FWiW- 95

Welcome to this month’s edition of >Rewound.

September is traditionally one of the busiest months on the new album release calendar. 1991 was no exception, in fact, it could quite easily be considered one of the greatest months of new rock music ever!

Alternative guitar music had certainly arrived on the scene and would soon be dominating the pop music landscape in all the corners of the globe – for the next decade at least.

The Cult, Nirvana , Guns ‘n’ Roses, Pixies, Primal Scream, and Red Hot Chili Peppers all released highly rated new lp’s this month – so you may get my drift here. 😉🎸🎸🎸

There are also new albums by Billy Bragg, Lloyd Cole, Robbie Robertson, John Prine, Talk Talk and Van Morrison to enjoy. Even Bowie’s Tin Machine are back with another effort.

According to my own personal taste, at least 30 noteworthy albums were released in September – see the full list later in this issue.

One of my, and many others, favourite sporting events takes place this month – ‘The War on the Shore‘ – it has been dubbed. Exclusive pictures and the events as they unfolded on that dramatic final day at Kiawah Island.

All this and more in the latest edition of Rewound Magazine

What’s

1. Mark Wilson on the Move
2. News – On This Day
3. War on the Shore
4. It’s movie time
5. Book of the Month
6. Hello! I’m New Here
7. Mark’s Album of the Month
8. Yes, I’m the Record Collector
9. Live Music
10. UK Singles Charts
11. UK Albums Charts

_{With thanks to the following publications, streaming services, and websites for their help with this issue. I couldn’t have done this without them:}

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_{“Estimated time of arrival 9.30 a.m. Been up before the sun and now I’m tired before I even begin” 1000 Miles Away by Hoodoo Gurus (1991)}

on the move

Early in September we leave the Kibbutz (Kiwi 1 Kiwi 2 and I) to make more shekels and to get away from ‘Pommy Girl.’

Moshav Ein Tamar

Ein Tamar (Hebrew for Date Palm Spring) is a moshav in the northern Arava valley in Israel and part of the Negev desert. Located south of the Dead Sea, it falls under the jurisdiction of Tamar Regional Council. In 2022 Ein Tamar had a population of 202.

Ein Tamar was established in August 1982 by 24 families. The biblical village of Tamar mentioned in Ezekiel 47:19 is probably located in the Hatzeva Fortress near Ir Ovot. Ein Tamar and the neighboring village of Neot HaKikar are among the country’s most remote places, forty minutes away from the nearest city, Dimona. Most of the residents of Ein Tamar earn their livelihood from agriculture. Peppers, tomatoes, and melons are the main crops.

Ein Tamar was situated to the right of Dimona and below the Dead Sea on the above map. Where we farmed in the desert there was our farm, no-man’s land and then the Jordan.

Below: the Negev desert. This pretty much all we could see around our Moshav. In the distance we could see the Dead Sea if we climbed to the highest point in our camp.

Below is a picture of the entrance to Moshav Ein Tamar. The farmers had pretty decent homes with electricity and luxuries like TVs. Us not so much. Next one is some of the boys waiting at the local bus-stop – probably going on an excursion to the nearest town or the Dead Sea etc.

Our sleep quarters on the left. Six of us squashed inside. It was a bit like being in the army again, sometimes even tougher. We’d cook over a gas primus in the dilapidated and dirty kitchen. We were NOT living in the lap of luxury in case you were wondering.

Israeli army base outside the moshav

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_{Like the Dead Sea, You told me I was like the Dead Sea, You’ll never sink when you are with me, Oh Lord, like the Dead Sea (Dead Sea by The Lumineers, 2012)}

_{That’s me bobbing about the Dead Sea on the left of the above picture.}

The Dead Sea is a profound and weird experience as a whole. You can’t sink, no matter how hard you try! The salty water supports your body and gives you a unique sensation of weightlessness – Dead Sea swimming is like no other.

They say you can feel the healing properties of the minerals in the water, and it’s said to be beneficial for skin conditions.

But…

The INTENSE stinging

Due to all our cold-water shaving and using toilet paper with the consistency of cardboard.

Resulting in all of us squealing in agony until our worn buttholes got used to the salt content in the water.

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_{Me and the farmer}

_{Me and the farmer get on fine
Through stormy weather and bottles of wine
If I pull my weight he’ll treat me well
But if I’m late he’ll give me hell
And thought its all hard work no play
Farmer is a happy crook
Jesus hates him everyday
cause Jesus gave him farm}

_{The Housemartins (1987)}

My farmers’ name was Jacob, I liked him. He treated me well and with respect, unlike some of the other Israeli’s did with their volunteers. Interestingly he was also a music fan, and especially Leonard Cohen, who he loved. On Friday, for Shabbat, I would join my Israeli family for dinner – my only decent meal of the week – and yes, I would be given some lovely red wine to savour. Jacob always played Cohen records when I was there. I think he liked me too. South Africans were more popular with the Israeli’s than say the multitude of British and Irish folk there.

Above: Farmer Jacob and his tractor preparing his ‘fields’ for tomato seed planting. The nearby mountains in the background are in the Jordan. The two of us and his trusty trakkie did all of the above prep work alone. Only for the laying of those plastic sheets did we get other hands to help.

Below: After a couple of weeks this happens – a sea of green plants miraculously arrive. Soon, after the bees we had placed in hives in each row, had done their thing, the plump little bright red cherry tomatoes would arrive.

Bees are very beneficial for our tomato plants in that their pollination of plants keeps them healthy. The health of a plant is determined by how bees respond to it. It’s as simple as it sounds, if a plant is healthy, bees will gravitate towards it and take the pollen.

We (all the volunteers and each of their farmers) worked hard six days a week from sunrise to sunset.

Time off largely consisted of drinking heavily. For beers we mainly drank the iconic Goldstar, and perhaps the most well-known Israeli beer. We also occasionally (when we could afford it!) enjoyed Maccabi lager which had an effective 7,9% alcohol content.

We also consumed a lot of very cheap Vodka on the Moshav. The most popular was called WODKA (with a W), and I think brewed locally (and cheaply!). One litre of wodka cost less than a regular bottle of Goldstar beer – so it was a very popular tipple with the volunteers, myself included. It felt like you were on an acid trip after you glugged down a few shots of that shit. I reckon my already thinning hair started falling out with proper gay abandon because of this jungle juice posing as Vodka, we all so heartily consumed.

The other popular booze in Israel was:

Arak is traditionally made of grapes and aniseed (the seeds of the anise plant); when crushed, their oil provides arak with a slight licorice taste. Dates, figs, and other fruits are sometimes added. Typically, arak is a minimum of 50% alcohol by volume (ABV), and can be up to 70% ABV (126 proof).

I hated the stuff. Too sweet for me, and even more deadly than WODKA!

There was though, an elderly (probably only 40 years old) English gent that shared our hut that was addicted to the shit. He partook in the glories of Arak EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! Fuck me, this made him even more annoying than when he was sober.

Added to this he was a disciple of Johnny Cash (yes, he the esteemed country singer of yore). So, we would be subjected, most nights, to ‘Man in Black‘ sessions emanating from his beat-box, that stretched late into the night.

Below: Ein Tamar with the Jordan in the background

Below: Our little group of volunteers gathered outside one of the huts we lived in. Because the area around the Dead Sea is below sea level, it’s almost impossible for your skin to burn. We were therefore all as brown as berries – even the palest of Poms!

Nations represented below were Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, France, the USA, the guy front right with the crumpled hat was from Eastern Europe, I forget which country. None of the names of the people pictured remain in the memory banks of my dusty old brain.

Above: That’s me middle at the back, the short guy on my right is also South African, as is the only female in the picture. Yes, that one, with the tight white tank-top. 😁

The two guys to my left in the backrow (baldie and the one wearing the white wife-beater, were from Middlesbrough in the North-East of England. Both lovely lads, funny, very dry wits. I enjoyed them. They supported Middlesbrough Football Club back in Blighty but were always bemoaning the fact at how crap they were.

Fast forward to the mid-2000s and Middlesbrough FC had a built themselves a pretty potent Premier League team for a change. This culminated in them winning the League Cup in 2004, finishing 7th in the Premier League in 2005, and reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2006. I thought of my two old Middlesbrough mates often during this period (and in the mid-90s when MFC were also pretty decent) and wondered if they were alive, kicking and enjoying this brief spell of success?

Above: Myself and Kiwi 1 posing with Ein Tamar in the background.

One day a few of us went and did the tourist thang at this place…

Masada is an ancient fortress in southern Israel’s Judean Desert. It’s on a massive plateau overlooking the Dead Sea.

A cable car and a long, winding path climb up to the fortifications, built around 30 B.C. Among the ruins are King Herod’s Palace, which sprawls over 3 rock terraces, and a Roman-style bathhouse with mosaic floors.

Masada is a popular site visited by locals and tourists alike. The site of an ancient Roman siege on a rebellious group of Judeans, this rocky outcrop has come to represent the strength of the Jewish people and their connection to the land in Israeli society.

So, this was how my September in Israel went. Mostly though, I yearned for the green (and wet) fields of Ireland, and of course, my sweetheart Lorraine. I longed to be back on her ample bosom, and sometimes even wondered how the Donaghadee cricket season was going.

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_{“They’re moving into the street, Now did you read the news today?” Land of Confusion by Genesis (1986)}

_{In the}

2nd – Another event in the 1991 timeline of the breakdown of the Soviet Union: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are recognised by America as independent and the US government reopens its embassies there.

6th – St. Petersburg becomes the new name of the Russian city, Leningrad.

9th – Following the recent deaths of two teenagers during a police pursuit, riots take place across the Meadow Well council estate on Tyneside, Newcastle. Many Asian owned shops are hit by looting

10th – Nirvana release their hit song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” which blazed a trail for grunge rock.

17th – Guns ‘n’ Roses release their first full-length follow up to their debut album Appetite for Destruction in the form of the double album Use Your Illusion I & Use Your Illusion II. Both go on to sell a combined excess of 1.3 million on their first week of sale in the US alone.

19th – A mummified body is found in the Italian Alps. Named Otzi, the Iceman, the body is thought to be from 3400 and 3100 BCE.

22nd – One of the famous events of 1991 for scholars; the Huntington Library in California makes the ancient manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls available to the general public for the first time.

23rd – Primal Scream releases Screamadelica, the album would go on to win the first Mercury Prize in 1992.

23rd – The TV Series Baywatch begins the second season with a new theme song performed and co-written by former Survivor member Jimi Jamison, “I’m Always Here.”

23rd – Bryan Adams releases his sixth album Waking up the Neighbours produced by Mutt Lange, achieving diamond status in his native Canada for the second time.

24th – Former RAF fighter pilot, Jackie Mann is released by his Lebanese captors after more than two years of being held hostage.

and on the same day (24th) – Nevermind is released by Nirvana and goes on to sell 11 million copies in the United States alone.

Seattle-based band Nirvana release their second album Nevermind, that in the beginning of 1992 replaces Michael Jackson’s album Dangerous at number one on the Billboard charts. Nevermind would then make the Grunge movement explode and become one of the most famous rock albums of all time. It is considered the emblem of the Generation X. Blood Sugar Sex Magik, the Red Hot Chili Peppers album, was also released on this date, as well as the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest also released their second album, The Low End Theory, on this day.

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_{“Then it started to hook just a wee, wee bit, That’s when my caddie lost sight of it, That little white pellet has never been found to this day” Straight Down the Middle by Bing Crosby (1958)}

🏌️‍♂️

I ♥ the

_{Every two years, 24 of the best players from Europe and the United States go head-to-head in match play competition. Drama, tension, incredible golf, camaraderie and sportsmanship are served in equal measure, captivating an audience of millions around the world.}

⛳

The 29th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 27–29, 1991, on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, southwest of Charleston.

The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format in 1991 was as follows:

Day 1 (Friday) — 4 foursome (alternate shot) matches in a morning session and 4 four-ball (better ball) matches in an afternoon session
Day 2 (Saturday) — 4 foursome matches in a morning session and 4 four-ball matches in an afternoon session
Day 3 (Sunday) — 12 singles matches

With a total of 28 points, 141⁄2 points were required to win the Cup, and 14 points were required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.

Due to the fierce competition, gamesmanship and general over-exuberance of the U.S. Team and their fans, these Ryder Cup Matches became known as the “War on the Shore.”

Since the mid-1980s, the European team had dominated the event including wins in 1985, 1987 and retaining the cup in 1989. With exception to 1993, the European team continued to dominate until ill feelings between the two sides came to a head in an explosive match at Brookline in 1999 where the U.S. side and their fans were again accused of having the mindset of “anything to win” going against the spirit of how the matches were intended to be played.

On the first day of play on Friday, controversy erupted immediately when several Americans showed up wearing camouflage caps. The tenor grew worse, and over the three days of competition there were tense accusations of gamesmanship and rules-bending.

Bernard Gallagher: “I was surprised when Corey Pavin appeared on the first tee wearing his battle-fatigue hat. I felt that was rude and unnecessary.”

Corey Pavin: “I explained that it was in support of the troops, and that it was a coalition effort, and that’s all it was about. But people are going to take it the way they want. There was backlash, and I continue to be asked about it to this day.”

Bizarre conspiracy theories were set forth, including claims of an exaggerated injury, manipulated pairings and intercepted walkie-talkie conversations. The galleries were predictably partisan.

At the forefront, though, was some of the most compelling golf ever seen in the Ryder Cup. The teams began the final day tied, 8-8, and several hours later it came down to two good men—Hale Irwin and Bernhard Langer—playing the final hole, head-to-head, for the Ryder Cup

The teams:

Bernard Gallagher: “1991 was a turning point for the Ryder Cup. And not in a good way. Suddenly, there was hostility out there. And it was the first time the crowd actually participated in a match. The spectators affected the outcome of matches.”

Hale Irwin: “The good ol’ boys down there got that rebel-yell thing going, and the whoopin’ and hollerin’ wasn’t exactly reserved. I’ll tell you what, though: You get the same thing over there.”

Bernhard Langer: “If I hit a ball into the water at any other tournament, I don’t hear thousands of people cheering, where they’re happy you hit into the water. It’s like an away game in football.”

Ian Woosnam: “Americans can’t handle their beer, which was one factor in what went on. They shouldn’t be allowed to buy it at Ryder Cups.”

Having attended the 2005 Presidents Cup in Washington DC I can attest to the above. (Certain) Americans either drink way too much beer at sporting events, or cannot handle their alcohol at all. At this 4-day event I witnessed many drunk, rowdy, American louts, for want of a better word. On the final day I decided not to go to the course – but rather watch on TV in my motel room. Plus, I could see more on television. 😁

Bernard Gallagher: “Paul Azinger didn’t help matters. He was such a volatile guy. I know Paul blames Seve for using gamesmanship, but that’s ridiculous. To be honest, Paul was the worst for that. He would try anything to win. That was certainly true when it transpired that Paul and Chip Beck were switching balls [in Friday’s foursomes match with Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazábal]. It was actually Jose who spotted what they were doing. Not Seve.”

This was all on DAY ONE!! On and on the controversies went … all sorts of nonsense ensued. But, let’s leave that stuff there and mention a bit about the wonderful golf played all weekend.

Johnny Miller: “Every day of the Ryder Cup is like a dozen tournaments happening simultaneously. And the pressure is so obvious that the viewer is almost sucked through the screen and placed on the course.”

Fast forward to late afternoon on the final day:

The last pairing – Langer and Irwin – would decide who would take the honours for the next two years.

Battling a brutally demanding course in blow-your-hat-off ocean-side conditions, Hale Irwin, for Team U.S.A., and Bernhard Langer, for the Europeans, had fought their way to all-square on the last. The U.S. held a one-point lead. This hole would decide the Cup. It really was.

Back on 17, Langer had made par to Irwin’s bogey to square the match. A wild turn of events, with an even wilder one to come.

On to the 18th.

Irwin snap-hooks his drive into the massed crowd and disappears from plain sight.

On the BBC, Peter Alliss’ call as Irwin struck the ball underscored the uncertainty. “I fancy a 4 could win this,” he said. “[But] oh, not now, if that’s gone where I think it’s gone.”

But.

By a major stroke of luck (for him) Irwin’s ball strikes a lady spectator, Kathy Jorden, in the gallery, rebounds off her turned back back into the fairway!!

Irwin grabs fortune with both hands and gets onto the green with limited damage – as does Langer. It will all come down to the next putts.

David Feherty: “I’m sitting with the rest of the European team, all jammed together in a 10-square-foot area. Remember the late Lawrence Levy, the photographer? He was one of my greatest friends. He was right beside me, and I’m shaking so badly he says, “Stop shaking—you’re shaking my lens.” I said, “I can’t stop.” He turns to me, and he says, “You know, it occurs to me that the last time a German was under this kind of pressure, he shot himself in a bunker.” [Laughs.] Which is still maybe the most inappropriate thing I’ve ever heard on a golf course.”

Roger Maltbie: “I was at the front of the green when Irwin and Langer were putting out. The crowd was enormous and completely encircled the green. I was kneeling next to Feherty. When Langer was over his putt, David announces, “This is bull—-. We’ve all dreamed about having putts to win the Open or the Masters, but nobody wants this putt right now.” It was as dramatic a moment as I have ever experienced.“

Hale Irwin ends up with a bogey. Bernard Langer has a par putt to halve the match and keep the Ryder Cup in European hands for another two years.

The pressure in unbelievable. This is golf (and sport) at it’s finest.

Bernhard Langer: “I knew what it meant. I knew I had to make this. I read the putt with my caddie. I asked him, “What do you see?” He said, “Left edge.” I said, “That’s what I see.” Then he said, “Do you see that spike mark?” I said, “Yes, I see it, too.” This spike mark [one of two] was about 10 inches in front of my ball, exactly on my line. It was tall, about half an inch, and it was crusty Bermuda. It was a sunny, windy day, and the grass was not soft. It definitely would have deflected my ball if I’d hit it. He said, “Maybe we should play it straight to miss the spike mark.”

Hale Irwin:  “I’d been down there the weekend before, and the grain on the 18th green seems to be stronger than on any other green on the course. My thought was, I certainly hope he doesn’t know what I know, that it breaks more than it appears.”

Raymond Floyd: “Just think about the situation. In the minute or so Bernhard took to play that putt, can you imagine how that win-lose realization must have hit him?”

Bernhard Langer: “We looked at the putt again and agreed that playing it straight was the best thing to do. Perhaps it would hold its line. I hit a good putt, but it did break and go to the right of the hole. But I did as well as I could.”

Hale Irwin: “I was happy but not gleeful. A part of me wanted to cry, out of relief and joy, and out of sympathy for Bernhard. As the game of golf goes, there was never a moment like that one in history.”

Watch that final putt here 👇

The United States team won the competition by 141⁄2 to 131⁄2 points, winning back the Cup on the 18th hole of the final match. Bernhard Langer missed a six-foot (1.8m) par putt which would have won his match and clinched a 14-all tie and retained the Ryder Cup for Europe. It was the first win for the U.S. since 1983, after consecutive losses to Europe in 1985 and 1987 and a tie in 1989.

Europe 51⁄2	Singles Session	USA 61⁄2
Europe 131⁄2	Overall	USA 141⁄2

🙏

With thanks to Golf Digest, Golf.com & Wikipedia for the information, some text, and all of the pictures.

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_{“What a tale my thoughts could tell, Just like and old-time movie, ‘Bout a ghost from a wishing well” If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot (1970)}

📽

It’s

🎞🎞🎞

For all the 90s Jeff Bridges would have been one of my favourite actors, with Robin Williams not far behind him. I loved them both in this movie.

The Fisher King is a 1991 American fantasy comedy-drama film written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Terry Gilliam. Besides Bridges and Williams we also Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer and Michael Jeter in supporting roles.

PLOT:

Jack Lucas, a narcissistic, misanthropic shock jock, becomes suicidal and despondent when he learns that some of his insensitive on-air comments inadvertently prompted a mentally unstable regular caller, Edwin, to commit a mass murder/suicide at a Manhattan restaurant

Three years later, Jack is working for his girlfriend, Anne, in her video store, and is in a mostly drunken, depressed state, fearful of being recognized.

One night, while on a bender, he is moments from suicide. However, he is attacked and nearly set on fire by teenage punks who mistake him for a homeless person. He is rescued by Parry, a delusional homeless man who claims that his mission is to find the Holy Grail.

Critics Consensus: An odd but affecting mixture of drama, comedy and fantasy, The Fisher King manages to balance moving performances from Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges with director Terry Gilliam’s typically askew universe.

Audience view: Comfortably my favourite movie of all time – it is worth watching just for the dance sequence in Grand Central Station which has to be one of the greatest scenes both visually and emotionally ever made. In essence we have a story of supreme self centered arrogance, tragedy, guilt, pity, love and (possibly) redemption, not necessarily in that order. Take a bow Mr. Terry Gilliam, your madness has never made so much sense. (Darren on Rotten Tomatoes)

_{At the 64th Academy Awards, the film earned five nominations, including Best Actor for Williams and Best Original Screenplay for LaGravenese, with Ruehl winning Best Supporting Actress, making The Fisher King the only Oscar-winning film of Gilliam’s career.}

🎞

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” Mike Waters (River Phoenix) is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike’s estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

My Own Private Idaho is considered a landmark film in New Queer Cinema, an early 1990s movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking. Since its release, it has grown in popularity and been deemed a cult classic, especially among LGBT audiences. The film is notable for its then-taboo subject matter and avant-garde style.

Critics Consensus: A tantalizing glimpse of a talented director and his stars all at the top of their respective games. Gus Van Sant‘s loose reworking of Henry IV is smart, sad and audacious.

Audience view: Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. The plot is amazing and so emotional which made it very entertaining. The ending was definitely a sad one but I think it just added onto everything and made it better. I also love love love the actors in this movie. If I could rate this higher I would. (Monica on Rotten Tomatoes)

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_{“Sticky boredom with a book, I can make you do things, you wouldn’t think you ever could” Spank Thru by Nirvana (1987)}

Our book

of the month

is

Tom Clancy’s latest

The Sum of All Fears is a political thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and released on August 14, 1991, as the sequel to Clear and Present Danger (1989). Main character Jack Ryan, who is now the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, tries to stop a crisis concerning the Middle East peace process wherein Palestinian and former East German terrorists conspire to bring the United States and Soviet Union into nuclear war. It debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.

How do you save the United States President from himself? What if the President is incompetent to deal with the greatest crisis of all? Jack Ryan never thought he would have to ask those questions as, the world order changing, he prepares the ground for the Middle Eastern peace plan that, at last, might be the one to work…

A few moons later a film adaptation, directed by Phil Alden Robinson, which is a reboot of the Jack Ryan film series and starring Ben Affleck as the younger iteration of the CIA analyst, was released on May 31, 2002.

Jack Ryan is portrayed as a younger character by Affleck, in comparison with the previous films: The Hunt for Red October (1990) starring Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and the sequels, Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994), both starring Harrison Ford in the role.

The film features a great support cast, including: Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Liev Schreiber, and Ciaran Hinds.

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Alongside Massive Attack, this outfit is known for being pioneers of the trip-hop genre or “Bristol sound,” a style of downtempo electronic music that evokes a surreal, trippy, dreamy, and sometimes dark atmosphere, often incorporating elements of hip-hop.

Named after the West Coast shipping town where Geoff Barrow grew up, Portishead formed in Bristol, England, in 1991. Prior to the group’s formation, Barrow had worked as a tape operator at the Coach House studio, where he met members of the aforementioned Massive Attack.

Around the time of Portishead’s formation, Geoff had begun to earn a reputation as a remix producer, working on tracks by Primal Scream, Paul Weller, Gabrielle, and Depeche Mode.

Barrow met Beth Gibbons, who had been singing in pubs, in 1991 on a job scheme. Over the next few years, the pair began writing music, often with jazz guitarist Adrian Utley, who had previously played with both Big John Patton and the Jazz Messengers.

Before releasing a recording, Portishead completed the short film To Kill a Dead Man, an homage to ’60s spy movies. Barrow and Gibbons acted in the noirish film and provided the soundtrack, which earned the attention of Go! Records.

By Autumn, Portishead had signed with Go! Records.

Portishead’s debut album, Dummy (arrived in 1994), fused hip-hop production with an atmospheric style reminiscent of spy film soundtracks and yearning vocals from Gibbons. It was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, becoming a landmark album in the emerging trip-hop genre. However, the band disliked being associated with the term. Their two other studio albums, Portishead (1997) and Third (2008), received similar acclaim. Portishead have also released the live album Roseland NYC Live (1998)

Other bands that formed in 1991:

The Muffs were an American pop punk band based in Southern California, formed in 1991. Led by singer and guitarist Kim Shattuck, the band released four full-length studio albums in the 1990s, as well as numerous singles including Lucky Guy, Sad Tomorrow, and a cover version of Kids in America.

The Mutton Birds, led by singer and songwriter Don McGlashan, formed in 1991. Their first single was Dominion Road, a story of one man’s suffering and ultimate salvation as he rebuilds his life in a halfway house halfway down Auckland’s Dominion Road.

Len is a Canadian alternative rock duo based in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of siblings Marc Costanzo and Sharon Costanzo and a revolving lineup of touring and studio musicians. The group is best known for their 1999 single Steal My Sunshine.

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_{“You were always playing my records, When I was after making some love” You Can’t Do it Right (With the One You Love) by Deep Purple (1974)}

< Mark’s

is

Don’t Try This At Home

by

Billy Bragg

Bragg was born in 1957 in Barking, Essex to Dennis Frederick Austin Bragg, an assistant sales manager to a Barking cap maker and milliner, and his wife Marie Victoria D’Urso, who was of Italian descent through her father. Bragg’s father died of lung cancer in 1976,and his mother died in 2011.

His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His activism is centered on social change and left-wing political causes.

Although not his best album this is one of his long-players that I enjoy the most. Here our Billy begins to sound completely comfortable with the notion of a full band. With Johnny Marr (who helped produce two tracks), Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, and Kirsty MacColl on hand to give the sessions a taste of star power, Don’t Try This at Home sounds full but uncluttered; the arrangements (most complete with – gasp! – drums) flesh out Bragg’s melodies, giving them greater strength in the process, and Billy’s craggy vocals wrap around the melodies with significantly more flexibility than on previous recordings.

His sixth studio album Don’t Try This at Home was recorded in the shadow of the build-up to the Gulf War and subsequent ground war, inspiring the track “Rumours of War.” Although there is social comment (“The Few,” “North Sea Bubble,”) it was intended as a more commercial pop album, released in September 1991. (Bragg called it “a very long-range attempt to convert the ball between the posts.”

Don’t Try This at Home isn’t the sort of album that announces itself with a bang, but slip into its understated textures and you’ll discover one of Bragg’s warmest and most thoughtful albums.

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_{“Just take those old records off the shelf, I’ll sit and listen to ’em by myself, Today’s music ain’t got the same soul, I like that old time rock ‘n’ roll” Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger (1978)}

Yes, I am the

I have hoovered up a bundle of albums originally released in September 1991 over the decades that have followed. Too many in fact to talk about. I thought it would be cool to look at them as if you were flipping through my record collection. So, without further ado … help yourself to a peak below. 🤓

Swipe left 👈 to view the above albums

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_{“737 comin’ out of the sky, Won’t you take me down to Memphis on a midnight ride, I wanna move, Playin’ in a travelin’ band, Yeah, Well, I’m flyin’ ‘cross the land tryin’ to get a hand, Playin’ in a travelin’ band” Travelling Band by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)}

_{This month: Bay City Rollers, Status Quo, Grateful Dead, Dire Straits, Nirvana, Whitney Houston, Nina Simone, and Marillion!}

The “Rock ’til You Drop” marathon in 1991 was a one-day UK tour by Status Quo, where they played sets of 50-60 minutes at multiple venues, covering 850 miles, to raise money for charity and attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records.

Writing

Wembley Arena

• Tour: The “I’m Your Baby Tonight” World Tour kicked off in March 1991. 
• Wembley Arena: Houston played 10 consecutive nights at the Wembley Arena in London in September of 1991, surpassing her previous record of 9 consecutive dates at the same venue during her “Moment of Truth” World Tour in 1988. 
• Dates: The dates were September 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 
• Tour End: The tour concluded in Paris in October 1991. 
• Film Debut: A month and a half after the tour concluded, Houston began production on her first feature film, “The Bodyguard”, in December 1991. 

Town and Country Club

A great 70s glam rock night out!!

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_{“Oh, I’m going to listen to my 45’s, Ain’t it wonderful to be alive when the rock n’ roll plays, yeah” Keeping the Faith by Billy Joel (1983)}

Bryan Adams, with his song (Everything I Do) I Do It For You has been in the top spot since the 13th of July … and remains at the pop pinnacle right through the month of September.

Official

22/9/1991

2️⃣0️⃣

The One I Love by R.E.M.

1️⃣9️⃣

Wind of Change (1991 Re-release) by The Scorpions

1️⃣8️⃣

Get Off by Prince and the New Power Generation

1️⃣7️⃣

Don’t Cry by Guns ‘n Roses

1️⃣6️⃣

Such a Good Feeling (1991 Re-release) by Brothers in Rhythm

1️⃣5️⃣

Cream by Prince and the New Power Generation

1️⃣4️⃣

Such a Feeling by Bizarre Inc.

1️⃣3️⃣

Saltwater by Julian Lennon

1️⃣2️⃣

Can’t Stop This Thing You’ve Started by Bryan Adams

1️⃣1️⃣

Something Got Me Started by Simply Red

1️⃣0️⃣

What Can You Do For Me by Utah Saints

9️⃣

Charly by The Prodigy

8️⃣

Peace by Sabrina Johnstone

7️⃣

Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) by Rozella

6️⃣

Sunshine on a Rainy Day by Zoe

5️⃣

I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred

4️⃣

Love to Hate You by Erasure

3️⃣

Insanity by Oceanic

2️⃣

Let’s Talk About Sex by Salt-N-Pepa

1️⃣

it’s

Bryan, bloody Adams

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1991, a significant year in musicology

1991 is generally seen as one of the greatest years for music history, as many masterful albums came out that year, and can often be viewed as a zenith for many genres.

For those who are unaware, this is a general list of iconic albums that were released in 1991:

Nevermind by Nirvana
Ten by Pearl Jam
Achtung Baby by U2
Screamadelica by Primal Scream
Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden
Loveless by My Bloody Valentine
Spiderland by Slint
Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
Sailing the Seas of Cheese by Primus
Trompe le Monde by the Pixies
Blue Lines by Massive Attack
Goat by The Jesus Lizard
Laughing Stock by Talk Talk
Foxbase Alpha by Saint Etienne
The Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld by The Orb
Apocalypse 91 by Public Enemy
Green Mind by Dinosaur Jr.
Black Album by Metallica
Out of Time by R.E.M
Use Your Illusion I and II by Guns N’ Roses

Indie music refers to music produced independently of a major commercial record label, but the term also describes a broad genre of music with creative freedom, authenticity, and a DIY ethic that often deviates from mainstream conventions. While its origins are rooted in the distribution model, “indie” has evolved into an identifier for a variety of experimental, non-mainstream sounds across subgenres like indie rock, indie pop, and indie folk.

Here is an indie (aka “alternative”) singles chart from the era

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Top Ten: 22 September 1991 – 28 September 1991

1️⃣

NEW ENTRY

2️⃣

NEW ENTRY

3️⃣

Last week # 1, peaked at # 1, two weeks in the charts

4️⃣

NEW ENTRY

5️⃣

Last week # 2, peaked at # 1, two weeks in the charts

6️⃣

Last week # 6, peaked at # 1, twenty eight weeks in the charts

7️⃣

Last week # 3, peaked at # 3, two weeks in the charts

8️⃣

NEW ENTRY

9️⃣

NEW ENTRY

🔟

Last week # 4, peaked at # 1, five weeks in the charts

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and all going well, I’ll

See you back in October, 1991 🙋‍♂️

More of my blogs:

• My Favorite 80s Albums [part two]
• My Favourite 80s Albums (part one)
• Rewound 11
• Rewound 10
• Rewound 9

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