When I was a lad most grown ups whistled – at the risk of turning this post into a ‘70s comedy sketch caricature it was true that the majority of the usual suspects – postmen, milkmen, bus drivers would be at it (ooh you are awful!). Seems to be a bit of a dying art these days at least publicly.

I’m no great whistler; to be honest it’s less Roger Whittaker and more an insipid tongue between the teeth ‘ssss’ sound. But when doing mundane tasks say morning ablutions, emptying the washing machine (hey I’m a modern man I’ll have you know) I often find myself whistling and it’s always Fly Me to the Moon. I occasionally add in some jaunty tempo changes and jazzy runs which in my head are mighty impressive although to anyone unlucky enough to be in earshot is probably more akin to air leaking out of a party balloon.

So what’s your go to tune?

Note for the Mods: this is not an album review as such which is why I haven’t posted it in the ‘correct’ place.

Opening the curtains It was another beautiful day in leafy Hertfordshire and as we’ve been doing on these sultry hot days of late, got up very early to walk the dogs. It was a solo jaunt that morning so fancying a bit of music thought I’d check out the Friday new release section on Spotty. Hidden amongst the exciting young ‘happening’ artists I noticed a new album by Stephen Bishop bizarrely called ‘THIMK’ (and yes in caps). I thought well there’s a name from the deep and distant past so go on then let’s give it a go, and whistling the dogs I pressed Play and set off.

Forty -nine years ago this month I started my first job in the Big Smoke having slowly migrated south from Yorkshire at the tender age of 18 to firstly Leicester Poly and then with very little clue as to what I was going to do with the rest of my life randomly applied for jobs in that London where most of my mates seemed to be heading (albeit » Continue Reading.

A fascinating life and some truly great songs. Sadly many will mainly remember her for salacious but probably untrue headlines in the 60s involving The Stones.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8k931j423o

Short notice but I have a spare ticket to see The High Llamas tonight (Wed 23rd) at the Lexington (near Kings Cross). Mrs F claims she had forgotten all about it (mmmm) and now has other plans

If anyone interested in keeping me company (solo gig going not my favourite pastime tbh) please PM me

I just came across this album and at first thought it was a spoof. Im still not sure as there is precious little about it on-line. Assuming it is the Cave the question remains as to why and as for the tasteless as fuck artwork – WHY!! I’m an avowed Drake fanatic and am broadly indifferent to NC (although love Red Right Hand) but just don’t see the point of this project (the world is awash with ND covers) and certainly not from a guy who’s style simply sucks the life and lightness of touch from these songs IMHO.

Other views are of course welcomed.

https://nickdrakeandthesadbeads.bandcamp.com/album/nick-drake-and-the-sad-beads

Hi folks looking for some advice/recommendations re broadband. I need to set up a brand new broadband in my daughters student rental in a village about 30 mins from Bristol (Yatton as it happens). I’ve always been with Virgin and no experience of sourcing/installing anything new. Basic requirements are – purely broadband ie don’t want a phone; 12 month contract ideally; needs to be powerful enough to support 3 students heavily using laptops and phones etc.

I looked on Moneysupermarket and found a company called Gigaclear which offers an 18mnth package with 200mb for for 18 months at £17 a month. Looking for 12 mnths only seems to limit options so maybe just take the hit of a longer contract?

So thoughts on required speeds and suppliers would be great plus hints on what to be wary of – thanks.

Is Mid Air by Paul Buchanan from his first and only solo album released in 2012. I come back to it frequently especially if feeling particularly reflective, wistful or mournful (or combinations thereof) and it always floors me. Only 2m 30s and so simple in structure that even I can almost play it on the piano (you really only need the white keys). Then the hand in glove marriage of the lyric to the melody and that heartbreaking Em to Am chord change on the end of the chorus.

Of course its helped by ‘That Voice’ but its a perfect thing in its own right and I’d sell my soul to the devil to have written it.

Attached to the front of this months MOJO is a free cd compiled by the Davies Brothers of deep cuts to support The Kinks 60th anniversary. Now now that is some achievement and certainly worthy of a mention or two in our beloved music press. However personally – with the glorious exception of the sublime Waterloo Sunset – I just don’t understand the appeal of this band and the standing they have in the pop pantheon (other than longevity). Over the years I’ve heard quite a lot of their stuff but it nearly always leaves me cold.

So this thread is about the bands or artists that may be critically quite lauded but leave you puzzled; not the ones you simply don’t like. So those of you about to kick off about Steps or Westlife – stand down!

Would be good if one or two of those with the opposite view could try and convince the doubters of the errors of their ways.

I know we have the best albums threads running but just thought it would be interesting to hear your personal favourite song or instrumental track of the year. Not a poll but I might create a playlist. Mine is this this song which I feel sums up The Delines perfectly – melancholic, small town characters struggling through life and with a heartbreakingly beautiful chorus with the oh so simple but so effective pay off line ‘ Hey Kid Codeine I’m always pissed off Always about to lose my mind always about to blow my top’

Ah yes the tree. In the Feedback household this starts with the annual trip to Apple Tree Farm – yes it has to be a real live (ok dead) tree none of your artificial nonsense. Last year disaster at Step 1 – the farm was closed with a sign that said go get your tree from the local garden centre. After 25 years this was a bit of a shock – should we cancel Christmas right now we thought? We managed to struggle on but really that kind of irresponsible action should be outlawed. Now selecting the tree – dropper or the more expensive no-dropper? We go non-dropper but then Mrs Feedback starts off the next negotiation by gazing adoringly at trees that would not look out of place in Trafalgar Square. I look over at our car and manage to bring reality to bear – well somewhat. Invariably I’m then driving back with a vast acreage of pine branches covering the windscreen and the rear door of the car not quite fully closed. We get home and I manfully haul the tree into the sitting room – leaving behind a lovely trail of pine needles throughout the house (no » Continue Reading.

So Ive just seen the final episode (No 24) in the final series (No 11) of the Walking Dead. Ive been following this since it started in 2010 but don’t know anyone else who watches the show – certainly none of my family or friends do and it feels a bit like a weird hobby like extreme ironing or duck herding. To be honest at times its been a bit of a chore – there have been as many, in fact probably more, downs than ups and on occasion when a new series has been released I’ve uttered an audible groan – a bit like when your relatives announce they coming round for the annual Christmas get together (really? couldn’t just maybe just fuck off instead?). However at it’s best It was terrific – the Negan era in particular was spectacular TV – surely one off the best ever badass villains. This final series was pretty good to be fair but they’ve left it open for a follow up and there are already multiple spin-off series being planned, but personally I’m now going to quietly put my coat on and walk away and hope nobody notices.

However I will » Continue Reading.

Was originally thinking of posting this under the ‘Pointless things that can while away the hours’ series but then how could this be considered pointless…..? Ok I guess that could be debated.

Prog was my first music love back in the early 70’s and even back then when I was in thrall to the knife throwing exploits of Emmo and the sheer power and technical prowess of Crimson and Yes etc, I always loved those quieter moments when the acoustic guitars, flutes and pianos came to the fore. The songs were often lyrically quite bland, even ridiculous but it was that emotive tug of the mellotron strings and those often sublime melodies that won me over and still do to this day.

The list is limited to one track per band although I’ve stretched that definition with one or two and the entries are all rooted in the classic Prog era so no room sadly for the likes of Marillion, Steve Wilson etc. Ive also looked to avoid some of the more obvious songs for certain artists and/or used different versions.

One lovely discovery for me was a beautiful version of Book of Saturdays with just Fripp’s almost Joe » Continue Reading.

I’m two weeks into post double hernia op recuperation. Been told not do anything too strenuous (this includes carrying shopping, decorating, putting up shelves, mowing the lawn) – sorry dear, I’d love to get on with those jobs but I just can’t. There are of course a myriad of useful things I could be doing including a pile of admin and bills that needs sorting; calling Virgin Media to rant at them yet again about why my ‘upgraded’ broadband is slower than Royal Mail but then where would be the fun in that? So instead I’ve been quietly sitting here listening to the dishwasher – there’s a plate that’s just catching the arm creating an interesting sound loop. After a while it sounded like it was saying over and over ‘The next point’ sounding remarkably like Michael Gove on a Sunday morning politics show. I’ve found in the past that alongside dishwashers , washing machines and windscreen wipers are also capable of speaking.

Anyone else noticed this fascinating phenomenon?

Im not as frequent a visitor to the AW as I used to be but this is still a site that remains important to me. I was thinking the other day, for no good reason, about some of the things that have really grabbed me here and we do have some very talented wordsmiths. The one that that has stuck with me was on the thread I started a few years ago about songs that have a special and personal meaning and @Chiz wrote a hauntingly beautiful piece based around Paul Simon’s ‘America’. Im pasting it below and the point of this thread is to celebrate the best of the AW -whether it be poignant or funny (or both). So come on make your fellow AfterWorders blush with pride or embarrassment and post it again here.

This is the piece that Chiz wrote:

When I was 17 I found myself, through no conscious effort on my part, going out with the prettiest girl in the school. I was in a band and had a car, and she was quite short-sighted; maybe that was it. Our music tastes met in the middle – Japan, Ultravox, Human » Continue Reading.

This not a review as such.

If you know the KoC then all I need to say is that absolutely nothing has changed. A 12 year hiatus since the last album but they haven’t tinkered with the recipe on ‘Peace or Love’. Focussed on the 2 guitars and the ‘S&G’ harmonies of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe with minimal additional instrumentation. There is also the welcome return of Lesley Feist on a couple of numbers.

So all in all nothing ground breaking artistically but if you like the KoC then, like me, you probably don’t want anything more.

I’ve been left at home on my own for the first time in year or so – Mrs F has escaped with a couple of her mates for a night away so its just me and the dogs. So (between the obligatory tasks that I’ve been left with) Ive been playing all of those records that don’t normally get to see the light of day – including the excellent Jack Bruce compilation ‘An Introduction To’. I cant think when was the last time I played JB but I was taken aback by just how fucking brilliant he is/was. Im not bothered about much of the Cream stuff or even the majority of JB’s later recordings just that tiny microcosm between 1969 and 1971 when he produced Songs For A Tailor, Things We Like and Harmony Row. The song structures are just extraordinary – often more classical than rock. SFAT has a stellar group of supporting musicians but they don’t get in the way. TWL is a muscular jazz set with John McLaughlin and Dick Heckstall Smith – proper modern jazz not your rock star trying to be cool and hip by getting a few horn players in and playing in » Continue Reading.

Keith Tippett passed away yesterday. A real pioneer of the UK modern jazz scene but probably best known for playing piano for King Crimon and marrying Julie Driscoll. Fripp even offered for him to become the co-leader of KC but he declined to pursue his own jazz career. His playing on Cat Food I’m sure must have been a big influence on Mike Garson’s piano on Aladdin Sane.

His own jazz went very quickly from the relatively straightforward jazz/rock Nucleus style of ‘Dedicated To You, But You Weren’t Listening’ to some pretty ‘out there’ free jazz. His creative peak may be ‘Septober Energy’ a 4 colossal four part suite with strings, horns and massed vocals. Some comparisons with Kamasi Washington maybe but much more free. Here is Part 4.

With live footie now on the horizon I was thinking how they can give matches some much needed atmosphere (where’s Russ Abbot when you need him?).

It got me thinking that the analogy is the age of silent cinema and the cinema organist or pianist who plays along to the movie.

What each team needs is an ‘in residence’ band or artist who can do that – and think of all those currently out of work musicians who would jump at the chance to earn a few bob on the side whilst watching a match. But who would be the right fit for your team?

Rotherham United would need something pretty straightforward – there would be no space for any ephemeral ‘tippy-tappy’ Brian Eno style whisperings. It would need to be both emotional and uplifting to echo that ever present feeling of optimism but coupled with some slabs of down to earth realism and a fair bit of self-deprecating humor. There would need to be the occasional ‘long ball’ moment – a quick rising chord sequence which would more often than not die down quickly and meander around a bit. Very occasionally something clever and unexpected maybe a key » Continue Reading.

Any excuse to post some Nick Drake.

Another one gone to great gig in the sky. The Pat Metheny Group have been one of ‘my bands’ since the late 70’s and Lyle has been a fixture for most of that time. A really wonderful and sensitive pianist, all round keyboardist and composer. My favourite album of theirs and probably one of my all time Top 20 albums is ‘As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls’ and this track which is an homage to Bill Evans also works as an homage for Lyle. This is the only vs of that tune – sound is ok but visuals a bit poor. But give the album a ‘spin’ if you don’t know it.

Not sure where this thread might go – a bit of a post Christmas ramble but let’s see. Hopefully it might generate a bit of healthy debate to take us into the brave new decade.

Towards the end of the 90s a friend sent me a mixtape of new and ‘alternative’ music that was currently rocking his boat. In amongst this was the track ‘High Speed’ by the then unknown Coldplay from their yet to be released debut album ‘Parachutes’. “You’ll like this” he said and I did – very much. There was that indefinable ‘something’ that connected with my own peculiar musical DNA but I’ll come back to Coldplay later.

A couple of years earlier I was discussing the Blur v Oasis ‘Britpop battle’ thing with that same friend. I was pretty indifferent to either band but felt that Blur had something going on to which he said “Well that’s probably because those guys are real musicians”. Now you may say he was just stating the bleeding obvious – by definition aren’t both band ‘musicians’ – I mean Noel is a half decent guitarist? But down the years that rather inscrutable and reductive comment has stuck with me more » Continue Reading.