Nerina Pallot: A secret

I'm quite selfish.

Is it bad that I don't want Nerina Pallot to reach the heady heights of uber stardom?  I like that she does intimate gigs and I feel superior when I can sing along to the lyrics of my favourite obscure Nerina tracks.

Nerina's released 6 albums in total, but my favourite is her most recent, 'Stay Lucky' with its beautiful title track and the stand out song 'Man Didn't Walk on the Moon'.  A song with Fleetwood Mac charm that had me immediately hooked (see video, below).

Nerina's shows are always a fun affair. You get songs, the occasional joke, tales of family life and perhaps bravely, Brexit was even discussed at the last gig I went to.

So, listen to the song, check out Nerina's catalogue covertly and appreciate her fabulous talent - but don't you dare make her a huge star!  I realise that sentiment is fucked up.... *looks for emoji of a man shrugging his shoulders*

R Kelly: Music and ethics

I've just recently watched the R Kelly documentary series and it's every bit as shocking as the promotional material suggested.

It got me thinking about music and ethics.  At the ripe age of 45, I'm much more considered about my musical choices and the artists that I support.  I'm not sure if it's related to my maturity or whether I'm led by the mass outrage on social media which is hard to avoid.

Obviously, I prefer musicians to not be utter complete bastards and I don't expect other people to be completely on my wavelength but I can't work out why anyone would support an alleged child-abuser - even if they have created an amazing album?

It seems that a portion of the buying public don't always agree when it comes to moral choices and supporting artists.  News stories, no matter how hideous, are simply promotion for artists and the record companies sometimes take advantage of that.  Sales often increase in those scenarios and readers, this is where I struggle.  A record company paying for an front page advert on iTunes during an artists ongoing court case is pretty fucked up.  Yes, they invest a lot of money and time on artists but there really is no excuse.  Suck it up and do the right thing.

D I S C O and envy

I sometimes look at photographs of Grace Jones, in the days when she was a less menacing disco diva - or Sylvester getting mighty real - or the sounds of Donna Summer getting saucy in the recording studio to a hypnotic melody.....and I feel extreme envy that I wasn't old enough to experience some of that.

Don't get me wrong, I know that the seventies weren't particularly brilliant in so many ways, but there has always been something about the disco era that seems so exciting, so sexy and so god damn desirable.

Sadly, I don't have a time machine and you're now mourning that you won't be able to see me in high-waisted purple flares or the fetching jump suit that's pictured.

At least we have the music to get us by.

Men had an awful lot of hair in the seventies and I lost a lot of mine in my 30s, so I would have possibly have been an outcast compared to many.  Though I do have a beard and a hairy chest, so I perhaps would have worn a gold necklace with a medallion to lure future potential sex conquests.

I imagine discotheques with lit-up dance floors and a DJ whose hair is so enormous that he can barely see through it to change records.

However, I draw the line at wearing white trousers.

I wonder - am I alone in my jealousy of the disco era?

Check out some amazing photos from the legendary Studio 54 here

Love to shop! Store preview.

LoveBananarama Amazon Store: Vinyl Heaven

Great vinyl picks for all budgets

I've picked out some of the best retro vinyl reissues and you can browse here: VINYL HEAVEN  There's vinyl for all budgets - and you may even find a few that you weren't aware were available!

Whilst compiling this, I realised that there are still some major icons that don't have very much new vinyl out, if not any at all. Due to the relatively recent resurgence of the format, I can only imagine that they are on the cards - or at least I hope so anyway. Enjoy!