By all accounts Mr S was a virtuoso bassist whose tragically early death robbed the jazz world of a potentially great force...
Drugs eh?
The set wasn’t released at the time of recording, only making it briefly on to the Japanese market in 1980 – so this re-release in 2005 is more than welcome – it contains a great version of Hancock’s “Theme from Blow Up” and a couple of excellent pieces written by drummer Chambers. Nice...
And from e-bay a purchase which brings back memories...
In late July 1973, a 14 year old CBQ wanders into Woolworths at Tollcross and looks through the bargain bin of LPs for 49p each. He buys two discs with interesting covers – Velvett Fogg and Haystacks Balboa...
Twenty years later, at Reptile Records CBQ finds said albums in a Record Rarities Price Book, each is valued at around £50 - £75. Of course they are long gone from his collection...
But today, over 32 years on from that summer’s day in ’73, Velvett Fogg once again makes its way back into CBQ’s collection – albeit in £3 CD form..
It’s just as I remember it – not the greatest album ever but, you know, OK...
The sleeve notes are by the recently deified John Peel. I saw him being inducted (posthumously) into the UK Rock Hall of Fame on TV late last night....
Earlier this week there was a programme on TV called “John Peel’s Record Box” or something, in which various people whose records were found in what seemed to be a “special” box of 7” singles – perhaps John’s all time favourites. Status Quo and Sheena Easton sat alongside far too many White Stripes singles – and everyone clambered over each other to say what a music god Mr Peel was...
He seemed a good man. He played some great music on his show. He brought some of today’s major stars to people’s attention for the first time...
I used to listen to his show off and on from around 1974 to 1983 – heard my first Eno solo tracks there – heard the whole of Genesis’ “The Lamb Lies Down o Broadway” there – the whole of Pink Floyd’s “Animals” in February 1977 the day before its release..
And of course a whole load of other stuff from 5 second long death metal tracks to obscure reggae and the Sex Pistols – in fact he even mentioned me once on a show (when I was known as Sombre Reptiles)...
It was a shame he died...
OK don’t really know where this is going..
I’ll sum it up. He was a DJ who played weirder records than most people and didn’t care a jot what anyone thought about what he played. In a way, I suppose that’s quite selfish. But, in a way, that’s been a good thing. One man’s selfishness has helped so many people find new music...
So good on him...but let’s just let him rest in peace now and move on...
We had a brilliant night of entertainment tonight at the Stand comedy club where Anne and I met up with Jim Park (http://www.toecurler.com/) comedian of this parish. Jim wasn’t playing tonight but one of our heroes, Richard Herring was. ..
He was preceeded by three other comedians, Teddy, Andy Ansis(?) [who was the best of the night – superb timing and a good line in rude Barron Knights type takes on songs by people like Simon & Garfunkel and The Police] and Patrick from County Mayo, the Irishman who appeared in Jim’s Fringe Show earlier this year....
I thought Patrick was really funny tonight. Which is strange because, when I saw him do the same material word for word during the Fringe, although it was funy, it wasn’t as funny as it was tonight....
Jim and I agreed that the chemistry between performer and audience and within the audience itself can have a huge effect on how funny things are...
Unfortunately, the chemistry tonight didn’t seem right for Richard Herring – much as I love his comedy and much as I personally was laughing out loud and enjoying it, I think most in the audience were finding it a bit difficult to just get it and he left the stage looking a bit defeated...instead of laughing at one of his jokes, a girl in the crowd said “good point”...it was that kind of audience...
We left Jim to try and schmooze with his comedy chums – he’d been the night before and been in the back room with the performers and, unable to think of anything to say (being rather starstruck in the presence of a hero) complemented RH on his blog (http://www.richardherring.com/) to which he received the reply “thanks”.
For my own part I managed a “cheers” to RH as I left the club – to which he replied “yeah, cheers mate”...
So he obviously likes me better than Jim...
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