at last

The long awaited Mumm-Ra album has finally hit the shelves. Great throughout, naturally. The boys have done Sussex proud! Up till now famous only for The Piranhas, Keane (ugh..) and The Kooks, we've now added Mumm-Ra to our roll call.

Best song is still 'Out of the Question', in fact it's one of those pop classics that come round every five years or so, in the tradition of 'It's All Over Now' Rolling Stones, 'If there is Something' Roxy Music, 'Don't Fear the Reaper' Blue Oyster Cult, 'God Save the Queen' Sex Pistols, 'Teenage Kicks' Undertones, 'Transmission' Joy Division, 'Rescue' Echo and the Bunnymen, 'Disco 2000' Pulp, 'Don't Look Back in Anger' Oasis and 'I Predict a Riot' Kaiser Chiefs. Era-defining music, even if only for a summer!

But what Sussex still hasn't produced is a working class band. It probably never will - we were always more into fighting, knives, drugs and guns than serious stuff like music!

tracks and tracks

Some shots taken around the Southern Region back in the 1970s.

Music's coming back on the agenda, never fear! Digitalising 12,000 photos is going to be a big job, and to relax I try to do a bit of DJing, even if mainly at home. We've got bookings coming up as well. And a brand new stereo with MP3 and Bluetooth for the car. Now we're just waiting for the new Mumm-Ra album ...

cool or not - I'm confused

Yeah, I know - Dad Rock time! But you know me better. Dontcha? Firstly I see Trin's Beatles keyring. Is she being ironic or what? I HATE the Beatles - talentless middle-class trossers who were uncool even in the sixties. It was them versus the Stones - talented middle-class trossers who were cool for a while. They had that acned hackneyed ASBO look that actually frightened people forty years ago. But Mick was an economist with a degree from the LSE - which is cool by anybody's standards. And Johnny Depp based his pirate of the Caribbean on Keith Richards, the terminally uncool smoker who climbs trees for a day job. I'm still confused.

Then they go and cancel a gig in Serbia because the noise will disturb 300 horses. That is cool by anybody's standards. Not the group that Swissies raved over in the 80s 'cos they thought they were cool - sick making. One of the Swissie returnees gave me and Mad Mike a lift from Vevey to Villeneuve and assaulted my ears with tales of the wonderful Stones - we'd just come back from a Pogues open air gig in Nyon. More confusion.

Now music god Plan B's gone and issued a bootleg featuring the same fellows, Paint it Blacker. And it's fun. But then I loved Paint it Black, Jumping Jack Flash and All Over Now (centuries ago in another life).

Further brain problems and cool/uncool dichotomies as I progress through the album - Radiohead's next. Now I doubt even B could make them fuckers cool!

Music's great!

bringing tross back more like...

We need more discos. I'm getting all rusty and impatient. In August we have a seventies and eighties disco challenge to do. How to stick purely to 70's and 80's and still be cool? It WILL be possible.
Meanwhile we have Beyonce and Shakira heading the charts with a pretty dreadful track. I did hear a remix that was a bit more promising but still dire. Manic Street Preachers are making a semi comeback with Dad Rock 2007. I still think they used to be lyrically brilliant but they had their day. Why don't people just give up when their time is over.... that's you too Bryan Ferry. Load of tross with your Bob Dylan covers.
But the worse for me is the very disappointing Arctic Monkeys 2nd album. I saw them on Jools Holland the other night. Every one was raving about them but every track sounded just like the first album. No new sound or spark there at all. Very drab.
Maybe it's me. I haven't exactly been thrilled with many second albums this year. Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Keane all total tross.
And if I hear 'I want to have your babies' one more time there will be infanticide....

sob...mumm-ra

We got tix to see Mumm-Ra at the Thekla tomorrow but we'd also booked to go on holiday... so on holiday we go... I'll miss you Mumm-Ra. I love Mumm-Ra... *sob*
I also think it's the very last time to see this fantastically talented and fun band in such a small venue. With their new single out Monday (She's got you High) and the Album 'These Things Move In Threes' on 28th May plus the very successful NME awards tour with The Automatic and The View. The fact that 'She's Got You High' is the NME's song of the week and the track being the soundtrack to the new HSBC advert will push them skyward to bigger audiences.
And who is bigger than the shopping giant Asda? Whilst perusing the bunion plasters for dear Brassey, who should be playing over the supermarket tannoy? None other than Mumm-ra themselves. Amazing and made my day. Even made me forget his fungal foot relief. The joys of being a DJ partner.
My tip for 2007 is of course Mumm-ra and NOT that fucking Maroon 5 group as hotly tipped by the GWR so called DJ wanker this week. Song of the year? Get a life and some musical taste idiot.

sorry

Yeah, I know ... we've been really quiet on the tracks and tracks site lately. That's because we haven't had a chance to do much DJing or going to gigs lately. Bloody railways' fault mainly, plus a holiday or two.

I'm digitalising my photo collection going back 36 years! This is one of the better ones I've dug up - the original is faded, badly lit and lacks punch. A bit of cropping, fiddling about and generally being creative on Picasa has changed all that. This is a nice shot now, practically publishing quality. (It's 33 104 at Brookwood, 8.8.77 by the way).