Charming...

Playlist
Various – No1 Albums I Bought on Release
Trevor Rabin – 90124
Yes – 90125
Various – Now That’s What I Call Music Jan-May 1968
Francoise Hardy – En Anglais
King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black
Yello – Solid Pleasure
Mathilde Santing – Mathilde Santing
Various – Neues Deutschland
Family 5 – Resistance
Michael Rother – Remember the Great Adventure

On holiday today – psyching myself up for the op tomorrow...

Over the next few days, I’ll no doubt look like this...



We took a trip over to Dunfermline for some shopping (Trevor Rabin’s demos for various Yes albums – plus a small umbrella) and lunch...



Stopped by Chris-with-a-Ch’s for a coffee before heading back home...

To keep my mind occupied, I rearranged my LPs, getting around 150 out of the cupboard and putting 100 or so 12” singles away, then ordering all the LPs alphabetically...



Meanwhile Meg the Black cat snuggled into my dressing gown, imbuing it with her lucky charmness for tomorrow...



Downloaded a Michael Rother album from 2004, possibly his latest, which is very laid back, has some great moments but is rather more hippy-dippy than previous efforts...

Last of “Ashes to Ashes” prefaced an earlier than usual night as I need to be up at 6am tomorrow...

Ulp...

Highlight of the Day : Mucking about with my LPs...

Mister Richard Kopf...

Playlist
Ravel – Complete Orchestral Works
Art Pepper – Smack Up
Poulenc – Piano Music, Chamber Music
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Edward Spark Remixes
Kings of Leon – Only By the Night
Five Hole Band – Tales of Hockey Erotica
Tangerine Dream – Ultima Thule
Pendragon – Pure
Scarlatti – Keyboard Sonatas
Various – David Toop’s Oceans of Sound
Jackie McLean – Jacknife (2LP)
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Soundscapes 1996-2005

Again up around 7 am, despite going to bed after 2:30 am...

Ripping of CDs continued – and downloading of Art Pepper’s “Smack Up”, one of last night’s featured albums also took place...



Uploaded two Edward Spark remixes of tracks from the new CBQ album – and here they are for your listening delight...

Cloudland Blue Quartet
So Long Kid (Edward Spark Voxless)


Cloudland Blue Quartet
My Last Trip (Edward Spark Remix) - Demo Version


Our tiredness however, scuppered a planned cinema visit and instead, staying in, we watched the recently acquired DVD of “Ratatouille” – and very entertaining it was too...

Also entertained by albums received from sister Pam (Kings of Leon) and Dr Prog (Pendragon)...

After listening again to the new Jackie McLean LP...



...disaster struck mid afternoon, as I managed somehow to wipe the Home Page of the Crispycat Recordings website...

Spent many frustrating hours on and off between 4pm and midnight trying to fix it but to no avail...

I went from the above demeanour to the below...



At one point, webmeister Craig managed to get a copy of a homepage from 2006 up – but I managed to wipe that too...

Dick...

In-between times though, two new Sunday night viewing opportunities in “Hope Springs” on BBC1 and “Proof” on ITV 1 – the latter has the most potential – so that’s alright then?

Erm, not really...

Highlight of the Day : Ratatouille

First time in a long time...

Playlist
Love Parade – Half the Civilised World
Yes – The Word is Live
Brian Eno – Before and After Science
Rex the Dog – The Rex the Dog Show
Tangerine Dream – Ultima Thule
Jackie McLean – Jacknife
Scarlatti – Keyboard Sonatas
Various – 50 Years of Island Records
Prefuse 73 – It Happened and It Still Happens
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Soundingfall
Eric Bibb - ?
Deep Purple – Burn
AC/DC – Back in Black
David Gilmour – Live in Gdansk
Art Pepper – Smack Up
Nathan Davis – Jazz 65-76
Hugh Masekela - ?
Gil Scott –Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip – Angles
BEF – Music of Quality and Distinction
Associates – Greatest Hits

Up 7:15 despite the late night...

Opened the day’s listening with Count Brodski and my’s 1984 LP “Half the Civilised World”, it being 25 years ago this weekend since we performed it live at the Meadows Festival...

Updated this for the last three days...

Then took Anne to an appointment at 10:30 before heading into town to meet with Dr Prog at today’s fair – I’d texted Count Brodski but no response...

A quick visit to FOPP pre fair – nothing took my fancy...

At the fair however, I bought my first LP for probably over 20 years – Jackie McLean’s “Jacknife”, over which I’d swithered back in February...



Also picked up a nice Tangerine Dream 2CD compilation containing some rare early works...

The Doc shelled too much money out for various prog DVDs before we returned to the Cloudland Blue mobile and headed up to park at the Saturday Place...



We walked along to Beetlejuice, the coffee shop which, now over ten years ago, was Reptile Records and enjoyed a tasty lunch and a chat before I took the Progmeister home...

A storm looked to be brewing - and rain commenced shortly after...



Back at Crispycat Towers, I listened to the new LP...



...in the company of Meg the Black Cat, while the Exec Producer went for a snooze...



Then spent some considerable time ripping recent CDs for the jukeboxes...

Was led to the BBC I-Player by blogger Sid Smith (see links) to watch the 90 minute story of the Island Label...

Then got ready to go out for the evening – we were off for dinner to the abode of our solicitor during our days as Reptile Records, Mr Alan McLaren and his lovely wife (and expert cook) Eileen...

Being a bit early uptown, we popped into Henderson’s for a quick coffee...



Despite this we still arrived slightly early...

Alan was out picking up a CD he was getting on test for a local HiFi seller pal...

Alan is Mr HiFi, even more so than our German chum Jorg...

He has thousands of LPs – including many recent releases I didn’t think had ever been out on LP...



But before we listened to any LPs, we enjoyed a superb Caribbean based dinner of seared tuna salad and two extra hot and delicious curry dishes with “peas and rice” (actually kidney beans, coconut milk and rice) and plantain, rounded off with a delicious tiramisu based desert...

Mmm, mmmm...

Much wine was consumed by the quartet – including, almost unbelievably, a bottle which, at 54 years old, was older than the oldest person at the table – erm that’d be your correspondent...



The rest of the evening, until well after 2am, was spent listening to groovy LPs...



...and mucking about on Alan’s collection of excellent musical instruments and accompanying gadgets – bass solos were blasting out at midnight...



The Exec Producer finally called time around 2:15 and it was into a taxi and off home...

An extremely enjoyable day...

Highlight of the Day : Spending an evening with my Doppelganger...

French boxes...

Playlist
Rheostatics – Greatest Hits
Rheostatics - Melville
Rheostatics – Whale Music
Rheostatics – Soundtrack from the Film “Whale Music”
Rheostatics – The Whale Music Concert, 1992
Rheostatics – Introducing Happiness
Rheostatics – Music Inspired by the Group of Seven
Rheostatics – The Blue Hysteria
Rheostatics – The Nightlines Sessions
Rheostatics – The Story of Harmelodia
Rheostatics – Night of the Shooting Stars
Rheostatics – 2067
Scarlatti – Keyboard Sonatas
Debussy – Orchestral Works

The brilliant Rheos soundtracked, inspired by the download of their 1992 concert the other night...

Rain this morning – but I felt like an idiot in my rain jacket later this evening as the weather once more looked like summer...



IT Guru Martin and his lovely wife, Michelle, brought their babies to the offices of the man...

Emilie and Arran were born unfeasibly early and have been in hospital for a goodly number of weeks but now, here they are doing fine and, right now is when they were supposed to have entered the world...



Today, the Exec Producer was uptown obtaining a new look...



...and we met for lunch, a small bowl of pasta and a glass of Rosé each...

We parted with Anne attempting to find something to wear to the upcoming wedding while I nipped into HMV, ostensibly to purchase a disc of Scarlatti keyboard sonatas for £3...

I emerged with a bag containing said disc but also three 4CD box sets of music by Frenchmen Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc...

Tasty but stupid...

In the evening out into town with chums Lynn and Ross to celebrate Ross’s birthday this week...

In a replay of my own celebrations a few weeks ago with Count Brodski and Lady Penny, we met at Thomson’s Bar – and bumped into our old solicitor and bass guitarist chum Alan McLaren – to whose home we are invited for dinner tomorrow night...



After a couple of beers spent in the company of "Michael" the mysterious Irish doctor and his tales of wayward footballers, drunken A&E confrontations and just how far a doctor’s arm can go up someone’s backside...



...we took the short walk to excellent Chinese eaterie, Chop Chop...



Twelve dishes were ordered and consumed over much chat and good times and washed down with more alcohol, Chinese Beer for the boys and French red Wine for the ladies...

Then back to Thomsons for probably too many nightcaps...



A taxi home and to bed around 2am...

A good day...

Highlight of the Day : Carousing with chums...

Dee tea...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Callingstill
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Doveloveshawk
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Ampersand
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Anotherhappyday
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Deeperdown
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Ersatzreal
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Soundingfall

Well now someone has to listen to my music so why not me – so, today, it was me on shuffleplay featuring the seven song-based CBQ albums released since 1997...

Two new interesting buildings not previously noted from these angles in this journal...





This afternoon/evening Anne was over in Fife on a mission of the ten pin bowling variety with chums Chris and the ferret, the latter much bitten by beasts during a recent sojourn to Magaluf on a 45 man stag weekend...

Glad I wasn’t there...

Meanwhile your correspondent moped about Crispycat Towers and did not enjoy much an evening meal of baked beans, toast and boiled ham following the instructions of the Exec Producer to “root around the cupboard and find what you can for your tea”...

In the post today a surprise wedding invite to the nuptials of old school chum Lesley and her beau of many years now, Dave – should be a good day out...

Post disappointing tea, I walked to the Polling Station to mark my cross on the ballot paper for the European Elections – voting of course for my favourite party...

On the way home, I noted that this...



...was once a college populated by bright young minds eager to contribute to the world – and this...



...was a swimming pool which entertained the local children...

Soon it will be a large estate of new houses...

Back home and Anne had returned in time for us to enjoy “My Name is Earl”, “The Big Bang Theory”, “Question Time” and “This Week”..

I would hope the unelected reign of the one-eyed idiot economy wrecker is coming to an end...

Meg the Black Cat spent the night contemplating the recently brought out of storage electric guitar...



Highlight of the Day : My music...why not?

Complimentary...

Playlist
Rex the Dog – The Rex the Dog Show
DJ Hell – Teufelswerk
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Soundingfall
Thorns Musical Journey - Broken Sword
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal
JonHassel & Brian eno – Fourth World Possible Musics
Ursa Major – Ursa Major
Marillion – Happiness is the Road

Soundtracked on another beautiful day by Rex the Dog and DJ Hell my two new heroes of digger-dagger music....

Took a different route this morning....



And at lunch-time...



Wandered to FOPP – no purchases...

In the evening out to Secret CD, picking up Mr James Jamieson on the way...

Jamie requested the new CBQ album as a soundtrack into town and I was happy to oblige...

We were entertained by quiet singer-songwriter Sophie Ramsay and by the duelling banjos of Blueflint but mostly by the last performance of Darren Thornberry and Thorns Musical Journey...



Unfortunately while Fannatica performed we were ensconced in conversation with Mr Scott Renton, recently engaged and just returned from a round the world trip with his now fiancé and a small Andy Capp doll...

Also chatted with Ian Sclater, Norman Lamont and former Electric White Boy, now Broken Tooth...

I collected quite a few compliments re the new CBQ album, notably on the use of Creek cohort Craig Sutherland’s rhythm beds on some of the songs...

I was buoyed by the kind remarks...

Drove Jamie home after good night out reconnecting with “the scene, man”...

Ended the day with Messrs Eno and Hassell, Marillion and the rocking Detroit sounds of Dick Wagner’s Ursa Major...

Cool...

Highlight of the Day : Doubts assuaged by confirmation and affirmation...

B eff bees...

Playlist
The Five Hole Band – Tales of Hockey Erotica
Various – Cream Electric Summer Vol 1
Various – Classic Trance Anthems
Various – Classic Trance Nation
Haydn – Complete String Quartets

Started out reasonably hot again today....



But soon petered out as the wind rose and a chill came into the air...

Enjoyed some dance music on the cans today...

Back home around seven under greying skies...



Once again, too late to get a slot at Out of the Bedroom – perhaps my overall number of performances at all venues since debuting there as a so-called “singer-songwriter” in January 2003, is set to remain at exactly 100...

Instead of venturing forth to project my singy-songy ideas into the void, we watched a couple of “CSI”s from February and March this year (recording the latest episode at 9pm – we are around 14 behind the pace)...

Episode 8 seemed to be the first of a two parter Ruth McCarter but it turned out we misunderstood the ending...

Since it wasn’t a Ruth McCarter though, it probably doesn’t really matter that the next couple of episodes are nowhere to be found on the list of “stuff we have videoed”...

Upstairs and listened to my box set of Haydn’s Complete String Quartets (not the whole thing obviously – there are 21 discs)...

Sublime...

Ripped a few of the discs for the Classical jukebox...

At present, across the four Jukeboxes, I have 2,650 albums and enough music to listen for 200 12 hour days without playing the same album twice...

That might be too much...

Back downstairs later for a programme about why people are fat – I suspect it’s because they consume more calories than they burn – certainly seems to be the case for me (and my entire blood related family – maybe it’s the genes? – no we’re all just big fat bastards who eat too much and don’t exercise enough)...

Highlight of the Day : Haydn...

Too hot for cats again...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Songs and Soundscapes 1996-2009
Various – Zunior Compilations
Rheostatics – Whale Concert
Various - Afghanistan Stand on Guard For Thee

Another scorcher...



Surely this can’t last...

The flowers are enjoying it...



Tonight while Anne was keeping fit, I downloaded three albums from Zunior, the Canadian music shop....

Watched “Ashes to Ashes” – getting more interesting by the week – next week though is the final episode...

Then “Have I Got News For You”...

The past few weeks I’ve been watching “South Park” late on on Monday nights but, this week, Anne’s viewing of two taped Corries from earlier took precedence as I came upstairs to write up the weekend and listen to the Rheostatics in concert back in 1992 – before I even knew they existed...

Today was too hot for cats again...



Highlight of the Day : Hot weather, no jacket (downside - looking very fat)...

Too hot for cats...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Songs and Soundscapes 1996-2009
DJ Hell – Teufelswerk
Rex the Dog – The Rex the Dog Show
Various – Cream Electric Summer Vol 1
Various – Nouvelle Vague Presents New Wave

Last night Meg the Black Cat found a wee interesting place...



This morning it was just too damned hot for cats...



Up at 7:20 and more work on the compilation project...

Breakfasted at home...



Finished work around 11 am then sang through seventeen songs...

Anne went off to a garden show at Ingliston with sister-in-law Jane...

Inspired by the compiling yesterday and this morning, I decided I may wish to do some new soundscapes - my first for over three years...

Accordingly the necessary equipment was brought out of storage in readiness...

I finally left the house around 3pm for the first time since Friday night – drove to Stockbridge and bought a couple of 2CD compilations in the Shelter shop...



Then to Anne’s mum’s for tea...

Drinks cooled us...



Kitty made her own chicken nuggets...



A spider entertained....



Ollie and Kitty were as adorable as ever...



Then home and watched “The 40 Year Old Virgin” – a reasonably entertaining distraction to end the weekend...

Annoyingly, ITV showed the news right in the middle – during this I listened to some “banging” tunes from the Cream compilation purchased earlier...

Highlight of the Day : Finally getting out into the sun...

Helen wheels...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Songs and Soundscapes 1996-2009
DJ Hell – Teufelswerk
Rex the Dog – The Rex the Dog Show

Spent much of this absolute scorcher of a day ensconced in the PC room compiling a new CBQ collection encompassing all 17 albums of original music (i.e. discounting the many singles and compilations) released under that name since adopting it in the summer of 1996...



More info here - www.crispycat.co.uk...

In the post came a CD bought from e-bay just two days ago, the “The Rex the Dog Show” from German DJ and mixer, erm Rex the Dog...

Tasty digger-dagger music...



I then looked into an LP which has intrigued me during my visits to FOPP and I ended up downloading this...



It is now my fave album of the year so far after listening to it this evening – it even includes a guest appearance fr4om Bryan ferry on the opening track – it too is full of excellent digger-dagger music (and muchas Kraftwerk nods)...

We lunched in the garden...



I continued to compile while Anne kept abreast of the Scottish and English Cup finals...



Wins for Rangers and Chelsea respectively, against our chosen teams, Falkirk and Everton respectively...

Late on watched some TV no doubt but it’s a couple of days ago now and I can’t remember what and can’t be bothered digging back through the schedules...

No doubt I was entertained...

Highlight of the Day : Discovering DJ Hell...