After the spleen venting in Heppy's "dumbest" thing how about things that make us cheeful.

Here we go
Steve Coogan
the longevity of Coronation Street
The music of New Order, Nick Drake, Creedence, Motown, Robert Wyatt, Kate Bush etc
Cadbury's Mint Thins
"Early Doors"
Pubs where drinking and talking and laughter are the only activities.
Carl Hiassen
Micheal Connelly
The Word Magazine
The Word Blog
The Word Podcast
I Pod Moments
The darling Wife (well she might read this)
Guinness
Amarone
Dogs, who generally seem to understand that the secret of pure happiness lies keeping it simple.
George Formby
The perfect curry
a night out with your best mates
The Saturday Globe and Mail
The late John Arlott
The fact that you know without doubt that the next Van Morrison record will contain at least one more moan about the music business.
and with respect to the title of this blog, the music of Ian Dury

Over to you.....

Anyone out there heard the music of British jazz singer Ian Shaw?? Any opinions from you lot???

Hey folks just back from fab holiday in New York City. Picked up a compilation of Lal Waterson songs called "Migrating Birds", and have subsequently acquired the superb "Once In a Blue Moon" by Lal and her son Oliver. It really is a breathtaking record.
I wondered if anyone else on this dear old site was familiar with this album. Has anyone heard and have an informed opinion on, or know where you can get a copy of "Bright Phoebus" by the Watersons? Also anyone heard the last record Lal recorded entitled "Bed Of Roses"?? As always I would value your comments.

I know we often recommend different records and artists to each other on this, the greatest of blog sites. Anyway I want to recommend a singer who remains almost unmentioned in the British music press . Her name is singer/songwriter Sarah Harmer she comes from Kingston Ontario. Her 4 albums are all available under "new and used" on amazon uk for roughly a fiver each. Her first one, funnily enough is a covers album dedicated to her Dad called "Songs For Clem", it's lovely. Her middle two "All of our Names" and "You Were Here" are both fabulous in a Folk/Rock/Pop vein. Her last one "I Am A Mountain" is more of a folky bluegrass type of record, a slight departure, it is well worth a listen. If any of you buy one of these I would be interested in your re-action.

Anyone else have a personal favoutite who deserves more exposure??

What about a trilogy in music. 3 in a row that somehow make a perfect trilogy. We get all these rubbishy movie ones like the Godfather (only two that were any good), but what about albums? Intentionally or not, ones that make perfect companions. Here's a few that I know and love.

John Martyn-Bless The Weather, Solid Air and Inside Out
Judy Collins-In My Life,Wildflowers, Who Knows Where The Time Goes
Bob Dylan-Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde
Rolling Stones -Beggar Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers
Al green-Call Me, Let's stay Together', I'm Still In Love With You
Richard and Linda Thompson-I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight, Hokey Pokey, Pour Down Like Silver
Miles Davis -Porgy and Bess-Kind Of Blue-Sketches of Spain

Have Fun

Ok its Friday night after a glass or two(or three) of finest red.
It used to be the under two minute single was the finest example of pop music, but what about the loooong songs, devoid of boring time-for-a-fag break, drum solos??? Here's my starter for 10 or 11.

Qualification-Over 8 minutes long

Autumn Song-Van Morrison (Hard Nose The Highway) 10.37
Sven-g-Englar-Sigor Ros (Agatis Byrjun) 10.04
Night Comes In-Richard and Linda Thompson(bonus track Pour Down Like Silver) 12.23
Screamedelica-Primal Scream (single) 10.42
The City- Marc-Almond (The City) 10.32
How Many More Times-Led Zep (1st album) 8.29
Tintangel-John Surman(The Road to Penzance)12.12
Small Hours-John Martyn (One World) bonus instrumental 10.15
Dark Star-Grateful Dead (Live Dead) 23.19 (and not a second wasted)
Quiet Joys OF Brotherhood-Fairport Convention (Liege and Lief) Bonus track 10.17
Montana Song-David Ackles (American Gothic) 10.07
One in a Million-Chris Wood (The Lark Ascending) 9.52 (novel in a song thingy) 9.52
Soup-Can (Ege Bamyasi) 10.32
Rosalita-Bruce Springsteen (bootleg???) 11.01

Being a complete an utter tech virgin is truly a frightening prospect especially when one is now 56 years old and the recipient of an I-Pod from a sixteen year old son. I had managed, after many mighty mangled trainwrecked attempts, to upload in excess of 2500 songs to my player, quite a few mysteriously appearing without me knowing how I actually did it!!

Today however when shopping in my local Toronto supermarket and having completey exhausted what i thought was an eclectic and long lasting 2500 songs, I found on the dial on my I-Pod that I had unwittingly managed to add the Word Podcasts to my
machine (it is a machine, isn't it??).

I quickly became "a man to avoid", strutting up and down the ailes with a big grin on my face and occasionally breaking into strange semi-hysterical laughter.

Thanks lads and Jude for your great little broadcasts almost like sitting in the pub on a winters afternoon with a couple of pints under the belt and engaged in witty, sometimes silly, always affable banter with a bunch of your mates. Great Stuff.