Summet or other

Madness!! My first favourite band and remaining a favourite throughout their entire original career up to and including "The Madness", which is only sorta Madness.

Then four years later in 1992, they came back! Saw them at their first Madstock, which although lots of people loved, I had a bad experience at and which bought Madness down a peg or two in my estimation.

Madness return in '99 with a new album. "Wonderful" - I buy it because I'm nothing if not loyal and although I still rate Lovestruck, I never really fell in love with the album, and just thought, well, they're old now, they did their best. (they were actually about the same age I am now - oh, the folly of youth!)

Sometime in the mid noughties Madness release their second album since reunion - an album of cover versions called "The Dangermen Sessions" - to say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement, and to this day, I still haven't heard it. It would be fair to say I had given up on Madness.

So, I was very surprised when The Word magazine reviewed their then forthcoming album "The Liberty of Norton Folgate" in glowing terms usually only employed with Radiohead or whatever the current band du jour is, rating it as their best ever album. Surely a band couldn't release their best ever album 30 years after the first. As I read somewhere else, that would be the equivalent of The Beatles releasing their masterpiece in 1993. I was nonetheless intrigued.

Not intrigued enough to buy it in a shop, mind, I waited a few weeks until it arrived at the lending Library. Stuck it on my Ipod. First thoughts...hmmm...bit samey...definitely better than Wonderful...hmmm...worth a listen. Oh...I love this one!!! Was dimly aware of NW5 being a single about a year and a half before the album. How I could have missed what a stone cold classic this was at the time I don't know. Anyway here it is...



Took my Ipod on holiday with us in August, and as we were sharing a camper van with my mum and dad, I knew I'd be the last to fall asleep, so I started listening to the new Madness album in my ears at night while everyone else dozed off. I started realising "Oooh...this is f***ing good!" and was going to bed with a smile on my face every night. I tried the Pet Shop Boys album to see if I could reassess that one but I still haven't fallen in love with that one.

After the holiday, I went home to look up stuff Norton Folgate and Madness related and discovered that the standard CD is only part of the story, and that there is a double CD version with 7 additional tracks only available from the Madness website (combined with a vinyl version and a 3rd CD of demos and live versions.)

Tried to find these tracks via norty file sharing methodology but failed. I did manage, though, to find all 7 tracks on youtube so I favourited these videos. I don't know if this is the best of the extra tracks but it's certainly the one I can't get out of my head right now!



Then after discovering these tracks on Youtube I allowed my obsession to decrease a little.

A week ago I was on holiday in Cornwall with Phil (Photos on facebook for those who know the real me!) who informed me that he converts youtube mashups into MP3 files for his Ipod. I get all excited and go "I've got seven Madness songs I want to put on my Ipod on youtube. How do you do it?" and he goes "I don't know. I just put it into google."

So I come home and type "convert youtube into mp3" into google and there you go. Easy as that. All my seven songs still on Youtube - check! I try one site and convert track 1 of CD2 and although it works some weird advert crops up after I've done it and I can't get out of it and have to shut down the computer. "Ack! I'll do the rest later." I think.

Decide to have another go yesterday using a different site. Oh no! Three of my songs are no longer on youtube. Bad timing! But I now have four of the extra tracks placed where they would be on the CD and am listening in addicted fashion to the album again.

As that Beatles reference above makes clear, it is astounding how good this album is. I need some more distance from it to rate as their best album ever, but I can understand why a lot of people have that view. What Madness have managed to do within the ten year gestation period is pinpoint all that was fantastic about Madness in the first place. The uplifting choruses, the melancholia mixed with the optimism, fantastic use of piano in particular, but give it a modern grown up sensibility. The two albums it reminds me of most are bizarrely the two I stuck in my fairly arbitrary favourite 40 albums list. Their 2nd "Absolutely" mainly cos of the use of piano on that album on songs like "Disappear" and "Embarassment" and their 5th "Keep Moving" cos of it's wistful tuneage like "One Better Day" and "March of the Gherkins."

Here's another of my favourites "Idiot Child." What a chorus!



(Oof! George just stood on my keyboard and managed to publish it as private access! I've no idea how he did that.)

Anyway, this is the first album that has stayed with me for longer than a couple of weeks since Outkast which I was going on about back in 2006 on this here blog, and from such a new band too!

Now, if only Dexys Midnight Runners would release their looooong awaited album. I would be in 80s heaven! New bands! Pah!!!!

Fancy another tune - either "That Close", "On the Town" or "Sugar and Spice" I think. Oh, or "Bingo" - or blah...blah... too many to choose from, it really is that good peeps.

Having a bit of a clear-out in Dads loft last week prior to a car boot (we made £65!!!) and found two thick A4 files full of printed emails from 03/12/96 to 1999 between myself and Mossman. I hadn't quite got used to the ephemeral nature of emails (the 03/12/96 actually representing my first ever email) and as these emails took over from our penpal letters using the old fashioned pen and ink method I think I felt that there needed to be a record of some sort!

Anyway, it occured to me my ridiculously optimistic Labour victory of 1997 email will be in there somewhere but I also sent to Mossman the following list of 16 reasons why Labour finally beat the tories for the first time since 1974/5, and as it becomes scarily apparent that we may shortly be ruled by the tories with the smarmiest most untrustworthy of slimeballs ever in charge I thought it might be fun to reprint these reasons. Now if only I could cut and paste words on paper!

" Eventually (as is always the case) there will be decided the official reason why the tories lost & labour won, but I'm going to brainstorm a few now - some are mine, some aren't!

1. Time for a change! Don't like neither, but I just want to see how Labour do.
2. The tories are evil blood-sucking satanists!
3. They needed an extra term to prove how rotten the tories are.
4. Just a standard move downwards after 10 years; 87 - Tor maj - 140(ish); 92 - Tor Maj - 20(ish) ; 97 - Lab Maj - 170(ish) (I still find this completely astounding!)
5. People don't vote for parties in turmoil. That's why they didn't vote for Labour in '87 and '83.
6. The tories are still evil blood-sucking satanists.
7. Everyone really likes that D-ream song.
8. People are more pro-europe than the tories think.
9. Tony Blair's such a nice young man with a winning smile.
10. The tabloids came out in favour of Tony and the tory papers gave John Major hell over Europe thus showing dis-unity in the party and making the voters wibble.
11. The tories didn't have a pop song nearly half as good as that D-ream one.
12. New labour have got so many tory policies that traditional tory voters don't feel threatened by them.
13. The tories are evil blood-sucking satanists (Honest!)
14. Tactical voting a-hoy!
15. The Conservative election broadcasts were complete shite.
16. People aren't scared of Labour anymore "

So, are we just going to be swapping the words Labour to Tory for some of the above. Is it time for a change once more? I hope not because I still hold that THE TORIES ARE BLOOD-SUCKING SATANISTS!!! Look at David Camerons evil face - is that not the face of the great dark satanic leader??? I haven't been proved wrong yet anyway!

Thought I'd do a quick random blog as it's been two weeks since my last one and that was just a load of random images of book covers.

So...what's occuring. Well still jobless but still trying. Had another interview today. This is my 4th since being let go and I have another two next week. The feedback from today was I gave an excellent interview and I'm obviously a warm and caring individual (well, obviously!) but someone with more specific experience pipped me to the post.

The actual interview process is going well and apart from the first one which was dreadful I've had really good feedback from all. Maybe I should try to learn to accept that I'm actually quite good at interviews now. Prior to interviews I am a total basket case, panicky nightmare but as soon as I'm sitting down an air of calm comes over me.

But should I acknowledge that I might be quite good at interviews now? Is a new mis-placed feeling of confidence going to lead me into disaster and the next interview will be a brain melt-down of interview number one proportions?

Hmmm....Change of Plan! Let the panic recommence!!!!!

I had to buy The Guardian and the Observer this week because they had the best free gift since the Mails 80s CDs promotion, namely... FREE COMICS!!!!!



The comics and the eras chosen were all kind of my generation or the one before, the earliest being Tammy from 1971, when I was born, to Dandy in 1984, a bit after my first comics period, when I was 13.

It started last Saturday with Jackie, which my sister used to read, when I was reading Buster or Whizzer & Chips every week. The issue they chose was from 1975 (all these "facts" are from memory so apologies if I get any wrong - it's only a blog innit ) which was before her era which would be around 81/82 I think. Not really what I'd call a comic either but interesting stuff nonetheless.

And then, the biggie, for me, was in the following days Observer. Beano no. 2000 from 1980 (Beano to my left as I type so I know this "fact", at least, is correct! )



Now the Beano was the first comic I used to get weekly, and it used to be delivered through my letterbox wrapped in the Manchester Evening News, and I remember I used to wait with anticipation on the stairs for it after school every "whatever day it was." And this is the edition I remember more than any other, because the 2000 years celebration inside and the first cover being printed on the back page really captured my imagination.

Receiving it again, in a really good quality facsimilie (staples rather than glue being the only noticeable difference) reveals that every single story also featured a 2000 issues angle and was a real wonderful celebration.

I also bought the most recent Beano no. 3500 this week which makes it the longest numbered weekly comic (overtaking Dandy since it became Xtreme and fortnightly.) The only pages mentioning this is one picture of Dennis on the front saying "yay, no. 3500" and one page showing the changes in Dennis over the years. Shame they don't celebrate landmark issues in the same way these days as everything has to be new and fresh. But when I was nine issue no. 2000 really captured my imagination so surely there must be nine year olds around today who could have their imaginations captured by issue no. 3500 in the same way. Shame!



The rest of the week quickly - Roy of the Rovers being shot, Bunty Summer Special, Dandy, Tammy and Whizzer & Chips.

Tammy was the biggest revelation as it was so unremittingly bleak. Girls being locked up and beaten by various horrible patritian bastards. Fascinating stuff! I missed out not reading girls comics!

All of this freebie-ness and articles surrounding them is further proof of the growing popularity and respect given to the british comics of old.

When I started collecting my annuals it was hard to find any information on British comics other than the brilliant comicsuk website. Now there is a wealth of information out there and loads of quality books and stuff. I guess my generation (really, the last generation who devoured comics above all other media) have come of age. Unfortunately this coming of age, has meant that there are no affordable Beano and Dandy annuals from the 50s and 60s anymore. I can't believe I got a Dandy from 1957 for £1 now! Those days are gone! But the greater popularity and respect is more important than my Ebay trifles, and considering my age I should be thankful I've got as many 60s and 70s annuals as I have, especially as 70s annuals are rising in price now!

By the way, the reason I no longer had that Beano no. 2000 that meant so much to me was, fool that I am, in 1982, when I left primary school, I gave *ALL*, that's right *ALL* my comics to my school for their comics box. Ah well! The folly of youth! At least I've got it back now!

Hi - as it's been a month since I last talked to you about the latest "personal shit" here's what's occuring jobwise.

I have joined the massed ranks of the unemployed. Well, I have and I haven't as I'm still waiting to get money. Seems my doing voluntary work has got them all a bit confused! Should get sorted soon.

Signing on has changed since I last did it nineteen years ago. In those days you used to queue up, all the A's to L's together. My friend, who was an "M" was always on the next day. Now you sit down on comfortable chairs and wait to be called. Much more civillised - although I have a feeling you will be questioned more about your job hunting. I am job hunting though so I guess I shouldn't be worried about that.

The voluntary work I'm doing is Mondays at my sisters pre-school and Thursdays and Fridays I'll be with Year 4 and Year 2 at Woodys school.

Ummm....had a lovely break with the folks (photos on ...guess where...yep! that's right, facebook!) and with the help of the virtual (or visual) bookshelf application I've started reading all those books that I never started or got part way through. There is an embarassingly large amount of these books. Books I don't think I'll ever get round to have gone on the car boot pile though.

That will do for now - now for more nonsence about yogurt - hoorah!

So spaketh the font of all knowledge that is Robert Elms, on Radio London, the day after it was announced that next years series of Big Brother will be the last one on Channel 4, and it looks very likely, the last one full stop.

As regular readers of this rubbish will know me and Big Brother go back a long way. The show has always been on in Britain almost every day for between 9 and 13 weeks throughout the summer, every year, since it started in 2000 and throughout that time I've probably missed about five episodes (all usually cos I've been temporarily irritated with some tabloid tactic or another of the Big Brother producers.)

What struck me particularly when looking at the write ups of this news and listening to the people phoning up radio london was the pompousness of those slagging off Big Brother and dancing on it's grave now that it's over. Nearly all of them saying I watched the first series but after that blur-dee-blur-dee-blur. Well, first of all, they are lying. But the main thing is....

It seems that to admit to liking Big Brother means that you are admitting that you like smearing faeces on your face, as Big Brother has come to represent ALL THAT IS WRONG WITH TELEVISION. For instance, when I made a comment on facebook that I was sad to see it go, all it did was start a debate about how all reality TV is shit.

My view is that, whatever it's faults, Big Brother is a fascinating people study, the most involving soap opera all year, and 200 times more involving than the pile of cliches and cruelty that is talent shows like X factor to which it is unfairly compared. No other show fills you with an empty void when it finishes.

However if you want to appear intellectually superior to the pond life that surrounds you day by day then you have to hate Big Brother, hate the type of people who wish to appear on the show and therefore reveal yourself to essentially hate people. And it is because Big Brother has come to represent the "worst of television" merely because it was the first real-time reality show *and* because the ratings have dipped slightly (although the show is still profitable for Channel 4, and if you look at ratings, with very few exceptions all shows dip in the ratings the longer they continue!) it has become the victim of this morally superior position and an embarassment to the big-wigs at Channel 4.

It's paradoxical that it's happened this year, though, as this years contestants have been comparatively cerebral to previous years, and this cerebrality has been what's made it so fascinating.

The signs weren't good from the start though. No live feed for the first time (apart from after midnight when they were usually getting ready for bed) and only one Big Mouth per week. Woody said she missed the live feed in particular cos it felt like we were now seeing only what Channel 4 wanted us to see. The live feed void was filled for me by twitter though, which gave constant updates and it was also very entertaining reading the four celebrity twits that I follow who would comment while the programmes were going out - namely the host Davina McCall, Emma Kennedy, Boyd Hilton, Grace Dent (who have become friends through their Big Brother tweeting - I know this for a fact cos I asked Boyd - I love twitter) and he didn't comment during the show but he had the most amusing Big Brother tweets, David Schneider. I weighed in with my own rubbish comments too, usually just pure bile of which I think my greatest work was "Halfwit needs a fucking slap. Prick!"

But isn't it great that a programme can get you so involved and so worked up that it seems entirely natural that you have to get onto the computer and type "Halfwit needs a fucking slap. Prick!" (incidentally he did - if you saw the programme in question, you'd agree!) Can another programme get that amount of passion out of me, with all it's cliched editing and engineered sobbing?

Anyway, me and Big Brother have been through many ups and downs throughout the years. We've been through highs (well, pure 24 hour addiction on BB2!) and lows (the evil fuck up that was the Celeb BB with Jade and Shilpa) but I still can't imagine a summer without it. But after next year it seems I will have to...

Sniff!