Oh, Monseur le Fopp, you are really spoiling us...

Dr C otm re Parsons, totally wretched. If you must buy some country get some George Jones or Merle Haggard first.

One of my favourites, I think.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005BC89/026-3945335-0330023?v=glance&n=229816

I don't know how much proper country has such blatantly Catholic titles - isn't it mostly Protestant?

The pedal steels sometimes go through fuzz boxes and effects pedals, which doesn't happen in "proper" country. And the drumming is different, I am told.

oh that sounds nice, i'm warming to it again.

I went at lunch, they are still cheap - £6.99 each - but they only had 2 and '75, and I'm after the 1st one. Ah well.

PJM, remind me to play you "Abilene" by Pete Drake and his Amazing Talking Steel Guitar sometime.

The Gram solo albums sound like country to us because country subsequently changed to sound like the Gram Parsons solo albums, I think. This point is, I suppose, fairly academic since we can only really respond to how they sound to us, but anyway.

Also George Jones has a song with guitar effects, I think it is for comedy purposes, sort of. I can't remember the title. He leaves off singing and the effects-laden guitar finsihes the line for him.

But yes, the fuzzbox is on the Burrito Brothers' albums (maybe just the first one?) but these tracks are included on the compilation referred to earlier. The effects pedals are quite judicioulsy used, it's not just random pratting about.

And those solo albums have some really beautiful songs, I think.

Meanwhile, I had another listen to Paris 1919, and I still didn't like it very much. Evidence of his voice limitations can be found on the alternate version of Andaluisia, just after the reference to castles and Christians. I suppose that is why they did another version, but it illustrates what I was talking about.

I think we agree about Gram Parsons, though I'm not yet moved to shell £13 or whatever for those alternate takes.

I also think we agree on John Cale, who's one of those people I hear loads of positive things about, from people wose tastes I respect (sometimes even trust) but I haven't managed to make myself like him.

If I ever open it, rather than take it back, I will copy them for you, the alternate takes.

I was pleased to think that buying the Gram thing cheered you up. I hope you haven't been saddened by its continued state of shrinkwrappedness.

I say "favourite" but that just means it's one of about a dozen records (like House Tornado and Secrets of the Beehive) that assumed untouchable status in my head about 10-12 years ago and that I don't feel the need to revisit very often or reassess. This is probably a bad thing, I dunno.

In other news, I have unpacked all my CDs and set up my stereo for the first time in five months. The first CD tune I played (very quietly - it was nearly 1am when I finished plugged everything in) was Noel Akchote and Marc Ribot havin' a bash at Ornette Coleman's "New York" and the first vinyl tune was The Blue Aeroplanes' hooj summer smash "Yr Own World".

Perhaps I will blow the next Child Tax Credit payment in Fopp.

Congrats on the return of your stereo, MJ. Have you ascertained the precise location of the Sweet Spot, yet? Is the delicate technology well away from the reach of jammy, curious fingers?

It about two feet above and 10-12 inches behind my sitting position in the middle of the couch (speakers are very high in this massively compromised arrangement), so I expect to develop fantastic neck muscles, like Garth Cr00ks.

Is the delicate technology well away from the reach of jammy, curious fingers?

No, the missus can reach it. Ho ho! DVD, VCR and power amps are all at Ava-level, unfortunately. Pam's a dab hand at knocking together nifty-looking panels and stuff from a bit of cheap tongue'n'groove, so I'm sure she can come up with something to shield them. I suggested a minefield.

Thing is, I don't just want to listen to Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, I want to be them. I want to be groomed for stardom.

Secrets of the Beehive is a film, isn't it? No, that is Spirit of the Beehive. I have seen it, at the pictures. I prefer "Furtivos":

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073028/

Perhaps John Cale is an artist best listened to in the winter months. I think I am going to file this record with that Gene Clark one that everyone says is great but I don't like - No Other, that's it.

I am surprised the Doc dislikes GP so. I like him, as most people seem to do. I recently discovered how much I like 'I Can't Dance', in a way.

I am thinking of buying SAINT MORRISSEY, the book, from this shop. Should I?

Most surprising recent bargain: Magnetic Fields, HOLIDAY, £5!

But the first copy I bought didn't have a CD in it!

I took it back and got the CD from a copy that said £7 on it.

Bargain!

haven't been able to gauge if the web prices are as good as the on-street yet but a good thing surely.

I bought "Mr Isaacs" by Gregory Isaacs

TCR has got confusing new categories, the main one being "alt/modern". Everything earlier than c.1995 comes under "classic rock/singer songwriter".

... which isn't strictly accurate as there's plenty of stuff from pre-1995 in the alt/modern section and there's a fair bit of stuff from post-1995 in classic rock/singer songwriter section, e.g. Can are in the alt/modern section while Faust are in classic rock, even more confusingly Frank Zappa is alt/modern and Petra Haden is classic rock!

Also pricing policy is a bit all over the (record) shop - I noticed the same CD on sale (in different sections but sometimes even in the same section) for £3, £5 and £7! And not just once either! So shop around. So I bought:

Lou Reed - Take No Prisoners £5
The Doors - Strange Days £3
Todd Rundgren - The Healing £1(!)
Lee Perry & Friends - Chapter 3: Live As One £1 (!!)

Chuffed with the last one as it's got a lot of tracks I've been looking for on it.

Of course, shitloads of other stuff I coulda bought and I think prices will tumble even further as the record industry lurches inexorably towards disaster and extinction *rubs hands with glee*

nice.

gotta be said, that hmv really has had to follow fopp lots; it's not the thing it used to be.

I will go tomorrow morning.