Winter Recommendations
David Lee Roth- Crazy From The Heat
Former lead singer with the mighty Van Halen and subsequently a solo artist who has nose-dived in popularity over the last decade DLR has a lot of stories under his belt, and he wants to share them with you. This is a great read even if you aren’t familiar with Van Halen as I was in my youth (my bedroom was a shrine to Eddie Van in ’88). Roth writes in extended soundbites and tells his stories in no particular order. His lingo can be a little hard to follow at times as he writes like he talks (like a wise guy). He puts the boot in to the rock and Roll myth at times revealing the harsh truth of two years on the road, sleeping on a bus (how to get comfy) and coping with disturbed sleep patterns (he still sleeps with his clothes on today apparently). He also reveals that the best way to see any city is to cycle round it in the small hours of the morning. Oh and he also reveals just why they demanded M&M’s with the brown ones removed in their rider.
HoBo Says, "I’ll have the brown ones!"
Ram- Paul Mc Cartney
Paul Mc Cartney is often ridiculed as a solo artist, often by people who have heard very little of his solo output. The usual criticism levelled at Macca is "What about the frog chorus then?", and to them I say "Frog chorus was written for Rupert the Bear, which is a children’s character. What the fuck do you think he should have given them, experimental jazz!".
On to RAM then. Now I first heard this album when I was a child and coming back to it is a real joy. What I would make of it if I were hearing for the first time as an adult, I can’t say. I hope it would still sound great. The emphasis is on quirky and is probably realised best in ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and the outstanding, lyrically bizarre ‘ Moonkberry Moon Delight’ which features the immortal line "So I sat with a knot in my stomach, and I gazed at that terrible sight, of two youngsters in a barrel, sucking Monkberry Moon Delight".
HoBo Says "Give my regards to Broad Street was crap though"
Fantomas by Fantomas
Featuring Mike Patton on vocals, Buzz Osbourne on guitar, Trevor Dunn on Bass and Dave Lombardo on drums, this ‘project’ is the ultimate heavy metal wet dream. No discernible lyrics and twisted contorted fractured songs that will pin you to the wall and make you scream in delight.Tracks are not named but numbered like the frames of comic book animation that accompany it.
Makes Linkin Park and their kin sound like the bunch of amateur monkeys they really are. Sell your Korn albums and buy this. I dare you!
HoBo Says "The album cover is the stuff of nightmares"
Mickey Speedway USA for Nintendo 64 by Rare
Right, first things first. This is not a sequel to Diddy Kong Racing (older quite liked racing game) or anything to do with it! OK? Right then, many of you might be put off by the Disney characters in this game, don't be. This is a fun game, which plays as well as it looks. There are six basic characters, Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Mini, Pete and Goofy. Also the superior Huey, Duey and Louie are all waiting to be unlocked, oh and that weird professor duck, but he is shite. The premsise is a little odd, the gang have to race across the USA to rescue Pluto who has been captured by the weasels, but hey what story line would you put to a raceing game? There are a good range of effective weapons which upon use will be announced by the weird professor duck, such as a remote bi-plane which will zom to the head of the race pack and take out the leader and a baseball which you aim at the racer immediatley ahed. The courses are well thought out and very nice to look at. If you like Mario Kart you will like this.
HoBo says, "That profesor duck sure is weird"
PJ Harvey- Stories From The City Stories From The Sea
This is P.J’s sixth album, her New York album. You know the type we all make them, I’m making mine next year. Joking aside (that was a joke you know) this album is so good it’s difficult not to like. Apparently P.J lived in New York for a summer and wrote this. Well she may of written some of it in Cornwall or wherever it is she comes from, but it’s not a Cornwall vibe you get from listening to it I can tell you. Just look at her on the cover, she looks like she’s just walked out of studio 54, not nipped out for some pasties. Real heart on sleeve emotional stuff of the highest order from the talented Polly James, who also ropes in that bloke from Radiohead to assist on 'The Mess We’re In’. Like she sings in opening track Big Exit "Baby baby ain’t it true, I’m immortal when I’m with you". Too fuckin' right.
HoBo says, "Be prepared to want to move to New York after you’ve heard it."
Up and Down by Marc Riviere
At first glance this book looks like titillation, hell that’s why I bought it. But further inspection probably won’t even stimulate your trouser terrorist. Photographer Marc Riviere brings us a collection of photographs of women on the streets of Paris who are willing to bare their breasts for his lens. Whether or not it’s actually true or whether they are paid models is hard to say, but I’m willing to believe they are genuine. However I’m sure if I tried the same thing I’d get my Nikon lodged firmly in my rear end by some townie thug. Maybe that’s the difference between Paris and Leicester.
HoBo Says "If you want filth buy Club"
Apostrophe Frank Zappa
An early solo album from the moustachioed one before he got too cocky and started making, well crap albums full of in jokes and guitar noodling for the sake of noodling. This album was made when Frank’s wife Gail was pregnant in hospital with one of their unfortunately named offspring, and apparently He was in a jubilant mood. Which you can pretty much take as read when you hear the upbeat commercial (in a Zappa way) material on this album. The album kicks off with a cautionary tale about an Eskimo named Nanook and his adventures across the tundra, which warns the listener ‘watch out where the Huskies go and don’t you eat that yellow snow’. The most beautiful song on the album ‘Uncle Remus’ is worth the asking price alone.
HoBo Says "Yellow snow is the tastiest".