Truth is Stranger Than Fiction....

The urge to produce lists on social media continues unabated; the most difficult of which I’ve seen has been to come up with 10 albums that mean the most to you. That is an impossible task, so I’ve set myself a possible, but exacting one; to come up with an album a year since I was born, by 50 different artists (except for 2000 and 2005 when my memory deserted me). To drop hints it begins with A Love Supreme and finishes with Dude Incredible by Shellac. If you didn’t know that, or that John Coltrane recorded A Love Supreme, why are you reading my blog? Anyway, I decided on a slightly different list; my 10 favourite non-fiction books, discounting text books and literary critical and philosophical works I read as part of my degrees. Shame, as I’m sure Wittgenstein and Barthes would have both made the cut. What occurs to me is that I need to read some cricket books, soon.

The Far Corner: Harry Pearson.  The best book I’ve ever read about football, because it is the best book about football. Harry’s timeless portrayal of the importance of the game in the region is simply unsurpassable. How I wish he’d write an update.

Fever Pitch:  Nick Hornby. The first example of new football journalism. Hornby was a nice fella when I met him and went on to have a great career as a writer, but this book touched me the most.

Stranger Than Fiction: Michael Crick. A superb biography of the appalling Jeffrey Archer, whose comment was “I hate this book.” Cold facts drip from every page as the Archer myth is brought toppling down. A great read.

 A History of Modern Britain: Andrew Marr. Detailed, fascinating and generally highly opinionated, from a smarmy right wing shyster, but intriguing to see so much of your life turning into history.

My Magpie Eyes Have Seen the Prize: David Cavanagh. A treasure trove of anecdotes about indie music’s second greatest label, Creation. If only he would write the Rough Trade story. 

Margrave of the Marshes: John Peel. Modest, elegiac, self-effacing, hilarious and disarmingly honest. The tragedy of his death is almost matched by the tragedy of how he left this unfinished. Ten years on, we miss his benign influence greatly.

Rebel Hearts: Kevin Toolis. A totally unapologetic examination of the social conditions that produce Republicans in the north of Ireland.  Sometimes shocking and sometimes depressing, but always honest, both by writer and participants.

The Kingdom by the Sea: Paul Theroux. A glorious tour of the British coastline in a series of beguiling vignettes of a world that has changed and gone forever.

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro: Joe McGinniss. I thought of The Selling of the President, but it was football that briefly brought Joe and I together as correspondents towards the end of his life, so this gets the nod. A mad tale of corruption and success against all odds in the most unlikely outposts of 1990s Serie A.

Golden Goals: Jackie Milburn. The first autobiography I ever read of Newcastle’s then greatest goalscorer. Worth re-reading on a regular basis as a counterbalance to the obscene money in today’s game.

Try reading those to this soundtrack -:

1964: John Coltrane – A Love Supreme

1965: Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited

1966: The Beatles - Revolver

1967: Leonard Cohen – Songs Of

1968: The Velvet Underground – White Light / White Heat

1969: Fairport Convention – Liege and Lief

1970: Lindisfarne – Nicely Out of Tune

1971: Led Zeppelin – IV

1972: Neil Young – Harvest

1973: Roxy Music – Stranded

1974: David Bowie – Diamond Dogs

1975: Brian Eno – Discreet Music

1976: Poco – Rose of Cimaron

1977: Television – Marquee Moon

1978: Wire – Chairs Missing

1979: Gang of Four – Entertainment

1980: The Mekons – Devils, Rats and Piggies (A Message to Godzilla)

1981: The Cure – Faith

1982: The Fall – Hex Enduction Hour

1983: New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies

1984: 400 Blows – If I Kissed Her, I’d Have to Kill Her First

1985: The Jesus & Mary Chain – Psychocandy

1986: Run DMC – Raisin’ Hell

1987: That Petrol Emotion – Babble

1988: Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation

1989: De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising

1990: Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet

1991: My Bloody Valentine – Loveless

1992: Dinosaur Jr – Where You Been?

1993: Teenage Fanclub – Thirteen

1994: Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1995: Earth: 3

1996: The Wedding Present - Saturnalia

1997: Blur - Blur

1998: Robert Pollard – Waved Out

1999: Fugazi - Instrument

2000: Teenage Fanclub – Howdy!

2001: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – No More Shall We Part

2002: Cornershop – Hand Cream for a Generation

2003: Mark E Smith – Pander! Panda! Panzer!

2004: Jens Lekman – Oh You’re So Silent Jens

2005: Teenage Fanclub – Man Made

2006: Yo La Tengo – I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass

2007: Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther

2008: British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?

2009: Blackflower – I Grew From A Stone To A Statue

2010: Vic Godard & Subway Sect – We Come As Aliens

2011: Trembling Bells – The Constant Pageant

2012: Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!

2013: The Pastels – Slow Summits

2014: Shellac – Dude Incredible