Nine and a Half Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s and early '80s

Ok, so I must start by declaring that I am a huge admirer of the music of Luke Haines, and I have enjoyed all his incarnations - from The Auteurs, through to his solo work, via Baader Meinhof and Black Box Recorder. Another point to bear in mind is that I have an enormous affection for UK wrestling of the late 1970s and early 1980s. I was a part of the legion of small boys (and old ladies) who - in the 1970s and 1980s - thrilled to their wrestling heroes at 4 pm every Saturday on ITV's World Of Sport. The mere mention of the name Kendo Nagasaki still provokes an involuntary glow of nostalgic pleasure.

So, with all that in mind, it's perhaps no surprise that I rate this album very highly. That said, I hope I'm also detached enough to recognise that - even by Luke's high standards - this album is something special. It continues the trajectory set by Luke's previous two solo releases "Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop" and "21st Century Man"). In common with "9 1/2 Psychedelic Meditations...", those records are full of well-crafted, melodic, witty, interesting pop songs. And that's the bottom line, Luke's songs get under my skin in a way that precious few other writers and performers achieve.

Luke being Luke, doesn't merely produce a straightforward concept album. Nope. Many of the wrestling greats (take a bow Kendo Nagasaki and manager "Gorgeous" George Gillette, Catweazle, 'Cry Baby' Jim Breaks, Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy, Rollerball Rocco etc.) appear in both prosaic and psychedelic circumstances. Kendo Nagasaki writes a "Rock Opera in the Key of Existential Misery"; Big Daddy becomes besotted with a Casio VL Tone; Kendo Nagasaki watches TV whilst a treacherous plumber plans to reveal his identity; Rollerball Rocco regrets visiting Les Kellett's greasy spoon cafe; and so on. It's wonderful, and unquestionably my favourite album of 2011.

A knowledge of British Wrestling of the late 1970s and early 1980s certainly enhances my pleasure in this album, however Luke's songwriting skills will ensure that there's still plenty to enjoy for the casual listener. And on that note, anyone interested in 70s British Wrestling should get hold of The Wrestling by Simon Garfield. A splendid book, and the perfect companion piece to this album.

Nine And A Half Psychedelic Meditations On British Wrestling Of The 1970s And Early '80s, is an album abundant with humour and nostalgia without half baked collective memories that usually accompany nostalgia.

Often accused of writing about obscure subjects, this album maybe seen to be similar, however clearly here Luke is sharing part of his childhood where he has been introduced to an array of strange masked men with unusual pastimes. It invokes feelings of reading something from Roald Dahl, where the world seems a bizarre and dark place through the eyes of a child.

Probably his most personal work to date and a celebration of his own upbringing, I thoroughly recommend this album, can't wait for the North Sea Scrolls.

Stand out tracks for me: Gorgeous George, Inside The Restless Mind of Rollerball Roco, We Are Unusual Men, and Big Daddy Got A Casio Vl-Tone.

Haines joins an elite club of one of musicians who have done concept albums on ex-German terror groups (Baader Meinhof) and 60/70's wrestling. Since the heady days of his success during the Brit-pop era with his former band The Auteurs things have changed for Haines. No major label record deal or gruelling tour schedules now, just the occasional Home Counties appearance here and there, and no band either as Haines has cut a distinctive niche as a solo artist. While records sales have declined, the same cannot be said of the quality of his recorded output. His second solo LP proper ("Off my rocker at the Art school Bop") was the equal of anything released under The Auteurs moniker and last year's "21st Century Man" LP re-affirmed his reputation as an established solo artist.

The gloriously titled "9 1/2 Psychedelic Meditations On British Wrestling Of The 1970's And Early 1980's" picks up sonically from where his last solo outing left off. And don't be put off if you're not a grapple fan. All the lyrical witticisms are here and require no previous wrestling knowledge. Haines's song writing craft is at the top of his game and his kitchen-sink treatment of this once popular Saturday-afternoon "sport" has a very human edge to it, as the ex-Britpop curmudgeon almost verges on the sentimental. The glamour of these "unusual men" is peeled away as tales of greasy spoons in Bradford and less-than-luxury hotels in Wolverhampton unfolds. Haines's imagination runs wild with the laughably entitled "Big Daddy Got A Casio VL-Tone" which does exactly what it says on the tin. Standout track has to be the wonderful "Gorgeous George", a new Haines classic that tells the story of the George Gillett, the colourful former manager of wrestling phenomenon, Kendo Nagasaki ("I told you secrets over sausage and mash").

So a musical feast for Luke Haines and wrestling fans and, maybe, even a few new fans for one of the UK's most underrated singer-songwriters.