I think it wasn't so much the music on NFNF as his sheer nuttiness in person on the promotional round. I recall he appeared on the front cover of Q in the absolument rick - a series of similar pictures accompanied the article inside. My wife was rolling about on the floor laughing

All very unexpected after the album that gave him so much success - so instead of being seen as a lurve god Soul Man he seemed to be a bit of a casualty. Shame.

Weller did record an album in that vein, but his record company refused to release it.

I think it was called Modernism: A New Decade.

Record company refused to release it, drops band and Weller begins his wilderness years.

I think it resurfaced as part of a Style Council box set.

I've read that the Chris Gaines LP wasn't at all bad. Anyone heard it?

Give it another go. I'm used to the phenomenon where a new RT underwhelms me, only to sound much better 5 or ten years later. YMU? falls into this category, and The Old Kit Bag is another. It's not one of my favourite albums of his, but I liked it much more on a return visit.

Cold kisses, Woods of Darney, The Ghost of you Walks, Put it there, pal - below standard? These ears beg to differ. And those are just the ones off the top of my head.

Where it's unusual is the double album format, split into electric and acoustic discs. That does change the listening experience - I quite like the result but YMMV.

I think the splitting of the album into two discs and the appearance of a few songs on both doesn't work, but there are some absolutely superb songs here: Dark Hand Over My Heart, Cold Kisses, Razor Dance and the Ghost Of You Walks are right up there with his best; and I believe Woods Of Darney may be his best song of all. It's compelling, heartbreaking, compassionate and brutal. There's only half of it (the second half) in this Youtube clip, which I've posted before, but what the hell, it's still enough to give me a lump in the throat.

In fact, here's what I'm going to do: "Previously on The Woods Of Darney:"

I found your picture in a corporal's pocket
His cold fingers still pressed it to his chest
Sniper's bullet took his eyes and his breath away
Now he lies out in the forest with the rest

You looked shy in your grandmother's wedding dress
Feet set wide like a farm girl stands
Too young to love and too young to lose
In a cracked picture frame in a dead man's hands

I kept it with me for the luck, for the magic
Maybe fate wouldn't strike in the same place twice
But something stirred and I dared to dream of you
And I knew I'd look for you if I should survive

Whe we stood down at last it was easy to find you
And mine was the shoulder you cried on that day
Just an old comrade doing his duty
Bringing the news from the woods of Darney

When I showed you the picture, perhaps I felt jealousy
As your tears welled up with each reminisce
And my hands may be rougher and my tongue may be coarser
But I knew I could give you a love good as his

Now watch and listen on, dear readers...

It's an odd one, but for all it's bad points (Wedding Feast!) I wouldn't say it's his 'Lost the Plot' album - partly because it's got some bloody good tracks on (Everlasting Now, The Work) and because...well it's got competition in his canon.

I'd nominate 'Graffiti Bridge'. The one where, for me at least, he seems to really lose his grip on what makes Prince good.

The point I wanted to make was that there's a dichotomy at work here; we expect artists to have interesting shifts in musical direction — rather than repeatedly ploughing the same musical furrow — but at the same time are quick to castigate them when it goes wrong.

And some of these albums — like Dusty in Memphis — only gain appreciation years after their release. I don't know the exact point when it was rehabilitated, but it sold badly upon release, singles aside.

Did very well, critically and commercially. And it marked a change in the balance of power at Motown, in favour of artists.

The fifth, self-titled Blur album. Which was both a real about-turn and the LP that killed Britpop.

And probably their best album, in terms of consistency.

But weren't the first few Divine Comedy albums heavily inspired by 80s synth pop?

It was a (relative) commercial failure at the time, selling less than previous efforts, and it's her only album to feature a single that never made the Top 75. Almost derailed her career, and her next album, Hounds of Love, was effectively a comeback album.

Thing is, it's brilliant. Each of the songs is a mini-drama and Houdini is probably her best song never released as a single.

this would appear. It's not a bad album at all; probably just what his audience wasn't expecting.

This Side of Love is a great track.

said late in '89 that the biggest turkey that Christmas was TTD's second album - clearly mortified at the plummeting sales of what should have been a banker after the huge success of "Hardline". Tel's claim - apparently serious - to have channelled Lennon during the songwriting process didn't help.

It's a fine album - has actually dated rather better than the previous record.

Nice to see our Youtuber practising safe vinyl, too.

is simply stunning, especially on vinyl. I thought it was well received at the time, but I may be wrong. Love the lyrics to 'Clowns'.

I seem to recall that Beach Boy's Party was released before Pet Sounds as was Summer Days and Summer Nights

Give it another listen. Less of the frills, more meaty, more satisfying.

is great

Jethro Tull's 'Passion Play' is a thing of wonder - a much underrated album. Rather pretentious but none the worse for that.

Dylan's Self Portrait is a mixed bag. About half the tracks are very good and about half are - mmm less good. Good tracks 'include 'Copper Kettle' 'Belle Isle' 'Days of '49' and 'Take A Message to Mary'. If you like Dylan, give it a listen, If not, don't.