In hindsight, The Flirtations’ best known song, ‘Nothing But A Heartache’, sounds like a girl group classic from the early 1960s. It’s a terrific piece, with a pounding back-beat and a strident lead vocal punctuated by horns. But at the…
Congratulations to Chris, Geoff, Murphy’s Law, and Tony, who all scored 22/22 in last week’s quiz, with Tony logging the fastest time. This week’s quiz requires you to identify bands from sensational headlines revolving around well known songs. I…
One goal for this blog this year is to engage with new music more regularly, and I’m planning to feature a feature length review of a recent release each month. The Beths are from Auckland, New Zealand, and Future Me…
Last week’s great b-side was a 1980s college rock band with folk-rock inclinations covering a folkie from the previous generation – 10,000 Maniacs covering John Prine’s ‘Hello in There’. This week’s pick is very similar – R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs…
It’s school holidays, and there’s been less time than usual to listen to music as my two daughters have commandeered the stereo. They’ve always enjoyed musicals like The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. We recently watched Mary Poppins Returns…
Congratulations to last week’s entrants – all reported scores were 100%, with the fastest times from Tony, Rich, Murphy’s Law, and Aaron. This week’s quiz requires you to identify musicians from some clues that show that the struggle is real.…
The Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There is a fascinating film, portraying different aspects of Dylan using six different actors, including a woman; Cate Blanchett steals the show with her portrayal of Bob Dylan’s twitchy peak in the mid-1960s. I…
Folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs often recorded covers for their b-sides; a smart move, as they showcased how cool their record collections were, and Natalie Merchant’s affected accent always gave their versions a point of difference. ‘Hello In There’ was featured…
Congratulations to perennial champions Rich and Tony, who both scored 30/30 in last week’s Famous People in Lyrics Challenge. You need to complete amusing missing word puzzles. I did take umbrage at the prune disparagement – I enjoy plums in…
I recently decided that this site needs a lists page, so over the next few months, I’m planning to publish lists one at a time. I’m not trying to be objective with these – I regard them as a list…
