Week 8 : 25th February 1977 : I was feeling part of the scenery, I walked right out of the machinery.

Peter Gabriel 1 is 40
Accompany music : Here Comes The Flood

After a couple of weeks, we return back to February 1977. In the next month, the previously mentioned prime minister James Callaghan is having run-ins with traditional industry. In March, he threatens car manufacturer, British Leyland with withdrawing state aid  unless it puts an end to strikes. 2 weeks later 40,000 toolmakers are threatened with dismissal as they strike at the Longbridge plant. A week later the final Rover R6 is manufactured and Callaghan is facing a vote of no Confidence.

As a 9 year old, I had quickly come to terms that we were a family of pedestrians. Everyday travel was done on buses. Our holidays mainly to Scarborough and Filey were done by train. Getting in one of the few cars own by relatives was a strange luxury. In fact, our immediate family would have to wait for my brother to reach his late teens before he would learn to drive and get a car.

I was never interested in cars and even to his day, never learned to drive. The closest I got was sitting in a stationary car with an instructor in a car park.  I spent the whole time being confused by the 3 pedals as Ridge Racer, Pitstop, Pole Position, Hard Drivin’ and the other arcade machines only had an accelerator and brake. I never got Car magazines and really don’t like Top Gear. Subsequently I am useless at recognising cars (expect for the matchbox ones I had as a 9 year old).  I do love my friends enthusiasm about their vehicles, but I get lost in conversations when it comes to technical elements. But I can hold my own about aesthetics and colour. For example….. Me “Wow, thats a very aerodynamic, red car over there”, Friend “Yes Billy, thats a Ferrari 458 with a 4499cc V8 engine and a dual clutch 7 speed Getag gearbox”…. Me “……err., yes”
So with my extensive knowledge, I can tell you that there is a blue car on this weeks album cover. Its actually a Lancia Flavia, owned by Hignosis designer Storm Thorgersen. Its been hosed down giving the impression of rain across the bonnet and windscreen. Inside sits a figure looking a little forlorn, thoughtful and tired. Peter Gabriel has been out of his old band Genesis for about a year. The previous flamboyant performer has none of his fancy mad costumes instead is paired back with jacket and white t-shirt, as he is photographed by Peter Christopherson. Even the title lacks the complex surrealism of Genesis titles opting for Peter Gabriel. Little did we know that the next three albums would be called the same. So in the following years this album got known as Peter Gabriel 1 or Car.

Genesis  is one of my favourite bands. Specifically the golden period of Peter Gabriel being in the band from their inception in 1967 to The Lamb Lies Down in 1975. I won’t go into too much detail about the early development of the band as my favourite album of theirs ‘Foxtrot’ will appear in week 40. But lets join the story in 1974, and the release of the epic ‘Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’. The Lamb is a concept album based on the everyday tale of Rael, a young punk in NYC who goes searching for his missing brother and ends up on a spiritual quest. He accidentally finds himself in an alternative universe. Throughout the story he faces moral dilemmas (about sex & relationships), faces increasingly surreal challenges such as the Cage and meets varied creatures such the Lamia and the Slipperman. During which he catches a disease, is cured by having his ‘windscreen wiper’ removed, only to find that a bird fly’s off with it. Its surreal, mad, very british version of america, dark, sentimental, funny and I love it. The whole crazy idea was Gabriels and he struggled to convince the rest of the band of its merit. He produced the lyrics for the album and the rest of the band created the majority of the music during sessions where Gabriel struggles to be part of due to family issues. The divisions in the band became clearer as the album developed, during the release and subsequent tour. This focused mainly on the theatrical with Gabriel wearing  increasingly surreal costumes culminating in the bulbous Slipperman. Reviews concentrated on the lead singer and not on the band as a whole and their stunning musicianship which caused further resentment. During the USA leg of the tour, Gabriel announces he will leave at the end, to spend more time with his family as he is disillusioned with the music industry. His leaving is seen with relief in some quarters of the band, who are happy to continue without him.

So Gabriel returned to the studio in July 1976 to record his first solo album with the producer Bob Erzin, famous for working with Alice Cooper. A band was assembled which included King Crimsons guitarist Robert Fripp and bassist extraordinare Tony Levin to record an album, which from everything about the cover and his look, seemed to suggest that Gabriel was breaking from his past and looking for a new way.

Strangely, the first track on ‘Car’ is firmly in the past. ‘Moribund the Burgermeister‘ could be from ‘Lamb Lies Down.”. Garbled vocals, changing musical styles and pace, Surreal imagery and non-sensicle lyrics all are pure proggy Genesis. But this has a harder darker edge especially in the choruses. I love this track, so much I put this on over 10 times at a party where the free jukebox had this on as a b-side to the next track.

If the first track was pure Genesis, the second would show that Gabriel could write  sublime, radio friendly hits. From the jangly guitars, the  journey like tempo and heartfelt lyrics about leaving Genesis. The chorus is so upbeat and glorious. I was at a So gig in the 80’s at Birmingham NEC, a reviewer said that the crowd Boom Boom Boomed their heart out. And we did to Solsbury Hill. Its is a stunningly upbeat and happy song.

The albums producer Bob Ezrin was a long time contributor to Alice Cooper, and that sort of comes across in Modern Love. It is a very Springsteen American rock, has a very sound and stop start with big statement lyrics. Could easily be written by Mr Cooper and the performance wouldn’t be that dissimilar if Alice has done it himself (or even Springsteen). The only real prog different is the opening off kilter chords which are distinctly Fripp like.

Its a far cry from Excuse me, which is very British. Kicking off with a barber shop quartet (always reminds me of Mr Bean) and then gives way to a quirky, music hall like song with what seems to be a harpsichord, banjo,  and Tuba (played by Tony Levin). Its a sweet, innocent and a little disturbing song. Probably too novelty for its own good. The opening whispered vocals and echoed keyboards of Humdrum are so atmospheric, again the track changes with castanets leading to tango sections and flute solos. All 3 elements are interplayed. Before giving way to a beautiful classical section with Gabriel vocals lifting the song till the end. Beautiful track.
Twinkly keyboards abound in Slowburn, along with power chords, rock riff and spiralling solos. The breakdowns head to quiet classical elements but these are quickly interrupted by rock choruses and harmonised backing vocals. Its almost heading into Meatloaf territory at these points. The final long played out solo is excellent as the song breakdowns to its disjointed finish.

Bar room piano, heralds the start of ‘Waiting for the Big One‘. Slide guitar, purposeful bass and drums pull alongside creating the smokey atmosphere. Gabriels verses of blues singing alongside piano is so atmospheric and lifted at the end of verses by improvising guitar. I like the final blues finish, building in intensity to the choral finish.

Triumphant orchestral classical fanfares , run into an almost Rocky soundtrack. Down the Dolce Vita, plays between these two elements with Gabriels vocal performance shows a deep  intensity.  There are some great bits where all elements come together but for me his vocals are lost a little, a bit echo’y and buried behind the pummelling guitar and orchestral pieces.

One of the things that is levelled at this album is that it is a little over-produced by Erzin. To my ears he was excellent at his elements, the rocked up bits. When it is combined with Gabriels delicate  approach it sometimes overpowers it. You can see it slightly in the last  track, Here Comes The Flood. Don’t get me wrong this is still amazing, Gabriels heartfelt verses alone with piano and acoustic guitar are sublime. The choruses where the intensity builds are brilliant, as Gabriel goes for it emotionally pouring his heart out. The very good power ballad instrustmentation adds to the volume but Gabriels vocals lose some intensity below the power chords. The Fripp solo in this track is beautiful as well. This song developed over the years. The recording of this on Fripp’s album ‘Exposure’ is different with Gabriel given space to express himself. After this Gabriel, would play this live with just piano, here is him playing it a few years later on the Kate Bush Show and heres him, playing it much later in the last decade (on Guitar Centre sessions). Worth comparing, all four versions (including the studio version at the top). All versions are sublime and each have their merits.

And as this last track shows, Gabriel didn’t stop evolving. Peter Gabriel 2 (or Scratch) was produced by Robert Fripp and presented a far way more stripped back, bleak atmospheric album with great tracks such as DIY, Mother of Violence and Indigo. Peter Gabriel 3 (or Melt) is a stunning album, that not only is ambitious, experimental but obviously political. Featuring songs such as Biko, games without Frontiers and (one of my Favourites) Family Snapshot, delivered by an varied array of musicians. Kate Bush is on vocals, Phil Collins for the first time playing his famous gaited drumming style, Paul Weller and Robert Fripp on Guitar and Levin on bass. Peter Gabriel 4 (or Security) was one of the first to be done on digital tape and use a Fairlight Sampling machine allowing a range of world-beat music. The single Shock the Monkey, is filled with effects and a startling stop/start beat symbolising this album. And that is the end of Peter Gabriel….as an album title.

In 1986, So comes out and Gabriel is less experimental and has created a  set of sublime songs moving between pop, art rock and world music. Big singles Sledgehammer, Big Time, Red Rain and Don’t Give up are all hits… but there are gems throughout the album including In Your Eyes and the stunning Mercy Street. The use of world music alongside the electronic sampling add to the supreme songwriting. As I said above, I saw Gabriel on the So tour in 1987 at Birmingham NEC. Was lucky to get down the front and actually supported Peters leg during his crowd surf in Lay Your Hands On Me. It was a stunning gig for a number of reasons, the support was from Youssou N’Dour was the first time I had experienced World music and loved it, the musicians on stage (Levin, Rhodes, Katche) were amazing bringing the tracks alive, the stageshow was simple but stunning (the crane lights of Mercy Street) and of course Gabriel was the amazing performer we expected. I wouldn’t see him again until 2016 on the 30th anniversary tour, different world music support, same band, same stagecraft and same sublime Gabriel. Many albums followed So, but Gabriel did not lose his tendency for moving forward, experimenting and bringing people together (such as for Real World Music). Gabriel in my eyes, is an icon of music and one of my heroes. I particularly love his Genesis work but his solo career is excellent and it started with this great debut album even with him sitting in that errrr…. blue car.

The creative element for this is a collaged piece. I had hoped to make a piece shaped like a blue car…. sorry a Lancia Flavia. But considering I am as useless at drawing cars as recognising them, that was given up for a simpler method. I have in the last year, taken to collaging letters for peoples birthdays. In some cases an initial with pictures relating to one of their favourite interests stuck on (this has ranged from books to Cthulthu monsters). In other cases I have symbolised significant birthdays, not by using the numbers but by using the equivalent roman numeral. I have done a few this year using the letter L, one of art deco pictures and another deconstructing Hokasia’s Great Wave of Kanagawa. The letters themselves a bought wooden letters about £2 a go. Pictures are printed onto normal printer paper and a decopatch glue is used to stick and varnish. For the Peter Gabriel Cover, I opted for a single 1 wooden piece and printed pictures of Peter Gabriel from 1977. These are cut out and then stuck onto the wooden 1, creating a striking piece.

I couple of tips I have found with Collaging these letters and Numbers,

• You may need more pictures than you think. Remember you are layering images.
• Try to get pictures of varying sizes (to fit all nooks and crannies). Big images you may think will cover a lot of space, But these may overlap, take over or need to be broken down
• Sort the pictures beforehand, with the ones you like to be stuck on last, therefore more prominent and not buried under less good images.
• It is sometimes tempting to layer pictures in the same direction. I find a more randomised approached works better.
• Finally go for it and have fun. Sometimes you will find yourself stuck, not wanting to cover over images. Trust in the paper and glue – you can always stick more over the top later.

Billy (aged 9 at time of album release)

Week 7 : 13th February 1970 : Sabbath debut and Heavy Metal turns 47

Accompany music : Black Sabbath

As week 7 takes in Valentines day, so let’s start with a beautiful love poem ‘NIB’ courtesy of Geezer Butler.

‘Some people say my love cannot be true, Please believe me, my love, and I’ll show you
I will give you those things you thought unreal, The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal

Follow me now and you will not regret, Living the life you led before we met
You are the first to have this love of mine, Forever with me `till the end of time

Your love for me has just got to be real, Before you know the way I’m going to feel
I’m going to feel I’m going to feel

Now I have you with me, under my power, Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you will see who I am, My name is Lucifer, please take my hand’

Ahh it must be time for Paganism, with a powerful clunking steel background wrapped up in a Brummie accent. Welcome to Heavy Metal.

So does where you come from affect who you are and what you do? I was born and brought up in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. A large town on the southern bank of the Tyne. Perpetually overshadowed by the neighbours across the river. Historically seen as an underachieving place, sometimes a backwater and worse. Even in literature, the view of Gateshead is not favourable. The site Study.com wrote an excellent piece on such a work. In “Charlotte Bronte’s 1847 novel, Jane Eyre, ….  Jane learns at Gateshead the terrible power of economic and social status, or the expectations, opportunities, and restrictions placed on people based upon who they are and what their background is. ” But this only tells a very small part of the story….

Gateshead is a resilient place that has went through many changes, from forest and fields to industrial heartland, from the destruction of medieval structures through the Great Fire to the destruction of 60-70’s town centre. Gateshead always evolves. In my lifetime alone Gateshead adopted different styles. First becoming a centre for sport through the development of the International Athletics Stadium, which encouraged my generation to get fit. Later they would embrace art, with statues popping up around the town, building a sculpture park and culminating in the erection of Gormley’s Angel Of The North and the establishing of the Baltic modern art gallery. All these inspire the art I do. Growing up within this, I was inspired by the green spaces and ‘faux’ structures of Saltwell Park and fascinated in the Brutal Architecture of the Multistorey Carpark and Dunston Rocket. All of which I’m sure are homaged in my doodles. Growing up in the area, there was a real shared experience, of community, of being fair and friendliness (which I hope I bring to my work and life). There is also a determination to be better, to strive forward and look to the future… Just walking along the Gateshead side of the Tyne and seeing Baltic, Sage and Millennium Bridge is testament to this. I hope I have got a few of these qualities. Gateshead has had many great people residing here and who were hopefully inspired in the same way, among them Writers (Defoe), Artists (Bewick), Inventors (Swan) and footballers (Gascoigne). Although there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of Musicians, bar the excellent ex-ACDC vocalist Brian Johnson and the Blaydon Races Geordie Ridley. At no point did my home town become a centre for a musical style.

If you were Memphis in 1950’s you were most probably playing Rock ‘n’ Roll. In Liverpool in 1960’s you were part of the mersey beat, In late sixties California you were probably grooving to flower power/psychedelia. In late 70’s New York you were either at the epicentre of Punk, New Wave, Disco and Hip Hop or in the 1990’s Seatle you would be part of the grunge movement. Assume if you are based in California in 1970 you will probably create sunshine music like the Doors. Whereas if you are in a dark working class city in Britian away from the streets of swinging London you will create something very different. A band based in the Midlands in 1970 are surrounded by Steel Works, imagine the affect of heavy industry on the sound, the clanking and vibration of machinery, the dust in the air, the darkness and elemental forces. It’s not hard to see where Heavy Metal evolves from. How this environment affects the people mentally and in belief is one thing but when it physically changes your life is another different matter.

Tony Iommi on his last day at work before joining a band, has an accident at a steel works cutting the tips of two of his fingers. With extraordinary resilience, Iommi finds a way for him to continue his career, by creating metal finger tips, loosening strings and detuning his guitar. Thus creating a distorted, powerful, droning effect which becomes the template for metal bands to follow. After numerous bands, Iommi finally joins Ward, Butler and Osbourne and forms the band Earth. Because of another band of the same name (or as Ozzy explained once that Earth sounds like someone vomiting), they change their name to the title of a film playing across the road staring Boris Karloff… Black Sabbath.

Their debut album is recorded in one 12 hour spell in mid October 1969, with only the sound effects and the odd guitar solo re-recorded and overdubbed. This cleverly captures a live feeling and the band being in unison. It seems that this is an elongated jamming session, which allows Iommi to be impulsive with his style and solo. As discussed above, the changes to his playing the heaviness, the distortion and the use of power chords define the style of the band. Butler’s bass following suit being detuned and following Iommi’s lead, makes the album heavier. Ward’s drums uncompromisingly boom out during the heavy elements but also utilises space with delicate jazz-like fills. Ozzy, even at this early stage is the performer, with his vocal performance moves from the innocent to the deranged. The album itself feels like two distinct sides, the second side is more of a heavy blues rock album (like Cream, Led Zeppelin 1) whereas side 1 is the template for Metal to come. Heavy elemental music, distortion, power chords with lyrics leaping from Horror to Fantasy.

In one opening track Black Sabbath, the genre is defined. From the thunder, pouring rain and desolate bell to the opening power chords and loping menacing drums and bass. Ozzy’s first words boom out ‘What is this that stands before me, figure in black, that points at me’ are stunning, followed by the first melodramatic screams. The power chords are interspaced with enough space to give tension, the final speed up is a release with drums, bass and guitar in unison, moving towards the dark mystical pagan imagery.

The Wizard, moves the subject matter from Dennis Wheatley/Boris Karlov to Tolkien. A few blows of Harmonica quickly forms the basis and riff of this track joined by bass, guitar. Rolling drums and bass set the pace. Ozzy’s delivery plays alongside Iommi’s power chords exchanging couplets, with the interspersed harmonica and odd cowbell.

Behind the Wall of Sleep, is a far more spaced out track. Initially jarring almost progressive and then power chords return for verses with Ozzy’s responses. There is a far more relaxed experimental approach to solo’s with fills from bass and drum.

Butler’s Bass solo at the start of the NIB, is iconic along with this sublime off kilter love song lyrics seen from the side of the devil. What is immense about this, is Ozzy’s innocent delivery and the great structure of the track. Relatively straightforward with a killer riff, meandering solo and Iommi’s spiralling solo at the end of the track.

Evil Woman, a cover version of a track by Crow. It’s very blues rock which heralds side 2’s approach. It’s structured almost like a pop song with a very accessible chorus. The detuned acoustic start to Sleeping Village, and Ozzy’s paired back single verse of lyrics are reminiscent of the Doors, but quickly moves to a number of styles, some very Zeppelin, old elements of Cream, The Who, some older blues and other bits are what will define Sabbath. Dark, doomy power chords which seem to shake the earth.

The 10 minutes of the Ainsley Dunbar Retaliation band song Warning flies by. I love Ozzy’s singing/talking over some blues standard. Solid bass and drums allow Iommi to creating slow soulful guitar. Ward’s drum solo, changes the song and pace where Butler’s bass takes a more prominent role alongside Iommi’s guitar, which now has been released throwing fills at every opportunity. An experimental solo takes the track via delicate acoustic elements to blues power chords finally dropping back to the original blues riff and Ozzy’s last desperate verse of lost love.

Wicked World, initially feels like the band trying to find their way, experimenting with starts from sixties TV shows. From snare drum shuffle, jingle like riff on guitar to cliffhanger stop/starts. Again a drum solo heralds the proper start to the track, grinding dark verses in which Ozzy sings about the ills of the world, war, poverty, to family values.  It feels downtrodden with only little flourishes as we return to the 60’s theme music. Finishing with a final distorted chord.

And so Heavy Metal starts… well it probably started before this. The first song to mention Heavy Metal, Steppenwolf’s ‘Born To Be Wild’ was out in 1968. I see discussions where the Kinks ‘You Really Got Me’ is seen as the first song with distortion (although this is also disputed). The heavy sound of the album is not unusual either with bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Mountain and Hendrix all releasing albums by 1970, utilising loud blues like riffs. But Black Sabbath’s debut captures in one place, an elemental heaviness which with it’s subject matter becomes a template for Metal and inspiration for generations to come. Sabbath would build on this 8 months later with the album Paranoid and continue for the next 9 years together producing influential albums which continue to build the genre. Amongst them Vol 4, Masters of Reality, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage. Ozzy would get sacked in 1979, but then produce a stunning solo debut ‘Blizzard of Ozz’. Meanwhile Sabbath employed a very different vocalist, Rainbow’s Ronnie James Dio and they brought out 2 outstanding albums ‘Heaven and Hell’ and ‘Mob Rules’. The former is up there with the best of Ozzy. From the mid 80’s, they got a little lost with varying vocalists and they seemed to have been overtaken by the genre they had created. In the last decade or so, there has been a comeback with first reunion gigs, a tour with Dio and then a full comeback with Ozzy for one final trip around the block. The album 13, their last album is decent enough and has echoes of their debut. They embarked on a final world tour, finishing fittingly in the place that inspired them, Birmingham on February 4th 2017, a week before the 47th birthday of their debut.

So cheers Sabbath for the memories and this landmark album in Metal. Happy Retirement

Always thought that this card would have to reflect the industry and workmanship that created the influences for this album. I wanted this to be tooled, but I really don’t have any skill in metalwork or woodwork. In fact the only chisel type tools I have are for lino-cut and it just so happens that the week before I had attended a lino cut course.

I had tried lino cutting before, I was given a set for Christmas 2 years ago which included a handle with the various blades, some lino, some ink and a blotter. There were very few instructions, so I had a play and made one card of a penguin. In the process, I had a few slips, one of which sliced my finger… luckily it wasn’t too deep. A year later, I got a japanese wooden block printing set with 5 separate tools but didn’t dare touch them until I knew how I could do this safely. So this Christmas, I asked for Art classes and got two courses, a screen printing one I will do in the summer and a lino cut course which I did in February.

The course was delivered at the excellent Northern Print in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle. They state on their website ‘At the heart of Northern Print is a printmaking studio that anyone can register to use. It’s a welcoming space with professional facilities and technical support. For those that want to learn printmaking or develop their skills we have a programme of printmaking classes and courses. Our gallery showcases the very best in contemporary printmaking with a huge selection of prints to see and buy. We love printmaking and are passionate about sharing our enthusiasm, knowledge and skills….’. We have regularly attended Northern Print activities on art open days in the area, and they always have fun activities for kids (and adults) ranging from block and Letter prints, embossing, printing etches and screen printing. All free and always cool works of art to take away. They also have some stunning old printing presses which you sometimes get to use.

So I sat at the studio with another 6 pupils with little or no experience of the medium. The first hour was spent learning about the process, how the tools are used and how to do it safely. I quickly realised where I had went wrong the last time, I needed a non-stick mat so I could control the tools with 2 hands. We produced a small test piece trying out the tools and learning about cutting pressure and then printed using this test. We then went onto our main piece of work. We were all asked to bring an A5 picture which we would like to reproduce. When this album project arose, I had decided to incorporate the design around the album that week, but I realised for a first attempt, a complex image was a little mad. So I went for something I am very comfortable with, doodles of boxes. The design was traced and then copied onto the lino. It took at age to cut out the lines and using the other tools to create patterns within. My first print was pretty good but had too much ink in one section. Removing the excess allowed me to work of the design a little longer and produce a print I was happy with. This was done on a old press with a large wheel which was turned to push the inked design with the slightly wet paper through the roller. It gives a real embossed effect to the print. It was great to see everyone else’s designs and what they could create in a couple of hours, birds and flowers seemed very popular. Most of all it felt so traditional, kind of industrial to do and gave me a lot of confidence in trying it again.

I said above the Black Sabbath Cover is a little daunting to make as a whole lino cut. So I blew up a black and white version, and picked a 8cm square close up of a particular scene. The obvious bit is the watermill and the woman standing in front. this was traced and then transferred onto the lino. And I started cutting safely on my newly acquired mat. To be honest after a couple of hours, I feared the worst as it didn’t look great. I couldn’t visualise what it would look like and I thought I had mucked up the figure at the front. I did a test print, and I was pleasantly surprised that the print looked vaguely like the cover. There were a few little elements to cut back, and by the third attempt had a folky resemblance. I particularly like the lines on the mill, giving detail and even the figure looks good (although it’s very Spirited Away). I tried printing onto different media and in different ways (no 19th century press in the house). Once dry, the print was cut and placed onto a slightly larger white card square. Then both were attached with raisers onto the front of a black card. Finally the words from NIB were placed inside to create a sort of gothic Lovecraftian valentines card.

Billy (aged 2 at time of album release)

Week 6 : 9th February 1993 : The last Jellyfish album is 24

Accompany music : New Mistake

When I started doing this album a week madness, I knew I would be weeks, where a number of contenders would appear and I would be faced with impossible choices. This week 05-02-17 to 12-02-17 contains special celebrationary anniversaries for Jethro Tull ‘Songs from the Wood’ 40th birthday and Ben Folds ‘Whatever and ever Amen’ 20th birthday. Both I would have done but I am revisiting these bands later on. To make things worse, I also said, I would pick albums which I consider important, of these Van Halen 1 and Carol King Tapestry also fall into this week…. But there was one album which I couldn’t get out of my head, even facing such classics. Not only does it move away from the 1970’s, and the melancholy nature of the last two albums but moves us into another strange facet of my musical taste. I love quirky music.

What do I mean by quirky? Sort of strange music that stands out from my standard listening. Music can be simple (or complex) but usually develops across genres and themes. Lyrics usually colourful, imaginative, sometimes surreal but in a lot of cases sublimely captures a moment or feeling. Tracks feel throwaway, heartfelt and intelligent all at the same time. A lot of the bands also seem kind of geeky. Yeah, I know this doesn’t make sense but let’s name some bands and see if we can develop this. The 1990’s were a golden period for this music for me, the aforementioned Ben Folds Five released 3 stunning albums (including Whatever), Eels released Beautiful Freak in 1996, They Might be Giants starting in the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s produced catchy tracks, Crash Test Dummies release God Shuffled his Feet, Cake release Fashion Nugget and late in 1999 Flaming Lips release Soft Bulletin. These are bands with an edge, hang somewhere between rock and pop, kind of nerdy American and are distinctly different from other bands in my collection. By the time the majority of albums came out, the band Jellyfish had released their last album and would be no more.

Jellyfish were formed in 1988-89, when Roger Manning (keyboards) and Andy Sturmer (Singing Drummer) left the band Beatnik Beatch and met former Manning associate and XTC liker Jason Faulker (Guitar). Their debut album ‘Bellybutton’ was well received and showed a wide range of influences on their music. I received their single ‘The King is Half Undressed’ on a magazines free cd and I liked it. It had a cross between 90’s indie and 70’s rock. Pounding drums, jarring pace with harmonised vocals and synths. Unfortunately I didn’t hear enough to get the album. Jellyfish toured with an additional bass guitarist Chris Manning who also added sublime backing vocals to the sound. Unfortunately by the end of the tour both Chris Manning and Faulkner would leave the band. The remaining members regrouped with session musicians and Tim Smith (Bass) to record their second album in 1992-93. Building on those extensive influences they produced a far more complex and elaborate album, utilising sound effects, overdubbing, sequencing and harmonies galore. Again I would hear a single ‘Ghost at Number One’ which after the first listen, wasn’t that much different from ‘King is Half Undressed’. Again I thought it was good but wasn’t compelled to buy the album….. and that was one of my biggest musical regrets. It would be a full 7-8 years later, when my friend Chris would put the album on and say ‘Billy, you will love this album’ and I instantly did. And then I go and buy their first two albums and then look for their third…… there isn’t one. I was distraught to find that after the Spilt Milk tour the band broke up because of creative differences a year later in 1994.

So why do I love it.  I was hooked from the opening notes of Hush all the way through to the same note at the end of the crescendo of Brighter Day. The band were so quirky and had sublime songwriting with songs jumping in style and pace. The arrangements were excellent with the merging of songs almost into each other giving the impression of a surreal concept album. It’s an album of colourful escapism and comforting sentimentality.  Use of language and imagery in the lyrics is inspired and mad. Most of all it was the melding of the influences which impressed. Call it copying, playing homage or paying tribute to your influences, Jellyfish pulled off merging many styles to create their own sound. Throughout the album you can hear Cheap Trick, 10cc, Supertramp, Pixies, Beatles, Queen, XTC, Raspberries, ELO, Wings, Beach Boys and Squeeze all delicately balanced. The majority of the bands which I grew up listening to. The overall effect is an album of colourful themes which take you from happiness to melancholy, from lullaby to rock solo… all in a wonderful relaxing bubble. The album in my opinion, doesn’t date… it feels it should be from the 1970’s but seems still fresh now as I play it in 2017, a full 24 years later.

The opening elongated note of Hush, travels into childlike lullaby territory with synths and harmonised Beach Boys like barber shop vocals. The beautiful start is shattered with the opening riff of the epic Joining a Fan Club, piano leads into verses and wallowing rock choruses. The change of pace in the bridge into sleazy blues and then Faces like all out solo is one of my favourite bits of the album. Sabrina, Paste and Plato is a surreal mini concept song, taking nursery rhyme like melodies and innocent lyrics of a child lunchtime. It’s a bit like the psychedelic Beatles & Randy Newman.

My favourite track is the amazing ‘New Mistake‘. It’s a sublime journey song following a sequence of life events (a bit like Diary of Horace Wimp). It has sublime sentimental lyrics which sometimes are so visually mad but have so much meaning. I love the line ‘So Father Mason clutching his crucifix, Baptized the baby in whiskey and liquorice, What a lovely way drowning sins in tooth decay’. The music is so reminiscent of ELO and Supertramp, down to the bluesy pop, the string interludes and odd castanets. This track makes me all happy, warm and comforted. Acoustic guitar and vocals herald the start of Glutton of Sympathy. After the opening couple of verses, then follows the glorious choruses with more blues guitar. Lyrics are melancholy but strangely uplifting. Very reminiscent of Squeeze/10cc. Ghost at Number One, starts with drum crescendo, harpsichord interventions and shout vocals (with obligatory harmonised background vocals). The harmonising in the bridge is pure Beach Boys.

A repeated start of nah, nah nah reflects the title of Bye Bye Bye, we are quickly into an old dance which feels like a polka, complete with tuba. It is complemented by beautiful sentimental lyrics. It’s got a Beatles/Wings like quality to it. Additional sound effects give the impression of a small bar with old people dancing. One extreme to another, All is Forgiven feels like a Distorted guitar and disjointed drumming Pixie like Grunge track , but surreally every so often Queen Harmonised Vocals crashes in. Russian Hill returns to acoustic guitar and gentle lyrics, sliding synth adds to the atmosphere and later flute sounds adds more jazz elements. It’s a beautiful breather of a track reminiscent of XTC.

He’s my Best friend, is a Raspberry like track, where Synth and pianos fill this track with a real 60’s vibe. The great feel is helped by lyrics reminiscent of Nilsson or Newman and a brilliant delivery. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late has elements of Squeeze, Wings and a little of Cheap Trick. From opening guitar refrain, blues/country/rock feel to downbeat lyrics and slightly more uplifting rock/pop chorus. The final track Brighter Day has the Supertramp/XTC/10cc kitchen sink thrown at it, from fairground organ start, dark lyrics and  a stompy march like quality with brass band. Little interludes of madness appear, and build at the end in crescendo until we return to the twinkly notes, Disney like finish and back to the opening elongated note.

I love this album so much. So Spilt Milk, feels to me like a sugar rush. A comforting, colourful candy of an album. Like getting stuck overnight in a Willy Wonka chocolate factory (The Gene Wilder Version) complete with the 60’s split screen effects and oompa loompa interventions (without the scary child death bits). In troubled times like these, its great to have escapism every so often and this album takes me to a time of happy innocence sitting in front of the radio listening to the soft rock of the bands I loved. How I wish Jellyfish had created more experiences like this.

The art piece for this had to be surreal, but there is so much imagery on this album it was difficult to capture one element. I had initially planned to do Sabrinas Lunchbox from ‘Sabrina, Paste and Plato’, complete with all the ingredints but it didn’t quite capture the madness of the album. I also wanted to somehow represent the bands that influenced (or seem to be featured inadvertently in) this fab album. Inspiration came from the same song in the opening lyric, ‘Far behind the forest of flying paper aeroplanes’. So 12 mini aeroplanes were made of 4 different designs using photographs of Cheap Trick, 10cc, Supertramp, Pixies, Beatles, Queen, XTC, Raspberries, ELO, Wings, Beach Boys and Squeeze. For the record the order shown here (and the long picture above) is how far they flew down the corridor on a test flight, the arrow like Cheap trick plane flew 256 cm whereas Squeeze basic build flew less than 10cm.

So I ended up combining both ideas and placing them in a deep frame. A background is prepared of two shades of yellow, trying to depict the curtain of the album cover. At the top the planes are placed using spacers to attach. At the bottom a pink box was created with silver/gold stars (matching the dress of the cover). Calvin/Hobbes writing is used to declare Sabrinas Lunchbox. Inside of this, objects are placed from each of the songs and spacers are used to build depth. From left to right there is, a Jellyfish T-shirt, holy water, a picture of a bridge coming into view, a sandwich, a chalk dollar sign, a cotton reel, a wedding cake, a clock, liquorice, whiskey, a Death of a salesman script, a barbers pole, a cloud and a five leaf clover.

Hopefully I created something as mad, colourful and visual that pays tribute to such a great album.

Billy (aged 25 at time of album release)

Week 5 : 4th February 1977 : Rumours turns 40

Accompany music : The Chain

So we are still in 1977, 12 days after Pink Floyds ‘Animals’ is released, Fleetwood Mac release the epic album Rumours. My 9 year old soft rock/pop loving self would hear the singles and fall in love with the West Coast american rock sound, sublime songwrting and what seemed (to a 9 year olds ears) the happy upbeat themes. It wasn’t till much later I would realise the trauma that going on when the album was recorded, and then when own life experiences caught up, how perfect, relevant and bitter these songs are.

“People worry about kids playing with guns, and teenagers watching violent videos; we are scared that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands – literally thousands – of songs about broken hearts and rejection and pain and misery and loss.” ― Nick Hornby, High Fidelity

Breaking up is a horrendous process. Whether its a first love, a short or long term relationship, the breakdown of a marriage or even a whole country leaving a larger organisation. Inevitably it brings acrimony, hurt, fear, mistrust, grief, arguments and difficult decisions regarding ownership of albums and black t-shirts. The issues are not usually confined to the couple, unfortunately children are sometimes involved, family and friends also feel the pressure. It seems to me a lot of the issues stem from a lack of communication and people’s inability to express themselves on how they feel. Men are particularly bad at this.

One of my favourite authors, Nick Hornby has written some sublime books which capture mens inability to express how they feel themselves whilst having no problem in expressing their love of hobbies/pastimes. I especially love his book High-fidelity, but it sometimes feels a little too close for comfort. Rob Flemming owns a record shop ‘Championship Vinyl’ and spends his days making top 5 lists of songs and albums, with his colleagues. When his relationship breaks down, he copes the only ways he knows how. Writing a list of his top break-ups, reorganising his record collection and making mix tapes. Some of these are too familiar.

You will be happy to know, I am not going to embark on my own personal list of relationship disasters, but in times of stress I have been known to reorganise the record collection. The worse case examples were, organising from happy to sad (too subjective), organising chronologically (impossible to remember) and organising by the colour of the spine of the album (who knew so many spines were not the same colour as the front). Every time the albums were quickly put back to A to Z. I did the odd mixtape as well, although I never gave them to the target… again these like writing letters are far too subjective. What I do find eases the pain  is to play sad, sentimental songs.

“What came first – the music or the misery? Did I listen to the music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to the music? Do all those records turn you into a melancholy person?”― Nick Hornby, High Fidelity

There are tonnes of great examples of heartbreaker music that not only you can identify with, have a cry along to, sing defiantly along to or find strangely uplifting. In 2009, the Guardian published a list of 1000 spotify songs which were divided on 7 subjects, Heartbreak was one. I selected 32 as my own playlist and put them in my music diary. Amongst them, there are delicate songs that have a strange calming melancholy, Aint no Sunshine – Bill Withers, Flume – Bon Iver. Songs that pick up a direct feeling/situation which you can relate to, Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley, Is She Really Going Out with Him – Joe Jackson. Or songs of real desperation, Take for instance, Winner Takes in All – Abba or Harry Neilsens cover version of Without you, which as well as being an impossible Kareoke song, actually makes you feel like things aren’t this bad. There are so many tracks not on here that apply also, including one or two which still cause me a  little discomfort as memories come back of times and places. But this is part of the Cathartic process that listening gives, helping us to move on and make us more happy of our current situation. Writing music/lyrics on such subjects especially about such situations must be a greater release. You see in so many cases, the other person is not involved (other than being a listener/unwilling victim when the song is released). So what happens when nearly all members of the band are involved in relationship issues and all writing songs about each other. Cue up ‘Rumours’

It has been 2 years since Fleetwood Mac released their 1975 eponymous album and the first album to feature partners Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. It was a commercial success and spawned a great single Rhiannon which showed off the qualities of the new members. Entering the studio in 1976, the cracks in the band were beginning to show. Christine and John McVie are getting divorced whilst Buckingham and Nicks relationship was on/off. Even Fleetwood is reportedly having his own relationship issues. The thing that kept the band together was writing and recording music, which considering the majority of the subject matter was based on each other is surprising. Nine of the ten tracks are written by individuals and it is interesting to see their personal approaches. Both Buckingham (B) and Nicks (N) are writing candidly about each other and not pulling punches. whilst McVies (Mc) tracks are further on, considered and conciliatory. Its amazing that when these songs are put together along with the band credited (all) ‘Chain’, that a stunning complete album of human emotions is created.

Second Hand News (B) – ‘Someone has taken my place’ – Starting with what seems an uplifting song with Jangly guitar. Dig further and it has reflective lyrics about being dumped and moved out of the picture. There also seems to be a little bit of regret in this. Chorus couplets with Nicks are great and fascinating. Dreams (N) – ‘Now here you go again, You say you want your freedom’ – A Beautiful song with soft Nicks drawl. Laid back drums, bass, guitar and keyboards washes over the listener reflecting the mood. Lyrics recounting her partner wanting to move on, her happy to let them go and reflecting on how lonely they will be afterwards. You get what you sow. Going Back Again (B) – ‘I’m never going back again’. Another paired back track, with acoustic guitars and Buckingham jumping from amerciana to children’s nursery rhyme. Lyrics suggests trying to go back and sorting out issues, but giving up in the end.

Don’t Stop (Mc) – ‘It’ll be, better than before, Yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone’ – Song about looking forward about the future, moving on, apologising for the past and looking after each other. Wrapped up in a wonderful singalong which has an ear worm of a catchy happy tune. Which belies the sadness of the situation. Go Your Own Way (B) – ‘Loving you, Isn’t the right thing to do’ – This is the song which I thought was the uplifting track as a child. Its musically brilliant, from opening acoustic riffs and Buckinghams verses then into the amazing singalong harmonised choruses. Fleetwoods drumming is powerful and drives the track along. The bridge gives enough space before the last resounding chorus. Buckingham lyrics placing the issues directly at the door of his ex. Songbird (Mc) – ‘And I love you, I love you, I love you, Like never before.’ – Beautiful track, with McVie singing along to acoustic piano. Lyrics show how much the relationship and she has moved on and how much she cares for her ex, wishing them the best for the future. Its delicate and sublime and pure McVie on this album.

The Chain (All) – ‘And if you don’t love me now. You will never love me again’. Only song credited to more than one writer and rightly in this case, to the whole band. The track seems to show a group of people recognising their issues and fighting that this will not effect the group. The track shows the band pulling together, from the initial drum, banjo, guitar americana start and harmonised vocals. Building in defiant stated choruses, and almost pledge like responses. McVies bass brings in the tremendous change in the song with Buckinghams stretched guitar solo and the rolling pace which was perfect for Grand Prix coverage. The final chorus, the shouts of ‘Keep us together’ is apt for a track the whole group contribute to. Making a stunning centrepiece. You Make Loving Fun (Mc) – ‘I never did believe in miracles, But I’ve a feeling it’s time to try’. Whilst every other song on Rumours seems to be backward looking, this is McVie looking forward and singing about her future and seemingly a new relationship. The whole song is a little more sexy, a little more comforting and uplifting. Lyrics are about renewal and giving love another try. It has a great chorus which stays in your head with angelic voice backing.

I Don’t Wanna Know (N) – ‘You say you love me, but you don’t know’. Another paired back Fleetwood Mac song, acoustic guitars, bass and drum prominent. Nicks and Buckingham singing in unison, about the confusion of love, coping with it and moving on.  Oh Daddy (Mc) – ‘If there’s been a fool around, It’s got to be me’. Dark, slightly sinister and melancholy track. McVie mournful lyrics searches for answers for what should be the end of a difficult relationship, but always end up going back to herself as being at fault. Gold Dust Woman (N) – ‘Take your silver spoon and dig your grave’. Great track in that great Americana tradition of painting portraits of people. Nicks bittersweet lyrics are given centre stage with the easy laid back playing and builds an effective and compelling background.

And there we have it. Rumours is a classic album that does not date in 40 years. Mostly this has to do with the sublime songwriting, great production and the brilliant musicianship. The songs are beautiful and uplifting it their own right without having to understand the actual meaning of the tracks. The Heartfelt lyrics and their amazing delivery adds another dimension. Here we have musicians writing and singing through major emotional difficulties and these translate to the listeners own experiences. The feelings felt in love and in break-ups do not change over the years. Its difficult to know what Buckingham, Nicks and McVie were feeling when they wrote these songs, I can assume as above but a lot of this is built on reflecting on my own person experience. I especially relate to McVies contributions which moves away from blame and looks forward.

“Sentimental music has this great way of taking you back somewhere at the same time that it takes you forward, so you feel nostagic and hopeful all at the same time.”
― Nick Hornby, High Fidelity

Rumours is a classic, full of passion and pain but always leaves me comforted, a little bit fuzzy inside and very hopeful.

For the card for Rumours I wanted to portray the broken-ness within the band, that gave us such amazing individual songwriting that when it came together makes a stunning collective piece. I took the cover and a heart shape was cut out. This was divided into eleven pieces (one for each track). Then lyrics from each track were printed onto free slightly gothic-y (Stevie Nicks-like) backgrounds. Four colours are used corresponding to the writers of the tracks Nicks-Black, McVie-Red, Buckingham-green, Whole Band-Blue. The broken Heart pieces were used as templates to cut out each lyric, and were then glued together. A small tab placed between the two parts which is then used to attach to the card vis some small openings. And there we have a shattered heart of the album, with the ability to turn over each piece to access a lyric. The 3d stand up nature of the pieces gives great movement and texture to the front of the card. On the back a key is produced showing each writer, the colour of their pieces and a rough indication of the number.

Billy (still aged 9 at time of album release)

Week 3 : 20th January 1983 : No Serenade, No Fire Brigade, Just a Pyromania

Accompany music : Photograph

Its January 1983 and I am 15 years old and should be in the height of rebellion…. Im not. The closest I get is growing my hair long and listening to particularly loud music. I hung around with a bunch of great mates who were all metal fans and (as we would now be classed) school geeks. We were all very pleasant, far removed from the hell raising, drug, drink, satanic, idiot stereotype which was being expressed about Heavy Metal at the time. As I have mentioned before in the blog, I loved soft rock/pop music (ELO, Supertramp, Kate Bush) and these friends introduced me to a range of music which built on these. They showed me that I actually liked rock music and we all started to link to old folk music, classic american rock and music that could get much heavier. And my musical tastes started to change.

In 1982-83, I was introduced to a number of bands who in the previous years were known as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), among them Motorhead, UFO, Tygers Of Pang Tang, Raven, Saxon, Judas Priest, Angel Witch, Girlschool…. What really caught my imagination with these bands were the heaviness, the rawness, the pace and simple hooks (everything I didn’t like about punk). The movement had essentially been going on since the mid seventies and took off between 1979 and 1981. By the time, me and my mates turned up in 82-83, the movement was already declared as finished but some of the bands had become huge. I found myself really liking Iron Maiden. I loved their first 2 albums but was not sure at the time about their new singer. I also had heard a couple of albums by a band from Sheffield called Def Leppard.

I heard first, their debut ‘On through the night’ which I thought was okay, pretty generic metal/rock with the odd catchy hook song like Hello America and Rock Brigade. Their follow up ‘High and Dry’ a year later was a different matter, the band had hooked up with ACDC producer Robert Mutt Lange, and produced an album with slightly more polished rock songs, a lot still generic NWOBHM but also had some great tracks which had started to cross over into commercial  rock. The epic ‘Bringing on the Heartbreak’ I heard first on the Friday Rock show, combined great emotional songwriting with the essential riffs and power chords from Clark and Willis. During these two albums Def Leppard were accused of selling out and targeting an American market, but the band continued to evolve and change.

In late 1982, Elliot, Savage, Allen, Clark and Willis returned to the studio with Mutt Lange to record their 3rd album. During the recording Willis left the band and was replaced by Phil Cohen from another NWOBHM band Girl. With the changed line up the band continued to build on their previous album with more accessible songs, more polished performances and production. So on 20th January 1983, ‘Pyromania’ came out. I heard the album a week or two later and was blown away. On February 3rd, the single ‘Photograph’ came out and became at the time the most requested video on MTV. Pyromania shipped 6 million sales of the album in that first year, only being held off the top of the US album charts by ‘Thriller’. Def Leppard on the back on this album become household names in America, although strangely less famous at home (well until Hysteria appears in 1987). So why was it special…. lets give it a spin.

To be honest, bar the big orchestral power chords at the start, Rock Rock (Till you Drop) starts from where ‘High and Dry’ left off, solid hard rock track with chanting chorus. But there are differences: the production seems cleaner and the band seems tighter. I can see why ‘Photograph’ was so popular. Its a stunning, breathtaking, fabulous pop rock track. From the opening riff, its a brilliant piece of songwriting with the way it rolls along within the verses and lifts up in the chorus (with added harmonies), I love the bridge and Collens solo and the uplifting finish with that last guitar flourish… Yeah this is still great.
I have always had an issue with the false crowd start to Stage Fright. I understand it links to the songs theme about performance but it is a pity because its another good song with pace, power and unexpectedly emotional choruses. The emotional roller coaster starts to go downhill, with the opening chords of Too Late of Love, Elliots opening lyrics set the scene into slow paced juddering verses and chanting chorus. The choir herald a change of pace and further angsty reflections. The helicopter sound effect at the start of Die Hard the Hunter, on the other hand is well placed. Again Elliot introduces it with opening verse, with the chorused responses. Suddenly we leap into the rolling, galloping structure of this track dragging us through a journey. Especially when the solo kicks in which seems to go off at tangents before returning to the central theme.

I always thought the track ‘Foolin’ was the heart of this album, as well as being one of my favourite Leppard songs. There is a certain desperation about love in this track which fitted perfectly with the psyche of a 15 year old teenager. I especially like the slow build up with acoustic song corresponding to lyrics that are trying to logically work out what is wrong. As it builds towards choruses, Steve Clark power chords and more desperate expressive rants are evident. Mutt Langes non-sensical “Gunter glieben glauchen globen” introduces Rock of Ages. The songs feels like a close relative of Queens ‘We Will Rock You’ . Elliots spoken bits are fun and the lyrics a little cliched but also very tongue in cheek. The responding chanting sounds like it was fun to do and makes this track into an anthem at gigs.

Comin Under Fire, starts with an almost echo guitar riff, before delving into another slow emotive simmering verses. I love the constant changes of pace in this track from verse, to chorus, to bridge, to solo whilst every so often returning to that initial riff and harmonised responses. Action Not Words, great song which is more upbeat. more pop/rock and for the only time on the album, has stereotypical dubious rock subject matter (Women, Sex, Cameras). The final track Billy’s Got A Gun is a great atmospheric song which builds by leaving space between elements, to start there’s no shredding or riffage just atmospheric power chords and the choir adding harmonies. It builds the intensity and pace  along with the story. The last minute is fab from solo to a beautiful filled bridge with Allen’s drumming to Elliot’s last desperate lyrics to the final choral responses. Only leaving the minutes drum loop at the end.

When I first heard Pyromania I thought it was brilliant. For someone who was changing my music style, this album hit the centre ground between the music I grew up with and the music I was currently listening to. It was safe but had enough for me to go on and explore more rock and metal, whilst waiting for the next Def Leppard album to arrive. It was a bit of a wait, not at least for the band who went through so much trauma to get into the studio. In 1987, Hysteria arrived and again raised the bar in Def Leppards journey.  It lifted production and songwriting quality to new levels making use of new technology to build on the always great musicianship in the band. It would bring more fame in the USA and deservedly some in Britain. I would get to see them on the tour for the first time with Tesla (in my top 10 gigs) and a few more times after. I don’t think they ever achieved the heights of Pyromania and Hysteria again, although the band have continued to be excellent live and have released some great tracks since but not the consistent quality. My favourite band member was Steve Clark, who sadly passed away after Hysteria.  I loved the way he played guitar. He had a great staggering, swaying motion, that every so often produced a kick in time with one of his awesome power chords. I used to replicate it whilst air guitaring at the Mayfair, sort of like pretending to be Michelle Platini whilst playing football in the school yard. Pyromania continues to be one of my favourite albums and I am grateful for it being part of my rock evolution.

Def Leppard and the Union Jack seem to be intrinsicly linked at this time. Look at the video for Photograph with Joe Elliot wearing his sleeveless t-shirt or the Foolin video with Rick Allen’s shorts. One infamous photo shows the whole band decked out in the same Union Jack t-shirts and shorts. It seems the band were a) proud of where they came from and b) trying to respond to the earlier pro-American criticism.

The Union Jack for Great Britain & N. Ireland has faced criticism itself. At best it represents being together and Union. The flag itself is a combination of England, Scotland and N. Ireland flags. Some see it proudly as a symbol of a true, fair place of many nations, cultures & beliefs. Alternatively others may see it as a flag of oppression and of an old age of empire. In the worst cases, it has been adopted by far right groups as a flag of division, oppression and hatred. Like the use of the flag of St George, it is unfair to blame the flag for the actions of a few idiots.

So a Union Jack card was made. Lyrics for all the songs were printed onto red and blue card. Getting the right colours was really tough,so much so I settled for these darker shades (I really like the toned down contrast). A template was made of the flag and each element is cut out separately (The cross of St George is cut in two). The templates were transferred onto the coloured lyrics at different angles and cut out. Some elements were glued straight onto a plain white card background whilst others are slightly raised. It gives the flag a ripple effect and the effect of something in Britain that’s changing and evolving. For better or for worse.

Billy (aged 15 at time of album release)

Looking back at the music of 2016 (& looking back at music in 2017).

As I didn’t write a post for a whole year, it seems weird that I follow my compilation of 2015 with my compilation of 2016. It was a year overshadowed with the passing of so many musical icons from all genres and so much world turmoil. In my life, music was one of the things that kept me sane, and luckily I think it was a very good year with great gigs and good albums. The music chosen for this playlist just happens to reflect the year. It is a little more melancholy, contains quite a few protest songs and starts and finishes suitably with Bowie.

Track 1 – Steven Wilson – Space Oddity (Live) : In January 2016, I saw Steven Wilson perform for the 4th time in the year. Once again, he played an emotional storming set of the Hand, Cannot, Erase album and other solo classics and Porcupine Tree rarities. He included tracks from his new EP 4.5. Unfortunately singer, Ninet Tayeb wasn’t at our gig, so we couldn’t hear this fab tribute, at a time when the majority of the audience were still in mourning. Luckily this version appeared as a b-side of the Happiness III single and is a fitting start to the album.

Track 2 – Martin Green – Suitcase. A gig we didn’t know anything about but at the end left us in emotional tatters. Stunning concert of modern folk music telling the story of migration, starting with Martins Grandmother fleeing Germany and then reflecting other peoples journeys to Britain. Emotional songs, great performances, bittersweet monologues, angry rants and amazing storytelling. The brown paper scenery, animated projections and an amazing rotoscopes added the to pictures but also gave a dose of surrealism. Amazing, thought provoking night.

Track 3 – Wardruna – Odal : Loved this track instantly. A little use of sound effects gives way to tribal drumming, Nordic chanting and sublime melodies. Its so intoxicating and takes you to a time and place long ago (if that doesn’t sound so transcendental). Wardruna are best described as playing Norse Dark Folk and this is from the third album of a trilogy Ragnarok. Each track of the albums is about journey through one of the Nordic Runes.

Track 4 – Field Music – Disappointed : The Brewis brothers from Sunderland created a fabulously laid back album in Commontime. So many influences are in here, Talking Heads, Prince, Todd Rundgren to name a few. This song has elements of all of these and was a pleasure to hear at the Sage. Was such a different environment to when I first saw them play in the music projects in Sunderland nearly 15 years ago.

Track 5 – Kate Bush – Top Of The City : Was gutted I couldn’t get a ticket for any of these gigs and whilst not surprised that a DVD has not appeared, I was a little disappointed. More so now because the audio is s good. I picked Kate going for it during an excellent renditon of Top of the City from the Red Shoes album. Full of passion and rage.

Track 6 – Fay Hield – Willow Glen : We went to a very interestng Fay Heild gig at the Sage regarding storytelling and the passing of myths. A lovely talk beforehand followed by a gig of old transcribed folk and the odd modern turn. This track was a highlight, sang with solo instrument.

Track 7 – Opeth – Will O the Wisp : The move from Death Metal to Seventies Prog continues for Opeth. Whilst the Sorceres album is not without its loud elements there are sublime calming passages right from the Caravan, Tangerine Dream and in this case Jethro Tull back catalogue. Not a surprise considering the Opeth Beer Launch at Northern Monk earlier in the year, guitarist Fredrik’s DJ set mixed all these elements including Tull.

Track 8 – Radiohead – Burn The Witch : It’s a brave band that wipes their social media history and then turns up again posting with a Trumpton/Camberwick Green video. Burn the Witch (and its crazy video) summed up the great Moon Shaped Pool album . On edge, atmospheric, lyrically relevant and distinctly Radiohead.

Track 9 – Public Service Broadcasting – Signal 30 : ….…this is an old one. Signal 30 is originally from the very good 2013 Album Inform Educate Entertain. PSB are as progressive as modern music gets, swapping styles from ambience, electronica to rock whilst integrating ‘vocals’ from Public Information Films. The version from this years Live at Brixton album is worth putting on for its pace and ferocity… something not usually associated with Public Service Broadcasting.

Track 10 – Bellowhead – Byker Hill Walker Shore : Traditional song from my area (Byker Hill is minutes away) and has so much of our Geordie heritage of industry and hard drinking. Starts fairly traditional, builds to chanting song with heavy metal mid-section. I’m sure this is the reason I lost my voice at one of their gigs…. it was worth it. Credit to Cyberbane for this live video

Track 11 – Villagers – Witchita Linesman : This was the first track on the compilation at the start of the year. This cover of Kenny Rodgers classic is so beautifully delicate. The simple arrangement of piano and guitar with muted trumpet solo is great, but the fragile vocals are spine tingling.

Track 12 – Marillion – Living in FEAR : there was a bit of shock that the old fellows at Marillion would bring out an album with a swear word in the title. F**k Everyone And Run is an amazing album which summed up the year. Songs touching on fear, violence, confusion, hate, greed, prejudice, capitalism… One song doesn’t do this protest album justice, but I love this track about shouting how you feel, taking a risk and standing up for your beliefs.

Track 13 – Ben Folds & Y-music – Phone in a Pool (live) : Ben Folds gig this year was awesome with the amazing talented mini orchestra Y-music. Great interpretations of old and new Ben Folds classics. Add some Ben Folds Five requests and audience participation and we had a great night. This version comes from the live EP that came out for Black Friday Record Store Day.

Track 14 – The Gloaming – Repeal the Union : Beautiful traditional folk instrumental from the excellent Gloaming 2 album. The track has been used as a relaxing interlude throughout the year. As it is here

Track 15 – Drive By Truckers – Sun Don’t Shine : The American Band album caused a bit of ruction within the fan base of Drive By Truckers some of whom couldn’t see that this band is radical, forward thinking and have always voiced their beliefs. Tracks about Black Lives Matter and gun control, were just some of the issues which made this the most relevant album of the year. Sun Don’t Shine is a lovely little song, especially the bridge verse which recounts “when the big one comes” and loving someone till the end of the world.

Track 16 – Seth Lakeman – Meet me in the Twilight : Probably the most rousing uplifting chorus on this playlist. Seth Lakeman knows how to write and deliver modern folk songs with sometimes an Americana twist. This track was criminally not played at his otherwise excellent Sage gig.

Track 17 – Divine Comedy – To The Rescue : To be honest, it took me a while to get the Divine Comedy. I love quirky music and I quite liked some of their earlier tracks but it wasn’t till Duckworth Lewis Method, I really got them. The Foreverland album is fab, full of humour and tonnes of pathos. To the Rescue, was beautifully delivered on stage.

Track 18 – David Bowie – I Cant Give Everything Away : Listened to Black Star on the first day, thought it was amazing. 3 days later couldn’t bring myself to put it on for the fear of crying. As year went on, I have played and played this epic album. The title track is outstanding, Lazarus is sublime but I plumped for the finishing track which held so many clues but also so much hope, with the flourish of brass at the end.

So theres my 120 minutes filled up, but theres more. Can’t resist putting the tracks down which couldn’t make it on because they just didn’t fit thematically or time.

Metallica – Atlas Rise : Some great songs on the Hardwired album which are reminiscent of 1982-85. Just wish they wouldn’t stretch the tracks out and maybe get a bit more variation, Love this song though.

Shirley Collins – Cruel Lincoln : in Windows music store, me and Chris heard this track and thought the broken, melancholy, fragile, expressive vocals must be Martin Carthy. Turns out it was one of the other Grand folk legends Shirley Collins and it happened I was holding her album in my hand ready to buy.

Lanterns on the Lake – Something from the stunning Sage gig with Northern Sinfonia. A track only didn’t make it on because I couldn’t get a physical copy of the album.

Dream Theatre – Gift of Music : The Astonishing is a really good concept album (if not a little too long and its no Metropolis). I’m not sure songs are as good as the overall effect and therefore difficult to take one out context.

Devin Townsend – Stormbending : Really not sure why Devin didn’t make it on the album this year, because Transcendence album is great. Probably too epic for the melancholic madness of the playlist.

And there’s lots more (digging round for Alterbridge, Lonely Robot….). The videos attached are a hint of the greatness of the tracks, some are a little out of context (some different live performances and I couldn’t find a Kate Bush video that would give the live feeling, so I found just the normal version). As always if you like some of the tracks, please go out and purchase on CD, Vinyl or download if you have to.

The artwork on the CD sleeve reflects as always an influential album of the Year. So this time in a tribute to Blackstar, a cube cut out of shiny black card minimally sits in the middle of a plain matt black background. Only a few dots at the bottom give an indication of the compilation year.

For the record (as I have mentioned above) I went to some awesome gigs in 2016. My favourites in no particular order were Steven Wilson, Fish, Ben Folds, Martin Green, Lanterns on the Lake, Levellers, Octovo Yo and They Might be Giants. I could list the other 12, to be honest I didn’t go to a bad one. Music was one of the highlights of the year and sharing it with my friends was a particular highlight.

I didn’t blog that much in 2016. So many momentous events happened which filled our screens and minds, some awful, some baffling and a lot tearful. Rightly or wrongly I didn’t think a pop-up or a box or yet another diatribe from me would add any substance to the issues and in the end, I felt it would just add to the huge pile of social media traffic expressing the same views. As much as I didn’t shout and scream, I talked, discussed and reflected. It didn’t stop doing the things I loved playing games, music, making things and spending time with wonderful friends. These were the things that kept me going.

Hopefully 2017 will be better, as it will contain a special birthday for me. So I wanted a few different ways to celebrate and track this year. One idea I will play out on the blog, combining the music and card making. You may have seen previous posts celebrating the “birthdays” of albums. For Pink Floyds ‘Dark Side Of the Moon’, I created a birthday card and for Marillions ‘Misplaced Childhood’, a set of themed bunting. I plan to do this for the year, each week I will pick out an album which I will create a piece for and write a short post. I plan to follow a simple set of rules.

• The albums will celebrate a birthday/anniversary within that week.
• I am looking specifically at significant round ages 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50. So from 2007. 1997, 1992, 1987, 1977, 1967.
• Every so often I will bend this rule when a significant event, overtakes and requires a certain album. For example week 2 has a 2016 album (for obvious reasons).
• As it is my significant birthday year I may also play special albums from my life and from significant ages 16, 18, 21.
• I will create the card/box/art thing whilst listening to a play of the album (so about 60-90 minutes making time). Although there may be some quick preplanning.
• Don’t expect an epic review on the nuances of the album. Pieces may be short and will be scattered with the usual randomness and tangents. These will be my views and I will probably be wrong. But I’m picking albums I genuinely like, so hopefully some of the love will come across (even if you don’t agree). And ignore the grammar and spelling…

Last thing to say is I hope you enjoy the music above and chaos to follow

Billy (aged 49)

June 2015 : Do You Remember ? Misplaced Childhood 30 years on

The second celebrationary album project, after the belated Pink Floyds Dark Side Of The Moon 40 year old birthday card, here’s a later prog classic done in bunting form.

 

‘History is written by the victors’ or at least some music journalists. In 1976-77, Britain was in the midst of the punk rock wars, moral panic had set in with fears of all out revolution and the dissolution of the monarchy from one swear word on TV and one play of ‘Never Mind the Bollocks’. On one side, disillusioned young people finding their voice, creating music which challenged but was easy and cheap to play. On the other a bunch of long haired middle age men, playing convoluted high brow music with ever increasing indulgences and stage props. ‘Punk changed the face of music and in turn destroyed the dinosaurs of progressive rock’….. or so we are led to believe on the various music documentaries. The otherwise excellent Prog Brittania on BBC4 came to a sudden halt at the first scowl of Johnny Rotten, as it proclaimed the end was nigh.

The wild growing plant of prog was getting out of hand. Inflatable pig escapes, individual ELP tour buses and Knights on Ice were the tip of the iceberg. The excessive overblown concepts had become more and more obtuse, where now musicianship and obliqueness was favoured over making a good record. When Punk arrived it was a watershed, the over entangled and out of control plant was pruned back but not destroyed. Some old groups disappeared but the majority changed tack. Genesis became more of a Phil Collins solo band. Yes became Buggled. Floyd would continue on their own path into disintergration with the Wall and an unexpected Christmas number one. Hawkwind became a little more New Wave. Rush would discover electronics and ELP would write an Olympic Anthem. As told previously, I got into prog in the 80’s and absorbed the back catalogues of the bands above. At the same time we started to see the development of a number of new british bands. IQ, Twelfth Night, Jadis, Pendragon and Pallis.

My favourite of these so-called Neo-progressive rock bands was Marillion. I heard their first single, Market Square Heroes on either the Friday Rock Show or The Hot and Heavy Express and I was hooked. Finding out later that the b-side was a 12 minute Prog Epic Grendel sealed the deal. I would listen to the debut album ‘Script for a Jesters Tear’ at a friends house, and I immediately loved its combination of sublime musicianship and heartfelt slightly angry lyrics about Lost Love (Script), Social Class (Garden Party), grief (Chelsea Monday), conflict (Forgotten Sons) and random drug use (He Knows you know). I especially loved the Web, with themes of bedsit living, loneliness and relationship management. Perfect fodder for the teenager I was. The album/single artwork by Mark Wilkinson added to the feeling. Album 2, Fugazi followed the same mould with a bit more polish and anger. Songs mainly about Revenge and strained relationships (Assassing, Incubis, She Chameleon, Punch and Judy, Emerald Lies). The epic title track is another manic performance listing so many world ills and pushing for cultural revolution, whilst the beautiful thoughtful Jigsaw gave an impression of what was to come.  These two albums were a big part of the soundtrack to my teenage years. I started seeing them live, and its the closest I have ever been to being in a cult. Manic obsessive fans who knew every word, movement and call back to every track. The excellent live album ‘Real to Reel’ became the textbook for learning these.

In 1985, I eagerly awaited the next album and became ultra excited when I found out it would be a concept album. I queued outside a local record shop for the first single ‘Kayleigh’ and rushed home to play it. To be honest, I didn’t know what to make of it. It was a beautiful single that was bound to be a hit, but the lack of Progressive rock was disturbing. I grew into the single over the weeks and so did the country, with it reaching a lofty number 2 in the charts. So as June 17th arrived, I awaited in trepidation as the needle slowly moved into the synths of Pseudo silk kimono and the start of Misplaced Childhood.

Just before I get into the tracks, as this is the albums 30th birthday I have created some bunting. I have already done a prog birthday card and wanted to do something different. I have always thought bunting is a little bit eccentric. As I go through each track, I will also describe the corresponding piece and the lyric that inspired it. So where was I, lowering the needle back at the start of Misplaced Childhood.

1 Pseudo Silk Kimono

Mark Kelly’s Keyboards herald the start of the album, building tension before Fish’s obscure verses give no  indication of where we are going. Its a great introduction, especially the perfect keyboard segue way into Kayleigh with  ‘Safe in the sanctuary, Safe…..’

‘Huddled in the safety of a pseudo silk kimono, Wearing bracelets of smoke, naked of understanding” – The first bit of bunting and very simple. Some ornate Japanese origami paper with a bracelet of smoke made out of some optical illusion opaque plastic sheeting.

2. Kayleigh

As a very good single about young lost love, with simple effective lyrics painting scenes almost from a teenage photo album. I love the reflective Rothery guitar riffs at the start of verses. Deservedly a hit single, but it wasn’t really prog. The lead in from Pseudo Silk Kimono gave this song a different feel, making it part of a complete piece.

‘Do you remember chalk hearts melting on a playground wall’ – The playground wall, is a photograph of the actual wall in Herbert Street, that I played football against when I was a child. The hearts were to be pink chalk coloured but I preferred the simplicity of these ones that were simply cut from white card.

3. Lavender

The complete piece effect, worked less of Lavender which I had taken an instant dislike to when I heard it. Far too much sugary pop, which probably suffered more with its proximity to the clever hit single before it. Good bits (as usual) is when Fish gets a little manic and shouty. Not even the flip chart Top of the Pops appearance made this better

‘When I am King, dilly dilly, you will be Queen’ – This should have been one of the easiest, but turned out to take the longest. I tried getting paper with lavenders in, then scented drawer lining and then tried to make paper lavender. I was even given some dried flaky lavender by family. All were good ideas but where difficult to source or work with. So ended up with a stock photograph with two gold card crowns held in place with Steph stitching.

4. Bitter suite

Now it got really interesting with this suite of five songs that started moving along the concept and raising the prog threshold. Fish’s brilliant opening monologue of Brief Encounter accentuates his accent and in turn focuses the story onto him. Lost weekend throws the story real life with an almost Alan Bennet suburban drama territory, before tumbling drums and Rothery solo take us back to Lavenders motif and into the darker french set Blue Angel. The little interlude of Misplaced Rendezous is the first real sad reflective track, beautiful in lyrics and simplicity. Curtain call slowly builds lifting the pace and temperament before the final track of side 1.

This bunting piece is as complicated as this track. Five separate elements that fit together.

‘A spider wanders aimlessly within the warmth of a shadow’ – The picture used is of the toilet floor at the City Hall where I had retreated after being attacked by the attached Spider at a Steven Wilson gig (Long Story).

‘A train sleeps in a siding, The driver guzzles another can of lager’ – A Hipstamatic picture taken at Millfield Metro Station in the snow, with a stock picture of a crumpled can.

‘The sky was Bible black in Lyon…… Two hundred francs for sanctuary and she led me by the hand’ – simple black section (great for dividing images and a 200 Franc note.

‘It’s getting late, for scribbling and scratching on the paper….. The weekend career girl never boarded the plane’ – Hand wrote lyrics of the segment and a small drawn jumbo jet attached.

‘I’ll always take the roundabout way…. It started Raining’ – A cut out roundabout sign of a rainy picture of Berwick (it made sense considering where we are headed).

5. Heart of Lothian

Rain on Me, heralds a build up in pace and emotion as the the Wide Boys element starts with a football like chant into Fish recollections of Edinburgh nightlife and a passionate show of heritage. It then crashes into another beautiful downbeat piece, Curtain Call, finishing side 1 perfectly.

“And anarchy smiles in the Royal Mile, And they’re waiting on the slyboys, flyboys, wide boys….” – I cheated a bit here by not setting out the separate elements as I did in the previous song and I didn’t have a picture of the Royal Mile. This initial image of Edinburgh was so good I didn’t want to spoil it with an additional element. I had taken this photo of the Scott Memorial on a bright sunny day, the app I used added a blue/purple tinge. The picture was printed onto dark purple card which gave a dark image but with still hidden detail. The monument was cut out alongside the side of Jenners. Of course it had to be a purple background.

6. Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)

With a Cascade of Xylophone and drumming, this track crashes in at the start of side 2. Great lyrics recounting nights of excess whilst nightclubbing and the exploits of the wide boys. The track has got a great pace and carries enough threat through more manic singing.

‘You had found true love, or so you believed, And the wideboys tattooed your hearts upon their sleeves’ – Here, an off pink background covers the triangle, and on each of the apexes, a fragment of a Celtic tattoo is drawn creating a partial view of a tattooed sleeve. The heart was hand drawn using a number of images from textbook pictures (Not sure it is anatomically correct). This is cut out and stuck down with spacers in the gap between the other tattoos.

7. Lords of the Backstage

This small bridge element has a disjointed prog rhythm running throughout, which along with Fish’s convoluted lyrics start the demise. The love story hits the rocks, as the main character explains their excuses with touring being held responsible. Before we know it, the first chord of Bitter Suite heralds the inevitable downfall.

‘A lonely stretch of headlight, diamonds trapped in black ice, A mirror cracked among the white lines’ – found it difficult to come up with a road like theme on this. So, a triangular piece of mirrored card was jaggedly cut creating a jigsaw effect. White paper covered the triangle and then the mirrored pieces placed on top.

8. Bitter Suite

The second five piece suite. The depressing crashing chord spreads into ‘Vocal Under a Bloodlight’, with a vocal keeping the same self sorry dejected tone, building slowly in intensity. The suite moves almost passing unnoticeably, into ‘Passing Strangers’ with juddering lines of lyrics depicting the missed opportunities. A trademark Rothery solo leads to ‘Mylo’, which I think is the highlight of the album and its key track. A beautifully dreamy soundtrack allows Fish to talk about loss, depression, self pity, the price of fame and dependency leading to the inevitable crash in Perimeter Walk. Haunting Celtic tribal bass, drums and floaty keyboards with Fish mystical talking increasing to full shouty mode. ‘Threshold’ takes Fish back to themes of Fugazi, with war imagery in clear concise anger leading to resignation. The last guitar riffs is a beautiful gateway to what should be the final track.

‘Last night you said I was cold, untouchable, A lonely piece of action from another town’  & ‘Strung out below a necklace of carnival lights‘ – As the songs merge so does the image. On one side a cold snowstorm envelopes a silhouetted town whilst from the right Carnival lights head into the same location.

‘Some of us go down in a blaze of obscurity, Some of us go down in a haze of publicity’… ‘And an interviewer threatened me with a microphone’ – A collage of headlines taken from newspapers on the days I was making this. Scanned then shrunk. A microphone is placed on top.

‘A childhood, that childhood, Oh please give it back to me.’ – another collage of my childhood photo’s. On this I didn’t want me to appear (I do in the top left corner), but wanted to show things from my childhood. A red cagoule, A grey stripy t-shirt, a pink cricket bat and my bear Benji. The bear is decoupaged.

‘She had medals pinned to a threadbare greatcoat’ – a simple cardboard medal is created and placed on grey card.

9. Childhoods End

So the Jester goes and the child appears…. After all the depression this is genuinely an uplifting track, from the initial riffs of the guitar to the gently bass lead. Fish’s rebirth lyrics speak of the change in the character/himself (and me as a teenager). A gentle song with rousing lyrics that come straight from a self help manual. I love the way the guitar solo gives the impression we are heading to the end, only for another set of verses and rousing choruses to appear. A great track and a perfect end…. or it should be.

‘And I saw a magpie in the rainbow’ – I created a badge, with a rainbow background using the same layered technique as in the prism colours in the Pink Floyd card. This was cut out as a lozenge and stuck onto a gold surround. A magpie was made from black card with white card patches and stuck on using a spacer. the background reflects the childs uniform. A bright red card is cut to shape and gold card braiding is attached. Finally the badge is stuck on.

10. White Feather

Don’t get me wrong, white feather is a good protest song about symbolism, nationalism and warfare, but I was never too sure why it was here. Feels like a throwaway b-side that goes hardly nowhere. It also takes the edge off the previous triumphantly rousing song.

‘We will wear your white feather, We will carry your white flag’ – For this a simple white background with a simple white card feather on top.

So there we have Misplaced Childhood. It is not my favourite Marillion album, infact it is my least favourite Fish fronted Marillion studio album. Please don’t get me wrong, I still think this is a great album, with accessible themes of love and loss. For a concept album its got a fairly easy storyline. It also has beautiful flowing music showing all the bands talents, which shows its prog routes whilst being as radio friendly as Marillion got back then. For me these were the issues that let it down but thats probably why the population loved it and sent it to number one in the album chart.

I saw them on this tour and when it was played in its entirety it was a thrill and pleasure to see. Especially at Milton Keynes Garden Party, which at the end of a long tour saw a band reach heights which they could only ever fall down from. One very good studio album later, Fish would leave and the reign of Hogarth would begin. But that triumphant story is for another time. Misplaced Childhoods place in prog history will go down as the album which brought modern progressive rock to the masses in the 80’s and opened the door for newer bands as well as some of the aforementioned dinosaurs. For that I will always be grateful.

Meanwhile in the bunting creation… As you have seen 10 bunting pieces were created by taking elements of the tracks and symbolising them in a 3D way on the triangles. These were a labour of love, with continuous listening to tracks as I created. Some elements took 10 minutes others a couple of hours. A little issue arose with getting some Harlequin ribbon to tie them onto. There was none in Newcastle, so we purchased a little oversized version over the web. Steph generously sewed the ribbon in half and the bunting elements are stuck on with sticky velcro pieces. The colours of the ribbon are excellent and add to the bunting pieces and imagery of Marillion. The whole bit of bunting is about 2 meters in length and represents the longest piece of work I have done.

 

October 2014 : Libran birthdays

“The fallen leaves that jewel the ground. They know the art of dying. And leave with joy their glad gold hearts In scarlet shadows lying…” – October Song – Bert Jansch

“We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything more.” Carl Jung

“Librans will be at the centre of the social circle with friendship, good eating and drinking featuring heavily. The coming together of stars on the 12th will bring about situations requiring specific diverse strategies. Indecisiveness will hit heavily when presented with a range of graphical images although artistic Librans will later make colourful patterns which helpfully sets up others for success. Some quick wits and a balanced prismatic strategy will be required for situations with unfathomable rules. Seek the path that leads to success, be clever and choose the one that doesn’t fall off life’s board. Don’t be lazy, grab the wheel of the car, travel at speed but avoid that last corner or you will crash and burn. If you play fair and avoid life’s pits and conveyor belts you will reach your flag. Useless someone has a big gun and knocks you off course…”

A Libra Horoscope for weekend October 11th-13th 2014

Charming, Open Minded, Fair,  Detailed, Artistic, Social, Co-operative, Idealistic, Creative and Balanced are all positive traits associated with people born between September 23 – October 22 according to various Astrological websites. In the negative column there is Procrastination and Laziness. I was born on October 14th and strangely, I look at these descriptors and would assign the a lot of these towards me. Personally, I don’t believe in Astrology at all (especially the nonsensical prediction of events) but I do agree in part with Jungs quote above. In my training as a Youth Worker, I looked at how people develop over time and the roles played by nature and nurture. Maybe as Jung seems to imply, I have these traits because I was born in the Autumn, early in the morning, into a certain family in a town in  Northern England. Equally I may have these traits because my Mother constantly pointed out that me being creative, fair, open minded, indecisive and lazy were all Libran traits and I may have unconsciously adopted these. More importantly, I believe I was brought up by great parents to accentuate these positive traits which happened to be ‘Libran’.

Famous Librans include Eminem, Mark Rothko, Oscar Wilde, Arsene Wenger, Mahatma Gandhi, Harry Hill, Le Corbusier, Lee Harvey Oswald, Friedrich Nitzsche, Margaret Thatcher, Bob Geldof, TS Elliot, Vladimir Putin, John Lennon, Chevy Chase, Alfred Nobel, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Bridget Bardot and Sting. I look at this list and I see some of the positive elements in some of these people, in others I shudder to think that I share the same traits as them.

Its fair to say though, I am lucky that the people I know, born between the above dates are not like this. I have two good friends Sam and Cath who are the easiest of company. They are social, open minded, intelligent, calming and both have a “degree” in geek. For a number of years I have been happy to share our celebrations together. It started with me and Sam, as our birth dates are 2 days apart and we share the same group of friends. Then Cath joined in on a couple of occasions. In October 2014, one such shared birthday event was planned which included good food, fine alcohol and gaming madness. I just needed to make some cards

I love making birthday cards for friends as they give the opportunity to be completely different and create something unique and bespoke. See my single post of 2014 about making record shops and Bryan Adams cards for Chris and Lisa. It a license to be very Creative. My fellow Librans excelled in this also in 2014. Sam creating me a book based on the word -opolis. Knowing my love of doodled city landscapes, Sam started putting words into google linked to me with the ending –opolis… ie Billyopolis. This was produced into a fantastically barking tome. Cath had earlier in the year produced a series of letters which we received in December 2013/January 2014 in time for a Cthulthu game playing session. Each dated 100 years ago from Edinburgh, they follow a Lovecraftian theme of mysterious locations, tormented victims and everyday objects that turn menacing. In this case silver birch leaves, which just happened to fall out of the last letter received. These letters were so compelling and mysterious as we didn’t know who was sending them and also made a perfect short story.

So when I looked at making a unusual card for Caths special birthday, this story leapt to mind. I decided to make the letters into a book, which would be trapped inside a frame and surrounded by silver birch leaves. The initial element was creating a book. Steph (as the fastest typer) typed out the letters and then I tried a number of times to create the pages. The difficulty was not only getting pages in the correct order but also getting the text size right.  The text needed to be small but not too small that it was unreadable. I was also conscious that I wanted a number of pages which could be spaced out. These layout issues took a while until finally deciding on a Cambria size 5 font which gave 10 pages of text and 2 pages for a name plate and credits page. To get over the printing on both sides, all pages were printed out on a single sheet in pairs and once cut out. These were stuck back to back with their corresponding pair. This sounds as confusing as it was to do. Once dry, we were left with 3 thick sheets of paper which were folded down the centre and put together became the 12 pages of the book. Each page measures 4.5×6.4cm. A cover of black card, a little larger than the pages was cut and  a front title plate revealing the made up title ‘The Mystery Of The November Crags’ created. On this a single black embossed leaf was printed. Pages were placed inside the cover with a little PVA glue and once in place, Steph added a few stitches to secure.

Next leaves were required. We are lucky that over the years we have collected lots of printing equipment including a really good set of leaf stamps. One of which closely resembled a birch leaf, so after a bit of trying out ink and paper colours. Steph printed a sheet of green leafs of different hues on off-white card. As I started cutting them out I realised that these were probably a little too large. With some creative cutting I was able to cut down the leafs to more accommodating size whilst adding some randomness to the shape.

The frame’s were a great find, only £5 each at Debennams’s. These measure 10cm x 15cm (with a cm more on either side if using the border). Importantly it had enough depth of 1.5 cm to allow a paper element to reside comfortably. Assembly started with a backing piece of paper in slate grey being glued to the back plate of the frame to give a little stability. Spacers were then placed on either side of the spine of the book forcing the book to open at an angle when it was placed on the backing sheet. Further spacers were used to separate pages to add more depth and movement. The 40 leaves were then added at first to the book, some fully on pages (and sometimes hidden away), others poking out as though falling out. Then the rest were added to the background and the border. The border along with the use of spacers on some of the leaves added a little more depth. The whole piece was delicately put into the frame and looked great. Final job was to create another little book to hand over at the same time. This was a very satisfying build.

Sam’s card then followed along from this. Being the tree person the obvious link to the leaf stamps was inevitable. Issues abound over the size of the leaves as before as its difficult to build a tree when its foliage is a third of its height. So after a couple of practices to try a build a complex pop up leaf holding tree to live inside a frame, I went for an easier option.

A silhouette of a tree was used as a template. This was specifically picked for its lack of leaves and its general spookiness. Two versions were printed onto dark brown card and cut out. Assembly of the tree was a simple task with having one of the brown tree’s on top and then on the bottom having a darker reverse version by flipping the tree over onto its black printed silhouette. These were folded down the middle and with a little PVA down the Valley fold and a couple of stitches the two trees were held in place. Later small spacers were used the separate these elements at an angle.

Whereas Caths card had taken on Lovecraft colours on black, grey and green, this card was destined to be more Autumnal. The palate of the leaves were to be reds and golds, to go along with Sams house. Much experimentation ensued from Steph of printing a variety of leaf style, in various colours on selections of Red, Gold and off-white card. All leaves were glittery and  embossed. This time I didn’t want to fill the frame, and try to give the impression of leaves in the foreground blowing off the tree in the distance, so only the 12 best ones were cut out and used.

This time a wood veneer frame was used from the same range. The slate grey background replaced by a warming delicate brown colour and the assembly followed a similar route. With tree placed on the backing sheet, with slithers of spacers providing the depth. The 12 leaves were then scattered around the tree without touching it, some on the background others on the border. Again some were raised up to add to the movement.

These two were really enjoyable to make and with very Libran procrastination it is very difficult to say which is my favourite.

The weekend of the 11th to the 13th was an excellent celebration. Food and drinks on the Friday night with friends listening to music and generally catching up. Card and Present swapping took place, and we were all overjoyed with what we recieved. The next day (the 12th) after a small meander into Newcastle, the madness of board gaming began. Games played throughout the day (from top left clockwise) Dix It, Tsuro, Ice Towers, Formula D, Quirkle and Roborally. I won’t go into the games in detail, as a gaming post will follow later in the year.

I won no games but as the pretend horoscope explains above, it was full of the usual close calls. In a last lap of Formula D, I threw all caution to the wind, racing along at full speed only to crash on the last corner. In Dix it, it was a one bunny race until I stalled half way, bamboozled by the images being presented. The most gutting experience was Roborally, I love this game but I am totally useless at it. I inevitably get stuck on a conveyor belt or fall down a pit. This time, unbelievably I ended up 3 squares away from the finish, only to get pushed back and didn’t recover.

In the end, winning was not important. Having a laugh with good friends, playing fab games, drinking great beer and sharing my birthday with my fellow excellent Librans is all I needed.

Pop up Diary Entry – November 2012 – The First Cut

“‘Cause I’m never gonna stop the rain by complaining’, Because I’m free, Nothin’s worryin’ me ” – Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head by Burt Bacharach and Hal David

(Here played by Ben Folds Five)

I love it when a plan comes together – goes array and then falls place into place. This is the story of our November trip with rambling train journeys, illness, returning heroes, fabulous bars and one of the greatest exhibitions I had been to. And contains one day that was so perfect, I had to pay the karma for days afterwards.

We had booked Ben Folds Five tickets as soon as they had come out. When it came to booking hotels, the original plan went out of the window of staying two nights in Manchester. Instead an intricate plan of arrive early Thursday for meander and gig in Manchester, then Friday take the train to Leeds staying overnight and then finally travel to York on the Saturday for the afternoon before retiring back home to newcastle. Phew. As the time approached the usual web search for other gigs, drinking establishments and art galleries ensued with ideas of how we should approach this complicated arrangements. The one thing that stood out was at the ever excellent Manchester Art Gallery  where a paper cutting/Folding/engineering exhibition was taking place. As you can imagine I was somewhat excited by this…. As the time grew closer expectation grew but also a bit of apprehension as the rainy weather turned from bad to worse

We awoke early on the Thursday morning, to find the continued news of big East Coast rail delays due to flooding around Darlington and York. But we had another plan, a round trip so mad, we hoped to get to Manchester by 8pm gig time. Firstly crossing the country to Carlisle, then taking the West Coast line to Preston and finally getting a train to Manchester. Incredibly it worked really well, beautiful new scenery to look at, train changes worked well and we weren’t too late (about 1 hour later). We even got off at a smaller Manchester Station nearer the hotel. A quick turnaround and we made our way to Manchester Art Gallery and the First Cut exhibition.

Manchester Art Gallery, stands proud on Mosley Street. A large imposing 2 storey rectangular building dominated by eleven bay facade and a front portico of six columns. Designed by Sir Charles Barry it was completed in 1824. Initially inside, it follows a similar level of grand-are , an entrance hall dominated by a grand stone staircase leading to very traditional galleries and balcony areas. But entering further into the building you find yourself in a light spacious area of chrome and glass. This extension built in 2002 by Hopkins Architects provides a link between the gallery and the Manchester Athenaeum. Staircases and lifts lead clinically into more modern gallery spaces. The Art collections follows a similar vein taking the main collections influence from the traditional English, Dutch and French School of Paintings found in the imposing front galleries whilst its more modern and furniture pieces can be found in the extension. The exhibit spaces at the back also have provided opportunities for more radical exhibitions.

First Cut is just the latest of these. It was described on the gallery website as “31 international artists who cut, sculpt and manipulate paper, transform this humble material into fantastical works of art for our stunning new exhibition. Wonder at giant sculptures inspired by far away galaxies that spiral from the wall, explore a walk-through forest of paper trees and marvel at miniature worlds that explode from vintage staple boxes or emerge from the page of a book. Flocks of birds and butterflies cut from maps appear alongside artworks that feature dark fairytale imagery. Guns and grenades fashioned from paper currency and sinister silhouettes comment on social, political and economic issues.”… thats a lot to live up to, and you know what it did.

We first enter into a forest of giant branches with delicate paper leaves by Manabu Hangui setting a tone of quiet contemplation. Turning anticlockwise the first main wall is Andreas Kochs Paperwork 1213G, a complex giant multilayer graphite coloured swirl that dominates its space. Straight ahead is a decaying paper motorcycle from Chris Jones and to the left, in the centre of the room a flower patch has sprouted from seed catalogues by Anrea Mastrovito. Into the first corner another cutout takes over the wall, James Alridges ‘As above, so below’ is a far more delicate and darker work, with a dominate tree motif with birds and skulls within. In the corner Chris Kennys ‘Capella’ a clever Inforgraphic multilayered collage is displayed next to Justine Smiths political work incorporating money to collage maps, guns and hand grenades. On the floor a large branch lies forlorn with leaves from old textbooks, this is a tree of knowledge by Nicola Drake. From one viewpoint (in the background) a flock of birds ‘The Harbingers’ fly over, delicate cutouts from maps by Claire Brewster. The next corner is dominated by a couple of glass cases with creations made from book pages by Sue Blackwell. A book of flowers and a house depicting a scene from Wuthering Heights are amazing and slightly creepy.  Meanwhile up above an acrobat swings through the air, a set of joined up books sculpted into shape by Long-Bin Chen.

Andreas Kochs ‘Paperwork 1213G’ and Chris Jones decaying motorbike

Contemplation of Manabu Hangai ‘Wonder Forest’

At front Andrea Mastrovito ‘exodus 8:13’ flower patch. In Backgound Rob Ryan, Beatrice Coron and Andrew Singleton

Sue Blackwell’s Wuthering Heights book sculpture

Su Blackwell book sculpture

Chris Jones ‘Upon The End Of Your Feral Days’

James Aldridge ‘as above, so below’

Chris Kenny – ‘Capella’

Manabu Hangai ‘Wonder Forest’ close up

Nicola Drakes ‘Tree of Knowledge’ and in background Claire Brewsters ‘The Harbringer’

Andrew Singleton ‘Stellar Spire In The Eagle Nebula’

Beatrice Coron ‘Chaos City’

The next long wall three pieces stand out, Laura Cooperman’s Spin takes a seemingly delicate cutout pieces, sticks on gears and makes them revolve at speed giving them movement (a video here), A large Rob Ryan piece, ‘The Map of My Entire Life’ takes over the space with delicate cutouts of chains, clouds and people. Next to it a similar piece by Beatrice Coron ‘Chaos city’ shows a far more oppressive and complex interaction of people with bolder lines and a more cramped existence. In the final corner stands, Andrew Singleton’s ‘Stellar Spire in the Eagle Nebula’. A stunning piece of spiralling swirling black paper based on nebula shapes and forms. The shadow it displays on the wall gives another dimension. In comparison with these very large pieces, a number of small scale exhibits were also shown, The unbelievable delicate tree diorama by Yuken Teruya made within a fast food paper bag. The pop-up like collages seemingly exploding from matchboxes by Sarah Bridgland. The Storybook concertina stage shows of Aliens and demons by Andrea Dezso and finally the sublime one sheet of paper sculptures of Peter Callesen (more of this below). There was many more pieces which pace and time stops me from continuing… We would have to have a second visit the next day to take in these wonders again ourselves but needless to say all these were stunning.

This great day continued with shopping excursion to Fopp and after a brief siesta, out to Port Street Beer House for some stunning beer. This pub has an amazing list of european and american ale, all fairly high strength (and price). I paced myself well as I didn’t want to be to bladdered during the mighty return of Ben Folds Five. We arrived at Manchester Apollo fairly early and took our place on the grand sloping floor and awaited in some trepidation for the band to come on. We were not disappointed new songs (Draw a crowd, Do it anyway) were excellent, old songs (Brick, Landed, Jackson Cannery) even better. The Final four songs… Army, Underground, Kate and One Angry Dwarf finished off an almost perfect day.

It was to good to be true, I had started sniffing that night but awoke the next day with the start of a bad cold. Leeds trip was postponed by a few hours due to me getting up later and needing another visit to the exhibition above. A later arrival in Leeds meant a slower approach which did include the Henry Moore gallery and my first visit to the excellent ‘Friends of Ham’ pub. The next day, it was flu and the day trip to York was abandoned for a quick getaway home. Rain by now had subsided and trains resumed to normal on the east coast main line except for one surreal moment. As we left Darlington we travelled through the aforementioned flooded area, the rails suddenly seemed to be running on top of a lake. The train slowed as though we were gently floating along with only the lapping of waves and bathing birds for company.

My pop-up for the ‘First Cut’ tries to convey this final journey home and draws a lot of influence from the work of Peter Callesen. This Danish artist is excellent at using a minimalist approach. One sheet of ordinary A4 white paper is used and he creates 3D objects and dioramas which can sometimes show a complex tale. The built element themselves are amazing but the negative image left adds more value to the piece (see ‘Looking Back’ where a 3D skeleton looks upon the human sized space where he came from – (link to this and more)). He also manipulates the paper wonderfully to show mountains or waves. This really comes together in a piece called ‘Big Wave Moving Towards a Small Castle Made Of Sand’. A single small turreted castle is cut out and stands proud of the paper leaving a negative shadow in front, unaware of a wave (made from the curled torn edge of the page) is about to engulf.

My homage to this replaces the single castle which four sets of buildings/monuments depicting the journey. From right to left: two futuristic ‘Blade Runner’ tower blocks that could be seen from our bedroom window in Manchester; a version of the ‘Reclining Woman: Elbow’ by Henry Moore which was outside Leeds Art Gallery; A rudimentary version of York Minster ; and a Tyne Bridge symbolising Newcastle. As they stand up, behind them their negative shadows are shown. In front of these a train track is cut out running from Manchester to Newcastle. The only interruption being a large cut out pool of water around Darlington. At this point the tracks move from being the cut out back to being the paper but by Newcastle return to the negative state. The final touch was to show the intensity of the weather through the waves, so both corners are curled showing how weather almost stopped this perfect trip.

Here are some links to some sites/videos that show more about the excellent First Cut exhibition

Manchester Gallery First Cut website

Interviews with Artists page

First cut installation video

A decent youtube slideshow of some highlights