Albums You Should Own Part 1

Welcome to the first in a no-doubt irregular series of blog posts which aim to point you in the direction of  great albums that you should have in your collection. You should actually buy these. Go into one of the fast disappearing record shops and impress everyone as you pick a copy off the shelf and take it to the till. Then, as you walk down the street, take it out of the carrier bag and purposely read the back (ensuring the front cover is fully on display much like the latest VW Polo ad). In all honesty you will probably be thought of as a bit of a fruitcake, and be subsequently targetted as a potential mugging target, but hey, at least you'll feel cool!

Anyway, to the first album.

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
Released in 1966 and driven by competition between Lennon and McCartney and the Beach Boys' creative force, Brian Wilson, Pet Sounds was a direct riposte to the Beatles' Rubber Soul album. Until that point, the Beach Boys had been pouring out gems like Surfin USA, Little Deuce Coupe and so on. But the creative maturity being displayed by Lennon and McCartney and their almost God-like status in the USA (we're talking pre-Lennon furore) awoke Brian Wilson to try and attain greater things.

Brian Wilson teamed up with Tony Asher to try and create something that put Rubber Soul into the shadows. And they succeeded to an extent. Whilst the Beach Boys touring entity took the music to the masses, Brian, who had given up touring to concentrate on writing and recording new music, was creating something that was a complete departure from what had gone before.

Case in point is the song 'I Know There's An Answer'. Apparently with an original title of 'Hang On To Your Ego', the title was changed because Mike Love refused to sing the lyrics. Then, there's 'I Just Wasn't Made For These Times', which seems to be Brian Wilson telling the world how he feels at odds with his existence at the time.

From these introspective, atmospheric songs to upbeat numbers like 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' and 'Sloop John B', the album takes your mood up and down and up and back down again, ending on the melancholy 'Caroline, No'.

'Good Vibrations' was originally listed on the album, but Brian Wilson removed it to continue work on it. The creative battle with the Beatles was temporarily won, until the release of Revolver later the same year. The recording of the follow-up, 'Smile' sent Brian on the way to a mental breakdown, precipitated by his drug use.

The best way to listen to this album is through good headphones and in the dark. Give it a go. You might just like it...

Books, Books, Books

Yesterday, I finished reading Man and Boy by Tony Parsons. Or should I say re-reading it. In fact, I'm a serial re-reader. But you can never read a good book more than once, in my opinion. There are lots of books I've read more than once. The Adrian Mole series, James Ellroy books, my Nick Hornby collection, and Tony Parsons too. That's alot of books, I assure you.

But, back to my most recent re-read. When I first read it, I was younger and hadn't had any of my life experiences, and couldn't really appreciate the story for what it was, it was just a good book written by a good author. Fast forward about eight or nine years, and I've been through it all and come through the other side. I started re-reading it and the more I read, the more I realised that this book was now incredibly relevant to me.

To sum up, a happily married guy, Harry Silver, hits 30, has a one night stand and causes his marriage to break up. So far, the only relevance is the age thing. Then his wife moves away to Japan to work, leaving their son, Pat, with our main character. No relevance there. His parents are of the old-school, where families stayed together through thick and thin, and this causes them to over-compensate with Pat, allowing slack where perhaps normally they wouldn't. Now I feel that this situation is becoming more apparent in my own life. It's not a bad thing, as such. But it can leave my authority as a parent a bit ineffective at times.

Then, when Pat's mother returns from Japan with a new man, she states her intent to get her son back. Cue the sniping and solicitor involvement (check!) as both parents are more intent on rubbishing the other rather than promoting the benefits of their care. Ultimately, when Harry's dad dies of cancer (no relevance there thank God), he asks his mum how she copes. She tells him that part of love is knowing how to let go. This prompts Harry to agree to let his son live with his mother. I can definitely appreciate that. When I left my son with his mum, I wasn't in a particularly good place and in no state to look after a 2 year old under the same house as my parents. Then, when I had another chance to look after my son on a permanent basis about two years ago, I felt that to have my son on these terms (basically his mum had refused to collect him from nursery after a ridiculous incident in a pub car park) was purely by default, not by his choice. So, after much soul searching and disgusted views, I permitted my ex-wife to take him back again. However, this much is true: should the occasion arise again, I will not falter. He will be with me, Marisa and Anthony.

Anyway, back to the book. All along, Harry goes through lack of work (been there more than once!), and unexpected new love. This I can definitely relate to!

Dammit, as I finished the last page, I wiped a tear from my eye.

And my family always mock me for reading books more than once. More fool them!

I'm now re-reading the sequel, Man and Wife. I'm prepared for more tugged heart strings.

A little bit of Pre-Dave fun...

Here's a little bit of fun that got passed along to me, and it right up my creative little street.

Create Your Own Album:

1) Go on Wikipedia and select 'Random Article'. The first one you get is the name of your band.

2) Go to Quotationspage.com and select a random quote. The last few words will act as your album title.

3) Do a virtual trundle over to Flickr.com. Explore the last 7 days. The third picture is your album cover. (You can only right-click to save the thumbnail image, not the full size one on Flickr).

4) Put them all in a Picture-edit-software-esque magic bag (Photoshop to name but one).

5) Tag those people you think will dig it and want to have a bash themselves

Here is my effort:

Now, just because mine has come out quite good, doesn't mean you can just keep refreshing so that you get something equally awesome!!

NO CHEATING!!

(I'm not quite tecchie enough to actually know how to tag people, so I'm going to do it via Facebook)

Thanks go to http://carolefindsherwings.wordpress.com for this, and further down the line http://libertyfallsdown.wordpress.com.

Back to the Dave-themed grindstone now...

The last trio of Top Fives

Because things come in three's, here is my third and final Top Five.

Top Five (living) People to invite to dinner:
5) Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - just so he can create the dinner using just the contents of my hedge and an overweight squirrel...
4) Chris Evans - because he's just so damned enthusiastic about everything. Even at 6.30 in the morning. Plus he'd have some good anecdotes if his books are anything to go by.
3) Alexander Armstrong - he's funny, smart, he's descended from William the Conqueror (that's right isn't it? I watched the programme, so I'm fairly confident), and he might be able to get me on his Pointless quiz show!
2) Robert Plant - the man's a Rock God. And he could recommend some good music, and tell us if Jimmy Page really did make a deal with the Devil...
1) Stephen Fry - surely a dinner-party must? He's got anecdotes, wit, and charisma pouring from his ears.


Top Five Famous Females on screen (big or small. Screen that is...):
5) Susannah Reid - fills in on BBC Breakfast from time to time. Must be a morning thing...
4) Kirstie Allsopp - she tries to help people find a home. She's helpful, I like that.
3) Kelly Brook - she's all woman.
2) Uma Thurman - she's in Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill (vols 1 & 2). She still looks good.
1) Cameron Diaz - she's fairly hot, funny, and can drive a Kia Cee'd quite fast.


And finally...
Top Five People I'd put on a crashing plane with no parachutes:
5) Lady GaGa - for confusing unusual 'dress sense' with talent.
4) Jo Whiley - she seems to be a HUGE fan of EVERYBODY she interviews. Makes me cringe
3) James Corden - he's not that funny. In fact he's just an annoying chubby get who's currently having his fifteen minutes.
2) Cheryl Cole - she used to be ok. Then Ashley cheated on her and she became a national obsession. Talk about sob story! Then she attached herself to Simon Cowell and has got even more annoying. I hope she does go to America and never returns.
1) Simon Cowell - the man has single-handedly corrupted the music business and manipulated people into believing that they can hit the big time by having a 'Colgate smile', 'trendy' hair and songs with a stupid key change before the end rather than actually having talent, working hard and learning your craft by playing live without the use of sound trickery to cover up being badly out of tune.

And that's it. The next post will be a new 'Dave' story. Eventually.
Until then, ta-ta!

More Top Fives

Top Five Driving Moans:
5) Pedestrians that cross the road just yards away from an actual pedestrian crossing. Just a few steps more you lazy buggers!!!
4) Drivers waiting at a junction, seeing the car in front of me turning off, they decide to pull out on me. Then they have the gall to shake their heads at ME(??!!) as I continue on my way, forcing them to stop suddenly with their front end poking out into the flow of traffic.
3) People too impatient to wait their turn. A number of times I've witnessed cars steaming up the inside of a queue of traffic to get to the turning they want - a few of them have had to stop sharpish and rely on other's reluctance to witness a head on collision. And just today, during a busy spell at Tesco's Petrol station in Shrewsbury which I was caught in, about three cars tried to nip in front of me, only to realise why I was waiting patiently - the first pump was coned off. Having lost their place in the queue thanks to their own rash foolishness, they revved their engines in anger and drove off, petrol-less!
2) Drivers at the Level Crossing in Wem. In particular, those that park across the 'Keep Clear' box so that when the gates go up, anyone that wants to turn right can forget it, and so the traffic builds up. Oh and those cars that come up on the wrong side of the road towards the station and turn down Station Road - it's just a matter of time before they meet a car coming the other way.
1) The bus that drives round Wem, dropping people off etc. Well, the beardy driver that cuts me up down Churchill Drive every lunchtime, forcing me on to the pavement. The other day he was stopped in the middle of the road talking to a woman on a bike. He saw me coming and reluctantly tried to move aside. I still came within inches of taking out the woman on the bike. Would have served her right though.


Top Five Literary Characters I've read:
5) Philip Marlowe - Particularly in The Big Sleep. It's been a while since I read the book, but the image of this guy in a mac and trilby has stayed with me ever since.
4) Francis Begbie - Both in Trainspotting and the sequel, Porno. He's just a complete nutter! I think that seeing the film before reading the book has prevented me from making up my own mind about him, as all I can see now is Robert Carlyle. Which doesn't bother me, but that sort of thing I think can sometimes annoy the book purists.
3) The Count of Monte Cristo/Edmond Dantes - The title of the book is obvious. I was first alerted to this book by a scene in The Shawshank Redemption, when they're going through all the books that have been donated to the prison library. One guy mispronounces Dumas' name as 'Dumbass'. It made me chuckle, but I went out and bought the book. A complex character who uses his gained riches to manipulate and play with the lives of people that crossed him and caused his initial imprisonment.
2) Pete Bondurant - Appears in the first two of James Ellroy's 'American Underworld' trilogy - American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand. He's a French Canadian hardman working initially for Howard Hughes, then gets caught up in the CIA attempt at the Bay of Pigs, gets sent to run heroin factories in Vietnam and ends up a shell of his former self in the end due to a series of heart attacks. Between the beatings he hands out, there is a soft side to him that he's afraid to show in case others deem it a weakness and try to exploit it.
1) Adrian Mole - The greatest diarist that never lived? I would say so. From humble beginnings aged 13 and 3/4 through puberty, into young adulthood, on into his thirties and now (possibly finally) into his forties. He's had illegitimate children, legitimate ones, failed marriages, accidental engagements, nasty bosses and nice ones. He's seen Thatcher's Britain and Blair's Britain, lived through the Falklands, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. He's survived acne and prostate cancer. All the time, Pandora has been in his life in one way or another.


Top Five Comedy TV Shows as an adult:
5) Friends - I, along with many others, grew up with this show. While it remained funny throughout it's ten year run, in my opinion the first three series were the most consistently funny ones.
4) Family Guy - I only found out about this accidentally one night on BBC3. I watched a few and found I was constantly hurting from laughing. I went on to get season box-sets and subject myself to more pain! Then the Star Wars parodies came and it just got better.
3) Extras - My favourite of Ricky Gervais's comedies. If anything I think sometimes Stephen Merchant steals the show. It's consistent, witty and a damning observation of today's celebrity culture. But hats off to all those who took part and played along. My particular favourite is the one with Kate Winslet.
2) Black Books - I don't think this show ever got the praise it warranted. Three series of brilliant comedy from Moran, Bailey and Greig. I only need suggest you watch the first episode of the first series and you will understand.
1) Father Ted - Pushed all the way by Black Books, but a worthy winner. Proof that British sitcoms usually know when to stop before they get stale. Nothing else needs to be said really.

Stay tuned for more Top Fives in the future.