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Dr Strangely Strange ‘Fitting Pieces to the Jigsaw’

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Author:Adrian Whittaker

Fitting pieces to the jigsaw’

Why did I want to review this book? Let me explain. 72/73 being a late-flowering trainee hippy in a Northern mill town, I was introduced to Dr Strangely Strange (DSS) by a chap I’d met well versed in the ways of music as he was three years older than me. We listened to their music, well the first album anyway as that’s was all we possessed. We recited various pieces from the songs and greeting each other with ‘There you go’ (even though we may have wondered where we were supposed to be going). Forward 36 years and a visit to the maze like Barbican, for the Witchseason season to see Fairport Convention, noticing a poster for the next day’s event I see that DSS will be playing in the foyer and playing with the Incredible String Band (sometime referred to as the Incredible Bing Strand). As I was staying in that London I thought I’d go and see the band I’d liked all those years ago. Stood in that foyer I travelled back over those years to the person I was then a smile on my face as I realised that quite » Continue Reading.

Longevity

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Listening to the radio in the car last night, ‘Pick of the Week’ there was a clip about U2 in Dublin. I thought about how long they had been together without a line-up change. 1976 to date. Any other bands with that longevity without changes to to musical differences etc?

What we did on our holidays.

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For many it’s the return to school tomorrow. What we did… was asked and to write an essay and the enjoyment or not of the six weeks off. Luckily two years ago I took redundancy from the school I worked at and can now enjoy holidays throughout the year. How did this summer pan out for you? I spent most of mine recovering from a second back operation but I shall be leaving soon for other climes. Do not write on both sides of the paper at once.

View post on imgur.com

Practical jokes

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The good old days post brought to mind those practical jokes that you could buy from the classified adverts at the back of the comics. X Ray Specs, black face soap etc. This brought to mind (nostalgia being what it is) the article from the NME of the Viv Stanshall guide to Practical Jokes. See enclosed. Did you buy any more importantly did they work? I once rung a friend up when I knew he was away and taped his answer machine message. I then rang back and played his message back onto his answer machine. I always imagined he’d got home, played his messages back and started hitting the machine thinking something was wrong with it. I never found out if he did.

http://www.shuttleworths.co.uk/sirhenry/pranks.html

The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast

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What does it sound like?:

Why did I say I’d review this? I didn’t hear it when it came out so I thought this would be a marvellous opportunity.I enjoyed Alan Aldridge’s drawings for the Beatles lyrics and my nineteen year old self would have loved this, as I pored over the drawings in the book as I listened to the music.

However listening to it these many years later!

There’s nothing wrong with it, just that it’s not something I’d rush back to listen to. However having said that I thought that it would make a splendid stage musical (reading through the accompanying booklet I see that is one of the planned ideas), or an animated film.

What does it all *mean*?

I enclose part of the press release so that you know what you are getting.

Following expanded reissues from the resurrected Purple Records by Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, Glenn Hughes, Silverhead, Elf and Hard Stuff, Cherry Red are proud to announce the new 3 disc edition of The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper’s Feast. After leaving Purple in 1973, Roger Glover was asked to compose music to the illustrated book of the same name » Continue Reading.

ATM help

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I’ve booked for Richard Thompson on the 8th of August. Thought the date rang a bell, its my wedding anniversary. Days been bad enough but this just adds? What to do?

Musical mementos

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Did you ever whilst attending a gig take home a memento of that night? Did you catch a broken drumstick as the drummer threw it into the audience in disgust? Maybe you caught one of Morrissey’s gladioli. Maybe you have some record company freebie. Mine since you ask is a pair of Gong boots given to me by a friend who house sat for Mother Gong back in the eighties. Share them here.

Credit where credit’s due

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Unashamedly following on from @moseleymoles session post. Mention was made of corduroy trousers and fire extinguishers being ‘played’ on tracks.

Any other unusual credits on albums to delight and titillate the palate?

I recall Fairport used falling chairs and Professor Bruce Lacey’s robots on tracks and Lou Reed played ostrich guitar.

Anagrams

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Listening to the final of Counterpoint the music quiz on Radio 4, one of the questions was something on the lines of Svengali is the anagram of a musician ( before the question continued I thought Vangelis). However the rest of the question went on that this musician had collaborated with Miles Davis. The answer was of course Gil Evans, who recorded an album Svengali. I was impressed that two musicians could share an anagram. Any other anagrams?

Big Big Train – The Second Brightest Star

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What does it sound like?:

I volunteered for this as I’d heard the name but not heard anything by them, and that one of our number had had some involvement with them.

To be honest I didn’t know what to expect, my prog days being somewhat behind me. It needs to be listened to in a quiet and relaxed mood and possibly listening to it on a grey and damp day wasn’t conducive.

It feels to be an album of two sides, 40 minutes of new songs on one exploring landscapes, rivers and meeting places and longer workouts on t’other from their previous albums. As it is to be released on a sea-foam green double gatefold vinyl then maybe the best way to listen to it as if it is two separate albums.

It’s not as bucolic as I expected though I imagine the track Haymaking would be ideal as a soundtrack for a remake of Tess of the D’Urbervilles (or possibly to accompany a shot of the PM running through wheat fields)

What does it all *mean*?

It means I need to check their other output.

Goes well with…

A bottle of elderflower champagne and a cloudless sky.

Might » Continue Reading.

Great heckles of our time

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You must have heard plenty of heckles over your years of gig, comedy etc going. Maybe not great but I was told off by the act in question for silent heckling. Waiting for Roy Harper, sat at the front on the floor I decided the support act wasn’t for me so turning my back and using the stage lights I proceeded to carry on reading my book. Some time later I realised I was being berated from onstage by the act. Other people hadn’t enjoyed his act but I got it in the neck for reading whilst he was playing. You must have heard plenty, why not share ’em and any snappy comebacks.

Fairport ticket Union Chapel 27/05/17

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27/05/2017

I find that due to my brother-in-law attending a wedding that I now have a spare ticket for the above gig. It’s sold out and if anyone would like to attend with myself, wife and a good chum please let me know. It is their 50th anniversary gig so not to be missed (apart from by my brother-in-law that is). Thanks. (I’d only want face value£26)

Fashion Faux Pas

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We’ve all done it worn something that we later regret. Flapping loons, tartan trews, floppy hats and platform shoes. Luckily little photographic evidence exists.

This was brought on by the thought during the dark morning when your mind starts working overtime, and sleep can’t come. I had the idea years ago of emulating Peter Gabriel and adopting his reverse Mohican haircut, the wide shaved centre parting. Did anyone try it? Apart of course from Mr Gabriel.

I never did, is it too late now?

Is there some fashion faux pas in the wardrobe of your soul that you could bear to reveal?

A left handed query.

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I read recently that Bob Dylan is left handed, I had not come across this before. I checked the previous left handed post and posted my query there, there was no answer forthcoming so I thought I’d make a separate request for information here. Can anyone confirm this?

Dave Gorman on Dave

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Tonight on the Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish, he did a piece about a hard to finish picture quiz on the internet. One of the sites mentioned raving about this impossible quiz was this one. I have done a search and can find nothing on the site. Does anyone know about it?

Free association or Dada for now

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Tomorrow is the anniversary of the birth of Dada. Treat this thread as an opportunity to free associate, give birth to your inner Dadaist. Here’s the Bonzos who were originally the Bonzos Dog Dada Band.

Dada was born out of negative reaction to the horrors of the First World War. This international movement was begun by a group of artists and poets associated with the Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich. Dada rejected reason and logic, prizing nonsense, irrationality and intuition. The origin of the name Dada is unclear; some believe that it is a nonsensical word. Others maintain that it originates from the Romanian artists Tristan Tzara’s and Marcel Janco’s frequent use of the words “da, da,” meaning “yes, yes” in the Romanian language. Another theory says that the name “Dada” came during a meeting of the group when a paper knife stuck into a French–German dictionary happened to point to ‘dada’, a French word for ‘hobbyhorse’.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn3hlyCv_f8

Never work with animals

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On Rob C’s Thin Music Thread, Mr Saucy mentions Tintern Abbey and how he thinks this was the only band which featured a live owl perched on the singer’s shoulder?

What other band’s featured animals in their set? The obvious one is Alice Cooper and snake. Fairport Convention on the reverse side of ‘What we Did on our Holidays’ show them on stage with a prone alsatian.

Any more?