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The good, the bad and the plain greedy
The MusicRadar Team, Fri 26 Dec 2008, 9:07 am UTC
Or it could be the credit crunch. Or the cheap internet prices. Or videogames. But whatever the reason, my villain of 2009 is whatever it is causing record shops to shut down. Now don't get me wrong, buying online is great but whatever happened to chance? To a lunchtime spent browsing? To taking a punt because you liked the sleeve? No-one's suggesting the nation takes up cratedigging as a national sport but come share with me a Xmas toast for the late lamented record shop. You'll miss it when it's really gone. Mike Goldsmith
OK, AC/DC did themselves proud with Black Ice, but how many other of the numerous comebacks and reunions will live long and pleasantly in the memory? Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy was a mess, Queen + Paul Rodgers' The Cosmos Rocks was pointless, and does anyone even remember that The Verve released a record and headlined Glastonbury? And don't even get me started on the tediousness of the Led Zeppelin saga… Ben Rogerson
We're up for inebriated Rock Band or Guitar Hero jamming as much as the next person, but there's something really weird happening when companies are developing controllers that cost the same amount as a real guitar. Take it from us, the real thing may be harder to master, but it's much more fun. That said, while a trawl of the blogosphere reveals plenty of amusing Guitar Hero controller mods, our favourite is the one that Wayne Coyne was rocking back in October. Chris Vinnicombe

Jack Bruce - growing old disgracefully
Jealousy ain't a good look for a 65-year-old, Jack Bruce...
Cream's bassist has beef with Led Zeppelin because he claims they "hijacked" the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert (Zep's first and only reunion since 1995) at The O2. Here are Jack Bruce's thoughts on the subject: "they played one fucking lame gig – while Cream did weeks of gigs. Fuck off, Zeppelin, you're crap." To add insult to injury, he later added: "the only decent guy in that band is dead." Jealousy ain't a good look for a 65-year-old, Jack, so hit the road… Tom Porter
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