I’m a Local Government lifer, Musician and Linux dabbler. This is a large and sprawling disorganised mess - a bit like me really. I’m interested in lots of things at the same time but a LOT of music. I’m not really doing this for any particular purpose other than being an old-ish dog learning some new tricks
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An almost incomprehensibly great final salute to Tim Smith who was damaged by a stroke when he started this record in 2007. The incredible effort by the band to complete this is not just your standard posthumous album. It’s a genuine masterpiece. How they will do this in March 2026 (I have tickets) will be an incredible thing to see.. The loyal and fanatical fan-base have of course lost their minds over this since it was released fully on the 19th September.
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“The true follow up, 35 years later, to The KLF’s ‘Chill Out’”. JD Twitch (Optimo).
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‘I Trawl the Megahertz’ was originally released as a solo record by Paddy McAloon in 2003, conceived and recorded after he was diagnosed with a medical condition that seriously affected his vision. Not surprisingly, the album is a testament to the healing power of music. It is comprised of nine compositions: the lengthy 22-minute title track, a series of shorter instrumental pieces and a couple of songs originally intended to accompany a short film. Though the record was originally released as a solo album, it seemed fitting to re-classify it as a Prefab Sprout project.
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Some improvised piano attempts captured on tape.
*Later released on vinyl by All Night Flight in Manchester, England.
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Back when the Park Cafe was known as Cafe Cha it had music some evenings. The room was tuned to “D” I think as it had a great resonant frequency. Ocelot and The Well Known Thief Family has some memorable gigs there. Even the late great Modal Roberts (RIP) played there and also Fred and Al before Mark and I joined later to make the Experience. Al Ronald - A comedian I worked with, I also met there. A kind of cultural space we have lost. There was a meeting there of artists and think this picture of me dates from then and Rob is in the door behind me. For a laugh I put the picture next to one of my musical heroes, Eric Satie. I think I had one of my bonkers episodes where I composed a few piano tunes in the style of Satie which I am still fond of. The Cha Cha Cafe was one of the first places that semi-opened after lockdown and you could queue safely outside for a coffee and decent (not overpriced food). The people that ran it sold up a year or so after and moved out to run a cafe in Cornwall. It’s now run by a company that has a few park type cafes. The food is overpriced but they make a fine coffee and they still have dog biscuits on the counter for canine visitors which was something the previous owners started. Back then it was 20p for a bag of biscuits which are now free so the dogs are winning at inflation, not me. Sunday was my usual morning out - this time hastened by the double threat of Laura K**sberg and Nigel Fartrage on the TV so to avoid smashing it off the wall I left in good time. This morning I bumped into Rob (Ocelot) and Lucille. We both as grey as heck these days. They had a game of ping pong outside on the open air tables and I remarked that this is the only sport I have seen Rob partake in for the 25 years I have known him. We acknowledge that Watford and the world is not the same and then go our separate ways.
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Bobbie Gentry’s second studio album and her masterpiece. The Delta Sweete is a concept album based on modern life in the Deep South. Gentry wrote eight of the album’s 12 tracks, which detail her Mississippi childhood and includes vignettes of home and church life (“Reunion” and “Sermon”), as well as recollections of blues and country hits she heard as a youngster (“Big Boss Man” and “Tobacco Road”). The song “Okolona River Bottom Band”, accented by a sophisticated horn chart and breathy strings, used the same basic cadence as “Ode to Billie Joe”.
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This novelty album, released in 1966 during the height of the Batman & Robin craze, was initially credited to the The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale and featured an album full of tracks based on the popular TV show like “The Batman Theme Song”, “The Penguin Chase”, and “The Batcave”.
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Blind Owl Wilson - Compilation Blind Owl Wilson was a truly great guitarist and vocalist whose deep wellof psychedelic blues songs were buried amongst the catalog of major label rockin’ blues band Canned Heat. Blind Owl served as Canned Heat’s guitarist and would chip in a song here and there as a front man. A couple of those songs became huge hits in the 60’s – “Going Up The Country” and “On The Road Again”. Blind Owl’s songs for Canned Heat stood in stark contrast to the bands blustery blues rock – his was a gentle and nuanced voice and the themes of his song were all about personal heartbreak, grasping for cosmic understanding, and ecological justice.
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Lawrence, formally of Felt, then Denim, Go Kart Mozart and Mozart Estate. A singular talent and man and pleasure to meet him and talk briefly outside of the Betsey Trotwood in Clerkenwell.
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Thorpe Park has a rather tame ride called “Mr Money’s Banana Ride” which is basically a big gondola sing shaped like a banana. Fred, guitarist of The Fred and Al Experience was rather taken with it despite it’s lameness and he rode it three times in row on Al’s birthday outing. I thought the ride sounded lie a lost psychedelic single so it was born (very quickly) in one evening in my studio with my new work flow of.. just bugger it. So drums, bass and guitars are a noisy mess and it was put down whilst I didn’t lose momentum. For some reason I usually end up sounding like Syd Barrett or is that Syd Sarratt ?
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