Diary of a Music Fan

Soundwagon

I can't make up my mind if I want to buy one of these things or not. Is the gimmick worth the asking price of about 80 euro? Not sure. Meanwhile I can watch it on youtube.

Nena Daconte: Tenia tanto que darte

For me, the only geat group to emerge from X-Factor/Amercian Idol/ Pop Idol programs is Nena Daconte, with lead singer Mai Meneses who was thrown out of Spanish TV's Operacion Triunfo program after about two weeks.

I love this girl's voice. And she was lucky to find the perfect musical partner. They have 2 albums, the first is a pop classic, as good as any spanish pop record since Mecano. This video is for the first single from their second album “Retales de Carnaval“ (Universal’ 08)

Ben Elton's Chart Throb

I watch the X-Factor every year. It's great TV. Mind you, it is not a music progam! What they are good at is not making music, its about making great TV.

Now after these words of wisdom, I would highly recommend Ben Elton's last novel called Chart Throb. After reading it you'll enjoy watching the X-Factor or even American Idol even more, cause it emphasises what makes these programs great, how the judges make fun of the freaks, how they talk up the contestants until they believe all the hype they tell them and then they cut them down again making them look silly in front of millions of people.

Shite music. Great tv.

Tight Fit - How to make a song your own

This is a total classic! Its like when Simon Cowell (in his godly wisdom !!?) talks about taking a song and making it your own, well this song by Tight Fit should be the master class example of how to do that.

Has anyone noticed how Q has copied Word magazine?

Music Magazines.

Has anyone noticed that Q magazine has been improving a lot lately. For a while there I was getting a bit bored of their format, boring interviews with the same old tired questions, simplistic music reviews and endless "50 best of..." lists.

Well, they did something very smart at Q. They bought a few copies of Word magazine and copied the best parts. And Q is so much better for it.

1 - Q copied the Word's subscriber only uncluttered cover concept. If you're a subscriber you now get a much neater, cleaner, less cluttered cover photo.

2 - Q copied Word's use of regular high quality columnists. Q brought in Billy Bragg and a few others high profile journalists to write regular articles, and so far so good!

3 - Q copied Word by bringing in more non-strickly-music related articles.

4 - Q copied Word by improving the quality of their interviewers. For a while Q's interviews were begnning to sound like they were back in the 80's with Smash Hits (What's your favorite ready meal?)

But the overall result is that Q magazine is so much better for it. There's just a lot more reading to each month's issue. And its almost as good a Word. Almost.

P.S. - I might be wrong on this one, but I seem to remember receiving a weekly 'Something for the weekend' email from Word and now Q are doing the exact same thing on their web site.

Madness - Embarrassment [Live on Later...with Jools Holland 21.04.09]

My thoughts on seeing them on Jonathon Ross? They seemed to be really getting on. They played extremely well. The music sounded great. I'll go to see them if I can get tickets.

But most of all its changed my mind on the possibility of other reunions. I was always of the mind that we would never see a Smiths reunion. And I still think its highly unlikely, but if this lot can actually want to be in the same room together after such a bad falling out, then I think that anything is possible, even a Smiths return, or at least a Morrissey and Marr show.

And at the end of his show Jonathon Ross announced that next week, live on the show, he'll have Depeche Mode!!! It really is 1982 again!

And to cap it all off, I turned over to BBC to watch the Jool's Holland show and there was Madness singing old songs and new tunes from their new album!