Their identity secret when the albums which comprise this anthology were released, this XTC alter-ego built of Partridge, Moulding and...

The Dirty Three is an Australian instrumental trio, which includes Bad Seed Warren Ellis on violin and piano, hence my interest. I've no...

I was aware that Durutti Column were a Manchester band at the time, but paid them little attention, and didn't really hear anything by...

A train journey this weekend, hopefully to watch Everton avoid relegation (Spoiler - they did!), so the streaming choices may be a bit...

A couple of years ago, the Oxfam shop received a donation, probably from a reviewer, of a large number of interesting CDs in lovely...

I first heard of Chick Corea, as the electric piano player on Miles Davis' In A Silent Way, so on seeing this compilation of his 1970s...

It was September 1978 and I was visiting an old school friend in Manchester. We'd arranged to meet up with a uni friend of mine, who...

A recent charity shop purchase, a £1 2CD Trojan compilation wasn't staying on their shelves while I had a quid in my pocket. I've never...

I fell for Richard Dawson's individual delivery and take on the folk tradition when I first heard him on BBC 6Music's Freak Zone about...

Prog rock was banished to the margins during the 1980s (despite the 'dinosaurs' continuing to sell huge numbers of albums and do sell out...

A short break from the relentless march through the alphabet (I'm currently trying to do artists not yet visited) to focus on CDs I've...

I was very late coming to Ry Cooder, and have still really only dipped my toes in the water. I like his more recent political stuff and...

It was a mystery to me why The Comsat Angels weren't bigger in the 1980s. Perhaps the bleak sound didn't suit the time (although, add a...

The British jazz scene is thriving at the moment and I'm delighted to report that it doesn't involve middle aged men in striped blazers...

You don't have to dip a toe too far into the world of jazz for the name of Ornette Coleman to arise. Venerated by those who 'get him'...

I resisted Laughing Len for decades, finding his delivery hard on my ears (see also Bob Dylan), while appreciating his prowess as a...

I borrowed this record from a school friend, probably interested by guitarist Tommy Bolin, and it's been a firm favourite ever since. I...

I like Eliza Carthy. She is definitely 'a good thing'. Daughter of British folk aristocracy Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson, she has...

I knew Campbell (as Mont Campbell) from Egg in the early 1970s and National Health in the late 1970s, so was interested to hear his solo...

Thinking back to the 1970s, Camel seemed to feature very much at the wimpy end of the prog spectrum, not really attracting much interest....