Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Welcome to Crispycat Recordings....

WELCOME TO CRISPYCAT RECORDINGS

Now over 1.9m visitors...

We issue the solo and collaborative work of musician, abstract artist and podcaster 
DAVID REILLY aka CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET (CBQ)
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This section is the
Cloudland Blue Diary
Now, over twenty-one years of daily entries
from
Sunday 5 March 2005
to
Monday 20 April 2026
 (Please scroll down for the latest posts)
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SITE DIRECTORY

To go to another section of the site, click on an icon below

ABOUT    MUSIC    PODCASTS    ART    RECOMENDED LISTENING
                    
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LATEST NEWS

New Album from CBQ

 On Record Store Day (18 April), "GLAM! FOUR", the fourth collection of, mostly, 1970s covers from CBQ, was released



It follows on from these three Record Store Day releases from 2023, 2024 and 2025...


Thirty Years of CBQ

In June, the 30th anniversary of the first CBQ recordings will be celebrated with a new song-based compilation entitled "Drift (Slow Songs 1996-2026: 30 Years of Cloudland Blue Quartet)"


Latest Podcast

The latest edition of David's weekly podcast, "Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection", was published on Mixcloud on 19 April.  The last 10, of over 750 podcasts, are currently still available for listening (see below).

2026 Volume 16 features tracks from these recordings...


Capital Models Temporary Quartet

Capital Models are currently in a series of rehearsals with guitarist Martin McQueen, who will dep for John Barclay at Capital Models next quartet gig, in June

New Collaborations

David has commenced work on new collaborational projects with both Edward Spark and Matthew Nowik (formerly Blue Sun Chasing).  No prospective release dates are yet known

New Crazy Wisdom

Following the reactivation of Crazy Wisdom in 2024 and the release of several EPs and the back catalogue last year, Crazy Wisdom are planning new music for 2026 and the start of this project is imminent


Creek Reissues

The re-issuing on Bandcamp of Creek's long-deleted back catalogue is set to recommence in the Summer of 2026

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CRISPYCAT RECORDINGS ON BANDCAMP

To go to the Bandcamp discographies of these Crispycat related artists, click on an icon.

                    

Crispycat Recordings released the first 25 Cloudland Blue Quartet albums (recorded between 1996 and 2012) to Bandcamp in 2013.

A further 8 LPs were released between 2013 and 2019.

Then, with the advent of lockdown, David spent much more time on new Cloudland Blue Quartet works, with the result that, since May 2020, new music has been released almost every month, with almost 100 further new releases having been issued in the last five years.

The current 9 strong pipeline (see below) will take matters to the end of 2026, beyond the 30th anniversary of Cloudland Blue Quartet's debut recordings, pushing the total CBQ releases available on Bandcamp to 140.

Meanwhile, retrospective releases by David's groups Creek, Crazy Wisdom and Capital Models have also been being issued by Crispycat Recordings and these are set to continue, with around 50 planned over the next 18 months or so...

In 2025, Crazy Wisdom and Capital Models also released new recordings, with seven new EPs from Crazy Wisdom and their remastered back catalogue, which you can find here; and, from Capital Models, two new studio LPs, a live LP and an update to their all encompassing "Repertoire" virtual box set, all of which, along with original recordings from 1980 and reunion tapes from 2011, can be found here...
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LATEST CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET RELEASE



As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release is entirely Free to Stream or Name Your Price (including zero)

Recorded over 14 days from February to June 2023 and one additional day in October 2024, as demos for his band Capital Models re songs they might cover or, in a few cases, already do, CBQ has compiled another 36 performances for this Record Store Day release.

Most have never been heard before, while a few have been featured on his weekly Eclectic Selection podcasts on Mixcloud.

Every vocal is a 1st take - indeed, as with 2023's "GLAM!", 2024's "GLAM! #2" and 2025's "GLAM! III", David had never sung many of these songs prior to these renditions.

So, you may spot vocal fluffs & errors from the very off (e.g. the shouts of "Fuck!" in the opening track or "Strawberry Fields", the initial botch up on "Young Americans" or the missed cue in "Ma Ma Ma Belle"), but is he really desecrating the catalogues of Brian Eno (5), David Bowie (4), The Beatles (3), The Velvet Underground (2), Uriah Heep (2), Bay City Rollers (1), Roxy Music (1), The Electric Light Orchestra (1), Glen Campbell (1), Pink Floyd (1), Kiss (1), Carly Simon (1), Elvis Presley (1), The Rolling Stones (1), Golden Earring (1), Led Zeppelin (1), The Who (1), Deep Purple (1), Suzi Quatro (1), Soft Cell (1), T Rex (1), Rod Stewart (1), Sparks (1), Bob Dylan (1) or Frank Sinatra (1)?

You are the judge!
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CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET RELEASE SCHEDULE


  

Friday, 1 May, 2026: Cobalt (42nd in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded August 2025)
Friday, 5 June, 2026: Dark (43rd in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded August 2025)
Wednesday, 10 June, 2026: Drift (Slow Songs 1996-2026 30 Years of Cloudland Blue Quartet) (19th in The Collections Series) (to be compiled May 2026)
Revised Release Date! Friday, 3 July, 2026Music for Guitar and String Quartet in 18 Movements (46th in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded November 2025)

   

Revised Release Date! Friday, 7 August, 2026: Across the Landscape (44th in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded October 2025)
Revised Release Date! Friday, 4 September, 2026: Broken (19th in The Songs Series) (Recorded November 2025)
Revised Release Date! Friday, 2 October, 2026: Elevation (45th in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded November 2025)
Friday, 6 November, 2026Swan Songs (6th in the GLAM! Covers Series) (Recorded December 2025)

 

Friday, 5 December, 2026: Disquietmusik X (10th in The Disquietmusik Frippertronics Guitar Series) (to be recorded November 2026)

(All artwork, releases and release dates subject to change)
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UPCOMING LIVE PERFORMANCES

            

Next Appearance: Capital Models at The Hop Run at Stewart Brewing, Loanhead
Saturday 6 June 2026 2pm - 5pm

Performances include solo appearances, as Cloudland Blue Quartet, presenting sets of either songs or soundscapes, and group performances, with the current line up of David's 1980 new wave band, Capital Models 

At present there are no plans for his electronic improvisational quartet, Creek, to play live and nothing in the calendar for Cloudland Blue Quartet or Capital Models but a gig by vocal/electronic trio, Crazy Wisdom, is mooted in 2026...
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PODCASTS

Since 2014, David has produced over 750 editions of the "Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection", his weekly podcast on Mixcloud, reflecting his esoteric taste in music and encouraging listeners to broaden their musical horizons.  

Unfortunately, with only the most recent 10 able to be made available on the Mixcloud platform, each new podcast replaces the one from 10 weeks before.  

To obtain an MP3 download link for any currently unavailable Cloudland Blue Quartet Eclectic Selection, simply e-mail your request to crispycat@hotmail.com.  

Click on the pic to go to Mixcloud...

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DIARY UPDATES

Note that, in the diary, 150 days, across 6 periods in 4 of the 21 years are, currently, "picture only":-

2016: 15-17 October (3 Days)
2021: 8-21 May (14 Days)
2022: 18 April - 10 May & 6 July - 5 September (85 Days)
2023: 1 - 15 October & 18 October - 19 November (48 Days)

It is always the intention to update "picture only" days with the relevant text but doing so is, of course, subject to opportunity (and, indeed, memory!)

Monday, April 20, 2026

Being beaten is no barrier to becoming the champions...

Playlist


Still under the cosh from the lurgi and so, up, re the incessant coughing...


Scenes...




Straight to editing last night and issuing to the boys by 8:30...

Followed by breakfast...


Then, to working on the running order for the three sets we will play on 6 June...


...and to ensuring volume levels on the three source recordings I'm using to create a "play along" version, were the same...

Done...

An inordinate amount of time spent...

Post lunch, the last in the series of "Grace" (another cliffhanger provided till next time - which we will, of course, have forgotten about by the time it comes along) and the latest "Taskmaster", I set about compiling my LPs of the week so far for 2026...


...and, then, my current Top 50 2026 releases...



This evening, post Anne's Pilates and Baked Potatoes, it was Quiz final time - "Mastermind" - won by a very nice little old lady from amongst six very nice people, 3-2 in the tie break - like a penalty shoot out in football...

Then, "University Challenge" - Edinburgh v Manchester - the latter triumphing 145 v 105 mainly due to the superb knowledge/memory of their captain, Kai Madgewick - surely thee most annoying contestant on the show this year by far...


Of course Edinburgh had already tanked them 195 v 80 in the Quarter Finals (so who are the real champions?  Erm, yes, Manchester)...  

Manchester were able to take advantage of the fact that, instead of having more teams on the show and having it truly knock out, defeated teams get further chances to progress by there being 10 quarter final matches instead of just four...

But, well done Manchester...



Certainly better than our paltry 40 points tonight...

Post that, dishes and then best music of 2026 so far listening pre bed at gone midnight...

Highlight of the Day: Compiling - and quiz finals...

Today's New Music:

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Thirty two of forty eight...

Playlist


Still not able to not get up super early, due to the ongoing lurgi scenario, in particular the incessant coughing...


So, up...




...and working before breakfast...

...which was eggs on toast...




Back to work as Anne headed for PickleBall...


The podcast, done and dusted...

Rehearsing along with the previous sessions recordings...

We finished "Bergerac" Season 2, with the two final episodes...

At 3:30, out and over to Meggetland for a blood test re prostate screening...

Arrived at a couple of minutes to four.  My appointment was at four and I was out by to minutes past...

Home...

Tea...


Keralan Chicken Curry - first time for a good while - all the better for it having been missed...


Packed the car and over to Roslin for tonight's session...


Chloe also briefly in attendance...


Stand in guitarist Martin is doing well re the learning of 48 songs...


For the rest of us, just under 10 of the songs are new but many are also slightly changed form how we played them previously...


It took us 2 hours 45 to 1 hour and 45 re the chosen 32 songs of the 48...


I was home around 10:45 and commenced the editing of the session, but there was still plenty to be attended to tomorrow when I rise...

Bed at just past midnight...


A long day...

Highlight of the Day: Rehearsing...

Today's New Music: