What I was listening to in… OCTOBER 2026

Week 41

Silverhead's albums are both bootleg quality and exist purely for historical significance.

The Neil Young double CD set was great - not played it for a long time. Well worth a place in anyone's collection.

Wizzard's CD is not just all hits but some of Roy's solo and lesser known stuff. Wonderful!

Week 42

Why oh why on the Genesis "Archive #2" did they cut the end off the track "It's Yourself"? It's the nice bit that links the song to "Mad Man Moon" from "A Trick Of The Tail". It's available in full on the "Match Of The Day" EP if you can ever find that!

According to my database I've only got seventeen albums with an unplayed date next to them. They're mostly compilations and greatest hits of the same artists so next week expect a lot of Cheap Trick, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Steve Hackett, Slade and Sparks! Plus some more seventies yearbooks!

Week 43

Some volumes of my favourite singles that I burned to CD to play in the car. Next week it will be NOW 70s yearbook compilations.

Week 44

From the graphic it looks as though I've played fewer CDs this time but, in fact, I've played nearly twice as many as usual! The Now albums are all four or three disc sets.

I think that's all my albums played; I don't have any with a blank space next to the played date in my database.

Only thing to do now is to buy some more!

Roll on Christmas!

What I was reading in… October 2026

Three big events for October; the final Fantastic & Terrific (after eighty-nine weeks), the publication of The Collected Cloak, and Jessica Martin's debut novel Mud, Myth and Murder (well worth reading and there's more to come).

The Mighty World Of Marvel is now my weekly blast from the past soon to be joined by Spider-Man Comics Weekly. I don't have a complete set of this pair but there's nearly a years worth.

What I was reading in… September 2026

Next month sees the end of the run of Fantastic & Terrific but the beginning of The Mighty World Of Marvel so I'll be rereading those each week. I don't have a complete set but it'll be nice to revisit what's available.

The Peanuts book was very enjoyable, and for only £2!

What I was listening to in… SEPTEMBER 2026

Week 36

The James Bond CD has some classic tracks but also contains the worst theme tune to any of his movies (and some of the recent ones have been pretty poor!): Lulu's "The Man With The Golden Gun". Terrible song! And to think they rejected Alice Cooper's submission for the theme. Look it up, it's on YouTube.

The Earth Band CD contains a couple of unexpected cover versions - "Going Underground" and "Do Anything You Wanna Do".

Week 37

I found another bunch of CDs from Tracey's Woolworth haul that have never been played before.

RAP is not my cup of tea although I might play the Wyclef Jean album again …sometime! If I'm in the mood.

The classical CD has the usual highs (too loud) and lows (inaudible). There's never a middle ground with these sort.

Those of you paying attention may notice that I played the Cheap Trick album in week 31. Well that was the free Classic Rock version and this is the official release with the extra track - a cover of Slade's song "When the lights are out". Smashing!

Week 38

I think most of the albums I've got left to play are greatest hits, best ofs and live sets and they are all mainly the same artists. Let's see what turns up next week.

Week 39

Mostly the same artists, in nearly the same order, as last week. I'm getting close to the end of my unplayed list now so I might have to buy some new albums! (That's my excuse for getting more).

I've just found another box of CDs and DVDs that came free with newspapers plus some that my old pal Mark Craig Fisher burned for me years ago. They'll appear next week!

Week 40

Seven albums from my old pal Mark Craig Fisher (The Dylan one has a few distortion problems on disc two ) and two given free with newspapers!

The Roy Wood album has a hidden track at the very end (After the final listed track you have to let it keep playing for about ten minutes to get to it).

What I was listening to in: AUGUST 2026

Week 32

The reissue of "In A Glass House" has arrived. My Dad was given the cassette of it, back in the 70s, to pass on to me. I played it but wasn't that bothered about it at the time. Now this year I've been buying many Gentle Giant albums. I was expecting the CD to come in the same transparent sleeve as the LP (as it was advertised) but it just came with a clear window. Chiz!!

Week 33

It's a greatest hits/best of week again. CHANGESONEBOWIE is another out of the cassette box; from the Woolies bargain bin I think. The Elvis Costello CD is another that Tracey got from Woolies when it closed. It's supposed to be a two disc set but I only have disc 2. It's good though, not just all the usual hits.

Week 34

A selection of live sets again. The Silverhead album is of bootleg quality so it's not the best recording but is an important document of the bands live set.

After listening to the two Trapeze in Dallas albums it's easy to see why they never became a mega group along the lines of Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin! The songs are just not memorable.

Week 35

I really enjoyed this weeks selection. Some great tracks on the "Two Rooms" and "Nobody's Child" compilations.

I have a database of all my albums and it includes when I last played them. This list starts from 2014 when we had the conservatory built and I started playing records on a regular basis (with time off between Mar 2022 & Aug 2024 when my turntable broke). According to my list I have 99 undated albums to go.

What I was reading in… August 2026

The Brian Bolland book was a Kickstarter I backed in, I think, October last year! It was originally supposed to be delivered by the end of January 2026. I thought it was never going to turn up but it arrived this month! (it's very good though).

I do enjoy the Gerry Anderson Comic Anthologies. I hope there's a Captain Scarlet one coming. Mike Noble's art on those is magnificent.

What I was reading in… July 2026

The second series of "Reacher" is based on the Lee Child book I read this month. There were more differences between book and TV this time but they were both highly entertaining.

Bob Mortimer's book is excellent - you can't help but read it in his voice! I've got two more of his that I'll get to eventually.