The Stranglers were formed when punk was sweeping away the bland and sickly sweet pop groups of the early seventies. They toured with the American punk band, The Ramones, and regarded themselves as part of the punk scene. But they were never a punk band. Originally called The Guildford Stranglers the band was assembled in 1974 by Jet Black (real…Read more Golden Brown
pop
The Kinks
It was 1963 when the Beatles' She Loves You sparked my road to musical Damascus moment. For the next two or three years the Beatles were the benchmark for every song I heard on the radio. Only the Rolling Stones challenged them for the honour of the Crotchety Kid's 'best band' rosette. But there was another group at that time that sounded…Read more The Kinks
Tyler
The bathroom in the Crotchety house is being upgraded. Among other things the pedestal washbasin is being replaced with a basin set into a vanity unit. Initially we thought the new vanity cabinet would completely cover the footprint of the old pedestal, hiding any ugliness on the floor. As it turns out, though, the new units are not…Read more Tyler
A Whiter Shade …
Southend-on-Sea lies on the north side of the Thames estuary to the east of London. It's a seaside resort with all the usual tourist trappings: a beach, gift shops, an amusement park, a few hotels and lots of guest houses. But Southend is most famous for its pier, the longest pleasure pier in the world at a…Read more A Whiter Shade …
Believe
Cher was 70 on Friday and in recognition of her achievements as a singer I've chosen Believe as my Track of the Week. Cher, of course, is not just a singer. Among her many occupations Wikipedia lists actress, author, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She has won an Academy Award, a Grammy, an Emmy, three Golden Globes, and a Cannes Film Festival Award. She…Read more Believe
The Sound of Silence
The Sound of Silence is Paul Simon's vision of a nightmare. It describes a horror that goes far beyond that of a musician who can no longer hear. After all, Beethoven and Evelyn Glennie both overcame profound deafness to reach the pinnacle of musical achievement. No, this is a fate worse than deafness. It is a world of complete…Read more The Sound of Silence
From the Underworld
It had been miserable weather for several days when, on Wednesday, the skies cleared, the sun came out and the first warm day of Spring beckoned to us. Mrs Crotchety and I had a free afternoon so we drove the few miles from our house to Bradgate Park for a bit of fresh air. Bradgate is an old…Read more From the Underworld
Hole in the Ground
You know what's missing from this blog? A touch of humour. Now, I'm no comedian but I can find some funny songs for you to listen to. I'm not talking about laughable novelty songs like I Taut I Taw a Puddycat, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini or Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer, which I'm sure you all love…Read more Hole in the Ground
This Is The Life
Until recently Crotchety Man's living room contained a TV, a video recorder and a conventional Teac Hi-Fi system consisting of an amplifier, a digital radio tuner, a CD player and a pair of speakers. The TV was a basic model but it had a good picture. The Hi-Fi system wasn't that expensive but its KEF Q-Series…Read more This Is The Life
This Is The Last Time
Keane released their first album, Hopes and Fears in 2004. It's a collection of strangely captivating songs, more pop than rock. Superficially, there's nothing much to lift them from the mediocrity of the mass music market and yet they soothe like an Indian head massage, seep through your skull and infiltrate the mind. This is the Last Time is probably the best known…Read more This Is The Last Time
Crotchety Man 