Thursday 6 June 2013

Life is just a TLA and Iron Maiden

It's the sixth of June already. We're half way through 2013. Another work day. And need a piece of music for today's June's Tunes. It's funny how sunny weather is quite uplifting but when it's grey you can easily feel down . It that what they call SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder) . Yesterday I was told I may have had a TIA , and the doctor spoke as though I should have known what he meant . It's a sort of mini - stroke that leaves little or no trace barring the damage it does. So in theory you could have one and not be aware of it. TIA stands for Transient Ischaemic Attack which would have disturbed me even more if he'd come out with that !

Still it's just another TLA (Three Letter Acronym) , anyway here's today's tune ,ad it's the sixth we'll go for Iron Maiden's 666 - The Number Of The Beast:


 
 
Oh by the way Maiden England are playing The Doll at The Black Bull soon . Check here for details.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Trailing Spaces and TIA

Whenever you parse a string in any programming language you should usually exclude trailing or leading spaces. This is because usually they have been but there accidentally, It means that comparisons will fail if you do not remove the spaces.This has happened four times to me today on web forms.

It's amazing how many basic rules seem to have been thrown out of the window with the new programming regimes . Fast and cheap , standards gone , and we have to live with it.

In other news com back from hospital with the news that they think I've had a TIA except I still cant use my little finger properly. So it looks like its just going to be a long slog to regain the use of it once more , either that or I stick to playing bass!

Anyway today's tune for June  is The Hospital Song by 10CC , I'd forgotten how good this was :



Tuesday 4 June 2013

How Times Have (Not) Changed


In 1974 Robert Wyatt was at a party , possibly worse for wear , fell out of a window and broke his back and never walked again. Not good for a drummer . He didn't let it stop him and released this version of The Monkees' I'm A Believer on Richard Branson's fledgling Virgin label.

It was promoted by an appearance on Top Of The Pops , but some BBC manager decided that a guy in a wheelchair was too disturbing for the public and he wasn't allowed on again unless he sat on a normal chair. Nice treatment of people who have to use a wheelchair then.

Anyway the record is brilliant and it may get you into Robert Wyatt. The follow up to this was Chris Andrews' "Yesterday Man" , and hopefully everybody has heard his wonderful rendition of Elvis Costellos Shipbuilding.

Rant over and hopefully the BBC are different now (but probably not).

The Moon In June



This was one of the songs that I had down for the June's Tunes. Obviously it could be used any day , but less obviously it is probably a tune most of you don't know. Always loved Soft Machine , but lots of you will know Karl Jenkins and maybe even Robert Wyatt - banned from performing on top of the pops because he was in a wheelchair and it might disturb sensitive viewers. He actually was on once with a stellar backing band featuring Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) , Fred Frith (Henry Cow) and may others when he covered The Monkee's I'm a Believer . It may actually be already on this blog (check the Robert Wyatt tags). Oops it's not but I will actually post about it soon.

Anyway summer is still with us and is likely to be here all week.

Happy days

Monday 3 June 2013

On The Third Day ....

.. and that's the name of an Electric Light Orchestra album (when they were good) . Today the computer decided not to start and the burglar alarm decided to just play silly buggers. The weather is still good , in fact very hot , so summer looks like it's here.

For the June's Tunes I want to get away from the numbers but also want to have the Bob Dorough original of Three (Is a Magic) number. I have 30 days to go for more obscure stuff , so I will actually go for it. I first heard it on an excellent Blue Note sampler.

Incidentally Roy Wood formed the Elelectric Light Orchestra because he wanted to continue the musical direction taken by the Beatles on Strawberry Fields. Whether he was successful you can judge for yourself but Roy Wood left after the first album leaving Jeff Lynne to produce some excellent stuff while Wood went off and formed Wizzard as well as producing a great body of solo work.

Anyway here's Bob......

Sunday 2 June 2013

Two To Know



Today its the second of June and was thinking of something to do with the day for the June's Tunes task , and my first thought was Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground , well actually it wasn't , it was U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday , both fine songs but I am trying to keep off the obvious track , and for some reason Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne" came to mind.

The reason for it is the phrase "Two Too Know" , which actually found its way into the Oxford Book of Fine Verse , despite the song being controversial as it was about a man who's "strange hobby " was stealing ladies underwear from washing lines at night for his own nefarious purposes. The wiki link is here.


Anyway in the rest of the news , the weather is good , and I way have a wander along to day two of the Green Festival as the weather is gorgeous again. Just realized over the last two weeks the weather has been gorgeous over the weekends and rubbish during the week , just what you want for any normal person.

Saturday 1 June 2013

Junes Tunes

Last year I did "A Post A Day In May". This year for every day in June I will post a song that bears some relation to that day. It be the day , the date or something relating to it. I may do a full Grooveshark playlist at the end , although I may also try it on Deezer to compare the two.

This week has been semi eventful . I finally got a new Windows 7 computer delivered , but it turns out it's Windows 8 . I have then reinstalled most of the software on the new box , the hardest being the POP3 Email of Thunderbird , but that is all done now, The computer is up , running and behaving.

I entered my Dark Side Of The Moon representation on the EE Facebook page  to win a Glastonbury Ticket which I would give away if I won it.

And today I went to the Green Festival and saw the excellent Too Spicy , who I will write up on the Spoongig site.

Anyway todays June's Tune is  "One Fine Day" by The Chiffons.