With a name like that they have to be a metal band right? Wrong. More a sort of Ben Folds jazz pop sorta thing but please don't let that put you off. I'd never heard of them but came across their latest album 'This is what happens' streamed on a blog and gave it a listen. They have another album from 2008 called Rhythm, Chord & Melody and an EP from the year before and there really isn't a duff moment on any of them. I can't stop playing them and there is more wit, intelligence, fabulous chord changes, really great piano led playing and all round wondrousness than i've heard since the last XTC album. YouTube them playing live in the studio and find them on iTunes.You won't regret it.

I was watching the 'Brothers in rock' (or something) docu on BBC4 on friday and was reminded just how good the first UB40 album 'Signing Off' was. Pretty bloody perfect as I recall. So, I dug it out and yes, it is pretty much perfect which is more than can be said for any of their other 532 albums. This got me thinking, what other artists started off with a great album and never actually matched it again, even if they enjoyed commercial success? Simply Red springs to mind, as do the Stone Roses. Thoughts?

Need a Mellotron wherever you are, at any time of day? There's an app for that, Search for 'Manetron' on the App Store and there ya go! Prog heaven! As you were...

Fantastic podcast guys! I loved every word Sir Danny said and agreed heartily with all of it. I could never understand why I was given grief for liking the Ramones and Supertramp in equal measure either? Give this man his own podcast but don't let him talk about football. Loved his story about Jagger getting his minder to pay for records. Reminded me of the time, mid 80's, when I managed a swanky mens boutique in Covent Garden that pandered to the rich and famous. Rod Stewart came in once and bought a shirt and got his ginormous bodyguard to pay for it. The bodyguard was carrying Rods credit card and replaced it in his own pocket after Rod had exhausted himself actually signing the receipt. Nob.

Quite a change from the other celebrity sales I recall. Iggy (platinum amex in the name James Osterburg), all of ZZ Top ('Man, we've gone hog wild in here!') and the Dame himself, another amex, plain ol' green this time but carrying the name 'David Jones'. All out for a spot of solo retail therapy, no bodyguards, no screaming fans and no 'don't look at me' attitude. All absolute gents and happy to chat with staff and in no hurry to be somewhere else.

But hey, enough of my yackin'....

Reading an older post regarding 'The 2', I remember a Dublin based outfit called The Joshua Trio who used to do their best to deflate the band egos. Fave song title that I recall was ' the edge has got his hat on, hip hip hip hooray'. Anyone know what happened to them? Think they were around early 90's?

Maybe this is a well known theory but humour me. Track 8 on the rather excellent 1969 (make a note of that date) self-titled LP by one Boz Scaggs is called 'Spare me a dime' and runs for over 12 minutes. Quite the thing of beauty it is too. I have only dicovered this gem in the last week and couldn't help but think i'd heard it before somewhere. By chance my iPod threw up the Floyd's 'Shine on you crazy diamond' from 'Wish you were here' (recorded and released in 1974) and a lightbulb went off above my head. Have Mr Scaggs lawyers been in contact or am I imagining similarities that just aren't there? I think we should be told.

Am I the only person in the history of the massive to get NO replies to my recent question (reproduced below)? That's No replies - I counted them twice. I have low enough self esteem at the best of times but really....
Do I get a badge or something for this great 'honour'?

Yours in paranoia,

T

That first question in full:

Being of a certain age, I recently started to think fondly of my teenage saturday afternoons listening to Alan 'Fluff' Freeman's Saturday Rock Show on Wonderful Radio One. I remember hearing loads of great stuff for the first time here, Todd Rundgren's 'A Wizard, A true Star' in it's entirety, Bowies's 'Young Americans' and all sorts of prog stuff good, bad and indifferent. Does anyone know if any of these shows exist in any form on the interweb? I remember that the trailers John Peel would do for his next weeks worth of 'Top Gear' programmes that co-starred his producer John Walters were paricularly hilarious and straight after Fluff's show (and those jingles! - not 'arf!) there would be 'In Concert' which I would record and then it was downstairs for Dr Who. simpler times.

I've looked on the great Radio Rewind site but does anyone know if these shows have been preserved anywhere at all?

Yours through rose tinted granny glasses. Tony C

Being of a certain age, I recently started to think fondly of my teenage saturday afternoons listening to Alan 'Fluff' Freeman's Saturday Rock Show on Wonderful Radio One. I remember hearing loads of great stuff for the first time here, Todd Rundgren's 'A Wizard, A true Star' in it's entirety, Bowies's 'Young Americans' and all sorts of prog stuff good, bad and indifferent. Does anyone know if any of these shows exist in any form on the interweb? I remember that the trailers John Peel would do for his next weeks worth of 'Top Gear' programmes that co-starred his producer John Walters were paricularly hilarious and straight after Fluff's show (and those jingles! - not 'arf!) there would be 'In Concert' which I would record and then it was downstairs for Dr Who. simpler times.

I've looked on the great Radio Rewind site but does anyone know if these shows have been preserved anywhere at all?

Yours through rose tinted granny glasses. Tony C