None more analogue!

The latest VEMIA vintage gear online auction has just opened. There's a couple of bits that have caught my eye and I'll be bidding on but there's a BEAUTIFUL as-new VCS3 (ex-Dartington College studio) in there. I know its a bit pricey but it really is the best I've ever seen...

http://www.spheremusic.com/Bargaindtl.asp?Item=8977

Having spent the morning listening to the various versions of Dark Side Of The Moon from the Immersion box, I had the urge for something a little more 'passionate'.

This came to mind - Van at his absolute peak (1973) with the best band he ever had

Much as I love the Floyd, sometimes you just need to hear someone giving it 100% and, in my experience, the Caledonian Soul Orchestra were never less than 100% soul and passion.

Just been watching a curious film called 'London Rock'. It appears to have been made by an American director in about 1970 to provide an American audience with a overview of what was going on in London.

Lots of 'talking head' footage of Notting Hill scenesters (Jeff Dexter, Tony Eillott, etc) as well as plenty of footage of Marc Bolan, Faces, Linda Lewis and RT-era Fairport playing in the garden at Little Hadham.

I've never heard of the film before but I'd definitely suggest checking it out - it captures the early-70s vibe perfectly. There seem to be bits on Youtube but I couldn't find the entire movie. Here's the Fairport segment.

The current issue includes a couple of mentions of a 'bifro'. This is new to me, is it the same thing as a 'whitefro' or an 'isfro'?

One of my weaknesses, and the things I've missed most over recent weeks, is Jelly Belly jelly beans. I've just been informed that they sell off mis-shapes in 1kg bags via the UK website. Let joy be unconfined!

Just needed to share...

Over the last few weeks, I gave some serious thought to planning my own funeral and, of course, a key part of it is the music to be played as the coffin disappears through the curtain and the guests file out.

After a lot of thought, I'd settled on Ripple by the Grateful Dead

Without wishing to get morbid or bring everyone down, has anyone else considered what they'd like played at their own funeral? Something to shock the guests? Something to leave a parting message? Something that says 'this is me'?

In my opinion, there's no finer sound in music than a Hammond C3/B3 and here's why.

I realise that the recent '40 noises...' feature included the Hammond bubble but there's something about the sound of the Leslie cab spinning up.

AND it makes a nice but of furniture as well

Just listening to Stevie Winwood's 'Arc Of A Diver' and it struck me that this is a rare example of a true solo album - I seem to recall that Winwood plays every note of every instrument.

Off the t of my h I can only recall Prince and Todd Rundgren having made similar fully multi-instrumental albums where they play every part. Even Mike Oldfield had some help with Tubular Bells.

Obviously there's myriad acoustic guitar/vocals and 'stacks o'keyboards' albums out there but I'm thinking more about examples of an artist playing all the parts themselves. Any others?

Tom Scholz did the first three Boston albums pretty much himself - getting Brad Delp in for vocal chores - but that still disqualifies it from being a 'proper' solo album.

In fact, these days I'd prefer a pack of Opal Fruits, an apple and a can of Red Bull.

No matter, I'm pondering a possible late summer break to the South West of that US of A and rather than just idly meander around, I was thinking of doing the following journey:

Tuscon to Tucumcari (610 miles)
Tucumcari to Tehachapi (936 miles)
Tehachapi to Tonopah (393 miles)

Sadly I won't be driving any kind of rig ("that's ever been made") but will be in Messrs Hertz finest.

My experience of the South West is limited to visits to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Does anyone know if the above journey will just be days of desert and scrub or is there anything to see?

Just an idle thought...

Well, as I lie in my hospital bed I'm using this forum as a way of keeping my spirits up - along with an iPod full of In Our Times and Word Podcasts.

On Friday I was rushed into hospital with a suspected ruptured bladder. This involved a certain amount of undignified writhing and screaming on my part - as well as a ride in an ambulance with the blue lights and the 'nee-naws' going.

Since then I've been lying in bed with an antibiotic drip in one arm and an 'on demand' morphine drip in the other waiting for the infection to be cleared up before they can operate. (just on 48 hours so far).

I don't usually indulge in what the Candyman would call 'self-regarding nonsense' but I just wanted to say thanks for unknowingly keeping my spirits up :-)

The combination of free wi-fi and an iPad is a wonderful thing.

Last night, the FPO and Stimpettes were watching a film and I strolled through the living room just as this was playing over the credits.

I'd forgotten what a fantastic song it is - that lovely warbling Rhodes piano, the open drum sound and Fogerty's voice.

The problem is, in my head I can now hear the Stones plying this and Mick is ruining the vocals with his ridiculous accent :-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-13349860

Eric's is going to reopen in the original cellar. Matthew Street will soon be a 'living museum' of clubs and pubs

Just listening to the July 2011 Notcast and, during Mark's tale about Rod Stewart and Kelly Emberg, I couldn't shift this picture from my head:

Just been re-reading Paul Gorman's excellent oral history of the music press, "In Their Own Write".

No analysis or overarching thesis, just the voices of the people who were there from Maurice Kinn to Alexis Petridis and all points in between - including several habituees of the 'ere pub.

NICK LOGAN: ...There's grown up this myth about "the kinderbunker" they built in the office. I don't remember any barbed wire. They took a little space in the middle of the office which no one else wanted. It had little privacy. It was basically just a walkthrough so they put up an incongruous curtain of plastic strips - like you find in shops' back doorways - to make people go the other way around. It wasn't quite the kinderbunker of legend.

If you've ever read a music paper or magazine, it's well worth checking out.