Music magazine of the year in new issue shock!
Posted by David Hepworth on 5 December 2007 - 9:12am.
If you've had the good sense to subscribe, the January or, as we call it round here, Christmas issue, should be landing on your doormat right now. Attached to its glossy cover is a CD bringing together the best of Now Hear This 2007, 15 new tracks by the people you asked for by name. Contained within said glossy cover is our review of the year plus in-person encounters with the people who wrote their name on it, from Paul McCartney to Peter Capaldi, from Matt Stevens to Manu Chao, plus the books, DVDs and records of the year as decided by, er, us. Join the war against stupidity by buying a copy. As they say on the management courses, if you want to "feed back", here's the place to do it.
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Pages 10-13
Love the new issue that arrived through the door this morning, although it's ruining my revision plan.
Is there any way of getting electronic copies of the pictures of the various celebrities dressed up all-Christmassy to put into a Christmas quiz, or are they all strictly controlled by copyright? A quick Google image search isn't very forthcoming.
I'm afraid not
They came from various photo agencies, and were only for use in the magazine.
As I expected
Thank you for the reply anyway. I guess it's back to revision for me.
What a CD!
There are no disappointments on there for me. It's a really top-notch selection.
The assembled multitudes who shun the Word Facebook group (where this has already been mentioned) might like to add to their musical wealth by popping along to the iTunes store and downloading this week's Single of the Week: Nobody's Fault But Mine by Beth Rowley.
That Beth Rowley track...
...is on the February CD.
But...
...it's free on iTunes this week, so why wait 'til Feb.!?
Thanks for that
So it is.
A festive treat
A quick leaf through this issue looks terrific, folks. And the cover disk selections are excellent, too. I've added the tracklist to CDDB, for the benefit of those of us who immediately bung the contents onto our iPods. I still await with trepidation the day when "Vinyl Dave" Hepworth gets his way, and the mag arrives attached to a 12-inch vinyl album. Anyway, thissue is a real festive treat, so thanks again and Merry Christmas, all!
Chris Rea
Driving Home For Christmas? One of the best seasonal hits of all time? Driving Home For -ing Christmas???
Hmmm...
I hear your point, but I'd much rather know why Cliff's "Millenium Prayer" isn't in the worst list. A travesty amongst travesties, that number.
Or
Mistletoe and Wine. It's putrid AND it's catchy.
They're both too obvious!
Having a go at Sir Cliff over Christmas is like shooting fish in a barrel, isn't it?
Except
that the fish don't survive, which makes it a bit more worthwhile.
Novelty Books
Someone gave me Is it Just Me Or Is Everything Shit last year, the major problem with it was that it didn't include a critique of itself within.
However, Bollocks To Alton Towers, a review of alternative attractions around the country (Tebay Motorway Services, a disused nuclear bunker etc) is warm, funny, and engaging. Shame that, re-inforcing Charlie Brooker's point, the title might not have done it any favours.
Also...
The follow-up book, "Far From The Sodding Crowd" is just as good, maybe even better. Yes, it takes the piss a little, but in a warm-hearted way, and ultimately you find yourself wanting to visit the places for yourself.
Flanders & Swann
...am I missing a page? Haven't found it yet.
They're on page 96
with the Bonzos.
A little bit of politics creeping in there, but...
Skimmed the issue last night, and as ever it looks a good read, though I'm rather bemused by the mention (in favourite and unfavourite things) of how US TV Writers are the second-richest people involved in their business… how do you work that out?
I would have thought that the studio heads, actors, and directors would likely to be higher on the pay scales, especially given that large numbers of writers are out of work at any given time (around half the members of the US Writers' Guild - hence the current strike over DVD and download payments that help keep these writers afloat).
Add in that a lot of the striking writers are responsible for the shows you (to my mind rightly) praise so highly in the 'Best of 2007' side of things, and I'm faintly surprised at the remark, really… minor niggle, sure, but the rather dismissive tone seemed slightly odd.
Writers' Strike
Can I just step outside of my role as proud Word contributor and say that I agree with you, John. I'm of a far more sympathetic bent to the US writers currently on strike. Possibly because I write for TV myself. The rights issue at stake is a serious one, and it's not cut and dried. As TV shows are increasingly made available "on demand", how to recompense those who created the work? With a straightforward "repeat" it's easy to calculate royalty rates, but if a programme is "on demand", how does one work out the residuals? (Each time it's downloaded? That would be like paying you for each viewer that watches the show.) TV companies would love to roll this in with the initial contract, and writers would like it to be an add-on, but it's a thorny issue. So, we should be right there - in spirit - on the picket lines with them, I say. Yes, US writers are paid far, far more than UK writers, but they also get tied into exclusivitiy contracts, which we don't, and are put on the staff of a long-running show until ... it gets cancelled and no longer runs any more at all, during which time they've been unable to tout for work.
I am also dismayed at the media taking the gentle piss out of famous actors on picket lines, as if they are just doing it for the publicity. Is it not possible, as members of the Screen Actors Guild, that they'd have genuine sympathy with members of the Writers' Guild? Not all actors are right-wing stormtroopers.
That said, I think this is one of the finest issues of Word ever produced.
Weller & The Carthys
Their version of "John Barleycorn" on the cd is dynamite. Thanks for that.
Charlie Brooker
Isn't he great - did anyone read about his trip to Glastonbury (in the Guardian, I think) - hilarious.
Yes I did
and I nearly caused myself a mirth-related injury in so doing. Truly there is no finer commentator on modern popular culture than the man Brooker.
His books
His books of his collected Guardian columns (Screen Burn and Dawn Of The Dumb) are well worth a look if his work induces childish giggles and knowing smiles in you in the same way that it does to me. They've almost removed my prejudice to Guardian readers.
It's a shame that his TV shows won't ever make it to DVD due to all the clips of other shows not allowing themselves to be included (or at least I assume that'd be the case).
Where's the snow?
I don't think magazines should be allowed to publish Christmas issues without snow on the logo. And a christmas pudding shaped like a football. And all that.
Killjoys.
Back in the day....
...Steve Bush used to celebrate Christmas at Smash Hits by putting Tippex on the logo. You try telling the kids of today that....
Nick Drake review and unsolicited praise
I must make comment on Mr Fitzpatrick' review of Fruit Tree. These albums have been reviewed and discussed within an inch of their lives over the years and here's another one ....but what do you know. It is a wonderful review - eloquent, insightful,informative and crucially not fawning. I tip my hat to you sir. A top piece of work which had me reaching for the lps once once again (please feel free to use this testimonial in any future employment interview situation and no . No relation at all, don't know the bloke from adam.)
mother, please!
you're embarrassing me!
Moan Ibid
Still awaiting subscription copy, tho I have seen it in certain shops - which is kindov galling, frankly. From my point of view, the subscriber copy is only worth it fiscally. I don;t think my has ever arrived before it is in the local newsagent store.
Sub
Paul,
Really sorry about this. The magazine goes on-sale on the second Thursday of each month, and the subs copies get mailed on the preceeding Friday. So they should arrive at least two days before on-sale.
Can you let me know if your issue has arrived, and if not let me have your address and I'll pop a replacement in the post to you today.
Thanks for subscribing to our magazine. We really appreciate the support.
Thank you
Cheers Jerry. As ever I sound like a complete and utter curmudgeon, but it is the best culture magazine on the market (this side of International Socialist, as I suspect Mr Hepworth would agree....ahem) and I get miffed about receiving it late. I have ordered a new issue with the subs department, which should arrive soonest, I hope. Thanks for yr comments tho
That's Planning
You've got the february CD mapped out already? Blimey. I hope it's better than this one - the first one I've voluntarily ejected from the the player in the car half way through. It's alright though - I put in last year's best of instead, which has a cosy compartment in the glove box (or, as we call it in our house, 'the CD box') on permanent reserve. Nostalgia's not what it used to be, is it?
Burial
Apologies that I don't have the magazine to hand, but can I please thank whoever did the review of Burial (Mr Fitzpatrick?)in the new issue. On the back of the review I bought the CD on Saturday and it is awesome.
NEW ISSUE
So where is this new edition? Has some temporary Postie knicked himself an early Xmas prezzie?
If anyone in distribution got the answer please let me know. There again I have not seen it on the shelves either of the local TESCO Extra!
If you get in touch...
...with Jerry on Monday he'll look into it.
Joshua Tree's Waterloo?
as always it took me about 4 weeks (I'm slow) to work my way through every letter on display of the Christmas Word
I found myself a bit baffled by the review of the re-released Joshua Tree
I can't say it's my favourite album ever, but to have an entire review dedicated to moaning on about how the album lacks humour and is too earnest was a bit much
even I can recognise that some of the tracks (mostly the singles that we all know) are actually quite incredible
to top it of though I turned the page to find a review on how glorious Abba used to be!!
now, maybe I suffer from the same lack of humour as attributed to the Irish Tree huggers, but I wasn't laughing