Stephen's Notebook

I grew up on buying vinyl records but I’m not wholly back into the resurgence of the format. I’ll buy the odd special edition but I just don’t have the energy to care about looking after a new collection.

Cardiacs' Tim Smith: a one-man subculture who inspired total devotion | Music | The Guardian:

Tim Smith, who has died aged 59, made a bizarre kind of rock music that was so wrong it was right – and his boundless enthusiasm was so infectious it created an army of followers.

Kraftwerk: their 30 greatest songs, ranked! | Music | The Guardian:

From cycling soundtracks to anti-nuclear protest music, we celebrate the work of the late Florian Schneider and the groundbreaking group he co-founded

Good list.

Oh, won’t you stay

We’ll put on the day

And we’ll talk

In present tenses

Joni Mitchell, Chelsea Morning 💬🎵

Sad to hear that Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers has died. The Black and White album was one of the first records I ever bought and I still have the same copy.

Reflect.

Fantastic show by Dweezil Zappa and band in Glasgow tonight. Perfect antidote to the December doldrums. 🎶

This “mistake” is more interesting than the other photos I took at the Drygate Brewery in Glasgow last night. I was there to see the great Norwegian band Wobbler play in the city for the first time. I hope they come back very soon.

Here’s a song for Sunday. Beloved by Firefly Burning 🎵

Fantastic Marillion show in Glasgow tonight. Seasons End, their climate change song written in 1989, was spine-tingling with the addition of live strings and brass.