In 2005 (in the UK) a song called Black Horse and the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall was getting a lot of play on the radio. It's been variously described as pop, folk, blues and indie rock. Needless to say, none of those tags capture the essence of the song, not even taken together. It's short…Read more Black Horse & Cherry
Track
Through Barricades
It's hard to imagine now (even for me) but Crotchety Man was once a quavering choir boy. In fact, there was a time when my brother and I were joint head choristers at our local church. He had the better voice and greater confidence but I was older, which made it difficult to promote one of us…Read more Through Barricades
Nights In White Satin
There was a special offer on the Web: all six of the books shortlisted for the Man Booker prize 2015 for just £30 (in hardback). Mrs. Crotchety and I agreed that this was too good to miss and soon a courier delivered them to our humble home. Choosing the smallest and shortest of them, Satin…Read more Nights In White Satin
Vienna
Back in January 1981 Ultravox released the single, Vienna. It was played a lot on the radio and shot up the UK pop music chart. I had it earmarked for the best single of the year and a certainty for the number one slot. After the musical wilderness of the seventies Vienna was a breath of fresh air. In…Read more Vienna
Mountain At My Gates
When I launched this blog I wrote that it would feature a lot of indie music, but that hasn't really happened so far. There are a couple of reasons for this. Crotchety Man's memory goes back over fifty years and 'indie' is a relatively new term in music journalism; a lot of what I have written about pre-dates it.…Read more Mountain At My Gates
Marks To Prove It
In London, just south of the river, there's a large, multi-lane roundabout complex called the Elephant and Castle. For drivers not used to big cities and unfamiliar with the area it's a terrifying place. Cars come at you from every direction. And not just cars. Lorries, vans, motorcycles and buses roar and thunder round the bends…Read more Marks To Prove It
Midnight at the Oasis
No, this is not the Gallagher brothers arguing after a night in their local pub, this is somewhere much more romantic. We are in an Arabian desert. It is night; the only light is from a half-silvered moon. Hidden among the dunes there's a shimmering pool of fresh water, surrounded by palm trees. The oppressive heat of the…Read more Midnight at the Oasis
The Rising Sun
This time, for my Track Of The Week, I'm going to do something a bit different. Instead of focusing on a specific recording I'm going to explore about a dozen different versions of the same song: The House of the Rising Sun. The link is to a Spotify playlist containing recordings from 1941 to 2001…Read more The Rising Sun
Take Me To Church
You know a song has caught the imagination of the general public when it's played to accompany the trailer for a popular TV program. I realised just the other day that Hozier's Take Me To Church has achieved that ultimate honour, and it's a really good tune, so I've chosen it as my Track of the Week. Needless to say…Read more Take Me To Church
That’s Entertainment
We have the Radcliffe and Maconie radio show to thank (again) for my next Track of the Week. There was the usual stuff coming over the air waves a few days ago: some news from "Alcopops"; snippets of amusing banter; an eclectic mix of music. Not all to my taste but generally speaking very entertaining. I…Read more That’s Entertainment
Crotchety Man 