h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

To finish tonight
One of the more unusual bands of the 70's, even if they did have Steve Hillage on Guitar.

Gong:- The Flying Teapot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UArtHsvL50

Oh. my. BoB. never ever heard of them before... wow!

Oh my goodness - Gong

I once saw Daevid Allen play at this strange, strange place near Westbourne Park... ah, I remember its name - Centro Iberico http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centro_Iberico Lol Coxhill was on the same bill. I happened to be listening to one of the FM pirate stations that were around in the early 80s and who played the same kind of music as Peely... it might have been Phoenix Radio. Any road up, they announced this gig and I thought 'Lol Coxhill, I'll have some of that!' and schlepped all the way from where I was living in east London to Westbourne Park tube station on a Sunday afternoon.

Allen got very brassed off and refused to play anything even vaguely related to Gong.

I still have a few cassettes of Phoenix Radio broadcasts in a box somewhere

Ha! It's true! Everything really is on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwxNOyhDLA So *that's* what Jill Black looks like. It took me 30 years to find out. And there's a website with sound fils http://www.phoenixfm902.moonfruit.com/#/page1/4533774196 Fantastic

No, wait, the sound file I'm listening to came from here http://www.thepiratearchive.net/london-misc/

Ah! It was Radio Zodiac where I heard about the gig. They broadcast on Sunday afternoon, Phoenix Radio was a Saturday station.

Dang, for the life of me I can't remember the name of the legendary reggae pirate station that went out on Friday nights... they had a fantastic theme tune. I think Ranking Miss P started there. Let's do some investigating...

Dread Broadcasting Corporation! Oh, it's like taking off tight shoes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dread_Broadcasting_Corporation

Here we go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAbRdK10BXU

Some Gentle Giant, for your listening pleasure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC6BS8WqtNs Of all the prog bands I can think of, they really went for the complex time signatures and arrangements more than almost any other. Especially on this album.

Some of that is worthy of the Radiophonic workshop

I have a pile of cassettes around but nothing to play them on since my last cassette deck died, need to get one from Maplin and transfer stuff to the puter.

What to follow Octopus with...

Perhaps Animal themed, I've been trying to avoid the obvious so far but here goes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHIqfArjyt8

OK
Back to the less remembered
Atomic Rooster:- Death walks behind you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJNCnxLfel8

Atomic Rooster! Now you're talking

I have a halfway decent cassette deck that's been laying around for a while doing nothing because I couldn't find the lead to connect it to the soundcard, which I discovered when I was moving a few months ago, but now there's a problem with the player The tape transport keeps stopping every few seconds because one of the spindles has became very stiff and hard to turn. I need to get some sort of lubricant for it. If that doesn't work then I guess the deck is kaput because it's direct drive - no belt to loosen or replace

John Martyn appears to having problems with his guitar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIlOt6LRDwA

There are so many to choose from

Camel :- Mirage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNPEftdc4Gc

This goes back before I was at Gigs, something of a precursor to King Crimson, and a bit off the road for later Prog Rock.

Giles, Giles & Fripp
The Brondesbury Tapes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY5gUM1jJ2M

And since Mr Fripp never seems to have the same band twice, heres another chip off the block.
McDonald & Giles - Suite in C - "Turnham Green" & "Here I Am"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snwZ36EH6L4

Time for something a little... strange. Ron Geesin has been criminally underrated and ignored, but given his style it's understandable - one of those love him or hate him musicians. My first exposure to his music was at the Liverpool Empire when he supported Genesis on the Selling England by the Pound Tour. I don't think the Genesis audience knew what to make of it, nor were they too receptive. There was the occasional shout of off, to which he replied, scathingly, "NO!!!", and he dedicated one song to "The person who shouted off baldy during the last piece". This http://genesisgts.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=tourspast&action=display&num=1386198005 seems to sum up the experience pretty well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Imt3Fb78QQ

I highly approve of naming albums and/or songs after parts of suburban London If I ever write an autobiography I might call it something like 'Dollis Hill Memoirs' (even though I've never lived anywhere near Dollis Hill), 'Just Another Saturday Night in Romford' or 'A Day Return to East Finchley'.

I think you have out weirded me with Ron
While I had Vaguely heard of him, I had never heard him perform.

A certain prime ministers memoirs should have been titled Dagenham East.










(Beyond Barking and Halfway to Upminster.)

I'm off out so my parting shot tonight will be.

SlapHappy / Henry Cow - Some Questions About Hats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYzQrfz8g2o