About a year ago, Mrs Nog and I had to downsize, moving across the road – literally – as she can no longer manage stairs.
I’m now her full time carer and days consist of getting her up, fed, washed and out followed by lunch.
She then sits in front of Sell it / Fix it / Upcycle it / Stop it Barking / Arrest it TV while I go to what one of our sons helpfully calls Pensioner Soup – lane swimming at the local pool.
On my return, Mrs N has dropped off and once she awakes, cup of tea , menial domestic tasks and sit with the cat and watch the parakeets and squirrels fight over bird feeder erm, fat balls.
Evening meal and some shared TV kicks in and by about 9.30 ish, I get her to bed.
We’ve had to unload about 2000 books and put 3 times as many cds and albums into the loft of our old house.
I’m now totally digital via Qobuz which is my accompaniment to a very analogue 10.00 pm onwards in which I read hard copy Weekend Guardian, Observer, New Statesman and the Eye, along with Mojo and Uncut.
I’ve used this time to listen to some old faves to accompany said reading.
Plenty of jazz and folk with recent faves including the Lilac Time live and re-mastered Looking for a Day in the Night, as well as plenty of Dylan, John Prine, Bobby Gentry, Ronnie Lane ,Michael Kiwanuka,Bill Ryder-Jones, Finzi, Marvin Gaye….etc
What suggestions can AW folk offer as an aural backdrop to my night time reading pls ? ( No Queen or Oasis) ?
TIA
First off, all the very best to Mrs Nog with her predicament. God bless daytime tv schedules. Much respect to you sir for taking on the carer role with such good humour. It must be tough at times and your late night sessions one of the rewards.
Late night reading accompaniment? I increasingly go classical but nothing too challenging or distracting. Occasionally I go back to my early habits of listening to Olfield or Renaissance.
If I’m not reading then music usually loses out to a podcast or two.
Happy listening!
Muchas gracias !
I booked Renaissance for a school “dance,” shortly after the Battle of Hastings, will re-visit.
Ta
Driving back from a concert late night I had this on very relaxing and an introduction to things I’d never look for. There’s talk between music but not intrusive. Recommended.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008w2m
Pensioner Soup love it. We’ve just moved and after settling down joining the pensioner soup is a must.
And best wishes to the Lady Nog.
I’m also very partial to BBC R3’s Night Tracks. Good accompaniment to reading.
Good on you. Caring is tough but most rewarding. Looking after my loved ones has easily been the best thing I ever did in my life despite the difficulties and heartaches and eventual inevitable complications it caused me financially. I hope your situation is less onerous in that regard.
I too enjoy ending my day accompanied by music and reading however I find any music with lyrical content too much of a distraction when reading so it’s usually Classical and/or Jazz hereabouts. I was taking a break from my book when I saw your post and decided to respond. Shortly it will be back onto The North Road with Rob Cowen with a Gondwana playlist for company streaming from Qobuz. I believe the time honoured response to that is…nice.
Keep up the good work.
You’re a good man Nog. When Twang Jr was a baby I used to love doing the 4am feed, just the two of us with the lights low. Wonderful. Anyway our regular soundtrack was by Kate Rusby, especially “Underneath the stars” and “Hourglass”. Many years later I played Kate in the car when we were out and about and he said “Who is this? I know it from somewhere”. “Well, my son….”
Can recommend the posthumous Waylon Jennings album Songbird which his son has put together – very short at 30 minutes but lovely songs.
I have the looking for a day in the night but not the live album. Do you recommend it.
Thanks to all for your very kind words..
Looking forward to checking out your recommendations..
Best to all
lovely small hours music, twelve minutes long and could be double that
“Small Hours” music – I saw what you did there!
I love that album! I thought I was the only person who heard it.
I can’t see the vid – what was it, ta?
Cooltide by John Martyn.
Nice…
Yes echoing all the warm feeling to you for the care you’re giving.
For late night reading I always look to something instrumental as listening to words and reading words at the same time I find difficult.
Also something not too up and down, so no Mahler. Philip Glass or Steve Reich reward dipping in and out, so perhaps Music in Twelve Parts or Music for 18 musicians. Terry Riley In C.
If you’re not a minimilist then Tchiakovsky String Quartets.
Failing anything classical then the kind of atmospheric drum and bass on Good Looking Records is wonderful late night listening – the Producer series with Seba, Blu Marten, Tyler, Bukem himself are all great.
And my last throw is the greatest ambient album every made, 76:14 by Global Communication.
Thanks for replies, chaps.
Sorry for earlier slightly perfunctory msg, but was still on the clock.
Also had Goon supporting son msging me from his FA work jolly at the Spurs Cathedral of Football..A 4-0 win instead of the carnage for which he hoped and I’d feared, has reconfigured his position.. Might not need to reach for the will and the eraser .
Lilac Time live is fab.
Have done some Night Tracks and will revisit.
I used to play cassettes of stuff to the Noglets when they were small / off to bed.
A favourite at the time was “Fall to Love,” by Diesel Park West.
I told this to John Butler of the band many years ago and he seemed genuinely touched.
( It was played at home recently and one of the kids said “I fking hate this song..)
Never mind,but Kate Rusby will be on the list.
Have decided that tonight’s selection will be Dick Slessig Combo and their far-too-short Wichita Lineman.
Tx again..
Chet Baker is often my go to for late night listening
Good luck with all that
I don’t go for too much late night listening these days, but when I did it was Frank Sinatra or Van Morrison
I have been there, and I feel for you, and wish you both the very best, whatever that might be.
I find Heinrich Biber, a recent discovery, very relaxing, if your mood suits.
As an aside, the way all four musicians are casting yearning glances at each other suggests that rumpy pumpy might be on the agenda afterwards. But maybe that’s just me.
Respect.
A left field suggestion if reading and would like the sound of the human voice without the distraction of what they are saying, some of the gentler African styles might suit.
Basba Maal and Mansour Seck Djam leelli
Ali Farka Toure
Toumani Diabate
The fusion group Constantinople.
Firstly, all the very best to you and Mrs Nog.
I like some late night listening, although I tend to use a DAP in bed (yes it’s a Fiio) with the lights out where I listen to a combination of classic albums (Floyd, Genesis, Camel, King Crimson, Steven Wilson etc etc) where I really want to listen properly without distractions. Problem is that a lot of the time these days, I’m asleep by track 4 (cue comments on Genesis being boring…..).
For late night accompaniment to reading, maybe some Blue Nile, later Talk Talk or some modern Jazz (GoGo Penguin). I could shoehorn in my love /evangelism for Japanese band MONO, who are instrumental, but with there combination of gorgeous melodies and crashing guitars, it may be a bit much for reading (although if you are tempted they have a new live album just out – Forever Home – which is with orchestra and is rather good)
You’re a good man, Nog. I find music keeps me awake. If sleep isn’t coming I find an episode of Stuart Mclean’s Vinyl Cafe. Gentle, heartwarming, timeless humour, sometimes I even make it to the end of an episode, especially this one
Sending lots of love to you and your family Nogbad. Mrs Nog is lucky to have you care for her & you are a good man for doing so.
On the music front, I was piqued by the mention of Bill Ryder Jones, someone I adore & have mentioned on here in glowing terms previously. Other albums you may like (if not already) that i think are in a similar vein are:
Adem – Homesongs
SOAK – If I Never Know You Like This Again
Fionn Regan – The End Of History
You might like The Necks. Try the album ‘Open’, if you want a meditative space.
You are clearly a top man Nog. I like the cut of your sons(s) gib(s) as well. Good luck to you all and best wishes to Mrs Nog.
When I want music to help me unwind and concentrate on a book, I reach for the Icelandic classical electronica powerhouses of Ólafur Arnalds or Jóhann Jóhannsson. Beautiful tunes building through repetition works for me.
My best wishes to you and to Mrs Nog: like some others on here, I have been where you are now. Initially, I was still working – but it didn’t feel right until I stopped work and was home full time. Arguably I should have taken that decision much earlier – but Mme. Stoke argued against it!
In terms of late night music and reading, it very much depends on my mood and/or what I’m reading at the time. Sometimes it’s Shostakovich chamber music, sometimes Dvořák chamber music. Or Brahms in any form. Or Vaughan Williams. I’ve noticed that Beethoven, Sibelius and Nielsen wake me up.
Other times, it’s 50s and 60s classic jazz – Miles, Coltrane, Ella, etc – music that I know well and guaranteed to soothe the cortex.
Best wishes to you & your wife, it isn’t easy being a carer.
If you’re a member of your local library there is an app called Libby which allows access to books, magazines & access behind the paywalls of newspapers, free of charge. Since I retired I have given up on most of my magazines (Mojo, Uncut etc) so the Libby app is really useful.
Good luck sir.
Sounds to me as if your late night listening time is your sanctuary @nogbad. I like a bit of singer-songwriter fare for those moments myself – Ray Lamontagne, Justin Rutledge, Darden Smith, Josh Rouse, Jeffrey Foucault – that kind of thing. But as others have said, classical is a go-to as well, especially early choral music. I’m a big fan of Anonymous 4, a female choral group whose harmonies are peerless.
All good wishes to you and Mrs Nog.
Life can be harsh, but it helps to know that there are still those who have the mettle to grasp the nettle. To only muted eventual approval, I lauded the new Fergus McCreadie, The Shieling, recently and elsewhere on this site. I think it would fit your requirements perfectly.
As might the chamber neotradfolk (?!?!) of the Naragonia Quartet, whose Nehalennia comes out on Friday.
All my best wishes to you and your wife. I know how important it is to have something to cling on to, whether it’s music or even daytime TV.
I found an old Spotify playlist titled Late Night Songs which might work for you. I can’t recall its origins – might even have been someone on The Afterword. It should be possible to convert to Qobuz using something like Soundiz.
There’s also a series of albums titled Late Night Tales which came out about 15 years ago and feature bands like Zero 7, Groove Armada, Belle and Sebastien etc choosing their favourite late night tracks. These albums appear to be on Qobuz so you could try them out.
All the very best to you and Mrs Nog – that sounds tough for you both.
I love occasionally sitting late at night after Mrs BB has gone to bed, with some music, very occasionally a fine malt whisky, and a book – maybe a music bio like Three Shades of Blue, James Kaplan’s book on Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans, which I recommend if you like that sort of thing.
Jazz is an obvious one – Bill Evans especially is a go-to for me, and I endorse the recommendation above of Fergus McCreadie. Tend not to listen to classical late at night but if I do it might be Schubert or Chopin piano music or Beethoven piano sonatas.
And I love a bit of laid back country influenced music at that time of night – Lucinda Williams’ The Ghost of Highway Nine and Essence for example.
Bill Frisell’s The Intercontinentals, Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure’s Talking Timbuktu and Arooj Aftab’s Night Reign are three lovely late night records.
And like @jazzjet (whose playlist looks fab) I made my own late night playlist of songs not so much for planned listening but more for those occasions when I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. Here it is…
This is the little disc I reach for when i want to chill right out:
https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/3784449593
Very best wishes to you and the missus – I feel sure you’ll enjoy this blissout collection of obscurities.
Dear All,
Tx once more for the many and varied sonic suggestions as well as the especially kind thoughts.
It seems that many of us are in/ have been in the same boat
Last night, after a logistics / staffing / / health and safety assessment which wd have graced the opening ceremony for the Olympics, I was sent out to London’s groovy Bush Hall, to see Walthamstow’s groovy Hanging Stars as a birthday wheeze.
The audience was, hem, mature, with the gig being,I suspect, sponsored by the Winter Fuel Allowance, but the chaps bashed out a set of faves and new stuff from the eagerly awaited Gerry Love produced new El Pea.
Back down to earth with a slight bump today, literally,as we went for a stagger over in Alexandra Palace and Mrs Nog took a ,fortunately, gentle tumble and had to be man-handled back to her feet by 2 strapping young coves who were dismantling the recent fireworks display perimeter. (I think she not-so-secretly enjoyed that bit and probably slipped them a phone number while I wasn’t looking..)
I had to return to Nog Towers and scamper back with a wheelchair…
Spending this afternoon chewing my way through an oh-so- user-friendly PIP supplement form..
( Which hospital is overseeing your treatment ?
What are the names and addresses of all of their other patients?…)
You know the drill .
Using a recommended Gondwana playlist as a backdrop..
Smooooth