Nostalgia ain't what it was...

It is I suppose, something of a custom now, to use the early hours of Monday morning to natter about the weekend just passed. In that spirit, I find myself reporting that I spent yesterday afternoon and evening with my friends Sam and Ruth sans LJ in Burgess Hill.

As is our custom, the time was passed by listening to music, watching DVDs and chatting. And drinking BEER and eating pizza, of course. It is noteworthy that the West Sussex night is a great deal cooler and darker than the London night. Also much quieter. Once again I find myself wondering precisely why I still live in London - other, that is than inertia and lethargy. Oh, yes. Burgeoning poverty; that plays a role, too.

Never mind.

Sam is one of the only members of the Belvedere Bad Band with whom I am still in regular touch. The Bad Band (motto: 'Talent is killing music') was an occasional trio-cum-quartet that recorded out of my bedroom for a period of about 6 weeks in 1985. Paddy's Day 2004 marks the 19th anniversary of our classic hit, Matilda J Arkansas, which bears the distinction of making a friend of the band laugh so hard he threw up.

You will appreciate that making music in a bedroom was difficult at best, and recording it harder. Multi-tracking and overdubbing on two double-tape ghettoblasters (Boom Boxes as I believe they are known west of The Pond) gave us a gratifyingly muddy sound and necessitated frequent re-tuning as tape speeds varied just enough to cause no end of amusement. This variation in tape speed also lent many of our recordings an unintentional psychedelic feel since it provided us with home-made phasing. Our efforts were further hampered by the fact that only Sam could play an instrument with anything approaching competence. My input was restricted to vocals delivered in a hideous attempted Lennon impression, various sound FX and improvised recording engineering.

Now all the tripe we recorded, including backing tapes, remains in my possession. As the BEER flowed on Saturday night it was decided that we should follow the custom of other bands and re-master the band's output and convert it from analogue tape to something digital (probably MP3) and drop it on to CDs. The re-mastered noise (music is a rather too elegant term), once we have fathomed out how to make the transfer, to be subjected to some kind of cleaning up on a computer.

Of course, this means finding some appropriate software. Ho hum.

We anticipate that the market for the band's output will be between 2 and 3 CDs. One each for Sam and me, and possibly one for Jez, the other regular member. If we can track him down after nearly 20 years and intimidate him.

As we got progressively more drunk, the conversation turned to a number of ludicrous instruments we had once designed, but never made: vis. the maudline, the cachophone and the donk. We further came up with the concept for another based loosely on a Timpani filled with rice. Armed with these conceptual instruments we then wrote what could be, if we had the money to build these 'instruments' (which happily for everyone's sanity, we don't), the last hurrah of the Bad Band.

The piece as written is entitled Concerto for the Black Death and would run for about 5 minutes.

But this is all a story for another night.

Perhaps.

Nostalgia ain't what it was...

It is I suppose, something of a custom now, to use the early hours of Monday morning to natter about the weekend just passed. In that spirit, I find myself reporting that I spent yesterday afternoon and evening with my friends Sam and Ruth sans LJ in Burgess Hill.

As is our custom, the time was passed by listening to music, watching DVDs and chatting. And drinking BEER and eating pizza, of course. It is noteworthy that the West Sussex night is a great deal cooler and darker than the London night. Also much quieter. Once again I find myself wondering precisely why I still live in London - other, that is than inertia and lethargy. Oh, yes. Burgeoning poverty; that plays a role, too.

Never mind.

Sam is one of the only members of the Belvedere Bad Band with whom I am still in regular touch. The Bad Band (motto: 'Talent is killing music') was an occasional trio-cum-quartet that recorded out of my bedroom for a period of about 6 weeks in 1985. Paddy's Day 2004 marks the 19th anniversary of our classic hit, Matilda J Arkansas, which bears the distinction of making a friend of the band laugh so hard he threw up.

You will appreciate that making music in a bedroom was difficult at best, and recording it harder. Multi-tracking and overdubbing on two double-tape ghettoblasters (Boom Boxes as I believe they are known west of The Pond) gave us a gratifyingly muddy sound and necessitated frequent re-tuning as tape speeds varied just enough to cause no end of amusement. This variation in tape speed also lent many of our recordings an unintentional psychedelic feel since it provided us with home-made phasing. Our efforts were further hampered by the fact that only Sam could play an instrument with anything approaching competence. My input was restricted to vocals delivered in a hideous attempted Lennon impression, various sound FX and improvised recording engineering.

Now all the tripe we recorded, including backing tapes, remains in my possession. As the BEER flowed on Saturday night it was decided that we should follow the custom of other bands and re-master the band's output and convert it from analogue tape to something digital (probably MP3) and drop it on to CDs. The re-mastered noise (music is a rather too elegant term), once we have fathomed out how to make the transfer, to be subjected to some kind of cleaning up on a computer.

Of course, this means finding some appropriate software. Ho hum.

We anticipate that the market for the band's output will be between 2 and 3 CDs. One each for Sam and me, and possibly one for Jez, the other regular member. If we can track him down after nearly 20 years and intimidate him.

As we got progressively more drunk, the conversation turned to a number of ludicrous instruments we had once designed, but never made: vis. the maudline, the cachophone and the donk. We further came up with the concept for another based loosely on a Timpani filled with rice. Armed with these conceptual instruments we then wrote what could be, if we had the money to build these 'instruments' (which happily for everyone's sanity, we don't), the last hurrah of the Bad Band.

The piece as written is entitled Concerto for the Black Death and would run for about 5 minutes.

But this is all a story for another night.

Perhaps.

You remember those memes I don't do?

From sloopjonb via cybersofa . Pick a band and answer these questions only using that band's song titles. My band of choice, King Crimson. As the man said, it's almost too easy.

1. Are you a male or female?: Model Man
2. Describe yourself: 21st Century Schizoid Man
3. How do some people feel about you? Dig Me
4. How do you feel about yourself? Man With An Open Heart
5. Describe your interests: Indiscipline, Ladies of the Road, Easy Money
6. Where would you rather be? Providence
7. Describe what you want to be: Fallen Angel
8. Describe how you live: Earthbound
9. Describe how you love: I Talk to the Wind

You remember those memes I don't do?

From sloopjonb via cybersofa . Pick a band and answer these questions only using that band's song titles. My band of choice, King Crimson. As the man said, it's almost too easy.

1. Are you a male or female?: Model Man
2. Describe yourself: 21st Century Schizoid Man
3. How do some people feel about you? Dig Me
4. How do you feel about yourself? Man With An Open Heart
5. Describe your interests: Indiscipline, Ladies of the Road, Easy Money
6. Where would you rather be? Providence
7. Describe what you want to be: Fallen Angel
8. Describe how you live: Earthbound
9. Describe how you love: I Talk to the Wind

Patience? Was ist das patience?

The problem with exercising patience and restraint is that there is no instant gratification.

It is in that spirit that I have decided to blow my lunch hour on a trip to the West End to pick up a copy of the Deaf School anthology, What A Way to End It All which I ordered ten days ago from play.com and which they still do not have in stock, despite such worthy merchants as Amazon.co.uk promising despatch within 24 hours. The thing is, they charge postage on top, where as Play do not, so it's worth nipping up to HMV as that only costs me time.

It is an unfortunate failing of mine, that once I have decided on a purchase, my will power and patience then goes on holiday and I have to buy as soon as possible.

Oddly, the same is not true in prevaricating over settling the credit card bill.

Update

Of course, it's all bollocks.

Just because you go to a place that advertises itself as the World's Largest Music Store (and no, I have no idea if it is, but that's how it advertises itself), you shouldn't expect them tyo have anything useful in stock.

And so it transpired.

Neither did the Virgin Megastore.

Theoretically the album I want was released on 29 September, but I'm beginning to think that maybe only five or six copies were pressed and those have now sold out (presumably to ex band members)and there is to be no reprint.

It narks me, it does.

Patience? Was ist das patience?

The problem with exercising patience and restraint is that there is no instant gratification.

It is in that spirit that I have decided to blow my lunch hour on a trip to the West End to pick up a copy of the Deaf School anthology, What A Way to End It All which I ordered ten days ago from play.com and which they still do not have in stock, despite such worthy merchants as Amazon.co.uk promising despatch within 24 hours. The thing is, they charge postage on top, where as Play do not, so it's worth nipping up to HMV as that only costs me time.

It is an unfortunate failing of mine, that once I have decided on a purchase, my will power and patience then goes on holiday and I have to buy as soon as possible.

Oddly, the same is not true in prevaricating over settling the credit card bill.

Update

Of course, it's all bollocks.

Just because you go to a place that advertises itself as the World's Largest Music Store (and no, I have no idea if it is, but that's how it advertises itself), you shouldn't expect them tyo have anything useful in stock.

And so it transpired.

Neither did the Virgin Megastore.

Theoretically the album I want was released on 29 September, but I'm beginning to think that maybe only five or six copies were pressed and those have now sold out (presumably to ex band members)and there is to be no reprint.

It narks me, it does.