Bonus Track

So there you have it. A whole year in music. Over 370 albums, in excess of 4,500 tracks and countless hours spent listening, thinking, recalling memories and writing. A real musical journey.

I've listened to songs whilst walking, travelling in the car, on train journeys, in aeroplanes, on mountain tops and valley bottoms, in hotel rooms, tents, camping pods, hostels and B&Bs.

I've plundered the depths of my memories, written and (probably) re-written history, talked nonsense and (hopefully) sense. Sometimes relevant but mostly probably not!

Just as there were some stories that I couldn't shoehorn into a blog about music, there were those that I just about, with a little 'artistic' licence, could. And there were some albums that I've had to leave out. Not because they weren't great but because I just didn't have a story to tell.

On occasion I've had to plan like a military general; ensuring that whilst away from home I've had enough music - the right music - to carry me through the trip. I've squirrelled away notes to make sure that when time was tight that I'd be able to keep up to the commitment; planning accommodation around wi-fi availability.

But it's always been enjoyable. Would I do it again? Probably not. I've got plenty of albums left but I think I've told enough stories for now and there are some that are best kept away from print!

So that's me. Thank you for reading this blog; part lies, part heart, part truth, part garbage.

Green - R.E.M.

"We'd circle and we'd circle and we'd circle to stop and consider and centered on the pavement stacked up all the trucks jacked up and our wheels in slush and orange crush in pocket and all this here county hell any county it's just like heaven here and I was remembering and I was just in a different county and all then this whirlybird that I headed for I had my goggles pulled off I knew it all I knew every back"

The first time I recall being conscious of this 'new' band from Athens, Georgia was sat in the bedroom of Mr Hughes and, having seen 'Orange Crush' on Top of the Pops, we were trying to work out what the spoken bridge bit was going on about. After seemingly hours of debate (minutes probably) Mr H declared;

"It appears to be instructions about how to change a car tyre"

It was a revelation. Not only could these mechanical instructions prove useful in the future but I was relieved to find out that this great single wasn't a release from They Might Be Giants. Oh god how I hated their oh-so-clever nasal intoned brand of guitar-indie-pop. You see up to this point I wondered how many R.E.M. singles I'd discounted in error. Could I really have confused these two bands. I rather suspect that I had, for at least a year anyway, had the two totally mixed up and thought they were the same. Oops and oops again! But at least we had solved the mystery of that wordy bit.

So that moment, at the time inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, was a pivotal point. A turning point. Never again would I mistake the two and ...AND... I'd found a new band to champion. I simply had to find out more. Little did I know that here was a band that I would champion for the rest of my life. Is that going too far? Maybe. Maybe not. Vinyl, CDs, books, videos, DVDs, posters, T-shirts, badges and concert tickets would soon start flowing into my collection.

It's fitting that the release of 'Orange Crush' was a pivotal moment for me as the release of 'Green', the album from which it came, was even more so for Buck, Berry, Mills and Stipe; their first on a major label, the start of a truly great run of albums and the start of world recognition.

There isn't a single duff moment on this album. Not one. It's pop. It's rock. It's folk. It's glorious. It's 'Pop Song '89', 'Turn You Inside Out', 'You Are The Everything', 'Get Up', 'Stand' and of course 'Orange Crush'. Chiming guitars, great vocals, wonderful rhythm, lush harmonies and the best songwriting since...well since their previous album.

I could've ended this blog with any number of their releases; each worthy of occupying the closing entry. Should it be their final album 'Collapse Into Now'? How about their hugely undervalued 'flop' (tssk how could anyone have applied this word to them?) 'New Adventures In Hi-Fi'. Equally, I could have easily included every album of theirs during the past year. But that would've been too easy, lazy. Obvious even.

But actually the final blog, just like the first, was reserved before I even typed the first character into my computer. There was no other. Yes the final entry, on my 42nd birthday, had to be the album that turned me inside out, awoke me to their presence and I've never looked back, never been disappointed, always been excited, thrilled and surprised. And isn't that what music is supposed to be all about?

The Smiths - The Smiths

"It's time the tale were told...."

Probably the most anticipated debut album of indie-land. Everyone was sure that the pride of Manchester were going to sign to their local Factory Records but that would've been far too obvious for a band that took pleasure in being less so.

So it was that 'The Smiths' was released on the den finitely southern based Rough Trade.

Why was it anticipated so? The Smiths carried on one of the great British traditions of releasing a slew of great singles before the release of their debut; singles that quietly changed the face of British music. 'Hand In Glove', 'This Charming Man' and 'What Difference Does It Make' we're like nothing heard before, matching an Oscar Wilde obsessed front man to one of the most original guitarists since ....well probably ever. On these shores at least.

So it was no surprise that the release of the debut in 1984 was a big deal. It's also no surprise that I, in my Howard Jones/Madonna phase, totally ignored it! If anyone were to ask me "Where were you when 'The Smiths' was released?" I'd simply shrug my shoulders and reply "Dunno. Listening to 'Human's Lib'?".

Ah well. I've made up for lost time. Unlike a lot of debuts, this one does match the fervour that preceded it. Full of jangling guitars, wry lyrics and great songs it didn't once fall short of expectations. So what if it contained two of the previous single releases. With tracks such as 'Reel Around The Fountain' and 'Still Ill' it would be churlish to complain. And so what if it passed me by the first time around. Isn't that what life is for? To learn from the error of your ways and to make sure they're not repeated?

Ahh, yes, ahem, I suppose there was also R.E.M........

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

Pretentious? Moi? I didn't even know the meaning of the phrase when I was a nipper, just nine years old. Can you really be accused of something when you don't know what it is? Probably, but let me explain....

By the time I got to the mature age of nine I was already a Beatle nut. Not that I recognised it as such, I just loved everything about them; the music, the films, their clothing and their attitude. Especially their attitude.

My favourite Beatle by a New York mile was John Lennon. He was the coolest, the funniest and by far the best lead singer. There was no competition in my book. Not that there were many pages in it by this tender age - my pop knowledge only extended to Adam and the Ants and Abba. Clearly I was working through the pop world in alphabetical order. Anyway I'd settled on the Beatles, courtesy of exposure to my Dad's collection, and despite their split earlier in the decade I was hooked. I had the records, T-Shirts, comics and books. Oh and then there were the films. Played to death on the fledgling VCR we rented from Radio Rentals.

When I heard the breaking news on the 8 December 1980 that my favourite had been shot I was devastated. I'd not had any dealings with death at this point so it was as if a family member had left. One of my school 'friends' had, rather too gleefully it has to be said, told me the news. Maybe it was a cruel joke? Could he have been mistaken? Surely he'd pull through......

The following year we were asked to write an essay on one of our heroes and why we'd chosen them. I think I was supposed to write about Neil Armstrong, Kenny Dalgleish or some such celebrity. Not me. So under the title 'Working Class Hero' I set out my thoughts on what John Winston Lennon meant to me. Whilst I don't for a minute think that this was a detailed treatise into my chosen subject, I imagine that I had enough knowledge to provide a reasonable argument as to why he was worthy of hero status. So what if it was a little one sided. Doesn't hero worship from a nine year deserve that? But like I said, pretentious? Moi?

This, his debut solo album, is an unguarded and honest account of his state of mind at that time. It's not a pop record by any stretch of the imagination, leaving his Beatle roots well behind. But it is an emotional and inspirational album. I guess with titles such as 'Mother', 'Isolation' and 'God' this will have been obvious. For me the highlight is still that title to my essay. 'Working Class Hero' still speaks volumes. And loudly, Despite the track only consisting of a guitar and raw voice.

'John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band' opened a new chapter in his recording career; one that would, over the next ten years, bring mixed results. But anyone in doubt of his solo position, perhaps clinging to the hope that The Beatles split was a temporary hiatus, would've taken little solace from the closing verse of 'God';

"I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me. Yoko and me.....the dream is over".

It was fun whilst it lasted but it was oh too short. He would've been seventy two today. Happy birthday John.

Band on the Run - Wings

There aren't many songs that lend themselves to dramatisation but that is exactly what 'Band on the Run' does, or at least it did to a Beatles obsessed ten year old.

For some reason dancing never seemed natural to me - somehow my legs interpreted my mindful intentions in a contradictory way. It could be that my ambition far outmatched my ability but I rather suspect that it was that I was just no good at it no matter what level I aimed for. This is obviously not the case now!

Anyway, 'Band On The Run' did not lend itself to high NRG disco accompaniment. No it was, or so I thought, much more suited to interpretation through mime. I forget the grizzly details but to simulate a band on the run one would imagine that more than one participant was needed. So, much to her horror, I enrolled my younger sister into the troupe. The stage was set, the record queued and light dimmed. We were off! Like I said, I have forgotten the exact details of the routine - probably expunged from my memory to limit future damage. Thank goodness we didn't have YouTube in 1979 as I'm sure I would have felt proud enough of my creation to film and upload it for all to see.

As for the album? Well it was something of an early post-Beatles high point for Macca. Not only is the title track a mini-epic, there are also great singles in 'Jet' and 'Mrs Vandebilt'.

Funnily, or thankfully, I've never felt the urge to dramatise any other songs, but if anyone from the BBC reads this and fancies a new form of reality TV shown just drop me a line. I may just be persuaded out of retirement!

Tom Robinson 1977 - '87

I learned from an early age that it was perfectly acceptable to take music seriously, or too seriously some might say. Or more to the point, to wear which music you like on your sleeve, or in some cases on the garage wall.

Our garage in Hartlepool was a depository for all sorts; bikes, lawn mowers, ladders, bits of wood, paint tins (full and part empty), garden chairs, boxes of screws.... oh and a car. Occasionally. I was always amazed that it managed to fit into the space as the other contents slowly crept toward the centre.

The garage was also, again occasionally, my refuge from the rain after school. As well as my sister and I both bring pupils, both my Mam and Dad were teachers; we all had timetables to follow I suppose! This was great because it meant that we all knew exactly when we would arrive home and this allowed everything to run like clock work. Usually. Every now and again it would come undone and I would find myself being the first one home - I forget the reasons but probably due to one of my parents being held up at school. Either not having keys, or forgetting them, resulted in me having to break into the garage and sit on one of the garden chairs until someone else got home. Breaking into the garage was child's play - it was just a case of bending the flimsy bolts until they became free of their housing. I wasn't about to become a safe cracker or anything.

I thought it was great sitting it out in the garage; sort of like a mini adventure. Which is ironic because we had a mini at the time. In amongst the various wall decorations and the like was a piece of graffiti. Or art? Nah, definitely graffiti. You see my Dad, being a music nut, had recently bought the debut album by the Tom Robinson Band (TRB) and it came with a stencil so you could recreate the album art. Now most people would chuckle at this and put it back in the sleeve. But instead we had a silver spray painted stencil of the album emblazoned on the wall - just above the ladder.

I had no idea who TRB was but the image of a clenched fist always pops into my mind when I think about garages. And Grey Cortinas, which we didn't have.

Let It Be... Naked - The Beatles

When I was younger, so much younger than today (see what I did there!) I had my own theory as to why The Beatles split up. Nothing to do with musical or personal differences. Nope. Too obvious. No, the real reason was hair. Or to be precise too much of it, both facial and up top. The Fab Four would've been fab for longer if their hair had not been.

They were all to blame - they'd all become fond of fuzziness since the recording of Sgt Pepper in 1966- but I put most of the blame at Mr Lennon's feet, or should that be head? Sure the common accepted reason was the influence of Yoko, who had to be said was no stranger to excess in the hair department, but surely mine made more sense?

Maybe they couldn't communicate properly due to the sheer volume of material in the way? Or was it that they spent far too much time grooming when they should've been talking things through? Who knows but it's a theory.

'Let It Be' was always a disappointing final album - far too much tinkering from the master of the 'Wall Of Sound' Phil Spector. He was no George Martin. Instead of a stripped back and much more personal recording, as was allegedly intended prior to the recording sessions, the original incarnation is an overblown and bombastic affair. So I was quite pleased when I heard that the much rumoured stripped back release was in the offing.

'Let It Be... Naked' takes away all of the frills and it's much better for it. The songs are allowed to breathe - without the heavy orchestration of the original there's much more space for the band. This is The Beatles after all, a band who crafted their art by playing as a four piece in bars of Liverpool and Hamburg.

One of the biggest revelations is just how much of a blues record this is. Simple but stunning. The track that gains the most from thus approach is 'The Long and Winding Road'. On the early release it's a full blown orchestrated ballad. Yes it's nice but lacks the emotional punch of the naked version; just McCartney and a piano. It's the same for 'Across The Universe'; without Lennon's favoured reverbed vocals and the unnecessary orchestration the beauty of the song is allowed to shine.

And isn't it ironic that 'Let It Be... Naked' finally gave credence to my 'hair' theory; a good hair cut and trim to the songs was all that was needed. If only they'd taken the same approach.....

Oxygène - Jean-Michel Jarre

It was really good of Jean-Michel Jarre to take time to write the theme tune to 'Tomorrow's World' for the BBC.

For anyone growing up in the late 70s and early 80s one quick blast of Oxygène IV and your immediate transported to an age when anything seemed possible. Including mobile phones and jet packs. I've got a mobile phone so where's my jet pack eh? Imagine that - an Apple iFly.

Lifes Rich Pageant - R.E.M.

The world has become obsessed by lists. They're everywhere. Here there and everywhere. Want to know the nation's favourite cereals? No problem there is a list for that. Have you ever wondered which towns have the most number of roundabouts? Of course you have. Don't worry I'm sure Google can furnish you with a list for that. I've not checked obviously. Hey quiet at the back! Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the music press.

I used to enjoy reading Q Magazine, for example, when it was cool to do so but it became increasingly obsessed with lists. Top 100 this. Top 100 that. Month after month of lists. Lazy journalism but here's the thing - I became really engrossed. Absorbed. Fascinated. But like a kid on a sugary diet I realised that, in the long run, it was doing me no good. So what if I knew what the top 100 album covers were. Of all time. Was it moving my knowledge of music forward? Would it help develop my appreciation of the finer points of pop? Was world peace going to be guaranteed? No, no and definitely no.

So I stopped taking notice. It at least I tried. Honestly I did. But I think I'm addicted. I love lists; creating them, finessing then discussing them with any unsuspecting person who happens to be within earshot. Whether they like it of not.

I'm afraid that I'm a hopeless case. So here's one for you. Which ten albums have the best opening two tracks? Don't ask my why two. It just is. That's the beauty of lists - you can define then any which way you like. So go on then. What should the list look like? No peeking until you've finished yours......but without further ado here's the answer;

1/. Lifes Rich Pageant - R.E.M.
2/. Revolver - The Beatles
3/. The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
4/. Hounds of Love - Kate Bush
5/. The Joshua Tree - U2
6/. Graceland - Paul Simon
7/. Build A Rocket Boys - Elbow
8/. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
9/. Love - The Cult
10/. The Bends - Radiohead

Why 'Lifes Rich Pageant'? I'm surprised to had to ask. But as you did politely then it sims because 'Begin The Begin' and 'These Days' are two of R.EM.'s best tracks. No mean feat. But it's such a perfect album that if you were to ask me to compile a list of the albums with the best three, four, five, six opening tracks this would appear at the top each and every time. And whilst the list above could change over time this album would always top the chart. Each and every time. 'Superman', 'Fall On Me', 'I Believe' and the wonderful 'Flowers of Guatemala'

So there you go. Aren't lists great? Just be careful not to let them take over your life. Don't let a good list get in the way of the everyday. Ohhh here's a good one - top ten ways to waste your time.......

Shadowland - k.d. Lang

k.d. Lang had the perfect voice for country tinged tunes - deep, soulful and ever do slightly melancholy. So it is no surprise that this collection of country standards is a nearly perfect album. Heck it is perfect!

It's also the ideal album with which to end our American odyssey for tomorrow we are back to the cold, wet and dark days of a British winter. After two weeks of driving on the wrong side of the road, overly sweet bread, rubbish cereals, "how are you today" and feeling slightly out of place I'm liking forward to it!

True Stories - Talking Heads

"We live in the city of dreams. We drive on this highway of fire. Should we awake and find it gone remember this, our favourite town"

It's strange to finally visit a country properly when your assumptions about what to expect have been built up primarily from television and movies. And by properly I mean to interact with the local community; drink in their bars, talk to them over coffee (or tea!) shop in their stores and read their newspapers. Nowhere is this more revealing than in small-town America. This is not the white picketed fence of TV folklore but the real deal; off the beaten track, a single store/bakery, a garage, welcome centre, a hotel (closed) and all within a single main street. Here the wider economy is biting hard and issues as discussed in the local paper and across café tables. Forget the America that is portrayed on TV shows and in Hollywood movies. It's not real. This is where it's at. A proper community. After several weeks travelling around I have learnt a lot more about this strange yet fascinating place.

'True Stories' is the Talking Heads version of the soundtrack to the movie 'True Stories' - A David Byrne side project. The movie was based upon true yet strange stories from small town America; odd, off-beat, heartwarming yet true. Allegedly. Although the songs within the movie are performed by the actors David Byrne convinced his fellow Heads to record their version of the movies songs. It's far from a classic Heads album but it does contain two of their most popular tracks in 'Wild Wild Life' and 'Love For Sale'. We also get the wonderful 'Radio Head' and 'City of Dreams''.

Being a movie that has to, and does entertain, these stories are not a true reflection of a typical American small town..... I suspect that the truth is far stranger!

Time (The Revelator - Gillian Welch)

Monday 1 October 2012 Time (The Revelator) - Gillian Welch

"I've been thinking about Elvis - the day that he died"

Well no not really, but driving through the high desert plain from Durango to the mountain town of Leadville my thoughts were certainly drawn towards the dust bowl blues that dominate this album.

It is certainly something to see miles of straight highway in front of you as the desert plain stretches out as far as the eye can see..... well at least until it hits the mountain range that is. Then a wall of rock rises upwards and seems to surround the plain. Wide desert plain and mountains. CinemaScope in the real world.

Time (The Revelator) is not an album strewn with hit singles, or for that matter upbeat toe-tappers. But instead of short lived thrills you get slow atmospheric bluegrass-folk-blues. And it is wonderful stuff.

'My First Lover', 'Red Clay Halo' and 'Elvis Presley Blues' are fantastic tracks - slightly melancholy but expertly played. There is a moment of lightness, albeit fleeting, in 'I Want To Sing That Rock and Roll'. But the best is saved for last. 'I Dream A Highway' is a slow burning epic. At nearly fifteen minutes long it's not an easy listen but well worth the effort; and with each passing minute the CinemaScope picture is built up.

Pretty soon the high desert plain is going to be met by the foot of the mountains. In a few miles anyhow. Then the road will rise once again, the temperature will drop and the dusty open plain will give way to river valleys and mountain tops. Time perhaps for a change of pace?

Hot Rail - Calexico

The burrito must be one of the most understated breakfast foods. For those not familiar with this early morning culinary delight it consists of scrambled egg wrapped in a warm tortilla and then topped with hot bean chilli and a sprinkling of cheese. What is there not to like? So in celebration of the brilliant breakfast burrito I preset today's album blog from Calexico.

'Hot Rail' is, like the breakfast burrito, a strange affair; one moment resembling a mariachi band in full flow and the next moment quite languid - almost Doorsian.

The best moments are in fact the mariachi money's such as the opener 'El Picador' and 'Muleta'. In between there are short ambient pieces and a fair amount of old-skool shoe gazing. It's a little disorientating at first but stick with it and it'll make sense. Maybe.

Just like the breakfast burrito; eggs make sense at 7am but bean chilli? Not so much. But together they are a taste explosion. How come Mr Kellogs didn't see that coming?