Just watching Return Of The Jedi – how fantastic do the Emperor’s Guards look? The least acknowledged of the Star Wars characters…
Mojo dont do Women
but they sometimes do good compilations. This months Krautrock compilation is fabulous.
ATM – Re-Set of my iPad, Help!
My ipad became frozen. I carried out a factory reset. I then carried out all the steps including Apple ID. When I get to Phone Number I hit a wall. I have tried using my landline number with the area `0` and without – no reply. I have tried using my mobile number with the `0` and without, for both return call & text – no reply.
All/any help appreciated, thanks.
Charles Bradley
News that he has died aged 68. Fame came late for him.
https://youtu.be/moiUyFQQE-0
Mahavishnu MkII: ‘Smile of the Beyond’
I’ve just noticed that someone has posted a high quality version of the great ‘Smile of the Beyond’, from MO II’s Montreux performance in 1974 (which, bafflingly, was among the 60-odd minutes omitted from the official DVD of the show) – and it has to be shared!
Rare in the MO canon in being primarily a vocal item, featuring the exquisite Gayle Moran, the studio recording of this was among the late George Martin’s favourite productions, done in one take.
But fear not, bolted on to the song is a 20-minute wig-out.
Tim Buckley boxed set alert!
I’ve got almost all of this material in one form or another (and mostly twice each!) but I’ve never owned a physical copy of Starsailor, and the asking price for second hand copies has been stupid for years (cheapest on Amazon currently £53).
Here’s a nice little set that rounds up every album plus what looks like a lot of interesting bits ‘n’ pieces (Works In Progress – previously limited edition, also nonsense priced second hand), for 25 sovs all in.
Thank you Rhino, it’s about bloody time.
Right, now can we have that elusive Kevin Ayers ‘Diamond Jack’ album released please?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0752BL3BD/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The Ultimate Country-ish songs – your help is needed
I have a long standing love of Country music, there was country music – some good, some less so played at home as I grew up. My Dad like the gentler end of country, there was no Hank Williams but Snow and Locklin took regular spins on his old music centre. Consequently I have a soft spot for the mellower end of country music, but I lean toward the other end of the genre as I have aged – [let’s call it Alt. or Americana for ease – Ryan Adams, Wilco, Jayhawks etc] – but still love the old mellow country too. What I would like to do is create a playlist – an Ultimate Country-ish Playlist, but I can’t do it alone. To this end I have started a collaborative playlist on Spotify. So please help a feller out – What is your favourite Country-ish song? Who should I most definitely have on my playlist? Maybe I’ve already added an artist but you prefer a different track – get it on there! It can be straight-ahead-Yeeha-Honky-Tonk-Country, It can be Americana, Folky, Rocky, Old or New, if you think it’s Country-ish it’s welcome. Please add to my Spotify playlist, post » Continue Reading.
Rocking your Saturday.
Light a fire.
You can’t see depression,
It doesn’t come in a sling. It doesn’t wear a bandage. It doesn’t use a crutch.
Perhaps, if it did any of those things, it would be more recognisable, more important, to those lucky people that don’t suffer from it.
But it doesn’t.
Depression is not a choice. It is not a state of mind to ‘get over.’ It is not something we can control. We would love to decide when it hits and when it doesn’t.
But we can’t.
Yesterday I told my boss that I have suffered from depression for 43 years. He wasn’t even born 43 years ago. He was brilliant. Supportive, helpful, compassionate. I wish everyone who suffers worked for as good an employer as I do.
But they don’t.
Please help. You can’t see depression. You can’t hear it. You can’t touch it. But, really, you can do all of those things.
You can see your friend’s moods, and how they change. You can hear your friend, and how their voice lowers, how their speech slows. And you can feel their tears, their emotions, how everything is right at the surface. You can touch their pain.
You can’t help us depressives.
Oh, but » Continue Reading.
‘Just-a burpin’ an’-a fartin’. The Afterword writes a Country song.
Okay. Twang to write the ‘Just-a burpin’ an’-a fartin’ tune. The rest of you, Verses and a Chorus please.
“I Bought It For The Second Disc”
Recently, I picked the the eponymous album by “supergroup” (I guess?) The Thorns on the cheap. It’s the version which includes a second disc where they play all the songs acoustically. Now, I’m not the “ale should be chewy”/”wooden wheels are best”/”if you can’t play it on an acoustic, it’s not a song” type, but with this album by this band I think the harmonies work better strummed. So much so, I may never play disc 1. Previously, I bought the second Tindersticks album for a CD copy of the live LP (a particular favourite on double 10 inch vinyl) that comes with it (and, curses! the cd doesn’t have space for the superior live version of “My Sister”). When Rakim was making his comeback he half-inched a trick from the King Of Pop by attaching a EB&R greatest hits disc to his new album, which was again snapped up for CD versions of favourites. And, I’ve mentioned here before, I really like Visioneers’ Hipology album, but I love disc 2 where all the songs are mixed together. So, what have you bought just to get the extra disc, or upon owning it found the second disc substantially better? Now » Continue Reading.
May’s “Major speech”. A content free zone.
Christ on a bike, the vicar’s daughter has been wittering away in the pulpit for what seems like an hour now, and she still hasn’t actually told me anything new. I may have nodded off, I suppose, but as far as I can tell it’s the same old mish-mash of aspirational bollocks and bugger all actual progress. The sooner the Tories metaphorically stab her in the back and tip her into the Thames the better, then maybe we can have a new figurehead to mock; a change is as good as we’re likely to get this side of Brexageddon.
ToTP returns (sort of)
I’m no longer the target market for ‘Sounds Like Friday Night’, but I’m pleased it will exist – if only for six episodes.
Start practicising those handy parental catchphrases:
“I can’t hear the words” “Where’s the tune? It just goes ‘Boom Boom Boom’” “Is that a boy or a girl?” “She’ll catch her death dressed like that”
Pure. Comedy. Gold.
Thanks to Twitter, I have been introduced to the comedy stylings of one Mark Boyle, who apparently promotes the virtues of a wattle and daub lifestyle in The Guardian. I can’t make up my mind whether he is a super dedicated performance artist, or just an insufferable twat. Keen observers may remember that he was previously known for attempting to walk to India on no money, but turned back after reaching France due to his inability to speak – er – French. My favourite one liner from this particular article? “If a bored moment ever did arise, I’ve a tin whistle begging to be learned…”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/25/boredom-ditched-technology-life-beautiful
Public service announcement: Splendid classic Fairport performance
That nice Mr Paphides tweeted a link to this and what a treat it is. Full House era line-up of Fairport Convention with the addition of Linda Thompson. Right proper music that. Happy Friday
I prefer emails and texts to phone calls – am I mad or sane?
One of the things that annoys me at work more than anything else (and in fact in life in general) is playing phone tennis with someone – you call them and miss them, they call you and miss you because you are way from your desk for a minute, and so on.
I hate phone tennis. And I’m definitely an email person. To me, emails are perfect because they allow you to put your message out there (your carefully drafted, polite message) and give the recipient time to consider a response and reply at their convenience.
I’ve decided there are two types of people – verbal people and writing people. I’m definitely the latter. And I have little patience for people who, after a long email conversation, will need that actual verbal conversation at the end of it to put a full stop on it and finalise what’s been discussed. I’m the opposite – I can have a long verbal conversation (to me, just waffling around the subject) and then I’ll ask you to put in writing what’s been agreed, just to confirm it.
Are you an email person (yay- efficient, logical, decisive) or a phone person (boo – waffling, » Continue Reading.
Theresa May ‘to offer 20bn euros transitional deal’
How many weeks at £350m does that add up to?
Fans of The National assemble
and enjoy two hours of last week’s gig in Cork, courtesy of French TV
https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/077236-000-A/the-national-au-cork-opera-house/
Soundbreaking (documentary)
I don’t recall this documentary being mentioned on here, but its a fascinating 8 part documentary that covers the history of recorded music.
Its a veritable who’s who in interviews – both producers and artists – giving insights into how some of our favourite music came about and covers everything from the Beatles (obviously) to Hip Hop with everything in between. Highly recommend for anyone that loves music in any shape or form.
It was originally a US PBS broadcast, so no idea where / how to catch on terrestrial TV now – I know that it is available on DVD / Blu Ray (how I watched it) and probably digitally. There are a few clips on there website.
What’s your favourite sausage?
All this talk of bangers* has got me wondering (and because I happen to have bought some of mine this morning). (And because I’m in a frivolous devil-may-care mood.)
My favourites are the Italian fennel sausages from Pennisi, Balaclava St, Woolloongabba (beat that for cultural diversity). Thick, meaty and no extraneous nonsense just like a good sausage should be (quiet at the back), and tasting delicately of fennel. You have to butterfly them for the barbie because if you don’t the outside is incinerated before they’re cooked in the middle. But boy, are they good.
What’s yours? Just to get you in the mood here’s an oo-er-missus song for you.
*Mysterious cultural divergence footnote: in Oz bangers are called snags.
Women of punk/ new wave/…
The discussions of a lack of women on music mag covers reminds me of what I am sure is not an original observation; the women of punk/ post-punk opened up music the way a bit of ramalama didn’t; The Slits, Siouxie, X-Ray Spex, Rezillos, Penetration, Laura Logic … I can listen to any of these still; I find blokey punk all a bit lumpen. These days I find PJ Harvey, Goldfrapp, and St Vincent more interesting than hip indie sausage fests (and I like sausages). I’ve never been one for positive discrimination and approved quotas; I simply find these acts better.
Word in your ear – Robert Foster and Armando Ianucci, 13/11/2017
I imagine this will sell out. Really annoyed that I cant go.
https://wordinyourear.fanbridge.com/campaigns/show.php?id=1434707&sid=214689641&fblike=1
Mojo For Men
Having just seen a photo of the November issue of Mojo mag (Bowie headlining), I noted that not one single female artist is featured on the cover. Looking at the last few issues on their website it seems that this is not a new phenomenon; Kate Bush gets a cover story, but apart from that, looking at the last few months at least, female artists featured in any way on the front of the magazine can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Poor Laurie Anderson appears, but only in terms of “The Lou I knew”.
It’s a total sausage-fest*!
Isn’t it about time..
we had a new site tagline? The Prince sentiment is fine but it was last year.