#now you can start singing the Bay City Rollers

[nice-bright-colors]

Shots!! Today has been brought to you by Blue Kamikazes or half a bottle of Windex. I forget because I got sidetracked when making these.

I’m either about to get seriously hammered or have a streak-free esophagus.

Post time!

#I’m kidding #I’m not drinking windex #nor blue kamikazes #I cleaned a fountain pen #high rolling on a Saturday Night over here #now you can start singing the Bay City Rollers #S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night!!! #maybe I should drink some windex #put me out of my misery

[spookyscarydemonbabe]

I Only Want to Be with You

A/N- I feel like i’ve really been focusing on a lot of smutty things with Eddie and as soon as i heard this song i became OBSESSED with it and needed to write something cute and fluffy for Eddie 🥰 he deserves it

Summary- Your music wakes up Eddie, but you’re the only person that can make him enjoy getting up this early

Genre- Fluff

Warnings- None :)

Tag List- @imagine-all-the-imagines @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles @munsonology @esme-viridian

Words- 0.9k

Eddie groaned as he was suddenly woken up by a strange sound.

It wasn’t the harsh heavy metal he loved, but something he wasn’t used to. It sounded like bubbly pop from the 70’s, and as much as he wanted to hate it, he had to admit it was catchy. And quite cute.

He turned in bed to face you but he saw that you were nowhere in sight, your spot in bed was empty next to his and though that would usually upset him this early, he figured you must’ve been the source of the music.

He looked over at the nightstand to check the time.

7:56 am.

He groaned once more before sitting up in bed and stretching his arms over his head, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before searching the bedroom floor for his shirt from last night to slip on but that was also nowhere to be found. He shrugged it off and stepped into his pajama pants and as he tied them around his waist he found himself nodding along to the song that was playing.

As he listened to the words, they reminded him of you.

Now, listen, honey, I just want to be beside you everywhere

As long as we're together, honey, I don't care

'Cause you started something, oh, can't you see?

That ever since we met you've had a hold on me

No matter what you do, I only want to be with you

They definitely made him think of you, and he smiled as he opened the bedroom door, the song getting louder as he slowly walked from the hallway into the kitchen.

He stopped and leaned against the wall as he spotted you around the corner.

You were singing and dancing along to the song in the kitchen, wearing his shirt from the night before and a pair of panties as you were mixing up what looked like chocolate chip pancake batter in the bowl that was in your arms.

You had everything set up in front of you for breakfast and Eddie knew you had planned all this for him.

Though he wasn’t a morning person, you knew he could never be mad at you. Especially when you looked so adorable dancing in your underwear while making breakfast.

He laughed and you spotted him out of the corner of your eye, setting the bowl down onto the counter before turning your body and singing to him, stepping closer and reaching your hands out for him to take.

He gladly took them and the two of you began dance together in the middle of the kitchen floor, giggling and sneaking in a few kisses here and there as he twirled you.

As the song slowly finished the two of you laughed together, holding one another as you stood on your tiptoes to give him one last kiss before going back over to the record player and turning the volume back down,

“Good morning! Did you sleep well handsome?”

“I did,” He smiled at you as he went to the fridge, grabbing the orange juice and pouring himself a glass, “just didn’t expect to be up this early.”

“Sorry,” You said with a giggle, going back over to the stove to pour the pancake batter into the pan, “I just love that song.”

“I can tell.” Eddie sipped his from his glass and set it back onto the counter before going over and planting a kiss onto your head.

“And i think you’re starting to like it too.” You said to him as you flipped the pancakes in the pan, pouring a few more in as you made some room, placing the finished ones onto a plate.

Eddie shrugged,

“It’s not bad.”

“Not bad?!” You said with another giggle, “It’s adorable! Don’t act like you weren’t just dancing with me to it.”

“Alright fine, it’s good. But only cause it reminds me of you.”

“Aww, aren’t you sweet.” You reached over and gave him a quick kiss before finishing up the pancakes, piling them all onto a plate before turning off the stove and bringing them to the table, “Would you grab the plates and silverware Eds?”

“Absolutely angel, did you want something to drink too?”

“I’ll just have orange juice or something, whatever’s in the fridge.”

The two of you set the table for breakfast with the rest of the record playing quietly in the background as you ate together.

Eddie never thought of himself as the domestic type, but waking up to his beautiful girl so happy this early in the morning was enough to make his day. Not a damn thing could ruin it when the first thing he saw was you.

You finished eating your breakfast and Eddie stood up from the table, grabbing your plate and giving you a kiss on the forehead,

“You cooked, i clean. That’s the rules. But first…” He quickly went over to the record player and moved the needle to play that song just one more time before turning the volume up, holding his hand out for you to take, “dance with me again?”

You had the biggest smile on your face and gladly took his hand in yours.

He quickly pulled you up into his arms and twirled you, earning another bout of giggles as you started singing the song together.

This was the perfect way to spend your morning.

Dancing in your underwear in the kitchen with the long haired, tattoo covered, heavy metal lover dream man to some catchy pop love song from the 70’s.

You never knew you could be in love like this.

#stranger things #stranger things 4 #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x yn #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #Spotify

[cazimagines]

Cazzy, dear! Congratulations on your 900 followers! You deserve it! You writing is fantastic and the writer herself is a sweetie! 💛💛💛 I don't know if you are still taking requests but I wanted to request anything from the smut list with Sebastian Zöllner 👀 (i swear that I tried to pick one but as I was reading the list i just "ohhh this is nice" at least 20 times so... yeah)

Thank you, Artemis 🥺 you are so amazing and kind!

I couldn't decide either 😅 so I consulted @rumblelibrary on the matter and we decided to go with the smut quote, "I couldn't stop thinking about you all day" and the 'Sex in car' so here we go!

It was a normal Saturday.

The radio quietly played in the background as you cleaned the plates from when you had been making an apple crumble which now sat half-eaten on the countertop. Your cat, Mittens, walks between your legs, rubbing up against you in an attempt to try and con more food out of you.

You giggled at her effort, bending down to give her a scratch on the top of her head which had her purring.

You glanced out of the window in front of you, sighing happily as you watched your prized roses lightly sway in the wind, the way the letterbox that you had painted yourself fitted in with the colour scheme of your house made you abundantly happy.

Yes, this was a normal Saturday afternoon.

Until it wasn't.

You watched in shock as a car rounded the corner, and though it had lots of space, it managed to drive straight into your letterbox, subsequently knocking it over.

"What the fuck!" you yell, almost dropping the plate in your hand in surprise. Quickly after placing it down, you picked up the end of your skirts to run quickly to your front door and confront the driver, but as you opened the door you saw a man you had hoped you'd never see again.

"Y/n!" he yelled gleefully, throwing his arms up into the air in excitement.

You groaned, closing your eyes for a second, hoping, praying that when you opened them he wouldn't be there, but when you did he was still there, lifting his sunglasses up and down on his eyes smiling at you.

"Are you drunk?" is your first few words to him, causing him to frown in confusion,

"No?"

"You don't sound very sure"

"I'm confused as to why you would think such things!"

You point to your broken letterbox but Sebastian just scoffs and waves it off.

"I'm not drunk, I'm high!"

"High???"

"High! High on love my dear y/n"

You sighed, once again closing your eyes hoping that this wasn't happening.

"Sebastian, we've been broken up for three years now"

"And you have been on my mind ever since, every year, every month, every day. Like today, I couldn't stop thinking about you all day"

"You're crazy"

"Perhaps, but I've come to take you away, come let's go" he urges, opening the passenger's seat for you to get in but you shake your head.

"I'm not going anyway with you Sebastian"

"Sebastian, Sebastian" he mutters, "Why Sebastian, you always called me Seb before"

"When we were dating, we are no longer dating after you stole that money from me"

"I was going to give it back!"

You scoff, knowing very well he wouldn't and from the look of his worn, messy suit that was almost falling off him, he still didn't have much money, which made you frown at the expensive car beside them.

"Sebastian... where did you get that car?"

"I stole it from my ex-girlfriend"

"You did what?" you exclaim, not believing he could surprise you anymore, yet he did.

"Here look, come with me in the car and we'll take it back together"

"No! There is no need for me to come you should do it on your own"

"But I might not! I might drive somewhere completely different, but if you are there I'll make sure to drive to the correct place"

You bite your lip, a part of you saying you should go, while a part of you said you shouldn't.

"I'd have no way to get back home" you mutter,

"I'll pay for your taxi, she'll pay!"

You sigh and resign yourself to its fate and quickly get into the car. Sebastian smiles widely at you and quickly runs to the other side of the car and gets in.

At first, the car ride was awkward, with Sabastian trying to talk to you, and you effectively ignoring him until he resulted in turning on the music in the car.

You almost chuckled as you heard the familiar sound of the Bay City Rollers 'Saturday night' starting to play through the speakers, fitting for today.

Sebastian rolled down his car window and stuck his head out, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing through his hair though it made you anxious about his driving. As the lyrics started he shouted them out to the wind.

"S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night!, S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night!"

You rolled your eyes at his excitement and Sabastian caught it, "Come on! Sing along. You're not going to tell me you've now gone off the Bay City Rollers, you used to sing to me 'Bye-bye baby' all the time, I certainly listened to it a lot after you left"

A soft smile breaks out upon your face as you start to sway to the music and watch how much Sebastian was enjoying himself. It was almost like the good old days when you two were together and it made your heartache missing them.

"Sing!" he exclaimed, looking back over to you, and you just had to give in.

"At the good ol' rock and roll, Folk show, I've gotta go!, Saturday night, Saturday night" you sing alongside him, the mood of the song lifting your spirits a lot.

That's how you and Sebastian spent your trip, driving through landscapes blasting music as loud as you could, singing your hearts out until finally, he pulled in on a ledge on a hill, looking out over a landscape.

"Sebastian this isn't-" you begin but he cuts you off before you could state you weren't at his ex's house.

"I know, I know, I lied, it's just... I really missed you, I missed us, this. It's, it's not the same without you y/n"

You shake your head, feeling your heart falling, "Seb, don't do this, please"

"Why not? We both want this"

"I can't set myself up for heartbreak again"

He licks his lips and then grasps your hand tightly. "I promise y/n, I can change, I won't steal your money again, I won't runoff. Please, Let me have another chance"

He gave you those goddam pleading, puppy dog eyes, tears welling up. He knew how to play you like a fiddle and of course, you gave into him.

Nodding, a smile broke out onto his face and instantly he grasped your face and pulled it onto his, kissing you passionately. You reached up and grabbed his long hair, wrapping it in your fingers and tugging it making him moan into your mouth. After a bit, he tried to push himself nearer you but there wasn't enough space.

"Let's take this to the back," you say and he nod's excitingly.

Getting out of the front of the car, it hardly took you a second till you both were in the back, and you found yourself lying down on the back seats as Seb pushed your skirt up to your thighs and slowly pulled your pants off.

You had to hold onto the side of the seat as you gasped when you felt his tongue lick your sensitive area, twisting upon your clit before diving into your cunt, quickly lapping at you.

His fingers tightened around your thighs as he pushed his mouth into you, determined to have you cum on his face.

Say all the bad stuff you want about Seb, but one thing he always knew how to do well was eat you out, he was an expert at it. In only a few minutes he had you quivering before him, calling out his name, and oh the wonders that did to him, hearing his name upon your lips, it made him more eager, pushing his tongue as far as he could inside of you until you were coming on his face.

He licked up as much as he could before finally pulling his face out of your legs and slowly climbing on top of you to kiss you again, letting you taste yourself upon him.

With one hand he interlocked his fingers with yours, holding you gently and with the other he undid his fly and pulled himself out, slotting his legs between your thighs to start pushing into you.

You cried out and let out a loud moan feeling the way he stretched you out, and Seb also heaved and moaning into your neck as he trailed kisses upon it.

"Oh god, how I've missed you y/n. I've missed this so much"

"No one has ever been the same" you gasp as he starts to move his hips thrusting into yours slow as first, but then picking up the pace.

"That's because you were meant for me, no one else could satisfy you the way I do, and no one else ever will get a chance to"

"I'm all yours" you exclaimed in the heat of the moment, and at hearing your words he eagerly pushed his hand under your skirt to rub your clit, making your back arch from blinding, please.

"Seb- I'm going, I'm going to"

He grunted as he pushed into you as hard as he could "Same" was all he was able to say before you felt his seed spill into you as he stilled and the feeling of him cumming within you was enough to send you into your own blinding pleasure, your eyes rolling back as you let out a loud moan.

Eventually, he collapsed onto you, breathing heavily as he pressed lots of kisses upon your face, saying how beautiful and amazing you were,

You sighed, wrapping your arm around him to hold him close. You knew he wouldn't keep his promises, you knew he would run off eventually, that's just who he was, but at least for now, you got a chance to pretend that wasn't so.

#sebastian zollner #sebastian zollner x reader #sebastian zöllner #sebastian zollner x y/n #sebastian zollner smut #sebastian zöllner x y/n #sebastian zöllner smut #daniel bruehl #daniel bruhl #daniel brühl

[meepmoopfanfics]

you don’t get a win unless you’re playing the game: Daveed Diggs x Reader. Chapter 2.

Reminder: this is gonna be a long fic! please be patient :)

You are finally ending an excruciating first week of dance rehearsals.

You’re gearing up finishing Act I finally, your brain feeling completely fried from all of the material given, especially the vocal parts. You were so used to singing the melody line of all the songs and being given the alto part was a challenge in itself, let alone applying singing while doing the choreography. The dancing was second nature but you didn’t realize how much stamina you’d actually need to getting the notes out without sounding breathy, pitchy or exhausted. You did NOT want to embarrass yourself in front of the OBC when it came time to integrate.

You had only worked with the ensemble closely so far and were getting close with Stephanie, the universal dance captain of the show. She had mentioned to you that the principals and ensemble members would be having a little hang out session at her brother’s penthouse apartment downtown after rehearsals ended tonight.

“Brilliant work today everyone. I know it’s been tough. But take the weekend to really review the material and let everything sink in.” Stephanie’s eyes were lit up. The way she was so attentive to detail and every backstory of every movement was so inspiring and eye opening.

You wiped the sweat off of your face as you partner, aka M3, aka George Eaker, aka Cedric, gave you a wink and a thumbs up. You were way too lucky to be matched with Cedric. If you jumped across the stage, somehow you’d trust him to catch you with seconds to spare before landing.

The ensemble cheered together and began to pan out to the house to grab their things and head up to their dressing rooms to get ready for the party.

“Is everyone coming tonight?” Stephanie yelled excitedly.

You heard a cannon of yeses and hell yeahs around the group.

“The wolfpack’s coming too!” That was her nickname for the OBC crew. “It’s gonna be a raaaaaager!” She started gyrating her hips. Everyone erupted with laughter.

“A safe one at that, of course. Be on your best behavior around Lin… just kidding he’s an absolute child.

Alright now go, get out. Go get hot.”

You followed the ensemble up the stairs backstage to end up at your dressing room which you shared with W4, Michelle.

“Girl... what’re ya wearing tonight? I can’t decide.” Michelle asked while anxiously rummaging through her back full of scribbled on legal pads, muscle rollers, and random items of clothing.

You had packed your favorite black jeans that made your legs look flawless, your signature suede boots, and a Kith hoodie. You wanted to look put together but also casual and cool. Most importantly, you wanted to impress all of your idols. This was your only chance to give them the best first impression of you.

You thought about grabbing your Oakland sweatshirt that your parents got you as a gag gift for Christmas, in honor of your celebrity crush’s hometown. You immediately regretted even thinking of wearing it, as Daveed would definitely find it way too weird. You were from Massachusetts... not California. The Bay Area would be embarrassed for you.

“I just brought these little guys. All black, of course. Feel like it does the job. Also, the sweatshirt will let me eat alllllll of the pizza guilt free.”

Michelle stared longingly at your suede boots. “These are fuckin fancy!”

“They’re only Steve Madden!!” You were proud of your ability to find luxury looking goods for a cheap price. You don’t think that will ever change, even when you saw your first broadway check hit your checking account.

You were happy you could share a safe and fun dressing room space with Michelle and knew the two of you would become close friends.

You both ran into the shower room across the hallway, and quickly washed off. You decided you were going to straighten your long light brown hair. You loved your hair, but it got so curly and tangled when you sweat. Thankfully they were going to put you in a wig for the show instead of using your natural locks. Being a head sweat-er was the worst. Your makeup was minimal, as you looked best with a nice dewy makeup glow, with highlighted cheekbones. You wore a nude matte lipstick, which matched the natural color of your lips, and lightly liquid lined a cat eye over your big (insert eye color) eyes.

You saw your reflection. You didn’t know if it was the confidence of finally reaching your goal or if you just were having a good hair/makeup day... but you were stunning.

“Damn mama!” Michelle gasped as she saw your finished look. “Whose mans are you about to steal at this gig? Better not be Cedric, he’s mine.”

You laughed. You couldn’t help to think about who you already had your heart set on.

“Definitely not Cedric.”

Michelle opened her iPhone 11 plus and immediately opted for a mirror selfie. She quickly opened Instagram and posted it to her story.

You opened the app yourself to go check if it looked good.

Posted 32 secs ago

#MamaHam and #TheBullet hit the town 🎉

“Ready?” Michelle asked, putting the final touches of her gold Fenty highlight on her cheeks. “We should grab a quick bite before hitting the place. I plan on drinking my weight in Truly seltzers tonight.”

“Let’s get it.” You smiled. “I’ll call the uber.”

——

You called the uber, hopped in, and began driving downtown. You felt your anxiety creeping up on you.

“Trulys? Really? I’m gonna need to be doing shots of Jager in order to be able to speak a single word to any of these principals.”

“What are you... nervous? You already got the role. You’re equals with these guys.”

She wasn’t wrong.

“Guess I’ll just have to act as chill as possible. That’s the plan anyways... also Michelle, wanna know something ridiculous?”

“What?”

“I’ve had a middle school full fledged crush on Daveed since I can remember.”

She blurted out with laughter.

“Well girl he is on the market now. Shoot ya shot.”

You already knew this. Daveed was recently single and focusing on rebuilding himself up. His breakup with his last girlfriend wasn’t bad. It was mature and mutual. You knew he was taking time to himself, so you didn’t want to be overbearingly flirtatious when you first met him.

You also couldn’t stop thinking about your ex, whom you left last year around this time. His goals just weren’t lining up with your future. He hated musicals, he hated almost everything you liked... but you couldn’t stand the fact you shattered his heart.

“I’ll see what happens... after 5 shots.” You responded, winking at Michelle.

__

You arrived at the cutest little Italian place downtown in TriBeCa. You knew carbs and wine were the perfect pregame for this shindig.

After loads of pasta and splitting a bottle of wine, you began to feel the confidence needed to shake the nerves from you. You hit the bathroom to give yourself a double check before walking to your final destination.

—

As you walked up to the massive high rise residence, you couldn’t believe this was your lifestyle now. As you approached, you noticed an extremely familiar face exit the revolving door.

Holy shit, that’s Rafa.

Rafael Casal. Daveed Diggs’ best friend.

You stopped in your tracks stunned.

He turned his head immediately in your and Michelle’s direction.

“Y/N?! What’s going on?!”

“Shut up shut up shut up...” you whispered through your teeth. “Just keep walking.”

As he passed you both, he smiled, and turned into the Duane Reade on the corner. Probably picking up something he forgot.

You realized you would be on edge all night not being able to keep your cool. Rafa wasn’t even in the damn OBC and here you were, freaking out entirely on the freaking sidewalk.

Through the doors you went, passing the crystal clear marble floors, giant chandeliers, and up to the doorman.

“Can I help you beautiful ladies?”

Michelle blushed. The doorman was actually attractive.

“We’re here for Klemons? Penthouse 2?”

“Oh yeah! Hamilton!!! Love that show. Have fun!”

You hit the elevator as you looked down at your phone.

9:18pm

Perfect timing. Almost 20 mins late. Fashionably late, of course.

“Oh shit shit shit.”

You realized you haven’t changed your wallpaper from Daveed grabbing his crotch.

Michelle laughed as you fumbled to change your wallpaper to a pic of you and your family from when you were younger. Perfect. A conversation starter. Your overthinking was killing you softly.

Your teeth were legit chattering. You felt anxiety waves rush through your nervous system. The pit in your stomach grew. Your heart was beating a mile a minute. This was it. Your chance at something greater than you ever thought was possible to achieve.

The elevator doors opened to the open concept apartment. Voices were clashing over the blaring hip hop music in the dimly lit room. A full bar in the corner, Joe’s pizza scattered over the island in the kitchen. Beer pong set up on the dining room table.

There they were. Every single one of em. Scattered across the flat. Starstruck wasn’t even the beginning of what you felt.

Your eyes scanned quickly around.

There he was. Curly headed locks and all. Leaning up against the floor to ceiling windows that circled the place, holding a cocktail in his strong, large right hand accessorized with a few rings. Simply staring at the sights of the city. He looked like a million bucks and he was in a simple casual outfit. Light washed jeans, black boots, with his left hand in his black hoodie pocket.

Wait. You guys were wearing the same hoodie.

The same fucking hoodie.

Of course this would happen.

tag list:

@alexander-hamilhoe

#daveed diggs x reader #daveed diggs #daveed x reader #fanfic #Alexander-hamilhoe

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1976

Under the cut.

Bay City Rollers – “Saturday Night” -- January 3, 1976

They prove they can spell Saturday a lot. Anyway, he's going out to dance with his girl on Saturday night. The song is bouncy to a fault -- I feel like the repetitive, samey beat is following one of those balls the mind-controlled kids bounced in A Wrinkle in Time. It sounds like a cheerleading chant. Something to do aerobics to, not to dance to.

C.W. McCall – “Convoy” -- January 10, 1976

So, besides the cb radio fad, 1976 was also the year of the OPEC oil crisis and basically, it seems the reason truckers became folk heroes evading The Man in popular consciousness had its roots in international relations. Anyway, it's a baritone story song, but about truckers instead of cowboys. I like the verse, "Well, we shot the line and we went for broke/ With a thousand screamin' trucks/ An' eleven long-haired Friends o' Jesus/ In a chartreuse micro-bus." It's a silly song with a lot of trucker lingo (or fake trucker lingo, idk), and I don't exactly dislike it, but I'm not gonna listen to it again either.

Barry Manilow – “I Write The Songs” -- January 17, 1976

It's obvious from the first lines "I've been alive forever/ And I wrote the very first songs" that Barry's not singing about himself. It turns out "music" wrote the all the songs. Except that's obnoxious too. People wrote the songs. Also possibly birds, but definitely people. And it's musical goo.

Diana Ross – “Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” -- January 24, 1976

It's a song about regretting letting an ex go, and probably more. There's a ton of orchestration that sounds like it belongs in a lightweight movie, and Diana Ross doesn't put much emotion into it. It is a thoughtful song, rather than one calling for melodrama, but I would like to hear some emotion here, and I am not getting it. A trifle light as air.

Ohio Players – “Love Rollercoaster” -- January 31, 1976

It's a funk/disco thing. I've listened to it three times trying to get anything from it at all. The lyrics are dumb, asserting love is like this or that amusement park experience. I'd think "love rollercoaster" would be about how there are huge highs and terrifying lows, but it's not. It's horribly repetitive. I guess it's danceable. But I find it dull.

Paul Simon – “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” -- February 7, 1976

I love how pared down this song is. It's sort of funky, without all the funk orchestration. The simple drums are the main focus. The melody's also simple, without being dull. And the lyrics aren't complex; a woman is encouraging the narrator to leave his official lover for her. "Just get yourself free." But she's doing it so very nicely -- "I wish there were something I could do to make you smile again." Not that the song expects us to believe she or the narrator actually are nice. Or that it's really all that easy to leave your lover. But it doesn't tell you what to think about the situation either. An excellent song.

Rhythm Heritage – “Theme From S.W.A.T.“ -- February 28, 1976

Apparently, there was a TV show about S.W.A.T., and this was its instrumental theme song. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Not a good TV theme either. I looked up 1976 shows, and here are some shows with better TV themes from that year: Charlie's Angels, Alice, M*A*S*H, Happy Days (which surprisingly only hit #5), All in the Family, Barney Miller, Welcome Back Kotter (which hit #1 later), The Jeffersons (that Movin' On Up doesn't seem to have been a hit is shocking), The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Sanford and Son, The Bob Newhart Show... look, all of them. All shows in 1976 that I can find had better theme songs than S.W.A.T., often to a staggering degree. But songs don't reach #1 for being good. Still, usually I can hazard a reason for them. I can't for this one.

The Four Seasons – “December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” -- March 13, 1976

It's about the narrator getting laid for the first time. He didn't even know the name of the woman, which completely undercuts anything happy or fun about this song for me, and makes it icky. At least it's not falsetto. I wasn't born when it came out, yet it was overplayed on the oldies stations in the 90s so much that I developed a deep and abiding hatred for it.

Johnnie Taylor – “Disco Lady” -- April 3, 1976

This is a song about disco that isn't a disco song. As such, it confuses me. It's kind of a mild funk/soul song, and it's about how turned on this guy is watching a woman disco. Johnnie Taylor can definitely sing, and I'd like to hear some more traditional soul/jazz stuff from him. This isn't doing it for me.

The Bellamy Brothers – “Let Your Love Flow” -- May 1, 1976

I saw the title and immediately the song shoved itself into my head. It's such a mellow song, but the hook is still monstrous. The song is about how it's the season for love, so grab your lover and "let your love flow." It's one of many 70s songs about sex that sounds like it could be a song about how pretty trees are. It kind of is about how pretty trees are too. I rather like it.

John Sebastian – “Welcome Back” -- May 8, 1976

Welcome Back, Kotter was not on Nick at Nite or WGN or anything else that ran old TV shows when I was watching TV (rather than the internet), so I've never seen it. The theme song lays it all out -- someone moves back to his old neighborhood, where they need him. As TV theme songs go, it's fine. Just fine, though. When "Movin' On Up" and "Love Is All Around" were also theme songs for TV shows in 1976, why this one? The rewards of mediocrity I guess.

The Sylvers – “Boogie Fever” -- May 15, 1976

It's literal. You come in contact with someone who can't stop boogie-ing, and you will catch the Boogie Fever yourself. Listening to the song will certainly make you want to boogie, unless you are immune. A fun dance song, and I wouldn't be surprised if Tik-Tok made it a hit again in the next year.

Wings – “Silly Love Songs” -- May 22, 1976

"Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs / What’s wrong with that?" Nothing.  Paul even emphasizes something important in it: "Love isn't silly at all." Still, I can't say it's one of my favorites. I get tired of it about halfway through, and it's a long song. A silly love song shouldn't be nearly 6 minutes long.

Diana Ross – “Love Hangover” -- May 29, 1976

It starts with Diana Ross making sex sounds that I find embarrassing. Then she goes into singing about how she doesn't want to get over "the sweetest love hangover", and a minute and a half in it becomes a disco song. I find the entire thing irritating.

Starland Vocal Band – “Afternoon Delight” -- July 10, 1976

"Afternoon delight" is sex, but these doofuses may as well be singing about tea and scones for all the excitement this song has. It still doesn't deserve the hatred it's gotten. But it's not good either. The number of sexless sex songs in the 70s is just... ugh.

The Manhattans – “Kiss And Say Goodbye” -- July 24, 1976

He has to break up with the person he's been cheating with. It's an achingly sad Philly soul song. It also manages to be way sexier than the vast majority of 70s sex songs. Real emotion (or the ability to fake real emotion) does a lot, as does being able to sing like this. And beautiful backing music. It's so sad, and so good.

Elton John & Kiki Dee – “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” -- August 7, 1976

This song isn't mutual. Elton John's the one who sings "don't go breaking my heart," and Kiki Dee's the one singing "I won't go breaking your heart." It is all and entirely and completely about the male character's feelings. Of course it's an Elton John song so I wouldn't like it anyway, but I really don't like this one, especially because it still gets airplay.

Bee Gees – “You Should Be Dancing” -- September 4, 1976

I hate the Bee Gees. Not on a personal level -- as far as I know they're perfectly decent people -- but their music. And I have a particular hatred for Barry Gibb's voice. His horrible falsetto has caused me immense pain in my life. If I should be dancing, then they need to shut up and sit down and let a band that I can dance to take the stage. As it is, I feel like a dog during the 4th of July; I just want to hide under a bed.

KC & The Sunshine Band – “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” -- September 11, 1976

Here's a command to dance that I can get behind. Or that my behind can get behind. Again, a great song for dancing but not for listening to from KC & The Sunshine Band.

Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music” -- September 18, 1976

Good for both dancing and listening. How you can listen and not get into that funk groove even when sitting, though, I don't know. Play that funky music till you die.

Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – “A Fifth Of Beethoven” -- October 9, 1976

This was the #1 hit the week I was born. It's a good one for me; it's by a guy who loved classical music enough to write contemporary music based on it. Whenever I'm faced with questions about what kind of music is my favorite, my answer is "the good kind." Anyway, this is a fun song.

Rick Dees And His Cast Of Idiots – “Disco Duck (Part 1)” -- October 16, 1976

Billboard used to base their hit songs on calling record stores and asking what was selling. I think that's how this stupid, stupid song reached number one. I think it was a prank by a bunch of stoned college kids who co-ordinated it over cb radio or something. It's about a duck. Who discos. With an obnoxious voice and obnoxious music. It's by a radio dj, and is as painfully unfunny as radio djs usually are.

Chicago – “If You Leave Me Now” -- October 23, 1976

This song makes me have a weird reaction. It gives me the warm, comfortable fuzzies, and makes me want to sleep. That last part might not be too surprising, as it is a soft song, but to me it is very much more than that. I have always had trouble sleeping at night, since birth. My parents hit on putting me into the car and driving around with soft music playing to get me to go lights out. I need to ask them if they played Chicago during that. I can't think of any other reason for my hindbrain association with this szzzzzzz....

Steve Miller Band – “Rock’n Me” -- November 6, 1976

Good bar rock, since it's the Steve Miller Band. Lyrically, it's also more complex than most of its genre. At first, he sings "I got to please my sweet baby, yeah." Then he starts singing about all the places he's been, including "Northern California where the girls are warm." And then "Babe, you know you are a friend of mine/ And you know that it's true/ That all the things that I do/ Are gonna come back to you in your sweet time." Well then. I can totally see @katatty's Duncan Huckleberry singing this song. And getting away with everything. It's a fun song, though (because?) the narrator is likely a dirtbag.

Rod Stewart – “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)” -- November 13, 1976

It's a sex song, and it is hugely skeevy. "Don't deny your man's desire/ You’d be a fool to stop this tide / Spread your wings and let me come inside." No, asshole, cover it up if you want to come near. And how about if you want her, you care something about her desire? This was a huge hit from a huge star, but I have never heard it until now. Ugh. I need to shower, this is gross. Also I hope whoever he's singing to is packing mace.

BEST OF 1976 -- "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." I don't even think it's an amazing song, just a very good one, but the 1976 #1s don't leave me much to work with. Fleetwood Mac released some singles, but people wanted "Disco Duck" rather than "Over My Head." Tons of great music has survived from 1976, but most of it is not on this list. WORST OF 1976 -- "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)". "Disco Duck" is stupid, but it doesn't make my skin crawl.

#billboard number ones

[oracleofbullshyt-blog]

David Balme - New Home

From operator to Captain here’s a short.

Also someone send help please, the procrastination game is strong.

--------------------------

“Operator Balme welcome back to Terran space, how did the United Fleet exercises go?”

Operator David Balme stood outside the unarmed transport that had ferried his squad back from Federation space, running a hand through his hair he looked around the transport deck of the Atlas Carrier as the rest of his squad departed with their bags slung over their shoulders.

“Good Captain, the United Fleet is a force to be reckoned with, I’m glad to report we can at least match most of the species in close quarter combat and our marksmen skills are some of the best. Those hive mind species though, we’ve had to come up with some interesting tactics, however its all in my report sir.”

Balme walked with the rest of his crew to the waiting bay to be ferried back to the Cloud City, when one of the research department came running out to him short of breath,

“Mr Balme, Balme! I’ve been asked to come see you to the loading bay, there’s something there your squad will enjoy”

The squad met at the loading bay, standing on the catwalk overlooking the automated rail gun loader where they were met by an android and a technician. The android raised an arm to the captain in greeting speaking in a monotone voice, currently using a smaller petite female-like form.

“Operator Balme, I am F1o0Mx37uz, you may call me Floom. These are the new generation Boarding vehicles, coated in activated Titanium they can bore through any shielding. Their runtimes actively find corridors that have the least material between you and them, allowing the booster in the rear to punch a hole to allow you to have access to the ship in order to disable it. The best part is the inertial dampers allow them to be shot out the Rail Gun.”

The squad looked over the torpedoes before someone started to laugh, Operator Gale a short red-haired women rubbed the back of her neck in thought,

“Damn boss, you want us to be shot out into space from a cannon in a soup can? We’re do I sign up?”

The crew laughed in response as Floom looked at them, its sensors audibly whirring,

“The network overseeing this project is confused by that statement Operator Gale, there are 48 designations saying this is a colloquialism, another 37 saying that these words have no correlation and a further 121 currently discussing why we still work with humans.”

Balme looked over at the android chuckling,

“You know you the network loves us, it makes sense just don’t spend to many resources trying to work it out.”

As they walked back a siren wailed, the crew looked around to see why when an announcement came over the speakers.

“’Attention all personnel, as of five minutes ago the research stations around Jupiter have gone dark. We are now at war with the Angamar. I repeat. We are now at war with the Angamar… May all of our Gods, new and old, save our souls.”

Operator Balme looked at his squad, a determined look on their faces, everyone knew what this meant,

“Dolos squad! Back to work, gear up and get to the fighter bay, let’s play rear watch.” “This better be over fast, my sister’s wedding is tomorrow”

Scrubs sighed as walked past the torpedoes.

This is how Dolos squad found themselves spread through Terran space in the rear turrets of an assortment of bombers and fighters, each attempting to cover their comrades as they flew formations.

Operator Gale came over the squad’s communicator in a panicked tone,

“Balme! We need to do something more than this, we’re being picked apart up here. We just lost the Defiance and the Atlas’s engines are crippled. For God’s sake there’s civilians evacuating ships and running munitions!” “Someone contact Floom and tell them to get those soup cans ready! Who’s up for a roller coaster ride?”

The formation returned back to the Atlas after their run and Dolos Squad ran out to the Rail gun loading bay. In full combat gear they were a force to be reckoned with, loaded out in close quarter combat gear they reached the torpedoes and were briefed by Floom. They loaded themselves in and prepared for launch. Balme pulled out the St Cristopher’s he kept around his wrist and gave it a kiss as he felt the torpedo accelerate through the rail gun. Moments later he felt a sharp deceleration as he breached the shield. Then a crash and the squeal of metal tearing through metal. The bottom opened underneath him, and he dropped onto the floor of the Angamar Capital ship, combat ready he checked the corridor waiting for his squad.

The bodies of the Angamar crew lined the corridor as the last torpedo breached, the squad was all present.

“Dolos squad, our priority is to disable this ship. We’re going to put it into meltdown. We’ve trained for this let’s go”

They moved through the ship with minimal hinderance, the crew not prepared for boarders and so were little effort to dispatch. They reached the reactor core and finished off the final crew left in engineering.

“Gale set it to meltdown, Bones set the radiation to dump into here so they can’t fix it, Scrubs get on disabling the shield, the rest of you lets watch the exits!”

The crew moved as a well-oiled machine, each member well versed in common were able to quickly finish their objectives while the rest guarded. Scrubs looked up from his panel,

“Balme they’ve locked out the doors we can’t access them!”

Bones looked up at him in panic,

“There’s going to be a radiation dump in 180 seconds”

Balme looked around for an answer before Gale undid her weapon and started taking it apart.

“Balme if we take the plasma cartridges out of these guns and set them to overload, we can burn a hole large enough for us to fit through, but we’ll be left with our side arms only.”

“Do it every one, let’s get to that transport bay!”

The crew ran down the corridors warily watching for any opposition as they heard a feint explosion behind them, the signal that they had succeeded in their mission. They stopped to check the scans of the ship to find the right path when enemy fire rained down on them. As they ran for cover behind anything they could find, Balme turned to return fire and saw Bones on the floor. A clean wound through where his heart should have been.

“Bones is down! Find me another exit!”

The fire fight turned ugly, each member starting to take injuries, they spent longer than they should have trying to defend their position before finding an alternate route, Gale shutting blast doors between them as they went, to protect themselves.

They reached the transport bay where there ride out would be, as the door slid open, they readied to fight their way through. They breached. They exchanged shots. Somebody was hit. Another fell trying to get to them. Then sirens rang as a ship came in too hot. It hit the fuel tanks and exploded. Their world was ablaze as they scrambled back to the entrance they came from.

“Sound off!”

Balme fell against the wall as he was racked in a coughing fit from the putrid smoke burning his throat.

“Gale” “Scrubs” “Sound off I said!”

The same answers again. They had lost six members of the Squad, three remained including him and their only means of transport off the ship was lost. Gale sat their looking at him from across the corridor, her ponytail singed at the tips, her face covered in soot and dirt. Scrubs sat cradling his torso as he chuckled, licking the blood off his lips. Balme felt fear, true fear for the first time, he needed to fix this.

“Back to the torpedoes, they have air enough to last and they’re protected. We’ll put out an emergency signal and be found after the battle.”

They made their way back to the not bothering to look behind them as they went, when they reached the torpedoes, they looked on distraught as only two remained.

“Scrubs get in you’re the largest, me and Gale will share.”

Scrubs chuckled holding his chest as he winced in pain,

“Aye boss, you always did have your eyes on her”

With a wink he climbed in and Balme shut the door behind him. Balme lifted Gale into the torpedo and climbed in after her. He smelt ozone and his eyes widened, he scrambled to close the door as the corridor was enveloped in flames, shrapnel rang around the inside of the torpedo and he felt a sharp pain in his wrist as a piece of shrapnel nicked the St Christopher he kept there. He watched it fall through the opening as the door slammed shut from the force of the explosion and they were ejected out into space. His radio channel opened,

“Balme! Balme! There’s a breach, I’m leaking oxygen. Oh god the crack is growing! Balme. Tell my sister I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to her wedding!”

The channel closed after the rush of escaping air and didn’t open again, Balme closed his eyes and held Gale closer to him, it was just them now in a pod meant for one.

“Gale we’ll make it through this, were going to get home.”

The shuddering breath made him open his eyes, a quiet forced voice scared him,

“Boss, Balme. Did he mean it when he said you had your eye on me?”

His hands raised to feel Gales body, he felt the warmth of the thick fluid flow between his fingers. Frantically trying to find the source before he felt the open wound underneath her sternum. He could feel his eyes starting to well, his face was getting hot. He couldn’t lose her too.

“Gale hold on. Please. Well make it through this.” “I’m sorry David, I don’t want to leave you alone”

Her final words died on her lips as her head lulled back into his shoulder. He wept now, with everything he had he wept. He wept till he passed out from the lack of oxygen.

He came to on the bridge of a ship, on a burnt mattress surrounded by destroyed electronics and broken screens. He wept as he sat up, he wept because he was alive and because he had no right to be.

“Hey, hey its alright. I’m Ben and that’s Omni, take a rest but we really need help putting the ship back together.”

#humans are odd #HUMANS ARE WEIRD #humans are space orcs #humans are space oddities #space #Space Ship #EARTH IS SPACE AUSTRALIA #short story #storytelling #Original Work #original character #Vahatu #Leonidas's Shield #Captain Balme

[pastacake666]

MY TOP 10 COVER SONGS

I have compiled this list just to show how out of touch I am with current music. Always have been, always been an oldies station person.

I’m sure I have left out a lot of covers that, when I remember them I will kick myself for not having included them here. So this list is just temporary, based on my current mood. But that is not to say it contains some cracking songs! I mean it does.

Most of the time the original is just as good as the cover version, but there are a couple exceptions.

Let’s get started! Go go go go gogogogogogogogo

Number 10

DUCKTALES! Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons - Who Wrote the Book of Love? (Original: The Monotones)

I’m not a huge fan of the original, to be honest. The quality of the recording isn’t great, perhaps because it’s such an old song from the ‘50s. I like my harmonies clean and floating, and TFS can give me that, along with some of that 80′s cartoon nostalgia.

Number 9

The Beatles - Mr Postman (Original: The Marvelettes)

The difference between the two isn’t huge. It’s largely just gender pronouns that have been altered. Having said that, I do like me some early Beatles.

Number 8

Eruption - One Way Ticket (Original: Neil Sedaka)

I used to like Neil Sedaka when I was too young to know what proper quality music was. Over time I have come to tolerate his voice less and less. I don’t mind a bit of 50s/60s cheese but he’s just crossing a line. So thank goodness for Eruption, for coming along and taking on what is frankly a kind if whiny song and performing a disco miracle.

Number 7

Sonata Arctica - Wind Beneath My Wings (Original: Bette Midler)

I have tried listening to Bette Midler’s version but it’s just so zzzzz.

I recommend listening to SA’s version and picturing your number 1 OTP. Enjoy.

Number 6

The Proclaimers - King of the Road (Original: Roger Miller)

Like the original, + harmonies and scottish accents.

Number 5

Carol Douglas - Doctor’s Orders (Original: Sunny)

Love this song. Both versions are great. Sunny’s is more Dusty Springfield-y. Carol took that upbeat shlock, turned down the tempo a notch, added some smooth base and violins and all that delightful disco stuff. Now there are two super versions for two different moods.

Number 4

Gloria Gaynor - Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Original: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons)

Does this even need an introduction or explanation?

Number 3

The Bay City Rollers - I Only Want To Be With You (Original: Dusty Springfield)

All time fave.

Number 2

Freddie Mercury - The Great Pretender (Original: The Platters)

The original is also great and that. I couldn’t pick a favourite. Sometimes I’ll go for the simpler sound, other times I might want all that theatricality. Other times I might just want some of that Freddie and Roger in drag.  Why are you asking me if I am jelaous of that lady? What’s that got to do with anything?

Now that I think about it, was that third lady even an actual... You know, I’ll just stop before I insult somebody. Well there is cause to be jelaus either way.

Number 1

Klaus Nomi - Lightning Strikes (Original: Lou Christie)

I mean this cover is just genious. The original you might know is just another meaningless but harmless 60′s song about marriage.

Then you have Klaus singing it like a kind of psychopath, as if he’s trying to brainwash you into joining his cult. And in the end, isn’t that what marriage is?

Why oh why isn’t this on Spotify?

#cover songs #music

[ofblcckcats]

You do not do, you do not do Any more, black shoe In which I have lived like a foot For thirty years, poor and white, Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.

Daddy, I have had to kill you. You died before I had time— Marble-heavy, a bag full of God, Ghastly statue with one gray toe Big as a Frisco seal And a head in the freakish Atlantic Where it pours bean green over blue In the waters off the beautiful Nauset. I used to pray to recover you. Ach, du. In the German tongue, in the Polish town Scraped flat by the roller Of wars, wars, wars. But the name of the town is common. My Polack friend Says there are a dozen or two. So I never could tell where you Put your foot, your root, I never could talk to you. The tongue stuck in my jaw. It stuck in a barb wire snare. Ich, ich, ich, ich, I could hardly speak. I thought every German was you. And the language obscene An engine, an engine, Chuffing me off like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen. I began to talk like a Jew. I think I may well be a Jew. The snows of the Tyrol, the clear beer of Vienna Are not very pure or true. With my gypsy ancestress and my weird luck And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack I may be a bit of a Jew. I have always been scared of you, With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo. And your neat mustache And your Aryan eye, bright blue. Panzer-man, panzer-man, O You— Not God but a swastika So black no sky could squeak through. Every woman adores a Fascist, The boot in the face, the brute Brute heart of a brute like you. You stand at the blackboard, daddy, In the picture I have of you, A cleft in your chin instead of your foot But no less a devil for that, no not Any less the black man who Bit my pretty red heart in two. I was ten when they buried you. At twenty I tried to die And get back, back, back to you. I thought even the bones would do. But they pulled me out of the sack, And they stuck me together with glue. And then I knew what to do. I made a model of you, A man in black with a Meinkampf look And a love of the rack and the screw. And I said I do, I do. So daddy, I'm finally through. The black telephone's off at the root, The voices just can't worm through. If I've killed one man, I've killed two— The vampire who said he was you And drank my blood for a year, Seven years, if you want to know. Daddy, you can lie back now. There's a stake in your fat black heart And the villagers never liked you. They are dancing and stamping on you. They always knew it was you. Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through. In Memory of W. B. Yeats by W. H. Auden I He disappeared in the dead of winter: The brooks were frozen, the airports almost deserted, And snow disfigured the public statues; The mercury sank in the mouth of the dying day. What instruments we have agree The day of his death was a dark cold day. Far from his illness The wolves ran on through the evergreen forests, The peasant river was untempted by the fashionable quays; By mourning tongues The death of the poet was kept from his poems. But for him it was his last afternoon as himself, An afternoon of nurses and rumours; The provinces of his body revolted, The squares of his mind were empty, Silence invaded the suburbs, The current of his feeling failed; he became his admirers. Now he is scattered among a hundred cities And wholly given over to unfamiliar affections, To find his happiness in another kind of wood And be punished under a foreign code of conscience. The words of a dead man Are modified in the guts of the living. But in the importance and noise of to-morrow When the brokers are roaring like beasts on the floor of the Bourse, And the poor have the sufferings to which they are fairly accustomed, And each in the cell of himself is almost convinced of his freedom, A few thousand will think of this day As one thinks of a day when one did something slightly unusual. What instruments we have agree The day of his death was a dark cold day. II You were silly like us; your gift survived it all: The parish of rich women, physical decay, Yourself. Mad Ireland hurt you into poetry. Now Ireland has her madness and her weather still, For poetry makes nothing happen: it survives In the valley of its making where executives Would never want to tamper, flows on south From ranches of isolation and the busy griefs, Raw towns that we believe and die in; it survives, A way of happening, a mouth. III Earth, receive an honoured guest: William Yeats is laid to rest. Let the Irish vessel lie Emptied of its poetry. In the nightmare of the dark All the dogs of Europe bark, And the living nations wait, Each sequestered in its hate; Intellectual disgrace Stares from every human face, And the seas of pity lie Locked and frozen in each eye. Follow, poet, follow right To the bottom of the night, With your unconstraining voice Still persuade us to rejoice; With the farming of a verse Make a vineyard of the curse, Sing of human unsuccess In a rapture of distress; In the deserts of the heart Let the healing fountain start, In the prison of his days Teach the free man how to praise. Proem: To Brooklyn Bridge by Hart Crane How many dawns, chill from his rippling rest The seagull's wings shall dip and pivot him, Shedding white rings of tumult, building high Over the chained bay waters Liberty— Then, with inviolate curve, forsake our eyes As apparitional as sails that cross Some page of figures to be filed away; —Till elevators drop us from our day ... I think of cinemas, panoramic sleights With multitudes bent toward some flashing scene Never disclosed, but hastened to again, Foretold to other eyes on the same screen; And Thee, across the harbor, silver-paced As though the sun took step of thee, yet left Some motion ever unspent in thy stride,— Implicitly thy freedom staying thee! Out of some subway scuttle, cell or loft A bedlamite speeds to thy parapets, Tilting there momently, shrill shirt ballooning, A jest falls from the speechless caravan. Down Wall, from girder into street noon leaks, A rip-tooth of the sky's acetylene; All afternoon the cloud-flown derricks turn ... Thy cables breathe the North Atlantic still. And obscure as that heaven of the Jews, Thy guerdon ... Accolade thou dost bestow Of anonymity time cannot raise: Vibrant reprieve and pardon thou dost show. O harp and altar, of the fury fused, (How could mere toil align thy choiring strings!) Terrific threshold of the prophet's pledge, Prayer of pariah, and the lover's cry,— Again the traffic lights that skim thy swift Unfractioned idiom, immaculate sigh of stars, Beading thy path—condense eternity: And we have seen night lifted in thine arms. Under thy shadow by the piers I waited; Only in darkness is thy shadow clear. The City's fiery parcels all undone, Already snow submerges an iron year ... O Sleepless as the river under thee, Vaulting the sea, the prairies' dreaming sod, Unto us lowliest sometime sweep, descend And of the curveship lend a myth to God. Tom O' Bedlam's Song anonymous ballad, circa 1620 From the hag and hungry goblin That into rags would rend ye, The spirit that stands by the naked man In the Book of Moons, defend ye. That of your five sound senses You never be forsaken, Nor wander from your selves with Tom Abroad to beg your bacon,    While I do sing, Any food, any feeding,    Feeding, drink or clothing;    Come dame or maid, be not afraid,    Poor Tom will injure nothing. Of thirty bare years have I Twice twenty been enragèd, And of forty been three times fifteen In durance soundly cagèd. On the lordly lofts of Bedlam With stubble soft and dainty, Brave bracelets strong, sweet whips, ding-dong, With wholesome hunger plenty,    And now I sing, Any food, any feeding,    Feeding, drink or clothing;    Come dame or maid, be not afraid,    Poor Tom will injure nothing. With a thought I took for Maudlin, And a cruse of cockle pottage, With a thing thus tall, sky bless you all, I befell into this dotage. I slept not since the Conquest, Till then I never wakèd, Till the roguish boy of love where I lay Me found and stript me nakèd.    While I do sing, Any food, any feeding,    Feeding, drink or clothing;    Come dame or maid, be not afraid,    Poor Tom will injure nothing. When I short have shorn my sow's face And swigged my horny barrel, In an oaken inn, I pound my skin As a suit of gilt apparel; The moon's my constant mistress, And the lovely owl my marrow; The flaming drake and the night crow make Me music to my sorrow.    While I do sing, Any food, any feeding,    Feeding, drink or clothing;    Come dame or maid, be not afraid,    Poor Tom will injure nothing. The palsy plagues my pulses When I prig your pigs or pullen Your culvers take, or matchless make Your Chanticleer or Sullen. When I want provant, with Humphry I sup, and when benighted, I repose in Paul's with waking souls, Yet never am affrighted.    But I do sing, Any food, any feeding,    Feeding, drink or clothing;    Come dame or maid, be not afraid,    Poor Tom will injure nothing. I know more than Apollo, For oft when he lies sleeping I see the stars at mortal wars In the wounded welkin weeping. The moon embrace her shepherd, And the Queen of Love her warrior, While the first doth horn the star of morn, And the next the heavenly Farrier.    While I do sing, Any food, any feeding,    Feeding, drink or clothing;    Come dame or maid, be not afraid,    Poor Tom will injure nothing. The Gypsies, Snap and Pedro, Are none of Tom's comradoes, The punk I scorn, and the cutpurse sworn And the roaring boy's bravadoes. The meek, the white, the gentle, Me handle not nor spare not; But those that cross Tom Rynosseross Do what the panther dare not.    Although I sing, Any food, any feeding,    Feeding, drink or clothing;    Come dame or maid, be not afraid,    Poor Tom will injure nothing. With an host of furious fancies, Whereof I am commander, With a burning spear and a horse of air To the wilderness I wander. By a knight of ghosts and shadows I summoned am to tourney Ten leagues beyond the wide world's end: Methinks it is no journey.    Yet I will sing, Any food, any feeding,    Feeding, drink or clothing;    Come dame or maid, be not afraid,    Poor Tom will injure nothing. After the Persian by Louise Bogan I I do not wish to know The depths of your terrible jungle: From what nest your leopard leaps Or what sterile lianas are at once your serpents' disguise      and home. I am the dweller on the temperate threshold, The strip of corn and vine, Where all is translucence (the light!) Liquidity, and the sound of water. Here the days pass under shade And the nights have the waxing and the waning moon. Here the moths take flight at evening; Here at morning the dove whistles and the pigeons coo. Here, as night comes on, the fireflies wink and snap Close to the cool ground, Shining in a profusion Celestial or marine. Here it is never wholly dark but always wholly green, And the day stains with what seems to be more than the      sun What may be more than my flesh. II I have wept with the spring storm; Burned with the brutal summer. Now, hearing the wind and the twanging bow-strings, I know what winter brings. The hunt sweeps out upon the plain And the garden darkens. They will bring the trophies home To bleed and perish Beside the trellis and the lattices, Beside the fountain, still flinging diamond water, Beside the pool (Which is eight-sided, like my heart). III All has been translated into treasure: Weightless as amber, Translucent as the currant on the branch, Dark as the rose's thorn. Where is the shimmer of evil? This is the shell's iridescence And the wild bird's wing. IV Ignorant, I took up my burden in the wilderness. Wise with great wisdom, I shall lay it down upon flowers. V Goodbye, goodbye! There was so much to love, I could not love it all; I could not love it enough. Some things I overlooked, and some I could not find. Let the crystal clasp them When you drink your wine, in autumn. Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard by Thomas Gray The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea, The ploughman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me. Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds, Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight, And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds: Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tower The moping owl does to the moon complain Of such as, wandering near her secret bower, Molest her ancient solitary reign. Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade, Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, The rude Forefathers of the hamlet sleep. The breezy call of incense-breathing morn, The swallow twittering from the straw-built shed, The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn, Or busy housewife ply her evening care: No children run to lisp their sire's return, Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share, Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield, Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke; How jocund did they drive their team afield! How bow'd the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!

#taaaaaaaaaaaaaaags #tag tags taaaags

[andrewrosswatson1987]

REVIEW: HONEYBLOOD LIVE AT THE LEMON TREE; MAY 31, 2019

Photo Credits: Matt Jolly (Matt Jolly Photography) The Lemon Tree is a venue local bands are occasionally lucky to play as it’s usually acts with a far bigger profile that get afforded the opportunity.  Friday night, just off Aberdeen’s King Street, The Lemon Tree hosted Glasgow indie rock solo project, Honeyblood.  The turnout gradually justified the Friday night billing.  Supporting were another seeming indie rock solo project, LUCIA.

As said, there were only one support act to contend with on the night; that of four-piece, LUCIA.  They consisted of vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Lucia Fairfull (or Lucia Fontainé); lead guitarist, Hamish Fingland; bassist, Chris Ballantyne; and drummer, Ali Scott. Lucia Fairfull started her music career busking on the likes of Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, mostly as an acoustic singer songwriter.  She recorded tracks with Gordy Goudie, of Echo And The Bunnymen, through encouragement from her guitar teacher.  She always wanted to play electric guitar in a rock band, but just didn’t know how to go about it. Moving onto before the release of debut, the Best Boy EP, the band secured support lots with Maximo Park and Bay City Rollers.  They consolidated things with the Cheap Talk EP coming out late last year.

They started driving, yet dragging heels kind of rock. “I’ve just broke a string, so it’s going to be a good gig, you know.  This one’s called Flames.” This one an earworm, grim and burnt to a crisp.  Growing impassioned but still trudging. After that hammered in, straight away. She looked unnerved and a bit crazy. Ticking time bomb and giving you something to look at.  Acerbic guitar. Following this an intense hi-hat groove and very bass centric.

“Sometimes I feel like…I’ve got no control.” This pregnant pause during that line impossibly long. “You’ve all got really nice hair,” she said, looking into the crowd amassed. Following this, melodic bass underpinned deceptively soulful vocal. This contrasted somewhat with controlled dissonance, tension palpable in the air.  Swaggering kind of grungy rock.  “Lay your stress/On my chest…what am I to you?” “This is a song from our first EP, it’s called Saturday Is Dead.” This immediate, syncopated bassline. Another intense, hi-hat groove. “This is a song called Summertime.” More wistful, now.  Sunburn, rather than suntan.  High register bass and hazy wails of guitar washed over.  Guitar subsequently clamoured amidst the hectic mix. Then after ended with machine gunfire drum and guitar, nasty and spiteful. This, their closer, ended with the floor area in front of stage filling out nicely.  In anticipation of what’s to come, or response to a genuinely edgy band?  Maybe a bit of both.

Now for the main act of the night, that of three-piece, Honeyblood.  They consisted of vocalist and guitarist, Stina Tweeddale; bassist, Anna Donigan; and drummer, Debbie Knox-Hewson. They started as Shona McVicar from Cumbernauld and said Edinburgh-born Stina Tweeddale.  The name apparently a mixture of water, honey, cornflour and red food dye Stina once spat over an audience as part of her Halloween costume. Early on in the band’s career, McVicar was forced to take a break in order to complete her dentistry degree then, in September 2014, McVicar left the band to pursue other endeavours and was replaced by Cat Myers. In November 2013, the band travelled to Connecticut to work with producer, Peter Katis, on 2014’s Honeyblood, the album recorded in just ten days. Then, at the end of 2015, Stina and Cat were joined by acclaimed producer, James Dring (Jamie T, Gorillaz), at London’s Fish Factory studio to work on their second album, 2016’s Babes Never Die. Both albums on Fat Cat Records. This time round is album number three, In Plain Sight, which came out last Friday (May 24) via Marathon Artists.  On the same day as “The Third Degree” (February 7) video came out for the album it was announced that Honeyblood will move forward as a solo project, with Myers no longer part of the band. 

They blasted off with “Sea Hearts” to sizeable applause, one big song already ticked off the set list. “Hello, Aberdeen.” Then the intermittent riffs of “Biro” rang out and faded.  Brooding with that moody hit of drum. 

New track, “The Third Degree���, seemed a future anthem about interrogation. Getting the third degree.  Some people were losing themselves, no element of self-consciousness. It was a bit early for “Walking At Midnight” but the track was appreciated, nonetheless.  Like a feminine cry at the sight of a full moon.  Refrain her vocal eerie as sparse guitar rung out. She was keen to clarify “(I’d Rather Be) Anywhere But Here” was about Glasgow, rather than about Aberdeen.  Cheers following this.  Despondent and dreary, plus kind of dreamy.  Even the back of room quite populated. “Such a diva.” “I know, sorry,” apologised Stina. “Hey Stellar” had a hectic beat with an emphatic sort of rhythm.   “We’ve played all the slow ones,” she said.  “So let’s go f*cking mental.” 

And with that came “Super Rat”.  The crowd really saving all their ire for the vermin pervading their lives.  Crowd singing back, “I will hate you forever.” There was then a “Glimmer”, another new one.  Slabs of thick riff amidst quite dainty vocal. “Gibberish” was wailing, wall of guitar.  This also off the latest album. Emphatic, resounding then fading into the ethereal when pared back and sparse. Impassioned, like having had enough. Then they were to “Fall Forever”.  This ramped up periodically, hectic. The question was literal or lateral in new track, “Take The Wheel”.  This wailing amidst the driving dirge, then almost, at the same time, the feel of actually being quite sophisticated. 

Another massive song in their discography, as they cried “Babes Never Die”. Indeed, a long awaited section of the set.  Animated drummer a mop of hair amidst the clattering cacophony of her drum kit.  Refrain really highlighting the crowd reaction. “Are you guys good?” “Yeah!” “Killer Bangs” was hammering intensity.  Clapping, crowd finally and properly lively.

You were then told “She’s A Nightmare”, newbie with matching conspiratorial guitar.  Height of intrigue.  Intermittent, stabbing bass with high intensity hi-hat syncopation penetrating the track. “Ready For The Magic” now that we were approaching the end of the set.  The bass in this one hitting like a wall of bricks. Then they left the stage. “One more tune, one more tune!” “I didn’t prep for this.  Thank you very much, though!  The girls are new.  They don’t know all the songs, yet!” “Bud” was just herself, you could hear a pin drop.  Vocal soaring with true feeling.  Proper whooping after this one.

Honeyblood’s In Plain Sight can be bought on iTunes, here. Also visit their Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify, Google Play Music, Deezer, TuneIn and website pages to keep tabs on Honeyblood.

#Matt Jolly #Matt Jolly Photography #The Lemon Tree #Lemon Tree #Aberdeen #King Street #Honeyblood #LUCIA #Lucia Fairfull #Lucia Fontaine #Hamish Fingland #Chris Ballantyne #Ali Scott #Gordy Goudie #Echo And The Bunnymen #Maximo Park #Bay City Rollers #Best Boy #Best Boy EP #Cheap Talk #Cheap Talk EP #Flames #Saturday Is Dead #Summertime #Stina Tweeddale #Anna Donigan #Debbie Knox-Hewson #Shona McVicar #Cat Myers #In Plain Sight

[dower]

“Out of the blue”: Forty years of musical influence

Musical youth

I think it's fair to say that the generation you were born in generally dicatates your musical tastes. Of course there are exceptions to this, some individuals seem to be born too late and some variations of music are truly timeless.

But. for most folks the musical taste is formed in their youth and then develops or dies depending on how engaged they remain during the ups and downs of life.

This is my journey, my life so far in sounds.

The summer of '77

I turned 12 in August 1977, and my Dad bought a good quality radio and a cassette tape recorder. No more listening to Radio Luxembourg on a tinny transistor radio late into the night in bed. I had found music. Real music.

And the journey starts

Coincidentally, it was the year NASA launched the Voyager mission on its Grand Tour across the solar system, and it carried a golden record embossed with the sounds and music from our earth. Amongst all the classical crap, Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry stood out as an excellent “message in a bottle” to toss out into the cosmic ocean. It said something very hopeful about our future. My future.

It was the start of my second year at “big” school, and I recall recording ELOs “Turn to stone�� from “Out of the Blue” ... directly from AM radio onto a cassette tape using a proper AUX connection, cables and everything. While not entirely replicating the creation of the golden disc carried on Voyager 1, recording my first music was the start of my journey across the cosmos of music - kickstarting a lifelong deep connection to music. My music.

I was too young to understand punk, which had started a year before, and I quickly developed a love of heavy music: Status Quo were still anti-establishment, AC/DC was “just a racket”, and “Motörhead can’t sing”. I loved them all, plus a side-order of Queen and Meatloaf. It was fast, rocky and it spoke to me with heavy guitar riffs and ballad-style lyrics.

Sadly, the late seventies popular music scene was dominated by Radio 1 playlists; ABBA, Showwaddywaddy, The Wurzels, and The Bay City Rollers - and quite a lot of disco. It was mostly terrible. If we had the internet back then, or I had the money to buy independent label stuff then I’d be spending my time with the Stranglers, The Damned and Ducks Deluxe.

It took until 1979, and my parents splitting, to get a proper record player and the freedom to buy vinyl. My first single was Lucky Numbers by Lene Lovich. A poppy-post-punk track that, till this day, I have no idea why I bought it.

The Eighties

The end of the seventies saw the end of punk, fragmenting into New Wave (think Blondie, Talking Heads, The Cars, and The Police) and Post-Punk (Joy Division, Magazine, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Public Image). Peer and “sheep” thinking meant following one, and I went New Wave until that quickly went soft-in-the-head and became mainstream New Romantic (think Duran Duran, Ultravox, Culture Club, and everything else that came out of Rusty Egan’s Blitz Club).

I’d deepened my love of Heavy Metal, getting into Whitesnake and Deep Purple. It was my “style” if you could call it that. I wore jeans, long hair, cut-off jackets and was a “metal head” from 12 through 16 years old, up to 1982 when I moved into the sixth form and peer-grouped with post-punks and moved to a more affluent area.

It’s also when I properly discovered girls, so I smartened how I looked, got into the disruptive intelligentsia punk scene. But fuck knows why - but it was better than dressing like the gender-confused New Romantics.

With no money, my record collection centred around birthday presents, occasional trades and purchases. But I taped everything on the radio and bootlegged albums from friends on “borrowed” C90 tapes. I had been given a second-hand music centre and became my mums worst late-night-loud-music-nightmare.

I was still a kid, I hadn’t developed my own musical identity and very much led by school-related peer groups. I started to break free from the norms, but that was more of a reaction to the rise of manufactured new romance and the cultural backwater that living in rural East Yorkshire meant.

Last train to London

This would all change in 1984 when as a still-wet teenager I moved to London after landing a “cool job” in the city. I was rich, sort of (£7,500 a year), so bought a wicked stereo and went on a bender buying vinyl. Commuting from my flat in Kilburn to Farringdon every day meant recording “best of” tapes to play on my Walkman clone. I was as cool as a cucumber.

At the same time, I discovered the London club scene; I was a regular visitor to the clubs and bars of Londons West End; the Hippodrome in Charing Cross Road and Samantha’s off Regent Street were my regular haunts. Club music at the time was high-energy, so Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Hazel Dean - it wasn’t, to be honest, great music but played so very loud it went through you, you felt it.

I would get home at 3 am and create my club sound by winding the little stereo up until it could take no more. My neighbours, who I mostly never saw, hated my late-nights music blasts.

All grown up

It would stay that way until the release in 1986 (I was now 21) of Dire Strait’s Brother in Arms on CD. Overnight my collection of 300 vinyl records just seemed antiquated. CD quality was mind-bending to hear for the first time. I went mad and spent over £1,000 on a brand new stereo component system (which I mostly still possess) .

Mostly, my musical taste had gone mainstream, but the late 80’s saw the underground rise of House and Acid. By this time I had a car, with a sound system that included CD, so bass-laden house music was where I was at until the early 90s. But, like most folks, my first influences in music stayed with me - and have remained to this day.

The grim 1990s

By 1990, the Voyager 1 probe was now 4,000,000,000 miles away having flown past all the outer planets; it’s mission over. There was nothing new to record, much like my musical taste - not very much new stuff, not really. And then, for no scientific reason, Voyager flipped around and took the famous “pale blue dot” picture - a selfie of planet earth before slipping off into the featureless, quiet outer solar system.

By 1995 I didn’t play vinyl anymore - my decade-old deck got consigned to deep storage and would not see the light of day for another a decade - and vinyl wouldn’t re-appear back in my lounge until 2016. New music had become a little dull and formulaic, yes, The Strokes, Oasis, Blur and Pulp saved the world from totalitarian purgatory but nothing new was firing me up.

I discovered Jamiroquai and Faithless must be listened to at mental volumes, and when high on dope. More free money meant more music, louder rigs, a flirtation with MiniDisc and eventually a massive (at the time) CD jukebox for 300 CDs. I reached “peak sound” in the late 90s, with a pair of fridge-sized Cerwin Vega speakers powered by a massively powerful domestic rig. It would rattle windows and keep several postcodes awake late into the evening.

The iPod revolution

In early 2002 I visited New York and brought back a new invention called the iPod. It held a thousand songs, lasted for hours on a single charge and fitted in your pocket. It was almost unbelievable at the time. Overnight (again) my music collection was out of date - I spent weeks converting my existing CDs into MP3 and illegally acquiring a whole load more music.

Suddenly every track that ever existed was available free of charge, forever. When YouTube appeared, I now had every music video ever filmed available, too. I now had too much music, and with easy skipping, I had, in fact, reduced the range of music I was listening to.

Too much choice is not always a good thing, and when music moved onto my iPhone in 2008, I started to fall out of love with music. I had no stereo in my lounge anymore, and phone battery life was not conducive to mixing calls and music during a typical working day.

Streaming eveything

A year later in 2009 Spotify launched in the U.K. and I was pretty much straight in. My previous collection of music was made redundant for the third time - I probably had 10,000 MP3 tracks stored when I switched over to using a streaming service.

But I still didn’t listen to music at home, not really. I had a small sound dock for events, summer listening outside and occasional dinners but mostly music only existed on my iPhone.

But, on the road, on the train, on the tube, on planes I was back in love with music. And with Spotify I went back and re-explored my early choices and this time I discovered, for the first time, post-punk. Spotify had most of the smaller labels from day one, while big bands such as AC/DC stayed off the streaming platforms.

Hello again

And then randomly in 2015, I decided to fix my vinyl urge. I had lost most of my LPs over the years, but my wife had quite a few records, and we’d occasionally had a vinyl session on a Heath Robinson setup since 2008, but now I wanted to bring vinyl back into the lounge. I bought a modern turntable deck and a retro-looking Marshall speaker. Oh, and an original 1980s graphic equaliser for that authentic look.

I went on to purchase a few Amazon Echo devices, all attached to various music outlets around the house so now it’s just a case of “Alexa, play Ceremony by New Order”. Simple, and brought music into every room of the house. Nor does it require any technical knowledge ... anyone can ask for anything. Perfect.

My technology habits have gone full cycle and more; tranny->tape->vinyl->CD->Minidisc->MP3->Streaming->Vinyl. I still listen to the music from my formative years - 1978 thru to about 1987. In the last few years, I’ve also picked-up the live music bug again, nicely timed as punk turned 40 and all the old bands came out of the woodwork. But mostly my real musical taste is frozen in time, and space.

And Voyager’s Grand Tour of the solar system is complete, travelling at 10 miles per second, it is now over 13,000,000,000 miles away in interstellar space. Long after we’re dead, long after our sun dies, Voyager 1 will still be trucking along - still carrying Johnny B. Goode. I can relate to that; Voyager still carries the music of its formative years.

[davedimartino]

NEW THIS WEEK 12.01.08

Now that Black Friday has come and gone, the year's supply of hot releases is dwindling!

Moments ago I found myself on page 18 of Amazon's list of this week's bestsellers--not a good sign in itself--wondering if it was worth my while, and indeed yours, to announce that Music Elettronica Viva's new 4-CD compilation MEV 40 (1967-2007) was now available to those willing to part with $71.99!

But then, predictably, I noticed the new album by alt-rock legend Burl Ives was out! Done deal!

And then I could stand it no more: I called Britney.

Now find out how you can too!

 Britney Spears: Circus (Jive) Ever since I interviewed Britney Spears 10 years ago, I knew she found me alluring! But I kept her, and my own dark urges, at bay! This week, however, as she celebrates her 27th birthday with Circus, I could stand it no longer! Her constant taunts on the radio--"you're a womanizer," she'd chant, hoping to wear me down--were now stepped up a notch, first via her pleas on this album's masterwork, "Mmm Papi," of "let's make out," and then, even more slyly, with the "clever" pun of "If You Seek Amy"! How she remembered our conversation of a decade ago--when I told her we had a mutual Girl Scout friend named Kamie--I'll never know! But the final blow came when I noticed someone had etched on Circus's cover sticker:  "Call Britney on The B Line: 310-341-4438." I called--and when she picked up and said, "Hi, this is Britney," I quickly hung up and hoped she didn't have caller ID! It's a great record and all--I mean, I really like it--but I'm thinking she should maybe get on with her life and focus on what other people must think! I've got my own life to live, babe!

 Akon: Freedom (Konvict Muzik/Universal Motown) A new album by Akon! He's quite popular--and if his new album cover is any indication, he can finally walk on water! With guest appearances by a stunning array of newcomers--T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Wyclef Jean and Young Jeezy--Freedom is one of the best albums bearing that name ever! There's dance grooves, African sounds, untouchable R&B and so much more that it may well stand head and shoulders above his other albums! Why, you ask?  According to Akon himself, "I'm a lot more conscious than on my first few albums!" Hey, that certainly explains something!

 Original Soundtrack: Cadillac Records (Columbia) Like most of us, when I hear Beyonce sing, I think of two things! And Etta James is one of them! The story of Chess Records finally put to film, sort of, may be one of the year's biggest hits--and with 2 CDs' worth of laudable music covered by the likes of Mos Def, Raphael Saadiq, Jeffrey Wright and Nas and his dad Olu Dara, not to mention Beyonce and her sister Solange, this may inspire a whole new generation to also pick up this music in its original pristine form! Years from now, with pride, let's recall the week the biggest-selling blues record of all time was released!  

 Various Artists: The Best Of Chess: Original Versions Of The Songs in the film Cadillac Records (Chess/Universal) In a perfect world, today's best and brightest will say, "Hey, I liked the music in that new Cadillac Records movie! Let's go to a record store and find a record that contains many of those same tracks sung by the original artists for the Chess Records label back in the old days! I'd like to find out more about Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, Little Walter and will.i.am!" However, in today's less than perfect world, they will walk for several blocks until finally remembering that all the record stores closed a few years ago! Maybe they'll buy some new shoes instead!

 Panic At The Disco: Live In Chicago (CD/DVD) Now closing in on the tail-end of their career--after two whole albums, a few deluxe boxed sets of those albums, and a celebrated String Quartet Tribute to their vast catalog--why shouldn't Panic At The Disco go out in style? And in what better way, these weeks before Christmas, than a deluxe live CD/DVD package capturing the guys in live performance? I’m inclined to spring for this, but I may wait until next year when it's part of a triple CD commemorative gift box or something! Frankly, I started losing interest when they ditched the exclamation mark!

 Neil Young: Sugar Mountain: Live At Canterbury House 1968 (CD/DVD) I've always felt sort of sappy maintaining that my very favorite Neil Young album ever was the first one he released--I mean, the dude's released 342 albums, and that implies things started going downhill by the time he released Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere a few months later! So it's no wonder I'm pleased as punch--as was the parlance back then--to see this session finally being officially released, and you should be too! An acoustic live set featuring many of his classics from that first album, as well as those he wrote for Buffalo Springfield ("On The Way Home," "Mr. Soul," and "Expecting To Fly" among them), this record might have changed rock history had it been released back in 1968! Especially if someone threw it really hard at David Crosby!

  Scarface: Emeritus (Asylum) After all these years of gaudy rap album covers featuring jewels, money, fancy cars, and scantily-dressed women, what a pleasure it is to see the jacket of this tasteful set! With its coat of arms bearing fancy versions of the letters S and F, as well as a smoking cigar and, I don't know, some lines or something, you just know this is going to be good! Plus, its title is in Latin! Heck, with an awesome array of talent including Lil Wayne, Bun B, Slim Thug, J Prince, and the wonderful Wacko of UTP, Emeritus probably sounds great! In the words of this album's product description, "Scarface is every true hip hop lovers' favorite artist!" I think we'd all agree with that!

 Burton Cummings: Above The Ground (Sony/BMG Canada) In some ways like Scarface--they've both been around awhile--Burton Cummings has aged better than most rockers, largely because Canada's cold winters preserve humans in a state quite similar to suspended animation! Formerly the singer with the wonderful Guess Who--who were deemed cool or uncool during various stages of their career by music writers now sadly deceased--Burton sounds great here with this collection of all-original material. Backed by the Carpet Frogs and, as the album cover indicates, now able to levitate at will per his deal with the C'thulu, who knows where Cummings is going?

  Momus: Joemus (American Patchwork) This was actually was released two weeks ago, but I just got it so let's pretend it's new this week too! A collaboration between the very bright, very musically adept, always surprising singer-songwriter Nick Currie and young Scottish musician Joe Howe--who's worked with the pleasantly named Gay Against You and Germlin--the disc has been described as "Nintendo Glam Rock" that sounds like "the hits of '70s glam rock sensations the Bay City Rollers played on '80s amusement arcade equipment." It's also been described as being out for two weeks but just obtained by me! It's sweet, it's abrasive, it's intimate, it features tracks called "Widow Twanky" and "Strewf!," and you should purchase it because it is, as always, quite good!

Burl Ives: Favorites For Children (Shout Factory) One of Sub Pop's more sinister signings during their hallowed "grunge"era of the early '90s, Ives has created a collection of tracks--including "The Very Scary Witch" and "The Witch At The Well"--that should satisfy longtime fans of both the Screaming Trees and Green River! Yeah, completely!  

[hongkongprivatetourguide]

Top 10 Travel destinations in Hong Kong for 2017

There is a famous saying; “not all those who wanders are lost”. If your soul seeks wanderlust then here are some great attractions from the glamorous city of Hong Kong that you must travel. Its historic places hold the memories of the old city that is now dressed in new attire.

World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Top 10 Travel Destinations:

Below are the top travel destinations of Hong Kong City, which are a must visit in this 2017. To know the details go through the content.

1.     Victoria Peak: You haven’t truly explored Hong Kong if you have not swindled the skyline from the Victoria Peak. To have a scenic view of the bustling city, skyscrapers, and the island surrounding it, from the top by riding in the tram. Behind the Hilton Hotel, you can catch the tram. The evening is the ideal time for visiting the Peak, where you can view the picturesque skyline lighting against the night sky. Victoria Peak is the greatest attraction of Hong Kong and is a must watch.  

 2.     Ocean Park Hong Kong: If you want to experience a whole day thrill and fun then you must visit the Ocean Park, which is a theme park. The grand aquarium, roller coasters, experiencing the rare exotic wildlife view, and a walk through the old city, all these amusements is bundled up here. Ocean Park is considered to boast the largest aquarium dome, expanding to 5.5 meters in diameter, in the world. The aquarium is filled with thousands of fish from 400 different species, a Reef Tunnel and you also get to experience touching of sea cucumbers and sea stars. Here above the sea, you get to encounter with giant panda adventure, where you can see red pandas, giant panda, and the giant Chinese salamanders. The South and North poles have other special programs.  

 3.     Dragon’s Back: For more packed up amusement and exhilaration escape to the Dragon’s Back Hike. The spectacular view from high up this trail offers a soothing view of the ocean, Stanley, Mount Collinson, Big Wave Bay, and Shek O. These views are a great change from the buzzing city, where you birds chattering and singing, sound of waterfalls, and the rattling sound made by falling leaves in the ocean breeze.  From here heading towards the Big Wave Bay and further more to Shek O, the areas have great swimming spots and beautiful beaches with good food, smoothies, and restaurants. Make sure to bring your swimming costumes with you.

 4.     Lantau Island: Lantau Island will give all the feel of Hong Kong’s tribe that has Buddhist architecture, a long sandy beach, shopping malls, and amazing fireworks top of the Sleeping Beauty’s castle. It simply has it all. Lantau Island which is Hong Kong’s largest island adds soul to your memorable experience. The cable car along the Ngong Ping 360, the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery and the Ngong Ping Piazza are some wonderful spots to visit. Do not miss this.

 5.     Tian Tan Buddha: A 1993 built 34 metre high “Big Buddha” statue rules sitting at the top of Po Lin Monastery. It is said the statue took 12 years to build and is world’s largest statue of its kind. In the morning, under the guidance of monks, early risers can climb Lantau Peak to see the sun rise over the monastery, and the wide ocean surrounding the island which gives a serene feel.  To the south of the Monastery, you will find Hong Kong’s exclusively tea plantations.

 6.     Happy Valley Racecourse: One of the most classical encounters you can have with Hong Kong is to visit racecourse, especially on Wednesday evenings. The punters pack into the trackside and stand, crowds cheering, eating and drinking, overall set an electric ambience. It is in this place the first horse racing took place in 1846. Currently, meetings are held at both the larger and newer Sha Tin Racecourse, which is in the New Town territories. Take the east-bound Happy Valley tram to end stop and then crossing the road leads you to the Racecourse. You can also do betting here and they also offer some tourist packages.

 7.     Clock tower: The old Clock Tower that stands 44 metres tall was erected in 1915. It was constructed as a part of the “Kowloon Railway” terminus. The buzzing station is long gone now but the granite tower and the red bricks that are preserved reminds of the elegance beauty of the “Age of Steam”. It also holds a memorable landmark for the thousands of Chinese immigrants those who passed through the terminus for a new start of their life. The Clock Tower is now listed as the declared monument.

 8.     Victoria Harbour: The Victoria Harbour is the lifeline of Hong Kong in true sense with its energetic beauty; eye-catching scenery, non-stop parade of vessels, and the harbour cruise are great attractions of Victoria Harbour. When you visit Hong Kong don’t miss this place to keep your memorable journey incomplete. This part of the city is Asia’s true heart indeed.

 9.     Star Ferry: The famous Star Ferry of Hong Kong is one of the best deals of Hong Kong that costs you only few Hong Kong dollars to take a ride and takes you to the feel of the 80’s.  The dense Hong Kong Tower is surrounded by the green mountains that you will find rising up before you as you travel towards the Central from Tsim Sha Tsui. If you have some time left in your hand then don’t miss watching the laser show in the evening. This place is worth it all.

 10. Wong Tai Sin Temple: It is one of the most interesting and newest temples in Hong Kong, which is located in Kowloon. The original temple was built in 1920, later it was replaced with a new structure in 1968. The “Hall of Three Saints” and “The Good Wish Garden” are other popular attractions. You will get meet fortune tellers in the large hall. It has joss sticks for offering that the visitors can use here.

So, this 2017 these places in Hong Kong are a must watch. Go and explore the enchanting beauty of this lonely planet and get completely drowned in its eternal beauty.

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