Your last listen

[CN211276]

Trivia time:

The 'Rocinante', mentioned in the lyrics of 'Cygnus X1' from the Rush album '2112', is also the name of the armed spaceship that features in the TV series 'The Expanse'.



If you are a Sci-fi fan then 'The Expanse' is mandatory watching as it is the BEST space-opera series made since 'Babylon 5' and 'Firefly'. Dirty, gritty, full of 'proper' science, with scheming, stupid politicians and a bunch of misfits just trying to get through the day and, coincidentally, saving the universe in the process. Utterly wonderful and I can't wait for Season 6 - scheduled later this year. To fill in the time , I am ploughing through the books that 'The Expanse' is based on; the 'Leviathan Wakes' series by James S.A Corey (a pseudonym for the 2 writers behind the whole thing).

[CN211276]

I was not aware of the Expanse and checked it out on Wikipedia. The writer must have been a Rush fan. Cygnus xi is the closing track on the A farewell to kings album, a prelude to the follow up album Hemispheres. Neil Peart was critical of the track some years on, but it is one of my favourites and Geddy's vocal is not of this world.

[CycleCoach]

Trivia time:

The 'Rocinante', mentioned in the lyrics of 'Cygnus X1' from the Rush album '2112', is also the name of the armed spaceship that features in the TV series 'The Expanse'.

Also the name of Don Quioxte's horse, which is probably where it came from originally.

[NSNO2021]

Patty Smith EP on 12" vinyl. Two tracks per side, A - Because the night & Redondo Beach. B - Dancing Barefoot & Free Money.

Impossible not to be moved by the energy and power of this recording

[Fretless]

Caravan 'In the Land of Grey and Pink' (1971)



No self-respecting record collection should be without Caravan's legendary slab of psychedelia called 'In the Land of Grey and Pink'. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece. That being said it is an obviously sought-after LP on the 2nd-hand market and prices are high for a good copy. Lucky for me someone here in Holland had a mint example, without the original sleeve, listed for only €5 - so I bought it.

The LP itself looks and sounds as if it has never been played. The pressing is a Dutch 'Pink Elephant' copy from 1973 and sounds wonderful and it came in a plain pink sleeve, so I printed out a bit of the cover on an A4 sheet and it looks rather good, if I say so myself.

Chuffed to bits.

Also got Vangelis 'Spiral' in the same, sleeveless condition for an extra Euro. Now to see if I can find Camel 'The Snow Goose'.

[CN211276]

Royal Blood - How did we get so dark
Heart - Dreamboat Annie
Aerosmith - Music from another dimension

[NSNO2021]

The Coral ~~ Coral Island.
As always quirky but this new release is mellow and melodic to my ears and whilst I instantly like it I think it might slowly work its way in to being a one of my favourites

[Firebug1]

The Dropkick Myrphys: Turn up that dial

[CN211276]

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust

[Fretless]

Heart 'Dog & Butterfly' (1978)



As I started to look at LP's again after all this time, one name immediately sprang to mind, Seattle-based hard/melodic rock outfit Heart. Formed around the core duo of the Wilson sisters with Nancy on guitar and Anne's raunchy, seductive vocals. A band who are never far away from my playlists, especially their 70's and 80's work, but they have kept their standards high and have continued on with sporadic albums and a tour as recently as 2019.

'Dog & Butterfly' is, as the title suggests, a record of two sides with side 1 ('Dog') blasting in with a solid mix of live and studio rockers and side 2 ('Butterfly') showcasing their gentler, more delicate facets, although it ends with the monumental 'Mistral Wind' where all the stops are pulled out in a powerhouse tsunami of sound.



Hell, yeah !