Day 353. Random Access Memories. (19/12/13)

That moment when you alight on something that you hadn't been looking for and realise that you'd forgotten how bloody great it was?

U2 featuring Johnny Cash 'The Wanderer' from the Zooropa album, an album which was basically cobbled together while the band were touring 'Achtung Baby' - the tour that started as Zoo TV and ended as Zooropa to tie in with the new material, the tour that saw them filling arenas and fields with huge TVs and second hand cars and taking on personalities and playing with irony. All of which gained them a fair amount of scorn but was actually sodding brilliant.

Zooropa did interesting things purely as a result of being recorded without thought, without analysis, without wondering what the world wanted whereas the album that was promised nearly five years ago still hasn't appeared as the lads seem crippled by the creative process and trying to figure out what U2 are supposed to do next.

It's easy to forget how great U2 really were.

It's easy to forget lots of things but here's a game that will bring them to the surface.

The Word magazine built a marvellous little community around the website that ran as adjunct to its monthly publication; discussion was had, argument entered into, the readers provided the content, the entertainment and every once in a while there would be a thread called The Randomiser which involved you hitting shuffle on your iPod and listing the first five songs that came up (no cheating, no skipping) - the idea being that these songs said something about you.

So. Let's do it. Let's hit the shuffle button and see if there are any memories in there (easier than thinking of something to write about) only rule - I have to write the piece in the duration of the track. Because life is far too easy without setting yourself stupid targets. I am allowing myself a pause at the end of the track to complete my thought so that I don't trail off mid.........

1. What In The World by David Bowie off the Stage album. I bought 'David Stage' as it's commonly known in Tudor Records in Walton Vale in the early 80s, in that early 'discovering the artist, working through everything' condition. Bowie on the gatefold cover of the double album, powder blue suit, blonde quiff, mysterious and alien. The song has a reggae feel that changes pace halfway through, the vocals are arrogant/insouciant, the guitars are all over the place. It's working in Kwik Save, trying to be cooler than I had any hope of being and playing vinyl on my old bedroom in my parents' house.

2. Hot Profit Gospel by The Icicle Works. It's a b-side, damned if I can remember what it was the b Side of but I'm listening to it from the 'Best Kept Secrets' bonus disc that came with the greatest hits album that was issued when we lived in Leeds. I'm guessing 91/92. The Icies were always rockier than people thought, McNabb's a damn fine guitarist, when he's on form he's one of the country's best unrecognised songwriters, his new album is totally on form and 'Fast Approaching Land' from it is one of the best tracks of the year. He's doing a two and a half hour set at The Lomax (love the Lomax, great venue) on Sunday. It's £5. Obviously I'm going.

3. The Vaguest of Feeling by Franz Ferdinand. It's from the 'Blood' album that was part of the two pack that they put out about five years ago. 'Blood' consisted of dub versions of the songs from the main album (Tonight, if I remember correctly) I've never actually listened to this before, part of my habit of making sure that I buy the limited version whether I need it or not and then not listening to/watching the CD/DVD that was the lure. It's pretty decent, bass heavy and echoing. Easy to be blind to the fact that it was Franz that brought guitars back into the charts and just how sharp the first album was.

4. Nickelodeon. T.Rex. From the 20th Century Superstar box set. Marc apparently needs 'a nickel for the Nickelodeon' he then yodels a bit. It's all acousticy so it's probably early Tyrannosaurus Rex rather than the later pop gear. He could be a bit hit and miss, old Marc; if I'm in the mood he's great. This is actually quite pleasant. Memories then? Hearing T Rex (proper electric glam pop version) for the first time ever in (Burton's?) on County Road in Walton. I choose to remember it as being 'Hot Love' with its fantastic singalong chorus.

And finally (after a break for tea, the evening meal, not the refreshing beverage)

5. YES! GET IN! A blinder to finish with. 'The Seven Thousand Names of Wah!' From Wah!'s debut album 'Nah=Poo: The Art Of Bluff'. Early eighties again, 81 to be precise, after two fantastic singles ('Better Scream, Seven Minutes To Midnight') hopes were up for Wah!. The album was seen at the time as something of a let down; not as immediate or catchy as was hoped, it wasn't the post punk pop masterpiece that everybody expected Wylie to produce, a little muddy in its sound I thought at the time. Now though? Now it sounds sodding massive, huge guitars, drums that feel as though they've escaped a Phil Spector single, this track is unusual in that it's an instrumental at a time when I wouldn't have expected a band that I liked to record an instrumental. It's a headlong, breakneck rush, guitars jostling for attention, a quote from the theme to 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' and the only lyrics appearing at the very end of the song "One by one, the stars are going out"
It's marvellous and it makes me feel 17 again but as if 17 was actually great.

And I have to confess - I've now listened to 'Seven Thousand Names of Wah!' three times in a row. Call it cheating if you like, I'll call it  ten minutes well spent.

And you should see the next twenty odd tracks; Ian Brown's 'For the Glory' which our Matty loved, Talking Heads' Life During Wartime, Bowie covering Across The Universe, Lennon with Imagine......what does all this say about me then?

It says that I have bloody good taste in music. I could do this all night.