The biggest surprise on my Spotify Release Radar this week was a song called Some People. It was by a band I'd not heard of, but with featured artists of Jean-Luc Ponty and Jon Anderson it had to be worth giving it my full attention. It turned out to be a stomping song that would…Read more Inventioning
progressive rock
The Quest
Crotchety Man is on a quest. Or rather, his alter ego in the real world is. The details of the journey and the destination are not relevant here, suffice it to say that I have come to an impasse. Standing in my way is a small group of people who are resistant to change. To…Read more The Quest
Burnt Belief
The witch will burn for her beliefs People believe all sorts of strange things. Everyone used to believe in witches - some still do. Unfounded rumours have always spread like wildfire. And, of course, fire was often the preferred way to rid the world of that evil wizardry. But fire never seems to expunge belief.…Read more Burnt Belief
Potter’s Daughter
There's something mesmerising about a potter's wheel. In the 1950s, the BBC used a short film of a potter as an interlude (reputedly during breakdowns and when moving cameras from one studio to another). He didn't seem to be making anything in particular. His blob of clay rose from the turnable to become a tall…Read more Potter’s Daughter
Awakening
It's been a busy weekend in the Crotchety village. On Saturday there was the Duck Race, normally held in the Spring, and on Sunday the Open Gardens, postponed from the Summer. Mrs. Crotchety was organising the teas for the garden visitors; Mr. Crotchety scurried round with a camera, recording images for the village website. Neither…Read more Awakening
Zopp
Bandcamp came up trumps this week. They published an article with the mesmerising title, "You Can’t Bury Canterbury: A Guide to the Neo-Canterbury Sound". After a brief introduction to remind us that the Canterbury sound emerged in the early seventies with bands like Soft Machine, Caravan, National Health and Hatfield and the North it went…Read more Zopp
A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof
The second item in Burning Shed's newsletter this week announced a remastering of one of Djam Karet's albums. That name rang a bell somewhere deep in the bowels of Crotchety Man's memory but the sound had no shape or substance. There was no clue to the band's origin, personnel or style. Obviously, there was a…Read more A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof
Danger Money
Out of curiosity I looked up the most dangerous occupations in the UK. There are several lists based on fatality statistics. They vary considerably but most include some or all of the following professions: Seafarers, especially fishermenConstruction workersFarmers and other agricultural workersLorry drivers Some of the most dangerous jobs don't employ that many people: oil…Read more Danger Money
Just the Same
We don't do repeats on this blog. But today the Selection Sub-Committee has chosen an old song from Gentle Giant, a band that featured here in 2015. Although the song is from the 1975 album, Free Hand, this version has had the magical Steven Wilson remix treatment, making it as clear as a glass bell…Read more Just the Same
Symmetry
We all know what symmetry is, don't we? If we take this lovely picture of the dome of the Sheik Lotfollah mosque in Isfahan, Iran and flip it horizontally the resulting pattern will be indistinguishable from the original. There are several other operations we could perform that also leave the pattern unchanged - we might…Read more Symmetry
Crotchety Man 