Thursday 3 December 2015

Another Double Header

Double action again this month. In preparation for my talk in January, read a short piece about the music of the Carry On films and the genius of Eric Rogers in MediaMagazine 54, as well as plenty more fascinating media studies stuff. Then head over to Shindig! Issue 52 for my thoughts on a Delia Derbyshire single, an Acid Jazz compilation and the bucolic Vic Mars, as well as the usual fun in Vinyl Art (This month; mountain ranges, marsupials...). Elsewhere we're giving out gongs, there's the Zombies and a lovely bit of the Bonzos. Woof!

Tuesday 6 October 2015

Carry On!

In January I'll be giving a talk titled 'Eric Rogers and the Legacy of Light Music' at King's Lynn Community Cinema Club. Expect plenty of clips from the Carry On movies!

Tuesday 29 September 2015

Bye Bye This Is My Jam

Even though I only stumbled upon it last year, I'm really sad to see the demise of This Is My Jam. Here's a Spotify playlist of ALL my jams in commiseration.

Thursday 17 September 2015

Mags This Month

I love to contribute to MediaMagazine when I can, I've been a friend and fan of the magazine since way back and it's a great resource for students. So I'm pleased to be in the current issue with a piece about streaming music services. I'm also in the new Shindig! Magazine, another publication that's close to my heart, for the big anniversary issue 50. I've got a bunch of reviews including Buried Treasure's great barn find The Vendetta Tapes by John Baker and the new one by Linda Hoyle. I've penned a slightly unusual Vinyl Art this month, and to cap it all off a couple of my album choices made it into the special anniversary issue top 50. Which ones you say? That would be telling!

Thursday 20 August 2015

Led Zeppelin Book

Earlier this year I made a VERY miniscule contribution to Neil Priddey's latest book, a complete UK Led Zeppelin vinyl discography. I'm really glad to see it in print.

Zep fans of a record-collecting bent need to snap it up pronto. From where? From here!

Monday 17 August 2015

John Barleycorn Must Die 331/3

My proposal to Bloomsbury for a 331/3 book on Traffic's John Barleycorn Must Die is one of 605 the publishing house received during the most recent Open Call. These usually result in about 15 books getting written, so in pure mathematical terms odds of 40/1 aren't bad. Other contributors have made some interesting album choices, but of course as the publishing house's representatives have pointed out on more than one occasion, its not the choice of album but the execution of the writing that's important.

Monday 10 August 2015

Shindig! No.49

Belatedly picked up my new issue of Shindig! Magazine this week. There's a bit of me chatting with John Pasche and Phil Jude about the alternate Spanish Sticky Fingers sleeve art, plus I've got a whole bunch of reviews in this issue, from Procol Harum and Georgie Fame via Mount Vernon Arts Lab to the lesser known The Dream and Pridjevi.

Also of interest this month is a short piece on the fascinating Odessey and Oracle, Amon Düül II, and Deep Cuts from the Isley Brothers. Something for everyone!

Friday 19 June 2015

Shindig! is back! Back!! BACK!!

How brilliant to have Shindig! Magazine land on my doormat again after its brief spell in the wilderness. And the break seems to have done the mag no harm, because the new issue is a corker.

Just a little bit of me in there this time round, including reviews of some of the pleasing oddities to come out recently on Fifth Dimension, but elsewhere there's Art, Jorge Ben and Kâmuran Akkor.

Welcome back, we missed you!

Thursday 30 April 2015

The Radiophonic Workshop – Queen Elizabeth Hall

Check out my brief review of the legendary Radiophonic Workshop live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the new Shindig! Magazine website: Here!

Wednesday 4 March 2015

Shindig! No.46

It's Copenhagen calling in the new issue of Shindig! as I chat briefly to the fine fellows from El Paraiso Records about what makes the label tick. I also got my hands on Jakob Skøtt's Taurus Rising and Jonas Munk's Absorb/Fabric/Cascade for review, alongside a stack of FIVE brilliant library reissues from Dutton Vocalion and a couple of exotic, er, oddities from Captain High. I must be doing something right.

The issue's a cracker, and it's out tomorrow. Go get it.

Monday 2 March 2015

Spring 2015 Mix

As far as I'm concerned it's spring. To celebrate the arrival of a little bit more sun in our lives, enjoy this little mix of tunes that kept me going through the gloom (and don't forget, if you like it, click through for a few older mixes).

Spring 2015 Mix by Christopher Budd on Mixcloud

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Shindig! No.45

A deeply great issue this time out, full of Mad Alchemists, Moody Blues, Pretty Things and Brian Auger! I'm in there dropping a bunch of slightly grumpy reviews and an utterly simple Vinyl Art column. You know where to go.