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

...on a different site.

I downloaded the new Broooooce Springsteen album last week, which is covers of Seeger songs in an old-time style. Not bad - although The Boss's shouty vocal style doesn't always match up, and on some tracks the horn section is superfluous.

Also...I've recently read Dylan's 'Chronicles' (you *do* like Dylan, surely?) and as a result have gone back to listen to his hero, Woody. Actually, though, I like Dylan best when he's playing the kind of music Pete Seeger hated.

Fiddle music - have you come across the Shetland fiddle, Aly Bain? He's a little po-faced and traditional, but he's done some great crossover work with Cajun and Bluegrass musicians. He had a TV series in Scotland which had a load of musicians holed up in a hotel for a jamming session - likes of Emmylou Harris (who gets sexier by the year), the McGarrigles, Jerry Douglas. Unfortunately only the less good 2nd series seems to have made it onto CD: http://www.emusic.com/album/10606/10606654.html - the first featured a stunning duet between Ms Harris and leading Scottish commie folkie, Dick Gaughan. RunDon'tWalk to what is widely acknowledged as the best Scots Traditional album ever: http://www.musicscotland.com/acatalog/MusicScotland_Dick_Gaughan___Handful_Of_Earth_998.html

And have you heard Peggy Seeger sing Ewan McColl's 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'? (and did you see the Pete Seeger anecdote I posted recently?)

British Humour recommendation: Beachcomber. Hugely influential on all the guys you like. A416170; http://www.edwards.care4free.net/beachcom.htm

I've heard the new Bruce Springsteen album - my mom's kind of obsessed with it and we've been hearing it rather incessantly in my house.

I like both Dylan and Woody, but more for their skills as songwriters than as singers. To be honest, both of their voices really annoy me.

Aly Bain is actually in my iTunes shopping cart even as we speak, waiting for me to scrape together enough allowance for him to be removed thence.

Yup, got the Peggy Seeger recording. It's really quite excellent.

And thanks for the recommendation!

I have to confess after all this that I've been listening to far more rock music lately. But that doesn't mean that the old favourites aren't any good anymore.

Oh, I'm no folkie purist myself. When it comes to rock 'n roll (btw - the "'n roll" is important!)...I'll pass on Pink Floyd, I'm afraid (having seen The Wall mentioned on your PS). That kind of stuff is far too well played for me. I grew up listening to what is now called Indie Music (broody people in army surplus greatcoats) and my heart lies with Punk and Delta Blues. I currently have a fixation with The White Stripes.

Unfortunately I'm of an age where I tend to listen to a lot of new stuff and think '...but...I've heard stuff like that before...and it was better the first time round...' And I've no truck with all those bedwetters like Coldplay, Keane, Snow Patrol, Travis... Kids today with that awful music they listen to. It has tunes, they can play their instruments and you can hear whet they're singing about!

Electric violin...The Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring Jean-Luc Ponty?

It's ironic how mainstream the 'alternative' music has gotten, to the point where kids who think themselves serious about music will not listen to the likes of Green Day simply on principle.

The weird thing is, I am (whether I like it or not) a classically-trained musician, so I do demand a sort of musical quality to what I listen to - I'm also going through this sort of protest music phase, so there's another contradiction in terms.

Mahavishnu Orchestra is likewise hanging about in my iTunes shopping cart because I'm one of these weird people who actually pays for their music.

>>kids who think themselves serious about music will not listen to the likes of Green Day simply on principle. Neither will grown adults! It really *is* plastic punk. In my day it was snotty, grubby music - and so much the better for it. (although the American Idiot album is OK, I suppose) My bad! I don't pay for music . My excuse is that every CD I buy takes food out of my kids' mouths (well...cartridges out of their Gameboys...). Last night's downloads were the new Neil Young (I'm a major fan), plus more fiddle stuff - this time from your side - Bill Monroe. Recently I've been grabbing some African stuff that I have on vinyl (Fela Kuti, The Bhundu Boys). Stunning stuff! I feel more guilty about ripping those guys off, though, so I'll donate to Oxfam. Another book recommendation, which I'm pretty convinced will gel with your Anglophile sensayuma...'I Capture The Castle' by Dodie Smith. See my posting here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F19585?thread=116314&post=33371064#p33371064

Oh, yes, I read 'I Capture the Castle' last summer and loved it.

I listened to part of the new Neil Young online and have yet to make up my mind about whether I to spend money on it. Thing is, with a 9GB hard drive it's so much easier to buy the CD than to download stuff and then have to deal with the space issues.

I *knew* you'd love it!

Yeah...I know what you mean about disk space. I have about 3MB to spare, total, for downloads. And I think I'm going to have to backup my iPod before sending it back to Apple for a new battery - 15 CDs and a lot of palaver.

Another fiddler for you: Seth Lakeman? Young English guy who recorded an award-nominated album in his kitchen. They had to turn the fridge off during takes.

Try 'Cold Comfort Farm' by Stella Gibbons.

*makes list*

You wouldn't believe the ridiculousness I had to go through with my iPod when I got a new battery. I hadn't backed up some of my music on CD, so I had to go in and find it on the iPod (not easy because of the controls Apple puts on removing music from the iPod) and then get it onto the computer and onto CDs. I've had the new one for about six months and still haven't got round to putting all the music back.

I'd suggest looking around and seeing if there are any third-party retailers who will replace your battery without replacing the entire iPod. It's sometimes a few dollars more than Apple's service, but I think keeping the hard drive would be worth it.

Ah...ot's a warranty thing. I want to replace the one I bought with one that works!