Let Me Take You Far Away

Well, I've been ordered to come in again, despite the fact that NONE of the Senior Management will be around. I'd better be a good boy, I suppose.

Stick It Out - Rush,
Bridge (live) - Marillion, from the single CD Alone Again In The Lap Of Luxury III
Holiday - Scorpions,
Baby Can I Hold You - Tracy Chapman,
Vote For Miles - Miles Davis,
Star Spangled Banner - Jimi Hendrix, Live At Woodstock 1969
Win Fall CD 2088 AD - The Fall,
Every You Every Me - Placebo,
Behind the Lines [Live] - Genesis, from Three Sides Live
It's You - Talk Talk.

T - 4; M - 3.5; D - 2

I Don't Care Any More

I was recently introduced to 'Blubster', a peer-to-peer file sharing thing for music.

Probably of highly dubious legality, although I've heard conflicting advice on the 'net. It comes with oodles of spyware and pop-ups, so, if you're interested in installing it, be very careful. It downloads and installs itself, and by all accounts is a bugger to un-install, so be absolutely sure you want this thing on your home PC. I have it on an old laptop.

For my taste, there's not much there of interest, as it depends absolutely on the taste of the other users.

Anyway, for the journey into oblivion, a playlist of recent acquisitions from this service:

Long Way to Go - Cassie. I'm not sure how this happened - I think it was supposed to be the Phil Collins song,
Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young,
Cortez the Killer - Neil Young,
Cocaine Eyes - Neil Young,
The Drums of Gauamela - Vangelis, from the 'Alexander' soundtrack,
Karma Police - Neil Young & Eddie Vedder,
Keep on Rocking in the Free World - Neil Young,
Rachel's Song - a remix of the Vangelis track,
Land of Confusion - Genesis, as I have very little 80s and 90s Genesis or Phil Collins,
Do You Remember? - Phil Collins, ditto,
She Rides a Harley Davidson - Neil Young,
Roxanne's Veil - Vangelis, with Vanessa Mae,
Titans - Vangelis, from Alexander again,
Thrasher - Neil Young,
True Colours - Phil Collins, although a different mix from the one I remember
I Don't Care Any More - Phil Collins.

T - 2; M - 3.5; D - 4

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

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

Gentle Blues

Two days and counting...

No blog yesterday, as I was at my son's nursery nativity thing. Splendid fun.

Walkin' Blues - Robert Johnson,
Story of a Man a Woman, Pt. 1: She Thought I Was Stanley Clarke - Stanley Clarke,
Emergency 72 - Turin Brakes,
Höga Berg Och DJupa Dalar (High Mountains And Low Valleys) - Ranarim,
The Easy Blues (Jelly Roll Blues/Gentle Blues) - John Martyn,
Beyond The Seventh Galaxy - Return To Forever,
Babylon Sisters - Steely Dan,
Highway Song - James Taylor,
Never Any Good - Leonard Cohen,
Hallucinations - Tim Buckley,
Hazey Jane I - Nick Drake,
Cucumber Slumber - Weather Report,
Poor Boy - Nick Drake.

T - 3; M -4; D -3

How It Hits You

I feel absolutely dreadful. This blog has taken a rather self-pitying tone lately, I appreciate, but I really do feel awful - cold, tired and generally 'ill'.

Some Christmas music to cheer me up and, whilst it went better than last year, it didn't really alter my mood.

Winter - Paul O'Reilly,
Once In Royal David's City - Gauntlett, from a Classic FM freebie CD,
A Christmas Song - Jethro Tull,
I Wish it Could Be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard,
2000 Years - Jon Anderson,
Gaudette - Steeleye Span,
As With Gladness Men of Old - Kocher,
How It Hits You - Jon Anderson,
Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen (A Spotless Rose is growing) - Praetorius,
Concerto grosso in G Minor: Op. 6/8, 'Christmas Concerto' - Vivace/Grave; Allegro; Adagio/Allegro/Adagio; Vivace; Allegro; Pastorale - Corelli,
The Holly And The Ivy - Jon Anderson,
The Nutcracker - Waltz of the Snowflakes - Tchaikovsky,
Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow - Jethro Tull.

I need a week of sleeping, and less Southern Comfort...

T - 2; M -3.5; D - 3

High Vibration Go On

Well, back to 'work'.

I spent most of yesterday recording old cassettes to WAV files using Hi-Q and Nero, including old tapes of various bands I was in in my youth, and a couple of treasured BBC recordings.

1 - Pink Floyd, live at the time of Atom Heart Mother, including the rare-ish 'Embryo' as well as 'Careful With that Axe, Eugene', 'If' and 'Fat Old Sun'. One of my favourite PF albums, AHM.

2 - Yes live in 1978. There's a 'Big Medley' of Time and a Word, The Fish, Perpetual Change and Soon which seems to have been used in the 'Word Is Live' boxset. Definitely my favourite tape.

The commute was filled with the Yes concert. I think I know every note by now...

Circus of Heaven,
The Big Medley,
Don't Kill The Whale,
Clap,
Starship Troopers,
On the Silent Wings of Freedom,
Awaken,
Your Move,
Roundabout.

T - 4; M - 5; D - 4

Vacant Stare

Friday, and nothing has been achieved this week. My company is in its final death throes and the end is in sight - there may be some chance of redundancy to release me from this nightmare...

Some 'Electronic' music, mostly Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre, as an ambient backdrop to reading 'The Independent'.

Today's Baker & Kelly Podcast should be interesting, given the events of Wednesday night at Wembley...

T - 3; M - 3; D - 3. Pretty average, if downcast, end to the week.

Dumbing Down

So a junior office worker is allowed access to copy all family records onto a CD-ROM and them stick them in the post? Well done, everybody.

More frustrating illiteracy and innumeracy on the Tube, too. A forty-year old reading a children's book. Not Harry Potter, but something intended for 10-year-olds, and recipient of the Whitbread Children's Book Prize and Smarties Award. Plus, the woman sat next to me was really struggling with her SuDoku. With her puzzled brow and constant rubbing out of numbers, it was all I could do to resist helping her out. Bloody hell.

Jazz, Blues and Folk today:

Cantaloupe Island - Herbie Hancock,
I Want To Take You Higher - Sly & the Family Stone,
The Last Time I Saw Richard - Joni Mitchell,
People Music - Herbie Hancock,
Children's Song - Chick Corea & Return To Forever,
Diamond Day - Vashti Bunyan,
A Love Supreme, Pt. 4: Psalm - John Coltrane,
Next Time Around - Sandy Denny,
Winter Is Gone - Nick Drake,
Freezing Fire - Weather Report,
Instrumental I - James Taylor,
She Moves Through The Fair - Fairport Convention,
Sweet Jannie - Van Morrison,
Ever After - Neil Young,
Isn`t It Nice To Be Home Again - James Taylor,
Rise At Dawn - Paul O'Reilly.

Bored, fed up, tired. And it's only Wednesday.

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3

It's All Yours, Ants

So there we have it. Untold millennia of evolution and we get to this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7100914.stm

I reckon we give up now and hand it over. Clearly, we've failed.

1 0 0 1 0 0 1 SOS

And the Man in the Mirror has Sad Eyes

Tuesday, and nothing much to report, I'm afraid. I didn't get round to listening to ISIHAC last night, so I'll have to catch up at work today...

Shuffle 'Not Classical or Spoken':

Bassically - Taps Stanley Clarke,
Why Am I So Short? - Soft Machine,
Up To Me - Jethro Tull,
St. Louis Blues - Herbie Hancock,
Turn That Heartbeat Over Again - Steely Dan,
Riverman - David Sylvian & Robert Fripp, from Damage,
Jughead - Prince. God, this is awful,
Heart Of Lothian (I. Wide Boy II. Curtain Call) (Album Demo) - Marillion,
Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel,
Soldier Of The Heart - Judee Sill,
Bros - Panda Bear. This is very interesting, but I just wish it went somewhere,
Kokoku - Laurie Anderson.

M - 4; T - 3; D - 3

Electric Oscar Winning

Another turbulent slow journey through the leafy North London suburbs. The driver had no real idea what was going on 'as my radio is broken'.

Some Jazz this morning. Mmmm, nice...

Desert Song - Stanley Clarke,
Do It Again - Steely Dan, one of my son's favourites,
Flamenco Sketches (Alternate Take) - Miles Davis,
Medley: Vertical Invader / T.H. / Dr. Honoris Causa - Weather Report,
Catch Me If U Can - Scott Henderson, Steve Smith & Victor Wooten
The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines - Joni Mitchell
Hot Fun - Stanley Clarke
Palms for Lester - David Torn, Mick Karn, Terry Bozzio
Three Clowns - Weather Report
Lillette el Ouihda - Cheikha Rimitti, with Robert Fripp and Flea.

A film poster caught my eye, purely because I could work out what it was trying to say. I can't remember the title, but it looked to include Michael Douglas, so I will avoid it like the plague. The reviewer's verdict was: 'ELECTRIC OSCAR WINNING PERFORMANCE', which is surely missing at least a hyphen, if not a comma as well.

T - 2; M - 4; D - 3

Rain and Tears

Another Chelsea Monday, and nothing to do. The two hour commute through static traffic and chaotic Tube didn't help my mood.

All Tracks between 2.30 and 4 minutes turned up this rather splendid selection:

Eastern Girls - Landscape
To The Women In My Life/Le Lis - Billy Cobham
The Other Half - Marillion
Oh Daddy - Fleetwood Mac
Drive - The Cars
Dachau Blues - Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
Looking Around - Yes
Hello Chicago (Chicago 1979) - Yes
A.W.O.L. - Robert Wyatt
"Bleibst du mir stumm, störrischer Wicht?" - Richard Wagner, from Siegfried of the 'Ring Cycle'. I removed the whole Cycle because it was inaudible in the din of the Tube, but put it back a couple of weeks back. Was very useful when I was cutting the lawn yesterday...
Emergency 72 - Turin Brakes
Rain and Tears - Aphrodite's Child
Blossom - Nick Drake
Strange Things Happen - Billy Bragg
Automotive Engineering - Jethro Tull, after the 'blues' phase, then the 'prog' phase, came the 'folk' phase and this, the 'not very good' phase.
Uniform - Jethro Tull. See above,
Godman - David Sylvian
The Army Now - The Art Of Noise
Untitled - Tom McRae
Babooshka - Kate Bush

No Baker and Kelly Podcast last Friday - due to 'technical difficulties' - and a shambolic BBC London show with Baylen Leonard and some guy. I turned off after 10 minutes.

T - 2; M - 4; D - 3

Had Too Much to Dream Last Night

A rather messy Tube this morning, with a train breaking down in front of us. Frankly, though it makes no difference whether I get to work at 9 or 10 these days...

I found some MP3 files by 'The Enid' yesterday, which was really a blast from the past. I've got several albums on vinyl (In The Region of Summer Stars, Touch Me, Salome, Something Wicked..., Aerie Faerie Nonsense, The Spell), but no CDs. Well, I found several MP3 fragments here, on their website. Great fun, but frustratingly brief snippets.

I saw The Enid back at Uni, in 1990 or thereabouts. Absolutely superb, with just Robert John Godfrey and Stephen Stewart (there may have been a drummer, but I think they were using backing tracks). Some bits just took my breath away...

Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came (excerpt) 0:59 Aerie Faerie Nonsense, @ 128 kbps
Childe Roland Coda (excerpt) 0:40
Fand Intro (excerpt) 1:13
Fand Sea Shanty 1 (excerpt) 1:48
Fand Sea Shanty 2 (excerpt) 0:58
Fand Orgasm (excerpt) 1:36
Fand Finale (excerpt) 1:22

Judgement 7:55 Demoes @ 192 kbps
Mars (Orchestral Prelude) 4:16 Demoes @ 128 kbps

The Tower (excerpt) 1:12 In The Region Of Summer Stars, @ 128 kbps
The Lovers Intro (excerpt) 0:48
The Lovers Climax (exceprt) 1:25
Judgement Part One (64 kbps; excerpt) 1:28
Judgement Part Two (excerpt) 1:05
In The Region Of Summer Stars (excerpt) 1:11, with just a short bit of the beautiful twin-tracked guitar

Raindown (excerpt) 1:04 Something Wicked This Way Comes, @ 128 kbps
Then There Were None (excerpt) 1:14
Something Wicked This Way Comes (excerpt) 2:31

Winter (Fanfare) (excerpt) 1:17 The Spell, @ 128 kbps
Winter (Climax) (excerpt) 0:59
Spring (Waltz) (excerpt) 0:47
Spring (Coda) (excerpt) 0:57
Summer (Chorus) (excerpt) 1:20
Autumn (Climax) (excerpt) 3:00
Elephants Never Die (excerpt) 1:28
Sentimental Side of Mrs James (excerpt) 1:11


Some shorter songs today to take my mind of the transport system and its victims - between 2.30 and 4 minutes:

The Calvary Cross - Richard & Linda Thompson
A Slow Divorce - Boo Hewerdine
Don't Hurt Yourself (Single Edit) - Marillion
Plasticine - Placebo
Tears In Rain - Vangelis
DJ Asylum (7" Edit) - The Orb
Painted Bird - Siouxsie And The Banshees
Did You Ever Love Me - Fleetwood Mac
Match Of The Day - Genesis
Just Let Me Breathe (Live) - Dream Theater, from Live Scenes From New York (Disc 2)
Five-Five-Five - Frank Zappa, from Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar (Disc 1)
Ivo - Cocteau Twins
Nimos & Tambos - Pure Reason Revolution
Don't Push Your Foot On The Heartbrake - Kate Bush
May You Never - John Martyn
Eibhli Ghail Chiuin Ni Chearbhail - John Martyn
Corpus Christi Carol (For Roy) - Jeff Buckley, from the Legacy Edition of 'Grace'
The Man With The Child In His Eyes - Kate Bush
Lap Of Luxury - Jethro Tull

T - 2; M -3.5; D - 3

Half Way Up, Half Way Down

Tuesday. Shuffle on all songs between 3 and 5 minutes...

One Minute Warning - Passengers OST
Dance Of The Seven Veils, A) Faithless - Pendragon. A shame it didnt' go into Parys B and C, but that's the nature of this playlist,
Merten Kosijat - Värttinä, from Kokko,
Hollow Hills - Bauhaus, from Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape
Pojaton - Värttinä, another from Kokko
05 - Vangelis, from Sexpower,
The Fisherman - Rick Wakeman (Sea Airs)
The Company - Fish
Dreamland - Joni Mitchell, from Shadows And Light,
Every Colour You Are - David Sylvian
Frontline - Captain

T - 3; M - 4; D - 3

Singing the Blues

Some Joni Mitchell to lighten the mood on a non-descript day:

Carey - Joni Mitchell
Morning Morgantown - Joni Mitchell
Sweet Bird - Joni Mitchell
In France They Kiss On Main Street - Joni Mitchell
The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines - Joni Mitchell
God Must Be A Boogie Man - Joni Mitchell
Court And Spark - Joni Mitchell
Rainy Night House - Joni Mitchell
Woman Of Heart And Mind - Joni Mitchell
Furry Sings The Blues - Joni Mitchell
The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey - Joni Mitchell

Then, on finding an article in today's Independent on the genesis of 'I'm Not in Love'

I'm Not In Love - 10cc

then some recently-acquired stuff:
Panic - The Smiths
Shoplifters Of The World Unite - The Smiths
Drive - The Cars
Girlfriend In A Coma - The Smiths (I'm currently going through an '80s thing, for some reason),
Toka Tola - Ozric Tentacles

More Baker and Kelly splendidness ahead this afternoon - I only hope it's released before I bugger off at 3.30

T - 4; M - 3.5; D - 3

Sometimes I'm A Strong Man

Sometimes cold and scared, and sometimes I cry...

Friday. Again.

And now Alan Coren's died. RIP Alan.

Some female singer/songwriters:

Sunsi - Kate Bush, from some Studio Sessions
Top Of The City - Kate Bush
The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines - Joni Mitchell
Kite - Kate Bush, from some more Studio Sessions
Late November - Sandy Denny
When The Bridegroom Comes - Judee Sill
Maybe - Kate Bush, more Demos
Soldier Of The Heart - Judee Sill
King of the Mountain - Kate Bush
Strange Phenomena - Kate Bush
Knight Moves - Suzanne Vega
My Man On Love - 2 - Judee Sill
Radio 1 Xmas Jingle - Kate Bush, more Demos
Summerbreeze - Emiliana Torrini
The Painter's Link - Kate Bush
Machine Ballerina - Suzanne Vega
Free Man In Paris - Joni Mitchell
Introduction - Joni Mitchell, from Shadows And Light
I's A Muggin' (Rap) - Joni Mitchell
Wayward - Vashti Bunyan
Leather And Lace - Stevie Nicks
Ken - Kate Bush
Ask The Mountains (Extended Version) - Vangelis with Stina Nordenstam, currently being used for some advert or other,

T - 3; M - 4; D - 3. Don't. care. any. more.

It's A Beautiful Day For A Daring Raid

After one of those weekends where you feel like you need another to recover, a first listen to the new Robert Wyatt CD - Comicopera. I didn't get round to listening to it on my 'proper' hi-fi over the weekend.

Trademark multi-tracked vibrato-rich vocals, with loping jazz-blues and willfully amateurish trumpet playing. Splendid, although there isn't much variation towards the end. I can take or leave the Spanish-themed stuff, too. Not quite as immediate as 'Shleep', but good nontheless.

Stay Tuned - Robert Wyatt
Just as You Are - Robert Wyatt
You You - Robert Wyatt
A.W.O.L. - Robert Wyatt
Anachronist - Robert Wyatt
Beautiful Peace - Robert Wyatt
Be Serious - Robert Wyatt
On the Town Square - Robert Wyatt
Mob Rule - Robert Wyatt
Beautiful War - Robert Wyatt
Out of the Blue - Robert Wyatt
Del Mondo - Robert Wyatt
Cancion de Julieta - Robert Wyatt
Pastafari - Robert Wyatt
Fragment - Robert Wyatt

Plus, some recent downloads to replace my vinyl:

Here Comes The Feeling - Asia
After the War - Asia
Are You Big Enough? - Asia
2 H.B. - Roxy Music

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3

Out of Control

Still feeling ill, but came in anyway - got a Power Point thing to do for my job interview on Thursday.

The commute on Friday was disgrace. If London Undergound has any sense of customer service, they should have been handing out bottles of water and crisp fivers to everyone caught up in the fiasco. Yet again signal failures at Finchley.

Welcome to the weekend. Have a good one, now.

Balls.

Mark Kermode's Podcast was better than recent editions because a) he was there, b) the tedious interview with stars and producers was flagged up and at the end and c) the cretinous jingles were reasonably unintrusive. Control (the New Order biopic) sounds interesting. I didn't get round to seeing 'The Bourne Ultimatum' in the end - couldn't summon up the energy.

The Baker and Kelly Podcast was also great fun (two shows a week, 'if the money's right'), but still no word on Wippit/BBC/ADBS. I am so glad I didn't fork out on the ADBS in Color. The first 5 shows are still sitting in Wippit, tantalisingly. Do I stump up £10 (plus transaction fee, plus line rental, plus Paul's 'I'm a millionaire - betcha can't guess how' fee) or wait until the ADBSiC return and subscribe (only for Wippit to fuck up again). Conundrum.

Tangerine Dream's 'Thief' soundtrack today. I think I've said this before here, but my only Tangerine Dream concert saw my date snogging my best mate, the entire gig being played with all the lights on (Health and Safety I guess, but it just looked silly) and a fairly tedious time being had by all.

T - 2; M - 3; D - 2

Peace In Our Time

Thursday. Almost Friday. Nothing much happening today, although the Royal Mail seems to have gone on strike. That should mean fewer invitations to enter prize draws or improve my windows and doors.

A mix of recent downloads and other purchases to while away the time. I still don't feel too good.

Peace (7" Radio Edit) - Apollo XI. This is probably common knowledge by now, but this is The Orb. I have memory of coming home from the pub at Uni and falling into bed (alas, alone) just in time to hear John Peel introduce the session. I was transfixed for half an hour, and thus began my affair with The Orb. I have to admit, though, that I found their later stuff a bit dull.
Oxygene 12 - Jean-Michel Jarre. This album is not as bad as I thought it might be,
Hold On (Demo) - Trevor Rabin,
Rah Yabki (street mix) - Cheikha Rimitti with Robert Fripp and Flea. Bought on impulse because of Mr Fripp's involvement,
Out On The Highway - Kula Shaker.
Oakum - Ozric Tentacles. Not much sign of evolution from 20 years ago, but pleasant enough,
Left-Handed Theory - Premiata Forneria Marconi
Aero Opening - Jean-Michel Jarre,
You & I (Live 1990) - Pavlov's Dog,
Strangefolk - Kula Shaker
Psychic Chasm - Ozric Tentacles
Freedom - Sunday All Over The World. A really interesting project with Robert Fripp and Toyah, his wife. Also featuring Trey Gunn, and a possible alternative, along with Fripp/Sylvian, to 90s King Crimson.
Love Will Find A Way - Trevor Rabin from 90124. Interesting, if only to bring my Yes collection more up-to-date.

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3