Hot overview

It's a very hot summers day as I type this after the crazy week that was last week and things are over time getting a bit more back to normal although if you are in town today you'll see me shopping bags in hand bringing some of shopping in before it gets way too hot.

The world's a bit in a mess not just with Ukraine, Gaza but now Iran as the United States of Disgrace threatens joining in something that has no realistic or even thought through end plan plunging the Middle East into more turmoil. 
 

A replacement stylus did come which I'll get around to fitting having played the new copy of Boys And Girls yesterday and the sacd of Animals that gets a reissue in August in it's much cleaned up remix. 

 

Moorcroft that I wrote about some four or five weeks ago was saved by a family member and hopes to reemploy some thirty plus of its original staff - now dear government how about some help with energy costs that are so crippling to manufacturing?

Now we are facing the only fibreoptic plant in the UK in Hindley, Lancashire to Chinese subsidized competition, something is needed to make wind turbines.

We need a UK First manufacturing strategy backed by action. 

Farewell Brian Wilson

We know it was going to happen, as we'd lost Dennis in '83, Carl in '98 but yesterday evening UK Time, it was announced Brian Wilson, the surviving Wilson brother  who with cousin Mike Love and Al Jardine made the Beach Boys died aged 82 years.

They'd been playing as high school kids before going professional in 1962 with following limited local success with Surfin' based around the California sport beloved of teens before recording a series of increasing complex musically and mature lyrically albums despite issues with their record label and abusive father, Murry whose actions didn't just cause mental issues down the line but also deafness in one ear.

Following the decision in late 1964 that Brian would not tour but work at home and in the studio on songs, popular music just expanded its range as in differing ways the Beatles in Great Britain were and in time Rock Music was born. 

If there's one album that you can say really changed things it was Pet Sounds - his favourite sounds - created with a massive group of session musicians and unusual instruments that nobody had ever heard before and with analytical, lyrically complex lyrics.

That's Brian in the control room during the recording of Pet Sounds, directing the whole session.

The group rehearsing their vocals added on extra tracks on what by today's standards was primitive 8 track studio recorders.

The album had its issues, some feeling it strayed too far from their traditional sounds, a lot of stresses coming from their record company that under promoted it in the States preferring to push a Best of compilation although it Great Britain it was a massive seller, lauded by many of that countries musicians.

No sooner than that album was out Brian was working on sounds literally recording, cutting and splicing bits to make what many feel is the greatest single of all time, Good Vibrations which those brits made a number 1 for two weeks.

The attempt to make SMiLE, the follow up to Pet Sounds the same way not helped by the use of in vogue drugs caused not merely the cancellation nine months on of the album but a major mental health breakdown for Brian who pulled away for a long from having much to do the Beach Boys beyond a contribution here or there to an album.

In time with some missteps, Brian got the help he needed to be more engaged with music and even do some touring both solo and with the group.

The legacy is one of initially of fine vocal harmonies, pushing the envelope of what music for teens and young adults could be and with others such as the Beatles, Who, Jefferson Airplane what became Rock Music, not just music with a beat to sing along to and dance.

Thank you Brian for everything and the many albums of your group I so love playing.

Taking a summer breather

 

Hardly the best weeks emotionally with the legendary Grump being unwell with a lot more to do around the place plus all the usual outburst and that to deal with so it's hardly surprising that what spare moments have been available being up, on the job from around a quarter of Six in the morning have been more around creature comforts such as my plushies and reading comics which you can just put down after a few pages and just resume.

I have a mixture of a few originals of comic or tv series and a number of more recently acquired ones both new-old or newer ones such as the modern icon that is Shaun the Sheep.

This time of year especially I tend to miss the sheer variety of comic summer specials we had in the seventies and eighties even though with the latter decade we lost a number of classic girls titles as the market was moving to a more Tween magazine style for the girl who wanted to ape her older sister who had Jackie and Just 17 for star gossip, tips and relationships stuff.