Evil Syd wrote: "all I can say it's really a shame" Of course it is- but that's the nature of any aspect of history.At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious and re-iterating what Vince wrote; only fragments of the past survive because not everything is meticulously archived for future generatio...

Sorry missed Kevin's post too-he seems to be asking the same question.

Andy wrote:(it was the version of "Back Door Man" and "I Can See For Miles" which were just incredibly dreary and after some tantrums from me, they were removed) I was a little puzzled by this-in the past you have been at pains to point out you were not part of the "organisation". Was the cover sect...

Apologies to Mr Barlow-I stand corrected. I assumed "Fairytale of New York" was a worldwide hit because of its popularity in Britain and Ireland (perhaps understandably!!)when clearly it isn't.

Mr Barlow wrote: The Pogues never ever had any HUGE international hits that were Top 40 hits.

"Fairy tale of New York"?!!!!!

Good points raised in all these posts. My only ever disappointment was with "The Raise the Dead" tour. (I started a thread at the time) only because of the theatrical side of things which I thought was a little stale and a bit of a letdown (especially post WTMN 2). Andy explained at the time it was ...

There are many good points raised in the replies-while I appreciate there is little new in this thread (which is why I made apologies at the beginning) I feel that the omission is particularly galling in this case in the light of the breadth and scope of the rest of the book. I almost expect it of t...

Andy wrote: "The usual combination of laziness, lack of research and personal taste, I suppose." Laziness-the book is 740 pages long!It also appears to be exhaustively researched-it's almost encyclopaedic in its scope and breadth (a page on David Essex?, a chapter on Philadelphia soul),it appears to...

First apologies to the moderators as I know this has been touched on many times in other threads but I hope my comments below are sufficiently different to warrant a new thread. In the link provided on the news page Reginald Harkema is quoted saying: "I emerged with a picture of a rock band (for Ali...

bag of chips or how you call them over in England, crisps? In the interest of championing Britain's considerable gastronomic heritage let me clarify for you Toronto Bob. If you should ever come to England you will find crisps are sold in packets and come in a variety of flavours (salt n vinegar, Ch...

Mestreech wrote: So basicly you say that Alice has always to keep playing the hits + maybe some new or unknown numbers. Strange others groups have not that rule like Springsteen/Young/ Bowie/U2/ etc. Yes because of the need to provide a successful concert for his audience as it stands in 2014. The o...

One point regarding the setlists that I don't think has been addressed by other posters. A setlist does not succeed or fail on whether material is unfamiliar or familiar or whether it caters for "casuals" or "diehards". It is very rare for a rock show not to follow a quite conventional structure who...

Sorry Jumping Jack-I should have qualified my post. It was the way I remember it growing up in Britain and I wonder if others of that generation recall it that way too. If they do, some are probably the authors, documentary producers, critics etc who shape the way the history of rock is viewed today...

A lot of interesting points have been made in this thread. I think a further important point regarding the legacies of Bowie and Alice is partly down to nationality. As somebody growing up in Britain as Alice Cooper broke, there is little doubt -in my mind at least- that the "golden age" of rock was...

In ear monitors, I think, are very much a matter of taste. Some singers like them, some hate them and can't get used to them because they can be quite isolating in terms of not hearing the the power of the band naturally. In my experience (only semi pro by the way!) monitoring of vocals usually caus...

The picture on the back of the sleeve was taken at Manchester Apollo on February 18, 1982.

Pitkin and GNDM seem to be suggesting (and please accept my apologies if I have summarised incorrectly)that Alice holds the power in this relationship and no reunion will take until Alice decides it is worthwhile. I believe that Alice's success as a live draw today is due in no small part to the fac...

FM did a tour to celebrate 25 years since "Indiscreet" and for the first time played the whole album in track order.These kind of things usualy occur after a milestone-you know the kind of thing "Forty year anniversary of ............" etc. The most logical one for Alice, given he is a solo artist n...

Given the points made regarding playing more obscure songs in the show, two of the main issues seems to be the constraints caused by the economics that require the show to appeal to a wider audience and the types of songs that actually work in a live setting within the context of a show. Some time a...

Thanks for the informative reply to my question Andy-to be truthful I am not good with a lot of the technology you mentioned: in the jargon: I am a digital "immigrant" rather than the younger generation who are digital "natives". I had not appreciated the financial impact. I think your information p...