Looks That Kill.

 

I have simply been a busy bee, what with work, pulling the house to bits in preparation for the ongoing building works, the family and a multitude of other stuff, writing has unfortunately had to take a back seat, not because I want to, simply because life has been getting in the way, yesterday I decided I needed a little break, I decided to call to my previous place of employment for my quarterly fix of music from an ex colleague (874 albums but who’s counting).

First though I had to get there I wasn’t looking forward to the journey as it makes me melancholy (for some mundane reason) and I do still miss the place and some of the people but not the job (anymore) I was at my point of departure with time to spare (as always) I pissed the driver off straight away simply by paying for my fair with a ten pound note (bragging not me) and it would appear I took all of his loose change, oh dear, how sad, fuck off not my problem, ya whinging twunt! Bus drivers of late have been really good this is the first grumpy one I had seen in ages, I took great delight by staying in his line of sight and smiling at him with great delight.

What I had realised was that I had set in motion a cascade of chaos of biblical proportions, people started getting on and it appears that I had sat in someone’s seat, ha me with my reputation, who knew, by the time I got to the bottom of the hill, imagine my surprise when I spied Jabba the Hutt waiting, I hadn’t seen her in ages, it appears that she hasn’t missed me, I don’t remember the title but I have told you all previously about Bus Seat Bingo and the fun I had teasing her and “her” seat, I believe its called public transport for a reason, with gnashing of teeth she sat close behind me lasers burning into the back of my head, the journey got better as I bumped into somebody I hadn’t seen in over three years who sat next me and we gossiped all the way to the centre, thankfully he was staying on until the end of the line so I’m afraid Jabba wasn’t able to slide down bus into her favourite seat, lol it’s the simple things in life that cheered me up.

Onwards to the designated meeting place a cup of tea and a chin wag about a lot of nothing, music collected I set off to head home, bumping into old tenants who actually missed me and I did answer a couple of queries, because I’m helpful and I want them to be as awkward as I can to my former employers (just quote the legislation and they cant do sod all to you bless them) some staff who actually seemed pleased to see me (no I’m not coming back) and then a long slow ride home on an empty bus, that’s the luck of the draw, but I enjoyed it like a slow boat off the coast of China, I simply sat and enjoyed the scenery, soon I was home awaiting the youngest who was going to assist me move stuff around for the mammoth works that are coming my way.

A quiet lunch and some small talk, its nice to see her, I actually like to see all of my children, their partners and even the grand kids I’m not the grump people think I am, well I am but I am trying to improve my image, then a hike to a local charity shop to unload three bags of cookbooks and some kitchen utensils that don’t get used often, then a slow walk home ( I was shattered) to await the wife to take the youngest to see her nana and then after that to take her back down the hill away from the delta to that god forsaken hell hole….Bensham,  actually its not hat bad (not  that great either lol) I was simply using artistic liscence (no not autistic) then home to buy the wife some chocolate (she has been down in the dumps ) and to buy me something for supper, a dodgy korma that was pfft (2/10) I was distracted at this point and I headed up the wooden hill around 10.30, I might as well as no matter what time I go to bed I have a tendency to be up around 5 (actually 6.30 this morning, huzzah a lie in).

Today more of the same small chores chipping away at the mountain of tasks, but I was determined to put fingers to the keyboard (and not pen to paper) some shopping of the food variety, nothing for me this week as I am still trying to go through what’s in the freezer although I did buy a stroganoff at the same time as my curry last night, please god I hope it’s a damn sight better than the curry! Tomorrow, well its back to work, a busy couple of weeks before I’m on a weeks holiday, well I say holiday but with the list of tasks I believe I could be looking forward to going back to work just a little bit!

So, there you go, done and dusted, some fluff to keep the thread active although someone sat and read over 80 blogs yesterday, some people might just need to get a hobby (what do you mean me included) there are a couple of things fermenting and hopefully there will be something coming down the line hopefully mid-week, after shopping I will be doing some more small task, more rubbish to dump in the yard, the wife needs to organise a man with a van to get rid off it all as the pile is slowly starting to turn into a hill, after that a mountain who knew, so there you go keep spreading the word and keep an eye out for incoming, thanks for all of the kind words they do actually make a difference, actually it just proves some peeps are actually reading the bloody thing, so until next time………..Toodles!

Now Hear This – 7.

A number of you have been sending a number of things through asking bits and pieces and its one of the logjams I have been working on, the biggest problem is that not everybody’s English is their first language so sometimes I have to try and guess what they actually want, I have been waiting and collating them as although some these have been answered before by and large there is now a different answer to the questions, so here goes you all asked for it.

Numbers: People seem to think that I am obsessed (that’s such a strong word) about the blog, I just want to see what works and I then torture myself rather than obsesses what you lot want. It doesn’t always go to plan that’s why sometimes there can be gaps or I go off road, we get there in the end, if we were to add them together and then divide by the number of blogs, they would usually be high three figures, so I think I can live with that…...for now!

Same People Reading: I’m not 100% sure there are a few familiar faces that pop up from time to time, then people disappear, only to resurface four or five years later it’s a tad freaky, you can usually tell when people have come back to the blog, because there will be a huge surge in numbers suggesting its somebody catching up from where they left off, what do I know, I might just have pissed people off with my shit!

You seem to be enjoying music: That is a given, I went over to the dark side last year I got an iTunes account and I have had a huge amount of fun listening to new artists and old favourites, its where I get most of my blog titles from, if you can guess you will know what I have been listening too (not today though) today has been the entire Queen catalogue starting at the debut winding all the way through to Made in Heaven, tomorrow I intend to do all of their solo albums, that might not be as enjoyable I will have to go with the flow, as the latter couple of Roger Taylor albums are just a little humourless but I will try I feel as though it’s my duty!

What about live gigs: unfortunately, not as much as we have in the past, we have a couple of (serious) issues going on within the family and we need to spend time helping the family, that’s a blog for a different time, going to gigs though usually triggers some memory off that’s why the historical blogs are not as often as they had been, we will get back to it, it will just take a little time, Honest!

Are you enjoying life: Actually, I am trying a lot harder than I used to, I intend to be a help and not a hinderance to my wife and the larger family, the family dynamic has changed and my full focus is my wife, I want her to get the best out of every day and out of life, at the moment that’s hard, I am there for her as she has been for me, she takes too much on and then suffers the consequences, I am trying to get her to take each day as it comes, there are hard times coming down the line, we all know it, I simply want to be some help, she has been my rock for the last 31 years I intend to be hers when she needs me.

Why are you doing the Four on the floor reviews: I have tried a number of times to change the path of this Juggernaut and every time I did something happened, it was like the universe was telling me no, well I don’t like being told no, but usually it was simply because I was trying to do something too radical, it’s a work in progress they get the lowest numbers but they are still three figures, so for the time being as I’m enjoying them they will stay, yes there is a new one coming soon, not next but soon!

New Book: this is the second most asked question so it proves that some of you are older readers as its over ten years since I have done one, I have tried three different times and if I am honest with myself, I went into them half hearted and lost traction quickly, the good news is I have actually started on book number eight its provisionally entitled “Responsible Adult” and it is a work in progress I am gathering my notes, I haven’t started writing it yet, but it shall be slightly different, what’s not helping (in a good way) is that I have so much in my head that I need to get out that I am writing and collating material almost on a daily basis, and the even better news I have always wanted to write a novel and I have beavering, tinkering whatever you want to call it for over twenty years I have recently made headway on it, but I also have a bloody good idea for another one that is more character driven, once I get myself sorted I am looking forward to putting serious hours in on both books, don’t say I haven’t warned you!

Blogs: so on the subject of blogs I have been poked with a big stick since just before last Christmas, the last few weeks I have gone off piste, I have been dealing with a health issue for myself, that doesn’t mean I’m not writing, it just means I haven’t had time to polish what has been written I do not intend doing more than 52 in one year so I need to relearn to pace myself, fatigue catches up with me a little quicker than it used to, but I am enjoying my writing so here’s hoping that I can keep it up (ooer missus).

Health: to be brutal its shit, my diabetes isn’t playing the game, I am constantly trying to be a good boy and in most instances I am succeeding, there is only the occasional blip these days, my knees and hips have joined in, my body is revolting, quite literally, I am trying my best to be a better person, the older I get the harder it is, other distractions within the family hasn’t helped me, at the end of the day its down to me and I have good times and bad times, I have had a stomach condition that is still be diagnosed coming up 8 years, I keep getting passed from pillar to post, I was discharged from my last clinic after their run of tests last August  eight months after my last appointment, I was a little happy to be told that I would be seen by the new clinic (the one I asked for first because that’s where it feels like I am having the issue) announcing that I had an appointment next March (this was last October) only to be told that in January that my appointment had been cancelled, so god only knows when I will get another one, and he’s not telling, everybody I have seen says it’s nothing sinister, I know that, but its wearing me out and in June it will have been 8 years, I love all that the NHS stands for however I’m not feeling the love at the moment.

Why do you keep rebuilding the style of the blog: the only answer I can give you is that I’m a bloody idiot, what can I tell you, normally when I’m having a crisis of confidence, I will answer a little more in detail in a later question.

Has there been a high point in the blog: I had a long hard think about this, only two people asked this question but it’s the one that intrigued me the most, I would like to think that I can get better and that the best is yet to come, if I didn’t think that, then what’s the point, the most consistent I would say would be 2016, there seems to be some consistency there, I didn’t reread the blogs just looking at the titles and the numbers that does seem to be the sweet spot, for me, no doubt I will get some “feedback” where people will disagree, what do I know I simply write the bloody stuff!

Any Regrets: Yes, the fact that I haven’t been consistent, and that has been my fault, health issues usually both Mental and Physical have had a big hand in all things that have screwed me up, my lack of confidence at certain points of my writing life, all I can do is put one foot in front of the other on a daily basis.

BOB: a lot of people understand the image of the black dog that seems to haunt modern life and I have had my issues, I have written about it in the past and its likely I will again in the future, I am probably at the best I have been in over 40 years, I’m not perfect it’s a longer road to better health, there is no quick fix, I’m not a whole person, yet! But I am trying to be a better person than I was yesterday, I have good days and really good days, but I also have my bad days, nowhere near as many as I have had in the past, Bob is my black dog, he haunts my waking and my sleeping moments, he will never leave me I would be foolish to think otherwise, I have been taught some exercises to help me, and most of the times they do work, but I am not “cured” it’s a day by day kind of thing, this last fortnight has seen him getting closer to the house as I go to work and then come home and see my wife for an hour before she heads back to help her mother, I slink back into the darkness and wait for him because I know he’s there, my confidence in myself has actually taken a battering in these two weeks, but I am working at it, it’s all I can do and as long as I wake up happy I can take everything else that comes my way, I have to keep telling myself that, it’s the only way it works, I rarely drink these days (social life what’s one of those) I think that helps, I do still like a drink, but lets not drink in the house as my head will be in the fridge and then problems start, as long as I can keep Bob at arm’s length, it will be a good day, here’s hoping!

Historical Blogs: Again, no social life, no historical blogs, it’s as simple as that, my memory can be quite crap, I need something to trigger something, I have written a couple but they didn’t sparkle, and if they don’t meet my standards then they don’t see the light of day, will there be more? of course there will be, just watch this space.   

What is the most asked question asked about previous blogs: that’s easy, name the girl who stole your heart and buried it out on the moors in the blog “Girls” and the answer is still no! this was brought up in “Now Hear This 3” look my answer up, it hasn’t changed, I wish her all the best in life, it was my issue, I was a dick, hell I was a kid, I would love to be able to say sorry but she would probably look at me and go what the hell!  That’s if she even remembers me (who could forget me lol everybody) So, let’s leave my heart where she buried it, it deserved to be buried, learn the lesson and move on, I seem to have an issue with that, ha me with my reputation!

Most Read Blog: I’m going to say “Intruder” and I have no idea why, every now and then it pops back up with a read here or a read there, and it starts me thinking what has that got, and I haven’t got a bloody clue its obviously hit a note with people, its things like trying to work it out that colours my waking hours, oh to suffer for one’s art LOL!

Do you still enjoy writing: I think we can agree that’s a big YES! And again I have no idea why, I have written words, Lyrics Poetry and other shit since I was about 8 most of it crap but every now and then something pops up that I know is good, you can simply see it shinning from the distance, its not all the time but writing is a muscle if you don’t do it you lose it, I know this for a fact I couldn’t write a lyric or a poem even if I tried, I simply don’t have that skill set any more, I know because at various points I have tried, I can offer opinions on something that has been written and I can jump in with a line here and there but my song writing days are over, and I have sat and typed that last line a great idea for a historical blog has popped into my head….watch this space!

Do you have problems with people after writing stuff: Not like when I had issues on Myspace, thankfully, I do however get people (who don’t know me personally) who argue the toss about something that’s happened to me, I don’t engage and by and large I simply block them, I learned my lesson some people simply like to sit behind their keyboard, and argue the toss, good luck to them and all who sail with them, not my circus not my clowns, see I can grow as human being, shame they can’t!

The Black Book: this is a couple of questions rolled into one, as there were a few that sort of hit the same mark, do I still have it, hell yes I rarely go anywhere without some materials to write on, I haven’t got round to keeping my notes electronically, I love the thrill of trying to capture some intangible thought that can disappear as quick as it appeared, believe I’m on black book number 29, with scribbles, notes, ideas and general crap in this book I have as of tonight idea for 7 blogs, one which popped into my head about an hour ago, as always watch this space for INCOMING!

Cunning Plans: I need them, without them life would be shitter than ever, only one in about three hundred ever get to fruition, and I really do try, what can I say, life is shit but it could be a whole heap worse, I am not tempting fate we are all one day away from shit in our lives, so those cunning plans help me believe it or not, we all need something to help us get out of bed, otherwise what’s life all about!

So there you have the longest blog in over a year and the first Now Hear This in such a long time, keep the questions coming in you never know when they might come in handy, I know I rarely interact with you the discerning reader, its easier to get a meeting with the pope, honestly I intend to go with the flow, I hope you have enjoyed it, the name game is in play but the fact that I have explained it previously, its relatively simple! So enjoy keep spreading the word, lets see how well this one does, keep watching the skies, stay safe and stay alive and in the case of one discerning reader get well soon “Broadsword calling Danny boy, Broadsword calling Danny boy” until the next one………. Toodles!

Four on the Floor – FM – The Solo Stuff.

Ok so this is slightly late (sue me I haven’t been well) but here we go better late than never, yes there will be another one along sooner than later!

 

So – Brass Monkey – 9.5/10.

This is an absolute stunning classic, I simply cannot get enough of this brilliant slab of melodic pop, why the not perfect score, the album is too short for me , I know I prefer the shorter albums, but I have the demoes, for this album and there’s at least 5 more tracks that could have slotted in, this album is the one that I struggled to get a proper copy of, I had to beg a copy of the single from the management as nobody could order it for me, I thought I was going to get barred from my local HMV I was such a pest, and they tried their hardest I can assure you. Released at the height of brit pop its blows all the crap Oasis albums out of the water, I still believe that the slight funk/smooth rhythms of “This Time” is still the best track Mr Overland has ever sung, there are various elements of the Beatles throughout the album but it is so melodic, another reason why the music business sucks an absolute classic of an album and nobody has heard it 23 years down the line its still one of my all time favourites!

 

Jim Kirkpatrick – Ballad of a prodigal Son – 8/10.

A great addition to the Band, the talented Mr. K , has shone on all of the FM albums and he has let loose with this blues/rock album, if you like what Bernie Marsden and Joe Bonamassa is doing at the moment that you will love this album a stunning tile track, it gets tuck in the groove and kick the crap out of everything, its well-played well sung and well produced, like a lot of younger “British Blues” artists out there at the moment this is the kind of stuff that should be getting promoted. 12 classic racks and not a bad one on it, why the score well I played So Brass monkey before writing the review and well that’s takes some beating!

 

Pepperkid2 – Adventures in Pepperland – 8/10.

This one took me by surprise, a solo album by Jem Davis the keyboard player, a solid mature set of songs that could quite easily be set as a musical with the right story attached, I have met Jem a few times and he comes across as a nice cheerful chap, the man has hidden depths, the only thing that spoils the album for me is the over use of sound effects its like he has discovered the BBC sound effects records, to be honest its only on a couple of tracks, but it annoyed me, hey what the hell do I know, if you want this you will have to dig for it I bought on release and I struggled to get it, its well worth the challenge of finding it, by the way the boys in his “proper” band should let him have a track or two n the next FM it will add that little bit of depth to it.

Lonerider – Attitude – 8/10.

Like all things attached to Steve Overland  there is a good thread of quality control running through it all, I have gone for the debut as I have played this more than the second album, I like both, but this was a surprise, it features Simon Kirke, yes that Simon Kirke and it does feel like a Bad Company kind of album, the ever present Steve Morris who I saw in a band called export supporting Slade way back in the day, a great four piece I would love to see this band tour as they really are that good and we would probably get to see them slip a couple of Free and Bad Company songs into the set, no names for the songs as I simply cannot pick one from the other but there is quite a few to choose from and yes I bought both the CD and the vinyl because I could! My Imagination, Lonerider, Hard Heart To Break, Fast Train, Wanted Man          to name but just a few!

Play in the Sunshine.

Listen up people it’s all good in the hood, I had plenty of ideas, I simply couldn’t get them onto paper so to speak, so many people sent me messages asking if I was ok, I think I just overused my writing muscle in the month of January, I simply didn’t know how to express myself.

The numbers were phenomenal, four figures, it’s been a while since I had anything close, somebody read 57 older blogs in one sitting, God bless you, you maniacs it warms the cockles of my heart, although I work less hours than I used to it’s a different beast, if I’m honest I am still on a huge learning curve, the coming week is a tad intimidating to say the least, but I’m primed and ready so bring it on.

The last seven days I started a number of blogs, but I was struggling to verbalise the ideas I still have the ideas and I may come back to them, who knows, my intention is still to write lots but lets just go with the natural flow instead of pumping them out, I am writing something on average every three days sometimes more, but I want to try and maintain some quality control, they may end up in a new book I still have that idea percolating, stick with me and lets see where the tides take us.

The house is full of bedlam at the moment, in a good way, the hurricane is here with us from time-to-time, odd nights here and there, when he laughs it’s an infectious thing, and when he is happy it’s a joyous feeling! The beauty of it is that it’s the simple things that cheer him up, we bought him cans of Fanta that were imports from the US of A (in my day it was albums but hey ho times move on) the sheer joy on his face was enough to light my way for the rest of the night. its not all good but I will take what we can and try and support him through his tough times, its all we can do!

Its still good when he’s not here, but it’s a different kind of good, I worked from home last Thursday and the youngest returned home for the day, and again it was a really good feeling, that and the fact that she helped her old man with some technology issues ( what can I say I’m a bloody luddite) we take her home, she does live a distance away, and me and the wife enjoyed the quiet of the drive home, it was simply good being in each other’s company.

Technology keeps turning up in our lives, we bought an air fryer, WTF I know, but we cooked a full chicken in it and it was nice, I do believe that we will be using it on a more regular basis, tomorrow will be Belly pork, yum yum and no you can’t have some! I think the wife was shocked when I said go ahead and buy it, I know me with my reputation, its all about taking small steps and keeping the wife happy, I’m a good boy I am, the one thing I have noticed is that the weekends at the moment appear to last all of about 30 minutes, there really should be a day between Saturday and Sunday!

And so we get ready for the onslaught that is February, the weather has been kind, (hence the title of the blog), lots of music is being played, with the next blog simply writing itself, with tons of music to be played in the coming week I need all the help I can get for the next Four on the Floor blog, with all new music getting reviewed. Tonight I intend to kick back and have a cup of tea, clean some shoes ( I do like to be respectable at work) pack my bag, I regularly carry 24kilogramms during the day, with what’s coming up I intend to not carry my laptop that should reduce my load, damn it I’m not getting any younger, a quick bath and maybe a shave, I’m trying to create a good impression, the intention is to use honey not vinegar, I have a feeling that there will be some vinegar poured at some point, watch this space, only the names will be changed to protect the innocent!

And that breaks the logjam, writing has resumed and as I type its all good in the hood, I thought today was going to be a “Bob” kind of day thankfully the mood evaporated with the rising of the sun, so the name game is in play, its an easy one, stay safe and stay alive, keep an eye out as there will be a blog along the road in the next 5 days (that’s right count them down, just 5 days’ time) so keep spreading the word as something is surely working, I know the numbers wont be sustainable, but we are heading to the magical six figures in the viewing stakes, so until the next time all that’s left for me to say is……………..Toodles!

Damage Case

So, here comes a blog with a difference, yes we went out, yes that’s right this is what the blog started out as, a social outing critique, let’s go with the flow and see where the winding river takes us, this has been a bumpy ride purely as it has been so long with people who we know and it was (Shock Horror) in a working man’s club, anyhoo let’s get started!

So, as I said it had been a while, it seemed as though our life had become a simple Live, Sleep, Repeat, cycle, there seemed to be no way out, the pandemic had really cramped our style( pfft yeah right) but it really is all we do, we get up, repeat the day before, my blogging is the only thing that has been breaking my monotony, as I have written previously in the first lockdown I didn’t wear shoes for 74 days I only ventured outside into the yard to exercise (yes I do some sort of exercise) after all of that crap, we attended the gig of a friends debut band, it was weird simply being amongst peeps, it was a great night (yes I did blog about it) then we resorted to type Live, Sleep , Repeat. We led an exciting life, there has to be more to life than this. That was our one time out in all of that time.

Then life itself has taken on a dark and personal road and life for the whole family, life turned to poop, again we have knuckled down, but there seems to one bad turn after another, I’m trying to stand strong for everybody but sometimes even that simply isn’t enough, my wife is one of the strongest people I know, but its wearing her out so if I can do anything special for her I always will. She misses the hound, and I have never heard the wails of desperation after he passed, it broke my heart to hear her like that, something I hopefully  will never hear again, I have relented and yes we are going to get another dog, but this time I am involved, watch this space for the incoming of tiny paws, it sounds weird to say this but I hope he outlives me as it would kill me to hear the wife go through something like that again, why have I relented, well two reasons one I happen to love her, and I think she needs it for her mental health, it’s as simple as that.

 Then out of the blue we were invited to a wedding reception, the wife was happy and excited all rolled into one, this was a good start, again to give an extra boost I offered to buy her an outfit, something to giver her a little boost, as always though it went down to the wire we had the Hurricane here for a few days (his birthday as well) but it ended on a sour note he had a day from hell and then a meltdown, and I don’t think I helped, although my intention really was to lift his spirit’s, anyway the short version he was calmed down and we headed off to get the wife a new outfit but as always we set off later than we had planned, however it didn’t take too long to get her sorted, even if she decided against wearing the pants on the night, as long as she was happy, for once it was her (what the hell its always her) that took for ages to get ready, I knew what I was going to wear already, a bath a hair cut and a shave in under twenty minutes, it takes her an hour to decide on socks, never mind shoes, we left later than I thought we would but I simply went with the flow, I didn’t try to hurry her, I wouldn’t dare! didn’t get angry ( I know me with my reputation) it was all going smoothly until she realised she had spelt the brides name wrong on the card, “I will just blame you when we get there” yeah like I’m trusted to write out cards, with my handwriting I should have been a Dr!

We set off for the drive there was only one incident when swearing was uttered by her and not me, due to a motorbike with no lights whatsoever, I’m trying to get her not to get angry over every little slight. We got there with no other mishaps found a parking space, it was meant to be and we hobbled to the venue, as we got there, we heard the band and knew we were in the right place, once through the door it was like stepping back three years in time with some of the usual suspects, some who where even happy to see me LOL!

The band were great even if they did long medleys to save time and to get maximum joy out of the set, people dancing, my only gripe was the fact that they teased us with the cowboy song but played whiskey in the jar instead…….GRRRRRRR, I know what I wanted to hear instead, but the band went down well , the buffet was nice (more on that later) and I was actually drinking beer in a bar WTF, I same some old faces some really old faces (in a nice way I went to school with them) spoke to somebody who I thought didn’t like me, turns out they don’t mind me, that’s a plus in my book, people danced oh I met a new person who was lovely and gracious, he has a wife that is one of the nicest people you can meet so no wonder I liked him, as for the buffet as a rule I don’t go anywhere near a buffet as I am a buffet slayer, but the wife was in deep conversation so I went and got her some and then I saw my nemesis “quiche” they were only small pieces, and it was lovely, how do I know, well because I went to the buffet three times, I nearly had a strop as the wife liked her portion, I was hoping that she was going to say, she didn’t like it, bugger she liked it.

And then just like that the night was over as quickly as it started, we said fond farewells, the wife thought she had lost me, I needed the loo, go figure me with the bladder the size of a peanut, we wandered back to the car abused a friend as he wandered back to his car (love you long time), we got stuck in the traffic leaving the Lewis Capaldi gig (who?) and got home quicker than expected, which was just as well as my stomach (the mysterious complaint that has taken over 7 years and the NHS still cant diagnose it) went into overdrive, my burping came back with a vengeance as well, thankfully one big belch resolved that problem but I was up and down all night for the rest of my issues, in the end I got up at 05.30 and simply went with the flow.

Why is this getting published now when I have been up as long as I have , well if am going to tell the truth my head has been battered with lack of sleep and trying to remember the finer details, I wouldn’t wish to offend anyone lol, to be honest there was only one frosty reception that might have been caused by my greeting, lol as if I might cause offense, I think it was taken with a pinch of salt, not that I give a rats ass, again me with my reputation, it felt great to be part of the great human race chatting like I belong, it really did raise the spirits of both of us, more of this please, we loved it, lovely people and a lovely time,

For the sake of the wife, we really do need to ensure that with the best intention we need to be more involved with real people in the real world, the wife’s world is spiralling and with the best intention we can but try, so there you go, a blog that was not expected, we are alive we do need to get involved  a little bit more. So, watch the skies for more incoming, this blogging thing seems to be working out, it’s been a while, so until next ……………………. Toodles!

And yes, the name game is in play as the new person I met is a huge fan and he inspired me to play their entire discography today, now to rest, as my body is wrecked and tomorrow is a work day, as I go to climb the wooden hill and being able to dream that I can retire and enjoy retirement rather than being a drooling idiot after a number of strokes, God we can dream!

Four on the floor – UFO.

So, here we go the first musical one of the year and it features UFO, now this concentrates on studio albums, “Strangers in the night” will surface in another blog somewhere down the line. Let’s get this started.

 

UFO – Obsessions 1978.  9/10.

The first album I ever heard by them (oh how quickly that changed) and I can remember my brother arriving home with the album with a weird cover, my jaw dropped when I heard the contents of the album, I bought my own copy later that same week as well as the bulk of the back catalogue over the next few weeks, thanks to the fact Chrysalis records were selling them cheap at the stunning price of £2.99.

Back to this beauty, all 36.00 minutes of this was devoured on a daily basis with only the instrumental Arbory Hill annoying me, come on I was 13 for gods sake, and for a point of reference I do like it now, the standout track for me is Cherry, but to be honest there wasn’t a bad  track on the whole package, lovingly produced by Ron Nevison, this should really of knocked the band into the major leagues and although they skirted them for a few years they were always able to shoot themselves in the foot!

 

UFO – The wild the willing and the innocent. 1981. 8/10.

After the disappointing George Martin produced “No place to run” the band decided to produce this themselves and I think it works, only 8 tracks and even a bloody saxophone on the album didn’t deter me, Neil Carter from Gilbert O’ Sullivan and Wild Horses had settled in and helped them produce yet another cracker to be honest this was the start of the terminal rot, some cracking tracks including Profession of Violence (sounding like a rewrite of Try me from lights out) and its killing me (recently covered acoustically by Metallica) help the flow of the album.

 

UFO – Force it 1975. 7/10.

I was a typical teenage boy, I bought the album based on the cover but I loved the album anyway and it was the album I bought after Obsessions, I was just starting to getting heavily into reading credits and seeing who did what, I probably should have bought Lights out, but hormones got the better of me, Produced by Leo Lyons it’s a little rawer than the polished Ron Nevison approach but there are still some cracking tunes on it including Let it roll, Mother Mary and This kids, the album bounces along, was I glad I bought it at the time,? yes but it wasn’t anywhere near the levels of Obsessions, I blame the production on it maybe the boys needed that little extra polish to help them along.

 

UFO – Lights Out 1977. 8/10.

I bought this about a week before Strangers in the night, I’m so glad that I did, as it reaffirmed what I thought of the band, I had bought Phenomenon and No heavy petting thanks to Chrysalis records cut price deal, surprisingly my two fave tracks there were Rock Bottom and the instrumental Lipstick traces, it took me a while to care for No heavy petting, I get it now but didn’t at the time, but it was a stepping stone to what was to come, their first proper production with strings and the such like, and again some simply stunning songs all eight of them, even the cover fits right in the groove.

 

I avoided the albums before Schenker joined the band (thankfully) and followed them Diligently up to Making Moves, I reconnected when it should really have been the Phil Mogg band for Misdemeanour! I kind of drifted along after that and I probably put the reunion album with the classic Obsessions line up for Walk on water but they rerecorded a couple of extra tracks (for the Japanese market, but we all got them) it was to be the last time I was to see them live although it was a weird vibe throughout the gig, after that I kind of got the albums when they popped up cheap. I have followed the current line up and do like them I find that they are just a tad workman like for me and if I’m being honest I couldn’t name you one of those songs, solid but not memorable, they ended on a covers album and unfortunately its like their first couple (something to avoid) over the years I have met all the band and whilst they were all nice, I didn’t get a nice vibe of Pete Way, he always seemed to be on the lookout for drugs, he was lovely every time I met him but I was always wary, as for the rest of the band they were all true gentlemen, including Phil Mogg whether he was sober or not!

Closure / Continuation.

You may have noticed my output has increased significantly over the last few weeks, this is mainly due to the fact I now get Christmas holidays for free, and I have no bloody idea what to do with my time, mainly I’m contemplating my navel, but the rest of the time its trying assist in helping the ideas scrabbling through my brain like rats gnawing in the attic escape, this is one of those ideas!

So as I travel to and from my place of work I have a lot of time on my hands simply because I’m dumb and have no idea on how to pass a driving test, no I’m not going there(well not today) but as rule I play an awful lot of music (most of it actually awful some good and some well, lets just call it nostalgic, because that’s the stuff I keep going back to)  the good and awful stuff I tend to switch off and concentrate on the music, but the nostalgic stuff yes I do listen to it, but I usually drift and think about the good old days, ok so some of them were the shit old days but hopefully you get the drift. There were two of us at school (seniors first year) who loved our music, funny how we gravitated towards each other, but I was obsessed then and I’m just as obsessed now.

Did this make me a good friend I’m not sure that it did, because as I have said in the past I only ever speak to one friend on a semi regular basis, and the others only if I enter their orbit, now I know I was a bit of (warning understatement coming) an arsehole but I was a kid, I didn’t know about life, I still don’t truth be told, but I do try these days, but then I used to fly by the seat of my pants and damn the consequences, I used to be really opiniated (so I’m told) but I didn’t realise this at the time which is probably as I left school why we all drifted, we drifted away from ourselves and most of them stuck together but I was allowed to drift further outside their sphere of influence, ok so I left home at 16 didn’t come back until I was 22 and then disappeared again to Newcastle at 26, when I was at home I wasn’t at home often, what with work and bands and well more bands and then some more bands thrown in just for the hell of it, if you get my drift, but again and I must stress this I was opiniated, I still didn’t realise this, how am I aware of this, well at my new place of work I was getting some assistance learning the systems and the girl/lady helping me (she’s 28 and younger than my youngest……..by about 3 days) happened to say, “ my mam knows you” oh oh what’s coming down the road, I panicked, thankfully there was no paternity damages forthcoming, but the conversation was interesting, it turns out her mum was two years below me, so when I was in my fifth and final year she was a third year, and she described some incidents that I was indeed involved in, things that I had long forgotten but they fell out of the story box once my memory had been jiggled, not startling, actually not worth writing about (yet) but the one word in her mums opinion was that I was “opiniated” .

Now bear in mind I had barely any contact with this person except within the confines of the school (a school with nearly 600 pupils) but she formed an opinion on me, thankfully her daughter informed her that I wasn’t like that now! Actually, I am, however I simply try harder to keep my mouth shut (I know me with my reputation) I got to thinking if that’s what someone who barely knows (but does remember me) think, what do the people who really did know think of me and is that why they no longer have any connection to me, it’s a good job I don’t overthink things other wise (erm excuse me) I could be in trouble!

I have to admit I did bump into a lovely person who I hadn’t seen in ages and we simply said hi whenever we saw each other, we had been friends in a similar circle and together in most of my classes and thankfully she has stayed the same friendly person she always was, so thankfully my interaction with her (however small) smoothed my fevered brow and I moved on, until the thought resurfaces 8 months down the line, the rats resurfaced one day on the bus before my holidays and never really went away, now everybody’s life has moved on in the 41 years since we all escaped that life called school and I would say the very few interactions I had were quite positive, but still my brain continues to drag me back towards (localised) insanity.

I know a lot of my behaviour could be construed because of my family life, we weren’t a problem family, well maybe the sons were but we had nothing in which to measure ourselves against, but my parents were the first to be divorced and we took some shit when it all kicked off mind you, when everybody else’s parents started to get divorced we dished back tenfold, so maybe that was why people thought/think that I was a dick, I have no idea, I just know for reasons only known to the world I don’t really have a lot of “old” friends!

Now that was just the preamble, to be honest I’m not a huge fan of myself, what can I say I simply don’t like me and I feel that’s imposed on me because of the sensations I get because my school friends allegedly don’t like me, in reality I have no idea why this should matter but it does, I do have friends (unfortunately we don’t see them at the moment because of the situation that we find ourselves in) but we do converse and for once its not me wanting to stay close to the shoreline, but we have for obvious reasons, I do try (sometimes maybe too hard) to get people to like me, I have no idea what I am doing socially at 58 I could quite easily hide in my shell(I know I have already used this as a blog title) for the rest of my life, my brother who was always the anti-social one has more friends these days then you could shake a stick at, I do not recognise the social person he has become, in fact he is friends with more people that I went to school with because of his (former) place of employment, so what does any of this waffle mean, I actually have no idea but at least I am waving and not drowning (at this moment in time).

If I won the lottery I would pay a fortune to get a trick cyclist (army expression go look it up) to peel me like an onion and to reconstruct me, people will say that I have “father” issues, no shit sherlock anybody who can abandon his family and have no further contact, well to be honest it blows my mind, that’s the reason I try so hard with my kids and grandkids, if I had to ask him a question I would love just to know WHY? but anyway, before anybody says anything i actually don't have to like myself , i would love to know the reason why i don't like myself, ok answers on a postcard to hehateshimself.com any that say "its because your a dick" will be discounted, that shou;d save me a fortune in stamps!

So there you go, another one about to enter the stratosphere and the blog is the gift that keeps on giving I have something 11 blogs fermenting, with 2 been disposed of as in reality time has got away from they were end of year things and well its nearly summer now, they haven’t been destroyed but lets see what happens when and we all know it will do the well runs dry! So watch the skies for more incoming I will need to apply the brakes simply so that numbers don’t suffer, I need to keep the quality (yeah right) consistent as opposed to just throwing out any old tosh …….hang on a minute!!!!! So, stay safe stay alive and until the next one (probably in about 23 minutes lol) …………..Toodles!

 

Yes the name game is in play but its not a song title……72 people responded to last one and 46 of you got it right!