Best Albums of 2008

[Bad Ambassador]

Ah there you are! A typically arresting list with several I've never heard of at all or only vaguely: 8, 11, 12, 15, 19, and several I know the names but not the music. More fun with you tube and my space ahead.

I have the feeling you too would love the Lambchop CD if you heard it. Maybe you have. If not, worth the risk.

Enjoyed your account of Elbow at Leeds, and totally with you re the talking fucknuts. I've now seen the enormously astonishing 'Great Expectations' live twice and the first time was from the balcony of the Brixton Academy with ridiculous levels of chit chat going on around me, and a large group of Chinese folk walking out in the middle of it, as if they'd come to the wrong gig and decided once and for all during this slow one that this was all a big mistake. At least I could hold my breath and let my jaw hang at the Cambridge Corn Ex last time and delight completely in a song of Desert Island Discs proportions being delivered live to perfection.

I like your blog (despite the X Factor!), but keep posting, Bad Ambass!

Hello there! Happy listening with the numbers above. The Lambchop CD would be in my nearly-as-honourable-as-the-honourable-mentions-list if such a list existed. I bought it late in the year - the 2CD set was cheap in HMV - and, although I've not played it enough yet, it is good. I always find Lambchop albums take me ages to actually love.
Cheers for reading the blog. Might actually update it soon.

[Who Shot Sam?]

I see what people meant on the appropriate thread when they complained about the shoddy packaging of Acid Tongue. It's like a newspaper freebie. I'm for environmental packaging, but fer crying out loud!

Boy you weren't kidding. I can appreciate the thought behind it, but man is it cheap. The Lambchop album packaging isn't exactly deluxe either, but it does have those two marvelous paintings.

[Otis Westinghouse]

They are good, aren't they? A review somewhere, amazon maybe, relates them nicely to the contents. Old friend of the band's, or of Wagner's. I await your review.

The Word proves once again that it's the one for me by a) having Kate Bush looking heavenly on the cover and then 5 articles inside about meetings with her (much as they did with Moz a while back, OK it's not a new interview, but it makes for a great overview) and b) a readers' top 50 songs of 2008 (how come I missed the poll?), with 6 songs from Seldom Seen Kid in at 1 ('One Day Like This'), 5, 16, 19, 23 and 29 (though how anyone could vote for the lightweight 'The Fix' and leave out the combined delights of 'Weather To Fly' and 'Friend of Ours' is entirely beyond me). and, especially making Fishfinger King want to take out a lifelong subscription to the mag, three from Fleet Foxes at 3, 6 and 8. Elvis makes a guest appearance at 39 on Jenny Lewis's 'Carpetbagger'.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Old friend of the band's, or of Wagner's. I await your review.

Just listened to it once through so far and can understand the Cat Stevens comparison. His voice reminds me a lot of Stuart Staples' (from Tindersticks).

[colrow26]

Greetings to all you guys in Elvisforumland!!
Here is my belated list of best albums of 2008
1.*%$@Smilers - Aimee Mann
2. Last temptation of CHris - Chris Difford
3. Memory Muscle - Mark Morriss
4. Circus Money - Walter Becker
5. 22 dreams - Paul Weller
6. Momofuku - Elvis Costello
7. Seldom seen kid - Elbow
8. Dear Science - TV on the radio
9. Harps and Angels - Randy Newman
10. Rain - Joe Jackson
11. Intimacy - Bloc Party
12. Accelerate - REM
13. The cross eyed rambler - Paul Heaton
14. Fleet Foxes
15. Day and age - Killers
16. Glasvegas
17.Acid tongue - Jenny Lewis
18. Only by the night - Kings of Leon
19. Wilderness - Brett Anderson
20. Stainless style - Neon Neon

All the best to all on the forum for a happy and successful 2009!!

[Otis Westinghouse]

Ah there you are! Good list.

Looked out for you at the Boro game, but wasn't sure which block your Row 26 was in! I was right by the corner flag between West and North stands. shame it wasn't a goal orgy.

Do you know Mark E Smith?

[oily slick]

hear hear on the kings of leon. add alejandro escovedo, real animal to my list as well.

[colrow26]

Otis wrote

Do you know Mark E Smith?

Hiya Otis - I do indeed know Mark E Smith having been his next door neighbour for the last 20 years!! oh yes Ive had many an entertaining/interesting conversation with MES over our shared garden fence!!

[Otis Westinghouse]

My God! Incredible! We really will have to meet up for that drink next time... Prestwich only has one real association with me, so when I saw that the other day, I just wondered. Never counted on you being a neighbour. Does he behave himself? I know someone who more or less co-habited with him in his Edinburgh period. Best friend of a friend. It was only a few months. After he split up with Brix, maybe? Are you a fan?

[colrow26]

Correct Otis! MES did live in Edinburgh after splitting with Brix - I was lucky enough to meet Brix and she was dead nice, I remember she called round with a bottle of champagne day after my daughter was born.
To be fair MES does pretty much keep himself to himself however over a 20 year period there have been a number of, how shall we say, "incidents"!!
I am a fan of the Fall, saw them a few times in the 80s and 90s but not since although you can often hear their music blaring from next doors open windows!!

[Otis Westinghouse]

Bring on that pint so I can hear more about those incidents! Well I'm ever so glad I asked that throwaway question. Amazing stuff.