Off Beat on Radio ARA

13/01/2025

Back again in 2025 😎

The first Off Beat show of the new year is scheduled for broadcast on Wednesday January 15th @ 11pm CET

Catch it "live" on Radio ARA
www.radioara.org

What's the theme? This picture clue might put you on the right track....or not 🤓

12/01/2025

Off Beat....on vinyl #14
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎
Songs of a Lost World is the fourteenth studio album The Cure, released on 1 November 2024
It is the band's first release of new material in 16 years since the release of 4:13 Dream in 2008. All the songs on the album were composed solely by singer/guitarist Robert Smith, for the first time since the 1985 album The Head on the Door. It is also their first studio album to feature guitarist Reeves Gabrels.
The record was released a day after Halloween at Smith's request.👻💀

10/01/2025

This week's CD Tip podcast files have all been uploaded to the Radio ARA website:
https://www.radioara.org
The album reviewed was the recently re-released version of A Distant Shore by Tracey Thorn

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05/01/2025

Starting tomorrow (January 6th), my next CD Tip will be the (bonus content) re-release of Tracey Thorn's 1982 album A Distant Shore.
Tracey was only 19 when she wrote and recorded this album, which went to number 1 in the UK indie chart.

Every day, around 6pm CET, you can hear my review and a track from the album on Radio ARA.

03/01/2025

Off Beat....on vinyl #13
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎

Something quite "bouncy" to kick off 2025 !

Whose Side Are You On? is the debut album by British band Matt Bianco, released in 1984. For this album, Matt Bianco was a trio of Mark Reilly (vocals), Basia Trzetrzelewska (vocals), and Danny White (keyboards).
The album contains the band's first five international hits, most notably "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed", "Half a Minute", and the title song.

31/12/2024

Off Beat....on vinyl #12
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎

And what better way to celebrate Hogmanay, than with this record.

A Walk Across the Rooftops is the debut album by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released on 30 April 1984 on Linn Records.
A persistent myth about the album's origins is that the band were approached by Linn Products and commissioned to make a record that the company could use to demonstrate the quality of their high-specification hi-fi equipment—the company were so pleased with the result that they decided to form a record label specifically to release the resulting album.

Whatever the true story, this is a stunning album which deserves a spin on a high quality turntable.

That's it for 2024.....back with more in 2025 👍. Cheers 🍾🎉

29/12/2024

Off Beat....on vinyl #11
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎

Something a bit more dark & gothic for a grey & chilly Sunday afternoon !

Floodland is the second studio album by the English gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy. It was released on 16 November 1987.
Band frontman Andrew Eldritch wrote the songs of Floodland in Hamburg; the city's large amount of water influenced its title as well as the recurring theme of water.
The lyrical content sees Eldritch cast as the observer of a slowly deteriorating world. Some of the events that inspired certain songs include the Chernobyl disaster and the Cold War.

26/12/2024

Off Beat....on vinyl #10
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎

Looking for something funky for Boxing Day ?

A Physical Presence is a two-record live album by English jazz-funk band Level 42, released in June 1985.
This album is notable for being the first live album by Level 42.
The track "Love Games" is preceded by a typical Mark King extended bass intro, which contains also part of "Dune Tune".

23/12/2024

Off Beat....on vinyl #9
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎
Something a bit on the darker side. Perfect for these long winter evenings !

The Collection 1977–1982 is a compilation album by The Stranglers. It peaked at No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart in 1982.
The album collected together several of the band's most popular singles and album tracks, and also included a "new" track, "Strange Little Girl".

21/12/2024

Off Beat....on vinyl #8
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎
Well, as it is part of our collection, this record deserves its "spin time" !

Make It Big was the second studio album by English pop duo Wham!, released in 1984. The album was a commercial success, hitting number one in both the US and the UK and spawning four singles, all reaching the top three in the US and the UK.

George Michael died of heart disease on Christmas Day in 2016.

19/12/2024

My Christmas wish had been granted 😎
An absolute must 👍.
Not to be missed !

Thrilled to announce that the legendary The The, led by Matt Johnson, are to bring their iconic post-punk sound to den Atelier on June 25th, 2025!

🎟 Tickets on sale this Friday at 10 AM: bit.ly/3ZMJDuN

19/12/2024

Last night's show, entitled "Keep 'em spinning" was all about the fun of listening to vinyl records again 😎.
There's also a hint of Christmas as well, just to be in the festive spirit 🎅🎄
The podcast version is now available on the show's Radio ARA webpage
https://www.radioara.org/episodes/off-beat-№0036-18-12-2024-keep-em-spinning/

Off Beat is back on Jan 15th 2025

Happy holidays 👍🎉

open the episode to see the playlist

15/12/2024

The 🎄December 🎅 show has been recorded and is ready for broadcast on Wednesday 18th @ 11pm on Radio ARA
Tune in for the livestream on
www.radioara.org
Not easy to give a picture clue, so the photo below is the best you will get!
Curious ? 🤓. Tune in on Wednesday evening to find out more 👍

10/12/2024

Off Beat....on vinyl #7
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎

A Distant Shore is the first studio album by Tracey Thorn (one half of the duo Everything But The Girl), released via Cherry Red Records in 1982.
Recorded for just £138, the album reached number 1 in the UK Indie Chart in 1983.
In October 2024, Cherry Red Records re-released this album with a few bonus tracks added.
Highly recommended 👍

01/12/2024

Off Beat....on vinyl #6
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎
Something for a chilly / frosty December 1st 🥶

Snow Borne Sorrow is an album by Nine Horses, released in October 2005.
Nine Horses was a musical collaboration between singer/instrumentalist David Sylvian, his brother and frequent collaborator drummer Steve Jansen, and electronic composer/remixer Burnt Friedman
Other contributors include Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen, Swedish vocalist Stina Nordenstam, and Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano.

25/11/2024

Off Beat....on vinyl #5
(re)Discovering the pleasure of listening to full albums on record 😎

Not actually a full album this time, this is an exclusive 12" single released for the Record Store Day in 2022.
It comes from Johnny Marr (ex The Smiths). The A side is a Vince Clarke (ex Depeche Mode) remix of a track called "Spirit, Power and Soul" 👍.

Hanging on the wall in the background, is a print from the immensely talented artist Jonathan Edwards (Jonathan E Illustration)....no relation, just in case you were wondering 🤓.
It's called, appropriately, Record Shop.

Check out his website 👍👍
www.jonathan-e.com

20/11/2024

A date for your diary (and mine!)
Her album Lives Outgrown was my CD Tip on Radio ARA back in May.
Stunning vocals! Don't miss out on this opportunity to catch her live 😎

✨Beth Gibbons the unforgettable voice of Portishead, is coming to perform an open-air show at the lovely neimënster on Wednesday, July 9th, 2025!

🎫 Tickets on sale this Friday at 10 AM: bit.ly/3CNN3Fq
🎧 youtu.be/ldrx0eSqV-E?si=hiwriD4wUjAZR6sK