Jon Bryan, Author at Backseat Mafia

Not Forgotten: Frank Black & The Catholics – Dog in the Sand

The relationship between musician and listener is not always easy. Occasionally the misunderstandings are inevitable and sometimes compromises need to be made. However with the appropriate patience and open hearts…

View Post

View Post

Not Forgotten: Caravan – In the Land of Grey and Pink

Along with Soft Machine, Caravan are perhaps the definitive Canterbury Scene progressive rock act. Less jazzy than their more famous neighbours, Caravan weren’t as heavy handed as their more critically…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: White Denim – Stiff

I’m not sure when it first occurred to me, but I’ve now spent many years coming to terms with the fact that I have a problem with rock and roll.…

View Post

View Post

Not Forgotten: 10cc – The Original Soundtrack

By early 1975, 10cc had extricated themselves from an unfavourable recording contract under which their first two albums had been released. This resulted in The Original Soundtrack being a confluence…

View Post

View Post

Not Forgotten: Neil Young – After the Gold Rush

Always knowingly wilful, Neil Young has never been an easy musician to pin down. Having cut his teeth with Buffalo Springfield, his solo career started off with a solid enough…

View Post

View Post

Not Forgotten: Grandaddy – Sumday

In the process of comprehensively out-OK Computered Radiohead with the stunning The Sophtware Slump in 2000, Grandaddy had gained an enviable reputation for musical brilliance, but that hadn’t really translated…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: Matt Berry – Matt Berry and The Maypoles Live

A quick perusal of the artwork of Matt Berry and the Maypoles Live, with it’s Acid Jazz label styled in the manner of the old Philips logo, a back cover…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: The Stone Foxes – Twelve Spells

At the start of rock and roll the generational the battlelines were well defined and they remained static for decades. The young rock and pop acts specifically targeted the youth…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: They Might Be Giants – Phone Power

The third album to be compiled from tracks that They Might Be Giants released on their rebooted Dial-A-Song service on YouTube during 2015, Phone Power has been released as a…

View Post

View Post

Not Forgotten: Paul Westerberg – 14 Songs

The former The Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg had been the main creative force behind his former band for the last few years of their career, so in the early 90s,…

View Post