Monday, December 31, 2012

3,000 down, how many to go...

Playlist
Simon & Garfunkel – Wednesday Morning 3am
Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends
Various – Sounds of the Seventies
Glenn Gould – A Consort of Musicke
Various – Natural Progression
Ben Webster – With the Mike Renzi Trio
Tatjana Kukoc – Electric Counterpoint
The Three Sounds – Live at the Lighthouse
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Riverleaves

Last day of 2012 and my 3,000th post of David Reilly’s Daily Drivel...
A month over...

 

Indeed, a year over...

 

Up late at 9:20...

Into town around 11 to have some of Anne’s mum’s pics secretly printed into reality for her – she accidentally left her camera with us on Boxing Day and, given she has no means to view her pics on a PC, I chose around 60 for her, carrying out any necessary tweaking or cropping to enhance them...

I noticed on Saturday night post performance that my left ankle was giving me some considerable gyp... 

Today, on leaving Boots with an hour’s wait before we could pick up the pics, the pain well and truly kicked in...

A hobble to nearby Fopp resulted in the completely pointless purchase of two second hand CDs, a disc featuring Steve Reich’s “Electric Counterpoint” and a very dodgy indeed live recording of saxophonist Ben Webster from 1959... To M&S for coffee and cake while we waited on our return for the pics...

 



Mission accomplished - pics looking good - nice white building at the back of Boots...

 

 More hobbling through Charlotte Square back to the car...

 

...where I found myself unable to work the clutch so Anne had to drive home and a visit to my mum was postponed till next year...

Those two last CDs from Fopp, plus finally getting round to burning albums by Marillion and John McLaughlin today, took my total for the year up to 430...

Top picks were finally decided upon..

Not content with my newly dodgy leg, both Anne and I are also now suffering from the return of the lurgi, having previously believed said lurgi to have left the building some days ago...

Nonetheless we soldiered on into the last evening of the year with Anne volunteering to drive again...

We made our way round to Castle Brodski for an evening of chat, drinks, lovely food and some comedy gaming with Alan, Penny and further guests, Lynn and Ross...

 





Just before 12 we went up to the roof for a clear view of the fireworks over the city at the Castle and Calton Hill...

 







Attempted a celebrational group shot, hampered by drink intake and non-balancing camera..

Group shot take 1...

 

 Group shot take 2...

 

 Group shot take 3...

 

Further drinks and laughs ensued, including "The Humming Game"...

 





...and Penny's vast collection of recorders, kazoos and Mister Men memorabilia...

 









...until we called it a night around 3am...

  

As we left, Brodski and Penny very kindly gifted me a programme from Queen of the South’s Ramsdens Cup win over The Rangers at Ibrox back in September, along with a copy of the short guide to Documenta 11 which, Brodders and I visited in Kassel back in 2002...

Excellent surprise...

Home via Lynn and Ross’s and to bed by 3:30...

Ankle and lurgi somewhat dimmed by drink but still present...

Adios 2012...

Highlight of the Day : Celebrating the end of the year...

Top 50 Albums of the Year 2012

Over the last 12 months, I have acquired 430 CDs....

Here are 50 of my favourites...

Rock & Pop
Disc of the Year
Paul Buchanan - Mid Air (2CD)


New Releases
Bidiniband - In the Rock Hall
Fehlfarben - Xenophonie
Paul Buchanan - Mid Air (2CD)
Rush - Clockwork Angels
Neal Morse - Momentum
The Killers - Battle Born
Marillion - Sounds That Can't Be Made
Muse - The 2nd Law
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don't Bend, Ascend!
Brian Eno - Lux


Recent Releases


And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs
Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (2CD)
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
Explosions in the Sky - Take Care Take Care Take Care


Reissues


Isaac Hayes - Black Moses (2CD)
Gentle Giant - In a Glass House
Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place
Family 5 - Wege zum Ruhm
Matthew Florianz - The Tone T(h)ree


Compilations


Edgar Froese - Solo 1974-1983 The Virgin Years (4CD)
Gentle Giant - I Lost My Head (4CD)
Cockney Rebel - Cavaliers : An Anthology 1973-1974 (4CD)


Live


Udo Lindenberg - Live aus dem Hotel Atlantic (2CD)
King Crimson - ProjeKct One Jazz Café London December 1-4 1997 (8CD)
Gentle Giant - Live in Stockholm '75


Collection


Various - Trojan Presents Dub (2CD)



Jazz
Disc of the Year


The Bad Plus - Made Possible


Contemporary Jazz
Portico Quartet - Portico Quartet
Terje Rypdal - Vossabrygg
The Bad Plus - Made Possible
John McLaughlin - Now Here This


Classic Jazz


Duke Ellington - Money Jungle
Oscar Peterson - Walking the Line
Gene Ammons - Jammin' in Hifi


Compilations


Soft Machine - Tales of Taliesin (2CD)
Miles Davis - Complete Miles Davis Quintet 1965-68 (6CD)
Miles Davis - Complete Columbia Recordings with John Coltrane (6CD) 


Live


Eric Dolphy - At the Five Spot Vol 1
John Coltrane - My Favourite Things Coltrane at Newport
Miles Davis - In Person at the Black Hawk Friday & Saturday (2CD)


Collection


Sharp Shades and Fingersnaps (2CD)



Classical
Disc of the Year


Cage - Complete Piano Music Vols 1-10 (18CD)


Single Composers
Gould - String Quartet, Op. 1
Rzewski - The People United Will Never Be Defeated
Cage - Complete Piano Music Vols 1-10 (18CD)


Single Artists*


LaSalle Quartet - Schoenberg - Berg - Webern String Quartets
Glenn Gould - Hindemith Piano Sonatas
Glenn Gould - A Consort of Musicke Bye William Byrde and Orlando Gibbons


Various Composers*


Four American Quartets - Glass/Herrmann/Antheil/Evans
Musik am Preussischen Hofe - CPE Bach/Friedrich II/ Eichner
Concertos for Four Violins - Torelli/Mossi/Valentini/Locatelli/Leo

*I realise I need to sort this out - the discs in the "Various Composers" category are each by a single artist, meaning they really ought to be in the "Single Artist" catagory - filing classical CDs is always difficult - any suggestions gratefully received...

Overall Disc of the Year


The Bad Plus - Made Possible





And of course an honourable mention goes to...


...after all, it would be unfair to vote for myself...

Also, out in 2013 at some point...


Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Small person with big hairy feet...

Playlist
Capital Models – The Dakota Scientist Covers Sets
Shelly Manne – Complete Live at the Black Hawk
Various – Natural Progression
Elbow – Dead in the Boot
Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express – Second Flight
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks

After playing live, the context of the rehearsal recordings, put into the correct order yesterday, was quite different this morning...

Anne was unwell, from lurgi onset rather than boogi-ing down to the sounds of the Capital Models Edgy Covers Band last night – so I was on my own for the planned visit to the cinema with nephew Olly for “The Hobbit”...

Here is the dynamic duo making its way across the wind and rainswept car park, post Rush and King Crimson soundtracking on our way to the venue...



Much better than the reviews I’ve read and the three hours fairly flew past...

Looking forward to parts two and three, as is Olly...

He much enjoyed it too and was full of questions in the car on the way back to his mum and dad’s...

Back home to a still ill Exec Producer who, despite this, still managed to cook some excellent lamb for tea...

The rest of the evening was spent in front of the telly watching nothing in particular and, later, listening to some recent acquisitions...

Highlight of the day : The Hobbit...

Saturday, December 29, 2012

The return of the capital models...

Playlist
Various – Albums of 2012
Capital Models – Covers Sets
It Bites – Map of the Past
Emmanuel Pahud – The Flute King
Troyka – Moxxy
Gorecki – The String Quartets
Adam Linson Systems Quartet – Figures and Grounds

First thing, creating the covers sets for tonight in the correct order from rehearsal recordings made previously via the desk...

Off into town to meet up with Dr Prog at the Music Library...


Found a couple of Matthew Bourne DVDs which I borrowed for Anne – along with Twyla Tharp’s “The Catherine Wheel”, in light of the Xmas Day acquired “How Music Works” by David Byrne...

On the CD front, the recently eulogised over by pundit Bob Lefsetz Stephen Stills debut from 1970 along with a four disc set of Shelly Man and his Men live at the Black Hawk in San Francisco in September 1959...

Also taken were the sophomore effort from new to me jazz trio, Troyka, a two disc set of Gorecki’s three string quartets (I already have one and two by the Kronos) – some weird electronic jazz improve by Adam Linson and chums and, finally, a two disc set of lovely flute concerti from the court of Frederick the Great at Sansoucci – which we visited just outside Berlin back in May...

A good haul...

We walked to Lovecrumbs on the West Port for coffee, cake and blether...





Phil showed me the excellent guide to classical music his brother gifted him at Xmas...


Nice...

With the Doc off for a swim, I made my way home to find the new It Bites album had been delivered, along with a recently purchased present for Anne’s upcoming birthday...

The afternoon was spent listening to It Bites and the borrowed discs before having one last quick rehearsal of some of the songs for tonight’s gig, the return of Capital Models our first performance under the old name since August 1980...

1980...


2012...


Ready to play three sets of covers, kicking off around 9 and finishing around midnight...

Wore the same outfit as our April appearance - 16 pounds lighter but still a long way to go...


As well as the usual crowd-pleasing suspects (Elvis, Johnny Cash, CCR, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond) we've been rehearsing stuff by the likes of Bryan Ferry / Bob Dylan / Neil Young / Simon & Garfunkel / Lou Reed / Soft Cell / David Bowie / The Velvet Underground / The Beatles / Roxy Music etc etc and we were hoping it would be a good party night to bid an early farewell to 2012... 

Out, car loaded and picked up Lynn and Ross on the way...

Good to see so many old chums in the audience as we set up...

The sound was made difficult by the settings we’d taken at the last rehearsal being made redundant by both Jamie and Keith turning up with completely different amps...

Nonetheless, just after nine, we were ready to go...

Stereophonic’s “Dakota” is always a good opener – fairly easy to play and calms the nerves...


The audience participation started on song two, “Bad Moon Rising”...

I was happy to get “The Ballad of John and Yoko” out of the way early on – simultaneous bass-ing and singing isn’t one of my strong points...


It boosted the confidence though and my second song at the mic, Bowie’s “Starman”, turned into a surprising sing-a-long anthem...

“Ring of Fire” had the whole audience singing too, before we took things a little left field with The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane”...

Sing-a-longa-Capital-Models returned to end the set with “Sweet Caroline” and “Blue Suede Shoes”...


A chance to mingle and chat – the general consensus seemed to be we were doing pretty well...

On into the second set and “That’s Entertainment” got the crowd going again, while the brilliant reaction to “Say Hello Wave Goodbye” took us completely by surprise...

We managed to get through “Virginia Plain” faultlessly and “Stuck in the Middle” started the dancing in front of us – it seemed only a matter of time before someone fell over into Keith’s drum kit...


The triple header of “Marie’s the Name”, “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “Let’s Stick Together” ended the set on a high...


Time was flying past...

More chat, drinks, laughs and it was back to the music for the third set, aiming to end at midnight...

“Scientist” was a bit ropey but the Quo’s “Caroline” got things back on track, then “Perfect Day” provided my third major singalong ballad of the night after “Starman” and “Say Hello”...


“Proud Mary” and “Brown Eyed Girl” filled the dance floor before a storming version of Dylan’s “Hard Rain” channelled of course via Bryan Ferry’s, for me, definitive version...


I got the chance to rock out a couple of more times in this set with “Rockin’ in the Free World” and a punky version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs Robinson” while the floor was full and the crowd was singing for “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Ruby” and “Daydream Believer”...


“The Locomotion” was a bit flat after that but we pulled it out of the bag with our final salvo of “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Jailhouse Rock” followed by a repeat of “All Shook Up” and it was all over...


Then the take down...




...and here are some the post take-down one o'clock stragglers...









Penny tried to recreate the atmos from earlier on...



Goodbyes were said and the car was loaded up and it was time to take Lynn and Ross home...

Back to Crispycat and to bed at two...

A good day...

Highlight of the Day : Performing...

Set One
Dakota
Bad Moon Rising
The Ballad of John and Yoko*
Dancing in the Dark
Tainted Love
Starman*
All Shook Up
Ring of Fire
Sweet Jane*
The Man Who Can’t Be Moved
Sweet Caroline
Blue Suede Shoes*

Set Two
Open Your Eyes
That’s Entertainment
Say Hello Wave Goodbye* 
Laid
Hand in My Pocket*
Heart of Gold
Candy
Virginia Plain*
Stuck in the Middle With You
Big Yellow Taxi*
(Marie’s the Name of) His Latest Flame
Cracklin’ Rosie
Let’s Stick Together*

Set Three
The Scientist
Caroline
Perfect Day*
Proud Mary
Brown Eyed Girl
A Hard Rains-a Gonna Fall*
Suspicious Minds
Folsom Prison Blues  
Rocking in the Free World*
Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town
Mrs Robinson*
Daydream Believer
The Locomotion*
Rhinestone Cowboy
Jailhouse Rock

Encore
All Shook Up (again)

Capital Models
Jamie Frain - Guitar, Vocals
David Reilly - Bass, *Vocals
Keith Apter - Drums