Thanks Q and good night!

When did you last buy a newspaper? When did you last pay money to access and read words that weren't printed in a book? When did you last actually purchase music after reading a magazine review? When did you last circumvent a publication's online paywall or plea for financial support by clicking on the 'I'll do this later' option or by finding the same story on a free site elsewhere?

The answers to the above questions might help to explain why, after publishing its monthly music bible for 34 years, Q magazine will publish its final issue on 28th July 2020. The coronavirus pandemic is being blamed for the periodical's demise. Yet given the decline in its circulation since 2001 and the hope that new editor Ted Kessler - who arrived in 2017 - should not be the magazine's last; the pandemic has seemingly only accelerated, not precipitated, the inevitable. Though I have boxes of back issues, I've not bought Q in years.

I now subscribe to a different music magazine (Classic Pop) that took a printing break during lockdown but is now publishing again. Yet increasingly, I read reports in its pages that I've read online weeks earlier. If fewer people are prepared to pay for content, the only way for magazines to survive  is to provide something so distinctive and exclusive that it can compete with the Internet. And even if that's possible, isn't the notion of a magazine per se — a one-stop shop, a greatest hits compilation of information — an anachronism, anyway?

As we mourn the passing of a relationship with a publication that was forged in our formative years, we cannot deny that this fondness is based on nostalgia. The end of Q magazine is only further evidence of the same cultural shift that has witnessed a devaluation of recorded music and the public's engagement in it — a sentiment shared by the musician Fatboy Slim in Jennifer Otter Bitterdike's 2017 book Why Vinyl Matters: A Manifesto From Musicians And Fans (sourced from the NME's online edition):

"Music has pretty much become disposable, which is a shame because vinyl was never disposable. Even if you got bored with your records, you put them in a charity shop and someone else would buy them. Digital music doesn't have that iconic status; it's not the central object of desire, translated from the people who make the music to the people who listen to it." 

If the relationship between creator and consumer has irretrievably broken down, why should anyone (digital natives, especially) be concerned with the views of music journalists? Arguably, only digital immigrants will recognise what is lost when a magazine disappears. In the days before pithy comments or peer recommendations on social media reigned supreme; magazines really were the creators and curators of public taste. Combined with TV appearances by musicians, they also created mythologies and physical presences that savvy new artists now cultivate themselves online, bypassing the bygone print media of their parents' generation.

Thanks Q and good night.

Pleased to meet you?

Recently I read a BBC report into the growing practice of bands offering fans access to exclusive events, items and/or meet-and-greet opportunities in return for cash. Supporters claim fans can get closer to their heroes and create a new revenue stream in an era when live music is now more lucrative than its recorded counterpart. Others may understandably assert that charging loyal fans even more money for sometimes very little in return is wrong, especially given how fans arguably already finance an act's career.

But several years ago, as I planned to buy tickets to see the band James for the umpteenth time as a birthday celebration for myself and my mate (we were born on the same day); I also decided to throw caution to the wind and pay a premium to also gain access to the exclusive soundcheck and Q&A session a couple of hours prior to the concert itself. This offer is also mentioned in the BBC report.

So for the princely sum of £75 each, roughly double the price of the gig ticket alone, we received:

1. An exclusive lanyard and James pen drive (handed to us by the teenage son of band member Saul Davies)
2. Access to the exclusive 30-minute soundcheck and Q&A session with around 50 other people prior to the concert.

At the Q&A, attendees were encouraged to ask the band questions from the floor, as young Master Davies raced around handing individuals the radio mic. The session was entertaining and I certainly didn't feel like I'd been fleeced. The band were very forthcoming, answered questions fully and played some great songs, as well as work-in-progress ideas that they'd been rehearsing.

As the band were getting ready to leave, they asked if anyone had a final question. As someone else had already asked my prepared question, on a whim I decided to ask the band why they never included the 1988 track 'Burned' in their live sets. It featured on a limited-edition live album from 1989 but I had never heard it anywhere else ever. Band member Saul Davies instantly agreed that it was a great track and that the band should re-record it. At this point, following a little tune-up and a reminder from me that the song was in the key of D and that I could play the piano part if needed (cringeworthy, I know); James proceeded to play 'Burned', with singer Tim Booth reading the lyrics off his mobile phone. With thanks from other fans afterwards, and with this final song even getting a mention in the review of the gig in the Manchester Evening News; I had, to my mind, been given the gift that money simply could not buy.

My overall point here is that under normal circumstances, regardless of how much you pay, you are not forging any kind of personal connection with your favourite band. You will remember the experience in the morning; they won't. That said, if you'd like the opportunity, however brief, to at least shake hands and let your heroes know that their music has helped or inspired you for years, I would try one or all of the following tactics:

1. Choose a venue with a small capacity. You've more chance of meeting your idol after a gig at a provincial arts centre than you have at a London theatre or arena.

2. Choose an artist/band at an early stage in their career or at the very end. International superstars will be too busy to see you.

3. If the performer has promised to sign CDs in the foyer afterwards, queue up and buy one.

4. Queue up at the stage door after the gig and hope for the best!

The best experiences between artists and their fans will always be the chance meetings or the fan-driven initiatives to persuade a band to help them raise money for a charitable cause. Any paid-for meeting will, in most cases, be nothing more than a fleeting, impersonal encounter to fulfil a transaction.

Perfect picture discs?

I continue to fool my nearest and dearest into believing that having now collected all the UK 1980s number-one singles on 7" (as well as most of those that were released on 12"); my mission to fill our home with vinyl is more or less complete. To carry on collecting, I simply decided to look for the special editions of certain tracks, regardless of whether they were chart-toppers. By special edition, I mean any one (or all) of the following:

- a white label and/or promo copy

(such as my £1 bargain 7" promo copy — bought new in 1992 - of 'China' by Tori Amos)

- a version with a different cover sleeve, usually released in a different territory

(the only reason why I anyone needs two copies of the 1988 chart-topper 'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You' by Glenn Medeiros)

-  a version on any colour of vinyl other than the usual black

(definitely the only reason why I own a 12" yellow vinyl of the 1982 chart-topper 'Seven Tears' by Goombay Dance Band)

- a picture disc

(whether it simply bears a picture of the artist or band, is square or rectangular — or even takes the shape of a boxing glove — like my 7" copy of 'Burning Heart' by Survivor)

In the 1980s, a ludicrously large number of versions of the same track were eligible to count towards a chart placing. So remixed versions, coloured vinyl copies and picture discs were all used shamelessly to extract money from diehard fans and help a track climb the charts. I read somewhere that in 1988, 'I Owe You Nothing' by Bros topped the charts thanks to numerous different versions being made available to bonkers Brosettes!

But my personal focus is now picture discs, overlooking their reputation as shoddy novelty items. The picture discs we know today were first produced from 1970 onwards. I understand that the production process means that the images interfere with the grooves — affecting playback as a result. But given that most of my vinyl — whether it's black or a picture disc — is old and slightly crackly to start with, I often can't tell the difference!

With this in mind, I cordially invite you to reassess the humble picture disc with me by listening to Episode 3 of my Vinyl Verdict Radio Show on Mixcloud. You can hear tracks by Jackie Wilson, Kirsty MacColl, Feargal Sharkey and many more. Every track is a picture disc and the shows kick off  in style with 'My Best Friend's Girl' by The Cars - which doesn't sound bad for a record that is almost 40 years old! If you tune in, let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Thanks!

The day the music charts died?

As many news commentators have informed us, the phenomenal first-week success of Ed Sheeran's latest album 'Divide' (672,000 copies sold in its first week of release, the third-highest first week sales ever behind - Adele and Oasis, outselling the rest of the top 500 albums combined, fastest selling album by a male artist ever, biggest-selling one-week vinyl album in over 20 years) meant that yesterday, all 16 tracks from the album gained a placing in the UK singles chart. Ed is as bewildered as the rest of us by these numbers and says himself that a change in the charts is needed.

Last July, in my blog entry Looking after number one, I looked at similar issues when streaming last hit the headlines - when a certain stubborn single couldn't be shifted from the top of the singles chart. The case with Ed Sheeran is slightly different, I feel. Although Thinking Out Loud (co-written with Amy Wadge) may have been the first No. 1 single given a helping hand by streaming; this time around, Ed Sheeran has shifted an incredible number of purchased units. So if everyone who wanted the album and/or individual tracks from it has handed over their cash this week, maybe next week's Top 40 will show us how effective streaming is at keeping track on the chart.

From January 2017, a song has to be streamed 150 times - increased from the previous 100 - to account for one physical sale. And while he's understandably reluctant to change the charts after every strange development, Official Charts Company MD Martin Talbot will certainly be keeping his eye on things. I still think that anyone who has not actually handed over any cash for a given track cannot expect their listening habits to be reflected in any chart based on sales. There is probably no way now of restricting the number of songs in the chart by the same artist, though I would certainly call for the return one official chart that only reflects the state of purchase rather than the state of play.

Going for a song

The latest edition of my Vinyl Verdict Radio Show is now online for your listening pleasure. This time around, it's a broad mix of tunes entirely on vinyl. Besides searching for second-hand vinyl online, I also trawl charity shops around the UK and generally buy most 80s and other classic 7-inches and 12-inches if they appear to be in playable condition. So quite a few of the tunes on the latest show have come from my recent hunt for hits in Pocklington and Harrogate in Yorkshire.

My wife would say it's my obsession. She can barely hide her boredom as I regularly rifle through loads of a dusty, scratched compilation albums before unearthing a genuine classic. Certain charity shops are very aware of the market for old vinyl and so price their items accordingly. But many others don't - so there are often great bargains to be had.

So I'd like to thank the good people of Yorkshire for some 1968 vintage 7-inches from Tom Jones and Manfred Mann, not to mention a lovely track from 2006 in a limited-edition sleeve by US artist Cat Power. They all play perfectly and were priced at just 50p each. Ker-ching! Click on this link to Mixcloud, where you can listen to the all these tracks on the show - plus a lovely online purchase by OMD.

A blast from the radio past

From the sporadic nature of my blog posts, you can probably guess that the school holidays have arrived and I've finally got some time on my hands. Hence I've uploaded my second show to Mixcloud in as many days. For reasons of storage space on my systems, external hard drives, clouds and elsewhere; a large number of the sixty or so shows I made for the now-defunct Internet radio station Only80s.co.uk have been deleted. But of those that remain, I plan to upload a range of the best in the near future. These will not be as vinyl-heavy as the Vinyl Verdict Radio Show, though 12-inch versions will almost always be from the original records.

So today's archived show, first broadcast in August 2015, is an episode of 'Undercover 80s' - one of several hour-long shows devoted to songs released in the 1980s that were cover versions, or were alternative versions of 80s songs. This show features Tina Turner's recording of 'Don't Turn Around' - which preceded the reggae version by Aswad in 1988, the 1981 rendering by Elvis Costello And The Attractions of George Jones' 'Good Year For The Roses' and epic 12-inch cover version by Blancmange in 1984 of ABBA's 'The Day Before You Came'.

In the near future, I also plan to upload a show featuring my October 2015 interview with Warren Ringham, trumpeter and bandleader of the UK's first James Bond tribute band. The interview, recorded for Only80s, was timed to coincide with the release of the Bond film 'Spectre'. If you'd like to hear the interview now, it is available on the band's own website - Q The Music Show. I will be speaking to Warren very soon to get an update on the band's activities. This second interview will also be included in the forthcoming radio show.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my shows and I welcome any comments, song requests or suggestions you may have for the content of future shows. Many thanks for your interest.

Hidden treasures delivered to my door - and then to your ears

In the course of obsessively collecting vinyl, I've unearthed a number of interesting cover versions - usually buried on a B-side or as an extra track on a 12-inch single. This was the case when I received my latest parcel. Among the 12-inches by the likes of Cameo, Debbie Gibson and others, was 'Mary's Prayer' by Danny Wilson. And tucked away on the B-side was their very pleasing rendition of the David Bowie song 'Kooks' - which originally featured on Bowie's 'Hunky Dory' album, of course.

And then I thought that the world needed to hear these hidden treasures. But an 'ordinary' 80s show or jukebox-type radio show - like the ones I've been producing now for the last couple of years - perhaps wouldn't be the right outlet for such discoveries. And so as I result, I've finally set up my own Mixcloud channel, which is also called Vinyl Verdict. With the permission of the founder of the now-defunct online station Only80s, I now plan to also upload some of my archived shows from them for your listening pleasure.

Obviously my ultimate aim is to start broadcasting shows live, although all of my shows are recorded in real time 'as live', so as to give me as much experience as possible in dealing with computer glitches! So for the moment, click on the hyperlink to listen to my first show on Mixcloud. The show features tracks by all the artists mentioned in this post - along with one or two non-vinyl tracks. Having just discovered the 18-year-old newcomer Daisy Clark, and her lovely version of 'Hopelessly Devoted To You'; I had to include this track, as well. So if you like what you hear and/or you have some ideas about what I might want to include in future shows, please leave a comment. Thank you!