Walk on...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Blackearthflown
Daft Punk – Alive 2007
Lee Scratch Perry – Essential
Funkadelic – Essential
John Scofield – This Meets That
Roy Hargrove – Earfood

Another month gone...



Up at 5:30, beautiful day...



...and working on the cover for what might be the new LP...

Also a “bonus disc” of the long instrumental backdrops of “The Eternal Optimist”, “cage of Expectation” and “The Killers at the Counter”...

Awaiting remixes too from Sour Grapes and Edward Spark....

A lovely walk into town this morning from Haymarket...





At lunchtime, to FOPP and purchases made...



Walked for an hour on the way home, making it as far out as the Zoo before taking a No 26 up the hill...

Home for 8...

Salmon and salad followed by “Glee” – Kiss good, GaGa bad – and the last “Flashforward” – reasonable ending but, unsurprisingly, the show has been cancelled...

Noticed sibilance today re the vocals on the new LP –maybe I need to re-record all the vocals...

Not to worry, I’m only 51...

Highlight of the Day : Walking...

Black earth flown...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Blackearthflown

Up at six and to work on updating this, having let it lie since last Monday...

Three hours of my life away...

Then to working on "Foundling", getting the trusty Yamaha CS5 out of the loft - Meg the Black cat wanted a shot...



She couldn't work the controls, so I added some synth sounds to the track and re-recorded a couple of lines of vocals and, generally, mucked about with it - as is the recording process I use...

Another three hours gone and nephew Andy arrived...



..and we worked for a couple of hours on a further adaptation of the track - the CBQ version contains only the intro of the song while Andy and I worked up the rest of the piece - probably still needs a good old middle eight to progress it...

Andy advised brother Ali has written some lyrics...

This is one for the future then...

As Andy left to visit his dad re today's birthday situation, I worked again on my mix of "Foundling", taking on board Andy's suggestions re some of the synth lines created this morning...

To Anne's mum's for the fortnightly family tea (our first for four weeks and our last for four weeks)...

Back home and a clearer view of the mix I wanted - and it appeared...

And so, burned the latest (final?) version of what will become the new CBQ LP, "Blackearthflown" just in time to make it downstairs for tonight's art documentary on Pablo Picasso...

Very entertaining - I still think Matisse is the father of Modern Art though...

A good day...

Lights out with the new LP on the cans...

Highlight of the Day : Finishing the album?

The egg man...

Playlist
Muffat – Concerti Grossi
Various – Top 100 LPs March 2010 (Shuffleplay)
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Blackearthflown

Up to the sounds of JY Johnny phoning his lovely wife Francis – not realising of course we’d called her last night to let her know he was safe and sound...



To the kitchen for a breakfast of toast and coffee (and juice and Iboprufen) and a chat about life, the universe, parents getting older and how little of last night John could remember...

Then it was out to the car but, before we set off for John’s home in Linlithgow, a wee tour of the neighbourhood, because John was born in the house two doors along from Crispycat Towers and spent his childhood in these very streets, attending the primary school up the “long path” and secondary school less than a mile away...

At John’s, he gave me a tour of his slightly-larger-than-that-at-Cripsycat-Towers garden and then of his slightly-larger-than-Crispycat Towers home, which he shares with Francis and their three young kids...

Turns out Johnny’s got a little music in his blood too...



With four eggs, a couple of them still warm, from John’s chickens...



...it was off home, stopping off at Impossible Songs on the way, to pop a CD of their wedding pics into their letter box...

In the afternoon, I worked on the new album...

I added further instrumentation to “Never or Now”...

I did slight remixes of “The Killers at the Counter” and “Hurt Heart Hardened”..

I re-recorded the vocals for “The Eternal Optimist”...

I carried out a requested-by-co-writer Craig rebalance of “Krebs Went to War”...

I wrote a lyric for “The Cage of Expectation” and recorded the necessary vocal tracks...

And I created a new piece ("Foundling") from scratch, including lyrics, using nephew Andy’s 20 second guitar motif which we'd recorded quickly last week before we headed to Fife for Chris’s party....

Meg the Black Cat helped out of course - signalling when I was to stop adding any instrumentation to proceedings, by hogging the keyboard...



New LP almost there it seems...



During this mammoth session, there was a welcome visit from sister-in-law Jane and lovely niece, Kitty who was dancing at the local Gala Day this afternoon...



Kitty and I danced around the back room to “Love & War”, the track on CBQ’s “Deeperdown” which features Meg the Black Cat on vocals...

In the evening, we enjoyed a wee takeaway curry, more “Dr Who”, a little bit of the “Eurovision Song Contest” (UK coming last again!) and “Law and Order”...

Then some quick remixing of today’s new vocal tracks, a burn of the new version of the LP, ripped to the jukebox and off to bed with the new stuff in the cans...

A good, productive day...

Highlight of the Day : A tour of John's place and new own music, which, for once, I thought was quite good...

Don't stop, beleeeeeeeevin'....

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Blackearthflown
Various - YouTube Faves DJ'd by CBQ
The Piggies - Sixties Stuff
Journey - The Essential Journey
Various - 101 Pirate Radio Hits

Out for lunch today with six lovely ladies, Tracey, Michelle, Stacey...



...and Leigh, Caroline and Wendy...



...for, tonight, we were off out on the lash and we needed some sustenance prior to that...

We were joined in the early evening by the Exec Producer, Michelle’s sister and further buddies Janine and PruJohn, with yet more due to meet us at the venue...

Your correspondent DJ’d in a Youtube stylee prior to taxis to The Masonic Hall, half way down Leith Walk...

The occasion was a fundraiser for SANDS, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society – it’s not a society that tries to bring that about of course, it provides counselling for those who’ve experienced those events...

Anyhoo, we were entertained royally by “The Piggies”, a sixties cover band...

They surpassed all expectations running the gamut of impersonations from Cliff & The Shadows, through The Hollies, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, donning a succession of fetching wigs and outfits to recreate the era quite impressively...









Turns out, all but one of the band were baldies...



The evening can only be described as an absolute hoot...


Michelle, Exec Producer...


Leigh, Janine, PruJohn...


Leigh, Stacey, Wendy...


Leigh, Janine - stage invasion...


JY Johnny, Stacey, Leigh, Wendy, PruJohn - oops upside your head of course...


JY Johnny, Caroline, Stacey...

...JY Johnny is one of my fave CBQ supporters and he played his part in inimitable style (as can be seen from some the pics above)...

After midnight, having not won anything in the raffle, we emerged into the night with a DVD player, courtesy of Michelle’s sister and, it seemed, a free meal at a nearby casino, won by chum Bernardo...


Bernardo hands over the prize to Anne slurring "you take this. I've no one to go with..."

Turns out Bernie was so drunk he didn't realise the ticket he had in his hand had been bought earlier in the day by right-hand-woman Margaret and so the prize was duly passed on a couple of days later - only once the ticket in the picture had been shown to match up with Margaret's of course...

As the rest of the party retired to Janine's hotel/Poo Na Na for a party which apparently ended around 8am on Saturday morning, we poured JY Johnny into our taxi back to Crispycat Towers for him to spend the night in the CD room...

That was, of course, post an impromptu rendition by the baldy duo...



...of Journey's "Don’t Stop Believin’" which, no doubt, provided much entertainment to the inhabitants of Leith Walk...

Apologies...

Ah, the demon alchohol...



Right John, off to bed now...



Highlight of the Day : A bit of a do...

King of the long handshake...

Playlist
Asia - Omega
The National – High Violet

Out tonight for a meal with chums Kris-with-a-K, right hand woman Margaret and lost but not forgotten Lorna...

It was good to catch up with our erstwhile colleague who is now mother of three small children...



Drinks were had at All Bar One on Lothian Road before going on to Club India, having texted owner Spike, who’s on holiday in Turkey, and having secured a tasty wee discount...

This was partly in thanks for me taking along a fourth CD of Indian music for the main man, Mr Mansoori, the “All India King of the Long Handshake”...

Tonight’s addition was a disc of Hariprasad Chaurasia “Live in Jerusalem”...

After a superb meal and some excellent chat, Margaret exited for her last train, followed shortly by Kris, leaving Lorna and I to enjoy Mr Mansoori’s hospitality until we were the last people in the place...

A taxi home for Lorna, who will probably be under the cosh of a severe headache tomorrow at 6am when she rises to get her kids ready for nursery/school...

Your correspondent caught a very late No 26 home in time to catch the very end of “This Week” whilst attempting to convince his Exec Producer that he was not the worse for wear...

I suspect he failed on that front...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Catching up with chums...

Blast from the past, as they say...

Playlist
Fehlfarben - Glucksmaschinen
The Tubes – The Completion Backwards Principle
Clifford Brown – Jazz Immortal

Another day, another visit to the gym...

I really wasn’t up for it but, with Anne and Lynn off to Zumba, I reasoned I could either get some exercise or mope around the house waiting for Anne to come home...

Another three miles...

Interest is lost post that distance...

My soundtrack this evening was The Tubes’ classic from 1981, “The Completion Backwards Principle”...



...one of my favourite listens when I was living in Germany at the time...

In fact, I travelled from Kassel to Offenbach, just outside Frankfurt, to see them on the accompanying European Tour...

Missing my connection home, I was befriended by some hippies and spent the night at a big house in the country, a so called “Wohngemainschaft”, a commune I suppose...

Hmmm, I’d forgotten about that until just now when writing this up...

Memory’s a funny old thing...

Anyway, late on, Meg the Black Cat perused some Prog Rock...



Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Reliving some memories of the old days...

The gold of the Rhein...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Blackearthflown
Anthony Rother – Art is a Technology
Anthony Rother – Simulationszeitalter
Anthony Rother –Sex With the Machines
Rheingold – Rheingold
Rheingold – R
Rheingold - Distanz
Fehlfarben - Discography

A beautiful day...





Listening to the new stuff continues after yesterday’s progress – it soundtracked my return to the gym tonight after last week’s mysteriously arrived and just as mysteriously disappeared coccyx pain...

Three miles...

Back home and an enjoyable programme written and presented by Anne’s favourite manic depressive, Stephen Fry, on the life and music of Wagner...



For some reason, never a popular babysitter...

Rather aptly, later on, I ended up downloading three Neue Deutsche Welle classics by Rheingold, along with some Kraftwerk stylee electronica from new discovery, Anthony Rother...

Tasty...

Highlight of the Day : New music...

Optimism, catching, cross my heart...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - New Stuff

The day, a veritable Swiss Cheese Day, was once again soundtracked by the new stuff...

The early evening was spent working on current tracks two and three from the proposed all-working-titles-abandoned-at-present LP, due 2011 - plenty time...

Listened to "The Killers at the Counter", which was reworked yesterday...

Then adding doo-wop backing vocals to and remixing "Hard Heart Hardened" and adding recently written on awakening from a dream lyrics to the previously instrumental track on "side one" which includes sonic input from Norman lamont (Norman gave the thumbs up today to the creation) and Peri Urban...

This is now going under the title "The Eternal Optimist"...

The current tracklist is:-

The Killers at the Counter
Hard Heart Hardened
The Eternal Optimist
Never or Now
Krebs Went to War
The Cage of Expectation
I Walk to the Beat of a Cold Broken Heart
Black Earth

Here's a wee illustration...



Work continues - there's a new collaboration in the offing with nephew Andy and more Peri Urban material to be utilised...

Other than that, it was "Glee!" and "Flashforward"...

Lights out...

Highlight of the day : Working on my music...

Icarus falls...

Playlist
Various - Blue Note Breakbeats Vols 1-4
Various - Blue Juice Vols 1 & 2
Grant Green - Live at the Lighthouse 1972
Wishbone Ash - Classic Ash
Clouldand Blue Quartet - New Stuff
The Doors - The Doors
Ralph Towner - Batik
Nyman - String Quartets 1, 2 & 3
Various - Right On! Vols 1 & 3
Bobbi Humphrey - Blacks and Blues

Up at 8 and wrote up yesterday before heading out, ostensibly to meet up with Count Brodski and Dr Prog at today's record fair...

Brodski had suggested a 10 o'clock meet, while Dr Prog was due there around 11 or later...

In the event, Brodders called off due to illness brought on by a run yesterday, so I nipped in quickly, bought another six CDs (The Doors, Wishbone Ash, 2 Funk Compilations, Ralph Towner and a disc of String Quartets by Michael Nyman) before heading home for breakfast, cancelling the Doc on the way...

His namesake, "Dr Who", the first of an interesting two parter, entertained, as did the highlights of yesterday's £90m Championship Playoff Final between Cardiff and Blackpool (new faves due to the presence of ex-QoS super-striler Stephen Dobbie - on loan from Swansea)...

3-2 to Blackpool...

Then spent some considerable time reworking "The Killers at the Counter", adding a couple of "breakdowns" on the advice of nephew Andy - along with a couple of apt sound effects - sounding better...

Word from Oz too that Sour Grapes are nearing the end of their "Black Earth" remix...

Late evening, out for a walk around our environs - we once were neighbours to a college - it's now being turned into an up market housing estate...

Took a route around a few areas we've never previosuly trodden, even though we've lived here since 1987...



Back home in time for the second in BBC1's Sunday Night art history series, featuring four majors of the 20th Century, Matisse, Picasso, Dali and Warhol...

Tonight's was on Matisse, truly the father of Modern Art...





By the time I wrote up last Sunday, I must've forgotten the first in the series re Andy Warhol - of course his programme should've been last in the series...

A quick write up of this, then some more listening to the new stuff, liking the new version of "Killers" and noting the eight tracks are holding together nicely - very concious though of all the work still needed...

Some more surfing and off to bed..

A good weekend all in all...

Highlight of the day : A walk in the evening sun...

Sun, shopping, music and partying...

Playlist
David Bowie – Scary Monsters
David Bowie – Reality
Erik Satie – Piano Music
Hank Mobley – Peckin’ Time
Miles Davis Quintet – 1960-1968
Bobbi Humphrey – Fancy Dancer
Various – Blue Funk
Donald Byrd – Places and Spaces
Cloudland Blue Quartet – New Stuff



Up to an even more glorious sunny day than yesterday and, inspired by last night’s “Ashes to Ashes” finale, decided to listen to old favourite, “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps” which was brilliant in 1980 and stands the test of time, I think...

Also gave Bowie’s last album, 2003’s “Reality” a spin – amazing that his music still challenged 40 years into his career – sadly, nothing since...

To the living room and Mr Satie soundtracked as Meg the Black Cat and I waited for Anne to rise...



Breakfast was enjoyed with the sounds of Hank Mobley’s cracking Blue Note set, “Peckin’ Time” in the background...



Anne persuaded me to accompany her uptown – it was roasting...













..and of course, having set out on my own, rather pathetically, with all the myriad shopping opportunities to hand, I spent an hour in Fopp before reuniting with Anne for the journey home...

Seven CDs were purchased – mostly funky Blue Note stuff...



After some lounging in the garden by Anne and surfing and listening by me, we watched another “Flashforward” and a “Law and Order” while the sun blazed outside...

Nephew Andy arrived just after five...



...tonight he was to DJ at Chris-with-a-Ch’s 40th birthday party...



But, before that, as he was a little early, we worked on a new tune together, our first collaboration for possibly more than five years...

Looking forward to working with him again...

Then it was over to Fife, soundtracked by the new CBQ stuff, Andy giving me some pointers on “The Killers at the Counter”...

We set up the disco and awaited the arrival of the guests...



Chris was in good form and there was an excellent turn out – with a good time being had by all...









Much Diet Irn Bru, Diet Coke and Cranberry Juice was consumed by your (driving) correspondent...

He was therefore not as worse for wear as the birthday boy....







Finished the take down around 1 am and headed back to Edinburgh, giving chums Sid and Debbie a lift home...

A long enjoyable day...

Happy Birthday chris...



Highlight of the Day : My nephew on the decks, man...