Counting Down With Polly Jean #ALifeInNumbers #14

14 is the first time I couldn't off hand think of a song so checked out my collection and there aren't all that many songs hiding in there. I decided to go with "Sixteen,Fifteen,Fourteen" by PJ Harvey and John Parrish from the album "A Woman A Man Walked By" which incidentally I was playing earlier today.

There were a few others , "The 14th of February" by Billy Bragg, "14 Black Paintings" by Peter Gabriel and 14 Days by Nick Lowe as well as various numbered Classical pieces, but the PJ Harvey one was the standout for me.

Polly Jean Harvey is one of my all time favourite artists and she was a great friend of Captain Beefheart who she would speak to about her albums and projects to get his opinions and advice.

My cold is still annoying me but hopefully it will improve in time for work tomorrow. I have had chocolate and that has soothed my throat no end.

Anyway that is my fourth post today, I don't know if that's a record for me, but this will be my last today.

Enjoy your Sunday evening and I hope you have a great start to a wonderful week.

A Brush With Eastenders #ALifeInNumbers #13

I know I'm rattling of a few of these at the moment, 13 had a few more possibilities than 12 including "13" by Big Star and Johnny Cash , "Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys)" by Big Country but I have gone for "V13" by Big Audio Dynamite (Mick Jones' post Clash combo) from the album "10 Upping Street" (not the greatest title Mick), but an album full of great songs including the excellent "V13". I love the use of soundbites in the Big Audio Dynamite songs, some of my other favourites being "Medicine Show" and "Bottom Line" from the first album, "This Is", and "Dial A Hitman" from "10 Upping Street" which is very funny but I don't know if they took that from a film or just recorded it themselves. It also contains the great couplet:

"We're The Band That Couldn't Shoot Straight

But We Aim To Please"

The other thing about "V13" is that wen it hits the coda it let's in the "Eastenders" Theme which is a fun touch.

I'm currently going down with a cold, nose dripping and throat feels like I've swallowed a pack of rusty razor blades making it difficult to talk or swallow, so Doctor Mikey's treatment id chocolate, ice cream and paracetamol, and we shall see how that goes.

I hope your Sunday is going wonderfully.

Bo Diddley's A Violin Player Now #ALifeInNumbers #12

For this one I was thinking of a cut from Spirit's classic "The Twelve Dreams Of Dr Sardonicus" , the title always intrigued me but but Spirit were never an "in" band in my teens for some reason. Eventually when I realised that I could listen to whatever I wanted I bought it and realised that I had been missing some amazing stuff , and in fact my all time favourite album "Future Games" is by them.

But I recalled a Bo Diddley instrumental called "Clock Strikes Twelve"  for it's great reverb drum sound , "I'm A Man" riff vibe and distinctly original guitar sound. Well no wonder that guitar sound is original because that guitar is, in fact, a violin. Did you know Bo Diddley played violin? Until reading up on the song I didn't , hardly an instrument you associate with blues or rock except as part of an orchestral backing.

I've always loved Bo Diddley's songs and playing and was amazed to find a band who you an see playing small venues , the wonderful Lord Rochester who play a lot of Bo Diddley songs , effect the rectangular guitar and are one of the best live bands you will see. They describe themselves as Scotland’s Top Rock n’ Roll combo? I wouldn't disagree. I've included a video I took of them at The Schooner a couple of years back playing "Layla".

I am enjoying writing this series because it does enable me to talk about my favourite music, although I know the coming weeks will be a lot harder, I do have a few mapped out ready to slot it , often classic by major artists, although I didn't think I could fit Thousand Yard Stare in then I saw the number 45 in one of their song titles so they will be on the list though that's 33 songs and posts away.

Anyway enjoy the rest of this summery sunny Sunday my friends, and enjoy "Clock Strikes 12", it's another song I love.

Eleven Moustachioed Daughters? #ALifeInNumbers #11

There was only ever going to be one Number Eleven and that is Eleven Moustachioed Daughters by The Bonzo Dog Band , a song I'm sure that everyone knows, or everyone that reads this will now know. I've chosen this excellent live rendition by Viv Stanshall's post Bonzo's band BiG Grunt (that's not a typo although it may have been originally.

 The Bonzo's started out as a bit trad jazz ut all the members had ideas about the direction they wanted to go, very involved in the TV Comedy "Do Not Adjust Your Set" with many of  the pre Python Monty Python team,

While I had heard them on "Do Not Adjust Your Set" and they had a hit single with "Urban Spaceman" I was amazed by the breadth and depth of their music when I put on "The Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse" and the first track "We Are Normal" blew me away , normal this band definitely was not.

Eleven

By the time you hit the last track on side two "11 Moustachioed Daughters" you realise that you havecovered a hell of a lot of ground with these guys, after the rock, pop , jazz, comedy and everything else the hit you with this rhythmic pagan chant which is both frightening and funny and you do want to hear it again and again.

I once heard that The Bonzo's were the UK's Mothers of Invention (originally Zappa wanted them to be called The Mothers but the record company forced the to add "Of Invention" for decency, don't you love marketing sensibilities) , and Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart were hug fans of The Bonzos.









Anyway enjoy this, and your record collection should really contain a copy of "The Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse".

Right it's six am on Sunday morning, it's dark. and I am going back to bed.

Have a brilliant Sundaty everybody.

Ten Tonnes Raining Down In The Autumn Quiet - #ALifeInNumbers #10

Today has seemed incredibly quiet, like the sound of traffic and everyday life has been muffled. And no I am not going deaf, it's just the heavy grey skies and falling leaves are the definite harbingers of autumn, and precursors to winter.

Anyway there were again a few contenders for Number Ten , such as Bruce Springsteen's "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and Kingmaker's "Ten Years Asleep" , and I got to thinking about songs I had missed that have now gone past such as Tom Robinson's "2-4-6-8 Motorway" and Van Der Graaf Generator. Mentioning Springsteen reminded me he's a shoe in for number 57 and I would like to include some Thousand Yard Stare if I can, but can only think of "0-0 AET" as one of their number songs.

Anyway I have chosen the awesome Royal Blood's "Ten Tonne Skeleton", one of those amazing series of two piece bands along with Black Keys, White Stripes and Gallery Circus, and I am sure there are many more, but not in my head at the moment.

Anyway it's time for bed unless you are staying up to watch the Grand Prix or you are in another part of the world, but I will say my goodnight my wonderful friends.

What If Six Was Nine? #ALifeInNumbers #9

Again there were a lot of possibilities for this one, but before I go on about the music , I noticed that the nights and mornings are getting rather dark rather quickly, leaves are falling and it's getting colder. I went out for fish and chips tonight and had to wear a warm jacket, either I'm getting old or the weather is getting cold, or both. On the bright side it's Friday night and it's the weekend so plenty of opportunity for rest and relaxation but this is really about another form of R&R as you well know.

Anyway, as I was saying, there were a lot of thoughts going through my head for this one, for instance anything by Nine Black Alps or Nine Inch Nails, then there is Riot In Cell Block #9 by The Coasters or Dr Feelgood , Nine Feet Underground by Caravan as well as quite a few other songs. But when you have the chance to include The Jimi Hendrix Experience you have to take the plunge don't you especially with a song like "If 6 was 9" from Axis:Bold As Love as featured in the film "Easy Rider" starring Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper , with a cracking soundtrack which oddly replaced The Band's version of The Weight with a cover version by Smith.

Anyway enjoy this wonderful song and see if you can guess my choice for number ten. Sleep well my wonderful friends.

From Genesis To Eight #ALifeInNumbers #8

I always liked Genesis by Grimes, which led me to the song "Eight" which is perfect for this part of the sequence. An obvious one would have been The Beatles "Eight Days A Week" or David Bowie's "Eight Line Poem" (though Bowie has already appeared at number five) but I fancied the Baghdaddies "6/8 Song" but couldn't find a Youtube video of it, although it is somewhere in this concert here.

The Baghdaddies can often be seen busking or playing major festivals, I really haven't seen a band like them, sort of Klezmer but infectiously excellent.

Anyway "Eight" is a wispy ethereality  set on to of a threatening mechanical backing, the original is quite short but I fount this extended version that lasts all of three minutes. Grimes are definitely worth investigating and I'm glad to bring them into this.

Anyway this is a short post as I am quite tired after an intense day at work, then coming home and watching the finale of Wolf Creek and the "V For Vendetta" , that government is virtually here and I am finding it very worrying just dividing up the country between their corporate cronies.

Anyway less of that and more positivity, I love my friends and am looking forward to a relaxing weekend, and hope you are two. Sleep well my wonderful friends.