At last - a definitive Orange Juice box set is coming this way in November. Some of these albums have been unavailable for way too long:

http://www.dominorecordco.com/uk/albums/20-08-10/coals-to-newcastle-boxs...

The box set comes out barely 6 weeks after the release of Edwyn Collins' seventh solo album:

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=330...

I'm sure I'm not the only Massive member who finds this heartwarming.

Tremendous news for anyone touched by the astonishing Earl Brutus and their predecessors World of Twist.

http://thequietus.com/articles/04671-earl-brutus-revived-jamie-fry-of-th...

For the first time in my entire life, it makes me wish I was in Shoreditch this weekend.

I've just read this bizarre piece on the Guardian website about a Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and John Zorn free-improv gig that failed to please a section of the audience. Were they seriously expecting something they could sing along to?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jul/05/lou-reed-booed-free-improv

It's got me thinking. I've never done it, but I'd wager some of the more vocal Massive have made some disparaging noises from the stalls. Do any of you have any good gig-booing stories? Who did you boo? What triggered it? Come on, spill some boo beans.

Courtesy of the British Pathé archive via the Guardian, some lovely dated footage of the 1971/72 Chelsea squad recording Blue is the Colour.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/video/2010/may/12/british-pathe-archi...

Given the hue of almost every squad member's trousers, they should've called it Beige is the Colour.

With tomorrow's FA Cup and Scottish Cup finals in mind, and with the World Cup just around the corner, what's your favourite football-related song? Flimsy and tenuous links welcomed.

Wallet
Keys
£2.51 in shrapnel
Raspberry Ruffle Bar wrapper from a very tasty Raspberry Ruffle Bar (I wasn't near a bin when I ate it and then I forgot about it)

What have you got in your pockets, right now?

This is a entertaining read, penned by an always-entertaining writer:
http://johnrobb77.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/adam-ant-and-the-glitterband/

Best enjoyed over a cup of tea and a bun.

Saw this on my current favourite meeja blog, and thought of the Beatles-loving Massive. I figured some of you may enjoy the crunching of the numbers:

http://www.beehivecity.com/music/another-hard-days-night-for-all-hands-a...

This may be idle conjecture of course, but then again...

http://www.beehivecity.com/music/radio-2-in-25-cut-to-award-winning-musi...

For those in/near Leeds, something that may tickle your collective fancies - word of a new record shop opening in the city tomorrow:
http://ow.ly/1ptGfs. (it's a link to their Facebook page)

Thought it was worth posting seeing how it bucks the trend of reporting closures rather than openings.

Happy crate digging...

Tony Hunter's post down there *points down* about the Melbourne protest march ends with the line it's been a while since I've said "see you at the demo", and it got me thinking.

In my teens I was always up for taking to the streets. Coal Not Dole and anti Poll Tax marches particularly spring to mind, but I half-remember protesting against planned hospital cuts too. The last time I hit the streets for a cause must be a full 20 years ago though. Since then, I don't think I've protested at all. Not even against going to war in Iraq, even though I was against it.

A couple of days ago I received an email from a friend spreading the word about an anti-fascist demo and trying to muster support for it. I've just dug the email out and read it again, properly this time. It's this Saturday. I'm free this Saturday. It's a worthy cause. I could take part. I should take part. Yet I know I probably won't, through sheer laziness rather than political apathy, though I know it's a very fine line between the two.

Are any members of the Massive more active than I am on the campaign front? If so, what was the last demonstration you roused yourself for and physically took part in?

I've just posted a version of this in reply to a comment on the Persuasionists thread, but thought it might be of wider interest to some, hence the slight doubling.

Chris Morris has had this project in the pipeline for years:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/mar/19/broadcasting.channel4

but it now seems to be almost ready:

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/57013,news-comment,entertainment,chris-mor...

I'll be straight off to the multiplex when it comes out.

Anyone care to guess exacly how big a deal the Daily Mail etc will make out of it?

There seems to have been a slightly higher than usual number of spam postings blagging their way past the Word bouncers and gatecrashing the site lately. Hats off to the Massive IT Security Squad* for escorting them from the premises so swiftly and depositing them in a crumpled heap round the back, by the bins.

*Fraser - that's you that is.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/10/observer-sections-redesign

According to this, Guardian News & Media's losses are running at £100,000 per DAY.

Blimey.

Bear with me on this. Don't let the next sentence put you off.

Earlier this morning I heard Cheryl Cole's new single on the radio for the first time. I'd managed to avoid it (by accident, not design) until now. What a bizarre piece of work it is. It's not the music itself that's odd - it's a perfectly well-executed example of early 21st century smooth pop music. It was the vocals that bothered me, or rather the way they're presented.

The song is called Fight For This Love and the vocal performance sounds... well, it's hard to describe really. Freakish is one word I could use. Amazingly contrived could be a useful phrase too. Unnerving and a bit creepy would sum it up as well.

Listening to it, it's obvious that it has been cobbled together from multiple takes - nothing unusual about that in itself, of course - but it's been overlayered and multitracked in such a way that the overt cut-and-pasteness of it becomes a major feature, a badge worn with pride. It bears the sticky fingerprints of Autotune too, but again that's no surprise. Modern pop innit. Compared to the heavy-handed manner in which Autotune is often employed, this example is relatively restrained. It still manages to make her sound unnatural though, the way it pulls in the notes like some sort of musical magnet as her voices ascends and descends.

The overall effect is that it sounds as if the producers decided not to even attempt to cover up her vocal limitations. Instead, they've turned it into a combination of open secret and selling point: "We know she struggled, you know she struggled, let's all just pretend it's supposed to sound like this".

There's no way on God's sweet earth she could ever reproduce the song live, but I don't imagine for one moment that it was produced with that intention in mind. It exists purely as a marketing tool for her, and for downloads, radio play and mimed TV performances, all with the overall aim of helping to justify her position on a TV pop talent show judging panel, and to help promote the show itself.

Pop music is supposed to be disposable and throwaway and temporary and of its time, but good pop has staying power greater than the sum of its parts. In the case of Fight For This Love, it's hard to see it lasting anything beyond a few short weeks. It'll be number one I'm sure (maybe it already is/has been number one - I have to admit I haven't looked at the charts recently) but can it really earn enough money to make it a worthwhile commercial venture? Or am I totally missing the point here?

This isn't a rally against modern music/kids today etc. I'm genuinely puzzled.

Given it's supposed to be at death's door, how comes the music industry is still able to produce and release this sort of product? Does it really make them a healthy profit, or are they in such money trouble that even the small amount of profit such tracks generate are seen as reason enough to justify their release?

Does anyone have any idea?

Oh, and for those of you who are curious, here's the traditional end-of-post YouTube link of the song in question. WARNING: it's a bit catchy.

After posting the following video on the 'Chas and Dave split!' thread, it got me thinking. At around 3m 30s, it seems the track is about to end, but then it kicks back in and takes a good 30 seconds to fade out for good.

It's a slow fade, but is it the slowest fade ever? Would anyone care to suggest alternative candidates for that accolade, preferably supported by video evidence?