The Labour Animal Welfare Society ...

scratch that:

http://www.labouranimalwelfaresociety.org/articles/Why%20the%20hunting%20fraternity%20may%20be%20turning%20violent.htm

Looks interesting. Two first thoughts:

1) Macca as bedrock / foundation of the contemporary: yes - hooray.

2) Is it true that eg. 'Yesterday' is now treated reverentially by DJs? I don't think so; I have heard Michael Parkinson, of all people, toss it off rather casually.

ah Reynard, but Parkinson is an arch-reactionary, also he predates the babyboomer generation (already aged 30 when that song came out). Listen to any boomer-or-younger DJ (Radio 2 every day except Sunday, all the Gold stations) play "Yesterday" and *then* you'll hear the sort of reverence that you only used to hear when a Home Service announcer introduced the Duke of Beaufort.

But Robin C - those people don't play 'Yesterday'!!

Only ways to hear it on BBC: 1. Parkinson; 2. Carrington playing a baroque acoustic guitar instrumental version. From Arizona.

even if they don't play "Yesterday" the boomers play just about everything else the Beatles did, and there's still a tone of "we are the establishment: they are the foundation stone" you used to hear only on the Home Service / Radio 4 for the aristocracy etc.

however I agree with Mark S (private email) that articles like the Real CA one need more emphasis on the economic facts to flesh out and provide the backbone to the cultural musings.

I never hear the Beatles on the radio. I wish I did. Perhaps I'm not listening to the right things.

I think US and UK are very different in this regard. Sometimes I wonder if there's a law against playing Beatles records.

Anyway, Robin C: tell us about TOM CLAY.

"Penny Lane" was on Capital Gold this afternoon - found it flicking through the radio channels on Sky. I thought you might like to know (said in Noddy Holder voice).

However it's true that Gold-format radio is moving away from the 60s and towards the 80s generally: mentioned that in a piece I wrote for Another Website just last night. R2 obv plays much more recent and current music than ever before.

Tom Clay: will research.

ha just after writing that I heard the Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls" on BBC local radio, introduced by a presenter with the classic I-am-talking-mainly-to-old-ladies-in-Romsey voice you used to hear on Radio 2 overnight.

that means less airplay for - god, I dunno - Gerry and the Pacemakers or someone, obv