Happy accidents, whooping at gigs and why the album review star system doesn’t work anymore

In which we hoof a few balls round the rock and roll pitch and try to stick some in the net. Extracts from the live match commentary include …. … “Whipping Post!” “Paint it black, you devil!”: when did the audience become part of the show? … the special, unrepeatable thing about Bill Evans At The Village Vanguard. … GambleGate and the most we’ve ever bet on anything. … why young musicians today are so good. And why most Americans could outplay the British. … ‘60s Jamaican ska, 2-Tone and other imperfect imitations of the original.  … does the mainstream exist anymore? … did the Animals’ House of the Rising Sun invent folk-rock? … the voice of Word In Your Ear, Kerry Shale: who is that masked man? … the new Al Murray promotional tactic. … and does anyone else remember Alice’s Restaurant? Plus Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles playing Motown, Emily Roberts of the Last Dinner Party playing Gershwin and birthday guest Blaine Allan.Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.