Eddie's Top Fives of 2006

Albums

I’ve lost most of my interest in modern music, if people say listen to so and so, its like Nick Drake, I end up thinking why not just listen to Nick Drake? So generally buy stuff from people I have a history of liking although I didn’t bother to buy the new divine comedy or Ben folds as I would have previously done (although now think I’ll get the Ben Folds!)

I’m generally being a pompous fool and getting opera recordings, although I appreciate the fact that my current level of understanding means my taste is plebeian and I probably like the Opera equivalent of Robbie Williams, although this does not mean Il Divo (Byran Adams songs sung it Italian-jeepers!)-rather ‘big’ productions of well known Italian operas


1.Mozza-Ringleader of the Tormentors—I had expected it to be poor, as there were several bad tracks on ‘you are the quarry’ but really enjoy it my 2nd favourite after ‘Vauxhall and I’ Daryn reckons recent single b-side ‘sweetie pie’ is the worst thing he’s every recorded, which actually makes we want to hear it

2.Lloyd Cole---antidepressant Lloyd has remembered the tunes which he left out last time.

3. The Lemonheads The lemonheads-could have been recorded 10 years ago, so no suprises but very good,

4. Bob dylan. Good but not as good as they say


That is all the 2006 stuff I bought, but this has reminded me to go and buy the new Andy White album on amazon tried to get in Belfast but no one had it. Wendy has the muse album in the car, which I quite like.


Reissues


REM the IRS years—brilliant stuff.

That’s the only reissue

Books

Again only a couple of recent books


1. Brideshead Revisited Waugh. I’d read all the Waugh comedies as a teenager but avoided the BR TV series years ago as I thought it would be poncy rubbish, but I loved this, just bought the sword of honour trilogy to read over crimbo.
2. A dance to the music of Time. Powell (12 volume series-similar to Waugh but without the catholic themes)
3. Anna Karenina. Tolstoy. Everyone raves about this being better than War and Peace, and most of it was excellent but the divorce dithering was dull (albeit the point on which the whole book hinges) nearly as dull as the ramblings about predestination in W&P. Well worth time and effort though
4. The Sea. Banville. Slight but excellent.
5. A bag of boiled sweets. Julian Critchley. funny memoir from high living Troy wet MP now dead.
6. The world turned upside down. Christopher Hill. History about religious/societal thought and sects during the 17th century –diggers, muggletonians, ranters, levers etc.
7. The master and Margaria Bulgakov-fablely kind of things not normally not for me but I enjoyed this.
8. Saturday Ian McEwan
9. Lapsed Protestant Glen Patterson
10. I was a teenage catholic Malachi O’Doherty

TV programmes

Don’t watch much proper TV—just shit. But I liked

Ramsay’s kitchen nightmares

I’m a celebrity

Big brother

Monarchy-David Starkey

Coronation street (eek!)

Films

Only went to the cinema three times, saw you me and Dupree which was wonderful and Hills have eyes and the fog (remake) both awful. Enjoyed the following DVDS:

Caddyshack

39 steps

Dodgeball

3rd man



Disappointments/overhyped nonsense

Liverpool—overhyped by the F man I believe
Belfast festival at QUB ---ended up too busy to go to any shows although we had planned a few, but in general it appeared to be a shit programme of lowbrow crap. 15-20 years ago it was very good.
The reopening of the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin . Reproducing Francis Bacon’s studio is still just a crap idea-it is reminiscent of how I used to ‘keep’ Ashmount Park-empty bottles/ fag packets etc. Would the Tate ‘preserve’ the studio of an artist solely because they were born in England ? answer no. Do I sound like a reactionary old buffer?answer Yes
As I read somewhere: lilly allen’ I never thought I’d refer to someone as the poor man’s ‘the streets’
Bob Dylan album good but overhyped
Much of the England cricket team, esp Fletcher-if ever he comes into the Point in Ballyhack he’s in for a kickin’!
Ulster’s probable lack of progress in the Heineken cup

Cultural events of the year

1. Museum of Romanesque murals from small churches in northern spain in Barcelona , sounds dull but best thing I’ve gone to in years. Aware this sounds pretentious nonsense but its excellent.

2. Mozza concerts best of three was the second Dublin show

3. Rigoletto at the Waterfront hall-top stuff