R.I.P.

Man, first Jeremy Beadle, and now Miles Kington.

I was never a huge fan of the former, but grew up with 'Game for a Laugh' in the early 80s. I hated 'You've Been Framed', though.
As for the latter, I have been a reader of The Independent since 1986, when my dad said 'he'd give it a try', and have followed his column ever since... First Alan Coren, now him.

End of Year Report

Well, that's twelve full months for this blog, and here's a Report of the number of monthly 'hits' +/- SD. Not spectacular, but OK for a blog about nothing in particular...

Dwarfish Trumpet Blues

Well. Two things today. I) Possible Company meltdown and II) Telephone interview to offer me a way out of the pain. In preparation, some Prog:

Universal Garden - Conspiracy, much better than the version on Open Your Eyes,
Aristocracy - Caravan,
Your Time Is Gonna Come - Led Zeppelin. Just great,
Matte Kudasai (Alternative Version) - King Crimson,
The Wizard (USA Promo with Dwarfish Trumpet Blues Story) - Tyrannosaurus Rex,
Moonloop - Porcupine Tree, all 18 minutes of it,
Brightness Falls - David Sylvian & Robert Fripp,
Yellow Peril - Steely Dan. I still have no idea what this album is...
Incommunicado - Marillion,
Pre-Dawn - Sunrise - The Enid, then the first 10 minutes of
The Revealing Science Of God - Yes, from Keys to Ascension I. God knows how they persuaded Rick Wakeman to play this again.

T - 3. Commuting is very difficult if a) the trains are spaced 8 minutes apart, and b) the indicator board indicates incorrect information. M - 4; D - 3

Thank You Disillusionment

Late start today. I've brought my computer bag with me for the jumble sale when the inevitable happens...

Some Steven Wilson-related stuff today. If anyone can be described as a polymath in today's dumbed-down uni-dimensional music 'scene', he can. Porcupine Tree, Bass Communion, No Man, IEM, solo work, plus production work with Opeth, Fish and Marillion, and many more.

Chloroform - Porcupine Tree,
Way Out Of Here - Porcupine Tree,
Queen Quotes Crowley - Porcupine Tree,
The Sound Of Muzak - Porcupine Tree,
Third Eye Surfer - Porcupine Tree,
Loss Side 2 - Bass Communion,
Wastecoat - Porcupine Tree,
Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Reconstruction) II - Bass Communion,
Collapse The Light Into Earth - Porcupine Tree,
Radioactive Toy - Porcupine Tree,
Cover Version - Steven Wilson. There's a box set of all the 'Cover Version' project coming out soon; I've only got the first one, but the set of 6 looks tempting...

T - 4; M - 4.5; D - 3

"But is it worth it, all that time wasted?"

"... Time we could've spent completely nude, bare, naked"

An early start today, for no good reason.

Lots of Prog, Rock and Rock/Pop in today's playlist:

Whiskey River - Budgie,
Every Fold - Wigwam,
Seven On Seven - Robert Fripp & Andy Summers,
General Crossing - Jethro Tull,
Ghosts - David Sylvian & Robert Fripp, from 'Kings', which appears to be a Russian bootleg: the title 'Ghosts' is rendered "God Saved My Life"...
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd,
Incommunicado (Album Version) - Marillion,
Tinto Brass - Porcupine Tree, the XM version,
Pig - Soft Machine,
Bringing Down The Light - David Sylvian & Robert Fripp. There are few sounds better than Mr Fripp in full flight...
Seven Wonders - Fleetwood Mac,
Snowbound - Genesis,
Baby Lemonade (Bonus Track - Take 1) - Syd Barrett, from Barrett,
Villanova Junction - Jimi Hendrix Experience, Live At Woodstock,
Sexual Healing - Kate Bush. Nowhere near as good as it could have been - all rather mechanical, not help by the synth bass and generally soulless vibe. Strange.

The end of days could just be around the corner, as my company has until this Thursday (!) to sort out some sort of loan to carry it through a merger. If it can't find it, then it's all over. I have an interview on Thursday...

T - 3; M - 4; D - 4

Fiery The Angels Fell

A propos nothing, I finally got round to seeing 'Blade Runner - The Final Cut' last night. I really should have seen it at the cinema recently, but I didn't get round to it.

I didn't, without some sort of geeky side-to-side comparison, notice much difference between the Final Cut and the Director's Cut, so the obvious story differences from the Original Cut remain. What I did notice, was the shifting about of some of Vangelis' soundtrack, with more prominence been given to minor tracks - the Demis Roussos one in particular. The fabulous Love Theme and Memories of Green remain, however, and the whole thing still sounds so good.

It's this kind of thing that wants me to hook up my stereo (again) and buy a bigger, blacker, telly...

That Will Be An Ecumenical Matter

In common with many other parents, at least according to this, I have been forced to take a deep breath, hold my nose, and join in the hypocrisy.

On balance, I agree with many of the government's reforms over the last 10 years or so, and see a better, more liberal and relaxed society. One thing, however, that sends me into a rage is the concept of 'faith schools' and the concept of selection by children's religion.

Let's leave aside the fatuous idea of a child having a religion for a moment - greater minds than mine have tackled this insanity.

Instead, let's focus on the self-pitying, delusional hypocrisy of religion, and weep at it's stranglehold on public funding in this country.

My wife and I attended our local church, which is associated with a school in our area with marginally better results than others, with our 4-year-old son. This Sunday, I tried to blot out the nonsense (it just makes me angry) by counting the bricks in the wall, when at some point it was decided that the young children should leave the church go and be indoctrinated in an external room. My wife jumped up and took our son, to leave me on my own. I lasted about 10 minutes...

I left to sit in my car and listen to the CD of 'Oxygene' I got in the Sunday M**l last week.

My son came out of the other room waving a piece of paper with trite homilies on, which he had been encouraged to colour in. I really don't know how these people live with themselves.

Gawn, but not Forgotten

Sad news about Danny Baker's Dad. If Danny ever started an anecdote with the words 'let me tell you what happened to my dad', you knew you could plump up your cushions and settle back for a good 'un.

Favourites: Doctor/Docker confusion at the hospital, and 'he don't need a receipt'. And, of course 'that singer you like - gawn, plahnted' in reference to Marc Bolan.

Progness Report

After a relaxing weekend spent with family, a return to the commute accompanied by lots of Prog Rock. I met a guy in the local Oxfam shop who was wearing a 'Budgie' t-shirt. Although I'm not a huge fan, I was attracted in the 80s by the Roger Dean covers, especially 'Squawk', and we had a chat. They're still going, and are currently touring Australia.

Onto Prog:

One More Try - Wigwam,
Burning Bridges - Family,
So Called Friend (B-Side) - Porcupine Tree,
What You`re Doing - Rush,
Fallen Dreams And Angels - Pendragon, from Acoustically Challenged,
So Far Away - David Gilmour,
Abandon Ship! - Van Der Graaf Generator,
Rock & Roll Stew - Traffic,
Punk Rock - Mogwai,
Working Man - Rush,
Funky Deux - Richard Wright,
Light Mass Prayers - Porcupine Tree.

Relatively painless journey in, as I try to complete a job application form I should have sorted out ages ago.

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3.5

Embracing the Spreading Haze

Well, the interview yesterday went well yesterday, as the storm clouds gather over my present company. Not long to go now.

Countermoon - Donald Fagen,
Joanna`s Theme - Herbie Hancock,
It's All But An Ark Lark - Cocteau Twins,
Elephants - National Health,
Drive - The Cars,
Working All Day - Gentle Giant,
No Not Now - Frank Zappa,
Orange Appled - Cocteau Twins,
Charlie Freak - Steely Dan,
Bicycle Riders - Vangelis, from a Blade Runner Private Release CD,
I Want To Be Alone - Decca single, 1965 - Vashti Bunyan, from Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind: Singles and Demos 1964-1967,
Gold For The Price Of Silver (Erot Collaboration) - Kings Of Convenience, from Versus,

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3.

Faults of Civilisation

Today has surpassed the all-time record for utter futility. I left the house at 9.20, was delayed for no apparent reason on the Tube for 30 minutes and arrived at 'work' at 10.45. Who noticed or cared? Nobody. What have I got to do today? Nothing. Here I am, with a brain the size of a planet...

Madame Butterfly - Malcolm McLaren, after Double Dutch was played on last night's Radcliffe and Maconie R2 show,
Double Dutch - Malcolm Mclaren,
Rainy Taxi - Porcupine Tree, from Staircase Infinities,
Prologue - Kate Bush, from Aerial: A Sky of Honey,
Silent Hedges - Bauhaus,
Alone Again In The Lap Of Luxury (Demo) - Marillion,
He Was My Brother (Previously Unreleased) - Simon & Garfunkel Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M (Remastered),
Cruel Sister - Pentangle,
Where We Would Be - Porcupine Tree,
Invisible Answer - Epsilon Indi ,
Misty Coast Of Albany (Live, Cafe Au Go Go, New York, 16 August 1969) - Tyrannosaurus Rex,
In Dark Trees - Brian Eno,
Answered With a Smile - Sunday All Over The World,
Double Bass - Van Der Graaf Generator,
Chariots Of Silk - Tyrannosaurus Rex,
Heroine - Suede,
Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths,
I'd Rather Be The Devil (Live) - John Martyn, from the re-mastered Solid Air CD.

I have another interview tomorrow, so maybe that'll cheer me up before the weekend.

T - 1.5; M - 4; D - 4

Size of Sorrow

Some recent acquisitions from the dreaded W*ppit. Hell, I've stumped up my £50 for the cancelled ADBS, so I might as well go on a magpie-like trawl through the database of rather odd obscurities they have:

Piggy - Sigue Sigue Sputnik,
Blistered Heart - Badly Drawn Boy,
Ray Of Light - Sigue Sigue Sputnik,
Oceans - Gary Numan,
Don't Let Me In - Steely Dan, from something called 'Old Regime',
Pissing In The Wind - Badly Drawn Boy,
Size Of Sorrow - Tears For Fears,
Fall In A River - Badly Drawn Boy,
Metal - Gary Numan,
Everybody Loves A Happy Ending - Tears For Fears,
Asylum - Gary Numan.

A pretty uninspiring selection, I have to say, although it is my fault, of course. My mood was lightened by Episode 4 of the current series of Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show, broadcast last week and ripped with HiQ (see previous posts). If anyone wants some of these, leave a message here somewhere, and I'll get back to you somehow.

T - 3; M - 3; D - 3. Rather average day, really.

Thinking Sessions

Monday, and after the unpleasantness of the end of last week and the continued Tiscali incompetence, a return to 'work' accompanied by some BBC Sessions:

Back Side of the Moon (Tranquility Lunar Orbit) - The Orb, from Peel Sessions,
In Fear Of Fear - Bauhaus, more Peel,
Glorious Fool - John Martyn, from an Andy Kershaw session. Recent news about him (AK) is depressing,
A God In An Alcove - Bauhaus, Peel,
A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld (Loving You) - The Orb, Peel, all 20 minutes of it as we waited for the Piccadilly train to move,
Mo Ghruagach Dhonn - Julie Fowlis, from a pre-Radcliffe/Maconie Mark Radcliffe session,
Paper Aeroplane - Angus and Julia Stone, ditto,

T - 2.5; M - 4; D - 4, especially the rather attractive young girl who shared the long Piccadilly Line wait with me...

Turmoil

Apologies for my absence on Friday. Some arseholes cut through my garden fence and made off with all my tools from my garden shed. Bollocks. A day spent at home, waiting for Police.

To make matters worse, Tiscali have managed to 'upgrade' my Broadband service and completely screwed it up. Prior to upgrade 24-30 kbps, post-upgrade 5.8 - 6.2 kbps, IF it connects in the first place, which it seldom does. Thanks, guys.

Highest Colours Touching Others

An empty Tube train today, which was pleasant, although another day of indolence and downloading music and audiobooks beckons.

Rock, Prog and Rock/Pop today:

Drum Folk - Greenslade,
Evensong (Arr. for Saxophone) - The Enid,
Turn Of The Century (live) - Yes,
Danza Dei Grandi Rettili - Banco del Mutuo Soccorso,
Working Man - Rush, with that great crunching gtr riff at the start,
The Song Of Solomon - Kate Bush,
I'm In My Car - Chris Rea,
Bobby Brown Goes Down - Frank Zappa,
FM Reprise - Steely Dan,
Come Home - Placebo,
Green Flower Street - Donald Fagen,
Slippery People - Talking Heads, with a great Tina Weymouth bass line,
Mango Surprise - Jethro Tull, from the lacklustre 'J-Tull.com' CD,
A Promise - Echo & The Bunnymen,
Cover My Eyes (Acoustic Version) - Marillion,

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3

Sit Back, Relax and Count the Stars

More 'Not Classical or Spoken' today, which threw up an acoustic-guitar dominated playlist:

She Chameleon (Demo - Previously Unreleased) - Marillion,
Apocalypso - Mew,
Shaolin Temple - Prince Jammy,
Smiling Stranger (Instrumental) - John Martyn,
Window - Genesis,
The Weight Of My Words - Kings Of Convenience,
Starship - Turin Brakes,
Beverley - John Martyn,
80 Days - Marillion,
Garden of my Childhood - Andreas Vollenweider,
Apogee - Jethro Tull,
City Of Angels - Nik Kershaw,
Chiefs And Indians - Caravan,
Orange Skin Food - Soft Machine,

So laid-back was I that I almost fell asleep. Nothing to do all day but stare out of the window and listen to music.

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3

Industry Standard

Over my breakfast cornflakes, I was surprised, nay shocked, to see the host-cum-nemesis of the 'All Day Breakfast Show', Paul Myers, being interviewed on BBC Breakfast.

It was some article on the EMI meltdown and takeover by some Merchant Bankers, and explaining the difficulties of selling 'units' i.e. CDs in the face of downloads. Mr 'Wippit internet millionaire' was offering his opinion about their (EMI) having to get their act together to offer the public more of what they want.

Be any good!

That would include stuff like this, I guess:

I'm a Ramblin' Man

Well, more weather to contend with, but I was safely wrapped up in my 'Electronic' filter.

Even though my collection contains lots of Kraftwerk, Orb, Tangerine Dream, Coldcut, etc etc, today's music was dominated by Vangelis, even though many of the tracks were piano pieces e.g. Memories of Green, and not particularly electronic.

Zoolook (Remix) - Jean-Michel Jarre,
The Plum Blossom - Vangelis,
Memories Of Blue - Vangelis,
Love Theme - Vangelis,
So Good So Pure So Kind - Landscape,
Movement 5 - Vangelis, from the superb Soil Festivities,
Equinoxe, Part 3 - Jean-Michel Jarre,
Memories Of Green - Vangelis,
Shaker Loops - Jon & Vangelis,
Sweaters - Laurie Anderson,
Peter Gunn (featuring Duane Eddie) - The Art Of Noise,
Broken - Laurie Anderson,
Movement 1 - Vangelis, from Mask
Ramblin' Man - Lemon Jelly,

T - 3; M - 4; D - 2.5

So Hop on the Train, 'Cause it Kills the Pain

A prog-biased, and very welcome, 'Not Classical or Spoken' mix to accompany the start of another tedious week in Central London. I have been offered a lifeline, which will become clearer over the next month or so and put an end to the misery, I hope.

Fireside Song - Genesis,
Opening Move - Gryphon. Oh for a time when bands such as Gentle Giant, Egg, National Health, Gryphon etc. could exist and be a commercial success again,
The Loved Ones - The Enid,
Stormy Clouds - The Verve,
Lesson In Survival - Joni Mitchell,
Endless Sacrifice - Dream Theater,

and finally, the Count Arthur Strong episode from last Friday, with the Antiques Roadshow theme; bit of a weak ending, but some great moments (especially the two for one offer on tea)

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3

Mud and Dark

A dreary, dark and rain-swept day to herald the weekend. Thankfully, this was not matched by my 'Not Classical or Spoken' shuffled playlist which produced the following to while away the time:

Einstein A Go-Go - Landscape, the 7" of which was backed by 'New Religion', a fabulous instrumental that I probably listened to more than the A-side,
Heroes And Villians - The Beach Boys,
Silver Girl - Fleetwood Mac,
Cello Song - Nick Drake,
Old-Fashioned People - Chris De Burgh,
Against The Odds - Richard Wright. There's a repeat of the BBC4 documentary on the making of DSotM on toight,
Mud And Dark - Cocteau Twins,
Les Boys - Dire Straits,
Blowin` Free - Wishbone Ash,
I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain - Tim Buckley,
Blush Response - Vangelis,
Darkness - Scott Walker,
Jam Back At The House - Jimi Hendrix Experience, live at Woodstock

T - 3; M - 4; D - 3

Back Back Back!

Well, on the way back from my interview on the extreme edge of BBC London's broadcast reach, Danny Baker left more clues about the return of the 'All Day Breakfast Show'

There's some confirmation at the 'Treehouse' Forum, but I definitely heard him say he'd lost £100,000 recently (yikes!), and as a parting shot, compared the new studios favourably with the 'rat-hole' at Wippit. Could it be something to do with this development at Virgin? Watch the skies (although don't hold your breath)...

Yesterday's interview went well, although I misinterpreted the (vague) instructions and neglected to prepare a presentation. It's amazing what you can do with a pen and a whiteboard and your imagination, although it was pretty nerve-racking.

Some 'Blues, Folk and Jazz' today to relax me:

Colleen - Joanna Newsom,
Soldiers - James Taylor,
They're Leaving Me Behind - Nick Drake,
Goodbye And Hello - Tim Buckley, just divine,
Sea Of Madness - Crosby, Stills & Nash, maybe (& Young), I can't remember - they're all lumped together on my 'Pod,
Ri Na Cruinne - Clannad,
Poor Boy - Nick Drake,
Redwoods - Hayward Williams, possibly the first tme I've heard this after doing an internet trawl of free (i.e. sourced from the artists' websites) MP3s,
Dr. Jekyll - Miles Davis,

Reasonable journey in today, and the weekend's almost upon us,

A word of advice - if you arrive at a Northern Line platform between East Finchley and Totteridge to find the next train indicated as going via Charing Cross, it probably won't. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen CX trains altered and had to wait 10 minutes.

T - 3; M - 4; D - 3

Back Back Back?

A short note today, as I'm away at an interview, but heavy hints of the 'All Day Breakfast Show's return on Danny Baker's BBC London show yesterday.

I'll add the links later to on-line forums confirming what I heard, but suffice it to say 'keep watching the skies' and 'the internet has a new king' cropped up. Of course, we've heard it all before, and we know where that ended up, but there may be life in the old dog yet. Let's hope this particular dog is not a wippit.

No news on the ADBS website yet, although lack of communication to the hoi polloi seems to be the business model of choice for this particular venture.

Keep watching the skies...

Twelfth Night

Another trek into work to sit at my desk and apply for jobs. In honour of the season, a playlist composed solely of tracks by the '80s prog rock band 'Twelfth Night'. One of my main achievements over the festive season was finding a signed LP of 'Live at the Target', featuring a live version of 'Sequences', to join my small collection of their CDs and LPs (Fact and Fiction, Collector's Item, Art and Illusion, and now Live at the Target). Similar to Marillion, IQ, Pendragon, Haze, The Enid, and those neo-prog bands of the era.

Blondon Fair - Twelfth Night,
Fact And Fiction - Twelfth Night,
The Collector - Twelfth Night,
Love Song - Twelfth Night,
Sequences - Twelfth Night.

Interview tomorrow, so a lot of revision to do.

T - 4; M - 4.5; D - 2 - take several fat woman, cover them in jumpers and coats and scarves, and squeeze them in to train seats so that they overhang and make my arms ache. Go away, please.

White Noise

Lots of chatter on the Tube this morning, for some reason. A group of Chinese men, and two independent couples of women, all talking far too loudly and for far too long.

I turned to my ambient playlist:

Drugged - Bass Communion, from Bass Communion,
Kanon (Part One - Brohuk) - Thomas Koener, from A Brief History Of Ambient, Vol. 4: Isolationism,
Wahnfried 1883 - Klaus Schulze, Timewind,
Die Bunge - Cluster & Eno, Cluster & Eno Live,
Dance of the Masks - Andreas Vollenweider, Dancing With The Lion,
Tramp With Orchestra III (No Strings) - Gavin Bryars, from Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet

This could be the end of days, as far as my company is concerned, so I may be in a worse mood than I have been recently (and that's been pretty grumpy). I have a job interview and a way out on Wednesday...

Calm Before the Storm

Thankfully, there aren't many people around at the moment, as the christmas holiday seems to have been extended, otherwise this morning's journey would have been hell. My first train of choice terminated unexpectedly, and for no good reason. The second train was full, but I managed to squeeze on the third. Well done, Northern Line.

A great selection of music today in my 'Not Classical or Spoken' playlist. Just right:

A Play Within A Play - Jon & Vangelis,
Cerco la Lingua - Premiata Forneria Marconi,
Hey! Luciani - The Fall,
Lilac Wine - Jeff Buckley,
Pseudo Silk Kimono - Marillion, the Fish era,
Tumble Down The Years - Marillion, the Hogarth era,
Birds Don't Sing - Paul O'Reilly,
Sanctus - The Enid,
Loved By The Sun - Tangerine Dream, featuring Jon Anderson,
Run Through The Light (Single Version) - Yes, not featuring Jon Anderson,
Hello Earth - Kate Bush. Oh man, this is beautiful,
Hold On - Chris De Burgh,
I Don't Know - All About Eve,
NY3 - Robert Fripp,

T - 1; M - 4.5; D - 3

HNY

And a Happy New Year to all...

My return to the commute was fairly unremarkable, although depressing all the same.

Over the festive period, I managed to catch up finally with all the 'All Day Breakfast Show' Podcasts from Danny Baker. From the last few 'casts, it looks as though the end came very quickly - the Thursday programme before the final weekend was very upbeat, with plenty of mentions of 'next week' and 'next year', with no hint of the gathering storm.

Dinosaur - King Crimson,
Dry Land (Live Hammersmith Odeon, London September 29, 1991) - Marillion,
The Maid On The Shore - John Renbourn,
Blackthorn Rose - Weather Report,
Maestro Mercy - Wigwam,
Amazing Grace - Yes,
Ring Out Solstice Bells - Jethro Tull,
Apocalypse (Detroit 1976) - Yes,
Summer (Chorus) (excerpt) - The Enid,
Be Kind To My Mistakes - Kate Bush,
Marijuana - Various Artists, from a Trojan Box Set,
Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood,
(Three Fingers of) Love - The Art Of Noise,
Sloop John B - The Beach Boys,
Drum Folk - Greenslade,
Bullet The Blue Sky - U2,
Animal - Def Leppard.

I saw 'Number 23' the other day, the Jim Carrey film. Mark Kermode's reviews (including his end of year review) made it sound like some preposterous sub-Da Vinci Code thing, but I found it an interesting and entertaining story of psychosis and paranoia. Okay, some bits were downright silly, but I think it made a lot of sense, in the context of the central character's delusions.

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3