Getting Biblical With Pink Floyd - #ALifeInNumbers #23

This morning it's grey and cold and it's like there's almost a sea fret over Fenham (which I believe is the highest point in Newcastle so we're unlikely  to be troubled by floods.

As a teenager I got of of a bootleg cassette record of a Pink Floyd tour , one of the songs "You Gotta Be Crazy" finished up as "Dogs" on the vastly underrated "Animals" album , the second song was monstrous, even on a second or third generation cassette bootleg, and that was called "Raving and Drooling" (see below for a very early airing) and that became "Sheep" which is the song featured for number twenty three in the sequence. Those two songs are available on the Experience edition of "Wish You Were Here"

Sheep? 23?  What the hell is going on here.

You know I like to go off on tangents and 23 was a problem number like 31, but while reading my Bible (you know that's a joke unless you equate The Bible with Google or whatever book I'm reading) I remembered that "Sheep" contains a take on "Psalm 23".. as you can see Roger Waters amended it slightly, but it would fit in with the other mindless violence in the Bible:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want 

He makes me down to lie 

Through pastures green He leadeth me the silent waters by. 

With bright knives He releaseth my soul. 

He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places. 

He converteth me to lamb cutlets, 

For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger.

 When cometh the day we lowly ones, 

Through quiet reflection, and great dedication

 Master the art of karate, 

Lo, we shall rise up, 

And then we'll make the bugger's eyes water."

So this was an excuse to include another of my favourite Pink Floyd songs and provide you with ten minutes of brilliant music accompanied by images from the excellent black comedy "Black Sheep".

Enjoy your Saturday even more my friends.

A Slapp Happy and Henry Cow Challenge - #ALifeInNumbers #21

Love The Cover

There were a few options for number 22 notably "22" by Taylor Swift and "22" by the brilliant Lily Allen as well as 22 Dreams by Paul Weller , but I have stuck with "22 Proverbs" by John Greaves and Peter Blegvad , members of Slapp Happy and Henry Cow respectively , who produced so excellent challenging music in the seventies. I remember laughing at the cover of "Legend" and buying "Concerts" for the amazing line drawn cover.










I had read that Henry Cow had produced some of the most complex music committed to record but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting, although they were on Virgin Records this was not Mike Oldfield territory, you can see Henry Cow's influence in the music of The Fall. Slapp Happy were more influenced by 30's Berlin and the two bands collaborated on "Desperate Straights" and "In Praise of Learning". It was not a surprise that Greaves and Blegvad collaborated on "Kew Rhone" and drafted in Dagmar Krause on vocals for "22 Proverbs" and we have a live rendition here.

I don't think you will be up dancing for this and it may be a way of getting rid of unwanted guests, but I love this sort of stuff. It demands your attention, and let's face it, anyone who thinks music comes from iTunes or Spotify will last about five seconds.

Have a great Saturday my friends.

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.

Life At The Top (of a building) - #ALifeInNumbers #20

This record was released in year I was born from the classic film "The Girl Can't Help It", I think this excerpt actually cuts something out of the middle as this clocks in at 1' 26"  and the recording I have are 1' 45" . "Twenty Flight Rock" is an Eddie Cochran classic with a comedic element based on a broken lift. Incidentally the first song in my sequence last year (Odyssey58) was the title track from the film by Little Richard which you can see here.

I remember working for Yorkshire Water Board in the 1980's and in one of my times there I was on the eleventh floor, only one lift worked and the clocking machine was on the top floor. I still waited for the lift, though one day there was a fire alarm and we had to walk back up, I had to take a rest around the seventh floor. The thing is they called out the fire brigade but due to the location of the building the fire engines could get near but couldn't actually deploy their ladders!.

Another thing was that if you looked at other buildings when the weather was windy you could see the building moving , a very weird feeling.

Another event was that the building was next to a big car park which was the ruined site of some demolished buildings, this was around 1985 and this has all been redeveloped, Every fortnight after signing on there were a couple who shall we say engaged in congress in a secluded corner of the car park , overlooked by Yorkshire Water Board's twelve story building. The thing is a lot of people on my floor rushed over to the window every time until a manager must have complained. On the last time I was called over to watch five pairs of police men and women converging on the unsuspecting couple. This was a police force who "didn't have the manpower" to investigate my car being broken into. That was the end of their liaisons.

Anyway back to the music, I am sure there are lots of "20" songs , but I can only choose one. When I hit "25" there are two that I want to use, but I can only have one, c'est la vie.

Anyway I think I am in a fit state to resume work, so will be going in tomorrow and the recuperating further over the weekend. Have a wonderful evening my friends.

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.

Alice Cooper To The Rescue - #ALifeInNumbers #18

Today I took my first sick day in my present job. The lurgi I'm fighting hit me with a vengeance last night with coughing , headaches, runny nose , aching bones although I have been worse. I slept for 8 or 9 hours then I had a bath, took some lemsip,  ate , felt as though I was improving, now I am running a temperature and going through lots of tissues. While I do know I will feel better soon, I don't feel good now, so to business then bed.

Number 18 has to be Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" possibly their most important song, the USA equivalent of The Who's "My Generation". When I say it's their most important that doesn't mean their best, but this song has amazing power, and addresses the transition from youth to so called majority. All of a sudden the rebellious youth has become what they are rebelling against. You should have all the early Alice Cooper albums in your collection anyway (here is a good way of doing that).

There may have been other "18" songs such as Pete Wingfields excellent "Eighteen With A Bullet"  but Alice Cooper is so far ahead of the pack for this one it was no contest.

Anyway I am hot headachey and I am going to try and get better.

Sleep well my friends.

Stand Up There Are No Seed Drills Here - #ALifeInNumbers #17

My Stand Up Vinyl Courtesy Log Play Cafe

I didn't want to use Janis Ian's "At 17" , it's a fine song bit thought I would peruse my collection and
discovered an old Jethro Tull "B" Side "17" now available on the"Stand Up" CD and it is a very fine song. I just love it. This is one of the things about having a large records collection (it doesn't matter what media they are on, they are records).

I have a vinyl copy of "Stand Up" and that doesn't have it on, so you need to get it digitally or need to get a 7" copy of "Sweet Dream"





Anyway the 'flu' is being kept at bay by either my smoothies, paracetamol or both , but they (Boots)  won't let me have a 'flu' jab till I'm over it. Well they recommended I didn't have a 'flu' jab as is could make me much worse , so hopefully I will get sorted later in the week.

Right, time for work , have a brilliant Tuesday everybody.