Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Monday 3 May 2021

Writing on Vocal

When I saw the ads for Vocal , I was a bit wary although my interest was piqued. It posited that you would become more disciplined with your writing and therefore be able to write better and more often and maybe even get paid for it. Anything that says you can make money is another red flag, very often the first thing that happens is that you are asked for money, then you don’t make enough to cover what you have paid out and the only people who profit are the people that you have paid.


Vocal allows you to join and post for free and receive rewards but for $10 a month you get significantly improved rewards plus extras such as free entry to paid writing competitions where you can win up to $1,000 which is fairly tempting.


I am still on the free pass seeing if I can potentially start making money from this platform.


One of the main benefits is that your pieces are exposed to the membership and you are rewarded when they read them and that in turn makes you want to write more.


This year I was intending to cut back on my blog writing , but since I joined Vocal I have posted about 15 pieces since I started on the 18th of April.


Prior to joining I would write on my blog, each post being around 250-300 words, but Vocal requires a minimum of 600 words for an article so that is something that I need to be aware of when I am writing.


This was my first ever blog post on sevendaysin.co.uk on 18th February 2007:


Hello

This is just a start. Everyone seems to be blogging , so it’s just to set down some thoughts and observations.

 

The aim of the blog is to

  1. Tell you about my website

  2. Post articles on things

  3. Make comments on stuff that I've seen and heard”

So that was less than fifty words and for a long time I thought that was acceptable. 

Eventually it grew and my posts were usually directly into the blogger but with Vocal I realised I needed a new discipline , which I am following as I write this.

I tried actually dictating my posts but this required so much post editing and formatting , any time I saved, was lost getting the post into an acceptable format.

Next I thought I would use Microsoft Word so I could see a word count as I typed but it seemed slow and cumbersome to create the posts. I also like to include links to relevant products and an appropriate music video , as music is probably my most indulged with hobby as you would know if you follow my Instagram or Twitter channels @mikeydred96.

As I type this I am listening to a “Best Of” Spooky Tooth. Music often makes words flow from my fingertips and certainly makes writing easier, but others may prefer quiet.

Although isolation is best for writing , you cannot be totally isolated in life otherwise it is unlikely you could write about anything.

Even if you are writing fiction you need some form of inspiration , a Muse , contact and experience. These all provide inspiration for what you are going to put on your electronic page.

We are in a far better place for creativity than ever before. I am writing this using free online software and publishing on a free platform where others can read for free. 

Even if I didn't have a home and computer I could use a local library to put this together. That probably wouldn’t have been an option even ten years ago , although to be honest we could have done it as I have been blogging since 2007.

Google Docs, which I am using to write this while listening to “I Am The Walrus” by Spooky Tooth,  has a lot of helpful tools to make your writing easier , and the document is stored online so you can find it anywhere and it has just let me know I have it 675 words which is more than I need to actually submit this for publication on Vocal.

This is another thing , I would nether have thought about writing about writing before I joined Vocal, so it has instilled a bit of discipline in me that I don’t think I had before.

So I will finish this by sharing “The Weight” written by Robbie Robertson for The Band , covered by Smith on the “Easy Rider” soundtrack album but this cover is by Spooky Tooth.

Enjoy your day


Sunday 25 April 2021

Sleep , Creativity and Little Feat

 I have a bit of a headache , it’s half an hour after midnight , so I’m just into Sunday morning but I feel that I need to write something. I sort of feel if I don;t write then I lose something and I can always lie in tomorrow, I don’t have to get up for work until Monday.


Writing articles for Vocal has changed the way I do my writing. I used to just write to my blog and wasn’t too bothered on how much I was writing. I mainly wanted to record stuff that I wanted to remember and may , one day , to go back to.Then I started on Vocal and realised I wanted to share my writing on my blog  (Sevendaysin.co.uk) as well as on Vocal , although the platforms require slightly different formatting.


Basically I need a basic text format which I can then paste into the platform I am posting on and then add the required enhancements in links and video additions , to give the reader a fuller experience, with sound and vision.


Publication on Vocal is fairly quick , and the categorise it so it is in the correct area for Vocal and external readers. My own blog is instantly published because I fully control it , but it is relatively self contained.


I have learned how to fully enhance the Vocal posts which I think will be very good going forward and I have already posted seven times and this will be my eighth. So much for me not posting as much this year as I have done previously. Mt first Vocal post was on the 17th of April and it;s now the 25th of April  so that is one a day.


I did try actually using my phone (a Google Pixel 2XL) to record my voice and convert to text to post but that did require a hell of a lot of editing , but is great for capturing ideas. So I am just using that fairly sparingly.


This week my music listening has involved a couple of the Rhino original album series featuring the first five albums from Little Feat and Th eIncredible String Band. These album set retail at about £12 for five albums in replica album sleeves (or did when they were released) and are wonderful to listen to in my CD player while I work.


The Little Feat box is a stunning listen and there is not skipping of songs, although the albums are quite short. I then noticed an Amazon Documentary on Lowell George which affirmed everything I thought about Little Feat, but expanded my knowledge including George’s sting with The Standells and Frank Zappa, and well as displaying and explaining his excellent slide guitar technique which he used a spark plug puller rather than a glass bottleneck for.


The music speaks for itself and sounds as fresh today as when it first came out. 


Good music never dates.


I followed this up with five Incredible String Band albums culminating in “Wee Tam” and ”The Big Huge” . Their sound is an otherworldly folk which would not have sounded out of place in “The Wicker Man”. Robin Williamson and Mike Heron are very special talents and if you surrender yourself to their music you will go on some amazing mental excursions. 


The great thing about having these album sets it that I can listen to them almost at will.


They are just a few of many that I have but they are definitely worth time and effort to track down , listen to and enjoy.


I can now include videos and album links for you to follow and discover more about these absolutely amazing bands.

Also I do find it amazing that word processing software can point out when you have made grammatical errors. We are always getting more help when we want to be creative.


It is now one o’clock so time to publish


Friday 31 July 2020

CDVSDJ


When I work in the office I do not listen to music or podcasts because I think it's courteous to be available to my work colleagues. At home it's different, I always have noise on which falls into the following groups:


  • CDs - Currently working my way through my box sets
  • 6Music - My goto radio station
  • BBC Sounds - For Sound Mixes , Programs I've missed and podcasts

Each one has it's own benefits and drawbacks . When you listen to your own music collection you have the choice of what is played , with options to repeat or skip.

BBC Sounds is slightly similar in that you can stop and fast forward, switch and pause, although you do need to be able to stream or download what you need to listen to.

Radio is similar to sounds except that it's live and with both you can discover new music (this happens a lot to me as I subscribe to the 95% is rubbish so look to find the 5% and there is always great music being produced).

So today I am currently listening to 6Music but will soon switch to may latest box , "Citizen" by Steely Dan which I didn't get round to yesterday, and will be fine for this sunny Friday , so I will share "Sail The Waterway" the other Steely Dan song that is not officially available in any digital format, apart from Youtube.

I have decided to go with #AnimalAugust in which every song I post this august will be in some way animal related , either in th eband name , the song name or something closely related like the record label. I should be able to do that.

Saturday 28 March 2020

No Future


This is not as negative as the title might sound and is an excuse to share the Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" from which I extracted the title of this post. When I first heard the Sex Pistols I was sort of disappointed because they were more heavy metal than punk though that also might be down to having decent production

This is about the situation we find ourselves in with the lockdown. Normally we have something we have to do , and something we look forward to , like seeing people at work and socially , going to town , for some people shopping, everything is something to look forward to, but the lockdown has stopped a hell of a lot of that.

I am lucky enough to work from home and make random Teams calls to people to maintain sociability , but if your work is closed down you may suddenly lose a huge amount of social contact. We often think that the people we work with are just co workers but they are often friends and do provide social interaction and friendship as well , giving us something to look forward to.

Luckily I live in Fenham , Newcastle which has wide roads, wide footpaths , parks , green areas like the Town Moor which enables me to get out and walk while maintaining social distancing.

Today I went to the local Boots to pick up a prescription, but it took me well over an hour in freezing conditions. I was worried I was going to collapse the cold was so bad.  The other thing I hadn't thought a bout was there were two vapers spewing out their smoke over everyone behind them in the queue. They complainingly desisted when me and another guy told them they could be infecting everyone  their smoke / vapour hit. Smoking and Vaping is OK as long as you don't breathe it on anyone else.

The thing is you need something to look forward to. We have phones , social media, and an unfeasible amount of TV choice. Then there's books and music.

So we can give ourselves new things to look forward to , however small, something to look forward to is something worth having. There are still people who seem to relish things going wrong and telling you you must be miserable because things will only get worse, but I do not subscribe to that.

Although things will change, we can slightly change our goals and look forward to a bright future when we come out the other side.

So find something you like to look forward to. Enjoy your Saturday.

Monday 31 December 2018

Possibly Last Post Quiet


Walking to work this morning was very quiet, almost deathly silent. I wasn't sure whether there were any buses running until I hit the third bus stop and there were people waiting and then a bus went in the other direction.

It is New Year's Eve so most people will be getting ready for parties and socia;lising and joining together, but through laziness and apathy I wont be. I find a lot of gathering become very cliquey and if you are not in with a group of people then you get the worst kind of loneliness , the one of being the outsider in a crowd of revellers.

There are times where you just want to be alone and I wouldn't expect anyone to be bothered on my behalf because it's my choice to stay away.

This also gives me a chance to catch up on films and TV and to read and to record things on this here blog although I think there are maybe half a dozen people who read it now, but even when the vistor numbers flatline I will keep on writing because essentially this is for me and it is under my control.

There is also a chance I will do a last last post before midnight hits and then we start of 2019, which is another year of opportunity for some, and hopefully we can become a more caring society.

We have seen HMV going under again and find it ironic that people bemoan that kids will never know the joy of browsing for records. The fact is HMV is a chain and when it held power it looked to to take out the competition, especially small local independents. I find it ironic that lots of people who are involved in local and independent business (especially arts and music) who are bemoaning this but suddenly become blind to local music shops and venues, preferring chains, Spotify and big venues.

It's like saying I'll never be able to watch comedy again because Michael McIntyre is no longer touring. When your choice of product is narrowed to the ones all over the media it destroys the grassroots.

I'm sorry if this seems a bit ranty but a perferct piece of music for this is The Mekons "Where Were You?" which probably applies to most of us in most situations.

So if this is my last post for 2018 Happy New Year.



Saturday 17 November 2018

Music IS a Drug


Today I listened to Pink Floyd's "A Saucerful of Secrets" and followed that up with XTC's "Mummer" and when "Beating of Hearts" came on I thought wow this is so good, I want more. I had been going thru "A Saucerful of Secrets" thinking how sinister and disturbing "Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun" and getting lost in the three part soundscape of the title track, and the songs that close each side "Corporal Clegg" half comedy/half tragedy and Syd Barrett's farewell appearance with the band "Jugband Blues" which seems an almost cut and paste effort but sad realising the burnt out genius that this was showing us, and still is. Evering song is like a pill that makes you want another.

I think "Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun" and the title track on "A Saucerful of Secrets"are absolutely excellent but they are improved on in the live versions on the album "Ummagumma". I remember going into a shop that sold records at Lane Ends in Preston and the hipster salesperson told me they didn't sell singles!! I never darkened their door again.

Someone once described Ramones songs as like Smarties, you cant have just one you have to have lots.

So onto "Mummer" and "Beating of Hearts" which when you listen on headphones you get the low frequency hit after Andy Partridge sings "Louder Than Bombers In Flight" every time, you know it's coming, and eventually it finishes and you want the next one "Wonderland" and interlude before the single "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" and it continues on and you enjoy every moment.

I definitely could not be without music, even when I have nothing to play or not player or musical instrument handy, it's still there in my head, sometimes songs and pieces I know, sometimes things I want to rediscover.

I just felt I had to put this down here, before I go and sort out my tea, it was just an idea or a concept and it's an excuse to share this incredible XTC song. Have a great Saturday Night everybody.


Tuesday 22 May 2018

Anvil Music


Twenty pages into to Simon Singh's "Fermat's Last Theorem" and I'm finding out how Pythagoras determined the principles of music based on mathematics with the helm of a couple of blacksmithsand the simple defintion of perfect numbers and the spin offs from that. This is twenty pages in. Three hundred pages to go. Will I finish it? You bet I will, I just finished Bob Dylan's "Tarantula" so any book directly after that will be a breeze.

I think everyone should take a stab at "Tarantula" and try to avoid throwing it through the window or lighting a fire with it. I enjoyed the dense but sparse volume.

Yesterday I was feeling extremely demotivated, not wanting to work, walk or do anything, feeling in a very black mood for some reason. Today I tasked byself with some hefty mathematical work and it ended up taking most of the day pushing my PC way over the edge of it's capabilities but eventually getting what I wanted in the end.

Then I felt like actually setting up some meetings o sort some improvements to working practices. The problem is that very often things are not a one off and have to be maintained, and most people are not really interested in aftercare.

Any way given all the talk of music and anvils we can only have Steve'n'Seagulls' cover of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck". Watch the video and you know why.

Good night and God Bless. 


Saturday 17 September 2016

The Limit


Yesterday and today I have played a lot of vinyl on my GPO turntable, you can see a few posts on my Instagram Channel here . Music playing has sort of evolved , my own take on it is here , but while I sometimes use Youtube and did use Grooveshark , I am not a fan of streaming services. Radio stations are good because there is human intervention. Digital storage is convenient when you are on the move , but it can become background music.

I'll Be Bach
Vinyl requires your attention, I have just listened to Wah Heat!'s "Seven Minutes To Midnight" and Holly Johnson's "Americanos" and now I have "The Moog Strikes Bach" by HansWurman playing . All of these records required more than the touch of a button to play , and it's a joy to see the vinyl spinning. You don't get that with CD or digital (although I am playing it through a digital soundbar and I do rip vinyl through the GPO deck to digital, but that is just for stuff that is not available digitally. It does amaze me the number of glaring omissions still not available digitally.



 


But this is the limit I mentioned in the title, after three minutes I may have to change the record, put it back in it's sleeve , get another one out and put it on the turntable. This is while I am typing this out. You have to give the vinyl your attention.

So I have to get on today, and as Prince Buster left us I am leaving you with his rendition of Judge Dread on vinyl on Blue Beat.

Time to go and do my stuff now, but playing vinyl is therapeutic and enjoyable.

Still Looking For My Swirly Vertigo Vinyl


Sunday 4 September 2016

It's Over

Thrills
The weekend is finished and it's time for work, or will be in a few hours. It's been an odd one for me, not really done much but I have rested, watched catch up TV and read quite a lot and written a few blog posts.

I had a rearrangement of my music and discovered a couple of effective duplicate CDs , Best Ofs The Faces and ELP , plus Janis Joplin's Pearl and Big Brother and The Holding Company's Cheap Thrills , all class albums but you only need one copy and the purchases of some excellent box sets have made them redundant.





I think I got the Joplin stuff from Music Zone in The Metro Centre , a now defunct music emporium, but we are lucky to have a decent number of music shops in Newcastle.


Anyway I will be dropping by a charity shop this week unless any of my friends want to improve their music collection and it's given me a chance to include The Faces That's All You Need , one of my favourite slide driven songs ever.

Sleep well my friends and have a brilliant week.


Tuesday 6 October 2015

Back To Work #6 - 1962 - Dave Brubeck Unsquare Dance


Well today it's back to work , feels like autumn / winter . It's dark and rainy and doesn't do much for making you feel good. But I am gonna put on a happy face , find things to do including so holiday ket to treat my co workers and gonna have a great day. It may be a long one and run into my Music Quiz and the Tyneside Bar and Cafe where I may be in a team of 1 !

Back To Work
I've chosen Dave Brubeck's Unsquare Dance , because although I was completely unaware of it at the the time , being that progressive jazz rubbish , this is a piece I have come to love over the years due it's weird seeming timing and being just rather excellent. I found this wonderful version with the LSO so had to share didn't I?

Monday 15 June 2015

Why Pay For Music?


For years people have said this to me, and now there's a generation that has grown believing you shouldn't have to pay for music , films or anything really. It's a sad situation and a lot of it was casued by the greed of the already rich , when they saw how they could rip off their fans with the advent of CD (Elton John and Metallica I'm pointing the finger firmly at you). Also a little at Led Zeppelin with yet another round of remasters.

When music became digitally copyable (Is that a word) , it was the first time that everyday media could be stolen over and over again. Taping from the radio was always subject to interference and copying from vinyl had to be done in real time. But ......

Just because you can do something doesn't make it right ....

And just because a band is playing in a pub you shouldn't expect it to be free.

There's costs involved , they equipment , getting there , fuel and the graft put into to learning the music.

As for CDs , while recording can be done relatively cheaply and with digital distribution you don't need to risk a costly run of music that may not sell.

Spotify is not a good model for artists as it's based on a pay per play basis , so new artists , at the best, will just get exposure.

And this is what it means, every time you don't pay for something you are effectively shoplifting if
you don't have permission to take that item. Some artists give away their music and make their profit by charging a modest ten or twenty pounds for a gig . I have recently seen Nadine Shah and Du Blonde playing less than a tenner for tickets , having a brilliant night , and I bought their records too. In my small way keeping these people going. So this is really like the opening scene to Reservoir Dogs where the guy won't tip the waitress and the other guys take him to task, I'm one of the other guys.

So if you want to support music , get down to your record shop and buy some records, and get to see a band and pay to see them.

Would you work for nothing ? I think not ... so support music .

I thought the Smiths song was appropriate for this post.

Thursday 5 March 2015

There's Always New Music To Discover and Rediscover - It's A Pleasure

Father and Son
Despite my age I seem to be always find new music to enjoy, reminded of this by a conversation I had this morning, and sometimes those things are new and sometimes they may have been around for longer than you thought.

Music always has the ability to delight and surprise , challenge and lift your spirits.








It's A Pleasure

The case in point is Baxter Dury , son of Ian Dury. You can hear his fathers mannerisms in his voice , but he has been making albums for over ten years. Given his age this isn't a surprise , but I'm quite amazed that he managed to slip under my radar, and I am a husge fan of his fathers music. Anyway after listening to the new album "It's A Pleasure" the whole of his back catalogue is on it's way to my door.

Similarly a couple of weeks I saw Man Made , fronted by Johnny Marr's son Nile. Talent obviously does run in a lot of families





Another record I bought was a best of John Mellencamp , who's done a lot of excellent blue collar rock , although I also have a sneaking liking for R.O.C.K. In The USA , he's one the artists like Chris Rea who broke free of the MOR machine shackles to plough a worthy musical furrow.

Anyway the song I have to leave you is Baxter Dury's live take of It's A Pleasure , hopefully it will persuade you that buying the album is a good idea:



Wednesday 9 July 2014

What Should I Say? - The Red Book!




There weather's nice and there is nothing much happening , so whatever occurs in thi spost is just going to be a stream of consciousness outpouring inspired by "The Red Book" by The Penguin Cafe now being steered by Arthur Jeffes son of the sadly missed Simon Jeffes. The music is unmistakably Penguin Cafe and is absolutely joyful and awesome at the same time.

Always loved this music somewhere is an alternate universe between instrumental folk , classical and somewhere else , recalling Terry Riley and Michael Nyman in it's use of simple repeated motifs to build a complex and beautiful tune. How pretentious does that sound , but it is very good and would an enhancement to anybody's music collection.

So I did't know what i was going to write about and end up writing about the CD that I'm listening to to give me some inspiration so that I can actually write a blog post. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing but I've done it now and I am thoroughly enjoying the album.

Here's a description of the album from Amazon:

Product Description:

The Red Book
The catalyst for the new recording came about when Arthur Jeffes worked on a project with the International Space Orchestra and NASA Ames in 2012, out of which came the pieces Aurora and 1420, which have since been beamed into space as part of NASA's Kepler project. These touchstones marked a 'satellitic' beginning for a new album, a collection of songs that would then return to earth to undertake a rich, cross-continental, musical journey.




Arthur Jeffes explains:

 "The intention was really to create musical pictures and colourful soundscapes, channelling music and traditions from around the globe, but then possibly set through a more English filter. The first album, I think, was about establishing our own sound and identity, dusting out and re-opening the Cafe so to speak, but with The Red Book I think this is a grand new departure and ambition to sonically chart an imagined journey through the world and across the globe. I guess this would be the map of that idea."

Do you know why albums are called albums, it's because when sheet music was sold , collections of tune were sold collectively in physical albums and the name stuck.

Anyway hope you are loving the brilliant weather and enjoying the opportunity to relax, we are half way through the working week now, unless you are a teacher and we know for them the work never stops, you should a

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Forgetfulness and Elton John



A friend told me that Elton John has a film showing at the moment, with only two showings only at selected cinemas. An interesting strategy, but I do think that the showing of concerts and other live (even though they may actually be recorded)  events at cinemas enables people who couldn't get to or afford the actual event to experience it. In Britain a lot of plays and operas are done with cinema simulcasts.

Incidentally Elton John appears in one of my favourite Orange adverts which I have to include below at the dawn of  3G.



Always makes me smile, then , as everyone knows I can be very forgetful. The benefit of this is that you can re read and enjoy books and rewatch films, and I was wondering what I should read next and then remembered I bought a pile of books while I was on my last holiday, so I think one of those will be accompanying me to work today.

It's frosty outside, but the sun is out and it looks another gorgeous day. So have a great day everybody.

Sunday 9 February 2014

Always Have The Sound Of Music Around You


I've thought, sometimes when the house or work is quiet, it is always made better by some form of sound, usually music. So when I'm reading on the train I have music playing , and when I used to work from home I always had the radio on or some other music playing. I do believe in an office you shouldn't be listening to music as people may want to speak to you and it's rude and unprofessional not to be available. I quite often have to ask people if they're on a call or not. I only listen to music when I'm on my own , and if someone phones me I can pause , switch off and give my full attention.

Music and sound is a wonderful , wide ranging experience  that definitely can benefit you in seemingly intangible ways. Also picking up a musical instrument is uplifting as well, actually producing music of your own.

I found this footage of the brilliant Blair Dunlop covering the wonderful Richard Thompson, two fantastic guitarists I've had the pleasure to see live a few times.

Anyway enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Music Is A Roundabout



I haven't bought a CD this year, not because of any particular reason but I've not had the opportunity. This weekend I'm in Whitby and there are two record shops there so the chances are I may pick up something there.

I was checking the new releases and it's amazing the longevity of some bands and musical collectives. In the fifties and sixties artists would have some singles with an aim to becoming an "entertainer" such as Bruce Forsyth or Des O'Connor, they've both made a few albums as well.

I noticed a new Penguin Cafe album, the band now fronted by Arthur Jeffes , eon of Simon who sadly died and bands didn't , as the Who suggested, "die before they got old".

Som bands stay there , new bands join and old ones drop off, but the composure of the musical roundabout is forever changing. People often look to their youth and stick with that, and if it makes you happy then that's fine. I go with the premise that 95% is rubbish ,, but the 5% is still a hefty chuck of decent music to get your teeth into.

I thought The Longpigs "On and On" was appropriate for this post. Oh and I checked that link and there is an excellent looking compilation available.

Have a fantastic day everybody.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Walking On Sunshine



Yes I know it's pouring down , wet , cold and dark here , but it's always sunshining somewhere and it always will come back to you. For some reason this phrase has been going through my head. It's not that I'm a great fan of Katrina and The Waves, but I am a great fan of being positive and looking for the positives in situations and I know a lot of people who feel the same way as me, and they do really help to inspire me to write things like this.

Nothing comes to you for free, and you may have to work for things, but if you lay some foundations in one way or another then you will benefit from them eventually. It may be as simple as reading a book, planting some seeds , helping someone out or sending off that job application, any of those things can create a result that would not have happened if you had not taken that first step.

Anyway just sending out good wishes and positive thoughts to all my friends around the world , some having good times, some not quite as good , but all will benefit from their own positive actions.

As I say if you're feeling slightly down , pick up a phone and call a friend, watch a film , listen to some music , read some poetry. It will lift your spirit. I've included a song from my favourite Nazareth album for you to enjoy, just for you.....

I'm going to bed soon so all of you have a brilliant night,

Monday 28 October 2013

Be Happy and Enjoy Yourself



Today I found that there was an update to Windows 8 from Microsoft , so I applied it. It was asking to share lots of stuff , and while I like sharing lots of things with my friends, I a bit more reticent about sharing with faceless corporations. I still get slightly annoyed that my Google searches on my PC appear on my phone as well.

XTC Go 2
But this doesn't stop me enjoying myself, and taking delight in the good things that others show me, like new music from around the world , such as a good friend showing me a brilliant XTC album cover, for their second album the excellent Go 2.

Their back catalog is amazing and if you don't know the band you should really check them out.


Pete Burns


 

I bought the album from Probe Records in Liverpool served , probably by Pete Burns of Dead or Alive, a striking individual even then. He never insulted me , so he must have thought my purchases were at least acceptable.

Anyway, the thing is lots of great music can make you happy , and it makes me happy, and there's one song that I'm thinking of and it was one of my mums favourites. Everybody put a smile on your face, have a great night and a great day tomorrow.

Friday 18 October 2013

Sonic Wonders


Some of my favourite mood music are three albums I own by Beaver and Krause. I was intrigued to find a TED talk by Bernie Krause, and thought I would give it a try because the name sounded familiar. Bernie is a very very engaging speaker and gives and absorbing talk on the sounds of our world and how they can indicate the health or otherwise of localised ecosystems.

The talk had bme spellbound and have one of his albums playing at the moment, and it's amazing how much peace the sounds of the natural world can give you, whether it's for relaxation , meditation or otherwise. The music of the natural world.

I know this post is going to sound all new age, but I do believe it is far better to work together and in harmony than to try and further your aims through aggression. I love the sound and feel of rain as well as sunshine, I think that snow is wonderful and am happy in most sorts of weather.

Wonderful Sonics

Anyway I've included the talk, please do watch and maybe leave a comment. I was talking to a businessman on the train and he had never heard of TED but was extremely interested in what I told him and said he would check it out when he had biked home from Newcastle.

This is the start of my weekend which is a precursor to a week that will see me in London and Brighton, so I may or may not be active on here, but we shall see. Have a fantastic weekend and keep on being inspired and positive,

Sunday 13 October 2013

Picture Books



Hell everyone, I'm amazed that the number of views on this blog is about to hit 40,000. Most post get 50-100 views these days, so someone obviously reads it. Thank you to everyone that does.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered the art of Rebecca Cother and said that I'd put together a slideshow which you can watch above. I had a short musical motif going through my mind so played it in Garageband and used it as the soundtrack. It's very sparse and was thinking of Arvo Part's Spiegel Im Spiegel. I'm going to upload it to the various digital providers via Tunecore and will update the post at some future point.


So I hope you all enjoy the post , the slideshow and the music. Have a great Sunday everybody.