Imagine my surprise on noticing that the last podcast downloaded to my iTunes was not the cut-down version but the full monty.

Did I miss an announcement? Has the shortened version been done away with or was this a one-off? Or a mistake?

Whatever, it was nice to hear Fraser and The Hep shooting the breeze again after all this time. I haven't been tuning in to the short versions much recently, I always find it irritating when it cuts off in full flow (which presumably is the point!) and it feels like I'm being thrown out of a party I haven't been invited to.

The podcast itself remains a joy. I tuned in to hear Stanley Booth but ended up liking the other two authors even more, reminding me that it was often the guests I knew little about who I ended up enjoying most on the podcast. Now I have a few more books in mind that I'll never get around to reading.

Nice to have it back, even if the return is short-lived. Thanks.

From the Divine Comedy website:

Neil, Cathy Davey and Jape will be performing their own version of Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut at the Button Factory (in Dublin) on Friday 1st April!

Tickets are free and will be available via registration from Tuesday 1st February on www.thejdset.ie

So, one of my favourite acts of all time plays one of my favourite records of the last few years, for free, in my home town. The country might be going down the tubes, but it's not all bad.

To top this, I think it would need Paddy McAloon to do the hits of Jimmy Webb or perhaps Teenage Fanclub playing Revolver in its entirety.

Who would play your Fantasy Tribute gig, and what would they be playing?

There has been plenty of Bowie in these parts recently, so apologies for one more on the subject.

I've been late to the Bowie party. His heyday started before I was born and ended before I knew what was going on. As I got into pop music, I thought his #1 duet with Mick Jagger was rubbish. (And at the time, I pretty much liked everything that got to #1.) I liked Absolute Beginners, was vaguely aware of the distress that Glass Spider and Tin Machine caused, and paid very little further attention for a while.

Picked up the 69-74 and 74-79 compilations a few years back and loved them, but left it at that. Over the last year or two, though, I have been ploughing through the albums from that era.

So, now: I have all the studio albums between Hunky Dory and Scary Monsters and I love 'em all. I should probably leave it at that but I do get slightly obsessed about these things.

Where do I go to next? Are the pre-Hunky Dory albums worth a punt? Pin-ups? Do I need any of the live albums?

Any recommendations of particular songs from the overproduced 80s years? Any of the later albums that I should go for? And are there any other non-album tracks out there from the (ahem) golden years that I should know about like Young Dudes and Velvet Goldmine?

Any documentaries I really should see or books I really should read? Should I be hunting down any of the collaborations with the likes of Iggy or Lou?

Thanking all of you fine people in advance.

Imagine my delight at finding that my review of the Edwyn Collins book made it into the Massive Attacks section of the most recent issue. I believe, under the T&Cs, that Mr Hepworth now owes me a bright shiny pound coin.

Imagine, then, my disappointment at finding that my name had been mangled in the process.

I don't want to make a big deal of this. If you could have the person responsible shot, we'll say no more about it.

I have thought long and hard about posting this request or not, as it would normally be wildly off-topic and deathly dull.

However, today the blog seems to have branched out in to travel matters (see Copenhagen and London threads below) so I thought I would risk it.

I am going to bring the family to Britain for a week or 10 days in about a month's time, but haven't a clue where to stay. We were in CenterParcs in Longleat a couple of years back and while it was very pleasant indeed, it is just too bloody dear.

So, I am looking for somewhere (anywhere) that would have a bit of room for a 4 year old and a 2 year old to run about and preferably would have some activities for all of us nearby, be it just the local swimming pool or a nice playground. Nothing is 'ruled out' - a country cottage, a mobile home park, etc - I'd love to hear any suggestions at all, from any part of the island.

Before I get on to my moan, let me state that I love the new look, and I speak as someone who believes that all change is bad. On first glance, the new issue looks to be full of good stuff: from the writing of super-hits to gay disco vicars.

But this business of all the small album reviews being squeezed in to two pages has to stop.

I know there is an argument that the more thorough album reviews sections are what the other music magazines are for. But I don’t buy the other music magazines. I buy The Word.

Over the last number of years, readers have built up associations with certain reviewers. I, for one, have always kept an eye out for anything Graeme Thomson gave the thumbs-up to. If Jude Rogers got behind a record, there was a decent chance that it might be something I would like. I even got to trust those who tended to review stuff that I would never buy in a million years; if Steve Yates said the new Jay Z was a pale imitation of what went before, I believed him.

Can a reviewer really do justice to 10 records a month? I’m not naive enough to believe that record reviewers devote days to each release before penning their couple of hundred words, but surely some of these records can only be getting a cursory listen. It’s not that the writing is bad – “sounds terrific in the background but when you stop and listen you wonder where it’s gone” is a wonderful line – but the charm of these pages had been in the variety of voices. This is still the case with the DVDs and books.

To end on a positive note, can I just say how great it is to see Christopher Bray getting one of the new movie releases to release. The man’s film reviews are as good as his facial hair is bad.

I recently shelled out a hefty 17 euro for the new Magnetic Fields album. It's not great, a bit patchy, but it has that in common with most of what he has done in the decade since 69 Love Songs.

Wandering around the net the other night, I found that my 13 track album wasn't the complete picture - there is an 'iTunes Exclusive' 14th track, if I had been prepared to pay far less for the record. Grrrr. Why should I lose out because I decided to buy the actual record, from an actual record shop? I wasn't happy.

When I calmed down, I decided that I was prepared to shell out the extra 99c for the extra track. Grudgingly, because I don't feel I should have to, but anyway. And, of course, it turns out that the track isn't available on iTunes in Ireland, or possibly outside the US.

I had an identical experience last year with the Duckworth Lewis Method record. Bought the CD on first day of release, later found out about exclusive track Pedalo on iTunes, grumbled a bit before taking the plunge only to find that I couldn't buy the poxy thing in Ireland.

Now, this sort of thing shouldn't bother me so much, but it does. There is a part of my brain that needs to hear every recording I possibly can by the acts I like: the b-sides thread at the moment suggests I'm not the only one around these parts that seeks these things out.

I know I should just grow up. These extra tracks are probably not going to change my life. But why are we being encouraged to buy the digital over the physical releases? Is there a benefit to the artist? And why wouldn't these tracks be available everywhere?

Anybody?

I used to quite like it.

Apologies for a dull first ever topic from me, but I need assistance from the massive. I know the subject has been covered before.

It's time for a new mp3 player; the old one (an iRiver H340) has served me well but it is time to pension it off. A 160Gb iPod is tempting, but I am hesitant because
a) a lot of my stuff is in Windows Media format, and the thought of having to convert is rather dispiriting
b) I like being able to just plug the thing in to a PC and organise my folders in my own anal way; no software required, and no indexing of the one track on the album with a guest singer under the two names as a separate artist.
c) Why can't they put a radio in the bloody thing?

Can anyone offer me alternatives to the iPod, or can you convince me that it is time to bite the bullet? If I buy one, will I renounce all competitors in no time?