National Album Day 2019: Songs To Remember by Scritti Politti
I met Green Gartside once...at Green Man Festival in Wales...he posed for some pictures I took...I was gobsmacked and could not think of two words to say to him. For me it was a totally overwhelming experience just being face to face with him. I had just listened to...
National Album Day 2019: The Whole Story by Kate Bush
I’ve chosen The Whole Story by Kate Bush - I know that makes me a horrible philistine to choose a greatest hits but I don’t care! One of my dearest and oldest friends Lucy gave this to me on CD for my 15th birthday and I was like ‘What? the Wuthering Heights woman?…...
National Album Day 2019: Dogviolet by Laurel
Laurel perfectly encapsulates what it’s like to be a music maker in today’s landscape of artists with more control over their sound. Her 2018 debut album Dogviolet struck me with a deep level of confidence in both vocal delivery and performance that few artists are...
National Album Day 2019: Ten by Pearl Jam
I was 12 and a half years old when Pearl Jam’s Ten album came out. It had a huge effect on me and my life. The thundering rawness of it. It’s lyrics screamed right to me, pushing through into my young tormented world. You might wonder why would a 12yr old need to hear...
National Album Day 2019: The Wall By Pink Floyd
When I was a young lad starting to try and get serious about music, I had discovered Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, but could not get into Pink Floyd. I knew I should, but having listened to my friends copy of Dark Side Of The Moon, i just did not get it. Then at the end of...
National Album Day 2019: Stars Of CCTV by Hard Fi
Whilst sadly the fame and fortune wasn’t that long lived (the second and third albums couldn't match the brilliance of this and with the band on seemingly indefinite hiatus nobody seriously expects any more from them), Stars Of CCTV, the debut album from Staines...
National Album Day: Remain In Light By Talking Heads
Almost thirty nine years to the day Talking Heads presented us with Remain In Light. I was hooked on these former art school students from the moment I heard Psycho Killer three years earlier but with Brian Eno working his production magic on this album it has never...
National Album Day 2019: Ultra by Depeche Mode
Ultra isn’t the best Depeche Mode album. (That’s Violator.) It isn’t even my favourite Depeche Mode album. (That’s Songs of Faith And Devotion.) But it’s the one that changed my life. It was 1997. I was battling through a medical degree that I had no right doing in...
National Album Day: Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park
Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory was my first ever album and a very important and enduring eye opener for many listeners. In 2000, at aged 10, I put this album on my Christmas list based solely on word of mouth. A schoolfriend wouldn’t shut up about how desperate he was...
National Album Day 2019: The Bride by Bat For Lashes
I've always thought Natasha Kahn's voice was beautifully melancholic, until this album best evidenced for me on tracks like Sad Eyes or the single Laura. With The Bride she uses her songwriting and performing talents superbly to tell a story of love and loss. The...
National Album Day 2019: the B52’s by The B52s
I like a challenge in life. I like to push my comfort zone a little further everyday and I never stand defeated. But when we were asked to get involved with National Album Day 2019 and write about one album we don't skip and enjoy from start to finish, I started...
National Album Day 2019: There Is Nothing Left To Lose by Foo Fighters
For this year’s National Album Day, I’m travelling back to 1999 and pulling There Is Nothing Left to Lose by Foo Fighters from the vaults. Dusting off a collection of music that I will always play in its entirety without skipping a track. The late ‘90s heralded change...
National Album Day: Nothing Feels Good by The Promise Ring
What a tough choice! After shortlisting 5 or 6 albums that I do actually like to listen to in order and in their entirety, I decided to opt for one that just plays through so seamlessly, each song seems to complement one another, and one that holds so many fond...
A Child’s-Eye View Of Glastonbury Festival
When I tell people that my wife and I are going to Glastonbury Festival this year, there is a generally positive response. Questions such as “are you camping?” and “who is on this year?” are forthcoming. There is also the question: “who’ll be looking after the little...
Vintage Hot Rods On Pendine Sands June 2019
Le Mans 24 Hours, Indy 500, Monaco Grand Prix, Bonneville Salt Flats, Pendine Sands. Some of those names roll off the tongue with ease and are synonymous with great deeds in motor racing. But Pendine Sands in South Wales? Well, yes!. In the 1920s it was the place to...