Shindig! No.177

Out yesterday, Shindig! Magazine No.177 with Toomorrow, Georgie Fame, and a whole bunch of other excellent stuff. I got my hands on a tasty trio of library discs from We Are Busy Bodies, Four Flies, and Sonor, and made yet another entry into the Vinyl Art canon with the fabulous Dave Field. Go get it.
 

Shindig! No.176

Back in April I braved the wilds of Camden - during a tube strike no less - to see the sublime Melody's Echo Chamber. Read my review in this month's Shindig! where you'll also find Gap Mangione, Brian Jackson, Boards of Canada, and all manner of other good stuff.

 

Enjoy and share this little collection of things that have floated my boat since the last time we did this.

Shindig! No.173

Landing today is the new issue of your favourite mag Shindig!, packed with proper goodies including pedal steel deep cuts, Frank Zinn, Cream, and all manner of other great stuff to accompany your rainy springtime. And in Vinyl Art I revisit the future of the big band banking industry.

Shindig! No.172

The new Shindig! Magazine is in yer newsagents today. Where else are you going to get Peanuts, Ben Wheatley, and a bands-in-movies Deep Cuts all under one roof? And that's just in the first half! Plus I take a look at both ends of the US '60s jazz scene in a Vinyl Art special. If you subscribed you would have real all this already and you'd feel awfully clever now. Think about that.

Shindig! No.170

For the big December issue of Shindig! Magazine, I met the absolutely charming Melody Prochet to chat about her terrific new LP (which has barely left my turntable), while also finding time for an equine entry into the Vinyl Art canon. Elsewhere there's The Inner Dialogue, a young Robert Plant, the great Bill Nelson, weird witches, and Dutch proggers wrapped in tin foil. Plus you can find out who made the grade in our end-of-year poll and look forward to some spectacular sounds due in 2026. Is it too early to wish you a Very Merry Xmas?

Shindig! No.169

Not too late am I to big up Shindig! No.169? If Contour Records, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, Terry Southern and all manner of other fabulous stuff floats your boat, you'll be glad I did. And a little bit of Polska szkoła neon from me in Vinyl Art.

Shindig! No.167

Another fabulous issue of Shindig! for your back-to-school bus ride, with Sérgio Mendes, Wurlitzer Jukebox, Terry Reid, and Brigitte Fontaine there's plenty to keep you busy. And I get to join the dots from Blue Note to Blaxploitation in Vinyl Art.

Shindig! No.165

Have Adrienne Poster, psychedelic Doctor Who, World Countdown, Bonnie Dobson, and Sandro Brugnolini ever all been between the same covers together? They have now! Keeping their toes warm in another cracking issue of Shindig! Magazine is my Vinyl Art column which this month goes all Antipodean and swirly. It must be the heat.

Shindig! No.162

Al Kooper knows who hasn't subscribed to Shindig! Magazine. Make amends now and this month you can read about the man himself, the Evergreen Review, compilations of 1969, Goodtimes Enterprises, and all the usual offbeat brilliance you demand. Plus me, for Vinyl Art, going looking for phallic rocks in the desert. Where else? Nowhere else!

Shindig! No.160

British '60s jazz, Krautrock Eruption, a deep dive into twenty years of hauntology, Lynn Carey, and more besides - it's all in the new Shindig! Magazine, out this week. And I was lucky enough to find out about the rather fascinating Nik Pascal Raicevic for Vinyl Art, so now you can too. You would have had this issue last week if you subscribed!

Shindig! No.159

The first Shindig! Magazine issue of 2025 includes great reading on Jeannie Piersol, Tom Wilson and much more besides, while I delve into some colourful electronics in Vinyl Art. Treat yourself to a New Year subscription.

Shindig! No.158

Out this week is 2024's final issue of Shindig! Magazine, with our traditional end-of-year best-of, seasonal spookiness, Fred Wesley (yes!), even more Paul Williams, and plenty more besides. And I spent some time with those deep diggers at Guerssen for an expanded Vinyl Art. See you in '25.

Albums Classiques Spécial Français

On Saturday my esteemed colleague Stephen Barnard and I will be presenting a special French-themed session of our ongoing Classic Albums talks, in the picturesque surroundings of the Letchworth Settlement. Stephen will be talking about Édith Piaf's Recital 1961 while I'll be tackling the fan favourite that is Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson. À bientôt là-bas!

Shindig! No.156

In October's Shindig! Magazine: The Move, Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper, Boys Wonder, Richie Havens, Paul Williams, and lots more including me talking to Martin Springett about Ian Hunter, Roslav Szaybo, and MC Escher. Don't miss it!

Goldmine Summer 2024

International publication alert! The Summer 2024 issue of US record collecting bible Goldmine includes my feature celebrating the 60th birthday of the legendary New York label Nonesuch and their legacy of amazing album art. The mag is available in a number of lovely collectors' covers including this rather special Melanie edition which comes packaged with a nice bit of turquoise vinyl.

Shindig! No.152

I had a very enjoyable chat with the team at Sonor Music Editions for a Vinyl Art Extra in this month's Shindig! Magazine. And if Italian library music isn't your thing, perhaps some collectable Japanese jazz, Jefferson Airplane, Buddah Records, Margo Guryan, or Isley Brothers might do the trick? Another great issue, out this week.

Shindig! No.150

Happy 150 issues (and 30 years!) to Shindig! magazine. A little bit of me in this issue including a Vinyl Art column that takes in Hipgnosis and Motown, but it's all about the celebrations. Out today. Subscribe!

Shindig! No.148

In this month's Shindig! magazine I chat to the supercool Robin Gnista about album covers (what else?), for a special Vinyl Art Extra. Also this issue there's Rob Bailey, Astrud Gilberto, a Deep Deep Cuts, Ginny Winn, Michel Polnareff and heaps more. Out now!
 

Shindig! No.146

A library music Deep Cuts, PP Arnold, The Shindig! Writers' Poll and a whole bunch more are all in issue 146, out this very week. Plus me in the comfy corner with some good old Hungarian psychedelia. Where else are you gonna get that?