Offmessage

Any residents of Vanburgh or Alcuin Colleges (York University) between at least 1990 and 1993 (if not a lot longer) will have fond memories of both Black Knight and High Speed.  I didn’t realise they were so iconic.

Another music post (hey, at least it’s not delicious links about Python…)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBaWLyz_LAg]

In 1969 Sandie Shaw (of Puppet on a String fame, no less) recorded her first self produced album – Reviewing The Situation.  Instead of the bubble gum pop she’d previously been recording this new project was a covers album of tracks by acts like The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin; think of it as an early All Back To Mine or Late Night Tales.

Some tracks are ill advised (Sympathy for the Devil) while others are just straight lounge (Love Me Do) but overall it’s an overlooked slice of the sort of sublime psychedelic pop that swinging London did so well. And there’s just something about her version of Your Time is Gonna Come (the first Led Zep cover ever released) that does it for me every time.

Someone just put the soundtrack to Stop Making Sense on the stereo in the office. God I love that movie.  I guess I watched it at just the right time – it must have been one of Channel 4′s late night showings when I was 14 or 15.  Perfect viewing for a small town kid in awe of the power of rock and roll for whom the only live gig available was the annual Spinners Christmas Special.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pCZ5E5tn4I]

Psycho Killer, the opening track.

A combination of my increasing use of Twitter (you should follow me) and the automated posting of my links from delicious has essentially made this blog obsolete.  Then last week delicious had a moment and posted the same links over and over again, spamming what few readers this blog has still got.

So.  I shall stop the automated posting of links and try to return to actually writing the odd post about things that actually interest me. Those who are actually interested in what I’m bookmarking can subscribe to a feed at http://feeds.delicious.com/rss/offmessage.

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