The most exciting thing that's happened to me in a fortnight is doing a boulder problem last Saturday. In the harsh but wonderful winter sun, at Back Forest near the Roaches.....

You hand-traverse around the lip of this overhang, feet stretched for hopeful smears under the roof, grasp for the jug out left, unlock the footwork sequence, slap wildy for the next break up, and haul sideways to a panting crimping finale on a vertical wall. Never more than 2 feet off the ground, but intense. V3, big grin.


In these days of downloads there's no need for b-sides anymore. But they were fun. The best b-side ever is 'Rain' by The Beatles. It's the flipside of Paperback Writer. A Lennon lyric uses the weather as a metaphor for life, espousing a live-in-the-moment worldview that's never too up when the sun shines but also never too down when the rain comes. Sun and rain are just states of mind.

McCartney's bass lead is crisp, George's arpegio guitar riffs weave in and out with deft economy, and the drum fills are among Ringo's finest.

There are time changes. There are vocal harmonies. Like much of 60's English psychedelia, it's short, sharp, smart, confident and fresh. This was 1966, and the group were routinely putting 20 ideas into songs that last under 3 minutes, then moving on. They were sparking on an upward curve of genius every day, and knew they had no need but to stop when the time was right, and not a moment later.

I'm not counting 'I am the Walrus' as a b-side, as it was on Magical Mystery Tour as well as backing Hello Goodbye, but if I did it would be second.

Both 'Rain' and 'Walrus' somehow manage to be even better than 'Fantastic Life' by The Fall, to be found on the b-side of 'Lie dream of a casino soul'. The Fall are as wonderful as the Beatles, but are much more frightening. Here the classic Fall line-up barrage the senses with an exceptionally potent slew of their usual pounding rhythmic punk trance. Mark E Smith is angry about something and he doesn't mind telling you about it. 'People tend to let you down, it's a swine - Fantastic life-ah!'

Incidently, Oasis's version of 'I am the Walrus' is pretty good, and their best track is also a b-side - 'Acquiesce'.