Jon Bryan, Author at Backseat Mafia

Not Forgotten – Half Man Half Biscuit – Cammell Laird Social Club

From mid 80s post-punk beginnings which welded basic musicianship to barbed lyrics about life in Thatcher’s Britain, to a more competent and dynamic sound backing witty and wise wordsmithery throughout…

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Not Forgotten: Billy Bragg – Don’t Try This at Home

Billy Bragg’s first full album since Workers Playtime, an album which saw him change his style to something a little more mainstream than clattering his battered Telecaster and delivering his…

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Not Forgotten – Steely Dan – Katy Lied

The general consensus seems to be that Katy Lied is Becker and Fagen’s least favourite Steely Dan album, because it didn’t match their levels of studio perfectionism that they had…

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A Buyers Guide to XTC

For reasons I’ve never been able to adequately explain, the majority of my favourite musicians have never achieved the level of success that their talent deserved, instead achieving artistic integrity…

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Not Forgotten – My Morning Jacket – Z

The first time I heard about My Morning Jacket was when Mojo Magazine got themselves into a fizzle of excitement about them a few years back. Apparently they’d already released…

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Not Forgotten: Deep Purple – Made in Japan

It is the 70s. Weeks last three days, amplifiers are stacked, hair is long and unkempt, pants are loon and sleeves are gatefold. In the pop charts, glam-rock and hollow…

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Live: Adam Buxton – Bug Special: David Bowie

There are some events that you see advertised and you just have to go to. Having seen that Adam Buxton was bringing a special ‘Zavid Bowie’ edition of his Bug…

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Not Forgotten: Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis

It’s heartbreaking that someone who had such a huge talent as Dusty Springfield suffered from almost crippling insecurity and self-doubt. Legend has it that she struggled so much with the…

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A Buyers Guide to Randy Newman

Quick – who is the greatest songwriter America has ever produced? Okay, how many of you said Bob Dylan? More than three quarters of you I should imagine and you…

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A Buyers Guide to Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin. You’ve heard of them right? They were quite good at that rock music thing back in the day and after years of putting it off their chief architect…

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