Wide Awake

It's almost midnight and I am wide awake but shattered. I finally finished watching The Fall, and managed almost 11K steps today. I didn't intend to write anything, but thought maybe I could have a midnight themed #ATuneaDayinMay , I mean there are load of songs with a midnight or night time them aren't there....

The first that comes to mind is "Midnight Rambler" by The Rolling Stones then you have "Midnight Rider" by The Allman Brothers both very worthy songs, and both favourites of mine. I remember I was going to do a post about Half Man Half Biscuit but that's just fallen by the wayside at the moment.

I've just had a decent payout from TopCashback which I took as an Amazon voucher and have spent some of it on a Digitech guitar pedal processor thing which you can see here. It's funny whenever you put a link on the word here Blogger messes up the link processing.

Hopefully this will make me do something with my home recording set up, which is probably better than a lot of bands had in the sixties. My basic problem is having the discipline to do it all on my own. I have an idea of the sound I want and need to actually create some recordings before I can think of playing live again. Another problem is that I am not a musician, I am undisciplined , but I used to record a lot of solo stuff to tape, it;s just getting the hang of my digital tape recorder. I have a lot of fragments recorded , so it's just a question of putting them together and getting stuff done.

Anyway, it's now crept past midnight so we will go with The Rolling Stones "Midnight Rambler" as that's what I am doing now, midnight rambling when I should be sleeping.

Goodnight mes amigos.

Two Eight Four

It could be a house number, it could be a bus number , it could be any number. It's the first three number in the powers of two with the last two's positions swapped. Although this is essentially a diary so that I can keep a track of things that catch my imagination it was also meant to be a source of inspiration for a book which is still nowhere near completion.

It's also another example of how my mind flies off at tangents influenced by things I see hear or read. Wire's album "154" was named because they had just played their 154th gig.

284 is the page I've reached in Tony Morley's "The Age Of Bowie" that started as a sort of biography but is now using David Bowie's albums as an almost stream of consciousness narrative. It's also up to the album "Diamond Dogs" which was a soundtrack to to Bowie's "Nineteen Eighty Floor Show"  which was meant to be his take on George Orwell's brutal "1984", but the Orwell foundation would not grant him permission to use the book. He still included a track on the album called "1984".

Last year I did a musical sequence call #ALIfeInNumbers in which I included a sequence of 59 songs containing, in one form or another, songs with 1 to 59 in their titles or prominently in their lyrics.

When "Diamond Dogs" was released John Peel played the whole album on his Friday night show. I taped it, loved it and bought it the next day. I remember they airbrushed out the dogs you know whats on Guy Peellaert's excellent cover, but the video I've included has the unretouched version.

The piece I've included is the "Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing(Reprise)" sequence which ends with a brutal speaker swapping guitar sequence before a complete stop heralding "Rebel Rebel", probably the best Rolling Stones song they never wrote.

It's a Bank Holiday Weekend, It's a Beautiful Day, have a brilliant time my friends.

Connections

Well it's wet and cold outside, but just got to thinking how lucky we are. I remember when the only instant form of communication was  face to face or a landline (remember them). Today you can communicate with not just your friends but everybody. About 50 people will read this and this blog has had more that 120,000 page views since it started, and that makes me feel connected to the world and everyone.

Thanks to my phone I can phone anyone in the world if I have their number and we're both in a signal area. I can share photos and videos and even video call on the phone, and my computer thanks to applications like Skype , Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. When I say I, I mean everyone now has this in their grasps (libraries have free internet access for everyone).

It's a short post but an excuse to play Montrose's version of the Rolling Stones "Connection" which I had on some cheap Warner Brothers compilation in the seventies. It's stuck with me ever since.

Enjoy your Tuesday my friends.

On Christmas Day Reach For Love

I really wasn't expecting to post today but so far I've had a brilliant relaxing Christmas. I've managed to talk to some friends and family, got some lovely presents, and am listening to one of them , The Rolling Stones "Blue & Lonesome" , Mick Jagger sounding bluesier than ever almost like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters or, dare I say it Captain Beefheart, and that is just one of the wonderful albums I received today , which I am now transferring to my music server.

There's no snow so it's not going to be a White Christmas I don't think although there's parts of the sky that are black while others are blue and sunny. So really who knows what the weather is going to decide to do.

Be Like Frank

I am sort of wondering what song to play on this one , and though I haven't posted in the #LikeNoOther sequence for ages, which makes me think of Wild Man Fischer but I don't think that's one for today. I remember Frank Zappa telling a story about Larry Fischer meeting his brother one day:

"Larry had the axe, his brother had the bad luck" , which made me chuckle, though I hope his brother was not too traumatized







Just looking out the window and it looks like one of my neighbours has got a new drill for Christmas, I so detest getting or buying anything practical for Christmas and Birthdays, this should be a time of getting something pleasurable and out of the ordinary. I know that is not an option for a lot of people but if you need something you should get it immediately as soon as you can afford it, not wait for Christmas or a Birthday.

I was wondering what to play and it was staring me in the face, Marcel King's "Reach For Love" , it's Shaun Ryder's favourite Factory single, and a truly wonderful uplifting record, from the sadly missed singer , love Marcel's voice. I found this New York Mix which stretches it out to five and a half minutes, and if there's one thing better than a good thing, it's more of a good thing, and this certainly is a wonderfully good thing.



Anyway I hope your day is going brilliantly , I hope that you are going to rest and then kickstart another year of fun, good deeds , enjoyment.

Some Christmas Mutterings

This is year is the first I can remember when I have zero social Christmas contact. Tonight I was feeling wrecked so I did miss the opportunity to go and see The Star Spangled Chestwigs but the wind was cold and biting, and I know Shev, Adas, Bill and Paul will have a monster crowd and a great night. The thing is, with a bit of effort on my part, I did have the option to see people and it was lovely meeting very briefly with Krista and Jessica and Asher over the last two lunchtimes. So really I did a bit of solo socialising, and did have a lovely meal with my daughters last week, and in laws at the weekend. The thing is that some people don't actually have a choice. They either can't afford , or have no one to even talk to.

I am so lucky in having a wonderful circle of friends, and was thinking of this as I actually picked up my guitar for once and was surprised that I could remember "Rebel Rebel" (the best Rolling Stones song they never wrote) , "Shake Some Action", "People Get Ready" but stalled on "Norwegian Wood".

With Christmas Day falling on a Sunday I now have four days to relax, and not do too much.

I hope all my friends have received their cards and presents and are looking forward to a wonderful time to enjoy themselves.

2016 has left me shell shocked, but I am just seeing 2017 as a time to actually challenge idiots and make a small contribution to making the world a better place.

The wind is blowing outside and there has been some serious rain, but I am going to enjoy this break, enjoy next week and enjoy next year.

So what song should I choose? I reckon "Shake Some Action" , I remember the first time I heard that almost sinister riff transforming in to some gorgeous guitar runs and I still love it today. I always loved the Flamin' Groovies. So enjoy your Friday my friends, look out for others , be compassionte and make the world a better place.

Grey Day

It's the second day of winter and the sky is covered in grey cloud, there is light but it's cold. I'm sitting here writing listening to "I Gotta Go" from the new Rolling Stones album "Blue & Lonesome". I am impressed with it.

Ive just noticed also that Newcastle United have a match tonight despite having played 120 minutes against Hull City on Tuesday night. Surely they could have moved it back to Sunday or Monday, but I suppose TV is King and dictates when things happen. That is the problem that TV money is such a huge part of Football's income that Football has to bow down to it's paymasters.

Anyway I am having another day of relaxation, so the obvious tune to include is "TV Is King" by The Tubes. I could have chosen the a track from the new Rolling Stones album but it's an excuse to include something by The Tubes.

Have a wonderful Friday, the weekend is almost here.

Going Schizoid - #ALifeInNumbers #21

One of the problems with the early numbers in this sequence is realizing the good stuff I've missed. For 20 I could have had "20th Century Boy" by T. Rex, but "20 Flight Rock" by Eddie Cochran is still a great so that's fine. I have the songs mapped out to 41 at the moment with a few scattered between there and 59, and the original premise for 21 was "21" by The Eagles from the album "Desperado".

Coming home however the perfect, for me, 21 song came to mind, six and a half minutes of monstrous jazz rock that the Rolling Stones had to follow in Hyde Park in 1969, not other than "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson featuring the psychotic and psychedelic lyrics of Pete Sinfield, Greg Lake on vocals and Bob Fripp on guitar. This is still an incredible piece and it always amazes me. I bought the album "Court Of The Crimson King" on DVD to listen in full surround sound , and though it's close on fifty years old it sounds stunning. I managed to find the Hyde Park broadcast but the album should be in your collection.

Time for bed now, though this is not music to fall asleep to.

Not Too Rolling Stoned - #ALifeInNumbers #19

Between now an 30 I have all my posts sorted. Number 31 is looking awkward as yet I can't find a song with the number 31 on the title or song but I will do , I have eleven posts to do this.

One of the things with these posts is that I want them to be songs worth listening to, and up to now I have a achieved that, but am aware I may get situations like with 31 where the only song is by Joe Dolce or Black Lace , in that case what would I do , but I will try and ensure that doesn't happen. I'm was thinking about putting this into an ebook but then again the blog is a sort of ebook anyway, and i am wondering how I would incorporate video into an ebook, I'm sure it must be possible.

Anyway we hit Number 19 , and for this I'm going for The Rolling Stones "19th Nervous Breakdown", a classic single that again should be in everyone's collection. It's archetypal Stones , instantly recognisable and while it's close on 50 years old it has more than stood the test of time and still sound contemporary and current.

My own situation is that I think I am improving, but last night I felt much better, but then went back,  but I am hoping to return to work tomorrow.

I Find It Difficult To Get Angry

I started the blog And Annoyingly  to vent my spleen and The Red Tops and their readers and supporters and the idiotic right wing and racists, but to be quite honest I find such things a waste of energy hence the fact I have only put up three posts (so far). While I am exasperated by the electorate and public, unless I do something to change it, it is pointless wasting energy getting bothered about it.

So I won't, it is a Sunday and the weather is wonderful, lots of my friends are running in the great North Run and lots of people will achieve a dream today. It's things like that that spark me, make me feel positive, knowing that people are doing something THEY want to do , often for the benefit of others. It's like Jessica Salmon's "Storytelling Of The Ancients" exhibition (which you can watch here) , Jessica put time , effort and ideas into a presentation that was free for the public, and she provided wine and cake. Absolutely wonderful.

Some people spend their life whining about whatever slightly irks them , instead of doing something positive, but then some people are only happy when they or others are miserable. Bad things do happen but you need to try and find something good to hold onto , however difficult that might be.

Ken Loach is making all his films free to view on Youtube , he doesn't need to , but he is allowing people to see his work effectively for nothing. What he will get out of it is a lot of exposure, and deservedly so.

I thought I'd choose The Rolling Stones I'm Free , because most of the time we do have a choice, and if you get the chance take it, don't  pass it up.

Anyway go out and be positive and have a great Sunday everybody.

Shine A Light

I got up this morning and needed lights on everywhere. The days are getting shorter. The Mail and Express blame it n foreigners . Seriously, we're still in summer, the weather has been great , it's Friday which means the weekend is here, so all is good.

This is my 1100th post on here, that's quite a lot , and does provide me with a great online diary of stuff worth remembering.

Think Differently

Recently I started another blog just for me to let off steam here as I do like to keep this one positive,and there are still lots of great things to be positive about. The UK are doing well in the Olympics and the EU actually tops the Olympic table , or it would do if we were part of it.

The obvious song for this post is Shine A Light , not the Take That version, or even The Rolling Stones.

I decided to go for the Gallagher and Lyle song of that name.

Anyway, as I said it is Friday, the weekend is nearly here , the weather is great (although skies at the moment are grey) so everything is in place for maximum enjoyment.

I know this isn't a particularly memorable post but 1100 is not a particularly memorable number really.

Go on enjoy yourself, you know it makes sense.

Good Things

We are in mid January , experiencing the Christmas and New year comedown. However this is only problem if you have nothing to look forward to. I saw an internet meme saying that "Successful People Set Goals" among other things and they are grateful. Last night I watched an episode of The Last Kingdom and Utrid's wife said "God brought you home" , Utrid is not enamoured of the Christian God and said "My sword brought me home".

My goals are to be happy by planning events to share with my friends , and make sure I have things to look forward to with the special people in my life , do a decent job , and be grateful when things go well. It's very seldom that good things just happen to us , but by taking certain positive steps and not sitting at hope you can end up coming into contact with people who actually make your life far more excellent because they introduce you to new things and new people and bring a light into your life.

Anyway it's the middle of the week, and this week I will see people , talk to people who will make

Smiley Smile

me smile and tell me new things and that will make my life better. Work is scary at the moment because I am dealing with a landslide of paperwork , but it's just a challenge and I will use this to put things in place so that next time I will be able to deal with it. The first time can sometimes be daunting.

But I am already planning things for this year, visiting different parts of the country and just having a brilliant time , and it is going to start today.




I thought I would include a TED talk on smiling , smile more it will make you feel better.

There are lots of bad things in this world , make sure you are one of the good things. and most of all be happy.

Oh OK I'll include the Rolling Stones "Happy" as it always puts a smile on my face.

"I Need Love To Keep Me Happy"

Look Out For Your Friends, Give Them A Hug - #59 - 2015 - The Men That Will Not Be Named For Nothing - Not Your Typical Victorian

It's dark , it's cold and this is the sort of time when bad things can seem much much worse. Tonight I will be joining a march protesting against the austerity cuts by this idiot spiteful government who it this time of austerity have suddenly found billions to bomb the hell out of the people they supplied with weapons in the first place, the rally details are here.

Actually I have no problem with self imposed austerity , say of you want to save for a holiday or something major but you do not impose it on others to try and mask your own failings or just to fund your own extravagances ... like wars.

The thing is there may be friends who are having a hard time , try phoning them , take them out for a meal or a coffee,  buy them a small present , let them know you care. There will be someone out there who probably needs you , don't leave it to someone else, you do it , and if someone suddenly gets ten phone calls well that is all well and good.

Gloves

Well the Odyssey his the final shore , year 59 and this year 2015. This year I can think of loads of records that have been released but I must say it has been more and more difficult to find stuff in the standard top 100 chart. These records are not my favourites although I do like them all. This morning I though of at least ten that I could choose today . In the run up to Christmas I may continue with records I missed because I am surprised there are no Beach Boys , Rolling Stones , Hawkwind , Kinks  and many many more. Anyway the number one that I've chosen is "Not Your Typical Victorian" by The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing , maybe simply because I saw them last Friday (review here) and I love this song.




Have a fantastic Tuesday and look out for your friends.

Work Less Play More

This is just from a few things that I've seen and talked about today. The title was on a traveling case and really is a good philosophy for anyone who wants to be happy. And it fell in with a discussion about the past and future and the economy, and how we were going to have cities on Mars by the turn of this century (the year 2000) , and we would be working 20 hour weeks and have so much disposable income life would be incredible and we'd all be happy.

Well that's not quite the way it's turned out but there are certain things that are still rather incredible, like the fact that you can be in touch with someone wherever you both are in the world, and we have so much entertainment now in the form of music , books , radio, film and tv as well has now having the huge information resource that is the world wide web.

Although the worrying bit it the growing gap between the rich and poor , but that's for another post, here I just want to concentrate on the stuff that is good.

I was surprised to here CeeLo Green's "Fuck You" (the normal version) playing in the Eldon on of those really catchy song with an unbroadcastable tag line a bit in the mode of the Rolling Stones StarStar (guess what the Second Star stands for).

Anyway it's time for bed, hope you are all good, and enjoy the rest of your night / day / week , and play more and work less.

(not so) SAD

See Serpent #tabletart

No I have nothing to be sad about, but it is amazing how the weather and lack of light and sun SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) can bring on negative thoughts and just bring you down. There are easy ways to combat this, find something, however smal, to just spark a smile. So I got up and did a bit of #tabletart which I published on instagram and hopefully others will like it. It's not going to change the worlsd but already i feel much better for the day ahead.





I'm looking forward to the weekend and sure that lot's of fantastic things will happen. I have to get off to work, so this post will be short, but I will include today's #tabletart picture and I'm sure you can find my others on Facebook and Instagram , and there's only one song to describe my mood at the moment, one of my favourite Rolling Stones' numbers , "Happy"!

Four And A Half Books

I'm not a fast reader , but am a great advocate of books and reading . As well as paper we also have the option of ereaders such as Kindles and iPads and other tablets. For some reason I've been reading a lot of music related books. One was Bass Culture (When Reggae Was Great) by Lloyd Bradley which was heavy going because of the small type, but nevertheless a great read but an obvious candidate to read on a Kindle.

Next up was Shaun Ryder's "Twistin' My Melon" autobiography , which was much as you myight expect veering between entertaining and annoying. I never regarded him as a style icon so his continual harping on over his designer label clothes became very wearing , but I did eventually hit the final page . The fact that I completed it must mean it's not that bad a book.

Next up was Keith Richard's Life. I think it's remarkable , I was expecting it to be on a par with the Shawn Ryder book , but , it is is coherent , unrepetitive , informative , and has a lot of humour and honesty in there as well as loads of practical tips for guitarists and songwriters , as well a bits by friends and acquaitances of "Keef" . Als the truths behind many of his escapades that found their way into Rolling Stones urban legend , such as Mick , Marianne and the Mars Bar and the fall from the coconut tree. Highly enjoyable and recommended.

Currenty I'm reading Tony Benn: A Biography by Jad Adams . Tony Benn is one of the handful of politicians that I have ever had any respect for , and the book is so well written that it makes politics seem almost interesting , with goodies and baddies and comedic episodes. It's another 500 pages but a great read , and surprising because it is not something I would normally have picked up , but was given it in a Facebook promotion. A brilliant read which I hope to finish this week.

Finally I have to read A Little History Of The World by  , which is my chosen book for World Book Night 2013. This is the first one where I haven't actually read the book , but I intend to have in completed within the next three weeks. It seems similar in scope to Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything"  which is what attracted to the book. No doubt when I am finished I will post back here.

There's Always Good Music About ... My Top 10 of 2012

Sometimes you just need to look, I was going to do a top ten from last year and then tried to figure out how I would do do it , and decided to settle on a Grooveshark Playlist. Hopefully the stuff will stay there. My favourite song of last year was Spitfire by Public Service Broadcasting who are also my favourite new band of last year. Basically mixing Public Service Broadcast texts with original rocky grooves they make an amazing cut and paste rock experience taht I first heard with Spirit's Future Games , which was taken further by Big Audio Dynamite especially on their first album.

This weekend has been physically very painful but I have actually done a bit of writing so at least the right hand is still working though the trapped never or muscle damage is still painful but improving . Maybe a visit toi the docs later in the week.

Other bands that have impressed me last year , by either hearing them in a shop , on Radio 6 or at festivals such as the Hoults Yard Cult Festival have been, in now particular order:

• The Sound of Guns
• Santigold
• Toy
• Grimes
• Metz
• Victory Mansions
• King Charles
• Zombie Zombie

As well as that established artists have continued with decent material . The Rolling Stones "Doom and Gloom" being a prime example, The Tom Jones "Spirit In The Room" album was a revelation , although "Praise and Blame" was an excellent record as well . Bowie reappeard with an excellent new single which I didn't like for about 20 seconds. Most peoples music habits are formed between the ages of 14-18 , and maybe that's why musical taste is like it is , but I've yet to meet in everyday life someone with musical tastes as eclectic as mine,  though people often just see me as weird , anyway here's the playlist , enjoy.

You Load Sixteen Tons ...

".. and what do you get ? 

Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt

So Luther Don't Call Me

I Can't Go 

I Owe My Soul To The Company Store"

So sang Tennessee Ernie Ford when I was quite small , in what is a depressingly brilliant song. Today I turned 55 nad remember thinking how old my uncle was when he turned 16.

Basically there's nowt you can do about getting older as long as there's time. But I ready that people who have more birthdays tend to live longer! Also people who enjoy life and do things tend to live longer.

You never know what's round the corner and life still springs surprises on me good , bad and points in between.

You can't do everything you want to , but if you get a chance you should always take it . Always look for the positives and never turn down something good.

Today I feel the same as I did yesterday , and will probably feel the same tomorrow . I do feel different to 40 years ago , but 40 years ago I was a different person. Life does that to you.

But life is good and I'm looking forward to the next 55 years firmly beliveing that they will solve the problem of bodies wearing out  and I expect Keith Richards and Mick Jagger still to be touring !!

Three Score years And Ten

Not long ago that was a man's expiry date on this earth , with ladies getting a few years more. It doesn't seem two minutes since I was watchi Roger Daltrey sing "I hope I die before I get old" on Top of The Pops , I was about seven at the time a tenth of the way there!!. Also remember at that time think how old my uncle was when he started his first job at sixteen!!!

I think Datltrey's sentiment still applies , but the context has altered subtly. There's nothing we can do about physical ageing , but we should look after ourself and keep aftive and stimulated , so we can effectively stay younger longer. I know people in their nineties who live full and active lives , and I see people in their teens who have reach "old" decades before they should have.

This week Buddy Holly would have been 75 , Paul Simon at 70 is touring his new album , Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and what's left of the Who are still performing , the Stones to ever increasing crowds in places like Rio De Janeiro.

Eventually we've all got to go , but we can have a hell of a time while we're here , and it doesnt matter what Richard Dawkins or the Pope tell you there no one on this Earth knows what happens when we shuffle of this mortal coil . So enjoy the party while you can , it can be fun!!