Off topic - Andy Roberts
This post has nothing to do with the Andy Roberts who has worked with Iain Matthews, Neil Innes, and various other luminaries of the UK folk/comedy scene.

The Andy Roberts I'm talking about here was songwriter, guitarist and vocalist for the London based indie/alternative band Linus, as far as I know the first band to take that name, in 1992, but far from the last. Linus were one of those bands that never quite made it, despite good press, a Radio One session and prestigious support slots for the likes of Hole in 1994/95. Nevertheless, they continued to write, perform and record. Anyone who was lucky enough to hear their stuff or see them will tell you that they were really good. You can read about the band's history on the Linus website.

Last June, Andy was in a road accident, and died of his injuries. Last Saturday, his friends put on a special show to celebrate his life, with readings, bands, and displays. At that show two records were launched, a singles compilation, The Course of True Linus Never Did Run Smooth, and a collection of the best of Andy's 4-track demos.

'Don't Forget', from the compilation, was the lead track on a 1998 vinyl EP. It's a lovely, poignant song about the importance of friendship and the silly little things that make up life's rich pageant. A lot of the stuff on The Course of True Linus ... is just as good as this. The rest is even better.

'Another Girl' is from the demos album. This charming song was later worked up by Linus, acquiring a counter-melody and an elegiac end section that made it even more beautiful than it is here. Sadly, a proper band version was never recorded.

You can buy both these records, and other Linus releases (I particularly recommend the Good Listener album from 2000), from Mole In The Ground Records - the website is still being developed, but an e-mail to moleintheground@ntlworld.com will get a response. You can get more downloads of Linus music and Andy's demos at the Linus website.

I should declare an interest - Andy was my mate, and I was even Linus' drummer for a short time (though I'm not on anything recorded). But I am posting these songs because I passionately believe that Linus' and Andy's songs are great pop tunes, as good as anything you'll hear on the likes of 6Music and better than most, and that there are people on this community who would love Andy's music as much as I do, if only they got the chance to hear it. And if that isn't the purpose of audiography, I don't know what is.