Bert Jansch’s Avocet. Bloody hell - I wasn’t expecting a book as part of the CD package. And what a beautiful thing it is, too. I think I was first alerted to Avocet via the always excellent Late Junction. An ebay search was soon set up. Most items clocked in at around £15. No ta. And then one appeared for a fiver. I’ll have a bit of that, thank you very much. Music about birdwatching is about where I’m at these days.

Short and sweet - which was a blessing as that was all that I could tolerate. Indie shite doesn’t speak to me. How the chuff are you expected to dance to this nonsense? Some of the Pixies bass line pricked up my interest. But that was about it I’m afraid.

⭐ ⭐

“I know that such a documentary is the director’s construct, telling the story he wants you to know. But I really did come out of it feeling warmer about Elvis the human being, and even more regretful about the opportunities he missed.”

Richard Williams on EPiC: Elvis Presley

There’s a tremendous amount of energy on this album. It’s not exactly bedtime listening. It kicks you up the arse and offers up a rallying call. I’m not quite sure what the message is, but it sounds like fun. It’s also quite a messy album as it progresses. It descends into music hall nonsense. That’s where I gave up.

⭐ ⭐

The fourth album in a six-act story? Blimey. I may have missed the first three, but there’s no way I’m going to binge on a catch up. The final two acts can do one, as well. I’m being harsh. This wasn’t the rock opera shit I was expecting. It’s almost soft rock, sounding like an album from 1979, not 2015. One for the committed.

⭐ ⭐

Goofy US college art rock shit that actually isn’t very funny. It reminded me of the ‘skits’ on US chat shows. They’re crap as well. Ha, bloody ha. Jonathan Richman has some half decent jokes in his back catalogue, along with the songs to match. AJJ has neither.

⭐ ⭐

We finally finished off the 1,001 Album list today. Every day for the past 1,001 days, R and I have both been served up the same highly recommended album to listen to.

Actually - that’s not quite true. We finished off the 1,001 Albums list a couple of months ago. The site editor added in a few extra albums beyond the book of the same name. But now that well has run dry.

Once again - sorta…

There’s just under 500 more albums, all recommended by subscribers to the list to plough through. And so we go again.

The quality control seems a little uncertain if the Album of the Day - Metric and Fantasies - is anything to go by. That’s what happens when you out source the list to the great unwashed.

I looked elsewhere for my morning musical blast, once Metric had done with their Garbage imitation riffs. Hang on! I know - I’ve not explored Disc 4 and 5 of the Cafe Bleu epic box set yet.

It was held back at first from the streaming platforms, but is now available. It’s basically some early Style Council BBC sessions, plus some early live recordings.

It’s the early BBC sessions that hold the most promise. You can hear the songs developing in real time, with the odd extra bongo interlude here and there, as Paul and Mick find their feet. The trumpet break in Paris Match doesn’t quite work out…

Cafe Bleu always reminds me of spring. Maybe the timing of the re-release was deliberate? The overall theme is one of optimism and an extra bounce in your step. Even the synth heavy Headstart for Happiness retains that youthful joy.

1,001 albums?

How about 1,006?

Strong Garbage vibes here. No bad thing. It’s not going to win any Ivor Novello awards for songwriting. But the sweeping chord changes built into the melodies are pleasing. It probably plays well in the gym.

⭐ ⭐

Some of the instrumentals work best here. That’s not to say that the vocals aren’t sweet. This is an incredibly warm album. It’s full of optimism, but almost downplayed with the gentle approach to creating something special. You can hear almost track by track where Weller got the whole Wild Wood vibe from.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

No pop, no style. That’s me. And this was just too poppy for my tastes. I’m sure it’s very accomplished. The production doesn’t hold back when throwing everything into the mix. But I’m afraid it’s not for me.

⭐ ⭐