This is one of my occasional posts of material left on the cutting room floor of my 2016 book The Monkees, Head and the 60’s. If you like it, check out my book here http://jawbonepress.com/the-monkees-head-and-the-60s/ What’s the connection between Mose Allison, Breaking Bad and The Monkees? We’ll get to the TV show but Allison wasContinue reading “Sock It To Me: The Monkees and ‘Goin’ Down’”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Vinyl Fetishes…
In the last year or so I’ve had the chance to do some interesting little side projects for the BBC (Time Travellers for Radio 3) and for a magazine or two – one of which was writing a few small things for Record Collector magazine, a monthly which appeals to me because, well, y’know, IContinue reading “Vinyl Fetishes…”
Going, Going, Gone…Pop, Museums and Auctions
‘Going, Going, Gone’ is one of Bob Dylan’s less well known tunes. It’s on Planet Waves, his one and only studio album not to appear under the bright tangerine colours of Columbia/CBS. It came out on Chris Blackwell’s Island label in the UK and David Geffen’s Asylum in the US, a substantial coup for bothContinue reading “Going, Going, Gone…Pop, Museums and Auctions”
Different Drum: the adventures of a song
In 2016 my book The Monkees, Head and the 60s was published by Jawbone Books. It’s been a great success, which pleases me no end. It’s long enough, but as is my wont, I wrote at least twice as much material as ended up in the final version. So every now and then I willContinue reading “Different Drum: the adventures of a song”
The Monkees: The Mike and Micky Show (Rhino 2020)
In a recent chat on Facebook Michael Nesmith said that he was happy that the new Monkees live album The Mike and Micky Show had come out because it captured ‘something temporary’. This is true of everything, really: it’s all temporary. All things must pass. However with specific reference to The Monkees it is particularlyContinue reading “The Monkees: The Mike and Micky Show (Rhino 2020)”
Covers #3: Hej, Jude
You know that idea of ‘rabbit holes’? Often applied to Youtube watching; you start looking at one clip, next thing you know you’ve been gazing at ‘related videos’ for about three hours. Well my current rabbit hole is (or are) translations of hit songs from English into other languages. Now, for better or for worse,Continue reading “Covers #3: Hej, Jude”
Covers #2: I Will
Who remembers Borders? An outbreak of civilisation, it always seemed to me: books, music, movies, coffee shop. Joy! The Leeds branch was actually in the same premises as Virgin Records had occupied when I worked there. So it was amusing to sit in the first floor cafe and sip my large Americano while looking outContinue reading “Covers #2: I Will”
Covers #1: a Fab Four
What do you think about cover versions? A few years ago, when I first started really being able to develop dedicated music modules for the degree I teach on I took an idea that had occurred to me on a course I’d taught at a university in Hungary. The module’s topic was recording technologies, andContinue reading “Covers #1: a Fab Four”
Corcovado
After an interminable pause, far beyond the Beckettian and well ahead of the Pinteresque, here is Blog #5 from Pete Sounds. This time I have decided to get my musical muscles working again by reflecting on a song (and a musical form) which suggests pure relaxation. Which we could all do with just now. SoContinue reading “Corcovado”
The Art On Your Sleeve #1
Sorry for that terrible pun-of-a-kind in the title of Blog #4. It just seems appropriate. And we like being ‘appropriate’, don’t we? So there it is. This one is about looking more than listening, I must confess; it’s about the infinite beauty and variety of record sleeve design. In this case all LPs but I’llContinue reading “The Art On Your Sleeve #1”
Pete Sounds 