STUCK on a desert island, with nothing to keep me company but a Hi-Fi stereo system, and ONE record. What was I thinking? I had the wherewithal to bring my vintage (1988) Rotel amplifier, my Totem Hi-Fi speakers, and my Pro-Ject turntable, plus a coconut powered generator to keep it all running; yet I packed…
Read articleIT has come to pass that I have been asked to ponder the great philosophical question of our time. Yes friends, I have been asked to consider what album out of all albums would I want to find myself able to play on a desert island. I gave the matter great thought and by process…
Read articleTRAPPED on a desert island with only one album? Let’s hope a nice bottle of rum washes up. Strangely enough I did once find a letter in a bottle that came from America all the way to Scotland, but we’ll save that story for another time. Like many people I have a vast collection of…
Read articleWELL, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Shipwrecked alone on a deserted island with only a solitary album to keep me company. Not sure if I packed a record player, but I’m sure I could fashion one using palm branches and clam shells without too much trouble. Anyhow, it’s certainly no more daunting…
Read articleI HAVE to face it—by human standards I’m getting to be a bit long in the tooth. But as a Space Shark I’m just getting started. I still feel like I did when I was 20—creative and inspired by the wonders of the world. When I was sent to Earth as a pup, my mission…
Read articleA DESERT ISLAND. With nobody but myself. I’m guessing no luxury items, either. Not even a cheap can of deodorant. Harsh. So, I have one item to bring. And it has to be an album. For one, this decision is virtually impossible given that our moods, on any particular day, usually influence what we choose…
Read articleMANY years ago, when Boris Johnson was merely an up-and-coming haircut, I took a walk across the Staffordshire Roaches. I found the rugged profile of the landscape and the way it almost scraped the clouds to be a balm against the moping emos of Hanley. I began to climb higher along the ridge and saw…
Read articleDESERT ISLAND. Just ONE album? Forever? That’s a dastardly question. One that requires a system to answer. No just sitting there making lists, looking through your shelves or looping through ‘favourite’ albums in your mind. You’d never decide. This has got to be IT. Forever. For me, after a lifetime of music fascism (it’s often…
Read articleDESERT ISLAND: so for a start I’m doomed. No food, no water, no interfest, just ‘A Day at the Races’ by Queen to listen to, while I slowly flame out. Okay. TONIGHT ON 9th NEWS We follow up on last night’s story of the bizarre escape by breakaway rogue musician, the 9th Earl. Pursuers have…
Read articleI ALMOST passed on the invitation to choose a ‘Desert Island Album.’ There have been some monumental albums that have served me well at various points in my life and I didn’t want to diminish their importance by omitting them. After the initial anxiety faded, I found peace in the acceptance that life is about…
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