Ten years after and bucks fizz...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“First Declension” from “Ampersand” (2002)

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Live Set
Ten Years After – Ssssh...

Last day of February...



..and track of the day moves on to 2002 and the album “Ampersand” – of which the first track was a re-recording or rather re-working of my first ever recording, from 1977...

In the evening, a dinner at The Balmoral with chums Gary and Kris-with-a-K...



Your correspondent exited with two more bottles of champagne than with which he’d entered – all due to his knowledge of reasonably not well known blues type guitar led bands of the late 60s and early 70s – and Eurovision...

Back home to the Exec Producer and Meg the Black Cat...



Not too the worse for wear, neither bottle of effervescent alcohol having yet been partaken of..

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Knowing stuff others didn’t...

The truth about exercise...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Watch the River Flow Away pt 2” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)

Playlist
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band – The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw
White Denim – D
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa – Don’t Explain
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Live Set
Chicago - Chicago V

Nothing much to tell today...



Work on Pam’s stuff...

In the evening mostly telly...

A rather over the top documentary on Channel 5 re Apollo 13 was ok but could have been so much better had it left out all references to the 1990’s film and just stuck to the actual mission (with less dramatic music and a better voice over too)...

“Horizon” with Dr Michael Mosely was a revelation though....

80% of the UK population takes no regular exercise. The other 20% torture themselves at the gym or jogging the streets...

The programme showed that three twenty second bursts of high intensity exercise three times a week, coupled with as much “normal” movement during the rest of the time (basically walking about as much as possible instead of sitting down) was just as effective as hours spent toiling in the gym and that, sadly, many people have a genetic propensity for exercise of whatever kind having no effect whatsoever on their overall fitness...

Obviously eating less fat is a good thing – but the programme also showed that, 90 minutes walking the night before a full fry up breakfast led to one third of the fat content in your blood post the breakfast than if no walking had been done the night before...

UK readers can watch again on the I-Player here - available till 10:59PM Tue, 17 Apr 2012...

“Like many, Michael Mosley wants to get fitter and healthier but can't face hours on the treadmill or trips to the gym. Help may be at hand.  He uncovers the surprising new research which suggests many of us could benefit from just three minutes of high intensity exercise a week.  He discovers the hidden power of simple activities like walking and fidgeting, and finds out why some of us don't respond to exercise at all.  Using himself as a guinea pig, Michael uncovers the surprising new research about exercise, that has the power to make us all live longer and healthier lives.”

Ended the day with a set run through followed by some tasty jazz rock from the much maligned (for their later output), Chicago...

Highlight of the Day : Discovering the gym is not only expensive and boring as hell, it doesn’t actually do you any good...

Twenty nine and over...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Track of the Day
"The Blue Horizon" from "Doveloveshawk" (1999)

Playlist
King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black
Sonny Rollins - Sonny Boy
Strawbs - Grave New World
Bob Dylan - Street Legal

The papparazi were outside the house this morning to capture the Exec Producer driving off...



Blurry trees nearby were captured...



At lunchtime, bumped into the photo subject's Aunt Margaret in the hospice shop as I purchased a Bob Dylan CD for just 150 of your English new pence...

New listening rules introduced today...

1. Select shuffleplay on jukebox
2. Wait for first track to be selected at random
3. Note the album from which said track is taken
4. Select said album
5. Listen to said album

Resulted in Crimso, Rollins and Strawbs in my lugs...

In the evening, the Cathedral was captured...





Later, info re the gig on Saturday was issued to the mailing list - forgot to tell them about my Facebook Page...

Post a rehearsal, two episodes of "Coronation St" enjoyed with a returned-from-Zumba-and-Keep-Fit Exec Producer...

Ripped and listened to the new Dylan - quite good actually...

Lights out with Dylan in the cans...

Six months now since we had a day with virtually no downside - still struggling to come to terms with all that's happened...

Highlight of the Day : End of a project for the EP...

The tip of the iceberg...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Watch the River Flow Away pt 1” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Live Set
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Doveloveshawk
Boccherini – Complete Cello Sonatas
Paul McCartney – Back in the World
Bryan Ferry – Dylanesque
Deep Purple – 24 Carat Purple
Emerson Lake & Palmer – 1971/72
Bernstein – West Side Story
Chick Corea - Now He Sings Now He Sobs

Up at 6 and updated the Crispycat website – really must be more timely with this...

Encouraged by Jamie on Friday, the CBQ Facebook page is also now activated – it’s a musician/band page as opposed to a personal profile – so I can’t ask to be people’s friend – I have to wait till they “like” me...

Which could take a while...

Especially since I have no idea what to do with the page - except converse with Jamie...

As ever, Meg the Black (or should that be brown?) Cat organised proceedings...



A run through next week’s set then out to my mum’s for a sad task...

Sister Sheila had brought bags of stuff from Pam’s house after her recent visit there...

After a few hours of looking through Pam’s extensive photo collection, many of which I hope to scan and improve somehow – and sorting out and deciding on what should be done with the various possessions, Anne and I headed home with a suitcase full of “documentation” from Pam’s place...

We went through every piece of paper – the majority ended in a black bag...

But so many memories were brought back – sad thoughts of what must have been going through Pam’s head during her illness were at the forefront of my own mind as I read all the stuff which now is just so inconsequential...

The only upside was that Meg the Black Cat liked the case once it had been emptied of all the “stuff”...





Not much of an upside really...

So not as good a day as yesterday...

More of this to follow when Anne and I travel to England soon to finalise matters down there – I fear what we dealt with today is just the tip of the iceberg...

On another sad note, my dad’s CD collection has been languishing in my old room at my mum’s since he died eight and a half years ago...

So, today I “borrowed” box sets of Gilbert & Sullivan and some opera music (both of which I’d given him as presents not long before he passed away); a disc of “West Side Story”; number 2 of a limited edition of just 50 of the original CBQ & Peri Urban CD from 1996; the only copy of specially compiled 2CD CBQ collection I gave him in August 1999 (which he may or may not have listened to); and a tasty compilation of Emerson Lake & Palmer (I know he liked this) which I put together for him back in 1999...

Happy times - not really...

Anne is going to need rather a large skip when I pop my clogs...

Nodded off late on during "MAtch of the Day 2" while listening to a Sid Smith tip, Chick Corea...

Highlight of the Day : Looking through Pam’s old photos...

PS : When perusing what I was doing on this day over the past six years, I found that, six years ago today, Pam visited us and it turns out that some of the pics we were viewing in her collection this afternoon were from that very day...

This isn't perhaps the best photo ever of her but it does some up her fun-loving personality...



Sorely missed...

Vanderhof and starbright debuts...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“You Taught Me How to Love You” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Live Set
Haydn – Heiligmesse
Stories – About Us

Up just after five and spent almost the entire day mucking about trying to get a fifteen minute three song set together for Out of the Bedroom* tonight...

Finalised it late afternoon – while both Hearts and Queens were thumped in their respective leagues – Queens are bottom again...

Finally decided on the full length (or almost full length) versions of both “Vendome” and “Starlight Starbright” as opposed to the edited versions in the ten song live set I’ve already prepared for next week...

Stuff packed...



...and, with the moon and stars out...



...we picked up Lynn and headed into town...

Anne and Lynn were off out on a birthday girls’ night out celebration for Lynn’s sister Sheila...

Arrived in plenty of time...



...to get one of the eight open slots and played fourth on the night...

The sound was not great on the stage as the backing track I was using couldn’t be folded back into the monitors but I am advised by attendees that the sound front of house was fine and dandy – always a relief when playing with no soundcheck...

Just as I started, a lady who’d played earlier walked past the stage and didn’t seem to notice she’d knocked my lyric crib sheets off the music stand – luckily a helpful audience member (fellow performer Mr James Whyte) reinstated the words...



Mission accomplished and back next week with the same set up, this time for a full headline set of all ten songs from the upcoming album...



Here's my set from tonight - three of those very songs...

1. Vendôme
2. Vanderhof
3. Starlight Starbright

...two of which were debuts (all three were OOTB debuts), at what was my 60th appearance at OOTB (playing my 72nd, 73rd and 74th different song at the club)...

OK so I keep stats...

Listen/download here - CBQ Live Set 25 02 2012

Tonight’s main attraction comprised Norman Lamont & the aforementioned lyric sheet saving Big Jim Whyte and they were mighty impressive – swapping guitars, bass, banjos and mandolin between songs and both handling vocals...







Norman plays classic storytelling numbers with singalonga-bits in quite a few and it was good to hear Jim’s classic “I Found Love” for the first time in too long a time...

John and Ali from Impossible Songs were along...



..with Ali filming proceedings on her IPad...



...and John snapping me in front of a George Michael poster...



Kat MacKenzie was also there and advised she will shortly be adding some keyboards to some Ian Sclater recordings...

I left to go and pick up Anne and Lynn...



By the time the ladies were ready it was close to midnight on what had turned out to be rather a good night...

Highlight of the Day : Performing...

*Out of the Bedroom happens every week on Saturdays in the Montague Bar, on the corner of St Leonards and Montague Streets in Edinburgh.

Not getting that Adele...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Burning Cars” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)


Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Live Set
Adele – 19
Pet Shop Boys - The Most Incredible Thing

Lovely morning...







More CDs purchased today – albeit two for £1.98 from the hospice shop but, nonetheless, that means purchases everyday this week...

Very little listened to though as I’ve been trying to get to grips with the songs from the new CBQ LP...

Look at the mess being made due to the “tram” – a billion pounds to repace the Number 22 Bus...







Home via churches...





..and an ascending plane in the distance...



This evening, we listened to one of Pam’s two Adele CDs – dreadful croaky warbling – by liking this, it’s as if Pam had discarded all my recommendations over the years...

Best track was a cover of a Dylan song, “Make You Feel My Love” – which Bryan Ferry did much better on his “Dylanesque” album a couple of years back...

Best thing I could say about Adele’s version was that it was better than Dylan‘s – which, if you’ve heard it, you’ll know isn’t that much of an achievement...

Other than that, "New Girl" and "Law & Order : Criminal Intent" entertained...

And the postcards for the new album arrived...

Very nice...

Highlight of the Day : Shiny postcards...

The park of comedy...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Ten Twelve Seventeen” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Live Set

In the morning, work on the access route to the new estate where a college and some fine parkland once was...



In Fopp at lunchtime, the Pet Shop Boys’ ballet score “The Most Incredible Thing” was acquired..

No time to listen to it today though as we were off out to pick up old chum Mr Jamie Frain and then to The Stand...





...for a set by other old chum Mr Jim Park...

A very enjoyable night out, at which Jim was one of four comedians along with Roger Monkhouse, Eddy Brimson and Scott Gibson - five if you count the compere Stu Murphy...

Top stuff...

Jamie transported home...

To bed rather late...

Highlight of the Day : Comedy night out...

Zappa at the Brits...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Overload” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Souvenir Set
Charts and Maps - Dead Horses
Rheostatics – Static Journey
Haydn – The Creation
Boccherini – Complete Cello Sonatas
Schoenberg Berg Webern – String Quartets
Ed Sheerin – Lego Song (Brits)
Adele – Rollin’ In the Deep (Brits)
Roundabout – Yes Medley (YouTube)
Dweezil Zappa – Return of the Son of...

Some more work on the live set this morning, once again aided and abetted by Meg the Black Cat...



To the dentist and “discharged” re the ex-tooth hole with the chat being that it ought now to be left to heal itself...

Fair enough...

A couple of pics taken in Charlotte Square post dental let go...









Having checked my CD list, I returned to the St Columba’s Hospice shop today and purchased Haydn’s “The Creation”...

While waiting to pay, the two elderly lady volunteers were trying valiantly to find the disc for a potential DVD purchase – to no avail though and the sale was lost...

While they were searching through all the DVDs, I noticed a copy of Peter Greenaway’s “The Draughtsman’s Contract”, which Anne and I saw upon its release back in 1982 (after having seen some of Greenaway’s earlier, even more experimental work the year before)...

Said DVD now nestles nicely amongst the myriad attendees of a watch slot here at Crispycat Towers...

Sorted the Berlin trip by reverting to Easyjet out of Glasgow and adding another day to the trip...

Airfares now stand at double the original price plus an extra day’s accommodation – we await formal confirmation of Ryanair’s cancellation of the original flight with, hopefully, the offer of at least some of our money back...

Out this evening...





...for dinner this evening with chums Keith and Stewart at The Bonham as guests of a large Edinburgh based company– very tasty indeed...

A fund manager’s coincidental praise of Ryanair as a business rankled somewhat...

Little wonder the company is cash rich...

Home to find a rain sodden package handed in by neighbour Pietro who’d found it being blown around in the street apparently...

It contained the three awaited selections from Amazon, a 2CD live set by Dweezil Zappa, a 4CD box of Boccherini and another 4CD set, this time of string quartets by the New Viennese School (i.e. Schoenberg, Berg & Webern)...

Other music sampled this evening included the amazingly as-ordinary-as-someone-from-the-Out-of-the-Bedroom-songwriters-night-who’s-not-really-that-good-so-why-on-earth-is-he-so-popular Ed Sheerin and the looks-like-someone’s-mum-singing-at-a-wedding Adele from the Brits last night – along with a medley of the new Yes singer’s old Yes covers band...

Zappa blew them all out the water...

Imagine Dweezil Zappa at The Brits...

It’ll never happen...

Highlight of the Day : Sorting the Berlin trip...

Unreliable...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“This is the Time (This is the Place)” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)


Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Soundingfall Souvenir Set
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Splinterheart Souvenir Set
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Souvenir Set
Monteverdi – Il Combattimento
Charles Lloyd – Soundtrack
Bob Dylan – New Morning
Paul McCartney – Kisses on the Bottom
AC/DC – Let There Be Rock
AC/DC – High Voltage

Revisited live sets from the last two CBQ albums today – not bad - the new one lives up to them I think...

Strange dark skies this morning...





At lunchtime, a Monteverdi disc from the local hospice charity shop – no doubt I will not get beyond the one listen this evening...

No sign of two boxes still to come from Amazon...

Further annoyances include the non-arrival back in China (so they say) of the piece of pish they shipped to me in January...

And bloody Ryanair cancelling their route from Edinburgh to Berlin after we’ve booked our flights and accommodation...

We are determined still to go but are resigned to losses being made (cos it’s Ryanair and getting all your money back is unlikely to be an option – even though it’s their fault entirely)...

We will never use them again...

Chanced upon an interesting music blog by Bob Lefsetz which I must add to the links...

His praise for Dylan’s 1970 album “New Morning” led me to listen – no great shakes really...

Tasty chilli from the Exec Producer nourished...

A call out the blue from an old chum – we will meet up again shortly – last time we arranged something was just as Pam’s illness was diagnosed and the get together was cancelled...

Much has happened since then, most of it not that great really....

Whilst dealing with the Ryanair fiasco, I happened to be listening to Paul McCartney’s new album – he’s produced some rubbish in his time but this one must surely take the biscuit...

AC/DC cleansed the palate...

Lights out, ears bleeding...

Highlight of the Day : Revisiting past glories..

Stumbling across America...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Wide-Eyed Dead-Eyed” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)


Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XX
Glass Hammer - If
Glass Hammer – Cor Cordium
Charles Lloyd – Soundtrack
John Coltrane – Wheelin’ & Dealin’
James Blake – 2010 EPs
David Bowie – Concert For America 2001
Lana Del Rey – Born to Die

A visit to FOPP at lunchtime to pick up four Magazine albums for chum Spike...

Whilst there I partook of two tasty jazz titles at three squid each...



Back home, with Annie at keep fit I did some work...

Also acquired music by James Blake and Lana Del Rey on the recommendation of brother-in-law (and proud dad) Bobby...



Liking Lana but not so much Mr Blake...

Also a great cover by David Bowie of Simon & Garfunkel's "America" stumbled across on Youtube...

One man and a Casio keyboard...

Tasty...

Highlight of the Day : Charles Lloyd...

Return of the Trumpets of Satan very likely indeed...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Little Hope of Silence” from “Doveloveshawk” (1999)


Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Souvenir XX
Vanhal – Symphonies Vol 1
Grand Funk Railroad – Classic Masters
Yes – The Ultimate Yes
Udo Lindenberg – Daumen im Wind
Roy Wood – Mustard
Sumner McKane – Hunting for Salamanders
Glass Hammer - If
Glass Hammer – Cor Cordium

More work on the live set recordings this morning...

With Meg the Black Cat...



Tweaking, plus another run through...

To mum’s for lunch...

In good spirits all things considered – Sheila is still in England but coming home late tonight...

To Anne’s mum’s for tea...

Third curry in three days...



The Trumpets of Satan will no doubt be performing later on...

The kids played hide the lemons with their grannie...



...while Jane advised us of Spencer Tracy’s bath-tub incidents...

Back home to more music work and downloading two albums by Glass Hammer featuring the new "temporary" singer for Yes' tour of Australia......

Highlight of the Day : Tweaking...