Not Forgotten
Not Forgotten: Mott the Hoople – Mott the Hoople
As debut albums go, Mott the Hoople’s self titled effort is an enthusiastic display of aspiration, even if it does ultimately fall short of being an all out success. Kicking off with an instrumental cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” which gives an impression of the crackling energy levels that the band routinely …
Not Forgotten: Elton John – 17.11.70
After years, if not decades, of wandering about the cultural wilderness, it has reached the point where even the most indifferent music fan has to admit that between 1970 and 1975, Elton John put out some pretty good music. While it is albums like Tumbleweed Connection, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic and the …
Not Forgotten: Jethro Tull – Crest of a Knave
Like many acts from the 60s and &0s, when the 80s rolled around Jethro Tull struggled with something of an identity crisis, desperately trying to blend the traditional core values of their sound with new and exciting possibilities that the latest technology offered. The result was a genuine mixed bag of albums, from the synthetic …
Not Forgotten: Edwyn Collins – I’m Not Following You
Pity poor old Edwyn Collins. If the world were a just and fair place, we would be hailing Orange Juice as the crown princes of 80s indie, but instead it’s The Smiths that everyone remembers. Understandably peeved, Collins went off in a huff to record a string of micro-budget solo albums which failed to sell, …
Not Forgotten: Stereophonics – Word Gets Around
It is the late 90s, the Britpop bubble has just burst, New Labour has started to settle in to governing the UK and I find myself studying in Wigan, birth place of Stuart Maconie, Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls and George Formby. In terms of popular music, girl groups, boy bands and annoying dance-pop have started …
Not Forgotten: The Levellers – Mouth to Mouth
Mouth to Mouth was an almost totally unexpected return to form for the usually argumentative and finger-pointing Levellers, mainly due to the fact that they dialled down their argumentative nature and finger-pointing. Mouth To Mouth is also something of an oddity for the band, as on the whole protest songs are kept to a minimum …
Not Forgotten: Super Furry Animals – Radiator
Sometimes a band just gets it right. Prior to Radiator’s release in August 1997, only Super Furry Animals’ most optimistic and fervent fans would have put good money on the band’s second album transcending the stylistic restrictions of the failing Britpop scene that they were only tangentially associated with. Yet Radiator proved without a doubt …
Classic Compilation: Orbital – Back to Mine
The ‘Back to Mine’ compilations premise was simple. After pummelling your brain to mush in a sweaty club, with four hours of repetitive beats, the DJ in question would invite you back to his pad, where he would show you his gentler side by playing you chilled-out choons, as you melted into his couch, the …
Not Forgotten: Half Man Half Biscuit – Voyage to the Bottom of the Road
There are times when the lowly court jester is the wisest man in the kingdom. Released just weeks before the lingering-fart that was Be Here Now confirmed that the Britpop bubble had burst, at a time when every record label, regardless of how much major label backing they received, tried to convince you that any …
Not Forgotten: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Messin’
Although never known as being one of the eras key acts, Manfred Mann enjoyed a few sizeable radio hits during the beat boom of the 60s. After the hits dried up, the eponymous keyboard player had flirted with jazz-rock with the ambitious, but dull, Manfred Mann Chapter Three, before deciding to recruit another band and …