THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

Very sorry to hear about your sad news, Keyser.

Psychocandy - The Jesus And Mary Chain

There’s a line in Point Break… “It’ll change your life, swear to God”.

It's an absolute masterpiece. Nothing sounds like this, although many have tried. Forget the feedback. This is a collection of outstanding songs. I love them, and at one point considered them the greatest band on earth. They looked great, they sounded great, and they were just fucking great, and indeed still are.

Best Track - Never Understand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqIWlVUfxMM

I love this album. Indeed I love all their stuff. Good choice.

Power, Corruption & Lies - New Order

I can remember the day I bought this as if it were yesterday. It was a beautiful day, and after we’d bought it (my friend and bandmate Willie also bought a copy) we went to the beach. Sat there amid the Glasgow overspill, we must’ve stood out like a sore thumb.
It has the greatest opening of any album ever recorded. When you hear Hooky’s bass it’s just a phenomenal riff. Obviously he’s an outstanding player, but he’s never bettered this.
I still have that copy. In fact it’s currently less than a foot away from me right now. It’s a great record, and obviously because it’s on Factory, and being the arty-farty contrarians that they were, Blue Monday isn’t on it. But it’s none the poorer for that.
I love Factory Records. I love Joy Division. I love New Order, and I absolutely love this album.

Best track, Age Of Consent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs6ZafVG5qM

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly

A side project from Steely Dan, this is a fantastic homage to late 50's jazz, and the curious optimism of that time. Yes, nuclear annihilation is just around the corner (and is referenced in New Frontier: "it's just a dug-out that my dad built, in case the Reds decide to push the button down"). Smart lyrics, as you'd expect from Fagen, with loads of pop culture references from the time. Apparently it's pretty autobiographical too.

The music is jazzy but also very pop - upbeat and catchy. And joyous. Overall it captures that time in your life when you are stepping from childhood to adulthood and life is opening up all around you.

Put your cynicism to one side and dive into the jeweled water of this musical swimming pool. W-JAZ is playing on the radio, your girlfriend looks like Tuesday Weld and International Geophysical Year is gonna deliver a train under the ocean - New York to Paris in 90 minutes!

Here's IGY:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ueivjr3f8xg

I wrote that review then, literally, an hour later heard that a friend of mine had died of a heart attack this morning. Life opens up. And then it closes down. So fuck the fact that we're getting relegated. Seize hold of life today and enjoy it. Today might be our last.

I was literally playing this on Sunday!