I found this today. It's marvellous.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/westwood/soundboard.shtml

That's what I'm talking about.

This is short and sweet. The great Toumani Diabate shows us how its done. How he does three different things at once is beyond me.

For several years now Mogwai, Glasgow's, in not the worlds, premier 'post-rock' band (how I hate that phrase) have been my favourite live act. They create sublime moments of quiet comtemplation and then bring it all crashing down with an ear splitting wall of noise.

This is them at their intense best.

I can't wait 'til Hammersmith.

You've got to start strongly. Any dodgy half arsed song written by the drummer can be hidden away of side two (in the good ole days of proper records.) Here then is a list of great opening tracks in no particular order:

Gloria - Patti Smith (from Horses)
Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain (from Psychocandy)
Solid Air - John Martyn (from Solid Air)
Devils Haircut - Beck (from Odelay)
Straight Outta Compton - NWA (Straight Outta Compton)

I have around 750 cd albums, 400 vinyl albums, 600 singles and 300 12" singles. Not a bad collection. My girlfriend wonders why I've got so many. Why don't I get rid off them all now I've got most of them on my iPOD and hard drive. I'm going to have to show her this to show her what a real collection is. This guy has about 2.5 million (yes you read that correctly) pieces of vinyl. Incredible. Hats off to a great man.

The Archive from Sean Dunne on Vimeo.

Most of the readership of The Word are probably gig goers. We may not go to as many as Mark Ellen but we all rack up a fair few each year.

I've seen some truely memorable gigs over the 26 years I've been watching live music but in there amongst it all were some shockers. And I'm not talking support bands here either.

For instance I once, very misguidedly, saw Toyah. It was only my second ever gig and it was an early baptism into the world of rubbish gigs. It was 1982 and I should have cottoned on that it might not be all that I was expecting (just what I was expecting is lost in the mist of time) when I heard a tout trying to sell tickest outside for 50 pence. Whoever bought them were ripped off.

Oasis at Glastonbury in 1994 were dreadful too. I had actually liked their first single but after this swaggering, gobshite, boring crud I was finished with them and I haven't been swayed back into the fold by anything they have done since.

Nirvana headling Reading was a catasrophy. My mates and I joined the throngs of people who left early because they were so dreadful. I know they were meant to be one of THE great live bands (and I was a fan) but that night they were out of time and tune.

The very worse gig I ever saw was so bad that people who were there still talk about it today. Not that Angie Bowie in a nightclub in darkest Essex was going to be any good you understand so we weren't actually that disappointed by it. However I don't think anyong was ready for just how bad it was. She had decent musicians with her, her name probably saw to that. I have never seen anyone so devoid of talent on a stage however. When two of my cats have a slanging match it sounded better than her vocals and she writhed around like a...well words can't really describe it and the memory is still too painful to recall without the aide of strong drink. Suffice it to say that I never have and never will see such a shambolic and dreadful performance as I did on that night in 1985.

I was listening to Cud's rather manic version of 'You Sexy Thing' yesterday and the lyrics reminded me of a misconception I had about what Hot Chocolate were singing about all those years ago.

I now know that it was "I believe in miracles" and not:

"I believe in Milko".

I'm travelling up to Glasgow to see My Bloody Valentine on Wednesday. Mates who saw them in London last weekend have told me that it was the loudest thing they have ever heard (and one of them used to be a metalhead) and to take earplugs, so I'm expecting it to be earsplitting.

25 years ago (f**k was it that long!!) I saw Lords Of The New Church in Rayleigh in Essex and left because it hurt, at the same venue in 1990 I saw The Shamen and the bass made my hair move. Then a couple of years ago I saw Mogwai at Cambridge Junction and although that are always loud this night they moved my mates trousers!!

MBV are going to have to go some to beat trouser moving.

My attendance at a Yellow Magic Orchestra gig last weekend reminded me (as I was in the presence of Sakamoto San) of the film Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. Now this film is memorable not only for the great music but because David Bowie isn't very good in it. Why do musicians insist on acting when for the most part they aren't very good? I mean Elvis was dreadful in just about everything, Sting has put in some shockers and it's best that we forget about Prince entirely. For the most part it's just a vanity project or a misguided attempt by film producers to boost bums on seats at some dreadful film or other.

But are there actually any decent performances out there?

A converstaion with a mate has led me to ponder upon the subject of Cover Versions. The cover version is a contenious issue. Done badly and that are excruciating, done lazily and they are little more than an exact copy of the original and have little or no worth. However, if they are thought about and are done in a new and interesting way they are bloody fantastic. Here are some of my favourites.

1. Superstar - Sonic Youth - The Carpenters are give the Youth treatment. Disjointed guitars and Thurston on vocals, what more could you want?

2. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - The Slits - If ever a tune could be given the once over this is it. This is an ace cut and well worth checking out.

3. Straight Out Of Compton - Nina Gordon - NWA's classic hip hop track is give the acoustic treatment by Veruca Salt's Nina Gordon. It has to be heard to be believed.

4. In The Ghetto - Nick Cave and The Badseeds - Cave did a whole album of covers with Kicking Against The Pricks. This was the best cut and is as good as Presley's original and Dolly Parton's marvellous version.

5. For What It's Worth - Lou Rawls - A funked up, David Axelrod produced slice of excellence.

Sorry if this thread has come up on the The Word board before but as I'm fairly new I'm sure you forgive me. It would be interesting to hear other great cover versions.

When I was eight I was into Showaddywaddy. I didn't know any better. Having parents who are not into rock music in any form (my Dad is a jazz musician and rejects rock as devoid of musical value) I wasn't subjected to music from the heyday of rock. No Stones, Beatles (every cloud has a silver lining), Byrds, Beach Boys etc, etc. My only access to music other than jazz (which I now love) was Junior Choice with Ed Stewpot. 'The Runaway Train', 'Sparky's Magic Piano', and 'Puff The Magic Dragon' were my 'After The Goldrush'.

It took me until I was about thirteen to get it and find my way. Is it any different today? There has been a sea change since my parents generation and our childrens parents (i.e. us!) are more likely to have been into The Pistols than Perry Como. How has this affected our children/nieces/nephews musical taste? Have we been able to influence them in the wicked way of the 'devils music'?

My partners daughter is eight and over the last two years or so has, I am glad to say, been lapping up some great stuff.

It started when she heard me playing 'Cut' the seminal album by punky dreads The Slits. For some reason I have never fathomed it struck a chord with her and it is still on her playlist (much to her R&B loving mother's chagrin). She has subsequently discovered the joys of Japanese pop-meisters Pizzicato Five, Belle and Sebastian, Camera Obscura, The Kings Of Convenience, Teenage Fanclub, The Wonderstuff, The Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jnr's latest album,Ben Folds and more recently the new Bob Mould album and to my immense delight the great Leeds band Cud.

As soon as she comes to my house or gets into my car she asks for one of the above and plays them again and again. When I was eight I knew the words to 'Tiger Feet' but she can sing Evan Dando's 'Black Gown' from start to finish.

Not bad for an eight year old. I'd be interested to find out if anyone else's little 'uns are shaping up to be the next generation of The Word readership?