Assault & Battery of the Human Anatomy

'The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys' and 'John Barleycorn' (Traffic) on the walk to work, which was splendid.

The tube train I'd just missed broke down, which meant 5 minutes of inaction on the next train.

Shuffle all (which produced a few songs I'd never heard before):

Knowledge Suspended - Mick Karn
Lilac Wine - Jeff Buckley
Singing Bridges - Matchbook Romance
With A Gun - Steely Dan
Episode - Pavlov's Dog
Valentine Melody - Tim Buckley
1979 - Smashing Pumpkins
Seekers Who Are Lover (an entirely pointless remix) - Cocteau Twins
Planet of Visions - Kraftwerk
Cinnamon Road - Tangerine Dream
Vanilla Sky - Paul McCartney
Dream Lover - Big Star
Macy's Day Parade - Green Day. God, what a boring song,
A Change of Seasons - Dream Theater

Far too much perfume/aftershave/fragrance being worn today. It just gives me headache. I had to get off the train and get the next it was so bad. Bastards. Just have a shower in the morning like everyone else.

T - 3; M - 4; D - 2

Tuesday

An early start again. Not sure what for, as I've very little to do other than apply for jobs. Must show willing, I suppose.

Filtered all songs 2:30 - 5 minutes, which provided:

We're Turning Again - Frank Zappa,
Up To Me - Jethro Tull,
Moribund the Burgermeister - Peter Gabriel,
The Devil's Own - David Sylvian,
Big Stripey Lie - Kate Bush,
We Never Change - Coldplay. Don't like the singer's tendency to drift into falsetto at every opportunity,
Ghosts (2000 Remix) - David Sylvian,
Journey to Love - Stanley Clarke. Great bass player, although his penchant for the higher end of the range doesn't come across so well on my 'phones,
Tranquil Eye - Cocteau Twins,
State of Mind - Fish,
Run Through the Night - Yes. The odd-one-out album, with Trevor Horn replacing Jon Anderson. Despite what I said earlier about falsetto, I think this album is one of Yes' best, with the rhythm section to the fore,
Rock & Roll Stew - Traffic,
Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead. More falsetto; a bit annoying,
Track 2 (!) - some Arabic music I found on a computer at work. From a compilation cross-over album with almost techno beats,
Voice of the Bama - Tjapukai, from my Australian music compilation,
Suzanne - Leonard Cohen.

Nice selection.

Bring Back The Good Old Days

More Mixing It revelations:

Muslimgauze, Boards of Canada, GYBE! and related, Four Tet, To Rococo Rot, Laurie Anderson (interview), Lou Reed (interview), Medeski Martin & Wood, The Mighty Strinth, The Notwist, Paddy McAloon (interview), Pan(a)Sonic, Stina Nordenstam, Tom Waits, Varttina (Finnish folk), Finitribe, Flaming Lips.

After Mark Kermode's podcast film review from Friday, an On-The-Go playlist:

The Noose - A Perfect Circle,
Shipbuilding - Robert Wyatt,
Squonk - Genesis,
Knights of Cydonia - Muse. The singer's voice, almost without fail, gives me headache, though,
To Be Over - Yes,
Hey Gyp - Donovan. My band, when I was 16 or so, did a great cover version of this with slightly altered lyrics. Must dig it out,
Midwestern Nights Dream - Pat Metheny, featuring Jaco,
Valkerie - Pavlov's Dog, featuring Bill Bruford.

T - 4, M - 4; D - 4, apart from the one woman who planted her full weight on my foot in an empty carriage (i.e. the foot was in full view).

RIP Mixing It

I've been vaguely aware of it for a while, but had it confirmed recently: Mixing It (Radio 3) will be finishing in February.

I've been a fan of this show since just after it started, when I first heard 'Porcupine Tree' on it. In the early '90s I slavishly taped most shows and made compilation tapes (I think I have 15 or so) and, in the late '90s moved on to MiniDiscs. I've followed it from Monday to Friday to Sunday and back to Friday with varying degrees of loyalty, but have always managed to come back to listening to it regularly.

It played a great mix of unusual music, or even just new music than you couldn't hear anywhere else (including Peel & Kershaw). I first heard the likes of PT, Squarepusher, PanSonic, Anti-Pop Consortium, Tom Waits, Raymond Scott, Karamasov... Hell, all kinds of stuff. Admittedly, I think it has become too reliant on laptop programmers splicing up sounds, but that's just a fad, IMO.

Apparently there's been a campaign against the likes of MI and Kershaw for a while now. Since I don't listen to much of Radio 3, I haven't caught any of this 'discussion', but there have been a few thoughts here, most of which I agree with.

I think the description of MI (by FoR3) as 'pop' is baffling. Surely Radio3 is about more than just classical? The Jazz (what little is played these days) will be next, to leave a competitor for Classic FM. Yippee. Jazz FM (although it hadn't played serious jazz for ages) has just become smooth fm. This must be what is called 'dumbing down' and I hate it.

There are rumours that Mark Russell and Robert Sandall will present Late Junction occasionally (however long that lasts), but that clashes with Mark Radcliffe's R2 programme, and I won't miss that.

Keep Your Head Down, While They’re Firing Low

Another early start, and the prospect of more news of my company's demise.

After finishing off the Doctor Who episode from Radio 7's series, I listened to David Sylvian and colleagues in the 'Nine Horses' project.

The album 'Snow Borne Sorrow' is very good, better than 'Dead Bees...'. I think it's the influence of Steve Jansen and the (unfortunate) fact that this is Sylvian's divorce album, which probably focused his mind.

I listened to the whole thing and then the 'Wonderful World' EP and bits of the 'Money For All' album. The newsagent at my Tube station was closed this morning, so no Independent for the CD and book reviews and the very good review of 'masterpiece' paintings that I find fascinating.

M - 4; T - 3, mainly for leaving us at Euston for 5 minutes for no reason; D - 4

Thursday

It looks as though my company might be limping on for a few months yet, which could be either a good or a bad thing. If I find another job I won't get redundancy money; if I stay and things really do crash, the pay-off will be low.

Shuffle 'Not Classical or Spoken' this morning:

Hoedown - ELP. Madness, but it woke me up,
Orion - Metallica, which really woke me up,
Approaching Silence - David Sylvian. At 30 minutes, this is a really pleasant piece of music, but not suitable for the noise of the tube, so I skipped to...
Life's What You Make It - Talk Talk. I discovered Talk Talk a couple of years back. It think I'd dismissed them as pop when the records first came out, but the last few records are great,
Miss Sun - Average White Band. Classic funk from a bunch of white Scottish guys. Groovy,
Bodhisattva - Steely Dan, not my favourite track, but there are interesting things going on with the rhythm,
Eden - Talk Talk, from Spirit of Eden. A beautiful, if strange, album. Must get Mark Hollis' solo record (records?),
Darshan (remix by The Grid) - Sylvian/Fripp,
Listen to the Band - The Monkees,
Arnold Layne - Pink Floyd,
Best I Can - Rush,
Grown Ups Are Just Silly Children - Roy Harper,
The Crying Tree of Mercury - Smashing Pumpkins. Another recent find. I'm fairly ambivalent about a lot of their stuff I've heard, but this is very good,
Scratching On The Bible Belt - Rain Tree Crow. My very first CD. My wife and I used to listen to it over and over, and tried to have a track played at our wedding; the DJ, however, just had a turntable, so we played Eno's 'By This River'.
Whalesong - Greenpeace CD. Hmmm, I thought I'd removed this from my iPod. Really rather annoying,
A Love You Can't Survive - Richard Thompson, from 'The Old Kit Bag',
A Passage Of Life - Kitaro. More New Age stuff, bought becasue of Jon Anderson's involvement on a few tracks,
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison.

T - 3; M - 4; D - 4

They Say A Snow Year's A Good Year

Overnight snow, but after yesterday's indolence, I bravely fought my through the inch-high drifts.

Time Stands Still - Robert Fripp; a soundscape recording which was available for free from the DGM site,
Glorious Fool - John Martyn, from the Andy Kershaw session the other night,
Little Brown Bag - Gentle Giant,
Sabre Dance - Radical Dance, from a DGM sampler CD,
Libertine Libretto - No Man, a Steve Wilson project,
Sheep - Pink Floyd,
Mardy Bum - Arctic Monkeys. I should have added this album to my best of '06 list,
Take The Time - Dream Theater,
Green Gang - The Legendary Pink Dots,
Charade - Sarah Vaughan,
C Moon - Paul McCartney. The horns on this track are excellent,
Fair and Tender Lovers - Jim Moray,
Blood Red Summer - Coheede and Cambria,
The Place of Dead Roads - Harold Budd,
I Wanna Be Adored - Stone Roses.

T - 4; M- 4; D - 4

Home

I like to be here when I can...

Woke up a splitting headache this morning, which I suspect is due to blocked sinuses and the remnants of my cold, so no commute and no tracklist today.

Listened to my 'Fivepenny Piece' LPs today. I used to play these a lot (on cassette) when I was growing up, as my parents were big fans. I found the three LPs in various charity shops over the last five years or so, and they're very good. They sometimes lapse into whimsical comedy, though, but the 'straight', folk songs are superb.

Drowning in the Liquid Seize on the Piccadilly Line, Rat Race

Great repeat session by John Martyn on Andy Kershaw last night, which I will attempt to save to my iPod sometime later today.

Mark Kermode's film review this morning. Haven't seen a decent film in ages. Actually, apart from 'Happy Feet' over xmas, I haven't seen any film at the cinema in ages.

Shuffle on 'Rock and Indie':

Survive - Daryl Hall. A collaboration with Robert Fripp, although this track is a bit disappointing,
We're Going Wrong - Cream,
Hero of the Day - Metallica,
Wild and Dizzy - Bill Nelson,
No Place to Go - Enuff Z'Nuff, from a 'Classic Rock' mag compilation CD
King For a Day - Cyclefly,
Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley,
Soft As A Dove - Yes, from 'Magnification',
Rollin' and Tumblin' - Cream,
Fugazi - Marillion. I really like Fugazi (the album) although I seem to alone in this opinion,
The Hand That Feeds - NIN,
Goodnight Cello Johnson - Karamasov. On the basis of this, I will have to dig this album out again. I bought this after having heard it on 'Mixing It' (I think), and only heard it a few times. Time for a re-assessment.

M - 4; T - 4; D - 4. Pretty good journey, although my cold is still lingering.

Several Feet Underground

More Doctor Who on my walk to the Tube - this time from the Paul McGann Radio Series that is currently being broadcast on Radio 7. In contrast to the reading by David Tennant, this is a dramatised version with great special effects.

For the train:

School - Supertramp
Angi - Davy Graham., from an acoustic compilation. Is this really called Angi, not Angie?
Hey You - Pink Floyd
Nine Feet Underground - Caravan. I have the original DECCA (DERAM?) LP of this excellent album, and downloaded the MP3s last year. This 20-minute piece is just great.
Rockets Fall On Rocket Falls - Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I loved GYBE when I first heard them (on Radio 3's Mixing It and then at a RFH gig with Sigur Ros), but their albums didn't really progress enough for me.
Planet of Visions - Kraftwerk,
It's Only Goodbye - Gentle Giant, from their rather poor Giant For A Day LP. If this was by anybody other than GG, then I'd find it decent enough pop/rock. However, given GG's track record, this album marks the beginning of the end (or maybe Side 1 of The Missing Piece?) aftee the glory days of the 70s.
Barbarism Begins At Home - The Smiths, with its simple but effective bass line,
Needles In The Camel's Eye - Brian Eno, from Here Come The Warm Jets,
Never Before - Deep Purple.

The problems caused by the gales last night (fallen trees, branches on the line) seem to have been cleared up this morning, although the Nothern Line didn't seem that affected anyway, at least not when I was on it...

M - 3.5; T - 4; D - 4