Withering reviews of famous albums, Jaws versus Jeeves and the genius of Blondie’s Clem Burke

Boldly pursuing tariff-free trade in rock and roll news, nostalgia, gossip and old hokum since 2007 and, this week, featuring …

… the romantic allure of life as a critic.

… Sting’s part in the success of ‘Adolescence’.

… Mick Jagger’s long engagement to Melanie Hamrick (born when Steel Wheels came out!)

… "Contained within these grooves are twelve convincing arguments against the capitalist system" and other vicious reviews revisited.

… when Bob Marley recorded ‘Sugar Sugar’ by the Archies.

… Al Bowlly’s menacing ‘Midnight, The Stars And You’ and how film soundtracks change your relationship with music.

… what Mike Chapman had to tell Blondie to make ‘Parallel Lines’ a hit.

… little-known pop fact no 97: Dave Pegg was at the same school as the man who invented the internet!

… "I can lose weight but you will always be the director of Brown Bunny” – cracking film review one-liners from Roger Ebert.

… the Jaws film and the Jeeves musical: both came out 50 years ago, both riddled with catastrophe. One broke box office records, the other died like a louse in a Russian’s beard.

… Gabrielle Drake - “If you’re going to be in a flop, best it be a huge one.”

… why Elvis Costello and Al Stewart should hit the lecture circuit.

… and David Hemmings, inconsolable, in a shower.  

Plus birthday guest Chuck Loncon stages a quiz.

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