Toby Jones Talks Music

I review Turn Back the Clock, the classic 1988 debut album from Johnny Hates Jazz. This album produced timeless hits like “Shattered Dreams,” “I Don’t Want to Be a Hero,” and the title track “Turn Back the Clock.”

I tell my story of discovering this band and how the album fits into the late-80s pop landscape. Does Turn Back the Clock still hold up today, or is it purely a nostalgic listen?

Paul Young featured as the subject of the latest '...At the BBC' programme broadcast in January 2026. I watched this and had a great time; here are my thoughts on this programme and Paul's early catalogue!

In this episode, I share my thoughts on Song Sung Blue, the musical drama inspired by the music of Neil Diamond. Starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, the film tells a heartfelt story about love, ambition, and the power of music to bring people together.I break down the soundtrack and whether the film lives up to the legacy of Neil Diamond’s iconic songs.

We all have too much stuff in our lives, and that applies (certainly for me) with music. In 2026, I'm keen to appreciate the music that I already have, and particularly those albums that I've only heard once - or possibly not at all.This is the start of a series where I discuss what I am currently revisiting and what I have taken from revisiting this collection of music. This time, it's the turn of Glen Campbell's 1977 album live from the Royal Festival Hall, backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

We examine Neil Diamond’s On the Way to the Sky (1981), an album released in a shifting musical landscape. The album finds Diamond pulling back from the grand, arena-filling style that defined much of his late ’70s success.

We break down the album’s polished but sometimes overly cautious production, its reliance on familiar melodic formulas, and lyrics that lean more toward comfort than challenge. While songs like “On the Way to the Sky” and “Yesterday’s Songs” show flashes of warmth and introspection, the ballad-heavy record often struggles to maintain momentum.

Is On the Way to the Sky an underrated moment of maturity—or a safe, transitional release that lacks urgency? This review takes a clear-eyed look at where the album succeeds, where it falls short, and how it fits into Neil Diamond’s broader legacy.
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