Hello everyone. Especially Ken, to whom I say, "Here I am! I'm still subscribed to the list! This is proof!" I read Stuart's diary today for the first time this year and I was particularly taken by this: "So I got this tune, and it’s kind of a Big Star thing. And a bit boogieish." I must say this all sounds very exciting - I love Big Star...the story of how they failed to get the success they deserved due to record company incompetence and general misfortune is a very sad one. If you - any of you - have not got their Radio City and #1 Record albums then put that right straightaway! The third album - variously known as Big Star's Third, Sister Lovers or Femme Fatale is in contrast a rather mixed affair - as befits an album with 3 different titles - I think the band was on the verge of disintegration by then. For the record, the first ever fellow sinisterine I ever met, Rosamund, gave me a tape of Big Star singer Chris Bell's solo album. Anyway, enough Big Star stuff already! Stuart continues: "But then I had the notion that we might strip it back with the discipline of New Order type drums and choppy guitar. Then it might become something which you could dance to. Because that is important. We want to take you from your bed to the dance floor. If there was a ten-year plan for the original fan it was to take you from your bedroom to the floor. No question. But as with most ten-year plans you won’t find much mention at the outset of the ten years!" It just gets better and better doesn't it? The last time B&S sounded New Orderish must've been on "Electronic Renaissance" where the bassline and some of the synths sound suspiciously like "Procession". I have no qualms about B&S going in a more dancey direction...if there are two things that have perplexed me about attitudes to their recent material it must be: ~ All of the "Your Cover's Blown" hate that went around. Personally, I love it. It's much better than, say, "Legal Man", where I felt that the band knew what they wanted to achieve but somehow weren't quite able to pull it off. ~The fact that the startling Young Marble Giants cover the band did for one of the rough Trade 25th anniversary compilations passed without comment on this board. Have you noticed how lots of old bands are reforming and recording new material? Last night I went to see House of Love who were amazing. All those old songs I never thought I'd ever get the chance to hear live, "Shine On", "The Beatles and the Stones", "Christine", "I Don't Know Why I Love You", all performed to perefection. And the original guitarist, Terry Bickers, is back with them. In a few weeks I shall be seeing the Wedding Present at the same venue, but Pop Will Eat Itself aren't putting in an apperance here, unfortunately. Ann Foreyt, I can tell you that the Glasgow sinisters are an extremely friendly bunch and I am sure they will e-mail you with suggestions of things to do and places to go. Also, why don't you join this mailing list on yahoo groups http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/the_winchester_club/ it's the list for the Winchester Club which takes place at the Woodside Social Club. I went there after the Botanic Gardens gig last summer and had a great time. I really recommend checking it out. Robin wrote: "It's a terrifying building and I suspect it was built by ghosts, long ago. " about the Royal Infirmary. There's a very good track by Durutti Column called "Royal Infirmary". It's on Bread and Circuses, I think. Also, Robin's comment made me think of the brilliant, of rather long book I'm reading at the moment called "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell". by Susanna Clark. It's a book set in the Regency period but it's a regency period with a twist in that Magic Exists. Something tells me that Archel might like it, although she prolly shouldn't try to include it in the 50 Book Challenge she's doing as it might lead her to miss her target. Dirty Vicar mentioned the Chalets which made me think "Wonder if they're gigging in the UK?" and a quick look at the band's website reveals that YES THEY ARE! Also some of the pictures on their site our hilarious (e.g. http://www.thechalets.com/images/chalets_balmy.jpg). I'm sure they're going to be really fun live. Mark. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+