Twenty sixteen good and gone....

Playlist

Fehlfarben - Über... Menschen

Udo Lindenberg - Stärker Als Die Zeit

King Crimson - Radical Action To Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind

Various - Sound Of The 70s : Glam Rock

Edward Spark - 1.9.7.FOUR

Well now, that's 2016 over - here's a pic a day for the last 12 months...

Today, still stuck in the house for what must surely be the most boring festive period ever....

A visit from Mr Squirrel...

And some TV watched, I think...

In the evening, I was not well enough to head to brother-in-law Keith's for Hogmanay so Anne went by with her mum for a couple of hours...

I listened to my album of the year...

...and cooked some pasta...

...which was nowhere near as good as the EP's...

...and watched "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" on DVD - very good...

Anne returned around 10:30, post both the film ending and me having started a Top 20 LPs year end podcast, which was put on hold...

We cracked open a wee celebratory bottle of Beaujolais and watched a 10 year old episode of "Still Game" which was, frankly, the best BBC Scotland and STV had to offer this evening...

Prior to the Bells, Jools Holland's pre-recorded "Hootenanny" took over - great to see Roy Wood performing - Christine & the Queens also good...

Chaka Khan was wearing what looked like a one-piece incontinence suit ((c) Lynn Flanagan)...

Entertaining...

To bed around 2:30...

Highlight of the Day : End of 2016...

Top 20 Albums of 2016

Mr CBQ let's the music do the talking with a 90 minute or so run down of his purely subjective and personal Top 20 New Releases of 2016...

Obviously, he can't have heard everything that was sent out into the world last year, so your own faves may well not feature...

Hopefully, you'll find something here of interest and, who knows, you might even want to investigate further the music of Anderson/Stolt, The Bad Plus. Jherek Bischoff, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Matthew Florianz, Max Jury, Kansas, Thomas Köner, Levin Minnemann Rudess, Udo Lindenberg, Loscil, Marillion, The Neal Morse Band, Pet Shop Boys, Tilman Robinson, Ulrich Schnauss, 65daysofstatic, Herman Van Veen or Yello...

A very Happy 2017 to all Listeners!

Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection 2016 Vol 52

  

Highlights of 2016, 2 acquisitions from each month, in an extra long programme

Featured LPs:-

Anderson/Stolt - Invention Of Knowledge

Bosso - Works

Chris Walla - Tape Loops

David Bowie - Blackstar

Fehlfarben - Über... Menschen

Gregson - Lights in the Sky

Herbie Mann - Stone Flute

Igor Levit - Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski

Johnson - November

Kansas - The Prelude Implicit

King Crimson - Radical Action To Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind

Klaus Schulze & Pete Namlook - Dark Side of the Moog Vols 1-4

Lachenmann - Piano Music

Maxwell Davies - Symphony No.1; Points and Dances from "Taverner"

Neal Morse Band - The Similitude of a Dream

Overhead, The Albatross - Learning To Growl

Paul McCartney - Pure McCartney

Rihm - Musik für drei Streicher

Tangerine Dream - Live in Poland, 2016

The Bad Plus - It's Hard

Tiles - Pretending 2 Run

Udo Lindenberg - Stärker Als Die Zeit

Ulrich Schnauss - No Further Ahead Than Today

Various Composers - Der Erste Bank Kompositionsauftrag 2002-2007

Visitors...

Playlist

Tangerine Dream - Tangerine Dream 70-80

Jorn - Heavy Rock Radio

The Dead Daisies - Make Some Noise

Haken - Affinity

Marillion - F. E. A. R.

The Bad Plus - It's Hard

Riverside - Eye of the Soundscape

Phish - Big Boat

Evergrey - The Storm Within

Dead Letter Circus - Aesthesis

Edward Spark - 1.9.7.FOUR

Herman Brood and his Wild Romance - Go Nutz

Herman Van Veen - Fallen oder Springen

Various - Les Femmes De La Chanson Francaise

Neal Morse Band - The Similitude of a Dream

Barclay James Harvest - Octoberon

Barclay James Harvest - Barclay James Harvest

Barclay James Harvest - Once Again

Barclay James Harvest - Baby James Harvest

Nick Buzz - A Quiet Evening At Home

Fehlfarben - Über... Menschen

Udo Lindenberg - Stärker Als Die Zeit

Disappointingly still ill this morning...

Buoyed though by visitors...

Firstly, Tiger the Cat...

He needs to learn that he's not going to catch any birds by sitting under the feeding station in plain sight...

Then, for a light lunch and in the afternoon, Creek chum and jingle maestro of 2016, Stu Cobley...

Good chat, some music listening and even a couple of strums on the guitars, whilst I coughed up my innards...

In the evening, Anne was off to see Hearts being outplayed and losing to Aberdeen 1-0, while I enjoyed "Captain America : Winter Soldier"...

To bed, coughing...

Highlight of the Day : Visitors...

There is weather and there is being under it...

Playlist

Barclay James Harvest - Live

Barclay James Harvest - Everyone Is Everybody Else

Klaus Schulze - Mirage

Yes - Fly From Here (Alt Version)

Yes - Heaven & Earth

Camilla Fuchs - Singing From Fixed Rung

Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic

Stefano Bollani - Joy In Spite Of Everything

Tangerine Dream - 1970-1980 Box Set

The view from the office this morning...

Still, disappointingly, under the weather...

As a consequence, nothing of any import done...

Which is kind of par for the course anyway...

Over the piece, some TV watched, including one of my mum's faves, "Midsomer Murders" and the nonsense that is "Timeless" - and the last two Yes LPs were also deemed, no bad...

Late on "Kevin Bridges" very much entertained...

Lights out, with coughing...

Highlight of the Day : Kevin Bridges....

Mood can change perception...

Playlist

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans

King Crimson - Thrak

Various - Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection 2016 Vol 52

Looked back through this at past Decembers and noted this is the first lurgi-centric Xmas since 2009 - although that was the last of an unprecedented 5 year run of Xmas under the weatherness...

Not enjoying the situation...

Listened to "Tales" on the newly mixed CD this morning, then, later, on my old LP...

I came to the conclusion, probably cos I'm so under the weather, that it wasn't as good as I'd always thought...

It probably is though - I just wasn't in the right frame of mind...

Anne took a trip to Tynecastle to get a picture of the newly revealed old stand, just prior to its oncoming demolition/upgrade...

The last podcast of the year which went live at the end of the day...

Elsewhere, time was passed today with two stories from "Maigret" starring Rowan Atkinson, who made rather a good job of it all told...

The disappointing-health-wise Xmas holiday drags on - hopefully I'll be a bit better tomorrow...

Highlight of the Day : Podcasting...

Getting there...

Playlist

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans

King Crimson - Thrak

King Crimson - Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind

Rheostatics - Green Sprouts Music Week

Nick Buzz - A Quiet Evening At Home

Overhead, The Albatross - Learning To Growl

Tangerine Dream - Live in Poland, 2016

Neal Morse Band - The Similitude of a Dream

King Crimson - Radical Action To Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind

David Bowie - Blackstar

Chris Walla - Tape Loops

Rihm - Musik für drei Streicher

Gregson - Lights in the Sky

Fehlfarben - Über... Menschen

Beethoven - Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski

Lachenmann - Piano Music

Tiles - Pretending 2 Run

Udo Lindenberg - Stärker Als Die Zeit

Klaus Schulze & Pete Namlook - Dark Side of the Moog Vols 1-4

Johnson - November

Paul McCartney - Pure McCartney

Herbie Mann - Stone Flute

Up far too early due to inability to sleep...

But soon returned to bed...

Later in the morning, "Spectre" enjoyed on DVD...

Back to bed again in the afternoon...

In the evening, feeling just slightly better, up and watched an old "Dr Who" while Anne went to Tynecastle to watch Hearts thrash Kilmarnock 4-0...

Compiled the final podcast of the year - one physical and one digital album from each month...

Here, the beast is about its business at the computer...

Recorded some very croaky chat...

Probably foolishly, stayed up for "Holby" - however it's always tempting to stay up as late as possible in the knowledge that I face a restless and annoying night accompanied by the lurgi...

Highlight of the Day : Spectre...

Boxing...

Playlist

Tangerine Dream - Quantum Key

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans

King Crimson - Thrak

King Crimson - Elements 2016 Tour Box

King Crimson - Radical Action To Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind

A little bit wintry first thing...

Still under the weather...

Breakfast at home again...

Prepping to go out, post a return to bed re required recharging due to ongoing lurgi attention...

Anne was wearing presents from Xmas 2014...

...2015...

...and 2016...

Of course, Yes and King Crimson CDs cannot be worn - however, I did don a pair of socks received yesterday...

Just before setting off, a couple of Rheostatics based downloads partaken of re the annual Boxing Day sale on Canada's Zunior Records...

A full house at Jane and Bobby's...

Where both Kitty...

...and Olly...

...gave me tours of their Xmas goodies...

I was rather under the weather but determined to participate as best I could...

When nephew Craig arrived, he first had to write up a report before partaking of the festivities...

Kitty likes make up...

...and has a new phone...

Sculpted butter was on the table...

Superb fayre as ever from Jane and Bob...

Craig pretended he was cutting down...

Nice puddings too...

Once the whiskey came out, I started to wilt (without partaking - not being a whiskey man)

Some music was played...

...but, as the quiz started, I retired from the table for some rest and shut eye - totally washed out...

It seems, this Xmas, the lurgi have been victorious...

Home around nine after a good day but utterly whacked...

Highlight of the day : Family Xmas...