SELF PORTRAIT OF THE DAY

18TH MARCH

MOTHERING SUNDAY

SO I DID TWO! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Thoughts for The Day

Lovely sunny day here, so lets go outside to paraphrase George Michael (not something you'd normally do!? ED)

after what feels like a long if milder winter than last couple of years it is nice to feel the light on my face......not that I am known for my sun worship rather a vampire be...but the Light, THE LIGHT what joy!

Without it there would be no great photography like this.............

Gonna go listen to Keith Jarrett 'Remain in Light' and then go outside and clean my scooter (is that a euphemism? ED) Aaaah, the Spring when a young man's fancy etc etc....quite where that leaves this Ole Fogey remains to be seen but I still Dream....(Richard Thompson?ED)

I was mesmerised by the TV Keats and Fanny story last night 'Bright Star' with Ben Whishaw (brilliant!) and the tantalising Abbie Cornish and I found it spellbinding. Jane Campion wrote and directed so you knew it as going to be worth watching and came good from what felt like a shaky beginning (didn't think they got the tone or the setting quite right at first glance, something about the costumes but the acting and the vision were sublime).......reassures my faith in a fading media...well fading into dross largely......but this was magical.

Bright Star

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art--
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death. 

John Keats 1795-1821

What's it all about? I hear the sot & slattern beseech!?
Read this letter to Fanny and you will understand. 
Aaah, romantic love, bless them, both
 

My dearest Girl,
This moment I have set myself to copy some verses out fair.  I cannot proceed with any degree of content.  I must write you a line or two and see if that will assist in dismissing you from my Mind for ever so short a time.  Upon my Soul I can think of nothing else - The time is passed when I had power to advise and warn you again[s]t the unpromising morning of my Life - My love has made me selfish.  I cannot exist without you - I am forgetful of every thing but seeing you again - my Life seems to stop there - I see no further.  You have absorb'd me. I have a sensation at the present moment as though I was dissolving - I should be exquisitely miserable without the hope of soon seeing you.  I should be afraid to separate myself far from you.  My sweet Fanny, will your heart never change?  My love, will it?  I have no limit now to my love - You note came in just here - I cannot be happier away from you - 'T is richer than an Argosy of Pearles.  Do not threat me even in jest. I have been astonished that Men could die Martyrs for religion - I have shudder'd at it - I shudder no more - I could be martyr'd for my Religion - Love is my religion - I could die for that - I could die for you.  My Creed is Love and you are its only tenet - You have ravish'd me away by a Power I cannot resist: and yet I could resist till I saw you; and even since I have seen you I have endeavoured often "to reason against the reasons of my Love."  I can do that no more - the pain would be too great - My Love is selfish - I cannot breathe without you.
Yours for ever
John Keats

SELF PORTRAIT of The Day

24th March 2012

A Room For London 
(ARTANGEL)

Anyone spotted this? I found this courtesy of Artangel and really found myself moved beyond words....such creativity right on the river and surrounds....features Andrew Bird who I like very much and have several albums by. He is a wonder and seemingly cannot do anything but emit sounds and beautiful music as his very breath and also major domo David Byrne taking a suitably left field view of the sounds of our fair (huh, are you sure? ED) metropolis......wonderful life affirming stuff for a Spring Saturday morning
Check it here....they won't let me embed it but check it, you won't be sorry!
Andrew Bird - Sounds from a Room




David Byrne: Get It Away from Artangel on Vimeo.

Watched the Scorsese George Harrison film 'Living In The Material World' again on tele last night and it never fails to move me. The Beatles, as a group and individually, are very difficult for me to talk about, to put succinctly into words what I feel about them, like brothers we grew up together and we mourn(ed) their passing when John & George died. We loved each individually and appreciated the musical journey they took, and take, us on as a band. Thought I might post a compilation of George bootleg tracks but we'll see..... so here we go! For You Blue see below

We miss you little brother George, ......well, I miss you.......(own it, ED) and we are all the poorer for your passing, a light went out and that you are no longer in this material world saddens me but at least we have your music, both solo and your inestimable contribution to the Beatles music too............

artwork here
 Tracklisting:
Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees) (BBC Live)
Everybody's Tryin' To Be My Baby (BBC Live)
Take Good Care Of My Baby (NGCTW)
-One voice notably absent_ (BBC)
Roll over Beethoven (BBC)
If I Needed Someone (Alternate Rubber Soul)
Within You Without You (Alternate Sgt Pepper)
For You Blue  (NGCTW)
Bob Dylan - Something (Liverpool 2009)
Bob Dylan - Something (Performances 7)
Beatles - All Things Must Pass rehearsal (Song From The Past Vol5)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (White Album acoustic demo)
For You Blue (Glyn Johns Master)
Bob Dylan & George Harrison -Yesterday
 Travelling Wilburys radio commercial The Secret Tapes of Lucky Boo)
Travelling Wilburys - Handle With Care (no overdubs) (as above)
All Things Must Pass 1 (1969 Sessions)
All Things Must Pass 2 (NGCTW 4)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (NGCTW 3)
Only A Dream Away (soundtrack Time Bandits)

 As far as I can tell, all tracks not commercially available
.....anymore if at all.....
 if you know otherwise please inform me
and I will delete the offending item.   

Please trade freely - Note this compilation is Not For Sale

Concert for George - While My Guitar Gently Weeps


Joe Brown - Concert for George

The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea

"George himself is no mystery. But the mystery inside George is immense. It’s watching him uncover it all little by little that’s so damn interesting." John Lennon

Molehills out of Mountains (playlist)

New series - Self Portraits - I originally thought to try to do one drawing per day - was that possible?

Hadn't realised the Wilful Missing Folk had done the whole album as a playlist vid..........Here's my Album of The Year.............

Molehills out of Mountains (playlist)

THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED THIS WEEK

  (well today actually......)

Much of today's post comes from Big O who have posted a lovely Dylan from 1961 from a radio broadcast of the Carnegie Chapter Hall concerts.......

*

Rebekah Brooks and her husband, friend of the Prime Minister, Charlie, spent the day in the clink (well Banbury Police Station) having been arrested in early morning raids on their Oxfordshire home

Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.....think the cells will be full anytime now? Don't hold your breath!

 *

Billy Connolly can't draw but took it up on a trip to Canada so obviously has a show and a book no doubt...they are uniformly awful little doodles described as 'faceless, completely anonymous, seemingly devoid of any emotion or expression" and that's from his dealer! can't wait!

Limited edition prints available soon......yawn

*

a couple of years back

Restoration?

There is an awful hullabaloo about the restoration of Leonardo's 'The Last Supper' someone forgot, or overlooked, Christ's sleeeve and in the first place it appears to have been resting on the table and NOW it rests below the table. Dining etiquette aside, this is reported by Artwatch Director, M. Daley, as an astonishing discovery of his "that there may now be serious misrepresentation of Leonardo's final design"! Blimey! It's not as if ANY of the original work by Leonardo actually exists and the many copies over the years do it far more 'justice' than any attempt to restore it but hey, juss my opinion

A copy

OR

16 billion pixel version! Crap huh?

*

I get to like John Hamm more and more ( he of Mad Men fame and far too good-looking to be matey with the likes of me!) Quoted recently as saying about his 50's style lounge lizard good looks 

" I just don't even consider myself handsome. When I look in the mirror I see my goofy-assed self from when I was a kid" 

So do we brother John, so do we, but I suspect the laydeez see you somewhat differently!!

 Also, this brings to mind something he is reported as saying lately about fame

 

John Hamm said:

"We're at a place where the idea of being 'elite' is somehow considered a negative. Whether it's Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian or whoever, stupidity is certainly celebrated

"Being a fucking idiot is a valuable commodity in this culture because you're rewarded significantly. And incuriousness has become cool... It's celebrated. It doesn't make sense to me."                                                                                             "Incuriousness"?

Daniel and wife, Rachel Weisz, for purely gratuitous reasons

Which is a lot like that which Daniel Craig allegedly said upon hearing about Kim Kardashian appearing on TV with a supposed naked Yoga instructor
                     (Kim Kardashian....Who? ED)

"Look at the Kardashians, they’re worth millions. Millions! I don’t think they were that badly off to begin with but now look at them. You see that and you think, “What, you mean all I have to do is behave           like a fucking idiot on television and then you’ll pay me millions?’’         I’m not judging it.

        Well, I am, …….obviously.

        "There’s a lot to be said for keeping your own counsel. You can’t buy your privacy back."

I like them! Good chaps both............tell it like it is boys and keep on doing so - we rely on you!

Racel Weisz - Daniel Craig, lucky dog!

 Mind you I think the laydeez may think she's a lucky gal too

Can't see the attraction meself!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

More Seriously......

*

A mother of four jailed for "falsely retracting" rape allegations against her allegedly abusive husband has lost her bid to overturn her "unsafe" conviction for perverting the course of justice (there's a lot of it about. sic) The court said" it could not "quash a conviction on a broad, somewhat nebulous basis of unfairness where the conviction, following due process, is in every respect safe" The court upheld her conviction as there was no admissible evidence of duress. This is the woman who in an earlier hearing three judges were told that on top of serious persistent abuse including nine counts of rape, that her husband had forced her to work in a massage parlour providing sexual services for other men! 

No evidence of duress there then!

More seriously.......well a lot more seriously

REPORTS OF IRAQI YOUTHS BASHED TO DEATH FOR BEING 'EMOS'

Over 50 Iraqi youths, loosely described as "emos", have been killed by the country's conservative militia in recent months, human rights activists have reported. It is thought that the killings are in response to Iraq's interior ministry's declaration that regards the term "emo" as an indication of devil worship and homosexuality. Local reports have indicated that the death toll from the killings may be as high as 100, with a popular method of attack apparently consisting hitting the target over the head with a brick and repeating until they die. Another popular method reportedly involves taking the victims to the roof of a tall building and pushing them off.

CHURCH OF GOD'S LOVE PUTS PRESSURE ON ABUSE VICTIMS' GROUP

Lawyers for the Roman Catholic Church and priests accused of child sexual abuse in two Missouri cases have gone to court to compel an independent group to disclose more than two decades of e-mails that could include correspondence with victims, lawyers, whistle-blowers, witnesses, the police, prosecutors and journalists. The group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant in the litigation. But the group has been subpoenaed five times in recent months in Kansas City and St. Louis, and its national director, David Clohessy, was questioned by a battery of lawyers for more than six hours this year. A judge in Kansas City ruled that the network must comply because it "almost certainly" had information relevant to the case.

The network and its allies say the legal action is part of a campaign by the church to cripple an organization that has been the most visible defender of victims, and a relentless adversary, for more than two decades. "If there is one group that the higher-ups, the bishops, would like to see silenced," said Marci A. Hamilton, a law professor at Yeshiva University and an advocate for victims of clergy sex crimes, "it definitely would be SNAP. And that's what they're going after. They're trying to find a way to silence SNAP." The legal manoeuvres will likely sap SNAP's funds and leave them exhausted defending every legal challenge.

This tried and tested tactic of using the courts to sue one's opponents to bankruptcy was also used by the Church of Scientology very successfully against the Cult Awareness Network.

"If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also." - Jesus (Matthew 5:40)

.....................too heavy for you?....still check out SNAP's website anyway!
"Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests" and all clergy.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims.
SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word "priest" in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc.)

Read more here

Need something a tad more gentle?.....Anyone out there heard of First Aid Kit?

First Aid Kit Finally Perform Full “Dancing Barefoot” Cover

Posted by Ray Padgett at 1:00 pm Add comments

Mar 122012

Back in September, the Swedish duo First Aid Kit brought Patti Smith to tears with a snippet of their “Dancing Barefoot” cover. The performance, for the Polar Music Prize ceremony in Stockholm, was only a minute or so long, but the beauty in their voices and the delicate arrangement hinted at more.
Now we can hear their cover of the full song, courtesy of a session for French radio station La Mouv. It doesn’t disappoint. Stream it online now. (via Twenty Four Bit)

First Aid Kit – Dancing Barefoot

Self Portrait of The Day

THIS IS A TRIBUTE!!

I ABSOLUTELY have to post this! A rarer than rocking horse shit review of the legendary supergroup 'POINTLESS FISH'!

Go Johnny Go!

This is not a tribute…
by johnnyc1959
"Some are born to greatness. Others have it thrust upon them. Whilst others, well… they just are. When the Death Star comes, (as it must) to destroy all that is rank and fetid in the world of music, there will be those whose stories will survive long after the last chord has rung out… Not the preening, self absorbed bastard offspring of reality TV and the tyranny that is the  ”X Chromosome (sic) Factor”…, but those that had the foresight and inclination to drink deeply from the wellspring of rock history.

Martin

This is the brief story of “Pointless Fish”- legendary (in their own minds at least), Kathmandu based band…famed for their inability to be in the same room at the same time.
In an article entitled “James Taylor Marked For Death” written by Lester Bangs sometime in the 1970′s for “Who Put the Bomp” he bemoaned the fact that ‘ …the Rock ‘n’ Roll Party (became) the soundtrack for our personal and collective narcissistic psychodramas”. Bang’s words were incredibly prescient, and could well have applied to the Fish as they experienced meltdown at the beginning of March 2012.

Willem

Very little remains of their recorded output during their brief creative flowering between May 2011, and March 2012.  A video of their cover of “Friday I’m in Love”, by the Cure and a somewhat muddy recording of “Beast of Burden”, written by the alter ego’s of prolific songwriters Nanker & Phelge, seemingly all that is ‘out there’.

Karel

One of the songs which never made the light of day was “Less Feedback Please”, a direct response to the MC5 “Kick Out the Jams”. Underpinned by Karel’s searing yet understated ‘conceptual guitar’ and the rock solid drumming of Martin, it was, despite the title, an assault of the senses which left the listener paralysed. The “bass player problem” had been momentarily resolved, as the mysterious Jonny summoned up frequencies that even Hawkwind’s “Sonic Attack” could not have dreamed of. The ‘difficult third guitarist syndrome’, so often the achilles heel of bands, was well and truly nailed by Willem, whilst Johnny C’s talents of “gnomic utterances” and “Obligue Pstrategies”, (later developed by Brian Eno in his post Roxy Music phase as the more concrete “Oblique Strategies“) had attempted to give the band its political edge. Finding a recording of this might shed a little light on the choppy waters that “The Fish” were seeking to navigate. But until then we can only dream...

Johnny C does Elvis (Costello)

And the less said the better about the ill-fated Pokhara based project called “Mosaic Volga Ladies” by Karel & Johnny C...

Thanks guys...it’s been a blast

Johnny C"
Check out Johnny's wonderful weblog here....

Ideas and Images from Portsmouth and Beyond

So this is DEDICATED to them for no other reason than ....er, well I like it!! THis from the most excellent 'Track & Field ' dig it? Here...........

Dawn Landes - La Vie Au Lasso

As I hinted earlier it's time for some new John Prine. Here's a boot from New York's Bottom Line back in '78. you know where to go by now....what's that? You Don't?.....over on the My Music Page.....enjoy!



What John does best ...introducing Angel from Montgomery

John contemplates 'The Happy Enchilada Song'

Souvenirs with the man he co-wrote it with, the much missed Steve Goodman who wrote the classic 'City of New Orleans' [it's a train]......"Good Mornin' America, How are yuh?"




Lake Marie - a favourite song......."do you know what blood looks like on a black & white video? Shadows! SHADOWS!"               Extraordinarily emotive song.......



Too sad for yah? Here he is in the kitchen....this is beyond price!
'That's the Way the World Goes Round' or 'The Happy Enchilada Song'

Awww heck, well, just because..................two heroes (heroine? heroin? ED)

OK so we need to replace some Bobby.........nothing ventured.......!
Over on the Bobby page is the '12/- a pound' Bootleg (courtesy of Quality Bootz - who I really enjoy. They posted a John Prine this morning about which more later.......so thanks for that QB!) This is Bobby in Prague, that's in the Czech Republic for any Americans out there(sic!), March 11th 1995.

Enjoy!

SELF PORTRAIT OF THE DAY

less keen on this and nearly didn't post but heck warts n all

Miss Etta James

1938 – 2012

Playing For Change tribute..............


Missed this in amongst the tributes to Etta.......turn it up.........

SELF PORTRAIT OF THE DAY . . . . . 

I DO QUITE LIKE THIS ONE 3/3/2012

.........................................it's time for a new posting from the Swappers Vaults.....and where better to reconvene this shambles of a blog and music posting mania than with...................................

Captain Beefheart!

Over on his dedicated page we have the Outtakes from Lick My Decals Off and firstly I should get outta the way that it has no Captain on it......(Sheesh, that's a real humdinger of a way to re-start posting! ED)
Just the musical tracks and it's really worth a listen
OK OK you want the maestro? You'll get the maestro!
Second up we have two different format versions of Live at the Whisky a Go-Go Los Angeles 1980
A FLAC version for you purists and highly recommended by me and the MP 3 version for you cheapshot punks who can't be othered to suss out what FLAC is and how flaming brilliant it is! (SOOO judgemental! ED)
Over on the Captain Beefheart page............you know where that is don't you? If not, why not?! If not beware for I'm gonna booglarize you!

SELF PORTRAIT OF THE DAY

BEATLES Vs. STONES

(Now don't start THAT again......! ED)

Now over at Big O they have a little gem from The Beatles this morning, the acetate pressing of the 'Untouched' sessions for Phil Spektor at Elektra...it is really revealing and Philip Cohen (what the legendary Philip Cohen? ED Yes him!) has cleaned the clicks and pops and clicks and farts (there aren't any farts now are there? ED - Well you know what I mean.....)

The Beatles Untouched @ Big O

THE BEATLES
Untouched - Off Elektra Acetate [Idol Mind Production IMP-N-036, 2CD]
Outtakes, unreleased mixes.
This set just surfaced and it’s already being shared on the internet. These are the uploader’s notes:
This is an upgraded source of Glyn Johns’ early mix acetate which contains the session performed in January 1969. The bootlegger says it is an extremely rare audio source directly ripped from the Elektra Records acetate disc named “UNTOUCHED”, which the producer of Let It Be (Phil Spector ?) had as a referential material. Disc 1 contains 18 tracks which are completely raw. Disc 2 has the same tracks de-clicked and de-noised.
Thanks to ThePetSounds for sharing the tracks on Demonoid.
This is what music collector Philip Cohen commented:
These acetates are in fairly poor condition. With the exception of the very brief snippets, these tracks are on other bootlegs, but with better quality. Some of them appear on several Vigotone titles, including “Get Back: The Glyn Johns Final Compilation”.
While the de-clicked and de-noised Disc 2 does sound better, not surprisingly, within a week of the release of the Untouched discs, there were already two upgrades.
a) The Beatles Untouched (Revision A), from ThePetSounds Productions:
I used the raw source on Disc 1 of… Untouched, released by IMP in Japan. Disc 1 contains 15 tracks which were de-clicked, phase-corrected, and speed-corrected. Disc 2 has the same tracks de-noised (used noise reduction), and the three missing parts in them have been patched up from other sources: The beginning of Track 1 “Get Back” was patched with a source from “Celluloid Rock” released by Yellow Dog, and the end of Track 9, “I’ve Got A Feeling,” and the beginning of Track 10, “The Long And Winding Road,” were done with a source from “Posters, Incense And Strobe Candles” released by Vigotone.
However, ThePetSounds does not allow these tracks to be shared as MP3s.
Click here if you want to download the tracks. You will need to register with Demonoid, and registration slots can be hard to come by.
b) The Beatles - Get Back: The Elektra Acetate, from Helter Skelter Records:
[The Elektra] acetate features the same stereo mixes that were famously broadcast on US Radio in 1969, this later leading to the bootlegs ‘WBCN Get Back Reference Acetate’ (Yellow Dog) and ‘Posters, Incense and Strobe Candle’ (Vigotone). Both of these discs had their problems, noise reduction for one, seriously damaging the high frequencies, and also some pretty bad low frequency hum. But this new source blows the others out of the water. The problem with this new Elektra Acetate, however, is that it is noisy, very noisy, suffering all of the problems you would expect from a 50-year-old acetate.
For this release, unlike others floating around, I have not used any noise reduction, but instead painstakingly de-clicked, de-popped, and de-crackled each track one-by-one, putting the integrity of the music above anything else - leaving what should be a very enjoyable listen, of what is a very important historical recording. I have also added all of the stereo elements that were missing from this acetate from the Yellow Dog disc (only a section of dialogue), some tracks are available in longer form in mono with extra studio chat, but I did not want to mix stereo and mono here, this is simply stereo only. I also took the liberty of pitch, phase and level correcting this disc, as well as un-doing the peak limiting applied to the original disc.
Click here if you want to download the tracks.
For serious Beatles fans and collectors, here is the Untouched set that started it all.
Note: A longtime music fan, Philip Cohen was a contributor to the now-defunct ICE Magazine and compiled the boxsets for The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, Humble Pie and Nice.

Can ya diggit? I dig a Pony!