Seriously tempted along with a zillion other blog virgins to do something along the lines of "captain's blog, stardate.." have managed to hold back somehow3 things that put life into perspective so far this week...A friend of mine has been on a ventilator on and off for almost 2 weeks now in London and last night she opened her eyesAnother friend told me how she thought she had lost her child during a fit on Christmas day this yearMy own child had to go for a general anasthetic this week and it
Well this is it, the start of my Baby blog.No, it's not like a small version of a normal blog. It's a blog about a baby....my baby. We (myself and my soon to be wife) went to the Hospital yesterday for the first proper scan and it has to be one of the best experiences ever. To actually see a little human life forming inside another is just special. They're still incredibly small at the moment, being about 15 weeks old and no more than a couple of inches in size. But you should have seen t
Sorry there wasn't been much for a while, I'm on holiday in London, which is on the nearby Island of England. So you'll have to wait. But on the plus side I've bought lots of records, so there are treats to come. Although Thou continue to ellude me.
I've had this tonight with several people and I'm not sure if it is me or them.In conversation on MSN and in threads on the forum, I've just not understood what others have been saying and, in trying to get my point of view across to them, they've not understood me.This may well be a lack of understanding of the English language on their part or maybe I'm just not quite right tonight.Anyway, I've read and re-read all of the threads and my MSN logs and I think I've explained myself pretty well to
Unable to contain my excitement at the prospect of a new Mercury Rev album for a few of their tunes to whet my appetite I was digging around the darkest recesses of my hard drive when I came across a surprise. It is Mercury Rev doing Galaxie 500's Tugboat. I don't know how it got there, I certainly don't recall hearing it before (although I do suspect Simon SVC may be responsible). It is corking, unfortunately I think it is from late-period so it doesn't have David Baker singing (remind me to te
The danger when talking about ESG is to focus on the influence they have had, and I'm not sure how important that is - the music should stand up for itself irrespective of how many hip-hop producers have sampled the rhythms. (I mean the Pixies were a great band before Kurt Cobain co-opted their quiet chorus-loud verse song structure, and would have remained a great band even if Nirvana hadn't existed). Yet every article I can find on ESG focuses on a long list of sample credits which, I feel, do
Just a random selection of tracks tonight. Taken from songs for obscure reasons I have uploaded to my webspace. Bright Eyes - Neely O'HaraBright Eyes - Love You Don't Have to LoveDon't know much about this lot - I don't even know if I like them. Other than that they are mainly Conor Obost who is from Lincoln, Nebraska and that they are the first band since the Beatles or Westlife, or P Diddy to have number one and two in the US singles charts, and that they are better than the charlatan currentl
Tonight, I'm gonna take you on a journey into the darkside. It is not a journey for the faint hearted, there's angst, rebellion, teenage pregnancies, rape, motorcycle wrecks, heartbreak and the highest body count this side of a Nick Cave album. Because tonight I give you the weirdly dark world of the Shangri-las. The Shangri-las were four streetwise New York girls. Although as, St.Etienne's Pete Wiggs has pointed out, there are only three present in most of the photographs. I expect at any giv
I think we've heard a bit too much from noisy Americans with guitars on here lately, so I'll return to Mr Albini's recollections in due course. Tonight's theme is a rather mix 'n' match tribute to Rocksteady. Rocksteady was a short-lived period in Jamaican music which the excellect Trojan Rocksteady Box Set's sleevenotes places "from the emergence of the genre in 1966 until the development of reggae two years later". The first tune to reflect this new style was Alton Ellis and the title of his s
Tonight I'm continuing Steve Albini's "Eyewitness Record Reviews" with - The Breeders - Pod l.p. The Breeders were a vanity project (at least at this point) for the Pixies' Kim Deal, Tanya Donnelly from the Throwing Muses, Josephine Whiggs out of Perfect Disaster, and Slint's Britt Walford. Let Mr Albini take up the tale -
Ok The Breeders got better, briefly, when Kelley Deal joined and the band became Kim's full time commitment. But this one is pretty run of the mill, to be honest. In fact,
While I was researching an earlier post I dug out my copy of The Penguin Book of Rock & Roll Writing. And I found myself diverted by a piece by Steve Albini(from Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac) about some of the records he has worked on as a producer. It is quite funny and I thought I'd provide excerts and the odd track from each. The Pixies - Surfer Rosa lp
So to allow you to judge Albini's claim that the Pixies' were moulded by industry personnel here are two versions the song I'm Amaze
Ok, I suppose I have to declare an interest in tonight's featured artist. The band's cds have been released on my "record label" - Psychobabble RecordsSuspect Package - Joey ShallowFrom the band's current studio e.p. Destruction of the Classes. This is a storming incendiary performance from the boys. "Ho Ho Ho" Although, their influences are more the modern Californian Punks they've had the good sense to take the light hearted, fun elements from NoFX rather than the ernestness of some of their c
Following on from the 'Are we alone' post made earlier, it struck me that at times, I and for that matter others are alone on this forum (and, no doubt many others across the globe). You know that point, when no-one else that is a registered poster (or a regular poster for that matter) during the early hours of the morning when all seems quiet and you pretty much have the place to yourself (but in reality, you don't, because you are being watched, by the army of 'guests' that lurk out there).I r
I've asked myself this question many, many times and I would like to think that we are not. What I mean by this (if you haven't worked it out already) is are there other inhabited worlds out there? If so, are they as advanced as us, more advanced or less so?Who are they, where are they and will we ever know for sure in our lifetime?I'm fascinated by this, I really want to know the answer.I wonder if we ever will?
Ok I finished the Peel Festive 50 page.The Festive Fifty, has always been a part of Christmas for me, and it is nice to see it continue. I thought Rob Da Bank did a good job hosting it.Anyway on my page there are loads of links to the various bands and such like. Plus links to various mp3's. Including these which I uploaded specially - Half Man Half Biscuit - Joy Division Oven Glove From the 16/11/2004 Peel Session. Jawbone - Hi-Di-Hi Listen With Sarah - Animal Hop Art Brut - Formed A BandThe M
Well, I've not posted anything in here for a bit so I thought I'd use the new year as an opportunity to post some news.I'm expecting a busy January, having been off work for 12 days, I'll be expecting a rush when I get back on the 6th. Following on from my 'Ghosts from the past' post, I've had another person from my past pop up recently, she'll be over twice in January as her bank is re-locating here from Guernsey and she's helping with the changeover. We'll be out for the odd beer or two and ma
Sorry there haven't been many posts lately. I've been working on this - Festive 50 2004 page. It isn't finished yet, but in the meantime there are some tracks to download (The Magic Band, Art Brut, Decoration and Listen With Sarah) to be going on with, and links to many more.I will probably finish it tomorrow, so keep checking.
Sometime ago I started on a series of short stories inspired by songs I like. So I thought as an occasional series I could post them here alongside the songs which inspired them. I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You (by Declan)In retrospect I probably stayed too close to the song. Which is by Tom Waits there is also a great cover version by 10,000 ManiacsLinksRead: Declan's Stories (site needs updating, sorry)Visit: Tom Waits, and 10,000 Maniacs.Buy: Tom Waits, and 10,000 Maniacs.
Tonight's tunes come from Dub Sex. They were a Manchester band from the late Eighties / early Nineties. So you now have a mental picture of them, don't you - baggy clothes, floppy hair, bouncy walk, attitude? Well get rid of it, because Dub Sex were nothing like that. Dub Sex were Chris Bridgett, Cathy Brooks, Roger Cadman, Mark Hoyle, and Tim Costigan. Although Karl Burns from the Fall was a member early on. Their sound recalls the Chameleons although the vocals are so all-encompassing you coul
But of course I was lying yesterday. Christmas isn't always much fun as these tunes show. People get drunk, they fall out and they row, but at least they do it with their loved ones. Elvis Costello & the Chieftains - The St. Stephen's Day MurdersWorth checking out the lyrics on this one. I particularly like "There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias,Mixed up with that drink made from girders.’Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath." This is what Christmas were like
In 2000 tedious English radio station XFM persuaded a gaggle of left-field types for a Christmas cd - You can hear the contribution from Saint Etienne over at Spoilt Victorian Child and the live Peel Session version of Belle & Sebastian's O Come O Come Emmanuel (as well as a tonne of other festive favourites by the band) is available at Orbis Quintis. Here are my favourite tracks...Grandaddy - Alan Parson's In A Winter WonderlandAlan Parsons is one of those artists, like Camel or Uriah Hee
Tonight's tracks are from a Sub Pop 7" from 1990 put out by Mudhoney frontman - Mark Arm. Styling himself as The Freewheelin' Mark Arm, hear he tackles a pair of covers... The Freewheelin' Mark Arm - Masters Of WarThis is a cover of a Bob Dylan song that featured on Dylan's lp The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. You get the picture Mark is in protest folkie mode. Even the single's cover ape-ed the original lp cover - I was prompted to dig out this single when I saw Mark fronting the reformed MC5, and I
Generally, when I'm at my computer, I just stick iTunes on random play. That way I get to hear a variety of music and if something pricks my attention it is easy enough to switch to their album. Usually this means a disperate play list for example Beck has just been followed by Stereolab and then the Buzzcocks with Quicksand, Wings and Michell Shocked waiting in the er ... wings. But sometimes a set of tunes will be thrown up that sit perfectly together. An example happened earlier today, that I
