Required Listening (Legacy Records - Audio CD) - Various Artists - Translator, Godfathers, Nina Hagen, Men at Work, Wire Train, Adam Ant
The Ministry Of Truth (Free subscription) | 02/05/2010
“Reet Petite” came from a generation away: a hit in 1957, and a hit very much of 1957 in its swinging, wisecracking urban R&B feel. As a listener I remember feeling completely alienated – not only did I think it was goofy but it felt like a betrayal of what I’d assumed the charts were [...]
FreakyTrigger (Free subscription) | 02/02/2010
#582, 27th December 1986, video “Reet Petite” would have fit right in on an advert: I scratched my head for a while trying to remember which it came from. No luck – so I went and looked it up, and of course it wasn’t on one at all. It got to number one on the [...]
Pete Tiley / Titan Images (Free subscription) | 01/30/2010
Another long break without a post but here I am, still about. So to speak. Still not bothered about photography at the moment. I sort of have my eye on a Canon 7D + Sigma 10-20mm F/3.5 lens sometime in the summer, but I cant see how I can afford it. Things are pretty tough financially at the moment. I don't earn great money, I've not had a pay rise in two years, in fact I earn less due to decreasing...
Pension Plan Puppets (Free subscription) | 01/30/2010
Presenting Dave Grohl circa 1992 as the blushing bride! View full size photo » The arrangements are made, the bells are ringing and no doubt there will be tears and a punch-up before bedtime - for today is the day for our glorious 2IC, Chemmy. That's right folks, the wandering jammies have been been officially retired. From now on, it's early nights, matching knitwear and lower back pain. I'm...
sighsandwhispers (Free subscription) | 01/28/2010
David Bailey, Adam Ant, 1978. The ultimate love of my life.
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Catgirls (Free subscription) | 01/25/2010
Seriously, for an extra episode called 'Live house' is it too much to ask for a whole song or two? All we got was about 30 seconds of fuwa fuwa time in the background while Sawako chatted to her old bandmate? While were a few good moments had better be some good performances in the second series. Highlights this epsiode: Yui delusions- wonder if the 'kira kira' is a reference to a certain game ? That...
The Guardian Music blog (Free subscription) | 01/25/2010
Arriving in the middle of Margaret Thatcher's first-term, this 1981 single reveals the desperation behind the shiny facade of London's newly swinging club land The follow-up to a massive hit can go several ways, but the main possibilities include: 1) an almost exact simulation, a lucky strike turned into a formula or 2) the hit is used as a springboard to go deeper and weirder, with the added confidence...
3rings (Free subscription) | 01/22/2010
As readers may know, one of my favorite pastimes is unpacking the meaning of a term or phrase in order to delve more deeply into a designer’s intent. This matters because, quite often, the surface signification is only the first, most obvious level of meaning and only once we explore alternative possibilities does the true [...]
Style File (Free subscription) | 01/22/2010
What makes Sophie Dahl happy? A quiet cup of tea. For Alice Temperley, it’s luxuriating in a warm bath. Christian Slater is partial to watching original Star Trek reruns while Vivienne Westwood loves a good laugh with her husband. And photographer Lorraine Goddard has photographed each of them doing just that, all in the name [...]
Skippers Chippers (Free subscription) | 01/19/2010
Happy New Year From The Asteroids Galaxy Tour! “immediately infectious” – ZINK 2009 “…every minute of Fruit offers sweet, sticky pleasure” – SPIN, 2009 "… every song is a glamorous party, full of drama and dancing.” – Time Out New York, 2009 The Asteroids Galaxy Tour celebrated the end of 2009 with several live shows in New York City...
Ralphadeus (Free subscription) | 01/16/2010
I don't think I have ever seen this before - wasn't really shown much at the time I suppose - I think it's a nice video with a simple theme done well - I miss 90s videos...
Good Rockin' Tonight (Free subscription) | 01/14/2010
Wonderful was Adam Ant's fifth (official, without the Ants) and final solo album. The album topped at #143 on the Billboard 200 chart. Released in 1995, the title track was a successful single, as was a tour of the U.S. in support of the album. While Ant and his group (which retained longtime guitarist Pirroni) played in smaller venues than they had played in the 1980s, the houses were often packed...
Babyrambles (Free subscription) | 01/14/2010
*NEW FEATURE* Every Thursday I'm going to list a Top 5 of something. I'm starting this off with 80s Pop Hunks. Well not hunks as such because most pop stars were a bit girly in the 80s. Suitably unthreatening for a schoolgirl as I was at the time. I've just realised what I'm doing here, I'm comitting myself to a post every Thursday listing a Top 5 of favourite things. I barely have time to blog as...
PopMatters Music (Free subscription) | 01/12/2010
After a decade of shaking it in Bay Area clubs, this boy-girl synth-pop duo tries to make the Reagan-era dance-rock album of your dreams. Reality bites. Former lovers and current Lovemakers Scott Blonde and Lisa Light are counting on the reasonable notion that every year is ripe for '80s revivalism, and the pair does commendable work in running through synth-pop tributes to Ultravox (“Where Did...
Tangled Blog (Free subscription) | 01/09/2010
A few years ago, I found myself stranded without transport back to the Midlands from Leeds, due to a train strike, or an unforeseen gust of chilled air on the railtracks, or whatever it was. Luckily, my friend knew a friend who knew another friend whose girlfriend just happened to be driving back my way that evening, and so I was happily homeward-bound after all. My chauffeuse (if that is a word? It...
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