Mama, just killed a song...

Playlist

David Reilly – Anthology 1977-2007

Various – Singles October 2008 (CD-R)

Continuing with the listen through the ten volumes of the Anthology today, I experienced a further 61 tracks, taking me to the end of 1997 with three volumes and fifty pieces to go...

Picked up the guitar and sang through six songs – reasonable...

Tonight off over to Fife with Anne to meet up with Chris, Competitive Dave and his lovely wife, Colleen...

Here’s the quintet pictured earlier this year...

A few drinks first in a bar up the road from Chris’ place (Diet Irn Bru for your, driving, correspondent) then, stopping off at Tesco for provisions, back to Chris’ flat...

Singstar was the entertainment of the evening and both Mr CBQ and the Exec Producer were to be heard belting out the tunes along with Chris, Coleen and a very Competitive Dave...

Top score of the night was Dave’s rendition of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” followed closely by yours truly on Bowie’s “Life on Mars?”...

Other tunes murdered included Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, Pet Shop Boys’ “Always on My Mind”, Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf”, “Take on Me” by Aha, “Mr Brightside” by The Killers and a particularly dreadful duet by Anne and I on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”....

We wrapped up around 1am and headed home...

No sleep for me though as I have contracted another cold/throat infection, leaving me coughing annoyingly and having to get up around 3 am to listen to music and potter around (and write this)...

Today’s Anthology track is “Terra Nostra Epilogue”, an instrumental from the Sombre Reptiles March 1984 album, “Terra Nostra”...

I’d started using guitar again on my recordings having abandoned it a couple of years earlier...
The unsung lyric is a steal from “Casablanca” – “you must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss and a smile is just a smile”...

The album was recorded at same time as I was working on the Love Parade project with Count Brodski....

This is another of my short, reasonably tuneful instrumentals...

ANTHOLOGY 1984

SOMBRE REPTILES – TERRA NOSTRA EPILOGUE

Highlight of the Day : High scoring on “Life on Mars?”...

Wonderful, insane...

Playlist
David Reilly – Anthology 1977-2007
Concerto Koln – Mannheim School
Vizzana – Componimenti Musicali
John Coltrane - Sun Ship

As is my narcisstic way, I started listening to my 10 CD Anthology from beginning to end – not sure if I'll make it...

Today I reached track 59 out of 170 – making it to 1993 – just over half way through, years-wise...

Continuing tomorrow...

To HMV at lunchtime and they’ve started to stock up for Christmas, with lots of interesting Classical Box Sets, none of which I’ll probably end up acquiring...

The Complete Haydn Symphonies on Naxos for example, 34 CDs for £69 (Amazon has it for £81)...



But you can get the famous Adam Fischer box now on Brilliant, 33 CDs for around £50 on e-bay...

Concerto Koln accompanied some lovely pesto chicken, before I rummaged through the classical box sets I do have and found one I don’t think I’ve ever listened to – bought in FOPP one time as we were flying out from Prestwick somewhere and had stopped off in Glasgow on our way to the airport...

Some beautiful music written by a young nun, Lucrezia Vizzana, who published her own music but who, due to the conflicts which developed within her convent and with Church officialdom, was eventually driven quite literally insane...

And a wee bit insane is how the next musical interlude sounded in places, John Coltrane’s August 1965 recording “Sun Ship”, purchased recently in Vancouver (even though it turned out I already had all the tracks on a multi disc box of the complete John Coltrane Classic Quartet)...

As you can see, I’m scraping the barrel for anything of any significance now (no change there then) so here’s today’s Anthology track before I return to the Living Room to watch Brian Eno guest as a panellist on “Question Time”...



It’s a song from Sombre Reptiles’ 1983 album “World of Fire” called “You Said You’d Love Me”...

It started out as a backing track for a cut-up “vocal” I constructed from a Marc Almond interview – the track was called “The Boy Cut Up”. This lyric is one of my “twisted” ones...

It's available via the link to download my music for free...

ANTHOLOGY 1983
SOMBRE REPTILES - YOU SAID YOU'D LOVE ME



PS Eno was a bit of a damp squib on "Question Time", though he scored a few good points against Jack Straw re the Iraq war...

I had to disagree with him totally when he opined that the current financial crisis is down to "free markets" gone wrong...

Anyone with any true knowledge of the situation will understand that the reason we're in the mess we are is the lowering of interest rates out of step with what the market indicated, creating huge amounts of cheap money, which led to the mispricing of risk, leading people to taking greater and greater risk in the false belief that they were safer than they were...

Today's 1.5% cut in interest rates may well come to prove that we've not learned anything from this crisis...

Our own incompetent idiotic government has tried to stave off the NATURAL cycle of so-called "boom and bust" by encouraging profligate private and private sector borrowing and letting its own borrowing get totally out of control...

We have borrowed the future and now the debt has been called in...

Reducing interest rates and printing money - that's how they're going to try and get out of it but it's doomed to fail and push us even further into the mire...

As for "playwrite" Bonnie Greer, she needs to get over the fact that she's black - almost every response or interjection she made referred to her skin colour - and you'd almost think from listening to her that the only reason Barrack Obama has been elected president is because he's black...

As Martin Luther King jnr once said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character"...

I believe this has happened...

Now let's get on with it...

Highlight of the Day : Wonderful, insane music...

Dirty bastard...

Playlist
Girls Aloud – The Sound of the Underground
Girls Aloud – What Will the Neighbours Say
Girls Aloud – Chemistry
Girls Aloud – Tangled Up
Girls Aloud - Girls Alive
Miles Davis – Live Evil

This is a reconstruction – the original post for today was inexplicably deleted without my permission – which is bloody annoying to say the least and a little worrying in that someone other than me was able to gain access...

Anyway...

Spent the day listening to Girls Aloud on shuffleplay...



There a 64 tracks across five albums and around a quarter of them a re hit singles..

Quite an achievement...

Other than ripping Miles davis’ “Live Evil”, can’t remember what I did today so thanks very much to whoever deleted this post...



Today’s Anthology track (which also contains nothing in the way of abusive material or anything which is not copyright ME) is “The Countenance Falling” from the 1982 Sombre reptiles album “The White White Black”...

I bought a Dr Rhythm drum machine at the end of February 1982 and it changed the sound of Sombre Reptiles. I stopped using real drum kits. This whole album was written and recorded in two days...

It's available via the link to download my music for free...

ANTHOLOGY 1982
SOMBRE REPTILES - THE COUNTENANCE FALLING



OK – let me just reiterate HOW ANNOYING IT IS TO HAVE HAD TO REWRITE THIS POST...

Highlight of the Day : Buggered if I can remember you bastard...

4th time lucky...

Playlist
Girls Aloud – Out of Control
Girls Aloud – Girls Alive
Miles Davis – Big Fun
Miles Davis – Get Up With It

This is a reconstruction of a reconstruction OF A RECONSTRUCTION – the original post for today was inexplicably deleted without my permission – which is bloody annoying to say the least and a little worrying in that someone other than me was able to gain access...

So I reconstructed it and posted it again – and again, without so much as a by –your-leave the bastards deleted it again...

THEN I RE-POSTED A THIRD TIME - SAME RESULT...

SO NOW I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO REMOVE A LINK TO MY OWN MUSIC AND POST AGAIN...

So here it is for the FOURTH time...

OBVIOUSLY BLOGGER.COM DOESN'T ACTUALLY TAKE THE TIME TO READ A POST BEFORE IT REMOVES IT ON THE BASIS OF A FAULTY CALIM RE COPYRIGHT ABUSE...

Anyway...

I seem to recollect that today was the day that Anne unexpectedly bought me a preset – the new Girls Aloud album which came with an exclusive live album...

Post “Strictly It takes Two” and “The One Show” a rare thing occurred in that we sat and listened to music in the living room, albeit with the Liverpool game on in the background with the sound down...

Once we’d listened to both albums all the way through, Anne put up the commentary on the footie and I went upstairs to listen to the Girls Aloud album again...

I seem to recall in the original version of this post calling it top pop at its tasty best or some such...

Favourites are the No 1 single “The Promise” and the Pet Shop Boys collaboration “The Loving Kind” and the seven minute "Untouchable", but, really, there’s not a bad track on there...

Indeed listening to it for just the second time, many of the tunes had already wormed their way into my brain...

No such Ohrwurm though is today’s Anthology track “Running Through Fog” (which does not contain any abusive but only material which is copyrighted to me...

After living in germany for a year in 1980/81, I returned to Scotland and in the late summer of 1981 I recorded two albums, one of songs and one, “Treatment and Design” of instrumentals...

One of my favourites of the time, the instrumental album was recorded using only synthesisers, a couple of which had been borrowed for a week or so from ex-Pure Bears Paul Reynolds...

ANTHOLOGY 1981
DDHR – RUNNING THROUGH FOG



OK – let me just reiterate HOW ANNOYING IT IS TO HAVE HAD TO REWRITE THIS POST...

Just remembered, I carried on with ripping some Miles Davis CDs...

And I also found a great Alice Cooper video from his new album...

Like me, it’s been censored...

Highlight of the Day : New Girls Aloud

Miles of beaches...

Playlist
Tangerine Dream – Force Majeure
Tangerine Dream – Thief
Tangerine Dream – Exit
Concerto Koln – Box Set
Miles Davis – ‘Round About Midnight
Miles Davis – Milestones
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
Miles Davis – Steamin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet

OK time to end the Tangerine Dream obsession...

Today I listened to three more of the albums purchased last week and, as with the others, I found myself having been guilty of extreme prejudice towards them in the past...

While these are not “great” albums and probably don’t stand up to what I would deem to be the “best" music of the early 80’s, I can see why my old chum Peri Urban obsessed over this band for so long...

My palette was cleansed in the early evening however, by Concerto Koln and their exquisite baroque delights – fascinating reading too in the sleeve notes on the lives of the various composers covered...

“Spooks” of course was a highlight today – one of those programmes I could watch 24 hours a day were it to be offered...

Late on, leafing through my new book “The Rough Guide Book of Playlists” led me to check if I had all the Miles Davis suggestions on my jazz jukebox –I didn’t, and so started some frenzied ripping of discs from the collection to the hard drive...



Of course the Classical/Jazz Jukebox is as close to full as it gets and so some culling is now required...

Speaking of books, I am currently making a damn good effort at reading the Iain M Banks book purchased the weekend before last, "Excession" - of course it's SF bollocks but I am determined to stick with it - 150 pages in and it's starting to get reasonably interesting...

Today’s Anthology track comes from 1980...

An edit of the song “At the Ocean’s Edge” recorded in December that year, the piano in Felsberg, Germany, the vocals and bass in Loanhead...

Returning home for a break at Christmas, I’d brought the piano cassettes with me and used a piece as the basis for this track, which comes from the first album under my then new moniker, Sombre Reptiles, chosen from a shortlist of Brian Eno track titles naturally...

It's available via the link to download my music for free...

ANTHOLOGY 1980
SOMBRE REPTILES - AT THE OCEAN'S EDGE



Highlight of the Day : Spooks – oh yeah....

Dreaming...

Playlist
Tangerine Dream – White Eagle
Tangerine Dream – 1970-1983 Triple CD Set (CD-R)
JS Bach – Partitas for Guitar and Viola
David Reilly – Anthology 1977-2007
Tangerine Dream – Startosfear
Tangerine Dream – Tangram
Tangerine Dream - Hyperborea

The T Dream obsession continued today when I decided first thing to compile a 3CD set of full length tracks for Martin Lennon – after all, he was getting me into the gig tonight for free...

Breakfast with Anne around 9:30 and then a visit from sister Sheila...

Anne spent the afternoon at Tynecastle, watching Hearts go down 2-0 to Glasgow Celtic...

The JTs slipped to eighth place in the league...

Meanwhile I discovered TD would feature 3 albums in particular tonight and so gave them a listen...

To Anne’s mum’s at 4:30 and lovely home made curries for tea...

Left at 6:15 and drove to Lothian Road, meeting up with Martin and Dr Prog in the Shakespeare bar...

The good doctor was a little preoccupied with whether or not Lewis Hamilton would win the Formula One Title – Martin and I couldn’t have given two hoots...

The chat was predictable muso nonsense about various prog bands and their members and their exploits and DVDs and albums and tracks and whether ex-members ought to to be forced to release classic concert footage known to be in their possession...

We wandered along to the venue, the beautifully kitted out Picture House, and took our places in the throng of, let’s face it, old men...

Dr Prog preferred to be down amongst the “action” whilst Martin and I ascended to the balcony for a comfy pew...

The show lasted just short of three hours – in that time I recognised only two pieces...


Pic from Voiceprint

There was some cheese evident but, in the big scheme of things, little enough cheese to be forgiven...

In the main, the music (the first 90 minutes of which was a non-stop collage of sound accompanied by films and lasers) was driving sequencer based avant garde synthesiser music with added live drums (over pre-programmed stuff) plus some expert screaming electric guitar...

Three encores stretched the night as long as possible and it was past 11 pm when Phil (Dr Prog) and I bade farewell to Martin as he went off into the night to pen his review...

The doc and I climbed the stairs to the top of the venue for the after-show party where we met the band, the young manageress of the venue and the young promoteress of the gig...

The doc had managed to secure a setlist – almost all the titles were unknown to me – and he proceeded to ask each member to add their autograph to it...

We spent around an hour chatting away to all and sundry, with the Doctor trying his best to get the manageress to put on more prog gigs - the promotoress is shortly to bring the likes of Nektar, Amon Duul and Irmin Schmidt to London but it's unlikely they'll venture to Scotland...

All in all an excellent night and we listened to more Dream as we drove home in the Cloudland Blue mobile...

And so, from the sublime to the ridiculous with today’s Anthology track...

From the summer of 1979, when I lived and worked in, aptly enough, Germany – Munich to be precise...

Muenchen Musik II, which features Piano and Short Wave Radio, was recorded when I was lodging at a home run by priests and nuns, which happened to have a music room...

I spent one particularly rainy weekend recording some piano improvisations, of which this is one...

I also recorded found sounds on the Short Wave Band and, back home in Scotland, I combined the two...

Enjoy...

It's available via the link to download my music for free...

ANTHOLOGY 1979
DDHR - MUNCHEN MUSIC II



Highlight of the Day : Meeting Edgar Froese...

Not in heaven...

Playlist
David Reilly – Anthology 1977-2007
Tangerine Dream - 1970-1983 (CD-R)
Wings – Band on the Run
Tangerine Dream - Hyperborea

Up early and updated the Crispycat website re the new volume of the Anthology then, after breakfast, away in the car on my own at 10 as, today, I was a guest at Partick Thistle v Queen of the South at Firhill...

I arrived early enough in Glasgow to allow myself some time for a browse around the shops in Byre’s Rd, purchasing a book “The Rough Guide Book of Playlists” for future reference – but no CDs...



To the ground for 12:30 for a champagne reception, though, as I was driving, just orange juice for me...

I was given a tour of the ground with some background stories including why one of the stands is unofficially known as the Lex Gold stand (it’s empty and useless)...

Our tour took in the home dressing room and the, now very rarely used, police holding cells for anyone arrested for causing trouble during a game...



A four course meal followed and (as was the case when Anne and I visited here in September 2007), I was seated at a table which included ex-Queens chairman Norman Blount and his party – very entertaining...

The game itself was exciting but, ultimately, disappointing – with Queens losing 2-0 and slipping to second in the table...

Youtube Highlights

Despite much pressure from Queens, they couldn’t score, while Partick got their first on the stroke of half-time...

For most of the second half Queens were pressing but to no avail and, defending a breakaway, our captain, Big Jim Thompson, was sent off for a second bookable offence...

Partick appeared to have scored from the resulting free kick but the scorer was judged offside...

Then, the sub who came on to rejig Queens’ line-up following the sending off, conceded a penalty in his first involvement and Partick sealed it with a couple of minutes left...

I hung around for the Man of the Match presentation (Partick’s centre forward) then drove home to an evening of “Merlin”, “Strictly”, “X Factor” and “Match of the Day”, the last featuring Spurs, whose ongoing resurrection under Harry Redknap will no doubt be delighting White Hart Lane season ticket holder Sister Pam...

Today’s anthology track is an example of my early multitracking method - recording using two mono cassette recorders...

This song, “Back”, from September 1978, is one I often played with my then group, Rough Cut, and this solo recording was probably used to introduce the song to the band....

The lyric tells of a suicide pact gone wrong – the first lover sings from heaven while his/her partner has “chickened out” and remains on earth...

The subject matter was no doubt influenced by Sparks’ “Here in Heaven” from their “Kimono My House” album...

It's available via the link to download my music for free...

ANTHOLOGY 1978
DAVID REILLY - BACK

Highlight of the Day : Football hospitality (but not the result)...

Stuck droning...

Playlist
David Reilly – Anthology 1077-2007 on Shuffleplay
Neal Smith – Sexual Saviour
Billy Cobham – Off Color
Chick Corea – Works
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane – Same
Joe Henderson – Black Narcissus
The George Benson Quartet – The George Benson Cookbook
Chris Potter – Travelling Mercies
Gateway – In the moment
John Surman – Glancing Backwards
Grachan Moncur III – Evolution
Dennis Chambers – Outbreak

My 1,400th post...

A relaxed evening after having been self-soundtracked during the day, including during a rather annoying bus journey home due to the ongoing nonsense in Edinburgh re the building of one (ONE!!) tram line...

Listened to the second of my two new Neal Smith albums – the first was recorded around 1974 during what was supposed to have been a year off for the Cooper boys but turned out to be a permanent split with Alice failing to come back...

This one was released this year and is extremely heavy indeed – but very enjoyable – in fact, with the possible exception of the Billion Dollar Babies classic “Rock’n’Roll Radio”, the new album knocks the 70’s effort into the proverbial cocked hat...

An enjoyable hour and a bit of jazz listening drew on ten albums before “Have I Got News for You” rounded off the day...

Today sees the release of the ninth of ten volumes of my Anthology project with Volume Ten due on 30 November so, seeing as how, counting today, there are the requisite 31 days to go to cover the years 1977-2007, I’m going to suggest a track a day spanning that period starting with this...

“The Drone Effect”, featuring Bontempi Organ, tape recorder and fuzz-wah pedal is one of my earliest recordings (December 1977)....

It was influenced by “The Heavenly Music Corporation” the track on side two of Fripp & Eno’s “No Pussyfooting” which I’d bought on a trip to Germany in the summer of 1974...

The full 30 minute version of “The Drone Effect” was used in the early 80’s to bring parties to an end and send over-nighters off to sleep...

The edit is only around 90 seconds but it gives you the idea – nothing much changed over the full 30 minute version...

It's available via the link to download my music for free...

ANTHOLOGY 1977
DDHR - THE DRONE EFFECT



Highlight of the Day : Getting home...

Teenage lament....

Playlist
Tangerine Dream - Discography 1970-1983
Neal Smith - Platinum God
Purcell - Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary

Still strangely drawn to Tangerine Dream's music - will no doubt break away tomorrow...

Here they are in 1967...




Two CDs in the post, sent to me via e-bay by none other than Mr Neal Smith, drummer with the Alice Cooper Group and a childhood hero...

He wrote my name on the envelope...

He signed the CDs...

He wrote "thanks a billion"...

Doesn't matter what the CDs sound like - these actions alone were worth the dollars spent...

After a superb home made chicken curry from the fair hands of the Executive Producer, spent most of the evening compiling an 80 minute T Dream megamix to present to Mr Lennon and Dr Prog on Sunday evening...

Went through each of the 19 albums I have, chose a track, created a 4:15 or so edit and cross-faded them to create the mix...

Hope they like it...

Track of the day, while I can still be bothered to keep it up, comes from way back in December 1980 - a short paino piece recorded at the Gesamtschule Felsberg and featured on Volume One of the 10 CD 30 Year Anthology being released this year...

It's available via the link to download my music for free...

DDHR - A SUMMER RAIN



Ah, hair - and a discernable jawline...

The repeat of "TV Burp" and the Thursday staple "This Week" rounded off the day...

Highlight of the Day : A package from a boyhood hero/Anne's lovely curry...

Singing cat...

Playlist
Purcell - Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary
Tangerine Dream - Discography 1969-1983

Oh dear, went a wee bit mental on Tangerine Dream today - bought 8 of their post classic line up of Froese/Franke/Baumann albums which, for a long, long time, I have sworn were rubbish...

At £3 each though, what did I have to lose - there must surely be at least £3 worth of decent material on each disc...

All in all I was right and there is much in the way of entertaining electronic soundscape nonsense going on there....

On arriving home, a 2CD set of Purcell awaited - I only bought it yesterday at lunchtime on an e-bay whim - £2 plus postage...

Bargain...

Excellent dinner from Anne - lamb mince, mash and sweetcorn - tasty in the extreme...

Spent the evening (between listening to T Dream and Mr Purcell, the latter accompanying some washing up duties) watching repeats of "Big Bang Theory" and "Mock the Week" and ended the night with a nine game "Match of the Day" - with TD on headphones...

Track of the day today is from "Deeperdown" (2005)...

"Love and War" was one of four songs written in a single night for a gig on USA Election Night 2004...

The pic is from the gig itself...

The recording features Meg the Black Cat - and is available via the link to download my music for free...

Can you hear her?

CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET - LOVE AND WAR



Highlight of the Day : Discovering Tangerine Dream weren't as bad as I thought between 1979 and 1983...

Darn Russkies...

Playlist
Yes – Discography on Shuffleplay
Cloudland Blue Quartet – 1997-2008 on Shuffleplay
Tangerine Dream – Dream Sequence

Nothing much of any import today...

Feeling a wee bit tired for some reason though...

A nice review of the new track “Blend” left in the comments two days ago and one for “Waiting to Die” from yesterday...

With the house back to its full complement, we took the opportunity to watch last night’s “Spooks” before tonight’s episode...

Poor old Adam Carter bit the dust - as is the way with the series’ leading men – and appears to be being replaced by Sir Guy of Gisborne from “Robin Hood”, the very attractive Richard Armitage...

Late on, confirmation that I will attend Tangerine Dream’s concert in Edinburgh on Sunday night as a guest of Martin Lennon, music reviewer for the Edinburgh Evening News and indeed leaver of the fine comment re “Blend”...

Dr Prog will also be in attendance and a pre-gig drink is envisaged...

A busy weekend ahead then with the visit to Partick Thistle on Saturday...

Another suggested download, available via the link to download my music for free, is "Lucifer Falling" from Callingstill (1997)....

CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET - LUCIFER FALLING

Highlight of the Day : New Spooks...

Not grooving but cooking, watching, listening and tagging...

Playlist
The Bad Plus - Motel
The Bad Plus - These are the Vistas
The Bad Plus - Give
The Bad Plus - Suspicious Activity
The Bad Plus - Prog
The Bad Plus - For All I Care
The Bad Plus - Blunt Object Live in Tokyo
Yes - The Definitive Yes Story (DVD)
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Blend
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Ersatzreal Companion EP #1
Count Brodski's Fifty Album Compilation on Shuffleplay
Yes - Discography on Shuffleplay

A Bad Plus day on the jazz jukebox...



Home alone tonight as Anne was off with chum Michelle to see Bryan Adams, the groover from Vancouver, in concert in Glasgow, before spending the night in a hotel, possibly his, probably not...

Consequently I could do what I wanted...

I cooked...

A tasty pasta dish using:-
groundnut oil
a large onion
some kind of spicy powder of which the name eludes at present
tomato puree
chopped tomatoes
veggie mince
red wine
pasta

and...

a tin of peaches - oh yes, a masterstroke indeed...

I watched "Dispatches" re the ongoing financial crisis and just how bad it's going to get - which by this account is pretty bad - and I'm afraid I must concur...

At 9, the return of "Spooks" but it's being recorded while Anne's away so, instead, I settled down to watch a three and a half hour DVD of the story of one of my all time favourite bands, Yes...



At 1 am to the PC to write this and listen to some of my own music:-

Blend
Blend Remix
Chocolate on Your Bread (an earlier version of the song which became "The Golden House" on "Ersatzreal")
I'm Waiting for the Man (Velvets cover)
Virginia Plain (Roxy cover)
Waiting to Die

The last of these is available via the link to download my music for free...

CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET - WAITING TO DIE



Continued into the night with a shuffleplay session of the fifty albums I gave to Count Brodski for his 49th birthday back in August...

I mentioned the other day, I’d been “tagged” by Mr Avenues and Alleyways...

Staying up very late has given me the opportunity to respond to said tagging...

There are six rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Ok so here's the link to Avenues and Alleyways...

The rules are set out above...

Here are six random things about me:

1. I was up to my knees in quicksand at the age of around four and had to be pulled out by a housewife who came to my aid after seeing my plight from her kitchen window. It was probably just very deep mud...

2. I will NEVER clap along at a concert...

3. I was (I believe) conceived at Butlins in Ayr in the late summer of 1958 and returned there on holiday with my parents in the very early sixties. The aroma of the Ikea restaurant near Loanhead reminds me of the aroma of the dining room at Butlins in 1960/61/62...

4. I once attended a post video shoot party thrown by Marc Almond of Soft Cell. The video was for the single “Torch”. I was on my way to Paris with Anne...

5. In the mid-90’s when I had my shop in St Mary’s St, I was having a drink in the World’s End Bar when who should come in but Alistair Darling. I approached him as he held court in front of his young acolytes and asked “Mr Darling, are you a socialist?”. “Yes” he replied, proudly. “Buy me a drink then” I retorted. Suffice to say he declined my request...

6. Often, the very last thing I think before I fall asleep is “I’m going to have to die one day - what a bummer”...

I'm now tagging Sid Smith, Impossible Songs, Norman Lamont, Jim Park, Peri Urban and Martin Lennon...

I will now leave a comment on each of their blogs telling them they're tagged...

None or all of them may well continue this nonsense...

Finally, I will let Mr Avenues and Alleyways know I have carried out my tagging task...

And so I have stayed up later than I ought to have...

But I could do what I wanted...

Off to bed with more Yes on the cans (and Brahms)...

Highlight of the Day : Staying up very late indeed...

Blue and blend...

Playlist
The Bad Plus – For All I Care
Various – October Singles
Bartok - String Quartets
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Blend

A day of creation which, ultimately, proved unsatisfying...

The Bad Plus started the day as they ended yesterday – a splendid album...

I compiled a CD of “singles” from albums acquired during October...

In the morning post breakfast, we toyed with the idea of going to a wine emporium to put together a case...

In the end we decided against it and so, instead, I painted...

I selected Bartok’s string quartets and took a canvas to the attic along with my paints and brushes and proceeded to lay down the first foundation of “Untitled #9”...



Which is blue...



When looking at this please remember the old adage “fools and bairns...”

After lunch – once again Anne’s excellent lentil soup – I retired to the PC room to re-record the vocals on the new CBQ song “Blend”...

I also added in some percussive sounds and then worked on a remix...

All in all around five or six hours’ work, either side of dinner, on a four minute song...

Dinner was very tasty indeed - a new addition to Anne’s canon, home made fish pie, featuring smoked haddock, prawns and cod...

Burned four versions of “Blend” to disc – the original “lost” version from last month, my attempt to recreate it, including slightly dodgy vocals, today’s version with the “good” vocals and today’s remix...

Of course eventually a day like this becomes one of not being able to see the wood for the trees...

Anyway, the version with the new vocals for listening or downloading is now available via the link to download my music...

CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET - BLEND



Let me know if you get past the first minute...

Stephen Fry in America and "Match of the Day 2" rounded off the day...

Highlight of the Day : Painting and recording...

Bad and dangerous...

Playlist
Soft Machine – Seven
Sparks – BBC Session
Girls Aloud – The Promise & Other Singles
Schumann – Murray Perahia Plays Schumann
Locke – The Broken Consort
Neal Morse – Lifeline
Various – 31 Best Albums of 2008 So Far On Shuffleplay
The Sleepy Jackson – Personality
The Bad Plus – For All I Care
Hawkwind – Out of the Shadows (DVD)

Up at 5:48 – listening to Soft Machine then listening to Sparks on the Mark Lamarr show last night – extensive interview, albeit with the rather annoying Mr Lamarr, and five songs plus an online exclusive...



Heads up for this came from Count Brodski...

Then to the Girls Aloud website to see their new single’s video – their player features almost every video they’ve done...



Of course I have the majority on DVD...

A good start to the day though...

Wandered downstairs and took all the CDs off the living room shelf to “have a look” at the last 100 acquisitions laid out on the dining room table...

Took some pictures, including Meg the Black Cat getting in on the act, then put all the CDs back again...



Tried to save some kind of flying beast from the marauding spiders outside the living room window...



A leisurely breakfast of boiled egg and toast, coffee and juice whilst listening to Neal Morse and watching everything outside being blown about in the wind and rain...

Decided to venture out to investigate a possible new printer – against the advice of Meg the Black Cat who, weather wise, was going nowhere today...



When it came to it though, after much hemming and hawing I decided I didn’t really need a new printer – not a reason which is usually at the forefront of my mind when considering buying stuff...

Back home, Anne had prepared some lovely lentil soup for lunch as we watched Rangers beat Hamilton, coming from behind...

I got wrapped up against the elements again to go into town on the bus as Anne went off to Tynecastle for the game against Aberdeen (a 1-1 draw, while Queens defeated Ross County 2-0 away in Dingwall to remain top of the league for the third week in a row)...

In FOPP (of course), I bought the new Bad Plus album, along with another Iain M Banks SF book (which I probably won’t read), a CD/DVD by Australian band The The Sleepy Jackson and a DVD of Hawkwind live in 2002 – total cost £21, with the Bad Plus costing £14 – this is how I justify a large cost for a single CD, by buying other stuff to bring the average price down...

I am mad...

In another shop, I bought two new watches and some paint brushes and acrylic paints for the upcoming artistic creation scenario...

Then it was time to go home – the stormy conditions and total outgoes thus far making it unattractive to stay in the proximity of shops...

On the bus home I started the book – promising...



Back home I enjoyed the Sleepy Jackson then settled down for the highlight – the new Bad Plus...



My mantra is, of course, that there’s no place for vocals in jazz...

Eight of the twelve tracks feature vocalist Wendy Lewis who, like the Bad Plus hails from Minneapolis...

She’s the singer in the band Redstart, which has shared members with Bad Plus drummer Dave King’s band Happy Apple...

She is not a standard jazz vocalist in the annoying (for me) style of a Cleo Laine, a Billie Holiday or an Ella Fitzgerald – she is, essentially, a pop/rock vocalist and her contributions to this album add rather than detract from proceedings...

Highlights thus far for me include a version of the Bee Gees’ “How Deep is Your Love” (coincidentally the recently purchased Neal Morse album also sports a cover of a Gibbs Brothers work)....

My favourite though, is not, as expected, either the Pink Floyd song or the Yes song but a Flaming Lips number, “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate” from their album “The Soft Bulletin” – which, thus far, I don’t own...

After “Merlin” which this week actually, finally, showed some promise, it was off over to Fife to visit chum Chris for an entertaining evening involving a Kraftwerk DVD, a compilation of all Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson’s “Dangerous Brothers” sketches and their Comic Strip film regarding Peter Cook’s murderous Mr Jolly...



Entertainment at its violent, slapstick best...

A takeaway from the local Indian emporium sustained us and we headed home around 1 am, the wind and rain having finally ceased...

An enjoyable day...

Highlight of the Day : New Bad Plus / The Dangerous Brothers

Back, out...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal Companion EPs
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Callingstill (Yellow)
Skids – Scared to Dance
Powderfinger – Dream Days at the hotel Existence
Addison Project – Mood Swings

Out early into the dark, the wind and the rain...

Home in the dark through the wind, thankfully the rain had ceased...

I did nip to HMV on the way home but The Bad Plus’ new CD was a whopping £16 there – HMV owns FOPP – in FOPP the CD is £14 – different markets, different prices...

Tomorrow...

The evening was spent doing nothing much – “Coronation St”, “Have I Got News For You”, “Al Murray” with its rubbish but actually quite entertaining line up of Cilla Black, Des O’Connor and Philip Scofield and “Jonathon Ross” featuring Tony Curtis and Girls Aloud performing their new single – which was worth waiting up for...

Yesterday an e-mail from China from old singer-songwriter chum Scott “The Pirate” Renton of Uhersky Brod – noting there is a Cloudland Youth Hostel there and sending this pic...

No football for another seven weeks now as the doc confirmed the other day ligament damage to my right ankle which is causing reasonable limpage on the old CBQ undercarriage...

I have been tagged by Mr Avenues and Alleyways and must now think of six mildly interesting factlets about myself and post them here...

My thinking cap is on...

Lights Out...

Highlight of the Day : Girls Aloud...

Once more into the void...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal Companion EPs
David Reilly – Anthology Vols 7 & 8
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Acoustic Setlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ferry Fringe Souvenir Set (Unreleased)

A meeting at lunchtime with sister Sheila, so no FOPP for a change...

An invite to hospitality again at Partick Thistle on 1 November as Queen of the South will visit – and to the Radio Forth Awards on 12 November at the Assembly Rooms...

In the evening, Anne was out with Lynn for drinks and chat and I took the opportunity to update the Crispycat website with the last three releases and added more downloads to the Crispycat Library – a kick in the pants off 400 tracks there now available gratis...

Then out to bring the ladies home...

Highlight of the Day : Updating...

Best behaviour...

Playlist
Terje Rypdal – Skywards
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal
Billion Dollar Babies – Battle Axe

In FOPP at lunchtime (what a surprise that I was there!), I found The Bad Plus’ new album in the racks at £14...

I didn’t think it was out till early 2009 but here it was and it includes covers of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” and Yes’ “Long Distance Runaround”...

In fact the whole disc is covers...



I plan a purchase before next week...

In the evening, Anne came to meet me and we walked along to St Andrew Square and, a place I’ve never been before, Harvey Nichols Department Store...

The store itself was shut by now but we were heading for the still open top floor and the restaurant there and wine shop...

Chums Sid and Debbie have a subscription to wine-tasting evenings throughout the year but, due to unforeseen circumstances, couldn’t make it along tonight and had asked if we’d like to step in...

Hmmm, let me think...

And so here we were...

The French Sommelier was very entertaining indeed and we enjoyed an opening glass of champagne then six wines which retail for prices we’d baulk at paying, with each costing double that if ordered in their restaurant...

During the tasting we were treated to a plateful of cold meats and cheeses with bread and oatcakes...

We started on white with a light sweet and fruity Argentinian Torrontes followed by a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a distinctive smell of cat-pee (apparently normal for a good sauv-blanc)...

Then, my favourite of the night, a £41 French dry white Anjou which had a treacly, almost toffee apple taste to it...

The first of the three reds, another French, was smooth and sweet with a strawberry taste but was, for me, a little too weak to please...

A more full bodied Argentinian Cabernet Sauvingon followed, bearing a superb aroma, plenty of alcohol and a lovely oaked taste...

The last wine of the night was a Spanish Reserva wine, peppery, woody with a kind of sour dryness and a strong enjoyable after taste...

Then to the restaurant for a three course meal (soup/mackerel pate; sausage & mash/risotto; apple crumble/sticky toffee pudding) at the end of which we were well and truly stuffed...

We walked to the far end of Princes St and caught the bus home...

The difference between this and last week’s tasting at The Great Grog, was the lack of competitiveness – last week’s teams scenario meant we couldn’t learn about the wines as we tasted them, rather we had to guess for ourselves their origins, grape types and prices which, all in all, wasn’t very satisfying...

So, tonight was indeed, an excellent night...

Highlight of the Day : A “real” winetasting...

Complex...

Playlist
Neal Morse - Lifeline
Fripp & Eno - Beyond Even
Terje Rypdal - Skywards
King Crimson - Larks Tongues' In Aspic 80 Min Mix

Took my usual walks today but no purchases...

Dark when I left the house, dark when I returned...

At home, a Terje Rypdal CD I bought on e-bay on Friday - good service but, shabbily, a hand written back cover...

Not to worry..

This is my ninth TR CD and is top notch stuff...



Anne watched Man U thrash Celtic 3-0 - QoS remain top scoring Scottish side in Europe with two goals...

Meanwhile, upstairs I listened to Mr Rypdal then compiled an 80 minute "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" King Crimson mix comprising:-

Larks' Tongues in Aspic Pt 1
Larks' Tongues in Aspic Pt 2
Red
Requiem
Larks' Tongues in Aspic Pt 3
Vrooom Vrooom
Larks' Tongues in Aspic Pt 4
Heaven and Earth
Dangerous Curves
Peace - A Theme
Level Five

I am 47 minutes into the playback as I type...

Tasty...

Browsed my fave blogs and will shortly (33 mins) shutdown for the night...

No SF last night as predicted, instead, taped comedy - and forgot to mention Anne's brilliant lamb casserole and mash...

Salmon and salad tonight...

She spoils me...

Highlight of the Day : New Rypdal...

Each to his own...

Playlist
King Crimson - Cadence and Cascade (3CD-R)
Neal Morse - Lifeline (2CD)

Almost still dark when I left the house this morning into the rain...

Typical though, that I have spent much of the weekend ill - and almost unprecedented that, two days in a row, I took to my bed in the middle of the day - and now, Monday morning, I seem to be on the mend...

Walked from Haymarket to the town centre enjoying the new Crimson compilation created over the weekend...

And it soundtracked too, my lunchtime walk to FOPP, where I found Neal Morse's brand new 2CD set, "Lifeline" and purchased it at (choke) full price...

I didn't even know it was coming out...



Worth every penny though...

There are few acts around these days who produce such high quality music and Mr Morse seems to do so with consumate ease...

Of course I am an atheist and think people who believe in a higher power are sadly deluded, although I accept it helps them through their lives...

So, Neal Morse left Spock's Beard a few years ago now, proclaiming he'd found Jesus and God and that he'd decided to dedicate the rest of his life to their worship...

As a consequence, his lyrical themes are quite overtly religious...

I have said before though, that some of the best music ever written was done so by way of the worship of a God (in whatever form was topical at the time), so I have no problem with the words on this excellent CD...

And, over and above the sermons being preached on disc one, the bonus second disc comprises mainly covers, including one of The Osmonds' classic "Crazy Horses"...

Top stuff...

Might watch "The Day After Tomorrow" later but Anne probably won't be up for a couple of hours of science fiction...

Highlight of the Day : New Neal Morse...

Cold crimson...

Playlist
King Crimson – Cadence and Cascade (3CD-R Compilation)
King Crimson – Live in Chicago August 2008
The Police - Singles
Various – Singles May to October 2008 on Shuffleplay

Up at 6 as I couldn’t sleep due to the cold symptoms – always the way for me when I get like this...

Absolutely knackered but decided to expand Keith’s Crimson Compilation to a three disc set, adding another studio compilation and excerpts from the Chicago 2008 show I downloaded recently...



I suppose this may be overkill but I’m hoping he’ll like the band...

Watched “Something for the Weekend” with Anne then went back to bed around midday as I couldn’t keep my eyes open...

Slept till nearly five, missing the Edinburgh Derby, in which Hearts came back from an 80 second goal to draw 1-1 with Hibs...

Burned a disc of Police hits for other brother-in-law Bobby, as requested by him the other night...

Anne went off to our step-niece Rebecca’s 18th birthday party leaving me to mope around the house feeling sorry for myself, listening to singles taken from CDs acquired since May...

Anne returned around 9:30 to find me snoozing on the settee and we watched the results show for "Strictly Come Dancing" followed by "Match of the Day 2"...

A disappointing under-the-weather day...

Highlight of the Day : A new Crimso compilation...

Hawk'n'how...

Playlist
Hawkwind – In Search of Space
Hawkwind – Doremi Fasol Latido
Hawkwind – Hall of the Mountain Grill
Hawkwind – A Space Ritual
Hawkwind – Live in Chicago 1974
Hawkwind – Warriors on the Edge of Time
Hawkwind – The Charisma Years
King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King
King Crimson - In The Wake of Poseidon
King Crimson - Lizard
King Crimson - Islands
King Crimson - Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black
King Crimson - Red
King Crimson - Discipline
King Crimson - Beat
King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
King Crimson - Thrak
King Crimson - The ConstruKction of Light
King Crimson - The Power to Believe

Up early and transferring Hawkwind albums to the jukeboxes, including a couple of live 2CD sets and a compilation...



Walked down to the bus and took it along to Jane and Bobby’s to pick up the remains of our cake, our new cutlery set and the car...

Drove home feeling not too great – streaming eyes and nose re this goddam cold...

Nonetheless, out to Loanhead around midday to my mum’s, as we’d promised her a birthday lunch and we’re now around six weeks on...

She gave us a lovely picture frame as a twenty fifth anniversary present...

Off to the Howgate, one of our favourite restaurants – I think the last time we took mum here was the first day of this blog back in March 2005...



Soft drinks all round as I enjoyed an excellent cullen skink followed by Scampi and hand cut chips and salad...

Anne had the soup of the moment followed by excellent beef pie, again with hand cut chips...

Mum forewent a starter but followed her oven cooked rib eye with potatoes, yorkshire pudding and veg with a passion fruit sorbet...

While mum enjoyed her sorbet, Anne and I had lovely coffee with a small piece of home made tablet...

After this enjoyable leisurely lunch we set off home, dropping mum off at her house on the way...

Back at Crispycat, I took to my bed for a few hours – by the time I awoke, Queen of the South had been beaten 2-0 away at Airdrie – luckily the other results went our way though, so Queens remain top by the skin of their teeth...

Watched “Merlin” – rubbish with plot holes a mile wide – before starting a King Crimson compilation project...

Brother-in-law Keith has had his interest in the group aroused by a work colleague who has been raving on about them...

Took a break for the much anticipated return of “Harry Hill’s TV Burp”, which Anne had kindly taped for us whilst she watched “Strictly come Dancing”...

Then “Have I Got News For You”...

Back to the King Crimson project – I’d decided on one piece from each of the 13 studio albums but, due to track lengths, I had to create special versions of several songs using editing software on the PC – a very enjoyable, if fiddly, task...

Back downstairs for “Match of the Day” while the final mix was burning to CD...

Off to bed, listening to my handiwork...

Highlight of the Day : Belated Birthday lunch...

Fruity...

Playlist
Various – Rock & Pop Jukebox on Shuffleplay
Hawkwind – In Search of Space
Hawkwind – Hawkwind
Tim Buckley – Anthology
Bob Marley – Catch a Fire
John Coltrane – My Favourite Things
David Bowie – Young Americans
The Go Betweens – Best Of
Van Morrison – Verden Fleece
Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark
Hawkwind – Doremi Fasol Latido

Back to FOPP again, where I carried out my planned Hawkwind raid, picking up their first four studio albums for £3 each...

Also bought what I thought was a rather trendy FOPP shoulder bag, made from recycled plastic bottles (£2 including a charitable donation – I was the first person to purchase one apparently)...

Anne declared it far from trendy...

The cold continued to dog my day...

In the evening, to brother-in-law Keith and wife Maureen’s for a celebrationary dinner with sister-in-law Jane and husband Bobby and Anne’s mum...



I’d forgotten Anne had suggested an extensive cutlery set would be a good 25th anniversary gift, so, opening the large package presented to us was a surprise for me...



Keith had cooked the meal, a starter of Moroccan salad followed by a lamb stew (including strawberries – a master stroke) and cous cous, and a chocolate moose for sweet...

Tasty...

And, to round things off, a specially created cake...



Much wine was consumed by all other than (driving) Bobby – who always seems to want to get home to his kids – so Bobby, Jane and Anne’s mum headed home around 10:45 while Anne, Keith, Maureen and I shot the proverbial breeze till two in the morning...

A taxi delivered us home to Crispycat Towers around 2:20 am...

Straight to bed, with very annoying cold symptoms still very much present...

A good night...

Highlight of the Day : Dinner at Keith and Maureens’...