Jon Savage
@jonsavage.bsky.social
Author, archivist, professor
Bought OTD in 1969: still my favourite Neil Young album (amid stiff competition). It’s lush LA pop, it’s psychedelic (those layered guitars and heart beats), it’s got Jack Nitzsche arrangements- and to cap it all, The Loner. Wrongly written off, it’s just fantastic in this original version
November 10, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Bought OTD in 1969: still my favourite Neil Young album (amid stiff competition). It’s lush LA pop, it’s psychedelic (those layered guitars and heart beats), it’s got Jack Nitzsche arrangements- and to cap it all, The Loner. Wrongly written off, it’s just fantastic in this original version
RIP Peter Watkins: his film The War Game is the most frightening I’ve ever seen: it changed my life when I saw it at 15. Nothing was the same afterwards. I wrote about it at length in 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded
November 1, 2025 at 12:14 PM
RIP Peter Watkins: his film The War Game is the most frightening I’ve ever seen: it changed my life when I saw it at 15. Nothing was the same afterwards. I wrote about it at length in 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded
After reading the Daniel Rachel timely book about Rock’s fascination with Nazi symbolism - I went back to my first fanzine London’s Outrage and this is what I wrote in December 1976 after seeing punks wearing swastika and getting freaked out
October 25, 2025 at 4:04 PM
After reading the Daniel Rachel timely book about Rock’s fascination with Nazi symbolism - I went back to my first fanzine London’s Outrage and this is what I wrote in December 1976 after seeing punks wearing swastika and getting freaked out
This is what I wrote in December 1976
October 25, 2025 at 3:59 PM
This is what I wrote in December 1976
Very pleased to receive this new book by Daniel Rachel - a catalogue of Rock’s flirtation with fascist symbolism that builds into a relentless polemic. Important and timely
October 25, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Very pleased to receive this new book by Daniel Rachel - a catalogue of Rock’s flirtation with fascist symbolism that builds into a relentless polemic. Important and timely
At the John Swarbrooke Fine Art Denton Welch show. Huge fan of his writing as a late teenager and bought a drawing at the 1985 Castelnau show. In front of the great 1935 portrait by Gerald Leet
October 21, 2025 at 3:24 PM
At the John Swarbrooke Fine Art Denton Welch show. Huge fan of his writing as a late teenager and bought a drawing at the 1985 Castelnau show. In front of the great 1935 portrait by Gerald Leet
Really enjoying this memoir from a different time and place: women in a boys’ world, Manhattan when it was full of space, creativity and danger. Highly recommend. Published next year
October 20, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Really enjoying this memoir from a different time and place: women in a boys’ world, Manhattan when it was full of space, creativity and danger. Highly recommend. Published next year
Very excited to get this great Les Petites Bon-Bons package from Boo-Hooray to celebrate (Bobby Bon Bon) Robert Lambert’s recent appearance at Printed Matter Art Book Fair in NY #anewbohemia
October 19, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Very excited to get this great Les Petites Bon-Bons package from Boo-Hooray to celebrate (Bobby Bon Bon) Robert Lambert’s recent appearance at Printed Matter Art Book Fair in NY #anewbohemia
Bought OTD in 1971: ok one day we had a contest at school: who had the heaviest record? My peers brought in Purple and Sabbath and smirked until I put on Sister Ray - cleared the room. Love this record - the insane bass on White Light, the guitar explosions on Call My Name and still Sister Ray
October 15, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Bought OTD in 1971: ok one day we had a contest at school: who had the heaviest record? My peers brought in Purple and Sabbath and smirked until I put on Sister Ray - cleared the room. Love this record - the insane bass on White Light, the guitar explosions on Call My Name and still Sister Ray
Bought OTD in 1972: another proper 1967 psych album. Doesn’t have a first class rep but so what - it’s charming, tuneful, inventive and light. Look At Me I’m You is mundanity transformed by musique concrete, Frozen Dog rocks, People of the Royal Parks a protest against a more regimented time. Dig it
October 12, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Bought OTD in 1972: another proper 1967 psych album. Doesn’t have a first class rep but so what - it’s charming, tuneful, inventive and light. Look At Me I’m You is mundanity transformed by musique concrete, Frozen Dog rocks, People of the Royal Parks a protest against a more regimented time. Dig it
Bought OTD in 1972: and the future. The hits are on the first side but the second is more experimental and far stranger. Postmodern pop with emotion and sound combinations never heard before - oboe with guitar and synth - culminating in the space age torch song Sea Breezes
October 11, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Bought OTD in 1972: and the future. The hits are on the first side but the second is more experimental and far stranger. Postmodern pop with emotion and sound combinations never heard before - oboe with guitar and synth - culminating in the space age torch song Sea Breezes
Bought OTD in 1972: one of two, the past and the future. This is a proper 1967 psych album - not too many of those - with jammy excursions, sitar drenched Dave Mason songs and Steve Winwood’s beautiful No Face No Name No Number. One last rave up on the title track too
October 11, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Bought OTD in 1972: one of two, the past and the future. This is a proper 1967 psych album - not too many of those - with jammy excursions, sitar drenched Dave Mason songs and Steve Winwood’s beautiful No Face No Name No Number. One last rave up on the title track too
Bought OTD in 1970: this was a huge one for me at the time - twisted psych blues with a unique vision. So many great songs: Electricity. Plastic Factory, Yellow Brick Road, Sure ‘Nuff, Zig Zag Wanderer, Dropout Boogie. The one that crept up on me: the version of Robert Williams’ Grown So Ugly
October 10, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Bought OTD in 1970: this was a huge one for me at the time - twisted psych blues with a unique vision. So many great songs: Electricity. Plastic Factory, Yellow Brick Road, Sure ‘Nuff, Zig Zag Wanderer, Dropout Boogie. The one that crept up on me: the version of Robert Williams’ Grown So Ugly
I’m obsessed with this record at the moment - a perfect mix of melody, deep feeling and the complexities of love. Arthur as June Alexander’s first record, from around 1960. Dylan covered it but the original is just wonderful (repro 45) m.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Ky...
October 8, 2025 at 12:03 PM
I’m obsessed with this record at the moment - a perfect mix of melody, deep feeling and the complexities of love. Arthur as June Alexander’s first record, from around 1960. Dylan covered it but the original is just wonderful (repro 45) m.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Ky...
Very pleased to have images from my early 77 fanzine London’s Outrage 2 (photos taken from the Uninhabited London series) in the Rock’n Roll Public Library zine #2
October 3, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Very pleased to have images from my early 77 fanzine London’s Outrage 2 (photos taken from the Uninhabited London series) in the Rock’n Roll Public Library zine #2
Bought OTD in 1972: very late SF plus a Grateful Dead solo album to boot. I like it more than any of the others at the same time (Weir, Garcia). It’s got a great Kelley/ Mouse cover, the best version of Playing In The Band, Shoshone chants andcool originals Fletcher Carnaby and Blind Man
September 23, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Bought OTD in 1972: very late SF plus a Grateful Dead solo album to boot. I like it more than any of the others at the same time (Weir, Garcia). It’s got a great Kelley/ Mouse cover, the best version of Playing In The Band, Shoshone chants andcool originals Fletcher Carnaby and Blind Man
Bought OTD in 1972: covers of James Brown, Paul Simon and psychedelic Beatles (Rain, Day Tripper) ? Check. Groovy hard rock opener (Downer) ? Check. Cool flash and energy from post Spirit Randy California - gratefully received in the hard rock desert of 1972
September 23, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Bought OTD in 1972: covers of James Brown, Paul Simon and psychedelic Beatles (Rain, Day Tripper) ? Check. Groovy hard rock opener (Downer) ? Check. Cool flash and energy from post Spirit Randy California - gratefully received in the hard rock desert of 1972
Bought OTD in 1972: a very big album for me - a guitar symphony topped by Ron Elliot’s tricksy, hypnotic songs and Sal Valentino’emotional vocals. Plays well all the way through but stand outs are Turn Around, Deep Water, Little Bird, I’m A Sleeper and the infinite strings of Cherokee Girl
September 23, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Bought OTD in 1972: a very big album for me - a guitar symphony topped by Ron Elliot’s tricksy, hypnotic songs and Sal Valentino’emotional vocals. Plays well all the way through but stand outs are Turn Around, Deep Water, Little Bird, I’m A Sleeper and the infinite strings of Cherokee Girl
Bought OTD in 1970: possibly the last good Byrds album. A bit enervated but has social consciousness (Woody Guthrie’s Deportee) and a mood of sad regret. Sold by the title song, it’s uplifted by a a gorgeous version of Pamela Polland’s Tulsa County Blue - which we comped on Meridian 1970
September 22, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Bought OTD in 1970: possibly the last good Byrds album. A bit enervated but has social consciousness (Woody Guthrie’s Deportee) and a mood of sad regret. Sold by the title song, it’s uplifted by a a gorgeous version of Pamela Polland’s Tulsa County Blue - which we comped on Meridian 1970
Bought OTD in 1971: love the whole thing now but initially it was sides C+D: Rainy Day, Watchtower, House Burning, Voodoo Chile. Midnight Lamp is my favourite single and the long Voodoo really works. This was the big statement, capped by the ambient, oceanic 1983 - incredible
September 21, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Bought OTD in 1971: love the whole thing now but initially it was sides C+D: Rainy Day, Watchtower, House Burning, Voodoo Chile. Midnight Lamp is my favourite single and the long Voodoo really works. This was the big statement, capped by the ambient, oceanic 1983 - incredible
Bought OTD in 1972: a rarity, a proper live 60s album. Partly overdubbed screams of course and ragged performances but it’s a treat. The medley is great and You’re Looking Fine (sung by Dave) rocks harder than the studio version. The US edition of Kelvin Hall, packaged with faux Monterey relevance
September 20, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Bought OTD in 1972: a rarity, a proper live 60s album. Partly overdubbed screams of course and ragged performances but it’s a treat. The medley is great and You’re Looking Fine (sung by Dave) rocks harder than the studio version. The US edition of Kelvin Hall, packaged with faux Monterey relevance
Bought OTD in 1971: I had a very battered UK first issue but upgraded to this brand new MGM UK reissue. With US cover. It’s threatening and I love all of it, the quieter songs, the jams, the big statements but above all the insane drones: Venus in Furs, Black Angel’s Death Song
September 12, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Bought OTD in 1971: I had a very battered UK first issue but upgraded to this brand new MGM UK reissue. With US cover. It’s threatening and I love all of it, the quieter songs, the jams, the big statements but above all the insane drones: Venus in Furs, Black Angel’s Death Song
Bought OTD in 1971: this contains the long form version of The Hit - a teenage party perennial - but I prefer Free when they’re slow and spacey: Oh I Wept, Heavy Load. Exception to the rule: Mr Big, with its stick-it-to-the-man lyrics, extended drone and popping bass solo by Andy Fraser
September 11, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Bought OTD in 1971: this contains the long form version of The Hit - a teenage party perennial - but I prefer Free when they’re slow and spacey: Oh I Wept, Heavy Load. Exception to the rule: Mr Big, with its stick-it-to-the-man lyrics, extended drone and popping bass solo by Andy Fraser
Bought OTD in 1971: under a quid. The forgotten third album, this is a really great record. The boogies are fast work and the other songs veer from heartfelt (I Am Not Willing, What’s to Choose) to flat out nihilistic (Captain, Going Nowhere). And then there’s the shattering Skip Spence Seeing
September 10, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Bought OTD in 1971: under a quid. The forgotten third album, this is a really great record. The boogies are fast work and the other songs veer from heartfelt (I Am Not Willing, What’s to Choose) to flat out nihilistic (Captain, Going Nowhere). And then there’s the shattering Skip Spence Seeing