best....

hello there

well, here we go. out of all the posts i would do (in any given year, look you see) it's this sort of thing, a quasi "best of the year", what attracts the least ("fewest") reads or "hits". no matter, let me carry on with the concept, for my own amusement if for the interest of none. 

a bit of a disclaimer would be that the selections i have made here (not that they count for anything) are from quite (as in very) limited chance to see, watch, read or listen to much. it does feel like i have forever been on the move this last year, running to stand still or what have you. so there's every chance i have missed out on some excellent stuff. 

....album of the year

there's probably more of a story in the albums (or tapes) which i did not get this year, but anyway. indeed i have bought a stack of discs this year, only most of them were not things made for a first release in 2023. so, here we go. 

by default, as in if there absolutely has to be a "best" album of the year off of what i heard, then it's likely that one off of Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds, even if the good stuff of it is mostly propped up by the two singles released. a competent album. Duran Duran had an album out, which wasn't all bad, and earlier in the year there was Inhaler with one and Metallica with one. for the former it feels like they shall fizzle out, the latter had a sense of good but why bother. 

of what was released that i did not purchase, well, U2's Songs Of Surrender just sounded completely and utterly f*****g awful from the tracks that came up on the radio. at least three (3) variations on disc just left a confusing choice, so i skipped them all. perhaps it will turn up in a sale and i might get it for the sake of a complete collection, but no rush. same is true for the Depeche Mode one. the lead single was excellent, but they wanted a mind boggling £18 for a "standard" edition or £25 (!!) for the same album but with extra pics of Dave and Martin looking sultry. should it turn up at a standard price i will certainly get it. sadly absolutely no interest in the James release, either, which appeared to be a set of needless acoustic / orchestral reworkings, but probably not as bad as the U2 one. 

easily my favourite two (2) 2023 releases were re-released, being the very welcome Bad News one, and the unexpected Suede "expanded" edition of Autofiction. may 2024 bring some more inspirational choices for vibes purchases. 

....service station of the year

little in the way of surprise here, as Donington, as in right next to Castle Donington, wins easily enough. bit of a shout out to Watford Gap Services too, mind, and stopping at Tibshelf has become a bit of a tradition. there's also some service station on the way to (and from) the south west (of the UK) what has a Cotton Traders shop. i forget the name but got a smart new jacket from them, and some rather fetching (or lovely) jumpers, too. 

i noted, with some interest, that Jeremy Vine (Radio 2 one) did a thing during the year where he tried to set up his own "rival" award for best service station. not sure who won his, but going on the general tirades what people who phone his show go into i am not sure i wish to know. 

worst service station shall forever be Blyth, until they demolish it and build a proper one. the toilets are small, narrow and useless, with the whole place being a magnet for people who like to stand in doorways and ignore the one way system. practically every service station on the A1 or A1(M) is a complete disgrace and not fit for purpose, at least north of Peterborough. 

....film of the year

right, i've not had chance to see Oppenheimer, Barbie, Napoleon or other one word titled films. so i don't have a big range to select from. earlier in the year i watched Ant Man 3 and Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, and both were decidedly "meh". for actual cinema visits, i only went the once, to see the anniversary presentation of Ziggy Stardust. you are not expecting me to speak ill of that, are you? 

sat here on video (disc) i do indeed have Oppenheimer, and the suspiciously anonymous, hardly made any waves recent Indiana Jones film. i shall try to watch them (quite) soon, and hope that Napoleon gets a video release soon. might get Barbie too, at some stage. 

....gig of the year

quite a tough one, this. i went to three (3) during 2023. first off i got to see an actual Sex Pistol play at the 100 Club, which is an experience i doubted chance would permit. and then there's the considerable matter of seeing Suede, which without doubt is one of the greatest gigs i have ever seen. 

but, and it is very hard to choose between this and Suede, the award (or what have you) needs, all things considered, to go to the Holly Johnson gig. wow. quite simply a frankly (ahem) brilliant gig just as it was, but of course loaded with memory and emotion for me. as it was a surprise to get the chance to see him once more, well, it feels like being demanding of me to hope for another tour. but, still, if that turns out to be the last time i see him live, what memories shall remain. 

....book of the year 

ok, quite the cheat as i know (and appreciate) the two (2) selected were published prior to this very year, which is 2023. i wait for the paperback, though, but yes, the paperback of my favourite was issued in 2022 too, so there is that. 

undoubtedly the best remains, as i (more or less) predicted in my review of it at the start of the year, the magnificent Project Hail Mary. throughout the year memories of the sheer joy it brought have come leaping to my mind. certainly i shall read it again. and probably again. for a close second, the third novel off of the tall one what used to do Pointless, and indeed was a backing dancer for Sonia, was  a most excellent, enjoyable read. 

anyway, that's enough of that. many thanks indeed, as ever (and always), to all of you who stop by and read this from time to time. or just look at the pictures and video. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!