Hi John. Thank you for the kind words - I greatly appreciate them. I have been working through a few things in my personal life and have needed to take a break from the VC, although I have continued to watch. It was actually Madam Cyn who ahowed that Basil album. I showed the 1977 LP 'Boom! Boom! It's Basil Brush'. A near masterpiece of exquisite English sensibilty, humour, nostalgia and song.
Hi John, Many lovely pickups! I was particularly interested in hearing about a rerelease of Heresie. I would probably have a few goes at the Scouse album. I find it enjoyable to learn about different dialects and languages. Take care, Richard
I think it’s pretty well documented now that in the eighties when Prog & experimental music was probably at its lowest ebb the golden nugget Steve Davis paid for them to come over & play some gigs in the U.K. He was/is obsessed by them. I think he now hosts a radio show playing obscure electronic music.I always thought I’d hate Magma, but what I’ve streamed has been magnificent. Agree with your comments about Alan, his videos never failed to put a smile on my face..or introduce me to something new.
Hullo, John. I've got Maybe Baby's second album. They went in a rootsy countryish direction which is more up my street than their earlier sound. Actually I've got quite a few albums by ex psychedelic rock bands who saw the light and took a journey to the country side. A mate of mine from drama school worked for a number of years on a Basil Brush tv show playing a yeti. Cheers - Hedley
Basil Brush is such a well written character. I used to forget he is a puppet! I need to hear more Mighty Baby. I guess I can hear their more countryish direction if I buy the Cherry Red box set which a lot of people have recommended. Hope all is well with you Hedley.
Good to see a nice Mighty Baby replica with the original gatefold sleeve. A 1969 original copy would cost about half of your annual electric bill (just to put it into a very topical context!) The Babe’s guitarist Martin Stone also played in Savoy Brown (who I never heard) and Chilli Willi And The Red Hot Peppers, a band which amazingly managed to include Philip Lithman, who later became Snakefinger with The Residents. The first two Peppers LPs are must-haves in my view. Plus there’s some very witty Barney Bubbles designs on both. There's a recent comp called "Real Sharp" which I also recommend. I won’t say that I met Martin Stone, but I was in a pub at the same time as him and managed to exchange a few words about book-collecting. By that time he had become a well respected dealer in antiquarian tomes. He listened politely to my well-meaning advice about polythene covers on records. Oh, and I was also there in Paris when he brought along a birthday cake for Savage Pencil’s 40th birthday. Stone seemed a very interesting and genuine chap and I bet he carried around a lot of musical history, a unique period that we won’t see again in British music.
Very grateful for these personal reminiscences and comments, Ed! The late 60s / early 70s British Underground seems to have been populated by fascinating semi-mythical characters. The Hawkwind story alone is an epic gathering of pioneering and oddball talents. A unique period as you said. I love Mighty Baby and never knew the Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers connection. Have to admit I have not listened to them (yet.)
Definitely some diversity with these albums John. But truthfully I love the variety. I can remember that original pressings of that Mighty Baby album being highly sought after. Am I right? Fabulous update J~ Rob/Boston
Nice to see you again John. I was tempted by the Mighty Baby and love Egyptian Tomb - but I'm resisting because I bought the career CD box set a few years ago...You've piqued my interest with dungeon synth again John, I really must investigate. I think I probably have some within the many ambient synth albums I've bought in recent years but it's just not called that...I picked-up the Grapefruit box. Nice Basil Brush and missing Alan's videos too...cheers Dale
Thanks Dale. I think I need to acquire the Mighty Baby CD box set if it’s still available. As for the tag of dungeon synth I think it’s the fantasy / medieval imagery that gains it the name. As I said the actual sound is not far from Tangerine Dream or more recent ambient artists.
Good day to you John, lots of great things here i can struggle with some prog but all were noted particularly Magma having their own language I'd like to know more about that. Alan is much missed by myself too because he did lighten my day or just play something out of my zone (maybe you recall a 78 rpm B-side by Humphrey Lyttleton all Portishead and moody) led to me tracking down a copy. Hopefully he'll return in his own terms and time I did grow up with an incarnation of Basil but found him in my memory not shy but like Roland Rat and Zippy from Rainbow 🌈 quite bolshy and full of himself. Maybe he got more conservative and stuck in his ways over the years. Thanks John a very enjoyable selection box. Martin.
Magma are well worth investigating, even if only for their single minded invention of their own language and weird super-intense choral version of Prog. If you look at the comments here you’ll see Alan Static Traveller has broken his silence. Great to hear from him and I hope he will be back. Take care, John.
When did you manage to sneak into my garden to film John? And thanks for outing me to the VC re my book channel 😱😱!! Shame about the Mike Batt album - doesn't sound great - have to remember that if I ever see it in the wild. BTW just how many 70s albums did BJ Cole play on? I remember being disappointed by Astounding Sounds when I first heard it - for many years it was one of my least favourite Hawkwind albums, but it has improved in my estimation over time - Steppenwolf is a great track. Try PXR5 and the Hawklords albums next if you haven't already done so. Need to get that Mighty Baby reissue - excellent album. Nice Gong pickup - not their best but well worth having. Have you heard Daevid Allen's solo album Banana Moon? It came out in 1971 between Magick Brother and Camembert Electrique - worth seeking out. Now you're talking - Magma!!!! I have just forked out an extortionate amount of money for the pre-order of the MDK 7LP 50th anniversary box set which is due out at the end of the month. Absolutely adore Univers Zero. If you like them, and have not heard them, try the French band Art Zoyd - very much in the same vein - especially the early albums. Will have to check out that website for dungeon synth - it's got to be up my street. I'm definitely of the gloomy bent! Loved Basil Brush as a kid. Miss Alan and his videos - I hope he is doing alright. Though I don't miss his 2 companions! All the best... Pete
Yes, Astounding Sounds doesn’t impress much at first, especially when you consider what went before and just after in their discography. However I still like it. Haven’t got PXR5 so will check it out. Ha ha, when I read about the MDK 7 LP set I knew you would succumb! Univers Zero are brilliant but I find a lot of Zeuhl hard to track down. As ever many thanks for watching. Take care, John.
Okay, after 20 seconds I could not handle the vocals in Imbecile. A little Sparkish I liked the album cover on Mighty Baby, I had no idea what to expect. The vocals were quite good. I loved the plant art exhibition, I could really see what your were going for with that. Early Gong, nice and weird lol. Somehow this video got past me John
As you might know Steve the vocals on Imbecile were by Roger Chapman who was the singer in UK 70s band Family. His bleating style of si ging certainly divides people!
Nice attempt to convert the VC into ' Gardeners with 'earthy' delights' ..I love that reissue of Mighty Baby and Egyptian Tomb is magnificent. Didn't the singer go on to form ' Ace'?. I've never actually heard Astounding Stories..I think someone told me once it wasn't that great so I never sought it...I'm probably missing out there. The Magma is interesting, but I think I'd need to be in the mood. I have the comp ' Think I'm going Weird' in the book CD style, which has some cracking tracks..think I definitely need ' Too much sun will burn'. I think the Elton song may be off his ' Pepper ' album that was issued a few years ago on RSD. An issue of Roy Harpers' debut ' Sophisticated Beggar ' was issued on that Big Ben label. Ha ha!..that Load of Maloney is hilarious..but only if yer a brit. Just gotta love Basil!. I've been messaging with Alan, he was suffering with some VC ' burnout' but said he plans to return. Great seeing you back John.
Astounding Stories is not as strong as some other 70s Hawkwind albums. However like many Hawkwind LPs it has a great flow and nice Sci Fi imagery. The Too Much Sun will Burn box set is brilliant, thoroughly enjoyed playing the whole thing last Sunday afternoon.
Hi John. If you have to explain a joke, it's not a very good one. Although I guess Americans will be bemused by British humour ... I'll check out West Coast Book Addict ... I was going to ask if that Bowie album was official. It seems a strange one to me. Maybe his record company doesn't have the rights to BBC recordings? ... I struggle to keep up with all of the Cherry Red releases. 'Too Much Sun Will Burn' looks to be a nice package ... I've never seen that Basil Brush album ... Hopefully Static Traveller is just taking a break. So many of the channels I've liked over the last couple of years have disappeared. All the best.
Hi John. Thank you for the kind words - I greatly appreciate them. I have been working through a few things in my personal life and have needed to take a break from the VC, although I have continued to watch. It was actually Madam Cyn who ahowed that Basil album. I showed the 1977 LP 'Boom! Boom! It's Basil Brush'. A near masterpiece of exquisite English sensibilty, humour, nostalgia and song.
Wonderful to hear from you, Alan. Hope you can come back when the time is right.
Hi John, Many lovely pickups! I was particularly interested in hearing about a rerelease of Heresie. I would probably have a few goes at the Scouse album. I find it enjoyable to learn about different dialects and languages. Take care, Richard
Thanks Richard. Yes Heresie is a grim classic. Was very pleased about a reissue as Univers Zero records aren't usually that easy to find over here.
I think it’s pretty well documented now that in the eighties when Prog & experimental music was probably at its lowest ebb the golden nugget Steve Davis paid for them to come over & play some gigs in the U.K. He was/is obsessed by them. I think he now hosts a radio show playing obscure electronic music.I always thought I’d hate Magma, but what I’ve streamed has been magnificent. Agree with your comments about Alan, his videos never failed to put a smile on my face..or introduce me to something new.
Ooh I like the sound of a Steve Davis radio show (I think.) Yes Magma are very impressive indeed.
It’s called ‘The Interesting Alternative Show’ There’s episodes & tracklists online..it’s certainly pretty Leftfield! @@baggyhi-fi8628
Hullo, John.
I've got Maybe Baby's second album. They went in a rootsy countryish direction which is more up my street than their earlier sound. Actually I've got quite a few albums by ex psychedelic rock bands who saw the light and took a journey to the country side.
A mate of mine from drama school worked for a number of years on a Basil Brush tv show playing a yeti.
Cheers - Hedley
Basil Brush is such a well written character. I used to forget he is a puppet!
I need to hear more Mighty Baby. I guess I can hear their more countryish direction if I buy the Cherry Red box set which a lot of people have recommended.
Hope all is well with you Hedley.
Good to see a nice Mighty Baby replica with the original gatefold sleeve. A 1969 original copy would cost about half of your annual electric bill (just to put it into a very topical context!)
The Babe’s guitarist Martin Stone also played in Savoy Brown (who I never heard) and Chilli Willi And The Red Hot Peppers, a band which amazingly managed to include Philip Lithman, who later became Snakefinger with The Residents. The first two Peppers LPs are must-haves in my view. Plus there’s some very witty Barney Bubbles designs on both. There's a recent comp called "Real Sharp" which I also recommend.
I won’t say that I met Martin Stone, but I was in a pub at the same time as him and managed to exchange a few words about book-collecting. By that time he had become a well respected dealer in antiquarian tomes. He listened politely to my well-meaning advice about polythene covers on records. Oh, and I was also there in Paris when he brought along a birthday cake for Savage Pencil’s 40th birthday. Stone seemed a very interesting and genuine chap and I bet he carried around a lot of musical history, a unique period that we won’t see again in British music.
Very grateful for these personal reminiscences and comments, Ed!
The late 60s / early 70s British Underground seems to have been populated by fascinating semi-mythical characters. The Hawkwind story alone is an epic gathering of pioneering and oddball talents. A unique period as you said.
I love Mighty Baby and never knew the Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers connection. Have to admit I have not listened to them (yet.)
Definitely some diversity with these albums John. But truthfully I love the variety. I can remember that original pressings of that Mighty Baby album being highly sought after. Am I right? Fabulous update J~
Rob/Boston
Yes the Mighty Baby album is a pricy original. Very glad to find a well made reissue.
Nice to see you again John. I was tempted by the Mighty Baby and love Egyptian Tomb - but I'm resisting because I bought the career CD box set a few years ago...You've piqued my interest with dungeon synth again John, I really must investigate. I think I probably have some within the many ambient synth albums I've bought in recent years but it's just not called that...I picked-up the Grapefruit box. Nice Basil Brush and missing Alan's videos too...cheers Dale
Thanks Dale. I think I need to acquire the Mighty Baby CD box set if it’s still available. As for the tag of dungeon synth I think it’s the fantasy / medieval imagery that gains it the name. As I said the actual sound is not far from Tangerine Dream or more recent ambient artists.
Good day to you John, lots of great things here i can struggle with some prog but all were noted particularly Magma having their own language I'd like to know more about that.
Alan is much missed by myself too because he did lighten my day or just play something out of my zone (maybe you recall a 78 rpm B-side by Humphrey Lyttleton all Portishead and moody) led to me tracking down a copy. Hopefully he'll return in his own terms and time
I did grow up with an incarnation of Basil but found him in my memory not shy but like Roland Rat and Zippy from Rainbow 🌈 quite bolshy and full of himself. Maybe he got more conservative and stuck in his ways over the years. Thanks John a very enjoyable selection box. Martin.
Magma are well worth investigating, even if only for their single minded invention of their own language and weird super-intense choral version of Prog.
If you look at the comments here you’ll see Alan Static Traveller has broken his silence. Great to hear from him and I hope he will be back. Take care, John.
When did you manage to sneak into my garden to film John? And thanks for outing me to the VC re my book channel 😱😱!!
Shame about the Mike Batt album - doesn't sound great - have to remember that if I ever see it in the wild. BTW just how many 70s albums did BJ Cole play on?
I remember being disappointed by Astounding Sounds when I first heard it - for many years it was one of my least favourite Hawkwind albums, but it has improved in my estimation over time - Steppenwolf is a great track. Try PXR5 and the Hawklords albums next if you haven't already done so.
Need to get that Mighty Baby reissue - excellent album.
Nice Gong pickup - not their best but well worth having. Have you heard Daevid Allen's solo album Banana Moon? It came out in 1971 between Magick Brother and Camembert Electrique - worth seeking out.
Now you're talking - Magma!!!! I have just forked out an extortionate amount of money for the pre-order of the MDK 7LP 50th anniversary box set which is due out at the end of the month.
Absolutely adore Univers Zero. If you like them, and have not heard them, try the French band Art Zoyd - very much in the same vein - especially the early albums.
Will have to check out that website for dungeon synth - it's got to be up my street. I'm definitely of the gloomy bent!
Loved Basil Brush as a kid. Miss Alan and his videos - I hope he is doing alright. Though I don't miss his 2 companions!
All the best... Pete
Yes, Astounding Sounds doesn’t impress much at first, especially when you consider what went before and just after in their discography. However I still like it. Haven’t got PXR5 so will check it out.
Ha ha, when I read about the MDK 7 LP set I knew you would succumb!
Univers Zero are brilliant but I find a lot of Zeuhl hard to track down.
As ever many thanks for watching. Take care, John.
Okay, after 20 seconds I could not handle the vocals in Imbecile. A little Sparkish I liked the album cover on Mighty Baby, I had no idea what to expect. The vocals were quite good. I loved the plant art exhibition, I could really see what your were going for with that. Early Gong, nice and weird lol. Somehow this video got past me John
As you might know Steve the vocals on Imbecile were by Roger Chapman who was the singer in UK 70s band Family. His bleating style of si ging certainly divides people!
Nice attempt to convert the VC into ' Gardeners with 'earthy' delights' ..I love that reissue of Mighty Baby and Egyptian Tomb is magnificent.
Didn't the singer go on to form ' Ace'?.
I've never actually heard Astounding Stories..I think someone told me once it wasn't that great so I never sought it...I'm probably missing out there.
The Magma is interesting, but I think I'd need to be in the mood.
I have the comp ' Think I'm going Weird' in the book CD style, which has some cracking tracks..think I definitely need ' Too much sun will burn'.
I think the Elton song may be off his ' Pepper ' album that was issued a few years ago on RSD.
An issue of Roy Harpers' debut ' Sophisticated Beggar ' was issued on that Big Ben label.
Ha ha!..that Load of Maloney is hilarious..but only if yer a brit.
Just gotta love Basil!.
I've been messaging with Alan, he was suffering with some VC ' burnout' but said he plans to return.
Great seeing you back John.
Astounding Stories is not as strong as some other 70s Hawkwind albums. However like many Hawkwind LPs it has a great flow and nice Sci Fi imagery.
The Too Much Sun will Burn box set is brilliant, thoroughly enjoyed playing the whole thing last Sunday afternoon.
Hi John. If you have to explain a joke, it's not a very good one. Although I guess Americans will be bemused by British humour ... I'll check out West Coast Book Addict ... I was going to ask if that Bowie album was official. It seems a strange one to me. Maybe his record company doesn't have the rights to BBC recordings? ... I struggle to keep up with all of the Cherry Red releases. 'Too Much Sun Will Burn' looks to be a nice package ... I've never seen that Basil Brush album ... Hopefully Static Traveller is just taking a break. So many of the channels I've liked over the last couple of years have disappeared. All the best.
Thanks Carl. I know what you mean about the Cherry Red releases. So many of them look very appealing.
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