Tuesday, July 31, 2012

New CBQ Album Out Now - Starlightnight - in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support

OK so I'm never going to run a marathon...

So I was thinking, what can I do for charity?

Well, I do create music...

And so, the initial run of this CBQ album is only available by donating to Macmillan Cancer Support via the dedicated Just Giving page here - https://www.justgiving.com/cbq-starlightnight

No money comes to me for the album, I cover all production, postage and packaging costs myself...

That - and spending nearly two years writing and recording - is my contribution – it’s a little bit like running a marathon...

You can stream "Starlightnight"on the player below to decide if you want to donate and get your very own copy of the album...

It starts very quietly...



As long time readers of this blog will know, my sister Pam was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2010 and went through some terrible times over the next year...

But we had some good times too over that dreadful period and it’s those that I'll cherish...

Pam died in December 2011, when I was halfway through the writing and recording of this album. She never heard any of it...

She probably wouldn't have been too impressed...

When I played her my previous album, "Splinterheart" (as usual without telling her what it was), the conversation went something like this:

Pam : “Is that your new album?”

Me, proudly : “Yes”

Pam : “Can you put something a bit more uplifting on please?”

So, anyway, in Pam's memory, I've decided to use the initial run of "Starlightnight" to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support...

You'll get a different package of the album depending on what you donate but what you receive for your donation is completely self funded, so, the more you donate, the more I give too...

For donations up to £9.99, I'll send you the link to download the album in MP3 format - just the files at 128kbps though, no artwork I'm afraid...

In fact, everyone who donates will get this - for the physical album, the minimum donation is ten of your English pounds (or the equivalent in your own currency) - the MP3s will tide you over till your parcel arrives...

AVAILABLE FORMATS

For donations from £10 to £19.99, you will receive the 16 song "Starlightnight" CD in a handmade gatefold sleeve...



Tracklist : The Actor Takes the Stage; Everything Will Be Alright Pt 1; Starlight Lake; Twenty Five Things; Kindling; On the Eve; Knowing This Day Would Come Did Not Prepare Me for Its Coming; Vendôme; The Ship That Sailed Pt 1; All Is Fine; Vanderhof; If I Fall; Starlight Starbright; Everything Will Be Alright Pt 2; The Actor Leaves the Stage; The Ship That Sailed Pt 2

...plus a sampler of all ten albums in the Limited Edition Box Set - including the exclusive "Missing Astronaut" remix of the opening track of the new album...



Tracklist : The Actor Takes the Stage (Missing Astronaut Mix); Human; Here in Seconds; I Believed You Said We Dreamt; Kindling; Blend; Essence pt 1; Freckles; The End of Everything; Now Let's All Have a Great Big Party

For donations of £20 to £29.99, you will receive "Starlightnight" and the sampler, together with four further albums...

"Remake", a remix and covers disc...



Tracklist : Human; All is Fine (Remix); Lights Out (Remix); Kindling (Remix); The Angels' Kiss (Remix); Need You Now; Everything Will Will Be Alright (Remix)

"Events", a collection of CBQ soundscapes from 1996-2005...



Tracklist : 29 V 96 III; Event Two; Event Three; Here in Seconds; Something Close to Love; The Greatest Good; 4 VI 97 I; 26 VIII 98 I; Making a Picture; Beethoven; Rosenquist; Kuniko; Event One (Remix); Certain; Pastoral; Sospiri II

"Apples", a collection of CBQ songs from1997 to 2010...



Tracklist : You Haunt Me Pt 2; Thinking of Me; Going Down; Ten Twelve Seventeen; Burning Cars; This is the Time; The Phreaks Are Inside; Stranded; Blue Ice; Everything You’ve Ever Wanted; Skylines Full of Cranes; I Re-Arranged the House; Love and War; Keep Living; The Gardener; The Angels Took His Soul; Rabbits on the Verge; The Unfortunate; Tomorrow or the Day After Next; My House Could Be Your Home; I Believed You Said We Dreamt; The Foundling; I Walk to the Beat of a Cold Broken Heart; The Apple of Your Eye Pt 1

...and "Starlightlive", the alternative live performance version of “Starlightnight” along with an exclusive "recorded for live" 15 minute medley of three songs from"Starlightnight"...



Tracklist : Knowing This Day Would Come Did Not Prepare Me For Its Coming; Everything Will Be Alright pt 1; Starlight Lake; Twenty Five Things; Vendôme; Kindling; All is Fine; Vanderhof; If I Fall; Starlight Starbright; Everything Will Be Alright pt 2; The Ship That Sailed pt 1 (edit); Medley : Vendôme/Vanderhof/Starlight Starbright



For donations of £30 to £39.99, you will receive "Starlightnight" plus a 10CD Box Set containing the sampler, the four albums above, plus a further five albums...



"Canon", a live acoustic anthology of songs from all nine CBQ albums...



Tracklist : Thinking of Me; Blend; All Is Fine; We Drove; Lovedrunk; Splinterheart; Never or Now; You Taught Me How to Love You; Starting to Worry; A Nice Job in a Small Town; This Is All There Is pt 1; Very Small; Skylines Full of Cranes; The Crocodile Song; If I Fall; The End of Everything; Twenty Twenty Vision; I Re-Arranged the House

"Patience", a collection of pre CBQ soundscapes from 1977-1995 (including remixes)...



Tracklist : DDHR - The Drone Effect (2011 Remix); DDHR - Landscapes (2012 Remix); DDHR - Munchen Musik II (2011 Remix); DDHR - A Summer Rain (2011 Remix); Sombre Reptiles - L’enfant terrible (Edit); Sombre Reptiles - Terra Nostra Prologue; Sombre Reptiles - Poppies Pt 2; The Heavenly Music Corporation - The Corporation (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Post Meridian (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Heavenview I (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Like Patience on a Monument... (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Like a Sunday; The Heavenly Music Corporation - The Cathedral and the Concert Hall (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Churchyard Garden Brook (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Small Objects in the Distance (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Large Objects in the Foreground; The Heavenly Music Corporation - Carcrash (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Essence pt 1; The Heavenly Music Corporation - The Third Moveable Sky (Edit); The Heavenly Music Corporation - Starcrossfix pt 4

"Luxury", a collection of pre CBQ songs from 1978-1996 (including re-recordings)...



Tracklist : Cloudland Blue Quartet - I Thought You’d Stay (2005 Re-Recording); Sombre Reptiles - At the Oceans’s Edge (1993 Re-Recording); Sombre Reptiles - Freedom without Borders (1993 Re-Recording); Sombre Reptiles - Out on the Bridge; Cloudland Blue Quartet - World of Fire (2003 Re-Recording); Cloudland Blue Quartet - Funny Funny (2003 Re-Recording); Sombre Reptiles - Lap of Luxury; Sombre Reptiles - Black and Blue; Cloudland Blue Quartet - The Price You Pay (2005 Re-Recording); Cloudland Blue Quartet - Regret (2003 Re-Recording); Sombre Reptiles - Life and Soul; Cloudland Blue Quartet - The Western Edge (2003 Re-Recording); Sombre Reptiles - The Biggest Fall; Cloudland Blue Quartet - Baby Please (2005 Re-Recording); Sombre Reptiles - Forgive and Forget; Sombre Reptiles - Freckles; Cloudland Blue Quartet - The Dream Has Gone (2005 Re-Recording); Sombre Reptiles - Burden of Proof; Sombre Reptiles - Never Walk Away; Sombre Reptiles - A Child’s Bible (1996 Demo)

"Walkout", a proposed but never played CBQ acoustic live set of originals and covers from September 2011...



Tracklist : The Apple of Your Eye pt 2; Lights Out; Human; The Angels’ Kiss; Thinking of Me; Blend; The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face; Twenty Twenty Vision; The End of Everything; February; The Crocodile Song

...and "Nightlightstar", which contains of each of the 16 songs from “Starlightnight” in their early demo formats...



Tracklist : Now Let’s All Have a Great Big Party; Too Good To Be True pt 1; Tabor Lake; McBride; Kindling; Swing Jazzy; Erster Verlust; Vendôme; Lohengrin pt 1; All Is Fine; Van der Hoof; If I Fall; Starlight; Too Good To Be True pt 2; Now We Can Live Together For All Time; Lohengrin pt 2



And, finally, for donations of £40 and over, you will receive "Starlightnight", the 10CD Box Set...



...and a very limited edition CBQ Coffee Mug...



Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails...

Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity...

So please dig deep and donate now...

Thanks...

http://www.crispycat.co.uk/

It's all good....

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Starlightnight

And July is off into the rear view mirror...


Meg the Black Cat was frisky this morning...



And the skies were blue and the day was sunny...





..and tomorrow the new album goes out into the world to raise money for charity...

It's all good....

Highlight of the Day : Great skies...

Monday, July 30, 2012

Team CBQ...

Playlist
Various - Last 15 Months on Shuffleplay
Haydn - Symphony 27
Gene Ammons -Funky
Brian Eno - Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Asia - The Very Best of
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Starlightnight Box
Beethoven - Late Quartets
Yes - And You And I / Roundabout (Single)
Jack Bruce - Songs for a Tailor

Up early and to work on updating this for the last week...

Then work on switching round speakers in the living room, back room and computer room...

After lunch, working in earnest re the release of the new album...

Websites being prepared and final listenings taking place...





In the evening, the Swedish version of "Wallender" - very strange but quite enjoyable...

Meanwhile, can anyone explain why the entire BBC seems to have been taken over by the Olympics?

And why has Great Britain suddenly become "Team GB"?

Highlight of the Day : New set ups, new websites...

Sunday, July 29, 2012

One last look around the house before we leave...

Playlist
Various - Milano Jukebox 1999-2003
Various - P5 Into the lens
Starcastle - Starcastle
Various - Last 15 Months on Shuffleplay

Paul returned at 10 this morning, after Anne and I had dismantled the bed and taken it downstairs for his arrival...

Paul and I took it to the van and that was it...

All over...

One last look around the house before we leave...



 

The wee cat was there once again to say goodbye as we set off around 9:30...



To Hemel to hand in the keys then away...

Breakfast on the M1...



Lunch on the outskirts of Lancaster...





Home via Armadale to pick up Meg...

In the house at 5:15...



An evening of organising, catching up and reflection...

The end of an era and a very sad day...

Highlight of the Day : Home...

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Thighbone in a box pt 2...

Playlist
Various - Milano Jukebox 1998-1999
Various - P5 Into the Lens
Starcastle -Starcastle
Grinderman - Grinderman

Up early...

Still much to do...




This tiny bird entertained...



As did the wee black and white cat from the end of the road...



I met his owner - she had known Pam - I told her the cat had been there when we left Acorn Road for the last time back in September last year...



All very sad...

Around 10, kind of brother in law Paul and his two girls Danielle and Sharney came round with their big van to help further clear the huts and take stuff to the dump...





...while Anne finished off the back lawn with the help of a further expension supplied by Paul...



The work over, it was back to St Albans again for some wandering around...





...and lunch...



...at the Bakehouse...



It was Market Day...





The stall at which I purchased the Glenn Gould string quartet disc back in March was there but nothing enticed...

Instead, the latest edition of BBC Music magazine was purchased...

Back to the cathedral...



It contains St Alban's thighbone don't you know...



Gotta have a relic if you wanna draw the crowds - as they said in medieval times...

Ice cream enjoyed...



...and this lady peering from a dance and music building attracted...



On our way back home to a now almost completely empty house, we decided to partake of a beer...



...and watch the cricket at Leverstock Green...





Leaving Anne to do some final gardening, I went into Hemel - vibrant yet depressing somehow...



Discs by Starcastle and Grinderman picked up in charity shops (erm, I already have the Grinderman disc and don't particularly like it - idiot!)...

Back at the house, I would have killed for a seat...

Relaxing to Starcastle nonetheless...



Later, a visit from Pam's chum (and sister of Michelle), Suzanne with husband Chris and their lovely daughters Megan...



...and Olivia...



Pam was determined to see the girls grow up...



Alas, it wasn't to be..

But I hope they won't forget their Auntie Pam...

A lovely sunny evening saw us over in Hemel old town...







...to Saffron for a very tasty Indian meal...



Then, a walk around the Gadebridge Park...



..and a drive over to Berkhamstead in the rising moonlight...



..and we drove out to the Bridgewater Monument...



...spotting some (unpictured) deer on our way...



Home and to bed - the final piece of furniture in the house, having decided to leave tomorrow rather than Monday...

Highlight of the Day : Saffron...