In a year dominated by returns it was gratifying to report that the highlight of my year came with Teenage Fanclub and The Go-Betweens both resuming live and recording activity.
It d been three years since the Fannies last graced us with their presence but Howdy! didn t disappoint, nor did the shows I caught in Glasgow and the Olympia. The Go-Betweens were here last year of course, albeit in acoustic mode, but this year they gave us a fantastic album The Friends Of Rachel Worth and played a breathtaking gig in the Olympia. Plus I got to see Grant McLennan togged out in one of Eamonn Carr s old Horslips stage costumes, after which he ended up crashing in the Byrne residence which kinda makes sense when you think about it.
Speaking of Horslips, it was great to have their back catalogue reissued properly at last, while last month The Blades legacy finally became available on CD happy days!
The much-trumpeted re-emergence of Radiohead and U2 were mixed affairs, the former disappearing up their own arses with the godawful Kid A (third-rate Prog Rock thirty years too late thanks lads!) while all the latter rediscovered was the po-faced stodge of their Rattle & Hum period.
Elsewhere there were great Power Pop albums by Dwight Twilley (Tulsa), Darin (Solitarium), Myracle Brah (Plate Spinner), Cosmic Rough Riders (Panorama and Enjoy The Melodic Sunshine) and The Shazam (Godspeed The Shazam), Aimee Mann released the brilliant Bachelor No.2, Joe Pernice (Big Tobacco) and Johnny Cash (Solitary Man) kept the world safe for dark, Country-tinged music and Doves created a future late-night classic with Lost Souls.
Other important world events included
Chelsea winning the FA Cup and Charity
Shield, before promptly sacking Gianluca
Vialli and subsequently heading into freefall, Shamrock Rovers finally getting the go-ahead
for their new stadium in Tallaght and creeping
up among the leaders in the Eircom League
and, amazingly, the Republic Of Ireland
drawing away with both Holland and Portugal. Let s not get carried away though, there s
loads of time for Mick McCarthy to screw
things up yet.
Happy New Year!