Category: Music
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A Music Quiz For Christmas
Yes! A Music Quiz! Here’s the picture: You have been up and down serving drinks like a Vegas waitress, only without the tips. It’s debatable whether you would look better as you are – wearing a jumper with a reindeer on it from Auntie Marge – or wearing a Vegas waitress’ tights-and-little-else combination. The brussels…
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Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift To You
Phil Spector’s Christmas Album A Christmas Gift To You is an all time classic Although he wasn’t the first person to give Christmas tunes a Rock n Roll flavour (Both Elvis – in 1957- and rival record label Cameo Parkway Records – in 1961, featuring Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell – had released Christmas records)…
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Every Record Wins Blogging Award!
As part of this blogging lark, one of the occupational hazards is that other bloggers will read your stuff (hopefully) and lavish praise (always nice) and bestow awards upon you (like the Oscars – oh they’re meaningless really – until you get one). So I was very pleased to receive an award (my third! Woohoo!)…
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Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top Ten – Part 2
One of the questions I was asked in Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top Ten was why so many people used to tape songs off the radio? Was there more romance surrounding the charts back then? Part of the answer was for practical reasons. We didn’t have much money back then. I wouldn’t…
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Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top Ten
2012 marks the 60th Anniversary of the day the NME produced the first list of best-selling songs in the UK. Topping the charts that day – effectively the first number one hit in the UK – was Al Martino. Prior to this chart of record sales, there was a music chart – but one which…
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Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years Of The Top Ten – A Preview
The good people of the BBC have posted a clip on their website of Friday’s Pop Charts Britannia documentary which marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Charts. In the clip, you can see me make an idiot of myself trying to tape the charts from 1983 on an unfeasibly large boom-box. There’s a bit more…
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The Beatles Stereo Box Set Challenge – The Conclusion
Buying The Beatles on Vinyl Spoiler alert: This is Part 6 of a six-part series. If you want to start at the beginning – click this link. The story so far: A bet has been struck between me and my friend Chris: Can I buy a complete set of Beatles records on vinyl for less…
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The Beatles Stereo Box Set Challenge 5/6
Part 5: Buying The Beatles on Vinyl at Old Spitalfields Market The story so far: A bet has been struck. It is the 19th October 2012. I have until tomorrow to buy a complete set of Beatles records on vinyl for less money than the 2012 Re-issued Box Set. The clock is ticking and the…
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The Beatles Stereo Box Set Challenge Part 4
Part 4/6: Buying The Beatles On Vinyl: Abbey Road’s Misaligned Apples and Sgt Pepper‘s Red Wavy Lines The story so far: A bet has been struck: Buy a complete set of Beatles records on vinyl for less money than the 2012 Re-issued Box Set. The clock is ticking and the stakes are high…the loser has…
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Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top Ten
This is just a quick word about the BBC4 Documentary Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top Ten. Regular readers may recall that I am set to feature in this documentary which looks at the romance of the charts on the 60th anniversary of the very first NME chart. Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years…
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The Beatles Stereo Box Set Challenge Part 3
Buying Beatles records on eBay. Part 3/6: The story so far: A bet has been struck: Buy a complete set of Beatles records on vinyl for less money than the Re-issued Box Set by the 20th October. The clock is ticking and the stakes are high…the loser has to listen to a Mariah Carey album.…
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The Beatles Stereo Box Set Challenge Part 2
Looking For Beatles Records In Charity Shops Part 2/6 The story so far: A bet has been struck: Buy a complete set of Beatles records on vinyl for less money than the Re-issued Box Set. The clock is ticking and the stakes are high…the loser has to listen to a Mariah Carey album. Ten times.…
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The Beatles Box Set Challenge
“I bet that I can buy the original Beatles records on vinyl for less than the cost of the new stereo box set on Amazon.” Part 1/6 The announcement made on the 27th September that The Beatles are to re-release all their albums on vinyl on the 12th November in a deluxe box set has…
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A Look Back At Look-in: The 1982 Pop Scene
1982 was a big year in pop music. Madonna’s debut. The release of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Ozzy munched a bat. But what was it really like? In the UK the biggest selling single was Dexy’s Midnight Runners‘ Come On Eileen. The Human League had a huge hit with Don’t You Want Me. I particularly liked…
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Is This The Hard Rock Cafe’s Greatest Treasure?
The Hard Rock Cafe in London’s Piccadilly contains some most amazing treasures. As the silver-cross-wearing and black-nail-varnish sporting readers amongst you may know, Black Sabbath got back together in 2012 to perform a few shows. Regrettably, original Sabbath drummer Bill Ward did not participate due to a dispute over that root of all evil, Sharon…
Every record tells a story 