George's munros

I felt the need for some nature so I went and had a look at my bloglines for the George's recent munro reports - the photos on the posts are so spectacular that they fair take your breath away.

I think I would be giddy being so high up!

Well done George on your marathon run!

Moniker provider George (see sidebar explanation on how I became known as Lisa Rullsenberg) has not long finished the Loch Ness marathon in a smidgeon over 4 hours.

Well done George - and he's raised £320 via justgiving for Macmillan Cancer Support.

I'm not blog-dead yet

Still here. Still computer-less.

Meh.

Still, on upside have had various friends see Hamlet and report back very favourably; the world has not ended (yet?); the weekly short interviews with Dougie Henshall for Primeval are delicious (and his efforts to mask any extreme Scottish accent for the benefit of the BBC America viewers seems to be diminishing week by week); Aberdeen was - mostly - sunny (sorry George and Sonia, it's the impact we have!) and thoroughly enjoyable with much music and food and movie fun; and....

...well, shucks, I think I'm missing blogging. I'm certainly missing you guys out there. And communicating eclectic post topics to ya'll. But I'm in a real quandry about what to do with replacing the computer: my (limited) use of Vista has made me want to tear my head off; I can't really afford an apple mac - or the long wait to get one because of the extra cost; and I have hardly begun to face up to the consequences of my non-full backup with re-setting up on ANY system... meh and MEH.

I miss you guys.

On the other hand I have just managed to reach the end of S2 of Battlestar Galactica (new version). Yes, late I know. But the plan is to catch up in time for the release of s4 on dvd (I have s3 still to watch).

Life goes on. 37 more sleeps till Stratford...

George's holiday in the lake district (aka is there such a thing as too much rain?)

George provides some fabulous pictures and write-ups of his trip to the lakes last month, which culminated in the stop-over in Nottingham...

Fabulous stuff - and you even get to see Neil, me and G with Robin Hood himself!

Viva la Sonia

Did I say?

The George and co in Orkney

Two days up at present - day one and day two - with some spectacularly lovely pics of The Sonia, The George, The Gang and the Orkneys.

Smashing!

George's running

Mighty impressive, even without the poorly toe!

PS if you haven't already done so, catch up on all his recent munro stuff: the walks are inspiringly exhausting but the views are great even when they're mist-enshrouded. There is something weirdly awesome about pictures atop a munro in MAY that display snow!

George clocks up some new Munros

Go see!

George and his Munros

Ah, bless. A nice thing about new blogger adding tags and such is that you get reminders of old posts. They come up all fresh, like new laundry.

So, if you haven't already been and you want to know where it all started for George and his munro climbing obsession keen interest, then check out G's first munro.

And then take some very entertaining trips along with him to several of his other early climbs.

As you would expect, there's the usual entertaining prose, and some early photography (even if it is sometimes misty, as here!).

Reviewing the reviews: George on a recent Ash Grove collection

Shucks dude, George has done us proud with the blow-by-blow analysis of one of our recent Ash Grove volumes of music.

Check out his Ash Grove Volume 9 review here.

Belated links to George

Not sure WHAT was going on with my ability to keep up with blogs since I could have sworn I had been dropping by to check updates as well as having bloglines. So how come THIS post with oodles of FABULOUS Porto pics from George only just hit my radar...?

Was I losing my marbles? (No answers people, I can write my own jokes).

Wait, hang on... what's that next post...? "Bad Edit"? Seems it WASN'T me but rather that it had taken around a month for Blogger to allow him to update the blog having started the Porto post some time ago... Mind, it is SO jam-packed with LOVELY pics and YouTube videos... maybe Blogger got tired and emotional over all the port...?

Anyway, reading through G's posts you can also admire some very fine shelving (employment from this way beckons) and - of course - the promise of some very fine Munro shots from the 101st trek...

The George Volumes: The Graduation collection

Wow, I can't believe it is now over 2 years ago since this was compiled. Still, anything that begins with that Joy Division track is always going to press my buttons. In retrospect, I might have re-thought the final selections of the collection since I think it is quite difficult to follow the stunning impact of Simon and Garfunkel's chilling rendition of Silent Night combined with the 7 o'clock news of the day. Still, the remaining tracks were too good to miss out on and given this was compiled with some friendly goodwill from Lisette, it does largely hold together. And you have to love the Pop Goes the Weasal of Mr Perry.

Volume 4: The Graduation Collection

Atmosphere: Joy Division
We Are The Clash: Sparks
(Get A) Grip (On Yourself): Lambchop [a cover of The Stranglers...]
The Modern Dance: Pere Ubu
Modern Dance: Campfire Walkers [cover of the above in rollicking hoe-down style]
Die Interimsliebenden: Einstürzende Neubauten
Toyte Goyes In Shineln: Black Ox Orkestar
Dreaming (,,,Again): Polmo Polpo
Pink Dust: Magoo
Still Evil: Radar Bros.
Personal Jesus: Johnny Cash [Yes, originally by Depeche Mode...]
Feed Kill Chain: Jay Farrar
The Guns Of Brixton: Nouvelle Vague
The Sky Lay Still: Elisabeth Anka Vajagic
7 O'Clock News / Silent Night: Simon & Garfunkel
Inside Susan [Inside Susan: A Story in 3 Parts- part 2]: Pulp
The Book Is on the Table: Pere Ubu
Jungle Jim: Lee "Scratch" Perry


Actually, it's just nice to rethink through these track listings. Must replay these collations...

George - The Birthday Collection: further adventures in non-MP3 collations

Following my previous promise, here is the listing for Volume 3 of the George collections.

The First Big Weekend: Arab Strap
Free Until They Cut Me Down: Iron & Wine
Two Way Monologue: Sondre Lerche
All I Want To Know: The Magnetic Fields
Hackensack: Fountains Of Wayne
Wake Up: Love Spit Love
Avenue: Saint Etienne
Saturn: Suckle
Górecki [edit]: Lamb
The Day I See You Again: Dubstar
Salvation Song: The Lilac Time
Jeannie's Diary: Eels
My Lighthouse: Pulp
About Today: The National
The King Of Bring: Malcolm Middleton
Awkward Duet: Sons And Daughters
Couldn't Bear To Be Special: Prefab Sprout

L&N12 George incoming

Over the festive period we were treated to a couple of new entries from the George collection (incoming). Here's a proper review of the first of these.

L&N12

Sugar (Jagz Kooner Mix): Ladytron

But of course we had to have some Ladytron! One of the best things I have always enjoyed about the G is his love of female voca;l electronica. Ladytron are supreme exponents of this, and this remix version hits all the right spots in retaining the best of the original track with a brilliant remix twist.

Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above: Cansei de Ser Sexy

CSS have had Jarvis on stage with them. Guess what? That makes then cool in my books but this track is especially frothy and fun and just makes ya want to dance. Great!

Lithium: The Polyphonic Spree

The art of the cover version should usually be to add something to the original, something different, unexpected, even confusing. Visualise the Polyphonics singing THIS particular track and you hit the nail for a fantastic cover song!

Pull-Shapes: The Pipettes

60s-ish girl pop. Divine (rather like their outfits!) and always gets me singing along. Still treasure "I Like a Boy in Uniform" though...

First Big Weekend (Four Tet): Arab Strap

A long-time favourite track, much loved from when it was first played by Peel. Given new breath by Four Tet who have turned their hand to several bands for remixing that you would not normally expect.

Bugged: Kids in Tracksuits

What I also love about these kind of collations is the unexpectedness of them, but also how they gell together. Moving from the Four Tet remix to these buzzing hip-hop beats somehow works brilliantly.

First Ladies Anthem: Glenallen School for Girls

And then you get the completely unexpected! Perfectly indefinable! It HAD to come via MySpace...!

Music is my Hot Hot Sex: CSS

Another gem from the CSS collective, and of course a true statement!

Mountain Energy: The Fall

Some would say it isn't a proper collection without The Fall. Music comes and goes but the ever (un)changing/changing of The Fall is forever. Consistently interesting.

Citadel: Ladytron

Further excellence from these mistresses of the keyboard. Pounding synths to get your limbs moving.

Umo: Ooioo

It's always good to find out that you've been introduced to a band you would have followed up on from a review or comment elsewhere. It's a nice reminder that the music sharing is in sync. And it is exactly what we would pick up and trial. All-female Japanese experimental beats. Well of course we love it!

Hoist That Rag: Tom Waits

From the cracking 'Real Gone collection, Waits at his usual greatness.

We Make It Rock: Kids in Tracksuits

Thumping hip-hop beats and scratches. Cracking.

Scarburst: Species 8472

One of the best sound connections on the collection as Kids in Tracksuits effortlessly seagues into this before becoming a thrilling revisioning of the sounds of Propaganda: expansive and dramatic. It sounds like a lost soundtrack score/vocal track. A knockout.

I'm Your Boyfriend Now: Tall Pony

Disturbing! In a good way! Like a previously passed on gem, the incredible House Husbands track "Do you?" ('My name is Brad...'), not to be read as a statement on how to actually treat women. The soundtrack is somehow made even more terrifying by that monotone dictation. Shiver. Sickly hysterical and not for the faint-hearted.

Dog Door: Tom Waits

Singing like he's borrowed one of Thomas Truax's vocal distortion gizmos, it's a grand and grinding track.

The Operator: ZZZZZ

More synth brilliance, familiar forms yet new in tone. "Please do"...

Tender Talons: Ladytron

Atmospheric doesn't touch this. It has the same kind of swooping sounds that I so love on "Start-Up Chime" (one of my absolute favs of this band). And is that a flute in there?

Uprock Theme: Kids in Tracksuits

Scratching and reverbing and screeching. Love it!

Art Bitch: CSS

Yes, they really do sing what you think they are singing (see G's review here!)

Children's Story: Tom Waits

'Cos you need to top the bewildering excess of CSS somehow, so more Waits is the obvious answer. Fabulous ending!


Phew, that's L&N12 done. It's been on heavy rotation since acquisition - much like L&N13 and all the previous material shared. Anyway, look forward to further summaries and reviews.

George Collections - in and out

Some time ago, I did a couple of posts collating the tracklistings for our George collections: George Volume 1 - loud and George Volume 2 - soft. Very nice they are too.

Given that we've effectively become a mutual 'obscure-music-and-fave-tracks' appreciation society, I thought it may be nice to present these playlists, in much the same way I have been getting a lot of pleasure from reviewing the weekly musical prompts from Darren over at the ever fabulous Inveresk Street Ingrate blog.

Although I do like to hear an album as it is on the album/CD, I do love the collating of tracks. Before George got onto the collating scene in this house, there were of course the 'pass the tape on' collections for Chrissie (a sample of which is the Gender Split Songsters collection). As with G though, what has been nice about the spreading the love of music has been how it has enabled us both to introduce/remind each other of good stuff. I certainly know in her case that she's got into some artistes she would never have thought of listening to without my prompts!)

Anyway, that meander is by way of noting I'm going to catch up on the listings for the George collections, both incoming and outgoing. Ee, but there is some grand stuff there...

George's film and music reviews of the year

Brilliant stuff from the G-meister, providing an in-depth set of reviews of his fave raves in the music world from 2006 and his top three films from the year as well.

Without wishing to take anything away from his film comments, the music reviews are particularly good; some very in-depth indeed with lyric citations and commentary of the first order. It's the little asides that I love in his reviews such as this gem amidst his remarks on Regina Spektor's "Begin to Hope":

no need has Regina for living in the back of beyond with her harp and a gothic veil

Hmmm, that wouldn't refer to the opinion-splitting Joanna Newsom would it (who also gets an honourable if qualified mention in the records of the year list)?

I was also pleased to note this mention within G's review of the awesome Superqueens album 'Royal Shit':

My only regret here is that the album version of Rat Poison buries the siren effect far down in the mix whereas the BBC session take had it as a prominent feature, but really that's just splitting hairs when the quality level is this high.

since this had been my first thought on hearing the album version. It's also why I keep playing the original BBC1 session version.

All in all the music reviews are excellent: how could they fail to be with mentions of such cracking artistes as Nina Nastasia, Jarvis, and Tom Waits amongst others?!

I feel that the George would approve

"At midnight Finnish time it was snowing, we were outside on the edge of a forest - drinking champagne and leaping around to 'Losing My Religion'"

Wow, with that little quote from JJ, I feel that George will be approving of her blog even more. Invocation of REM = passport to permanent approval rating in his eyes! I suspect only the drinking of a good whisky would have increased the approval rating!

New Music and Old Music - finds and joys

As I sit here with the sounds echoing up the stairs of the excellent Paul Lewis Beethoven piano sonatos, I contemplate the year's acquisitions and new finds.

In no particular order then:

Carla Bruni: thanks be to Bob, without whom I would probably not considered or acquired this gem. A lovely voice and beautiful melodies. What more can you ask for?

Max Richter: a Selectadisc acquisition, of course. Musing through their Post-Rock section, I took a gamble on this potentially appealing collection which is interspersed with the mighty Bobby Wyatt on readings. Blue Notebooks - which is on my 'to-buy' list - features the luscious Tilda Swinton in a similar role. Delightful.

CSS: if ever there was going to be an artiste from this year I would have laid money on coming to me via lovely George, Cansei de Ser Sexy were top bet. So it proved that the band cropped up on the latest George collections - well, given that Jarvis likes CSS how could I fail to be charmed?

Beirut: courtesy of Rough Trade so this was in the Crockatt and Powell visiting bag. It came to us along with Neutral Milk Hotel's 1998 gem In the Aeroplane over the Sea. Both beautiful in their own ways. Beirut's "Gulag Orkestar" fits in well with several other East European inspired joys in our collection including Black Ox Orkestar (one of our favs through 2004 and 2005).

An Pierle: an eMusic find, thanks to a stunning piano accompanied version of "Are 'Friends' Electric?" on a Gary Numan tribute album (strange but true, it actually contains a number of cracking versions/tracks). Anyway, am rather fond of the An Pierle and White Velvet so they're on the 'get-more-of-these' list for the new year.

Sophie Solomon: one of our finds from Summer Sundae and her album has been an oft-played delight, not least for the lovely collaborations with KT Tunstall and the mighty Richard Hawley. Purchased direct from the lovely girl's hands as she came off-stage to a heroine's welcome by adoring and new fans alike.

Captain: as recommended by Patrische, even though I missed them at Summer Sundae. As described here so I can't say fairer than that! Another Selectadisc grabbed joy.

Tunng: fabulously folkie and a quiet stunner at Summer Sundae, their disturbing lyrics and soundscapes sit on breathtaking melodies. We grabbed a front row spot for their quiet subversion and loved every second of it.

Regina Spektor: her style has been pilfered by legions of female vocalists since it came to prominence early in 2006 (well, at least to us she did - via BBC6Music). I would complain but since it's such a beautiful approach it feels churlish to do so. She remains the best at it though and the video for "Us" with its delightful stop-motion photography (and those shoes she wears - sigh...) still sends shivers through me.

Amplifico: Scotpop charmers, another inevitable introduction from the George late in 2005 and regularly enjoyed throughout 2006. A record contract for these should get an album out - preferably soon! Donna Maciocia should be a star!


Okay, that's a flavour of the past year. There has been plenty of other stuff crossing our CD players and computers but that gives a reasonably representative sample of our new(ish) finds.

Rewinding: in praise of compilations (especially on tape?)

Cloud knows when I haven't read something, because usually certain subjects will always get me raving and if I read them first I'll immediately get him to read the inspiring article.

So when he presented me with Laura Barton's article from the Guardian Film and Music supplement published last Friday, I knew from first glance I hadn't read it and that if I had I would have still been ranting about it. So belatedly I will now have a rant. You know this is a topic I love.

• Flow article link on compilations


• George compilation 1


• George compilation 2


• Gender split songsters compilation

Anyway, the topic of Barton's piece was the music compilation: specifically the differences between tapes (the beloved C90 cassette) and CDs (those brittle bits of... what are they made of again?)

Barton identifies two particular types of compilation: firstly, there is the introduction. This sets the scene for a new friend by passing on what you think of as tracks that identify the compilation as by you. Barton picks out "Heroin by the Velvet Undergound, Them's Gloria, Pixies' Hey and Frankie and the Classicals' What Shall I Do?" I'd probably go with something by Pulp (I'm especially fond of 'Seconds' from the Babies EP), something by Ballboy (possibly the exquisite duet version of 'I Lost You but I Found Country Music' with Laura Cantrell), a quirky cover version (I'm currently with Paul Morley on the beauty and majesty of Susanna and the Magical Orchestra's version of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart') and classic tracks by The Clash, The Beatles 'To Know Her is to Love Her (from the BBC sessions) and a good bit of jangly 80s pop (say ABC, The Smiths). I've also regularly passed on 'Tarmac' by Hazeldine from the cracking Uncut compilation 'Sounds of the New West', mostly for the classic line at the end of the first verse (I generally avoid swearing here, so let's just say you blink at the invocation of Batman...)

Then there is, as Barton notes, the compilations that are "crafted for your musical co-conspirators, when the compilation itself becomes part of your conversation - a Masonic handshake, if you will." These definitely describe the conversation we have with George, but I was intrigued by what Barton goes on to say:

A friend and I have a CD compilation conversation that has been going on for three years. But he said to me recently that even a decade ago he could not have made me such compilations because his wife would have divorced him, and quite rightly so - for back then they would have been cassettes, and they're different things altogether.

I have a certain sympathy with this idea of intimacy being part of the compilation tape, not least because, as she goes on to say, the physical act of making a cassette is entirely different to that of a CD: "making a compilation tape was akin to writing a poem...They took all Sunday afternoon, crouched beside your tape player with pins and needles in your feet, your finger hovering above the pause button ..." She's right about that physicality element as I fondly recall - before my tape player died along with the rest of the antiquated stereo system I had - the hours and hours I would spend in front of the tape recorder selecting tracks from both CD and tape to transfer to a new compilation. Cloud's "Derrida's Deconstruction" wasn't made for me (it was for his own pleasure) but every join was lovingly crafted and selected, the pausing not always (quite) right but sometimes you would end up almost breaking the tape as you paused, rewound, reset and restarted playing a track to get the join 'just so'.

Barton also wisely comments on the construction of the cassette: "At night you would lie awake puzzling over its structure: What song should you put on first? What should come last? The first of course has to be arresting. The last has to be the one you want to linger in their thoughts." But what she doesn't explicitly comment on is the fact that the cassette allowed you not one beginning but two, not one ending but two; moreover, the very first track of side one had a greater significance than that for side two, and the final track of side one had a lesser significance than that for side two.

Inevitably, by circumstance of my tape machine dying and not being replaced (though I am tempted - oh so tempted - to get one from Richer Sounds while such technology still exisits) I have shifted to CD making. She's right that it lacks the labour intensive practices of making a tape, especially when you work out that you need to play each track through in real time, plus the time it takes to cue up the next and start recording (though frankly I had that off pat by the time I made my last compilation tape: usually only just over 100 mins to make a C90, which isn't bad all things considered.

But where I part company with Barton's argument is on the issue of CDs inherently lacking thought: compilations may now indeed appear to be "made in minutes" but I would deny that "dragging and clicking and burning" means that "beautiful things go unsaid." In most instances, the time I spend preparing the CD is no less than I would have invested in making the tape: it is a careful process of playing selected tracks, playing them next to each other, mentally singing or humming the opening or closing bars to see how they sound as an overall narrative flow. What is made easier by the CD is the playing of the tracks (where I have them on the computer: as yet only a proportion of our music collection - ever expanded by Rough Trade, 1-Up and Selectadisc - is on either of our computers).

Although I no longer have to carefully stack up the CDs and tapes, shuffling their order before I even start selecting tracks, I still do that mentally (and before I got my own computer capable of making CDs I had to carry over a bag of CDs to H's to make those early George collections). Now - providing I don't need to upload (or frustratingly I realise I only have it on tape) - I can easily pop tracks into a provisional playlist. But I still spend hours pouring over the selection and ordering process, carefully weighing the choice of tracks depending on the person and the purpose of the collection. Equally, care is taken over the production values of the sleeve: selecting and framing images, borders, and sometimes even the choice of compilation title.

I still residually miss the compilation tape with its perfectly framed 45 mins per side, echoing the approximate length of a pop album. But technology and its frailty has guided me to the CD and I am learning to love it. I sometimes even wonder if, given the pace at which I was eventually able to construct a tape, whether I'm not now probably even slower making a CD.

Does the CD talk back to me the way a tape could? I would argue 'yes', not least because I remain committed to the process of the compilation, regardless of its format. There is still a romance to it for me, a measured sifting and thinking about the recipient's taste, my taste, and how I may even sneak in some material they would never have thought of listening to but which may open up new musical avenues to them. I doubt I'm always successful, but that was the chance one took on making any compilation - whether tape or CD. Whether rewinding, or reselecting a track or sequence of tracks, there is nothing like the home made collection. And for me they will never lose their romance.

Irony? George and crew take on Craigellachie and the whisky

Sounds...

...idyllic?