Jon Bryan, Author at Backseat Mafia

Not Forgotten: Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords

As I have aged I have been slowly but surely reaching the conclusion that comedy, or more specifically, what the individual finds funny is a deeply personal thing, perhaps even…

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Not Forgotten: Hawkwind – Space Ritual

There are some acts that have survived only to prove that drugs really do not work. Hawkwind are perhaps the most enduring of all the drug casualty groups, causing a…

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Not Forgotten: Rainbow – Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll

The artistic success of Rainbow’s first two albums had emboldened an army of bootleggers to try and capture the live thrills Ritchie Blackmore’s quintet of hard rockers. This had in…

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Not Forgotten: Tori Amos – From the Choirgirl Hotel

In retrospect From The Choirgirl Hotel was an important album for Tori Amos. By 1998, despite a couple of medium sized hit singles earlier in the decade, she was in…

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Not Forgotten: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – You’re Gonna Get It!

You’re Gonna Get It! finds Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers in a darker, slightly more sinister mood than their debut. Production wise, it remains in the same ballpark, and the…

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Not Forgotten: Billy Bragg – Life’s a Riot With Spy vs Spy

Is it an album? Is it an EP? To be honest Life’s a Riot With Spy vs Spy is 35 years old now, and still no one is entirely sure…

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Not Forgotten: The Replacements – Hootenanny

Even this early in their career The Replacements seemed determined to represent the everyman and be utterly relatable to their audience, who by and large were kids from the suburbs…

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Not Forgotten: Goldfrapp – Black Cherry

From the opening electronic beats of “Crystalline Green”, it was obvious that Goldfrapp’s sophomore album was not going to be a retread of their well received debut. Gone is the…

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Not Forgotten: Half Man Half Biscuit – CSI: Ambleside

I must admit it, on initial listening on the day of its release I was deeply disappointed in CSI: Ambleside, having fallen head over heels for the hook-laden charms of…

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Not Forgotten: World Party – Bang!

Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time. Having served time in The Waterboys during their most consistently good period, Karl Wallinger realised that…

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