I had a thought this evening driving home.

I was thinking about my post in the 'bands you claimed and why do you love them' thread.

And I thought about all the music I do enjoy - from like to love. Big Country; John Martyn; OMD; Carter USM; Handel;The Jam;Fairport Convention; Thomas Tallis. They all get regular (well, more than regular) airplay.

I can't see a common thread or theme between them. And it prompted the question: why do we love - or like - the music that we do?

It's part a philosophical question, but also a real one. If anyone actually has a solid, data driven answer, I would love to know it.

I throw myself on your mercy.

Self proclaimed folkie with prof tendencies.

Was listening to "Tom tiddler" and was reminded of how much I enjoyed the track in my youth

Questions:
What's the best entry point for Roy Harper?
Is he worth it? For benchmark I love Nick Drake, John Martyn and RichArd Thompson.

Sidequestion:
Progrock (their phrase, not mine) album called "Back on the road again" (Blodwyn Pig, Arthur Brown, Thunderclap Newman et al) - can anyone ewcommwnd how to get a copy? Dad's vinyl - original source - has died. I live I Virginia. I would truly appreciate any suggestions as to how to get a copy. Google not much help

C'mon Massive, help me out!

I was surfing around my iTunes collection and realized I like The Damned a lot.

Then I found out they're coming to town in October (in which format, I know not)

What's the best collection (single CD) or couple that represents them at their best? Google has NOT been my friend here, so I throw myself on the tender mercies of the Massive.

This came on the excellent NPR this evening driving home. It occurred to me that this may be the natural home for it.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/04/20/135568766/everything-you-k...

something within me had to love a man who can describe a band as "my bloody valentine but without the guitars".

I had a 7 hour drive today, through the winter storms in the Eastern US. I'm shamelessly using my "it's Christmas so sentimentality is OK" card.

As is my wont when I do this drive, I listened to the podcast. Not the most recent one, but the historic ones. I'm working my way through all of them. Again. having heard them when they were first broadcast.
There was a comment in one of them from Summer 2008. From a listener who said that the podcast made him laugh when he was in dialysis.

And it struck me that I use the podcast in the same way. This drive is the one home from spending time with the (P)Ex-Wife and Son. I stay with them when I go to visit, and it's always a....tense weekend. Parting is also such sweet sorrow that I am an emotional wreck.

And yet 6 hours of podcast later, I'm a normal human again. So:
Thanks for the podcast. Mum and Dad hate it; I love it. I like thinking about them as the kind of conversation you have down 't pub on a good day.

I've never met Messrs Hepworth, Ellen, et al. And it seems strange to be grateful to people in those circumstances. But I am. And I shan't apologize for it. A beautiful drive (when it isn't blizzarding) through the mountains and the podcast makes for a great 6 hours.

Thanks guys.

Today's the anniversary of his death in 2001.

Big Country - and latterly the Skids (well, I listened to BC before the Skids if you see what I mean) - were and still are a large part of my musical landscape.
Stuart went to Beath High a few years after my Dad, and BC gave me two of my best live experiences.

I know they're often derided for being a Quo-like one style band. And wrongly so.

I always thought they were an honest band, and surprisingly political. They also did the soundtrack for Restless Natives, one of my guilty pleasure movies.

I'm throwing myself on the mercy - and knowledge of the Massive.

I have (had, probably, as I can't find the damn thing) a cassette.
It was a compilation of various Scottish artists, celebrating Glasgow. Eddi Reader and others.

I know the album title. Except I don't know the actual title. It has a rhythm of "The ____, the ____ and the ____" or something similar.

I can't find the tape. I can't order the replacement CD, because I don't know what it was called.

I used to have eidetic recall of my music, and this is driving me up the effing wall.

Help, please. I'd promise something nice to the first person who nails the right answer, but don't know what that would be. My gratitude and admiration for knowing random crap?

I try to explain The Word to my colleagues here in the USA.

"Music", "culture", "intelligent life on Planet Rock", "witty" "suitably (ir)reverent" are amongst some of the words I use.

I struggle to explain why it also seems to be so quintessentially English - and I mean that as a (rare) compliment. And that got me to thinking. I subscribe to When Saturday Comes - the half decent football magazine; it is, I suspect to football as Word is to music. But:

What else am I missing of a similar ilk? What else should I read? Sport fan, music fan, literature, comics, movies, television - there has to be more out there. TV Cream scratches some of the telly itch, but I feel there is a rich seam of something that I'm missing. What does the Massive recommend?

I live in Northern Virginia - one might argue a relatively upmarket area in the USA.

I have been lucky enough to get 'Later....with Jools' as well as the Elvis Costello shows.

I had a thought this evening. These shows don't exist in the USA. Or if they do, I've missed them. Jools is on 5 nights a week on a minority channel, and I record all of them; eclectic, and live. Some bands I hate, some are...meh, and some are great. (He currently has Foo Fighters playing, and they're blowing me away). It's a little like the CD I get with the Word.
The Costello show never ceases to make me happy. Intelligent conversation, great music - and the interview with Mary-Louise Parker clinched the deal :)

What shows am I missing? Am I over rating because of the paucity of quality music television? I appeal to the Massive to ground me in reality....