Madonna: La Isla Bonita

Small Story (28 September 2026)

Long story short - Mrs Tea at Johnny's and I had to get a taxi into town to get a coach. When we settled in to our seats the driver put some music on - Madonna's 1987 number one La Isla Bonita.

Mrs TaJ likes it. I think it's alright. It's not her best work but it's far from her worst. What followed on from La Isla Bonita you might ask. Well, it was the instrumental version of La Isla Bonita.

And what did the streaming device throw up after that? The instrumental version of La Isla Bonita again. We're still not at our destination. There's time for another tune.Yes, it's La Isla Bonita. With lyrics this time.

So we now know that it's four La Isla Bonita's from our house to the railway station by taxi.

What we don't know is why the taxi driver only has this on his in-car streaming device or why he only chose to play this when we were in the car. Perhaps it's best not to know.

(or if you want to try the instrumental...)

Altered Images: Faithless

Small Story (5 September 2026)

(Yes, this is another really late one - I will try to do better.)

My friend Colin and I headed to the Thekla in Bristol to see Altered Images on their 45th anniversary of the album Happy Birthday tour.

I say Altered Images, it's Clare Grogan and some (talented) musicians. No one else of the 80s line-up remains.

It was a fun night. Clare was in good form as she went through the album and then a selection of their more well-known songs.

While my favourite on the night may well have been I Could Be Happy I thought it was only fair to choose something from Happy Birthday. It's a curious record, it's pretty dark at times and if you take Clare's voice out then you can hear Siouxsie and the Banshees or The Cure at times.

Or perhaps early New Order on this track, Faithless, which lyrically sounds like it might relate to a seance.

Desert Island Albums

Someone in our occasional 'curry night' group had the idea of us all choosing our ten 'Desert Island albums. No live albums, no compilations but no further restrictions.

Not necessarily the best albums you've ever heard but those that perhaps mean the most or will take repeat listening when you're stuck on a desert island and will over listen to these ten albums for the rest of your life.

Here are the lists...

Ben - list to follow

Colin - 

The Beatles* (1968)

The Jam: Setting Sons (1979)

Orange Juice: You Can't Hide Your Love Forever (1982)

Marc and the Mambas: Untitled (1982)

Big Country: The Crossing (1983)

The Smiths (1984)

New Order: Technique (1989)

Oasis: Definitely Maybe (1994)

Doves: Lost Souls (2000)

The Killers: Hot Fuss (2004)

* Better known as The White Album

Dave - 

ELO: Time (1981)

The Smiths (1984)

Big Country: Steeltown (1984)

Throwing Muses (1986)

Pixies: Doolittle (1989)

R.E.M.: Automatic for the People (1992)

Radiohead: OK Computer (1997)**

Mercury Rev: All is Dream (2001)

Morrissey: Ringleader of the Tormentors (2006)

Morrissey: Years of Refusal (2009)

** Dave wanted to point out that this was his number one - everything else was on a par

David - 

The Associates: The Affectionate Punch (1980)

Echo and the Bunnymen: Heaven Up Here (1981)

Scars: Author! Author! (1981)

The Smiths: The Queen is Dead (1986)

R.E.M.: Life's Rich Pageant (1986)

The Parachute Men: The Innocents (1988)

Bob Mould: Workbook (1989)

Big Dipper: Slam (1990)

Gigolo Aunts: Flippin' Out (1993)

The Gravel Pit: The Gravel Pit Manifesto (1996)

Paul -

The B-52's (1979)

Echo and the Bunnymen: Crocodiles (1980)

The Smiths (1984)

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions: Rattlesnakes (1984)

New Order: Low-Life (1985)

Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque (1991)

Weezer: Pinkerton (1996)

The Beatles: Let it Be... Naked (2003)

The Fall: Imperial Wax Solvent (2008)

The Wedding Present: Going, Going... (2016)

By year - 

The Beatles (1968)

The B-52's (1979)

The Jam: Setting Sons (1979)

Echo and the Bunnymen: Crocodiles (1980)

The Associates: The Affectionate Punch (1980)

Scars: Author! Author! (1981)

Echo and the Bunnymen: Heaven Up Here (1981)

ELO: Time (1981)

Orange Juice: You Can't Hide Your Love Forever (1982)

Marc and the Mambas: Untitled (1982)

Big Country: The Crossing (1983)

The Smiths (1984)

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions: Rattlesnakes (1984)

Big Country: Steeltown (1984)

New Order: Low-Life (1985)

The Smiths: The Queen is Dead (1986)

R.E.M.: Life's Rich Pageant (1986)

Throwing Muses (1986)

The Parachute Men: The Innocents (1988)

New Order: Technique (1989)

Pixies: Doolittle (1989)

Bob Mould: Workbook (1989)

Big Dipper: Slam (1990)

Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque (1991)

R.E.M.: Automatic for the People (1992)

Gigolo Aunts: Flippin' Out (1993)

Oasis: Definitely Maybe (1994)

The Gravel Pit: The Gravel Pit Manifesto (1996)

Weezer: Pinkerton (1996)

Radiohead: OK Computer (1997)

Doves: Lost Souls (2000)

Mercury Rev: All is Dream (2001)

The Beatles: Let it Be... Naked (2003)

The Killers: Hot Fuss (2004)

Morrissey: Ringleader of the Tormentors (2006)

The Fall: Imperial Wax Solvent (2008)

Morrissey: Years of Refusal (2009)

The Wedding Present: Going, Going... (2016)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Get Ready for Love

Small Stories (31 July 2026)

Haven't written one of these for ages. It's been so long I've forgotten the format. I'll get it together.

Let's cut to the chase - I saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds play at Preston Park in Brighton at the end of July. 

Despite buying his records on and off for more than 40 years I'd never seen him play live before. I found myself on a priority ticket list for his one gig in the UK this year so I was delighted to secure a couple for me and Mrs Tea at Johnny's.

I learnt a few things. Preston Park is much bigger than I thought for one. I had no idea there would be 45,000 people there in a festival-style environment. I also learnt that I really don't enjoy festival environments.

But the main thing I learnt was I was surprised with how much I wanted to be there. I didn't hit me until the first song kicked in - Get Ready For Love. I think you get a bit blase with age, well I do.

It didn't have the emotional pull of From Her to Eternity or Where the Wild Roses Grow (Kylie Minogue joined Cave for that one) which both had me on the edge of tears.

Get Ready for Love, from the double album Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, gets the vote as it is a brilliant song and one that lit (small) fire in me again on a hot Friday night in Brighton.

Double Gig Week!

Small Stories (3 October 2025)

Not just a double gig week - but back to back on Tuesday and Wednesday. A week of firsts and lasts too.

Tuesday was a trip to Bath to see Edwyn Collins with old friends David, Ben and Colin. The four of us in the car had also travelled together to see Orange Juice in 1984 and we met another old chum in Michael. It seemed an appropriate way to see the man off as he takes on the last tour of his career.

Early reports had said his Glasgow show was 'bittersweet'. We didn't get that, we got uplifting. After all his health problems he could still tackle a 90-minute 22-song set and the voice was still there.

That set was split 50/50 between Orange Juice songs and his solo work. Falling and Laughing was a highlight but I've chosen The Campaign for Real Rock, the opening track of his 1994 album Gorgeous George. A dig at style over substance and the watering down of rock, particularly at festivals, it's a pretty good manifesto.

And on the subject of real rock, the next night it was a trip to Oxford to see Coach Party. The gig was an 'outstore' show (a first for me) to celebrate the release of new album Caramel at the Jericho Tavern. Also my first time at that cracking little venue.

The band played the album live and then did a signing. It was another superb, energetic show with my favourite from the new album (at the moment) being Disco Dream.

The Cramps: You Got Good Taste

Small Story - 26 July 2025

We had a visit from Thames Water this week. Specifically, one of their employees who takes samples after reports of water tasting funny. It seemed to involve running a lot of water and occasionally filling up small bottles and jars. 

It wasn't us that reported it. Someone nearby must have complained and we obviously lived close enough to get a visit. It's the second time in a couple of months.

I wasn't aware of anything wrong with the water but maybe some people just have better taste than me.

You Got Good Taste appears on psychobilly legends The Cramps' magnificent 1983 live mini-album Smell of Female. I got to see them play live in Bristol in 1990. They were extraordinary.

So, for all you Gucci bag carriers out there...

Wire: Heartbeat

Small Story - 13 July 2025

After my loss of consciousness a couple of weeks ago I was back at the doctor's for some tests. I had some blood taken for analysis and was also hooked up for an ECG.

First time I'd had one. There were wires attached to sticky pads around my heart and also to my wrists and ankles. It took longer to hook me up to the machine than for it to do the job and tell me that there was nothing wrong with my ticker. Good news.

How fortunate for this series of posts then that post-punk legends Wire have a song called Heartbeat. It's from their second album, Chairs Missing, which was released in 1978 and also contains the fantastic I Am the Fly.