Musical chairs…

After writing that little piece about music choices in 2014 a few days ago, it’s been interesting to hear a lot of music since then which sounds fresh, interesting and had what John Peel used to call the ‘F*** Me!’ Factor (as in ‘F*** Me! What’s that?‘.

The small, but significant problem is that it’s been old stuff, or a new take on an old song. Apart from Pharrell William’s Happy (which sounds good on the radio or as the soundtrack for the Fiat 500 commercials) there’s nothing that’s caught my ear recently.

I’ve not done any downloads from iTunes over the last three years and the last couple of CD’s I bought were compilations by Roxy Music and Al Stewart from a shop in Wimbourne, Dorset.

I listen to the radio in the car and tend to watch the BBC festival coverage of Glastonbury, T In The Park and Reading/Leeds, but I still draw a blank in finding new music that’s interesting or which doesn’t go back over old ground.

I saw an Ed Sheeran acoustic performance from Glastonbury on a 2014 festival round up a couple of days ago and then just happened to catch a BBC compilation about singer/songwriters on Yesterday – which featured James Taylor and Neil Young singing some of their songs from over forty years ago that still sounded fresh to these ears.

That festival round-up also featured Metallica and one Dolly Parton along with Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. The first two worked for me, the last three didn’t. Other than Metallica and Dolly, only Imagine Dragons‘ performance of an old Proclaimers song impressed, proving once more that some songs can work when given a totally different treatment by newer artists.

Unlike a version of XTC’s Making Plans For Nigel that I recently heard in a pub. I like the XTC original, but this version was the same song done as a ballad, and Caroline agreed with me that it just didn’t work. Some interpretations of older songs work – actor Jack Black’s take on Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On for example or The Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s rendition of Delilah or The Toy Dolls punk take on Nellie The Elephant. Oh, and I nearly forgot about The Mission’s versions of Crazy Horses and Like A Hurricane…

Will 2015 bring any new music that sparkles, fizzes and sets the music scene alight once more?

I first started writing about music in the mid-1980’s when I did live reviews for The Northern Echo. Quite a few bands were new, some were on their way up, some were established and some were on their way down. Then there was a lull for a few years until Britpop happened.

When Britpop exploded, it was with a vengeance not seen since the days of punk. Some bands were good, others horrendous, but there were a load of memorable songs.

I happened to be a student at the time so Saturday nights were spent watching bands at Manor Quay in Sunderland or listening to the tracks being played by a couple of guys who, like myself, wrote for the independent student newspaper Universal Post. Some bands and songs were good, some were bad, but various songs played on those nights still shine on.

Will there be a new phase in 2015? That depends upon whether any new talent emerges that can take the UK music industry by the scruff of the neck and give it a damned good shaking up…

I might even update the music on my iPod if that happens and start packing it again whilst on my travels!