on being a semi-luddite (not to mention profligate)

Current work: Med duo
Listening to: Silje Nergaard (on YouTube until my CDs arrive)

Now, I’m known for having a few CDs… (Oh, all right, so we need another floor-to-ceiling unit as I’ve been a bit of a bad puppy lately – waves to Kate W, who says I am profligate as well as scary.) YouTube has been utterly brilliant (waves to India, who has introduced me to wonderful music via YouTube) because it means I can browse an artist’s work and see what I think of the body as a whole, instead of buying an album for just one song and maybe ending up a tad disappointed.

Buying an album for one song, when I could buy just one song for 80p or whatever it is on iTunes? Am I mad?

Er, no. Thing is, my hearing loss involves frequencies, so I can’t hear music properly without my hearing aid. (For example, the title track of Coldplay’s ‘X&Y’ sounds discordant without it, but I can hear the harmonies with it.) MP3 players seem to work on in-ear headphones – which means I wouldn’t be able to wear the hearing aid. So I wouldn’t be able to hear the music properly, so loglically there is no point getting an MP3 player. Yes, I know I could get a player with speakers etc, but why bother when I already have a really good sound system in my office that includes a digital radio? And I can make myself CD mixes using my PC, so playlists aren’t an issue. (Plus… where can I store the MP3s safely, without taking up huge amounts of my hard disk or copying to, ahem, CD? And from what I’ve read, CDs are superior in sound quality to the MP3 format anyway.) So I’m sticking to the technology that works for me.

My other source of inspiration this year has been blogging. Other people who have a similar music habit have posted what they’re listening to, and I’ve dipped in and out. Ray-Anne in particular has inspired me (this is the point where I say thank you, Ray-Anne), and through her I discovered the Norwegian singer Silje Nergaard yesterday. I think she’s in the same area as Norah Jones and Joni Mitchell (and the odd bit of Lene Marlin – and I have several albums by those three artists) so, yes, I had another little album binge yesterday. (Only two. And my daughter will enjoy them as well. And…)

In the meantime, I’m thoroughly enjoying my current heroine. And I’m especially enjoying her taste in music. Especially because of said rather hot YouTube singer. (Shall I be nice and share?)
Out last night to see friends (Madam’s still a bit under par and went clingy on me before falling asleep on my lap – normally she’s a daddy’s girl; then she kept us awake half the night when she woke wanting a cuddle and coughing, sigh…).

Plan for today: work like mad while DH is out doing last-minute shopping, see my parents in the afternoon to drop off pressies, and see DH’s brother this evening to drop off pressies.

Plan for tomorrow: work in morning while simultaneously cooking the cheese stars and cookies, cousins round for tea (and talking weddings). And then it’s Christmas Eve. Where is the time going?

Christmas music

Current work: Medical Christmas Duo
Listening to: Christmas compilation

My guitar lessons this month have been fabulous because we’re doing arrangements of Christmas carols. Generally, this involves harmony and the fact that I need a lot more practice at being able to write down things from my head without resorting to playing the notes on the guitar to check the intervals. This week, we were talking about how early music was written, i.e. before staff notation and bar lines – all very interesting stuff, especially because in religious music the lyrics were more important than the melody. Apparently the belief was that a beautiful melody could distract from the words. There is a story that Mozart heard a piece of music at the Vatican that was ‘too beautiful’ to be written down – so that’s what he did when he got home. Note perfect. Eight minutes of it. After one hearing. Amazing.

Anyway… then it was time to choose this week’s carol. It seems that my taste in Christmas music is, um, weird. Jim ended up asking me a somewhat rhetorical question, exasperated and amused at the same time: ‘Why can’t you choose a well-known carol like anyone else?’

The short answer is because my taste in classical music and carols mirrors my taste in art. I like medieval and 19th century. (Actually, it’s slightly wider in music – but my big loves musically are Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart (who, had he not died so tragically young, would have written in the 19th century) and Haydn (who died in the 19th century). I rest my case.)

I probably shouldn’t be a bad puppy and soundtrack this book… but as I’ve just done a compilation for the car, I probably will. We’ve gone through the compilation and picked out our favourites (interesting that the kids like the Brat Pack stuff… I was after a jazz compilation this year but couldn’t find the one I was after), and I’ve added a couple of my own favourites.

My favourite carols are:

• ‘The Angel Gabriel’ (translated by the Victorian academic and writer of ghost stories, Sabine Baring-Gould)
• Gaudete (I like the version by the Mediaeval Baebes – it’s 16th century so strictly speaking it’s probably more Renaissance than late medieval)
• Coventry Carol (15th century… except Madam objects hugely to this one and I need to talk her round a bit)
• In the Bleak Midwinter (again, Victorian, written by Christina Rossetti; my favourite artworks are by her brother and his friends)

I also like something that was originally a Breton carol – ‘Mortal Flesh’. I have a version by Christian Forshaw (saxophone) and Aimée Green (soprano) and it’s incredibly haunting. Close your eyes and you can see people walking through a forest in the depths of winter, with the sun setting – oh, and they’re wearing medieval dress and they’re on some kind of quest. It would work brilliantly in several historical films. It’s the kind of music that gives you goosebumps.

As for life: yesterday was Christmas lunch at the Red Lion (beautifully presented and very scrummy). We exchanged gifts and I am incredibly fortunate that my friends know me well: choccies from my fave place (which I shared with DH so am not completely greedy) and crème brulee bubble bath… Happy sigh. And then I was a bit naughty and bought myself something for Christmas. Jazz. DH is not going to like this… but I like Diana Krall. And Ella Fitzgerald. And this is the time of year when a bit of food for the soul is very necessary for me. Thought about buying DK’s Christmas album, but decided against it as the last track would make me bawl.

Plan for today: Madam’s nativity at school. This will be her last one, as they don’t do it at junior school. Must take tissues. Lots of. Am hoping DH will be able to make it – otherwise I’m in charge of the camera. And then I’m coming home to work.

Edit: the nativity was fabulous. I think because I had to be camerawoman, it stopped me bawling. But my baby did so well – she sang beautifully and acted out the songs and I was just so PROUD of her.

Just checked on YouTube – I can’t find the versions I really wanted, but here are links to the following:

• Mortal Flesh – this version is by Helma Sawatzky (beautiful voice – I may have to find her albums)
• Gaudete – this one’s the Steeleye Span version (I do like Maddy Prior’s voice)
• The Angel Gabriel
• Coventry Carol - this is Aled Jones and it’s fabulous
• In the Bleak Midwinter – well, it has to be Bert Jansch, doesn’t it? :o)

Enjoy...

what were you listening to at 18?

Current work: Meds revisions (really, really, REALLY)
Listening to: Sandy Denny live at the BBC (wonderful)
Reading: Sophie King, Mums@ home (finished it this morning and enjoyed it)

Today I’m doing a meme which I pinched from Jenna’s blog – which songs were on the radio you were 18? Apparently you pick five songs from the list of most popular songs from that year and talk about five of them.

I’m going to have to morph that slightly – apart from the fact I can’t stick to just five songs, I looked at the list here - and it’s… um… not my taste. Worse, some of those songs are being sung at the moment by my children, VERY badly, while playing ‘Boogie’ on the Wii. (Yes, I know it was my idea to get it because we’d had such fun at my BIL’s… but sometimes I really think someone should distract me with chocolate when the ideas aren’t bright ones.)

When I was 18 I didn’t listen to Radio 1, except for the Friday Rock Show (Tommy Vance introduced me to some fantastic stuff – I used to love the Friday Night Connection, where three songs were played and you had to work out the connection between them, which was usually really obscure). I did however buy a lot of records (and as an impoverished student, I didn’t do discos and the pub: I did cinema and the secondhand record shop and cheap wine while listening to said music and having deep conversations with good friends). I was listening to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow… (and Pentangle if I wanted people to go home *g* or so the story goes – actually, I love the track ‘Light Flight’ so I was sharing, not chucking people out. But I guess folk, especially back then, was an acquired taste).

So my version of the meme is to pick some songs from around that era (aka my student days) which I loved and bring back good memories. So here goes:

Bryan Adams: Summer of 69 – still my fave song by Bryan. I borrowed ‘Reckless’ from my best mate, played it on my Walkman on the way in to uni, and bought it on the way home. ‘Run to you’ was in the charts the week when I was 19, as I remember another friend buying it for me. I still play the album quite a lot: it’s really stood the test of time.

Howard Jones: Hide and Seek – my best mate always remembers calling in at my house and she could hear this one floating all down the stairs. (I wasn’t the housemate from hell, btw – this was when I was on my own in the house. My degree was in Eng Lit and my housemates were mainly scientists and lawyers, so they were in the lab or in lectures while I was studying wherever I wanted, i.e. library, garden or comfy chair with decent coffee to hand.) My fave version ever was the one he did at Live Aid: just Howard and the piano. The intro is just beautiful. [Edit - YouTube link to it here...]

Phil Collins: In the Air Tonight – another one I borrowed from Fi. If it’s snowing or I smell coffee, I think of this song because it reminds me of walking to uni in the snow, past the off-licence that sold proper coffee. Happy days. (And yeah, of course I do the air drums in that bit in the middle. Irresistible.)

Dire Straits: Telegraph Road – still one of my faves (mainly for the piano bit in the middle that goes into one hell of a guitar piece… hmm, wonder if I can get Jim to teach it to DH? Note to self, ask on Tuesday morning).

Bon Jovi: Bed of Roses – I still love this song and I don’t care that it’s corny. DH bought me the album. And I’ve used that to, um, soundtrack a few love scenes. (I also sing it really loudly in the car with the kids.) I had a huge crush on JBJ back then and he’s aged very well – in fact, I reckon he’s sexier now than he was in his 80s poodle perm days.

Duran Duran: The Chauffeur – this was a B side, and I bought the single because I wanted this version of the song (I think the A side was ‘Rio’ but my vinyl isn’t to hand). Now, I wasn’t a Duranie but this song was acoustic and melancholy: just my cuppa tea. This is NOT the same as the one that’s on the album of ‘Rio’, btw – the version I’m talking about is the acoustic guitar (aka ‘Blue Silver’), not the synth version. I want to get my mitts on this but I don’t really want the CD box set of singles from the early 80s. I suppose I could finally stop being a Luddite and get I-tunes. Apart from this single, I do own one vinyl Duran Duran album and a best-of CD. I like Simon’s voice, I like some of the songs (DH likes one of the videos *g* - and yes, of course it’s that one), and if Duran Duran ever did an acoustic/unplugged CD of certain songs they’d have a definite hit in my age group (my kids like them, too). The acoustic version of Save a Prayer on YouTube here is gorgeous. (Oh, lord. Please someone reassure me I’m not going mad/having a middle-aged crisis. I’m confessing in public to liking Duran Duran. What next?)

Suzanne Vega: The Queen and the Soldier – another one I can thank Fi for introducing me to, and another album that has definitely stood the test of time. A few years after graduating we went to see her at the UEA together and heard her play this live. Fab. (Though I’ve just scared myself because I remember I was pregnant at the time… with son, so that was back in 1996. Blimey. I am ooooold.)

So which songs do you remember from when you were 18? If you do this on your blog, please put a link below so I can come and be nosey…

(Oh, and for the record, India Grey is a bad influence. She sent me a YouTube link… I liked this enough to buy the album, and I’ve flicked through a few of the other videos – impressive guitar playing.)

happy anniversary

Fifteen years ago today, the sun was shining, it was boiling hot… and it was my wedding day. I just remember smiling and smiling so much that my face hurt.

Twenty-two years ago (give or take a couple of days), it was our first date. DH tried to impress me with his designer T-shirt – but I’m not and never have been trendy, so I was completely oblivious. The arrangement was that we’d meet outside the post office. No way was I going to stand there like a lemon, in case he didn’t turn up, so I stood outside the record shop next door, pretending to read the top 40 chart list.

I didn’t know anyone who had a car, at that point (all my friends were poor students, like me). So I really wasn’t expecting him to turn up in a car; he ended up circling the one-way system three times before he spotted me. He had this bronze-coloured Cortina (very similar to the one Gene Hunt drives in Life on Mars… another reason why I have a soft spot for that programme) and it just ATE petrol – but he had this wonderful stereo system. And no tapes visible. I asked about his musical tastes. ‘No, no, you won’t like the stuff I do.’ Eventually he caved in and told me his tape box was in the glove compartment and I could have a look if I wanted to. ‘Hmm. Got that one, that one, that one – ooh, can I borrow this? I’ll lend you Stormbringer, seeing as you haven’t got it.’ He was gobsmacked that I shared his taste (mine’s probably wider, but we have a decent crossover). He was even more shocked when I bought a round in the pub. (‘Girls don’t buy rounds.’ They do if they’re students.) And although everyone thought we were complete opposites, it just worked. We knew within a fortnight we were going to get married. (We took so long to actually do it because I needed to finish uni first, then buy a house while we could still afford one, then move to a house with a garden and get a dog, and... then we ran out of excuses.) And here we are, over half a lifetime later. Still married. Still happy. Still a team. (This takes work. And learning to compromise. But it’s worth it.)

So what are we doing on our anniversary? Well, I have a deadline. The deal was, no work on holiday and I’d do it when we got back. Except my brain is a bit sluggish and I'm not doing very well. So I’m going to do some negotiation; and it's sunny and I want to spend time with my family. But dinner out tonight is a definite!