Farewell then Eva Marie Saint, immortalised not just in celluloid On The Waterfront but in Lloyd Cole’s song a quarter of a century later.

(more…)

Lee Sklar put the bass into Phil Collins’s poignant song Another Day In Paradise – and thousands of others too. But he’s always remained under the radar.

(more…)

Basslines #11: Jah Wobble was the self-taught bassist in Public Image Ltd and moved from postpunk into funk, jazz, global folk and more.

(more…)

Basslines #9: Robbie Shakespeare was widely regarded as the king of reggae bass guitarists, usually as one half of the “Riddim Twins” with drummer Sly Dunbar.

(more…)

Paul Young – Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)

(more…)

Sigue Sigue Sputnik arrived in an explosion of silly hair and sci-fi costumes as a postmodern pastiche of the ultimate Eighties band.

(more…)

The Fall made their national TV debut on The Tube thanks to John Peel – five years after I first saw them play in London.

(more…)

Song of the Day

A Certain Ratio’s 1982 single Knife Slits Water gets an updated remix from Andy Meecham, aka The Emperor Machine.

(more…)

The Weather Prophets were Pete Astor’s second attempt to find success after the collapse of The Loft, and this slice of jangle pop was their debut single in 1986.

(more…)

Do we like to funk on a sunny summer’s day? Yes we do. And we very much do when the soundtrack is Big Time by Rick James.

(more…)