...never seen anything like this before!

I wouldn't cross that Meg White, me

http://thirdmanrecords.com/

A while ago there was a story about Bob Dylan being briefly arrested in New Jersey, having been taken for a vagrant wandering down the highway with his hood up. He was looking for Bruce Springsteen's childhood home. Somewhere (quite possibly here) it was asserted he had been seen doing similar research in the suburbs of Toronto, researching Neil Young's early years.

Can you learn anything about an artist in this way? Strikes me that it is a bit cultish and like a sort of inverse reliquary, where saints' childhood places not their bones are worshiped. I think of the musicians I love the most, and can't imagine any who I would want to make a journey to see where their primary school used to be.

Is this to do with Dylan's particular make up as an artist, or about how we want our musicians to be? Some people like to dig into the biography for as far as it goes to 'explain' the music, some like to take it on its own terms. I like to imagine Mark E Smith's Prestwich, say, but I don't think the place formed in my head it has much to do with the actual place. If I did happen to visit it would be dispapointing to find that it did, in fact. And of course with some musicians (arguably including Dylan and Young) the mythmaking of their work is in some sort of opposition to their (non woody guthrie-ish) upbringing.

So. Would you go on a Dylan-style stalk through any particular artist's childhood environs? And if so, who?

If there's one album which I'd love to see reissued it's the 1972 self-titled album by Spring (or American Spring, as they were known outside the USA).

They comprised Brian Wilson's wife, Marilyn, and her sister, Diane Rovell. Brian produced the album. I've only heard those tracks which are on youtube, but they are really something special. Their take on Dennis Wilson's 'Forever' is, to my ears, even better than the Beach Boys version.

Other tracks like Sweet Mountain, Superstar and Tennessee Waltz (also on youtube) are equally lovely.

Does anyone, more knowledgable than me in these areas, know whether it's likely to become available anytime? Has anyone else been seduced by these few beautiful songs?

Anyone else watching this? It's wonderful and well worth catching up with on iPlayer.

Loads of clips on Youtube too, of course.

OK, here goes.

Prompted by various threads on here, including Paul Waring's recent request for TV help, and also the Childhood scares thread, I now put my question to you, the good people of Word town.

Sometime in the seventies, I was watching TV in the afternoon, and a scene that haunts me to this day came on. I hesitate to ask for help on this, because it genuinely scared the living daylights out of me, and gave me nightmares for ages.

I need you to identify this for me.

I reckon it might have been part of the Thriller series.

The scene is in a car park.

Well dressed man and blonde lady are heading for their car.

Another car arrives (I think), guy with longish hair and a shotgun gets out, grabs blonde and shoots well dressed man.

Well dressed man collapses, dead, and the area around him fills with blood. Lots of blood.

Finally, an overhead shot of dead man, and blood. Lots of blood.

Sorry I can't give you any more, only a nagging suspicion that the well dressed man was also a straight man in Ealing comedy, or possibly some Carry On's. Thats only a suspicion, mind. I have trawled IMDB for pictures of the actor I'm thinking of, to no avail.

All help appreciated,

Ta

Apologies for my second video post today but some things are worth sharing.

Everything about this seems wrong to me:

http://www.silverodyssey.co.uk/index.html

£380 a ticket for dinner and an "anti-gig" experience.

This is a joke, right?

Spoiler alert: If you haven't seen the Best & Worst lists in the new issue and you worry about knowing them in advance, come back later.

The Sopranos - the twist surely is that we, the viewers have been assassinated. We suddenly find everything black. All the references and hints - the man who went to the toilet; the orange juice earlier; the "communion" of eating the onion rings, Tony and Pussy's discussion way back about when you get whacked, it all goes black.

Click the link for details.
http://www.joshritter.com/sorunstheworldaway/

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL—NASA officials announced today the successful launch of the new shuttle Moonage Daydream, marking the beginning of a long-anticipated two-week conceptual mission inspired by British rock star David Bowie.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nasa_launches_david_bowie_concept

A while ago I read that one time in the studio, The Flaming Lips had a long discussion about what the best-sounding handclaps were on a record. The conclusion they came to was the claps at the end of Andy Warhol by David Bowie.
Other fine examples I can think of are in the middle of Camera Obscura's (I think) Come Back Margaret and behind the 'Papa says he knows that I don't have any money' break on Springsteen's Rosilita. I also like the clap-snap-snap-snap on The Shangrila's Walking in the Sand.
So, anyone have a favourite example of quality handclaps they'd care to share with the Massive?

Can't recommend Four Tet's latest album enough:

It really sounds like BoC techno doesn't it?

If you were to list your most played albums, would this differ greatly from what you would declare as your all time favourites. This is my "Top Played" list and of course it is skewed towards albums of the last century as I have had much more time to play them!
There are certain albums that I would not have thought of listing as my favourites! OVER TO THE MASSIVE.....

PINK FLOYD Dark Side Of The Moon 1973
PINK FLOYD The Wall 1979
Jeff BECK There And Back 1980
The BEATLES Beatles "White Album" 1968
SUPERTRAMP Even In The Quietest M. 1977
PINK FLOYD Animals 1977
Steve HARLEY Love's A Prima Donna 1976
David GILMOUR David Gilmour 1978
PINK FLOYD Wish You Were Here 1975
SUPERTRAMP Crisis ? What Crisis ? 1975
Steve HARLEY Timeless Flight 1976
John MARTYN Grace And Danger 1980
GOLDFRAPP Felt Mountain 2000
ROLLING STONES Goat's Head Soup 1973
Judie TZUKE Welcome To The Cruise 1979
Joni MITCHELL Wild Things Run Fast 1982
STEELY DAN Two Against Nature 2000
John MARTYN On The Cobbles 2004
PINK FLOYD Atom Heart Mother 1970
Robert FRIPP Exposure 1979

My weekend started by putting up Haircut 100 as a critically panned band that we love. So while out on Saturday I bought a best of including Nick Heywards solo career at HMV which is great. Yesterday I had a look on Youtube for clips and I found this which I think confirms my belief that despite what others might think Haircut 100 could really play. Add in Nick Heywards lyrics and I believe they fall into the seriously under rated category.
Now I'm no expert so I would like the musicians and experts among The Massive to take a look at this and let me know what you think. This is no Stevie Wonder doing "Superstition" but these boys in their teens or very early 20's knew how to drive a tune along, English funk now there's a thinly populated genre for you!