Christmas, New Year, life changes, and other such fruits...

Hey there, how's things?

I've not blogged for a while, and I'm not sure exactly how this will turn out. All I know for sure is that it's about time I get off my fat lazy backside and do something!!!

So, we've almost reached the year's end, and we have made our way mostly in tact through the holiday season - call it what you want!  You can call it "Boom Shaka Laka" for all I care, but to me it's Christmas....  Actually, my love of Sly & The Family Stone is edging me towards that funky sounding name now!!!

Anyway, the main consumerist period of the year is over and done with, and we can get on with normality.  Well, unless like me you didn't get to everyone and still need to do the post-Christmas deliveries with sad face apologising for not getting there "sooner but you know how it is..."  Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da!!!!

Telly was undoubtably full of stuff you've watched before or couldn't give two ahems about, so the films/TV programmes you got on DVD or BluRay as presents made up for it!

It seems deriguer for TV on the day itself to be rubbish, almost as though they're expecting people to be anywhere but in front of the television to enjoy themselves.

This is then inevitably followed by the Boxing Day blockbuster films for people to watch after the enormous hangovers (I guess) from Christmas Eggnog and all that?

I say "I guess" because being a slave to the security industry I of course work over this time to earn money to pay the more expensive than usual bills that are due from the ridiculous usage of Central heating and other things that seem to cost more.

Also inevitable, especially in my circumstance, is to come home from work only to find out that the other half had cancelled or forgotten to record one thing during all of that with which you were interested - Mr Brainstorm or whatever it was called.

"Oh that's okay, it doesn't matter!"  Actually it does, but it's too bloody late to do anything about it anyway!?!? 

Now there's the sale season where everybody spends the money they were given as presents.  I like money as presents because you can put all the money together to buy yourself something that you'll like.  Also the person who people who have you the money feel better!

This year I'm actually going to buy stuff for myself, as opposed to topping up the money for bills and the likes - "we need some food bits? I'll use the Christmas present money and put it back!" - it never does!!!  This year it'll be different!!!

There were inevitable problems this year, not least the surprise snow! Swine!!! My boots are still soaked three days later damn it!  I'll end up with Veruccas or something?

I was going to late deliver over the weekend (the wonderful Mason family, my Dad, as well as my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle David who, despite living less than two miles away, I never actually visit and constantly feel terrible about.  I'm embarrassed in a way really, because growing up I never really visited anyone outside of direct family, and now I've turned into someone who actually likes the idea of family get-togethers!  How did that happen???

I was saying to Louise the other day that I'd like us to have a place where the families could get together at Christmas, just like when Grandma and Granddad Mountney used to have everyone around to theirs at that time - I miss them :-(

Anyway, it's funny how you change as you grow up isn't it?!?! Yes, growing up! :-(. Scary thought that!!!

When I did deliveries last week, I felt like a dead man walking because of my lack of sleep. I think I got about two or three hours sleep after a night shift before going out and delivering! Silly really driving around on so little sleep, but I wanted to let as few people down as I could!

Anyway, I'd best think of the New Year now, where people will be drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol for the most part, whilst I'm sat in a car working somewhere watching people walking around full of joy, while I think about the year passing by where very little has changed - the cycle repeats!  The working class life...

What??? That's an awful ending - downbeat or what?!?!  Sod that!!!

I'm actually looking forward to a year where we hope to go away somewhere for the first time since our two nights in London, phew, six or seven years ago!  So long that I'm not sure how long ago it is!!!

Also, more songwriting, and I intend to actually do some proper recording!  I'm also going to surprise people during FAWM (February Album Writing Month) this year and turn up to collaborate in person - watch out Pete Murphy, Matt Blick, Matt Wood, and Paul Hudson for instance!

Anyway, I wish a happy new year to you all!  Take care and stay safe, especially us Brits who are experiencing a very cold spell - not the coldest we've had though!

I'll see you in the 2015, when I'll be looking forward to (in no particular order);

1. The new Black Sabbath album

2. Avengers: Age Of Ultron

3. Antman

4. Star Wars 7 - The Force Awakens (crap title!!!)

And much much more....

Unless I get bored and post again beforehand, but I doubt it.

Take care.

Monday 29th December 2014 (44 years, 1 month, and 3 days old).

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to singer Tina Turner, bassist John McVie (Fleetwood Mac), singer (?) Rita Ora, actor Trevor Morgan (who?), singer Natasha Bedingfield, and Charles Schulz (creator of Charlie Brown and Peanuts).

Now birthdays are a funny thing.  You either think about what time you have left or of how happy you are to have experienced what you have!

I suppose I have a foot in each camp!

I'd like to jam with John McVie, play for Tina Turner, and see more of the world if truth be told.

However, having people to share these things with is so important, and much more so!

I'm so happy that I have the love of my life with me, plus I have family and friends who care for me so much. Even if I don't see them all of the time, I know that that relationship is still there with each one!

• “Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” - Jack Benny

Thank you for reading and please take care.

November 26 2014 (44 years old exactly today).

http://www.mobro.co/martinquibell

Movember, week two...

Hi, hope you're all okay.......

So, the second week of "Movember" is over then, and the ornate mo that I'm sporting is obvious. Not fully grown perhaps, but it's there!

It's been a week of bumping into people as well, which was very strange.

Firstly I bumped into the singer Nina Smith, who is a great friend of my longtime friend +Matt Blick. Even though we have never met personally before, I thought she was such a lovely lady, and I've followed her career online. Also, as an aside, she is as pretty in person as she seems in pictures.

Later in the week (Thursday), I was walking along Cartergate in Newark, and was surprised to bump into John Swinglehurst (I really hope I've remembered his surname properly - I only remember friends' first names normally).

I know John from his time as lead guitarist in the band Psylence, who mixed various different elements of metal music alongside samples, scratching, and a flawless melodic quality. I was very much a fan, and was sad to hear of their split because more than all of that, they were all great friends of mine.

John and Lee Wilde from Psylence are now both members of the band Servers, who also include ex-GU Medicine and Sunlounger lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Lee Storrar, and drummer Ant Nettleship.

I saw GU Medicine a couple of times, but don't remember chatting with them, but I loved their music.

I can see elements of both bands within Servers, whilst also having their own thing, and do you know what...? I love it!!!

Anyway, Servers have a gig at Barnsley in December, and I'm crossing my fingers at getting there to catch up.

They are the things that have jumped out at me the most this week...

Both films from Lovefilm were great - The Butler and Dallas Buyer's Club. Both me and Louise watched The Butler, but just 

Movember - the first seven days

Hi, how are you?  I know, it's been a while...  I've really not had the chance, and in a way this is a little bit of a cop out, but here goes...

*All photographs are selfies*

It's the month of November, so as with many others of the male variety I am growing a moustache type of thing!  I day type because it has (or will have) some decorative splendiferousness attached - yes, I know that's a made up word!

Anyway, in tribute to those in my family who have either been diagnosed with or, sniff, died from cancer, I am growing mine again for the month.  I'd keep it, but Louise is one who prefers non-facial hair, and that's her prerogative.  I get pleasure from that too of course! :-)

I've got the thing going now, but it needs to grow a bit more to be a man's 'tache - raaargh!!!!!!!!! 

So, day seven.  Going, or should I say, growing well!

Thanks for reading.  Please take care.

November 7th 2014 (43 years, 11 months, and 12 days old)

http://mobro.co/martinquibell


All money goes towards research into men's health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer!

Thoughts on life, love, and the unfathomable

Hey, how ya doing ("sorry you couldn't get through, but if you leave your name and your number, then I'll get back to you")..... Sorry, I couldn't help it! 

I almost carried on with the "help" thing there too. I've got it bad (to the bone)!

I just thought that I would do a quick soppy blog, and probably one that many wouldn't want to read!

Recently I've looked at cars, but I've been put off by the astronomical insurance quotes I've received. They are cheap (dirt cheap) cars, and my sweetheart has said that she thinks I should save up and buy something more expensive, which would last longer. I'm not sure that argument translates really, as I think any vehicle has the potential to go kerfluey!?!?

I mentioned that I need to do something because I miss my family and friends, and I'm sick of hiring cars.

The fact is, and I unfortunately said this as well - if it wasn't for living with the love of my life and if I were in the same circumstances of being so far away from them with no transport, then I'm not sure I could take it!

I told her that she "centres me". She helps me to stay calm and not do stupid things.

Love is a strange thing that, although I and many others will carry on writing about it, it is still something that I think can't be a hundred percent explained!

What I do know though is that I'm glad I know how it feels!

Thank you for reading, and please take care.

September 16th 2014 (43 years, 9 months, and 21 days old).

Bored, tired, need something different

Hey, how are ya?

Well, I've seemingly not posted since I blogged my thoughts on the sad passing of Robin Williams.  I was thinking of writing a piece about Sir Richard Attenborough (much more than Santa in that film), but I thought it best to not follow one tribute with another.  Perhaps I will look at the great Lord Attenborough, but not at this moment.

First of all - happy birthday to my dad today and to my Uncle Clive tomorrow.  I won't mention ages, but they are older than me! :-)

Marks & Spencer Butterscotch Drops

Since the last blog post then I've done pretty much the same old same old...  Working, sleeping, working, sleeping, grew an abscess on the right side of my face - the guess is that it was as a consequence of a filling coming out.  I seem to have been self-treating well with the use of paracetamol and ibuprofen apparently, or so the dentist said (well, I'm taking those for the post-bicycle accident injuries anyway).  The filling work has now been redone, and luckily it hasn't come back out yet.  Mind you, my packet of sugar free butterscotch drops from M&S might not help with that.  They are flaming well tasty though damn it!  Damn you sweets and the like - lovely to taste, but not good for the waistline or my teeth!

My musical journey a la the songwriting challenge known as 50-90 seems to be quiet at present.  I've been unable to get any actual music written lately due to work commitments, and I don't tend to work on music when Louise is at home - we don't get much time lately with us both working during completely different times, which means we take what time we can get together.

Louise went to see the film Guardians of the Galaxy with me, and I was surprised when she said that she thought it was "one of the worst films that I have ever seen!"  What?  Really?  It's amazing how two people can have such an enormous difference of opinion about something!  I thought it was one of the greatest Marvel Comics films!!!  Oh well, we can't all be the same can we?!?!

Looking at my output for 50-90 this year, I can see that it isn't a lot.  That's just because of the reason I explained - time!  I'm sure that I will get something done very soon, but I am not sure exactly when to be honest!

I see that the comeback of Kate Bush is perhaps a little so-so in response because she isn't playing anything from her earlier period of work!  Well, that is hardly surprising in some ways, but then people that really know the work of Ms Bush would understand that anyway.  First and foremost - do you really think that she can get that vocal ability now that she did in her late teens/early twenties?  Doubtful!

Even someone who kept on the circuit for all of those years would have trouble, because your vocal abilities can diminish over time, just as your hearing does - that's just natural!

To perform those songs (Wuthering Heights, The Man With The Child In His Eyes, Babooshka, etc) now at 56 years old would basically give people the ability to say "well, she can't sing them like she used to...", and other such things!  Either way people will moan - "she didn't sing it" or "she shouldn't have sung it"!  She could not win either way with that one!

She is one of a breed that is becoming a thing of the past unfortunately - a musical artist/entertainer!  Rather than nowadays where it's all clones of the same manufactured pap, she is from the school of thought that thinks there is something in individuality - difference is good!  She is providing a well thought out and organised show as opposed to a by-the-numbers concert (songs, some fireworks and effects perhaps - job done).  She has an entire show mapped out - choreography, arrangements, video footage, costumes, a storyline perse, and so much more!  If you want the best of Kate Bush live, then I am sure there is probably a tribute act somewhere?!?

Hold on...  Gets journal out - yes, I keep a journal!

We have watched a few films that were from Lovefilm lately, which included...  Well, funnily enough they sent us six DVDs at the same time because of some delivery problems we were having with them not arriving, so they sent six altogether;

A Long Way Down

A Long Way Down - hmm, decent film starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Colette, Aaron Paul (yes, Jesse from Breaking Bad), and some other people.  A group of people meet on the roof of somewhere in London and make a pact not to commit suicide.  Quite funny in places, and a decent enough film!

Monsters University - It's okay, but not as good as Monsters Inc. of course!

Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit - actually a lot better than I thought it would be!  A decent thriller.  Perhaps the fact that you know the main character will be okay takes away any potential sense of danger though?

This Means War - another film starring Chris Pine (he is Jack Ryan in the previous film), co-starring Tom Hardy (from the could have been better Star Trek Nemesis) and Reece Witherspoon (does she age at all?).  A good enough comedy about two spies who fall for the same woman and try to outdo each other to win the girl!  I kept being reminded of the fabulous Arnold Schwarzenegger film True Lies for some reason while watching this!

American Hu.. - Hold on!

American Hustle - I really enjoyed this film a lot!  We watched it over two sittings in two different days to be honest, but that didn't take away from the fact that it was decent!  All of the acting was great, and the script was clever.  I know my friend John said it was okay, but then it was a film based on truth, so you can't really go too far with something that is based on truth can you?

We are still in the midst of watching The Railway Man, which we initially thought might be boring, but we can't wait to get the last half watched because it is a bloody good film about a guy in 1980 who still has horrific memories of being beaten and tortured in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.  He has a fascination with railways, hence the title, but there is so much more to it.  Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard are absolutely incredible in the film.  I do think that Nicole Kidman as the main character's wife is a bit by the numbers though, but even that is good!  Perhaps she gets better in the second half.  We shall see!  I usually like Ms Kidman too - The Others is still a cracking film!

Anyway, there you are - a blog.

Also, lest I forget...

Rest in peace Sir Richard Attenborough.  You were so much - a great actor, director, producer, entrepreneur, and more.  He was an incredible actor in Brighton Rock, The Great Escape, Jurassic Park, Miracle on 34th Street, and I'm All Right Jack.  A great director with Gandhi (seen most of it, but not all and would love to), A Bridge Too Far (cracking film), Young Winston, and Cry Freedom.

Thank you for reading, please take care.

August 30th 2014 (43 years, 9 months, and 4 days old)

Robin Williams - a legend to me

While I was at work driving around on Monday night I switched the radio on and the Mork & Mindy theme was playing. "Oh well," I thought, "they play all sorts of music on BBC Radio 2." That's one of the reasons I listen to that station to be honest. I hear older songs I love, older songs that I didn't know and have thought "wow that's great," and the same for newer songs too.

Anyway, the theme tune finished and then Janice Long (the presenter) said "that was played in memory of Robin Williams who died today."

I had to park the car up because I was in total shock! I cried too, and I don't mind admitting it!

Like many others I never really knew the guy, but I loved him. Something else that I don't mind admitting.

When I was a child they showed Mork & Mindy on the television here in the UK, on ITV I think - there were only three channels in the UK then, and no alternative was available - no satellite or cable service!

It was probably 1978 or so I suppose, and I was still just seven years old. Being born in November means I'm just later having a birthday than most from the year I was born! I don't know why I said that, but I did. I'll leave it there.

Mork & Mindy was being shown on the TV though and, although I probably didn't understand everything, I knew there were bits that I loved about the show, and most of what I loved was Robin himself and the character he portrayed, for it was a character, and he was acting! The character was zany, said some very silly (funny things), and also found it difficult to fit in, much like myself to a point.

I was incredibly shy as a child and, as I still do to a degree, I found myself getting lost in my own little world where I felt secure. In a way the programme sort of showed me that it was good to at least try to interact with people. It didn't always work, but eventually I did make friends. I still have that shyness to a degree, but I have learnt to realise when and how to push a situation to try and get to know people.  It used to manifest itself at times as a paranoia, hence my eventual nickname of Marv- Marvin the paranoid android you see!  Marv for short!

Anyway, at various points in my life I saw Robin Williams along the way.  I always intended to watch the film Popeye from 1980, but never did.  At a video shop (yes video tapes people - tapes) when I was eleven or twelve I saw the film The World According to Garp on display - "oh look, it's Mork!"  "Hmm, I'm not bothered about that," came the response.  I hope to get to see that sometime because I've heard that it's okay.  The guy has been in a lot of films - A LOT OF FILMS!  I haven't seen them all but I have not disliked a single film that I have seen him in!  That is the total truth!

Moscow on the Hudson

During the mid to late eighties I caught a film coming on the television called Moscow on the Hudson, and it starred Robin Williams.  In fact, I think it was in 1988 because I was living on my own in a bedsit - a bedsit you couldn't live in until you were over eighteen, but I lied because I was seventeen at the time.  Necessity made me have to lie.  I couldn't live at my mum's because of certain reasons, and I also couldn't live with my dad because I wasn't sure where I stood there at the time.  I had been thrown out of where I was living because of violence as a result of drunkenness and possibly drug use, I don't completely remember now to be honest, but things weren't good then!

Anyway, the period where the drunkenness occurred was short-lived, and now I was living in a bedsit (a bedroom to myself that had JUST ENOUGH SPACE for a single bed, a wardrobe, and a television on a stand), and the film Moscow on the Hudson came on.  "Okay," I thought, "this is the guy who made me laugh so much in Mork & Mindy, it'll be great!"  It started...  I got so far through it, and thought "hmm, this is a bit serious and where is Mork?"  After a little while, I realised that the guy with the funny Russian accent was Mork, but in a serious role.  "It's a bit dramatic this, but he's really good," I thought.  I watched the whole film and thought it was good.

I had already seen the advertisements for the film Good Morning Vietnam that was at the cinema the previous year, and I didn't know what to make of that.  I'd heard that Williams was fabulous in it, but the only bits I saw on trailers and such were humorous bits which sort of bugged me at the time, what with the war being incredibly deadly - I wasn't sure if it took it seriously.  The clips I saw were unclear on this.

"Gooooood morning Vietnaaaam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

When I did eventually see the film, I thought that it was astounding, but that wasn't for a long time!

The Awakenings

Funnily enough, the next film I saw him in was the fantastic film The Awakenings, in which he co-starred with Robert DeNiro.  What a film!  The fact that it was a true story as well made it even more poignant to me.  I want to watch that film again actually because it has been a while!

Jumanji

Anyway, over the years I have watched (and have yet to watch) a good few of his films.  Hook, Aladdin, A Night at the Museum (1 & 2), Jumanji (I loved it), Robots, Mrs Doubtfire (oh yeah - the humour and the drama both together, the pain you feel for the character and the times you laugh in the same film!)...  The list is endless.

In between Mork and all of this though, I also saw him on the music video for the fabulous Bobby McFerrin song Don't Worry Be Happy - one of my favourite songs in fact!  I smile every time I see that film, and I hope that I still will now.

Mrs Doubtfire

I also remember him taking part in the George Martin album In My Life.  George Martin was basically picking songs from his career that include pieces he'd written himself, as well as other songs such as obviously some Beatles songs (I love the whole album to be honest with you).  George says that he asked Bobby McFerrin to come in and do the John Lennon-written song Come Together, to which Bobby turned up at Abbey Road studio saying "I've brought a friend with me to help."  It was Robin!  What they did was so inspired in my opinion, and is right there in my memory forever.  Brilliant - Robin and Bobby doing that song together is fabulous I think.

However, much later than when it first came out I watched Dead Poet's Society.  It was on the television think (or perhaps rented out on video - I'm not sure).  I sat down, watched, and was absolutely lost for words.  Robin's performance in that film to me was outstanding, as was the acting by everybody in the whole film!  The character of John Keating was such a great character, and the iconic ending of the film was definitely one of the greatest endings to a film that I have ever seen!  Emotion, humour in places, and so much in there.  The score in fact jumped out at me as well by the way, but that's not Robin!

I've seen a few of his stand-up pieces over the years as well, and the interviews with him have some amazing improvised on the spot moments that have made me fall about laughing.  His ability to do that and then to have been able to play those incredibly dramatic roles such as John Keating, Adrian Cronauer (there is drama and comedy in that role, perfectly put across by some exemplary acting), and much more shows that he was an individual with so much character within him.  Outwardly you didn't normally get to see much more in interviews and the likes other than the jokes, because he seemed to me to be a very guarded person about his private life, although he was incredibly honest and joked about his addictions over the years - a comedian making a joke out of something that was so serious after all!

The drugs and alcohol were possibly something to help him with that awful illness that many people suffer from - depression!  It affects so many people, and yet remains in the background brushed aside - hidden away.  I can't even imagine how he was feeling towards the end, even though in the late eighties I too tried to commit suicide once.  All that happened though was that I made myself sick by taking too many paracetamol - what did I know?

I have encountered spells of depression in my life, but I would call mine "light depression" looking back with a revisionist's eye.  Anything is light when placed into this context.  I feel so saddened that Robin took his own life in the end, despite how much love he both gave to people all over the world, and how much so many people around the world gave their love back to him.  He wanted to make people smile with his absolute uniqueness - there was no forcing from him, he was just like that!  An incredible person that will be missed.

But, don't forget what he has left behind.  The films are there to be enjoyed, you can see his stand-up routines on DVD or whatever still.  You may shed a tear or be a little sad watching, but then when he says something that is hysterically funny it will make you laugh so much, while crying perhaps at the same time.  Happy laughter and sad crying?  That's the two sides to life in a nutshell right there, brought to you by the wonderful human being that was the inimitable Mr Robin Williams.

We miss you Robin.  Rest in peace.  We love you xx

A hell of a time

Hello everybody.

I'm writing a blog post now because things are on my mind, and there are a multitude of them.

On Monday of last week (4th August) I met up with a friend from my schooldays, and we enjoyed watching the film Guardians of the Galaxy together - my shout as a late birthday present for him, and he paid for refreshments at Snacks - a cafe near to the cinema.

My friend Russell and myself

The film itself was fantastic! I'll put it up there as one of the best Marvel films! I'd possibly go out on a limb and say it is my favourite, because it ticks all of the boxes for me - Marvel universe, sci-fi elements, superheroes, humour, drama, light and dark, and more!

It also gave us a chance to find out about each other, and we found out a fair bit.  I will leave that there because it is private.

Whilst with my friend I received a text from Louise saying that out goldfish (Titus) wasn't looking great.  After a little more time with my friend I went home.

Now a few days earlier Louise spotted that Titus wasn't looking his usual self - his scales were protruding, and he looked sluggish in the tank.  This was on the Wednesday because on the Thursday Louise bought something from Wilkinsons, which was a treatment where a very small, say five or so millilitre measure, was placed into the tank.

Louise mentioned while I was on the last shift (the Thursday night) before my holidays that he mum had looked it up and found that he was suffering from something called "dropsy", which is a kidney disorder.  The suggested treatment was a special kind of salt so I stupidly enough said that I would get home the next morning, sleep for an hour, and then get up, get ready, and go to the pet store to buy some and treat him.

I did buy the salt, took it home, and then couldn't understand the instructions - "place 0.3% for this, 0.6% for that, and 0.9% for dropsy, etc.  Okay, what the heck does nine percent mean?  Nine percent of what for crying out loud???  My tired mind couldn't work it out, so I looked on a forum online, where I found measurements.  Thank you internet.  I put that amount into the tank and let it do it's thing.

Further instructions - "add 0.3% each day blah blah".  Oh, so that means add a third of what I put in the first day to make the second day's amount that much larger, and so on each day?  Okay.

I did that for the whole weekend, but both myself and Louise remained worried.  Titus was fourteen years old after all, and you get very attached to a pet that lives for a while!  I know to some that that seems silly - "he's a goldfish!"  However, it isn't because there were some strange things about him.  He would sort of respond if we talked to him.  He once looked at me and then at the food next to his fish tank. "I think he wants some food," I said.  "Okay," said Louise, "give him a little bit."  I did, and he went straight for it.  My imagination perhaps?

Titus - actually taken a little before we
realised that he was unwell :-(

Anyway, he seemed to be getting better to me, but on Monday he had indeed taken a turn for the worst.  He wasn't looking great, and I felt terrible.  I was sure that he would be okay.  He was a fighter, and had survived for this long!

During the evening though we could see that he wasn't doing well, and I kept trying to talk to him, to spur him on, but it was to no avail.

At sometime between 10pm and 10.45pm, he had made his way into the front right hand side corner of the tank, face looking to the side of the tank and the back of his dorsal fin at the front of the tank, at an angle, and I saw a last slight shimmy. He passed away, and we were both distraught.  Yes, some people won't understand that, but some will. Louise cried, and I just felt terrible, questioning what I had done and what I could have done.

I hardly got any sleep that night, or for the following few nights until Friday or Saturday night.  During the Monday nighttime, I was lying awake in bed and suddenly realised that I had indeed given him the wrong dosage - too little by a big margin in fact!  The amount on the forum had been wrong.  However, the pet shop actually wouldn't have had enough anyway, as the first dose alone would have been around two-thirds of a packet.  They didn't have enough boxes to go beyond the first two days.  That still didn't help because I was thinking about "if I had the right amount, then would it have saved him?"  That was my thought for a while, and will continue to be for a long time to come yet.

We took Titus out of the fishtank the next day, placed him into a couple of handkerchiefs, in which he was then placed into a little plastic box.  There was more, but I won't go into that for fear of people taking the mickey.  We took that to Louise's parents, where they would bury him near to their pet rabbit Horace who died around a year ago.

Anyway, I actually started writing this, wow, it must be about a week ago now, and I would have left it there.

Since I'm finishing it now though, I will say that I did more during my seven days of holiday time.

Sissy the travel guitar

On that first day (the Friday when I bought the salt to treat Titus), I think that is when I bought my first travel guitar that I named Sissy (after Sissy Spacek, who played Carrie in the film, you carry the guitar, so carry and Carrie - Sissy y'see - it makes sense to me).  I was initially going to buy a car that day, but earlier in the week I was given a quote for the car insurance which made me change my mind in a big way - very expensive after two years without a car!

So, I bought Sissy and love her to bits.  The following Wednesday I sort of enjoyed the second of the two days hire I had on a nice diesel Ford Focus car by going to Mansfield to visit my mum (once Louise had finished work of course).  I met my friend Steve from Unit Five studios in Mansfield, who I was initially intending on buying two AKG microphones from (a matching pair), but one of them blew the diaphragm, so I just got one, but then he showed me something he could put aside for me to buy off him at a later date - an MXL V69 microphone.  It looked gorgeous, and I had heard great things about it.  I bought it there and then!  When I tried it the Saturday after, it was gorgeous - I think I have an earthing problem though because there's a really loud humming in the background, and I have to have the mic volume on my recorder at full volume for some reason or it doesn't get a signal...  I've always had trouble with that 12-track recorder!

Sissy makes friends easily

On the Thursday I visited my dad and his wife.  That was great.  I miss having a car, because if I did then I could just visit people whenever I have time.  As it is, I have to know in advance when I am off so that I can hire a car to go anywhere.  Very frustrating.

The MXL V69 microphone in front
of my 12-track recorder.

When I was back at work on the Friday, the subject of Titus came up.  The person working with me told me that all that the salt treatment does is to change the consistency of the water to make it easier for the fish to swim, in the hope that the ailment corrects itself, but the odds of that are apparently incredibly slim!  I will never stop wondering though that if I had got the dosage correct and had got hold of enough of the right amount of treatment, would he have survived and been one of those?  I will never know, but it will always be there.

Yes, I miss him..  We both do.  We always will.  Pets give us comfort, peace, and so much, no matter the size.  Some people are pet people, and some aren't.  We are.

Thank you for reading, please take care

August 14th 2014 (43 years, eight months, and 19 days old).

Songwriting Challenge, Time Challenge, Everything's A Challenge!

Wow, is really over a month since I last wrote a blog?

I suppose that it must be...

Have I been busy?  Well, sort of!  My work has slightly changed, erm, occasionally, but I'm not going to talk about that!  I've decided to try and avoid that subject most of the time for a variety of reasons.

Blogger logo

However, because of the slight changes, it does mean that my online time has diminished somewhat, and therefore I can't do online stuff as much as I used to. I know, that was a long-winded way of saying "I can't get to the computer very often and blogging on my iPhone can be a pain in the arse!  Especially when I frequently forget to wear the obligatory over-40 pair of reading glasses.

So, the middle of the year songwriting challenge known as the 50/90 has begun.  I started steadily, but there are some bits up there.  It's not as I envisioned, because I only wanted there to be complete songs on there for people to check out, but some forces have gathered that have caused that initial rule to be slightly altered - only slightly.

The other evening I didn't have headphones on me, so I was left with the unfortunate prospect of recording completely live on-the-spot, and then post that up.  I posted up, I think, three tunes in total on Sunday night/ Monday morning in that manner.  The first was a tune entitled Walk Don't Run, which was something I came up with based on an on the website challenge of using a verb in the title of a song, here I use two of them.  I took that title and basically used it as a public service announcement.  That was live vocal and ukulele.

GarageBand on the iPhone

The second was a response to one of the skirmishes on the site, where a title is given to work from, and you are tasked to write and record a piece within an hour with that title.  I came up with a melody, and then recorded myself playing that melody on a melodica - live once more of course, as I couldn't do any overdubs.  That piece was entitled In the Grip of Strange Thoughts, and in a way the solo melodica sort of adds to that strange eerie feeling I suppose.

Finally for that night I had for some reason agreed to link my doing 50/90 with another challenge called Fearless Songwriter, where you agree to write a song every day based on a prompt.  This was day one, technically...  The prompt was "Parrot", so I wrote and recorded, in twenty minutes total, the song Polly The Pretty Parrot, a fun song about not being able to get a parrot to talk.  In the comment son the Facebook page for the Fearless Songwriter challenge, someone said that it needed a bridge or something, but I can't see where else that would take us other than to take a break musically.  There was no more story needed in my opinion.  Live vocal and ukulele again for that.

My melodica

I've done some work during the challenge that I am proud of.  Lakeside Stroll from last week is a piece that I spent a heck of a lot of time on (three hours mixing for instance), and is an ambient piece with a guitar figure that I thought of and then had to push myself to be able to pull it off!

Hazy Morning is another instrumental that I have written, this time in a sort of soundtrack style I suppose, although at the time of writing I was just thinking of it as an instrumental with a nice melody.  Cool Blue is another instrumental piece, this time with a funky bit of guitar/bass/percussion interaction where I just thought, "yeah, I'm going to have some fun here!"

I could go on and on about what I've done already, but I won't.  This is just an introduction to what I have done so far.  There is actually more there than I thought that there would be.  I have already co-written a song in fact, which I thought I wouldn't have the time to be able to do, and I have started off one corpse piece, which is where someone writes and records a minute long piece, then sends the last ten seconds of that to someone else for them to write a minute long section based upon, and it continues.  I have also done a section for another corpse as well.  All of these things I am surprised at, because I thought that I just wouldn't have the time.

Strangely enough I have.

Thank you for reading, please take care.

July 30th 2014 (43 years, eight months, and 4 days old)

Pre-songwriting challenge thoughts

Hello, it's me again. How are you doing? I don't know why I'm asking that because no one ever answers...

But we will leave that there because I don't want to go all whiny!

So it is now the tenth of June, which means it's, erm, 24 days until the beginning of the 50-90 songwriting challenge.

Am I taking part? Probably, but I'm not sure whether I will get anything done.

For a few reasons I've decided to change how I take part in these challenges, and this should be noticeable. I will write songs, but nothing will go online until there is a relatively decent recording made of the material.

My first reason for this is that there are some people who complain about participants that do more than the challenge asks for, and I am one of those that seems to write more mainly because I see it not as a "only write this many songs", but rather as a "try to write this many and if you write more then well done."

However, before everyone suddenly stops reading please note that I am not being funny about it, but am actually responding in a way that I think is good!

I actually think that the fact I post so much up puts people off and if I give the recordings more time first then it gives less to listen to, but also means possibility of feedback on fewer songs.

I also believe that heightening the production might put the songs across in a better light, so they see the vision behind it and how it works.

In another way it means that I can play bass more, because I've not played what used to be my main instrument that much during these challenges.

A negative point though - I don't get the chance to use my computer or musical equipment as much as I used to, so what will be posted if anything is unknown.

It will be fun anyway, and personally I will still write like I did, but just won't post everything up!

That's a strange but informative blog post.

Thank you for reading, please take care.

June 10th 2014 (43 years, 6 months, and 15 days old).

X-Men and embracing differences

Hey there, how is everything? I hope you're well.

As a big fan of the Marvel universe I am really looking forward to seeing the new X-Men film (Days of Future Past). 

I've recently watched some of the previous films in the franchise again, but this time with my sweetheart also watching them.

We started with the prequel First Class, which she loved, and then X-Men and X-Men 2 (I remember it being called X2 I'm sure, or am I wrong?)...  She loved those too, and I have yet to watch X-Men 3 - The Last Stand (not the Schwarzenegger film) with my darling. I'm not looking forward to that, but it has to be done so that she watches everything. Also, I have only seen the third one once!

After that it will be the two Wolverine films, the latter of which I've had for a while now, but haven't seen! Shocking I know :-/

Something that is great in all of this, that could be seen as more important is this - sometimes it's good that people aren't all the same because occasionally you can introduce someone to a thing that they had never thought about before, but it suddenly grabs you. That's happened here with the X-Men films for Louise (I did the same by introducing her to Spider-Man and other things too). With me, Louise introduced me to a lot of music I'd not thought of much before. I sort of liked Elvis before, but Louise loves his music (and some films). Now I have more of an appreciation for the Presley.

If you think about it, the X-Men films are very much an analogy for the way the world looks at the differences between people. Everybody has their differences, but sometimes the biggest differences such as race, religion, sexuality, and many others can create the most incredible chasm between acceptance and prejudice. It's which of those we pick that shows how we are as people - narrow minded or open minded.

Louise still doesn't like heavy metal or reggae that much, but differences can be good can't they.

Thank you for reading, and never be afraid to try new things. Take care.

May 28th 2014 (43 years, 6 months, and 2 days old).

Review - Michael Jackson Xscape Deluxe Edition, meh!

Hi, how is everything?

Well if I am being honest I tried to do a video for this the other evening, but the signal was so rubbish that it just didn't seem to work.  I say that but I bet there are now numerous videos on youtube with me attempting to do reviews.

First off I will point out that I am someone who became a teenager in the eighties, so the music of Michael Jackson is there from hearing The Jackson 5 (who eventually after moving to a different record label had to change their name to The Jacksons), through Off The Wall, Thriller, and so on...  I even liked a lot of the Invincible album as well by the way, which many may look upon with disdain.

Anyway, the "Deluxe Edition" of the new Michael Jackson album.  One can't help but be skeptical really because, let's face it, all of this posthumous stuff is what didn't make the cut initially isn't it.  There are a couple of times where this isn't the case though I suppose.

There is no denying that the song Love Never Felt So Good is a hidden gem of a song.  Co-written by Paul Anka, who also wrote My Way, the original recording sounds really nice with Anka's piano and Jackson's vocals, finger snapping, hand clapping, and whatnot going on.  Three versions of the same song though is a bit over the top.

The opening song on the set is the Timbaland produced update that is all over the radio airwaves at the moment, and I don't mean the version that features Timberlike, I mean Justin Timberlake.  There is a joke there really.  The opening track is nice, but to me it suffers from something that is prevalent in soul/dance music (they call it R&B now apparently - I'm over forty, so R&B is Rhythm & Blues) - they should have thrown a real drummer on there, real guitarists, in fact - the crack Jacko team of musicians is still alive damn it.  If you're trying to give it that classic 80's Jackson era sound and feel, then why not get those guys in to beef up what's there with real musician feel.  That is my opinion on all of the updated material by the way - too much synthetic programmed stuff going down and not enough of raw real true musicians.

Anyway, yeah I think the opener is good.  I get irritated by the "featuring Justin Timberlake" thing at the end because that could easily have been a single or release of it's own outside of the release of the album, or perhaps a bonus on a potential single - don't get me started on that kettle of fish about one song singles (why buy the song when I already own the album that it features on?)!

If truth be told I am glad that I have the deluxe edition because then I have the original Jackson recordings from back when they were initially put down.  These I like very much.  I like the fact that Place With No Name has the guitar from America's song A Horse With No Name in there along with everything else, and I think it's better than the update by the team known as Stargate (do they have to pay royalties to Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin?).  As soon as the "update" started I thought "why does this sound so much like the song Leave Me Alone?"  In a lot of ways this song is endemic of what irritates me the most about this album, and I will touch on that later as you will see.  I will quickly add that if it were me working on the song I would have tried to keep as much of the original vision as possible, but I would maybe have edited the annoying (to me) alliteration where he is singing "take me to a place without no name," as opposed to what my head tells me should be "take me to a place (SLIGHT PAUSE) with no name" - I'd have possibly edited out the "out" bit of that work and restructured that line slightly (as shown) - easy enough to do, even for a hobbyist like me!

The only song that for me personally works perfectly in both versions is the title track itself, but I think that is mainly due to the fact that the update is the same person who worked on the song originally with Michael, so because they wrote it together it has that right there from the off.  I must say that I prefer the original vision of the song again, and also feel that it would have been fantastic on either the album Invincible or what should have been a quick follow-up album.  For someone so prolific recording and writing wise, Jacko was incredibly non-prolific with releasing material whilst he was alive (except when forced into it by the record label - the opposite to Prince at his height I might add, who wanted to release too much material in Warner Bros eyes).  As a solo artist anyway!

Anyway, as this is a quick review I will sort of leave the actual CD itself there for now.

Now for the DVD that comes with the Deluxe Edition...

What a waste of time that was to watch.  Although it was sort of interesting in a way, it didn't tell you very much except, and this is me as a writer/musician talking I suppose, to reinforce how much the producers and people behind the release for the most part absolutely threw their own selves into the creation of the pieces and disregarded what the original people who had created the songs had in mind musically, even Michael himself, for it is he uncredited playing the instruments on the original versions of Loving You and Do You Know Where Your Children Are, and perhaps some of them on A Place With No Name.

Instead, on the DVD all of them with the exception of Rodney "Dangerfield" Jerkins says that they just listened to the vocals (singing) without the musical accompaniment most of the time, because they didn't want their musical vision to be swayed by what was on there.

Excuse me, but isn't the job of a producer historically one of realising the artists' vision and not to impose themselves on them?  That is incredibly presumptuous and, to be honest, only added to my dislike of the whole process in my mind.

In truth these people aren't producers but are artists, which is the world of soul music nowadays, where a "producer" puts their own stamp on something.  You hear a piece "produced" by Timbaland, much as I like a lot of his stuff, you know it's been worked on by him.  As an artist I like someone in the studio with me to offer suggestions, but it doesn't mean that they can take my song, come back with it, and then say "I've rewritten it entirely" - imagine someone going up to Black Sabbath and saying "I like the song, but I've got rid of all of the heavy guitars, bass and drums, and replaced them with a standard programmed beat, some twiddly beeping computerised sounds, and it's made it much more modern....

From the artist - "hey, what did you do with my song for crying out loud???"

Up until seeing the DVD I was going to be nicer to the album.  If I didn't have the Deluxe Edition with the bonus of the original versions, then this CD would very much be thrown into a box and possibly never see the light of day.  As it is though, I will listen to the Timbaland update of Love Never Felt So Good, the update of Xscape, and the original versions.  The "featuring Justin Timberlake" version of Love Never Felt So Good is just a redundant unnecessary bit tagged to the end of the CD that, while sort of interesting, doesn't really do much except "ooh they've sampled some of Workin' Day & Night in there," and "well it is Justin Timberlake!"  It doesn't matter, because being "Michael Jackson" means that people are going to buy the bloody thing anyway, and Mr Timberlake has, like a few, based his career on the inspiration of Mr Jackson anyway, so a few of his fans will have bought it anyway, possibly claiming how much like Justin that Michael's music sounds - much like some seventies rock sounds like Kings of Leon!

I thought the DVD could have given us more to be honest.  Some archive footage of Michael perhaps in the studio working on these songs, some footage of these "producers" working on the songs as opposed to chatting with LA Reid about what they did and why they decided on doing these things.  Why not a relatively in-depth say two hours of behind the scenes on the process as opposed to "let's talk about why you did this..."  Well, I won't be watching that again!

Points out of five then?  Well, I won't be awful because it isn't all bad (no pun intended I assure you).  I will give the set a respectable three out of five due to the fact that it isn't actually a terrible thing.  The updates are sort of interesting at times, but to my mind they are more like remixes.

Thank you for reading.  Please take care.

PS - I was going to take a photograph of me doing the crotch grab thing, but I couldn't be arsed! :-)

Hey Up

Helloooooooooooooooooooooooo.....................................

Blinking heck it hasn't half been a while!!!

Until I looked I hadn't realised that I haven't posted since the end of March, and I really can't understand why that is.  I mean, it's not like there's nothing much to tell you...  Well, okay it's very much like that I suppose, but there's nothing like talking to people on blogs about all sorts of rubbish is there?

My working life is slightly different, but we won't go into that because, well, we just won't.  All it means is that I have cut down on my time on the computer, and I've also cut down on my music time as well.  When 5090 starts in July my fingers are going to get as sore as hell that's for sure.  It will be like learning all over again.  Well, I say that, but I played something nice and funky on the acoustic earlier, but my strumming hand was flopping around terribly.  Even I called myself pathetic - "must do better Quibell!!!"

I've watched a few films in the intervening time - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was great, Captain America: Winter Soldier was awesome, and...  Do you see a pattern here?  I bet you wouldn't be surprised if I told you that I am going to watch X-Men: Days of Future Passed?!?  Well I have to - superheroes, time travel, based on one of my favourite ever X-Men comic series that also happened to have a kicking arc in the animated series as well - just like the introduction of Venom in the Spiderman series, except that the film Spiderman 3 that depicted the same story, sort of, was handled horrifically in comparison.  I'm sure than Bryan Singer will do better than the usually fantastic Sam Raimi did with the Spidey in question.

Quick points about the two superhero films;

The Amazing Spiderman 2 - I do hope that Electro isn't finished because that new take on that villain is pretty damn cool.  Foxx is great in the character duality.

Captain America: Winter Soldier - If you keep your ears and eyes peeled, then there are enough hints to events in future films and the Agents of SHIELD television series to sink an entire armada at least!  Ask my friend +Chris Harris about that!!!

Anyway, this is supposed to be just a quick "hey up" sort of thing so, erm, hey up.  Back soon with, of all things, a review.

Thanks for reading and please take care.

16 May 2014 (43 years, 5 months, and 20 days old).

PS - Also watched The Book Thief at the cinema.  Damn fine film!  Different, but damn fine!

Time? What time?

Hey :-)

Well, my blogging seems to be flagging somewhat doesn't it?!?

There I was, closing in on the end of February thinking "I can get some blogging done after FAWM is over!"

How wrong was I then? Very!

I've only gone and decided that the unfinished pieces need the music writing, and I am doing some post-FAWM collaborations at the same time, which I will carry on possibly right through to the 50/90 challenge. I love writing and co-writing songs, because I always have music ideas in my head.

Now, I know some people get fed up of the creativity I have when it comes to songs, but it's just how I am. I always come up with stuff - it's been an irritation with bands I've been in before! I couldn't understand a set list almost completely made up of cover versions - I was younger then! Now I absolutely love cover versions as well - the cover version challenge called Rocktober is a big favourite of mine!

Anyway, basically all I am saying is that I am still songwriting...  And having disagreements with my distributor about Project Marv releases! The least said perhaps?

I hope you are all okay. I always like writing blog posts and miss it when I am not doing any!

Thanks for reading. Please take care.

March 24th 2014 (43 years, three months, and 26 days old).

Look back at FAWM part one

Hi, hope you're all okay.

I know, it's almost a month since I last posted a blog, and I was supposed to be posting up about my progress during the songwriting challenge known as FAWM (February Album Writing Month), but I just didn't get around to it.

If you go and look then you'll find a lot there to sink your teeth into :-)

I am actually surprised by what I've done, especially considering that I didn't spend as much time on it as I did last year!

There is the fact that quite a few on there are what's known as post-FAWM collaborations...  There were lyrics that people wrote which were left without any music, so I am putting some of those to music.

FAWM page - http://fawm.org/fawmers/marvsmooth/

Anyway, get over there if you can. Cherry pick if you have to, and check other people on there.

There are some incredible people who take part in it, and I've been working with a few of them this time.

Believe it or not, during February I worked with +Cheryl Hodgins  (username - writeorwrong), Elizabeth Petty (kahlo2013), +Clif Johnston (mood481),  Laree Cisco (lhcisco), +Cindy Prince (cindyrella), +Larry W Jones (kingwood kowboy), Geneva Griffin (Nightengale), Morgan Hyde (aveline), +Nadia Cripps (musicsongwriter), Sherry Somach (sherrycanary), Mike Karns (jamkar), Arthur Rossi (arthurrossi),  Donna Devine (donna), and Sam Healer (samhealer). Phew!

And yet, I am working with more now too!

Anyway, I will blog more soon and gob into detail. 

Actually...

There is a song on there called History of the Blues, which is a co-write with Clif & Laree.

I wrote the words after I had seen a programme on BBC4 here in the UK, and for some reason I just wrote those lyrics.  Some bits where along similar lines to songs I had written before such as Slave Song, Sorry, and a couple of unrecorded songs such as This Is Our Land This Is Our Home.

Anyway, while writing the words I thought that it would be nice to have something more modern musically, and I had wanted to work with Clif since I caught a couple of his pieces during the previous FAWM and 5090 challenges. I also wanted to work with Laree because, quite frankly, he should be BIG TIME in my opinion because he's bloody great!

The idea in my head then was that Clif could do something more atmospheric and, erm, I think electronic is the wrong term, but all I know is that I love his sound - it has the more "free" feel that acts like Boards of Canada go for, but even more so.

Anyway, I got the music from Clif and it was amazing. I mean that it knocked my socks off!

I then sent a link for Laree to download it, to which he eventually posted an amazing piece of work. His vocal is amazing, and he added some amazing sound clips such as bits by Son House and the great Robert Johnson (the guy who allegedly sold his soul to the devil to be as good as he was).

Anyhow, we were all amazed by it, but incredibly proud.  Laree is right when he said "it's a documentary in sound." Absolutely! :-)

Here is the song - http://fawm.org/songs/39752/

Thank you for reading, please take care.

March 10th 2014 (43 years, 3 months, and 12 days old).

Eleventh of February

Hello. I hope you're okay.

Crikey, it's already February the eleventh, or eleventh of February here in the UK.  I wonder why we write dates out differently here to how Americans and possibly other countries.

So it's been a long while since I last posted. I'm not sure why, but here we are anyway.

We are eleven days into February, which means that I am taking part in the wonderful FAWM (February Album Writing Month). This is a month in which many many songwriters around the world decide to go hell for leather and write "an albums worth of songs" within the 28 days of February.

My FAWM page - http://fawm.org/fawmers/marvsmooth/

My list of songs on there at present stands at thirteen, but that's not completely true because two of those are the same thing.

What happened was that recorded a quick idea I had on the baritone ukulele and whistled a melody that I had at the same time. I posted this up and, while I was asleep, someone in another country had written lyrics for it and recorded vocals over the top of my recording, and then posting it up as a separate song.

I wish in a way that they had waited because I feel like I'm cheating to get that number up. I'd better get 15 songs in then to make it. I'm almost there anyway as I have a set of lyrics from two days ago that I haven't put up yet entitled She Lies, which is yet another love song - I'm writing a fair few of those lately.

Anyway, this weekend was originally a weeks holiday, during which I was going to get some serious work in on the music writing and commenting on other people's songs. However, I am no longer off due to a surprise coming up from work, so I think I will perhaps not have the chance now to write very much. We shall see.

It's not particularly a change that I want, but it's possibly more money, so I don't have much choice.

I would love not to have to do it, but cest la vie. I'd like to be able to write songs that other people perform to make me some royalties, but that is pie in the sky thinking.

Life goes on, and I have love. What else do I need? 

Anyway, I think I will go now and spend time with my sweetheart and possibly get some music done perhaps.

Thank you for reading, please take care.

February 11 2014 (43 years, 2 months, and 16 days old).

PS - rest in peace Shirley Temple, who died today.

The left alone album

Hi, hope everyone is okay.

This is my second attempt at this since for some reason my phone app deleted the previous attempt at this and now I'm a bit fed up because I have to make it all up again...

The other day I was listening to the Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio Two (I guess it has to be said that way?) and he played the Dire Straits song Private Investigations in it's beautifully atmospheric, musical, lyrical and produced entirety.

While it was on I was reminded of the fact that the album that Private Investigations was on, Love Over Gold, was to my mind better than Brothers In Arms, which is usually touted as the band's best.

Dire Straits

If truth be told, I believe all the albums before Brothers In Arms are better. I do like a lot of that album, but it's just not as good as the predecessors, in my humble opinion.

I was also reminded that my step-dad liked the first four Dire Straits albums more as well, all of which he owned on cassette tape.

While thinking about the album Love Over Gold, I thought about how other great albums were given short shrift because of an artist's "best ever album". 

What can I say? I'm someone that loves a full album! I love everything about them. I used (and still do) read and enjoy the whole thing - the songs, the production, arrangements, and the whole packaging as well.

The Beatles

I actually miss packaging when I download songs or albums. It's not the same, and don't even get me started on singles being just one song!

Anyway... Back to the subject.

There are other times where, in my opinion, this is the case.

The Beatles albums Revolver and Rubber Soul get pushed aside by "the mighty" Sgt Pepper's album. Personally speaking, I like Sgt Peppers, but I think that Revolver & Rubber Soul are better.

The Rolling Stones recording

The album Exile On Main Street is often said to be the best Rolling Stones album, but that then pushes aside the greatness of albums such as Beggars Banquet, Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed... The list goes on.

In some cases I think it means that people go to "their best album" and nowhere near their other material.

Now I know that people make up their own minds on these things, but I thought of a suggestion.

AC/DC in Highway To Hell
album cover outtake

If there is one of these albums that jumps out at you so much, now that there is the internet where people talk about these things look at the artist/s in question and see what "other" album people rave about and buy it! Just do it!

Bon Jovi possibly auditioning
for hair product advertising?

If you have the AC/DC album Back In Black because people say that's their best, then get Highway To Hell, because that's the next one people talk about.

Bon Jovi's album Slippery When Wet a fave?  Get hold of New Jersey with it's clever lyrics and crunching guitar riffs and cracking un-eighties drum sounds (something that jumps out at me on Slippery).

We could go on and on about this but, in fact, I won't because I like the idea of people interacting and leaving me suggestions of their own.

Thank you for reading. Please take care.

January 10th 2014 (43 years, 1 month, and 15 days old).