Sunday 22nd March
I'm well and truly stunned. For the past several weeks
voices in the know have predicted that Mastodon's forthcoming
release, 'Crack The Skye', will be among the frontrunners
of 2009's Album Of The Year. Having sat in my office,
volume cranked high, curtains closed and glued to the
lyric sheet, I can only agree that the Brendan O'Brien
(AC/DC, Audioslave, King's X)-produced 'Crack The Skye'
is a monumental, gloriously overblown piece of progressively-inclined
metal, and quite probably the Atlanta quartet's finest
achievement to date. I've been a Mastodon fan since my
friend Malcolm Dome and I caught the band, almost by accident,
opening for High On Fire at London's Underworld in February
2003, at the tail end of a tour for their debut, 'Remission'.
To say that they overwhelmed us both would be a little
like stating that Jon Bon Jovi is fond of mirrors and
green folding stuff.
Since then, Mastodon have gone from strength to strength,
recruiting an army of fans with 2004's 'Leviathan' and
'Blood Mountain' two years later. I've no idea what its
bamboozling concept is about - something to do with wormholes,
secret societies, Rasputin and a magnet of wisdom, apparently
- but 'Crack The Skye' is the album that will make Mastodon
stars, you mark my words. After its 50 minutes were through,
I sat breathless and dumbstruck before pressing the button
marked 'play' again. The album can be heard in its entirety
at the band's MySpace site.
Regarding yesterday's enjoyable 0-0 draw between Palace
and Reading at Selhurst, I concur with Neil Warnock's
claim that the home side "shaded it", but most
of all it was lovely to have seen and been part of the
ovation afforded to current Reading manager and former
Palace boss Steve Coppell. The ever-modest and thoughtful
Coppell helmed the Eagles through four different spells
over 16 years and 600-odd games, guiding the club to third
place in the top flight and a Wembley FA Cup Final, even
negotiating a turbulent, relegation-threatened period
of administration. The final fixture of the 1999/2000
season against Blackburn Rovers, which saw a jubilant
Coppell throw his blazer into the Holmesdale stand as
the club warded off the threat on being wound up, was
the most emotionally charged game I've ever attended.
I adore the bloke - always have, always will (though in
a manly way, of course).
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday 21st March
Well, the travelling might’ve been horrendous,
bookended by a pair of infuriatingly slow crawls through
central London traffic, but Thursday night’s FM
gig was all I hoped it would be. Around 120 fortunate
fans had received tickets for the intimate, one-off show
at Winstanley College in Wigan, which saw the reunited
UK group blooding their new guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick.
Drummer Pete Jupp later told me that Kirkpatrick’s
arrival has freed up FM’s ability to play their
vintage material, his predecessor Andy Barnett having
been reluctant to perform material from the all-time classic
‘Indiscreet’ and ‘Tough It Out’
albums. This was reflected in a thoroughly mouth-watering
and beautifully paced 16-song display that will be released
on DVD in the not too distant future. My friend Kev McDempster
and I sat within feet of the stage and observed with grins
that would’ve shamed Cheshire cats as ‘The
Dream That Died’ and ‘Dangerous’ were
returned to FM’s repertoire, the ‘Aphrodisiac’
slowie ‘Hard Day In Hell’ being introduced
onstage for the very first time. Sure, the show got off
to a nervy start, Steve Overland singing marginally ahead
of the beat during opener ‘Breathe Fire’,
but despite a less than stellar solo during the same track,
Kirkpatrick went on to prove himself a terrific addition
to the band. A brand new song called ‘I Ain’t
The One’ bodes magnificently for a new studio disc
that FM plan to release in time for their Firefest appearance
in October. Here’s the set-list in all its pink-suited
glory: ‘Breathe Fire’, ‘The Dream That
Died’, ‘Face To Face’, ‘I Belong
To The Night’, a slightly rushed ‘That Girl’,
‘I Ain’t The One’, ‘Dangerous’,
‘Hard Day In Hell’, ‘The Other Side
Of Midnight’, ‘American Girls’, ‘Only
The Strong Survive’, ‘Blood And Gasoline’,
‘Burning My Heart Down’ and ‘Bad Luck’,
with encores of ‘Frozen Heart’ and ‘Heard
It Through The Grapevine’. Then it was time for
Kev and myself to drink a few fermented grapes of our
own… but that’s a whole other story!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
19th March
No updates for a couple of days as I trek Northwards
for FM's one-off gig in Wigan. My bag is packed with a
variety of listening delights, including the Atomhenge
Records Hawkwind re-issues, Ian Gillan's 'One Eye To Morocco',
an advance promo of 'American Soldier' by Queensrÿche
and a precious finished copy of Deep Purple's 'Stormbringer'.
Last night was spent in Camden where H.E.A.T., the new
Swedish rock sensations, played a fabulous UK headline
gig. I arrived early at the Underworld to fulfil a promise
of catching a few songs by Lost Weekend, having received
a frosty email from the UK's band's singer Paul Uttley
following what he felt was an "out and out personal"
review of their latest album, 'Fear And Innocence'. Uttley
took exception to my use of the term "character bypass",
so it was lucky that one of Classic Rock's sub-editors
saw fit to remove the review's kiss-off line of: "Maybe
they should change their name to Wet Weekend?" To
be frank, however, I saw very little on the stage to change
my opinion. Their strain of AOR pub-rock is proficient
and enthusiastic... no more, no less.
H.E.A.T., by contrast, were sensational. What a singer!
What a set of songs! What showmanship! What a crowd reaction!
Purring through a set culled from last year's warmly received
self-titled debut and topped off by a fulsome cover of
Journey's 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)', the band very
quickly made us forget life's miseries such as the credit
crunch and the (slim) possibility of Scumwall fluking
promotion. Although they were seen by four million TV
viewers in Sweden's Eurovision eliminators and have an
album and single in their national chart, it's early days
for H.E.A.T. here in the UK, and last night's show, like
the rest of the tour, was poorly publicised. But the 150-odd
fans that partook of such a special night will surely
tell their all of their friends not to miss out next time.
I still predict great things.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
18th March
“I’m disappointed we’re not [going
to be] in the play-offs, but we’re not good enough,”
admits Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock after all hopes
of promotion were finally dashed by last night’s
defeat at Barnsley – a game I had tickets to have
attended till it was moved to midweek after the original
date was snowed off. Warnock’s statement is a typically
frank summation of a dire situation. The trip to Oakwell
sums up a hit ‘n’ miss season; taking an early
lead thanks to the Human Kebab (Shefki Kuqi), then leaking
three goals to a weak home side that, until the Eagles’
feeble capitulation, had been waist-deep in the relegation
mire. The only meagre consolation to come from handing
Barnsley three points is that south London neighbours
Clowntown Pathetic are left all but mathematically condemned
to third-tier football next season. Talk about a bittersweet
feeling.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
17th March
A few days ago some friends and I were laughing about
the plethora of so called heritage acts that are threatening
to make this year’s Download bill seem more like
a Monsters Of Rock bash of old. When somebody announced,
“Imagine the emo kids’ reaction if the organisers
were to go the whole hog and book a band like Journey?”
we scoffed as one. Well, blow me down – that’s
exactly what’s happened. With Neal Schon and company,
Tesla, Down, Black Stone Cherry and the reunited Skin
(of “Baby, baby, baby, baby… look but don’t
touch” fame) newly confirmed to join the likes of
Leppard, Whitesnake, ZZ Top, Dream Theater, the Crüe,
DragonForce, Faith No More and Anvil, I’ve just
booked myself a hotel room for the weekend. That’s
quite a line-up, I’m sure you’ll agree?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
16th March
Good news for fans of Emerson Lake & Palmer, a
band which has, of course, been on hiatus since 1998.
An update at Carl Palmer's site reveals: "There is
talk of an ELP reunion tour in the fall". You'll
find me in the queue for tickets to that one.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
15th March
What a beautiful day, in more ways than one. London is
bathed in warm sunshine and with a clear blue sky overhead.
I'm nursing a hangover in the wake of a great gig by Golden
Earring and yesterday's football results. I'd love to
have been at the Liberty Stadium - a new ground for me
- for Palace's 3-1 triumph over Swansea City, but there
was no way I was missing the first UK appearance by the
Dutchmen in more than three decades. During the afternoon
I trawled around the second hand record stores at Notting
Hill Gate whilst my friend Steve Taylor, who was at the
game, kept me updated with goal news. Bargains included
a Fountains Of Wayne CD that I didn't have (1999's 'Utopia
Parkway') and a fascinating collection of Weezer mainman
Rivers Cuomo's demos ('Alone: The Home Recordings', 2007).
Compounding the joy of a CPFC victory, when it became
evident that Ch***ton and Scumwall had both lost their
own crucial fixtures, there was nothing for it - pass
me those cans of Strongbow Super please, barman. Hic!!
Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash were the special guests of
Golden Earring. Though I missed the beginning of their
set, which was based upon the classic 'Argus' album, I
liked what I heard. A lot. The signs outside the Shepherd's
Bush Empire which stated that Golden Earring would play
for just 90 minutes were thankfully erroneous. The sound
and lights were excellent and they ended up hanging around
for nigh on two hours, the perennial 'Radar Love' bringing
the house down. Because the impact of the group's best-known
song was undermined by Cesar Zuiderwijk's gratuitous drum
solo, my own highlight of the show was the irresistible
'Twilight Zone', culled from 1982's fabulous 'Cut' album.
Golden Earring must have been thrilled by the size and
enthusiasm of the audience; fingers crossed they'll return
to these shores before too long. Here’s the set-list:
‘Candy's Going Bad’, ‘Just Like Vince
Taylor’, ‘Another 45 Miles’, ‘Leather’,
‘Twilight Zone’, ‘Long Blond Animal’,
‘Fighting Windmills’, ‘Something Heavy
Going Down’, ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’,
‘Liquid Soul’, ‘When The Lady Smiles’,
‘Going To The Run’, ‘Johnny Make Believe’,
Bass Solo, ‘Radar Love' (including Drum Solo) and
encores of ‘She Flies On Strange Wings’ and
‘Holy Holy Life’.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday 13th March
Phew… what a busy week it’s been. I clean
forgot to mention that I spoke to Danny Bowes and Luke
Morley of Thunder a few days ago, the results of which
will be run in a ‘farewell’ interview for
Classic Rock. Got the impression that both were okay with
the decision to call it a day – Bowes being frantically
busy in his daytime work as a booking agent. Morley told
me that Danny’s announcement was not a shock, though
he didn’t expect it to have happened quite so soon.
Luke already has a post-Thunder project lined up, though
he was cagey to talk about it out of respect for his current
band-mates, not wanting anyone to think he was stealing
their… er, Thunder. “You could even pick up
the phone and call David Coverdale at last,” I told
him, resulting in a bray of laughter from the other end
of the phone. “I could,” replied Luke, “but
I probably won’t.” Before he hung up, Bowes
warned me that Thunder are planning “the piss-up
of all piss-ups” after their final performance at
Hammersmith Odeon on July 11. “Okay, I’ll
book a day off to recuperate,” I laughed, not realising
till afterwards that the gig takes place on a Saturday.
“You’ll probably need two days,” he
advised, in all seriousness.
Before we move on, what terrific support acts Thunder
have engaged for the farewell tour. The recently reunited
Electric Boys will do the honours at Hammersmith and Wolverhampton,
the Quireboys, Airrace and Logan (Scotland’s answer
to Alter Bridge) sharing the rest. I might go to Cambridge
to check out Airrace.
Last night was spent at the University Of London Union
(ULU, for short) in the company of the ever-reliable Tigertailz
and the fast-improving Heaven’s Basement. The latter
recently cut a handful of new songs – ‘Can’t
Let Go’, ‘10 Minutes’, ‘Dead Man’
and ‘Misunderstood’ – with producer
Bob Marlette of Tony Iommi, Shinedown and Alice Cooper
fame, and it says much of their self-belief that all four
featured in the set, one after another. Three of them
are great in my opinion, and in ‘Executioner’s
Day’, as heard on a recent Classic Rock covermount
disc, they have an anthem fit to become a classic. Shame
that the show overran, which meant the ’Tailz had
to cut their stage time down to 35 minutes, though the
Welshmen closed with a titanic singalong of their own;
the one and only ‘Love Bomb Baby’. Don’t
ask me what headliners Hardcore Superstar were like…
by that point I was too pissed to care!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
12th March
It’s hard to say which was the more disappointing,
Crystal Palace throwing away last night’s game at
Burnley (the Eagles were winning 2-1 with 15 minutes to
go but somehow ended up losing 4-2), or a below-par display
from one of my favourite bands, Nightwish. I’ve
been a strong supporter of the group’s decision
to appoint Anette Olzon in the place of Tarja Turunen,
the ensuing ‘Dark Passion Play’ figuring among
the very best releases of 2007. And at last summer’s
Bloodstock Festival they really seemed to have gelled
into a cohesive unit. But I’m sorry to say, the
illusion was rudely dispelled by the opening night of
their world tour’s latest leg, at the Brixton Academy.
It was the band’s first show in three months, and
although instrumentally the band was spot-on, Olzon struggled
to pierce the music’s symphonic power and dynamism.
Matters were not helped by the set-list being radically
changed; there was no place for ‘Bye Bye Beautiful’
and, according to Anette, ‘Romanticide’ (from
the breakthrough album ‘Once’) had never been
played onstage before – even during the Tarja era.
For the first time since the headline-generating changeover,
Ms Turunen’s presence hung heavy in the air. I applaud
Nightwish for mixing things up, but although the show
finished with a triumphant, pyro-enhanced version of ‘Wish
I Had An Angel’, Olzon couldn’t do justice
to material as demanding as ‘The Siren’ or
‘Ghost Love Score’ (all three of which originally
featured on ‘Once’). Without the stabilising
vocal influence and showmanship of bassist Marco Hietala
they’d have been well and truly stranded up Shit
Creek. It pains me to say this, but I felt the show was
a 6/10 performance. Here’s what they played: ‘7
Days To The Wolves’, ‘Dead To The World’,
‘The Siren’, ‘Amaranth’, ‘Romanticide’,
‘Dead Boy's Poem’, ‘Sahara’, ‘Nemo’,
‘The Islander’, ‘The Poet And The Pendulum’,
‘Dark Chest Of Wonders’, ‘The Escapist’
and encores of ‘Ghost Love Score’ and ‘Wish
I Had An Angel’.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
11th March
Now
here’s a terrifying thought… whisper it quietly…
grunge-rock is perhaps on its way back. Yes, proving the
theory that musical trends are indeed cyclical, don’t
rule out the possibility of a second flannel-shirted revolution.
Where am I getting this rubbish? Well, from none other
than the man that used to be Kurt Cobain’s publicist.
Last night I was at London’s Hard Rock Café
for a Roadrunner Records acoustic showcase featuring alt-rockers
Madina Lake and New Jersey-based newcomers The Parlor
Mob. Perhaps aware how much it would ruffle my feathers,
Anton Brookes, the aforementioned Nirvana PR man (who
also represents The Parlor Mob) grinned as he told me
of another of his acts, a young trio from Leeds called
Dinosaur
Pile-Up that he claims are tearing up the British
club circuit. This morning Anton emailed me a track called
‘My Rock And Roll’ that confirms the band
are indeed a Mini-Me reincarnation of Cobain and Company.
They will be huge. Can I be among the first to say that
I hate them?
But back to the showcase. Though all I’d heard was
a MySpace song or two, The Parlor Mob rather impressed
me. Time permitting, I’ll check out their electric
gig at the Water Ratz next Monday. Though I’ve nothing
against Madina Lake, having enjoyed their 2007 debut ‘From
Them, Through Us, To You’, the Chicago group’s
music doesn’t translate too well minus all its trimmings,
especially encumbered by a frontman who by his own admission
knows nothing of singing songs in their correct key (“I
just vibe it,” volunteers Nathan Leone, rather foolishly).
Although the audience enjoyed the rather quirky display,
it reminded me that I had some socks that needed darning.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
10th March
The balcony might have been closed off for last night’s
Amon Amarth and Obituary gig at the Forum, but downstairs
was crammed full. Annoyingly, the sound was as muddy as
the Florida swamps from which the special guests hail,
and from where I stood (right in front of the mixing desk)
things improved only marginally when Amon Amarth took
the stage. You can chuckle all you like at the veteran
Swedish band’s image of Norse metal warriors –
the evening’s longboat-themed set-closer, ‘The
Pursuit Of Vikings’, pleads: “Oden! Guide
our ships/Our axes, spears and swords/Guide us through
storms that whip/And in brutal war”, and at one
point frontman Johann Hegg stopped the show to gulp mead
from a horn – but the recent Metal Hammer cover
stars have accumulated a seven-album repertoire of sturdy,
impressive material. I personally had no problem with
the decision to include five tracks from current disc,
‘Twilight Of The Thunder God’, but it was
the subject of annoyance to some of those around me. What
the heck… the show was great and I’d go to
see both bands again anytime. Here’s the Amon Amarth
set-list: ‘Twilight Of The Thunder God’, ‘Free
Will Sacrifice’, ‘With Oden On Our Side’,
‘Varyags Of Miklagaard’, ‘The Fate Of
Norns’, ‘Under The Northern Star’, ‘Guardians
Of Asgaard’, ‘Ride For Vengeance’, ‘North
Sea Storm’, ‘Tattered Banners And Bloody Flags’,
‘Death In Fire’, ‘Victorious March’
and encores of ‘Cry Of The Black Birds’ and
‘The Pursuit Of Vikings’.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
9th March
In terms of gigs, there hasn’t been a great
deal going on. So I’m pleased that Steely Dan will
be back for three dates during the summer (including the
Hammersmith Apollo a day before my birthday), with Anthrax
and Airbourne – the former now featuring new singer
Dan Nelson – also both added to the bill of the
Sonisphere Festival in August. In stark contrast to the
past month or so, this week’s going be a bit bonkers,
live appointments with Amon Amarth, Obituary, Nightwish,
Tigertailz, Heaven’s Basement and Golden Earring
all having been eagerly pencilled into the diary. Better
still, UFO dates are on the way in June… Bring it
on!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
8th March
Phe-e-e-e-ewe-e-e-e-e! I’m still relieved that
yesterday Palace came from a goal down to claim victory
over PNE, a bogey side in the past, to establish a chink
of daylight (ten points… 11 if you take goal difference
into account) between ourselves and the dreaded drop zone.
Before leaving for the game I’d waffled about what
the footie pundits call ‘winning ugly’ if
necessary, but Palace’s sensational equaliser, smashed
into the top corner by Sunderland loanee Anthony Stokes,
was a strike from the drawer marked ‘Roy Of The
Rovers’. The confidence it brought the team was
palpable. Over at the CPFC bulletin board the possibility
of making the play-offs is now once again being debated.
That’s the gloriously unpredictable beauty of supporting
Crystal Palace; will the next dozen-odd games bring another
dramatic promotion surge or ignominious relegation (alongside
the Clowns)? One thing is for certain: Life in SE25 is
never predictable.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
7th March
As my old pal Dave Reynolds requested that I scan
him some archive Angel material I filled the dead time
by spinning the recent Lovember Records re-issue of ‘On
Earth As It Is In Heaven’ and my own favourite Angel
album, ‘Sinful’, singing along at lusty volume.
I hope that none of the neighbours were putting out any
washing at the time, or they’d have been forgiven
for assuming an army of tabby cats was being neutered
in the office at the end of my garden. All together now,
“White lightnin’… it’s fright’nin’!”
Whether it’s in tune or not, I hope that there will
be some loud singing at Selhurst Park later today. The
Eagles haven’t scored in 407 minutes of play at
the club’s home ground, and it’s imperative
that visitors Preston North End are put to the sword.
I don’t care what type of goal it might be; the
ball could rebound in off the referee’s ass for
all it matters – just get the sodding thing in the
net!!! With the Lillywhites chasing promotion, I can’t
really see it happening though.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Friday
6th March
I’ve just booked my transport to see FM’s
gig at Winstanley College in Wigan in a fortnight’s
time. Am making the journey north by coach. Whereas some
people dislike that particular method of travel, I find
it quite therapeutic and, of course, it’s cheap
as chips – a third the price of going by rail. I’m
saving some rather interesting-looking reading material
for the trip, a potentially ludicrous new book which purports
to be an educational study of metal called Heavy Metal
Music In Britain (Ashgate Publishing). Edited by a German
fella called Gerd Bayer and sporting cover art of two
headbangers in denim jackets with Iron Maiden and Motörhead
backpatches, its chapter subtitles include: ‘Hell-Bent
For Leather: Judas Priest, Spectacle and Commodity Fetishism’,
‘Bullshit Detector: The ‘Inauthentic’
Realism of Grindcore’, ‘Anti-Respectability
and Subcultural Themes In Motörhead’s Lyrics’
and, best of all, ‘Homer and the Heroic: Manowar
and The Warrior’. It’ll either be a complete
pile of pretentious pants, or something unexpectedly intriguing.
Anyway… back to FM. After so many years of the band
being off the scene, it’s pretty hard to believe
that I will probably get to see them three times this
year; in Wigan, alongside It Bites at the Castle
Park Rock Festival in Wales on May 30 and as part
of the Firefest
at Nottingham’s Rock City on October 24. Meeeesta,
you are spoiling us!!!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
5th March
What a great start to the day. This morning I logged
on to find an email from none other than Dennis DeYoung,
former keyboard maestro/vocalist with pomp rock messiahs
Styx, offering a copy of his new solo album, ‘One
Hundred Years From Now’ (Rounder Records, April
14). It seems like a century ago that Dennis and I discussed
its projected release and, bless him, he was keeping a
promise to alert me of its imminent release. “I
am thrilled that there still is a record company in existence
and that they were crazy enough to release my album; will
wonders never cease?” muses the great man. I look
forward to hearing it…
The postie has just arrived, weighed down by a quite brilliant
package from Voiceprint
Records. Until now I’ve never owned Mountain
guitarist Leslie West’s solo albums ‘The Great
Fatsby’ (1975) or ‘The Leslie West Band’
(1976), but I promise to give them both the home they
deserve. Also a CD and DVD from former Manfred mann’s
Earth Band singer Chris Thompson.
Before I forget, last night I trekked up to the Barfly
in Camden to investigate a gig by a band from the Cambridge
area called God
Sacks Man, at the request of their manager, Laurie
Mansworth. Laurie, you will recall was an artist in his
own right first with the sorely underrated NWOBHM band
More, then alongside Jason Bonham in one of the finest
(and recently reunited) melodic rock bands of all time,
Airrace. He was also the driving force behind Hurricane
Party and Roadstar till a bust-up in April 2007. Featuring
his 14-year-old son Danny on drums, the frighteningly
young God Sacks Man are Laurie’s latest protégées.
Grappling with an instrument that looked taller than he
was, the diminutive bassist, who goes by the name of Swoggle
(don’t worry, he’ll grow out of it…)
was good to watch, and despite some vocal issues and a
couple of iffy songs towards the set’s end, there
seemed to be plenty of raw talent with which to work.
I’ll definitely check them out again in a year’s
time or less.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wednesday
4th March
Okay, I’m starting to worry about Palace’s
slide towards the Championship’s relegation zone.
Last night’s game against table-topping Wolves was
a fixture I’d willingly have taken a point from
before kick-off, and the team put in a spirited (if toothless)
performance that, in my opinion, merited a draw. However,
a disputed second half penalty sent the visitors back
to the Midlands clutching all three points. The decision
looked harsh from my seat in a Holmesdale Road stand that
was being pelted with icy cold wind and rain, but I’ve
just seen it on TV and Clint Hill’s tackle was a
little reckless. The Eagles have only found the back of
the net in two of nine league games – we can’t
buy a goal, and with the table’s strugglers all
seeming to hit form (with the exception, thankfully, of
Charlton, who now look doomed after losing at home…
AGAIN) all notions of mid-table comfort are starting to
look a bit previous.
My solitary crumb of comfort from an otherwise thoroughly
miserable night – I waited around for a bus home
in the same Arctic-style weather for almost as long as
the game was played – came via a new double-CD set
of the Sweet’s best material (‘Action: The
Sweet Anthology’ on Shout Factory, April 28). Charting
the band’s bubblegum years with songs like ‘Funny
Funny’, ‘Little Willy’ and ‘Wig
Wam Bam’, it documents the toughening up of their
sound with ‘Blockbuster’, ‘Hellraiser’
and ‘The Ballroom Blitz’, before diving headlong
into the hard rock of selections from ‘Sweet Fanny
Adams’, ‘Desolation Boulevard’ and all
the rest, exhuming the final big hit, ‘Love Is Like
Oxygen’, and closing with the best bits of a Brian
Connolly-less swansong era that I personally consider
to be sorely underrated; ‘Call Me’, ‘Big
Apple Waltz’, ‘Give The Lady Some Respect’
and ‘Sixties Man’ are all mighty fine chewns
in my book. Now firmly interwoven into my musical DNA,
the music didn’t exactly keep the damp chills at
bay, but it was bloody wonderful to hear it again.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday
3rd March
This morning’s shocking news that the Sri Lankan
cricket team was attacked by terrorists armed with guns
and rocket grenades as it travelled to a test match in
Pakistan caused me to sit bolt upright in bed. WTF??!!
Five policemen lost their lives whilst protecting the
sportsmen from 12 masked assassins… thankfully there
were no fatalities among the Sri Lankans, but what on
earth is the world coming to?! The idea that something
as precious as sport can be used as a political tool is
utterly abhorrent to me.
Still on a sporting theme, last night my youngest son
came home from primary school with a sly but innocent
grin, waving around a piece of photocopied paper. Knowing
full well my views on the subject he kept a straight face
whilst asking whether he and I could take advantage of
a freebie ticket offer to attend tonight’s game
between Clowntown Pathetic and Doncaster. Playing along
with the farce, I sat him down and duly had the ‘no
son of mine…’ conversation.
I was in such an upbeat mood, not even the ruse of ‘Daddy,
I’m going to be a Charlton fan’ could have
punctured it. Why? Well, during the afternoon I had the
pleasure of a phone chat with Noddy Holder, former Slade
frontman and one of the great statesmen of British rock.
Now in his sixties, Noddy is another of my all-time heroes.
Having loved the band as a kid, I witnessed Slade’s
miraculous rebirth at the Reading Festival in 1980 and
had quite a few dealings with the group during its second
lease of life during the following decade. Holder assures
me he still has those incredible pipes of his. Sadly,
having opted to try different things in 1991 Noddy still
isn’t tempted by a musical comeback though he did
at least hold out a distant hope by using the phrase “never
say never” with regard to singing in public again.
P.S. The Playlist and YouTube
pages have been updated. I’ve also added more silly
photographs to the CPFC Shrine, including one
of myself made up as a red and blue version of Gene Simmons
as the Eagles stuffed Sheff Utd at the 1996/97 Play Off
Final. And what’s more, I have yet to pay a cent
to Mr Simmons for the image rights… yah boo sucks,
Gene!
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
1st March
Well, I wisely resisted the allure of Crystal Palace's
awayday in Twatford. The decision to stay away wasn't
purely economic; after yesterday's 2-0 reverse, the Eagles'
last eight games have now resulted in a solitary win,
one draw and six defeats. I'm hardly what you'd call a
fair weather fan, but given the choice between pouring
money down the drain during a second wasted trip to Hertfordshire
of this season or getting on with some paid work (a bunch
of album reviews, to be precise)... hmmm... sometimes
common sense simply has to prevail.
The fifty-odd notes I saved didn't last very long. This
morning was spent trawling the racks at a record fair
in Orpington. Among the oddities that I picked up were
an album I'd never even seen before, namely Gary Holton
(of the Heavy Metal Kids) and Mick Rossi's 'Sing It To
Me', and a lovely clear vinyl edition of the Electric
Light Orchestra's 'On The Third Day'. |
