Sunday, September 06, 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 Friday, 4 September, 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 100 or so further new releases having been issued in the last five years.

The current 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

LATEST CBQ LP


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

As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release is 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 works arranged for synthesisers, rhythm beds and treatments, with input from guest contributors from Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Lithuania and the UK.  The texts range from six new pieces based on the short stories of Garrison Keillor, to older lyrical ideas, re-worked, plus a lyric based on the prose of Capital Models cohort and Mr Impossible Songs, John Barclay

For downloaders, there is a further LP comprising extended versions of each of the 15 new songs, another 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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NEXT ALBUM FROM CBQ


On Friday, 2 October 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet will release "Elevation", the 46th in The Soundscapes Series, recorded in November 2025.

As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release is entirely Free to Stream or Name Your Price (including zero) to Download (with 62 minutes of bonuses!)

It comprises six long form ambient pieces, designed to be listened to at one sitting (gapless listening is available to downloaders).  They were recorded during a hiatus in the creation of the song-based LP "Broken", released in September 2026, and involve slowed and pitch reduced field recordings plus unrecognisable treated elements of the synthesiser elements of "Broken"

Bonuses comprise a 72 minute stand alone album of the 12 pieces of initial ambience used in the project, under an alternative album cover


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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, 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)

2027 PROJECTS

In addition to the above planned releases, there are 10 further envisaged musical projects for 2027...

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 


With only the most recent 10 able to be made available, each new podcast is only available for listening for 10 weeks from the publishing date.  

The latest edition was published on 30 August 2026 and will be available until 7 November 2026.  

Volume 35 features tracks from the recordings below, including an upcoming CBQ work and a Capital Models rarity...



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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 in 2025, Crazy Wisdom are planning more new music and the start of this project is imminent


Meanwhile, on 14 August 2026, a new 6 track, 27 minute EP, "I Am Your World/Angel of Mercy", featuring the Logan/Reilly/Dootson/Brodie line up from around 1996 was released to Bandcamp...

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CREEK REISSUES

The re-issuing on Bandcamp of Creek's long-deleted back catalogue is set to recommence in January 2027

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DIARY UPDATES

Note that, in the diary, 150 days (of over 8,000), 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!)

Friday, September 04, 2026

The big six zero follows on from the wee one eight...

Playlist


Up at 6 again...

New music Friday...


Stupidly as ever, 19 new things added to the library, including the new one from Die Ärzte's Farin Urlaub...

Writing this tomorrow morning, I am still making my listening way towards it...


At 8, pressed "Go" on the new 15 song LP, "Broken", which I recorded ay back last November...

I now only have two things left ready for release...

It's been a lazy year musically but only because I did so much in 2025...

Good reception...

This, for example...


High praise indeed from a collector who has bought around 2,300 albums on Bandcamp so far in 2026...

Then, to working on my "gig idea" to present to the band, along with a potential setlist for our next session on Friday...

My Regular Gig Idea

Bi-monthly Sunday afternoon themed gigs in the back room at the Dockers...

Dates: Starting November 2026 and continuing in January 2027 then March, May, July, September etc...

Support: Original material Capital Models set - 1980 repertoire and/or new stuff we might write in the current quartet...

Main Set : Themed - a set of songs by a particular artist or to a theme...

Encore: A select few crowd pleasing covers we all like to play...

Show Time: 2pm - 4pm including between sets break...

Venue: Dockers because - good transport links, cheap drinks for audience, we are familiar with the set up, they’ll let us do what we want...

Income: We put a hat round during the break/ have a box at the door - we can choose a different charity for each gig and give anything above our hall hire expense to said charity

Advantages: No one will be dictating to us what we play - we do these entirely on our own terms.  We only need 20-30 people to fill the room.  A good replacement for a rehearsal...

Disadvantage: We have to generate audiences ourselves...

Timings
12-1:00 - Load in and set up
1:00 - Soundcheck
2:00 - Pre Show 5 mins
2:05 - Originals 25 mins
2:30 - Break 10 Mins
2:40 - Featured Artist/Theme 60 Mins
3:40 - Encore 15 Mins
3:55 - End
4:00 - chat and catch up
4:15 - Take Down
5:00 - Exit

...and, the more we do it, the quicker we'll be at set up/take down too...

Suggested Artists
(starting with ones we already have)
David Bowie
Lou Reed/Velvets
Bryan Ferry/Roxy
Brian Eno
Bob Dylan

...which could take us through to next summer...

Other Initial Suggestions
(artists with between 20 and 76 top-ten singles in the UK singles chart)
Elvis Presley
Madonna
Elton John
Taylor Swift
The Beatles
Queen
Pet Shop Boys
Rolling Stones
ABBA

...which would take us to January 2028...

And there would be nothing stopping us from playing other dates/venues between these...

Final thing - we could expand the playing time to 5pm and have an acoustuic slot between our sets for either someone playing songs by the chosen artist/re the chosen theme - or even make it an open mic session...

Anyway...

I was doing that while Anne was out at Zumba...

Did I mention it was Friday...


Finally out at 11:40, post doing the above and adding all the new music to the mobile player...

Down the hill and a bus into town...


A visit to Fopp then along to Haymarket, where these were found...

50p...


£2 (3CD set)...


A meet up today with Malcolm to celebrate his 60th tomorrow (we will be in Glasgow for nephew Craig's 40th)...

I don't recall being out with him for his birthday since his 18th, back in 1984, when Anne was with her mum in Königssee in the German Alps...

Me and Talcy ended up staying out all night...

We would not be re-enacting that today...

We are far too old for that now...

Or, at least, I am...

Drinks at the Scots Guards Club, where Malcolm presented me with the DVD of Michael Mann's Mohammed Ali biopic starring Will Smith - even though it was his birthday not mine...


Some man...

We were joined by Anne, post the barmaid having reckoned both Malcolm and I were 63...

Then, on to Mia's Italian Kitchen at 2:30, for the birthday lunch...


Bruschetta and Sea Bass (fish of the day) for the birthday boy...


Caprese salad/mussels and four seasons pizzas for his hosts...


...and drinks all round...


At 4:30, along to Ryrie's for more drinks...



Here is Patch, Malcolm's sponsored dog...

He has never met him...


Towards six, Anne and I left Talcy to the rest of his evening and headed home on a 26 from Haymarket...


The new CDs were ripped and added to the library and listened to as I dozed off...

Toast and banana on awakening and the a couple of "Scandal" before hitting the sack, the the mock up of The Capital Models' Bob Dylan Show in the cans...

Highlight of the Day: Talcy's birthday lunch...

Today's New Music:

Thursday, September 03, 2026

Progress on the planning front...

Playlist


Thursday and, once again, for the 5th day in a row, I did not leave the house...


...even though it was nice outside...


Eggs on toast for breakfast...


...and Luna looked surprised, as ever...


Work, of sorts, at the machines...

I decided to station one of the Sony BlueTooth speakers into the system...


...and, for a short time, I searched around for replacements which might give me a wider stereo spectrum than this...



...but I abandoned that...

...for now...

Portrait of a lady with a temporary cat and reflected photographer...


...said cat...


...and the cat from the calendar...


I put out the calendar for the band sessions for the next 12 months - an immediate positive response from John B but nothing from Johnny W or Keith, despite them reading it...

Some of my listening today was of  a very rare thing indeed - a singer who breaks my long standing rule of "there's no place for vocals in jazz"...

Truth be told, I don't really class her as a jazz singer, just a very good singer, full stop (I give the same classification to Norah Jones)...

But today, the death, at just 70, of Cassandra Wilson, caused me to dip into her work and picked up a couple of things which I did not already have in the library...


For tea tonight, a tasty chili from the EP...


...followed by some TV...

Pre bed, confirmation was received from Johnny W that he's up for the planned sessions based on the caveats I gave...

So that's progress...

Highlight of the Day: Making progress with band plans...

Today's New Music: