"THE ANSWER IS BLOWING IN THE WIND."

A butterfly flaps its wings. A few weeks ago there was a report in one of the papers about Chinese scientists. In Beijing I think it was, there was a problem with lack of water. Scientists decided to seed the clouds i.e. release chemicals into them, this causes a chemical reaction and hey presto! Rain, well that was the idea, except they got the quantities wrong and there was a ’freak’ snowstorm instead. Makes you wonder how much of this freak weather we are seeing is just down to natural ‘climate change’ Just last week a small town in England called Cockermouth had it’s whole infrastructure wiped out by torrential rain and floods. Nature was as powerful as a laser guided missile taking out bridges, businesses and raking death, destruction and devastation across the area. A result of climate change, they like to tell us. They’ve got the numbers to prove it, or are those the figures that may have been ‘sexed’up to strengthen the case for global warming. I say may because I’m sure that no one would make up figures to strengthen a case for a cause, would they? 45 minutes was it for Iran to ready their weapons of mass destruction? Anyway I’ve shifted from the point, slightly. First off I’m not suggesting that someone like China used Weather Modification techniques to attack Cockermouth,but fucking about with nature can't help the natural climate. but what I am saying is that you can bet your bottom dollar that if the Chinese have the ability to change the weather, than so do countries like America and Britain. But why? Because they can! Why would anyone want to though. Well…. Since scientists have made us aware of changes to the Earths Climate a whole market has grown, A Green Economy fuelled by the need to save the planet at whatever cost. Fear sells and people buy into it, but they need to be reminded of what nature can do, a spectacle! The sight of residents standing in a water soaked house with all their possessions gone, is a good image to plant in peoples minds. There you have it, just a thought. One thing for sure, is that the weather is changing , but it always does and always has, that’s nature, but freaks of nature seem to be common place these days or the reporting of them does. I’m starting to get blown of course with this post, so I’ll end it all now, but just remember what ever the causes of climate change are it’s humans that are fucking up the planet one way or another. Either pumping the atmosphere full of chemical/industrial waste or trying to control nature and use its force as a weapon of mass destruction and propaganda. As a foot note: While I was working on this post last night I heard on the news that there had been flooding in Saudi Arabia. Blimey.. I thought! You don’t hear of that everyday. Now as I’m typing up the post I’m hearing that the sands are shifting on the Dubai Stock Exchange. A butterfly flaps its wings………..

Seasonal Affected Disorder.

Get up, in the dark! Go to work, in the dark! Finish work, go home, in the dark! Get in, turn on the lights, dim energy saving light bulbs. It’s enough to make anyone sad, but surely not that sad to pay £35 on some light box that may or may not improve your energy levels, it’ll probably improve your electric bill by a few quid and that’s all. I realise I may be making light (pun 100% intended) of what to some is seen as a serious condition., but hey lighten up and don't be so sad.

SMACK BLAIR UP!

The Iraq War enquiry, don’t insult my intelligence, the government had no intelligence other than half truths and lies. Thousands of people knew that then, and thousands more will know it when the enquiry unfolds, any attempts at cover ups will just make it worse. There was no danger, no terror threat, no Weapons of Mass Destruction.; all justification for an unjust and untruthful war, to maintain and increase the US and UK’s interests in the Middle East. Lets also remember that it wasn’t just Blair’s War, politicians from all parties supported the shock and awe and so did the people in the streets blinded by propaganda and fear, or just stupidity. Whatever happens with the enquiry Blair will never be able to wash the blood from his hands. He should be tried alongside Bush as a war criminal and as for the rest of the supporters of the War? Well they were just following orders! Thank fuck Blair wasn’t elected as the EU president!

CHINESE ROCKS

China dominates and controls the global market in ‘Rare earth materials’ These like the name suggests are minerals mined from the earth that are rare. They are also major components in the Green technologies that are being developed by the West, ironic considering China is one of the worlds biggest polluters. These rare minerals are also used to provide materials for American high-tech weapons and surveillance equipment. With the West’s dependence and addiction to their military war machine and new world saving technologies it’s little wonder that a blind eye is turned away from Chinas record on human rights. “FREE TIBET!“ China has been condemned for exploiting countries in Africa where the minerals are mined, which is rich coming from nations that fought for parts of Africa in the 18th and 19th Centuries and then plundered the continents resources. Another irony in this tale is that these rare earth materials are the leftovers from that scramble for Africa, by countries such as Britain who are now dependent on all this blue chip shit micro-technology. The future’s bright, the future’s………………….

Fuck the(ir) recession with THE PADDINGTONS.

One of my favourite bands from the last few years; The Paddingtons have a new single out. It’s available here from the band and it’ll cost ya nowt. Shame About Elle is taken from the bands ‘difficult second album’ No Mundane Option. Why do music biz types always refer to second albums in this way? What’s difficult? just write a bunch of songs that are as good if not better than the ones on the first album, job done! and fuck the music biz. Which is exactly what The Paddingtons have done. The second track Sweet is a new one, only available there. Where? Here! No! There!

Bringing the past into the present.....

...with a piece of artwerk I scrawled and stuck together in 1990.

NIKKI SUDDEN - The Last Bandit

What else can I say about Nikki Sudden that I haven’t said over the numerous post I’ve done on him. Nothing! But that would do him a dis-service and make this post a Rather lazy one. Let’s go then. The Last Bandit is a compilation of 18 of his songs, compiled by Nikki himself. I’ll steer clear of calling it a ‘Best Of’ but it’s a great collection and introduction if you’re not familiar with his work. It draws from his solo albums so there’s none of the stuff he did with Dave Kusworth here, but there’s still a good cross section of some beautiful love lorn laments alongside the lo-fi and the rock’n’roll. For those already touched by Nikki’s magic, it’s a valuable companion to the albums the tracks are taken from and a different way to listen to the songs he chose for us, but also a sad reminder of what we lost when Nikki died. Stay bruised!

LE MAT - Le Demos

OOOPS! I was gonna post some Nikki Sudden tonight, but got a bit sidetracked by visiting the new Le Mat myspace page and downloading then listening to some early demos of theirs. It was about time there was something in cyberspace from this truly unique group. The page was put together by the band and as well as the demos there’s a few photos. So if you’re one of the people that downloaded their album and single Waltz Of The Fool when I posted them way back, then I recommend a trip to their space. If you’re into yer Nikki Sudden then you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. SORRY!

The Mediaaargh!

In a recent post about The Fall of The Wall, I asked the question how has it been for the former communist countries. The press cuttings to yer right seem to answer the question; not that good, from what various academics from these countries have been saying to the press, but at least they now have a free press and right to expression. The newspapers and the media are a funny old beast. Check out the other cuttings were last week one paper went from saying on one day that, Babies born in 1948 were the luckiest generation to telling us on another day how the same generation who are now in their 60’s suffer more illness, doesn’t sound very lucky to me. Another paper reported that 1948 was the most fortunate year to be born, because the launch of the NHS meant ‘cradle to grave’ care. Irony or bullshit? I dunno, but these baby boomers are the cross in the box the political parties wanna get. How they gonna get their support? Through the media of course and people like Rupert Murdoch and his Sun and their ‘free press media empire’ sticking the boot into the BBC. Yeah the presenters, directors etc are often paid obscene amounts of money while licence fee payers struggle to make ends meet. But the same goes for ITV as well, it’s just that people pay in a different way; by buying the shit that the station advertises. If people didn’t buy, companies wouldn’t advertise and ITV would have no money to overpay its presenters. I begrudge paying my licence fee, not because of the BBC’s excesses, but because of ITV’s adverts.
Then there’s the quality. Last nights (17th Nov) leading news story on ITV was about the yacht couple who’ve been kidnapped by pirates and how conditions for them are worsening. I’ve already let my feelings known about this couple of idiots, who ignored advice and sailed into dangerous waters. The BBC however choose to lead with a story about mobile phone companies selling their customers personal data to other businesses. These unfortunate people had no choice. I know which story I find more concerning and news worthy.
We need the BBC otherwise there will be no balance in news reporting and no one to question anything, I mean were are ITV’s Newsnight, Politics Show and Question Time ? A lack of these sort of political debate programs is as dangerous to our Democracy as having a free press was to Communism.

"YEAH, YEAH, YEAH"

Possibly one of the most important words in the English language, but one that is being used less and less. No-one likes to say NO! People have become disempowered by love, fear and political correctness. They don’t like to say no to demands of friends, family and loved ones, for fear of upsetting them, they often live unhappy lives as a result of this. Parents don’t like to say no to their children for fear of upsetting them; as a result there’s a generation were some children are growing up thinking that they’re always right and have no respect for anyone or anything. Workers don’t say no to their bosses for fear of losing their job, therefore the bosses maintain their power and profits and people are unhappy at work, when people are unhappy they’re easier to control. Politicians carry on regardless because people don’t say no to them and their policies, but what they fear most is everyone saying NO!, so by them having created a culture were people are afraid to say no at a personal level they’re making sure people don’t say no to them on a political level.
It’s time to regain and reclaim some power and respect. Don’t fear the fear. Just say NO! But….does saying no in some circumstances make you selfish? I don‘t know. Stay tuned for another half-baked rant, based on the words ME and WE.

Fuck the(ir) recession with some CARBON/SILICON

I’ve spent most of the weekend smoking too many fags and blasting out Carbon/Silicon’s new release. The Carbon Bubble is a positive, uplifting total rock out, which finds M.J and T.J returning to their pre-punk roots and turning out twelve tracks of Prog/Glam Stomping 21st Century Punk Rawk, brilliant stuff, but this aint no retro shit; musically and lyrically this is as relevant as The Clash and BAD or Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik were, and just as inspirational. There’s no excuse for anyone not giving this a listen, it’s available from the bands website as an MP.Free so all it’s gonna cost yer is a few minutes of your time while you wait for the tracks to download, As a bit of a bonus, and so you don’t leave here empty handed here’s a couple of early versions of two tracks from the album; Reach For The Sky and What’s Up Doc. Enjoy! The image on the right accompanies Shadow, my favourite track on the album; A 6 minute slow burner of an anthem, which juxtaposes The 18th Century English Radical Politician and Journalist John Wilkes with a world of the Facebook X-Factor generation. Smoking!

THE VIBRATORS - Rip Up The City (Live)

Recorded in Germany in the early 80’s and originally released in Germany on vinyl in 1986 as The Vibrators - Live This is the Receiver Records re-release from 1999 with a couple of extra tracks and a new title; Rip Up The City - Live. When this was recorded Pat Collier had been replaced on Bass by Noel Thompson, but Eddie, Knox and Jon Ellis were still there banging out a career spanning set of numbers from Baby Baby and Keep It Clean to Rip Up The City and Crazy Dream. This is power pop punk rock at it’s best, but don’t just take my word for it, this is what Alex Ogg had to say in the linear notes “This CD catches The Vibrators, survivors of the punk wars with over two decades’ worth of battle scars to show their grandchildren, playing live in Germany in the early eighties. While the punk movement as a whole has been recognised for its social and political import, some of its originators continue to be written out of it’s history. For want of being fashionable, The Vibrators have suffered more than most from this affliction. Yet The Vibrators best songs - Judy Says, Baby Baby, Automatic Lover, all included here, argue against such flippant dismissals.” Check it out here for yourselves. Satisfaction guaranteed! After 30 years The Vibrators are still buzzin’ with a new album Under The Radar recorded and ready for release by Captain Oi in either December or early next year. Can’t wait.

Looks like there's a problem with track 6 of this download, their classic slice of punk/pop Baby Baby. Anyway here it is as a single MP3, for you to download and slip in with the rest of the tracks. Hopefully this wont be 'corrupted'

*THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK* or Unfinished Scribblings #3

All’s well in the world; they’ve found water on the moon. Great, human beings have nearly fucked up one planet, how long before the space cowboys start to fuck up another one. In the past the space race proved a good distraction for the people and good propaganda. The East and West spent millions shooting for the moon. I wonder if even in a time of global economic uncertainty countries are gonna be pumping money into space programs with the view to building a new world outpost?
Time for people to get real and take control of their own lives and situations. They/we need to work together to fix broken Britain. (That’s if it is really broken, or it’s just in the mind and eyes of the propagandarists.) There aint long and if the Tories get into power they’ll use a great big stick to beat the people into shape and submission, thanks to all these New Labour laws it’s gonna be a bigger stick than Thatcher had. That’s what David Cameron’s talking about when he says “We’re going to use the state to remake society.”
Don’t be fooled by the Tory sheen and smiles. Promises of this and that, cos it’s gonna cost and freedom is a high price to pay.
Short term solutions leave long term problems.
There are concerns that the BNP will be using funding that they get from Europe for propaganda purposes. It is sad, but they are entitled to this money. Ironically on the same day I read about this Gordon Brown finally said what he should have said years/months ago; that talking about immigration isn’t racist. Perhapes if he had then the BNP might not have won their two seats in the European parliament and no-one would be worried about how they spend their money. Nice one Gordon.
What about the letters debacle, I mean you couldn’t make this shit up. I aint Browns biggest fan, but I mean he tries to do the decent thing and write to bereaved families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and is crucified in the media for his poor handwriting and spelling. I mean it’s not a good picture is it…Our one eyed half blind leader struggling to write with his felt tip pen. But that’s what it’s all about painting a picture to use for propaganda, and the media especially The Sun are gonna have their crayons out between now and the next election. Something only becomes an issue when it is made an issue; that’s the problem. Fact+Fiction=Friction!
Never mind blowing up the houses of Parliament the real threat to freedom and democracies comes from Murcoch and the media so lets blow up their headquarters. The alternative they are pushing is no real alternative just a bunch of heartless traditionalists who want to conserve the past and present it to the people as the future. I mean I don’t recall Thatcher handwriting letters to the families of the Falkland Islands fallen soldiers. David Cameron has moved forward, he doesn’t want to return to Victorian Values, he wants to return to those of the 1940’s and 50’s, the age of austerity. Yeah, but for who?

Lest we forget......

The war dead are not just for Remembrance Day!

THE FALL OF THE WALL (Freedom Strasse)

It was Twenty years ago tonight that the citizens of Berlin tore The Wall down. Communism was collapsing as the iron curtain fell. Many heralded it as the triumph of Liberal, Capitalist Democracy. Oh the irony…The worst global recession since Wall Street crashed, and in countries like Britain we’ve got surveillance the Stazi would be proud of, we had a leader who took the country to war with the West’s i.e. USA and Britain’s new enemy; Terrorism, a smokescreen behind which to bring a new Tesco’s superstore to every Middle Eastern country. He did this by lying to the people. His un-elected successor has presided over a country where politicians, bankers and bosses have made themselves rich while they’ve let the poor get poorer through ‘credit capitalism’ To the citizens of the former Communist countries I ask you how’s it been for you? Well, from what I’ve seen in the media, it seems like it’s been much the same, you tell me! Is the honeymoon over? How much Freedom can you endure? Anyway the photo to yer right is of me posing at Checkpoint Charlie when I visited Berlin for a couple of days in 1987 with my mate Daz. About fifteen minutes later, there was a problem, well I was the problem. An East German border guard pulled me out of the line of people waiting to cross into East Berlin. I did stand out a bit with my long hair and general unkempt appearance. The guard took me into another room to get a closer look at me. I think it might have been the skull buttons on my decedent La Roche cut down denim and leather waistcoat that was the issue with the guard; because he took hold of one, looked at it and uttered the words “You can’t come into our Country dressed like that!” My mate Daz was let through while I was ushered out. I went to the nearest bar on The Western side of The Wall while Daz went to the nearest bar on The Eastern side, we met up outside Checkpoint Charlie a couple of hours later, both well pissed, but I’d run out of money while Daz had come back with change from his East German currency. We also went to visit The Olympic Stadium where Black American athlete Jesse Owens ran the Aryans off the track, In a time when there was a real threat to our freedom. Fascism! Since the collapse of Communism there has been a rise of Fascism in many countries across Europe fuelled by the ‘immigration issue’ that’s the free trade free world for you. Imagine what the world would be like now if the Wall hadn’t come down, what about if it had just been lowered by a few metres? and had the barbed wire removed?

OUT SOON................

Available as a FREE download via the official Carbon/Silicon website - on Saturday 14th November 2009. Full CD cover and booklet artwork will also be available to download from the site.

THE STRANGLERS - The Raven (CD-Rip with Bonus Tracks)

I picked this up when I was away the other week. A £1.99 charity shop bargain. My original vinyl copy was well scratched, even before it was either swapped, sold or stolen. Finding this again on CD with bonus tracks was a right result, and listening to it again, well….I should have taken better care of the original, cos this is a classic that I’d forgotten about over the years, but it’s back in my life now thanx to whoever donated it to the RSPCA Charity Shop in The Mumbles, nice one. Like The Clash’s London Calling and The Damned’s Machine Gun Etiquette The Raven sees The Stranglers moving away from their original sound, the trademark Bass and Keyboards are still there but this is dark, poppy and experimental in equal measures. Through the eyes of The Raven The Stranglers songs took on a more worldly view and subject matter; Genetic engineering Genetix, Uranium mining in Australia Nuclear Device and The Shah of Iran leaving Shah, Shah A Go Go, they even took it to another world of aliens and UFO’s with Meninblack, and Duchess… well that has to be one of the best pop songs ever written. Enjoy!

I’ve had to upload this to a different file sharing site because in the week I was away my usual hosts Media Fire have had a change around and for some reason I can’t seem to upload anything to it anymore, hence why there’s been no music for a while. Hope this doesn’t cause any problems, if it does, let me know. Problems....did I say problems, well................

FUCK THIS SHIT! A WHOLE DAY SPENT TRYING TO UPLOAD THIS TO VARIOUS PLACES AND ALL I GET IS SHIT. JACK FUCKING SHIT! NOWHERE WANTS TO KNOW. I give up. Maybe tommorrow. RESULT! Here'a link to The Raven by The Stranglers. CLICK!,

Intolerance Strasse.

Click, Click, Tap, Tap, Blah, Blah, Blah. The sound of someone incessantly using their mobile phone next to me on a bus/Train etc. No, No, Ouch, Ouch, Argh, Argh, Argh. The sound of that person having the mobile phone inserted up their arse…………………Sideways.

“On a great big clipper ship and all the politicians makin' busy sounds.”

So the Government aren’t gonna be paying the ransom demanded by Somalian pirates for the release of the British couple captured in the yacht of the coast of Africa. I bloody well hope not, why should we pay for this couples stupidity/mistake. The government will probably change their minds anyway, I mean what about the whole Drugs advisory fiasco. The Government employs a group of people to scientifically advise them on the effects of drug use on individuals, and then when the advisors say that cannabis and ecstasy use is less harmful than legal drugs such as alcohol, cigarettes and other social activities like horse riding they sack them, and try to deny them the right to having an opinion.
So what’s to be done about ’the drug problem’ it’s obvious that the millions the government have spent on anti-drug campaigns haven’t worked. Individuals choose get their kicks in different ways; smoking a joint, popping a pill, shooting smack or sailing round the world in a yacht
I’m not saying give heroin away on the NHS, that’d be like paying the pirates a ransom, but what about licensed suppliers, Drugs‘R’Us anyone, or leave things as they are with the dealers calling the shots. Talking of shots, at this point in time every shot of smack is a Taliban bullet fired at a British or American soldier in Afghanistan. I’m not saying that using drugs can’t be harmful to the individual or to society. I haven’t been robbed by drug users, not saying that all drug users are thieves, but on a personal level, over the years I’ve known more people die from drug use than horse riding, but then I also know more people who use or have used drugs and have suffered no lasting harm. This may not be scientific research, but it is fact.
If you don’t wanna be captured by pirates don’t sail into dangerous waters, and this government are sailing pretty close to the wind when they ask for advice and when they don’t like what they hear or don’t agree with what is being said they choose to ignore it. Never mind pirates, this Labour government are just a bunch of fucking cowboys!

Hey!......It's good to be back.

A bit stuck for thoughts and words at the moment, I always find myself feeling like this for a few days after going away and absorbing the beauty and nature of a place; it takes me time to adjust to the reality and normality of the cold concrete urban living. Here are a couple of holiday snaps for you before I get back to the ranting and raving about whoever and whatever interspersed with some Rock’n’Roll. Until then…………….