Jul 31: 2003

2003 was important for music as this was the year that Apple launched the 3rd edition iPod - in white with a click wheel for navigation.

I still have mine and it still works. I have the charger and it's still got music on it.

By this time, the internet was providing opportunities to download tracks and iTunes had been around for a while. Streaming was still a way off.

Some of the downloads were illegal in that they didn't involve paying for the music. One of the locations online was Pirate Bay. This opened in 2003 too. This was a Peer to Peer torrent service. At this time, there was a lot of coverage.

The founders were charged with several offences linking to copyright. And yet now AI just steals the world's music....

I was able to listen to music that I could not afford to risk buying in case I didn't appreciate it, so probably ended up buying more music on CD and vinyl as I knew that I liked it...

Mike Oldfield released a single remix of the introduction to his classic album 'Tubular Bells' for a 2003 remix.

This track from this era has a similar vibe:

Rush released a live album recorded in Rio de Janeiro and also played a SARS benefit concert in Canada. Called SARStock it had a huge audience:

What was your favourite music from 2003?

Jul 30: Brendan Conway and FIFA World Cup 1966

Brendan Conway has been developing a range of GIS (and other) resources over the years. 

He has shared some thinking around the 1966 World Cup Final, which took place 60th anniversary

This is on his new Substack.

There was mention of several musical elements as well, including a song created by Lonnie Donegan for World Cup Willie.

Jul 30: 2002 & 'Vapor Trails'

2002 saw the release of Vapor Trails by Rush. It was later re-released as a remastered album in 2013 which solved some of the album's muddy production first time round. It has some excellent tracks on it and I have the remastered version.

Ghost Rider was one of the stand out tracks for me. It is written about Neil Peart's own travels.

I did an assembly some years later about Mark Beaumont's first round the world cycle trip where he smashed the world record... but would later smash it again, circumnavigating the world in less than 80 days.

The band were not happy with the mixing and released a remixed version of the album in 2013.

Vapor Trails itself is an excellent track, along with Ceiling Unlimited - both refer to the sky and upper atmosphere... and the formation of Vapor Trails...

Earthshine - the opening track also refers to a geographical phenomenon which is outlined in the lyrics.

Bob Mould released the 'Modulate' album - a very different feel to previous albums, although he also worked with Richard Morel on a 'Blowout' album - I have all of them of course...

Here's 'Sound on Sound'...

What were your musical highlights of 2002?

Jul 30: Africa stop Ebola

Most readers will be familiar with Band Aid and their charity song

There was also the American 'version'.

The Band Aid song was re-recorded a number of times, including one for preventing Ebola.

African musicians also made their own charity single for Ebola.

We currently have a worryingly large Ebola epidemic 

I used to teach an 'A' level specification which had Ebola as one focus for a unit on diseases.

There were several shocking infographics which we used - as they had to be accessible to everyone, so were graphic in naure (in more than one way).

A collective of African musicians have come together to record a song to help raise awareness about Ebola in Africa. The song, entitled “Africa Stop Ebola”, features the singers Tiken Jah Fakoly, Amadou & Mariam, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Kandia Kora, Mory Kante, Sia Tolno, Barbara Kanam and rappers Didier Awadi, Marcus (from the band Banlieuz'Arts) and Mokobe, and also includes the musicians Sékou Kouyaté (electric guitar, bass, electric kora) et Ludovic N’Holle (drums). 

The song is a message to citizens about what they can do to help stop the spread of Ebola in Africa. 

The song is performed in French and vernacular languages widely spoken across the region to ensure that the message is understood regardless of the level of literacy and education of the population.

As I post this, there is a new outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo which is apparently spreading rapidly.

Jul 29: 2001

2001 saw some classic album releases.

Yes released 'Magnification' - an album with full orchestra which had some excellent individual tracks. By now I was married and living in a village on the North Norfolk coast and I remember listening to this while driving through the edge of the Sandringham Estate on the way to work in King's Lynn.

Also out in 2001:

Tenacious D were very popular, thanks to Jack Black's involvement. Their lyrics are vary sweary Mary and crude.

Parental advisory. Don't watch the following video... or enjoy it!

Tribute:

The demon in the video is played by Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters.

What were you listening to in 2001?

Jul 29: After 'Live Aid'

That is part of the title of the final track on Roger Water's album 'Radio K.A.O.S'

The Tide is Turning (after Live Aid) is the full title. It's a very Pink Floyd-esque song, but with more of Roger Waters'.

Jul 29: Cities and Music #6: Hull

I lived in Hull for just under a year between September 1986 and May 1987 while I was training to be a teacher.

This was a time when one of the bands most associated with the city was active: The Housemartins. They morphed into 'The Beautiful South'. Some of the band members lived round the corner from where I lived. 

I don't remember going to many gigs while at the university to be honest.

One was at the Hull Truck Theatre Company's venue. It was an evening of New Age music put on by Coda Records. John Themis played a great track from his album 'Atmospheric Conditions'.

There was also a band called Frugivores who played the same night. 

The city is associated with a number of bands.

Another band from Hull was 'Everything but the Girl'. I remember someone showing me where they lived at the time.

The last concert I saw in Hull was Pat Metheny's trio concert when the SideEye tour came to the city as part of the City of Culture year. On the same night I saw a parade of large illuminated puppet figures and also some Bob and Roberta Smith art. The gig was superb and the venue was small. 

The following night he played Barbican and I had tickets for that too.

Jul 29: 'One by One' - new (and old) from Peter Gabriel

This is the latest song in Peter Gabriel's o/i project to be released.

It starts beautifully... and is the best track released so far in the project in my opinion.

Peter explains the meaning and construction of the song:

“This is another song that comes out of the brain show that I am working on and the character has been effectively torn apart and is trying to reassemble himself one piece at a time. I needed a character for the story and I'd always wanted to do a little more with Mozo, who I had introduced many years back, and I thought, well, let's give him another blast here. 

He's been brought back from the dead. 

“What was interesting for me about Mozo was that he was not fully of the world and not fully outside it. For the original second album narrative he was found on this waste tip and there was a reference to alchemy, and how you only really get the opportunity to create gold out of the lowest material; shit. In Japanese culture they also have kintsugi (kin: gold, tsugi: repair) where a broken cup is repaired with gold or precious metals and the repaired cup with its faults showing ends up more valuable than the original. It's a beautiful symbol for humanity, because we're remarkably easy to break and trying to reassemble self, psyche and sanity, is really the journey of the song. 

“There are two or three story songs on the record and I actually like the length of time they occupy and I like the fact that you have to stay in it for the ride to understand the story. It's like when you arrive in some hut in the woods and it takes a while just to settle in and get yourself tuned-in to the pace of that place. I wanted a bit of that in the song. If people are on for the full ride, they're going to take it through to the end. 

It's a long journey, but I think it's place in the show, which is percolating in my head, it'll be towards the end, if not the end.”

The character of Mozo appeared in Gabriel's 2nd album. Andrew Dubber explores the meaning of the character.

Partly based on the biblical figure of Moses, Mozo was an enigmatic force who comes from nowhere, disrupts lives, and then disappears. But despite his transformative effect on the world, Mozo feels himself to be powerless. He is in the world, but not of the world. For the most part hidden and invisible, Mozo can only express himself and be heard with the aid of technology — specifically radio technology.

The figure of Mozo lives in a fantasy world created by what he picks up and transmits on short-wave radio. In this way, Mozo’s schizophrenic existence has prescient parallels with the disconnect between our own lives lived online and off. The broadcast is a construction — a projection of an imagined world — and a search for meaning and validation through attention.

Here's the song 'On the Air' where Mozo first appears....

Jul 28: 2000

The year 2000 saw some good albums released as the new millennium began.

Ian Anderson's solo album "The Secret Language of Birds" was the latest of his solo albums, featuring Andy Giddings on keyboards who also joined the live touring band for some years.

Geddy Lee released his only solo album (so far): My Favourite Headache.

When he released his autobiography a few years ago, he released a few extra bonus tracks as well which were decent... 

Also in 2000, we had U2's album "All that you can't leave behind".

Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno were both involved in producing tracks on the album. They have also worked with Peter Gabriel.

This was a stand out track.

The video for this track was filmed in August 2000 at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

The international version of the album had a track with lyrics from Salman Rushdie.

What were your favourite musical moments from the start of the new century?

Jul 28: Sam Neill RIP

This extract from the late Sam Neill's autobiography has been shared a few times over the last few days...

Here's 'Yours is no disgrace' from The Yes Album (1971)

Jul 27: 1999

A classic album appeared this year from the Icelandic band Sigur Rós – Ágætis byrjun

Here's the track: Viðrar vel til loftárása.

This was when I first came across the band.

Also in 1999, we had another Yes album from an ever-changing line-up. I didn't see this tour, but one a few years earlier. There was one good track on this album.

Everyone was worried about the Y2K Millennium bug.

And Prince was asking us to party...

What are your musical memories from 1999?

Jul 26: 1998

1998 saw more excellent albums appearing in people's collections.

REM released 'Up' - not quite to the same standards as their earlier golden period.

Pulp released 'This is Hardcore'. Dark in tone.

Madonna's Ray of Light was given some William Orbit treatment...

1998 was the year I got married. 

We had our wedding in the church in Swithland, Leicestershire, and the reception was at a large stately home like venue called Beaumanor Hall.

I made a mix tape to be played at the wedding reception as guests were arriving, and before the jazz band started later that evening. 

This was the first song on the tape. I remember having some of our wedding photos taken with this music playing...

What were your favourite albums from this year?

Jul 25: 1997

This was one of the stand out songs of this year. 

Via Wikipedia:

The Verve developed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" from a sample from a 1965 version of the Rolling Stones song "The Last Time" by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, adding vocals, strings, guitar and percussion. 

After a lawsuit by the Rolling Stones' former manager, Allen Klein, the Verve relinquished all royalties to the Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who were also added to the songwriting credits. In 2019, ten years after Klein's death, Jagger, Richards, and Klein's son ceded the rights to the Verve songwriter, Richard Ashcroft.

I later heard the song being performed by Richard Ashcroft when he supported 'The Who' on the Sandringham Estate.

Pat Metheny Group released 'Imaginary Day'. This album has an intriguing cover where icons replaced letters and the CD provided the 'key' to working out what the symbols meant.

One track 'The Roots of Coincidence' was unlike most other Pat Metheny Group music and I played it to a friend on the way to a gig at the Cambridge Corn Exchange.

Here it is being played live on the 'Speaking of Now' tour, which I also saw...

Via Wikipedia

The album won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. The song "The Roots of Coincidence" won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance; critic Richard Ginnell of AllMusic described the song as a dramatic departure for the group: "[an] out-and-out rock piece with thrash metal and techno-pop episodes joined by abrupt jump cuts."

Yes released 'Open your Eyes' and I saw this tour.

What were your favourite pieces of music from 1997

Jul 24: Music websites: The Vinyl Historian

This is an excellent website from Jamie.

Pages include:

- A look at the AIR studios on Montserrat that I blogged about earlier

- A look at the evolution of Genesis

They also visit some classic musical venues.

Source: https://thevinylhistorian.com/places

Jul 24: Pat Metheny at the Barbican

I think Pat Metheny may be getting close to being the artist I've seen play live the most. At one point it was probably It Bites, or Whippersnapper or Jethro Tull... all of whom were in double digits. I first saw Pat play live on the First Circle tour which was on May 4th 1985 at the Manchester Apollo - one of only 2 dates that year.

I've seen Pat play live in various different circumstances:

- with the Pat Metheny Group - including the late Lyle Mays and Steve Rodby, along with varying combinations of musicians

- as a Trio, with various musicians, including Antonio Sanchez

- Solo (including a superb concert at the Barbican 

- with the Orchestrion: an automated 

On Sunday, I headed down to the Barbican to see the latest tour with Side Eye 3+

Set List

Opening drum intro - in 'First Circle style'... although that involved a wider range of instruments...

In On It

Bright Size Life

Don’t Look Down

Better Days Ahead

Make a New World

The First Circle

Band introduction

Urban and Western

The Red One - (a John Scofield & Pat Metheny song)

Más allá (Beyond)

Phase Dance

Round Trip / Round Trip / Broadway Blues

Zenith Blue

America The Beautiful / The People United Will Never Be Defeated / Last Train Home

Are You Going With Me?

Minuano (Six Eight), Antonia, James, September Fifteenth, This Is Not America

Song for Bilbao

Here's a live performance from a Paris concert...

Jul 24: 1996

1996 was thirty years ago now...

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released 'Murder Ballads'.

Rush released 'Test for Echo'.

This has an inunnguaq (ᐃᓄᙳᐊᖅ, 'imitation of a person', plural inunnguat) on the front cover.

Three figures are scaling the inukshuk. Hugh Syme, the graphic designed, always dealt in threes for Rush.

Here's 'Half the World' from that album:

Half the world lives
Half the world makes
Half the world gives
While the other half takes

Half the world cries
Half the world laughs
Half the world tries
To be the other half

Jan Garbarek released 'Visible World', perhaps his last great album as he hasn't released new music for many years now - although he remains a superb live act and I will always go to see him when he tours in the UK.

The Blue Nile released 'Peace at Last', seven years after their previous album. This didn't have the same power as 'Hats'.

Jul 23: 1995

Pat Metheny Group released 'We Live Here'.

This is one of their best albums. The inner sleeve featured photographs and maps and other material describing the places where the band members grew up and live. There are lots of maps on the front cover too.

It won a Grammy.

I saw the band on their tour to support this album.

A good analysis of the album here from Sputnik Music.

Jethro Tull released 'Roots to Branches'. This album has some very nice pieces. Here's 'Beside Myself'.

What are your favourite albums from 1995?

Jul 22: 1994

Moving further into the 1990s today. 

Britpop was the thing, with Blur's 'Parklife' up against Oasis' 'Definitely Maybe'.

Neither of those were for me. Not my cup of tea...

Tori Amos released 'Under the Pink'.

Kurt Cobain's body was found on April the 8th that year.

In the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest that year, held in Ireland, was a dance performance called 'Riverdance'.

The music for this was by Bill Whelan and featured the top Irish musicians of the day.

I was fortunate to see a live performance of the stage show up at the Sheffield Arena.

Yes released 'Talk' - I remember playing this while heading for a holiday in North Wales.

REM released 'Monster' - a change of mood following a run of massively successful albums - I've already posted the ticket stub from the concert I saw on the Monster tour.

Pink Floyd released 'The Division Bell'. This has a link with my current place of work as the large metal heads on the cover

Back to 1994 and to an early album release from Francis Dunnery. The album was bookended by two songs I'm fond of...

A CD single which I have also featured some alternative versions.

What are your favourite musical moments from 1994?

Jul 21: 1993

One lunchtime in 1993 I came home from work at lunchtime to check the post and have some lunch. I was living in a flat in King's Lynn which was cheap and a bit of a dive truth be told... but it was cheap and only three minutes walk from school - in fact I could see it out of one of the windows... 

Waiting for me was the new Rush album. I couldn't resist putting it into my CD player - I had a nice separates system with vinyls, but with the odd new CD appearing. It started really quietly and then '1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2....' then the drums pounded out of the speakers.

Here's the 2004 remaster of that opening track from the album 'Counterparts': 'Animate' - it remains one of my favourite openings of any Rush album.

Also that year, Bjork made her 'Debut', 

And Big Country were no longer in Kansas.

Sarah McLachlan released 'Fumbling towards Ecstasy'. I have a separate post about this album which will be appearing in a few days' time as it was one that I listened to a great deal.... 

What are your favourite albums from 1993?

Jul 21: Strict Machine

Via the Albumism BlueSky account.

Goldfrapp are the unofficial band of the geography department where I teach. When my colleague Claire Kyndt and I co-presented our work at the GA Conference some years ago, this was our walk-in music.

Strict Machine was released on this day back in 2003. 

The person in the bunny mask is Gwendoline Christie, star of Game of Thrones.

Here's the official video:

Jul 21: Hu are you?

“Our music is a blend of east and west, old and new. We’re building on a history and a sound that has been around for thousands of years.”

Galbadrakh Tsendbaatar, AKA Gala

Iron Maiden organised an event called Eddfest last weekend and a band called 'The Hu' were playing. This is not a misspelling of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend's band....

The band say they didn’t choose their name as a play on the Who’s, but because “hu” is the root word for human being in Mongolian. “We took the name because of the inclusive nature,” Temka said. “It’s not about being Mongolian. It’s about being human.”

The Hu were profiled in a piece in The Guardian some years ago... with a classic punning title.

There's plenty of classic geography scenery in this video: Black Thunder Part 1

The band’s video for Yuve Yuve Yu likewise stresses the connection between modernity and tradition. It opens with various band members in contemporary settings – an upscale coffee shop in Ulaanbaatar, or at home playing a video game – before Gala opens the door of his urban apartment to enter a vast expanse of mountains and lakes in Mongolia’s remote western region. The images that occupy the rest of the video are so stunning, they could double as a travelogue for the Mongolian tourist board. The band’s second video, for Wolf Totem, unites traditional Mongolian horse riders with leather-clad men on Harleys, suggesting an eastern take on Easy Rider. That connection underscores a bad-ass image that has made the band a natural for metal heads.

Jul 20: The Prog Prom

The 2nd night of the Proms saw one with orchestral arrangements of progressive rock classics, with some guest appearances.

The orchestra is conducted by Robert Ames. He conducted the orchestra that accompanied Sigur Rós on recent live tours.

Here's the programme for the evening:

Aaron Copeland, arr. ELP, orch. Robert Ames Fanfare for the Common Man 6’
Ian Anderson, orch. Sam Gale Living in the Past 4’
Mike Ratledge, orch. Sam Gale Out-Bloody-Rageous Pt 1 4’
Genesis, orch. Sam Gale I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) 4'
Michael Dunford, orch. Christian Balvig Northern Lights 5’
Justin Hayward, orch. Fiona Brice Nights in White Satin 5’
Peter Hammill, orch. Adam Dennis Refugees 7’
Yes, orch. Peter Riley And You And I 8’
Mike Oldfield, orch. Adam Dennis Tubular Bells Pt 1 – excerpts 5’

Keith Emerson, orch. Chester Tribley/Bronte Tucker Karn Evil 9: First Impression, Part 2 2’
Thjis van Leer, orch. Christian Balvig Sylvia 4’
Osibisa, orch. Christian Balvig Komfo 4'
Frank Zappa, orch. Christian Balvig Peaches en Regalia 3'
Focus, arr. Christian Balvig Sylvia 4’
King Crimson, orch. Fiona Brice 21st Century Schizoid Man - I Talk To The Wind - Court of the Crimson King 10’
Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, orch. Fiona Brice Entangled 7’
Kerry Minnear, Derek Shulman, Ray Shulman, orch. Sam Gale On Reflection 4’
Mike Heron, orch. Christian Balvig Maker of Islands 6’
Richard Wright, orch. Fiona Brice Great Gig In the Sky 5’
Rick Davies, orch. Christian Balvig Crime of the Century 6’
Modest Mussorgsky, arr. Keith Emerson, orch. Robert Ames The Great Gate of Kiev 5'

Other performers:

Guy Garvey vocals
Jane Weaver vocals
Gruff Rhys vocals
Carl Palmer drums
Peter Hammill vocals - I saw Peter Hammill live supporting Marillion back in around 1983....
Vanessa Hayes vocals

Stuart Maconie presenter
BBC Concert Orchestra
Robert Ames conductor

Listen again on BBC Sounds - and it's on BBC itself at the weekend.

Jul 20: What was that?

Football lost out here...

Imagine being in the stadium and watching it on a screen... and muppets... and two blokes in track suits... and lip-synching...

Jul 20: 1992

1992 was another year of fine albums.

Tori Amos released her album 'Little Earthquakes'.

This was a great album, and I saw the tour in support of the album. There was a lot of buzz around it.

The cover was also inspired by an image featuring another singer songwriter: Kate Bush.

The album of the year, according to the NME (New Musical Express - I fondly remember the years when I used to buy it), was Copper Blue by Sugar.

It was fantastic to finally get to see Sugar earlier this year playing live on the first UK date of their 'Love you even still' tour.

Pat Metheny Group released a double album called 'Secret Story'.

I loved this album for its interesting instrumentation and arrangements. This track was one I played during a tremendous thunderstorm in a holiday cottage outside Broadford on the Isle of Skye.

Roger Waters released 'Amused to Death' as a solo album. This is possibly the best of his solo albums, although Radio K.A.O.S has its moments.

The title is taken from a Neil Postman quote on TV and the media.

Peter Gabriel released 'Us', which has some classic powerful moments. Mike Oldfield worked with Trevor Horn on 'Tubular Bells II' and John McLaughlin released another powerful trio album called 'Qué Alegria' which sounded great...

What were your favourite pieces of music and memories from 1992?

Jul 19: Chris Obehi

“We are not fish, we are humans…”

I came across Chris Obehi's music from his appearance in the film 'The Welcome Table'.

He lives in Palermo, Italy.

In the film, he describes his experience of crossing the Mediterranean Sea as a migrant from Nigeria.

He was on a raft with 70 other migrants and was adrift at night. He befriended a boy who was travelling alone and said he would help him. When the raft encountered another boat who tried to take the passengers on board, he and the boy were taken on board before the raft then sank and many on board drowned. He feels that the boy saved him as much as he saved the boy.

While in Palermo, he became a musician and came to the attention of people and now makes his living from it.

The name of this song translates as "We are not fish". It is a powerful Afro-pop song and album by Nigerian musician and activist Chris Obehi, who wrote the track in Italian. The song shares the emotional story of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, asserting their humanity.

Jul 19: 1991

In 1991, I saw a band called 'This Picture' at the Sheffield University Union. They were supporting the band 'Runrig'. I was impressed with them, and ended up collecting a lot of their CD and 12" singles. This is one of my favourite tracks of theirs from an EP.

1991 was a busy year work wise and I remember trying my best to go to concert as often as possible.

Rush released 'Roll the Bones' and I saw the 'Roll the Bones' tour at the Sheffield Arena. I wore the t-shirt for climbing - which I did quite a bit back then - and it didn't fare very well.

The track from the album 'Bravado' is being used while a montage of Neil Peart plays during their R50 tour which is currently playing to great acclaim across the USA.

It Bites were a big part of this year for live music, as they had been through much of the late 1980s.

What were your favourite albums from 1991?

Jul 18: 1990

1990 saw the release of Gabriel Yacoub's 'Bel'. 

It's a wonderful album.

I have another few posts about Gabriel, who sadly passed away last year, elsewhere on the blog.

Here he is performing a rather fine song....

One of my favourite tracks from this year was a single from the Propaganda album '1234'.

It's a track called 'Heaven give me Words' and was remixed by William Orbit. The album was not as good as 'A Secret Wish' (it would have been hard to be better).

What other memories do you have of music from 1990?

Jul 18 - For the Record - Episode 9

I've mentioned this web series before. It's produced by the Cosmic Shambles Network, and presented by Charlotte Ritchie. 

It promises to tell the history of music. Early reviews have been very positive. 

I'll post links to the episodes here to increase exposure.

This is the final episode.

Part Nine: Tomorrow 

In a world of streaming and AI, what does the future hold for music? We look at some of the more recent phenomena in the world of music including raves, electronic music, the Broadway musical, crowd funding and musical therapy. 

We speak to astronauts and space legends about why music is so important we sent it into outer space and how the power of live music can never be understated.

Part nine includes exclusive interviews, rare archive and performances from Ann Druyan, Chris Hadfield, Kelley Jakle, Charlotte Church, Robert Smith, Kate Nash, Dean Burnett, Martin James, Suzi Gage and many more!

This series is an entirely independent production made possible by fan support on Patreon and Substack. 

Episode 9 is here:

I will post a review of the series when I've had the chance to watch and also add links to the episodes. 

Jul 18: J Willgoose Esq

Last week it was the first PTI Geography Symposium down at the RGS. 

The event organiser John Wilkinson had selected a diverse range of speakers.

One of them was a musician he loved, and coincidentally so do I. I've blogged quite a few times about Public Service Broadcasting here on the blog.

Image Toby Smith - I'm in the blue shirt between them....

Here's an early promotional film, just ahead of the single release of 'Everest' - from 2012. 

It was about this time that I first started listening to them and saw them live for the first time shortly after.

John had persuaded J Willgoose Esq from the band to talk about the influence of people and place on the music that he had produced.

It was great to meet him in person and sit next to him at the evening meal.

We heard about:

• the support that he had from the BFI to use their footage
• the process of turning footage from the 1953 Everest expedition into a song called 'Everest' 
• the changing nature of the band's work over the years - although they 
• the focus on the local and the 'human' and dare I say it the everyday in their work - for example on the 'Every Valley' album they didn't mention Margaret Thatcher and Arthur Scargill, but told stories of families, women and others... 
• the joy of working with James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers
• the importance of connecting with place and people
• the fact that he got some of his guitars from Ely
• that he studied 'A' level Geography

He didn't mention two EPs that I really like on contrasting themes: the building and launch of the Titanic, and a Dutch ice-skating race...

PS: Since then, J Willgoose Esq has posted this interesting piece on Patreon describing the creative process with respect to the use of SUNO... an AI tool I have mentioned before... He also describes the creation of 'Spitfire'.

Jul 18: K-Pop 'conquering' North Korea

An interesting article on the BBC News website about the power of BTS.

"North Korea is a place where the whole system is set up so that there can only be one celebrity, one idol - Kim Jong Un," says Hannah Oh, a 25-year-old defector.

But as it turns out, North Koreans have discovered other idols, like BTS and Blackpink, and before them, Girls' Generation, Teen Top and 2PM.

BTS's Korean name Bangtan Sonyeondan has even become a part of everyday slang in the North, one defector says: "People say things like, 'Have you tried on a Bangtan vest?' or 'Have you worn a Bangtan backpack?'"

More on this here.

And check out Carl Lee's earlier guest post on the power of K-POP.

Jul 17: 1989

Some memorable sounds were released in 1989.

There was Peter Gabriel's soundtrack for 'The Last Temptation of Christ'. Some excellent world musicians added textures and unusual instrumentation. I had the LP of this album and it sounded great.

And the church bells ringing out at the beginning of Kate Bush's 'The Sensual World' complete with the voices of the Trio Bulgarka.

I had an instrumental version of this track on a single for a while... which was great...

1989 also brought Bob Mould's first solo album following the break up of the band Hüsker Du.

Hüsker Du had been famous for short songs which were fast and furious - check out 'Celebrated Summer' for a typical example.

Workbook was more varied, and featured some angry songs as well as moments of calm such as Sunspots.

1989 also saw the release of one of the finest albums of all time: 'Hats'.

This album deserves its own post...

We also had some controversy this year when Jethro Tull won the Grammy for 'Best Hard Rock and Heavy Metal' album for 'Crest of a Knave'. Metallica were odds on to win... 

Tull didn't even turn up...

Ian Anderson said:

The hot ticket was Metallica, in this newly introduced category of Hard Rock/ Metal. I was told by our record company, by the then-head of Chrysalis in the USA, not to bother going, which is a euphemism for: “We’re not going to pay your air fare or get you a hotel, because we don’t think you’re going to win.”

July 16: A Scottish Isle - Ossian's legacy

This is a wonderful piece of music, composed by William Jackson, one of the members of Ossian.

The music conveys the atmosphere of different elements of the Scottish landscape, and ends with a suite of pieces named after islands including Iona, Islay and Jura.

They were another band I was introduced to while at Huddersfield Polytechnic.

It can be found on many of the usual music streaming services.

William (Billy) Jackson was a key member of Ossian.

Ossian were a superb band, and one of the finest of their era.

They released five excellent albums with a mix of traditional tunes, and I have listened to them for over 40 years.They were another of the bands that I wish I had seen play live.

Two of the members later recorded an album called 'The Misty Mountains' which has some rather beautiful pieces too...

Some live performances for you to savour as well:

 

and 'The Working Man' from 1990.

Finally, here's the late Tony Cuffe and George Jackson performing 'Jamie Raeburn'.

A search for Ossian will also bring up a very different band with the same name...

Jul 16: 1988

1988 was the year when I started teaching in full time roles rather than part time.

In January, I started my first term's contract, which was at John Flamsteed School in Denby (where there was a pottery - sadly now closing down...). I lived with the school secretary who rented me a room, in a house above the Amber river. It's very tucked away but I managed to find the end of the drive on Street View.

I took some of my music with me.

Talk Talk released 'Spirit of Eden', Eberhard Weber released 'Orchestra'.

The stand out album was 'Once around the World' from It Bites.

Here's 'Old Man and the Angel' live in Tokyo the year after.

Anthony Phillips - an early member of Genesis, released 'Tarka' with Harry Williamson telling the tale of Tarka the Otter, by Henry Williamson. I had this on vinyl.

Here's Part 1, with some visuals from the film that was made, which ended up using different music apparently.

This was followed by another term in Eckington School on the edge of Sheffield: which required a bus journey as I hadn't yet passed my test. An interesting period in my life.

That summer, I discovered the Blue Nile - who have featured on the blog a number of times. By then, only 'A Walk across the Rooftops' had been released - back in 1984.

In September I started my first full time teaching job. I didn't know it, but I would spend the next 20 years at King Edward VII School in King's Lynn - then, the old grammar - the best school in West Norfolk and with some excellent colleagues....

Jul 16: World Cup playlists #10: Country choices T - Z

The New York Times released a list of the country choices of music from the World Cup.

Here are a few samples:

Tunisia

Signature song: Sidi Mansour (DJ Nabil)

Warm-up: TIRI TIRI (JenJoon)

Goal music: Sidi Mansour (DJ Nabil)

Post-match: Grinta (Si Lemhaf)

Turkey

Signature song: Ceddin Deden (Mehter); Bir Oluruz Yolunda (Tarkan)

Warm-up: Adımız (Murda & Mero); Turkiyem (Mustafa Yıldızdogan); Plevne (CVRTOON)

Goal music: Bir Oluruz Yolunda (Tarkan)

Post-match: Memleketim (Ayten Alpman)

USA

Signature song: Won’t Stop (Safari Riot Trailer Remix)

Warm-up: TV Off (Kendrick Lamar); X Gon’ Give It to Ya (DMX); Ruff Ryders’ Anthem (DMX)

Goal music: Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd); Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes)

Post-match: The Show Goes On (Lupe Fiasco); Win (Jay Rock)

Uruguay

Signature song: Cielo de un Solo Color (No Te Va Gustar); Mi Seleccion (Jotape)

Warm-up: Descolgando el Cielo (Enzo y la Sub 21); Sangre Charrua (Catherine Vergnes & Vanesa Britos)

Goal music: Cielo de un Solo Color (No Te Va Gustar)

Post-match: Cielo de un Solo Color (No Te Va Gustar)

Uzbekistan

Signature song: Ulugimsan (Sevara Nazarkhan); Mendirman (Ozodbek Nazarbekov)

Warm-up: Mendirman (Ozodbek Nazarbekov); O’zbegim (Shoxrux)

Goal music: Yor Yor (King Macarella & Aleesher); O’zbegim (Shoxrux)

Post-match: Topnitep (DJ Piligrim)

Jul 15: World Cup playlists #9: Country choices Q - S

The New York Times released a list of the country choices of music from the World Cup.

Here are a few samples:

Qatar

Signature song: Elsaab Qatar Signature Track

Warm-up: FOOG FOOG

Goal music: Ana Say Aha

Post-match: Hena Maak (Al Majmouaa)

Saudi Arabia

Signature song: Medley (Naghm Algharbia); Watani Al Habib (Nationalisms)

Warm-up: Allah Ya Montakhabna (Talal Salamah); Foq Ham El Sahab (Mohammad Abdu); Medley (Naghm Algharbia); Ya Salami Alaykom (Rashed Al Majid)

Goal music: Foq Ham El Sahab (Mohammad Abdu); Medley (Naghm Algharbia); Ya Salami Alaykom (Rashed Al Majid)

Post-match: Allah Ya Montakhabna (Talal Salamah); Watani Al Habib (Nationalisms)

Scotland

Signature song: Loch Lomond (Runrig); Yes Sir, I Can Boogie (Baccara)

Warm-up: Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes); Freed From Desire (Gala); Loch Lomond (Runrig)

Goal music: 500 Miles (The Proclaimers); Bits + Pieces (Artemesia)

Post-match: Yes Sir, I Can Boogie (Baccara); We’ll Be Coming (Tartan Specials)

Senegal

Signature song: Foula ak Fayda (Elage Diouf); Ay Woma Senegal (Assiko Band PA)

Warm-up: Senegal LA (Eljaz)

Goal music: Navetane (Elage Diouf)

Post-match: Ni Ngi And Ak Yeen (Youssou N’Dour)

South Africa (Bafana Bafana)

Signature song: Shibobo (TKZee ft. Benni McCarthy)

Warm-up: Adiwele (Young Stunna)

Goal music: Shibobo (TKZee ft. Benni McCarthy)

Post-match: Burn Out (Sipho Mabuse)

South Korea

Signature song: Burning Up (FIRE) (BTS); Oh! (Pilseung)

Warm-up: GO (BLACKPINK); For Victory (Trans Fiction); REBEL HEART (IVE)

Goal music: JUMP (BLACKPINK)

Post-match: Golden (KPop Demon Hunters); Time of Our Life (DAY6)

Spain

Signature song: Despecha (Rosalia) - she has featured on the blog a number of times now... a great talent.

Warm-up: La Morocha (Luck Ra & BM); Superestrella (Aitana); Cafe con Ron (Bad Bunny); You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire (Jonathan Chiocchio)

Goal music: La Graciosa (Quevedo & Elvis Crespo); Despecha (Rosalia)

Post-match: Despecha (Rosalia); Superestrella (Aitana)

Sweden

Signature song: Leva for alltid (Thomas Stenström)

Goal music: Leva for alltid (Thomas Stenström)

Post-match: Levels (Avicii)

Switzerland - who have made it to the quarter finals.

Signature song: Bring en hei (Baschi)

Warm-up: Carnaval de Paris (Dario G)

Goal music: Freed From Desire (Gala)

Post-match: Freed From Desire (Gala); Celebration (Kool & The Gang)

The remaining teams' choices will be shared tomorrow.

Jul 15: 1987

1987 saw the release of more music that is still being played by me today.

Islands was a release by Mike Oldfield.

This was a time when Mike was trying to cater for two different audiences: those who liked his side-long instrumental pieces, and the shorter songs which could be released as singles, such as 'Moonlight Shadow'.

The Wind Chimes was the long piece... get ready for every 1980s video effect in the book being thrown at this one....

1987 was also the year that 'Hold your Fire' was released. This as featured earlier in the month - when Aimee Mann joined Rush on stage to sing 'Hold your Fire' - remains one of my favourite Rush albums.

The album is very 'glossy' in its production.

The tour for the album was excellent - I saw that several times, including once with my sister.

Meanwhile U2 released 'The Joshua Tree' which was also a very popular album at the time.

An album I have listened to a great many times is Jethro Tull's 'Crest of a Knave'. In the1989 entry, I will post another story about this album.

It included the excellent track 'Budapest'.  I have posted previously about this track and the time I met the band. There had been a gap of several years since their last album as a throat infection had affected Ian Anderson's voice, and over the years since it has declined further...

Here's 'The Waking Edge' from the album.

At this time, Anderson was living on the Isle of Skye as the Laird of Strathaird - in a large house near Dun Ringill and fish farming.

This documentary was shown around this time on Channel 4.

What are your favourite albums and pieces of music from this year?

July 15: The Pass

“The Pass” is simply a masterpiece and lyrically, one of Peart’s best ever efforts. Musically, the mood is captured with the pulse of simple, chorded bass notes that prove counterpart to the melody. There is a feeling of an emotional journey throughout as the second verse changes up the backing rhythm and Lifeson’s slow brewing guitar lead in the mid-section is backed by Peart’s drumming with expert efficiency and precision. Stated by the group on multiple occasions as one of their all-time favourites, the true highlight of “The Pass” is the potent lyric right from the top;


“Proud swagger out of the schoolyard, waiting for the world’s applause / rebel without a conscience, martyr without a cause / static on your frequency, electric storms in your veins / raging at unreachable glory, straining at invisible chains…”

Jul 14: World Cup playlists #8: Country choices M - P

The New York Times released a list of the country choices of music from the World Cup.

Here are a few samples:

Mexico

Signature song: El Rey (Vicente Fernández); Un Solo Corazon (Grupo Frontera); Cielito Lindo (Mariachi Vargas); Esto es Mexico (CORAY)

Warm-up: El Sonidito (Hechizeros); La Chona (Los Tucanes de Tijuana); Esto es Mexico (CORAY)

Goal music: El Son de la Negra (Mariachi Vargas)

Post-match: El Rey (Vicente Fernandez); El Mariachi Loco (Mariachi Vargas); Mexico en la Piel (Luis Miguel)

Morocco

Signature song: Dirou Niyya (RedOne); Mgharba (Asma Lmnawar)

Warm-up: Maghribi Maghribi (RedOne)

Goal music: Dirou Niyya (Official Moroccan Fan Chant) (RedOne) 

Netherlands

Signature song: We’re All Gonna Make It (Jonna Fraser x $hirak)

Warm-up: Freed from Desire (Gala); Back Once Again (Stefane); Links Rechts (Snollebollekes); Still D.R.E. (feat. Snoop Dogg) (Dr. Dre)

Post-match: Wij Houden van Oranje (Andre Hazes); All the Stars (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)

New Zealand

Signature song: I AM (Stan Walker); Wandering Eye (Fat Freddy’s Drop)

Warm-up: Runnin’ (David Dallas); Aotearoa (feat. Ria Hall, Troy Kingi & Maisey Rika) (Stan Walker); Narco (Blasterjaxx & Timmy Trumpet)

Goal music: Slice of Heaven (Dave Dobbyn)

Post-match: Fade Away (Che- Fu); Sun Goes Down (Nesian Mystik)

Norway

Signature song: Alt for Norge (Drillos) - with English translation.

Warm-up: Bønda 2026 (Racer); Levva Livet (Age Aleksandersen); Optimist (Jahn Teigen)

Goal music: Bønda 2026 (Racer)

Post-match: Alt for Norge (Drillos); Henda mot Himmelen (Madelene)

Panama

Signature song: Patria (Ruben Blades)

Warm-up: Ya Ya (Boza); Sube la Marea Remix (Gaitanes)

Goal music: La Papuja (Victorio Vergara); Papa Chan (Jingle Marea Roja)

Post-match: Patria (Ruben Blades)

Paraguay

Signature song: Soy Albirrojo (Los Albirrojos)

Warm-up: El Sapukai (Tierra Adentro)

Goal music: Albirroja Campeon (Rolando Chaparro)

Post-match: Vamos Albirro (Sangre Albirrojo); Fiesta Patronal (Tierra Adentro)

Portugal

Signature song: Tuga ou Nada (Sir Scratch, Gson, Bispo & Papillon)

Warm-up: Tuga ou Nada (Sir Scratch, Gson, Bispo & Papillon); De Portugal Eu Sou (Karetus)

Goal music: Tuga ou Nada (Sir Scratch, Gson, Bispo & Papillon)

Post-match: A Minha Casinha (Xutos & Pontapes)