Round two of ‘the triple’ (40th, Xmess, NYE) is nearly upon me and it’s finally feeling like a holiday, rather than a trial by ice!

Thus far, we’ve had an amplifier blow up, the boiler break down (twice), two nasty colds, several bad hangovers, a dodgy back, infected gums and mushy pea fritters…

If it really matters, my fave ‘new releases’ of 2009 are being:

• Reigning Sound “Love & Curses” (In The Red)
• Greg Cartwright “Live At The Circle A” (Dusty Medical)
• Jack O & The Tearjerkers “The Disco Outlaw” (Goner)
• Jack O “Saturday Night Part 2″ (Big Legal Mess)

As far as fillums go, it’s gotta be “Telstar”, “The Wrecking Crew”, “Transatlantic Feedback” and, duh, some excellent GPO stuff from the 1930s & 1940s!

As for books, the hands-down winner (by weight, also) is John Broven’s “Record Makers & Breakers”, but real props to Alex Ogg’s “Independence Days”, Jon Hartley-Fox’s “King Of The Queen City” and Bruce Eaton’s “Big Star: Radio City”. Special mention for help in times of distress: Richard Meltzer’s “Aging Rhythm”. The ‘how do you do that?’ gong goes to Ugly Things, as ever…

This veddy morn, I has been playing some of this year’s vinyl 45 purchases (and b-day prezzies):

• Jim Tarbutton And The Memphis Sound “The Mysterians” b/w “The Stinger”
• Prince Buster’s Allstars “Haunted House”
• Topsy Turbys “Hey Tiger”
• Silver Apples “Oscillations”
• The Commodores “Uranium”
• Slim Gaillard And His Peruvians “Laughing In Rhythm”
• King Coleman “Lookey-Dookey Part 2″
• Sonny Boy Williamson “Help Me”
• Electric Jungle “Funky Funky Christmas”
• The Motions “For Another Man”
• Nina Simone “Feelin’ Good”
• Hearts & Flowers “Road To Nowhere”
• The Montanas “That’s When Happiness Began”
• The Wild Tones “The Martian Band” b/w “Shut Ups”
• Amos Milburn “Chicken Shack” b/w “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer”
• The Rocketeers “Hey Rube”

Now it’s time to go drinking!

Have a kool yule & a swinging noo yerr, y’all!