Barking Spiders

Quite few name guitarists who were known to play budget/cheap guitars. Derek Trucks plays a Silvertone Tuxedo and Randy California also played a Silvertone guitar. Not quite in the Kay league but still <£500. Prince had a Hohner Telecaster which was a bit of a fave by all accounts. As with my basses, my electric guitars are all sub-500 including an Epiphone Sheraton II, with the other two both under 300; an Ibanez RG421 and this beaut They all play lovely!

Aye that's true. As with a lot of other British 60s-70s bands, were it not for success in US their overall sales would've been pretty poor. The Who did even worse in Europe than other big name Brit bands.

Probably makes sense for established UK bands to just limit themselves to those countries where they're most popular and successful like Muse is in Italy. Similarly for up-and-coming acts it's probably best to the market research and work out which countries their music is most likely to do well in.

I don't care much for the man and his general pro Brexit stance but I grudgingly accept Daltrey did at least later recant and signed the petition to the government to get paperwork-free travel in Europe for UK artists.

Music probably attracts more snobbery than any other form of entertainment especially from fans of niche/obscure bands or genres that turn their noses up at any artist that's gone mainstream. Metallica anyone? As for instruments, in my 20s and 30s the only basses I gigged were an EB short scale copy and a slightly battered Aria Pro II Integra. One band asked me to stand at the back as they were embarrassed for me to be seen with them. I slung my hook straight after that gig. I wouldn't consider spending more than around £500 on a bass or guitar and am perfectly happy with an instrument made in Indonesia. I have two Sterlings and two Corts - all made there - and the quality is top notch.

Today dusted off my copy of Exile on Coldharbour Lane, the first and best album by Alabama 3, from Brixton. Excellent from start to finish. Best known track is 'Woke up this morning' used as the theme tune to the Sopranos... And here's another fave

That's the only one I'm off to, with the missus. Other than the science it's mainly to see Groove Armada and Spiritualized.

Just come across this website https://bestsellingalbums.org/ The site's owners say there are a fair few caveats with the data but I guess the estimates are thereabouts. The more recent the figures the more reliable. Some record company claims about some on their rosters do seem more than a bit exaggerated.

I was 7 at the time punk broke but didn't know this was the reason my two older sisters suddenly started looking weird and freaking me out with their spiky black hair, nose piercings and eye shadow design that looked like they'd been double-punched in the mush. I can't get Disney but if I could, I'd watch the series to help me get a better understanding what made them attracted to spotty, pasty, skinny youth in bondage gear.

This morning as I work I've had the excellent new album from Moderat on repeat. Quality stuff IMO. Non-dance electronica sort of Massive Attack...ish. I don't like the term IDM as I like what some might call 'unintelligent' dance music.

With the festival season getting into its stride this month starting with Download, is there a big drop in the numbers of bands from Europe playing at UK festivals, thanks to bluddy Brexit? I know line-ups have already been confirmed but I've had a gander at some of them but me not being a fan of 99% of those listed I haven't a clue where they come from. Conversely, I expect the presence of UK bands at most European ones will be way down on those up to 2019. Because of the Brexit impact on visas, movement restrictions etc will this spoil your enjoyment of festivals?

Makes me wonder what the score is with actors and musicians that've got reps as being notoriously difficult to work with. Call me naive but doesn't being easy-going make life easier for oneself as well as those around you? Must've been horrible being in Van Halen if you're surname wasn't erm..van Halen.

Well, I've been on the other end, when the lead singer/band leader, fired the whole band but later (as I found out) asked back two of the four of us. My crime? probably my wanting to spice up his rudimentary basslines. We were mostly playing his dreary sub Bryan Ferry songs so I was happy to be gone.

And then go on Internet fora and diss said band rotten, claiming they're greedy sell-outs who now appeal to the dumbasses wot only know their big trillion seller and have betrayed their original fans in a way that would even shock Benedict Arnold 😁

The theme music in 1970's skin flicks

I like RB and as a drummist myself I'm a big fan of Purdie but 1 hour 22's a bit long for me and unfortunately you can longer longer skip forward on YT. You can though on here so 👍 for this

Think you might have something there. I can picture it on Britain's Got Talent.

Sort of the other way round for me. The PG era personifies what I can't hack about prog. PG's 'car', So and Us are pretty good and the other albums have their moments. While not a fan, I find a bit more to like about post-PG Genesis from side 2 of Wind and Wuthering onwards.

Back to some vintage Human League with Reproduction.

+ 1, especially on Sweet Child of Mine, an otherwise decent song that could've been much better with someone like Mike Patton on vocals. The vocals on Paradise City are better. As an album, though all I hear are three good tracks - the singles - but the rest is not up to the same standard . Still, that's more than can be said for their contemporaries

aiming that low?

I hope jazz fades beyond obscurity into total non existence especially jazz fusion, by far the most tedious subgenre, even worse than prog and metal.

Surely boy/girls groups go back to the 60s, especially with Motown. You know the formula, professional songwriters+ace session crew+ photogenic/attractive singers put together by a Svenagli type = a string of mega hits. To be fair to some of the recent ones that came via the X Factor/Pop Stars they could all actually sing pretty well e.g. Girls Aloud, One Direction.

As a kid I heard the song My White Bicycle by Nazareth. For many years I thought he sang 'My wife's bisexual'.

+1 viz these two. I prefer music that's layered with the different sounds meshing with eachother. What I avoid is music where there's a principal instrument, usually electric guitar, with the other instruments only serving as accompaniment. Ditchwater doesn't make it when we're measuring dullness.