THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet, is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearences with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not? why not indeed!!" (The wondrous poetpic is by Jack McCabe, who I hope forgives me for scribbling all over it with Photoshop)

ALL HALLOW'S EVE

(when spirits are on the move

We were remembering those recently taken from us -

Steve Bradshaw (via misadventure), William Sickwitt (via his own hand)

and those little losses of those through age or infirmity left us with only memories

What folk found hardest to conceive was the unexpectedness -

if one is in decline, with illness - ends are only time

To wake up with a smile lost, and a friend missing

took all of FACEBOOK posts to acclimatize 

Shock of loss - an altar, candles, pot luck

Sharing of silences and sounds. Wondering

who might next leave their flesh behind them

shell poems from a chrysalis

butterflying  song.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This poem should have gone up yesterday, but I wasn't here)

THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet, is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearences with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not? why not indeed!!" (The wondrous poetpic is by Jack McCabe, who I hope forgives me for scribbling all over it with Photoshop)

WE ARE TEXANS -
and we have police

...because we are Independent and will not obey easily

They do not obey, and shoot too easily

ending the lives of young, black and independent Texans too easily

They get paid too much, though unprofessional enough

to demand pay raises when others are suffering pay cuts

We do not need them blinking @road constructions

nor wasting time with two cars at every intersection

hassling our only homeless, disabled citizens

Overstaffed with an unnecessary helicopter 

a horse division not needed at all - expensive videos unused

and demanding digital self-surveillance

as they cost us millions in lawsuits because of rebel attitudes

We do not want them infiltrating OCCUPY

nor instigating violent crimes. We do not want outlaw bad apples

ruining the bunch.In fact, we have too much policing

and not enough crime. Is that because they have

too much money and time on their hands?

LINK: I think this German Reviewer likes Michael Des Barres

http://www.stormbringer.at/reviews.php?id=8305

If you feel like snotty rock and roll the old school? Who goes to the Rolling Stones from really, loves the SMALL FACES and omits no Quireboys presence within 500 kilometers? all the feeling now be addressed, have for a treat with "Carnaby Street" by MICHAEL THE BARRES warhorse. The man leaves since the 60's footsteps into the entertainment industry, be it in the Seventies as frontman of the band SILVER HEAD and DETECTIVE, on television as MacGyver's nemesis Murdoc, or an ex-husband of the mother of all groupies - notorious Pamela Des Barres (author of Revelation booklet "In bed with rock gods"), to name a few of his stops on a bustling life. Despite prolonged hiatus Des Barres seems to stand still in full creative juices. "You're My Pain Killer" (R'n'R Topic Number 1: ... women!), "Carnaby Street" (formerly, in the Swinging Sixties, when life was really cool) or the suggestively titled "Route 69 "Telling stories of the tracks in the life of a man behind, as the deep folds in Keith Richard's face. The songwriting sits as good as the long frayed jeans on emaciated body-old rocker, the buzzing sound nice dynamic and naturally out of the speakers. A dignified authentic age-structure, to its live implementation could certainly find fallen.

Read on...

LINK: ABWH Reviews

A new three-disc CD/DVD set celebrates that strange period in which a band not called Yes, including most of the individuals credited with the Yes sound, put together an album and tour that sounded just like … well, Yes. Only, for contractual reasons, they ended up calling themselves Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe. It was a bit like having a car and renaming it “Steering Wheel, Transmission, Radials and Chassis.”

Live at the NEC, October 24, 1989, a newly released three-disc ABWH set available exclusively through Gonzo MultiMedia, makes easy work of establishing that this is, in all but name only, Yes playing Yes music for Yes fans.

The song list largely mimics the original 1993 concert film An Evening of Yes Music Plus, beginning with a series of solo features — including a medley of songs from Anderson in “Time and a Word,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and “Teakbois”; solo turns by Howe (“Clap,” “Mood for a Day”) and Wakeman; and then a drum feature for Bruford after the band’s take on “Long Distance Runaround.”

Read on...

NEIL YOUNG - A WEIRD OLD BUGGER

Neil Young is a weird old bugger.  I recently read, and reviewed, his massively peculiar autobiography in these very pages, and so I decided the other morning that I should really give his new album a listen to.  I liked the previous one Le Noise very much indeed.  In it, he utilised the production skills of Daniel Lanois  who made a glossy and very sophisticated job of what was basically a solo feedback guitar album.  If you can imagine the Pet Shop Boys covering metal machine music then it might give you some idea of what the album sounds like.  So I was awaiting the new record, Americana, with great interest.

Neil Young has always ploughed a shockingly idiosyncratic path, and it is a well-known matter of public record that back in the 1980s David Geffen who had signed our Neil to Geffen Records hoping for a whole string of 1980s versions of After the Goldrush and Harvest, sued our Neil for producing “deliberately” wayward records that had no relevance to the main body of his career.  That was a very stupid thing to do, because although one can sympathise with David Geffen (during the period under question Neil presented him with a rockabilly album, a country and western album and various bits of electronica) but this has always been the case with Neil Young.  There is no such thing as an “average” Neil Young album!  As well as the aforementioned waxings of which David Geffen disapproved so much, he has produced blues records, soul records, folk records, country records, heavy metal records, and strange electronic soundscapes heavily influenced by the sounds his son Zak (who has cerebral palsy) made while trying to communicate using early electronic vocoders. 

So what is the album like?  The only answer can be, totally peculiar.  I really do not know what to make of it. All the tracks bar one are classic American folk songs played with Beach Boys  harmonies and massively grungy guitars by Neil’s old sparring partners Crazy Horse.  Some of the tunes are vaguely recognisable whereas others – most notably Clementine (made famous by Huckleberry Hound) – being an unrecognisable but oddly gripping durge. He closes out this album of American folk classics with a remarkably reverent rendition of … wait for it … the British National Anthem.  When I saw that the album, which from the beginning oozed feedback like a poison-arrow frog oozes toxins, I was expecting the closing track to be a homage of the Sex Pistols. But is it buggery? With the only note-perfect rendition in the whole record our Neil sings all the verses God Save the Queen following which a girly choir sings a few lines of the American version of the same song Sweet Land of Liberty.

This whole album makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  I don’t know whether I love it, like it, find it mildly irritating or loathe it.  But what I do know is that I will be listening to it on many more occasions until I find out. 

LINK: Jefferson Starship review

http://www.69facesofrock.com/jefferson_starship_roswell_cd.html

Jefferson Starship - Roswell Ufo Festival 2009 ( Gonzo Multimedia) *****

This is absolutely superb! Jefferson Starship fan's ultimate set. This 4-CD set includes everything from this memorable performance. Starting from the rehearsals, going through both sets the band played, and ending with a soundcheck. If you weren't there, you feel like you were there. Every live album should be that insightful.

This was a very special show, and the band invited many guests. Apart from the regular crew that Paul Kantner plays with, we get Pete Sears, Barry Sless, Jack Taylor, Darby Gould, and Tom Constanten. Gould of course used be the main voice of Jefferson Starship before the job eventually fell to Cathy Richardson. It's a real event indeed, and now forever preserved in this recording.

Jefferson Starship delivers all of its hits, and has no problems playing selections from Jefferson Airplane's rich catalog and even digs into Pink Floyd and David Bowie, whose recordings are covered in the set. Considering the spacey nature of the event, it's easy to guess which tunes were covered, and if you didn't guess, well, buy the record!

"Roswell Ufo Festival 2009" is a swell affair. Great show from a band that largely contributed to rock's history. They're still in a fantastic shape, and play their heart out, as documented on the 4 CDs. The release is another slice of a great legacy!

Mark Kadzielawa

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO

Tales From The Mothership - Roswell UFO Festival 3 July 2009 4CD - £15.00

Acoustic Warrior CD - £0.00

BB Kings Blues Club, Ny, 2007  3CD - £19.99

Substage, Germany 2005 3CD - £19.99

Soiled Dove DVD - £12.99

GERMAN REVIEW OF THE MOVE DVD

There are now from "The Lost Broadcasts" series so some publications. Recordings of Atomic Rooster , Byrds , Captain Beefheart , Iron Butterfly , John Mayall , Spooky Tooth or Frank Zappa and others are already on the market, as well as the DVD of the group, founded in 1965 The Move.

The rock band had their home in Birmingham and was marked in its relatively short existence of several changes in the line-up. One thing you must realize, however, from the beginning: The Movehad damn much hits in Great Britain and on the continent. Only in the U.S., there was no good response. Stated rather flippant was The Move the opening act of Electric Light Orchestra ( ELO ).Roy Wood , Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan founded ELO and the Bird of Paradise Wood rose after already a year later in ELO from. His musical career was then followed Wizzard .

With many instruments in use was Wood already a multi-instrumentalist. Sun shaped cello, flute, saxophone or even the sound of the oboe Rocker, whose penchant for pop was unmistakable. Who can still remember the same double recorder use in "Curly"? For a DVD of how the Move it is in my age group to a déjà vu experience. Hammer, here is raised by magical hands a samtroter curtain and you're right in the middle of the scene of the Beat Club . At times, the visual effects were amazing psychedelic. This also applies to many numbers of this DVD.

Read on...

http://rocktimes.de/gesamt/m/move/the_lost_broadcasts.html

NORMAL SERVICE WILL BE BLAH BLAH BLAH

As regular readers will be aware, tomorrow I am partaking in and basically running a fun day for local children at Barnstaple Museum. It means that I will be up and out of here at some ungodly hour, and so tomorrow's blogs will be published late tonight, and there won't actually be any tomorrow.

I also won't be reading my emails until late tomorrow evening, so if you have emailed me and not had a reply, you know why.

Toodle-ooh

HELEN McCOOKERYBOOK: Club Artyfartle

I will be doing a brief interview with Helen on the subject sometime over the next week, but in the meantime, here is an account of last weekend's Club Artyfartle in her own words...

I'm emerging from a fog of a grant application which has taken the bulk of two weekends plus the whole of this morning so far; I'm dodging a rain of emails from work about work.

I've had a short laugh-break (you don't need to read much of Giles Smith's Lost in Music before you get to that point: this morning, it was the description of him force-folding his fingers round the neck of the guitar as he struggled to play it).


I have a review copy of Lucy O'Brien's She-Bop to read (I had a delve last night and I'm already hooked) and review here later this week.


Let's think back to Sunday....


Cold, wasn't it? I was prepared for nobody to turn up except us, the performers, which would have been fine as it's the sort of do that's interesting to watch as a performer as well as audience. We couldn't get the paper tablecloth to stick to the flock wallpaper (it was the makeshift projection screen and it kept pretending to stick and then silently floating down as soon as we turned our backs).


I had a rug from home and I set up the chairs for us on that, and Guy Forks and the tip jar. Acton Bell mentioned doing a runner as she was so nervous (we all were) and at one point I thought she really had when she momentarily disappeared. The floor was sticky and the vibe was definitely rock'n'roll, but the quiet sort, for a Sunday afternoon. Joan set up the projector on a long chain of extension leads, rather like a funky giant's necklace and definitely not correct from a Health and Safety point of view, but quite spectacular in its own right.
My brothers appeared, and so did my Champagne Friend and her partner; and so did lots of other unexpected people, giving the lie to the fact that Facebook Events are a good idea. As far as I could see (and as observed astutely by Joan), the act of pressing the button to say 'yes' was satisfying in itself and meant that you didn't need to come. They were there in spirit, I know! It was emails that did it: there was Katy, who is a friend of both Joan and myself, and members of the Gymslips, Dolly Mixture, Strawberry Switchblade and Ut, as well as a clutch of artists and much-loved pals.


So I took the trumpet downstairs, gave it a creaky blast or two and we did a procession up the winding stairs. Lucy sat at one end, I sat at the other ( two old ladies in glasses, I believe the observation was!), with Acton Bell and Paul in the middle. Fear strangled my voice for the first song and we all had a collection of shaking fingers, fluffs and missed lyrics the first time round; but then I think we got into our stride and one after another we played our new stuff: Amy's wry and perceptive lyrics (enhanced by the fact that she worries so much in case she is too bitchy), Paul's romantic crooning and Lucie's bright and melodic pop. There was time to talk about our lyrics and the audience was silent and listening: you could hear a pin drop.

Read on...

If you didn't get to London on sunday why not check out her Gonzo artist page

GREEK REVIEW OF THE MOVE DVD

Continuing the course of offering “old” video sessions of the 60s that were considered somewhat ‘lost”, this time Gonzo MultiMedia presents the eminent psychedelic/progressive rock & roll band The Move. Formed in 1965, the band did cause fuzz around its name with its music and the live performances.

Having released 14 singles, 9 of which were hits… for instance “Blackberry Way” reached the desired #1 position, and 4 full-length albums, they finally called it a day in 1972. The absolute lack of commercial success the band had in the US forced its members to follow different directions. The band had great musicians on its ranks, such as the “odd” multitalented Roy Wood and the well-known Jeff Lynne later, who along with Wood & Bevan formed the famous Electric Light Orchestra after The Move was officially over.

This DVD contains various performances the band gave on the German TV between 1968 & 1971. Surely, it will evoke memories to the old fans of the band and especially to those who lived during that “beautiful and weird” music era. On the other hand, it will give the youngsters a taste of how things were back in the day. The DVD is tasteful, the songs are performed wonderfully, the sound is very good and even the video is quite good, even though it’s not HD as we are used to nowadays.

Read on...

http://rocktimes.de/gesamt/m/move/the_lost_broadcasts.html

Captain Beefheart's Universal Vibrations

I have just discovered a blog by a 20-year-old who writes like a dream. I have no idea whether the person who writes is male or female, black or white, able bodied or in a wheelchair, but whoever (s)he is (s)he can write like an angel:

This has happened before: the experience of American music transforming England into a facsimile of the American landscape. Once, listening to Bat Chain Puller, the title track of Captain Beefheart’s Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), on the way back from my grandmother’s house, down some obscure Sussex road, I heard the lyrics

In the hollow wind of its stacks
Ripples felt fades and grey sparks clacks,
Lunging the cushioned thickets.
Pumpkins span the hills
With orange crayola patches.
Green inflated trees
Balloon up into marshmallow soot

and for a moment Sussex was transformed into that place, an American scene right out of the blasted landscapes of George Herriman’s Krazy & Ignatz comics. In that moment, I knew that those pumpkins were all around me, buried under the darkness.

Read on...

There are only two entries on the blog so far, but as this one mentions Captain Beefheart, and there is a jolly good Captain Beefheart DVD available on Gonzo, I think that I am perfectly justified in giving Universal Vibration a plug. I l;ike the mixture of geomancy and music which conjurs up all sorts of glorious visions in my head.

I am so loonking forward to seeing what comes next.

THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet, is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearences with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not? why not indeed!!" (The wondrous poetpic is by Jack McCabe, who I hope forgives me for scribbling all over it with Photoshop)

TAKE THE FLUORIDE OUT OF MY WATER SUPPLY!

Label all Frankenstein GMO food items!

Cease fracking in our water supplies!

Stop all strip mining! Re-afforest with divergent indigenous species!

No more chemtrails, nor HAARM signals!

Cease sonar submarine signals disturbing whales and dolphins!

Let wolf, bison, eagle, salamander be as free as wild rivers!

Ban only that which kills. Legalize all innocence!

Let non-violent offenders do community service!

Let water flow freely,and air be pure!

100% recycling everywhere!

(ALL NEW BUMPER STICKERS -print yours now!)

THE ROOTS OF RENAISSANCE

Well, yesterday I solves a little personal mystery of mine which has been mildly bugging me for the last four decades (give or take a couple of years).

In the early seventies I used to occasionally spend the weekend with a school friend called Tim. He had an older brother whose name is lost deep within the sands of time, and he had a poster of a beautiful woman on his bedroom wall.

He was also into a band called Renaissance and turned me on to albums like Turn of the Cards which are personal favourites to this day. It was, therefore, a particular thrill to interview Annie Haslam recently. If you missed it you can find the interview:

part one   HERE, 
part two   HERE. 
part three HERE

but I always vaguely wondered who the woman on Tim's elder brother's wall was.

Now, I'd always been vaguely aware that Renaissance was originally a band formed by ex-Yardbirds Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, who left during the sessions for the second album, but I never actually heard anything from that lineup. Yesterday the lovely Anne-Marie from Gonzo sent me a whole pile of interesting things, including a DVD of the first Renaissance lineup, so when we had finished the day's activities and taken Sheri, the intern, back to her B&B I poured myself a tot of  milk from the Kentucky cow, and Richard and I settled down to watch the DVD.

The first two tracks are indeed from the Keith Relf led lineup, and the sound of the band is completely different from the multi-layered orchestral finery of the later Renaissance albums, and my 30-something year mystery was solved. The woman on the poster on my mate's elder brother's bedroom wall was none other than Keith Relf's sister Jane...

However, then things got weird. I had always thought that Annie Haslam had joined the band after the two Yardbirds and Jane Relf had left. But in fact there was a brief interregnum of a couple of months when the band had two lead singers:  Anne-Marie "Binky" Cullum and Terry Crowe.

Binky had a very good voice, albeit totally different from either Annie Haslam or Jane Relf, and Terry Crowe was massively reminiscent of Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap, especially during the between song soundbytes, but as regular readers will know I can't abide a mystery. Both singers left the band after only short tenures, and I wonder what happened to them. When I went to bed last night I messed around with the laptop by my bed and found out that Binky is apparently working as a 'Massage Therapist', and that Terry is allegedly dead. But no-one could confirm or deny these stories with any citations or anything other than vague rumour.

So come on Gonzofolk. Get sleuthing. I need to know this stuff...

SOME USEFUL LINKS:

Renaissance

renaissancetouring.com/

2012-2013 Tour Announcement · New Renaissance Studio Album · Grandine il Vento. Join Renaissance Updates mailing list ...

Welcome to Annie Haslam.com

www.anniehaslam.com/

Annie Haslam, born in Bolton, Lancashire, breast cancer survivor, became lead vocalist for Renaissance has now turned her music into 'dream expressionism' ...

Annie Haslam's artist page at Gonzo

THE WORD AIN'T DEAD

Hello friend, As a valued former subscriber to Word Magazine I thought you'd want to know that "Magic" Alex Gold and I are rejuvenating the now legendary Word In Your Ear shows with a gig at the Lexington on Tuesday, December 4th. The headliners on the night will be Skinny Lister, the band whose act stopped the show when they appeared down the bill from the Blockheads at our evening in June.  If you were there you'll know that they have an act like no other. It's notable not just for Dan Heptinstall's ability to put a pop spin on the sea shanty, not merely for the rousing, foot-stomping attack of their five-man line-up, nor for the frisky dance steps of Lorna Thomas, but for an all-encompassing determination to entertain that's all too rare. On the night they'll be playing material from their Sunday Best album Forge and Flagon, some new songs and a few seasonal surprises.  In our determination to put together a show which offers variety and value for money we'll soon be announcing further turns, both musical and spoken word. I'll be MC-ing and spinning the platters that matter in my amazing 1971 Annus Mirabilis disco. Please come along. If you book now you can get a ticket for £12, which is three pounds less than you'll have to pay when we make them available to the wider public. If you came in the past you'll know what special evenings they could be. If you come to this one you'll be helping to keep some of the spirit of Word alive and having a great evening with friends into the bargain. Which is what it is. You can purchase tickets for the show here: http://wordinyourear.eventbrite.co.uk. Please do come and join us. Yours sincerely David Hepworth

IT'S AMAZING WHAT PASSES AS NEWS THESE DAYS

Look what the postman brought me from Gonzo...

LINK: Eric Burdon at 71

MONTREAL - It sure is nice to see that Eric Burdon has not mellowed with age. Judging from the still-tough swagger of Black Dog, from his upcoming EP with the Greenhornes, he might even be getting more ornery at 71, if that's possible.

Read on...

Check out his Gonzo Artist Page. Also check out All my Loving on DVD. You know it makes sense.

LINK: What’s The Buzz? Jefferson Starship – A Very Good Trip (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow)

Jefferson Starship with Paul Kantner, Cathy Richardson and David Freiberg, The Bataclan, Paris

Jefferson Starship rocked The Bataclan in Paris last night! Lead by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner and David Freiberg, a former Jefferson Airplane member and co-founder of the legendary Quicksilver Messenger Service , Jefferson Starship lives on – for all ages. Starship lead singer Cathy Richardson’s driving vocals work perfectly standalone and with the three part harmonies so characteristic of the Airplane and Starship 

Paul Kantner

(see our interview with Cathyhttp://blog.horizonvumusic.com/?p=7244). Jude Gold (The Macrodots) plays one mean lead guitar. Chris Smith (The Supremes) on keyboard and drummer Richard Newman let us know beyond a doubt that while they might be behind the front line, they’re not to be put back-of-mind by unleasing late-in-the-show solos.

Cathy Richardson

The Starship blasted off with “Sunrise” followed by “Somebody To Love” and “Fresh Air” (Quicksilver Messenger Service). The show built momentum (crowd slow to start – reminiscent of the 60’s only in that we concert goers were often “docile”… for extended periods), but last night’s crowd did come alive as Starship moved on through “Cowboy on the Run” (Quicksilver Messenger Service), “Get Together” (Youngbloods), “Miracles” and “Wooden Ships” .

Read on...

LINK: The first review that I have found of Renaissance since Annie's injury

I saw Renaissance in concert last evening. Those of you old enough, will recognize the magical voice of Annie Haslam. Annie’s voice was magical last night, although she apologized beforehand that she might hit a few bad notes……

You see, Annie was donned in a Wonder Woman type back brace that stretched across her chest and around her spine…..which has been fractured.

Read on...

NEWSLINK: Jon Anderson, Roger Hodgson and Robert Plant for mega Australian festival

Voices of Led Zep, Supertramp, Yes, head to Bluesfest

29 October 2012

by Christie Eliezer

Singers Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp and Jon Anderson of Yes were announced for Bluesfest this morning, along with Status Quo and Madness.

Read on..

THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet, is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearences with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not? why not indeed!!" (The wondrous poetpic is by Jack McCabe, who I hope forgives me for scribbling all over it with Photoshop)

"WHO WILL BRING THE COFFIN IN?"

It is Midnight,approaching Halloween

Young Denver has been up since 5 am

Faerie folk have disappeared like fog among the woods

and there is still this coffin to be stacked like firewood

For folk are known to steal anything not nailed down

Even though Salado is a peaceful boutique town

So he pondered,and he waited,till a young ghost hailed down

who wanted to see FRIGHT TRAIL even after it left town

He was recruited with some woodsfolk to pick up pumpkin heads

and three strong men and Denver carried the coffin home instead

They packed it in the dressing room/offered it as a bed

All the faierie folk demurred-they went homewards instead

and Denver smiled post -witching hour-he had seen all this before

When magickal folk de-materialize in the early morning hours

He had kept a lonely vigil,selling sweets and tickets in

Folk had lined to see the spirits,patiently waiting admitting

Now the Trail was deserted-all the lights extinguished down

And another Fright Trail coffin awaits another Halloween!

And Denver?He is laughing in his early morning dreams!

For at least after midnight,he found spirit folk -to bring the coffin in...!

CLUB ARTYFARTLE THIS AFTERNOON

If I was in London this afternoon I know exactly where I would be. Corinna, mother, Prudence and I (probably with other members of the household including Sheri the intern) would be at Club Artyfartle watching the amazing Helen McCookerybook do her funky stuff alongside Acton Bell, Magnetic Paul and Professor Joan Ashcroft.

For more info check out my interview with Helen on the subject.

If you can't get to London this afternoon why not check out her Gonzo artist page

LINK: ‘I’m enjoying music as much as I ever have’: Yes’ Chris Squire isn’t close to slowing down

Chris Squire’s old bandmate in Yes, drummer Bill Bruford, retired from music in 2009. Don’t look for the tireless bassist to go gently into that good night any time soon.

Bruford, who left Yes in 1972 to join fellow prog-rock pioneers King Crimson, was just 60 years old when he called it quits. Meanwhile, his 64-year-old former rhythm-section partner remains the only member of Yes to appear on each of its more than two dozen albums.

Squire led the group through 2011′s Fly From Here, then issued a collaboration this year with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett.

In between, Yes has continued a rigorous touring schedule.

Squire, to put a fine point on it, isn’t about to slow down. In fact, during a talk with George Varga of UT-San Diego, Squire was bursting with plans as Yes nears its 45th anniversary.

Read on..

Check out the band's artist page at Gonzo

THE DAILY HENRY: 1066 and all that

I think Peter McAdam is one of the funniest people around, and I cannot recommend his book The Nine Henrys highly enough. Check it out at Amazon. This week we shall be running a series of Henrybits that are not found in his book about the nine cloned cartoon characters who inhabit a surreal world nearly as insane as mine...

THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet, is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearences with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not? why not indeed!!" (The wondrous poetpic is by Jack McCabe, who I hope forgives me for scribbling all over it with Photoshop)

SPEED CRANK COFFEE EDIT

National drug caffeine (speed on heat) affects our metabolism

85mph when you can do F1 200. Where went time?

Grandfathered! Digital and blinking! Defuse the bomb of death

on a bus (SPEED) - or inside a body (CRANK)

or on a plane (DIE HARD, AIR FORCE ONE)

or in a building (World Trade Center, Twin Towers)

Disaster is a movie in production with special effects,

max edit, cut like advertising for tired minds and eyes.

Epics used to screen for three hours (with an intermission)

Who has time? Who has a life? Cinema attendances drop like bodies

falling from the skies - in that space where fiction fails us

and fact is a documentary black and white.

Armageddon happened - Iraq,Afghanistan

Came home as wounded veterans. Ignored them -

made movies of fictional heroes, while the hospital bills mount

and who has the time to say?

GRACE SLICK INTERVIEW

Grace Slick sits with ReligionMatters Show's, Dr. Arik Greenberg, to share some memories of the 60s, personal stories and her spirituality.

RIP KAYLEIGH

On 24 October 2012, Marillion announced on Facebook that "Sad news via Fish - Kay - who inspired our song Kayleigh - has sadly died. RIP Kay."

Renaissance - Mother Russia (BBC Sight & Sound 1977)

LINK: German review of Michael Des Barres

http://www.stormbringer.at/reviews.php?id=8305

If you feel like snotty rock and roll the old school? Who goes to the Rolling Stones from really, loves the SMALL FACES and omits no Quireboys presence within 500 kilometers? all the feeling now be addressed, have for a treat with "Carnaby Street" by MICHAEL THE BARRES warhorse. The man leaves since the 60's footsteps into the entertainment industry, be it in the Seventies as frontman of the band SILVER HEAD and DETECTIVE, on television as MacGyver's nemesis Murdoc, or an ex-husband of the mother of all groupies - notorious Pamela Des Barres (author of Revelation booklet "In bed with rock gods"), to name a few of his stops on a bustling life. 

Despite prolonged hiatus Des Barres seems to stand still in full creative juices. "You're My Pain Killer" (R'n'R Topic Number 1: ... women!), "Carnaby Street" (formerly, in the Swinging Sixties, when life was really cool) or the suggestively titled "Route 69 "Telling stories of the tracks in the life of a man behind, as the deep folds in Keith Richard's face. The songwriting sits as good as the long frayed jeans on emaciated body-old rocker, the buzzing sound nice dynamic and naturally out of the speakers. A dignified authentic age-structure, to its live implementation could certainly find fallen.

LINK: Interesting German review of ABWH

http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/album_12897.html

Reviews

By: Nik Brückner @ (Review 1 of 2 )

During the tour of Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe Tony Levin was sick (hepatitis A) and missed some concerts. For these performances, he was replaced by Jeff Berlin, who quickly got two and a half hours of material and abliefete a bravura performance that is at "An Evening of Yes Music Plus" documented.

For twenty years it was the only live document of the band and some fans felt Tony Levin, the actual tour bassist would, done by injustice. Gonzo, successors of Voiceprint corrected this now. The word "correct" in this company has a very unique Bedeuteung. The credits on the box were a dice, also got messed up both the order of the songs on the second CD, as well as the printed order.So you went from "Order of the Universe" unnecessarily (and accidentally?) With a bonus track (in fact, the song "Roundabout" played), its own track made from an announcement and printed also a completely wrong song order on the cover. Gonzo just. Anyway: Above the actual song order the CD is shown.

But they lead the next great idea, they had some time ago had with the Yes-Release "Union Live": The box contains a small-scale reproduction of the former Tour Books. Cheers arias, sure, but for the collector and certainly not uninteresting. Not a bad idea for the furnishing of live albums

Now what is it? Well, the set list is like that of "An Evening Of Yes Music Plus ..." And here it is the same thing that was already for that concert: The idea to put the solos in the beginning, is still brave, great, and a great match to the atmosphere of the concert. The combination of the classics (especially, as always, when Wakeman is out of Fragile-/Close-to-the-Edge-Zeit) works fantastically with the new ABWH songs, the band is relaxed and easy as they are rarely has experienced. Complements the set list is now through the schnuckelige "The Meeting", which could be heard only on the video version of that album, and the duet between Bruford and Levin, which was at the concerts with Berlin not played naturally. Both give everything and engage in duels like there's no tomorrow. Unfortunately, the coordination between the two is not perfect (the show was one of the first after recovering Levin) and the remainder of the curious listener gewesene back a bit unsatisfied.

What interested in this release, most of all, of course, is the comparison between Tony Levin and Jeff Berlin. And Levin cuts do surprisingly weak, but above all is the sound of "Live at the NEC."For he is audibly weaker than that of "An Evening of Yes Music Plus." "Live at the NEC", after all, a recording of BBC Radio I will be plagued by constant noise and the fact that momentum is abundant pale. At the beginning of CD I hear even some brief glitches. You often hear Levin not even in the mix. When you see him but listen, it sounds familiar soft and restrained. Berlin as he takes very stylistically back and plays almost continuously after the originals by Chris Squire, from the jazzy walking bass intro of "Close to the Edge" to the idiosyncratic melodies of "Long Distance Runaround". Even the sounds are different in two almost identical. Berlin is more present in the overall sound of his album, which is due to the better sound quality, but also plays audible rougher and more muscular than Levin, surprisingly. Wherein more on jazz-oriented bassist On the other hand, Levin plays to "Heart of the Sunrise" a richly funky bass, unusually, is not likely to please everyone.

Nice, some small additions: So Anderson sings a few bars of "Soon" at the end of "Disillusion", sometime play Wakeman and Bruford just a bit nimble jazz and even the 25-minute film by Julian Colbeck, the and the band before shows during the concert on 25 October, is a nice addition.

Finally, a dose of trivia: Bill Bruford had left the band just two weeks before the start of the "Close to the Edge" tour. Consequently, the concert, which was held on "Live at the NEC", one of the first in which he played the songs "And You and I" and "Close to the Edge" ever live! Maybe some interest to keep the listening in mind.

"Live at the NEC" is all in all a nice addition ABWH the catalog, but that it should now be content. Seven publications (I'm counting on Jon Anderson's "Watching the Flags That Fly" which included the demos for the second-ABWH ALbum "Dialogue") are truly enough for a band that only one studio album presented.