FabricationsHQ - Putting the Words to the Music
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    • Various Artists - Revolt Into Style 1979
  • 2021 Reviews
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    • Dave Bainbridge - To The Far Away
    • Lachy Doley - Studios 301 Sessions
    • Mark Pontin Group - Kaleidoscope
    • The Mentulls - Recipe For Change
    • Plush - Plush
    • Wayward Sons - Even Up the Score
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    • Steve Hackett - Surrender Of Silence
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    • Troy Redfern ...The Fire Cosmic!
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    • The Damn Truth - Now Or Nowhere
    • Dennis DeYoung - 26 East Vol 2
    • Mark Lettieri - Deep: The Baritone Sessions Vol 2
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  • 2020 Reviews
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    • McCartney III
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    • Storm Warning - Different Horizons
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    • King King - Maverick
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    • Fish - Weltschmerz
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    • Jim Kirkpatrick - Ballad of a Prodigal Son
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    • Toby and the Whole Truth - Ignorance is Bliss (25th Anniversary Edition)
    • Everyday Heroes - A Tale of Sin & Sorrow
    • Skintrade - The Show Must Go On
    • Robert Jon & The Wreck - Last Light on the Highway
    • Pat Metheny - From This Place
    • Anchor Lane - Casino
  • Selected 2023 Gig Reviews...
    • The Wilson Brothers - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
  • Selected 2022 Gig Reviews...
    • WinterStorm Rock Weekender - Troon
    • Jack J Hutchinson - Bannermans, Edinburgh
    • Paul McCartney - Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury 2022
    • Daryl Hall - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville
    • Joe Bonamassa - SEC Armadillo, Glasgow
    • Dan Patlansky - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Eric Gales - Oran Mor, Glasgow
  • Selected 2021 Gig Reviews...
    • Sweet - The Garage, Glasgow
    • The Damn Truth - Now Or Nowhere Record Release Experiment Live
    • Anchor Lane - Lockdown Live, DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • Laurence Jones - Live From Camden, Powerhaus, London
    • Joe Bonamassa - Austin City Limits, Live Stream
    • Todd Rundgren - Clearly Human Virtual Tour, "Pittsburgh"
  • Selected 2020 Gig Reviews...
    • Jared James Nichols - Garage G2, Glasgow
    • Oscar Cordoba Band - Blue Arrow, Glasgow
    • Rebecca Downes Band - The Ice Box, Glasgow
    • Ben Poole Trio - Room 2, Glasgow
    • Sensational Alex Harvey Experience - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • The Aristocrats - Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
    • Fat Suit - Drygate, Glasgow
    • Francis Dunnery's It Bites - St Lukes, Glasgow
  • Selected 2019 Gig Reviews...
    • WinterStorm Rock Weekender IV - Troon
    • Hawkwind - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • Opeth - SWG3 Galvanizers, Glasgow
    • Félix Rabin - Nice 'N' Sleazy Glasgow
    • Anchor Lane - G2, Glasgow
    • Stray - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Danny Bryant - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Talon - Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow
    • Lifesigns - Smiles of Musical Travel
    • A Whole Lotta Rock 3 - featuring Rattlesnake Tattoo, Prestwick
    • Chantel McGregor - Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow
    • Pete Way Band - Customs House Hotel, Greenock
    • Raintown and Katee Kross - Village Theatre, East Kilbride
    • Danny Vaughn - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • NR Rocks 2019 - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • Arran Rock 'N' Blues Fest 2019
    • Cheap Trick - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • The Blind Lemon Gators - Tolboth, Stirling
  • Muirsical Conversations...
    • Rebecca Downes (December 2022)
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  • FabricationsHQ Q&As With...
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    • Lyle Workman (March 2021)
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Six of The Rest

Favourites of 2011:
Album: Welcome 2 My Nightmare - Alice Cooper
Runner-Up: Resolution - Dougie MacLean
Honourable Mentions: Quid Pro Quo - Status Quo; Dust Bowl - Joe Bonamassa
'Sorry, I don't hear what all the fuss is about' Award: Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot III
Concert (attended): Peter Frampton, Glasgow, 2nd March
Concert (heard): Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Atlanta, 11th November

Favourites of 2010:
Album: Reimaginator - Rock Sugar
Runner-Up: Orchestrion - Pat Metheny
Honourable Mention: Fidelis - Pat Travers Band
'Sorry, I don't hear what all the fuss is about' Award (tied between):
Scratch my Back - Peter Gabriel; Omega - Asia; The Final Frontier - Iron Maiden
Concert (attended): Cheap Trick, Glasgow, 7th November
Concert (heard): Todd Rundgren, London, 6th February

Favourite Albums - Top 20 (no preference - alphabetical):
Boston - Boston (1976)
Camel - The Snow Goose (1975)
Deep Purple - Come Taste The Band (1975)
Dream Theater - Score (2006)
Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue (1977)
Emerson Lake and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (1973)
Emerson Lake and Palmer - Works Volume 1 (1977)
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive (1976)
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Genesis - Trick of the Tail (1976)
Journey - Trial by Fire (1996)
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (1975)
Lone Star - Firing on all Six (1976)
Lucifers Friend - Mind Exploding (1976)
Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell (1977)
Pat Metheny - Secret Story (1992)
Todd Rundgren - Initiation (1975)
Uriah Heep - Sweet Freedom (1973)
Wings - Band on the Run (1973)
Yes - Relayer (1974)
I found this incredibly hard to restrict to only a Top 20, but otherwise it would have had to expand to a Top 50 or even 100. And although around four fifths of it is probably set in musical stone, the other 20% I find constantly 'subject to change.'



Favourite Concerts - Top 20 (no preference - alphabetical):
Blue Oyster Cult (Spectres Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1977
Cheap Trick - The ABC O2, Glasgow 2010
Francis Dunnery - King Tuts, Glasgow 2005 (inc. 'impromptu' unplugged set)
Rory Gallagher (Jinx Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1980
Billy Joel (River of Dreams Tour) - Glasgow SECC 1994
Journey/ Pat Travers Band (double headliner) - Glasgow Apollo 1979
BB King - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2001
Matchbox 20 - Glasgow SECC 2005
Pat Metheny & Brad Mehldau - Glasgow Carling Academy 2007
Queen (The Crazy Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1979
Todd Rundgren (Arena Tour) - The Picture House, Edinburgh 2008
Rush (30th Anniversary Tour) - Glasgow SECC 2004
Slade (The Christmas Gigs) - Glasgow Queen Margaret Union 1983
Robin Trower (Victims of the Future Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1980
Utopia (The London Shows) - Victoria Theatre, London 1978
U2 (The Unforgettable Fire Tour) - Barrowlands, Glasgow 1984
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2006
Wolfstone (The Half Tail Tour) - Gaiety Theatre, Ayr 1995
Yes (Symphonic Tour) - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2001
Yes (35th Anniversary Tour) - Glasgow SECC 2003
Another list that's hard to restrict and subject to some change, although I have to admit I could also create a 'Howlingly Bad' Top 20 from the hundreds upon hundreds of concerts, club gigs, musical events and festivals I have attended. 


Favourite Vocalists:
Jon Anderson (Yes/ solo/ other projects)
David Byron (1947-85) (Uriah Heep/ solo/ other projects)
Brian Connolly (1945-97) (The Sweet)
Dennis DeYoung (Styx/ solo)

Steve Perry (Journey/ solo)
Robin Zander (Cheap Trick)
The most powerful musical instrument is the most natural musical instrument.
And I'll take an average song carried by a great singer over a great song delivered by an average singer any day of the musical week.



‘Six of the Worst' (The evil 'Mirror Universe' equivalent of Six of The Best):
Agadoo - Black Lace
The Birdie Song - The Tweets
If - Telly Savalas
Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
The Final Countdown - Europe
Open Arms - Mariah Carey

'Agadoo' and 'The Birdie Song' are two seriously infectious songs, but let's not forget that most serious infections cause a great deal of pain and discomfort.

'Agadoo' is the ultimate inane sing-a-long party-dance holiday song (it makes 'Macarena' sound like 'Stairway to Heaven'), while 'The Birdie Song' is its partner in crime as the ultimate dance-along (instrumental) party tune.

I envy those of you who have never heard either and for those of us who have heard them, even if only a few times, it's too late - any mention of the songs trigger the entire playback in your head.

There are a few vocal narratives that are truly brilliant, such as 'A Hard Day's Night' by Peter Sellers.
Its Shakespearian wit is matched by the unintentional hilarity of 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' by William Shatner, an interpretation that is perennially regarded as one of the worst, if not the worst, covers of all time (although Shatner's rendition of 'Mr Tambourine Man' runs it close).


Then there are the narrative interpretations that have you looking for a strong box of pain killers and a mallet to destroy the radio. Not so much "If," Mr Savalas, as "Why?"

'Achy Breaky Heart' and 'The Final Countdown' are actually similar beasts.

Both sold by the absolute bucketful and are amongst the favourite songs of many, but for me they are everything that's wrong with their respective musical genres.

Billy Ray Cyrus' massive success is the pinnacle (or pit) of commercial pop-based country foot-tap-a-longs.

The song that launched a thousand line-dancing clubs makes Shania Twain's manufactured country-pop-by-numbers hits almost listenable.
Almost.

Europe's hit is one of the most successful and enduring melodic rock/ soft metal songs, but only because every 80's-rock cliche' in the book is thrown into the mix...
Naff lyric, wailing but infectious (there's that infection again)
melody line on a polyphonic synthesizer, a fast flurry of notes guitar solo, harmony chorus sing-a-long and, visually, the poodle-haired spandex bedecked video that set a template that many would follow.
The perfect marriage of formula and fashion (of the day).

And so to 'Open Arms' by Mariah Carey.
The original, by Journey, is one of the most powerful and well known power ballads in the business and Steve Perry's vocal on that original (and his definitive live rendition from Houston in 1981), as regards lyrical phrasing, vocal control and delivery is, arguably, unsurpassed.

Miss Carey takes a different approach.

She throws what seems like her entire vocal repertoire over each line and thus makes it all about her voice, not the melody or the lyric.
The song therefore loses any of it's original grace and becomes the opposite of the original; it's lyrically passionate-less and vocally uncontrolled.
Vocal interpretation is all in the ear of the beholder of course, but for me it's a criminal cover, and the (im)perfect end to my 'Six of the Worst.'  
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