TO WHERE I AM NOW

Walking out into the street today it felt like a Sunday morning, less traffic, fewer people, shops closed, everyone at home. I managed to go and pick up a package from the post office, I haven’t opened it yet but I presume it is the Spirit – Model Shop soundtrack album from 1968 (reissued in 2005). It came from Germany, sent by a very nice Italian guy called Fabrizio who gave me a discount, thanking me for all the music. Nice. So the post office is open, deliveries are still happening. The guy at the package counter today told me ”We don’t want to be here, but we have to be”. Later as it got dark we decided to walk down to the sea, stop off at the supermarket which is across the road and see what they had on the shelves. There was some pasta for the first time in a long time, I guess people can’t fit any more in the cupboards, still no toilet rolls, they seem to be flying out the door like, well I won’t say. We stopped for a few minutes to look at the sea at night. There was moisture in the air, a hazy mist made the lamps in the street glow differently, struggling to be bright. The skate park was still illuminated but empty. Seagulls were awake but somewhere in the distance out at sea, there was that special whooshing sound of the waves washing against the shore, there was only the occasional car on the road, the supermarket car park was empty, everyone waits for the future.

We were in the studio today, it was finish off the mix for Space Summit song No.4. (I’m purposely not telling you any titles). By the time that was all done it was dinner time so no Noctorum today, we’ll get together Thursday for that. But on the subject of projects making progress, Jerome Froese from Loom and Tangerine Dream posted that he had been working on our project today, editing guitars for a new type of Krautrock, ha ha, can’t wait for the results.

Wild Swan’ Paul Simpson and I were talking today about music (imagine that). It all started because he posted a track from a Miles Davis album, Circle In The Round (1979). At the time it was a compilation of unreleased tracks and weirdly has a David Crosby song on there, Guinnevere, from the first CSN album. Somehow this led onto Clifford T. Ward, Pilot, Jigsaw, Jimmy Campbell, Rockin’ Horse, Liverpool Express and Van Morrison. So selections tonight are influenced by Paul. Some of these bands you will know, others you won’t. Jimmy Campbell was a Liverpool luminary who was in The Kirkbys that supported The Beatles and played regularly at The Cavern in the early days. He was also in The 23rd Turnoff, a Psychedelic band that you’ve never heard of, that are essential, their 7 inch single Michael Angelo on Deram is what I’ll be looking for forever, even the compilation CD is pricey. That’s where Spotify comes in handy, I was able to listen to it tonight. He was also in the great Rockin’ Horse with Billy Kinsley. Kinsley was also in The Merseybeats and later Liverpool Express. Lots of Liverpool connections here.

There’s some records out there that have no cred, no rarity value, they’re not weird, commercial hits brought them to the public eye, but their albums are forgotten and are often full of memorable songs. Pilot are remembered just for January and Magic but not for the albums Two’s A Crowd (appropriate today) and Morin Heights. Jigsaw are remembered for one hit, Sky High, but not their albums. They had a lot of hits outside England, Liverpool Express had three No.1 singles in Brazil.

This might be a good time to tell you about Seeing Stars. It was the end of All About Eve, we were in Herefordshire in a rented property jamming. It was me on guitar, Andy Cousin on bass and Mark Price on drums. I’m not sure if I remember this correctly but Phonogram had dropped the band after Touched By Jesus. We then got signed by MCA and made Ultraviolet which is incidentally the album that got me into Anekdoten because Nicklas Barker was a fan, he knew less about The Church. We then got dropped by MCA as the record was released, ha ha, nil points (French accent) for effort. So were we in Herefordshire after that I guess? Hm, not sure, but what I do know is that we had a whole lot of backing tracks and no-one to sing them so I stepped in. They were only ever demos really but by the time we’d finished all the tracks we figured we should put it out as an album. It had a certain spontaneous rough and ready quality to it that we liked and ultimately we really liked the songs we’d written. If we hadn’t put it out it would have been buried forever. I had a contact with Border Records in Sweden and they agreed to release it. I think they made 500 CD’s. They sold out a long time ago. I suppose one day we will release it limited edition on vinyl but if you haven’t heard it Salome was the opening track. Coincidentally the guitar sound (that I love) was my 1966 red broken in half butchered Rickenbacker that has been getting some mentions recently. I hope you like it. I guess over time I’ll post more tracks but you can listen to it on Spotify for now.

Another day of wondering what’s happening in the world. All we can do is carry on and be positive and hope things get better, be kind to each other and take the opportunity just for once to slow down and reflect and try and come out of this as better versions of ourselves. The music helps, that’s what it supposed to do.

 

Salome

(Salome, Salome)

Exquisite inspiration
On a tray that’s decorated
With that smile

Your beautiful creation
Set aloof in revelation
His capricious trial

Anything you like
All that you desire

I want to satisfy you
Salome, Salome

The head of John the Baptist
Is upon Salome’s wish list
Lips sick, dry

Nervously entrancing
And she’s sinfully enhancing
Her delight inside

Anything you like
All that you desire

I want to satisfy you
Salome, Salome

(Willson-Piper/Cousin/Price)
Seeing Stars (1997)