Friday, February 29, 2008

Back in the game...

Playlist
Freddie Hubbard – Sky Dive
Terje Rypdal – Whenever I Seem To Be Away
Various – Jazz & Classical Shuffleplay
Art Blakey – Indestructible
Bobby Hutcherson - Happenings
Iona Marshall – Ghur
Iona Marshall – Nine Songs From Durley World
Iona Marshall – I.M.Pulse

Dreadful weather in Edinburgh today, gales and driving rain...

But I still made it along to FOPP at lunchtime and celebrated the end of February with a small CD purchase – two Blue Note titles...

Firstly, Art Blakey’s 1964 session, “Indestructable”, featuring the three horn front line of Lee Morgan (Trumpet), Wayne Shorter (Tenor Sax) and Curtis Fuller (Trombone)...



Then, Bobby Hutcherson’s classic “Happenings” from 1966, featuring the master of vibes and marimba with a rhythm section comprising Herbie Hancock on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and the great Joe Chambers on drums...



Superb...

The Hutcherson disc filled the kitchen while we cooked tonight’s evening meal – Anne is making the supreme sacrifice for my health with all this cooking instead of takeaways...

A call from Mr Jamieson postpones our rehearsal till the eve of next week’s gig – but we’re both relaxed about that...

Instead I rehearse the set myself, managing almost all of it without sneaking a peak at my crib sheets – which I’ve now e-mailed to Jamie to help him out – he’s been singing along to the tunes in his car...

Later on, after a taped “Big Bang Theory”, “Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach” and “Al Murray’s Happy Hour”, I spent some time listening to the lovely music of Iona Marshall...

Highlight of the Day : Two great jazz discs

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Songbird...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Back Catalogue Shuffleplay
Various – Hit Singles of 1972
Iona Marshall - Ghur

Whilst visiting the Out of the Bedroom website today, I chanced upon the information that one of my favourite female artists, Iona Marshall, was due to play a half hour set tonight, so I made my way along...

Also in attendance were a few of the OOTB old guard, Lindsay Sugden, Nelson Wright, Jim Igoe, Dave O’Hara, Big Jim Whyte and John Barclay...

I ended up playing three songs, taking the opening slot and performing “Blue Eyes Across the Room”, “The End of Everything” and “Starting to Worry” without any aide memoires whatsoever...

I was once a regular at OOTB – indeed on this equivalent Thursday night a year ago, it was CBQ who was the featured artist - but the last time I played a three song set was April last year...

Good to be back for the 53rd time...

Iona was excellent (as ever) and she even asked me to pick a song for her to sing, seeing as how she knew I knew a few of her “older” ones and she hadn’t really bothered putting together a set-list – diametrically opposite to my infinite preparations had I been playing for 30 minutes...



Her music is beautiful and I had no hesitation in buying her latest CD,”Ghur”, increasing my Iona Marshall collection to 3 (or 4 if I count the recording I have of her first ever full set when she guested at my “Fifty Five Songs” series of gigs during the 2004 Edinburgh Festival)...

The purchase (my first CD for 2 weeks) provided further entertainment as I made my way home...

Highlight of the Day : Iona Marshall in concert

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Thrashed...

Playlist
Various – 1970s Albums
Various – Hit Singles of 1972

A tasty Indian meal for lunch – no time for tea as, once again we were off to watch Hearts play Glasgow Rangers – this time at Tynecastle....



I can safely say, without contradiction, that Hearts were shite...

4-0 Rangers...

Owya...

And to cap it all, had I not been attending, I might well have been 5-a-siding...

Still, at least now I’ll move up a couple of places on the subs list...

Bumped into James Jamieson and son on the way out of the stadium – we may rehearse again on Friday evening at some point...



Back home watched taped “Corrie” and a very good episode of “Torchwood”...

Highlight of the Day : Indian for lunch

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Maple syrup...

Playlist
Rheostatics – Static Journey Vol 1 : The Beginning
Rheostatics – Static Journey Vol 2 : Melville
Rheostatics – Static Journey Vol 3 : Whale Music
K D Lang – Hymns of the 49th Parallel

A Canadian day today – listening in the main to the Rheostatics box set...

Here's their hometown, Etobicoke...



In the evening, Ms K D Lang accompanied an expertly prepared Red Thai Chicken Curry from the executive Producer...

Later on, we forewent a jokey episode of “CSI” for a taped “Law & Order : Criminal Intent”, followed by a taped “Law & Order” followed by a ‘live’ “Law & Order : Criminal Intent”...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Anne’s Red Thai Curry

Monday, February 25, 2008

Somethin's cookin' in the kitchen...

Playlist
Rheostatics – Best Of (2xCD-R)
Various – Albums of the 1970s
Alice Cooper – Demos 1968-1973
Rheostatics – Static Journey Vol 1 : The Beginning
Rheostatics – Static Journey Vol 2 : Melville

I was soundtracked this morning by the wonderful Rheostatics and my home made 2CD Best of...

Walked to FOPP at lunchtime, accompanied by many of the great albums of the 1970s on shuffleplay. I managed to maintain my non-CD buying status despite the enormous pressure...

Back home, listened again to the Alice Cooper disc of demos – for any Coop aficionados out there, it sounds like part of either “Killer” or “Halo of Flies” was originally the middle section of “Fields of Regret” from their 1969 debut “Pretties For You”...

While Anne was out at the gym I finally managed to download the first couple of volumes of the 9CD set of Rheostatics from the Northern Wish website...

Listened to the first disc as, on Anne’s return, we cooked. I love cooking...

Tonight’s dish was oven-baked salmon fillets, with a light coating of chilli flakes and a squeeze of lemon juice, served on a bed of chorizo, potato and spring onion hash with broccoli on the side...

Here’s the hash a-cookin'...



And here’s the final dish...



Very tasty indeed...

Two episodes of “Corrie”, some post cooking dish-washing, some blogging and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” rounded off a good day...

Highlight of the Day : Cooking with Anne to the Rheostatics

Sunday, February 24, 2008

New old stuff...

Playlist
Various- The Hits of 1972 Vols 1-3 (CD-Rs)
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XVI
Alice Cooper – Demos 1968-1973

Up at 8 despite last night’s late night...

Whilst researching pictures for the “1972 Project”, I narrowed my search to 1972 Alice Cooper and stumbled across a download of demos from 1968-1973 by the original band....



What a find for someone like me – the quality is really pretty good, although only one of the tracks, “Call It Evil”, a demo from the Billion Dollar Babies writing sessions, made it on to the 1999 box set, “The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper”...

I also found a great site with scans of old magazine articles on Uriah Heep...

OK, ok, anyhoo, in amongst all of this, I finished off the 3 disc project of hit singles from 1972 – and lo, it is good...

An e-mail earlier in the week from my old (young) mucker, Stu Cobley, photographer extraordinaire and member of the world’s laziest electronic improvisational quartet, Creek, came with this superb picture of Ian Hunter at the gig I missed last Tuesday due to ex-London fatigue...



At 12 Anne finally surfaced and I was despatched to the shop for provisions...

Post brunch, Anne watched Celtic play St Mirren while I did some more stuff on the computer related to the upcoming 30 minute performance...

As usual I am taking things far too seriously...

Anne realised late afternoon that tomorrow is the birthday of our nephew Andy as well as being sister-in-law Jane’s wedding anniversary – so she went off to the shops to locate suitable greetings cards, along with some wine for her sister – like most young men, Andy prefers Geld to stuff...

While Anne was gone, I ran through the set but without bothering to sing...

Anne’s mum’s for tea and Kitty was as cute and Ollie as annoying as ever...

Back home to end the day with yet more gig-related computing followed by “Match of the Day 2” then bed...

Highlight of the Day : “New” old Alice Cooper music

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Terrible noise...

Playlist
Pergolesi - Symphonies
Dittersdorf - Symphonies
Manfredini – Concerti Grossi
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XVI Erstazreal Live
Gary Numan – Premier Hits
Robert Wyatt – Comicopera
Wizzard - Wizzard's Brew
Al Stewart – Orange
Various – The Hits of 1972 Vols 1-3 (CD-Rs)

Up around 6am and, as usual, I was tying to work on something or other but was way-laid by interesting things on the internet – like excerpts from the upcoming Asia album “Phoenix”, their follow up to 1983’s “Alpha”...



...and like trying to download the first three parts of a nine disc box set of Rheostatics, created with the permission of the band by the guy who runs the Rheostatics live website (see links)...

I need to try that again as the download timed out...

An early morning e-mail from Dr Prog advised he couldn’t meet up today due to a collapsed shelf situation, involving, not as you might expect, CDs, but wayward Cookery Books...

The Doctor is innocent (assuming he doesn’t cook – which I don’t think he does)...

As I wrote up the last couple of days of this diary, I remembered I’d concocted a cover for the new CBQ Souvenir and I revisited that and changed it completely, while copying the discs I was to take back to the library today...

I did some final work on the proposed CBQ release by adding in a recording of “Skylines Full of Cranes” featuring Jamie, so both he and my nephew Andy will appear on the recording itself rather than just in the thanks column...

And so, around 10, breakfast time – toast and coffee...

Then, off out to the Saturday place and a walk over to the library to hand back the discs...

I toyed with the idea of hiring out every disc they had of Haydn’s symphonies but, eventually, I put them all back...

Had a wander round town and stopped in at what was once our second record store but is now a coffee shop, having been another CD store and a hairdresser in between times...



A long time before it was our record shop, it was the first ever Avalanche Record Store...

Coincidentally both Avalanche and the hairdresser subsequently moved a few doors along the street to this shop...



I managed not to buy any CDs today, maintaining my CD celibacy into its seventh day....

Back home, further discipline was demonstrated by running through the set for a week on Wednesday, followed by my tidying away all the mess that’d gathered in the music room and all my guitars from the computer room...

I tidy rarely but, when I do, it’s a purge – today also involved taking all the books and magazines and stuff I had lying around in the living room away...

Pasta for a late lunch as we were off out tonight...

Football-wise, Hearts won 1-0 away at Motherwell, thanks to an own goal, while Queens took their current unbeaten run to ten games with a goalless draw at Partick Thistle, after having their captain, rather harshly by all accounts, sent off in the 33rd minute...

I started a compilation of all the UK Top 20 hit singles from 1972 which I liked (and which I have somewhere or other in my collection of course)...

1972 was the year I became really interested in music but, as well as being the year in which my all time fave rave Alice Cooper came to prominence and the year in which more men made it onto the moon, it was also a time when the USA continued the war in Vietnam following the landslide re-election of Richard Nixon...



During the campaign, he was able to shrug off the low key references to a botched break in at the Watergate building...

I read Nixon's memoirs in the eighties and would recommend anyone wiling to write him off on the basis of the watergate scandal to do the same for some first hand insight into what made the man tick...

I'd say he was probably a better president than Kennedy, Johnson, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Snr, Clinton or Bush Jnr - i.e the best there's been in my lifetime...

Anyhow, my 3CD compilation will feature (in chronological order) music by T Rex, Isaac Hayes, The Congregation, Slade, Deep Purple, Melanie, America, The Faces, Bread, Chicory Tip, Don McLean, Nilsson, The Sweet, Lindisfarne, Wings, Argent, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Jo Jo Gunne, Elton John, Procol Harum, The Moody Blues, The Move, Free, Gary Glitter, Elvis Presley, Dr Hook & the Medicine Show, The Who, David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Hawkwind, Electric Light Orchestra, Rod Stewart, Mott the Hoople, Derek and the Dominoes, Blackfoot Sue, Roxy Music, 10cc, The Carpenters, Family, The Shangris Las, The Osmonds, Jeff Beck, The Jackson Five, Strawbs and John Lennon...

Those of you around my age can probably name most of the tracks...

After another enjoyable episode of Harry Hill’s “TV Burp”, we headed over to Fife for a night of something called “SingStar” which involves downloading songs (with their videos) and singing along with them in a karaoke fashion...

You sing in a duet against your opponent and points are awarded based the number of notes you hit correctly and for the correct length of time...

It’s definitely not as easy as it sounds....

Suffice to say, I now know I have no idea of either the words or the tune to Britney Spears’ “Toxic”!!

I managed Pet Shop Boys’ “Always On My Mind” and Duran Duran’s “Hungry like the Wolf” but failed at least three times to master Aha’s “Take on Me”....

I also realised how out of touch I am with what passes for popular music these days, having never heard many of the songs which the rest of the gathered ensemble could sing along to with ease...

Best singer of the night had to be the other Dave, followed closely by Graham....

Host Chris-with-a-Ch, who spent most of the night singing Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" against anyone who'd challenge him, was a game contestant...

Graham's girlfriend, Dawn, also banged out a few tunes, once her alcohol intake had removed her natural shyness – a factor which Anne never overcame, being the only member of the group not to take the mic....

Last, but not least, Ferret was pretty bad (and that's putting it kindly)...

God knows what Chris’ neighbours must’ve thought about the Ferret’s appalling rendition of some Kasabian song or other at two in the morning...


L-R : Dawn, Ferret, Chris, Anne, Dave - not shown Graham and your correspondent...

A good night though and we finally got back to Crispycat Towers around 3...

Highlight of the Day : The music of 1972 – good; the music of 2008, sung by drunken amateurs – bad – but good...

Friday, February 22, 2008

Assistance....

Playlist
Various – Jukebox Playlist – Early 70s
Elgar – Enigma Variations
Various – MP3s from the Oxfam Compilations
Kenny Dorham – Matador/Inta Somethin’

A better day today and I’ve managed to get through an entire week without buying any CDs...

Had to complain to a seller on e-bay though as the one CD I’ve bought but not yet received is now three weeks overdue...

We cooked a lovely evening meal of chicken breast wrapped in parma ham and mozzarella on a bed of cherry tomatoes and onions with broccoli – v tasty indeed and a wee glass of red wine on the side...

Jamie popped round for an hour or so and we ran through the set for 5 March a couple of times – his presence definitely adds to the proceedings...



Thereafter we watched a programme on Ricky Gervais – a very funny man...

Al Murray tonight featured Michael Winner – a straight talking man for whom I have time, while Jonathon Ross had Mr Showbiz, Bruce Forsyth on, celebrating his 80th birthday – Elbow played out with “Grounds for Divorce” – excellent...

To bed with Mr Kenny Dorham on trumpet – oo-er missus....

Highlight of the Day : A visit from the talented Mr Frain

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Not enough strangeness in the dust...

Playlist
David Reilly - Anthology 1977-2007 Volume 6
David Reilly - Anthology 1977-2007 Volume 7
David Reilly - Anthology 1977-2007 Volume 8
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XVI Ersatzreal Live
Various – “Good Albums” Jukebox Playlist

Early morning I was up bright and breezy and working on the cover for “Souvenir XVI”...

Had to postpone the proposed rehearsal with Jamie tonight as I got home too late...

Tomorrow...

Watched “Ashes to Ashes” – there are just not enough “strange” bits in it – it’s too ordinary – perhaps it will get better as it goes on...



A wee bit of “Question Time” then “This Week” then bed...

Highlight of the Day : “good” music on the phones

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Bloody banks....

Playlist
Vivaldi - Bassoon Concertos
Bocherini - Cello Concertos
Messaien - Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus
Allan Holdsworth - The Sixteen Men of Tain
Jackie McLean - Action
Happy Apple - Happy Apple Back on Top

Banks - don't you just love them...

What ever happened to just holding your money for you and paying you a fair rate of interest, ok maybe a wee bit below what they were getting for lending your money out?

Why start lending to people who'll never be able to repay and then sell those loans to other people who don't really know what they're buying - when I say "other people" I mean, of course, other banks...

Dirty bastards...



Anyhow...

A slow day today after London, brightened up by Anne's culinary delights - a lovely pasta bake from one of Jamie Oliver's recipe books...

Lazed around watching the dreadful tedium that was the first half hour of "The Brits 2008"...

Then "Torchwood" and the death of main character Owen - nicely shocking - then "The Big Bang Theory" and "Reaper", then bedtime...

Highlight of the Day : Anne's tasty pasta bake

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Home...

Playlist
Various – “Good” Albums Jukebox Playlist
Dexter Gordon – Go
Various – MP3 Compilation for the Oxfam CDs
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XVI Ersatzreal Live

Up at 7 and taxi to Victoria at 8:20 – no breakfast as I wasn’t hungry after yesterday...

Arrived on time at the airport only to find the plane was delayed in Edinburgh...

Instead of flying at 10:30 we eventually got away around two hours later after an eternity of sitting around in the madness that is Gatwick Airport...

Got home to Crispycat Towers around 2:15 – feeling very tired indeed...

Anne was pleased to have me back, though Meg the Black cat had kept her company in my absence and I’d brought back a signed copy of Gordon Ramsay’s Sunday Lunch cookbook for our groaning shelves...



In the evening I e-mailed Stu Cobley to advise I was too knackered to venture out to Ian Hunter...

I also arranged for Jamie to come round on Thursday to rehearse for next month’s live set...

Lovely salmon for tea – is Anne as good as Ramsay?

Watched a sad “CSI” as the character Sarah Sidle exited the series...

Taped “Criminal Intent” and headed for the land of nod...

Highlight of the Day : Finally getting home

Monday, February 18, 2008

Drink...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XVI Ersatzreal Live
Kraftwerk - Computerwelt
Roxy Music – Country Life
Various – “Good” Albums Jukebox Playlist

Flew to London today for a beano at the expense of one of the largest companies in the world...



Almost missed the plane of course as, as usual, I left everything to the last minute – I was trying to get an airport bus from the town centre to the airport and the sign said it was “due” – and then flicked to “due in 10 minutes”, which would’ve scuppered the deal...

So I got a "park & ride" bus to Corstorphine and was able to call on my very obliging Executive Producer to meet me there with the Cloudland Blue Mobile, from where we sped at top speed to the check-in, arriving with just a couple of minutes to spare...

Arrived at the Five Star Athenaeum Hotel in Mayfair around 3pm having had my first G&T of the day on the plane and another drink on the Gatwick Express...

A quick change and then out to a nearby bar for another drink...

Then back to the hotel to the bar there for another drink...

Then to Lloyds of London for a 75 minute seminar (preceded by wine), then into a couple of limousines with champagne on board and to Claridges and Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant there...

The wine was flowing and the food was, as you might expect, very tasty indeed – a mushroom soup with home made bread, pate with golden toast, lamb with vegetables and a “jus”, and a delicate ice cream in a chocolate case...


Out just before midnight and on to Brown’s Hotel for more drink then back to the Athenaeum where we had yet more G&Ts before I finally retired around 3:30am...

Couldn’t sleep so I got up and dressed and walked along to Picadilly Circus and back as Id not really had a chance to see any of the sights (albeit by this time it was dark and everywhere was shut) before hitting the sack...

Highlight of the Day : Dinner at Claridges

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Volume one...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XVI Ersatzreal Live
Craig Armstrong - Piano Works
Rezillos - Can't Stand the Rezillos
Passengers - Original Soundtracks 1
Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes
Rush - Power Windows

Worked for some considerable time on the sixteenth in the series of CBQ Souvenir CDs – which will be given a way free with any copies of “Ersatzreal” sold at the gig on 5 March (see http://www.crispycat.co.uk/...

Also worked on the cover again for the Anthology...



Each one will feature a different picture...

Anne was up late but we had a mad dash to the cinema to catch the early showing of “Juno” – a great film – but certainly not the hilarious comedy it’s being billed as - it's better than that...

For lunch, I resurrected the remains of yesterday’s soup – if anything, it tasted better than the first batch...

I ran through an acoustic version of the set, sans backing tracks – doesn’t sound as good – we’ll see what it sounds like with two guitars this week sometime though...

Spent even more considerable time compiling a list of 500 "good" albums...

In the evening Anne made a brilliant wee dish of chicken and apricot in a spicy sauce...

It’s a month and a half now since we’ve had a takeaway...

Highlight of the Day : Another CBQ CD created

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Falling stones...

Playlist
David Reilly – Anthology Vol 1 1977-1986
David Reilly – Anthology Vol 2 1986-1989
Mozart – An Introduction to the Complete Mozart Edition
David Reilly – Anthology Vol 3 1990-1993
David Reilly – Anthology Vol 4 1993-1994
David Reilly – Anthology Vol 5 1994-1995

Weighed myself this morning for the first time in a while (you really oughtn’t do it too often) and, to my satisfaction, I have shed some more pounds...

I’m still a good few stones overweight though of course but I’ve changed the way I think about food...

Four rules:-

Only eat when you’re hungry
Eat slowly and savour every mouthful
Stop when you’re full
Only eat things you enjoy*
*of course I can’t really do this as I need to keep my cholesterol down much as I’d enjoy eating cream cakes and real butter instead of some cholesterol lowering spread stuff...

Working again on the covers for the long proposed Anthology set...

In a display of what some might term huge hubris, I now intend to release one disc per month between now and the end of the year and I’ve finalised the covers for the first two volumes...

After breakfast, out with Anne to buy some clothes and shoes for your correspondent...

Chelsea boots, pointy shoes, a nice blue jersey, a casual waterproof jacket, a wee black hat, seven pairs of socks and four shirts made their way into CBQ’s wardrobe – replacing some of the more tatty objects which have filled said edifice over the years...

Whilst driving around listening to Mozart, we discussed my recent massive intake of CDs and agreed something must be done...

I suggested I might take a bag of CDs I already own with me whenever I venture into town to avoid having to buy any more...

To my surprise, Anne advised I apparently used to do this with LPs in the old days to try and curb my buying then...

I have no recollection of this whatsoever – but I can believe it...

Abandoning an attempted car wash due to inordinate queues, we headed to Tesco on the way back to Crispycat Towers and I purchased the ingredients for a Tuscan Bean Soup in the recipe book I bought this week...

Back home, I succeeded in making the soup, the ingredients for which comprised chopped tomatoes, water, savoy cabbage, cannelini beans, salt, pepper and olive oil – it couldn't go wrong...

And it didn't, turning out tasty...

After lunch, I donned my new jersey, jacket, boots and hat and we set out for a wee walk around the neighbourhood (surprisingly at my own instigation)...

We ended up at the Corstorphine Hill cemetery, which I last visited back in September ’06...

Lovely and peaceful...



Many of the headstones have been knocked over – apparently by the council – get this – in case they fall on someone and injure them...



Madness...

Anne wants to be buried in a cardboard box under a freshly planted tree – but only as long as I’ve made absolutely sure she’s dead – and she doesn’t want any of that “religious bollocks” at her funeral...

Noted...

Back home, whilst trying to find when I was last at the cemetery, I ended up reading my blog for September 2006, including our holiday in Como – it brought it all back and that’s exactly why I write this – it’s my diary so I can remember what I’ve been up to in my life, however trivial the drivel...

Of course that doesn’t explain why I publish it on the world wide web...

Perhaps on my headstone I ought to have http://www.crispycat-recordings.blogspot.com/ engraved...

Another win for Queens today 3-1 at home to bottom club Stirling Albion. All to no avail though as St Johnstone also won, beating top of the table Hamilton Academical...

Hearts lost 3-0 away at Celtic Park – our nephew Craig wrote the match report for the Hearts website...

In the evening Anne was off out for a meal and some drinks with best friend Lynn and Lynn’s sisters and friends, leaving me to watch “Primeval” and then muck about on the computer...

I put together an 80 minute live set backing track, which will probably never be used in a public performance, but which put me through my paces...

A call from Anne around midnight and I got the taxi out of the garage, sped into town, picked her and Lynn up and delivered them both safely home...

A good day...

Highlight of the Day : New clothes...

Friday, February 15, 2008

A wee bit jazzy...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XIII 01 03 07
Weather Report – Black Market
Return to Forever – Where Have I Known You Before
Mahavishnu Orchestra – Visions of the Emerald Beyond
Miles Davis – In A Silent Way
Dexter Gordon – One Flight Up
Wes Montgomery – Finest Hour

Dug out and listened to my set from last March at Out of the Bedroom, which I played with a backing track and Jamie on guitar and nephew Andy on piano/keys – funny to hear how different the songs are from the final versions on Ersatzreal...

During the day, three classics of the jazz-fusion era on the headphones...

Didn’t rehearse tonight and also didn’t make it along to OOTB Soundman Extraordinaire David O’Hara’s 30th Birthday Bash...

Over the last week I’ve been nursing more of my almost permanent flu like conditions and, today, I developed a bugger of a sore throat...

So I stayed in tonight, in front of the fire watching TV – firstly, Coronation St, although I had my headphones on, listening to and reading about Miles Davis, as the game Northerners went about their convoluted business...

The Davis album I enjoyed, features future members of Weather Report (Joe Zawinul), Return to Forever (Chick Corea) and Mahavishnu Orchestra (John McLaughlin), whose albums I'd enjoyed earlier in the day...

Then, “Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach” and “Al Murray”...

Finished the day with Dexter Gordon followed by the guitaring genius of Mr Montgomery – tasty...



Highlight of the Day : Excellent Jazz

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Reaching parts...

Playlist
Uriah Heep - Sonic Origami
Heinichen - Concerti Grandi
Heinichen - Dresden Concerti
Elgar - Symphony No 1

Back to HMV at lunchtime today and, having checked the title of the Heinichen disc I bought at a market in France last year or the year before (we go on so many trips!), I splashed out on a new 2CD set of his "Dresden Concerti", which I spotted yesterday, reduced from £15 down to £8...

I also bought the Elgar box I came across yesterday, down from £26 to £8, which includes 5CDs...

I arrived home only to discover that all seven pieces on the previous Heinichen disc are included in the new set...

The music's great though and eight of the fifteen pieces are new to me...

Listened to this whilst watching Aberdeen draw 2-2 with Bayern Munchen and whilst partaking of Anne's excellent and very tasty Red Thai Curry....

Meanwhile, from e-bay, not another CD - a Queen of the South football top, which is not the most flattering of garments when worn over my 48 year old body - and as for the amount of static electricity created...

I shall wear it with pride, man boobs on full display, when I return to the fray...

Ran through my live set again before watching "Ashes to Ashes", which, unfortunately, is clearly nowhere near as good as "Life on Mars"...

Of course, I'll continue to watch....

Then a great new US sitcom on Channel 4, "The Big Bang Theory" - the lead male was familiar to me but I couldn't quite place him - a little research on the net and I find he was Rosanne Barr's son-in-law, David, in "Roseanne"...



That's him with the specs...

Gave up on the inane ramblings of "Question Time", wrote this, then went to bed with the sounds of Mr Elgar in my ears and an invite from fellow Creekster Stu Cobley to join him at the upcoming Ian Hunter gig next Tuesday - he is taking photos for a newspaper...

Ah, Mott the Hoople - what a band...

Highlight of the Day : Anne's Thai Red Curry

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Instant poetry...

Playlist
Johnny Griffin – A Blowin’ Session
Golden Earring – Moontan
Golden Earring – Switch
Golden Earring – To the Hilt
Faure – Complete Piano Music
Allan Neave – The Isle is Full of Noises
Golden Earring – The Devil Made Us Do It
Thelonius Monk – 10CD Box Set

More Golden Earring today to get things off to a good start...

HMV at lunchtime and a very tempting Elgar box set on Warner of 6 discs for £8 caught my eye – one for later perhaps...

At home we cooked together (well, I say “together” – I did the dishes and sliced some French bread) – but not from the new recipe book I brought home – “The Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cook Book”...

A lovely, refreshing Greek yoghurt, cucumber and coriander salad accompanied chicken breast, marinated in red thai curry and cooked in the oven (I’m sure there’s a culinary word for that) with lime juice – zesty!!

After discovering we’d recorded the wrong channel last Wednesday and so have now missed two “Torchwood”s in a row, we watched last night’s “Criminal Intent” – first of a two parter (Ruth McCarter) – can’t wait till next week...

Then another rehearsal and an invite sent to Jamie to see what we might do together on these CBQ songs...

More Golden Earring – for you illegal downloaders out there, I recommend you search for the songs “Radar Love”, “Candy’s Going Bad”, “Vanilla Queen”, “Instant Poetry” and “(Kill Me) Ce Soir”...

Finished the day with this week’s “Reaper” and then a second lot of dish-washing...

Highlight of the Day : Anne’s cooking (again)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Hearing earring...

Playlist
Thelonious Monk – Straight No Chaser
Golden Earring - Seven Tears
Golden Earring - Moontan
Yes - Drama
Patti Smith - Horses
Allan Neave – The Isle is Full of Noises

Ran through the set for next month, watched “CSI”, which, tonight, was a two parter (Ruth McCarter) with an episode of “Without A Trace”...

Then, due to illness and fatigue, forced to retire at eleven, recording “Law & Order : Criminal Intent” for future viewing...

Did enjoy some rockin’ music from the great Dutch band Golden Earring though...



"Been drivin' all night, m'hands wet on the wheel " duh, duh, duh, d'duh....

etc...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : CSI/Without a Trace

Monday, February 11, 2008

Tasteless and annoying...

Playlist
Cobra Dorado – The Mysterious Life & Death of Judiah Too Young Man
Sparks – Hello Young Lovers
Sparks – Li’l Beethoven
Thelonious Monk -10CD Box Set
Patti Smith – Horses

To the hospital this morning for some tests which hopefully will prove I’m reasonably healthy for someone nearly 50, even if they are overweight and haven’t really had much exercise for over two years due to an ankle break followed by two shoulder operations...

I have re-enlisted for Wednesday night 5-a-sides and await a call up...

One of my favourite bands, Sparks, has announced they will play 21 consecutive nights in London this summer, performing each of their albums in their entirety and in chronological order, ending with the world premier of their new LP...

This led me to listen to their last two albums – their last, “Hello Young Lovers” was my favourite album of 2006...

Following the success of the Miles Davis 10CD Box I purchased another today – this time by pianist Thelonious Monk, whose career started some years prior to that of Davis. Consequently, the entire set’s in mono and the first few tracks bear the crackles of transfers from 78RPM discs (ask yer gran’ma)...

I also could not pass up a 2CD set of Patti Smith’s classic 1975 debut “Horses” – which I remember hearing at a party at my school a couple of weeks after it was unleashed and a good year or so before we’d even heard of punk rock...

Back home I wasted some considerable time tonight not being able to get on to the internet – however, this allowed me to abandon the PC and listen to several of Mr Monk’s CDs - after the first few tracks the quality is much improved and the music was just the job re soundtracking my reading of a book on Minimalist Art, including a piece on one of my favourites, Dan Flavin, who died in 1996, the same year this piece was exhibited...



On TV “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was excellent once again after a slow start...

As you can see, finally got on to the net just after 11 pm - one of the reasons I wanted to gain access was to see a message some anonymous caller had left on my mobile phone...

It turned out to be a tasteless pic of Superman, Batman and Robin with their rather large super-hero sized nether regions exposed to me in all their glory...

Not tasty...

Highlight of the Day : Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Birthdays all over the place...

Playlist
Wizzard – Wizzard’s Brew
The Move – Shazam
The Move – Looking On
Nicky Hind – Hindsight
Miles Davis – Box Set 1949-1956
Various – Now and Then OST
Various – Invictus Club Classics Vol 2
Roy Wood - Mustard

Up around 6:30 and needed to get all the dishes from the last few days washed up but, prior to that, I needed to fix the CD shelf in the living room as it appeared to be wilting a little...

I also took the opportunity to rearrange the books on the shelf below, reversing their order (small to tall left to right instead of right to left) so that more light gets into the room from the lamp which sits alongside them...

Then did the dishes to the rocking sounds of The Move. Been listening to a lot of Roy Wood over the weekend and am really getting back into the first Wizzard LP, “Wizzard’s Brew”....

Rehearsed the live set again - this time without any music or lyrics - there appear to be only two of the eight songs which I don't yet know by heart...

Out to Loanhead for lunch at my mum’s, where we were joined by sisters Pam (up for a flying visit from London) and Sheila – today was the latter’s 52nd birthday - it's also our friend Yvonne Sonnenschein's 40th today and yesterday was niece Kitty's 4th birthday...

Sheila’s sons Andy and Alastair joined us too...



Their Auntie Pam entertained us as usual. Highlight was her strange tales of planebound gastro-enteritus. Very funny indeed (although probably not at the time)...

Then back to Edinburgh for niece Kitty’s party at her mum and dad’s house – here she is with her proud dad, trying to stop us from leaving at the end of the night....



As ever, sister-in-law Jane put on a huge spread for the extended families comprising two very tasty home made curries followed by a choice of apple pie or vanilla cheesecake...

The wine flowed copiously, however your correspondent was in driver mode...

Back home, while Anne watched telly, I copied the Miles Box Set and a few other recent acquisitions to the relevant jukeboxes...

Felt a bit under the weather today, an annoyingly sore throat and gyp from the shoulder, probably traceable back to the football fall the other night...

It’s annoying this getting old lark...

Highlight of the Day : Pam’s stories and Jane’s cooking

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Get it on, bang a gong...

Playlist
Wizzard – Wizzard’s Brew
Wizzard – Eddy and the Falcons
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Through the Day (Soundscapes)
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal 2
Handel – Chill With Handel
Moby – I Like to Score
Capital Models - Anthology

Spent the early part of the day finishing off my research into the Miles Davis 10CD Box I bought last week...

I identified each track’s source session in turn and then the album from which each comes, then printed off the details to keep with the box...

It really is an excellent find and, over its eight and a quarter hours of music, contains 92 tracks taken from the following Davis releases:-

Birth of the Cool
Miles Davis with Horns
Conception
Dig
Miles Davis Vol 1
Collector's Items
Miles Davis Vol 2
Blue Haze
Walkin'
Bag's Groove
Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants
Musings of Miles
Blue Moods
Miles Davis and Milt Jackson Quintet/Sextet
‘Round About Midnight
The New Miles Davis Quintet
Steamin'
Workin'
Relaxin'
Round About Midnight
Basic Miles
Cookin'

You can get it right now at FOPP for just eight quid...



For the first time in several weeks, we drove to Stockbridge for breakfast at Patisserie Florentine – no croissants for me though – I had the “Toast Breakfast” – two slices of brown toast with orange marmalade, strawberry jam, a small glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee - Anne is still allowed croissants of course, as she is svelte...

In the Oxfam shop, I was struggling to find anything but eventually plumped for Moby’s collection of music from films, “I Love to Score”, including one of my favourites of his “God Moving Over the Face of the Waters” and his take on Joy Division’s classic “New Dawn Fades”...

Then, along the main street, I bought a disc of Handel’s sublime music for just a couple of quid at the Shelter shop and we shelled out around the same for a lovely loaf of brown bread at Herbie’s deli for lunch later on...

Then home and I set up the studio to record a rehearsal for next month’s gig – spent ages trying to locate all the right leads...

As I put things together and burned the latest version of the backing track disc, Anne was watching Hibs draw with Dundee Utd before heading to Tynecastle to see Hearts defeat bottom of the table Gretna 2-0...

I spent the afternoon playing through the set till my fingers hurt (a good thing – getting my calluses back)...

Meanwhile Queen of the South beat St Johnstone 3-1 at home, their sixth win in a row. This was a real six pointer as QoS are 4th and Saints 3rd. No change in the positions following the game though but QoS are now just two points behind Saints...

In the evening it was out to meet up again with Nicky and Jim – the attempted grand reunion failed due to the short notice but the four of us drank and talked into the night at the Cask and Barrel bar in Broughton St. We’d taken the car as we were running late and, since I’ve got a bit of driving around to do tomorrow, this wasn’t a problem – I spent the night on fresh orange with the occasional Red Bull – that didn’t stop me from spilling Anne’s first drink over everyone though...

Around 11:30, we were joined by Jamie and the tales of life growing up in South Queensferry were highly entertaining, including the one about a particular young man who, at the age of 15, used to spend his weekends, “getting it on” with his biology teacher – sobering to think she’s probably pushing 60 now...

One of the best tales of the night was Jim's regarding one of Nicky's dad's old friends in Bolton who, when Jim visited them a few years ago, insisted unequivocably that Elvis Presley was shortly to play at Bolton's football stadium...

It was only later that they realised she was talking about Elton John...

I discovered that in 1977/8, independently, Jamie and Nicky’s band in SQF and my own in Midlothian, were covering songs by Devo...

At 12:45 we left the trio of ex-Capital Models to it as the last orders bell rang...


Nicky, Jamie, Jim

It was great to see Nicky again and I gave him a copy of the Models Anthology while he presented me with two of his own discs - he's off shortly to Barcelona where some pieces he's written are being performed by a classical guitarist at a Music festival - he is undoubtedly the most musically successful ex-member of the group...

A good day...

Highlight of the Day : Chewing the fat with old chums

Friday, February 08, 2008

A Wizzard wheeze...

Playlist
John Coltrane – Dakar
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal
Roy Wood - Singles 1971-1976 (2xCD-R)

A very expensive lunch today at Time For Thai - £33 for a £9 set lunch and a couple of beers – possibly more sore than falling over last night – the food was good though...



A swift visit to HMV resulted in no purchases...

Back home I eschewed Coronation St – haven’t watched since last Friday now and may well be officially “off it”...

However, I did watch Friday staples “Moving Wallpaper” (still good), “Echo Beach” (rubbish really) and “Al Murray” (still funny)...

Worked also on the backing tracks for next month’s performance, altering the set slightly and mocked up a new CBQ album comprising the songs recorded during the “Ersatzreal” sessions but, thus far, not used...

Today is the 34th anniversary of the first rock concert I attended - Wizzard at the Edinburgh Odeon - and look what I found when I googled "Wizzard" and "Edinburgh"...



Taken from this fascinating site...

Highlight of the Day : Finding a Wizzard ticket...

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Taking a tumble...

Playlist
Lee Morgan - City Lights
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Ersatzreal
Francis Dunnery - Welcome to the Wild Country
Lindsay Sugden & The Storm - Same

A football challenge tonight, populated by my colleagues from the offices of "The Man" - the losers were to pay for the hire of the pitch and lunch and drinks tomorrow...

So, everything to play for - as they say...

Within 10 minutes, my team were 6-0 down and it was never going to get any easier for us - outplayed, with chum Spike, one year older than me and second oldest on the pitch, being outstanding, probably scoring around 15 goals on his own...

Over the course of the one hour of allotted time, we were trounced something like 26-14 - yes it really was that bad...

And I'd worn my replica QoS football top to try and bring some luck to my performance...



This isn't the actual one - mine is a lot naffer and at least three sizes too big for me...

Although I managed to score a hat-trick (and ahem, miss a penalty), I was totally out of condition, having had no exercise whatsoever since my last two brief outings last September, which, in turn, were my first games since breaking my ankle in November '05...

To make matters worse, towards the end of the game, as I headed towards goal to attempt a deadly finish, I was cruelly hacked down from behind and landed smack-bang on the injured shoulder - owyah! - so far no long term effects and just a grazed arm to show for it - I didn't even get a foul...

And so I am now ready to resume playing and intend to rejoin the old regulars for their Wednesday game as soon as possible...

Pre-match I attended physio and have wangled a free gym membership again which will start in two weeks time and lasts for ten...

Movement on the shoulder is almost back to normal though speed of movement remains problematic due to the pain factor - a factor which will be present for a good few months yet - and which has been increased slightly by tonight's tumble...

After the footie and a soothing shower, some TV in the form of "Reaper"...

Gave up on "Question Time" though and headed for bed early...

Highlight of the Day : Back on the pitch

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Out of the attic...

Playlist
Various – Jazz & Classical Jukebox Shuffleplay
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal
James Jamieson – 13 Songs
Darren Thornberry – On the Edge
Cobra Dorado – The Mysterious Life & Death of Judiah Too Young Man
Lyndsay Sugden and the Storm – Same (EP)
Francis Dunnery – Welcome to the Wild Country

A bit of a rush re the gig tonight – including having to go into the attic and locate and fetch my Traynor Valve Bass Amp, which I’ve had since 1979 (and which Jamie used whilst we were in Capital Models together) but which hadn’t been fired up since making this film with Peri Urban in 2002...

Jamie arrived at Crispycat Towers around 6:15 with percussionist Billy and I discovered on the journey to the venue that they hadn’t rehearsed last night and that Billy had never even heard the songs until we played Jamie’s CD while we drove...

Jamie was trying to point out to Billy where there’d be stops in the songs but it was just too late for that so I suggested that when we left gaps, the djembe would continue...

The other three acts represented a strong bill. Darren Thornberry, Jill Hepburn and Lindsay Sugden, each of whom had also brought along guest accompanying players – the latter having actually taken the time to learn the songs to be played!


Jill, Lindsay
Darren, Jamie

Nonetheless, after great sets from Darren and Jill it was our turn to take the stage. We sort of sailed through the eight songs with just a few errors and Billy becoming perhaps a bit over excited in places...

Post gig we were buoyed by the complimentary remarks regarding how we’d done – for my own part, I was pleased to receive kudos from OOTB stalwarts Nelson Wright and Jim Igoe (the promoter) in relation to my bass playing and my backing vocals...

Of course you can’t really go wrong with Jamie’s songs as they’re so immediate and catchy...

Last up was Lindsay promoting her new EP. Great complex music...

At the end of the night I bought Darren and Lindsay’s CDs (I already have Jill’s or I’d have bought that too)...

In the audience were Anne, Lynn and our old Capital Models cohorts Jim Park and Nicky Hind – Nicky lives in California and is in Europe for a couple of months – he’s only in Edinburgh till Sunday though and so, in the bar afterwards as we sat and reminisced about the old days, Nicky and Jim suggested a reunion on Saturday night, appointing me as organiser – so, invites will be issued tomorrow...

Drove Lynn home and enjoyed some new CDs to finish off a good day – including the Francis Dunnery disc which arrived this morning from e-bay...

Highlight of the Day : Playing the bass for Jamie...

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Box of miles...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Ersatzreal
Miles Davis - Just Squeeze Me
It Bites - Still Too Young to Remember (Remix)

Spent much of the day today listening to and researching the recording dates of the contents of a 10 CD box set of Miles Davis purchased for just £8 from FOPP...



It contains music from 26 different studio sessions, 90 tracks in all, recorded between 1949 and 1956 and is an excellent find - mostly material originally released on Prestige and some from the Blue Note archives...

From e-bay, a 3" CD single by It Bites - a remix I've never heard before of one of their last singles...

Didn't rehearse Jamie's tunes tonight as I wanted to save my fingers since my callouses have disappeared due to lack of use over the last five months and blisters started last night...

I did however put together copies of his revamped CD, which'll be on sale...

Anne made a great spicy pork dish from scratch from a wee cookbook I gave her as part of her birthday - it was delicious and there's some left over for tomorrow too...

In between enjoying the playing of Mr Davis and his cohorts, we watched "CSI", last week's "Law & Order : Criminal Intent" on tape and this week's episode "live" - including annoyingly long ad breaks...

Tasty music, tasty food, tasty TV - it doesn't get much better than this...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Miles Davis/Anne's cooking

Monday, February 04, 2008

Bassist on call...

Playlist
Various - Jazz & Classical Jukebox Shuffleplay
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Ersatzreal
James Jamieson - Precious : Revised Edition
Manfredini - Concerti Grossi, Op 3

The Coop's 60th birthday today...

And here he is in his 1973 Billion Dollar Babies Tour prime....



I love this picture and I'm pretty sure I had a huge poster of it on my bedroom wall - in fact the entirety of all four bedroom walls and the door were covered in pictures of, or articles on, the Alice Cooper Group from 1972 onwards, with just one small corner set aside for Cockney Rebel from 1974...

Surprisingly, I didn't play any Coop stuff today - but I know it all outside in...

Unlike the music of Mr James Jamieson - which is a shame because, today, his bass player advised he wouldn't be able to make Wednesday's gig and so Jamie roped me in to play alongside him once again...

I have just two days to get to grips with the eight songs he's playing - and at a time when I've not played the bass for eighteen months (in fact since the last time I played for Jamie) or the guitar for five months...

All eight songs are on his revamped LP though...



...and he popped by to help me out tonight. We soon had everything under control. Tomorrow night he's rehearsing with his percussionist but I won't be - so the first time we play together will be at the gig...

After Jamie left, we enjoyed another superb episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" which, once again, featured the Funkhouser, this time with Larry stealing stuff from the FH's dead mother's roadside shrine...

A good end to a surprising day...

Remember the Coop...

Highlight of the Day : Back in Jamie's band...

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Rehearsing and cooking...

Playlist
Various – Jazz & Classical Jukebox Shuffleplay
Jaco Pastorius – Word of Mouth
Various – Invictus Club Classics Vol 1
James Jamieson – Precious (Revised Edition)
Various – MP3s from Yesterday’s Compilation Haul
Gary Numan & Tubeway Army – The Premier Hits

Left Anne sleeping with her very sore hand, the wee lamb, and headed to the music room to sort out the 160 or so CDs removed from the living room over the last couple of months – getting them into alpha order within their genres but not integrating them into the collection – that’s a day long job...

By the way, if you’re in FOPP over the next few days, I can recommend the two £1 Invictus compilations – great stuff...

Did three lots of clothes washing...

Spent much of the rest of the morning working on the cover for Jamie’s revised version of his CD, which will be on sale on Wednesday night for a fiver from Secret CDs....

Then to Tesco with Anne for some shopping, including the ingredients for this evening’s meal....

Anne watched telly in the afternoon and early evening whilst I put together Jamie’s CDs then rehearsed my own set for March 5 – a long way off but I need to relearn my songs after so much time away from the guitar...

Then it was cooking time – my main tasks being washing dishes, changing light bulbs and taking photographs of the proceedings...



The dish was lovely braised salmon with mustard and a gruyere herb crust on a bed of cherry tomatoes and onions accompanied by potatoes....

Very tasty!!

Highlight of the Day : Cooking with Anne...

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Not so handy...

Playlist
Various – Jukebox Shuffleplay
Various – The Best Disco Album in the World...Ever!
Various – Now and Then OST
Various – Love at the Movies
Various – School Reunion The Smoochies
Various – Ultimate Chick Flicks
Various – Chick Flicks The Sequel
Various – Ultimate Chick Flick Love Songs
Various – Happy Songs
My Chemical Romance – I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love

Up early as usual at the weekend but, as you can see, failed miserably to record the antics of a local seagull attempting to feed on a wayward bone in our neighbours’ back garden...



Three weeks since I was at the library with Dr Prog and so I needed to return the Killers, Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Tortoise CDs...

Drove into town, dropping Anne off at the pampering salon on the way, and parked at “The Saturday Place” over on the East Side beneath Arthur’s Seat and walked into town having called Dr Prog to arrange the meet at the library...

On the way, I stopped in at the Oxfam shop and bought far too many compilation CDs (see today’s playlist) and a disc from My Chemical Romance...

There are probably around fifty or so tracks on these compilations which I wanted to have in the collection, so that probably justifies the eight quid outlay...

Arrived at the library later than I’d expected due to the elongated browse at Oxfam – I took the route past the University Buildings where I wasted so much time not studying but trawling record shops and, consequently, failing exams at the very height of Punk Rock....

I failed to study enough in the building on the right and just plain failed in the building on the left – oh well...



Dr Prog was already in situ when I finally made the library and he had a very large bundle of world music CDs and DVDs in his hand ready for a-borrowing..

For my own sins – although goodness knows I hardly need more music in the house - I took a loan of discs featuring the works of Dittersdorf, Manfredi and Pergolesi along with Robert Wyatt’s latest “Comicopera” and, inspired by the inclusion of his “Down in the Park” on the various artists CD “OK Computer” I got with Uncut or Mojo whilst on Arran, a Gary Numan Greatest Hits disc – I remember having “Replicas” when it first came out and the works of Mr Numan have a place in my collection – indeed I’m listening to “Cars” as I type this drivel...

We popped along to a nearby café and enjoyed a sandwich and coffee each – here’s the good doctor pondering his choice...



Then down to Richer Sounds for the Dr to replenish his Blank Mini-Disc supplies....

We said our farewells and headed in opposite directions – I called Anne to find out if I ought to bring any sustenance home, only to find she’d had an accident with a glass and sliced open one of the knuckles on her right hand – owya!!

Back home, her hand looked pretty bad and extremely painful...

She relaxed watching football, though her Setanta subscription was causing her annoyance as it just switched off for no apparent reason – she finally got through to them around 11 pm to have it fixed, having missed her beloved Craig Gordon letting in three for Sunderland against Liverpool...

For my own part, I listened to music and enjoyed Queen of the South making it to the last eight of the Scottish Cup for the second year in a row...

Ended the day with telly – “Primeval”, last night’s “Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach” and “Al Murray” then “CSI : New York” and, finally, “Sportscene”, including highlights of the mighty Queens’ win against Morton (2-0 away from home)...

A good day apart from Anne’s hand injury...

Highlight of the Day : Last eight for QoS again...

Friday, February 01, 2008

Return of the guitar...

Playlist
Various – Jukebox Shuffleplay
Natalie Merchant – Motherland/Ophelia/Tigerlily
John Coltrane – Dakar
Heligoland – Pitcher Flask & Foxy Moxie
Bernd Satzinger’s Wurschtsemmerl – Same
James Jamieson – Precious
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Ersatzreal
Various – Jazz & Classical Jukebox Shuffleplay

James Jamieson called me out of the blue today and, as Anne was off to Dunfermline tonight on a birthday night out with colleagues, I invited JJ round to Crispycat Towers...

He’d managed to record just one song since we last spoke but brought round a disc of his proposed set for his gig on Wednesday night...

We proceeded to trawl through my hard drive and listened back to the demos he’s recorded since putting out his album “Precious” at the tail end of 2004 and, including the 2008 version of his song “Yesterday Man”, we located eight bonus tracks to add to the disc and spent some time mastering the new version of “Precious”...

Then we listened to it...

And off he went into the night with his “new” CD in his hand and I felt inspired...

I dug out my own last CD, “Ersatzreal” and got my guitar from upstairs and proceeded to play for the first time since last September...

Anne called and asked that I go over to Dunfermline around 11pm to bring her home – which left me enough time to put together the 30 minute backing track CD for my own gig on 5 March – 8 songs from “Ersatzreal” – then into the car where I attempted to sing along as I drove – I remembered most of the words...

Anne was in a nice wee bar Café Continental with the last stragglers from the night out, chums Chris-with-a-Ch and Ferret (don’t ask)...



...where I joined them for some Diet Coke followed by Fresh Orange and Lemonade....

Around an hour or so later we were finally ready to leave but not before some strange looking woman of indeterminate age had hit on me with the delectable chat up line “I’m off to the bathroom, do you want to talk business”....

Weird....

We took Chris home leaving Ferret to party on (it’s his birthday on Sunday hence the night out) and were back at Crispycat Towers around 1 am...

Highlight of the Day : Playing my guitar again at last..