Sunday
31st January
I’m
proud of my beloved Eagles. With the playing staff set
to be eroded away by every Tom Dick And Harry with a few
bob (Victor Moses to Wigan for £2.5m is DAYLIGHT
ROBBERY), the coming months will offer far tougher games
than Peterborough at home. Selhurst must be transformed
into a fortress. Yesterday’s 2-0 victory wasn’t
a bad start and I loved the way Warnock and the team stood
in the centre circle to soak up the appreciation of the
fans after the whistle blew. From now on, till a buyer
comes forward, every game is a cup final. Tickets for
the away games at Watford and Doncaster are already in
my wallet – bring it on!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
30th January
Last
night was spent at the 100 Club as a gentle warm-up for
today’s must-win game against Peterborough United.
Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash were the band I’d
gone to see. Featuring many of my own personal all-time
Ash favourites, including ‘You See Red’ and
the timeless ‘Phoenix’, as well as a song
that Turner claimed the group had never performed live
before (‘Ships In The Sky’, from 1978’s
‘No Smoke Without Fire’), their almost two-hour
show was a delight. That having been said, I remain unconvinced
by the wisdom of allowing guitarists Ray Hatfield and
Danny Willson to take on the occasional lead vocal. And
for all his considerable prowess as a singer Turner himself
was a little out of sorts, uncharacteristically fluffing
the first few lines of the ‘Wishbone Four’
gem ‘Sorrel’. I was also staunchly unamused
by his encore comment regarding Andy Powell. Having dedicated
‘Jailbait’ to “the original members
of Wishbone Ash”, after namechecking guitarist Ted
Turner and drummer Steve Upton, I felt it gratuitous to
feign confusion and quip: “Who’s that other
geezer… oh yeah, Andy Powell”. For clarity’s
sake, had it been the other way around – Powell
disrespecting Turner – I’d have done the exact
same thing: put down my pint and walk out in disgust.
Anyway, here’s the set-list: ‘The King Will
Come’, ‘Vas Dis’, ‘Ballad Of The
Beacon’, ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Widow’,
‘Sorrel’, ‘Everybody Needs A Friend’,
‘Blind Eye’, ‘Phoenix’, ‘Lost
Cause In Paradise’, ‘Error Of My Ways’,
‘Ships In The Sky’, ‘You See Red’,
‘Warrior’, ‘Throw Down The Sword’
and ‘Blowin’ Free’, with encores of
‘Time And Space’, ‘Living Proof’
and ‘Jailbait’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday 29th January
I’ve
not felt like posting for the past few days, but thanks
to all those that emailed or texted their commiserations
regarding Crystal Palace entering administration. With
the club haemorrhaging 100K a week and in debt to the
tune of £32 mill, it was a development I had been
expecting. That said, its cold, hard reality was still
pretty shocking. I had actually been doing an interview
with Petter Ericson Stakee of the band Alberta Cross when
the first text arrived. Pretty soon a trickle became a
flurry. Dan Tobin from Earache Records at least made me
giggle, asking whether I was planning on selling a kidney
(“Obviously your liver would be worthless, so...”),
but with ten points deducted the Eagles have gone from
chasing the play-offs to a single place above the relegation
zone. Ouch. Playing table-toppers Newcastle at St James’
Park on Wednesday evening, with players, back-room staff
and supporters still reeling, definitely separated the
princes from the paupers, though the Eagles put on a typically
plucky display and were desperately unlucky not to have
claimed at least a point despite conceding a freak first
half own goal (it never rains, etc). Our survival chances
are buoyed by manager Neil Warnock having committed to
help the club out of this sorry mess, and with tomorrow’s
game against rock-bottom Peterborough transformed into
a relegation dogfight, I will be fired up and boozed up,
ready to sing for 90 minutes. Oh yes.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
26th January
AC/DC
have been formally unveiled as the first of the headliners
at this year’s Download Festival, with rumours the
band will celebrate the 30th anniversary of ‘Back
In Black’ by performing the LP in its entirety.
With Megadeth, Motörhead, Stone Temple Pilots, Them
Crooked Vultures and Wolfmother also lined up, that’s
quite an impressive early line-up. Shame that, being a
World Cup year, I will not be able to attend. Along with
CR’s own High Voltage bash, the mighty Maiden at
Sonisphere will be my summer festival jaunt.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
25th January
Like
so many other rock fans I was upset by yesterday’s
announcement that the Scorpions are to call it a day after
the tour for what will be the band’s final album,
‘A Sting In The Tail’ (due in March). The
Germans have been so focused and good onstage these last
few years, I figured they still had several more years
of rocking in the tank. But thinking about it, if the
inerweb is to believed frontman Klaus Meine and rhythm
guitarist Rudolf Schenker have both reached the ripe old
age of 61, with lead guitarist Matthias Jabs seven years
behind. They’ve definitely had a good innings and
it certainly makes a change for a band to go out at the
top of its game. Some of my most cherished rock and metal
memories are indebted to the Scorps, including the time
on 1980’s ‘Animal Magnetism’ tour they
headlined London’s Hammersmith Odeon with an unknown
band called Blackfoot in support, or interviewing
them in the studio circa the ‘Unbreakable’
album in 2004.
Last
night I joined a rather sizeable crowd that included Jeff
Scott Soto at the Islington Academy for the return to
London of Stryper. 23 years had passed since the US band
played the Hammersmith Odeon to promote ‘To Hell
With The Devil’. Having seen that show I thought
I knew what to expect, but all of my expectations were
surpassed. People often refer to Stryper as Christian
rock, but they are definitely a Christian **metal** band,
featuring some of the best melodic lead (and harmony back-up)
vocals this writer has ever heard. Bashing out the riffs
and armour-plated twin-leads, the quartet overlooked all
their ballads – even the hit song ‘Honestly’
– in favour of a full-on artillery assault. No,
don’t laugh!! Mid-set they even covered Judas Priest’s
‘Breaking The Law’, remaining with non-original
material by welding some additional powerchords to Boston’s
‘Peace Of Mind’ (for those that don’t
know, Michael Sweet actually toured as a member of Boston
a year after Brad Delp’s suicide in 2007). Sweet’s
brother Robert still plays sideways-on to the audience,
so that his every animal-esque paradiddle can be seen
and, yes, of course they threw some Bibles out into the
audience. My friend Ian actually caught one – well,
got hit by it! After two encores, the latter of which
was a fabulous ‘To Hell With The Devil’, a
prayer from Michael Sweet sent us on our way home…
clearly the Stryper dudes are familiar with the inadequacies
of London’s Sunday night transport system. All kidding
aside, however, the show was superb. Here’s the
set-list: ‘Soldiers Under Command’, ‘Murder
By Pride’, ‘Loud And Clear’, ‘The
Rock That Makes Me Roll’, ‘Reach Out’,
‘Calling On You’, ‘Free’, ‘More
Than A Man’, ‘Breaking The Law’, ‘Peace
Of Mind’, ‘4 Leaf Clover’, ‘Open
Your Eyes’, ‘All For One’, ‘My
Love I’ll Always Show’ and ‘The Way’,
with encores of ‘Sing-Along Song’ and ‘To
Hell With The Devil’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
23rd January
I’d
decided against attending yesterday’s Wolves-Palace
game. With dreaded memories of the underpass that leads
from the city centre to the ground, Molineux is not the
most hospitable of places for an away fan. I’ve
certainly had my share of hairy moments in Wolverhampton,
notably after Palace stuffed the Wanderers during the
promotion season of 96/97, followed in the evening by
a Thunder gig at the Civic Hall. Oddly, nobody except
Harry James appeared to appreciate my mandatory wearing
of red ‘n’ blue stripes – I sometimes
wonder how I got away with such exploits.
But
when my friend Mark Cousins called late on Friday afternoon
offering a lift to the game, I was tempted. Let’s
face it, the way things are looking, there may not be
a Crystal Palace FC for too much longer. I’m so
glad that I accepted. The match finished 2-2, with Palace
twice taking the lead. From my perspective, Wolves were
pretty lucky to salvage a draw with an admittedly stunning
84th-minute chest down and volley from Ronald Zubar. Mostly,
though, the day was about the crack of a good old-fashioned
away trip. The first cider hit the lips at 7.30am and
I finally stopped drinking at around 10pm, the only respite
being the 90 minutes of the game. I’ve worked out
that I drank two litres of cider on the journey north
and three on the way home, notwithstanding the pints in
a Wolverhampton pub and a double-Baileys chaser before
heading to the ground. Had the Eagles held out for another
six minutes, the perfect day would have been complete.
Oh well, the income from a replay at Selhurst won’t
do the coffers any harm.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday 22nd January
En
route to last night’s Jackdaw4 gig, I popped into
Fopp Records and picked up a couple of bargains. Roger
Waters’ ‘The Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking’
is a record I’d never owned on CD before, and I
also scooped up the re-mastered re-issue of Johnny Winters’
self-titled debut from 1969, complete with sleeve notes
and bonus tracks. Three quid apiece… lovely!
Incredibly,
five years had flown by since my last sighting of Jackdaw4.
The 100 Club was respectably full as Willie Dowling and
company kick-started a new bout of activity that should
keep them busy for the next few months. A double best-of
album called ‘Retrospectacles’ pulls together
material from the two existing two studio records, followed
by a brand new CD titled ‘The Eternal Struggle For
Justice’ in the early summertime, at which point
the band will go out on tour. Two tunes from that disc,
‘Wire To The Wire’ and ‘The Eternal
Struggle For Justice’ itself, suggest that the new
music will be worth waiting for. Dowling is both a superb
writer and a captivatingly witty frontman, and as songs
like ‘This Is Your Life’ and the celebrity-mocking
‘Sooma’ – the latter also known as ‘The
Sun Shines Out Of My Ass’ – fly by, the listener
is left wondering how on earth they did not become hits.
Here’s hoping they will be afforded a second chance.
[As an aside, however, I also heard an interesting rumour
that Dowling’s former band Honeycrack may be considering
a reunion… remember where you heard it first].
Here’s the set-list: ‘My Little Gangsta’,
‘This Is Your Life’, ‘Frobisher’s
Last Stand’, ‘Sooma’, ‘Jesus Wants
My Soul Back’, ‘Beautiful Game’, ‘Wire
To The Wire’, ‘The Eternal Struggle For Justice’,
‘King For A Day’, ‘Bipolar Diversions’,
‘End Of The Party’, ‘Deep And Meaningless’
and encores of ‘Happy? (Dumka)’, ‘Anyway’
and ‘Hey Bulldog’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
21st January
Yesterday’s highpoint was a phone chat with
Gary Rossington, the last surviving founding member of
Lynyrd Skynyrd, as a preamble for the band’s British
tour in March. When Skynyrd last rolled through the UK
(see Diary 1st June ’09), they focussed upon material
exclusively from 1973-1977. Expect to hear a lot more
from ‘God & Guns’, their excellent latest
disc, this time around.
This
evening I will be at the 100 Club for a gig from Jackdaw
4, a relatively new band featuring former The Grip/The
Wildhearts/Cat People/Honeycrack member Willie Dowling,
a guy whose talent I’ve long admired. Willie was
involved in one of my most embarrassing moments in rock
‘n’ roll. Back in the days when I was employed
by RAW Magazine, he and CJ from The Wildhearts formed
Honeycrack – a band I thought were brilliant. Anyway,
under strict warning that she would convert me into a
eunuch if I played it anybody, a friend that worked as
a music publisher passed me a copy of the band’s
very first demo-tape. RAW had a relatively new editor
at the time, Jon Hotten, so I could not resist trying
to prove that I had my finger on the pulse and said, ‘Jon,
take a listen to this, it’s brilliant’. As
the office gathered around the hi-fi (remember those?!),
gradually nodding their approval, the phone on my desk
rang. I went to pick it up. Would you Adam & Eve it,
the caller was none other than Willie bloody Dowling,
whose voice rose as he stated: “Hmmm… that
song in the background sounds very familiar”. I
wanted the earth to open up and swallow me.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
20th January
Although
I was gutted to have missed the first part of Daughtry’s
support slot, for reasons I won’t bore you with,
yesterday’s Nickelback gig was a great night out.
Only ever having seen Daughtry – a ‘modern
rock’ act based around former American Idol contestant
Chris Daughtry – at London’s tiny club the
Borderline, I was unprepared for the hysteria that greeted
his set. Most of the sold out Wembley Arena was already
in its seats, and there was plenty of girlie screaming
to be heard. Back in the States, Daughtry are a multi-platinum-selling,
arena-headlining act. Here they’re best known for
the song ‘What About Now’, which was a Top
20 hit and has been seen on The X Factor. Without wishing
to belittle Daughtry’s indisputable talent, it just
goes to show the real power of TV. Watching the laydeeeez
screaming and their boyfriends mouthing the lyrics was
a valuable reminder that rock ‘n’ roll is
meant to be sexy. Daughtry connect on this level as well
as musically, and it can only be a matter of time before
he becomes a star in this country.
I
last saw Nickelback eight years ago, in a spooky coincidence
in almost exactly the same Wembley seat. The Canucks had
just broken through with their ‘Silver Side Up’
album and in all honesty appeared slightly dumbstruck
to find themselves on arena stages. Four albums later,
the most recent of which (2008’s Dark Horse’)
is now Platinum-rated in the UK, Nickelback are virtually
unrecognisable. Guitarist Chad Kroeger in particular has
really come out of his shell to become a fine frontman.
That said, he’s **far** too fond of his own voice
and I found some of the between-song banter a little tedious
– the baiting of roadie/extra guitarist and keyboard
player Timmy got very old very fast. But the show is far
grander than before, with a snakepit either side of the
stage, an additional playing area in the middle of the
hall (utilised for a two-song acoustic set) and plenty
of lights and explosions – the exact same show that
people complain North American bands don’t bother
bringing to the UK anymore.
One
thing remains unchanged, however. Reviewers still loath
the band – and the feeling is mutual. “The
critics call us unoriginal bastards but when was the last
time they said anything different about Nickelback?”
remarked Kroeger, feigning indifference very badly. “They
think, ‘How come this band comes to town, sells
out arenas and sells lots of records? How come nobody
hates them like I do?’ Well, it’s because
we’re not pretentious, stuck-up sons of bitches,
just a band that likes to play rock ‘n’ roll
songs to good fucking people.” Do you know what?
On the evidence of last night, I think it’s about
time we got off Nickelback’s case. Here’s
the set-list: ‘Something In Your Mouth’, ‘Because
Of You’, ‘Photograph’, ‘Figured
You Out’, ‘Savin' Me’, ‘Far Away’,
‘Gotta Be Somebody’, ‘If Everyone Cared’,
‘If Today Was Your Last Day (Unplugged)’,
‘Rockstar (Unplugged)’, ‘Burn It To
The Ground’, Drum Solo, ‘How You Remind Me’
and ‘Too Bad’, with encores of ‘Someday’
and ‘Animals.
P.
S. Bachman-Turner Overdrive are among the latest additions
to Classic Rock’s High
Voltage Festival. B-b-b-b-b-b-baby, that’s very
cool with me. And how about this… Uriah Heep will
also be performing their classic album from 1972, ‘Demons
& Wizards’, in its entirety. Result!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
19th January
I’m
back in the gig-going groove. On paper, last night’s
Faster Pussycat and Enuff Z’Nuff gig at the Underworld
looked way too good to resist. What I hadn’t taken
into account was the gratuitous addition of two support
bands – Dirty Passion and Suicide Tuesday. So the
longer than usual Z’Nuff set that bassist Chip Z’Nuff
had been promising was never going to be a realistic prospect.
Why, I wonder, do promoters insist in fleshing out an
already appetising bill with superfluous additional acts?
Surely I cannot be alone in thinking it would be better
to have seen Faster Pussycat and Enuff Z’Nuff alone,
playing 75-90 minutes each, than suffer the truncated
sets that such time limitations demand?
With
Donnie Vie back on vocals after a considerable absence,
Enuff Z’Nuff were sensational. Okay, Vie’s
voice has lost a little of its lower register which sometimes
made it sound slightly flimsy, but you could see he was
enjoying himself and putting in no little amount of effort.
Two songs from the forthcoming ‘Dissonance’
album validated Chip Z’Nuff’s recent claim
that the Chicagoans are right back at the top of their
game and, sprinkled with tunes from the quartet’s
now legendary eponymous debut (issued back in 1989), the
set-list – ‘Rock ‘N’ World’,
‘Baby Loves You’, ‘We’re All Alright’,
‘For Now’, ‘Dissonance’, ‘High’,
‘In The Groove’, ‘Come Together’,
‘Fly High Michelle’ and ‘New Thing’
– was tremendous. The crowd cheered for minutes
on end, trying unsuccessfully to entice Enuff Z’Nuff
back out onto the stage. I would **not** want to have
been a member of Faster Pussycat at that point in time.
Come
to think of it, the only time that membership of the Pussies
could be considered fun is circa the Los Angeles group’s
debut album, from 1987. That year they famously supported
Guns N’ Roses on a British tour and, for my money
at least, blew the headliners offstage at London’s
Hammersmith Odeon. Oh, how times change. Now, sadly, having
ditched their lithe, alley cat sound in favour of bloated,
sub-industrial noise, the Pussies have become a very unfunny
joke. Having endured their first song, a grotesque revision
of the once-brilliant ‘Bathroom Wall’, I hurriedly
made my excuses and headed for the door. Neither was I
alone. Uggghhh… horrid.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
18th January
Yesterday
afternoon was spent at a record fair – in a pub!
Does it get much better than that??!! Well, with England
being crushed in the cricket – South Africa levelled
the series after sealing the Fourth Test by an innings
and 74 runs – I had to do **something** to get out
of the house. Sadly, the record fair wasn’t much
to speak of. I picked up a mint copy of Roger Daltrey’s
soundtrack to the McVicar movie, also a BB King album
that I didn’t own (1979’s ‘Take It Home’)
but afterwards it was pleasant to sit and chill, sinking
a few vodka ‘n’ Diet Cokes with John Dryland
and Jerry Ewing. Towards the afternoon’s end, Philip
Wilding also dropped in, clutching copies of his new novel.
So, all in all, it was a very leisurely Sunday.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
16th January
It’s almost 7pm and I’ve cracked open
a large bottle of white wine to celebrate this afternoon’s
result. Plymouth Are Gargoyles 0, Crystal Palace 1. The
Eagles’ first half winner was notched by who else
but Victor Moses and was, by all accounts, a bit special.
With web reports suggesting it was set up by “a
Cruyff-like turn” then despatched through a defender’s
legs, I can’t wait to see it on the TV. What a piss-poor
shame that England seem to have thrown away the cricket;
only the weather can save Strauss’ men now.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
15th January
My first hangover of 2010 has arrived after a night
in the Crobar with Malcolm Dome, Brian Howe and a gang
of assorted revellers. It had been many years since I
last saw Mr Howe, whose opening gambit was announced with
a perfectly straight face, and actually had me going for
a nano-second. "I gave up drinking 16 years ago,"
he announced before mischievously adding: "It was
the worst 20 minutes of my life!" Howe has some terrific
tales from his days with Bad Company and Ted Nugent, and
it was good to swap footie banter with somebody that shares
my full, tragicomic obsession with the sport. Brian is
such a Pompey fanatic, he actually tried to buy his beloved
club several years ago, losing out to Milan Mandaric in
a bout of sealed bids. I guess that kinda trumps me, though
I've just checked my bank balance and I do actually have
the £4.50 it would cost to buy Crystal Palace right
now.
Halfway through the evening my mate John Dryland from
Cargo Records stumbled in, with Tyla of the Dogs D'Amour
at his elbow. Naturally, the air of boisterousness went
up a few notches. Then, as we stood at the bar swigging
and gossiping as though both had become Olympic events,
a text arrived from Mostly Autumn's Heather Findlay, offering
advance warning of a statement that would shortly be going
out. Having become a mum not too long ago, Heather has
decided to leave the band. Gotta admit I didn't see that
coming. But as one band undergoes difficulties, another
is born and the line-up of Glenn Hughes' 'supergroup'
- to be named Black Country - is now complete. Joining
the Voice Of Rock are guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer
Jason Bonham and ex-Dream Theater/Alice Cooper keysman
Derek Sherinian. So long as they take some time to write
real songs instead of 'doing a Chickenfoot' - going into
the studio, jamming and recording the results - methinks
that grouping displays mucho potential.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
14th January
YES!
The pouring overnight rain is washing away the snow. I
was in a buoyant mood until turning on the TV for the
start of the Test match, just in time to see Andrew Strauss
losing his wicket to the day’s opening delivery
– the first Englishman to depart in such an ignominious
manner in 74 years. England require just a draw to win
the series, but after being routed for a total of 180
on what looked like a prefect batting track, such a feat
is starting to look bloody unlikely.
At
around 5pm I got an email from Malcolm Dome, who was going
for a drink with Brian Howe. Did I want to join them?
I told Malc: Yes, of course… why the heck not? Then
the computer suddenly went, ‘Ping!’ Malcolm’s
reply stated: “Brian has asked if you will refrain
from wearing women’s clothing tonight.” Oh
dear, given that the last time Malc, Brian and I went
out on the razz together, Howe woke up the following morning
on an empty train in the railway sidings, this could get
messy.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
13th January
Though
most seemed to agree with my rant regarding manners (see
Monday’s Diary), my Classic Rock colleague Nick
Shilton is convinced that my propensity to complain will
turn me into the new Victor Meldrew (like I’d take
such abuse from a fuggin’ **shandy-drinking lawyer**).
But,
having said that…. At 7am this morning I DID moan
“Oh fuck, this cannot be real” after looking
out of the window into a garden once again covered by
several inches of snow. I’d gone to bed last night
safe in the knowledge that the thaw was on its way, mildly
optimistic of shaking off a head-cold that has now plagued
me for almost three weeks and looking forward to a resumption
of normal everyday life. Now this… the kids’
schools are closed, I narrowly avoided falling on my arse
whilst negotiating the path to my office and the weekend’s
football programme is bound to be postponed once again.
All
together now: I DON’T BEEEEEE-LIEEEEVE IT!!!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
12th January
Brrrrrrrrr,
it’s chilly outside. But here in my office the temperature
is soaring, due to the latest package of promo CDs from
Frontiers Records. Both due on February 26th, the new
albums from Giant (‘Promise Land’) and Brian
Howe (‘Circus Bar’) are really hitting the
spot. Purely for the fact that guitarist/frontman Dann
Huff is no longer involved, the former has attracted all
sorts of foot-stamping and vitriol over at www.melodicrock.com.
For me, Huff’s vocal replacement, Terry Brock (Strangeways/Seventh
Key), sounds absolutely superb on the radio-rock of ‘Believer
(Redux)’, ‘Never Surrender’, ‘When
Two Words Collide’ and ‘Through My Eyes’.
Fair enough, there are a smattering of so-so plodders
(‘Double Trouble’, f’rinstance) but
the plusses far outweigh the minuses. Brian Howe’s
album is equally enjoyable. Its classy opening anthem,
‘I’m Back’, has been buzzing around
my head for most of the past week. In fact, a clear and
bright mix from Rafe McKenna (whose studio credits include
Tesla, Wishbone Ash, Foreigner, Richard Marx and Ten)
adds a pop-friendly sheen to the consistency of the material.
There are two remakes of Bad Company tunes – ‘How
’Bout That’ and ‘Holy Water’ –
while Pat Travers adds some guitar to the autobiographical
dittie ‘My Town’, which samples the roar of
a football crowd (yet another goal against Pompey, presumably).
A hit, I’d say…
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
11th January
Arnie’s
birthday party took place yesterday. He wanted to go to
one of those quasar places and shoot lasers at his friends,
then pig out on burgers and cake afterwards. Fair enough.
Had I been his age, it’s something I’d probably
have enjoyed. But I’m not his age. Nowhere near.
At the front door, the noise from within stopped you in
your tracks. A small room crammed with ten year-olds,
all bellowing and roaring for attention. I earn a living
from going deaf at the hands of Motörhead and Slayer,
but the volume cut me in two. Three hours later, I’d
somehow become numb to its shrillness. The party finished
as scheduled at 4.30 but the **real** fun was about to
begin. Afterwards we sat around and waited for the parents
to collect their offspring. The majority were on time,
offering a smile and/or thanks, but I was left gritting
my teeth at those that with breathtaking rudeness strolled
in half an hour or 35 minutes late without apology or
greeting, merely grabbing Little Johnny and walking back
out to their car. I was always told that manners maketh
the man. People really are becoming social pygmies.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
9th January
As
feared, Palace’s game with Bristol Shitty has been
postponed, leaving a gaping chasm in my Saturday routine.
What do instead? Some work, I guess. But first I had some
documents to drop off with the accountant so, having been
cooped up in my office all week, I jumped on a bus to
the Record & Tape Exchange in Greenwich. Intended
to delve through the bargain racks for just an hour or
so, but you know how it is… three hours later I’m
homewards bound weighed downed by vinyl and CDs, and it’s
snowing… AGAIN. Equally annoying, with bassist/frontman
Tom Araya now set to undergo back surgery at the end of
this month, Slayer have postponed their UK dates –
due to have taken place in early March – for the
second time. Hmm, I wonder if this setback will affect
the summer’s long-awaited festival performances
from the ‘Big Four’ of thrash? The ‘Big
Three’ doesn’t have quite the same ring, does
it?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
8th January
Sadly,
there’s no sign of the UK’s icy weather loosening
its grip. Last nite the temperature dipped at minus 21
in the Scottish Highlands… Brrrr, that’s enough
to freeze the testes off a haggis… Although Palace
have hired in extra covers and heating for the Selhurst
Park pitch, I don’t see any realistic prospect of
tomorrow’s game against the in-breds of Bristol
Shitty taking place. The playing area will probably be
fine, but these days they also factor in the public walkways
and rounds surrounding the stadium – the Nanny State
gone mad, if you ask me. It’s only a bit of fucking
snow, after all. Just walk and/or drive a bit more carefully…
Just
been playing a vintage bootleg cassette of Iron Maiden’s
‘secret’ gig as Genghis Khan at the Ruskin
Arms – considering the show took place 29 years
ago (on 23rd December, 1981), I was amazed at how good
it still sounded (no requests for copies please, though).
In what was only his fifth or sixth appearance with the
band, Bruce Dickinson sings amazingly… and the set-list;
wow! Besides loads of corkers for the first two albums,
the band offer world premieres of two songs that they’d
“just been rehearsing” before appearing on
their next offering, ‘The Number Of The Beast’
– you might have heard of it! – namely, ‘Run
To The Hills’ and ‘The Prisoner’. More
amazingly still, as I discovered after unearthing my ticket,
admission to the gig cost just **one pound**! It was also
Davey Murray’s 25th birthday, a fact that brought
the guitarist an onstage pie-ing. Great memories. Y’see,
being an old codger sometimes does have its benefits…
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
7th January
Wow
– the cricket just reached a nail-biting climax
with England having achieved their goal of batting throughout
the day, clinging on till the very last ball (yet again!)
to secure a precious draw against the South Africans.
People go on about cricket being dull… what utter
crap: the twists and turns of the game are what makes
it so compulsive. For a while, with Collingwood and Bell
in ‘they shall not pass’ mood, a stalemate
looked inevitable. But wickets suddenly began to tumble
and as the final overs ticked down, with tail-enders Graham
Onions and Graham Swann facing up to everything that pacers
Morkel and Steyn could throw at them, I found myself hopping
around the living room as though afflicted by some nervous
tic. The result means that England cannot now lose the
series as they head into final Test, starting in Johannesburg
in a week. First The Ashes and now this, superb!
P.S.
Happy birthday to my youngest son, Arnie. 11 years old
today.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
6th January
Just
like snow drifts in the back garden, my woes pile up.
It’s freezing cold, with more of the same to follow
as the week draws on. With so much work to do, the days
just seem to fly by before you’ve achieved anything.
Palace’s financial meltdown looks likely to enter
its endgame during the next 48 hours or so. And England’s
cricketers are gazing down the barrel of an embarrassing
series-levelling massacre, South Africa having set them
an unlikely 466 to win the Second Test (the score stands
at 11-0 as I type).
So
here are three extremely welcome rays of sunshine. 1)
Nashville Pussy have confirmed a date at London’s
Underworld on February 11. 2), Billy James has sent the
second volume of A Dream Goes On Forever, his Todd Rundgren
encyclopaedia. This one examines the Utopia years –
cool! And 3) The postman also made it through Catford’s
icy wastes to deliver the second batch of Salvo Records’
Nazareth re-issue campaign; ‘Loud ‘N’
Proud’ (1973), ‘Rampant’ (’74)
and ‘Hair Of The Dog’ (’75). Now **that**
warms the cockles of my heart!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
4th January
I
was in the kitchen making a cup of tea, so I switched
on Planet Rock Radio. “Ooooh, good, ‘Black
Rose’ by Thin Lizzy,” I thought, as the kettle
began to boil. So I leapt about awhile, throwing guitar
hero shapes and pretending the steam was dry ice, and
then all of a sudden it dawned on me… Sodding hell,
it’s January the fourth again. Back in 1986, 24
years ago to the day, the fella that wrote the song which
was making me look so foolish – one of the greatest
rock stars ever – departed this mortal coil. Where
on earth do the years go?! RIP, Philip Parris Lynott…
man and legend.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
3rd January
I’m
happy to say that Palace eased past Sheffield Wednesday
with a certain amount of ease, certainly if the Beeb’s
radio commentary was anything to go by. Given the club’s
financial woes I’m crossing my fingers for a big
pay-day in the Fourth Round; a nice, lucrative trip to
the Emirates Stadium, shit… if I could get the inoculations
in time, even O*d Tr***rd would do.
In
the meantime, as treat before the kids go back to school
and Mrs L returns to work, Clan Ling has just had a hugely
enjoyable visit to the cinema where we saw Avatar in 3-D.
All I can say is: Bloody superb entertainment… the
special effects are first-rate. If you get the chance
to see it on the big screen, especially in 3-D, don’t
miss out.
Having
purposely left my phone at home I was puzzled to discover
eight texts awaiting my return – all of which mercilessly
ridiculed ManUre for crashing out of the FA Cup at home
to Leeds. So no trip to O*d Tr***rd, then. Hahaha! Nice
one, Leeds. The televised draw has just revealed that
we will visit either Tranmere or Wolves in the next round.
What a dismal anticlimax. [Edit: It’s a trip
to Molineux (again)… Wolves have since scrambled
past Tranmere but looked quite beatable in the process].
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
2nd January
It’s
approaching 10am. By now in an ideal world I’d be
somewhere on the M1, Sheffield-bound. My pal Steve ‘No
Relation’ Way and I actually discussed going to
watch Palace tumble out of the FA Cup to Wednesday, as
they usually do at this time of year, but for one reason
or another it didn’t quite happen. I’m **still**
working on my Universal Records essay (am now up to the
‘Goodnight LA’ era – Jeeeez!), and with
the Classic Rock office folk returning to work on Monday
it’s probably best that I keep my nose pressed firmly
to the grindstone.
That
said, I’d like to have been at Hillsbrough. With
the players’ wages being paid late for a second
consecutive month and some terrifying financial rumours
emanating from SE25, the club needs all the support it
can get right now. Apparently, Palace are such a cash-strapped
state that with six quad players loaned out we don’t
even have enough bodies to fill the subs bench this afternoon.
And with Bolton sniffing around our manager Neil Warnock
– one of the few remaining good guys at the club
(**I never thought I’d write that!**) – also
the dearth of wages meaning that wonder-kid Victor Moses
could walk away from the club to one of the big guns for
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, the next few weeks will be crucial
to the Eagles’ survival. The extra few quid that
comes from reaching the Fourth Round would be a more than
welcome bonus… so, come on you Eagles – grind
those Owls into the ground!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
1st January
New Year’s Eve is tough when you’ve got
kids – especially ones that are not (yet) anywhere
near drinking age. So last night we bought in a nice evening
meal, a few DVDs, some chocolates and a reservoir of booze.
Oddly, with my sleeve essay project for Universal Records
still some way off completion (six days and counting –
sheesh!), I wasn’t in the mood for drinking. And
when it came to viewing the box, there was also a bit
of a generation clash; the lads were left untickled by
Father Ted and The Young Ones, while I grew bored of their
movie of choice, Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen,
within about 15 minutes of its two-and-a-half hour duration.
The Best Of Harry Hill’s TV Burp made everyone (especially
Eddie) roar with laughter, though, and on the whole we
had a very pleasant, chilled-out evening.
P.S.
The Playlist and YouTube
sections have been updated.
P.P.S. It seems that Soundgarden – apart from Alice
In Chains, the only other ‘grunge’ band it’s
even faintly excusable to like – are back together
again after a 12-year absence. Given the wretched nature
of Chris Cornell’s last solo album, ‘Scream’,
that gets the thumbs up from me!
|
