Steve Wright In The After...

So, it’s been almost a year since Steve Wright in the Afternoon came to an end. This popular Radio 2 show had been on air for nearly 24 years, and Steve Wright himself has been a constant presence on UK radio for nearly twice as long.

I thought it was worth me looking back on this end of an era one year on from that event, and also one year on from my own blog post at the time celebrating Steve & the show.

 

The main thing for me was to observe the genuine love and respect which came Steve’s way from famous people, peers, and the listeners as the show reached its final edition; like him or loathe him (and like the best presenters, Steve can be divisive), it was clear that Steve had made an indelible mark on people’s lives.

 

What was less pleasant was the vitriol aimed at Steve’s replacement Scott Mills and indeed at Radio 2 management. I get how passionately people felt about the situation – I loved SWITA and it was a big part of my life for 24 years – but some of the comments bandied about on social media were unkind and unbecoming. For me, I am grateful that we got 24 years of a terrific show and I understand that stations like Radio 2 must consider how they evolve.

 

That said, I think the thing that really rankled with fans of Steve about the whole affair was that it was not Steve’s choice to go. If Steve had chosen to leave of his own volition – as appeared to be the case with Terry Wogan – then I think people would have been more accepting of that. But no matter how delicately and honourably Steve explained it, it appeared to be a change forced upon him. And with Steve being someone who clearly loved the show and was still full of enthusiasm for it, it may have seemed to many as change for the sake of it.

 

Alongside the bitter disappointment being expressed, there was a lot of speculation as to where Steve may go next, even though he did say on his last SWITA show that he was staying at the BBC. Certainly, I made my own speculations on my previous blog post which (so far) were wrong.

 

Clearly, the big hope was that Steve would take SWITA to another station, with two stations coming up time and time again.

 

My own view on my previous blog post was that Virgin Radio would have been interested in Steve. Virgin had made investments in two big radio names – Chris Evans and Graham Norton – and I felt that the addition of Steve in the afternoon slot would surely further its ambitions to increase its profile and listenership. Not only that, but shortly after Chris’ move to Virgin, he had made comments to the effect that Virgin should make a bid for Steve. Of course, Chris would make many oblique comments suggesting a big name was coming to Virgin, which sparked hope in many (me included) that Steve was making the move. Alas, this has not happened.

 

The other station in the frame was Greatest Hits Radio, a station very much on the ascendant and one which features several previous Radio 1 & Radio 2 presenters. Of course, Ken Bruce has since moved to Greatest Hits which has done much to increase profile and listenership. The management at Bauer Media (which owns GHR) has been asked a couple of times about plans for further big signings; one in a recent episode of The Media Podcast and another in an interview in the i paper (which asked directly about Steve Wright) – whilst the responses were carefully non-committal, it certainly sounds like GHR is not done in terms of looking for other big names to bolster its already impressive schedule.

 

So, Steve has so far stayed put at Radio 2, albeit in a vastly reduced role. He continues to present Sunday Love Songs and has presented several Bank Holiday specials. More recently, he has launched the semi-regular Tell It to Steve podcast on BBC Sounds, combining archive interviews with new interviews – and the most recent news is that he will be taking over Pick of the Pops from October. Plus, he has just completed a 4-night run of evening specials on Radio 2 entitled Steve Wright’s Summer Nights.

 

The latter is especially noteworthy as the shows were live, and featured a lot of listener messages, as well as a few elements from SWITA; most of Steve’s recent output is pre-recorded and whilst he is a consummate professional at bringing life to a real-time pre-record, there is just a different energy when he is live. Listening to him this past week, you can tell how much he was loving it.

 

And this brings me to the main point of this post, I guess. In everything I have read about Steve and heard about Steve, he absolutely loves radio. And whilst no-one can underestimate the sense of freedom Steve must have now after 24 years of spending 5 long days a week preparing for and presenting a daily 3-hour show, I just don’t get the sense that he is done with regular live radio.

 

So, whilst he is clearly staying at the BBC for now, I still would not rule out Steve moving elsewhere for a daily show. I don’t say that to contribute to or re-spark any speculation, it’s just my gut feeling. (Or possibly wishful thinking).

 

The other possibility of course (and this is the view heavily outlined on various radio forums) is that Steve had every intention of moving SWITA elsewhere but a) a deal could not be reached between Steve and interested radio stations or b) Steve is enjoying being away from the daily grind and would prefer a lighter schedule. Certainly, there have been some suggestions that Steve is enjoying a well-earned break whilst considering what may happen next.

 

So perhaps Steve has decided to lighten the load permanently? Or perhaps he is taking a breather and thinking about what the next stage of his career could be? Who knows. What is good is that Radio 2 does appear to be actively finding things for Steve to do, although one wonders where the long-promised Serious Jockin’ podcast is up to.

 

I guess the biggest thing for me is that SWITA, love it or hate it, was quite unique and no-one else sems to do that kind of magazine-style radio show anymore, plus there does not seem to be any kind of comparable alternative afternoon show. Afternoons are a bit of a void for fans of that kind of radio show at the moment, I think.

 

So, here’s hoping for more Steve Wright, wherever and whenever that may arrive!

The Summers of Our Youth

Stephen O'Brien ponders on his own formative friendships as he watches the members of a-ha deal with their own in their new film, True North.

A new album from legendary Norwegian pop band a-ha is always an event in my book – but even more so when that new album is accompanied by a film.

 

So it was that my girlfriend and I went to Showcase Cinemas in Liverpool on Thursday 15 September 2022 to watch a-ha: True North.

Named after the band’s forthcoming album, True North showcases a-ha performing 10 of the album’s 10 tracks live, backed by additional musicians and the Arctic Philharmonic. These performances are interspersed with scenes from the lives of the people who live in the Arctic, forming a narrative across the film’s 72 minute running time.

 

We are also treated to some stunning footage of the beautiful Arctic – mountains, ocean and land – which makes the majestic swoop and heft of the music resonate on a deeper level.

 

In between the tracks, we are treated to short segments where the three members of a-ha – Morten Market, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy – separately talk about their approaches to the new songs and also on how a-ha operates as a unit; let’s not forget, Morten, Magne and Paul have what could be charitably described as a very complicated friendship.

 

These segments – and what they suggested about the nature of friendship – really resonated with me that night as I arrived at Showcase Cinemas after many, many years of absence, and I was immediately reminded of two important friendships of my own, both played out at this cinema over 30 years before.

 

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I hung out a lot with two particular friends, John & Jim. We were – and still are – really pop culture buffs; music, TV and film. So when Showcase Cinemas opened in Liverpool in 1988, it was a big deal for us. It was the first American-style multi-screen complex in the city. The building was huge and the car park was massive. The screens were big, and the popcorn was even bigger.

 

Over a 3 year period, John, Jim & I would go to “the Showcase" most Thursday nights. We saw some great films – Back to the Future II & III, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Die Hard – and some not so great – Moon 44, anyone?

 

In many ways, the film didn’t matter. It was always a privilege to spend time with John & Jim. They were both bright, funny and interesting. John was a force of nature, his unerring self-confidence equally matched by his compassion, and his charisma was unmatched. He also remains the funniest person I have ever known, and I am lucky enough to know a lot of funny people. Jim was easy-going but bursting with ideas and creativity, with a knack of disarming people with his effortless charm. He was also a people magnet, and everyone wanted to be his friend within 30 seconds of meeting him.

 

There is a saying that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. I was blessed, in my teenage years, to have John & Jim as 2 of those 5. Their intelligence, their wit and their kindness has had a long-lasting influence on me. To be even 1% of who they are is a real privilege.

 

As is often the case with friendships in our formative years, I don’t really see John or Jim these days. You know how it is – life gets in the way and takes each of us in different directions – but being reminded of those friendships at that cinema on that night brings me back to the three members of a-ha and the bond that still holds them together.

 

Morten, Magne & Paul formed their friendship – and their musical partnership – in their formative years. Following their first wave of success, the relationship between the three has become strained – to the point where they periodically split and say a-ha is over forever. Yet they still find a way back.

 

The optimist in me thinks – and hopes – it’s not just the money that brings them back together. And I also like to think it’s also not just about the creative lure of a-ha either. They may often reach the point where they can’t bear to be in the same room at the same time, but that friendship – or at least the memory imprint of their early friendship – still endures. Let’s face it, the only people who know what it’s like to have been in this world-famous band and can understand all that comes with it are Morten, Magne and Paul. Whether that friendship has been superseded by mutual understanding, who knows? But there must be something there, some emotional glue, that holds them together. And I think that comes across in this film and its music.

 

a-ha have never been a band to display their friendship (unless you count the video to Touchy!). They have always cut an aloof, slightly-distant-from-each-other image. Some of this could be representative of the natural temperament of the Scandinavians, rather than simply a long-held dislike of each other.

 

That said, given their previous 2015 album Cast In Steel was largely written and recorded separately by three separate factions, it is a joy to see the three of them together performing this new material (as opposed to touring the back catalogue). This looks like a rejuvenated a-ha; that might not last much beyond the 72 minutes of this film, but I’ll take it!

 

Magne has written and produced 6 of the 12 tracks, with Paul writing and producing the other 6. It does seem like the three have made a real attempt to come together as a three-piece, and the material (as well as the film) seems much more cohesive as a result.

 

Much of the album takes us down slower, more contemplative roads, with the impressive I’m In starting proceedings. The listener has to patiently wait for some more upbeat tracks, but when these – Bluest of Blue & Make Me Understand – kick in towards the end of the film, they are a welcome treat. Elsewhere, songs like Between the Halo and the Horn & True North are achingly beautiful, both melodically and lyrically. Much of a-ha’s material has the ability to bring various emotions to the surface, and this is amplified by the wonderful backing of the Arctic Philharmonic; I sat in that cinema, with its huge screen and surround sound, and I truly felt the music, rather than just hearing it. My girlfriend, who likes a-ha but is not a huge fan like me, loved the film and the music – and she singled out the orchestral arrangements as making the music all the more beautiful and moving.

So I left the screen a very happy man. Not just because of the wonderful music and visuals I had just experienced, but also because it was good to be reminded of the power of friendship and the impact those friendships can have on the rest of your life. It’s funny to note that I had just watched three friends who sometimes can’t bear each other yet are still in each other’s lives, yet I hardly see two fondly-remembered friends who I never fell out with. 

And as I walked out of the cinema, I thought back to the three young friends who would have been walking in 30-odd years earlier to watch the first of many films in that shiny new cinema. And part of me envied them. What great times they have ahead. What great friends they were.

Serious Afternoonin’

Stephen O’Brien tries to come to terms with the end of the greatest radio show of all time, Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon

On a Friday afternoon in March 2022, my girlfriend and I were driving along the Llyn Peninsula in Wales, on the way to a well-deserved weekend away. As is customary when we go on holiday in the UK, we were being kept company by Steve Wright in the Afternoon aka The Big Show on the car audio system.

I’ve listened to Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2 since it started on that station in 1999. He’s kept me company driving home from work; he’s kept me sane whilst I grappled with almost-insurmountable coursework for my Computing degree; he’s kept me focused when doing deep work in my day job, and has cheered me up when I’ve been stuck on motorways in the summer.

 

And on this particular trip in Wales, it occurred to me that I’d better make the most of it as there will be a day when Steve stops doing the show. Let’s face it, I thought, Steve loves radio, but he is 67 and he’s spent 5 days a week for 24 years in that studio.

 

Well… I didn’t think it was going to come to an end that quick.

 

Just a few months later, Steve announced on-air on 1 July 2022 that he was leaving the afternoon slot on Radio 2 at the request of station management. Unlike some of his former Radio 1 colleagues in that station’s presenter cull in the 1990s, Steve appeared to take the news with great grace and acceptance. Unlike many of his ardent listeners who, like myself, were absolutely gutted.

 

It’s now September 2022 as I write this, and we are in the final weeks of Steve Wright in the Afternoon. (On Radio 2, at least…). So it’s only right and timely that I pay tribute to my favourite radio show whilst it’s still on air.

 

The original version of Steve Wright in the Afternoon was a huge hit on Radio 1 in the 1980s and into the 1990s. Steve took the US zoo format and recreated it with a British sensibility, with a real emphasis on humour (more so than in the Radio 2 version). Steve resigned from Radio 1 in 1995 having seen a number of his fellow established DJs being shown the door, but Robert Sellers’ excellent The Remarkable Tale of Radio 1 reveals that Radio 1 management had no intention of removing Steve and were devastated by his decision to go.

 

After a brief spell in commercial radio, Steve arrived at Radio 2 in 1996, initially in a Saturday morning slot and also on Sunday with his still-running Love Songs show, before being asked to resurrect Steve Wright in the Afternoon in 1999.

 

Steve is a wise old soul and knows radio inside out; he knew that he couldn’t do the same show he had done on the more-youth-skewed Radio 1, so he took a different approach. Sure, there were catchy and sometimes crazy jingles flying about here, there and everywhere, and the occasional funny character, but Steve came up with a warmer, friendlier – yet still energetic – show.

 

This is a key point. The show – even after 24 years – still fizzes with energy. If Ken Bruce’s mid-morning show is like a comfy old pair of slippers (and I mean that in a good way), then Steve’s show is like a pair of new Adidias trainers; fast, sleek and constantly updating slightly but you know what you’re getting.

 

The Big Show sounds like nothing else on UK radio; from Steve’s now classic opening theme (created, like all of his custom jingles, by the genius Anthony James of AJ Music Productions), it zips along with jingles, soundbites, and Factoids, but at its heart is a guy who loves what he does and knows how lucky he is to do it.

 

Legendary radio & TV presenter Tommy Boyd said, in an episode of David Lloyd’s brilliant Radio Moments podcast, that Steve has “the most fantastic iron resolve to do such a fantastic show as he does every day and then repeat it the following day… in many ways he’s the best broadcaster we’ve got at the moment”. That’s Steve’s real skill; he has done that show day-in day-out for nearly a quarter of a century, and yet he still makes every episode sound as fresh as the first.

 

The fact is that, whether you love him or hate him, Steve Wright is unbelievably good at what he does. He can do the fun stuff, but he can also do the serious stuff (as he has demonstrated on his recent shows following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II). He is always well-prepared in interviews, and can respond quickly to whatever is thrown at him whilst keeping completely cool. Often dissenters complain about his annual salary, but it’s worth pointing out that Steve doesn’t just go in for his show; colleagues say that he is there first thing in the morning, and sticks around after his show finishes at 5pm to start prepping the next day’s show. He takes his work seriously, and that comes across on air.

 

A word too for his regular and most durable co-hosts, Tim Smith and Janey Lee-Grace (pictured below). In an industry where “sidekicks” can be overpowering, Tim and Janey are reassuringly calm yet enthusiastic. They both come across as genuinely decent people, and they complement Steve really well. The show is often at its best when all three are on at the same time; there is a real sense of camaraderie and fun, which reinforces the feeling listening to the show is like being part of a family. Since lockdown, Tim and Janey aren’t in the studio as much as previously, and their contributions seem a little reduced these days, which is a shame. (A quick mention too for Bobbie Pryor, who mainly does the traffic and travel but also acts as a great co-presenter alongside Tim and Janey).

Of course, Serious Jockin’ has been the big item of the show in recent years. The Jockin’ is all good fun and a great way to set people up for the weekend, but I must admit I miss the days when Steve resurrected the old Radio 1 Roundtable record review for his Friday shows in the early 2000s. Let’s not forget also the Webcam of the Day feature with Miles Mendoza, the Old Woman, and of course, the brilliant Ask Elvis with Mitch Benn as The King answering stupid questions with hilarious answers. Of course, Steve still has a good dose of humour in the show, courtesy of Lewis McLeod’s excellent impersonations of Jeremy Vine, Paul McCartney and Alan Bennett.

 

Steve has tons of jingles, and I can’t be alone in thinking that he has the best suite of jingles in British radio. My favourite - which is below - is the “top of the hour” jingle which starts with a dramatic rising violin-led soundbed (over which Steve tells us what is coming up) then pauses with a sung “Steve Wright in the Afternoon”, followed by a rising orchestral swell and culminating in a needlessly dramatic cry of “GREAT BRIT-AIIIIIIIIN”. Love it.

Below is a great video from AJ Music Productions’ YouTube channel of how the Steve Wright in the Afternoon theme is put together; the effort that has gone into a 40 second theme for a radio show is fascinating. Three violin players, two viola players, one French Horn player, two guitarists, one bass player, one cellist, one trumpeter, one trombonist, one keyboardist and one drummer. It’s a whirling, thrilling and pounding piece of music, and it always gets me in the feels whenever I hear it.

In the old days, Steve used to close the show with the coda to Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell; a really evocative use of that music. In more recent years, this was replaced by an original AJ Music Productions composition called Starfield (you can listen to it below); it has a very similar vibe to what came before it, but quite a moving piece of music.

And on that note, I have no doubt that the final play of Starfield on the final show will be quite emotional. 24 years, guys. 24 years I’ve listened to this show and it’s been a constant friend to me through all that time.

 

So what happens once the show ends? You know, Steve is approaching 70 and has undoubtedly earned the right to take it a bit easier. The official line is that Steve will continue with Sunday Love Songs and other special projects for the BBC, but as former Radio 1 boss Trevor Dann said recently on the terrific Word In Your Ear podcast, Steve’s “got so much energy… this is what he does so I think he might still be around doing stuff”. Social media is awash with suggestions of going to Greatest Hits Radio or Boom, but you know, I would not be surprised if Steve ends up taking The Big Show to Virgin Radio. They have deep pockets, they have the resources to do a show like Steve’s and they would probably give him the freedom that perhaps Greatest Hits Radio wouldn’t. It is also worth noting that Chris Evans is a huge fan (and friend) of Steve Wright and has previously commented that Steve should move to the station. In recent weeks, Chris has made a few cryptic comments about Steve and Virgin Radio; most recently, he played the Steve Wright in the Afternoon theme (to compare it to the opening bars of All These Nights by Tom Grennan) and made a comment about leaving the theme on the Virgin Radio system. Now Chris Evans may just be being mischievous… but just imagine if The Big Show got yet another lease of life. Imagine!

 

It’s sad to see The Big Show come to an end on Radio 2, but now I know how the previous generation of Radio 2 listeners felt when younger listeners like me turned up to listen to a bunch of new presenters and a baffling new playlist!

 

Whatever Steve does next, I wish him well. Thank you Steve and the team for your company all these years, it’s been an absolute pleasure.

Let Me Go - Heaven 17

On a recent episode of his excellent Electronically Yours podcast, Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware singled out Let Me Go as the best Heaven 17 track, and after revisiting it based on that proposition, I wholeheartedly agree.

The lead single from Heaven 17’s second album The Luxury Gap, Let Me Go stalled at #41 and was eclipsed by the massive success of follow-up Temptation. There’s no question that Temptation is a 24-carat solid gold pop classic, but it is Let Me Go which best encapsulates what Heaven 17 are all about.

It effortlessly walks the tightrope between the band’s left-field influences (Kraftwerk, Roxy Music and even Ware & Ian Craig Marsh’s own Mk1 Human League) and their more mainstream pop aspirations.

The first half of the song is Heaven 17 for the purist; the early verses are sparse, almost desolate; Glenn Gregory’s commanding vocals dominate a backing comprising of a robotic frog bassline and a synth motif which sounds like a police siren being fired out of a cannon. The real passion kicks in with the chorus, with Gregory’s almost desperate “And YET!” line boiling the song’s “enough is enough” theme into two words.

The second half of the song takes us into pop territory with a lovely bit of Chic-like guitar, leading into the “bap-a-do-bap” refrain which is simply a work of genius - and all the better for being held back for delayed gratification. Many other acts - probably including Mk 2 Human League - would have used this refrain throughout the track, even opened with it, and one wonders if Let Me Go would have been a bigger hit had Ware, Gregory and Ian Craig Marsh taken that route. But perhaps that’s not a very Heaven 17 thing to do.

Lyrically, the song moves from wistful memories of a love which has fallen away, through to anger then exploration about its loss, and ending with reluctant acceptance, culminating in the heartbreaking “Found guilty of no crime / They were the best years of our lives” couplet. The Kubler-Ross Change Curve in 4 and a half minutes, basically.

In the aforementioned podcast, Ware explained how the band desperately tried to persuade Virgin Records to go with Temptation as the lead single from The Luxury Gap but they were overruled. There is no doubt in mind Temptation would have been a hit whether it went first or second but part of me regrets that, by being first out of the traps, Let Me Go was not given its true moment in the sun.

Written by Gregory/Marsh/Ware

Produced by B.E.F./Greg Walsh

Virgin Records - VS532 / #41, 1982

REVIEW: Still Life - Peter Kvint

It is the end of September 2018 as I write this, and I am here to tell you about the album of the year.

Still Life is the debut album from Swedish songwriter and producer Peter Kvint. Kvint has had a long career behind the scenes, working with acts like Andreas Johnson, Britney Spears and Morten Harket. Having enjoyed Kvint's work on Harket's contributions to a-ha's last studio album Cast In Steel, I was moved to check out his solo material. And I'm so glad I did.

Still Life, for me at least, is the album of the year. And yes, I know there are still a few months left of 2018, but this album has impacted me so much that I'm sure if anything will top it.

The album has had a long gestation period; Kvint himself suggests he had no real intention to become a performer, but he found himself with a number of songs he'd written and performed for special occasions - songs so personal to him that he couldn't see anyone else but him fronting them.

Still Life is well named, with its title having a double meaning; still life in that it is a snapshot in time, a portrait of the life of a man reaching middle age, but also still life in the sense that we're still here and we still have to live, whether life is good or bad, or a combination of both.

Opening track (and lead single) Seasons In You is a gorgeous, melodic tribute to Kvint's wife (he wrote and performed it for her 50th birthday), where Kvint tracks their relationship and his feelings for his wife against the four seasons. It also sets the sonic template for the album; largely driven by acoustic guitar but peppered with electric guitar and electronics, the sound of the album is reflective and organic.

Sea of Heart is possibly the key departure from this sound; it's almost like a-ha doing Bobby Darin, but its dreamy texture and wall of 1950s Americana backing vocals impresses.

Perspective is a punchy journey into Kvint trying to understand the man he is now at this stage of life, as compared to the person he always assumed he was, with these thoughts culminating in an impressive instrumental break.

The next two tracks are possibly the album's highpoints. Willow Tree is a superb ballad, with a melody that is worthy of Lennon & McCartney; Kvint contemplates his marriage in which he and his wife have, like the tree in the title, bent to life's demands, but have not been broken by it. The lines of the chorus - "I'm picking up the pieces of you / You're picking up the pieces of me" - are moving, especially with Kvint's delivery, and the extended choral coda which brings the song to its conclusion is beautiful.

Opening with some noodling synths, The Chaos Theory has a melancholic melody which gets you right in the heart; I can't listen to this track without getting a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat. Kvint expresses the view that modern life is hard, but we need to stay strong and keep the big picture in mind. The emotion of the chorus - "Butterflies will flap their wings again / Hurricanes will rock your world, my friend / Count your love and multiply" - makes this song an instant classic.

Sculpture discusses how we are shaped by life and the people around us, and how that shaping never ends, with Kvint again taking stock of his life. Kvint adds some lovely brass/woodwind to this track, which gives it a real jazzy feel.

Turn My World Around Again is a restrained yet emotional paean to a close friend of Kvint's who sadly passed away; it was this track, which Kvint performed at the funeral, which instigated the whole album. This plaintive piece expresses the pain of losing a loved one, with Kvint's lyrics - "Shine a light on my friend / Lead his way until the end / Bring him home / Turn my world around again" - bringing tears to my eyes when I think of those who have passed on.

Battleships is a further departure, with its beefier production moving away from the intimacy that permeates most of the album and towards a radio hit. It is possibly one of the most immediate tracks on the album, with its lyrics seeing Kvint in fighting mode; the more contemplative Kvint gives way to a man determined to stand his ground instead of retreating.

Life Is Complicated brings Kvint back to the album's recurring theme, about how life can be a struggle at times but that doen't mean that one should avoid living it to the full -- a message reinforced by the track's laidback guitars and percussion. Some lovely backing vocals and a winning chorus make this track the dark horse of the album.

The Puzzle opens with an amazing extended instrumental intro, a lovely mix of woodwind, strings and guitars, before we get to the brilliant opening lyric - "There's a hole right inside of you / Where the people see right through you". This epic piece - all 7 minutes and 31 seconds of it - has Kvint address the listener directly; we're all incomplete in some way, there's something about us all which isn't quite right, and we spend much of our life trying to understand it.

Many artists probably would have ended the album on the anthemic The Puzzle, but Kvint ends -- as he began -- with a low-key tribute to his family, this time to his children, on Singing Every Song For You. Kvint talks about his children starting to making their own way in life but reminds them that everything he does is for them and that he's always there for them, even when he's not at the their side. It's a gorgeous track, and is absolutely the right way to close such a personal album as this.

This album has really stuck with me; the lyrics have made me think, and the melodies have made me feel. I'm a few years younger than Kvint, but I can really relate to the themes he has tackled on this brilliant album.

After a few days of listening to the album on Spotify, I knew I had to actually own the album (and support Kvint more directly) so I stumped up to get the CD shipped from Sweden. But if you don't want to do that, then it is available on Spotify and also available from the usual downloads sites such as iTunes. I'd urge you to give it a try; it might not be to everyone's taste, but this album is such a heartfelt and poignant piece of work that it deserves to be better known.

Kvint himself has been so inspired by the process that he has started work on a follow up, and I am really looking forward to hear what he comes up with. Until then, I will continue to spend some more time with Still Life. Which, may I remind you, is the album of the year.

The Best Kim Wilde Tracks You've Never Heard #1: Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love)

There are many contenders for The Best Kim Wilde Tracks You've Never Heard - and I'm going to cover a number of them in a new series of blogs - but I'm going to start with my favourite.

Kim Wilde had enjoyed a successful 1980s, starting out with catchy and lyrically intriguing hits crafted by her father, the famous rock and roll singer and songwriter Marty Wilde, and her brother, talented songwriter and producer Ricky Wilde. Her debut Kids In America is perhaps her defining hit, but tracks such as the haunting Cambodia, the eerie View From A Bridge and the risque The Second Time showed there was real depth behind the blonde beauty with the unmistakable voice. The second half of the decade saw Kim score a massive hit with a contemporary take on The Supremes' You Keep Me Hangin' On, followed by a real smash hit with the legendary You Came and its parent album, 1988's Close - both of which saw Kim make a bigger contribution to the songwriting, alongside Ricky.

With Kim ending the 1980s on a high, it is fair to say that there were high hopes for the 1990 album Love Moves. Unfortunately for Kim, the music scene had changed quite dramatically in the two years which had elapsed between 1988's Close and 1990's Love Moves. The pure pop which had dominated in the late 1980s had given way to an emerging dance and indie scene, and those with a populist approach struggled to adapt. New acts like Yell! and Halo James would have been certain to succeed a year or two previously, but their success was limited and short-lived. Even Stock Aitken Waterman saw their success start to waver in 1990, although they enjoyed a successful year by anyone else's standards.

And Kim also suffered from this change in the marketplace. Perhaps this was down to the record-buying public moving on, or even due to decisions made by Kim's record company MCA, but it should also be noted that Love Moves gave us a different sounding Kim. Where Kim had previously enjoyed a harder edge to her sound - even on the poppy Close - the overriding sound of Love Moves was smoother, more polished. It sounds like Kim and Ricky Wilde may have taken some inspiration from the polished soul/pop which was prevalent in 1989, from artists such as Karyn White and Lisa Stansfield and if so, one can see the sensibility in that decision. After all, few saw the explosion of the dance and indie sound coming so quickly into 1990. But, at the time of its release, Love Moves sounded like a record released a year too late.

What probably didn't help was the choice of singles. Whilst Love Moves has a mixed reputation amongst Kim Wilde fans, it is actually a strong, coherent album, with a number of strong tracks - and I would argue there were better candidates for UK singles than the tracks selected. Lead single It's Here has a lovely Kirsty MacColl-esque melody, but it lacked the immediacy required to relaunch Kim - it just missed the top 40, peaking at #42. Second single Time was stronger, with a more punchy sound, but this fared worse with a peak of #71 in the UK chart. A further UK single followed - strong ballad I Can't Say Goodbye -- but again, failed to resonate with the record buying public, with a peak of #51.

But what is frustrating is that, tucked away in the tracklisting. there was a surefire smash hit single on Love Moves; the wonderfully over-the-top rock-pop masterpiece that is Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love).

A Kim & Ricky Wilde composition, Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love) stands apart from the rest of Love Moves; not just thematically - it's an impassioned tale of a lovestruck woman unable to let go of a lover who is clearly bad for her - but also sonically; the smooth soul-pop sound which dominates the album gives way to the classic Kim Wilde rocky-pop of old.

Despite the klaxon-like synth which opens the track, there's a real stadium rock feel to this track. An impressive burst of electric guitar - courtesy of long-time Wilde collaborator Steve Byrd - kicks off proceedings, followed by thumping drums and a whistling synth line.

Lyrically, it's a bit more playful, a bit more melodramatic than many of Kim's tracks. "I'm a prisoner who can never leave / Someone that you use anytime you please" is the opening gambit, followed later by a similarly heated claim in the second verse - "And the fever rages in my soul / Begging you to want me and take control".

Kim is on fine form vocally here, belting the song out for all its worth and really contributing to the raw, energetic feel of the track.

A dramatic bridge - "As I face another lonely night / A different lover will hold you tight / It's not right" -- takes us into the amazingly catchy chorus - "I can't help myself from crying over you / I can't get enough of your love / Yeah I'm dying cos it's true / I can't get enough of your love".

Pleasingly, Byrd's lead guitar carries on throughout the track, giving it a real energy and really selling the typically robust Ricky & Kim melody - taking us through the instrumental break and into a few more iterations of the chorus.

And then it ROCKS OUT. Much of the final minute of the track is taken up with a superb electric guitar solo, with Byrd giving it all he's got. It's seriously impressive stuff, and if it doesn't make you play along on air guitar, then there's no hope for you, quite frankly! Whilst it's a terrific bit of musicianship in its own right, it combines with Ricky's synths and drum programming to create a thrilling coda to the track.

It's such a wickedly intoxicating creation that it cannot fail to inspire joy in the listener; it's a real "prick up your ears" track, and it has a real wallop to it.

To be fair, Ricky Wilde is great at these kind of power pop tracks, but Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love) must be one of his crowning glories. Some commentators have noted that it's cut from the same sonic cloth as 1988's Never Trust A Stranger, another totally amazing Kim Wilde track with perhaps the greatest drum track of any record ever.

Whilst MCA didn't release it as a single in the UK, it did get a single release in Europe, where it reached #21 in France, and #58 in Germany. OK, so maybe not hugely successful chart positions, but I do think that if Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love) had been the lead single in the UK, then it would have done well enough to give the follow-up singles from Love Moves more of a fighting chance.

But that brings me back to my earlier assertion - that, at that point in 1990, the musical style of Love Moves was perhaps out of step with everything else going on at the same time. Hell, many other worthy records by other acts suffered from the same problem. So perhaps my faith in Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love) as a 1990 UK hit is misplaced, and maybe its release as a UK single would not have changed matters much. (Though, happily, Kim bounced back with her next album, 1992's Love Is, a strong collection of tracks which yielded a few UK hits).

Nevertheless, Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love) is a real pop belter; great melody, fun lyrics and terrific production. And it's almost criminal that the track isn't more widely known.

So, give it a play below. You'll thank me, I promise you...

One of the family: a few thoughts about Sir Terry Wogan

January 2016 has been an unrelentingly sad month, with the loss of many talented, creative people. Lemmy, Alan Rickman, Colin Vearncombe and of course, David Bowie have all passed, leaving a huge legacy. And now today, we have lost Sir Terry Wogan, undoubtedly one of the greatest broadcasters the UK and Ireland has ever seen.

If anything, I feel Sir Terry's loss more keenly than those others mentioned above; not simply because of his effortless talent, but also because his presence in my life was so pervasive. He's always been there, and when you consider that he was a daily presence in many people's lives for so long, it does feel like I have lost a member of the family.

I think my earliest memory -- and one of my overriding memories -- of Sir Terry dates back to 1980 or thereabouts. My dad has long been a fan of Sir Terry, and would always listen to his Radio 2 show (first time around) in the car. On this particular day, he was taking my younger brother Tony and I to school. Sir Terry lined up a track by Alvin Stardust, and introduced him as Alvin Starbar. Now this was the funniest thing ever as far as a 7 year old and 5 year old were concerned, and we were both in fits of laughter for the rest of the journey. In fact, my brother messaged me today referring to this anecdote.

As a fan of Kenny Everett, I'd also appreciate his and Sir Terry's interactions on Kenny's sketch show and on Blankety Blank. As a kid, I remember being open-mouthed when Kenny bent Sir Terry's trademark microphone in two; in fact, watching that clip again on YouTube today demonstrates how ramshackle Blankety Blank looks compared to today's slick quiz shows, but I'll tell you now, it was all the better for it. The camaraderie between Sir Terry and the celebrity guests, and indeed his interactions with the contestants, is just a joy. Sir Terry may be winging it but he knows what he's doing, he's got it all under control. It's just an effortless, charming watch, and it's sad we've lost a lot of that in today's TV.

Sir Terry's charm was also evident in his thrice-weekly chatshow, Wogan. It takes a real professional to be able to host three chat shows a week for 8 years, and if anything, his ability to make it look so easy in some ways undermined the hard work involved. At turns earnest, cheeky and probing, Sir Terry could handle any guest the BBC booking agents threw at him, and was able to win over even the most aloof of contributors. Some say that Sir Terry's geniality slipped when he interviewed David Icke in 1990; the view was that Sir Terry's approach was colder than usual, and that this may have been unfair given the view at the time that Icke may have been going through a personal crisis. Whatever one may think of Icke and his world view, one must remember how unusual the whole affair was and in defence of Sir Terry, I would suggest that this was a difficult interview for anybody to get right. I can't think of any of Sir Terry's contemporaries who could have handled that interview successfully.

His work with Children In Need needs little introduction, and as well as being a figurehead for the cause, his ability to get the tone between frivolity and seriousness just right at the right points on the telethon night itself is much underrated. Likewise, his involvement in Eurovision brought a welcome sense of fun to an event which could be accused of taking itself too seriously at times.

If I think back to what Sir Terry means to me, I think of his second tenure as the Radio 2 breakfast host. I started listening to Radio 2 properly in 1996, when I got my first car (a Peugeot 205!) and that's when I was really drawn into what Sir Terry was really about. Older but not necessarily wiser, I was at an age where I started to get him and his whimsical take on the world. A gentle listen, easing the listener out of the hypnogogic state and into the reality of working life. A bridge between personal time and work time. His way with words impressed, his ability to take a listener's contribution and perform it perfectly impressed, and it was even better when he'd read something out but struggle to keep his laughter in check. Like when he'd crack up reading out the hilarious Janet & John stories; him laughing would have me laughing, have the nation laughing.

In more recent years, I'd still listen to Weekend Wogan on Radio 2 on Sunday's, and an unexpected televisual delight of last year was BBC2's Terry & Mason's Great British Food Trip. A 20-part series which featured Sir Terry and London cabbie Mason McQueen travelling to various British cities to check out the sights and tastes, this was a warm, amusing, entertaining series which showed Sir Terry as a man at the height of his powers. His rapport with Mason was a joy to behold, and it was evident that Sir Terry was having a ball.

But you know, that's the great man down to a tee. He spent 50 years having a ball, whether on radio, TV or carrying out charitable work. And we had a ball watching him do it.

A great broadcaster who will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, Sir Terry.