Twenty pounds of headlines plus rants, theories and the odd slice of old hokum: served hot. Which this week involves …

… Jimmy Cliff and how his versatility worked against him

… the Conjuror? Eyeball Tickler? The Concert in the Egg? Hieronymus Bosch painting or late-period Oasis B-side?

… Motown, Jacksons, Beatles, Chili Peppers? What’s the greatest bassline on record?

… what you notice watching the new Beatles’ Anthology 4

... why the leading edge of novelty is the internet

… from Eddie Cochran to the Bonzos, Can, Hawkwind, Costello and Stone Roses: the pioneering life of label-boss Andrew Lauder

… when did it become impossible to date records by their sound? And when did they stop sounding like glorious accidents?

… Joan Armatrading? Carole King? Dido? Which singer-songwriters are legends?

… what’s “stuck culture”?

… is Tomorrow Never Knows the only one-chord wonder?

… the link between Good Times, Another One Bites the Dust and Rapper’s Delight

… whalebone corsets, butchers’ knives: Nick Cave and the art of 18th century lyric-writing

… “Graham Coxon was a trumpet player and plays the guitar like a trumpet!”

Plus birthday guest Kevin Walsh: which musicians are freaks and which cheerleaders?

Hear Wilton Felder’s isolated bass on the Jackson 5’s’ I Want You Back’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z91l_lPz1oc

Help us to keep The Longest Conversation In Rock going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear

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