We always hope that good things are on the horizon but, at the same time, we fear bad things will be coming all too soon. I suppose that's not really surprising; it's just what we mean by 'hope' and 'fear'. To an optimist the future holds sunny days and happiness; the pessimist sees only dark…Read more Soon
1970s
Blue Angel
The prog folk theme continues this week with the Dave Cousins song, Blue Angel. Born David Joseph Hindson, Cousins was the leader and primary songwriter with the Strawbs from its formation in 1964 through to the present day. The band has at various times included: Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention); Rick Wakeman (Yes); and John Hawken (Renaissance,…Read more Blue Angel
Wally
Crotchety Man has been hearing a lot of slowish soft-to-ambient music recently and was looking for something with a bit more bite to spice up his listening hours. But the airwave gods were not paying attention. Although the cuisine was excellent and the menu was varied, each dish they served up had clearly been prepared…Read more Wally
Sylvia
Six of us went to see Focus at The Flowerpot in Derby last night. We arrived about 8:50 pm, gathered around the stage and waited patiently for the band. At around 9:30 pm a very fat and impossibly old man appeared. He had long white sideburns and was wearing a fisherman's cap. It was as…Read more Sylvia
What a Waste
Some year in the early seventies, while Crotchety Student was wasting a few years studying biochemistry, he was dragged along to a pub in the suburbs of London to see a band called Kilburn and the Highroads. That young man had no idea what to expect from the gig. He had never heard of the…Read more What a Waste
Mad Man Moon
Here, in the UK, we have had a long period of hot, dry weather. For 26 consecutive days a temperature of 30℃ or more has been recorded. In most of the country there has been little or no rain for about three months. The reservoirs are severely depleted and the farmers are struggling to grow…Read more Mad Man Moon
Fernando
Fernando was a veteran of the Mexican-American War of 1846 - 1848. At the start of the war Mexico was considerably larger than it is today. The present day U.S. states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas then came within Mexico's borders. When Texas seceded in 1836 to become an independent republic…Read more Fernando
Days of Pearly Spencer
Sometimes I feel I'm losing the will to live. It's usually when I'm ironing - shirts are so darn fiddly, aren't they? So I do my ironing weekday afternoons between 1 and 4 pm so that I can listen to the Radcliffe and Maconie show on the radio. They play some good music and they…Read more Days of Pearly Spencer
Auntie Aviator
"Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom", said Auntie, whisking the model aircraft high above her niece's head, adding "we’ll never touch the ground". "And if we don't want to", replied her niece with a grin, "we won't come down". They were both remembering last week's flight when Auntie took the controls of her light aircraft and took the…Read more Auntie Aviator
Highwayman
The old walled city of York is famous for several things. It was a Roman fort and a Viking settlement, it has an impressive Gothic Minster and it was the birthplace of the actress Judi Dench. But the character most closely associated with York is Dick Turpin, butcher by trade, burglar and highwayman by profession,…Read more Highwayman
Crotchety Man 