Last weekend, on his BBC Radio 2 show “Pick of the Pops”, Paul Gambaccini played the UK chart from 1968, 52 years ago. “The Legend of Xanadu” by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich was at #1, having just replaced “Cinderella Rockafella” by Esther and Abi Ofarim. “Lady Madonna” by The Beatles was the… Continue reading This week in 1968: a chart full of girls’ names
Last week’s Album of the week was “The Wheat Album” by The Rutles. It prompted memories of “The White Album”, as the Beatles’ self-titled 1968 release is usually called. I planned to make Jay-Z’s similarly-named 2003 release “The Black Album” my latest Album of the week, having bought a copy from a local charity shop… Continue reading Album of the week: #6 “Shadows in the Night” (Bob Dylan), not “The Black Album” (Jay-Z)
During the life of this Blog I have referred many times to Pop Master, the mid-morning quiz on Ken Bruce’s BBC Radio 2 show, broadcast on weekdays. I have mentioned, more than once, that it is the most listened-to slot on UK radio, apart from breakfast shows. For nearly three years (since April 2017) I… Continue reading Pop Master analysed, again, and the death of a quizzer
The Rutles might have passed you by. They never had a hit single or album and they rarely performed live. They were a spoof band with origins in a mid-1970s TV comedy show here in the UK, “Rutland Weekend Television”, hence the first part of their name. As their nickname “The Prefab Four” suggests, they… Continue reading Album of the Week: #5 “The Wheat Album” (The Rutles) [And memories of Neil Innes RIP]
Wednesday is my day for choosing a new Album of the week. This new habit was prompted by the example of the current Master of Jesus College Cambridge, Sonita Alleyne, as noted in this piece from last month. Sometimes, with a new habit, or any change in behaviour, you can over-plan how you want it… Continue reading Album of the week: #4 “Rockferry” (Duffy)
Before you read on, be aware that this piece contains many rude words, or rather the same curse word repeated many times in different forms. If you are sensitive to such things, or are under 13, please stop reading now. If not, continue to the next paragraph, after these photos of the CD cover and… Continue reading Album of the week: #3 “Norman … Rockwell!” (Lana del Rey) [contains rude words]
As mentioned in this piece last week I have decided to follow the example of the new Master of Jesus College Cambridge and select an Album of the Week. I started with “Pin-Ups” by David Bowie and have followed it with “entertainment!” by Gang of Four. It was their first album, released on EMI here… Continue reading Album of the week: #2 “entertainment!” (Gang of Four)
Earlier this month, in this piece, I mentioned Sonita Alleyne, the new Master of Jesus College Cambridge. She had appeared on BBC Radio 4’s “Desert Island Discs” and, as that earlier piece noted, she is the first head of an Oxbridge college (as far as I know) who was born after me. Her musical choices… Continue reading Album of the week: #1 “Pin-ups” (David Bowie)
Following on from this piece from April 2019, here is a round-up of the “3-in-10” questions from this year’s editions of Pop Master. As I’m sure you know, Pop Master is the mid-morning quiz on the Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2, and the final challenge for the winning contestant is this: in 10… Continue reading Pop Master: the “3-in-10” questions, 2020
Here we are, a week and a day before Christmas. You have probably heard many seasonal songs already, among them “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl. It was Stuck at 2 here in the UK in 1987, kept off the top spot at Christmas by the Pet Shop Boys version of… Continue reading “The Rare Old Mountain Dew”
The Compartments 