The title of this post is not quite gibberish. The words are Polish. Individually they mean 'eyes' and 'young'. Unfortunately, 'oczy' is feminine plural and 'mlody' is masculine singular. And, to make matters worse, the words are in the wrong order for the phrase 'young eyes'. Not that this bothers The Flaming Lips who chose…Read more Oczy Mlody
rock
Magic
I shall be away from the temptations of the blogging machine this weekend so, this week, the Crotchety notes will be published in advance of the usual Sunday date and may be somewhat staccato. ----- For my Track of the Week I've chosen Magic by Bruce Springsteen. There's no particular reason for this; it just struck…Read more Magic
Brass In Pocket
There's been a deliberate focus on new songs recently on Crotchety Man so I think it's now time to remember an old favourite. Brass In Pocket was the first big hit for The Pretenders in January 1980. Chrissie Hynde never liked the song but the public loved it and she still plays it when she's touring…Read more Brass In Pocket
Moroccan Roll
Brand X are back. And how! Here's a splendid live version of Malaga Virgen from their 1977 album Moroccan Roll. This was recorded just a few months ago on the band's reunion tour of the US. https://vimeo.com/195527081 If that performance doesn't leave you panting with excitement and aghast with admiration I'll ... I'll ... errm ... I'll…Read more Moroccan Roll
Wild Fire
What would you get if Lou Reed was to take a walk on the wild side with Joni Mitchell? Well, I'll tell you. You'd get something that sounds a lot like Wild Fire, a track from Laura Marling's sixth album Semper Femina, which is due to be released on 10th March. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EUdZFcq-QE Laura Marling has…Read more Wild Fire
Little Fictions
There has been a lot of talk recently about "fake news" and its equally alarming cousin, "alternative facts". Some say those alternative facts are nothing to worry about; they are just white lies, little fictions that reveal a deeper truth. Pictures of the crowd at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration may have shown fewer people than at…Read more Little Fictions
Rekt
Crotchety Man doesn't make New Year resolutions. But this year I want to write more about recent releases. So, this week I've been sifting through my Release Radar, a playlist automatically created by Spotify every Friday based on my listening history. Only new releases appear on the Radar and although my taste is relatively broad I…Read more Rekt
The Curse of Blondie
I think I'm slowly getting the hang of this Internet thing. It seems to have all the information you could ever want (and a lot more besides) but to find what you're looking for you have to know where to look. I've searched for Blondie's eighth album, The Curse of Blondie, on streaming sites in the past…Read more The Curse of Blondie
Jessica
We started the year in quiet contemplation here on the Crotchety Man blog but now it's time to shake off the torpor of the holiday season and get moving. And, you know, nothing says "let's get this show on the road" better than Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TqmGptGZbM Jessica is an instrumental from the Brothers and…Read more Jessica
Soft Machine – Gig
Last night Soft Machine played a gig at The Flowerpot in Derby. The band has appeared in these pages twice before but, for anyone unfamiliar with them, there's an excellent biography (if a band can have a biography) on Spotify. Suffice it to say that the current Soft Machine line-up includes three guys who joined…Read more Soft Machine – Gig