Dirty Ashtray

Just a brief one today as I’m still a bit hung over post-1537 Awards, I still can’t believe that I persuaded Madonna to play guitar and Angus Young to show me his chest … crazy times.

Now I’m a bit of an obsessive dude, no I am – hear me out, I insist! I can normally tell you where and when I bought an LP, usually what I paid for it even.  In fact, not wishing to scare you or anything, but in Neil Gaiman’s masterful Sandman graphic novel Doll’s House, there’s a serial killer called Bogeyman who when you give him the number of one of his victims, just rattles off a line or two about their demise; not wanting to weird any of you out but I really related to that, but in a vinylous, rather than murderous context,

‘Hmm, 132? ah yes, the sweet sound of a summer breeze ruffling a maiden’s hair. Screaming, screaming, screaming, Screaming For Vengeance’

See? not weird at all. Not weird, I tell you !! Test me again!! I’m-Not-Weird !!

But here’s the anomaly I genuinely can’t remember buying Dennis Coffey Back Home.  I know it was on 13 June 2008 thanks to my little sticker, but that’s it.  Not a where, or how in my head at all.  More to the point why did I buy it? apart from a few utterly transcendent bits, I suffer from Funk Blindness Syndrome (FBS).  It really isn’t my thing at all and this really is disco funk to the max, post-coital disco funk at that.

In fact Back Home will one day be invaluable to me when I invent time travel, go back to 1976 and prove to be a huge hit with the ladies, probably due to my groovy moves and digital watch.  I can see me listening to the likes of ‘High on Love’ and ‘Free Spirit’ in bed, a lot.  Oh yes.  In fact put ‘High on Love’ on and just try not to improvise a lewd rap to your woman over the top of it, I tried it twice just now and failed both times.

The best track here by far is ‘Funk Connection’ which ladles on the funky bass, guitar licks and sassy grooves and it’s all well and good for a minute or two, but I get a bit bored after three minutes of it.  Therein lies the rub, there’s nothing wrong here, Mr Coffey is a damn fine player as are all the supporting players but it just blands me out after a little bit.  Sure there are variations, the Anchorman-style Jazz flute of ‘Free Spirit’ or Our Love Goes on Forever’ and the female vocals on ‘High on Love’ from the mysteriously named Brandy.  After one side it all starts to sound like the background music to an episode of Starsky and Hutch, funky yet light.

So I’m back where I started really, not sure why I bought it, or when I’ll listen to it again.  But I do like the cover, which may be a bit of a clue.

Puzzler.

311 Down (with it).