A compendium of musical delights by Alan and Margaret Ashworth
HEAVEN knows we’re miserable now, as Mr Morrissey almost said, so here’s a suggestion to lift the gloom. Invest four quid or so in a copy of the Blues Brothers DVD, pour yourself a … Continue readingBrothers banish the Blues
THE name Van Dyke Parks might not strike a chord with the public, but his music definitely does. As a songwriter, arranger and producer he has been involved in everything … Continue readingVan Dyke Parks and a sunny delight
PUB quiz question (for when we all start going out for a pint again): What do Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon, Crazy Elephant, Fighter Squadron and Silver Fleet have in common? … Continue readingNot in Love with 10cc
AS I mentioned in a previous column, 1974 saw Joni Mitchell celebrating her assimilation into Hollywood A-list society courtesy of her gay friend and manager David Geffen. In the early stages of … Continue readingJoni’s masterpieces – Part 3
A FEW days ago it was revealed that the greatly admired American singer-songwriter John Prine was seriously ill with coronavirus. Prine, 73, was admitted to hospital on Thursday March 26 … Continue readingPrayin’ for Prine
WHEN Free played their first gig, at a pub in South London, only two of them were old enough to order a pint. Singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke … Continue readingFree: All Right Then
FOR simple songs straight from the heart, Iris DeMent’s debut album Infamous Angel is hard to beat. Her delivery is unspoilt, unadorned, often childlike in its charm and the quality of her … Continue readingFlavour of DeMent
A FEW months before a foul-mouthed 1976 TV interview propelled them on to the Fleet Street front pages, the Sex Pistols were performing (I hesitate to use the word ‘playing’) … Continue readingThe Sex Pistols before they were infamous
IN the first part of the Jackson Browne story, we left our hero having completed his brilliant second album, For Everyman, living in the Los Angeles house where he grew up and contemplating … Continue readingA Jackson Browne study: Part Two
A FRIEND of mine likes to describe the Blind Beggar in Whitechapel as the biggest pub in the world – ‘It must be because there are at least 30,000 Cockneys … Continue readingJudas! When Dylan went electric