Stewart Lee and the double album

If you will indulge me, I have a theory that I would like to share.

It concerns the phenomenon of the double album, a legacy of the days of vinyl, where a surfeit of material would require releasing an album over two records rather than one. 

Now, it seems to me that in order to record more than the standard ten or eleven songs for an album, an artist or band would have to be riding something of a creative flood. And, furthermore, I think that such a state would arise from the excitement of doing something fresh and new.

As examples of this, we could look back as far as The Beatles' 'White Album', or The Clash's 'Sandanista', (admittedly a triple album). Then there's Prince's 'Sign Of The Times', Radiohead's 'Kid A' / 'Amnesiac', and, more obscurely, Simple Minds' 'Sons And Fascination' / 'Sister Feelings Call'.

But, for me, perhaps the best example is Julian Cope's 'Peggy Suicide'. Having left The Teardrop Explodes, Cope released two solo albums - 'World Shut Your Mouth' and 'Fried' - before breaking through with his 'rock' album, 'St Julian'. It was clear, though, from the follow up, 'My Nation Underground', that he was somewhat lost creatively.

Cope then recorded two lo-fi albums - 'Skellington' and 'Droolian' - that his record company would not touch: a decision, I have to say, that I cannot criticise. But it was from this somewhat lost and desolate position that Cope bounced back with 'Peggy Suicide'.

Believe me, that it is a most excellent album, and well worth seventy-six minutes of your time to see whether you agree with me.

But it is here where I come to my actual point. And that is that in exploring new territory, there is an associated - and inevitable - drop in quality control: if you are doing something fresh, new, and different, just how do you accurately assess whether it's any good?

Thus, the conclusion - or one of the conclusions - of my thesis, is that a genuinely groundbreaking album will not only be long but also patchy. It will have more highs and lows than a more ordinary album.

I mention all of this because this evening the Minx and I went to see Stewart Lee at The Lowry. The tickets were a present from Dan for Christmas 2020, but the show was, like so many others, delayed. Anyway, this evening we finally went to see the show.

And it was excellent. Excellent overall, that is. Such is Lee's comedy that at times I was slightly bored, at others quite amused, but then for the most part thoroughly entertained if not laughing out loud. Stewart Lee's show is the comedy equivalent of a double album. That's what I'm saying.