80 not out...

Playlist
Various - Top 200 Artists
James Last - 80 Not Out
James Last - Plays Abba
Abba - Gold
Various - Top 30 Artists
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Splinterheart

Another month gone...



Up early and launched the new album into the world...

Available only by mail order via Crispycat...

Possible new project arose though it will probably never be undertaken...

Out to Stockbridge to pick up a large bouquet of flowers for my mum's 80th birthday today - and on to Loanhead to meet up with said mum and sister Pam for a day out of celebration...



After a coffee and a blether and a look at all her cards...



...it was off in her car to North Berwick - with Pam driving and mum in the back - role reversal from the seventies...



After a journey, which mum spent opining that we must have gone the wrong way as she didn't recognise anything and then finally capitulating that we had actually gotten to North Berwick, we found a parking place at the far end of the beach and walked back into the town - with me pushing mum's wheelchair...



Then, erm, we walked all the way back again...

We were parked near this rock...



...which, back in the early seventies, seemed like a mountain to me and my sisters but we found a way up it..

Now of course it seems a lot smaller but, with my useless old legs, it was probably more difficult to climb - but I had to do it one more time...



...even though it was slightly easier than the Munro of a couple of weeks back, Pam was unable to reach the "summit"...



Mum watched from a safe distance...



Then, back into the car and to the Marine Hotel - a favourite haunt of my parents when my dad was alive - indeed he is kind of down on the beach that we could see from the window of the lounge where we enjoyed a celebratory afternoon tea for three...



Back home to Loanhead, eschewing James Last and Abba for some of my preferred music...

Post a visit from neighbour Donna, Pam and I said our farewells and we set off back to Edinburgh, picking up Anne at Haymarket before heading towards the airport...

I was left at Crispycat Towers feeling slightly unwell, no doubt due to one too many cream scones...

I took the opportunity to fix the handle on the back gate so that even the most doltish takeaway delivery person could shut it properly with the minimum of effort...

On Anne's return, we watched TV for the rest of the evening, including Tivo'd film "Nacho Libre" a not too funny Jack Black vehicle......

A good birthday for my mum though I would hope...

Highlight of the day : Mum's 80th...

Quite contrary...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Splinterheart
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Splinterheart Extras
Various - Top 200 Artists
Poulenc/Messaien/Stravinsky - Gloria
Various - Jazz Albums Acquired in the Last Year

Up unfeasibly early once again and putting the final touches to the "Splinterheart" package - it will now come with a five track bonus CD of stuff unavailable to download - all the soundscape material I did in back in November and April, based on pieces by Janacek and Cage and the raw material from Norman Lamont and Peri Urban, plus the initial long version of "Black Earth"...



Out at 10:30 and we drove to Linlithgow (birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots) and visited the loch, with its swans, geese and ducks...



...and the palace and church...



...something we've never done before, despite them being so close at hand...

A walk around the town resulted in a CD purchase - sacred music by Poulenc, Messiaen and Stravinsky - which "entertained" as we drove to Queensferry for lunch...

But we couldn't get parked, so headed to nearby Craigie's, the fruit picking farm we visited back in June, for a tasty salad based lunch, followed by a visit to the chickens...



Sadly, the pigs, Mango and Chutney, were nowhere to be seen...

Spent the late afternoon leafing through the entire "Penguin Guide to Jazz" with Meg the Black Cat, whilst listening to recent acquisitions of said music style...

In the evening some "Corrie" and "University Challenge", before finalising the e-mail which will go to the mailing list tomorrow re the new album...

Highlight of the Day : Discovering Linlithgow...

Family portrait...

Playlist
The Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse
The Besnard Lakes - Are the Roaring Storm
Tony Williams - Spring
Kenny Dorham - Afro Cuban
Grant Green - Street of Dreams

Up impossibly early once again and still working on the upcoming release of "Splinterheart"...

Out around 10:30 to meet up with Craig and Gail for breakfast at Patisserie Florentin...

They'd enjoyed the ballet last night before heading into the Festival shenanigans until the wee small hours...

Post an enjoyable breakfast, we gave them a lift uptown, as Gail was desperate to shop before heading off back to Manchester at 2 - Craig had one more day in Edinburgh...

Hopefully it won't be another year till we see them again...

Spent much of the afternoon, wasting my time ripping old CBQ recordings to one of the external hard drives...

Seemed like a good idea at the time but, in all honesty, they are unlikely ever to see the light of day...

In between doing this, I gave Anne and her mum and brother-in-law Bobby and nephew Ollie a lift to Tynecastle for today's match against Dundee Utd (1-1) (Queens thrashed Ross County 3-0 yesterday and are now 4th, just two weeks after having been bottom with zero points)...

Post further pointless ripping, I returned to pick them all up and, rather annoyingly and foolishly, got stuck in Sainsbury's car park - so much so, they'd probably have been quicker walking...

Back home, Anne was soon out of her footie gear and prepped for our night out for my mum's birthday (actual birthday - Tuesday)...



And so, to the Howgate near Penicuik where we met up with mum...



...and sisters Pam and Sheila for a very tasty meal indeed...



Post the celebrations, Anne took a new family portrait...



May well frame this up for the ma...

Back home, I tried once again to get a decent pic of the very bright moon...



If you look closely, you can just see some craters on the right...

"Match of the Day 2" ended another good day...

Highlight of the day : Celebrating...

Men in shorts...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Splinterheart
John Coltrane - Dakar
Various - Last 12 Months Jukebox
Ford Pier - Meconium
Elton Dean's Ninesense - Happy Daze
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Playing the Piano
Tim Friese-Greene - 10 Sketches for Piano Trio
John Coltrane - Trane's Coming (Box)
The Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse

Up at 6:45 and some considerable time spent updating various websites re the upcoming release of the new LP...

Post breakfast, into town for a meet with Dr Prog at the library at Midday...

Pre the meet, into HMV and then to FOPP - looking to purchase a 5CD box by John Coltrane I'd seen recently in Fopp for £8...

No luck at HMV but secured it in Fopp - of course I have three of the five albums already but I was justifying the purchase in that one of those three was an illegal burn and I was getting two LPs I don't already own...

At the library, interesting albums by Elton Dean's Ninesense, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tim Friese-Greene were borrowed before we headed to Uncle T's for a coffee...

The Doc tried unsuccesfully to show me pics of his new niece - here he is telling me to have some patience...



..of course he'd saved them to some obscure folder on his machine that he could no longer find...

Down to Avalanche where I found an album by Rheostatics' live keyboardist Ford Pier in the £1.99 Heavy Metal albums section - it pays to trawl...

Then back to FOPP - nothing purchased by either of us on this visit - though I noted the Coltrane box was now £10...



With the doc heading off to an art exhibition I made my way up to the Royal Mile - noting another Edinburgh flower shop of significance to me..

This was once Reptile Records...



...where Anne once sold a Sombre Reptiles tape to a young man from Macclesfield...

And so it was today, Anne and I were meeting up with Macclesfield Craig and the lovely Gail - one year almost to the day since we enjoyed the Manchester Pride Parade...

We walked through the crowds up to the castle...



...and I noted this which I'd never seen before...



We enjoyed some street entertainment...









This year, around four, instead of dancing to a Girls Aloud mega mix in a gay bar, we found ourselves having a wee drink on the Grassmarket - and Craig provided me with two albums by recent Canadian (and therefore good) favourites of his, The Besnard Lakes...

To Armstrong's Second Hand Clothing Emporium - where I last bought something in 1980 - Craig found a tasty shirt...

Another drink, at Black Bo's...





...where our tales of recent Modern Dance outings led Gail to express a desire to see the show we saw on Thursday...

So, up to the Festival Theatre...



...and tickets were secured and fish & chips were enjoyed from the restaurant next door - although, due to the crowds, we ate al fresco in the theatre courtyard (or "staff car park")...

Drinks in the bar and then we made our farewells and walked down to Princes St in the rain for the bus home...



Enjoyed some new music on the cans from Coltrane, the Lakes and the borrowed discs whilst watching "Match of the Day", post a Tivo'd "Law & Order : Criminal Intent"...

Fell asleep to the footie...

A good day...

Highlight of the Day : Craig and Gail up from Macc...

Driving all night...

Playlist
John Coltrane - Dakar
John Coltrane - Blue Train
Bob Dylan - Dylan
Various - Top 200 Artists

This evening Anne was off out to an Abba night with Lynn, leaving me to work on the prep for the release of "Splinterheart" on Tuesday...

In addition, I was on taxi duty - picking sister Pam up from the airport around 10 and driving her out to our mum's in Loanhead...

She is up for mum's 80th birthday celebrations which will take place Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (her actual birthday)...

A swift return to Crispycat Towers having left Meg the Black Cat outside whilst being an Airport Taxi...

Some CD sorting out to the sounds of Bob Dylan...

A call from Anne found me back in the car and heading into town around midnight to make another pick up...

I sat in the car park at the Abba venue watching various revellers stott out into the night, a good time having been had...



With Lynn safely taken home, we were back to Meg around 1 am and off to bed...

Highlight of the Day : Driving?

Mistaken identity...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Splinterheart
John Adams - Short Ride in a Fast Machine
John Adams - Shaker Loops
Modern Jazz Quartet - Django
Modern Jazz Quartet - Fontessa
Modern Jazz Quartet - Concorde

Out again tonight, this time in the company of the Exec Producer and we were back at the Festival Theatre for more modern dance...



We both enjoyed Alonzo King's Lines Ballet's work, as reviewed here, rather unsympathetically, in the Guardian, although I can see the reviewer's points...



The twelve dancers performed spectacularly to the beautiful music of Poulenc and Corelli (in the first half) and a live performance by Zakir Hussain in the second (with apologies to the young lady sitting next to us, whom I misled by advising it was Talvin Singh! - oops)...

Earlier in the day, I walked past this flower shop which, back in 1978 was Grindlay St Music Shop, where I bought my first bass guitar amp - it's been in Jamie Frain's loft since I accompanied him on bass at a gig around two and a half years ago I think...



..and, pre theatre, Anne and I enjoyed some tasty pasta at the Hispaniola - which boats some rather unusual decor...



...and coffee at the Black Medicine Company (not pictured)...

Post the dance, a leisurely walk back to the car and home...

Very enjoyable...

Oh, and pre-pre-theatre, I visited FOP and partook of 2CD set comprising three albums recorded between 1954 and 1956 by the Modern Jazz Quartet - tasty - three albums for three quid...

Highlight of the Day : Some very talented and scantily clad young men and women...

Jellied...

Playlist
Neal Morse - Testimony
Neal Morse - One
Neal Morse - Lifeline
Eels - Discography on Shuffleplay

Out this evening on a solo trip to the HMV Picture House to see Eels...



It was good, not excellent but good...

I really like Eels' albums and have enjoyed their live CD recorded in New York but, tonight, it seemed a little samey and lacking in subtlety...

Nonetheless, they did eventually win me over, with the best song of the night being "Mr E's Beautiful Blues" thinly disguised as The Beatles' arrangement of "Twist & Shout"...

As ever at a live event, there had to be at least one idiot who annoyed me (I won't bore you with the details), in general though, a good night - I was standing four bodies back from the stage with a good view...

The band played for just over 90 minutes but, even at that, I don't think I'd fork out £22.50 to see them again - better to stay at home and listen to the records...

What a curmudgeon...

Late on, the moon as out...



Nice...

Highlight of the day : Seeing Eels live (despite the above)...

Cover finalisation...

Playlist
Dream Theater - Scenes from A Memory
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Splinterheart
Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Various - Top 200 Artists on Shuffleplay

Up early and working on a new idea for the cover - four "front covers" - one on the front (the flowers and sky), one on the back (the hearts), one on the booklet front (the skull) and one on the booklet back (the illustrative collage)...

At lunchtime to HMV and snapped up the final copy of Dream Theater's "Images and Words" for £2...

This evening, with Anne off out to see Hearts thrash Elgin City in the CIS Cup (Queens play tomorrow), I did more work on the sleeve - re-doing the crop re the flowers and sky to widen the front cover illustration, moving the songlist from the outside sleeve completely and in to the inside of the gatefold and amended the booklet slightly...

I think it might be ready...



















Labour intensive but hopefully it will be deemed a worthwhile package which does justice to the most important part of the whole thing, the music on the disc itself...

Have a listen on the player above...

Release date 31 August...

Highlight of the day : Cover finalisation...

Waiting on a name...

Playlist
Sumner McKane - Discography on Shuffleplay
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Splinterheart
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
Dream Theater - A change of Seasons
KD Lang - Recollection
Various - Top 200 Artists on Shuffleplay
Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory

Once again the madness at HMV was on the agenda as I found two Dream Theater albums of which, to date, I merely had burns from Dr Prog - on returning home, I discovered I could have picked up a third - one for tomorrow perhaps - also a 2CD set of KD Lang...

The three for £7...

Back home helped Annie in the kitchen, learning exactly how to make her tasty red Thai Chicken Curry...

We were both burning for "University Challenge" - I managed a whopping 18 correct answers with Annie not far behind...

Then, a re-think on the cover, approved by the Exec Producer on the grounds that she had never understood the previous cover...



And so it is amended from...



..to...





The website too was suitably amended...

Forgot to mention on yesterday's entry that I was going to go to Cowdenbeath for the match between said town's team and Queen of the South...

In the end I forewent, spending the money instead on the only two Sumner McKane CDs which eluded me...

I may have jinxed had I attended and, seeing as how the Exec Producer was depending on a Queens win for a six game correct result coupon, probably best that I stayed away - Queens won 3-1 - points on the board at last...

Also, congrats to webmeister Craig and lovely wife Amy who's daughter arrived on Saturday morning - an unnamed baby as yet...

Highlight of the day : Cooking with Annie...