Old Man Riva

Four strings; one p/up; no batteries!!

Someone recommended this lot to me recently, and I’m forever in their debt. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ghost Funk Orchestra...

... a marriage made in heaven. Warning: it may lead to Colin Moulding envy!

“If Pete Way had ever played in a showband”...

Blimey, he was good...

Just bought a wonderful Fender Custom Shop P-bass off Kevin. Kevin was a pleasure to deal with - excellent communication, completely straightforward and everything done with the minimum of fuss. I can’t recommend highly enough! I visited his home to try the bass and was made to feel really welcome - and found a fellow Roxy Music fan into the bargain! Buy with complete confidence from Kevin - a credit to Basschat!

Starting the day with this...

Yeah, definitely one of the odder choices of covers I've heard over the years. Probably done with the best of intentions (i.e. he was a fan of the song) but he was always on a hiding to nothing taking that on. This is good, for fans of this type of thing...

I’ve always thought Bowie’s version on Young Americans was a low point on an otherwise excellent album. I think it’s truly rotten, and I say that as someone who idolises Bowie and can find many ways in which to defend The Laughing Gnome - though I still haven’t found a way to explain away his ‘interpretations’ of Iggy’s Tonight or the Beach Boys’ God Only Knows! It’s a shame he just didn’t stick with The Gouster... Re. Beatles covers, I always liked Shirley Bassey taking on Something. Adding a certain something different to the original, in a positive way, unlike, say, Paul Young when he took on Love Will Tear us Apart!

Whenever I hear Zappa solo I feel sure he was a huge influence on Prince.

Been posted on here before, but absolutely no harm in posting it again! Something a bit more recent that you may like...

“UK Prime Minister makes alternative travel arrangements after refusing to use Eurostar for crunch Brexit talks”

Now that’s a line you don’t hear every day..!

Stuck in his local A&E after putting his back out again breakdancing?

Most of John Cooper Clarke’s output springs to mind. In a (really) good way. Not really random but I never tire of hearing the lyrics to the chorus of Bowie’s Drive-In Saturday. “His name was always Buddy And he’d shrug and ask to stay. She’d sigh like Twig the Wonder Kid And turn her face away. She’s uncertain if she likes him But she knows she really loves him. It’s a crash course for the ravers It’s a drive-in Saturday...” Also love Jagger’’s “My best friend, he shoots water rats, and feeds them to his geese” line in Live With Me.

As I recall, the BBC banning Relax was instigated by DJ Mike Reed, who, upon playing the single, got an earful of the lyric, and stopped playing it half-way through, chirruping loudly about it being the start of the decline of civilisation as we know it - I may have over-egged that last bit, but it’s not far off.

Pushed for just one, Aladdin Sane by Bowie. The gatefold sleeve and iconic cover, poring over the the lyric sheet for hours on end (all songs included save for the Stones cover - could never get my head around that as a kid), mesmerised by the most amazing music. What’s not to be obsessed about for the past 46 years?!

She still tours with Sinéad O’Connor...

Philip Glass - The Bowie Symphonies at Festival Hall on Thursday. Liked the Low symphony; loved the Heroes symphony; couldn’t get on with Lodger at all. Story of my life..!

Every now and again something pops up that you just want to share...

I like to imagine a Stella Street-style parallel universe where Mick is in his kitchen carefully ironing his jim-jams shouting camp abuse at the radio as (Si Si) Je Suis un Rock Star wafts across the airwaves... (I actually own a copy of that single!)

That was probably a rare barre chord day..!

Completely agree. There's the odd track post-Some Girls that I like - mainly singles like Emotional Rescue, Undercover of the Night (although I can't hear that track without thinking about Muriel Gray getting incredibly 'upset' interviewing a giggling/despairing Jagger and Julien Temple regarding the video some years back on The Tube) and a few others - but the last Stones album that I (can) listen to without interruption is Some Girls - I still think Miss You is one of the best songs (of many contenders) that they ever wrote. You're never quite sure what you're going to get with Jagger's solo stuff, suffice to say, I've never got it. And the track he did with Peter Tosh is just that. With the Stones he's unrivalled (IMO) but without them, well... I'm sure he'll not be losing sleep over it, mind..!

For me, as the primary writers, the Stones should feel like it’s Mick and Keef. But the thing that the Stones has (again, IMO) is that unique bond between Keef and Charlie. It’s what makes the Stones sound, well, like the Stones! Any number of talented players will never manage to nail the Stones sound due to the unique chemistry between the two. Then add Jagger’s unique vocals and that’s the band. The Ronnie Wood thing is interesting. His contribution songwriting-wise is minimal (compared to their output since he’s been in the band) but he’s made contributions where I feel he really should have been given a writing credit - the bass line on Emotional Rescue as an example. On a related matter I’d urge any Stones fans to have a listen to Keef’s Talk is Cheap, which has just been re-released as a 30yr anniversary piece (with extra tracks). It’s the album he did with Steve Jordan in 1988, when Jagger wouldn’t tour the Dirty Work album. To this day it’s still a great listen - and features Bootsy in fine form on the opening track, which is worth the price of admission alone!