Tag Archives: mike

Stray Cats – “Runaway Boys”

Posted on January 4, 2015 by

When I was 10 or 11 I used to go away for the weekend with my mate to his parents’ caravan. I was always happy to leave home. My mate’s dad would drive us to the caravan in his Ford … Continue reading →

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Talking Heads – “Once In A Lifetime”

Posted on July 26, 2013 by

After the party I drove her home. Day was breaking as I stopped outside her flat. “Thanks for the lift,” she said. I lit a fag. She paused, “Come in if you like”. I exhaled. I pretended to misunderstand. “Thanks, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1981 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Public Enemy – “Night Of The Living Baseheads”

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

Popular music did not have much impact on me as a child. I attribute this to the fact that 1970s pop was universally dreadful. Moreover, my limited exposure to it was either via light-entertainment programmes such as the Two Ronnies, … Continue reading →

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Love And Rockets – “No New Tale To Tell”

Posted on February 3, 2013 by

And do you remember? When too much time was mine… When I was a teenager, I liked nothing better of a Friday evening than lying on my bed, listening to Bauhaus. Periodically my father would fling open the bedroom door … Continue reading →

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U2 – “The Unforgettable Fire”

Posted on October 9, 2012 by

Picture the scene: you have had a hard day at work; you have come home late; it is cold; you are hungry. You open the fridge. Alas! There is nothing to eat, save for a Weight Watchers lasagne. You think how … Continue reading →

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Foreigner – “I Want To Know What Love Is”

Posted on March 18, 2012 by

Adult Oriented Rock. No part of this phrase is pleasing to me. Adult – not childlike; sensible; mature; responsible; old. Oriented – aligned to a market; tilted, as a man might position a lamp to illuminate a spreadsheet. Rock – … Continue reading →

Posted in 1984 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Band Aid – “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Posted on December 25, 2011 by

Wendy: In the spirit of the season, I was keen to do a joint post. Obviously Another Rock n Roll Christmas is off limits, I’m not sure we could adequately honour Shaky’s contribution to our collective Christmas tradition and nothing … Continue reading →

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Soft Cell – “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”

Posted on November 1, 2011 by

“I have a feeling,” I said to Mandeep, as we paused speculatively at the top of the glittering staircase, “that we are going to be tremendously successful in life.” Mandeep momentarily stopped glancing left and right and glared up at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1982 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Killing Joke – “Let’s All Go (To The Fire Dances)”

Posted on September 14, 2011 by

Have you ever: Gone up the hill with a couple of mates, drunk several litres of Woodpecker and set fire to a bunch of stuff? Driven round a corner on a sunny Saturday afternoon into the middle of a full … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Japan – “Nightporter”

Posted on August 10, 2011 by

I first heard Nightporter whilst listening to the Top 40 on Radio 1 one Sunday evening. It was sandwiched incongruously between Supertramp and Dionne Warwick.  The elegant simplicity and lack of clutter in the sound created space in my head. … Continue reading →

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Bryan Adams – “Summer Of ’69”

Posted on July 20, 2011 by

Not much is known about Canada. It lies to the north of the USA, shrouded in forests and sparsely populated. Its primary export is logs. Its people keep themselves to themselves, stoically going about their business in a quiet, undemonstrative … Continue reading →

Posted in 1985 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Guy Called Gerald – “Voodoo Ray”

Posted on June 22, 2011 by

Superficially, Belfast and Manchester have much in common – both former mill towns; magnificent Victorian architectural heritages squandered; city centres blown to bits by the IRA and latterly ‘rejuvenated’ with shopping centres;  rain every 20 minutes; a fair chance of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1988 | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Level 42 – “The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)”

Posted on June 7, 2011 by

Level 42 were enormously successful in the 1980s. I have not bothered to research them for this piece, and so the following is a mixture of half-remembered factoids and conjecture. As I recall, they hailed from the Isle of Man, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983 | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Matt Bianco – “Dancing In The Street”

Posted on May 31, 2011 by

Notwithstanding geography, is Britain truly part of Europe? Or is does it stand aside, a child invited to the party but too petulant to really engage with the other kids? Is it slightly removed from les autres as a consequence … Continue reading →

Posted in 1986 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments