Off Topic The Review Thread

It was outstanding SW. I saw him at a big barn called the Palatrussardi in Milan, where I lived at the time. It was a genuine show, he was there to entertain and boy did he deliver. Saw REM at the same venue a bit later, just as they were getting big with Losing My Religion etc, and, good though they were, not a patch on JB in filling the space.

 

Simon and Garfunkel on BBC2 now.

Harmonies second only to the Everly Brothers.

 

Yes of course. One of the greatest tracks ever.

 

And now they're doing an Everlys song.

 

Watching. Seems and looks a long time ago. Half a million people and no big screens! For these delicate songs I wonder how the sound was half way back as well….

Saw some of the Later with….programme with the immensely likeable Dave Grohl before it. He was picking out a few past performances from the programme and finished with something by Radiohead. I must have something missing, but I just don’t get Radiohead. Grohl was saying that they were ‘important’ etc, but they just seem like a prog rock band to me. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I suspect people who adore them were too young to hear prog the first time round.

 

Yeah, I saw the Dave Grohl thing too and agree with you about Radiohead. I always thought I ought to really like them, but never quite did.

The way Grohl talked about the Beatles was endearing. They seem to be revered more in the US than they are here.

 

In the Nirvana documentary I watched last week, Grohl talks about how much The Beatles meant to them in their early days - there's even footage of a very young Kurt Cobain playing some stuff on an acoustic guitar in his bedroom.

Radiohead - where to start? I've seen them a couple of times, they are phenomemal live. I can see where people can struggle with them musically, as sometimes it's not an easy listen, but the attention to detail in their music is second to none. I've been listening to them for the best part of 30 years - I don't really see the association with prog-rock, and I've listened to a lot of that too. Their sound is a multitude of genres, interspersed with each other, sometimes on the same track. They are pretty unique, and definately divide opinion.

How weird! One of their songs has just come on the radio

 

Don't want to discuss Bond and give away spoilers before others have seen it. When is safe...?

 

I'm not fussed about seeing it. Any good?

 

Step away from any sharp knives

 

I enjoyed it a lot. Definitely a big screen movie if you get the chance/inclination.

 

BBC 4: Welcome to the world of George the Poet. Heard him being bandied around for his podcast so thought I’d take a peak and was riveted. Really interesting take on his early days in rap and his journey into Cambridge and taking his rap through to poetry and into communities. Very talented young man and some interesting guests he brought in to talk about rap and it’s influence on education and the general lack of skills provided through education today. Well worth a listen - and his poetry draws you in; it’s like you are not just listening to his poetic skills but also his skills as a storyteller intertwined.

 

Alot of money, I mean alot of money has gone on Rege-Jean Page to be the next Bond. Was in TV series Bridgerton that I didn't watch but the missus did and said he'd make a great Bond ! I'd still pay good money to see Danny Dyer as Bond, could do with a good laugh lol

 

Just finished watching Midnight Mass, it's on Netflix if you have access to that, or on other streaming platforms if you don't. Really enjoyed it.

Don't want to give too much away, as it's a slow burner....7 episodes, first couple set up the story....set on an island off coast of US, a small community welcomes a new priest who seems to be able to perform miracles...but what is his secret?

The last two or three episodes were totally not what I was expecting. A bit of soul-searching preachy religous stuff to start with, but some amount of absolute mayhem at the end!

 

I have no beef with Radiohead, many people love them which is great. The attention to detail, like touring with two drummers and a drum machine, and the undoubted excellent musicianship, is definitively prog though. I haven’t really listened to the lyrics but I’m confident they are not love songs or protest songs…..Prog is broad church. For me Soft Machine were prog but they don’t sound anything like Yes. For full disclosure, after Bowie, I grew up on prog had a couple of years where I listened to little else. Then I saw Dr Feelgood and everything changed. But I still, once in a blue moon, have a little listen to some Gabriel era Genesis. So no criticism implied.

 

Indeed, didn't take it as criticism of them at all. Different strokes for different folks and all that - be a pretty boring place if we all liked the same stuff.

Some of Thom Yorkes stuff away from Radiohead certainly has an anti-war slant, and he has campaigned for human rights and environmental causes in the past.

 

Apparently Adele releasing a new song is incredibly newsworthy. I’m told it’s about the turmoil and mess of her life, and it’s always fun to see the Uber rich suffering as well. Taking about ten minutes of the Today programme this morning.

From the brief bits I’ve heard once again she is channeling Whitney Houston stylistically with a bit of yodelling thrown in as well.

I’ve no problem with Adele, not my thing but it’s great that her work gives a lot of people pleasure, but this is covered in this depth on an alleged hard news programme?