h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

And it arrives with the sense of excitement and of hopes for the future crushed.

There are a couple of decent enough tracks at the end of the album. But to get there you've got to sit through a whole load of flannel.

Stick with the eponymously named first album and the marvellous and magnificent Dog Man Star. Heck, even Coming Up was better than this new effort.

What exactly are we talking about?

I believe The Tears are the new band of Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler.

Never heard of them to be honest...

Suede?

Ahhh, Suede. Suede I'm familiar with...

Bernard Butler was the original guitarist with Suede - he left (I think) in the middle of making their second (?) album 'Dog Man Star'. The Tears was the first time he'd worked with Brett Anderson since then. So quite a few people - presumably including GD - were holding their breath to see what they'd come up with.

Apparently they shouldn't have bothered.

*Z has a rare glimmer of recognition for something young and cool. It's not offered Z recognises something cool*

I saw this bunch doing a set in HMV in Birmingham*. Unfortunately the security guards almost outnumbered the rather unimpessive crowd.

*Well I happened to be walking past the shop.

[<TG]

I guess I'm being rather harsh on them. There was such a buzz going around in 1992 about what this song writing duo seemed capable of doing. And then they delivered big style!

With the best will in the world, they were never going to match that.

If you weren't around back then; give this album a listen, you'll probably quite like large chunks of it

I thought this was a strange journal title for a man!

So do you think its worth getting or not

It would depend upon how much you like Suede.

If you really really like them; then no as you'll just be disappointed. If you thought the band was just 'quite good', then maybe it's worth it, as you'll think that this album is quite good.

And can I have my copy of Dog Man Star back please.

Five quid says it got lost in the move

It got lost in her Audi.

I remember the journey when we had it on her car's CD player. I forgot to take it out at the end of the day, and the CD now seems to be lost for ever. I've still got the empty case.

Did it? I will have another look in there if you like but I have not seen it. We put all the CD's out the other weekend - by We I mean I - I put the shelves up and then put all the CD's out in order including those which did not have boxes - I did not see any Suede in there Its most curious - the Audi does not generally eat CD's!

Oh and Whatsamacallit - is that £5 per move?

I moved 4 times last year ...

Well given that it must be 2½ years and more, I would have thought that you would have found the CD by now if it was still knocking around the car. To be honest I've given this one up as lost. But of course that won't stop me reminding you of it from time to time

Is this you doing an impression of an elephant

Mind you the car has been through a lot in that time! And rather a lot has happened to me too Recently I have been thinking about the cottage a lot - dont get me wrong I am happy where I am but I have been spending time in Oxfordshire and Reading so drive through the area a lot and have now worked out what I miss about the area - its the trees - probably sounds daft but we have fields and hills here but the trees are differnt ... I was in Reading today and on the way over saw several Red Kites (the birds that I used to be able to see from the cottage each day) They truly are magnificant and it made me quite nostalgic!

You know my dear, it's the one thing I still miss about not going out with you. And that is access to Red Kites.

All that time that I spent hanging around in your garden having a fag, I was actively searching the skies for Kites, the cigarette was somewhat incidental.

Back in the spring when I was driving up to Leeds, I spotted eight definites and two possibles between junctions 5 and 7 of the M40, including a group of three together. I tell you I'm positively dangerous as I drive between those junctions, as I'm scanning the sky for Red Kites, and not concentrating on that 48 tonne artic what has just slammed on its brakes 30 feet in front of me