Rory Gallagher +

https://download.yousendit.com/YkxLYnV3NDRZY1NGa1E9PQ

That's the link for "A Million Miles Away" from the Cowtown boot. Grab it quick, it's only good for seven days.

I watched "Sweeney Todd" last night. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, a musical full of fun and gore, gruesomeness and hilarity, i give it 4 stars out of 5 on the Spriggsblog rating system.

OK, gonna go and fall down now....

Grocery Bags

Grocery bags? Well, don't ask me how i come up with these great titles -- it's a gift, what can i say?

But, where i live, we are now being charged five cents per bag. Allegedly, this is to encourage people to use re-usable bags and thus save the planet from choking on plastic ones.

I think that this is a crock. (No, really, i do.) It has nothing to do with saving the planet, it has all to do with increasing the profits of the plastic bag manufacturers. Plastic bags are, after all, one of the most re-used items around. We put our garbage in them, we put our kitty litter in them, we use them everywhere.

So, all of the people who are now using re-usable cloth bags to drag their groceries home, are now having to buy ... oh, guess what? Plastic bags for their garbage, kitty litter, whatever, duh!

Don't believe anything they say, keep your mind open, and think!

Rory Gallagher

https://download.yousendit.com/YkxLT205R0ZsMHcwTVE9PQ

That's the link for "Walk On Hot Coals" from Cowtown. Grab it quick, it's only good for seven days -- and rock on!

Rory Cowtown IV

As promised, here's the link to "Tattooed Lady" from the Cowtown bootleg: https://download.yousendit.com/YkxJK3BGUnJENlJFQlE9PQ

And i typed "Tattooed Lady" into Google's image search and was flabbergasted. I was, in fact, aghast. Shocked and stunned. This is one of the few presentable images i found.

Today is the final day of my holiday. Too bad. Dolce far niente.

43 Angles

Re-living the worst day of my life....

Rory Cowtown III

https://download.yousendit.com/YkxMMWZIcHZCTW14dnc9PQ

That's the link for "I Wonder Who."

I tried to go out to have my hair cut today, but the wind and the freezing rain in my face at 60 kilometres an hour defeated me. Fortunately Kelsey's pub was on the way and i was able to take shelter there.

Rory Gallagher

OK, as promised, here's track 2 from the Cowtown bootleg, "Cradle Rock / Just A Little Bit" :
https://download.yousendit.com/YkxLNU1EY1NFc0t4dnc9PQ

Remember, this link is only good for seven days, so, as the Egg Marketing Board says, get crackin'.

Rod Stewart And The Collapse Of Western Civilisation

I've been a fan of Rod Stewart's forever -- or, at least since the late 60's. I have loved his work with Jeff Beck, with The Faces, and solo, and thus i am saddened to report that his most recent album, "Soulbook," stinks.

This shouldn't really surprise me -- most of his recent albums have been utterly boring, but i have a certain loyalty, and every album with the possible exception of "Still The Same" from a coupla years ago have had at least one redeeming tune which reminded me why i loved the guy in the first place -- yes, even the atrocious 4 volume "Great American Songbook" series.

I hate to be cynical (no i don't! i relish cynicism!) but isn't it also odd how his albums always come out just before Christmas?

He should never have left The Jeff Beck Group....

Holiday, Day 5

I know you're all anxious to know what i did today. C'mon, admit it. You're ravenous for news.

Well, i sent Astrid a birthday card.

Then i was planning to go into town but the weather defeated me. ("When the rain comes, they run and hide their heads, they might as well be dead, when the rain comes.")

And so instead i stuck with the local stuff.

Staples: 20 blank CD-Rs, $23 + tax
Goodwill: a CD rack & a DVD rack, $3.99
The neighbourhood tobacconist: carton of cigarettes (koff!) $54
Food Basics: loaf of bread (cracked wheat if you must know) $1.99
Kelsey's pub for a two-course liquid lunch: $13.78 + tip.

And then, when i returned home, i downloaded the new Rod Stewart album and OMFG it stinks. It is a major yawn. More on this later....

And above is the view from Kelsey's smoking section today ....

Holiday, Day 4 (Part 2)

And what, i hear you ask, have i been listening to today?

"Karta" by Terje Rypdal.

"Live At The Royal Albert Hall" by Joe Bonamassa (an audio rip from the DVD courtesy my friend Zinhof) (http://zinhof.blog.hr/)

A bunch of Tom Waits and Julie Driscoll MP3s, but to hell with those, let's talk about Joe Bonamassa.

I have been a fan of his for a long time and i've always loved his stuff but i realise that, since the release of his first album, he has grown and grown and ... listening to "LATRAH" i realise i am in the presence of genius.

Yikes! It's so good i am weeping with joy.

Rory Gallagher

https://download.yousendit.com/YkxMV294Z1BHa05jR0E9PQ

Over the next couple of weeks, i intend to upload, track by track, what is possibly the best Rory bootleg ever, the concert from the Cowtown Ballroom, Kansas City, 1974, and above is the link for track 1, "Messin' With The Kid."

I've been collecting Rory boots for years and this one is a legend, but i have only just found it. (The cover says it's the "Cotown" Ballroom, but it's "Cowtown."

Trust me on this.

Holiday, Day 4

Tra la la, i could get used to this, doing-nothingness.

I watched this DVD last night and it was very interesting -- i don't need to tell anyone that John was a personal hero, but ... perhaps the less said about Yoko the better.

As someone once said to me, he should never have left Liverpool....

Holiday, Day 3

Oh boyoboyoboy, having a Monday off is such a treat!

This afternoon's playlist has been "A Curious Feeling" by Tony Banks, "Another Side Of Bob Dylan," and ... a buncha MP3s by Tom Waits, which were of extraordinarily variable quality. Most, were in fact, awful, but a few were extremely beautiful.

Tom Traubert's Blues, for example.

(It may be sacrilege to say this: touching as Tom's original is i think i prefer Rod Stewart's version....)

I Have Gotta Get Me One Of These!

New keyboard for men.

Right, well, holidays, day 3, and it's nearly lunchtime and so far i have managed to do last night's dishes. Whew! I'm worn out. Time for a drink.

Today's playlist (thus far): listened to Craig & Rita on my favourite radio station this morning (www.therock.fm) and then, a few odds 'n' sods MP3s, watched the new Foo Fighters video (here: http://www.jonkmusic.com/2009/10/foo-fighters.html), then listened to a Jethro Tull bootleg ("Live At Hammersmith"), followed by Saga's self-titled debut album ((from 1978).

Life is good.

Holiday, Day 2

Well, here i am, on holidays. A much needed week off -- maybe the rash on my feet (which comes from standing around in wet socks for most of the day) will clear up.

So far, though, it doesn't feel like anything other than a normal copula, coupla daisies days off.

I did something i shouldn't have yesterday. (Not for the first time!)

I've written about Jill and Astrid before: Astrid is THE love of my life (and is older than i am) but lives 1000 miles away. Jill works at the local Kelsey's pub (that's her in the middle of this pic, along with Steve and Jen) and is young enough to be my daughter but she is such a nice person that merely being in the same room gives me great pleasure.

OK, i'm a dirty old man, but i assure you i am never going to "come on" to Jilly. Yesterday, though, i told her (yes i did!) that she made me wish i were twenty years younger. And she replied that that was the nicest thing that anyone had ever said to her. (An exaggeration, surely?)

Isabelle commented that i should be shot, and she's probably right. But, but, but.... I don't really think of myself as being old: i just am. I feel the same as i did at eighteen; the difference is that the rest of the world now treats one differently ....

Gotta go and hobble over to the grocery now

Kate Bush

Ohh, this is so tasty!

Holiday!

I am now officially "on holiday" -- for nine whole days. Woo hoo, etc.

I'm actually entitled to five weeks a year but i rarely take more than two or three: a week in the spring, another in the autumn (like now) (and it is autumn, not "fall", goddamit!) and then a few days at Christmas.

It would be different if i could afford to go away anywhere....

And it's not like i need a rest from work. Heck, i've been doing the same thing for twenty years, it's not work at all, i can do it in my sleep (yawn).

What i do need a rest from, though, is the negative vibrations exuded by some of my colleagues. The most difficult part of my job is the absence of professionalism on the part of the nincompoops i have to put up with daily. No, really. Their negativity (i hesitate to call it malignancy) sucks the life out of me.

And no, i'm not going to say where i work: i've heard too many stories about bloggers being fired for posting comments that didn't paint their workplaces as ergonomic heavens.

Oh, and i watched this last night.

Spriggsblog Goes To The Movies (Again)

Yesterday's post wasn't terribly informative, i know. I've watched a few other films, all repeat viewings. The only one that really disappointed was "Flight Plan" -- once a dog, always a dog (which is unfortunate as i have been impressed by Jodie Foster's acting at times). Anyway, here are the posters.

Oh My Goodness

How can i explain, to my devoted reader, why i haven't posted in nearly a month?

Blame it on the mad social whirl -- Astrid was here, Julian & Andrea were here....

Astrid and i went to the theatre twice, saw "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (an extraordinary version, featuring the amazing Tom Rooney as Puck) (pictured) and "The Importance Of Being Earnest" which was pretty good, too.

And then i bought the DVD of the first series of one of my favourite television series of the 70's, Van der Valk (Dutch policeman, created by Nicolas Freeling).

And then my rent cheque bounced, but that's another story....