Never mind performing the main body of the song - if @billybragg.bsky.social performed this live on whatever the equivalent of "Breakfast Time" is today, the producers would have rugby-tackled him to the ground just for singing the word "tits" in the second verse 😂 youtu.be/t-4RjOrolKk?...

Mashup Bands Tangerine Dream Theater The Flower Kings of Leon NEU!-ronium

#nowplaying "In Flight" by George Benson. Besides "Gimme the Night" his work was very unfamiliar to me, and £3 for a used LP was a safe gamble. I'm liking it - funky AF, beautifully arranged, and I like his expressive and lyrical guitar playing. Don't think this will be my last GB album 😀

Album No. Thirty-something in the Downgrade Challenge Album: "A Change Is as Good as Arrest" by the Big Yin Condition: Aye, it's pretty good an' that. No wee scratches. Notes: Surprised Ron Mael didn't sue over A2. Definite "Sparks rip off" vibes coming from that one.

This is the wallpaper on my Brave browser home screen. I can't tell you what these buildings actually are, but something about me tells me this is the HQ of IKEA?

Doing a top-up shop at Lidl yesterday, and was given a card on the way out advertising the "Underground Press" website. I've seen their stickers and placards on street signs around here, so I know their content is green-ink bullshit. I crumpled it up and threw it in the bin IN FULL VIEW ⬇️

ELECTION DAY -1: "We'll reduce your council tax by cutting all that woke crap." ELECTION DAY +1: "Hey... where's all the woke crap we were supposed to cut?" SIX MONTHS LATER: "The council is now free from woke AS WE PROMISED but we're still having to raise your council tax because IMMIGRATION"

Have Bobby McFerrin and Michael Winslow ever collaborated on anything?

Album #25 of the Downgrade Challenge and the first from today's CrazyBeat haul Album: Brewing Up With @billybragg.bsky.social Pressing: Go! Discs, UK 1984 Condition: Strong VG Upgrade List: No Notes: The 95C performs well, rendering the record's visible battle scars shallow and superficial.

I addition to the Downgrade Challenge, I also wanted to see if I was wasting money on VG+/NM records if VG was more than adequate. So I bought a box full, no one record priced above a fiver. On inspection, a good clean and all should sound perfectly fine, only with a few forgivable clicks/ticks.

Album #23 of the Downgrade Challenge (starting to skip a few now) Album: The soundtrack to "Kin" by Mogwai Pressing: Rock Action, 2018 XE Condition: NM (bought new) Upgrade List: No Notes: It's Post-Rock - not Alan Parsons - so the 95C's limits probably add qualities that make it sound better.

Blocked my first two accounts on Bluesky today after a snarky quote on a repost. Just my way of saying "Nice try, but I'm not biting. Bye!"

Album #20 of the Downgrade Challenge Album: "We'll Bring the House Down" by Slade Pressing: Cheapskate/RCA, 1981 UK Condition: Bostin' vinyl! Upgrade List: Ay gunna bovvah Notes: No problem for the 95C but it was never the best sounding record anyway: very loud with little in the way of bass.

It's been a long day. I've made 5 or 6 more entries into my Downgrade Challenge but they were on in the background while I worked, wasn't paying them much attention, and now too tired to list them all. Not even 8pm yet, and calling it a night. And to think, as kids, we yearned for later bedtimes 😆

I have the UK 12" single of "Keeping the Dream Alive" by Freiheit, which has all this Xmas imagery on the cover. Even heard it in Matalan between festive Slade and Shaky hits ⬇️

I'm pretty sure I watched this one as an 8yr old. I distinctly remember the Jan Hammer performance being the first time I'd heard of him. I just loved anything that sounded different, and "Crockett's Theme" certainly did. Who'd have thunk that TOTP would become my gateway drug to Mahavishnu? 😆

Album #13 of the Downgrade Challenge Album: "Live at Brixton" by @psbhq.bsky.social Pressing: Test Card, 2016 UK Condition: NM (bought new) Upgrade List: No Notes: Cut a little quieter (typical of 180g pressings). No bass is sacrificed, and sounds consistent even on an entry-level stylus.

Album #12. Definitely the last one for today. Album: "Playin' for Keeps" by Eddie Money Pressing: CBS, 1980 UK Condition: VG+ Upgrade List: No Notes: Might revisit this one in the morning. Sounds a bit muddy, but that may be fatigue or comparing to the BJH LP from earlier. No obvious flaws though.

Conversion therapy is abuse, plain and simple. Letting it return would put countless teens through needless pain and lifelong trauma it’s a threat to their safety, dignity, and mental health.

Album #11, the first of (at most) two tonight. Office day. Album: "Baby James Harvest" by BJH Pressing: Fame/EMI Reissue, 1987 UK Condition: Borderline NM Upgrade List: No. Shop for a vintage copy instead Notes: Harsh, bright master. Sibilance and splatty cymbals throughout, even on outer cuts.

The Green Party for the last few days have gained 1000 new members every single day. We've just reached 87,000 members!!!! Let's make hope normal again. Join.greenparty.org.uk

Album 10 of the challenge, and probably the last one tonight. Album: "From the Witchwood" by Strawbs Pressing: A&M, 1972 US Condition: Strong VG+ Upgrade List: No Notes: Lovely warm bass and instrument separation; struggles with sibilants if the vocal is hard-panned, but not irritatingly so.

Album #9 of the Downgrade Challenge Album: "World Machine" by Level 42 Pressing: Polydor, 1985 UK Condition: Deceptive VG Upgrade List: No Notes: Visibly scuffed and scratched, but plays really cleanly with all the dynamics expected of a L42 LP.

Album #8 of the Downgrade Challenge Album: Moroder's "Metropolis" s/track Pressing: CBS, 1984 UK Condition: Strong VG Upgrade List: No Notes: This one always sounded fine, even on lesser TTs with the AT3600L fitted. Having the instrumental tracks at the end of each side helps.

Album #7 of my Downgrade Challenge Album: "From This Place" by Pat Metheny Pressing: Nonesuch, 2020 XE Condition: NM (bought new) Upgrade List?: No Notes: No issues at all. Sounded enjoyable throughout.

Album #6 of my Downgrade Challenge Album: "Video Flashback" by Eberhard Schoener Pressing: Harvest, 1979 UK Condition: VG Upgrade List?: No Notes: A fair amount of sibilance on "Code Word Elvis" with Sting's vocal sounding out of phase with the rest. Otherwise, sounds perfectly fine.

Album #5 of my Downgrade Challenge Album: "The Visitors" by ABBA Pressing: Epic, 1982 UK Condition: VG+ Upgrade List: No Notes: Expected much worse with it being early digital, female vocal but mastered very well. Sounded consistent, even on "Soldiers", the end of Side 1 cut with lots of 'S' sounds

Album #4 of my Downgrade Challenge, and my last one of today Album: "Feeding the Monkies at Ma Maison" by Frank Zappa Pressing: Zappa Records, XE c2016 Condition: NM (bought new) Upgrade List: No Notes: Not much in it to trouble the 95C. As a Synclavier work, distortion can be down to sampling.

Album #3 of my Downgrade Challenge Album: "Soundtracks" by Bony Tanks Pressing: Charisma/Virgin, UK 1986 Condition: VG+ Upgrade List: No Notes: Sounds a little bit dry, but that could just be tiredness or the mastering. It has been quite a while since I last played it.

subscriptions >>> shop.viz.co.uk/viz349bs

Album #2 of my Downgrade Challenge Album: "Children of the Sun" by The Sallyangie Pressing: Transatlantic, 1978 GB reissue Condition: VG Upgrade Required: No Notes: Instruments sound great throughout. Expected Sally's vocal to be a challenge, and was only when she was panned hard-right.

mv immigrant /dev/null

First up on my Downgrade Challenge: Album: "Union" by Yes Pressing: Arista, XE 1991 Condition: VG Upgrade Required?: No Notes: Not as clicky as I recall. Expected more sibilance with it being DMM. Inner tracks sound consistent.

Setting myself up for my own #MusicChallenge for October. To try and rid my head of any "audiophile" behaviour, I am going to use only the 95C conical stylus on my turntable for the rest of the month. At least it will get me posting more about music and less about politcs. T&Cs below ⬇️

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

Mother-in-Law: "Any change you could restore this laptop back to factory settings so it can be resold?" Who to? Fred Flintstone? It weighs half a ton, has less memory than a goldfish, its battery has gone the way of the Norwegian Blue (beautiful plumage!) and only a magnet will wipe the HDD 😂

@fireflowervapor.bsky.social Out of curiosity, is there an equivalent word when the bread has been toasted, left to cool, then thickly buttered? My wife thinks the way I eat toast is weird, but if there's a word for it in Danish, I may be able to convince her otherwise 😆

Decided now was the best time to join a political party, and there was only one choice: @greenparty.org.uk - they're the only ones I see as truly "patriotic" as they demonstrate all 5 British values taught in schools, and are not staunch authoritarians, bringing Rules 2 & 3 into conflict.

There I was, innocently doing my shopping. Got to the tills where the newspapers were and saw this. Add up the pre-amble and the emphasis on "was" in the headline, I feel as if I'm being accused of radicalising that eejit, simply because my politics lean left-of-centre. Not great for the ol' MH.

Age yourself with a film you saw in the cinema as a kid.

A good point. It's like the plot of "We Will Rock You" in its early stages... and they say Ben Elton doesn't have his finger on the pulse of popular culture! I don't think snobbery is the answer - I've seen the gatekeeping that leads to - but certainly a greater degree of discernment.

I don't think Pink Floyd ever made a truly bad album, but the one I listen to the least is "Atom Heart Mother". I have to press stop before "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". The music's great, but listening to a closely-miked Alan masticating his Rice Krispies is... 🤮! youtu.be/iSR3DIRce1A?...

I can see why they call this beer "Mr. President". Its not, as the side of the can claims, because it's "a beer destined for greatness". At 9.2%, it doesn't take many cans to have you as bewildered as Biden, or talking bollocks like Trump 😅

Sorry for the "radio silence". It's been a very busy couple of weeks, but none of it worth posting about on social media.

No particular reason

Had the "Amazon exclusive" re-release of Buckingham Nicks on pre-order, and asked Amazon customer services why my delivery estimate was Tuesday when, if I placed an order now, I'd get it tomorrow. Surely pre-orders take priority? Their resolution was more than satisfactory ⬇️

I work for the UK wing of a US company, but my politics are very much in the left/liberal/progressive bubble. I am an anti-fascist, pro-Trans watermelon with more balanced/rational views on immigration. And thanks to Maya Forstater, I can't be fired merely for holding those views! Oh the irony!

USER: "Can you help me fix this Python code I've written?" C64: "Let me look into that. Press PLAY on tape." [45 minutes later] C64: "No, sorry."

One last record before bed, and it's "A Wonderful Hope" by Late Night Final, a solo project by J. Willgoose of @psbhq.bsky.social, recorded during the pandemic when PSB activities were on hold. I was really impressed with this, and it set the scene nicely for the theme "Bright Magic" would take.