Is anyone else out there of the view that there are a plethora of guitar bands around with with dull and obscure lyrics that are inaudible in many instances? When you read what they are actually singing you wish you hadn’t bothered. Then you are left wondering if mumbling the words was deliberate because they don’t really know or care what they are saying. They are obliged to sing something, because well, most songs have words, don’t they?

This is nothing new of course. But it’s reassuring to know we can always turn in times of need to experienced, tuneful and lyrical songwriters like Neil Hannon and his Divine Comedy. To Die a Virgin, the opening song on their recent album, sets the sets the tone: With all the bombs and the bird flu/We’re probably gonna be dead soon/And here we are in your bedroom/Oh did I tell you I love you?

In the next track, Mother Dear, Hannon makes the startling revelation that “It was not that long ago it first occured to me that my mother was a person in her own right.” I wonder how many people over thirty can relate to that? I certainly do. Along the way, Hannon has picked up a delivery or two from the likes of Scott Walker, Jacques Brel, Phil Ochs and Jim Morrison. This album includes lots of melodic string arrangements, some of which put me in mind of Love’s Forever Changes.

My favourite song on here is A Lady of a Certain Age, which is classic narrative pop.
There’s also a decent rendering of The Associates early 80’s hit Party Fears Two and a song in honour of Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World.

Victory for the Comic Muse basically names itself as its funny, thoughtful and a winner for those who prefer crooner pop and good lyrics over cutting edge trends.

"Icarus, my son, I charge you to keep at a moderate height, for if you fly too low the damp will make your wings too heavy, and if too high the heat will melt the beeswax. Keep near me and you will be safe."

This week, Rangers FC flew out to Israel on a plane piloted by the lead singer of Iron Maiden. Bruce Dickinson is a qualified pilot who now works for an independent airline. Apparently, Dickinson is a follower of Rangers and when he heard about the opportunity to fly their charter he jumped at the chance.

I am not making this up; nor is it part of the plot of a Christopher Brookmyre novel. I love hearing about things like this because it shows truth can be stranger than fiction. If I had dreamed this up in a story beginning: Glasgow Rangers flew out to Israel on a plane piloted by the lead singer of Iron Maiden..., many readers would say, “I’m not having that, it’s too far-fetched”.

For more on Truth v Fiction and bizarre incidents see this excerpt from my journey-book, The Iberian Horseshoe: http://www.badosa.com/bin/obra.pl?id=n250-09

Since it’s almost carnival week this seems as good a time as any to post this album review which I originally sent to Amazon but never appeared for some reason:

I read on a Creedence fans’ web page that this was once referred to as the worst record ever made by a major band. It’s true that Mardi Gras is not typical Creedence. The only songs that carry the distinctive CCR sound are Sweet Hitchiker - a song you might be familiar with from numerous Creedence compilation albums – and the cover version of Hello Mary Lou.

Quite frankly, if you hate country music and everything associated with it then you won’t like this album. If on the other hand, you like the stuff Gram Parsons did with the Byrds or Bob Dylan with the Band then you’ll probably find Mardi Gras to your liking.

In my view, Mardi Gras is far from the worst record ever made by a major band. By 1972 however, it was always going to be difficult to maintain the standards that made Creedence one of the best American bands of the sixties. Tom Fogerty had left the group and the remaining members were inevitably going to want to branch out and do their own thing. Songwriting duties were more or less shared on Mardi Gras.

Predictably, the best tracks are John Fogerty numbers but Need Someone To Hold by Clifford and Cook is a nice song and is reminiscent of the Band. Three tracks: Take It Like a Friend, Sail Away and Door to Door are credited to bassist Stu Cook. They are slightly better than average country rock songs but his singing isn’t up to much.

Perhaps Mardi Gras was a good time to call it a day as there are a few signs that Creedence were running short of ideas and enthusiasm. Albums such as Green River, Willy and the Poorboys, and Cosmo’s Factory leave fans like myself with very high expectations. Mardi Gras is not the best CCR album but it is still well worth a listen and many lesser mortals would be proud enough of this work.