Farewell Twin Cities, today we leave for Dallas where at the moment it’s a blisteringly hot 4°C/39°F, shorts weather. We waved goodbye to the snow, Fred and Gerri Ann took us to the airport in two cars with the luggage which seems to mate – it was sad to leave but we’ll be seeing them again next week in the studio. Sadly we weren’t able to do everything we wanted to do in Minneapolis because of the weather. I read that 50 people have died in these winter storms. The worst days we stayed in but we missed Hibbing and Dickens, maybe next time in a greener season.

I was reading on the news that Southwest Airlines were in chaos, with bags piling up and flights cancelled, luckily we were on Delta which seemed to have everything running smoothly (and better seats). We always try and sit at the back but for some reason, we never actually get the back row. In front of us was a woman with two bobbles on her hat as if it were a hat for two heads. A baby started crying a few seats up on the left, then it was screaming, but oddly the child completely stopped as we were taking off. It seems a rather drastic way to please your baby by getting on a flight, maybe every home with a new edition needs a flight simulator in the front room.

We recently got new ear cushions for our Bose noise cancellation headphones as they were all broken on both our pairs, the foam showing and the black material that was supposed to be stretched over the yellow disconnected, they looked like they had minutes to live. But you are able to re-order these parts so we did and now they sound better. I don’t think it’s because they look better, there must be something about sealing the sound in.

I listened to Argent’s All Together Now (1972) and Steve Hillage – Fish Rising (1975). I listened to bits of other things but these two albums I listened to completely. I don’t know if it was the headphones but I was really appreciating the sound of these seventies records and how amazing the musicians were. Jim Rodford’s bass playing on All Together Now particularly stuck out for me today. The bass is often overlooked whilst making a major difference in the music. Rod Argent’s playing is always amazing, Robert Henrit’s drumming and Russ Ballard’s voice and guitar playing make a real band, whether you like the music or not is another question but it does have Hold Your Head Up to entice you.

Fish Rising led to Steve Hillage leaving Gong and had most of Gong on the record: Mike Howlett on bass, Pierre Moerlen on drums, Tim Blake on keyboards, Didier Malherbe on sax with a little help from Lindsay Cooper on bassoon and the other Dave Stewart on organ and piano. Miquette Giraudy, Hillage’s partner, was on keys and backing vocals. It’s jazzy complex stoned space rock with odd time signatures and again amazing musicians.

So today’s album of the day is both.

Music Of The Daze