Make me smile...

Playlist
John McLaughlin – Industrial Zen
Sam Baker – Cotton
Charlie Haden – Complete Remastered Black Saint & Soul Note
Happy Apple – See Sun Spot Run : An Introduction
Brenda Lee - The Very Best of Brenda Lee...With Love
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - In Pursuit of Illusion
David Essex - All the Fun of the Fair
David Essex - Gold and Ivory
XTX - English Settlement
Charles Mingus - Cornell 1964
Eric Dolphy - The Illinois Concert
Cannonball Adderley - Money in the Pocket
Joe Zawinul - Zawinul
Ives - Symphony 1, Emerson Concerto
Various - Gatecrasher Classics

Up just after seven and ripping discs borrowed from the library three weeks ago and not looked at since – they had to be returned today...

I noted from the hard drive that I’d already borrowed the Grachan Moncur III disc in January and had obviously forgotten...

Idiot...

The Charlie Haden five disc box contains some cracking stuff...

Then, ripping yesterday’s purchases to add to the “Last 12 Months” jukebox – leaving three discs ripping while I nipped to to the store for croissants for breakfast...

These tasty beasties were consumed, along with fresh orange juice and lashings of coffee, in the garden with Annie and Meg the Black Cat re today’s lovely weather...

Then, to compiling a Happy Apple introduction for brother-in-law Keith, whose birthday it is tomorrow, 24 days older than your correspondent...

Then, off uptown to today’s record fair – stopping off at the library on the way to return the now ripped CDs...

The fair was reasonable – loads of CDs and records -as you might imagine - and DVDs - I pondered over two box sets of seasons one and two of "Roswell High" (Dr Prog is heading tomorrow and Count Brodski was going along in the afternoon)...





Suffice to say, I partook - but not of said DVDs...

Classical discs by Charles Ives and Elliott Carter were joined in the bag by a 2CD set of David Essex (albums from ’75 and ’77), a CD/DVD set from Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel (live in Germany in 1976) a three disc set of dance/trance from the Gatecrasher stable and last but not least, I finally succumbed to a long held desire...

For £2.50 I bought a 30 track best of Brenda Lee – which includes her 1966 hit “Coming on Strong”, as featured in the lyric’s of Golden Earring’s late 1973 hit “Radar Love”...

Yes, I’ve wondered what this song sounded like for nearly 40 years...

It’s quite good actually...

BAck home, the garden was looking good in the midday sun - thanks to Annie's hard work on it...







Then , to ripping all this new stuff to the hard drive and on to the juke box, now the “Last 11 Months Jukebox” since I’ve bought so much recently that a month of discs has been knocked off the capacity...

Listening to Steve Harley led me to a Norwegian broadcast from January this year, during which he played three songs, including "Make Me Smile" (of course) but also "Sebastian" with a full orchestra - first time apparently since recording the track back in 1973...

The performance starts around 98 minutes in and goes to the end of the show....

For any Uriah Heep fans, there's also a segment featuring Ken Hensley and band playing "Circle of Hands" (around 28 minutes in)...

Then, off to Tynecastle with Anne to see Hearts play Motherwell (her mum was on a lunch, so, for today, I had to play the part of a female old age pensioner – not as hard as it might seem...)

Met up with Jane, Bobby, Ollie and Kitty on the way...



A nil-nil draw ensued – with, on balance, Hearts the better side I think even although Motherwell hit the post in the first half and the bar in the second....

Kick off...



Hearts fans...



Motherwell fans...



Full time...



On the way home, we noted this heron on the nearby river...



Dropping Annie off, I popped to Tesco for ingredients re tonight’s cook...

Note the large sun and the plethora of trolleys, discarded  by the lazy inhabitants of Edinburgh...



Back home again and we enjoyed some wine in the garden with Meg the Black Cat (she declined the drinks)...







I took a walk to the building site that was once a college, and happened upon this squirrel, in nest building mode...







Then, to the kitchen, where, to the groovy sounds of Mr Mingus in 1964, I concocted a chestnut mushroom and crunchy pepper pasta with crème fraiche...











Very tasty, if i say so myself...

On telly, we enjoyed Tivo’d “Law & Order” and “Glee” before “Match of the Day” (with new acquisitions on the headphones) – which I gave up on half way through, hitting the sack around 11...

Another good Saturday...

Highlight of the Day : Relaxing in the garden on an otherwise busy day...

Kitler...

Playlist
Argent – Argent
Argent – Ring of Hands
Argent – All Together Now
Argent – In Deep
Cannonball Adderley – Money In My Pocket
Jimmy Smith – Groovin’ at Smalls Paradise
Eric Dolphy – Out There
Eric Dolphy – Outward Bound
Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch

Post number two thousand, two hundred and ninety seven and the diggers are approaching Crispycat Towers re a huge housing development in the grounds of what was once the college of further education next door...

These trees will remain, as they are at the other end of the street – many on the opposite side are already gone...

Morning...



Evening...



Uptown, a walk to, yes, you’ve guessed it, Fopp...



A new £3 offer on Blue Notes and I must say I was surprised to find five albums I don’t already have (my Blue Note discs number well over 200)...

Back home to listen, building site not yet quite visible...



Meg the Black cat a wee bit out of sorts tonight after a goodly number of days on a Food Pouch frenzy – today she hasn’t eaten (and so hasn’t taken her brain medicine) and is a little lethargic...





She accompanied me in the back room though to listen to some of the new purchases, all five of which are live recordings, with three being 2CD sets...



All tasty stuff...

A call to sister Pam who is sounding great, having today completed week five of her six weeks of concurrent radio and chemotherapy...

Then a drive to the other side of town and The Prince Balti House for curry...



...soundtracked on the way by the new Jimmy Smith disc – I must say I’m not a fan of the organ in jazz and find these discs merely “ok” – the best bits are when the guitarist takes a solo...

Funny how guitarists always seem to have organists on their dates...

Anyway, the Indian was good and a nice wee romantic night out was enjoyed, before returning to find Meg the Black cat still upstairs and still sleepy...

What remained of the night was spent in front of the box with Tivo’d “Law & Order : UK” and “Have I Got News For You”, featuring the house that looks like Hitler, the goldfish that looks like Hitler and the cat that looks like Hitler...



Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : New Blue Notes, Indian, funny scary cat...

Yes, no, maybe...

Playlist
Jorn Lande - Dio
Yes – Yesmix (2CD-R)
The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Mono)
Circa - Circa
Argent - Argent

Soundtracked today by Yes, continuing from last night’s foray into the world of these prog rockers...

Added the two 80 minute mixes, put together a couple of months ago now, to the jukebox....

At lunchtime, a visit to a local church hall, where I enjoyed an exhibition by members of the Holyrood Art Club...



Bidding for more £2 (incl P&P) CDs on e-bay – mainly classical and jazz...

In the evening, out for drinks again on a Thursday night with chums Yuill, Gary, Raymond, Spike, Kris-with-a-k, Colin and Kathryn...

Bearing last week’s debacle in mind, I had set it in my head to be home by eight – and, post four drinks (Weiss bier, Raspberry cider, Alcoholic Ginger Beer and what appeared to be a double G&T) I succeeded in this goal...

Pictures were taken on the way home...





























...including this annoying occurrence on the road to Crispycat Hill which contains just far too many bus stops...



Annie and Meg the Black Cat were impressed with my time-keeping and “Corrie “ entertained while I enjoyed Anne’s tasty chicken with pesto and mozzarella....

Not feeling that great though, nothing to do with the alcohol intake – strange tingly/sore sensation all over the left of my head, down my face and in my ear...

Maybe too much Yes-music...

No, impossible...

Tried to stay awake and well enough to watch "Question Time" and "This Week" later on...

Managed a very annoying (Caroline Flint - say no more, Simon Callow - Actor, luvvie, cossetted) "Question Time" but conked out half way through a lacklustre "This Week"...

Over and out...

Highlight of the Day : Yes...

Nothing but the marvelous is beautiful...

Playlist
Happy Apple – Body Popping Moon Walking Top Rocking
Happy Apple – Please Refrain From Fronting
Happy Apple – Youth Oriented
Happy Apple – The Peace Between Our Companies
Happy Apple – Happy Apple Back On Top
Wayne Shorter – Adam’s Apple
Andrew Hill – Compulsion!!!
Bobby Hutcherson – Happenings
John Coltrane – the best of John Coltrane
John Coltrane – Meditations
Lindisfarne – Nicely Out of Tune
Lindisfarne – Dingly Dell
XTC – English Settlement
Yes - The Word is Live
Buggles - Adventures in Modern Recording
Yes - The Ultimate
Jorn Lande - Dio
GPS - Window to the Soul

Awoke with Happy Apple again – liking muchly the parping and complexity...

Recently emerged Daffs had been assaulted by the rain...



Now then (to quote Sir Jimmy Saville), in 1966, I was six years old (until 4 May and then I was seven years old)...

Today, I chose three of my favourite 1966 released albums as a wee soundtrack...

Of course it was many years beyond 1966 that I actually discovered the music of Messrs Shorter, Hill and Hutcherson...

In FOPP I picked up two albums I always thought of buying when I was a young teenager – they were often featured in the pages of my mum’s mail order catalogues – Lindisfarne’s “Nicely Out of Tune” and “Dingly Dell”...

They sandwich the already attained “Fog on the Tyne” from 1971...

OK I must admit these new acquisitions are not great but they have filled a wee hole in my memory – the singles “Meet Me On The Corner” and “Lady Eleanor” were two of the first I owned...

Also to be found in my basket and later, along with my hat, in a FOPP bag in my sausage fingered hand...



...and also priced at just three of your English pounds – was XTC’s early eighties double LP “English Settlement” - lauded at the time as "New Wave" but, really, in hindsight, it's "Prog Rock"...

Finally a book on the music of John Coltrane – also three squids...

A good haul...

The weather picked up...







...and Coltrane was read about and listened to on the bus home under a science fiction sun...



Post an extremely tasty home made chilli, Lindisfarne was enjoyed and e-bay was trawled re any Happy Apple I do not already own...

And so, their second CD was secured and is now winging its way from the USA as I type - ok not so much winging as making like a snail - I am advised it may take up to 30 days to arrive...

Also partook of a Charles Ives disc following my return to "The Rest is Noise" yesterday...

“Masterchef” ruled the TV this evening so I spent time just relaxing and listening...

A call from Dr Prog sent me to Yes music - their new album will apparently be based around a song (Fly From Here) written with (Sir) Trevor Horn in 1980 which didn't make their "Drama" album - now stretched from six to twenty minutes - there's a live version on the Yes box bought recently - and a ten minute demo on the remaster of Buggles' "Adventures in Modern Recording"...

Yes led to Asia, which in turn led to a download of GPS, the band formed from the second Asia's ashes when Geoff Downes (now back in Yes apparently and on the new LP due in June) abandoned the other three members to reform the "original Asia" with Wetton, Howe and Palmer...

Ah the convolution of Prog Rock...

They can't hold a candle to "the Purps" though....

Highlight of the Day : Old music...

Olden but golden...

Playlist
Santana – Santana
Santana – Abraxas
Santana – Santana III
Various Composers - 100 Best 20th Century Classical Music
Happy Apple – Body Popping Moon Walking Top Rocking
Happy Apple – Please Refrain From Fronting
Happy Apple – Youth Oriented
Happy Apple – The Peace Between Our Companies
Happy Apple – Happy Apple Back On Top

A tasty, unexpected Chinese lunch today with Hearts afficionado and ex-colleague of Fred the Shred, Mr Auld...

Nice to be invited out of the blue and a good chat about this, that and, indeed, the next thing...

Consequently no tea...

In the evening, wasted a bit of time again reworking the blog formatting...

It must be said that the Exec Producer is not particularly keen on the scary picture of Mr Quartet which I have chosen to use - but I like it...

Also today, revamped my selections for albums of the year from 1959 to 1971 – a few wee changes there from the original selection, which is now a few years old...

Other started but, as yet, unfinished projects continued to haunt...



...as I enjoyed tonight’s “CSI” on Tivo...

I have started to read Alex north's "The Rest is Noise" again - which led me tonight to 20th Century Classical music and, in particular, Charles ives, by whom i do not have enough...

Off to bed with the Ornette Coleman inspired sounds of Happy Apple in the lugs...

Highlight of the Day : Unexpected, tasty lunch...