Friday, August 14, 2026

Welcome to Crispycat Recordings....

We issue the solo and collaborative work of musician, abstract artist and podcaster 
DAVID REILLY aka CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET (CBQ)
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This section is the Cloudland Blue Diary
 
The diary comprises over twenty-one years of daily entries, commencing on Sunday, 5 March, 2005

The latest entry is from Thursday, 13 August, 2026

(Please scroll down for the latest posts)
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SITE DIRECTORY

To go to another section of the site, click on an icon below

ABOUT    MUSIC    PODCASTS    ART    RECOMENDED LISTENING
                    
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CRISPYCAT RECORDINGS ON BANDCAMP

To go to the Bandcamp discographies of these Crispycat related artists, click on an icon.

                    

Crispycat Recordings released the first 25 Cloudland Blue Quartet albums (recorded between 1996 and 2012) to Bandcamp in 2013.

A further 8 LPs were released between 2013 and 2019.

Then, with the advent of lockdown, David spent much more time on new Cloudland Blue Quartet works, with the result that, since May 2020, new music has been released almost every month, with almost 100 further new releases having been issued in the last five years.

The current 9 strong pipeline (see below) will take matters to the end of 2026, beyond the 30th anniversary of Cloudland Blue Quartet's debut recordings, pushing the total CBQ releases available on Bandcamp to 140.

Meanwhile, retrospective releases by David's groups Creek, Crazy Wisdom and Capital Models have also been being issued by Crispycat Recordings and these are set to continue, with around 50 planned over the next 18 months or so...

In 2025, Crazy Wisdom and Capital Models also released new recordings, with seven new EPs from Crazy Wisdom and their remastered back catalogue, which you can find here; and, from Capital Models, two new studio LPs, a live LP and an update to their all encompassing "Repertoire" virtual box set, all of which, along with original recordings from 1980 and reunion tapes from 2011, can be found here...
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NEWS

NEXT NEW RELEASE


On Friday, 4 September, 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet will release the song-based LP "Broken" (16th in The Songs Series) (Recorded November 2025)

As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release will be entirely Free to Stream or Name Your Price (including zero) to Download (with over an hour of bonuses!)

The record, the first of original songs since "Everything Ends" in June 2024, comprises 15 new songs arranged for synthesisers, rhythm beds and treatments, with input from guest contributors from Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Lithuania and the UK.  The lyrics range from six new pieces based on the short stories of Garrison Keillor, to older ideas, re-worked, plus a guest lyric from Capital Models cohort and Impossible Songs own, John Barclay

For downloaders, there is a further LP comprising extended versions of each of the 15 new songs, a further 63 minutes of music

The Cloudland Blue Quartet Song Series
Callingstill (1997)
Doveloveshawk (1999)
Ampersand (2001)
Anotherhappyday (2003)
Deeperdown (2005)
Ersatzreal (2007)
Soundingfall (2009)
Splinterheart (2010)
Starlightnight (2012)
Disquietsongs (2020)
Sparklemusik (2021)
Fallingsky (2021)
Auden (2023)
The Dark Room (2024)
Everything Ends (2024)
Broken (2026)
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LATEST ALBUM FROM CBQ


On Friday, 7 August 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet released "Across the Landscape", the 45th in The Soundscapes Series, recorded in October 2025.

As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release is entirely Free to Stream or Name Your Price (including zero) to Download (with 156 minutes of bonuses!)

It comprises, all in all, four different versions of the same album, using treated guitars, treated field recordings, and found short wave radio broadcasts. The LP itself comprises the fourth and final version of the work but, if you download, you receive the 1st and 2nd drafts of the album, "Waterworth" and "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead", along with what was, until July 2026, the proposed LP

"A fragile object moves across the landscape, seeking a signal, untitled.

Dark for a long time, in the tone of a sentry, the first time after winter, it will swallow the plateau.

The night archer looks out at the world from inside the jaws of a wolf, condemned to non-existence, evaporated like air, taking the side roads."
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UPCOMING LIVE PERFORMANCES

            

There are no live performances planned at present...

Performances will include solo appearances, as Cloudland Blue Quartet, presenting sets of either songs or soundscapes, and group performances, with the current line up of David's 1980 new wave band, Capital Models 

At present there are no plans for his electronic improvisational quartet, Creek, to play live and nothing in the calendar for Cloudland Blue Quartet, Capital Models or vocal/electronic trio, Crazy Wisdom...
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CURRENT CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET RELEASE SCHEDULE

 

Friday, 4 September, 2026: Broken (19th in The Songs Series) (Recorded November 2025)
Friday, 2 October, 2026: Elevation (46th in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded November 2025)
Friday, 6 November, 2026: Swan Songs (6th in the GLAM! Covers Series) (Recorded December 2025)
Friday, 5 December, 2026: Disquietmusik X (10th in The Disquietmusik Frippertronics Guitar Series) (to be recorded November 2026)

 

Thursday, 24 December 2026: Twentytwentysix: The Originals (a collection of tracks from releases issued throughout 2026) (to be compiled December 2026)
Thursday, 31 December 2026 : Twentytwentysix (a collection of rarities recorded during 2026, many receiving their first official release) (to be compiled December 2026)

JUST ANNOUNCED

In addition to the above planned releases, these 10 further LPs are envisaged for release during 2027, although nothing has been written or recorded yet...

Dissolution VII
A Composer Based Album
A New Ambient LP
A New Song Based LP
A New “Variations” LP
Glam V
Live Suite V
Disquietmusik XI
Twentytwentyseven|: The Originals
Twentytwentyseven

(All artwork, releases and release dates subject to change)
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LATEST PODCAST

Since 2014, David has produced around 800 editions of the "Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection", his weekly podcast on Mixcloud, reflecting his esoteric taste in music and encouraging listeners to broaden their musical horizons.

Click on the pic below to go to Mixcloud 


Unfortunately, with only the most recent 10 able to be made available, each new podcast replaces the one from 10 weeks before.  

To obtain an MP3 download link for any currently unavailable Cloudland Blue Quartet Eclectic Selection, simply e-mail your request to crispycat@hotmail.com.  

The latest edition was published on 10 August 2026.  Volume 32 features tracks from these recordings, including 2 unreleased CBQ works...



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NEW CRAZY WISDOM

Following the reactivation of Crazy Wisdom in 2024 and the release of several EPs and the back catalogue last year, Crazy Wisdom are planning new music for 2026 and the start of this project is imminent


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CREEK REISSUES

The re-issuing on Bandcamp of Creek's long-deleted back catalogue is set to recommence in the Autumn of 2026

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DIARY UPDATES

Note that, in the diary, 150 days, across 6 periods in 4 of the 21 years are, currently, "picture only":-

2016: 15-17 October (3 Days)
2021: 8-21 May (14 Days)
2022: 18 April - 10 May & 6 July - 5 September (85 Days)
2023: 1 - 15 October & 18 October - 19 November (48 Days)

It is always the intention to update "picture only" days with the relevant text but doing so is, of course, subject to opportunity (and, indeed, memory!)

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Reading but not replying can be the most annoying thing in the world, sometimes...

Playlist


Up reasonably early...


...and writing this and doing some early morning listening to Alice Cooper - after "Goes to Hell" last night, this morning, I started with "Lace and Whiskey" - another LP which might well sound better now than it did back in the day....

It was Thursday...


...and I was at the machines...


Breakfast today was All Bran and an over-ripe banana - living the dream...

Anne turned down my offer of going somewhere this morning and then me dropping her off at the hairdresser in Musselburgh for her appointment at 2:30 - she could still get the few things on her list from Tesco as, let's face it, Tesco is everywhere...

So, as an alternative, off to Glasgow I went...

9:25, out and down the hill...



9:42 on the bus, up the front with a very dirty window before me...


...but a clear one to my side...


I was soundtracked by some funky LPs from yesterday - David Ruffin, Zulema, Yvonne Fair - guitar on all three by Melvin “Wah Wah” Ragin, one of Norman Whitfield’s favourites...

   

A swift journey...





A possible LP cover...


I encouraged my "followers" to take a listen to my insanely popular chart-busting (surely that’s algorithmically impossible?) podcasts - because, yes, I was on a bus and I had time on my hands…


But soon, I was in Glasgow...





Out and a short walk for the next bus to Byres Road...



...past the Art College...



The bell I pressed obviously didn't work as the driver barreled on to the next stop and I had to walk back...


But, I was soon about my business, finding one thing in the Red Cross...


And four at Oxfam...


A walk to the next bus...



...which took me up to the Botanics...


..and a further bus back to the town centre...



Lunch was a meal deal from Sainsbury's, enjoyed in Central Station...


...before a further short walk to Missing...



I took advantage of their £1 or 3 for £2 and 50p or 3 for £1 offers - it appears the majority of their classical titles have been moved into the £1 section...

Which is good...


An hour and half of trawling thousands of CDs and I exited with these, for just £10, all told...


Took the shuttle from Central back to Buchanan St...


...to wait for the bus back to Edinburgh...


Boarded...


I've been soundtracking a good part of the last 2 days with this...


It shows how the current Tangerine Dream line up takes the band forward forward in the spirit of the classic 70s trio (Froese/Franke/Baumann) and the late Froese "cheese years" are definitley over...

8 hours of improvised encores from the 2022 Tour of the UK & Ireland...

It’s almost like 8 new Tangerine Dream LPs from the glorious mid 70's...

Anyway, the bus broke down before even leaving the station...

On to another...


...and away...


The journey was spent perusing the covers of today's acquisitions...


...and I was soon at the bottom of the hill, awaiting my seventh and final bus of the day...



Home for ripping and listening...


Today's haul - although I discovered I already have the "Chilled Euphoria" set...


Here they are - total outlay, £15...

Piano music of Liszt, Debussy and Mompou...


Contemporary Australian chamber music...


Three rare guitar concertos, played by John Williams...


All five of Beethoven's Piano Concertos over 3 discs...


Friedrich the Great's 3 symphonies, recorded at Sans Souci in Potsdam...


The line up on this is good but the final thing is ruined by Herbie himself, a Van Morrison soundalike...

Oh well, not all chances can lead to good outcomes...


Penguin awarded Beethoven solo piano over 2 discs from Alfred Brendel...


13th Century songs...


This is good - featuring FKA Antony on a few of the vocals...


Not all Israelis are evil...


This is good but would have been better if he'd left out all the spoken word/band banter from the album...


This is superb - cello music, some with a lovely voiced choir, a Beethoven Piano Trio, Cello Sonatas by Barriere and an Adagio from Respighi...


Probably a little too hard going punk rock...


This, however, is also good, with the caveat that it includes banjo on a few tracks...


Excellent covers of the Stones' 1971 LP...


A disc of, mainly, old blues - annoyingly, the tracks are out of kilter, with the beginnings of the next ones tagged onto the end of the previous ones...


I had to sort that tomorrow morning re my rip but nothing I can do about the CD itself - other than burning a CD-R and that's probably a step too far...

A disc of, in the main, very good 70's funky jazz - with a couple of clunkers along for the ride...


The aforementioned doubler...


And then, 3 CDs (for £1) of top notch Rockabilly - for some reason, I do really enjoy Rockabilly...




Messages from Anne - on her way back from Musselburgh and worried about being late for tonight's football - Hearts v Benfica at Tynecastle - and could I have the tea ready for 6pm...

Let's see...


Why, yes, yes I could...


Expertly done...


A quick episode of "Exploding Kittens" and she was off again - to watch a satisfactory 1-1 draw (should've been 2-1 but for a VAR millimeter offside decision)...

Meanwhile, the ripping and listening continued...

In the midst of which, I released a new Crazy Wisdom EP...

I'd received a text from Malcolm while in Missing this afternoon:

"Any possible chance you can send over a copy of "Angel of Mercy"?  Had an incident on the bus yesterday, where a poor woman fell - and it was a sore one!!  Me and a few others helped and were there for her. But her special person, her "Angel" was fantastic in comforting this lady in her hour of need - or was it my ego? Probably x"

I said I'd release it tomorrow but I did it a few hours early...


"Crazy Wisdom almost finished studio recordings of two songs, "Angel of Mercy" and "I Am Your World" at The Sound Cafe with David Gray, some time in 1996 but they ran out of money! David had previously worked with the band on "Unseen" and "Nothing Lasts Forever"

Thirty years later, these two recordings are finally released, via this 27 minute EP, along with rehearsal demos of a further four tracks, recorded around the same time

The songs "Harder" and "Nineteen Sixty Something" pointed to the future sound of the band - final versions of both appeared on the 1997 LP "We Live the Foreigner's Life", also available on Bandcamp

Meanwhile finalised versions of "Ocean" and "Once in a While", two earlier songs, will no doubt emerge from the archives in the fullness of time.

For now though, it's good to finally release "I Am Your World" and "Angel of Mercy" and this EP is respectfully dedicated to the memory of master guitarist (and cover star) Charlie Dootson, who passed on 13 November 2008 - his solo during the the final 90 seconds of this EP is absolutely beautiful!"

All ripping and some good listening continued into the night...

Anne finally returned, feeling good about the performance...

Good too that Scotland's Newest Club were ejected from the competition at their own first hurdle...

Now all four Scottish Sides are in the third tier European competition...

Meanwhile, as I listened, some reading...


Bed at midnight...

In case you were wondering, after the previous two days' entries re Capital Models, sadly, it's been a case of Tumbleweeds, as usual, from the rest of the band, despite their having read the posts almost as soon as they went up...

Highlight of the Day: A trip to Glasgow...

Today's New Music: