Linton Kwesi Johnson

I blogged about the ear-opening experience of listening to Linton Kwesi Johnson as an 18 year old a long time ago (click here to visit the past) so you'll understand if I'm just the teeniest bit excited to report that I have ordered tickets to see him at the Barbican in a couple of weeks time. I'm not entirely sure what to expect but neither do I care much... I want my fillings to vibrate with the reverb -erb -erb -erb... I hope there's some time travelling that night!

I was terribly disappointed this morning when I got on the bus, got out my iPod to plug in and while away the journey when I realised that somehow or other I only have three (yes, count 'em, a paltry THREE) Linton tracks on iPey! How on earth has that happened? I am ashamed. I am, even as I type, copying my Linton CDs so I can transfer them to my iPod.

So, instead of a Linton morning I embarked on a Jimmy Cliff festival to celebrate also ordering tickets to see the stage version of 'The Harder They Come'. Why on earth isn't Mr Cliff bigger? Irrespective of his musical genre, he wrote some very good pop songs over the years - why aren't his songs covered right, left and centre? They should be. Jimmy played the Jazz Cafe last year but it was sold out before I found out about it.