Four on the Floor – Volume 4.

Jack Green – Humanesque – 8/10

This was a strange one, my brother arrived home with it from our local record emporium (remember those days), I had never heard of him, although upon the dawn of the internet I looked him up, it turns out he played for T-Rex and then the Pretty Things, allegedly he was a member of Rainbow for all of 3 weeks before Roger Glover decided that he wanted to join the band, but not before Mr B played a tasteful solo on I call, no answer, is it the best track on the album, no but it is the best solo, as for the rest of the album I loved it, like a British Rick Springfield meets Elvis Costello a similar touch, it was one of the albums I lost when I was burgled in 1983, although I had it on tape so I could play it on my Walkman as I travelled around the UK watching bands, I still love the album all these years later I received a digital copy yesterday and so far have played it 7 times, yes I like it.

Deep Purple – Turning to Crime – 1/10.

I love this band in most incarnations, although since Mr B left the quality control has been dodgy to say the least, this is horrible, I don’t mind cover albums but this should have been locked up and the key thrown away, I look forward to an album with Simon McBride as I think he is better fit to the band than Steve Morse, a super guitarist ( and all round nice guy) but I never felt the connection, this is my personal opinion if you like it, good luck to you, I heard it when it was released and hated it from the second I played it, I have given myself some distance but it hasn’t improved any, I still hate it, and I think I would rather gnaw my foot off then have to endure it again. 49.45 minutes of my life I will never get back and to think Bob Ezrin produced it, maybe he needs to go back on the drugs, utter shite!

Man Raze – PunkFunkRootRock -7/10.

When this was released back in 2011 I loved it , it disappeared under the onslaught of new music, but every now and then it would surface, A member of Def Leppard/Girl, a member of Girl and a Sex Pistol what could go wrong, not a lot really, it hasn’t lost its charm, it also comes across as something more than a vanity project, it has had money spent on it, and its charm shines through on the songs with a bit of energy when its required, I do admit I prefer this to Def Leppard its more up my street, give it a chance you will love it! I saw them support Alice Cooper on my birthday for this album and I thought it went well, well until I thought I was going to get stabbed for shouting for Hollywood Tease, but that’s another story

The Cult – Under the Midnight Sun – 3/10.

I thought I should do at least one new release and to be honest I struggled, I never got them, I thought they were a tribute band, and always thought Astbury was a dick, but I have matured and thought I would give them another chance, I had seen a few interviews with the band saying it was a seminal release, and…..well I still don’t get it, they leave me cold, they can all play and sing, they can write songs but damn it, it leaves me colder than a corpse that has been in a morgue for a week,  don’t worry I don’t care for led Zeppelin for exactly the same reasons, if you like it good luck to you and all that sails with you, and it is still better than the afore mentioned Deep Purple (well more like a Gillan) album that’s already been reviewed earlier.

White Feather.

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Among the Living.

 

So, this one has gone off in a different direction, not in a bad way I don’t think, but not where it was intended, everything had been going in the right direction, some bumps in the road (some big ones but we are staying positive) I was trying my best not to spiral away, I tried but it didn’t work, thankfully I wasn’t depressed, I just a bit angry, I am not going to bore you with the details as its work related, I am still amazed that clots do indeed rise to the top, they may be educated but they are ignorant and as thick as pig shit!

I got over that blip, but it destroyed the serene mood that I had been aiming at, I don’t do angry these days, well not as much as I used to, Thankfully I try and remain zen like, that maybe because I’m getting old and decrepitate, I’m not sure, I’m more like a slow diesel engine as opposed to a rocket powered super jet, just as well as angry doesn’t get you very far I have discovered!

I had been having a discussion with someone from work about how some people can be  antisocial, not generally me, well I was meaning me, but I don’t think that they caught my drift, I don’t think that I am very social at times, I can wear a happy face but in reality, I am just a tad antisocial, I don’t make new friends easily, I can be user friendly, but not friendly, I’m sure that you understand what I mean.

Do I have friends well yes I do, but my really old friends, people I knew when I was a teenager (yes that old) I love bumping into them for that couple of minutes, but they moved on, that’s their choice not a complaint, I have been back in my hometown for nearly twenty years and only one has ever come a calling (and he is my oldest friend) admittedly he came calling because he was after something (and I was grateful that he came)  but it kind of underlined that they let me hang round with them because they could, now it’s a friendly hello but everybody has moved on they all look incredibly happy, me I just look sour faced all the time. Before you all shout at me for it being a two way street, I get that but I did do a lot of the facilitating travelling big distances to little avail, it is what it is do I miss them well yes of course I do, but the world keeps turning.

My friends from Durham (read The Dawn Patrol) it turns out that there is only 2 left, 12 of the group have died in the last two years a couple with covid and some with major ailments, my wife has tons of friends or at least people to talk to, all I have now is the south shields massive, unfortunately Co-vid has put paid to our trips down the hill to visit, I miss those weekends, however one of the bumps in the road (a rather major one) has basically curtailed even the smallest of road trips, I do miss the Tee Hee Club, I am confident that we will rise again like a phoenix, or rather a drunken mob at some point!

 

Warning! Here comes the morbid bit, I have decided that when I die, the wife can do what ever she wants with me, the cheapest way is simply to be cremated (the Co Op is the cheapest about a grand for the function of burning my ass, I don’t want a funeral with three people in attendance, they don’t miss me when I’m a live I don’t want them turning into hypocrites, wailing and gnashing of teeth saying I was a good egg, obviously I wasn’t otherwise you would have kept in touch, but I digress, she can donate me to medical science I don’t care I will be dead do with me as you see fit!

The reason for this blog well  I have had a number of new readers, who try to interact with me, and I simply won’t, read the early blogs and understand why I am just a little distant, I have no intention of going back to the Myspace days, was the readership bigger, hell yeah it was almost twenty times the readership that I have now, this is quite tidal with good times and slow times, I’m happy with it, I get to vent my spleen, and you lot seem to enjoy it, and although I do read the interactions, I tend not to reply directly, yes I know if I did my historical ones the readership might grow, but to be honest some of the memories although great at the time, would be very painful to dredge to the surface, but some of you new people are quite happy to get a mention in print, the questions that asked are being saved for a new “Now Hear This” blog that is about the only way I directly interact, so watch this space you never know a query from yourself might just get picked, yes the are some old hands that I will interact with (Broadsword calling Danny Boy, Sabine, Nils and a couple of others) but trust me I am not doing this to make friends, I am simply trying to get to the finish line in one piece!

So, that’s it, another one gone faster than the speed of light, I am a lot happier doing spur of the moment blogs than trying to write war and peace epics, that doesn’t mean that you won’t get one at some point, I have a couple of memories that I think have the potential to be good historical but not musical, I’m not sure if I am brave enough to venture that far back in the mists of time, so keep spreading the disease, yes the name game is in play, click like, share or whatever you do as the numbers are…..consistent, so until the next time, take care and stay alive, until the next time………….Toodles!

Four on the Floor – Volume 3.

Gasoline – Gasoline – 9/10

This album is a blast and I promise you I won’t waste time as I wax lyrical, its everything that you need in an album its fun with a capital F! I will admit to knowing 50% of the band although it’s been I while since I have enjoyed their company although (part of) their alter ego band (The mighty Bessie and the Zinc Buckets played my hometown whilst me and the wife were away on a short holiday, it’s a conspiracy I tell you) the band is ¾  French but that is not apparent, it rolls with a good old fashioned swagger, I won’t bore you with all of the tracks, but I will say that if Love train was released and got some airplay on Radio 2 I reckon it has “HIT” written all over it, I can just see the video now, at least we won’t have Kev in a wedding dress! the album was my go to album for about a fortnight going back to and from work its just the right timeframe, the playing is tasteful and not too flashy the playing supports the material, I really can’t wait for another album this is sooooooooooo good!

 

Journey – Freedom – 5/10.

I do Like this band, I like 90% of all of their recorded material and the various line ups, but this just left me feeling Meh! I had about 6 attempts at getting into it, and I struggled, its well-played, well written but ultimately it simply feels bland, I couldn’t get motivated about it, there’s 15 tracks maybe that’s the problem, just pick your 10 best and put that out, some tracks seem to last forever, the biggest hits they have released got in got out and did the job, these kind of don’t, it feels like a totally joyless exercise, the complete opposite to the Gasoline album, they should have called the album Serious instead of Freedom as there is a complete lack of FUN in this slab of (alleged) rock. No doubt at some point I will attempt to play it again and you never know it may blow my mind (I have my doubts) but if I listen to it again anytime soon, I may just blow my mind out using both barrels of a bloody shotgun, file it under Meh!

 

Ted Nugent – Detroit Muscle – 2/10.

An artist I truly loved right up until about 2010 when his weird political rants seemed to take over, the last decent effort from Uncle Ted was Craveman 2002 you had to go all the back to 1980 to Scream Dream for the last totally consistent record, after that he has chased every fashion going, with piss poor line ups and poorly conceived albums, the last 10 or so years its like he has lost his mind and then its like his mouth is in overdrive spewing buckets of bile, I don’t care if he hunts, owns guns drives cars fast, he has turned into a dick and the music has as well, gone are the days of the whiplash bash, he should retire and just play with his toys, he no longer tours stadiums it looks like small clubs, there’s a reason for that it’s your mouth, playing the same riffs over and over again, can he play hell yeah, can he sing, not really bring, back Derek St Holmes (oh I’m sorry you don’t like having to pay him)  I hope he doesn’t release any more sub standard albums like this, he has killed his own reputation.

 

UFO – Obsession – 9/10.

After the last two out pouring's of drivel, I felt the need to go back to the 70’s for some feel good vibes, I can remember quite vividly the day that my brother bought this album as if it was yesterday and I can remember listening with my jaw hanging  loose, I liked the previous albums but this one simply blew me away, it had the songs, the production, the band were firing on all six cylinders, ask a fan to name their fave studio album and I bet they would just about all say this album, there is nothing wrong with this album, so why the 9 scoring, well simply its no Rainbow Rising which to me is the greatest rock album ever recorded, this is a pretty close second in my eyes, go on play this and just feel the soaring feelings of joy that you get whilst listening to this, I think why I struggle with most modern albums is they try and fill it up with 70 + minutes when in reality we would be happy with a cracking album that clocks in at 30 odd minutes of class, UFO went on a decline after this all be it a slow decline, have they made good albums since this, yes they have but this is the pinnacle, oh those glory days!

 

I have listened to tons of great music since the last musical excursion, I thought I had to be honest, I don’t intend to simply put on good reviews, I will put up how I feel after I have played them, Gasoline is the album of the month for me, buy it, from streaming services or try and get a physical copy, I’m hoping to get to see them live at some point because I reckon there will be more mayhem than at a Buckets gig, oh the sheer wonder of a live gig! These have done good numbers I don’t expect them to do the same numbers as the proper blog, but I like how its going, onwards, watch the skies for more incoming and until the next time………………Toodles

 

By the way these are my opinions you don’t have to agree with me, it’s how I feel on the day 6 months from now I might love and album I hated and vice versa its only a bit of fun so suck it up buttercup!

Message From a Self-Destructing Turnip.

No, I haven’t lost my mind, the name game is in play it’s what I am listening to at the moment so google it if you have to cheat.

Life as always bimbles on and I seem to bimble along with it, good news or bad news I seem to shrug my shoulders and simply keep trying to move forward. The Four on the floor blogs seem to have found a niche and they are trickling with good days and bad days sometimes nobody reads them then other days you get 13 hits in 22 minutes, I have no idea why, that is why I am simply bimbling along, I am preparing the next four on the floor but its not set in stone just yet, as I am indeed playing a lot of music.

So, what have we been doing of late, well we had a brief jaunt off to the north of the country, yes we crossed the border and headed to bonny Scotland , the weather was unseasonly warm, we hired a small cottage between haddington and Dunbar and kicked back just a little, a slow drive up the military road to avoid the traffic on the direct route we took the old military road the only thing that spoilt that journey was the possibility of a traffic cam flash as we overtook a slow electric car (the driver must have been about 90 and could have hardly see over the stirring wheel) we wait with baited breath to see if a notice arrives in the post.

We kicked back the first night and did what we like to do most, which is very little if we can, I read a biography on Cozy Powell (meh) and the wife played with her switch. The next morning I was up with the larks (no surprise there then) the wife was up quite early for her I didn’t have to poke her with a stick, cunning plans were afoot, typically we didn’t follow them, we headed off down narrow country lanes and found a Deer farm, then managed to get into Dunbar (where I had my first ever holiday at the tender age of 5) and we dawdled went to the harbour and looked out to sea, shame really as it has a fantastic beach but the tide was in, we dawdled along the opposite side of the street and the wife spotted a record shop (heaven) we had a good sort through and I was a good boy I only bought 4, it definitely lifted my spirits we called into a garden centre for a spot of lunch and had a fab meal, we could have split either meal between us and still have been stuffed, cracking meal and it kind of stopped us in our tracks, we wandered a bit further afield but the grub had really stifled us, so we headed back to base for another quiet night, I know we are getting old, the next day the same process, except this time I had a slight lie in, please note a lie in for me is anything past 5.30 in the morning, this was 6.10 I was happy, a late breakfast for us, and then time to head out again this time to Haddington were walked around the village a little but headed to our fave “Bistro” the waterside the clock struck 12 and we walked through the door for lunch, the food as per was out of this world a starter a full Sunday lunch and a pudding we waddled out of the place across the bridge and collapsed into the first available seat.

We did venture further afield, which was good when you consider what we had eaten, but we did eventually throw our hands in defeat and head back to base, another glorious day and after we had settled, we decided to start the job of packing up, a little less to do in the following morning, I finished the biography (a 5 out of ten for me) then off to bed and to sleep. We were up about the same time I let the wife snooze a little longer as I finished the packing, we had a light breakfast and then set off, we headed back via the motorway and the traffic was crap we finally got home and decided we need to do that some more, I just have to find a bank to rob, as it was bloody expensive, and all the banks in Gimpsville have just about closed. I had had a couple of great ideas for a blog but had to neglected to bring the infamous black book so they were lost to the ether, you think I would learn, I seem to have gotten out of the habit of being a blogger (something I must rectify) as I lie awake at night trying to remember the structure of the snowflake of an idea, I rarely do, so its back to carrying a little black book, don’t say that you haven’t been warned!

Then back to work I miss the old place of work simply because I could play bus seat bingo just about every single journey, my current place of work, I’m not the first on the bus anymore, but sometimes I do manage it and boy does it piss people off, it’s the simple things in life! One thing that doesn’t change is the pain my knees on the walk to my bus connection and because of the weight of my bag that I carry my hips have decided to join in, its not good, it lets me know that I am a mere mortal, I really am too old for all of this shit! To make matters I fell onto my knees at work from a height onto a stone staircase, thankfully nobody saw but the rest of this week was crippling with little chance of recovery.

The trip to Scotland by now seemed like a lifetime away, there was some sad news as a lovely person from work passed suddenly, there was a chill and subdued vibe for the rest of the week, I hobbled to the finish line on Friday, but the wife insisted that we needed supplies so I was dragged around but we didn’t stay long when I’m in pain I always have a cunning plan, we went to the nearest shop scooted around and then headed home. I continued with the iPhone treachery by adding new “old” albums but I am being careful as I don’t want to break the first new phone, I have had in 4 years, there’s time enough for that. Last night I was checking on the blog as I tend to do, since I started blogging on here 11 years ago I have had nearly close to 85000 hits, that does thaw the frozen brick in my chest.

Going forward there are some rocks in the road and I need to be able to support the wife as she supports a member of her family, there will be some dark times ahead, but I will be there to help here every step of that journey. The Hurricane is still with us and is great for about 98.5% of the time, we are trying to help him, we are trying to make sure that life can be a little easier for him bless him he’s 11 and all I want to do is help him steer his ship, he has been good company, although I swear he is trying to kill himself on that bloody scooter, its only a matter of time before we have a broken bone, he has the safety gear we just need to make sure he wears it.

The new cooker has an issue that has had two visits to fix and we have been warned that it could happen again, I thought that the wife might strangle the engineer, thankfully she didn’t, he was simply trying to give some good advice,  as I gather my thoughts whilst taking notes for this blog I’m looking around the office and because it’s a Friday its like the Marie celeste (look it up  if you don’t get the reference) and no matter what happens life goes on, another week crawls to an end, no matter whether its been a good week or a bad week.

My addiction to the internet appears to be broken, once and for all I seem to only go on twice a week to check any email, and to post a blog if I need to,  I can hear the wife shouting at me to come back and join the real world, I will finish up the longest blog this year,  I will head off to interact with real live people, you never know I might get to like it, as I said earlier Four on the floor is next after this and some damn good music is going to get reviewed, lets just see what tomorrow brings!

And so as this blog draws to a close remember to spread the disease, click like share whatever lets see if we can do another 85000 hits and for it not to take another 11 years, onwards take care and stay alive, until the next time…………. Toodles!                                AND YES, THE NAME GAME IS IN PLAY!

Four on the Floor - 2.

So, the cunning plan regarding music was only paused and not derailed, I had a brief digital sabbatical, but actually did have number two written, then the world moved on and I took a slight break, now while the blog could have been still relevant, I became a traitor to music and got an Apple account and shock horror an I Phone, then the madness really began. I was overdosing on classic albums and stuff that I had on vinyl back in the day that had gone missing in action, and one or two newer ones as well, I honestly thought that the wife was actually going to take the phone off me, I used it more in the first 48 hours than I had actually used it in the last 3 years. So, this music blog is just some of what I have been playing over the last fortnight, if you haven’t heard of them I won’t apologise but would recommend that you give them a listen!

 

Be Bop Deluxe – Drastic Plastic  8/10.

I bought this album for 99p from Woolworths after seeing them prepare for the tour on Blue Peter of all things, I fell in love with the band (as always a kiss of death when I love a band) and got a ticket to see them on what was to be their last tour, I loved the gig but I loved this album, now over the years I have gotten or heard all of their others and whilst I like them I don’t love them like I love this particular album, there is no rhyme or reason to this eclectic mix from the opener Electrical Language to the last song Islands of the dead. The album simply spoke to me, as I broadened my musical horizons, venturing off into potential new worlds and bright new vistas, now this is the digital remastered version and all bright and sparkly, there is a small issue it comes with an additional 61 tracks, demos, remixes and assorted bits and pieces, I haven’t played anything else I simply don’t want to go off down a rabbit hole, I will at some point however I am drowning in music and don’t wish to be (more) distracted than I already am!

Tonight – Drummer Man.   6/10.

I loved this single and bought the follow up “Money” I loved the B sides , slightly more mature than the A sides, which in reality were jumping on to the band wagon of “New Wave” They released a third single called “Wheels” which strangely isn’t actually on this compilation, my local record emporium couldn’t get a hold of it for love nor money and they disappeared  from sight, imagine my delight when I discovered the album after randomly typing in names from the past and was so happy when this popped up, it does sound as though it has been remixed (well maybe kind of tweaked) but the album was as good as any of the tracks fond on those two singles (all four on here) and imagine my surprise that they have more in common with early Who and the Ska Bands that were to arrive a few years after this, did I enjoy it? Yes I did! Will I play it again? Probably just the good tracks, but yes I will, the band are still going in various forms and if they came close enough I reckon I would go to see them!

The Skyhooks – Guilty until proven insane.   8/10.

Another of my 99p buys (well money was tight) I bought it after buying the single “women in uniform” in yellow vinyl for only 20P the single is long since gone and I still own the vinyl of the album, yes the single is the song Iron Maiden covered, probably after having a few too many beers, the album is polished and quite musical, again a band that were big in Australia but meant bugger all elsewhere, I more than likely will go hunting for their back catalogue, but for now I lie back and enjoy songs like Hotel Hell, Megalomania, B B Boogie and the lovely Why dontcha all get fucked! All classics but for me the selling point is a track called A point in the distance, where the solo just flows, and it really could just take you anywhere!

Ian Gillan Band Clear Air Turbulence.   8/10.

A real guilty secret, I hate the man himself as every time I have been in his presence, he has been a total dick! That and the rumours (allegedly) that he hasn’t always been honest with the royalties owed to other band members, I had a brilliant conversation with Bernie Torme in Newcastle Mayfair in which after the conversation he sound checked with Vengeance, a Gillan song just so he could vent his spleen, I didn’t stay for the gig but a good afternoon was had in the company of the affable Irishmen, this is the kind Jazz version, when the former Deep Purple vocalist came out screeching his nuts off and was still considered to be an excellent vocalist and not the travesty he has been since around 1987, this was released in 1977 and I remember my brother bringing it into the house and me smuggling it out of his room when he wasn’t in and me simply falling in love with 5 of the 6 tracks on it, it didn’t sell and although I saw a BBC concert on the TV, the audience didn’t have a clue, he did a couple of similar albums but this is the cream of the crop, there is also a stunning live album from Japan, before he decided he needed to go back to rock to earn a crust.

There are a huge amount of other artists that I have added my fave albums to the playlist including (too name but a few) TRB, Amanda Marshall, Zappacosta, Jellyfish, The Pork Dukes, 999, Nightranger, St Paradise, Silver Condor, The Rods,  Sammy Hagar, Streets (lead by Steve Walsh of Kansas not that shite that was released all English hip hop) SLF, Triumph, The Dickies, Ivor Biggun, Bernie Marsden, Cheap Trick, Pat Benatar (only the first two albums) Starz, and so many more, yes I am aware that there is a huge amount downloaded from 1978 through to 1983 (the sweet spot….oooooh I haven’t done any sweet albums) I have 64 Gigabytes on my phone and I believe that I have added 35 gigabytes already, it can only end in disaster (LOL).

And before anybody decides to let me know I have crap taste in music, I don’t care, there are some bands that are indeed shocking, that doesn’t mean to say that I cant like them , not everybody likes what everybody else likes, some of the crap ones are albums that I heard as a spotty teenager and I loved them, have they aged well? No some are decidedly pants, that doesn’t mean that I can't still love them, I can and I bloody well will!

So, there you have it the second musical one and thanks to Apple many more will rear their head as the year continues, I promise that there will be some newer material mixed in amongst them (allegedly) until the next time stay safe, keep spreading the disease and watch the sky for even more incoming, music is really infectious……………………Toodles!

Set the controls for the heart of the sun.

So the (digital) world went sideways ever so slightly, Farcebook lived up to its name in spectacular style, I was banished time and time again, it was saying I was posting images that broke their (Stalinist) views, I wasn’t but their computer was saying I was, I was then being told I was being hacked so I had to change my password (11 times and counting) to be honest it broke my addiction, I went off and had a life, I saw that there was daylight and butterflies and stuff!

Books and many music magazines came back to the fore, and I discovered this thing called a “TV” mainly for films and the odd documentary (and yes some of them were indeed odd) I re-joined  (ok just the wife)the family and it has been a wonderful time, I played some music (ok lots) and although I did (as per usual) start a few ideas including a four on the floor blog, I decided a break was needed, my writing had become stale(so I thought) and I sat back and concentrated on other things that some people say that you have too.

The youngest moved out to her first flat, the world kept turning and I kind  of went with the flow, now that’s not to say that it wasn’t without its issues (mainly medical) but we kind attempted to sort out our empty nest, cunning plans were afoot, and then again the world tilted, the Hurricane came to stay so things generally ground to a halt as we adapted to his curious foibles, nothing too bad just different, strange having a “child” in the house and I like it in a strange way, we do indeed clash from time to time, but I would do anything to help him, he just needs to recognise it!

Still, I went without contact with the digital world and if I am honest I really enjoyed it, I finally reclaimed my Farcebook account, simply so that people realise that I’m not the misery I have painted myself out to be (ok I am who am I trying to kid? Mainly myself) but I think the damage has been inflicted so its time to stick to twitter and potentially Instagram, although I simply post obscure things there, no change there then I hear you all shout, numbers have been good across the board, with 66 views yesterday alone, its never going to pay the bills, but some of you seem to still enjoy it! Go figure, I can’t, and I write this drivel LOL.

So here comes yet another (false) dawn as I again attempt to keep to a direct course to you the discerning readers, the intention is to do the same as I have already indicated, I will endeavour to do definitely two blogs a month with an occasional Q&A session thrown in for good measure, has anything really changed? Well other than a smashed tooth and an addiction to Kit Kats and a new hedge trimmer (I have gone for a battery operated one as i was sick of cutting the cable on my previous one) and a new bathroom being fitted as I type this, no I don’t suppose it has changed, the house is still upside down, but I’m here and I’m raring to go in a blog kind of way!

So, I have set the controls in a solid direction (yes the name game is in play and is soooooo easy) once more into the breach and all of that malarky, so watch the skies, keep spreading the disease, click, press like or whatever you lot do this kid is back in the game and until the next time………Toodles!