Oblique Saturdays

A series for Saturdays in 2026 inspired by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt's set of cards, Oblique Strategies (Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas). Eno and Schmidt created them to be used to unblock creative impasses and approach problems from unexpected angles. Each week I'll turn over an Oblique Strategy card and post a song or songs inspired by the suggestion. 

Last week's Oblique Strategy suggestion was Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics. 

I converted this suggestion into The Ramones in 1976 and roped in Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie too. Out in the internerland/ real world the Bagging Area community came up with Smokebelch by Sabres Of Paradise (Rickyotter), Buzzcocks (Boredom courtesy of C), Jah Shaka (Ernie), The Cocteau Twins (Spencer), 808 State's Pacific (Al G), Tool (Mrs G), Camper van Beethoven, (Rol), Buzzocks (again, Oh Shit, The Swede) and Mont Kimbie (Chris ZenArcade). And there's nothing wrong about any of those choices, they make a fine Saturday morning mixtape in their own right. 

Boredom

The Swede works in a supermarket in Beccles, Suffolk, the home of Brian Eno (and formerly the town my maternal grandparents retired to). I'm encouraging The Swede to have a brief word with Mr Eno the next time he sees him down the bread aisle or by the deli counter and see if he'd like to drop in and contribute to the fun. If you're reading Brian, welcome. 

This week's Oblique Saturday card is this- Always First Steps.

Snapped Ankles took 3 steps to a development in 2019. Post punk/ psychedelic electronic band vibe, (unhinged in a good way), weird hyperactive 80s crossed with scuzzy Fall influences. 

3 Steps To A Development

The Flaming Stars took 39 steps on their Named And Shamed album in 2004. A Bad Seeds and Gallon Drunk kind of band. You'll like them. 

The 39 Steps

In 1990 Bocca Juniors, the Boy's Own inhouse band of Andrew WEatherall, Terry Farley, Pete Heller and Cymon Eccles, took 63 Steps to heaven. Anna Haigh on vocals singing Weatherall's Aleister Crowley inspired lyrics. A screech of tyres, a massive piano riff calling Thrashing Doves to mind, crunchy drums- a  roof raising record. 'Boy am I gonna wake you up!'

Raise (63 Steps To Heaven)

One shouldn't live in the past but within seconds of Raise playing my initial thought is almost always, 'oh man, take me back...'

In 19943 The Boo Radleys took Giant Steps on their album of that name, a record inspired by John Coltrane's Giant Steps (an album I own on vinyl but don't have digitally). The Do Badleys finally broke their reputation as the band Creation Records couldn't sell with a genre busting, spirit of Screamadelica record. On Lazarus a shoegaze band from Wallasey go dub reggae/ experimental that then becomes trumpet led MBV inspired pop. This is the first time Boo Radleys have appeared at Bagging Area. 

Lazarus

Feel free to drop your own responses to Always first steps into the comment box.

Nine

Bagging Area started nine years ago today, taking a few faltering steps into the blogging world, unable at first to even work out how to copy and paste a link to a song. Since then I've written pretty much daily, found blogging to be a really good way to distract myself, made all sorts of friends and connections that I wouldn't have done otherwise and have hopefully contributed a little to the enjoyment of music. Blogging was a bigger deal in 2010 than it is now- the landscape has changed and I suspect music blogs are a tad anachronistic in 2019- but I've got no plans to stop so it's a matter of just keeping going and seeing where it takes me. Thanks to all of you who read this, to those who comment and to those who I've met in real life. Salut.

Some songs with nines in them.

Jim and William Reid from their Darklands days, re-edited here with a juddering electronic bassline...

9 Million Rainy Days (Los Lopez Edit)

It wouldn't have been Bagging Area without Andrew Weatherall. Here Lord Sabre remixes Suns Of Arqa in fine style. Chunky acid house vibes...

City Of Nine Gates (Andy Weatherall Remix)

And finally London rock 'n' rollers The Flaming Stars with a drop of the dark stuff...

Nine Out Of Ten

I Went Down To The Local Hole

A belter of a garage-glam rock stomp from The Flaming Stars, from it's 'one-two, ah-one-two-three-four intro shout onwards, concerning some poor sod from the wrong part of town in the wrong pair of shoes who bumps into some heavy chaps with their thumbs in their belt loops doing the greaser's dance and are annoyed about spilled drinks. Turns messy.

Spilled Your Pint

The Flaming Stars 'Like Trash'

I've just got back from a wonderful pre-40th birthday weekend away in Edinburgh- what a fantastic and beautiful city. Many thanks to those readers who gave us some tips on where to go. We particularly enjoyed a few pints in The Bow Bar on Saturday afternoon and visited Mathers on Broughton Street a couple of times and several other bars and restaurants down there besides. In one of the record shops, Avalanche on Cockburn Street I think, I found a 7" copy of this Flaming Stars single, amongst other vinyl goodies. London's The Flaming Stars have been producing quality literate garage rock since 1997. And in a link to the upcoming election, like trash is how most of us are going to be treated if the Tories get in on Thursday. Use your X to stop them.

Like Trash.mp3

Huck Whitney 'Fresh Cream'

Lovely piece of acoustic instrumentalism here, nylon guitar strings, great melody. Huck is guitarist with London garage band The Flaming Stars (tons of lps, check out Named And Shaned, Born Under A Bad Neon Sign or compilation Ginmill Perfume, all at e-music and elsewhere). Actually they're much more than a garage band. Huck (far left on photo) wrote a theme tune for Quantum Of Solace which was never used. More fool them.

Huck Whitney_02_Fresh Cream.mp3