd listening to him and then seeing a puppet on the big screen lipsynching to "Devils Haircut". His set meandered to a close before a video was shown of what the puppets had got up to that day (hilarious stuff really) before the man came back with "E-Pro" & "Where It's At". Bloody brilliant.

Then the headliners - Radiohead were as good as ever. No surprises (hah! a pun) as they ran through there most popular stuff, (special note must be made here of the efforts of the sound crew - it sounded crystal clear from wherever you stood - fabulous) before we raced over to the JJB to catch some of Fatboy Slim's set - let's party like it's 1997. The guy's a genius, mixing loads of new stuff like Gorillaz & Gnarls Berkley with his own tracks, and the tent was rocking, with Celia giving loads of rave shapes. Great stuff.

We wandered back out to catch the last bit of Radiohead where they were doing "Karma Police" & a rare outing for "Creep" which drew in many a non-fan like zombies in the night "Urrrrgh... Creep... I know this one....". First time I'd ever heard them do it live as well. And then that was it. Home...

... and our temporary home this weekend was with the fabulous Karen & Stef, who handily live in the nearby village of Shifnal, and who kindly let us stay over the weekend. No camping for us! There's no adequate way of thanking them for putting us up, and for giving their generous time and lifts to and from Weston Park. Oh, and for accompanying us to East End Balti House in Shifnal, for the best curry I've had so far, and staying up drinking until the early hours, watching Modern Toss and for Stef's bacon butties in the morning. Let's not forget the Badger cat in a box.

The Shifnal posse - we salute you!

Who ate all the pies?

It's Monday and it's day three of the diet. Yes, I'm on the old Slimming World so it's green & red days all round. Got to lose a couple of stone. Well, say "got to", I don't actually have to but as I look pregnant at times it's probably best all round. So Celia & I enrolled last Thursday, the big shop was done on Saturday and it's full steam ahead. Cut out the Dominos pizza & chocolate, and keep an eye on the beer. I'm taking my lead from Celia as she did so well last time, and kept most of it off, so I've got a role model and someone to make sure I don't cheat. Watch this space for updates. Hopefully, by November i'll be a bit thinner, but we'll see. Greebo cat is also on the diet as he weighs a stone. He's a little barrel. So it's a cutback on the biscuits for him.