James MacLaren

Phew! As proof of dodgy taste, I offer my obsession with late period Suzi Quatro LP, Rock Hard, that I dragged my mother all over the place for (I think I saw her in Tiswas or something)

Man, feeling exposed here. I had a few dozen albums by 11 on record and cassette. I’m making no claims for great taste, but Blondie, ABBA and Adam & the Ants would have been top of my list.

I’d have definitely bought this if it was available on CD. Frustrating!

Women filmed in secret for TikTok content - then harassed online So-called manfluencers wearing smart glasses approach women and then post videos to TikTok.

Oh look, that thing everyone said would happen following introduction of these technologies, somehow happened.

Actually , reading this back, I’ve been super unclear. I hope my point comes through!

Last comment: the best things about the ‘70s for me (arts and culture aside - very subjective) were the socialist dimensions that made everyday life better (welfare type stuff). I don’t have time for the sorts of racist answers to this question that focuses on culture wars type stuff.

So I think the answer to the question depends on where you start to answer. Perhaps there’s been a more thorough analysis that takes ALL of these things into account, but I’ve not seen one yet. (I’d be genuinely keen to, though)

Social media, employment far higher, no qualification inflation. But of course (no less important), rampant racism, intolerance, domestic violence. The affordable and connectibility of technology. Scientific advances.

I think it depends a lot on the prism that you are looking through. Some things are immeasurably better in the 2020s, some things are worse. For instance, working from home after hours, being available all hours, wages were enough to raise a family single-handedly back then, no internet bullying…

Look after yourself, Rob. That’s the most important thing! Take it easy!

David Bowie I just noticed that it is almost ten years since David Bowie died – January 10th 2016. It doesn’t feel like ten years, but a lot has happened so I guess it is. I’m not one for han…

I noticed it was going to be ten years since Bowie passed so I wrote a post revisiting his discography. It's subjective and not to be taken too seriously, but I really enjoyed it - it was a fantastic excuse.

I’m sorry, I couldn’t carry on reading beyond: “A full stop (or period, to my American friends) at the end of the sentence that was soul music.”

It’s just too awful. Soul music is not a sentence. If anything, it’s a lot of sentences (many not compatible) and SOTT (awesome) offers no full stop.

No penny dropping for me either.

This sounds good. No doubt further research is needed and I’m very grateful that you put it up. However, I’m very frustrated that government messaging is so poor that you have to do this sort of thing.

2025: A Year in CDs It’s been a fairly slow year for me CD-wise, especially regarding new 2025 releases. The trend for records that I have bought over a year has been downward over the last few years anyway. I&#…

I suspect that no-one will be all too worried by this but here are my albums of 2025 (New, Reissues and New to me). Not the best - I can't make that judgement - but they have made me happy.

jameswriteslife.wordpress.com/2025/12/14/2...

I read it (and just re-skimmed it - I am forgetful). I agree with some of your points, esp. ranking and expecting the list to mean anything. All the same, I do write a post with a sort of list (more a bunch). It’s more a journal piece than an assessment. Just a bunch of things that made me happy.

I was but I was 8. In my teens I put them away as thought I was supposed to, but slowly came back around in my 30s (largely thanks to picking up Gold in a charity shop and falling in love again with SOS).

Agreement here too.

I’m in Morrisons and over the store radio comes The Cramps with Human Fly. Well, that is an unexpected pleasure!

A.I. Files #9 – AI can help authors beat writer’s block, says Bloomsbury chief [Extended Commentary] Lauren Almeida, News Report, The Guardian, 27th October 2025 [Edited from article] “Nigel Newton, the founder and chief executive of [Bloomsbury], said the technology could support almost all…

I dashed off a few words summarising my thoughts regarding that Guardian article where the Head of Bloomsbury proposed writers used AI to combat 'writer's block'.

jameswriteslife.wordpress.com/2025/10/28/a...

You see so many of these alleged ‘articles’ that feel like little more than press releases from tech companies desperate to make a name for themselves. Depressing.

I enjoyed it. One of my favourites for the year even although I think it needs a few more listens to embed before I’m sure.

Nothing to add - exactly right.

Again - all agreement. Even Dylan, perhaps the greatest lyricist in the past 70 years, had to write (or at least borrow) a good tune first. Despite all the gushing directed at his lyricism (arguably deserved), people often forget his musicality. And that, to me at least, is what matters.

Completely agree. I sympathise (to a degree), it's hard to write about music - it's a completely different language - and people do like a good story. But, put crudely, I've never bopped to good lyrics.

I agree with much of what you write here, but I'm not sure I've ever agreed with you so emphatically as I do when you say 'pull yourselves away from the fucking lyrics.' Lyrics are fine (of course) but they are one component of many, and rarely the most decisive.

I’m pretty sure I listen to far more albums per week than your average - probably something like four-six per day (I work from home at the moment) - so ~42 a week. 22 records would mean that I’d not properly absorbed them all *plus* not listened to anything else. How’s that good?

That is awful. If the article itself wasn’t banal enough…

I enjoyed the Sudan Archives. I’ve only given one listen so far. Very club heavy, but fun. Time will tell if it stacks up. I’ve not listened to the Mozart Estate just yet. I’ll try to this week. Lawrence is someone I’ve not given enough time to.

That final question. I think about it often and it really seems that the answer is no. To them, Britain appears irredeemably broken and their appeal to voters relies upon them pointing out the ways in order to generate anger and despair. What must it be to live like that?