TOP FIVES READY FOR AMOEBA MUSIC, JIM MORRISON'S CADILLAC NIGHT, BLACK PANTHERS TRIBUTE + DEVLIN HITS CAMDEN

BACK in the UK doesn’t quite have the same ring as Back in the USSR, and much less romanticism, but, sadly, that’s where I am.

So I promise this is my last mention of my Californian musical trail, which until now had pretty much failed. Yes I saw Earth, Wind & Fire, and though I couldn’t tell which were the original members, they were reasonably fun. Shame about the atrocious dancing from certain sections of the crowd. I also managed to stay in the Cadillac Hotel in LA, where I hear Jim Morrison once jammed and Charlie Chaplain used to live. No trace of that history now, just pleasant rooms and grimy beach surroundings.

But the highlight of the trip must have been visiting Amoeba Music in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district. Occupying a former bowling alley, it is said to be the world’s largest independent music store and it’s massive.

I spent hours trawling through the records and found a lovely rare recording of songs by my LA psychedelia heroes, Love.

It felt just like being in a giant version of High Fidelity, or maybe Empire Records. Now where's my top five list....?








• Speaking of Haight-Ashbury, the band of the same name support The Vaselines at Scala (September 22).

• Here’s a good one – Tongues on Fire: a tribute to the Black Panthers takes place at the Barbican on Saturday (September 11). Described as a “unique musical tribute to the cultural influence of 1960s African-American radicals the Black Panthers”, The Roots, The Last Poets and Doctor L are among the talent on the bill.

• Recent Record of the Week appearance, Dagenham MC Devlin’s making two appearances in Camden in October. He supports Example at Koko (October 12) and headlines Underworld (October 28). I only hope he brings Giggs along.