well, then. so here we are. it, this year, twenty twenty (2020) has reached an end, look you see. which makes it time for me to cast an eye back (rather than forward) over what i recall of it, highlighting aspects that i considered to be the "best". no, i do not believe my view on such is definitive, and i have every reason to suspect the many shall have no interest. but, as ever, my focus would be on those who are, for some concern, indeed curious about my thoughts.
in no particular order (or form of preference) then, here are what i have momentarily determined to be highlights of the year. which yes, took some doing to work out.
....album of the year (new)
quite a straightforward choice, this one, with Even In Exile by James Dean Bradfield out of Manic Street Preachers being one of the best albums to ever be released at any time in human history.
by no means is this the first instance of the life of Victor Jara being celebrated (appropriately) in music, and i suspect it shall not be the last. this is, however, by some distance the most accessible and overt such encounter of it i can recall. the brilliance lies in the fact that the album stands up in its own right, for one need not have a great knowledge of Jara to appreciate the musical and lyrical brilliance.
the only other album of new material what i can recall getting this year was I Am Not A Dog On A Chain by Morrissey, which was also very good, just not this good. apparently we were supposed to get a Duran Duran one too, but it never turned up (as was the case with Christmas With The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses once again), presumably delayed for plague reasons. oh, i also picked up Liam Gallagher's Unplugged MTV thing, but not sure what category that would fall in. it was all right, but that i nearly forgot to include it is a comment, i suppose.
....fashion accessory of the year
it was very nearly the case that gloves won this one. early on in the invisible war against the plague, a plague which appeared to be transmitted in an "airborne" way, much of the world fought the fight by wearing facemasks. our much beloved UK government and their wise scientists decided that to do this amounted to being a big fanny about it, and instead said we should all wear gloves and wash hands.
face masks have become quite the fashion statement for 2020, then, with many people electing to wear them reusable ones, with fancy designs on. somewhat surprisingly i have been unable to find a face mask that features the ace moth covering the mouths of Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins on the poster for the silence of the lambs, so i just go with the disposable ones.
....television thing of the year
easily the absolute worst thing to happen on television this year was when Virgin Radio bombarded absolutely every television station with adverts for that complete twat Chris Evans (the sh!t British one, not the talented American one) and his radio show, in the vague hope people might want to listen to it. i suppose this means the "best" thing was when they took the advert off, then.
beyond that, should these "streaming" things count as tele (and they do get watched on television sets so yes, i guess), then easily one of the best things ever (see, 2020 is not all bad) to be presented in this format is The Adventures Of Buckethead And The Frog, which often gets called The Mandalorian. it started off brilliant and has just continued to get even more excellent.
much like cinema (see below), television for the year was partially affected by the invisible war on the plague meaning people could not work together. this will have an even more massive effect on next year, as things due to be broadcast then should be getting filmed now.
....album of the year (re-issue)
with the quality and interest in "new" music being both in terminal decline and of no financial success, much success (for the record labels, artists and us simple music fans) is achieved by revisiting classic albums and selling them again. as virtually every well known album has already been repackaged and resold six times sideways, now they are doing the same with rather less well known or celebrated ones. and this turns out to be a good thing.
as a fan i was aware of Goats Head Soup by The Rolling Stones, but never really thought of it as either being an iconic or great album by them, in the ways, say Let It Bleed or Sticky Fingers is regarded. this got corrected with this exceptional reissue. listening to this album once more after many years was a revelation, and the extras were exceptionally generous when compared to other Stones issues. highly recommended if for some reason you don't have it.
the worst re-issue of the year? sadly U2 with a 20th anniversary edition (no way is it that old?) of All That You Can't Leave Behind. make no mistake, there is nothing wrong with the album - far from it, the first six or seven songs along stand as some of their finest ever. it's just that they wanted a penny south of £15 for the album and a "highlights" live CD. meanwhile, online, or in places like Poundland, you can get the album and a 2 x DVD set of the whole concert which is abridged on CD and get change from £5. absolutely no motivation to purchase, then.
....rural road of the year
quite hotly contested, this one, but ultimately there could be no doubting that the winner for this was Pluntrain Dale Lane, situated (or located) just outside of Pickering. believe me, your sat nav can and will find this place, and give every indication that it is perfectly fine to drive down it.
i spent quite a lot of time on this road. why? to tell you that would spoil a lovely memoir (of sorts) of my time there, due to be published very early (as in the first week) of 2021. you are most welcome to read it as and when it "goes live", so to speak.
for now, though, know that if you happen to be driving in that area and your sat nav suggests you drive down Pluntrain Dale Lane, my advice is that you do not do so, as lovely as it is. although if you have plenty of time on your hands (which i did not) it does allow you to meet some wonderful new people.
....cinema visit of the year
a real simple and easy one for me, this, as i went to the movies just once this year. cinemas were one of the biggest things to get knacked by the invisible war on the plague, with them spending chunks of the year closed or with no new motion pictures to exhibit. to this they simply re-released certain classic or highly regarded films, which is how i, some 40 years after first doing so, once again got to see The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen.
very easily the best of all them Star Wars films, as it is the only one which features all three (3) of the best and most important characters. in order - Lobot, Lando and Boba Fett. as i commented in my review, wonderful to see again, but familiarity with the film meant it felt like it all flew by me in moments. during the brief era of cinemas being open, the other 75% of my family (them who you like a good deal more than you like me) went and saw things like Dark Knight Trilogy and Jurassic Shed. also some of them Harry Potter ones, i think.
of the films which were supposed to be released but (alas) did not get screened, i very much doubt i am alone in looking forward to eventually seeing the new James Bond one, No Time To Die i think. also, of course, Top Gun 2, but that might be just me and my unusual homoerotic volleyball fetish.
....David Bowie release of the year
he was absent from "new" or "re-issue" consideration as, frankly, 2020 turned out to be silly season for the David Bowie Estate. below, in the greater glory of Commodore 64 mode, are the six (6) which i picked up. call me not a "proper fan" if you like, but this isn't even all of the Bowie releases for the year. missing are Tin Machine II, which i felt no need to buy an identical copy of, and yet another live recording from his 1974 American tour, of which i have two releases and see no reason for a third needing to be a thing.
the easiest thing to do is look at the worst. which is the "complete" 2 CD soundtrack for Absolute Beginners. as outstanding as Bowie's theme is (presented here full length), other than the song from The Style Council the music is just as dire and dull as the film. it got bought purely for the brief Bowie bits.
of the others, Metrobolist took an average album (The Man Who Sold The World) and remixed it so that it was a below average album. Is It Any Wonder? was some curious unreleased recordings which ultimately will not get played often. ChangesNowBowie was brilliant and has been played a few times. the first two (of six) Brilliant Live Adventures releases are mixed fortunes. whilst the first appears to be flawed by a poor recording, the second (which i have not reviewed here yet, early next year, promise) is truly, actually brilliant.
....film of the year
i think that some of the films what i watched on NetFlix earlier in the year are classed as 2020 films. but, to be safe, i shall just go with my choice being one i know is recognised as a "proper" movie and was released in this very year. that's Bill & Ted Face The Music, then.
by no means was Bill & Ted Face The Music brilliant or amazing, but also it doesn't collect the title of film of the year by default. the film was exceedingly funny in places (with particular emphasis on the parts featuring Death, the character not concept), and it did not disgrace the previous two films. indeed, yes, go on then, it was excellent.
should they go ahead with the Oscars next year (and i suspect not), oddly by default it must surely be so that Bill & Ted Face The Music would fancy its chances of winning an award or two. Keanu for best actor is surely a formality, i expect.
....Cinque Port of the year
let us (as always) be in the business of honesty here. should someone, as 2020 commenced, asked me if at the end i would be discussing the best Cinque Port of the year i would have said no. going further, if even as far as seven months into the year someone had asked me what a Cinque Port actually was, i would also have said no. but here we are.
i ended up, then, visiting 3 of the 5 (which i believe you will find is 60%) of the official (or "proper") Cinque Ports, and several (cannot be bothered doing the maths) of the connected towns, called in a more official capacity "limbs".
of the three (3) i visited, then, the one i spent the least amount of time in was Sandwich. it looked like it had an amazing coastline, but alas my memory of the place (and Deal) is limited to narrow, awkward roads, the problems with which were accentuated by terrible parking habits of the locals. Dover, meanwhile, was breathtakingly beautiful, filled with wonderful people and i would be thrilled to visit again. winner, or the "best", though, has to be Hythe, with specifically the Sandgate region highlighted, for reasons of fish and chips, as pictured above. i had the pleasure of dining at the same place twice, and in both instances was treated to fish and chips which were the finest what i have ever had outside of the Yorkshire area. which is saying something.
and what of the "limbs", or if you will connected towns? should you permit me to place another selfie here, and yes i appreciate i am not the most aesthetically pleasing thing to see (but it would be nice if someone out there somewhere liked me), i shall be delighted to discuss.
yes, that is me in Margate, no less. obviously when (for verk) i was presented with a list of areas i was required to visit, it was the chance to go to Margate which excited me the most. this is purely, or perhaps exclusively, due to the Chas & Dave connection. whereas it would be wrong to say the place disappointed, it was not as awesome as i had hoped. the place was extremely busy, i had no chance to try fish and chips (or jellied eels and whelks, whatever they are), and i saw no evidence of statues in the image of or buildings named after Chas & Dave.
looking at the list of "limbs" and going from memory, Deal had road and parking issued which were exaggerated and amplified from the ones found in Sandwich. Folkestone was remarkable, and i there would be no hesitation from me if i were sent there once more. of them all that i can recall, though, Ramsgate offered agreeable parking, splendid views, a large number of postcards celebrating the place and very good fish and chips. basically, all Cinque Ports and all "limbs" thereof are, on the basis of my exposure, ace, and visiting any (or each) is a most splendid thing to do.
...single (or song) of the year
rather let me not do my usual moan (and groan) about how the once sacred UK singles chart has been destroyed by the absolute clowns in charge of it who do not understand the value it held. instead, let me ignore all that and focus on what came out as ostensible "singles".
in terms of actually buying singles, i do believe but one (1) was actually released this year that i bought. that was Living In A Ghost Town off of Rolling Stones. not bad at all, but not my choice for best of the year, even if it is the only one what i have a physical copy of.
any half arsed, almost decent songs / singles released in 2020? goodness me yes. sadly, and risking the wrath of my sister here, i have to name the Robbie Williams one, They Can't Cancel Christmas or something. i get the intention but it is just "cringe". as is the case with anyone who tried to reference all of this plague business this year, with Bon Jovi's effort being really, really bad. Liam Gallagher's All You're Dreaming Of also sadly falls into this category. like Noel last year (with Wandering Star) he seemed to be trying to do a Christmas single that one could get away with playing outside of Christmas. oddly, Noel's was the better one. Liam's is just a bit too simplistic by Liam standards (read into that what you will), and the one sided vinyl of it was ludicrously overpriced for what you get. i decided not to purchase but it does at least look lovely.
....book of the year (what i read)
the clarification above (in brackets) is very much indeed for any pedantic types who would wish to admonish me for not choosing a text which was either first published or composed in this year. and to remind, once more, yes, 2020.
good fortune, or the luck of selection, meant that the overwhelming majority of novels what i read during the course of the year (2020) were most agreeable. one or two duds, to be sure, but let us leave them behind. regular readers of my blog will have seen my (not just one, not as many as three but) two books a month (on average) review things, no doubt. there are a couple i could have comfortably selected, but i went with this.
believe me, this is not a novel for everyone. whereas at heart (or essentially) it is a simplistic (yet devilishly clever) "heist" story, there are as many perverse and disturbing twists as you can imagine, and they beyond so, unless you are really, really totes f****d in the head. intense, creepy, thrilling and enthralling are perfect words to describe this novel.
other good reads? that is, books i read during 2020, but were probably "first" published before? well, The Institute off of Stephen King was outstanding, and Holy Cow by Mulder out of X Files was tremendous fun.
right, well, that is probably enough "best of" stuff for one post. unless i happen to think of something else, and even then i will have just edited it in somewhere.
what else can i say but that i hope your 2021 is a good deal better than your 2020.........
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment