A Lark Ascending

Rubbish. Not seen the sun since Sunday - bucket loads of rain again like in the winter. And the forecast for the future doesn't look promising. Hope it's not shaping up like the summer of 2012. Will have to put the Eddie Palmieri records away.

All very dark and eerie (Peaky Blinders without the attitude or alternative rock). Apparently lots of complaints about the sound - suspect it's the Irish accents; a recent drama set in Cornwall got a similar reaction. Must be the same buggers who voted UKIP last Thursday whining.

Excellent book. I read it after hearing students moan about having to read it it in their A Level English classes (students always moan about their set texts - I certainly did at that age!). Just started: A city by city survey of the world the year before. Very interesting - tries to see the year in its time as opposed to viewing it as just a prequel to what came next (touching on the whole issue of historical inevitability). I can see I'm going to get completely sucked into the publishing frenzy of the next few years.

Seems to confirm the massive disconnect between the popular and academic use of the word. Listeners to programmes like this would not recognise Birtwistle or Zappa as 'melodic'. Or to a record like this:

The 'singable' thing makes some sense to me. The four note theme at the start of Beethoven 5 is certainly memorable (as much rhythm as melody) and generates virtually the whole symphony. But I find it hard to think of as a melody - I've read terms like motto theme or melodic cell used. Whereas the blazing passage that opens the fourth movement sounds to me like a melody (built from that cell). I suspect musicians/composers and ordinary listeners have different meanings for the term.

And then there's: Not to mention: The early 70s was awash with this stuff.

And the Good Housekeeping Stamp of Approval no less... There's quite a bit of kitchen activity. They've just warmed a pie. Edit: Some good gardening tips too.

And many other Gong records! Not sure if this is surreal or just fantasy (or Tolkeinian!): Another from my youth. Very much from the early days of Monty Python: I once leant that to a friend. His dad caught sight of it and immediately demanded he return it! Fortunately, my parents never noticed my record covers. And one from a man who's never been scared to torpedo his career with bad record covers:

I've always had the populist view that it's a 'tune' that sticks in your head, a memorable note sequence. Though I suspect that sometimes the memorability might be in the harmony accompanying it. Yet I get the impression that to musicians it might be a sequence of notes that has the strength to generate variations or bigger structures or provide an organising base. I ask because I was listening to a talk at the weekend that described Harrison Birtwistle's music as full of melody. I'm not sure the person in the street would spot them. The commentator defined a melody as something that sounds like it could be sung. Made me curious. Suspect it's a weasel (or Humpty Dumpty) word.

good find !! Does this count as surrealism?:

Just finishing the Churchill bio I started a few weeks back and then got sidetracked from. Also this: Like her earlier 'Zennor in Darkness', set around St. Ives in Cornwall. Whereas the latter was in the heart of the war this one takes place in 1920 but with frequent flashbacks to the Western Front. Very impressive.

It's understandable that the latest technology will be used with reissues as with new recordings. Whether those of us who already have the recordings need them in an upgraded format is clearly a personal choice. But the record companies try very hard to persuade us we really do need them. I upgraded from vinyl to CD from 1985. I don't regret that at all as I hated the imperfections of vinyl. I'm not sure the music sounded wildly better or that my enjoyment increased significantly beyond not having to grit my teeth at clicks and pops and inner groove distortion. I re-bought a couple of dozen much loved rock CDs that were very badly remastered in the 80s. But apart from that I'll stick with what I've got. New purchases are 98% mp3 - I experimented with 2 or 3 higher definition downloads but couldn't tell the difference. I don't begrudge new listeners having the advantage of technology's improvements; but having lived through all manner of promised new breakthroughs that have withered on the vine for all but the audiophile, I'm sceptical. Maybe I've become like the old guy in the 50s who can't see the point of getting rid of his 78s for these new-fangled LPs.

Merci, MG (Haven't forgotten those CD cases, by the way - been busy with prepping kids for exams. Will go on a field trip into the loft on Monday).

Seeing a live performance of that Cuban band about ten years ago (I'd gone to see Charlie Haden, the other part of the double bill) ignited my interest in Cuban music - I still play those two records regularly. Also like some of backing to a number of singers. Strikes me as a very interesting musician. I have the Vanguard record downloaded to listen to next week.

Kevin Ayers 'Whatevershebringswesing' comes to mind (can't do pictures at present)

Snap em all up now. Then get the thrill of buying it all again when the Japanese HD download edition appears in a year or so. The record companies may be said to be on the skids. But you have to admire their success in selling the same music to the same people again and again.

Just been listening to Bridge's Piano Sonata again - written in the early 20's under the influence of WWI and dedicated to Farrar, one of the composers killed in the conflict. The liner notes describe it as the first full manifestation of his late style. Like Oration and the last two SQs it's darker and harmonically more ambiguous than the earlier music. Recommended if you don't already know it and have an ear for the music of that time.

Life does have a bad habit of getting in the way of the important things. Hope it was an enjoyable evening. A concert of one of the Guy orchestras is near the top of my list of things to see (hear?) before I reach 21.

Anyone get to any of the London concerts this week?

Interesting Davy Graham connection. Which makes me wonder if Page may not have absorbed that sequence in his times visitiing the English folk clubs. He has certainly been open about the influence of people like Jansch and Wizz Jones (who would have borrowed from elsewhere). Though given his lengthy session work I'd imagine he had an encyclopaedia of devices and borrowings in his head. There's a nice clip on You Tube somewhere where Peter Townshend demonstrates how he borrowed an harmonic sequence from Purcell on at least one of The Who's big songs. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00zws6w