He actually lives near my sister now. She used to be the local post mistress and look after his cats every now and again! I can confirm he is still a very charming man...
It looks like someone started to make small bundles then after a while thought ahh **** this , and threw them into boxes to get rid
Not so long ago I was looking for a version of Catherine Howard on Youtube (because of reasons). One version that came up was from a programme called Gastank (1982/83) and it was rather good, live and slightly different from the original. My main point is that I had no memory of Gastank, which was hosted by Wakeman and appears to have consisted only of six episodes. The song is introduced by someone who I think is Tony Ashton, who doesn't seem in great shape to say the least. Gastank looks like just the sort of thing I would have loved at the time. Saw more of them on Youtube and they were really good, but I can't imagine how I missed them back then. There's a great bit in one of them where Suzi Quattro is a guest, and Rick interviews her and seems a bit enamored. Love a bit of prog. Incidentally nominate ELP's "Pirates" as one of the most bonkers tracks of all time.
Wakeman was a guest on Oscar Peterson's Piano Party in 1976. I remember Peterson being very impressed by his playing. I cannot find that episode, but interestingly I did find the one with Keith Emerson.
Tony Ashton of Aston ,Gardner and Dyke and Family fame he played in a lot of sessions with deep purple and his biggest hit was the "Resurrection Shuffle "he died in his mid 50s
The US up and coming band Trope, who supported The Pineapple Thief on their last European tour, have secured the services of drum God Gavin Harrison for their new album. Will be well worth a listen if half as good as their last output!
Funnily enough, as soon as I saw you mentioned Perfect Circle I thought of 'The Noose' Think I mentioned before that I saw Trope in Barcelona supporting TPT - well, it was an acoustic set of tracks just with girl singer and guitarist. Really talented - and the music is not bad either! . The last album that the linked track is from, Eleutheromania, is excellent.
Kanye West's latest inspiration is Varg Vikernes' solo project, Burzum. Why is that an issue? The bloke's a Nazi and a murderer. Varg, I mean. He specifically seems to be drawing inspiration from Burzum's prison years. Varg was locked up for stabbing a man to death, burning down churches and acquiring explosives. It's not the first time they've crossed paths, though. This track with Gucci Mane is from 2016 and features a Burzum sample almost continually:
RIP Mary Weiss, lead singer of The Shangri-La's. Of course, LOTP...but also the haunting 'Remember'. Along with her band mates, a pioneer for women in the music biz. I had no idea that she recorded a solo album (Dangerous Game) in 2006. I shall definitely give it a listen this weekend.
Friday night I paid a visit to Rough Trade West, basically the Rough Trade shop in Talbot Road, for Brown Horse's album launch for their debut LP Reservoir. The last time I was there was July 1988, ironically to play an acoustic set myself with the band I was with at the time and I'd forgotten just how tiny it is. Brown Horse were amazing and considering that Patrick was singing without any amplification the sound mix was incredible. If anyone's interested in a bit of country rock they've got a tour coming up to promote the release. I've got my tickets for the Shacklewell Arms gig in Dalston in March and frankly I can't wait. They come thoroughly recommended!
News that Pluto Shervington has departed us. The gift of lyrics that were both eloquent and amusing in equal measure. Rest easy, sir. The proverb referenced so often in title and lyrics, but the most literal (and greatest) rendition in Jamaican music :
Absolutely love the track Dat , I heard him interviewed on the David Rodigan show , charming man, RIP
As stories of his failing health grow ever stronger, it's worth remembering that the guy who so polarised opinion as a member of Genesis and as one of the most successful solo artists of all time, was at heart a ****ing awesome drummer! Some of his best work was probably with jazz fusion band Brand X (especially the debut album Unorthodox Behaviour), but I was lucky enough to witness a few of these duets with Chester Thompson over the years - including this one, during Genesis' 5 night sell out of Wembley Stadium in '87. I'd forgotten just how big they were back then!
