Sunday, December 31, 2006

A bunch of fives

As is the way at this time of year there are numerous retrospectives and round-ups of everything that happened in the previous twelve months.

This year is no different and having looked through the numerous lists I have decided to have a go at compiling my own.

I must admit I have lost touch with the NME of late - I no longer purchase it religiously every Wednesday like I used to, but I still takr the time to pick up the Christmas edition to check out the end of year round up.

The fact that I own 2 albums from this years NME top 50 indicates that I’m either getting too old or I’m losing touch – as I said I seldom buy the esteemed journal these days and the quality of the Christmas Edition is evidence that I’m not missing much – but that’s for a future blog.

I fare a little better with the Uncut(the magazine of choice these days) poll. I own 3 albums from their end of year list. Again in the Observer’s arts blog I only manage to accumulate 3 of the 50 albums – note to self – must do better next year. In their poll-of-polls I have 2 out of the ten.

I have probably bought a reasonable deal of albums this year – probably not as many as in previous years. I think I have probably bought a number of older records that I have I could have included such as the Editors and Jose Gonzalez but as they weren’t released this year I have omitted them.

Here are my lists as follows:

Favourite Albums 2006

1. Kelley Stoltz – Below The Branches
2. Roddy Frame – Western Skies
3. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
4. The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers
5. Mansun – Legacy (Best of)

Favourite Singles 2006

1. Kelley Stoltz – The Sun Comes Through
2. Howling Bells – Setting Sun
3. Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
4. Snow Patrol & Martha Wainwright – Set the Fire To The Third Bar
5. Kasabian – Empire
6. Amy Winehouse – Rehab

Favourite Gigs

1. The Who - Liverpool Summer Pops (July)
2. Roddy Frame - Liverpool University (April)
3. The Zutons - Liverpool University (December)
4. The Raconteurs - Liverpool Carling Academy (March)
5. New Order (Liverpool Summer Pops (July)

Monday, December 11, 2006

Zuton Fever


That was just what the doctor ordered, after a weekend that can be best described as ordinary, last night rounded the weekend off nicely - watching Liverpool's finest The Zutons.

They were playing the third of a four night residency at Liverpool University, Academy, Mountford Hall or whatever it's called these days.

It's been a few years since i'd see them, but they have developed into a tight little band. From the opener of 'What Don't You Give Me Your Love' to the final 'Zuton Fever' they were on top form and their energy levels belied the busy year (and week)that they'd had.

It is amazing the songs that pass you by, but when you hear some live they take on a different perspective. 'Valerie' is one such song that passed me by this summer when I heard it on the radio - but tonight I grasped what it was all about. As did the numerous others surrounding me.

Here's to the next gig and album. On this form, I can't wait.

Thursday, December 7, 2006

All you need is cash!


With Christmas approaching the current raft of available musical product to purchase and I use the term ‘product’ with great significance.

November and the run up to Christmas seems to be a time of year that bands issue albums that have no real reason other than to fulfil a contractual obligation or it is about time that they got around to releasing a greatest hits.

U2 and Oasis fall into the category of the contractual obligation and this fact has prevented me from purchasing the said albums…as yet. I must be living a parallel world as somehow Girls Aloud have enough material to justify the release of a greatest hits!!!

While doing my weekly shop at Tescos – I had the usual urge to make an impulse purchase of a CD – as I hadn’t bought one for a while. Given the limited range on offer, the purchase was always going to be The Beatles - Love album.

This is a curious album, and it is one that after repeated plays makes wonder what is the real point of its existence. I had heard a few snippets here and there on the radio and I was intrigued to hear the album in full.

I was expecting a radical presentation and reappraisal of a selection of Beatles songbook. What I found instead was a number of curious alternative versions which sound great given the remastering that has taken place, but ultimately make you long to hear the originals and their imperfections.

The concept behind the album is that the music forms the backdrop to the Cirque du Soleil's ‘Love’ show in Vegas. The show has been given the seal of approval by those with significant influence in the Beatles affairs and is currently winning rave review for the performances.

The album is given some credence given that it has been produced and remixed by Sir George Martin and his son Giles. This is part of the part of the problem for me, the Martin’s are probably a little too precious with the recordings and the fact that they had carte blanche to be a little more radical could have seen them go a little further.

Some of the mixes are quite innovative especially the splicing of Hey Bulldog with Lady Madonna – but again they don't really go far enough.

It has been branded as the first official bootleg of the Beatles – a mash-up, but for me this album is a little too safe. I was hoping that it would be more in keeping with the Danger Mouse bootleg that appeared a few years back. That took liberties with the Beatles and JayZ tunes and went under the name of the Grey album.

To me the Love album, good though it is (you can’t go to far wrong when putting together a selection of Beatles tunes, in what ever form) this is nothing more than a soundtrack album and one that is nothing more than a pointless exercise in trying eek out a little more cash from a back catalogue that has so far not been too badly exploited.

This album and the release of Let It Be Naked hopefully are the last drops that can be wrung out the Beatles back catalogue.

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Yeah, I know!!!

Last night, for the second time in a year I went to see Little Britain at the Liverpool Empire on one of the last dates of a seemingly never-ending tour.

I was quite ambivalent about watching it again. I think the show is quite funny, but I must admit I was becoming a little tired of the characters last year when I went to see it. This was evidenced with the last series, when some of the old favourites had seemingly ran their course.

A year on from my first visit and after a period of not watching the show I went to see the live show again. The main reason I went was to take my girlfriend Nicky who had never seen the show - the tickets were part of a birthday present she had been waiting to receive since June.

The show is virtually the same one that they have been touring for a year, but there is the addition of one or two moments of spontaneity to the mix – to freshen-up the heavily scripted show.

I managed to make it in on time for this performance – last year I missed the first twenty minutes last time - due to a mix-up with my tickets. That probably was one of the reasons for my less than glowing appraisal of the show last year.

The old favourite characters are all rolled out - Bubbles, Lou and Andy, Marjaorie Dawes and are well received by an audience expectant to see such characters.

The highlight of the show for me was the cameo appearance of one of the non-entities from the boy band Eton Road.
Before the show, to the right of where we were sat, there was a slight frisson in the air and the sporadic flash of a mobile camera. It suddenly become apparent that the X-Factor 'stars' Eton Road were in the audience.

One of the sketches involved Des Kaye, played by Walliams, who is seemingly a disgraced children’s television presenter, who is now plying his trade doing summer season at a summer camp.

The sketch involved getting two members of the audience to help him ‘hide the sausage’. One is an older person who Kaye/Walliams ignores and the other is a boyish individual - whom is basically molested in front of the audience.

Unfortunately for Eton Road, David – I think that was his name (my appreciation for boybands is on par with my appreciation of gnawing my own limbs off) was brought on stage and subjected to this humiliation.

After escaping without having his pants removed, Walliams then proceeded to chase David around the auditorium before announcing, 'I didn’t like you I preferred the black haired one instead' – cue all four member of Eton Road running for their lives through the rows and aisles of the Empire.

The sketch dissolved into farce with Walliams’ wig falling off and with the assorted members of Eton Road subjected to untold humiliation. It was funny and embarrassing in equal measure.

You have to give credit to Walliams and Lucas for the energy and the quick fire nature of the set changes. The characters who I'd grown a little tired of I did enjoy, but hopefully they can be consigned to history. The two transvestites are the main offenders for me. It has been an unbelieveably long tour for them and it will be interesting to see what there next project will be.

It was a good night and in the end I was glad I went - despite my earlier apprehension.