An amazing vernal equinox morning here in London, and a fine walk through the city: down St John Street, into Smithfield, past St Paul’s and the rat-run of old streets down to the river, and over the Millennium Bridge. The perfect soundtrack for this, it transpired, was Damon Albarn’s “Dr Dee” album: not something I had previously expected much from, but which has turned out to be my favourite Albarn project, by a very long distance, since Blur’s “13”. Many things to be said about it, and I suspect this isn’t quite the time, but it does make me want to revisit The Good, The Bad & The Queen and give that a proper listen again. For a taste, anyhow, have a look at Albarn’s trailer for “Dr Dee”, with an extract from “Apple Carts” (nearly printed a typo there and called it “Dr Dre”, which would’ve been interesting). “The Moon Exalted” and “Cathedrals” especially lovely right now. In other news this morning, the Neil Young & Crazy Horse “Americana” album is scheduled for June 5, has an extraordinary cover, and appears to feature a version of “God Save The Queen”. Hard to envisage how these songs might fit into the kind of horizontal workouts that featured on the “Horse Back” jam, but we shall see. Here’s the tracklisting: "Oh Susannah" "Clementine " "Tom Dooley" "Gallows Pole " "Get A Job " "Travel On " "High Flyin’ Bird " "She’ll Be Comin ’Round The Mountain" "This Land Is Your Land " "Wayfarin’ Stranger " "God Save The Queen" Particularly high hopes for “Wayfarin’ Stranger”, I think. Finally, a gentle nudge in the direction of our latest Uncut Ultimate Music Guide, which I believe is on sale now. The subject this time is REM which allowed us to dig out a bunch of things we all wrote a long time ago and reprint them, as well as enlisting the usual Uncut suspects to contribute lengthy new essays on every album. It’s a nice memorial to a band that have meant a lot to many of us, I think. But as ever, have a look and drop me a line. Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey
An amazing vernal equinox morning here in London, and a fine walk through the city: down St John Street, into Smithfield, past St Paul’s and the rat-run of old streets down to the river, and over the Millennium Bridge.
The perfect soundtrack for this, it transpired, was Damon Albarn’s “Dr Dee” album: not something I had previously expected much from, but which has turned out to be my favourite Albarn project, by a very long distance, since Blur’s “13”. Many things to be said about it, and I suspect this isn’t quite the time, but it does make me want to revisit The Good, The Bad & The Queen and give that a proper listen again. For a taste, anyhow, have a look at Albarn’s trailer for “Dr Dee”, with an extract from “Apple Carts” (nearly printed a typo there and called it “Dr Dre”, which would’ve been interesting). “The Moon Exalted” and “Cathedrals” especially lovely right now.
In other news this morning, the Neil Young & Crazy Horse “Americana” album is scheduled for June 5, has an extraordinary cover, and appears to feature a version of “God Save The Queen”. Hard to envisage how these songs might fit into the kind of horizontal workouts that featured on the “Horse Back” jam, but we shall see. Here’s the tracklisting:
“Oh Susannah”
“Clementine ”
“Tom Dooley”
“Gallows Pole ”
“Get A Job ”
“Travel On ”
“High Flyin’ Bird ”
“She’ll Be Comin ’Round The Mountain”
“This Land Is Your Land ”
“Wayfarin’ Stranger ”
“God Save The Queen”
Particularly high hopes for “Wayfarin’ Stranger”, I think.
Finally, a gentle nudge in the direction of our latest Uncut Ultimate Music Guide, which I believe is on sale now. The subject this time is REM which allowed us to dig out a bunch of things we all wrote a long time ago and reprint them, as well as enlisting the usual Uncut suspects to contribute lengthy new essays on every album. It’s a nice memorial to a band that have meant a lot to many of us, I think. But as ever, have a look and drop me a line.
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey
