It took a bit longer than anticipated (Amazon UK couldn’t deliver it directly to Ireland – I’m blaming BoJo/Brexit), but I am thrilled to have finally received this book by David Elliot in the post today.

1984 - far and away my favourite musical year to date, despite being still in single figures for most of it. A ‘coming of age’ age thing or simply that so much music (and cinema) that year was superb? I wonder if, in the future, many of those born in 2011 will look back on 2021 as their favourite/most defining year musically. Who knows…

Early 80s, to me, was (and remains) awesome musically. But, while some very-late-80s albums are still, to this day, my go-to records (1989’s ‘Disintegration’, ‘Doolittle’ and ‘The Stone Roses’), a sizable portion of pop music from 1985 to the end of the decade was truly dreadful (with the exception of some timeless and even dated gems). The memories of Stock, Aiken & Waterman’s toxic dominance in the latter part of that period, in particular, make me shudder. How was that allowed to happen?

Anyway, back to sonically splendid 1984…I’m looking forward to immersing myself in this weighty tome over the next while. You can order it from the author's own website here. Between this new book and the recently-released Season 3 of Cobra Kai on Netflix, 1984 is very much to the fore of my mind at this moment. In continuance of this theme, I plan to post a couple of new solo recordings of songs from that standout year in the coming weeks. Requests welcome…

A lockdown purchase from a fantastic business in Finland called Practically Wood.

This is actually a coat rack, with the black notes functioning as hooks (you can pull them out at an angle and they are STRONG).

​Having always played almost everything in the key of C (for an easier life) and, subsequently, making extensive use of the magical 'transpose' function on digital pianos, my engagement with C#, D#, F#, G# and A# has heretofore been limited and 'interesting'. It's refreshing to have taken the relationship to a new level, albeit solely cosmetically.

Ah...that feeling of a new musical hook.

I'll get my coat...

Since I was a young child, legs dangling from piano stool and grappling with the daunting enormity of a full-sized piano (whilst simultaneously transfixed by the singular power of each individual key), I struggled massively to sight-read music, always preferring to play by ear.

"Bad habit," they said.

Hear, Hear...


Ends.