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Do your wurst: What could go horribly right? The Producers (1967) starring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel
The brilliantly bad to the awesomely atrocious, whether in sound or lyrics, this week it's time to stretch the realms of musical and lyrical taste into the outer regions, and boldly go where we've never been before
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Timeless melodies: a page from the Antikamnia Chemical Company’s Skeleton Calendar for 1901
When does The Fall come, is it in autumn or spring? And what and when might Brian Eno or Vashti Bunyan bring? All this and more as this week’s playlister Rachel Courtney aka uneasy listening gets creative with musical calendars
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What comes around …
This week we seek to search out and reclaim meanings for the months of the year, largely through the Gregorian calendar of the big 12 from January to December, whether that be by mood, setting, or different associations
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Rokia Traoré … dancing with a constant companion Mélancolie
The Bar is delighted. Places, emotions, elements, the weather and even music itself take human traits as this week’s guru Uncleben is excellence personified, guiding through two exhaustive and illuminating playlists on this topic
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Faces in rock: Samples from Japan’s famous Rock Museum
Rock face? This week we explore lyrics that attribute human characteristics to objects, concepts, natural forces and many other non-human things. Enjoy a few famous, inspiring examples in songs, poetry, literature and photography
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Ernest Hemingway wrote, on his final day: ‘The sun also sets’
It’s an important, topical theme, and has fuelled many songs, but has addressing it also saved lives? This week, from reasons to method, even with some dark humour, through music and more, we examine at this very serious issue
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Help! A knockout moment from Muhammed Ali and the Beatles in 1964
Every picture tells a story, but this time let’s do it with songs inspired by, or about photographs or photography, and to help inspire here’s a selection of rare and usual shots to provoke memory, imagination, mystery and wonder
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Confucius
After an surge of sagacity in song nominations from last week’s topic, our most astute guest playlister barbryn makes his picks, but can you match his memes to the musicians and their music? Every picture tells a story …
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Yoda. Seeing the lighter side
This week we’re not being clever,, simply seeking wisdom in individual lyrics or across a whole song. From philosophers to musicians to authors, how is is it gained, through humility, experience, courage, or a just turn of phrase?
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Roxy Music – everyone gets their moment
Covert crushes, hopeless longing or sinister obsession? All this and more with two lists of brilliance and passion from the Temptations to Divine Comedy and beyond, skilfully picked by this week’s guest Severin from last week’s topic
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He nose, but does she? Cyrano de Bergerac
Clandestine cravings and crushes? To spice up a romantic tradition, this week’s topic is all about secret love longings expressed through song, here inspired by real-life examples of musicians, alongside film, books and theatre
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Café culture
Romance and glamour, café culture, perfume, protest, or grit and gangs? Paris means all things to all people, but if one thing unites these things, it is inspiration. This week the Bar Du Chanson, we try to capture its essence in song
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Put your deposits here …
Ruled by them or robbing them, debts and deposits to crises and economic crashes, this week it’s time to turn our musical attention to banks and bankers, and realise that aside from facts and figures, they are also all about people
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Barrrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
Glasgow to Chicago, London and Liverpool to Lisdoonvarna and all the way to Mali, inspired by many reader nominations around the globe, this week’s playlister pejepeine takes us on a tantalising tour of magical musical locations
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Kate Tempest – Europe is Lost?
From personal turmoil of the human brain to total tumult of the planet, Temptations to Kate Tempest, this week’s playlist writer ParaMhor turns last week’s whole world of fabulous nominations into a cri de crisis par excellence
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Don’t do it, Father Dougal …
… and how can it all go right? This week let’s see if we can make musical manoeuvres in the current climate, causes and cures for crises, whether they be political social, economic or personal
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David Bowie and ‘family’ on the set of The Man Who Fell To Earth
Transcending distance and time, and sometimes in another dimension, space itself, this week we look to go the full distance to explore the trials and triumphs of enduring love, or otherwise, made or broken by absence
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Global repair
From cars to people, mind and body, clocks or guitars, the world at large or little local difficulties, let’s start 2019 by fixing up and looking sharp with skills and toolkits on this topic
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Superb lyrebird - sounds like everything else, but nothing sounds like it.
The topic over the Christmas holiday season is a form of convivial, parlour game in which pairs of songs can be nominated that share musical or other echoes - but which came first and where are the comparisons? You decide …
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Not so strange bedfellows: Eric and Ernie
The non-sexual, non-romantic sort is what makes up most of the love we experience in life, so whether that concerns real or fictional experiences, let’s define and explore it as expressed in song lyrics
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