Townes Van Zandt - The Old Quarter House Tim Buckley - Dream Letter Live in London David Bowie - Santa Monica 1972 The Velvet Underground - 69 Jane's Addiction - S/T MC5 - Kick Out The Jams Neil Young - Time Fades Away Nirvana - Unplugged Dylan - Bootleg 1966 James Brown - Apollo

#5DebutAlbums9094 Flying Saucer Attack's self-titled debut from 1993. Fragile folk songs drowning in a sea of feedback, they christened their own sound as 'rural psychedelia'. Despite featuring a slightly ill-advised cover of Suede's The Drowners, this will almost certainly make my top 5.

Right, ignore this list. I forgot about Mani, Holger Czukay & Danny Thompson. Now Charles Mingus is on the phone and Cliff Burton is ringing my doorbell.

Top 10 bassists, top of my head Carol Kaye Steve Hanley Paul McCartney Kim Gordon Robbie Shakespeare Mike Watt Bootsy Collins Geezer Butler Larry Graham Jah Wobble

Listening to Slates on the way to work & hearing Older Lover for the first since I discovered that it was allegedly written about Mark E Smith's than current older lover & Fall manager Kay Carroll & thinking that she probably wasn't best pleased. I mean it's not Something by The Beatles, is it?

Wikipedia template for every prominent right wing businessman

Has Tom Waits ever covered Yoko's Listen, The Snow is Falling and if not, why not?

Who are your top 10 all-time favourite guitarists? Top of the head stuff. Jimi Hendrix Dave Navarro Richard Lloyd/Tom Verlaine Eddie Hazel Richard Thompson Joni Mitchell D Boon Cate Le Bon Bert Jansch Johnny Thunders Andy Gill Neil Young Kevin Shields OK, not 10, but hey.

Today's post. A 28 track Margo Guryan album, Seasons by Pete Jolly (thx for the tip @iammilliam.bsky.social ), a Betty Davis album & all the way from the US, an amazing Brazilian LP by Edu Lôbo that @andrewmale.bsky.social & @jspacewoman.bsky.social were discussing before Xmas. All for under £100!

What have you done with our indoor tree?

This song has popped up on three albums that I have randomly listened to in the 10 days since I posted this! The Cramps, Holly Golightly & now Françoise Hardy. And to think I thought that I didn't know the song.

#NowPlaying Does anybody know how this went down with the hardcore folk people of 1966? Was it praised (as it should have been), or did they feel that she was stepping on their toes? Many of these arrangements are similar to those later used by Pentangle, Fairport, Trees, etc.

Tree down, record player back in its regular spot. A sense of calm has returned. I think that Christmas decorations can have a negative effect on your mental health after they've been up for too long. They're very 'busy' as a backdrop.

This is brilliant.

#5DebutAlbums9094 This seems like a good place to start. Super chilled jazz tinged hip-hop with whip-smart lyrics.

Jesus Christ. He is a legal man. As wet as a wet wipe that has been floating in our heavily polluted rivers that he has done literally nothing about. Vote GREEN for fuck's sake.

Here you go. A proper English slice of alternative pop. They are just kids, can't wait to hear what comes next.

Starmer and Farage both drape themselves in flags but once again it's really clear where their loyalty really is. It's Trump first. They will always be on the side of the super rich and powerful - no matter how heinous the crime. This is not patriotism. It's subservience.

Don't miss out on this one. This album has the secret Slowdive DNA coursing through its veins.

Hey @bigpotatorecords.bsky.social have you seen who's at number 80?

Obligatory crap phone photo of the full moon.

youtu.be/yIA_NVFnXZ8?... Happy heavenly hundredth, Sir George.

That thing when you get paid early because of Xmas & everything looks good & then all of your direct debits come out on the 1st of Jan and you realise it's fishpaste sandwiches for lunch for 31 days.

After months of remaining tiny, Cassie has had a growth spurt and now looks like she has a powerful supernatural aura about her.

#NowPlaying Why isn't this woman a fucking superstar? She's like every Motown girl band rolled into one Essex human being.

My car/kitchen/walking stats for 2025. Albums most listened to.

Nothing new, then.

youtu.be/wHqcBL_a7q8?... Remembering one of my favourite moments on MTV. Beavis & Butthead do Pavement.

#NowPlaying This is far better than the shit you're listening to right now.

youtu.be/jhMk_wLm07E?... I'm exhausted, so won't make it to midnight. Enjoy this amazing song and have a wonderful new year x

My lovely wife @alsalv.bsky.social has just spent 5 minutes beneath a car trying to reassure a young ginger cat that the fucking ridiculously loud fireworks won't hurt him/her.

#NowPlaying Heading into 2026 with the sound of the 1916 Western Front.

I only went to three gigs this year, but they were all ace. Fiery Furnaces, Cate Le Bon (both at The Barbican) and HOO at the Rising Sun Arts Centre in Reading. I'll try to get out a bit more in 2026.

Morning. Here's a lovely clip of Tyrannosaurus Rex on French TV in 1969. I suspect that Marc would've been fuming had he known how high in the mix Steve's lovely harmonies were. youtu.be/clxAZ8afXco?...

How has this only got 7 likes?

Some absolute bargains in the @driftrecords.com sale. I just ordered LPs by Betty Davis, Pete Jolly & Margo Guryan, all 41% off.

From our neighbour @discodeb72.bsky.social Just our cat Cromarty wandering into other people's houses to talk about The Fall like some kind of missionary.

Last one but in reverse. Me and Alice had backstage passes to WOMAD in 2005ish. A Manc lad who was clearly on a lot of drugs decided that I was Johnny Marr & followed us around for about 4 hours. Nothing could dissuade him. He went for a piss and we legged it.

open.spotify.com/track/4H0Hsp... Post your anthem for 2026. I have a cancer screening consultation tomorrow, my daughter is off the fucking rails & two of the biggest cunts on Earth have the nuclear codes. Worried Worried by Mayo Thompson, 1970.

To be fair, I posted a Brigitte Bardot picture yesterday morning. I was under the impression that she was 'slightly problematic', but didn't know quite how awful she had become. Post deleted & I'm so much older than Chappell Roan, I should've known better.

Also, I had to visit a guy who was a gopher for Alan Lake & Diana Dors in the early 1970s. I was only with him for an hour or so, but I could've written an extremely salacious novel from the information he disclosed.

Ruin two bands by combining them... Pink Floyd Cole & The Commotions

I helped Michaela Strachen locate a Galliano CD when I worked at the Virgin Megastore (they were filed under jazz). I remember her being a thousand times more beautiful in real life than she looks on the telly and that she smelled nicer than any human being I had ever met at that stage of my life.

Smartly dressed man stood outside Reading Magistrates Court at 8.58am, presumably going in for a trial. Smokes a cigarette before producing a bottle of Hobgoblin ale from his coat, opening it with his keyring and downing it one. Leaves empty bottle on wall & enters the building.

OK, I have done my best. Here goes; 25. Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter 24. Broadcast - Tender Buttons 23. Cate Le Bon - Mug Museum 22. This Is The Kit - Moonshine Freeze 21. Jeffrey Lewis - A Turn in the Dream Songs 1/5

youtu.be/v0CYB5V9e64?... I recently learned that Courtney had been commissioned to write a song for Stevie Nicks. This was the result and it fucking slaps. Stevie never even got to hear a demo.

Thinking of forming a stoner rock band called Dracula AD 1972.

#NowPlaying Been thinking about my favourite albums of the 21st century. I always 'quite' liked Cornershop, but this just blew me away. It has a massive T.Rex vibe running through it, but also lovingly recreats the beautiful pastoral sound of Kevin Ayers. This nursed me through the first lockdown.

I saw a post (sorry can't find it or remember who it was) asking people for their top 25 albums of the last 25 years. I love a list so starting putting mine together. It is just impossible. Having trouble getting it down to my top 75 at the moment. 'Music was better in the past', pah!

I am thoroughly enjoying listening to this excellent audiobook. Stewart Lee is absolutely perfect as narrator. I am only up to chapter 4 but have already lost count as to how members of The Fall have left the band.