Don't actually know this one. Blimey, 2024 again...what an underacknowledged year!

Nice to see someone else remembers that. The Church Of Me was not in vain...

That's what was fundamentally wrong with Then Play Long. Far too many "this track, then on this track" grocery lists masquerading as writing.

Can you remember who supported the Bunnymen and DM?

In final New Music Friday news, had a go with the new Pet Shop Boys thing but the mix is a mess; far too murky and Juliet Stevenson is too close to the microphone. Confirmation that nobody "won" this week.

Later with Jools Holland is back on tonight and full of old people, younger people doing old things and "new" names I've either never heard of or are overrated. Will pass.

"Array, you've filed me Impressions records under I! What's wrong with T for 'The'?"

or should I say, we've had enough of "decent" music writers. More indecency and irrationality, more of a mess, different ways of telling the story. A bit like I was in early doors iLX and CoM before the encyclopaedia took over.

I think we've had quite enough of "nice" writers. We need more Bangs and Burchill types to upset the cart of complacency, not that any of these people would get anywhere near consideration for publication or employment in these content-creating days.

No, they were a bit further up in Great Portland Street, I think

"Barbara Kingsolver's music for erstwhile lovers"; if you say so - I can't argue with a premise I don't understand. It's like The Observer doesn't want people like me to read it. I don't know what people they imagine would want to read it today but they probably don't exist.

"Anne Carson is an epic Nobel winner. She blew the doors off my mind." You used to employ Dennis Potter and Clive James ffs.

I only know the Fucked Up one. CWKs I've seen in a million charity shops (but never listened to or have ever had the urge to listen to) and I've never even heard of the other two. Today's reminder that Other People Aren't You.

yes I know, the paper's read exclusively by white middle-class property-owning pensioners.

The Observer's album of the week is yet more dreary-sounding Americana. I suppose this is what it must have been like in the sixties when Larkin wrote the jazz reviews and banged on about ancient Bechet and Waller outtakes. More fuel for the "ban anyone over 25 from writing about pop" tendency.

Still my second favourite album made by anybody. Oddly enough (or not), all of my top three (Escalator Over The Hill and Metal Box are the other two) were released in Britain on Virgin Records in the '70s.

Kevin Ayers nearly falling asleep - no change there, then...

We certainly got some decent CDs from there. Vision Creation Newsun by the Boredoms for three quid!