New person alert!
We had a new 'afternoon receptionist' start today.
There was tension in the air.
Apparently, the word was out that she was hot!
She arrived....
There were sighs.
Although I'm not quite sure why.
The body of Posh Spice.
Skin tone not dissimilar to an orange.
Make up applied with a shovel.
Accent that makes me cringe.
Nice hair though.
Her name is Maria. For the purpose of this blog and following unwritten blogging rules that all names must be changed to protect the innocent, from hence forth, she will be known on here as....Maria.
New person alert!
Quick, crowd round everybody!
Monday, July 31
Sunday, July 30
Well, I hide all the bruises. I hide all the damage that's done.
Well, I can't explain why it's not enough, just to be with you.
Saturday, July 29
You're wasting your time and my time as well. La la la living a lie, I guess that time will tell.
What is it about songs that don't end, they just fade out?
I've listened to loads of music tonight. Since I got back from work, I looked around for a new software MP3 player online and found a cool one with some funky functions.
Downloaded....installed....tested....
It's been playing random all night and I've noticed that only a very small proportion of songs 'fade out' nowadays. There appears to be an exception with dance music however, with the majority of them not quite knowing how to end the song and therefore taking the 'easy way out'.
When I first started thinking about it, I was heavily swayed towards the 'If a song fades out, then it had no ending' theory. A song with no ending is much like a book with the last few pages missing.
How does it end?!?!
But on closer examination, that theory goes completely out of the window because some of the greatest story tellers spun their tales and then faded out.
My conclusion....?
I'm stoned.
From out of nowhere, I've just had a flashback to when I went to see REM play in London last year. They introduced Patti Smith on the stage to duet on "E-bow the letter", one of my all time favourite REM tracks. But she seemed so overwhelmed with the crowd response, she was almost unable to sing. She missed her cue twice and dipped out of some of the words. Her confidence being restored when Michael Stipe took a hold of her hand.
It was all very emotional.
Memories eh? You can't buy shit like that anywhere!
Music updated on the right....
I've listened to loads of music tonight. Since I got back from work, I looked around for a new software MP3 player online and found a cool one with some funky functions.
Downloaded....installed....tested....
It's been playing random all night and I've noticed that only a very small proportion of songs 'fade out' nowadays. There appears to be an exception with dance music however, with the majority of them not quite knowing how to end the song and therefore taking the 'easy way out'.
When I first started thinking about it, I was heavily swayed towards the 'If a song fades out, then it had no ending' theory. A song with no ending is much like a book with the last few pages missing.
How does it end?!?!
But on closer examination, that theory goes completely out of the window because some of the greatest story tellers spun their tales and then faded out.
My conclusion....?
I'm stoned.
From out of nowhere, I've just had a flashback to when I went to see REM play in London last year. They introduced Patti Smith on the stage to duet on "E-bow the letter", one of my all time favourite REM tracks. But she seemed so overwhelmed with the crowd response, she was almost unable to sing. She missed her cue twice and dipped out of some of the words. Her confidence being restored when Michael Stipe took a hold of her hand.
It was all very emotional.
Memories eh? You can't buy shit like that anywhere!
Music updated on the right....
Thursday, July 27
Wednesday, July 26
It's never over. My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder.
Even though I've spent the last three days sleeping and waking when I want....
I feel tired.
Even Jeff Buckley isn't moving me like he usually does.
derit leef I
ytpme leef I
tsol leef t'nod I tub
gniog m'I erehw yltcaxe wonk I esuaceb
I feel tired.
Even Jeff Buckley isn't moving me like he usually does.
derit leef I
ytpme leef I
tsol leef t'nod I tub
gniog m'I erehw yltcaxe wonk I esuaceb
Sunday, July 23
Live baby live. Now that the day is over. I got a new sensation in perfect moments.
Sometimes, when you feel like nothing could ever take away that feeling of fizz inside....
Dread comes knocking on your door, once again.
Dread comes knocking on your door, once again.
Wednesday, July 19
I don't mind spending some time, just hanging here with you.
A lady called by earlier. She has a problem with the roof not opening on her convertible. I went out and tried it myself and wouldn't it just be fucking sod's law that it worked perfectly for me. Not wanting to make her feel stupid, I told her I'd seen this issue before and it came down to the simple fact that a new car would be 'stiff'.
She didn't quite understand.
I tried to make it simpler.
"It's stiff under the hood because it's new and hasn't really been played with enough. What it probably needs is some lubrication and some pumping to loosen it up."
It's pretty hot huh? Well, in The UK it is and as usual, we aren't prepared for it.
How much of a guarantee is it, that every person who moans about it being too hot at the moment, will do the same about it being too cold in January.
It is however in heat like this, that I can't help thinking how great it would be to be a girl.
How great would it be to be able to wear strappy, flimsy tops and a skirt that allows a breeze up in a welcome area.
Brief summary of the last few days....
Hot, work, slow, gifts, drink, smoke, Blagger, sketch,
Is it only me, or does Jayne look a hell of a lot like Davina?
Oh, just me then....
I'll get my coat....
She didn't quite understand.
I tried to make it simpler.
"It's stiff under the hood because it's new and hasn't really been played with enough. What it probably needs is some lubrication and some pumping to loosen it up."
It's pretty hot huh? Well, in The UK it is and as usual, we aren't prepared for it.
How much of a guarantee is it, that every person who moans about it being too hot at the moment, will do the same about it being too cold in January.
It is however in heat like this, that I can't help thinking how great it would be to be a girl.
How great would it be to be able to wear strappy, flimsy tops and a skirt that allows a breeze up in a welcome area.
Brief summary of the last few days....
Hot, work, slow, gifts, drink, smoke, Blagger, sketch,
Is it only me, or does Jayne look a hell of a lot like Davina?
Oh, just me then....
I'll get my coat....
Monday, July 17
I was just guessing at numbers and figures. Pulling your puzzles apart.
What the hell is up with Shaggy's voice?
It's impossibly ridiculous, yet terribly infectious.
If I close my eyes when he's singing, all I can see is a muppet. And when I think about it, he doesn't actually remind me of any of the muppets, just....a muppet.
But it would have a wide mouth....a big floppy hair....and be purple....maybe.
Sat outside a bar.
A gent in his late fifties, early sixties sits down next a woman.
They share a drink,
they share conversation,
they share laughter,
they share love.
The way he looks at her gives away his position of pure adoration.
And I wondered if he was remembering that day they spent together, so long ago, when a butterfly handed on her hands and he thought she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.
In a mix of many other people around, that guy made me envy him.
I think we decided their names were Iris and Derek.
It's impossibly ridiculous, yet terribly infectious.
If I close my eyes when he's singing, all I can see is a muppet. And when I think about it, he doesn't actually remind me of any of the muppets, just....a muppet.
But it would have a wide mouth....a big floppy hair....and be purple....maybe.
Sat outside a bar.
A gent in his late fifties, early sixties sits down next a woman.
They share a drink,
they share conversation,
they share laughter,
they share love.
The way he looks at her gives away his position of pure adoration.
And I wondered if he was remembering that day they spent together, so long ago, when a butterfly handed on her hands and he thought she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.
In a mix of many other people around, that guy made me envy him.
I think we decided their names were Iris and Derek.
Sunday, July 16
Friday, July 14
We all face the same way. But still it takes all day.
Traffic jams fuck me off.
I can't admit to that with most things, but being stationary on a Motorway fucks me off.
I came to a complete stop about 5 times on the same Motorway today. Ok, so if there's roadworks then fine, I expect the traffic to come to a 'calm down'. But when I've been sat in the car, not able to get out of first gear for the last 20 minutes, only to find that the traffic speed up and eventually gets back to normal, with apparently fuck all causing the hold up, it fucks me off.
Something else about traffic hold ups that fucks me off....
When the traffic slows down, then comes to a complete stop, then crawls along for ages, then you find out all that tail-back was because there was an accident....on the opposite side of the Motorway!
I lost count of the times I saw people picking their noses. Let's not even go there about what several of them did with the offending bogey.
And do you know what I really love....
Lying in bed after I've brushed my teeth and feeling that clean, tingly sensation in my mouth.
I can't admit to that with most things, but being stationary on a Motorway fucks me off.
I came to a complete stop about 5 times on the same Motorway today. Ok, so if there's roadworks then fine, I expect the traffic to come to a 'calm down'. But when I've been sat in the car, not able to get out of first gear for the last 20 minutes, only to find that the traffic speed up and eventually gets back to normal, with apparently fuck all causing the hold up, it fucks me off.
Something else about traffic hold ups that fucks me off....
When the traffic slows down, then comes to a complete stop, then crawls along for ages, then you find out all that tail-back was because there was an accident....on the opposite side of the Motorway!
I lost count of the times I saw people picking their noses. Let's not even go there about what several of them did with the offending bogey.
And do you know what I really love....
Lying in bed after I've brushed my teeth and feeling that clean, tingly sensation in my mouth.
Wednesday, July 12
I wanna run away with you.
It's a beautiful night.
Sat on the step
Glancing upwards to be met with the stars
Peaceful
Calm
Almost surreal
This ain't exactly what I had on my mind
Stopped me in my tracks
Caused me to take steps back
But the whole thing
just....
Beautiful
Sat on the step
Glancing upwards to be met with the stars
Peaceful
Calm
Almost surreal
This ain't exactly what I had on my mind
Stopped me in my tracks
Caused me to take steps back
But the whole thing
just....
Beautiful
Monday, July 10
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late.
My coffee container is almost empty.
It's not entirely empty, just almost.
So do I refill it now or wait until it's so empty, I can't even get one more spoonful out?
Shadows are strange things
While I was in the bath earlier, I noticed the shadow being cast on the tiled wall. This shadow was made up from the showerhead and the hose, a soap container and the shower curtain, which has a knot tied at the bottom.
From this I saw:
A witch, a dog with two heads, a shoe with the heel split, Marge Simpson, a Native Indian wearing a really tall hat, a robot sticking out it's square tongue, a shovel on top of a very large drill, a deformed penis and some I can't remember.
I've done loads today.
It's just been one of those days when everything I wanted to get done, got done. Work was cool and I'm officially up to date, ahead in fact, if that's even possible. At home, I've done loads more cleaning, burnt 6 or 7 cd's, done a work out in my "Get fit for V Fest" quest, done loads of washing and ironing and even had time for a nice long soak in the bath and an hour of Big Brother catch-up.
I feel really good today. Almost the opposite of how I felt yesterday, particularly because I missed The Girl. We spoke and it bought us a little closer together, but then the distance grew again.
Some days are a bit shit like that.
New songs to download on the right--->
It's not entirely empty, just almost.
So do I refill it now or wait until it's so empty, I can't even get one more spoonful out?
Shadows are strange things
While I was in the bath earlier, I noticed the shadow being cast on the tiled wall. This shadow was made up from the showerhead and the hose, a soap container and the shower curtain, which has a knot tied at the bottom.
From this I saw:
A witch, a dog with two heads, a shoe with the heel split, Marge Simpson, a Native Indian wearing a really tall hat, a robot sticking out it's square tongue, a shovel on top of a very large drill, a deformed penis and some I can't remember.
I've done loads today.
It's just been one of those days when everything I wanted to get done, got done. Work was cool and I'm officially up to date, ahead in fact, if that's even possible. At home, I've done loads more cleaning, burnt 6 or 7 cd's, done a work out in my "Get fit for V Fest" quest, done loads of washing and ironing and even had time for a nice long soak in the bath and an hour of Big Brother catch-up.
I feel really good today. Almost the opposite of how I felt yesterday, particularly because I missed The Girl. We spoke and it bought us a little closer together, but then the distance grew again.
Some days are a bit shit like that.
New songs to download on the right--->
Thursday, July 6
Put your hand in my hand, let me show you the way.
This week has been kin of odd.
The building of the barbecue is almost complete. I'm off work tomorrow, so I'm gonna tidy the brickwork up and get something for the last layer. Most people would have a top row of slightly different brick....I'm thinking wood.
The night over at The Blagger's place has gone down the toilet. We delayed it until tonight, but I called him earlier and he was almost 200 miles away, at some car auction. Nothing has been rearranged, but that's cool, 'cos the dress idea didn't come together anyway.
I've found my sketch book, so I've been trying to finish off my tattoo design. It's almost there....almost there....
There's a guy coming to see me at work on Saturday. He's in the market to buy a Mondeo ST TD (boring car speak). Nothing earth shattering there, but he wants to trade in his Audi TT! I Think I might be close to getting a deal with him, which will mean I can smoke around in his Audi for a while.
Nice!
Current 'heavy rotation' on my MP3 player is:
The new Boy Kill Boy cd, We Are Scientists, The Walkmen, Gomez, Keane's latest CD, The Fast & The Furious Tokyo Drift CD soundtrack and The Number 1 Euphoric Album (4 discs!).
Currently, I'm loving that euphoric album and it's the perfect way to spend the evening on the back step.
Know what I mean?
Nudge nudge, wink wink!
Last night, I had a dream that involved me getting shot.
I was driving along and the guy in the car in front pulled forward very slowly to turn right....but he wasn't indicating! In the dream, I got frustrated with him and did that 'gesturing with your hands up, as if to say "what's the skinny?" kinda thing. He didn't even turn right, instead he turned his engine off, got out of his car and took shots at me with a shot gun.
I dunno what happened after that.
Have I mentioned it before how brilliant it is having deaf neighbours?
The building of the barbecue is almost complete. I'm off work tomorrow, so I'm gonna tidy the brickwork up and get something for the last layer. Most people would have a top row of slightly different brick....I'm thinking wood.
The night over at The Blagger's place has gone down the toilet. We delayed it until tonight, but I called him earlier and he was almost 200 miles away, at some car auction. Nothing has been rearranged, but that's cool, 'cos the dress idea didn't come together anyway.
I've found my sketch book, so I've been trying to finish off my tattoo design. It's almost there....almost there....
There's a guy coming to see me at work on Saturday. He's in the market to buy a Mondeo ST TD (boring car speak). Nothing earth shattering there, but he wants to trade in his Audi TT! I Think I might be close to getting a deal with him, which will mean I can smoke around in his Audi for a while.
Nice!
Current 'heavy rotation' on my MP3 player is:
The new Boy Kill Boy cd, We Are Scientists, The Walkmen, Gomez, Keane's latest CD, The Fast & The Furious Tokyo Drift CD soundtrack and The Number 1 Euphoric Album (4 discs!).
Currently, I'm loving that euphoric album and it's the perfect way to spend the evening on the back step.
Know what I mean?
Nudge nudge, wink wink!
Last night, I had a dream that involved me getting shot.
I was driving along and the guy in the car in front pulled forward very slowly to turn right....but he wasn't indicating! In the dream, I got frustrated with him and did that 'gesturing with your hands up, as if to say "what's the skinny?" kinda thing. He didn't even turn right, instead he turned his engine off, got out of his car and took shots at me with a shot gun.
I dunno what happened after that.
Have I mentioned it before how brilliant it is having deaf neighbours?
Wednesday, July 5
If music be the food of love, play on....
If you're not really interested in music, move along.....
Technically speaking, the sender of my CD for the CD Shuffle-A-Thon broke a rule. This rule being that the track count is limited to 12. I have a CD here with 15 tracks on it, although one of them doesn't really count because it's an intro to a song.
That said, I'm kinda happy about it, as it means I have more music to listen to and who can say no to more music?
Since there's only one song out of the 15 that I don't know, my revue is gonna be slightly different. I don't feel the want or need to verbally describe the track, so instead I'm gonna say a few things about how I feel about the songs....kinda.
As per the rules, here's my review:
1 - "The last time I saw Richard" by Joni Mitchell.
I've always loved Joni. This is a great example of some of her finest work from, in my opinion, her finest album. Joni is responsible for why I love Alanis, Jewel, Paul Cole, Tori et al. Beautiful storytellers, all of them. I think I first heard this song about 10 years ago. Somebody put the album on while some friends and I were having a 'session'.
I love Joni singing "Big yellow taxi", but my favourite of hers still has to be "Woodstock", probably because of the story behind it.
Joni soothes my soul. I can listen to her all night long and know that I'm gonna have a sound night's sleep. She does something to me with her sometimes crystal vocals and moody outlook. I wonder if most female singer-songwriters don't wish they could be more like her.
A legend.
An icon.
Joni.
2 - "Tainted love" by Soft Cell.
I hated this song when it first came out. I struggled with some of the modern romance era and found myself desperately searching for something 'different'. This was the time I discovered Prince. It is however, a classic. The hook has been sampled many times, most recently by Rhianna, and I thought very successfully as well. Marc Almonds vocals were never anything special in my opinion.
This bouncy song drives ever forward and I defy anybody who lived through the eighties to deny they know it.
It's a great floor filler, a simple tune and infectious as fuck. That said, I must admit to loving the Marilyn Mason version.
Oh....and how shit was the Soft Cell video to this!
3 - "Little lover" by AC/DC.
I really like AC/DC, but admit to being more of a fan of the stuff with Brian singing, instead of Bon.
This is a great, dirty, bluesy number. The drum beat drives the song along, accompanied by the bassline that sets the tone for the seductive vocals. Yes, an AC/DC song with seductive vocals, it's true. I really like stuff like this and AC/DC were always good at delivering slow or upbeat rock that made me wanna dress up like Angus and strutt around.
It's amazing just how long this band have been around. They seem to have a formula that still strikes a chord (pun intended) with so many people.
It will be a sad day when Angus decides to hang up his school uniform.
This is a dirty song, with a riff that oozes images of being perfect playing in the background whilst seducing your lover.
4 - "Sheila na Gig" by P J Harvey.
I wasn't really into P J until I saw her play live at Glastonbury. I got dragged along by my friend who had been raving about her all weekend and as nobody else was playing at the same time that I wanted to watch, I gave in. I've been a fan ever since. She's hugely influential, much more than most people think and I must admit to quite liking the fact that she's never really 'broke' in the UK.
This song's great purely because it sounds so raw, almost like they recorded it in one live take. I love stuff like that. A good mid tempo rock chic song that puts guys in their place!
5 - "The rocker" by Thin Lizzy.
My Cousin got me into Lizzy back in the day. Being older than me, she reveled in being able to tell me stories about her adventures. Her description of her first concert was captivating. I was completely hooked on her descriptions of the band actually onstage, not so far away from her. I was always under the impression that music stars weren't real people, so when she told me about how they stood on stage, how they played their instruments and how Phil used the little mirror on his bass to reflect the spotlights down into the audience, I was intrigued.
Pandy, my brother was also into Lizzy for a while and I guess it's him who I have to thank for getting me really into the whole 'rock' scene.
He was so sad on the day we were told Phil had died. I was sad that he was sad.
I still think "Jailbreak" was their best song, but I can listen to pretty much anything by this band.
6 - "You leave me dead" by McQueen. (an unsigned band)
This is the track that I didn't know. Why are they unsigned? Perhaps it's because people aren't really into the female rock/grunge stuff anymore. Not wanting to be rude, but Hole already did stuff like this better and so did the Distillers. That said, it's not unlistenable and with each listen, I'm finding myself more atuned to the whole feel of the song. I quite like the build up and let's face it, you can't argue with a girl who can holler!
7 - "Coffee and TV" by Blur.
I can take it or leave it with Blur. For some reason I've never really got into them and to be honest, I much prefer the stuff Damon is doing now with Gorillaz and Graham Coxon's solo stuff. Their last 2 albums didn't really inspire me and I wonder if it's because their were just too many musical differences within the band.
This is a good example of the Blur stuff that I like. My favourite song of theirs is probably "Tender" and I'm reminded of playing that particular song on repeat for ages while I went through a very low period of my life. I loved the whole Blur V Oasis thing that hit the 90's. Neither band won in my eyes and somebody should have just banged their heads together and told them to play nice.
A great video accompanied this track and that's probably why it was so successful.
8 - "Old Codger" by The Stranglers.
Again, it was Pandy who got me listening to this band.
When a lot of people are asked what their favourite Stranglers song is, they will often say "Golden Brown". I fucking hate that song.
This a great song of theirs. The harmonica does it for me. It's got a mad feel to the whole song. Like they put it together as an afterthought. I'd say Bob Dylan was a huge influence on this song and if Bob's in the underline, then you can't go wrong, can you.
The track reminds me of a cross between Van Morrison and The Rolling Stones, back in the day, until of course the vocals kick in.
8.5 - "Theatrical Parts" by Public Enemy.
Just an intro.
I have this to say about Public Enemy....They did what they did very well! They tapped into a niche that had never been touched before and their huge influences can still be heard in rap today. I always liked their hooks, especially those annoying 'screeches' that made me think, "Shit that's sooo annoying, but completely infectious. I need to hear that again!"
Any guy who can get away with wearing an absurdly oversized clock around his neck is good in my books, but what they hell was he thinking when he did that reality program in America!
My biggest issue with them was always that I loved the songs, but didn't really dig the message. I found them a little too political for me.
9 - "Strict Machine" by Goldfrapp.
Alison Goldfrapp is sex, it's as simple as that. They are one band that I've never seen live and would love to see. Ask many a guy about Alison and most of them wouldn't bat an eyelid, but she certainly has something. She influenced Madonna's latest incarnation and I hope they will be around for a lot longer because I don't think they're anywhere near their peak stuff yet. They are the band I always wanted St Etienne to be.
Goldfrapp are a great band to listen to when you've come back from a night out. They seem to have a way of keeping the tempo and the mood levels up, without cranking things out of proportion.
9.5 - "Black hole of the sun" by Jocelyn Brown.
This is just me all over. I love old skool soul like this. It just breezes along, without a care in the world and even though it doesn't do much to actually 'stand out' from the crowd, it's the sort of stuff that you just listen to all night long.
Yep, this is early hours music for me.
This is from back in the day when they made records that had a proper intro that lasted ages, teasing you along to get to the main bulk of the tune. Then it just adds layers and layers of old smoothy silk.
When I used to DJ, I always hoped I'd get a set in a place when I could play this kind of stuff all night. People would just be sat around, chatting and doing whatever, while the ear-friendly soul spoke to them in the background.
10 - "Lilac wine" by Jeff Buckley.
When Jeff died, we lost a major talent. His music, his vocals, the arrangements and the whole damn package was just was ahead of it's time. His silky voice meanders in ways that is seen less and less in male vocalists nowadays and it's such a shame.
Somebody recommended the Grace album to me years back and after a while, I finally got around to listening to it. The whole album is just perfect. Each song telling it's own story in such a way that you somehow feel closer to the man who sung it.
The beginning of the song, with just his voice and a gentle guitar, tells a story of sorrow. The rest of the intruments feed in, leaving just enough breathing space for the rest of his story to be told.
10.5 - "Road" by Nick Drake.
Again, for me, this is perfect 'late night' listening. Nick's vocals are always smoothe and this is a great song with melody and meaning. Two things that I love about songs. This sounds like it should have been included in an episode of 'Thirty Something', a program, which I loved! It captivates my attention and then kindof ends, almost like he hasn't finished what he's saying.
Plucky strings, a calming voice....this is pefect music to play after having a smoke.
11 - "Pandora's aquarium" by Tori Amos.
Oh Tori...Tori....
Is there anything that she's done that I don't like? Er,....that would be a "no" then. Tori is sex.....Oh, have I already said that before? Well, fuckit!.
I discovered Tori when she released the Little earthquakes album. I was completely hooked by the lyrics, told by an angry girl who sounded so pure....so innocent...so sweet.
I saw her play live at Glastonbury, when she had technical problems with her keyboards and apologized to the audience for having to play the entire set on her piano. I think it's right about then when I realised that she was just so amazing.
I hated the fact that loads of people cottoned onto her only because some Dj remixed one of her songs and made it into some huge house anthem. She was way, way above that!
Listening to Tori calms me. Listening to Tori makes me feel at peace. Listening to Tori makes me feel like people can beat anything in their lives!
She's gone through some unbelievable shit, you know!
This is typical Tori, with plinky plonky paino and meandering vocals, weaving a tale of love. Her gorgeous voice just sounds so damn agreable, whatever mood I'm in.
12 - "Amsterdam" by Coldplay.
What can I say about Coldplay? I loved them. Loved being the appropriate word here. I saw them play live as a support band, decided to listen to them further, discovered that they were in fact great, particularly Chris Martin's lyrics and vocals, but I have to admit that...and I apologise now if it offends, but since Chris has got married, things have changed. Their last CD did fuck all for me to be honest. Compared to their previous offerings, which in my my opinion were 'genius at work' albums, I feel like their latest stuff just doesn't cut the mustard with me.
My fondest memory of Coldplay was when I saw them live on the last night of their 'Parachutes' tour, in London. We didn't have tickets and decided we would try out luck. After a couple of hours of hanging around outside the venue, we got a bargain price off the ticket touts and I managed to get in with a Wonderstuff ticket for a gig at the same venue a few weeks before and my friend got in with a Morrissey ticket from 6 months previous!
I love the Parachutes album, but I think A Rush Of Blood To The Head is still their finest work to date.
"Bit time, is on your side....it's on your side now."
So there you have it.
I am indebted to yoko who sent me the disc and even though only one song was new to me, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Huge thanks to swisstoni for including me and even larger portions to Yoko, because it was her who actually thought of the idea.
My CD was received by yummybraingravy and got reviewed here.
Cheers guys!
Technically speaking, the sender of my CD for the CD Shuffle-A-Thon broke a rule. This rule being that the track count is limited to 12. I have a CD here with 15 tracks on it, although one of them doesn't really count because it's an intro to a song.
That said, I'm kinda happy about it, as it means I have more music to listen to and who can say no to more music?
Since there's only one song out of the 15 that I don't know, my revue is gonna be slightly different. I don't feel the want or need to verbally describe the track, so instead I'm gonna say a few things about how I feel about the songs....kinda.
As per the rules, here's my review:
1 - "The last time I saw Richard" by Joni Mitchell.
I've always loved Joni. This is a great example of some of her finest work from, in my opinion, her finest album. Joni is responsible for why I love Alanis, Jewel, Paul Cole, Tori et al. Beautiful storytellers, all of them. I think I first heard this song about 10 years ago. Somebody put the album on while some friends and I were having a 'session'.
I love Joni singing "Big yellow taxi", but my favourite of hers still has to be "Woodstock", probably because of the story behind it.
Joni soothes my soul. I can listen to her all night long and know that I'm gonna have a sound night's sleep. She does something to me with her sometimes crystal vocals and moody outlook. I wonder if most female singer-songwriters don't wish they could be more like her.
A legend.
An icon.
Joni.
2 - "Tainted love" by Soft Cell.
I hated this song when it first came out. I struggled with some of the modern romance era and found myself desperately searching for something 'different'. This was the time I discovered Prince. It is however, a classic. The hook has been sampled many times, most recently by Rhianna, and I thought very successfully as well. Marc Almonds vocals were never anything special in my opinion.
This bouncy song drives ever forward and I defy anybody who lived through the eighties to deny they know it.
It's a great floor filler, a simple tune and infectious as fuck. That said, I must admit to loving the Marilyn Mason version.
Oh....and how shit was the Soft Cell video to this!
3 - "Little lover" by AC/DC.
I really like AC/DC, but admit to being more of a fan of the stuff with Brian singing, instead of Bon.
This is a great, dirty, bluesy number. The drum beat drives the song along, accompanied by the bassline that sets the tone for the seductive vocals. Yes, an AC/DC song with seductive vocals, it's true. I really like stuff like this and AC/DC were always good at delivering slow or upbeat rock that made me wanna dress up like Angus and strutt around.
It's amazing just how long this band have been around. They seem to have a formula that still strikes a chord (pun intended) with so many people.
It will be a sad day when Angus decides to hang up his school uniform.
This is a dirty song, with a riff that oozes images of being perfect playing in the background whilst seducing your lover.
4 - "Sheila na Gig" by P J Harvey.
I wasn't really into P J until I saw her play live at Glastonbury. I got dragged along by my friend who had been raving about her all weekend and as nobody else was playing at the same time that I wanted to watch, I gave in. I've been a fan ever since. She's hugely influential, much more than most people think and I must admit to quite liking the fact that she's never really 'broke' in the UK.
This song's great purely because it sounds so raw, almost like they recorded it in one live take. I love stuff like that. A good mid tempo rock chic song that puts guys in their place!
5 - "The rocker" by Thin Lizzy.
My Cousin got me into Lizzy back in the day. Being older than me, she reveled in being able to tell me stories about her adventures. Her description of her first concert was captivating. I was completely hooked on her descriptions of the band actually onstage, not so far away from her. I was always under the impression that music stars weren't real people, so when she told me about how they stood on stage, how they played their instruments and how Phil used the little mirror on his bass to reflect the spotlights down into the audience, I was intrigued.
Pandy, my brother was also into Lizzy for a while and I guess it's him who I have to thank for getting me really into the whole 'rock' scene.
He was so sad on the day we were told Phil had died. I was sad that he was sad.
I still think "Jailbreak" was their best song, but I can listen to pretty much anything by this band.
6 - "You leave me dead" by McQueen. (an unsigned band)
This is the track that I didn't know. Why are they unsigned? Perhaps it's because people aren't really into the female rock/grunge stuff anymore. Not wanting to be rude, but Hole already did stuff like this better and so did the Distillers. That said, it's not unlistenable and with each listen, I'm finding myself more atuned to the whole feel of the song. I quite like the build up and let's face it, you can't argue with a girl who can holler!
7 - "Coffee and TV" by Blur.
I can take it or leave it with Blur. For some reason I've never really got into them and to be honest, I much prefer the stuff Damon is doing now with Gorillaz and Graham Coxon's solo stuff. Their last 2 albums didn't really inspire me and I wonder if it's because their were just too many musical differences within the band.
This is a good example of the Blur stuff that I like. My favourite song of theirs is probably "Tender" and I'm reminded of playing that particular song on repeat for ages while I went through a very low period of my life. I loved the whole Blur V Oasis thing that hit the 90's. Neither band won in my eyes and somebody should have just banged their heads together and told them to play nice.
A great video accompanied this track and that's probably why it was so successful.
8 - "Old Codger" by The Stranglers.
Again, it was Pandy who got me listening to this band.
When a lot of people are asked what their favourite Stranglers song is, they will often say "Golden Brown". I fucking hate that song.
This a great song of theirs. The harmonica does it for me. It's got a mad feel to the whole song. Like they put it together as an afterthought. I'd say Bob Dylan was a huge influence on this song and if Bob's in the underline, then you can't go wrong, can you.
The track reminds me of a cross between Van Morrison and The Rolling Stones, back in the day, until of course the vocals kick in.
8.5 - "Theatrical Parts" by Public Enemy.
Just an intro.
I have this to say about Public Enemy....They did what they did very well! They tapped into a niche that had never been touched before and their huge influences can still be heard in rap today. I always liked their hooks, especially those annoying 'screeches' that made me think, "Shit that's sooo annoying, but completely infectious. I need to hear that again!"
Any guy who can get away with wearing an absurdly oversized clock around his neck is good in my books, but what they hell was he thinking when he did that reality program in America!
My biggest issue with them was always that I loved the songs, but didn't really dig the message. I found them a little too political for me.
9 - "Strict Machine" by Goldfrapp.
Alison Goldfrapp is sex, it's as simple as that. They are one band that I've never seen live and would love to see. Ask many a guy about Alison and most of them wouldn't bat an eyelid, but she certainly has something. She influenced Madonna's latest incarnation and I hope they will be around for a lot longer because I don't think they're anywhere near their peak stuff yet. They are the band I always wanted St Etienne to be.
Goldfrapp are a great band to listen to when you've come back from a night out. They seem to have a way of keeping the tempo and the mood levels up, without cranking things out of proportion.
9.5 - "Black hole of the sun" by Jocelyn Brown.
This is just me all over. I love old skool soul like this. It just breezes along, without a care in the world and even though it doesn't do much to actually 'stand out' from the crowd, it's the sort of stuff that you just listen to all night long.
Yep, this is early hours music for me.
This is from back in the day when they made records that had a proper intro that lasted ages, teasing you along to get to the main bulk of the tune. Then it just adds layers and layers of old smoothy silk.
When I used to DJ, I always hoped I'd get a set in a place when I could play this kind of stuff all night. People would just be sat around, chatting and doing whatever, while the ear-friendly soul spoke to them in the background.
10 - "Lilac wine" by Jeff Buckley.
When Jeff died, we lost a major talent. His music, his vocals, the arrangements and the whole damn package was just was ahead of it's time. His silky voice meanders in ways that is seen less and less in male vocalists nowadays and it's such a shame.
Somebody recommended the Grace album to me years back and after a while, I finally got around to listening to it. The whole album is just perfect. Each song telling it's own story in such a way that you somehow feel closer to the man who sung it.
The beginning of the song, with just his voice and a gentle guitar, tells a story of sorrow. The rest of the intruments feed in, leaving just enough breathing space for the rest of his story to be told.
10.5 - "Road" by Nick Drake.
Again, for me, this is perfect 'late night' listening. Nick's vocals are always smoothe and this is a great song with melody and meaning. Two things that I love about songs. This sounds like it should have been included in an episode of 'Thirty Something', a program, which I loved! It captivates my attention and then kindof ends, almost like he hasn't finished what he's saying.
Plucky strings, a calming voice....this is pefect music to play after having a smoke.
11 - "Pandora's aquarium" by Tori Amos.
Oh Tori...Tori....
Is there anything that she's done that I don't like? Er,....that would be a "no" then. Tori is sex.....Oh, have I already said that before? Well, fuckit!.
I discovered Tori when she released the Little earthquakes album. I was completely hooked by the lyrics, told by an angry girl who sounded so pure....so innocent...so sweet.
I saw her play live at Glastonbury, when she had technical problems with her keyboards and apologized to the audience for having to play the entire set on her piano. I think it's right about then when I realised that she was just so amazing.
I hated the fact that loads of people cottoned onto her only because some Dj remixed one of her songs and made it into some huge house anthem. She was way, way above that!
Listening to Tori calms me. Listening to Tori makes me feel at peace. Listening to Tori makes me feel like people can beat anything in their lives!
She's gone through some unbelievable shit, you know!
This is typical Tori, with plinky plonky paino and meandering vocals, weaving a tale of love. Her gorgeous voice just sounds so damn agreable, whatever mood I'm in.
12 - "Amsterdam" by Coldplay.
What can I say about Coldplay? I loved them. Loved being the appropriate word here. I saw them play live as a support band, decided to listen to them further, discovered that they were in fact great, particularly Chris Martin's lyrics and vocals, but I have to admit that...and I apologise now if it offends, but since Chris has got married, things have changed. Their last CD did fuck all for me to be honest. Compared to their previous offerings, which in my my opinion were 'genius at work' albums, I feel like their latest stuff just doesn't cut the mustard with me.
My fondest memory of Coldplay was when I saw them live on the last night of their 'Parachutes' tour, in London. We didn't have tickets and decided we would try out luck. After a couple of hours of hanging around outside the venue, we got a bargain price off the ticket touts and I managed to get in with a Wonderstuff ticket for a gig at the same venue a few weeks before and my friend got in with a Morrissey ticket from 6 months previous!
I love the Parachutes album, but I think A Rush Of Blood To The Head is still their finest work to date.
"Bit time, is on your side....it's on your side now."
So there you have it.
I am indebted to yoko who sent me the disc and even though only one song was new to me, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Huge thanks to swisstoni for including me and even larger portions to Yoko, because it was her who actually thought of the idea.
My CD was received by yummybraingravy and got reviewed here.
Cheers guys!
Monday, July 3
How do you always have an opinion? And how do you always find the best way to compromise?
You know when you have one of those days, when you get lots of little things done and dusted, which is great, but then when you think back, you don't feel like you've actually done anything.
Yep....one of those days.
I handed over 'my car' to the guy who bought it earlier. I spent ages with him, going through all the controls and explaining how to use the SatNav and how the MP3 player works. He was all excited as I told him more and more stuff about what the car could do.
He's a nice guy....
It's gone to a good home.
Being without a car is crap. Last night I used a Mondeo Estate. Fucking horrible car! Ok, so it was top of the range, but it drives like a bunch of donkey balls. Good sound on the stereo though.
Today, I've come back in a BMW 3 series. Yeah, it looks real flash, but once again, it drives like a bag of shit, I find the pedals too close together and the stereo is absolute wank.
I've come to two conclusions:
1 - Cars bore the fuck out of me.
2 - I will judge a car by the performance of the stereo.
Work has been a bitch!
Since The Blagger got fired, they have also fired Jabba, the Finance Guy. Today, we've had a guy start to replace Jabba.
I popped into 3rd Time Lucky's office this afternoon to say, "Hey, anytime you want to fill that position filled with somebody who can actually do the job, then let me know".
I went out for a test drive with somebody today. He came in with his wife and was undecided about which car to buy, so he asked for two test drives, one in each.
No problem....normally.
This guy could drive about as well as The Pope can rap!
I actually started to panic when I realised how bad his driving was. When we got back to The Dealership, I stood my ground and told him that I wouldn't take him out on the second test drive because I wasn't confident enough in his driving skills (or lack off), particularly because he was driving an unfamiliar car.
He didn't take it well!
I think some people may be slightly worried about me at work, because I spent most of the afternoon asking girls if I could borrow a dress from them.
Yep....one of those days.
I handed over 'my car' to the guy who bought it earlier. I spent ages with him, going through all the controls and explaining how to use the SatNav and how the MP3 player works. He was all excited as I told him more and more stuff about what the car could do.
He's a nice guy....
It's gone to a good home.
Being without a car is crap. Last night I used a Mondeo Estate. Fucking horrible car! Ok, so it was top of the range, but it drives like a bunch of donkey balls. Good sound on the stereo though.
Today, I've come back in a BMW 3 series. Yeah, it looks real flash, but once again, it drives like a bag of shit, I find the pedals too close together and the stereo is absolute wank.
I've come to two conclusions:
1 - Cars bore the fuck out of me.
2 - I will judge a car by the performance of the stereo.
Work has been a bitch!
Since The Blagger got fired, they have also fired Jabba, the Finance Guy. Today, we've had a guy start to replace Jabba.
I popped into 3rd Time Lucky's office this afternoon to say, "Hey, anytime you want to fill that position filled with somebody who can actually do the job, then let me know".
I went out for a test drive with somebody today. He came in with his wife and was undecided about which car to buy, so he asked for two test drives, one in each.
No problem....normally.
This guy could drive about as well as The Pope can rap!
I actually started to panic when I realised how bad his driving was. When we got back to The Dealership, I stood my ground and told him that I wouldn't take him out on the second test drive because I wasn't confident enough in his driving skills (or lack off), particularly because he was driving an unfamiliar car.
He didn't take it well!
I think some people may be slightly worried about me at work, because I spent most of the afternoon asking girls if I could borrow a dress from them.
Sunday, July 2
When you first left me, I was wanting more. But you were fucking that girl next door, what d'ya do that for.
Why am I feeling so tired?
I feel like I've not slept for 72 hours, which is stupid because I know I have. In fact, I've had some reasonably early nights (for me) and it's not like I've been lay there begging myself to go to sleep, 'cos I haven't. If anything, I've been dozing off into my sleep like state in record times.
It's not a mental tiredness either, it's definitely a physical one. My knee isn't helping matters, making it difficult to get a 'comfy spot' and sometimes bringing me out of my sleep to remind me just how much it hurts like a bitch.
Considering that over the last few nights, I've been in bed at reasonable times, I think I'll give up on the idea that it's more sleep that I'm craving and perhaps I should take it easier on the old bones.
This concerns me, particularly as V Festival is only seven weeks away and is without doubt, always the toughest weekend of the year for me. There's also a strong possibility that we're going for an extra day, so perhaps I should begin stocking up on the multi vitamins now!
The whole World Cup thing is apparently over for England. I'm not a follower of football, but even so, The Girl and I got treated to some 'real live football fan action' last night by her neighbours. The cheers, the clapping, the shouting, the "OOoohhhhhhhh", the jeers, the encouraging chants that said neighbours directed to their TV (which was in their garden, due to birthday party/barbecue/friends over type thing) were all we needed to be able to follow what was happening. By the end of the match, we switched on the TV and found it highly amusing that the neighbour's terrestrial signal was slightly ahead of the Digital signal we were watching and consequently their screams, claps and "OOOhhhhh Noooooooo" cries kind of 'gave away' whether the ball that was still on the penalty spot on our screen was gonna go in the net or not.
The news reports on the radio and some of the newspaper articles seem a little harsh to me. There's lots of blame being laid at the feet of Rooney, who by all accounts is some sort of footballing God. Ok, so he fucked up, but is this one guy really to blame for England losing the match and ultimately a place in the next round?
Perhaps I should just have a nice cup of 'shut the fuck up' when it comes to talking about football, considering I know so little about it. It was really nice to see so many people in this Country showing their support with flags, t-shirts and all the other stuff and kinda makes me think that we rarely 'pull together' as one in this day and age.
The road where I live had many a house donning flags from their windows. Lots of cars had flags and other signs of support plastered all over them. Today, when I drove back from work, many of these have already been removed.
I think the sullen mood of the Country meant that most people just wanted to stay in because work was pretty damn quiet. Although saying that, I appear to have sold the car that I'm driving.
Not being a fan of cars means I don't get upset or mardy when the car I'm driving gets sold. Jeesh, some of the other Sales people get their arse firmly in their hands when you tell them they have to hand over their keys because you've just sold their car.
I will kinda miss it though.
Although I don't think the red hot leather burning sensation from the seats will be missed much.
I've met up with The Blagger and Krusty tonight. He seems to be doing ok, but he's getting slightly bored now and actually has some kind of 'plan'. This is a good sign, trust me!
He's asked me over to his new place sometime during the week. They've been telling me about their nosey neighbours. Apparently, when an unknown car pulls into the 'private/residents only' car park, all the curtains start twitching. There are several neighbours who are allegedly really nosey, so we've devised a plan:
This basically involves me going round his place, as agreed, but making sure I make some unnecessary noise when I go into the car park, thus attracting the attention of said neighbours. I'm gonna ring him, so he comes out to meet me from the car and we're gonna hug and kiss.
Oh and he's gonna slap my arse, in a flirty way.
Oh, and I'm gonna be wearing a dress.
The cd that I received in the Shuffle-A-Thon is currently playing on my pc. It kinda worried me, all the care and attention that the sender had put into, not only the thought of which songs to include, but also the accompanying letter, giving titles and reasons for their inclusion. Way, WAY more than I put into mine! I had so much trouble limiting myself to the 12 song limit, that I decided to go all random and just take the last 12 songs that I'd just played. There was no box, with designed and printed cover. Hell, I didn't even put the disc into a box, I just slipped it inside a pvc slip cover, wrote my blog address on it and posted the fucker. No track listing (which was later rectified), no explanation, no box, no cover, nothing.
With music being such a passion of mine, I kinda feel like I let my side of bargain down.
This disc needs more listening.
Unfortunately....and through nobody's fault but my own, I know all but one of the tracks. However, there are songs on this disc that I haven't listened to for a while, so I'm gonna give it my undivided attention for the next couple of days, then write my revue up here.
I feel like I've not slept for 72 hours, which is stupid because I know I have. In fact, I've had some reasonably early nights (for me) and it's not like I've been lay there begging myself to go to sleep, 'cos I haven't. If anything, I've been dozing off into my sleep like state in record times.
It's not a mental tiredness either, it's definitely a physical one. My knee isn't helping matters, making it difficult to get a 'comfy spot' and sometimes bringing me out of my sleep to remind me just how much it hurts like a bitch.
Considering that over the last few nights, I've been in bed at reasonable times, I think I'll give up on the idea that it's more sleep that I'm craving and perhaps I should take it easier on the old bones.
This concerns me, particularly as V Festival is only seven weeks away and is without doubt, always the toughest weekend of the year for me. There's also a strong possibility that we're going for an extra day, so perhaps I should begin stocking up on the multi vitamins now!
The whole World Cup thing is apparently over for England. I'm not a follower of football, but even so, The Girl and I got treated to some 'real live football fan action' last night by her neighbours. The cheers, the clapping, the shouting, the "OOoohhhhhhhh", the jeers, the encouraging chants that said neighbours directed to their TV (which was in their garden, due to birthday party/barbecue/friends over type thing) were all we needed to be able to follow what was happening. By the end of the match, we switched on the TV and found it highly amusing that the neighbour's terrestrial signal was slightly ahead of the Digital signal we were watching and consequently their screams, claps and "OOOhhhhh Noooooooo" cries kind of 'gave away' whether the ball that was still on the penalty spot on our screen was gonna go in the net or not.
The news reports on the radio and some of the newspaper articles seem a little harsh to me. There's lots of blame being laid at the feet of Rooney, who by all accounts is some sort of footballing God. Ok, so he fucked up, but is this one guy really to blame for England losing the match and ultimately a place in the next round?
Perhaps I should just have a nice cup of 'shut the fuck up' when it comes to talking about football, considering I know so little about it. It was really nice to see so many people in this Country showing their support with flags, t-shirts and all the other stuff and kinda makes me think that we rarely 'pull together' as one in this day and age.
The road where I live had many a house donning flags from their windows. Lots of cars had flags and other signs of support plastered all over them. Today, when I drove back from work, many of these have already been removed.
I think the sullen mood of the Country meant that most people just wanted to stay in because work was pretty damn quiet. Although saying that, I appear to have sold the car that I'm driving.
Not being a fan of cars means I don't get upset or mardy when the car I'm driving gets sold. Jeesh, some of the other Sales people get their arse firmly in their hands when you tell them they have to hand over their keys because you've just sold their car.
I will kinda miss it though.
Although I don't think the red hot leather burning sensation from the seats will be missed much.
I've met up with The Blagger and Krusty tonight. He seems to be doing ok, but he's getting slightly bored now and actually has some kind of 'plan'. This is a good sign, trust me!
He's asked me over to his new place sometime during the week. They've been telling me about their nosey neighbours. Apparently, when an unknown car pulls into the 'private/residents only' car park, all the curtains start twitching. There are several neighbours who are allegedly really nosey, so we've devised a plan:
This basically involves me going round his place, as agreed, but making sure I make some unnecessary noise when I go into the car park, thus attracting the attention of said neighbours. I'm gonna ring him, so he comes out to meet me from the car and we're gonna hug and kiss.
Oh and he's gonna slap my arse, in a flirty way.
Oh, and I'm gonna be wearing a dress.
The cd that I received in the Shuffle-A-Thon is currently playing on my pc. It kinda worried me, all the care and attention that the sender had put into, not only the thought of which songs to include, but also the accompanying letter, giving titles and reasons for their inclusion. Way, WAY more than I put into mine! I had so much trouble limiting myself to the 12 song limit, that I decided to go all random and just take the last 12 songs that I'd just played. There was no box, with designed and printed cover. Hell, I didn't even put the disc into a box, I just slipped it inside a pvc slip cover, wrote my blog address on it and posted the fucker. No track listing (which was later rectified), no explanation, no box, no cover, nothing.
With music being such a passion of mine, I kinda feel like I let my side of bargain down.
This disc needs more listening.
Unfortunately....and through nobody's fault but my own, I know all but one of the tracks. However, there are songs on this disc that I haven't listened to for a while, so I'm gonna give it my undivided attention for the next couple of days, then write my revue up here.
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