For some of us the social distancing rules that Covid-19 has brought about are torture and the self-isolation rules are a prison. The virus itself is a black cloud that dampens our spirits and darkens our moods, a devilish presence that constantly haunts our souls. But there is a silver lining. We have had to…Read more Mediterranean Sundance
1980s
Butterflies
Summer has returned to central England. The sun is shining, the grass is green, the flowers are blooming. In the corner of our garden there's a large buddleia bush full of blossom and the butterflies love it. So, by way of celebration, here's a short playlist of 'butterfly' songs. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_hAakygTXsEDpHf_cKehh-wAqVTVEAWJ Tracks (with Spotify links) Dog…Read more Butterflies
Killing Moon
Echo was a naughty nymph. When Zeus came down to dally with the maidens of Mount Cithaeron, he told the loquacious Echo to engage his wife, Hera, in long conversations so that she would not find out about her husband's indiscretions. And Echo did as she was told, for it would be most unwise to disobey…Read more Killing Moon
Newgrange
Today we have something old and something new. This track-of-the-week is called Newgrange, but that's a highly anachronistic name for an ancient Neolithic monument. The song is Clannad's response to the large burial mound with that name in County Meath, Ireland. Dating from around 3200 BC it is older than both the stone circle at…Read more Newgrange
Everything Is Broken
The world is broken. It is broken in so many ways. There are inexcusable wars; there is unconscionable famine. Schoolchildren have to go on strike to tell the politicians that they are not doing enough to combat climate change. Gunmen kill our brothers and sisters just because they follow a different religion. And even the…Read more Everything Is Broken
Running In The Family
As a schoolboy, Crotchety Man hated the term after Christmas. He never liked the cold winter months and, worse, that was the term we had to go on cross-country runs. The Crotchety lungs couldn't deliver enough oxygen to the blood to sustain even a gentle jog for more than a few hundred yards, so distances…Read more Running In The Family
Desperate for Your Love
There is no divide - no ditch, no fence, no wall separates the classical from the contemporary - and no band illustrates this better than Sky. All the members of Sky were classically trained musicians who chose to make pop/rock/classical cross-over music. The most high-profile member of the band was John Williams, who was already…Read more Desperate for Your Love
The Riddle
As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives, Each wife had seven sacks, Each sack had seven cats, Each cat had seven kits: Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, How many were there going to St. Ives?¹ For 62 weeks during 1984 and 1985 songs by Nik Kershaw peppered the…Read more The Riddle
Ghost Town
There was nothing terribly exciting on my Release Radar this sweep so for this Track of the Week I've decided to go back in time to visit 1981. The UK was in the grip of a recession as the '70s ended and the '80s rolled in. There were 1.5 million unemployed in the Spring…Read more Ghost Town
Blondon Fair
In the Middle Ages, Edward IV made it compulsory for all yeomen in England to learn archery. An archery butts was set up on the land in front of the Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin. It was used by the adult males of Reading to practice on Sundays. Some of the archers who…Read more Blondon Fair
Crotchety Man 