Author Archive
December 5, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Breaker Upperers: DVD
The Breaker Upperers Directors: Madeleine Sami/Jackie van Beek Madman The much-hyped The Breaker Upperers is a giant dud; a turkey. You get the feeling it was made in real-time almost, plotted out scene by scene as it’s happening. Shoot something. Wait. Print. Write a new scene. That’s the diminishing-returns aspect. The trailer-worthy highlights appear thick, […]
December 4, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Mark Knopfler Called My House One Time
Mark Knopfler called my house one time. (Okay, okay, it was a planned interview – but still. Knopfler handles them himself, schedules it. Then he calls you). He said, “It’s Mark here, is this Simon?” I said, sitting at my kitchen table on a Friday night, waiting for the call, nervous, and then off to […]
December 4, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 353
Pet Shop Boys, Please (1986) I’ve been on a big Pet Shop Boys kick of late – I’ve liked them since I first heard them, which was back when this album was released. Though I’ve never owned a copy of this until just recently. I’ve had most of the other albums and a couple of […]
December 4, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Movies of My Life # 16: The Compleat Beatles
Maybe it’s because it’s hard to find and best remembered for what it represented (also: time/place) but I reckon The Compleat Beatles is the very best Beatles doco there’s ever been. It shits on The Anthology which is not terrible, but is, probably, far too much of a good thing. When The Anthology was released […]
December 4, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 107: Nanci Griffith – “The Last of the True Believers”
I’ve been listening to plenty of Nanci Griffith across the last two decades, but I’ve never gone all the way back…several of her early albums elude me including, until now of course, this – her fourth full-lengther (released back in 1986). She’s so on point as writer and singer, her sad/wise stories of heartbreak and […]
December 3, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Natalie Prass: The Future And The Past
Natalie Prass The Future And The Past ATO Records I so loved Natalie Prass’ 2015 self-titled debut. Strong songs, a great voice, clever – quirky – arrangements, but this sense of tradition and adhering to it, conventional song structures; a tremendous collaboration between her and friend, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Matthew E. White.
December 3, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 354
Schnell Fenster, Ok Alright A Huh Oh Yeah [Single] (1990) You know you’re in deep with a band when you have multiple copies, when you’re collecting across formats…I didn’t think I was one of those people…and I’m still not sure I am…but I guess I am with Schnell Fenster – I’ve just put a copy […]
December 2, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Alejandro Escovedo: The Crossing
Alejandro Escovedo The Crossing Yep Roc Records Alejandro Escovedo simply does not make bad records. He’s made a dozen or so good – and very good – albums. He’s got the John Doe-punk-thing, the Steve Earle-descendent-of-outlaw-country-thing and to those he brings – entirely – his own thing. We all know the family backstory. His brothers […]
December 2, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 106: Scritti Politti– “Cupid & Psyche 85”
I had never heard this – well, dur, that’s what these posts are all about… But I do know Scritti Politti. My first reference was the Who’s That Girl soundtrack which mostly features Madonna songs (since it was a Madonna vehicle) but has a few other period song including one from Scritti. And the “comeback” […]
December 2, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Let Me Entertain You
I got an email from Robbie Williams once. It was to apologise for the time he shared a picture of me and my kid to his 2.59m followers on Twitter.
December 2, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 355
The B-52’s, Cosmic Thing (1989) A couple of years ago, we’re in Anaheim, Calif. We’ve just had a huge day at the Disneyland empire. (There’s no other kind of day to have there). And my bro-in-law, a veteran of taking the nieces and nephews to the land of the extreme marketing amid playground rounds, tells […]
December 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman