It was the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki just recently. Watching the memorial services on the television reminded me of the Groundhogs album Thank Christ for the Bomb. The title was intended to be controversial and (I assume) to raise the question of whether the use of atomic…Read more Thank Christ …
rock
40,000 Headmen
If you look up the definition of 'headman' you will find it means 'chief' but I think Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi were thinking of the primitive headhunters of colonial Africa when they wrote 40,000 Headmen. Being confronted by 40,000 wise old tribal chiefs would be bad enough but an army of savage warriors bent on adding your…Read more 40,000 Headmen
Born Under A Bad Sign
There was a documentary about Ginger Baker on the TV a few days ago. The programme is part of the BBC's Imagine series and it's available on BBC iPlayer until 7th August if you want to watch it. (I don't think the iPlayer service is available outside the UK, though.) Ginger Baker will be 76 next month.…Read more Born Under A Bad Sign
Space Oddity
For my track of the week I'm offering a song you all know. You've heard it on the radio, on the TV, in films, and in pubs, restaurants and shops. It's ingrained in our collective consciousness like our national anthems or your favourite hymn. Most people like it, some adore it, few hate it. It's David Bowie's Space…Read more Space Oddity
Stop This Train
I'm sure you remember a train journey like this... It was bright and sunny when you boarded the train but dark clouds rolled in and now it has started to rain. All you can see in the window is a few orange streetlights outside and the reflection of the seats and the passengers inside the carriage. It feels as…Read more Stop This Train
Stairway to Heaven
Our living room is light and airy but rather bland: magnolia walls, white ceiling, beige carpet. A raspberry red sofa and a matching armchair add a big dollop of colour but they are old and the covers become increasingly shredded each time our beloved cat uses the furniture as a scratching post. The time has come to re-think the…Read more Stairway to Heaven
Baker Street
London is a big city. A really big city. The population of Greater London is currently estimated to be about 8.6 million, only slightly less than New York. Crotchety Man was brought up in the suburbs of England's capital city and it will always have special memories for me. London, though, can be a lonely place…Read more Baker Street
Satanic Majesties
For some of you what I'm about to say will be heresy, so sit down and take a deep breath before reading on. The Rolling Stones only made one album worth listening to: Their Satanic Majesties Request. Well, that and their very first compilation album, Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass), which only a few…Read more Satanic Majesties
End To End
Some bands I like, some bands I love. If I love them I'll buy several of their albums; if I only like them I try to find a Best Of... CD and maybe one or two download tracks. Blondie I like. At least, I like most of what they were doing in the eighties. I…Read more End To End
Journey of a Sorcerer
A few days ago I was listening to the Radcliffe and Maconie show on BBC 6 Music when over the airwaves came the theme tune from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Stuart Maconie was doing the show solo that day and the track was part of The Chain - "officially the longest running listener-generated thematically-linked…Read more Journey of a Sorcerer
Crotchety Man 