Thursday 31 December 2015

New Year's Eve Is Here


We are on the last day of the year ad it some ways it's like a software update (my phone just had one) , you go through everything , waiting , working , you reboot and nothing has changed.

Well actually things have changed. People I know seem to becoming more insular, anything new is not countenanced well . Part of this is people have families , people trying to survive modern life , people tend to go for the tried and tested paths and often I am the same. I will frequent a restaurant or pub that I know is good and drop places that maybe don't come up to my standards.

This year I have met some wonderful people and made new friends all over the world , been made redundant , had a few new jobs , write songs , hit my 1000 posts , 100K views on this blog , and have lost touch with people which is sad.

Facebook is good for keeping in touch and reconnecting with people , but I do detest the posts that imply people are selfish and don't care about others. I love seeing positivity and happiness and smiles, and in 2016 I want to see more.

Here It Comes
This year I have driven through snow , ice , rain , blinding sun almost a metaphor for life , because I've navigated that.

I have been here for people who needed support , I have had some great nights and days with wonderful friends and look forward to lots more in 2016.

Have a wonderful end of year and share a brilliant 2016 with me my friends. I chose the Fingerprintz song to finish this year because it's a theme song of mine

"I can see you want to dance too"

Wednesday 30 December 2015

Is Viv Albertine Big In Russia amd Australia?


The reason I ask is that my post featuring Viv Albertine here is now my third most read post of the life of this blog. The blog has been going eight years and most posts get about 50 views. In less than a month the Viv Albertine has hit 400 , not a lot in terms of world readership , but a lot for one of my post.

Last Months Readers
In the last two weeks views from Russia and Australia have overtaken the USA as my biggest source of readers (and maybe robots) . The USA has not dropped , but Russia and Australia have increased dramatically and really I can't think of a reason. Australia possibly because it's in the correct language.

Australia is the biggest traffic source from the last month , but Russia has overtaken it in the last week.

And this has coincided with the Viv Albertine piece getting so much attention. There haven't been any comment , people don't comment on my posts for some reason , also the blog has only a couple of followers , so given that visitors must be mostly people who accidentally come across it , ithe figures look quite good.

Seriously this must be one of the most boring , uninteresting pieces I have ever written, I had intended to include some stuff about what has happened to me this year but that can wait for another time.

This year has resulted in slightly less posts than last year but it's still running at a post every two days. So I think I'll put in Al Stewart's "Roads To Moscow" to provide a little interest to this post . The album Past Present and Future is well worth aquiring.

Also I have finished the Viv Albertine book and it is absolutely brilliant , I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone , inspiring , well written , uncompromising , easy to read and thought provoking. Buy it here.


Monday 28 December 2015

On The Road


This weekend I drove 300 hundred inhospitable miles to and from Scotland. It that time I saw rain , snow , ice , surface flooding and coming back the combination of bright sunshine and wet roads made it like driving into an arc light . At one point the sun was coming through the trees to the right but due the speed and the distance between the trees it was like a stroboscopic effect. It inspired me to write this:

Hard Road

Hard Road

Speeding into the arc light
I should be aware of the road
 It's like a mirror
Can't see the markings
Can't see the other cars 
Three Lanes Bad
Two Lanes Worse
The sun is strobing
Through the trees
I still can't see
I've survived
Ice
Snow
Rain
Flood
I am still going
But
This isn't driving
It's just surviving


That's my unstructured "poem" of my experience over the weekend. Two small amendments were suggested by my good friend Joan , and they have been taken on board. Obvious choice for me is Black Sabbath's "Hard Road" , which is probably my favourite Sabbath Song, still gives me goosebumps

I really hope you have a had a great Christmas or Yule break and are ready to run up to the end of the year with gusto.
 

Friday 25 December 2015

Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Chritmas


I hope you have a wonderful day . It's a day for loving ,sharing ,talking ,being kind ,smiling. and spreading goodwill. This is not Christian sentimentality , it's just sensible moral behaviour. We look out for others and they will look out for us,

We do live in a world where money and possessions have become an effectively replacement for moral values for a lot of people, I mean why else would you vote Tory or Republican?  As Woody Allen said money is better than poverty of only for financial reasons , but  there really is enough to go round. When people work together great things happen. Divide and Conquer is a war strategy and when people start fighting among themselves they become much easier to control. Blame the immigrants , blame the poor , blame the sick is the mantra of the right wing as they plunder the nations resources.

Have a Cool Yule
Enough politics , it is a time to enjoy , it is a time to be together, and really it should never stop. This year socialise more , see more friends , talk more , communicate more. We now how the nternet so I can write this, and everyone round the world can read it. You no longer wait for weeks to send a letter to Australia, you can phone your friend in Australia or New Zealand or The USA and it costs very little to do that. You can phone a loved one , a friend, so here is you your New Year's Resolution:

"KEEP IN TOUCH MORE, MUCH MORE"

Now go one have a wonderful day and feel free to ring me if you have my number, enjoy yourself.



I've included two versions of one of my favourite Christmas Songs , it by the Eels - Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas  - Baby Jesus , Born To Rock!!


Thursday 24 December 2015

It Was Christmas Eve, Babe


It's Christmas Eve and over the past month we've been subjected to some particularly atrocious "festive music" . Last Saturday there were two members of a what I believe are Romanian Busking band on Northumberland Street , a double bass and accordion player , playing a particularly excellent piece which I then realised was "Jingle Bells" , I do hope I see them again , then I can record them. The euphoria was soon dissipated by walking into Marks and Spencers where a Michael Buble-a-like was murdering the very same piece of music.

There are stand outs of course , Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" , Slade's "Merry Christmas Everyone" , Greg Lake and Pete Sinfield's Prokofiev's "Troika" lifting "I Believe In Father Christmas", The Pogues "Fairytale of New York"  and Jethro Tull's "Ring Out Solstice Bells" and "Christmas Song" , so you can have great Christmas music , but you can bet you will only here these every now and then.

Celebrate
Anyway this is the time to embrace friends , family , neighbours and socialise and hug and kiss and enjoy the time but be compassionate for those less fortunate than yourself .

And you what , wouldn't it be great if that didn't stop and the main aim in our lives was to be happy and looking out for others and working to build a compassionate society instead of thinking about paying bills and winning the lottery and just looking out for ourselves.




So today , buy a sandwich and a drink for a homeless person if you see one, do some random act of kindness and make sure you hug and kiss as many friends and loved ones who actually want it.

Remember Christmas Spirit should not be what you drink.

Have a brilliant one my friends

Monday 21 December 2015

Morning Morning 7am - Joy Division To The World


Well another work week has commenced and looking forward to lots of good things happening this week. Time seems to be at a premium although it always is whether you have anything planned or not. Christmas is one of those things where , you actually have advance notice that it's going to happen. I do find it quite amazing in the world of business especially and I suppose socially , the number of people who seem shocked that it is actually here and then have to implement emergency measures to deal with the situation.

Joy Division To The World
My biggest "worry" is remembering to record film's like Brave and specials like the new Sherlock and the Wallace and Gromit Christmas special.

One of the reasons for doing this post is to reshare the excellent Joy Division Christmas Tree and Holly Golightly's "Christmas Tree's On Fire.

So just calm down and you will have a great time , I certainly will

Have a great day , and week , and enjoy yourself.

Sunday 20 December 2015

It's The Time Of The Season ......


We shouldn't need Christmas . We shouldn't need reminding that we should be there for friends , family and those less fortunate than us. I knew a guy who was rude throughout the the year but come Christmas Eve expected everyone to be his friend because it was Christmas. It doesn't really work like that for me.

You should be like that throughout the year. You should be there for people , they should be there for year. I'm not an Ebenezer Scrooge type , and am pleased if someone reforms there ways, but compassion and caring needs to be permanent not something based around a commercial date in a calendar.

Time of the Season
I love the joy of meeting friends , being with them , hugging them , laughing , holding hands , and why can't we do that everyday. It's good to have a day to celebrate even more but really if we are happy every day , and look forward to being happy we can deal with life's annoyances.

Anyway I hope this week is good for you , I intend to make it good for me. I have seen lots of close friends over the last week , and made plans to see lots more in January , sort of ignoring the fact there are only a finite number of days in the month.





Some friends have had bad times recently but things are improving for them. I said I was there for them and I know that was appreciated , because I know they would be there for me.

Have chosen a tenuous music link , but The Zombie's "Time of the Season" is always good to hear.

Have a fantastic week my totally brilliant friends

Friday 18 December 2015

It's Friday , It Certainly Is


It's Friday , and this weekend is the last one before Christmas. So a potential busy weekend , including sorting out presents , cards , a 50th birthday (not mine , that was years ago) , a Christmas party , booking a car and more. Do you realise that Amazon have 8 million Christmas related items? Though I am sure to could buy something better for from a local business

Viv
I am consistently amazed by Viv Albertine's book , a totally amazing woman, inspirational ,interesting and well , just buy the book here. It's page after page ,of  "Oh My God" , "That Is Amazing" , "I've been There" and wanting to put your arms round her or being over the moon with her or wanting to hold her hand, Amazing stuff , although I've nearly finished it and have John Lydon's autobiography next in line.








Also it is the last Friday before Christmas so to quote Hill Street Blues , be careful out there ... and have a great time

Wednesday 16 December 2015

Inspired or Easily Distracted?- Well I'll Be Damned


Well I hit the 100K reads and hit the 1,000 posts , my target was New Years Eve. I wasn't certain I would do either, I couldn't thing how I would write enough posts then came up with the Odyssey58 idea which meant that I would reach the target. I'm not sure what gave me the idea apart from my love of music and the fact that it was my birthday . I so some hits are robots but I know a lot of friends do read this , so that is a great reason for keeping writing.

Obviously 200K and 2,000 posts are next targets , but I need something to write about and to inspire me , and I do have lots of inspiration.

Odyssey58 is going to be combined with what I've written for my first book to produce my first ebook. I have a song ready that I need to to properly but the first cut is on SoundCloud here . This was just recorded to my phone , made up as I went along.

Anyway so I have lots of things to look forward to going forward , just hope I can keep people interested, I do love my friends , and I love you for reading and being there for me .

Choosing the music for this I decided on Love's Alone Again Or but then found that The Damned had covered it in 1987 and very good it is , although the video I am sure is an inspiration for the Enya / Prodigy mash up video which is still my favourite mash up of all time.

See how all these threads come together?

So am I easily distracted or inspired? Who Knows




This is the state of the site at the moment:

The Figures

Tuesday 15 December 2015

Twelve To Go


Well the view count on the blog at this moment is 99,988, which means this post will probably hit 100K . I suppose I need to start thinking Christmas presents, luckily I have everything so no one needs to but me anything.

A Stiff One
I'm going to leave this post short, very short , just to suggest don't let this weather get you down ,
look for a reason to get together with friends and have a wonderful time.

What song should I choose for this? Beer and Cigarettes by Terraplane from Stiff's Akron Compilation  Not available digitally still but you can get the scratch and sniff vinyl copy here.

Sunday 13 December 2015

Tangerine


Blackpool , my most detested football club are called the Tangerines , but I have other words for them.

Tangerine , when I first allowed myself to listen to Led Zeppelin , was a song off III that I loved to death, an absolute beauty and although Jimmy Page's solo in the live version in a bit superfluously ropey , the song is still an absolute beauty.

A few weeks ago I went to see a film called Tangerine and later found it was filmed entirely on iPhones ... so there is a use for them. The film featured lots of transgender thespians , but the main thing was that it was well scripted , funny , lots of swearing and sexual encounters , and heartwarming. I really liked it.

Oh My Darling
And now in my kitchen bowls sit lots of tangerines, well clementines , cos they had boxes of them at Aldi , and my lovely neighbours offered me a lift home so I bought two boxes. Thing is whenever I eat one I am sure I feel better. Must be a fructose sugar ruse.

So I suggest you taste or do something sweet tonight. The snow is melting and it's Monday tomorrow. Prepare yourself for a brilliant week.



Saturday 12 December 2015

Here Comes The Snow


Here Be Monsters
Today was meant to be relaxing , but while a little grey , I ventured towards town to get a haircut and a couple of things. Then the snow came down and stuck. It made everything look wintry for Yule tide. I took shelter in the excellent Kazbat's Den a delightful Gothic shelter and shop you could easily lose yourself in, chatting about music and weather with Karen and Lucy. I had visited the shop the odd time in the past but with the sad destruction of the Kard Bar , Karen had set up a fund to help with the funeral of the owner here and is raising money with a hoodie raffle here so if you want to contribute please do. It is a wonderful place to drop into and you never know what you might find.

The snow is still coming down and it is dark and winter has it's foot in here. So it's time to keep warm and light a fire ,keep warm with someone and look out for others. Was thinking of some seasonal related music , but I was talking to Karen and Lucy about The Men That Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing and Jordan Reyne , so I have included spoongig links to them if you click on the names, although if you click on this Jordan Reyne link you will get all the posts about her on this blog.

Anyway there is snow so in a vaguely tangential reference I've chosen Antarctica by the awesome Sound Of Guns

Oh the blog has now had 99,700 viisits , so another 300 to the 100K target for the end of the year , tell your friends

Enjoy the snow , enjoy your Saturday , enjoy your weekend



Friday 11 December 2015

The Weekend Is Almost Here - It's Cold - Hug Someone To Keep Warm

Rose

..or it is here is you are in the Antipodes. It's cold has hell here so isn't that an excuse to grab hold of a friend or loved one and give them a big hug? I've shelled out a lot of money this morning on stuff you have to shell out money on , and am lucky enough for that not to cause too much of a problem

Lot's of great things have happened this week but I will list them in the next post. I need to run off but leaving you with , for no reason at all , The Oysterband's take on Nick Lowe's "Rose of England"

Go and hug someone , keep warm , and have a great day

Thursday 10 December 2015

Smiles Are Good


Smile
It's dark when you leave for work , it's dark when you get home , but really your day can be improved by smiling at people. A lot of people have been smiling at me over the past couple of days. It could be that Christmas is coming , it could be they are just happy , it could be that something good has happened to them , it could be that I smiled at them . Smiles are infectious, and while bad things are happening in the world , smiling can make you feel much better about yourself and it can have the same affect as a nice bar of chocolate. If you smile you are better to deal with mundanity.





I found the TED talk above but have to include an uplifting song for today below , the incredible Turbolenza soundtracked by The Sound of Guns.

Sunday 6 December 2015

Sunday Evening And Happy


Despite the horrific weather in Cumbria , the end of my holiday has left me feeling good. I have experienced some things I never want to again , but grateful with the knowledge that I came through without wrecking the hire car or injuring anybody especially me and Fiona.

Today I saw my youngest daughter and her fiance who have moved to a new house , and it was wonderful having a catch up.

The last couple of nights I have slept like the proverbial log , only waking between eight and nine in the morning . I hope I don't sleep through the alarm.
Needled

Tomorrow I have a six month diabetic review , slightly worried because my blood sugars have rocketed despite no change to my eating or exercise, we shall see what comes out of it.

Still I feel good , I have my friends and am looking forward to whatever happens this week , which I am sure will be fine.






Rod Stewart's output was consistently excellent until after "Atlantic Crossing" but he still produces some corking songs like "She Makes Me Happy"   which does genuinely make me happy and that can't be a bad thing can it?

Go on , do something that makes you happy and spread the love darlings

Some More Things That Make Me Happy



I was quite pleased that this post here has started to get some more views . It is important to me because it reminds af things that bring a smile to my face and just make my heart leap a little. Todauy I am lucky to be home having managed to escape the worst of the Cumbrian Weather and Lorry crashes , but still the journey took an extra two hours on a 90 minute journey., details here on the BBC site.

It's a friend's birthday today and I always try and post a mybe appropriate song on Facebook , and while this song is not a birthday song , it always brings a smile to my face (as do a lot of Big Daddy covers) . Their cover of Once In A Lifetime is a total delight

Music can always lift you but other things can do to such as:

You Know What To Do
  • Reading A Book
  • Meeting A Friend
  • Watching A Film
  • Going For A Walk
  • Visiting A Museum
  • Going To The Theatre
  • Socialising
  • Anything that puts a smile on your face
Smiling is contagious , you start doing and others will soon follow suit.

So tomorrow smile lots and make this world a better place


Wednesday 2 December 2015

Viv Albertine is Nice Enough To Eat


Today I want to visit a stone circle, apparently there are a lot round here (Orton). It's Gamelands and all the stones have fallen but I do like visiting these places. I often use my Julian Cope's Modern Antiquarian to look at these sites.

The problem is the weather is wet and blowy and traipsing through fields may not be the best way to spend the day. The roads in Orton are covered with running water and the wind as destroyed my umbrella (which was a fairly sturdy model) , but who knows the weather may get better.

Nice Enough To Eat
 Anyway to the title of the piece, I am currently reading Viv Albertine's autobiography (Clothes, Music, Boys) x 3 , and think she comes across as a totally wonderful amazing person although she "Nice Enough To Eat" and we played it to death. And be both recently bought a copy from a second hand shop because it's like a first love. You can't get it on CD but I made up my own CD copy which I listen to at least once a week.
would not have  two words to say to me, Although I shouldn't be surprised as we are of a similar age one of the first albums we bought was the Island sampler



Also bands like King Crimson and the Motown sound are things we both love. It was great that she formed a band and got to hang with Mick Jones and others , but like all girls often preferred the gits to those who really loved her. I  heartily recommend the book to anyone who can actually read , but it's not for anyone who prefers life to be on the straight and narrow. So the song I chose is Typical Girls by The Slits. These were never typical girls.

So I am going back to reading and may get to see that stone circle. Have a great day everyone.

A Storm Is Overhead - Looking For The Positives


The wind is blowing and it's raining outside. It's just past midnight , but I am in a warm cottage. I am am one of the lucky ones. I have a huge bed to go to. I will be warm. I don't have to get up for work tomorrow. This is the sort of time you need to take advantage of the adverse elements outside because it gives you a valid opportunity to hug and cuddle and show someone you love them.

The problem may be that they aren't with you  but you have a phone and a computer (otherwise you wouldn't be reading this).

Today was good although it involved lots of motorway driving in fog , and having to deal with the worst one way system I have had the misfortune to experience , Kendal , although the people in the town are lovely. Still I came out of it unscathed appreciating the clarity of the out of town roads.

Is Anywhere Better?
So enjoy snuggling in your bed , look for the positives in the situation , sleep and have a brilliant
Wednesday.

And I chose the beautiful Teddy Thompson song "In My Arms" for you , my wonderful friends.

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Before The Deluge - Hello December


I wasn't expecting to be able to write this as due to the rain and landscape I've hardly had a mobile signal. It's quite funny that my former employer made a big thing about covering this area with a 4G signal , well it hasn't quite reached here. That's fine though, but it does leave you at the mercy of the elements.

It doesn't seem that long since internet access was not even on your radar , now it's difficult to do without.

The main reason is to keep in touch with friends who are a long way away , but with a phone and signal you can now share experiences and chat easily and be there if people need you you across the miles and distance.

The weather forecast is for more and more rain , so this may be my only post this week, but it doesn't matter because I am relaxing and on holiday and that is the main thing. Also you can can always give or get a hig and a cuddle when I return or even better find a friend or loved one to share one with now.

There's only one song for this post isn't there, Jackson Browne's "Before The Deluge".

The Deluge

Saturday 28 November 2015

Black Friday Has Gone (Hopefully Forever)


Well Black Friday has come and gone , retailers would have the rabble spending money they haven't got on things they never needed. Black Friday to me was the Stock Market crash in the late eighties when we let the idiot traders freed by the idiot right wingers have computers so then could predict how they were going to mess up so much faster. My biggest ever financial loss came when I bought shares in Lastminute.com and some other company that bombed on recommendations from Morgan Stanley, and I bet at Ladbrokes and William Hills. Stock Market Traders aren't that much different than the guy who goes down th ebookies except they are paid to do it with other peoples money.

I Will Be Here Soon
Anyway you what I did yesterday after work. I spent a great night with friends who I hadn't seen in ages , laughing chatting , drinking eating and catching up , and that put a huge huge smile on my face and theirs. The only money that was spent was on food and drink , and a couple of expensive taxis. That is the way to have a Friday , having a great time with great friends laughing and giving hugs.

Obviously only one song for this , and John Scott will hate me for it. Black Friday by Steely Dan.

Have a brilliant brilliant weekend everyone , CSI Ambleside is calling and you know what that means..


Wednesday 25 November 2015

Ten


After months of waiting Windows 10 has come to my Zoostorm Tower . It's like the Eddie Izzard sketch  you wait forever for the upgrade and what changes? Well more store things more things on your start up that you don't want there and basically it's the same as it was before . I will obviously gove it a chance , well I don't really have a choice now do ? Oh it has Cortana which is Windows version of Siri . Love to see an argument between Cortana and Siri

Today has been a draggy day but those things happen . All of a sudden I've finished with the music Odyssey and really surprised that the last post has virtually no views for some reason. I got photographed by the Evening Chronicle last night in this gallery here in the protest against more government cuts.

Anyway I know its only short but enjoy the rest of your Wednesday , I hope my next post will be more substantial

Cortana Zombie


Tuesday 24 November 2015

Look Out For Your Friends, Give Them A Hug - #59 - 2015 - The Men That Will Not Be Named For Nothing - Not Your Typical Victorian


It's dark , it's cold and this is the sort of time when bad things can seem much much worse. Tonight I will be joining a march protesting against the austerity cuts by this idiot spiteful government who it this time of austerity have suddenly found billions to bomb the hell out of the people they supplied with weapons in the first place, the rally details are here.

Actually I have no problem with self imposed austerity , say of you want to save for a holiday or something major but you do not impose it on others to try and mask your own failings or just to fund your own extravagances ... like wars.

The thing is there may be friends who are having a hard time , try phoning them , take them out for a meal or a coffee,  buy them a small present , let them know you care. There will be someone out there who probably needs you , don't leave it to someone else, you do it , and if someone suddenly gets ten phone calls well that is all well and good.

Gloves
Well the Odyssey his the final shore , year 59 and this year 2015. This year I can think of loads of records that have been released but I must say it has been more and more difficult to find stuff in the standard top 100 chart. These records are not my favourites although I do like them all. This morning I though of at least ten that I could choose today . In the run up to Christmas I may continue with records I missed because I am surprised there are no Beach Boys , Rolling Stones , Hawkwind , Kinks  and many many more. Anyway the number one that I've chosen is "Not Your Typical Victorian" by The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing , maybe simply because I saw them last Friday (review here) and I love this song.




Have a fantastic Tuesday and look out for your friends.

Monday 23 November 2015

Dark Morning, Waiting For The Light - #58 - 2014 - Royal Blood - Ten Tonne Skeleton


I have to be thankful in my new job that I see a lot more of the day, both during working hours and at the ends of the day , however I look out the window now and it's dark and I know by the time I get home it will be dark. However this is the nature of this planet and where I am located. This time last year I knew I was going to be leaving my old job and looking forward to whatever new things came my way. Some people see things as being the end when they just are new beginnings and since leaving my old job I have been involved in volunteering work with Oxfam , a start up company with Geek Talent and met an amazing number of great new friends. Part of this is due to the near 60 hours a month that I used to spend traveling to and from work , that's a working week and half for me to actually play with , how absolutely brilliant is that? I had an interview which seemed like a dream job in Durham which I never heard back from , but my new job is five minutes from my front door and enables me to deal with chores like doctors and hospital visits within a very supportive work framework. A friend in America recently started a new job m and he little girl was ill , her employer sent her home to look after her daughter until her daughter was better. That employer was supportive and that by that act it gained extra loyalty from my friend , a very sensible and caring act.

So we know the light will come if we prepare ourselves when things are dark. God that sounds pretentious as hell, Do I care , not a jot, life is god for me so it means I can be strong for anyone who needs me to be strong for and with them.

Anyway ......

Have Fun
The Odyssey hits the penultimate year , and I cannot pinpoint a new album that I bought last year just from memory, though lot's will jump out when I look at a list , but my memory has always been like that. Odd that I cannot remember actual facts , but I can remember how to find the facts I need to know. Someone once expressed shock to Einstein when they found out out he didn't know the speed of light, his retort , "What do I need to know that for, I can look it up in a book" , and that has been me all my life.

I should have thought it's a year sing me and my mate Chris were trying to get tickets for a non existent Royal Blood date at Newcastle Riverside ,  I could have chosen any track but Ten Tonne Skeleton is brilliant.

So go out and have a great Monday , it will soon be light , I can see the eastern sky brightening up.

Sunday 22 November 2015

Sunday Service - #57 - 2013 - David Bowie - The Next Day


Was woken up this morning by the sound of seagulls. I'm not in Whitby I am ten miles inland from the coast. I went out and it's grey and raining slightly . It's Sunday morning and I do have a lot to do today , deliveries to take and people to see and thinks to dispose of. It is November and we have had a bit of sun , but days are getting shorter. In fact this morning I got up and was wandering round and half an hour later had to start switching the lights on.

Seen some newspaper headlines this morning, which are absolutely exasperating makes me want to start my Mr Angry blog , but I don't do anger so I will calm down and do something positive, but it amazes me that a government can always find money to pays it's arms dealers but not to look after the people who effectively put it into power. There rant over.

The Next Day
The Odyssey reaches 2013 year 57 and it that year David Bowie released an unannounced album The Next Day , his first in ten years. It had not been particularly done in secret , it's just that no one apparently noticed , and it was an absolutely excellent album, well worth buying and everyone with any sense went out and got their hands on a copy. I've chosen the title track and apologise if you have to log in to see the video as it contains religion , BDSM, blood and lots of other great fun stuff. It's the first time I have seen the video despite buying the album when it came out and like almost everything Bowie does I am very impressed with it.



I also loved the recycled cover art of The Next Day referencing "Heroes" (possibly his finest song).

His next album Blackstar comes out in January but you can download the title track and pre order it now here.

Have a fantastic Sunday everyone.


Saturday 21 November 2015

A Weekend In The Sun - #56 - 2012 - Black Keys - Gold On The Ceiling


Another brilliant weekend awaits after a very long Fridays involving a full days work , a viewing onf the excellent Tangerine at the Tyneside Cinema then a hike down to Think Tank? to see The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing (review here) . I still have lots to do and the weather is looking great after last night's blizzard, so going to have a run around town town before Preston hopefully dispose of Blackburn.

Transport
The Odyssey is coming to an end , there's three more to go and then it's time to put the book together. So year 56 , 2012 and Gold on The Ceiling from El Camino by The Black Keys , who I have loved since I hear ThickFreakness whenever that came out.

So enjoy the sunshine today and I hope to catch you soon

Friday 20 November 2015

Phone A Friend Friday - #55 - 2011 - Polly Jean Harvey - Written On The Forehead


Friday is here and today is going to be a long day, it's been an intense week in a lot of ways but I have got a lot done, but amazingly run out of socks , well almost , despite the fact that the laundry basket is only half full and I don't think there's any of my socks in there. But it's going to be a a great night withe a screening of the film Tangerine at The Tyneside Cinema for Transgender Remembrance Day followed by a run down to Think Tank to see The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing , and then possibly a lie in on Saturday before finishing my friend's web site off about the Codonopsis plant family.

Anyway it would be a great idea idea to phone a friend or family member you have not spoken to for a while and maybe meet up for coffee or cake and have a hug and a catch up.

Hope you're is good.

PJH
The Odyssey reaches 2011 year 55. I didn't even look at the charts for this year because that was the year that my favourite female artist released "Let England Shake" one of the greatest albums of all time the difficulty came in choosing the song and I I eventually chose "Written On The Forehead" a brilliant anti war song , and it gives me a chance to add in Niney The Observers wonderful Blood And Fire that it samples. Written on the Forehead refers to either the practice used in military hospitals of identifying what the condition of an injured soldier was or it could be from Th eBook of Revelation 2:24 "His Name Will Be Written On Their Forehead" . I leave that for you you to look up.

Have a wonderful Friday everyone.

Thursday 19 November 2015

Some People Have No Sense Of Humour But We Do - #54 - 2010 - Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind) - Alex Warren and Terema Wainwright


NYC
I can't believe it's five years since Alex Warren and Terema Wainwright showed up how po faced American Rhythm and Beat artists Alicia Keys and Jay Zed were when this excellent parody of New York State of Mind caused them such anguish that it kept getting taken town from Youtube. Obviously it has now stayed and wouldn't it be better to acknowledge that this is funny and not offensive. It even spawned an excellent BBC take on it featuring lots of stars WITH a sens of humour for Children in need and Goldie Lookin' Chain even produced a reply to it.

Right that's all I'm posting but you've got three great videos to watch.

Have a brilliant Thursday and go and hug somebody.

Goldie Lookin' Chain 


Children In Need:


Wednesday 18 November 2015

It's Wednesday Smile and Give Someone A Hug - #53 - 2009 - Beyonce - Single Ladies


It's Wednesday and the week has been interesting so far , and I'm sure it may get more interesting. I working on a website which is in fledgling state here about Codonopsis which has a lot of information about the various strains of the plant . There is a lot of information on there and now I am loading the pictures up there. Summer has finally left us and it's cold and wet , so go out and give somebody a cuddle and a hug , that'll keep you both warm and make you feel much better.

Put A Ring On It
The musical Odyssey has it's end in sight and reaches year 53 , 2009 and I've chosen Singles Ladies by Beyonce which , in my opinion is her fines song just because it doesn't conform to the standard song construct yes is still both listenable , a great pop song , and threatening.

Have a great day and make sure you have a smile on your face, Be Happy.

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Is Music Getting Worse? - #52 - 2008 - Utah Saints - Something Good 08


Most of the the musical Odyssey songs have been chosen from the top 100 singles in the UK for that year., but in 2007 and 2008 I have run into a musical brick wall. Don't get me wrong I know that loads of great music was about in these years but these blog posts are written to give a feeling of spontaneity . If you have to research what you like you have a bit of a problem. I do have something special for 2011 if my mind remembers. Music is not getting worse but the cjarts are definitely not looking too good .

I Love Kate
So trawling through 2008 and  I saw this remix from the 90's which includes a Kate Bush sample Cloudbusting (my favourite Kate Bush song)  , which I always thought was called Cloudbursting , but what do I know. Anyway The Utah Saints Something Good is always worth a listen
from

Have a brilliant Tuesday everyone and buy my ebook when it comes out probably about January.

Monday 16 November 2015

The Next Thousand - #51 - 2007 - Regina Spektor - Fidelity


Good Music in 2007
Well this is post 1001 and it's Monday morning . The weather is grey and windy but I amds ure the week will be another good one. However 2007 is the first time I've been almost unable to find a song for that year. It's taken me quarter of an hour to find something that fit's my criteria because frankly most of the music in 2007 was pretty inane and rubbish . Please feel free to put me right on this.

For the Odyssey, year #51 we reach 2007 and I finally found the gorgeous Fidelity by Regina Spektor. As I say there is always good music around , sometimes you just have to look a little harder.

Have a brilliant Monday everyone.

Sunday 15 November 2015

The Millenium Post - #50 - 2006 - Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes


This is the thousandth post , that's one thousand times I've written something to put on here. On thousand times something has fallen out of my brain to fall through my fingertips via my computer keyboard to hit the screen for you to read  now. I've tried blogging by phone , I believe there is one post that I put on completely via voice input on one of my phones. Since I started this I've learned lots , met lots of new friends , been all around this country but essentially not left the UK shoreline apart from the odd trip to Ireland. I do like writing and sometimes it meanders aimlessly but sometimes great things come out of it. Sometimes it's a one liner an observation or something more. I take inspiration from lots of things . The letters A F J K L are special and inspirational to me.

1000

I've have 97 thousand page views that means every thing I write gets seen my nearly a hundred people and maybe robots. The most read piece is an appalling piece about Lion Poo . The one I would linke to be high up is the one with the Christopher Lee video , the now sadly missed great man.

I know this is a bit of a retrospective and I need to look forward as well as back . I have never stood still and always want to experience new thing sand meet new people , but also enjoy being unpressured.

I started this blog of with travel in mind hence the Seven Days In motif , but it soon became a way of recording and remembering things that caught my mind and someone pointed out that they thought it was Seven Day Sin knowing my reputation (some reputation of which I am totally unaware, I was brought up by Jesuits and  I am a very good person)

Anyway I think there was a band called called Seven Day Sin but I cant find any trace of them any more

The song that I am going to choose for the Millennium Post is The Clash's White Man In Hammersmith Palais , just because I love it so much. This isn't part of the Oddysey that comes in Part 2 put this is a truly monumental song.

So that's it

1000

What next , will I hit ten thousand ? Probably not , but I am determined to keep writing and have an absolutely brilliant time.

Right that's the main part of the post here's the next installment in The Odyssey:


This is proof that that there is always brilliant music around whatever the year is. It may scare you that this is almost ten years old . So year 50 in 2006 brings us to Steady As She Goes By The Raconteurs. Brilliant stuff.

Have a brilliant Sunday afternoon everyone.

Don't Be Sad Be Happy - ONE - #49 - 2005 - Jem - They


Hello , hope your Sunday is going well , though its just coming up to 9 am here. The weather is very grey , not raining but it has been. I want to do something positive today , something just to make me feel good. This is my 999th post on this blog , the next one will be the thousandth, and the music choice will be limited by the year , and it would be nice to have something positive to report.

It is too easy to fall into lethargy and to look for things to complain about, but there is so much to actually do and discover I don't one to be in that position , however the current weather is one that brings on the seasonal affective disorder (SAD) also known as Winter Depression , and I know if the sun were shining I would feel differently , so I am going to look for sunshine in one form or another and if you feel a little down then do the same . Even going for a walk can help , phone or meet a friend , talking to people is great fun too.

Anyway I will post the thousand the post this evening rather than rush it tomorrow morning. The song will be from 2006 , that is the only certainty.

Homer Did It First
In the musical Odyssey we have reached year 49. The choices have been fairly arbitrary , apart from the fact that every song on the journey is one that I love and They by Jem is no different almost ghostly in it's sound , sounding at first quite normal but with an unknown edge of menace . I don't know if that's what she meant but nearly ten years on it has lost not of it's pull for me.


Have a brilliant Sunday and do something to make you smile. I definitely will do and will be thinking of you , all my friends spread across Australia , New Zealand , Italy , Africa, the USA , Brazil , and of course UK.