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May 06 Glasto Faces Possible Swine Flu ChopGuess who’s been reading the tabloids again? According to a report in today’s Sun, the UK’s most famous music festival could be cancelled this summer if the swine flu crisis reaches pandemic proportions. I hope I don’t live (or die) to regret saying this but I reckon there’s about as much chance of that happening as, well, pigs flying. Remember bird flu? Killer bees from the continent? Carcinogenic asylum seekers? (OK, I made that last one up). I’m no conspiracy theorist but when I read stuff like this it’s difficult to ignore the politics of fear theory – ie. the idea that the media colludes (whether knowingly or not) with darker forces who’d rather keep us all scared, compliant, and suggestible. When the story broke all of two weeks ago, it was all over the news. Fair enough. But the very fact that it’s already comfortably behind Gordon Brown’s gurning on YouTube, the Champions League, and that annoying kid who got the ‘world’s best job’ should tell you everything you need to know. If you ask me, this Glastonbury story is just another way of spinning it out a bit longer. I’m not so naive as to think the situation couldn’t get worse. For all I know I’ll be typing my next blog entry from an isolation unit wearing a surgical mask. But until that happens, I’m not going to start worrying whether Glastonbury will be cancelled or not. And neither should you. April 14 With A Lil Help From My FriendsToday's Sun has a story about how Lily Allen rescued a substandard vocal performance by Atomic Kitten back in 2001. Apparently the then-popular girl-band were recording a track called On Me 'Ead (written by Lily's dad Keith) for the soundtrack to Brit flick Mike Bassett: England Manager. The original Atomic Kitten performance wasn't up to scratch (if you'll excuse the feline pun) and they didn't have time to record another given their tight deadlines and the fact one of the band was ill. So Keith suggested his 14 year-old daughter have a go. According to 'a source' quoted in the Sun's report, "It only took her half a day to nail it. Liz and Jenny are on the finished song but Lily was the third member, with the strongest vocal, patching the whole thing up." This story sums up the problem some people have with Lily Allen. On one hand she is a genuinely talented singer, on the other, however much she plays it down, she has clearly benefited from her Dad's position. But you know what? Who cares about the second bit? Thanks in no small part to Lily Allen, who opened the door for many who followed, this country now boasts an unprecedented number of female pop stars who are the envy of the world. Not only can Lily, Amy, Adele and the rest sing better than Atomic Kitten, they write their own material and do, say, and wear what they like. In this context, where Lily's first leg-up into the business came from is irrelevant. March 25 Jacko's Jumbo Jungle JamboreeIf I'm starting to come up with headlines like that, I should probably stop reading the tabloids. But you just can't beat them for trashy pop stories such as the news in today's Daily Mirror that Michael Jackson is planning to ride onstage astride an elephant at his London concerts later this year. Not only that, there's talk of panthers led on gold chains, tropical birds flying about the place, monkeys, and no fewer than 100 Masai warriors. The last time he attempted anything so grandiose was at the 1996 BRIT Awards when his messianic performance was interrupted by Jarvis Cocker's bum-wiggling antics. But that was at the height of Cool Britannia when the country was feeling good about itself. Jacko's self-important preaching felt out of place and vaguely obscene. But as we all know, things are very different now. While I was thinking about this earlier, something occurred to me that I never thought I would say. In these dark days of recession, global terrorism, and 24-hour rolling cancer coverage, could it be that a bit of Jacko-inspired lunacy is what we need to cheer us up? Just a thought. March 20 Leon DroppedAccording to reports in The Sun, X-Factor 2007 winner Leon Jackson has been dropped from his record label following poor sales of his debut album. It's hardly earth-shattering news, is it? I interviewed him last year and he was a likeable enough young chap but sorely lacking in charisma. I met Same Difference the week after and they had more star-quality, which tells you all you need to know. At the risk of stating the obvious, there are loads of people out there with good singing voices. Go to any half-decent karaoke night anywhere in the country and the chances are you'll find at least one punter who could hold their own against Leon. Conversely, there are plenty of successful recording artists who couldn't touch him in the vocal department. Without putting too fine a point on it, two of them were on the judging panel last year. It just goes to show that winning a TV talent show is no guarantee of success if you don't have that extra something. That's why it's called the X-Factor. March 17 What The World Is Waiting For?According to recent reports, the Stone Roses have agreed to reform for 21 dates this summer. For people of a certain age (eg. me), this is extremely exciting but initially I was a little surprised it was considered sufficiently newsworthy to make page three of today's Daily Mirror (albeit underneath a much bigger spread about Corrie's Jack Duckworth finding love again). Either Mirror staff were getting all their Manc news out of the way in one go or the Roses were a bigger cultural deal than I thought. Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe the Stone Roses belong in the most exulted sphere of British guitar music. You know, the place where the Beatles and the Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Smiths, and a handful of others hang out but Oasis, for all their record sales, have only ever peered longingly into. What surprised me is that their mooted reunion should excite mainstream media attention when they only released two albums (five years apart), didn't have a number one with either, and have never been a household name. I am not, as I have been accused recently, equating commercial success with quality. The Smiths, for example, never troubled the charts much. What they did do, however, was leave behind a decent-sized body of work. Few would argue they failed to live up to their potential. The Stone Roses, on the other hand, were recently referred to by their own bass player (who now plies his trade with Primal Scream) as the George Best of music for the manner in which they threw it all away after their first sniff of success. Although few Roses fans will thank me for the comparison, I'm hoping this will turn out like Take That's reunion. How brilliant would it be if, like Take That, they are overwhelmed by public reaction to the tour and are inspired to write new material? How brilliant if that new material turns out to be as good as if not better than anything they came up with first time around? You see, the thing with the Stone Roses is that no band has ever left a bigger question mark over what might have been. The fact that we might be about to find out is why the news deserves to be in ALL the papers. March 10 Taking The PRSAs you have probably heard by now, YouTube is in the process of blocking music videos to its UK users because of a financial dispute with the PRS (the organisation which collects royalties on behalf of artists and songwriters). A blog entry posted yesterday by Patrick Walker, YouTube's Director of Video Partnerships, cited 'prohibitive licensing fees' as the sticking point. According to Walker, if YouTube were to pay royalties at the rate which the PRS are now demanding, they would 'lose significant amounts of money with every playback'. Assuming this is the truth (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), then it's yet another case of music industry short-sightedness. I should point out that I'm not pointing the finger at the record labels. God knows it took them long enough to embrace the internet rather than try to fight it (eg. Napster), but their willingness to work with free streaming site Spotify suggests those days are finally over. The PRS, on the other hand, appear stuck in the dark ages. They seem unable to grasp that greater exposure to music increases people's desire to consume it. Watching a reduced quality video for free on YouTube is never going to replace the full high-definition musical experience. What it may well do, however, is prompt you to buy an album or a gig ticket or a T-shirt. Why do you think music videos are known as 'promos' within the industry? They are literally promotional tools -adverts, in other words. Not only that, they are adverts whose makers get paid when they are shown! In the digital age, the PRS shouldn't be agitating for more cash. They should be silently rubbing their hands with glee at the fact they're still getting paid at all. * You can still watch thousands of music videos for free on MSN Video Jukebox March 05 Jacko AnnouncementI've just watched Michael Jackson announce, well, not very much at the O2 centre in London. Aside from declaring "this is it" several times (without ever clarifying what "it" might be) and claiming the dates in July would be the last time he'd ever play live, he didn't really say much at all. But he did say it in an uncharacteristically deep voice. If he's as good as his word and the UK dates this summer do turn out to be his final pay day, it seems an odd place to do it. This is the country, remember, responsible for the Martin Bashir documentary which led to his most recent court case. It's also home to arguably the world's least forgiving tabloid press. Then again, judging by the hysterical reaction of the people who'd turned out to see him speak for all of two minutes, we might also have more Jacko-worshipping lunatics per capita than anywhere else. Suddenly it makes perfect sense. March 04 Jacko's BackoIt's been the stuff of rumour for months but now it seems almost certain that Michael Jackson will play a 30-gig residency at the 02 centre this summer. A press conference has been scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at which the man himself might make an appearance. He's known to be in the country anyway. Up until relatively recently, the idea that Jacko might do anything purely because he needs the money would have been ridiculous but the accumulative effect of legal costs, poor record sales, and his unreconstructed attitude to spending have left him short of cash. I don't think it's just about boosting the Jacko coffers though. He's got an ego the size of a small country and desperately craves the oxygen of approval that only an adoring crowd can provide. Also, I'm sure the fact that he'll be trumping arch-rival Prince's much-heralded 21-night stand at the same venue won't have escaped his attention. When Jacko turned 50 last year, Tom Townshend wrote a piece asking what it would take to restore him to his erstwhile position as the King of Pop. In that article, Tom doubted whether MJ was physically capable of pulling off a Prince-style residency. Was Tom wrong? As with so much in the Michael Jackson story, we'll just have to wait and see. March 02 Taylor Made For Success
She didn't feature in any of the cooler-than-thou lists put out by the likes of the BBC, NME, The Observer etc... at the back end of last year. No doubt the people who put those other lists together would say they're only in the business of predicting 'credible' talent. Well, in the immortal words of a Big Brother contestant from some years ago whose name I forget, "Two words - whatever". The music's not really to my taste either (think Avril Lavigne crossed with Shania Twain) but surely the point of these things is to predict who is going to sell records and be all over the radio in the 12 months ahead? Music snobbery is a terrible thing. Mind you, so is being smug so I'll shut up now. February 26 NME Awards - Full List Of WinnersThe Cure picked up the 2009 Godlike Genius award at the Shockwaves NME Awards in London last night. Robert Smith's band received the award from Hollywood director Tim Burton and NME Editor Conor McNicholas at the ceremony, which took place at the O2 Academy Brixton. Elsewhere, despite being 15 years past their best, Oasis won Best British Band. Go on, hammer me in the comments for saying that. Anyway, here's the full list (winners in bold): BEST BRITISH BAND supported by Shockwaves
February 24 Springsteen To Boss Glasto 2009After the bashing they took for booking rapper Jay-Z to headline last year, it seems Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis are playing it ultra-safe this time. Not only is rock legend Bruce Springsteen topping the bill on the Saturday night, the other confirmed (or at least strongly rumoured) headliners are Neil Young, Coldplay, and the newly reformed Blur. Am I the only one who feels a bit depressed by this? I can't say I blame the Eavises. 2008 was Glastonbury's annus horribilis. Not only did it fail to sell out for the first time in many years, its whole raison d'etre was questioned openly in the media - including by me. My concern is that last year's attempt to shake things up will be written off as a never-to-be-repeated bad idea when it was only the execution that was misguided. Speaking in advance of Glasto 2008, Michael Eavis said, "We're trying to get youngsters to the festival this year. Hopefully the headliner will appeal to them. Traditionally we've had a very white line up and I'm moving away from that." His worries about the festival becoming progressively more middle-aged and middle-class were entirely valid. I'm just hoping this year's lineup isn't evidence that he's abandoned that idea permanently. February 19 The BRITs: No Alarms And No SurprisesIn a set of results that will surprise nobody, Duffy was the big winner at last night's BRITs, taking home awards in three of the four categories she was nominated in. It was a disappointing night for Coldplay though, who failed to pick up a single gong despite also being up for four. Oh, and in a turn of events which would appear to vindicate the bookies' decision to stop taking bets earlier in the week, Paul Weller won Best Male Solo Artist. Here are the results in full: British Female Solo Artist: Duffy International Female Solo Artist: Katy Perry British Breakthrough Act: Duffy International Group: Kings of Leon British Male Solo Artist: Paul Weller International Album: Kings of Leon, Only By The Night British Live Act: Iron Maiden British Group: Elbow Critics' Choice: Florence and The Machine International Male Solo Artist: Kanye West British Single: Girls Aloud, The Promise British Album: Duffy, Rockferry Outstanding Contribution to Music: Pet Shop Boys February 18 It’s The Brits Blog19:45 Hello there. This isn’t James, I’m afraid. It’s Tom Townshend. Hello. I’ve been asked to blog about this year’s Brits, live, as it happens, er, on the telly. Think of this as a kind of improvised DVD commentary or a new version of Twitter where the word limit has been removed and Stephen Fry has been banned from telling us what he has for breakfast. Anyway, how’s everyone feeling about the Brits this year? I know it’s the done thing to be cynical but I genuinely think it might actually be good this year. The hosts, Gavin and Smithy are genuinely funny and lovely people (i.e. we met one of them once and he didn’t spit at us). Kylie is officially the queen of all our hearts, what’s not to like there? And most of the live acts aren’t rubbish. So providing Fearne Cotton doesn’t say too many annoying things in her links and we can find something edible in our cupboard to have for tea, we could be talking a classic year. I’ve also asked someone I know who is literally at the ceremony to text me their gossip and celebrity sightings. Of course, they might forget in which case we’ll have to make it up. Let’s go…. Brits 2009! Come on! Woo! etc
20:00 It’s U2. They’re quite literally a very successful band. Overlooking the fact that this is a lousy song and the worst on the new album, it’s quite exciting they’re here really isn’t it? Or there, at least. It makes the Brits feel important again. Nice of them to put the words up on the screen so everyone can sing along. You really wouldn’t be surprised to get to Hell and find that the Bono was the devil, would you? He’s really quite scary. Would’ve liked some lasers in that performance to be honest. 20:07 Kylie and the boys doing Can’t Get You Out Of My Head. Hmm. A bit flat. Why does the set look like the kind of thing they have for T4 on the Beach? It’s all a bit cheap. We hope this isn’t a credit crunch Brits. 20:06 James Corden makes a joke about The Ting Tings. Is it going to be that sort of evening?
20:10 Duffy 1, Beth Rowley 0. Who’d have guessed that. Duffy’s lost her Welsh accent! And seemed deeply unsurprised and unimpressed by that. Let’s not give her any more. (That’s not gonna happen, is it?) 20:14 ‘Controversial’ Katy Perry’s just been censored already. What did she say? Can anyone here lip read? Was it “farts”? Girls Aloud. Hurrah! Now that is what we call a stage set. Are they nude behind those feathers? No. :( This is how U2 should’ve done it. Look and learn, The Edge. Nicola Roberts – a goddess among women. We wish she was our Facebook friend.
20:20
20:22 Congratulations to Lulu for being the first commenter on this very special Brits 2009 blog. She wins a prize. Possibly. We’ll look into it. Genuine Backstage Gossip Alexa Chung has a nice sparkly dress on but, our spy says, “could use a pie”. Katherine Jenkins has a nice white dress on but has teemed it with a pink clutch and heels, described by our source as “mad”. You heard it here first!
20:27 Aw, the lovely Alex James has actually come dressed as a farmer. Please let the Blur reunion be amazing. Oh for goodness sake. Maybe Duffy can look more pleased this time… Nope, looks like she’s just popping out to post a letter. We liked her much more back when she was excitable and Welsh. We’ve had a complaint! new, life,new days, new shame has complained I haven’t been telling you all who won what. Sorry. Best Female – Duffy Best Female from somewhere that isn’t Wales – Katy Perry Best Breakthrough Act (?) – Duffy 20:34 Do we agree that Coldplay just totally out-U2-ed U2? Rather lovely performance and a nice colour. Very Autumn. Very good. No Name says Chris Martin sang the wrong words? Did he? Excellent. Genuine Backstage Gossip Little Boots (she’s new) looks “amazing”. Alexander McQueen (he’s from fashion, we think) “dripping in diamonds”. Actually, does anyone have any particular backstage-based questions we can ask our source? Let’s make this very web 2.0 and interactive (disclaimer: experiment may fail dismally) International Group Award time. Come on Vengaboys! 20:13 It goes to Kings of Leon. Hooray. We like Kings of Leon, not because of their excellent brand of rock and/or roll but because when we went to interview them last year, they arrived on individual Segways. Brilliant! 20:46 Jamie Oliver came dressed as Paul Weller. Bless. Best British Male – Paul Weller He’s not there, he’s in a cafe giggling with the lovely Adele. Lucky old Weller. Does anyone know what song Duffy is singing? *sarcasm* We don’t think we’ve heard it before. It can’t have got much radio play *sarcasm*
20:50 Maybe it’s just us but Duffy’s stage stage set looked very ‘Morecambe & Wise’. If only she’d walked off doing the Bring Me Sunshine dance. 20:52
20:53 Michelle O'Brien wrote: “MAIDEN FOR BEST LIVE ACT :P” Can we all promise to do ‘rock hands’ if this comes true. No one will see us doing them, but we’ll know. It’ll be a special moment. If only for Michelle. 20:58 Starting to regret saying that Gavin and Smithy were funny. It’s all a bit Cannon & Ball at the moment. Kings of Leon shouldn’t have sat down. They’ve won Best International Album. I was kind of hoping for AC/DC. Did you know that was the second biggest selling album in the world last year? I didn’t till yesterday. But now I do. Hooray for facts. OH SERIOUSLY AMAZING START TO THE TAKE THAT PERFORMANCE I think they might be on an actual spaceship. Like, a real one. 50s sci-fi scientist is going to be the look for Spring now. What an amazing song. What an amazing band. We feel like we need a bit of a cry. 21:07 Lovely Nick Frost gave me the first Brits lol moment. Not sure it went down too well with the crowd though. They’re probably all drunk by now. They’ve been at it since 5.
\m/ \m/ \m/
Iron Maiden won Best Live Band!
Did you all do the hands? Can we just say we agree with everything Joel Richards said, ten minutes ago. Thanks.
21:10 Good to have the sober, modest presence of the Hoff. :( 21:12 Elbow have repeated their Mercury win and got Best British Group. That’s nice. But they don’t look as surprised and thrilled as they did then, do they? Would it be a terrible thing to suggest that maybe these artists had an inkling they’d won, in advance? No, that’s a terrible thing to think. They definitely didn’t. Eliott Fellinger - We’re sorry to report that our source hasn’t been heard of since I set them your first challenges. We hope they’ve not been ‘dealt with’. 21:17 We’re taking this opportunity to cook some tea. Do let us know how the Kings were. We’re in the kitchen and can’t see the telly. 21:24 Literally no one laughed at Matthew Horne’s Craig David joke. :( 21:25 Critics Award winner Florence just did a swear. She’s crazy that one. 21:28 Kanye clearly on his way to a Pee Wee Herman-themed fancy dress party. What is he going on about? First awkwardly crowbarred Obama reference of the night. Congratulations. He’s Best International Male, by the way. The Ting Tings and Estelle are playing two different songs at once. What a novel and original idea. I bet Kylie will now steal that idea, travel back in time and try the same trick in 2002.
21:30 Who wants to see my dinner? Well here it is anyway.
It’s egg fried rice with some vegetables on the top. Some might consider that a fail, but anyone who was here for the Eurovision blog might agree it’s a step up from that night’s dinner. And notice the glass of famous brand cola next to it. Classy. Unfortunately I forgot to get pudding.
21:35 The people have spoken! Girls Aloud win Best Single Finally some genuine gratitude. Look at Nicola’s smiley little face. Uh Oh, Sarah’s off. 21:38 It’s the all-new white-haired Tom Jones. Grecian 2000 sales have plummeted. This is what Father Christmas looks like on his Summer holiday. Duffy gets Best Album. Woo. She’s got all emotional now. But by this time of the night, most of the crowd are ‘emotional’. If you know what I mean.
To be fair, Fearne’s been quite restrained this evening. We just wanted to use our last graphic before the end of the show. Sorry. 21:47 Those hawks Brandon Flowers trained to sit on his shoulder have fallen asleep. It’s quite a late night for hawks. “Naturally eccentric” voice? Is that like saying, “don’t worry dear, you’ve got a nice personality”? Wow. Any idea how much the Pet Shop Boys performance must’ve cost? We reckon it’s between a lot and bloody loads. Close up of Louis Walsh – thanks cameraman. Louis is bound to be a big Pet Shop Boys fan. Neil Tennant’s “naturally eccentric” voice was in evidence at the end of Suburbia. It’s a medley! Everyone loves a medley. Neil definitely got the better deal from the costume box. Chris is wearing one of Britney’s old wigs. Remember when they did Go West with lots of miners singing? That was good. Crikey, it’s Lady GaGa. We are literally a bit terrified. Oh, she’s gone. That was weird. Here’s Brandon and his sleepy hawks. Or maybe they’re kestrels. Like in that film. The new album material is sounding really strong up against the old stuff, don’t you think? Well done the Pet Shop Men. West End Girls – you can hear the Brits liggers going completely nuts. GaGa is back. She is totally frightening. And wearing a Wedgewood pot on her head. She is literally the future of pop, ladies and gentlemen.
21:59 And that’s it. Apart from Duffy’s famous brand cola advert. Sad face x one million. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite the classic Brits we were anticipating. The set was utterly terrible. We can’t remember a single thing Kylie said (but her skin looked nice). James and Matthew were a disappointment. As were U2 who, by comparison to everyone else, phoned it in. But, BUT, BUT! Everyone else was pretty darn amazing. Well done everyone else. You all deserve your Brits (though perhaps not three of them). Thank you to all of you who commented and kept me company. I’m off to try and find out what happened to my backstage ‘source’. Let’s hope she’s not been Hoffed. Goodnight. x February 17 Don't Bet On Leona Being At The BRITsI should have known something was up yesterday morning when a friend emailed me to ask if I knew who the winners of tomorrow night's BRIT Awards would be. Strange question, I thought. If I did, I could make a killing down the bookies. Well, as it turns out, it appears someone has been trying to do just that by placing numerous bets on Paul Weller to win Best Solo Male Artist, despite the Modfather being a 5-1 outsider. News of this suspicious betting activity (multiple £50 stakes at various branches of William Hill) has not only resulted in Weller becoming the 1-5 favourite, it has led to William Hill, Paddy Power, and Ladbrokes closing their books on this year's BRITs. Although I am one of the 1000 'music industry figures' (not my words) who make up the voting panel, I have no more idea of who the winners will be than anyone else. It would be like voting in a general election and claiming inside knowledge as a result. But clearly someone (ie. whoever collates the votes) does know in advance. I'm not saying there is definitely something fishy going on but any media-created event like this or, say, a Big Brother eviction or Christmas number one, necessarily involves certain individuals having advance knowledge of the result. Can you imagine gambling on horses being allowed under such circumstances? I've never understood it. On a related note, the story in today's Daily Mirror about Leona Lewis 'making a stand by not attending' the BRITs doesn't hold up to much scrutiny. The article quotes Simon Cowell as saying "I don't like the BRITs. Leona at the BRITs tells you all you need to know about the record business. You should recognise and celebrate success, not sneer at it, wherever the artist comes from". Right, so we're supposed to believe that Leona is staying away because the horrible snobby 'Brits bosses' (again not my words) who decide the winners have some sort of agenda against her? This might have some credibility were it not for the fact that the award she is nominated for, Best British Single, is one of three decided by the public. D'oh! * By the way, the wonderful Tom Townshend will be taking over my blog tomorrow night to bring you his wit and wisdom as the ceremony unfolds - watch this space... February 06 Etta, The Devil You KnowPlease excuse the dreadful pun but I had to comment on Etta James' public savaging of Beyonce which is all over the news this morning. Ms James, an evidently sprightly 71, seems to have taken exception to Beyonce performing At Last (a song she made famous) at the Obama inauguration ball last month. The veteran singer told the audience during a show in Seattle yesterday, "You know your president, the one with the big ears? Wait a minute, he ain't my president", continuing "I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song, she gonna get her ass whupped." In case there was any doubt who she was referring to, she added, "I can't stand Beyonce." Well, miaow. My fondness for Beyonce is well known but even I have to admit she made a bit of a hash of it. If I was being charitable I'd say the emotion of the occasion got to her but I think the truth is her voice isn't suited to that sort of song. Anyway, that's hardly the point. I just loved the sheer childish spite of Etta James' rant. The one with the big ears? She gonna get her ass whupped? Brilliant. Who says you have to grow old gracefully? February 05 Robbie Recording Chambers Music?Although Robbie Williams is keeping schtum about the possibility of a Take That reunion (which, if the comments on my last blog entry about it are anything to go by, suits the vast majority of TT fans just fine anyway) recent news reports suggest a rapprochement with another key figure from his musical past - Guy Chambers. As you may be aware, Guy Chambers was Robbie Williams writing partner on pretty much all his biggest hits; Rock DJ, Let Me Entertain You, and the all-conquering Angels to name but three. They fell out towards the end of 2002 after the recording of Robbie's fifth solo album, Escapology. It may or may not be a coincidence that Williams' two albums since then are the lowest-selling of his career to date. So, has Robbie learned how to swallow his pride and admit mistakes? Does it offer any clues as to the likelihood of him joining Take That on tour? It's hard to say from this. Reforming a business partnership (which, however matey they might once have been, was always the essential nature of his relationship with Chambers) isn't the same as making up with friends. The jury's still out on whether we'll ever see a five-man Take That again. Having said all this, I watched a documentary about the band on Channel 5 last night. It was tabloid-level stuff and didn't offer much in the way of revelations (and I'm fairly sure it was a repeat anyway) but it did make me soften my stance on Robbie a bit. I long ago lost patience with his constant carping about Take That and all that "I'm rich beyond my wildest dreams!" stuff left a nasty taste in the mouth but I'd forgotten (if indeed I ever really knew) how charmlessly ambitious Gary was back in the 1990s. Also, I specifically criticised Robbie for leaving Mark, Jason, and Howard in the lurch when he left, but of course it was Gary who pulled the plug on Take That the first time around on the rather smug assumption that solo success was his for the taking. That, of course, was much of the reason the public got behind Robbie and why we indulged his all too successful efforts to turn Gary into a national laughing-stock. The twists and turns of their contrasting fortunes have made for a fascinating soap opera. Pride came before a fall for Gary but, all credit to him, he's emerged a better man for the experience, relinquishing his stranglehold on songwriting duties and allowing Take That to become a democracy. He also seems at peace with himself, which, as Robbie knows, is something money can't buy. What we're all waiting to see is if Robbie can respond to his own setbacks with equal maturity. If resuming his working relationship with Guy Chambers is the first step on that road, then I for one wish him every success. February 03 John Martyn - I Liked That OneI seem to have to a habit of commenting belatedly on the deaths of musicians I admire. I was about a fortnight after the event in paying tribute to Mitch Mitchell and now I'm the best part of a week late talking about the demise of John Martyn. Ah well, that's how it is sometimes. Only the small-minded, petty, inadequate, and cowardly live their lives by immovable deadlines. John Martyn was none of those things. He was a man who stared life in the face and, consequently, was capable both of exquisite tenderness and appalling self-indulgence. Good. At least he was honest. Part of the reason for my tardiness was due to nothing more complicated than not knowing where to start. Or finish for that matter. This is a blog, after all. How do you do justice to a talent like John Martyn in this format? And then I realised that you don't - you let the talent justify itself. So, with that in mind, watch this. Seriously, watch it. Don't read any more until you have. OK, how good was that? Every component of it is amazing. The guitar playing, the vocal performance, the lyrics - all exceptional. And when was the last time you heard a love song that wasn't rooted in sexual desire? (OK, maybe Tears In Heaven but l've always been convinced Clapton took this - a song he once covered, incidentally - as his starting point for Tears In Heaven anyway) Right, now watch this. It's the same song recorded 22 years later. OK, I know he looks about 50 years older but that's hard-living for you. Anyway, I think it's actually better. Now I know it's not quite comparing like for like. Where he plays solo in the earlier version, he's accompanied by Kathy Mettea on vocals, Jerry Douglas on slide guitar (isn't his contribution just brilliant, by the way?), and his old mate Danny Thompson on double bass in the second. But it's the evolution of both the song and the man that make it a superior version to my mind. How often do you see/hear a performance of a song by its author more than two decades after it was written which surpasses any recorded at the time? Martyn's voice is deeper, richer, and more nuanced in the later version and as a result so is the song itself. Popular musicians often makes fools of themselves with their desperate efforts to cling on to their youth. This is an object lesson in ageing perhaps not gracefully exactly (he does look a bit like a homeless person) but certainly with dignity. And...and...and... his dance of joy at the end! That's a man who has seen it all several times over but never lost touch with the child he once was. Perhaps that's the secret. Two versions of the same song, 22 years apart. In the first, a young man wise beyond his years and, in the second, an older man overcome with youthful exuberance. Every age at every stage. The best of both worlds. I like that one. January 22 Relight My IreGary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, and Jason Orange have once again proved they are the nicest men in music - and quite possibly the world. According to news reports, the lads have expressed their regret at not having done more for Robbie Williams when the booze and drugs started to take hold in the mid-1990s. Gary laments "missing the signs" that his former band-mate was in trouble, while Mark has said, "I feel a bit guilty now that I wasn’t mature enough to hear his cries." Jason even appeared to confirm the rumours of Robbie's return to the line-up, saying, "Lets get him back as quickly as possible." Whatever the ins and outs of Williams' departure from the band back in 1995, it's clear he was a liability. As it turned out, the public wouldn't accept a four-man Take That (how ironic that seems now), so Robbie's meltdown cost them all dearly - particularly Donald and Orange, whose chances of solo success seemed slim at best and proved to be just that. Now I am far from unsympathetic to Robbie's plight at the time. But my God, didn't he milk it for 10 whole years after he straightened himself out? And didn't he just love putting the boot in when his solo career took off and those of his former band-mates faltered? Perhaps the others could have done more to help him but I think enduring a decade's worth of snide comments, childish gloating about his solo success, and even personal abuse in his lyrics ("I met the other guys / one seemed like a c*ck" from his song The '90s is a fairly unambiguous reference to Gary Barlow) is more than enough penance for their negligence. I personally don't think they owe Robbie anything. What do you reckon? Oh, and by the way, MSN Music will be the first place (including their official site) you'll be able to see the video for TT's new single, Up All Night, on Tuesday 27th of January. January 20 A Brit Predictable ReallyI've just got back in from the Brits 2009 nominations ceremony at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm. I say ceremony, it was more like being in the studio audience for an ITV2 programme. In fact, thinking about it, that's exactly what it was. Anyway, I was invited because I am on the voting panel this year. That's not quite as grand as it sounds. There are somewhere in the region of 1000 of us, from record shop owners to student union ents managers (no disrespect to either), but it nonetheless felt pretty exciting to be part of a process I've observed avidly since the bad old days when Phil Collins winning Best British Male was a foregone conclusion. Not exciting enough not to be late though. Hey, I was watching the Obama inauguration speech and I reasoned that any future children I might have will be more likely to ask where I was when that was happening than when Scouting For Girls were nominated for British Breakthrough Act. I must be getting old. So, for those of you who care about such things, here are the nominations in full: British Male Solo Artist British Female Solo Artist British Group British Single British Album British Breakthrough Act British Live Act International Male Solo Artist International Female Solo Artist International Group International Album British Producer of the Year Critics' Choice Award Outstanding Contribution to Music So basically Duffy and Coldplay lead the way with four nominations each. I'd make Duffy favourite to convert all four of hers to gongs next month. No surprises there, you might think. But then, as Florence And The Machine were being announced as recipients of this year's Critics' Choice award (one of two that are given in advance), I remembered that when Adele won it last year, Duffy was barely on the radar. Critics, eh? What do they know? January 12 It was 50 Years Ago Today......that Berry Gordy created the record label which was responsible for much of the last century's finest soul, pop, and R&B records: Motown. Not only that, in doing so, he contributed more than perhaps anyone to the racial integration of popular music. I am not going to try to compete with Tom Townshend's appraisal of the legendary label here. He nails the essence of Motown's appeal in far more detail than I could possibly manage in a blog entry. What I will say, though, is that reading his article made me revisit the tracks he specifically discusses, despite the fact I knew them very well anyway, which is surely the sign of good music journalism. They are all fabulous, of course, but I felt I just had to say a word about I Want You Back by the Jackson Five. From the joyous descending piano sweep at the start to the insanely infectious staccato guitar riff to what may be the most melodic bass-line in music history to the pre-pubescent Jacko's impassioned vocals which somehow manage to convey both yearning AND joy, it's as close to the perfect pop song as I've ever heard. I thought I knew all this anyway but listening really is believing. Ahhh... they don't make 'em like that any more. |
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