Undercover...

Playlist
Neil Young - For the Turntables
The Beatles - 1967-1970
Eagles - Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
Bob Dylan - Masterpieces
Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Covers
Stratovarius - Elysium

July gone...



Slept late...

Started the search for suitable cover versions to play at Jamie's gig next Saturday...

My available learning/rehearsal time is restricted...

Drew up an initial shortlist which included Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell and Alanis Morissette...

This was pronounced too downbeat by the Exec Producer and so a more upbeat Eagles song was added...

As Anne bowed out of the project, more songs were added (which will probably be deemed too downbeat too LOL), a couple by Neil Young, another Dylan song and one by Coldplay..

Anyway, while Anne was out watching Hearts lose to Dundee Utd in their first home match of the season, I made a quick recording...



By way of mitigation for any horrors included here, these are virtually my first run throughs of these nine songs, recorded live with no second takes...

Thereafter, listened back while I brought the diary completely up to date...



Like a Hurricane (Neil Young)
Love Minus Zero - No Limit (Bob Dylan)
The Ballad of John & Yoko (The Beatles)
Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)
Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
Hand in My Pocket (Alnis Morissette)
Take It Easy (Eagles)
The Times They Are A-Changin' (Bob Dylan)
Rockin' in the Free World (Neil Young)

All sent to Jamie for an opinion...

In the evening, post a tasty chinese meal, some catch up on the Tivo with the opening episode of "The Hour" - why was anyone comparing this with "Mad Men"?  There's more to this it seems than just the creation of a news programe...

A Tivo'd episode of "Law & Order UK" was followed by tonight's episode then more music stuff till the end of the day...

Productive, sort of...

Highlight of the Day : Learning new songs...

Full speed ahead...

Playlist
Various - High Voltage 2011
Various – Zunior Downloads
Die Krupps – Volle Kraft Voraus
Laibach – Kunst der Fuge

Up at six and working on the diary to get it up to date, at least for last weekend...

By around 9:30, mission accomplished with Tuesday to now still to be sorted...

Meg was resting on one of her many perches...



Out in the garden, Annie’s new plants are doing fine...



And the “Splinterheart” flowers are re-blooming...



Annie’s chilli plants on the kitchen window sill are doing well too – note the coffee grounds in the background, to be used as compost...



Over to Loanhead for 11:15 to pick up mum then we drove through to Bearsden to visit chums Lex and Moira...

Soundtracked by Canadian music from here...

Good chat, drinks, a French style bread, cheese and pate lunch then Annie and I took the train into town...























I bought a couple of German CDs and Anne got some stuff she likes...



A tasty tea of pork and apple casserole with delicious potatoes and celery followed by this...



Lovely...

More chat till around 10pm then we had to call it a day...

We bade farewell to Lex and Moira, seen here in their colourful garden (though it’s a bit too dark to see)...



Mum was home just after 11 and we were home by half past...

Some Laibach then bed...

A good packed Saturday...

Highlight of the Day : A visit to Bearsden...

Sun, hat, on...

Playlist
Various – High Voltage 2011

In the morning, prepared a make shift version of what will be Dr Prog’s and my 2CD souvenir of our trip to High Voltage – featuring two tracks each from the bands we saw...

This soundtracked the lovely sunny day...











A few drinks tonight but nothing outlandish and Anne was enjoying the sun when I arrived home...



In the evening I finished off the downloading of High Voltage related tracks and finalised the 2CD set...

Also started uploading pictures to get this up to date...

Highlight of the day : High Voltage music...

Cards up...

Playlist
Telemann, Fasch, Fischer. Mueller – Lustige Feld-Music
Klaus Schulze – Cyborg
Amplifier – The Octopus

After yesterday’s night out, tonight was a night in, with mainly TV and listening to and downloading bands enjoyed last weekend with albums by Amplifier, Mostly Autumn, The Enid and Von Hertzen Brothers joining the collection on the hard drive...

Red Thai Chicken Curry for tea, for the first time accompanied by Thai Noodles – Mmm, mmm...

Enjoyed on telly were “Torchwood” (ok more put up with than enjoyed – the Americanisation has ruined it would seem) and the ever-excellent “Big Bang Theory”...

Before retiring, I put my cards from the National Gallery on display...



Highlight of the Day : Red Thai Chicken Curry

Night of the baldies...

Playlist

Pagan’s Mind – Heavenly Ecstasy

Various – From Disco to Zumba

Miles Davis – The Real Miles Davis

To Fopp at lunchtime but nothing tempted me...

Back home, Meg was resting in the garden...

In the evening, after a quick run through the set, Annie and I made our way to the Melville Bar where I played...

...as part of an entertaining bill of six, including a plethora of baldy men...

...and a blurry young lady...

An enjoyable eight song set, reasonably well attended including Gus and Jamie from Capital Models plus Gus’s wife Sandra, Annie of course and other chums Gary and partner Adam, Keith, Bernie and Paula with three of her chums...

Bernie stood right in front of me for most of the set, shouting "get your top off", while Keith and Anne enjoyed a few drinks...

I am to return in August and, next Saturday will guest with a set of (as yet to be learned) covers at Jamie’s night at the Kilted Pig...

A good night...

Highlight of the Day : Performing...

Strewn debris...

Playlist
Various – High Voltage 2010
Emerson Lake & Palmer – High Voltage 25/7/10
Klaus Schulze – Cyborg

Back to normal after the trip...

This evening some much required rehearsals for tomorrow night’s live set...

The debris from the trip continues to be strewn in the back room...



Some telly, then bed...

Highlight of the Day : Rehearsing

Vultures of that culture 2...

Playlist
Yes – Fly from Here
Johnny Cash – The Real Johnny Cash
Various – High Voltage 2010

Unlike our trip last year, the weather held out to the fourth day...



Breakfasted, packed and checked out then along to the DLR, Oyster Cards again having been topped up...



We headed into town...



...like a pair of weirdy prog-loving robots...



We alighted at the Tower of London...



..and took a further train to Embankment, today walking straight up to Trafalger Square...



...past Charing Cross...



..and St Martin in the Fields...



..back to the National Gallery...



Took a look today at more recent, or relatively recent, works than on Friday's visit...







Dr Prog enjoyed the impressionists...



..and I enjoyed things I like...

















I found the Progmeister in the Van Gogh room...





...contemplating stealing one of the four "Sunflowers" paintings...





We left without breaking the law (apart from taking a few illicit and not very good pictures)...



Out into the square...



...and back to the church...



...for an impressive lunchtime piano recital featuring works by Messrs Schumann and Beethoven...



Then the start of the trip home - a tube from Leicester Square to Liverpool St...



..and on to the bus...



While we waited for it to set off, I enjoyed a couple of sandwiches - the driver then boarded and, as we pulled away, Dr Prog prepared to take the first bite of his lunch when the driver turned round to him and said "no eating on the bus"...

LOL...

He had to wait till we were through security at the airport...

Thereafter, a beer was enjoyed as we waited to be called...



As everyone (including Dr Prog) stood in a long queue to board, I sat enjoying the views...



..before very rudely jumping in next to the Doc once the queue started moving...

I am a bad man...

The flight passed quickly...







..and we were soon back in Edinburgh...



We texted each other on the bus...



Idiots...

Annie picked us up and we took the Doc home, bidding him a fond farewell...

Home at last to my own bed...



An excellent weekend - will we do it again next year?

Highlight of the Day : Art and music...