Remember the days when Morrissey released a record and it went in at number one. Nowadays he has had to fight to get a record released (let’s hope the single Make Up Is A Lie is not the standard of this new record), cancels concerts at a drop of a hat, and has put his business interests in The Smiths up for sale. I saw him in concert last year and before we went to a pub nearby. It was full of people with Morrissey quiffs and Morrissey t-shirts; he will always have his devote

Massive Attack have been around since 1988 and have released five albums, and we have not had one for sixteen years. The Beautiful South formed the same year and released double the amount and split up twenty years ago. Not the most prolific of bands.   Mezzanine was their third record and was a UK number one and is one of those records that I go back to again and again, so what if they have only made five records when they have one as good as this in their back catalogue.  

Previous Clash album London Calling is one of my top four favourite albums they swap about but nothing has knocked them out of my top four so when reviewed it obviously scored a perfect ten ( 318) The Clash - London Calling ) That review mentioned my naivety when I first got into music and how I avoided buying their double album, if I avoided that there was no way I was buying a bloody treble.   Of course, when I did buy London Calling it was a joy from start to finish so whe

We are back to the coolest indie kid in Glasgow in 1987 for this one. That cool indie kid let’s not forget is me. Which as we have all worked out from these reviews, I was a dick who knew everything and bugger all at the same time.   In college I met a girl called Kirsty who had long red hair, when my mates met her, they called her Carol Decker, yep, they were as original as me.   Now Kirsty was brand new, a good laugh, fun on nights out and generally an easy going person, we

A Danish band is the request, and I was obviously gutted when it wasn’t Aqua but if it can’t be them let’s have a listen to The Raveonettes.   Can you believe this duo have been around for twenty-five years especially as co-vocalist and bassist Sharin Foo hasn’t bloody changed. Her and fellow vocalist and guitarist Sune Rose Wagner have released ten albums and Lust Lust Lust was their third record released back in 2007 and was their first record recorded without any outside m

Even at this age it’s a thrill when you see someone who you know has made a record. I’ve stood next to Justin Currie in a pub, chatted to Shirley and Rona from Goodbye Mr MacKenzie, said hello to Bobby Gillespie and as previously stated worked with a member of Geneva.Obviously my glamorous lifestyle has made you all jealous as I mingle with my celebrity mates, I imagine none of them have forgotten meeting me.If you are ever in Glasgow and are in need of a look round a record

Passionate Friend, Treason and Reward had made Julian Cope a chart friendly star but after the Teardrops broke up the world was not ready for his solo albums with his first two records both selling poorly.   I knew the above singles but I was too young for the start of his solo career but thirty nine years ago (I looked it up 9/10/86 – frightening) I saw this very cool man all in leathers and shades climb up his microphone stand and perch himself above everyone as he belted o

Here we are in 1989 The Firm have taken Star Trekkin’ to number one and we were still to have the thrill of T’Pau China In Your Hand to come. The odd song like MARRS Pump Up The Volume would make Top of the Pops bearable, but the mainstream charts was not my thing.   Indie people like me were still missing The Smiths and we all loved Liz Fraser’s vocals and had been enthralled by a band called The Sugarcubes who had this singer called Bjork who has produced this magical singl

In the three and a half years I have done this I have been amazed by the knowledge of people on music. I try to do one of my own and a request each week, although the requests are nearly done. The ones I choose I think I know what I am talking about but usually someone will tell me something of which I am not aware. The requests I think, “ah that’s a brilliant choice,” and sometimes I think “I have no bloody idea.” I read up and yep usually someone tells me something I don’t

If Billy Duffy had never achieved success and was living in Manchester working in a crap job in Finance, like me, he would be able to sit in any pub anywhere and tell everyone he suggested to his mate Johnny Marr that he should search out a guy called Steven Morrissey who was in a band with him called The Nosebleeds, that would be enough to give Billy a footnote in musical history.   However, Billy could luckily play the guitar and met Ian Astbury forming Death Cult and final

I have talked about Echo in Byres Road ran by two brothers before. I had an afternoon of watching the football in a nearby pub and had a look round in there for half an hour before the second match kicked off. They had The Replacements Tim cheap. I had heard of them so thought I’d give it a go. One of the brothers asked me if I owned any of their other albums and then proceeded to fill me in on what I was missing.   I left with not just Tim but Sorry, Ma, Forgot To Take Out t

Review 316 was Sneaker Pimps Becoming X where I mentioned Morcheeba and thought I must review that record.   I am very much a guitar indie man, a woman in my work always asks me what I’m listening to and after my reply the response is either “never heard of them,” or “bloody hell that must be forty odd years old.”   I can’t deny I know what I like, constantly go back to old favourites and if it is new, it usually has an indie vibe. Some of the requests on here have turned me

I have a female friend who is same age as me and we do the same job, when you work that close together on Teams you end up singing the odd line from a song whilst waiting on the other. I never know what she is singing, this is for two reasons, one she is terrible (says tone deaf man) and two it’s usually something she has listened to on the radio and Shazamed.   I haven’t listened to music on the radio for about twenty years because why would I want to listen to adverts, the

I think I have spoken a few times of my love for my job. If anyone has ever read any of these reviews, they know this is a total lie. I work in an office doing the wonders of Finance, to be clear its boring and crap but like many pays me enough to afford a house and some of the nicer things in life, the day I retire I will not think about it ever again.   Some years ago, we had a guy in the office who I would go to if I couldn’t do something on Excel (sorry I know this is get

We are back in ignorance territory to be honest. I do know the name but they are another band where I have never heard a note. The usual extensive research (okay reading the internet) tells me that two of the band were in Symposium who I had totally forgotten about but I didn’t mind their song Fairweather Friend so they have a pedigree.   This record, their debut, made the UK top twenty back in 2003 but like their previous band the record company messed them about and they ne

We reviewed New Gold Dream back in review 57 ( https://www.albumsin200words.co.uk/post/57-simple-minds-new-gold-dream ) where I felt as they hit the big time we lost a bit of interest in Scotland.   They had emerged in 1979 and their new wave style was given time to develop releasing four albums to moderate success until they broke through with New Gold Dream,  In this day and age not many bands would be given time to develop over several albums but this was their moment and

As we all know when this record was released the band were known as British Sea Power but in 2021 due to the way the world has sadly become, they became Sea Power, so let’s stick with that.   Sea Power have been around for thirty years and have released ten studio albums, to me they are one of those bands where I enjoy their music, have bought their records and I could not tell you one single thing about them. So, a usual review from me then.   Open Season was their second re

Losing Mani was a shock, he had been on podcasts recently and was about to go on tour talking about his career. Sadly, he had lost his wife a few years earlier, rough years but we should never forget what a musician this man was.   The Wedding Present were nine years. Massive Attack fifteen years, The Undertones we haven’t had one in eighteen years, and it took The The twenty-four years. Nowadays acts can go years without releasing a record so what was the big fuss about The

CBGB’s is just one of those places everyone has heard of, wishes they had seen some of the acts that played there, and those acts say it was a dump. Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie Talking Heads to name just a few. Another group who had a residency there was Television.   Marquee Moon is just eight songs long but constantly appears in greatest albums lists and is considered one of the most influential albums ever.   This record had a huge influence on the UK punk scene but is n

Their debut, The Eight-Legged Groove Machine, had made the top twenty and  each single was selling more and charting higher, they were certainly on the up.   Hup would be the last record released with the original line up with Rob “The Bass Thing” Jones leaving the band and sadly dying in 1993 but before all that sadness the band continued their upward trajectory with this record making the top five.   Two singles were released Don’t Let Me Down, Gently wonderful opening and