Peter Gabriel’s high-res music bargain with scratch my back

Peter Gabriel’s Scratch my Back is an intriguing release – an album of cover versions of pop and rock songs, but with an orchestral backing. It actually works, once you set your expectations accordingly.
The thing I want to draw attention though is a remarkable offer that comes with the deluxe version of the CD (worth [...]

CDs to downloads: the noose tightens

I’ve just received my copy of David Bowie’s A Reality Tour, a double CD for which I paid £11.98 from Amazon.co.uk – though if I’d waited a few days, I would have been able to buy a US import for £8.59 including shipping, at today’s prices.
For my money I get a tri-fold package with photos [...]

BRIAN ENO LIKES ABBA, thinks music business is a passing phase

I enjoyed this interview with Brian Eno, partly because it echoes some of my own musical journey – as a listener, I must emphasise:
I like Abba. I did then and I didn’t admit it. The snobbery of the time wouldn’t allow it.

Quite. Which is why a couple of years ago I bought the 4CD set [...]

The Beatles, iTunes, and 09 09 09

Apple (computer) held a press event yesterday, one that had been buzzed extensively ahead of time. The date was 9th September 2009, or 09/09/09, and the same date as the worldwide release of the Beatles remasters. The date ties in with a song on Let it Be, One after 909, and a song on the [...]

On Quadrophenia, rock classics, tribute shows, and aging

The Who’s Quadrophenia is currently on tour in the UK – but it is not performed by The Who. No, this is the Quadrophenia Rock Show, Music Lyrics & Concept by Pete Townshed – stage adaption by Jeff Young, John O’Hara and Tom Critchley.
Quadrophenia is among my favourite albums – not for the daft story, [...]

A few jottings on hi-fi and misleading science

My interest in hi-fi began a few decades ago  when I was out looking for a new cassette deck. At that time I had the view that all amplifiers sounded the same, pretty much, because I was aware that the frequency response of an amp was flat and its distortion low across the audible range. [...]

the charts they are not a’changing

Dylan is at number one with Together Through Life, reports the BBC, showing his enduring appeal:
Dylan now holds a record, previously held by Tom Jones, for the longest gap between solo number one albums.
No denying Dylan’s long-term appeal (and he deserves it), but I’m guessing it shows something else, too: that the age profile [...]

Music Magpie review

Rupert Jones in today’s Guardian has a note about Music Magpie, a site where you can sell old CDs, games, and now DVDs. The site calls itself an “online CD recycling service.” I like CDs, so I took a look.
The service is a commercial operation and as far as I can tell isn’t any different [...]

RIP John Martyn

One of my best musical memories is of John Martyn and Danny Thompson playing through Solid Air at the Cropredy festival – I forget the year, it was during the Eighties. A magical summer evening. News of Martyn’s death came today in a brief entry on his web site.

What can I say? I love [...]

The Foo Fighters at Dreamforce 08

I’ve posted a pic of the Foo Fighters at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco last year. I enjoyed the concert. Incidentally, this is the first photo I have ever uploaded to Flickr.
Technorati tags: foo fighters, flickr