Editor’s Blog: 19 February 2010

I recieved an email alert this week. Here’s an extract:

“WORLD EXCLUSIVE PLAY OF FIRST SINGLE FROM NEW KATIE MELUA ALBUM ON BBC RADIO 2 THIS THURSDAY (FEB 18). BBC Radio 2 secures world exclusive play of new Katie Melua single ‘The Flood’. Written by Katie with Guy Chambers & Lauren Christy, this first release from her new album will be played on the Ken Bruce show on Thursday 18th February between 09:30 & 12:00 (Richard Allinson standing in for Ken Bruce). Recorded at Air Studios in London, Katie’s fourth studio album is produced by William Orbit and sees Katie writing on her own and with Chambers, Rick Nowels, Mike Batt and school friend Polly Scattergood.”

The album sounds interesting and I look forward to reviewing it. However, my reason for mentioning this is that I wondered why tax-payer funded, non-commercial BBC Radio 2 has been granted an exclusive for a single and album due for release in late May. I understand the same deal has been done with another artist who I will not name. Now I realise that the BBC has the audience numbers and that the song is likely to be heard by many people, but I question the BBC in negotiating such a deal, and thereby cutting out every commercial and community radio station in the process.  I have long argued that the BBC has now far too much size, clout and influence for an arms-length state owned public service, and this is a prime example on how it is being wrongly used. No doubt the suit and tie responsible will get a pat on the back… And as for the record company, I suspect that other radio stations may refuse to play it because of the action taken by them and the BBC. The email also stated:

“The resulting album (title tba) has been described as sonically epic, adventurous and dramatic and, whilst appealing to Katie’s fans, also promises to draw a new audience.”

 A fine way to appeal to ‘a new audience’! Ultimately, it’s case of (nearly) everybody losing…

I watched Amy Williams throughout her Winter Olympics campaign and never doubted this modest, attractive, brave and skilled young woman would win Britain’s first individual Gold Medal for thirty long years. But what impressed me most was her apparently layback attitude due I believe to her thinking she had nothing to lose, and therefore didn’t exhibit the tensions shown by the big guns of the sport. Well done Amy, you’re an inspiration. I’ve now got my eye on those lady curlers…

Editor’s Blog: 17 February 2010

On Tuesday nights there’s one TV programme I never miss. Ice Road Truckers is compulsive viewing and I am in awe of those drivers and what they do. Lisa Kelly is one of them and is as far removed from what you’d think a trucker looks like as can be. She’s brilliant and in the current series is performing up there with the very best of the males. But this Tuesday there was a slight problem mainly due to the editor’s hat I wear. The Brits was being televised live and I felt obligated to watch it (not out of choice you understand…). Anyway it turned out that the adverts were ‘counter seasonal’ so I was able to key-pad my way through both shows.

There was bad news and good news. An early shocker on The Brits was the award for ‘Most Memorable Performance On 30 Years of The Brits’ which went to the Spice Girls. I kid you not! The bad news also included a dreadful performance by Lily Allen (looking very weird), and a ‘performance’ by Cheryl Cole which was mysteriously hailed as great by the tabloid press.

Cole’s miming was totally out of synch and I could see that the show’s producer realised too, as he/she kept pulling the camera away from close-up shots. She also looked like a programmed lump of wood as she attempted to dance. So this lady is thinking of ‘conqering’ the USA market… Think again darlin’ or perhaps you should try entering the next Pop Idol, with the faintest chance you might make it to the first round knockout in Hollywood. On second thoughts… Dame Shirl got her dates mixed up as she claimed she won the best singer award in 1977 but the Brit Awards started in 1980. Never mind Shirley, at least you do have a great voice and can slay ‘em live.

The good news was that, amongst the Brits, Kasabian, Robbie and Florence (surprisingly, but why murder a perfectly good song?) did a really good job, but it was the Yanks who gave the most memorable performance. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys were brilliant, but my vote for the night went to Lady Ga Ga who surprised everybody by performing songs nobody knew, and alone (i.e. without dancers). I got the feeling she wanted to be different from the other female, highly orchestrated (and dreadful) set pieces. Few realise that Lady Ga Ga, aka Joanne Stefani Germanotta (Italian-American parentage), is classicly trained (piano) and had to work hard and struggle to get where she is now.

She’s also very intelligent and soaks up lessons and influences from the past like a sponge. She does what she does because it was the only way for her to ’succeed’, and it’s worked big-time. In just one year she’s sold millions of records and had numerous single hits, but here’s a thought… What if she embarked on a ’side-project’, called herself Stef, reverted to her natural brunette hair, less-revealing dress (but don’t overdo Stef) , and sang real songs about herself, her past and the shit you have to do to become famous and successful. For sure, nobody would recognise her (maybe that’s why she is so heavily made up and camouflaged - so nobody knows what she really looks like…). Wouldn’t that be great! She is genuinely talented and proved that her voice is pretty special on both the Grammies and the Brits. But I wonder what the media would make of it?

And finally, Liam was Liam (much to Peter Kay’s disgust) and what he did was the only genuine rock ‘n’ roll moment of the night.