50 Years of Stiff Records - Mark Bedford from Madness YouTube video by Be Stiff: The Stiff Records Story

Reminiscing about Stiff Records: youtu.be/5yilmFXaOMU?...

Episode 22 of Top Marks Music podcast will be broadcast on Shoreditch Radio on Saturday, 7th February at 1pm & 8pm and Sunday, 8th February at 1pm at 8pm 🎧

Our Spotify playlist for Episode 21 is available to listen to at open.spotify.com/playlist/4QT... 🎧

Five tracks that I've enjoyed listening to (and have played a lot) in 2025: 'Euro Country' CMAT, 'Funk in the Hole' Roy Ayers, 'Small Town Talk' Bobby Charles, 'Stalag 17' The Techniques All Stars, 'California Soul', Marlena Shaw.

👍🏻

This Christmas (Single Edit) YouTube video by Donny Hathaway - Topic

Merry Christmas one and all. youtu.be/xrxvHpKI9-0?...

Thank you and to you. I will pass on your best wishes.

Madness + Squeeze O2 Timelapse YouTube video by Andy Coules

Great time-lapse from sound supremo Andy Coules. A massive thanks to all of the crew who made the tour happen. And thanks to the lovely people who came out to see us. youtu.be/rj7sUX8535M?...

Thanks. Got to Cardiff late but the gig was good. Maybe next time?

Tune into Episode 20 of Top Marks Music podcast on Monday, 8th December 2025 at 8pm on Shoreditch Radio 🎧

No complaints, really. It's a good place to play. If it had a roof, it might be a different story?

Indeed. Liverpool is the other one I can think of.

So we all came up at roughly the same time in the same part of London.

Thanks. He was really great to talk to and, yes, he knows everyone. As I reminded him, I saw him and most of what would become Spandau play at the Hope & Anchor pub when I was in my teens. Chris Foreman also went to the same school as them.

Steve Norman was our guest on Top Marks Music podcast, which was broadcast on 4/11/25. This was when he guessed
Mark Bedford’s choice after just one note 🎧

And as you can see – it was a lot of fun...

Steve Norman is our special guest on Episode 19 of Top Marks Music Podcast on Shoreditch Radio on Monday, 3rd November at 8pm 🎧

If you're up in town this Thursday (30th).

The Near Jazz Experience Plays Tritone + Signing Tickets | From Free | 30 Oct @ Rough Trade Denmark Street, London | DICE Rough Trade Denmark Street is very excited to present a stripped back performance and signing from The Near Jazz Experience. This unique event celebrates the...

The NJE are doing a stripped down in store gig at Rough Trade Denmark St WC2 on Thursday (30th): Check it out: dice.fm/event/l8g37l...

Our Spotify playlist has been updated for Episode 18 of Top Marks Music Podcast at open.spotify.com/playlist/5ZZ... 🎧

Jon, the interviewer, was in Denver and I was in London. So there was a lot of lag over Zoom. It's always a bit disjointed.

😂

And there’s more…

Slightly surprising.

Talking to the Hustle podcast about the new NJE record with some Madness thrown in for good measure: www.podbean.com/ew/pb-i5xbs-...

2/2… So the sound only ‘kisses’ the tape as it goes through the machine, it doesn’t record onto it.

No, it’s a sound thing and is part of the recording process. As you record the sound goes through the tape machine and tape and ends up as digital information on computer. You get the ‘warmth’ of using tape and the sound of analogue recording but it is then recorded digitally.

3/3... If you can, I would always record a big backing track with the core of the band. People playing together always makes fir a better feel. You can always patch up after.

2/2... Which can be a curse rather than a blessing. Madness record using the technique which is sweetly called, 'kissing the tape'. We run the recording through the tape and tape machine, whilst having everything digital as well.

Yes, I think one of the most important things you can take from analogue recording is to have the confidence to commit to your ideas. When I first started recording, which was on eight track tape, you had to be concise and edit along the way. Recording digitally allows you limitless overdubs.