Chaos Theory

Recently I watched yet another crazy Finnish movie. The Finns seem to be as obsessed by alcohol & misery as us Scots perhaps even more so. Anyway this film was called ‘Frozen Land’ it was rather long for films these days at around 2 hours. However like me you are a sucker for anything that highlights chaos theory you will love this movie. You know the old adage about a butterfly flapping its wings.

While I was writing this believe it or not, I was actually listening to Terry Riley’s ‘Rainbows in Curved Air’. Its not that long since I played this, but I was surprised at how clean it sounds from its 1969 recording. It is also very short. That gave me the opportunity to play some Sun City Girls & this led me to wonder about whether it is pc to enjoy their fake takes on asian cultures with their odd vocal stylings & dalek mutterings & laughter. Since writing this I just found out that Charles Gocher the 54 year old drummer with SCG has died of cancer. What a year for deaths!

I think they are an amazing band & I do not believe they are making fun of other cultures they are actually promoting music from these areas. Their Sublime Frequencies label issues many works from culturally endangered regions.

This led me to ponder about Mr Cohen’s humour in Borat & whether it was politically correct to fall about laughing.

I then played Ray LaMontagne’s ‘Til the Sun Turns Black’ & the rain went off, the sun came out & as soon as it was finished I played it again rapido. This is surely the best cd since I don’t know what.

53 years old & still doing what I have been doing since I was 16!

Fire & Rain

Being an avid ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine reader, when it really mattered….i.e. in the late 60s & early 70s, I was amazed at the frequent output of the Taylor clan, beginning with James.

I wondered what happened to the others, especially as my son had spent a small fortune on a ticket for James’s upcoming concert in Glasgow. I found this in Wikipedia:

Taylor's four siblings, Alex, Livingston, Hugh, and Kate, have also been musicians with recorded albums. (Livingston is still an active musician; Kate was active in the 1970s but did not record another album until 2003; Hugh operates a bed-and-breakfast with his wife; Alex died in 1993.) Taylor's children with Carly Simon, named Ben and Sally, have also embarked on musical careers. His father remarried later and had three more children: Preston, Theo and Julia.

If 6 Was 9

Are numbers significant? There are many patterns in the natural world that would suggest that all life has a numerical foundation. The ancient Greeks were obsessed by numbers. Mad Madonna & her mates are current toying with the kabala, although with them we know it will be a passing fad when the next big thing comes along to divert their attention.

I live in house number 33, before that I lived @ #63 in a nearby street. For most of my early life, I lived @ a house numbered 3 & I was there in 1969.

As I write this, I am listening to 6 organs of admittance & it is taking me back to 1969. In my opinion, they are good enough to be 9 organs of admittance, even although they mostly work as a duo.

Another of my favourite bands was a duo for much of their output, although they informed the media that they were as their name suggests a trio. They had a fictionalised 3 rd member of the Hafler trio, but in fact it was Chris Watson (late of cabaret Voltaire & who makes excellent cds for the touch label & who works in sound for the bbc) & Andrew McKenzie.

I always felt drawn to this band. For a time when he was working solo, Andrew McKenzie became very ill with hepatitis b just like this writer. Mr McKenzie enjoyed word & number games in his work………e.g a trilogy in 2 parts, four ways of saying five…….etc…

This writer is not obsessed with numerology, but I can codify ideas & knowledge down to minute decimal signifiers.
I do not enjoy football, I watch & play 796.334!

Many of the bands I listen to regularly have names containing numbers……e.g. 3 Mustapha’s 3, pentangle…third ear band…….9 horses………………etc

Great Big Supermaket Chain Houmous Scare



I knew there was something odd afoot when none of the usual suppliers had any houmous on the shelves. Sainsburys is often a sure source but they had dried up too. What could I do two little starving boys at home & me with the houmous deficiency disease. As we used to say in the jailI was 'rattling' man.

Of course, I could make some at the drop of a hat, but I wanted immediate satisfaction.

Later we scoured the newspapers for the story. Yes, there it was in black & white, 6 large supermarket chains had withdrawn stock due to a health scare. Luckily there are some other independent suppliers left & off we went to Aldis & went crazy clearing the shelves. You never know when they will be 'carrying' again.

Is Shinsuke Nakamura the new Lubo Moravcik?

Even he is about to leave the nest & move all the way across the privet to next door, do you think keith dylan ginsberg kerouac beattie, would object if I added Shinsuke Nakamura to his name.

Over recent months I am sure there are babies all over Glasgow with all, or some, of this Japanese magician’s name there on their birth documents. Judging from his majestic free kicks as well as his other linking moves, I can understand why he has become the football fans’ favourite.

My own reasons for giving our last born this mouthful are a bit obvious, some would say it has something to do with a touch of eccentricity, although to be honest I personally don’t know what gives people that crazy idea.

Great Lost Albums of 60s & 70s

Pt 9

Even at my advanced age I still get surprised.

Today I managed to discover a new artist & album from back in the day. Gary Higgins ‘Red Hash’ is the best thing I have heard since Clive Palmer singing ‘Pretty Kerry’. Find it somehow, its one you should hear before you die.

I am not sure what the title refers to maybe some kind of corned beef stew?

I’ve Got Those Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, John Mayall Cant Fail Blues Again!

Let’s see what else has slipped under the radar lately. It’s a case of what goes around, comes around. The whole blues thing was very much a part of my life during the late 60s early 70s. Been there done that! I cannot really listen to much of that material. There are exceptions to every rule however. As the following might suggest:

There were albums that did not set the world on fire at the time, but going back now & re-listening to them certainly brightens up my life.

Some of these artists have been thrown back at me by current djs….e.g. Gilles Peterson has reminded me of how great both David Axelrod, Harvey Mandell & Shuggie Otis were. I am listening to the latter’s ‘Here Comes Shuggie Otis’ as I write this @ 9.30 Sunday a.m. & Its pouring outside. Hold on & I will turn it up, way over ‘bat level’ for the ‘Happy Highlanders’ as one of them is going a little deaf with age. Ah that’s better.

The whole white blues thing from the states had some great artists, beginning with the Electric Flag & then the solo albums by Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper…….etc..had that extra something that is difficult to describe. There was of course the part they played in the formation of the electric Dylan sound.

I heard one of Al Kooper’s recent cds & it was dire. However, I can still remember those tracks I had on my old Grundig, 4 track open reel recorder & how sweet they were. Unfortunately, a lot of this old vinyl stuff has stayed well below the radar unlikely to get re-issued on cd.

Scottish Baroque

Please excuse me while I go off on one again. Alright, I wont mention the remarkable co-incidence (or the half-remarkable question!) involving me starting Colin Harper’s book on Bert Jansch & his interview in this month’s ‘Wire’ magazine.

I am being driven in this direction by that whole psychedelic folk revival across the Atlantic. Recent concerts in Milngavie, where I saw John Renbourn onstage or in the audience, kept Bert Jansch in vogue. They were sparring partners for so long. At one of these concerts, I met Stuart, who recommended Colin Harper’s ‘Dazzling Stranger’ about Bert Jansch & the first British folk & blues boom.

This month’s ‘Wire’ also has a feature on Bert & I have recently re-listened to my Pentangle cds. I am reminded of the only time I saw Bert live & this was @ Bellshill library. An exceptionally intimate performance that convinced me of Bert’s greatness.

From the book, I discovered that Bert was tight with both Clive Palmer & Robin Williamson of the Incredible String Band. They all lived together in Edinburgh over a number of years.

I am enjoying the details about this post war beatnik lifestyle with all the Kerouac overtones, the sandals & beards & dufflecoats. Bert, Clive & Davy Graham for some strange reason found themselves in rather exotic parts of the world: North Africa, Afghanistan & other parts of the Middle East. This was to have a major influence on their lives & work.

Also this was to point the way for the next generation. What amazed me, as I was growing up, was that I felt that myself & my peers, were opening up new avenues of exploration. The naked truth was, that many of the above characters had already ‘been there, done that’.