Elche, Spain

Now back on home soil, I belatedly find the time to write about my penultimate day in Spain when I visited Elche which just happens to be one of my favourite cities. Steeped in history, Elche appears to have more than it's fair share of historic buildings, galleries and museums standing alongside the more contemporary buildings one would expect to see in a modern European city. Oh and of course, there are palm trees. 300,000 of them to be (fairly) precise. (I haven't personally counted them all). That works out at one palm tree for each of the city's inhabitants! The city is literally surrounded and infiltrated by palm trees.

You have possibly seen or even held one of the white palm crosses that are handed out in Christian churches just before Easter. Well, they all originate in Elche.

The city is situated just 21 Km (12 miles) from Alicante. I arrived by car and to avoid the city centre traffic  and the hassle of finding a parking space, I left the car on the outskirts of the city and enjoyed the 15 minute stroll into the centre. Despite it being November, there was still some strength in the sun, yet to most locals the temperature was well below what they are used to and they were mostly well wrapped up against the chill. They should try braving the temperatures in the north east of England on a cold November day. Personally I found the weather perfect for walking around all of the attractions the city has to offer.

I began my tour at the Basilica of Santa Maria, the building of which began in 1672 though there was originally a mosque on this site.
This is also the venue for the annual Mystery Play of Elche which takes place each August. Of medieval origin, the performance relates the story of the final days and the assumption into Heaven of the Virgin Mary.
I have not witnessed the play myself but it is said to be a wonderful spectacle. Perhaps one day I will see it.

Very close to the basilica, is the Alcàsser de la Senyoria, a fortress constructed between the 11th and 18th centuries.

From the castle, I wandered into the neighbouring municipal park where the plants and trees provide much needed shade during the hot summer months. Shade was not required during this visit but I appreciated the wonderful colours and smells that I do not usually get to enjoy at this time of year.

After wandering through more of the city, I found myself at El Huerto del Cura which is a smallish (13,000 sq metres) garden devoted to palms, cacti and a host of other exotic trees and plants. Despite being in the centre of a bustling city, I always find it to be totally calm and peaceful at this location. The only sounds I could hear were birdsong and the sound of running water from the small waterfalls or fountains.

This has to be the jewel in the crown of this wonderful city and visitors should not miss the opportunity to take in its many splendours, including the Imperial Palm. This tree is almost 200 years old and is unique in that it has seven stems growing from one main trunk.









It was given it's name when visited in 1894 by Empress Elizabeth of Austria who remarked that the tree had the power and strength of an empire.

Sadly my visit came to an end as did my time in Spain - for this year at least.

RIP Manchester United Legend, Bill Foulkes

Sad news today of the death at 81 of Manchester United legend and one of the original Busby Babes, Bill Foulkes.          

Foulkes joined the club as an amateur in 1950 and turned professional the following year. He survived the horrific plane crash at Munich in February 1958, following which he took over the captaincy of the team, going on to win four league titles. The pinnacle of his playing career was to captain the team to success in the 1968 European Cup final at Wembley after he had scored the semi-final goal against Real Madrid that earned their place in that final. He eventually left United in June 1970 after playing for them 688 times.

Sir Bobby Charlton has described Foulkes as being 'as hard as nails' and went on to say that he was pleased he played alongside him and not against him. Yet somehow, Foulkes only managed to win one cap for England.

A true legend, Foulkes will not be forgotten by the United faithful.

RIP Bill.

Late Autumn Sunshine - In Spain

I'm not sure about autumn. Perhaps winter has come early to the north east of England, curtailing all of my beloved outdoor activities.

So, here I am in Spain, enjoying those very same activities.

Like taking in the views......
































Studying the local flora,,,,,,,


















Seeking spiritual guidance....

















Having a late afternoon stroll.....

Or just relaxing with a cold beer.




Believe it or not, this is actually a 'working' holiday.



 

 

Television at The Sage, Gateshead

If I was to draw up a list of my top 30 albums of all time, the 1977 debut album by Television would certainly be included. 'Marquee Moon' must be among the best debut albums ever. It is therefore something of a travesty that the band have to date only issued three studio albums and these days live dates also appear to be something of a rarity, particularly here in the UK.

I last saw them almost ten years ago when they supported Patti Smith in Manchester. Two of the greatest acts to emerge from the mid 70's New York scene and all for the princely sum of £17. It remains one of the best gigs I have ever attended.

When I heard they were coming to The Sage in Gateshead, I wasted no time booking my ticket, so that was my destination on Friday evening. I am a fan of The Sage as a venue as the acoustics are wonderful and there is hardly a bad seat in the house. However, a general feeling appears to be that the all seated Hall One seems to be lacking in atmosphere. To counteract this, the management have recently begun removing the first few rows of seating and introduced a mosh pit which with a slightly sunken floor, does not restrict the view of those seated behind. Friday was my first experience of a gig with this system in place and I would say that it works.

The four piece band now consists of original members Tom Verlaine on vocals and guitar, Fred Smith on bass and Billy Ficca on drums. Replacing the departed Richard Lloyd on guitar is another superb player, Jimmy Rip.

For a little over an hour and a half, we were treated to some fine music. Obviously most of 'Marquee Moon' was played but there was also a smattering of new songs (well they were new to me so I am unable to provide the titles). As expected, the playing was exemplary with Verlaine and Rip trading places on lead and rhythm with Smith and Ficca providing a solid foundation. There were no frills. The lighting was fairly basic, chatter was kept to a minimum and there was no constant swapping of guitars between numbers. All very professional and most enjoyable.


I hope it won't be ten years until I see them again but I will not be holding my breath.

Box Sets #8 - Dr Feelgood - All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977)

Dr Feelgood were something of a strange phenomenon being a straightforward blues/rock band who in 1974 competed in the albums market against the likes of Yes and King Crimson, and in the singles market against the Bay City Rollers and David Cassidy. Nevertheless despite the relative lack of commercial success in their early years, they established a hard core of loyal and enthusiastic followers.(They did eventually achieve one top ten single with 'Milk and Alcohol' in 1979).

The line up between 1974 and 1977 featured the jagged, choppy rhythms of guitarist Wilko Johnson and of course the growling vocals and bluesy harp blowing of Lee Brilleaux and it is this line up which is featured in this long overdue box set.

Bringing together the first four albums and a selection of alternate versions and out takes, this set really captures the essence of the band particularly as one of the albums is the live 'Stupidity'. For it was as a live act that they could perhaps best be appreciated, so thankfully this set also comes complete with a DVD featuring a fair number of their live performances.

While they may not have been musically innovative (much of their sound harks back to the rock and roll/blues music of the late 1950's or early 1960's), they certainly influenced a number of artists that followed through the punk era and beyond.

The box set can now be found on Amazon UK for the ridiculously cheap price of £12.62 and you even get a free auto-rip which means you can download the set before it is even despatched.

This is good solid rock and roll without the frills. As Wilko famously said, "Pedals? I'm a guitarist not a cyclist".

Buy it now.

Stan Laurel at Dockwray Square, North Shields

A recent stroll took me above the fish quay at North Shields on the northern bank of the River Tyne just as it is about to flow out into the North Sea.












I passed through Dockwray Square and took in the statue of the comedy actor Stan Laurel who was a resident at number 8 from 1897 to 1902.















Of course in those days, Dockwray Square was very different being a slum tenement.

Now it is made up of attractive town houses surrounding a small park which have splendid views over the Tyne.

Musings on Frank Zappa and Being a Proud Parent.

My music player is currently on shuffle and much against the odds, two consecutive tracks featured the late great Frank Zappa.

I have listened to the music of Zappa (and the Mothers of Invention) for more years than I care to remember and while I am of the opinion that some of his releases have not aged too well, generally I would say that the man can quite rightly be regarded as a genius. His back catalogue is vast so it is only natural that there should be some clunkers in there, but generally speaking his albums are fresh, vibrant, fun and feature some bloody great musicianship.

I have always played music in the car and this included days many, many moons ago when I would drive my two sons to school or on regular trips into the countryside. It was on such excursions that I suspect they gained their musical 'education', something I am proud to say has stuck with them, for we frequently exchange thoughts on new albums and share music files between our computers. (How things have moved on since we swapped tapes).

Hearing Zappa earlier reminded me of a tale told by my youngest son Paul when he returned home one day from school. As he was leaving a class he noticed a stack of CDs on the desk of his teacher. Being a chip off the old block, he was drawn to have a look through the pile and saw that they were all Frank Zappa albums. His teacher casually asked Paul if he was a fan of Zappa. Paul replied in the affirmative.
The teacher thought he would pursue this further and perhaps catch out this precocious 12 year old. "So Paul" he said. "What's your favourite Frank Zappa song?"
To which, without missing a beat, Paul replied, "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow".

His tale made me beam with pride - something both my sons have made me do on many occasions since.

Thanks lads.

Here's the track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLIppgE45wM

The Long and Whining Road

Having made reference recently to a Breaking Bad themed baby outfit that caught my eye, and having something of a Beatles theme going on at the moment, I was struck by this little item in a local shop window.

Books#7 - Way Beyond Compare by John C Winn

During my recent reading of 'Tune In' by Mark Lewisohn, my attention was obviously drawn to all things relating to The Beatles. Consequently I found myself repeatedly returning to the book,  'Way Beyond Compare'  by John C Winn.

In a little under 400 pages, Winn covers every single recording featuring The Beatles in chronological order between 1957 and 1965. Whereas Lewisohn documented all of The Beatles' Abbey Road recordings in his excellent 'The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions', Winn tackles absolutely everything. Thus he includes home demo recordings, live concerts, interviews, TV and radio performances, field recordings, promotional clips and just about anything else you can think of that has been made available to listen to or view, whether officially or unofficially. In his foreword, Mark Lewisohn himself confesses that he keeps this book constantly on his desk and finds it to be an essential reference work.

Nevertheless, the book is immensely readable though perhaps not something you would necessarily want to sit down and read from cover to cover. Personally I find myself regularly delving into certain sections when I'm interested in a particular period or a particular recording.

As I mentioned, this volume covers the period 1957 to 1965. The second volume covers 1966 onwards and is entitled 'That Magic Feeling'.

If you are reading this post, I suspect that you have an interest in The Beatles. If so, I wholeheartedly recommend these two volumes.

More Autumn Colours

In between other tasks, I have been taking every opportunity to get out into the wonderful autumn sunshine we are having.

Long may this continue.

Mark Lewisohn - All These Years: Volume 1 Tune In

Well I have now completed reading the 800 odd pages of this wonderful work by Mark Lewisohn. Despite having read just about every other noteworthy book on the subject of The Beatles, I have still learned an awful lot from what must be the definitive word on the fab four. Yet this is not a scholarly lecture from the author, but a highly entertaining story of all of the characters involved in the lead up to what became known as Beatlemania.

Of course Volume One only takes the reader up to the final day of 1962, so The Beatles had literally only just reached the charts with their first single and were ending the year on what would be their fifth and final trip to Hamburg. Beatlemania and all that followed are still to be covered in what will be Volumes Two and Three. The downside is that we are going to have to wait several years for these to appear. How many of us original Beatle fans will still be around to see them I wonder?

Anyway this is what others have been saying about this book:

‘A game-changing study which raises the bar in the genre . . . Lewisohn, who was born in London in 1958 and whose life has been dedicated to chronicling the Beatles, has done an astonishing job . . . a meticulous piece of work . . . I can’t wait for volume two’ Independent
‘Mark Lewisohn manages to put flesh and blood on the story of the band as never before. He does so with imagination, energy and a gripping plotline . . . Lewisohn’s achievement lies not in mining a single 24-carat scoop, but in the extraordinary depth and scope of his research . . .The raw excitement of the Hamburg period, where the Beatles properly came into being, is conveyed in electrifying detail . . . This volume puts him (Lewisohn) in a different league’ Sunday Times & The Sunday Times Ireland, Mark Edmonds
‘It is the breadth and scope of Lewisohn’s endeavour that are unparalleled’ Observer, Kitty Empire
‘This is a book with a difference, one that ensures all previous rock tomes will gather dust on high, cob-webbed shelves. It’s a work of careful research that turns the legend of The Beatles into a woven history that reads like a work of fiction . . . Sets the benchmark in popular music history that he alone can match’ The Huffington Post
‘To call his biography of the Beatles a labour of love would be something of an understatement’ The Guardian
‘Fills in vital details that had been missing from the existing Beatles canon and corrects mistakes that have been reprinted for years’ Wall Street Journal
‘A remarkable piece of scholarship’ Choice magazine

 

 

Having reached the end, there is now something of a void in my life. One that I hope to fill in a little under two weeks when I shall receive my Kindle version of the super deluxe edition of the book. This is twice the length of the one I have finished so it should keep me busy until Christmas at least.

 

Happy days.