From The Mull To The Cape [A Gentle Bike Ride On The Edge Of Wilderness]
KEITH FLOYD
5 track EP released on Creation in 1988.
Been listening to lots of The Fall today so here courtesy of Moody_Places is the 1992 single Ed's Babe.
This single released in 1998 on V2 records is taken from one of my all time favourite albums Deserters_Songs. This version of the single is different from the one in my collection* and is actually better in my opinion. The second track is a cracking cover of a John Lennon song from his Imagine album -
Named after a couple of tramps in their home of Cork in Ireland, the Frank and Walters were, along with the Sultans of Ping FC, part of the short-lived popularity of the Cork rock scene. This single was released in 1992 on Go! Discs.
Whenever I'm looking for an 'easy' read I often to turn to Colin Bateman. To say that his books are an easy read isn't a put down. Sometimes I just fancy reaing something that speeds along at great pace without making me think too much about it. I found this book in a local charity shop the other day, hardback, mint condition and only £1. Opening it up the very first page mentioned one of my favourite songwriters, Joe Strummer. Well that was me hooked and within a night and a bit yet another Bateman book was read.
A few weeks ago while out for a beer or two with some friends I got talking to someone at the bar, just the normal pub conversation which soon turned to music, films and books. My new aquaintance told me he had just finished a book called 'The Road To Nab End' and recommended I should read it. The town I live in doesn't have a decent book shop and I couldn't find a copy in the local library so it looked like I would have to order it online or wait until my next visit to Glasgow to purchase a copy. However a few days later while browsing in a local charity shop I found a hardback copy for £2. Result!
Here's a free download of the Mogwai remix of a track taken from the new Soulsavers album Broken. The album features Mark_Lanegan as the main vocalist while there are contributions from the likes of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Jason Pierce, Mike Patton and Gibby Haynes. 
I was never a massive fan of Bauhaus although I did buy a few of their records in the '80's. This was the band's first ever release and in my opinion was the best thing they ever recorded. Released in 1979 on Small Wonder records 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' is over 9 minutes long and captures the subject matter superbly.
I bought this 7" single from a record stall in my local market around 1982. I know very little about the band or record except that J.F.A. are an American band and this single was released on Placebo records in 1981.
The last post I put up was the Cheeky Monkey collaboration between Scotland's own Francis MacDonald and New York based Michael Shelley. Before finding the album in my local Oxfam, Shelley was a complete unknown to me but after a trawl through his excellent website I found these recordings he made of the Teenage Fanclub song Mellow Doubt. Get the free mp3s here.
Yet another charity shop find and yet again another Scottish band that I previously hadn't heard of. Cheeky Monkey were a transatlantic collaboration between Francis MacDonald (BMX Bandits, Eugenius, Teenage Fanclub) and New York based musician Michael Shelley.
Monday night, quietly doing some web browsing, catching up on various blogs when all of a sudden the screen went blank. I've been having some problems with my AC adapter which hasn't been charging my laptop battery at times so my first thought was something alomng those lines. Looking at the back of my machine my suspicions were confirmed, the adapter had somehow become disconnected and as my battery wasn't charged the machine had switched off. PHEW!!! I was dreading another computer crash. So I pushed the adapter back into the machine, pressed the power button and let out a sigh of relief as the screen came to life again. No worries, I'd soon be back on-line but I would need to get something done about the faulty adapter asap. So we're ready to go just need to click on the AOL icon and I can get back to my blogs. One problem though, where are the icons? I'm on the start up screen, my background image is showing, a picture of fish made out of leaves that my youngest made a few weeks ago, but still no icons. In fact nothing except scary looking green fish. So I restart the laptop, go through the same process and get the same result again. And again. And again. Now I'm starting to think that it's a bit worse than I first anticipated and I'll need to reinstall all my software and operating system just like the last time. Luckily I still had the software discs handy from the last time I had problems so I inserted the Dell disc and after a wee whizzing noise, nothing. At all. A slight flicker of the cursor and then nothing. So I tried the AOL disc. Exactly the same. Whizz, flicker, nothing. By this time I know something is seriously wrong and after trying a few more discs and getting the same results I did what I always do. Turn the machine off, make a cuppa and by the time I've finished my tea the laptop will somehow be back to life. Of course it wasn't so I tried a few other things and eventually I got the laptop to do a diagnostic test which revealed it was a hard drive problem. There was nothing else for it but to turn it off and wait until the morning and phone the Dell helpline. Tuesday morning I'm up bright and early and straight on the phone. After 3 attempts the woman on the other end finally puts me through to the help desk. 5 minutes later my debit card is £30 lighter just for the guy on the other end to even speak to me. 25 minutes later and after doing exactly the same test I had done the previous night, the engineer finally tells me that my hard drive is basically ... f*****d. Not in those words obviously but to the same effect. I was then informed that Dell could resolve the problem ... for £180. As I've said before, I really can't do without my laptop so I really had no choice but to pay up or else look at buying a new machine. Just as I was thinking of taking the latter course of action the engineer explained that the £180 included a new hard drive as well as an engineer coming out to install the hardware as well as all my software. It was sounding a bit more promising, then he told me he would send the engineer out the next day. So if the thought of being back in cyberland within 24 hours wasn't tempting enough he then hit me with an even better incentive. IF I was to take out a 3 year warranty there and then, it would cost me £140 and that still included getting the laptop repaired the next day. I thought I was hearing things and asked him to repeat the offer and sure enough, if I took out a 3 year warranty I would be charged £30 less than if someone just came out to fix the machine. Sothe debit card was hit for another £140. Anyway, true as their word the engineer arrived at 11.30 this morning, installed a new hard drive and my software and also replaced the AC adapter as well. So, I'm a bit out of pocket but glad to be back online so soon.
On Tuesday, while the laptop was out of order, I took my youngest daughter Lauryn into town. There were a few things we were getting for her and this was as good an opportunity as any. For the last couple of months she has been reading a bit more than usual which of course we try to encourage. She has not long turned 6 and at the moment her favourite books are the 'Horrid Henry' series. It's easy enough to go into the likes of WH Smith and buy the full series but we've taken a different approach, one that suits me, Lauryn and my wallet. Yes, father and daughter have been scouring the local charity shops where so far we have managed to find 10 books for her. I'm pretty sure the search is as much fun for her as the actual books are. To see her wee face light up when we find a book or two in among piles of other books is far more rewarding than buying her a pile of them from any bookshop. So first stop yesterday before getting the bus to Irvine was a couple of charity shops in Kilwinning. The first one is pretty disappointing to be honest. We got her a couple of books the first time we went in but it seems they are more interested in clothing and furniture than anything else. Also this is the only charity shop I've been in so far that doesn't have ANY cds. Straight across the road is another, much smaller charty shop and this is where the SCUM comes in. Again there were no books for her but while she was looking I had a look through the cds. There was nothing much of interest but it is very cheap and as it's so small I don't really like walking out without buying something. So with 7 cd albums, 2 singles and a book I approched the counter and paid my £3. Yes, all that for £3. Ok the cds weren't great but they were all in mint condition and as I had no laptop, the book would help pass a few hours when the kids went to bed. Anyway, while the lady behind the counter put my purchases into a bag I overheard one of the other assistants telling a customer how the shop had been burgled a few nights before and the culprits had stolen a full jewellery display (at least I think that's what was kept in the glass case) and the collecting tin from the counter. Now I hate thieves. I don't think I've ever stolen in my life, definitely not since my pre-teen years when I think I stole a 2p lolly just to show off to my mates but there are times when I find it hard to condemn someone down on their luck from stealing a pack of sandwiches from a supermarket or a crime of a similar nature. I know the likes of Tesco and Asda moan that there is no such thing as a victimless crime but it's hard to take sides with a multi-million pound business over a hungry homeless person. Anyway, that's a different thing altogether but surely no-one can side with the SCUM who would rob a charity shop. Here we have a shop smaller than the average terraced house where a handful of women give up their time to volunteer a few hours a week to maybe raise enough pounds to help a cancer sufferer make the best of their final days and some scumbag destroys all their great work for the sake of a few quid. It really does make me sick to think of it. On hearing the rest of the conversation it became apparent that the shop wasn't insured against this kind of thing either which makes it even worse. How must those ladies have felt when they turned up for work that morning and noticed that they had been burgled? The lady who was speaking to the customer just shrugged her shoulders and said 'we just have to get on with it'. I hope the police also just get on with it and catch the scum responsible. I also hope that if those responsible or any of their relatives ever catch the dreaded disease there is still a hospice for them to get help from. It certainly will be no thanks to the scum responsible if there is.
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Right, now that I've got that off my chest here's some music. From the charity shop mentioned I bought (one track from each at bottom). ...
Ash : Oh Yeah (single)
The Thrills : So Much For The City
Space : Spiders
Paul Simon : The Rhythm Of The Saints
The Bravery : S/T
Orson : Bright Idea
Toto Coelo : I Eat Cannibals
Kylie Minogue : Slow (single)
The Good Button : S/T
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I saw this EP in the local Oxfam shop last week but to be honest it didn't really grab my attention. I had never heard of the band and the cover didn't exactly grab me either (apart from the rather basic design, the previous owner seems to have spilled beer or some other kind of liquid over it). So as I got home and played the cds that I had purchased the Moondials EP wasn't amongst them. The name did however stick in my mind so I had a wee search on the internet and although information was a bit scarce I did find out that a. The EP was released on Electric_Honey records and b. The band features Stevie_Jackson (now a member of Belle_and_Sebastian) on guitar. So yesterday I took a run into town and after a bit of searching managed to find the EP again buried among the many James Last and Petula Clark albums.
Can You See? EP
Second part in the 'Themes' series and this time it's 'animal' songs. Again there's a few tracks I'm familiar with but there's a bit more music that is new to me. Once again I've not played the selection yet so could be good, could be bad.01 Andrew Thomas - A Dream of a Spider
02 Antony & The Johnsons - One Dove
03 Dirty Projectors - Two Doves
04 Jason Lytle - Ghost Of My Old Dog
05 The Doors - Peace Frog
06 Gene Vincent - Cat Man
07 Broken Records - Wolves
08 Four Tet & Burial - Moth
09 Department Of Eagles - The Curious Butterfly Realizes He Is Beautiful
10 Shellac - Squirrel song
11 Cheveu - Like a Deer in the Headlights
12 The Wind Whistles - Bats In Flight
13 The Wave Pictures - Bumble Bee
14 James Yorkston - Tortoise Regrets Hare
15 Autopilot is for Lovers - Whale Belly
16 Black Golden Bull - Buffalo Waltz
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http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PTGXGN72
Local Natives are a 5 piece band from Silverlake, USA who have just been announced on the bill of the NME Radar Tour. The 4 band showcase which also features Marina & The Diamonds, Yes Giantess and headliners Golden Silvers will be visiting Glasgow's Oran Mor on the 1st of October.
Local Natives are already gathering much praise in the media with the Guardian newspaper comparing their different elements favourably with Fleet Foxes (harmonies), Vampire Weekend (rhythm) and Arcade Fire (drama). The band who are Matt Frazier (drums), Ryan Hahn (guitars, vocals), Taylor Rice (vocals, guitar), Kelcey Ayer (vocals, keyboards) and Andy Hamm (bass) have so far only released one limited edition 7" single, slow Hands/Cards & Quarters which came out this week on Chess Club records. The band's debut album 'Gorilla Manor' will be released soon.
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Check out the band's homemade video for their version of Simon and Garfunkel's, 'Cecilia'.
Listen:
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The NME Radar Tour which kicks off on 26th of September visits Oxford, Sheffield, Manchester, York, Glasgow, Newcastle, Stoke, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Bristol, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Norwich, London and Brighton.
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Check out NME for tour dates and ticket details.
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The biggest surprise of this year's 'T in the Park' for me was the Parsonage Choir who opened the Main Stage on Sunday morning. I didn't even know they were performing at the main festival at all and it was more out of curiosity than anything else that I found myself in front of a rather wet and audience free stage. However after a couple of songs more and more like minded souls appeared beside me and the sun even made a brief appearance. For anyone who has never heard of The Parsonage (Choir) they are a 40 strong choir from Glasgow who perform clasic songs either accompanied only by an accoustic guitar or totally unaccompanied at all. It may not sound appealing and ok, it's not exactly rock n roll but I would recommend anyone to see them if you can. Starting off with Johnny Cash the choir then proceeded to entertain us with their versions of Elvis, Cash again, Neil Young and Joy Division songs (among others) before ending with 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane. So, not your standard choir then and they were the perfect early afternoon act for the festival. Go see them if you get the opportunity, you'll love them.
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THE PHANTOM BAND
T BREAK STAGE [Friday]
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If the Yeah Yeah Yeahs hadn't been so bad on the NME stage I probably wouldn't even have went to see The Phantom Band but they were and I did and it was one of the highlights of my weekend. I hadn't heard much off them before catching their set and what I had heard didn't prepare me for this in any way. At times they seemed to be on the verge of falling apart but that just added to the experience. Described in the 'T' programme as like 'The Beta Band meeting Hot Chip at a party in Nick Cave's house'. Good attempt at describing the indescribable but still falling well short. Just get to one of their gigs and see for yourself.
More 'Phantom Band' here
Official Website
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CAMERA OBSCURA
RED BULL BEDROOM JAM FUTURES STAGE [Friday]
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Four albums down the line and the Glasgow band still never disappoint. This half hour set left everyone in the crowd desperate for more. Luckily the band will be playing at the Kilmarnock_Edition_Festival in August.
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More 'Camera Obscura' here
Official Website
http://www.camera-obscura.net/
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MOGWAI
KING TUT'S WAH WAH TENT [Sunday]
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What better way to round off a great weekend than to be blown away by Scotland's finest? There shouldn't be anything to tell you about Mogwai that you don't already know but if you haven't seen them live before make sure you do. You will seriously be blown away, especially if like me you stand too close to the speakers.
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See some of their 'T' set here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tinthepark/2009/artist/mogwai/
and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tinthepark/2009/artist/mogwai/
More 'Mogwai' here
Official Website
Another purchase from my trip to Oxfam yesterday. This time it's a sampler from UK punk label Crackle! Records. Released in 2000, the compilation features bands from England, Scotland, USA, Australia and Japan amongst it's 29 tracks.
In all my years of attending 'T in The Park' it's usually a band/bands on the smaller stages that make the most impression on me. Sometimes it's bands I know of but on many occasions it's been a band who prior to seeing at the festival have been totally unknown to me. Because of this a trip to Fopp on the Monday morning before boarding the train for the final part of my homeward journey has become a major part of the 'T' experience for me. No doubt this year will be no different as I arrive home with a bag full of cds by bands who ipressed me over the weekend. At least, I hope so. Below are 3 Scottish bands from further down the bill that I will be going all out to see.
CAMERA OBSCURA
French Navy EP here
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8 Ball Quick Fire Pool