Hi again World !!

'Tis a good day - the sun is shinning, the sky is blue & the music of the moment is the Grateful Dead.... for those of you who have read before, it's one of the concerts I picked up a week or two back. It's the first time I've actually got around to playing this one - so far so good !! It's from about 1977 - tho' it kind of sounds 'timeless'..... not sure if that is even a word ? !!

Oh well - if you get chance, check out the Allman Brothers live stuff from last year. It was their 40th anniversary & the concerts really did rock.... you can get them from their shop (on line) - don't be put off by the fact it's live - they are really well recorded !! Like the Dead - the Allman's stuff sounds really good..... will today's bands be around in 30 or 40 years ? I know I won't & that's for sure !!

At the moment B is out in the village ("I am not a number") ME is doing a placement (Uni) & J is - I think - upstairs. He is on babysitting duty today.... I'll try and be good !! We were expecting the Elders to pop over for a meal a bit later, but they've had to cancel... no big deal - they can come another time !! We have to keep them fed & watered !!

IF anybody is reading this, I'm sorry I've not much to 'report' today - it's very quiet here... much to my liking really..... oh well !!

Never mind - it's the way my life is really.... nice & quiet !!

Bye bye !!

Where do the days go ?

Hi people !!

So Sunday was a good day & I had great plans on getting back to this on Monday - but....... oh well, I will now fill you in on how the Led Zeppelin 'Earls Court' Monday went. But first the history lesson !!

Ok - first off, go back to 1975. Led Zeppelin had announced they were going to play 5 dates at Earls Court & - as expected - the tickets sold out in hours. Living 150 miles from London, I hadn't tried to get any (tickets) - the backwater, I called home at the time, meant I had no chance & this was well before the introduction of the Internet etc etc....

I had heard some good reports from the USA on how the shows went there - including some live tapes from Montreal - so I knew it was going to be a special set of concerts.... but, as I say - I had no hope of going. Well - that was until a group of us were in Taunton on the afternoon of the 24th.

There, in the window of best record shop around, was a small advert. "For sale 2 Led Zeppelin Tickets 24/5/75" along with a phone number. So there we ( a friend & myself) were - less than 5 hours to show time, 150 miles from Earls Court with 2 tickets.... & we went for it !!

We got the next train to London, jumped the taxi queue at Paddington station (the transport system was on strike) & got to the concert at 8:20..... just as the band were blasting thru' 'In My Time Of Dying'. We were there, in the concert & it was brilliant - the seat was kind of rubbish, but we were there !!

The set list went like this:

1) Rock & Roll

2) Sick Again

3) Over The Hills & Far Away

4) In My Time Of Dying

5) The Song Remains The Same

6) The Rain Song

7) Kashmir

8) No Quarter

9) Tangerine

10) Going To California

11) That's The Way

12) Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

13) Trampled Underfoot

14) Moby Dick

15) Dazed & Confused

16) Stairway To Heaven

17) Whole Lotta Love/Black Dog

I won't go on & on - but it was a fantastic show... especially, when you take into account, I didn't have a ticket only 5 hours earlier !! You can find live recordings of the show all over the place - DO NOT buy them tho' - selling bootlegs is illegal, so don't get involved..... but, if you check out the Led Zeppelin DVD, there are some tracks from Earls Court on that !! Just try & get the volume up & enjoy the show.......

So, on Monday (this week) - I played the whole concert end to end.... Yep, I'm sad - but it was pretty good to hear it all again !! 'No Quarter' - for me, rates as one of their best ever.

Of course, 2 things were missing on Monday. There was an England V Scotland match on that day, way back in '75 - so after the show, there were 100s & 100s of Scottish fans around - all of them were really cool & we got on well.... the other thing ? Because the concert finished at about midnight, we missed our train home & had to wait around until 6am for the first ride out of London - that wasn't so good........ we eventually got home about mid day on the Sunday - very tired, but really happy with the whole trip !!!

BUT, the spookiest thing of the whole show, I only found out a year or two later..... The population of the World is about 6 billion give or take & Earls Court held about 18,000 for each concert. What is spooky about that ? Well, there - in the 18,000 that night - was a guy from Bermuda, who in 1978 became my Brother-In-Law when I married his Sister. How weird is that - out of the Worlds population, the 2 of us were in the same building & we didn't know it !!!

The marriage - after 10yrs - didn't take & my ex Brother-in-Law passed away a few years back - BUT he was a great friend to me over the years (I miss him) & we often talked about that evening back in '75....... it was spooky !!!

Anyhow, enough of '75 - if anybody is reading this - I'm sorry to have gone on & on about it.. it was just one of those nights you never forget.... well, I won't anyways !!! Especially with all the Zeppelin stuff I have around me !!!

Bringing us up to date... today's music of choice has been The White Stripes 'Under Great Northern Lights' & Korpiklaani 'Karkelo'..... if nothing else, check out the latter - they rock, they are kind of mad - but they rock !!

& with that all in mind - I will away....... it looks like it's going to be another hot day - so enjoy it while you can & take care World.... that is IF anybody is reading this ????????

Bye bye

It's A Beautiful Day !!

Hi,

What a beautiful day it is !! It's hot, sunny & the World seems to be smiling on us - well, for now at least !!

We were in Bristol this morning for 'our' Stake Conference. It's a round trip of about 85 miles, so I'm kind of washed out at the moment - B (who does all the driving now a days) has taken a time out & is getting 40 winks... but, anyhow - the Conference was pretty good. Elder Quentin L. Cook was there & it was pretty cool to hear from him in person - sort of inspiring really !! I agree, not every body's cup of tea - but I enjoyed it !!

So, while I'm sat here - the music of the moment are some tracks from the 'Rattle & Hum' cd by U2. I do like them, 'live' more than in the studio - but on a good night they do hit the spot for me..... never have seen them in the flesh, but...... & as I type, Genesis have just come on the tape deck - very strange !!

Tomorrow is still going to be a Led Zeppelin day - to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Earls Court show I saw them at - more of tomorrow.... but, if anybody is reading this - dig out your Zeppelin albums & give them a blast !! IF, by chance you do have a tape of the show - give that a listen..... if you were there on the night, it will bring back some memories !!

Oh well - enough for today..... 'tis too hot to sit indoors on a computer, time for a cold one !!

Take care world !!

More Lord of the Rings ???

Hi,

I can understand why 'The Lord Of The Rings' has been so popular - I finished playing the complete s/t earlier today & for some really weird reason (insanity ?) I'm now into the old BBC dramatisation !! For the life of me, I do not know why, other than it seemed logical to play the latter - if nothing else, to compare the 2 versions.....

Oh well - it's been a quiet day really - B & J have been outside in the 'garden' most of it & now B has had to drive into town to collect ME, who - after a trip to the zoo - is feeling poorly & can not drive herself home from M's (her boyfriend)..... I'm guessing she has 'overdone' things a bit this week. Long hours at placement followed by a hot long day today. A good nights sleep will sort things out !!

I did plan today on playing the Dead's cds I picked up on the weekend - maybe tomorrow, they look pretty good... with a couple of them being from the '60s.... about the same time I first really heard of them - a LONG time ago now folks !!!

I would really like - at some point - to speak to some of my old school mates.... the ones who said my taste in music (in the late '60s) wouldn't last. Are they still playing their Beatles albums ? No offence folks - but I much rather give the Dead or Airplane a good listen any day of the week, than the Beatles !!! Tho' I still play the 'White Album' from time to time !!

Never mind - life will go on..... hopefully, in the coming week I will hear from the hospital about my 'bionic' surgery. I'm not really keen on have the actual surgery, but - the out come will be a big help to me & (in a way) my family.... it can not be much fun for them having me poorly all the time.

We'll see how things go...

.....until next time, take care World !!

Hi again World !!

Greetings...

How long is the 'Lord Of The Rings' ???? I've been playing the complete s/t now for, what seems like, days & I'm only part ways thru' 'The Return Of The King' !!! It's a great idea having all the spoken word & music etc etc on cd - but it sure takes a lot of listening to !! Oh well - I've started, so I'll finish.....

At this great moment in time, I'm here alone (again). B, J & ME have all gone into town - I'm aloud to stay home on condition I take it easy... hence I'm typing these words, it can't get much easier than this, I guess.

Back on the Mr Dio death - did anybody see the tribute on the BBC ? It really is a shame that it takes his death to get a mention on Auntie Beeb !! Oh well - it's unlikely, but the Beeb do - or did - have some good concert tapes of the band. If Fluff or Mr Vance were still on the radio (RIP) we could hope for a re-broadcast or two... but, given the state of the radio these days, it's very unlikely !! We'll just have to content ourselves with the various DVDs & live stuff that's out & about.

I do not think it's right to make money out of bootlegs - it's also illegal folks - but thankfully there are some really good tapes of Dio in full flight... if you get chance try and give them a listen at some
point !! Just do NOT hand over any cash for them - if someone won't give them to you, please do not buy them !!!

The plan today & for the rest of the week is, basically, to take things very easy - nothing out of the ordinary there then - but, this weekend we are hoping to make the trip up to Bristol. Given the distance & my state of health, it'll be quite a trip for me - hence I need to 'rest' before going !

I sometimes wonder if people, who know us, fully understand how much day to day 'life' takes out of me. Please don't get me wrong - I'm happy to be here, alive & licking, but sometimes I just get a little p**s*d off when people say things......

Like yesterday, the Elders were talking about us making a trip up to Surrey (I think) - they do not seem to realise what that will mean to B & I physically & financially !! Oh well - we'll see... it's only a 200 mile round trip I guess, but.......

For anybody reading ("Hello") the 'Lord of the Rings' has just got to the BIG battle - not the very last one, 'The Battle Of Pelennor Fields' I think it is.... anyhooooo, it sounds pretty good !!!

Today is the 19th. - so in 5 days I will be playing Led Zeppelin at Earls Court in full. Ok, it is a bootleg recording - but I was there, so it will be good to give the whole tape a run thru' to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the show !! Good - but also kind of sad as well !! Am I sad - more than probable, but do I care..... Nah !!

There is a good story behind that concert - or at least my going to it... but I'll fill you in on that in a day or 5...

Take care...

Greetings

Hi,

So here I am again - listening to the 12 disc 'Lord Of The Rings' - and it's a fantastic day outside !! B is out in the 'garden', J is someplace upstairs & ME is at Uni placement. The latter has long days, but she seems to be enjoying it.

I did have great intentions of playing my new Grateful Dead cds - the ones I picked up on the weekend but, one thing has pushed out another (so to speak) & I've been playing the 'LotR's' all, or at least most of the day !!

We did have a visit from the Elders earlier - they only stayed half an hour, but it was nice of them to drop by. Anyhow - enough for today !!

Bye Bye !!

Dio RIP Pt2

Hi

It's been really wonderful to read all the kind words written about Ronnie James today - a well respected & loved guy... you will be missed by every who had the pleasure of being in range of your voice & lovely personality !!

As a token, I'm playing a cd of his first ever Dio concert at 'The Monster's Of Rock' way back in '83 - it really does stand the test of time..... plus, I will always have the memory of my late Brother-in-Law as the band exploded into 'Stargazer' !! He went WILD !!!

Ronnie James Dio - your voice will be in this household for many years to come. My time ain't long, but B, J & ME are well hooked & when I'm gone - the cds will play on.

It's been a quiet day here. B took me out to town, only my second trip since coming home from the hospital last week - still finding things a little knackering, but it was good to go out + I came home with another Boston cd 'Walk On'..... that'll be 3 Boston cds in as many days !!! I seem to be slightly hooked on them at the moment !!!

Oh yes, I'm also playing - bit by bit - the 12 cd 'Lord Of The Rings' set. It's the one with all the talking & music on. It take some listening to - but good fun all the same !!

Must away....

RIP Dio

Hi

Just read the news that Ronnie James Dio has passed away - rest in peace my old Friend, you will be remembered by those of us who were there.

Sleep tight old friend......

Ho hum - where do the days go !!

Hi,

It's no secret that yours truly has been felling poorly this last week - well, I sort of went to bed on - I'm guessing Thursday night & here I am - now Sunday - so what happened between ??

Well, I know I've been in bed, but yesterday (Saturday) I managed to get to the Taunton Record Fair & now I'm now the proud owner of a bundle of Grateful Dead bootlegs, the newish White Stripes 'live' cd & a BIG yippee for the 2009 Korpiklaani 'Karkelo' album !!!

One of the Dead's albums is from the 'Cornell Uni '77 ' show !! If you buy only one Grateful Dead bootleg, this is THE one to buy !!! Well recorded & well packaged....... I collect 'bootlegs' - have done so for far too many years & this was one I've been waiting for.

Now, as I've been in bed for most of the last 24 hours or so - I've not played any of the above, but this week is shaping up to be a good
one !!!

Especially as I've also got 2 Cd's by Boston to listen to - the first one from 1976 & a Greatest Hits from.... well, I'm not sure when, I must look into that one at some point.

Add to that there is an ELP show on one of the 'download' sites which I must get to listen to - SO, this week is going to be a well good week...... now, as long as I keep breathing & stay out of hospital.... I'll keep you World up to date on what the cds sound like !!

Oh well..... ME has to start off for work at 5.30 ish tomorrow morning for a Uni work placement, so she's gonna be tired tomorrow - but life will go on !!

Take care guys !!

A Musical Diary

Hi world....

Back on New Years Day - 1987 - a bunch of us were at work and we all went thru' what we were going to do for the new year.... resolutions to keep etc etc.

So anyways, as I'm a plonker & I love my music, I came up with the plan to make 1 recording onto a tape cassette for each day of the year..... 365 different tracks to represent my thoughts on the day.

So that first night I went home & put the theme to '2001' on a tape, followed by Talking Heads 'The Road To Nowhere' on the second day... it was just a big joke at the time. But the days turned into weeks & with each new day came a new track.....

... So some boundaries had to be set. Being lovers of 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' - it was decided that the there had to be 42 tapes (Meaning Of Life - sort of stuff)... I best point out, I was being egged on by the guys I worked with, I had a lot help on the silly
things !!

Things like the tapes, when spread out on a table, would have this 'big' picture, in like a mosaic. Each tape had a small picture on it & when put together, this form a big picture that B - who I met later that year - had drawn for me. Add to that, each tape had a label on the spine, which was a line from the middle track - the one that came at the end of tape 21 (I think)...so if the tapes were placed on their side, you could read the lyric of that song.

Anyhow, this was 1987 & for the whole year I did this & now have a really weird set of tapes - with some even weirder music on them !! BUT it worked & I can pick up those tapes today & nearly remember what they relate to - a musical diary !! It became known as 'Project 87'.

Now, being that worked so well, I did it all over again for my 35th birthday - starting the day after my 34th birthday - I recorded another bunch of tapes (35 in total) over the next 12 months........ Yesterday & today, I've worked my ways thru' the 1st 4 of these tapes - it's been great fun & even tho' I don't think I ever wrote any track listings down anywhere - I've remembered each last track...... From Whitesnake to The Alan Parsons Project & on & on.

It might not sound a great bunch of fun, but this past week - after my most recent stay in hospital, my music has really given me a BIG boost back to the here & now + the family have been great, knowing I'm feeling under the weather - and like listening to music - their support has been 100% & I love them for it !! .....& yes I did more of these tapes.... but, I'll get to them another day !!

Take care

Old Mates...

Hi again World....

Yesterday, I was thinking of Linda J. - a lady (now 50 years old) I used to know many many moons ago.... someone who was there for me & now I've lost complete contact with !! That got me thinking even harder of the friends I've known over the years, who could be anywhere - where are you now ?

The Linda J thing was completely my fault - it was all around the Independence Day thing, 24 years ago - but others, well - to quote Robert Plant (sort of) "some friends fall by the wayside, others fall flat on their face".....

Not going to dwell on this - it'll bring me down - but if you're out there & you remember the "good old days" - get in touch - even if was my fault that the friendship went south - say "Hello"...... it could be fun to chew the fat !!

Some years back, I looked at the Friends Reunited web site - just left a message... next thing I know, I'm being contacted by old school friends I could not - for the life of me - remember !! It was a small school, but....... where did all these people come from ???? One guy was cool - MJ - who now lives out in the US of A... he actually took the time to telephone the hospital while I was there in 2002 !! I hadn't seen or heard him for years & wham... he is on the phone from the States !! Oh well - now I've lost his e-mail address, so we've parted company again... my fault !!

Oh well......

I'm sat here again, while the ladies of the house are out on the road. Tomorrow would have been B's Mums birthday, so ME & her are heading to put flowers on the grave & visit Grandma G, who is Mum's twin sister & now adopted as a Grandparent. J is still in bed - well, it is only 11.40 - so I'm being looked after here in my old age !! Another quiet day in paradise....

The music of choice is still the 6 cd set I was playing yesterday. It really is dross, but it kind of has a hook in me at the moment.... I guess that's the selling point of these things ? 101 tracks that most of us might remember from the radio or old records we bought & they just play along in the back ground - giving us memories we had forgotten..... that explains a lot really !!!

Take care people !!

G' day

Hello World,

'Tis me again... feeling much better than when I last wrote. I didn't realise how poorly I felt until I tried to do a few things & realised I was knackered !!! Anyhoo - a days rest has given this old bod of mine a little bit of a breather.....

B & ME are between the University & shops, J is upstairs, leaving yours truly here playing musak and typing these words. Today's choice is a 6 cd set called '101 Power Ballads'. It's kind of rubbish, but there are some good tracks on it..... mostly 'musak for the masses' tho'.

Yesterday was a quiet day - sat here watching the GP on the box - JB IS still leading the race !! It's amazing, he came in 5th & the BBC guy says something like "he could only finish in 5th place" - hell 2 years ago, he was just glad to finish !!!! Now he's World Champion, seems like people expect him to win every race !?!

Oh well - a nice touch yesterday.... I was too poorly to go to Church, so the Bishop (yep, THE Bishop) came here to give B & yours truly the Sacrament !! You don't get that sort of service every day !! It's nice to know that we're part of a Church that really does care for it's members. All being well, I'll be well enough to attend next week end.... we'll see. We have a new Elder in the Church, visiting on his mission - he might pop over to see us at some point, so THAT will be a shock for him !!

Oh well - enough of The Church - today is going to be a very quiet one for me. I've nothing planned other than playing 'my' music & watching the goggle box..... what a life eh ?

I'll be back at some time, so hang in there World - life does get better ..... thoughts to Linda J, where ever you might be ?

Sad But True

Hi,

So I thinking, how lapse I was by not posting for a few days, now it's been a few more days !! Sorry about that - if anybody is reading.... "Hello, how you doing ?"

Ok, so today is Saturday & I've just spent another couple days in my 2nd home - the hospital. I go there very now & again... I flaked out on Thursday & have been allowed home for the weekend on orders to rest. So I guess typing my blog is kind of restful ? Whatever.....

So, why 'Sad But True'.... 2 reasons. I was in bed, in the hospital and the guy next to me - well, he died. Honestly, he had been poorly all night and was breathing quite heavily, then he stopped as I was listening to him.......... it was like the World was switched off, for a second - all I could hear was silence. I had been so intent, listening to him - then he stopped & was dead. I called a nurse over, but it was too late, he was gone.... He had been sleeping, so it was very peaceful for him.... Hopefully our Lord will take good care of him, bless him.

The other reason - a guy - 18 years old - came in after an OD of some so called 'recreational' drugs. His Mum was with him, but he wouldn't of known - he was completely out of it. He was basically a cabbage !! It was possible he wasn't going to make it - he could die/my have died - but, there he was, to look at him, not a care in the world, while around him his Mum was crying her eyes out & the Dr's were trying their best to pull him thru'.

I know I'm poorly - but, it has made me realise how lucky I am. I may not have the greatest of health, but I hang in there as best I can...... got my family to support me & my music to listen to.

At the moment, Eric Clapton is playing... kind of quiet for me I know, but.... well, I need the rest !

Anyhoo - I must away..... Keep it together people, life IS too short.

Hi - Missed me ?

Hello Dear World...

...Forgive me people, for I have sinned - it's been too many days since my last post !!! Am I forgiven ?

Hope so, because I've no real excuse for my tardiness.... one thing just pushed out another & before I knew it.... well, I'm here now - so onwards.

Today is Wednesday & I don't know about the rest of you living in this country of ours, I'm well & truly fed up to the back teeth with the election !! Tomorrow is voting day, so by the weekend, I'm guessing, we will have a new PM.... time will tell.

As of this moment, I'm not sure who I'm voting for.... other than my friend, there are a good selection of idiots to vote for - maybe I'll go for "None Of The Above" !! We'll see......

I'm here, sort of, alone again. B has driven ME up to Uni this morning. ME has to have some blood tests done & was unsure how she was going to feel afterwards + she has a really bad cold at the moment & probably ain't too fit to drive anyways....... she went yesterday, to Uni, and was sent home !! The blood tests are really important & she had to go up for them - hence B drove.

My son J is here looking after me, tho' he is STILL in bed, as I write, so I'm kind of on my own. I've just taken my morning meds - 6 pills, some orange liquid gunk & my a.m. dose of morphine. I never thought, when I was younger (all those years ago) that my life would revolve around so many pills & liquids !! Oh well - at least I'm still breathing, so that is a bonus - or at least I think it is !!!

On Sunday - at Church - we said goodbye to one of the Elders. After 2 years in this country, he is going home to Utah.... by now, he should be on the plane. So, this weekend we will meet his replacement. Good luck Elder C, you'll be missed !!

Ok, the "music of choice" these past few days has rotated around the 10 tapes I started playing a few days back - I don't normally play so many tapes 'back to back', but these have been fun to listen to. At the moment 'Brothers In Arms' is playing - a bit laid back for my taste, but.......

.... oh I forgot, over the weekend - Sunday anyways - I found some old Black Sabbath cds I had forgotten about. That was fun to listen to again, altho' the live set was a bit naff. For an official cd, the sound quality wasn't the best. I've heard better bootlegs !!

& talking of the boots - this month marks the 35th anniversary of Led Zeppelins Earls Court shows, so dig out your old live tapes of the shows and remind yourself how a concert should sound.... not the c**p these 'Pop Idols' (Kelly Clarkson excluded) perform..........

Anyways, I must away.... play it loud.

1991 & All That....

Hi

Today's music of choice are some old tapes I recorded back in the 1st months of 1991 & if ever there was a 'good' example of my musical taste - these have to rank pretty high !! As with many of my old tapes - they really are a sort of diary of what I was playing 19+ years ago.

At the time - my wife B was in hospital having given birth to our daughter ME & I was living alone. Our son J was staying at my old mans place so I could continue working..... these tapes were recorded late into the night - there are 10 of them in total & have some s**t hot rock on them !!!

It was also the time of the first 'Gulf War' - the 'legal' one (depending on your own point of view) - I remember going into the hospital & telling B it was all over....... well, for 10 years or so !!

Today we were going to a Baptism - but I over slept !! I had a bad night, so B didn't wake me. It wasn't a family member - well, a family member of our Church (if that counts ?) - so... it would of been nice to have gone, but we can't always do what we want, maybe next time.

Also today, being May Day - it's our village 'fair' day... and it's pouring down. B has popped down to see if she can find some plants & J is down there helping with a fundraising thing he's involved in. As ME is working all day - with her dodgy knee - I'm here playing my tapes... another day in my family & the music in my life.....

Take care................