Word In Your Ear

In which we remember the lightness of touch and winning gallows humour of Mike Nesmith and the interesting ways he made and spent his fortunes. And it’s 50 years since There’s A Riot Goin’ On, the most radical record to ever top the US charts, and 40 years since the girls transformed the Human League. Plus Hepworth’s “confessions of an amateur weed smoker”, the less you pay for records the better they are, and the gloriously daft reason ELO’s first album was called “No Answer” in the States. New patrons are literally piped aboard with a bosun’s whistle!Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world - and with full visuals!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we remember the “Smoke On The Water” fire at Montreux Casino, the soft melancholy of some underrated Christmas records, wonder which documentaries could get a Get Back remake and address the burning issues of the day: eg worst perms in rock, Ed Sheeran & Elton John, vegan bands in waiting, legendary pop recluses and what our ‘most played’ Spotify tracklist says about us.Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every Word Podcast before the rest of the world!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter’s been on the pod before talking about the Beatles and Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and he’s just published a fascinating account of the ‘60s sexual revolution, a time when a new and unimaginable freedom collided spectacularly with the hand-wringing Victorian values of the media. We talked to him at the West Hampstead Arts Club about Mick Jagger v Mary Whitehouse, the Avengers, Jenny Fabian’s Groupie, Bond movies, Germaine Greer, the Killing of Sister George, Dirk Bogarde, Cliff Richard as an unconvincing sex symbol, Jane Birkin, Michael Caine in Alfie, John & Yoko, the concept of ‘Kinkiness’ and the pop records that sailed close to the wind. @Peter_Doggett Growing Up: Sex In The Sixties …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Up-Sixties-Peter-Doggett/dp/184792428XSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world - alongside Early Bird access to WIYE live tickets!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded at the West Hampstead Arts Club - we're back in the outside world! - the band’s bassist remembers their label’s hopes of selling 5,000 copies of their first album in the autumn of ’77. His just-published memoir recounts the rollercoaster that followed, from the London pub circuit to Compass Point, Live Aid, the gigantic world tours that took in the Eastern Bloc, the sales-boosting arrival of MTV and the CD boom, and how it felt to land back on earth when they called a halt in the mid-‘90s. The early days are fascinating too, a friendship forged with Mark Knopfler over Little Feat, JJ Cale and Ry Cooder albums and the dream-like events of their record deal and rapid ascent.   @John_Illsley My Life In Dire Straits …https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Life-Dire-Straits-Biggest-ebook/dp/B08WBXZCQ1Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive early access to Word In Your Ear Live tickets, and every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we remember being at Sarm Studios 37 years ago as Bob Geldof and Midge Ure marshalled the troops, and look at the reaction to the Get Back movie, Alan Hull, Al Stewart’s energetic love life, Billy Preston and others flown in to keep bands together, Lenny Kaye’s record-filing ruse and why John Illsey had the best job in the world. Plus the return of the Stackwaddy Game - spot the made up musical genre (Skweee, Simpsonwave, Soyabilly etc).Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon to receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world - plus loads more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lenny Kaye’s just published ‘Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments In Rock And Roll’, events in particular times and places that changed the landscape, among them (and discussed here) Liverpool in 1962, New York in 1975 and Seattle in 1991. In the digital world, will we ever have that kind of local music scene again? His fascinating observations include driving to San Francisco for the Love-In, the world of CBGBs, Norwegian Black Metal, life in the Patti Smith Group and some of “the eccentric characters I feel naturally drawn to” which include Joe Meek, Stiv Bators and the Ramones. Among the questions: what’s the correct way to file Captain Beefheart, under ‘C’ or ‘B’? This is a man whose record collection is divided into “food groups” and includes “a wacko section”. He’s wonderful company.  Lightning Striking …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lightning-Striking-Lenny-Kaye/dp/1474615074 https://lpr.com/lpr_artists/lenny-kaye/Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world... plus a whole lot more: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we watch a breathtaking 40-minute piece of oratory by EC that takes in David Hockney, TikTok, Laurel & Hardy, what Pete Thomas did during Lockdown and how to avoid your new album being “just another bucket of herring tossed into the stream”. And go to the Premiere of Peter Jackson’s Get Back. And remember some slightly hopeless second albums (ABC, Stones, Arctic Monkeys, Tracy Chapman) and some prime examples of the “front-loaded” LP (Let’s Dance, the Joshua Tree etc). And delight in discovering the snobbery of people who work in record shops is still apparent when you’re trying to buy an Ornette Coleman CD.Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world - and with full visuals!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we salute the great ‘60s pop writer and Beatles associate Maureen Cleave, find a copy of Melody Maker from the week Hunky Dory was released (the Rainbow opens, Lindisfarne banned from Brighton Dome after fans dance in aisles! etc), talk to Chris Topham of the Plane Groovy label about the vinyl crisis (there’s a seven-month wait to get a record pressed), check the map of the biggest-selling music acts from each UK county and get to the root of the old Sounds headline “My naked bath-nights with Olivia Newton-John”. Chris Topham’s Plane Groovy Records …https://www.planegroovy.com/toppo.html Maureen Cleave’s famous ‘How Does A Beatle Live?’ piece …http://headsup.freeshell.org/beatles-articles/standard.html Map of the biggest-selling music acts from each UK county …https://brilliantmaps.com/best-selling-england/Word In Your Ear live in London on November 22: https://john-ilsley-more-tba.eventbrite.co.ukSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world - and with full visuals!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we kick about with music at weddings, spin-off groups, the bracing challenge of Trout Mask Replica, why pop music needs no awards, the Lionel Blair gag on I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, a 42-disc boxset, skippable album tracks, the Stones still playing Midnight Rambler, McCartney on LP Hartley, Hamlet and Dylan Thomas, and rhyming slang we’d never heard – eg lunch: “a pint of Shaun Ryder, two Bills and a Giorgio Armani”. Plus the tragedy of the Astroworld Festival. That Lionel Blair and Sammy Davis tap-off in 1961:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrS_XEBuFSU Bob Lefsetz on the rock festival safety crisis:https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2021/11/06/astroworld/Word In Your Ear live in London on November 22nd: https://john-ilsley-more-tba.eventbrite.co.ukSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world... and with full visuals!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we debunk the eye-watering Adele Hyde Park ticket prices, note the crowd-losing absence of choruses in Nick Drake songs, remember the strangest onstage guests, marvel at McCartney’s childhood memories and applaud Steve Van Zandt’s theory about the beginning and end of rock music. And birthday patron Giles Fraser is piped aboard plus his proposition about rock and roll legacy.Giles Fraser's Let's Fly: https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/contemporary/lets-fly/Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world... alongside a whole lot more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Rachel, old pal of the pod, has just published ‘Like Some Forgotten Dream: What If The Beatles Hadn’t Split Up?’, much of it drawn from his access to the Let It Be tapes and full of enthralling details about the highs and lows of the band’s last year. This includes precisely what happened after George stormed out in Jan ’69, the stories of Gimme Some Truth, Cold Turkey and All Things Must Pass, missed press news opportunities, the Scottish car crash, the Toronto Peace Concert and a fantasy tracklist for the double album they could have made in 1970. And much fond talk of their personal chemistry. “There was no showboating, everybody served the song and the idea of making music surpassed everything.”@DanielRachel69https://www.amazon.co.uk/Like-Some-Forgotten-Dream-Beatles/dp/1788403207Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every Word Podcast before the rest of the world... alongside a whole load more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the great Lockdown success stories now has a book attached. This magnificent invention started in March last year and, at one point, Tim was hosting 10 Listening Parties a day. He looks back here at some of the ones he loved the most and how the Four Lions movie got the ball rolling. And talks about the Beach Boys, Iggy Pop, Discharge, Vashti Bunyan’s horse-drawn trip to the Hebrides and (aged 13) seeing Crass in a scout hut in Winsford.   https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/ All past editions … …https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/pages/all.html @LlSTENlNG_PARTY The Listening Party book …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Listening-Party-Artists-Reflect-Favourite/dp/0241514894 Charlatans tour dates …https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/the-charlatans-tickets/artist/1328349Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every Word Podcast before the rest of the world... alongside a whole lot more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we watch the Harmony Game (the fabulous doc about the making of Bridge Over Troubled Water), wonder if the British are qualified to play Country, hear the new Let It Be outtakes (the Fabs playing ‘Fancy My Chances With You’ and George ordering cauliflower cheese), consider the genius of Every Breath You Take, the Stones dropping Brown Sugar and the moment dance music changed from songs to grooves, and salute the Apple Scruff who sang on Across the Universe. The new Let It Be outtakes on Spotify … https://open.spotify.com/album/1BdxbYp1FaNejpDgtDo25V?si=SDCZXciQRUqQTG0dcsP2dA Paul Simon and fan … https://youtu.be/AXBlY5CImUUSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive each Word Podcast - with full visuals! - before the rest of the world... plus a whole load more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we remember when one of the Stones was in the Air Force, the agony of loons pants, the genius of Irene Handl (and her screen roles: Mrs Crumbling, Miss Harker-Parker, Miss Slenderparts) and Bowie as the Goblin King in Labyrinth. Plus Cliff Richards’ new ‘perv breeks’, Steve Van Zandt visits Brian Jones’ grave, the best short songs, when haircuts wreck a band and Ian Martin’s live review of Rick Astley doing the Smiths. Irene Handl and Peter Sellers in Shadows on The Grass: https://open.spotify.com/track/5cdRF3u4UsywY4dZ2g0imJ?si=3967f42723834402Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world... plus a whole lot more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘A Furious Devotion' is just out, written by Richard Balls after long conversations and nights spent with Shane and interviews with members of the Pogues, old girlfriends, former teachers and collaborators (Nick Cave, Sinead O’Connor and Christy Moore among them). This covers childhood times in Tipperary, his ‘genius’ school years, fierce debates about his Irish identity, the full story of Fairytale of New York, his marriage, how the band put up with him and the cussed old curmudgeon he is today (a taste: this is a man who shuns computers, mobiles and email and won’t turn the TV down when being interviewed). A revelation from start to finish.@RichardBalls https://omnibuspress.com/products/a-furious-devotion-the-life-of-shane-macgowan-published-on-7th-october-2021 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Furious-Devotion-Life-Shane-MacGowan/dp/1787601080 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Balls/e/B0034Q6Q8C%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_shareSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every Word Podcast before the rest of the world: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

White-hot, pressing topics kicked around the rock and roll park this week include … can heavy metal ever be sexy?, why the Beatles would have made the greatest Unplugged act, the return of Scritti Politti, good deals in charity shops, what made Status Quo swing, how Jim Morrison wrecked the legacy of the Doors, the Floyd and the Stones discovering disco, Barry Ryan RIP and why Best Record polls in old music papers still get our goat. Rock stars smoking: https://art-sheep.com/old-photographs-of-musicians-smoking-their-cigarettes/Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every Word Podcast before the rest of the world... alongside a whole lot more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we re-watch the Graduate, wonder when Yes songs stopped making sense, salute the best rock stage names and the Björn Ulvaeus song credit campaign, ponder the curious UK launch of Rolling Stone, note the bands who never did cover versions and wonder if - and this may be stressful - Queen could become more popular than the Beatles. Keith Adsley's beard-losing fund-raiser: https://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/new-recovery-home-opens-in-city-8344686?fbclid=IwAR2R1AlZgV2qsTqYh9JrWSdMlw3yhB-ztYDsvm05MDGhqHAjhbixHqrPktsSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive each Word Podcast before the rest of the world... plus a whole load more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘The Best Of Jamming!’ is a powerfully nostalgic collection of extracts from the fanzine Tony launched in 1977 when he was 13, born of the lost age of spraymount, cow gum, Tippex, typewriters and cut-and-paste issues stapled together on the bedroom floor. He looks back at the hand-drawn covers, letters from Paul Weller, cash loans from his Mum, in-office debates (“Can we have American acts on the cover?”) and the magazine’s eight glorious years on the edge of insolvency, a story someone really ought to make into a movie. Copies of Jamming! now fetch £50 on eBay.    @tonyfletcher Best of Jamming!https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Jamming-Tony-Fletcher/dp/1913172309 Tony’s books …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Tony-Fletcher/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ATony+FletcherSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon for a whole load of brilliant extra content and benefits: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

.. where we consider the brave new world in which Rick Astley plays the Smiths, a documentary explores the reasons people detest Kenny G and Rolling Stone rather self-consciously revise their list of the Best 500 Songs Of All Time (should they declare 2001 the new Year Zero and just reset the clock?). And featuring ... worst supergroups, acts who've never put out any cover versions, bands who arrived at the venue but never played and Morrissey answering the phones on Rock Around the Clock.  Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world - and with full visuals!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among the white-hot news items fondly examined this week you’ll find … the eternal wars in Fleetwood Mac, how we broadcast our love of bands before the rock t-shirt arrived (involves a canvas bag, a biro and the words ‘Chicken Shack’), Michael Chapman, Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts, the one good thing about the pandemic, albums that were too long and a night featuring a navy surplus greatcoat and the non-appearance of the Move’s Ace “The Singing Skull” Kefford.Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and gain access to each future Word Podcast early - and in full audio-visual glory! Plus a load more exclusive content and benefits: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we consider the melancholy of Abba (and find a 45 year-old bar of Abba soap), applaud the hidden message in Lee Perry's Cow Thief Skank, wonder how Judee Sill would be marketed today, remember the Beach Boys' purple patch and note the only two things of any worth ever achieved by Iron Butterfly.Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon and gain access to each Word Podcast early... and in full audio-visual glory!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we wonder if it's the Stones without the drummer, tell the whole story of the "work five years and 20 years hanging around" interview, salute the great Charlie album sleeve moments and investigate "the Rolling Stones wobble". And there's Reading Festival '79, the Nirvana Nevermind saga and other random folk on record sleeves (the US marine on a Smiths cover, the Russian presidential candidate on a Pulp album, Supertramp's singing waitress, the Bauls of Bengal) and a search for the origins of Prog.Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and gain access to a whole bunch of brilliant extra content and benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘I Wanna Be Yours’, the superb memoir by “the bargain basement Baudelaire”, is now out in paperback, much of it an account of growing up in Salford. Here he looks back at the days when “the Rialto cinema was my babysitter”, seeing Little Richard aged 11, the fine details of the Beatles’ tailoring, old TV ads, Stanley Holloway, Joe Loss, “Woodman, Spare That Tree”, the Mecca ballrooms, the Bernard Manning audition that launched his career, the pure sensory overload of hearing rock and roll in fairgrounds and life in a flat with two members of the Velvet Underground. It’s extremely funny and revealing – and, for anyone old enough to remember those times, exquisitely nostalgic. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wanna-Yours-John-Cooper-Clarke/dp/1509896104 @official_jcc http://johncooperclarke.com/gigs/ https://johncooperclarke.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics this week given a vigorous shakedown include ... the magical story-telling of the late Tom T Hall, best-preserved '80s rock stars, the construction of John Cooper Clarke's pickled onion "pork pie doorstep", the line-up and health risk of the 1971 Weeley Festival (Gnidrolog! Tir Na Nog! Castle!), a chance meeting with Una Stubbs, how Spotify changes your Greatest Hit, best opening songs on a debut album and what's the annual miserabilis of rock?Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon and gain access to every future Word Podcast early - and in full vision!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourearKeep up-to-date with our now-legendary Word In Your Attic series on YouTube: https://youtube.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fourth and last guest at our sun-roasted live event in Holland Park on July 17 was the ever-supercharged Danny Baker. Straw-hatted, drink-toting and delighted audience members were treated to a series of superb comic monologues which featured his idea for a Beatles movie, the South London promoter who locked himself in a portakabin to evade the wrath of his acts and a magnificent riff about how the music-hall legend Bud Flanagan conned his way onto an ocean liner (aged 14) and joined a travelling show in America. @prodnose Tour dates with Bob Harris …https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/danny-baker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics subjected to the usual forensic scrutiny this week include ... Jan & Dean's role in the kidnap of Frank Sinatra Jnr, is it still the Stones without Charlie?, the Offspring drummer kicked out for being an anti-vaxxer, buying Revolver 55 years ago, Bobby Whitlock's roasting of the All Things Must Pass remix, how Tot Taylor gatecrashed the music industry in '73 and the least rock and roll leisure pursuits.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-the-grand-scheme-snatching-sinatra/id1435516849?i=1000530258036 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We staged our first live event for 18 months on July 17, a sun-baked day at a spectacular outdoor venue kindly lent us by Opera Holland Park. A vast amount of fun was had. We’re putting up podcasts of all four of our guests, this one featuring the world’s pre-eminent fount of all Beatles knowledge and wisdom, the great Mark Lewisohn and including his thoughts about Peter Jackson’s upcoming Get Back movie, why Brian Epstein is underrated, a pivotal moment in the Beatles story (1961), the treasures you find when leafing through old magazines (as opposed to googling), and the revelation that Mean Mr Mustard was based on a real life character whose wife has numerous grounds for divorce. @marklewisohn https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mark-Lewisohn/e/B00J6BJQYK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Tune In (paperback)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beatles-All-These-Years-Tune/dp/1408705753/ref=asc_df_1408705753/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=311328387040&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14467137111273568288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045943&hvtargid=pla-525100023999&psc=1&th=1&psc=1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics plumbed to their very depths this week include .... are tears for Olympic athletes now compulsory? The absurd names of Usain Bolt's children. The backstage chaos of the Concert For Bangladesh. Dusty Hill's mid-ZZ Top job at an airport. Can Ryan Adams ever get another record deal? Why the Sparks story is unique and extraordinary. Can you ever feel as attached to music you don't own in physical form? Bands you hated when young. Plus ... Magic Alex on impersonating members of the Stones for a living.Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon and gain early access to each and every Word Podcast... in full audio-visual glory!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matters of high import thrashed out this week include Dylan's Shadow Kingdom livestream, the Thunder Road lyric farrago, Apple Venus and Wasp Star - separated at birth!, the best reggae album ever, laughter on records, underwhelming follow-up albums and why Hot Rats makes the perfect crime thriller soundtrack. Supporting cast includes Kevin Turvey, Philip Glass, Brian Auger's Oblivion Express and Dave "Bucket" Colwell of Humble Pie.Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon and gain access to hours of extra content: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had our first live event for 18 months on a fabulous, sun-baked afternoon in Holland Park on July 17 and the writer and former Fleet Street columnist Lesley-Ann Jones was one of the four guests (there’ll be a podcast of each of them). These are her crowd-pleasing, colourful memories of Queen backstage at Live Aid, living with Raquel Welch and tea with Bowie at Haddon Hall. The Stones are in there too. @LAJwriter LAJ’s books …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Lesley-Ann-Jones/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ALesley-Ann+Jones Podcast …https://podcasts.apple.com/sn/podcast/11-porkys-pals-lesley-ann-jones/id1463527178?i=1000442129335Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our sun-baked return to live events on July 17, we had four guests onstage at a spectacular outdoor venue kindly lent us by Opera Holland Park in West London, the first our old pal the shy, retiring, hard-to-prise-a-word-out-of-him broadcaster Gary Crowley. Stories here include the time he was invited round to the Clash HQ for an interview (when still at school), the giddying sensation of meeting Paul McCartney and some unsung heroes of '80s pop. @CrowleyOnAir Radio London …https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7z2 Gary's 'Lost '80s' CD box-sets … …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gary-Crowleys-Lost-Various-Artists/dp/B07L51CSKHhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Gary-Crowley-Lost-80s-2/dp/B093XGSJKWSupport Word In Your Ear on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sports writer and old pal Nige Tassell traces the story of Sweet Caroline, You’ll Never Walk Alone and Yes Sir I Can Boogie – with fond memories of the Tranmere Rovers’ spontaneous vegan chant moment. Other piping hot topics include Dua Lipa and the stolen photo, have you ever booed a band?, the exact number of onstage hours Dylan’s played All Along The Watchtower, the magic of Freddie King and the Jayhawks, does Richard Branson like music?, indie weddings and are there any rap covers bands? @nigetassell Nige’s books …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Nige-Tassell/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ANige+Tassell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we salute Frogspawn Candy, Lord Snooty & his Pals and Steppenwolf, rejoice in the Onion's coverage of Lorde, applaud the return of the Siffleur and pop tunes that feature whistling, back Elvis Costello on song-stealing, have a CD Date Night with the Decemberists and A Tribe Called Quest (while unravelling their Lou Reed court case), and inspect a new theory about the Manson murders. Elvis Costello on song stealing …https://uk.news.yahoo.com/elvis-costello-defends-olivia-rodrigo-150635978.html Lorde in the Onion …https://www.theonion.com/lorde-slammed-and-condemned-because-it-seems-like-it-s-1847175966 Chris Pratt’s former band names …https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x9obbpaVIvw&feature=youtu.beTickets for Word In The Park on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nobody is better qualified to talk about music as he's seen it from every angle. Bob Geldof broke into the Beatles' hotel room aged 12. He saw Dylan and the Stones when he was 13. Radio Luxembourg sent him messages from the ether. He worked out why the great lyrics work ("and the best opening line"). He studied the stagecraft of a host of musicians and formed a band of his own. He felt the lure of "screaming stadium whores and sex on tap". He staged Live Aid. And he ended up a close friend of many of "the people at the top of pop's Mount Olympus". This extraordinary interview has revelations about what's required to be a rock star you may never have imagined. And he nominates some Greatest Records Ever Made. https://www.theboomtownratsofficial.com/ Citizens of Boomtown …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Citizens-Boomtown-Rats/dp/B083MVDKMWTickets for Word In The Park in London on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon to gain access to a load of extra content and benefits: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matters of high import discussed this week include ... having a 'date night' with your old CDs. Can the one-piece jumpsuit ever return? The whole Billie Eilish apology saga. Do all first girlfriends have names like Deidre Birchwood? What pop location deserves a blue plaque? Why Court And Spark outranks Blue. The Foo Fighters' Bee Gees moment. Rock's second best year. And would you pay $998 to get some All Things Must Pass garden gnomes? Plus James Brown, Black Grape, Chicken Shack, Duckworth Lewis, Tom Petty and Robert Plant's Band Of Joy. And David's mist-filled 30-second reverie about a romance in summer '67.Tickets for Word In The Park in London on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we shake down the piping hot topics du jour, among them ... the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury, the genius of Miles Copeland's management method, the new six-hour Beatles movie, Bob Geldof on what it takes to be a rock star, would Oasis have worked in the '70s, why current songwriters are afraid to experiment, and whatever happened to Terry Reid? Terry Reid at the first Glastonbury in 1971 ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFtPnpDMxyITickets for Word In The Park in London's Holland Park on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's pod we explore whether Apple's new spatial audio is actually worth it, ponder urgent listener questions such as "is pop music all about cymbals?" and "should we be paying attention to Van Morrison right now?" and chat to old pal Paul Burke about advertising in music and why the art of discotheque DJing is a little bit like foreplay.http://www.paulburkecreative.com/Tickets for Word In The Park in London on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon and gain access to a load of extra content and benefits: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's burning hot topics include .... the 50th birthday of Joni Mitchell's 'Blue’. Songs about the joy of spending "a bankroll big enough to choke a donkey". When Whistle Test went all Tomorrow's World. Books or records: which could you survive without? Is there the Who without Pete Townshend? Films we've watched the most. Music that's unfailingly cheerful. Is "Play Loud" the daftest thing ever put on an album cover? Was there ever a posher musician than James Lascelles of Global Village Trucking Company (in line of succesion to the British throne)? And the sweet story of Gravesend's own rock gods Kinky Machine and their 50-year anniversary video.  Kinky Machine's reunion ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn8MyQH-gu0Whistle Test tackles the new technology, 1983 ...https://youtu.be/iQ76xlMF8r4Tickets for Word In The Park in London's Holland Park on Saturday July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we salute some much-loved writers (Clive James on Rod Stewart: "he was hopping about like a bifurcated marrow"), investigate the Friends Reunion, predict the next pop acts on postage stamps (a round of Stamp Waddy, anyone?) and tackle the burning issues of the day - aka What's the longest you've ever waited for a band to appear? And who's best: Britney Spears or Taylor Swift (and which would you want to organise your bungee jump)?Tickets for Word In The Park on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon for a cornucopia of additional content and fabulous benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernie's memoir - 'Where's My Guitar?' - is just out in paperback and this highly entertaining encounter with the old rock and roll trouper features his early bands (Clockwork Mousetrap, Skinny Cat), Cream and Fleetwood Mac at Dunstable's California Ballroom, auditioning for Renaissance and East Of Eden (then turning the job down), 'secret police' on the Wild Turkey tour, thumping Phil Mogg, Mickie Most's butler and Rolls Royce car phone, sessions for Hot Chocolate, the Spinal Tap moment of Whitesnake's Lovehunter sleeve, the extraordinary tale of his co-writing Here I Go Again and the perils of trying to prise Tony "Dear Boy" Ashton out of a pub.  @Bernie_Marsden https://berniemarsden.com/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wheres-My-Guitar-Inside-British/dp/0008356556Tickets for Word In The Park on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon and gain access to a whole load of benefits and extra content: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which three old lags who've been following Dylan most of their lives - David Hepworth, Sid Griffin and Mark Ellen - offload a passionate personal theory and fly the flag for a favourite track. As Sid points, "How many times do you find yourself saying, 'Who does that? Only Bob Dylan!'" Includes 'Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues' as a quiz and the three albums sleeves where he wears the same jacket. Also .... the John Lydon/Pistols/Danny Boyle legal stand-off and memories of the much-loved Fred Dellar, the Rock Wikipedia of his day. Sid's books about Dylan ...https://www.amazon.co.uk/Million-Dollar-bash-Dylan-Basement/dp/1908279699Tickets for Word In The Park on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699Support Word In Your Ear on Patreon for a smorgasbord of benefits: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which the beloved entertainer talks about his memoir 'Beeswing: Fairport, Folk and Finding My Voice 1967-1975', a rich and circuitous ramble that features Jimmy Shand, Louis Armstrong, a school band with Hugh Cornwell, sitar lessons with Andy Summers, the word game that invented 'Unhalfbricking', the genius of Sandy Denny, the 'backstabbing' folk community, the perils of the British stiff upper lip, a cardboard cut-out of Nick Drake, the Henry the Human Fly photoshoot, disinfecting sheep, the writing of Meet on the Ledge and the enduring mystery of the best song lyrics.   @RthompsonMusic https://www.richardthompson-music.com/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beeswing-Fairport-Finding-Voice-1967-75/dp/0571348165Tickets for Word In The Park on July 17th here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we look at the light-fingered early lives of Camden's Magnificent Seven and the soundtrack of the Pursuit of Love, note the collapse of the BRITs and the Oscars and tell the extraordinary tale of the writer who thinks Bob Dylan's his dad. Plus ... Never Mind The Quality, Feel the Length (long things that only work because they're long - eg the Irishman, the Dead's Dark Star, Lawrence Of Arabia). And... what items of girls' clothing is Alex wearing this week? The Madness doc ...https://www.bt.com/tv/documentary/madness-before-we-was-we-channel-amc-date-music-band-history-trailer Bob Dylan Knew My Mother: Sam Sussman's piece in Harpers ... https://harpers.org/archive/2021/05/the-silent-type-on-possibly-being-bob-dylans-son/Word In Your Ear is back and in the great outdoors, tickets here ... https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699Want exclusive early access to every future Word podcast - and in full audio-visual glory! - alongside a whole load of other benefits? Of course you do! Sign up to our fabulous Patreon where deep joy awaits: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The great Joel Selvin has just published 'Hollywood Eden: Electric Guitars, Fast Cars and the Myth of the California Paradise', a thumping account of the West Coast pop revolution between 1958-1968 beginning with the rise of Jan & Dean and ending with "the greatest record ever made", Good Vibrations. He beams in from San Francisco, a substantial cigar on the go, to talk about the shamefully uncelebrated Nancy Sinatra's pioneering records (and '57 pink Thunderbird), the Beach Boy who invented the surf market, the "poisonous" Kim Fowley, the genius of Phil Spector and Lou Adler and the rise of Sunset Strip. @Joelselvin https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hollywood-Eden-Electric-California-Paradise/dp/1487007213 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we remember the Wailers' London shows and what made them unique, salute the fond but sceptical rock photographs of our old friend Ken Sharp, unravel the brilliant mechanics of Jerry Seinfeld's 'Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee', discover why Steve Martin gave up comedy, tell an old Barry Cryer gag and play a bracing round of 'Irritating Electoral Candidate or Fun-Loving Calypso Songbird?' (Lord Buckethead? Attila the Hun? etc).Tickets for Word In The Park here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699Want exclusive early access to every future Word Podcast, and in full audio-visual glory? Of course you do, you're only human! Make sure you're subscribed to our fabulous Patreon for this and much more: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forty-two years after her meteoric ascent, Rickie Lee Jones has put out a memoir, 'Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of a Troubadour'. And this we strongly recommend, a candid, salty, high-octane account of her breakthrough and early adventures criss-crossing America, many of which were turned into songs. Among her cast of fellow travellers are her Vaudevillian song-and-dance grandparents, Tom Waits, Dr John, Lowell George, Lenny Waronker and Chuck E Weiss, all of whom feature in this delightful pod. As do tales of her famous Saturday Night Live slot, West Side Story, her Beatles obsession (aged 8), the Damon Runyan world of late '70s L.A., current life in New Orleans and the "firece fire of fans who've stayed with me".  @RickieLeeJones https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Chance-Texaco-Chronicles-Troubadour/dp/1611856469 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we're joined by old pal Kate Mossman who's had a colourful encounter with Tom Jones, we look at the legal battle for Nirvana's logo and the bands who sell more t-shirts than records, we're convinced we know why the England Squad don't make football singles any more, we dig out some surely bank-busting white labels and play a round of Hip Hop Star or Character From A '60s Comic?Kate's terrific piece about Tom Jones in the New Statesman ...https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2021/04/tom-jones-interview-i-wanted-be-man-desperatelyWord In Your Ear is back and in the great outdoors, tickets here ... https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699To contribute to WIYE Patron Jeff Rees' time capsule project, email us your suggestions at [email protected] to receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world - and in full audio-visual glory! - alongside a whole load of additional content and benefits? Of course you do, you're only flesh and blood! Make sure you're subscribed to our fabulous Patreon, deep joy awaits: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we shake down the Bat Out Of Hell saga and Morrissey v the Simpsons, wonder what happened to the Bay City Rollers billions, explore Richard Thompson's theory of folk-rock snobbery, salute pop memoirs that end early and remember how people reacted when Kraftwerk and the Ramones first appeared. And announce our Word in the Park live event in July! ... WORD IN THE PARK TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A world-put-to-rights-special that tells the story of the man who hid in a crate on a three-day flight with only a book of Beatles song lyrics for entertainment, looks at the stupidity of 19 year-olds, considers Rob Lowe’s belief that "there's no point in being famous today", predicts that CDs will become as treasured and collectable as vinyl, and wonders if musicians could still play if as pissed as they claimed to be. Also includes Shit-faced Shakespeare and a round of Song Title By the World's Most Pretentious Band or Artwork By Damien Hirst?Want exclusive early access to every future Word Podcast - and in full audio-visual glory! - plus LOTS more? Of course you do, you're only human! Make sure you're signed up to our fabulous Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tessa and Bob are lifelong Mark E Smith devotees and have just published 'Excavate: the Wonderful And Frightening World of The Fall', a collection of essays inspired by the band’s unique and eternally beguiling back catalogue and divinely cranky modus operandi - along with artwork, ephemera, lyrics sheets, letters to fans and self-written press releases. It's an atlas that navigates the Fall’s outer reaches rather than an investigation of the man himself "as you can't look directly at the sun". This terrific free-wheeling conversation touches on football, architecture, working men's clubs, self-made mythology, the nature of Fall fans, the powerful impact of Kenny Everett's World's Worst Records Show album and the plastic carrier-bag left onstage that Tessa still has 25 years later. @rocking_bob @tessanorton https://www.amazon.co.uk/Excavate-Wonderful-Frightening-World-Fall-ebook/dp/B0873XZ21B Yeah Yeah Yeah by Bob Stanley …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yeah-Story-Modern-Pop/dp/0571322409/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&qid=1617954172&refinements=p_27%3ABob+Stanley&s=books&sr=1-4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.