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Showing posts with label Manchester la-la-la. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manchester la-la-la. Show all posts
Monday, 17 July 2023
Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Don't you just love it when...
... One of your favourite bands comes out of a 12-year recording hiatus with a fantastic new album!
I've followed A Certain Ratio's career since stumbling into a dingy basement in Brighton at one of their very earliest gigs (A Sussex University venue in Brighton). In those days they were very much a post-industrial band with a funky drummer, searching for a way to shrug off their long overcoats.
Over the years, the highs of; Sextet (especially Knife Slits Water), Life's a Scream/Sounds like something dirty, the WOMAD festival gig, Brazil shirts, samba whistles, madness in the streets of Kings Cross, The Wag Club (complete with Tilly onstage), ACR:MCR, 27 forever, Up in Downsville, through to the fantastic 40th anniversary gig in Islington in 2019 (complete with a chat with sorely missed Andrew Weatherall), ACR:BOX with their version of Houses in Motion (originally planned to be with Grace Jones) have all added up to being one of my most rewarding and long lasting musical experiences.
In addition there are very few lows (with the most notable being the sad loss earlier this year of the lovely Denise Johnson - She would light up every show with her fantastic vocals and infectious interactions with the ACR Barmy Army - she is sorely missed).
So, the arrival of the fabulous new album ACR:Loco (released on 25th September) has been greeted with much fanfare and celebration round our way. Do yourself a favour - get this album now!
Bouncy Bouncy!
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Comeback #1 - The Stone Roses
They sort of passed me by actually, which is funny considering they include the following; Jingly-jangly sixties guitars, a very vaguely moddy look (pre-Uberbaggy) and occasional references to the Paris 68 riots. All of which would normally score quite highly in my book.
I'd given up on guitar bands by the mid 80's. Jazz & funk were decidedly where it was at. The Smiths were gone, Orange Juice too and there was nothing to do but subsume myself in Blue Note.
By the time I woke up to the fact that it was possible to like both Jazz and guitar pop The Stone Roses were mid 5 year sabbatical, the Happy Mondays were sorting themselves out with decent habits and Blur were just about to remind me that Modern life was (indeed) rubbish.
I'd missed Spike Island and the full-on Madchester nonsense and was not in any way attracted to the possibility of The Roses coming back with a Jimmy Page influenced second album. I'd heard Mani with the Primals but avoided Ian Brown's solo stuff and The Seahorses. It was only in about 2002 that I listened to their first album in full and found myself quite wrapped up in their MancScally Pop. I'd always known that 'Fools Gold' was a nailed on cracker but the rest of their set was a mystery. Their second album was as plodding and as leaden I'd feared but the first album was great.
So I plonked them in the cracking debut basket and thought no more of them until they announced (oh the surprise) that they were about to reform. It'll be interesting to see what they do, not least whether they'll manage to complete all their tour dates without killing each other. For their hardcore fans it must be brilliant. I certainly don't begrudge any of them making a complete bundle out of the whole exercise.
As for the prospect of them recording new material. Well, this is where I stop and ponder. One great album and one plodder. Do they really want to risk ruining the memory of the former by producing another latter? I'd like to think they'll stick to the story as written (with maybe a live DVD to show us how well they've aged!?) but I get the distinct feeling that they'll want to write another chapter and that is where we could question whether being the resurrection is actually a good thing after all!
By the time I woke up to the fact that it was possible to like both Jazz and guitar pop The Stone Roses were mid 5 year sabbatical, the Happy Mondays were sorting themselves out with decent habits and Blur were just about to remind me that Modern life was (indeed) rubbish.
I'd missed Spike Island and the full-on Madchester nonsense and was not in any way attracted to the possibility of The Roses coming back with a Jimmy Page influenced second album. I'd heard Mani with the Primals but avoided Ian Brown's solo stuff and The Seahorses. It was only in about 2002 that I listened to their first album in full and found myself quite wrapped up in their MancScally Pop. I'd always known that 'Fools Gold' was a nailed on cracker but the rest of their set was a mystery. Their second album was as plodding and as leaden I'd feared but the first album was great.
So I plonked them in the cracking debut basket and thought no more of them until they announced (oh the surprise) that they were about to reform. It'll be interesting to see what they do, not least whether they'll manage to complete all their tour dates without killing each other. For their hardcore fans it must be brilliant. I certainly don't begrudge any of them making a complete bundle out of the whole exercise.
As for the prospect of them recording new material. Well, this is where I stop and ponder. One great album and one plodder. Do they really want to risk ruining the memory of the former by producing another latter? I'd like to think they'll stick to the story as written (with maybe a live DVD to show us how well they've aged!?) but I get the distinct feeling that they'll want to write another chapter and that is where we could question whether being the resurrection is actually a good thing after all!
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