Copendium DetroitRockSampler

Into the last hundred pages of "Copendium" the 700-page treatise on music by Julian Cope, and the album reviews finished in 2010 and so far have caused me to buy three of them. Now it is a few chapters of samplers with singles from various genres the first being twenty eight singles from DetroitRockSampler featuring MC5, Grand Funk Railroad and a few other familiar (to me) names.

Since the blog became about the books I am reading, this has been the most commented book, and no doubt it will be finished this month.

Cope's writing at times goes absolutely but entertainingly mad by describing one band by roping in three, four or five others. 

"It's Donovan being Nick Drake singing 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' down a storm drain, as recorded as an out-take from the more outré moments on Nico's Chelsea Girls. Got me?" 

The book is printed on very thick paper so it is a fairly hefty tome.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is House of the Rising Sun by Frijid Pink

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Agatha Christie's Parrot

I'm sure lots of others have said it, but every time I see Agatha Christie's Poirot advertised I think Agatha Christie's Parrot. I wonder if she ever owned a parrot, not that it actually matters.

But in a fairly relaxing day among other things I have been continuing with "Follow The Music"  and after a mainly business orientated section (ie for me boring it hit me with several surprising bands and connections.

Firstly we had the MC5 , extremely revolutionary and anti corporate, with two versions of "Kick Out The Jams" one starting with the original "KOTJ MotherFvckers" and the other "family friendly "OTJ Brothers and Sisters" which caused major issues when the Hudson's Department Stores got the wrong batch causing no end of too and forth repercussions (buy or borrow the book to find out).

The there was Iggy and The Stooges as well, who lasted two albums with Elektra but another out there band who turned up to record their first album with five songs. They were sent away to get some more.

Now I was under the impression that both these bands were on CBS but that must have been the British releases. Similarly Queen were on Elektra in the USA but on EMI in the UK.

I shouldn't have been so surprised as I have a copy of the first ever (to my knowledge) rock picture disk, a German Elektra compilation called Hallucinations / Psychedelic Underground which has these bands plus The Doors and others and you can see it here.

The final and most surprising were the middle or the road AOR band Bread led by David Gates who Jac Holzman knew from his work with Captain Beefheart. I never knew that. This is why reading is such an adventure. You always find out new things.

Obviously there is a plethora of songs I could choose but as it's Sunday night before another working week we'll go with The Stooges "No Fun"

An Amazing Day

Wasn't sure what today would bring. I'm certainly a little tired after a 600 mile round trip, but feeling good and buoyed by good news about good friends and being inspired by some great TED talks. I have finished up with a head ache , but that's not really surprising.

No Reason For This Being Here

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's High Bridge Festival for music and street food, then I have another gig on Monday as well as getting involved with a patient focus group.

One of the TED talks was the Peacejam one , watch it love the story about Desmond Tutu when he married them and and the MC5 Manifesto mission statement.

Anyway quite tired , thanks for all your good wishes.