Lead track from "Degrees Of Existence" wipes the floor with most of the other dross from the last 5 years. Just f*&ken great rock'n'roll. Thank goodness he is still out there making great music, great band lineup too by the sounds of this song…

Just ripped 'Ragged Glory' by Neil Young & Crazy Horse to the 'puter, listening to it for the first time in ages. Magic record. The solos are sublime, anyone who bags Neil Young's solos can go suck Yngwie Malmsteen's saveloy as far as I am concerned. Brutal simplicity, massive creamy volume, so full of gain there is almost no fuzz, the sound just bleeds into view then dissolves. Whammy bar vibrato, fucked up harmonics, everything overshadowed by looming low-pitched feedback and rumble. Not to mention Crazy Horse. Frank Sampedro just keeps going and going. Fuck yeah. Pour yerself…

Look, nobody could seriously argue against the proposition that Stanley Clarke is one of the great bassists; great chops, great 'fro, great mo, the whole thing. I love School Days. Nonetheless, his bio at http://www.stanleyclarke.com/bio_pg.htm is just a wank. Sorry, it is. Aah, you judge for yerself. I think the following is a fair sample…

In 1976 Stanley released School Days, of which the title track is now a bona fide bass anthem.

He acknowledges, quite unboastfully: “Anyone who seriously wants to learn to play the bass has to buy that record and learn to play…

Just arrived from Red Eye records in Sydney, Erotica. Second hand for only $AUD11.98. Nice. I lived with someone who had a copy, way back in ye olden days. The whole thing is so bright and open and snappy, the drums are great, great hooks, watered-down "MBV-lite" shoegaze vibe but WHO CARES when the songs are this catchy. Aaah, waves of nostalgia…

No, this DOES NOT mean that I am going to go out and buy up big on Transvision Vamp, The Lightning Seeds,(eek) Ned's Atomic Dustbin, or any other short-lived early 90's Melody Maker casualties…

Excitement plus! Just arrived from Amazon for little ol' me, inspiring this first-ever post:

• Rank, which I had on vinyl but couldn't find on CD here in good old Brisvegas. The Smiths are revealed as a (gasp) Rawk'n'Roll Band!! Check out that zingy chorussed guitar on The Queen Is Dead, and that crazy wah wah. Nice one.



• Histoire De Melody Nelson. Love that snappy, bouncy trebly bass all the way through Cargo Culte, not to mention the dirty old man himself mumbling his spiel, and the choir, and the way the whole thing builds, and the bass…