Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song

Posts Tagged In Praise

Archive

March 2, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of ‘The Roxy’

What a treat to escape to The Roxy and see The Thing – a 40th Anniversary screening. The Roxy knows how to do these events – you could get cocktails, a desert and DJ Beware was playing a set of John Carpenter cuts. But you could also just rock up with a no-frills ticket and […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, Cinema, Film, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of 'The Roxy', Movies, Praise, Roxy Cinema, Special Events, Special Screenings, The Roxy, The Thing, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

February 14, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of Tracy Chapman

That first Tracy Chapman album is a masterpiece. I loved it when I first heard it. I remember vividly listening to it on the side of the road over and over. My mum had to sleep after a long drive and a rough ferry crossing, so we parked up out of Wellington and while she […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1988, Blog, Chapman, Crossroads, Debut, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of Tracy Chapman, Matters of The Heart, New Beginning, Praise, Self-Titled, Songwriter, Tracy, Tracy Chapman, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

January 27, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of ‘Succession’

Succession debuted in 2018, created by British screenwriter and producer Jesse Armstrong. He was best known for the brilliant Peep Show – and his largely British writing team (you may remember I recommended Georgia Pritchard’s “anxiety memoir”) have, over three seasons, done the most amazing job of pitching black-as-the-inside-of-a-coffin-on-a-moonless-night comedy that satirises the Trump/Murdoch-level arrogance, […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of 'Succession', Neon, Praise, Succession, Television, TV, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

January 21, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of Thrash

I’ve started listening to a lot of Thrash. I don’t usually listen to a lot of Thrash. Not since I was about 15 or 16. But, ever since then, it has been a component of my listening. I have my favourites. Metallica’s Ride The Lightning, Slayer’s Reign In Blood, the first few Megadeth albums…early Anthrax, […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, Heavy Metal, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of Thrash, metal, Praise, Thrash, Thrash Metal, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

January 10, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of Little Earthquakes, Now 30 Years Old

When Tori Amos seemingly burst out of nowhere to release her debut album Little Earthquakes she already had a lifetime of experiences. She had trauma to sing through – and the way she did that (Me And A Gun, Silent All These Years) would not only go on to inspire people but create movements. Nothing […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of Little Earthquakes, Little Earthquakes, Now 30 Years Old, Tori Amos, Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes ·

Archive

December 28, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of Paul Hertzog’s Martial Arts Soundtracks

I know I’ve told you at least once already that I’m a huge fan of listening to soundtracks and in the last couple of years I’ve really decided to embrace that. In fact part of the decision to downscale my record collection  is around the focus on film scores – I’m teaching myself to be […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged [OST], Blog, Bloodsport, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of Paul Hertzog, In Praise of Paul Hertzog’s Martial Arts Soundtracks, Kickboxer, Martial Arts, PauL Hertzog, Paul Hertzog’s Martial Arts Soundtracks, Praise, Score, Soundtrack, Vinyl Reissue, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

December 14, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of 2021’s TV Shows (TIME Magazine’s List)

It’s the time of the year where we get – and share – lists. Some of us make them. And I’m not talking about lists of gifts we want. I mean the annual line-up of best films, best books, best albums and so on… Well, earlier I read TIME magazine’s 10 Best TV Shows of […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 2021, Amazon, Disney, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of 2021's TV Shows, Neon, Netflix, Praise, Shows, Streaming, Time, TIME Magazine, TV, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

December 4, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

In late 2007, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss released Raising Sand. What an album. I remember it well – the release and early years of playing it, I mean. The album is still with me now. A forever favourite. A modern classic that feels like it was beamed in from another time entirely. I was […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Alison Krauss, Blog, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Music, Plant, Praise, Raise The Roof, Raising Sand, Robert, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

November 24, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of ‘The Morning Show’

Over the weekend we finished the final episodes of season two of The Morning Show. I liked this show a lot. It’s a smart soap-opera, a compelling and very straight-faced satire. The Morning Show debuted in 2019 as a flagship for then-new streaming platform, Apple TV+ and its stacked cast – Steve Carrell, Jennifer Aniston, […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Apple, Apple TV, Billy Crudup, Blog, Carter Burwell, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of 'The Morning Show', Jennifer Aniston, Praise, Reece Witherspoon, Steve Carrell, Television, The Morning Show, TV, TV Show, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

November 21, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of Tom Scharpling

Some days I reckon Tom Scharpling is one of the funniest people alive. Certainly, Tom Scharpling is one of the great underground wizards of radio, and podcasting. I don’t know how I first heard about him – or when I first started tuning in properly, but he has backstory and projects for days. And as […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Book, Comedian, Comedy, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of Tom Scharpling, Jon Wurster, Meet My Friends The Friends, Podcast, Praise, Radio, The Best Show, Tom Scharpling, TV, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Writer ·

Archive

November 18, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of The Tank and The Bangas Tiny Desk Concert

One of my favourite music clips to watch over and again is Tank and the Bangas when they won a spot on the Tiny Desk – their concert happened in 2017. And I saw it for the first time shortly after. And I was mesmerised. But it’s the gift that keeps on giving. For instance, […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Bangas, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of The Tank and The Bangas Tiny Desk Concert, Praise, Tank, Tank and The Bangas, Tiny Desk ·

Archive

November 1, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

In Praise of John Carpenter

By the time I first became aware of John Carpenter I’d already seen a few of his movies. I’d seen Big Trouble In Little China, certainly and most of They Live and of course Christine – which I really just watched as “a Stephen King film”, paying no attention to who made it. But the […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Horror, In Praise, In Praise Of, In Praise of John Carpenter, John Carpenter, Movies, Music, Praise, RNZ, Score, Soundtrack, The Music and Movies of John Carpenter, TV, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·
← Older posts

Popular

  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • Neil Peart Was The World’s Most Overrated Drummer
  • Try Three: # 1 – Roots, Reggae, Soul
  • Revisiting Live at Knebworth (1990)
  • Short Story: The Year of The Rat
  • R.I.P. Ronny Jordan
  • What A Good Score! – #17: Dead Man Walking by Various Artists
  • Going Back To Lou Reed: Time To Revisit His Strange, Wonderful, Weird Catalogue

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Blog Book Book Review Chat Compilation DJ Drums DVD DVD Review EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Poetry Record Records Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2022 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press