"E2-E4, released December 12th 1984, is the first solo recording album by Ash Ra Tempel / Ashra guitarist, Manuel Göttsching. The album consists of a minimalistic hour-long progressive electronic track that is subdivided into single tracks according to the stage of the song. The second half of the record is notable for Göttsching's guitar playing. The album is named after the most popular opening chess move."
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of this epic (and it really is epic) album here is the full 58mins uploaded only recently. I was only made aware of this album about a year ago and it's still one of my favourites, for an album recorded in 1984 it still sounds like it could have been released yesterday.
Please be aware that this album is as rare as rocking horse shit and if I know YouTube like I think I know YouTube these tracks won't be around for long so enjoy this while you can....enjoy your spiritual journey.
As part of a new BBC seriesAfter Life: The Strange Science Of DecayDr George McGavin investigates the US Army's new hi-tech approach to survival in the field. A sandwich that can stay fresh for 2 years?! it took years to develop and
cost millions of dollars it also contains all sorts of scary sounding chemicals and despite what the GI's below say probably tastes like warm arse.
Continuing my look at Christmas celebrations around the world my attentions are drawn to Canada more specifically, Newfoundland. Again, as with most countries, Newfoundland celebrates Christmas with the usual Santa Claus, turkey, presents etc but they also have a celebration dating back to England & Ireland in the mid 18th century and as I'm starting to realise with my little Xmas investigation, it's a bit odd. In fact it's scary as balls. See for yourself....
THE NEWFOUNDLAND MUMMERS!?
Those, my friends are Newfoundland Mummers.They also go under the titles of "Rhymers, Pace-Eggers, Soulers, Tipteerers, Galoshins and Guysers". It would appear Christmas terror has many names. If I were that family in the video above I wouldn't be all like "come in, have a drink Ha Ha Ha how delightfully whimsical" I'd be all like "Oh Shiiit! They got Grandma!!, Cletus get Pa his shootin iron Arrrgh what evil visits us tonight?" but I digress...supposedly this tradition is as English as morris dancers and afternoon tea. The tradition goes that around Christmas time people would dress up in diguises and go and visit their friends and family do a little improv and take a glass of mead (this was the 18th century) and perhaps receive a few pennies for their troubles. This practise continued for sometime.
(NOT) The Newfoundland Mummers
Then the first World War put a stop to this madness as every man jack was away at War and it was mainly blokes that kept up the tradition (blokes eh?!). By that point it was already going strong in Newfoundland, where the tradition continues to this day. As it does in Kentucky of all places.
With Christmas on the way I thought I'd investigate how other countries celebrate the festive season as it's easy to assume everyone just gets their presents delivered by jolly old St Nick in his traditional red and white suit...Wrong!
In Austria and Bavaria it's true they do have a St Nick who rewards children for their good behaviour with gifts and treats but there is one subtle but terrifying difference...
KRAMPUS.
Yup in the alpine regions good ol'father xmas has a companion a demon-like creature called Krampus. And just as Mr Claus rewards the good kiddies Krampus's job is to punish bad'uns mainly by hair pulling, birchings, clawings and generally scaring the living piss out of the no good kids.
Watch out! Santa has a posse.
The Bavarian chaps love it so much that on the evening of 5th of December they all dress up as Krampus and go about the place putting the shits up unattended children with bells, birch branches and rusty chains!?!..seriously watch the video below some of the kids are genuinely terrified and what do they get for their trouble? that's right...they get whacked round the legs with a branch.
Now I'm all for balance on these type of things but "whoah dude not cool" . Having said that if you are a parent and your child is 'playing up' why not introduce Krampus into your Christmas celebration maybe it'll scare them straight. Merry Krampus.
UPDATE.
It would appear I'm not the only one getting his/her knickers in a twist over Krampus DIY Brighton based promotions / label One Inch Badge are also jumping on the Krampus bandwagon with the release on the 6th of December of it's third Krampus based volume of music (£25) and you're not just getting any old CD for your money no way no how.
I quote from the One Inch Badge website:
One Inch Badge’s annual Xmas ‘KRAMPUS’ release returns again for 2011, this time in
the form of an extremely limited-edition (to just 25!) USB Xmas Jumper designed by Thom
Mountford!!
Each Xmas Jumper comes with a hand stamped and numbered One Inch Badge tag and a limited-edition Krampus is Coming Vol. 3 USB flash drive, featuring 6 of our favourite bands of 2011 all offering up their own unique take on the ‘Christmas hit’, as well as Thom Mountford designed album artwork and an OIB Records sampler.
Whilst mooching round the internet the other day I came apon this excellent album "Invisible Cities" by Luca C. & Brigante info is scarce on these two fellas but I have been able to acertain that they are Italian are based in Ibiza and have only released a handful of records and remixes in the past they also describe their music as "space out island love making kind". Invisible Cities is their first album and was released 03/10/11 on Southern Fried Records probably best known for releasing a load of big beat nonsense back in the 90's.
the review: This album sounds like if you combined cosmic, itali-disco, fleetwood mac and shoegaze it would sound like this. not too bad for two Italian fellas...listen to the full album for free below.
In 1974 Monty Python's Flying Circus had ended and Eric Idle had a bit of time on his hands. The phone rings and its the BBC wondering if he wants to do his own show after a few seconds thought Mr Idle says "Yes" and so 'Rutland Weekend Television' was born.
Rutland Weekend Television was a 'zany' sketch show in the style of a regional TV broadcast "Britain's smallest television network" ran for 2 series and 1 Xmas special way back in 1975 written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. The reason I'm blithering on about this (some may say) failed attempt at a comedy show is what happen after.
During the making of RWT George Harrison (former beatle and long time python fan) got in touch with Eric, he too remember was also kicking his heels after the break up of The Beatles and was mainly meditating and landscape gardening at his oxfordshire home Friar Park.
After a brief chat Eric asked George if he'd like to appear in the Xmas special as George had a bit of spare time he said yes. see his performance as a pirate below... oh and be sure to stay till the end and watch George performing the pirate song. for the impatient it starts at 2:40...
During the filming George regaled Eric with tales of his time in The Beatles this planted a seed in the mind of the Rutland Weekend Television creator and during the second series of RWT in November 1975 The Rutles were born.
(The Rutles l-r Dirk, Stig, Barry & Nasty)
Based on The Beatles, the 1978 film 'The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash' is a piss-take of the work and career of the world's biggest band. Names have been changed, locations etc and all in all it's good knockabout fun. The best bit for me is watching people such as Mick Jagger & Paul Simon play it straight and recount their beatles experiences by just changing the name to rutles and carrying on regardless. it also features appearances from George Harrison (as a grey haired reporter) and early appearances from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd & John Belushi who at the time were finding fame on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
So without further ado I present to you the movie 'mockumentary' The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash simply click the play below to watch a poorly pasted together youtube playlist trying to pass itself off as a film...
An alright documentary about the now defunct Life magazine specifically the photographers and photographs that defined America from 1936 to 1973 (the magazines life span). I say that it was only "alright" as although it covered all the usual suspects it sadly did not cover my
favourite Life photojournalist Bill Ray or his pictures so I'm going to rectify that by showing
you this: www.life.com a never seen before set of photos of Bill Ray and a 1965 Hells Angels
If you look up 'tea' in the first cookery book that comes to hand you will probably find that it is unmentioned; or at most you will find a few lines of sketchy instructions which give no ruling on several of the most important points.
This is curious, not only because tea is one of the main stays of civilization in this country, as well as in Eire, Australia and New Zealand, but because the best manner of making it is the subject of violent disputes.
When I look through my own recipe for the perfect cup of tea, I find no fewer than eleven outstanding points. On perhaps two of them there would be pretty general agreement, but at least four others are acutely controversial. Here are my own eleven rules, every one of which I regard as golden:
First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays — it is economical, and one can drink it without milk — but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase 'a nice cup of tea' invariably means Indian tea.
Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities — that is, in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless, while army tea, made in a cauldron, tastes of grease and whitewash. The teapot should be made of china or earthenware. Silver or Britanniaware teapots produce inferior tea and enamel pots are worse; though curiously enough a pewter teapot (a rarity nowadays) is not so bad.
Thirdly, the pot should be warmed beforehand. This is better done by placing it on the hob than by the usual method of swilling it out with hot water.
Fourthly, the tea should be strong. For a pot holding a quart, if you are going to fill it nearly to the brim, six heaped teaspoons would be about right. In a time of rationing, this is not an idea that can be realized on every day of the week, but I maintain that one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones. All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes — a fact which is recognized in the extra ration issued to old-age pensioners.
Fifthly, the tea should be put straight into the pot. No strainers, muslin bags or other devices to imprison the tea. In some countries teapots are fitted with little dangling baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which are supposed to be harmful. Actually one can swallow tea-leaves in considerable quantities without ill effect, and if the tea is not loose in the pot it never infuses properly.
Sixthly, one should take the teapot to the kettle and not the other way about. The water should be actually boiling at the moment of impact, which means that one should keep it on the flame while one pours. Some people add that one should only use water that has been freshly brought to the boil, but I have never noticed that it makes any difference.
Seventhly, after making the tea, one should stir it, or better, give the pot a good shake, afterwards allowing the leaves to settle.
Eighthly, one should drink out of a good breakfast cup — that is, the cylindrical type of cup, not the flat, shallow type. The breakfast cup holds more, and with the other kind one's tea is always half cold before one has well started on it.
Ninthly, one should pour the cream off the milk before using it for tea. Milk that is too creamy always gives tea a sickly taste.
Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round.
Lastly, tea — unless one is drinking it in the Russian style — should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tealover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.
Some people would answer that they don't like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again.
These are not the only controversial points to arise in connexion with tea drinking, but they are sufficient to show how subtilized the whole business has become. There is also the mysterious social etiquette surrounding the teapot (why is it considered vulgar to drink out of your saucer, for instance?) and much might be written about the subsidiary uses of tealeaves, such as telling fortunes, predicting the arrival of visitors, feeding rabbits, healing burns and sweeping the carpet. It is worth paying attention to such details as warming the pot and using water that is really boiling, so as to make quite sure of wringing out of one's ration the twenty good, strong cups of that two ounces, properly handled, ought to represent.
