Archive for ‘Music’

January 18, 2016

Desperado 

  Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?You been out ridin’ fences for so long now

Oh, you’re a hard one

I know that you got your reasons

These things that are pleasin’ you

Can hurt you somehow
Don’t you draw the queen of diamonds, boy

She’ll beat you if she’s able

You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things

Have been laid upon your table

But you only want the ones that you can’t get
Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no younger

Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home

And freedom, oh freedom well, that’s just some people talkin’

Your prison is walking through this world all alone
Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?

The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine

It’s hard to tell the night time from the day

You’re losin’ all your highs and lows

Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?

Come down from your fences, open the gate

It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you

You better let somebody love you (let somebody love you)

You better let somebody love you before it’s too late.

Glenn Frey 1948-2016

The Eagles are one of the best soundtracks of the open American highway . 

January 11, 2016

Starman ★

  
Didn’t   know what time it was and the lights were low

I leaned back on my radio

Some cat was layin’ down some rock ‘n’ roll ‘lotta soul, he said

Then the loud sound did seem to fade

Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase

That weren’t no D.J. that was hazy cosmic jive

There’s a starman waiting in the sky

He’d like to come and meet us

But he thinks he’d blow our minds

There’s a starman waiting in the sky

He’s told us not to blow it

‘Cause he knows it’s all worthwhile

He told me

Let the children lose it

Let the children use it

Let all the children boogie

David Bowie 1947-2016

January 8, 2016

Blackstar ★

  
Bowie at 69. New album release today with more astounding creative force from music-man David. 

December 29, 2015

NME

   
New Musical Express: the long and short of it. Another photo of LEMMY riding a Triumph; this time a looong forked chopper. Here as bassist from Hawkwind years before Motörhead.

 

December 23, 2015

Nine of the Best?

  
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Nine Rockets rockin’ 

Eight Dommies roarin’ 

Seven Comets thumpin’ 

Six Lightings flashin’ 

Five Golden Stars!

Four AJ’s harin’ 

Three Cafe’s brewin’ 

Two Bonnie’s beltin’ 

And a Vincent doin’ the ton along the A3!

December 13, 2015

Here I go out to sea again

  
Back in the eighties British music had a hint of dour feeling with such acts as The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, New Order.   

Colin Vearncombe also known as Black had a hit with A Wonderful Life. The Liverpudlian sang this minor key ode to Thatchers dream using a very effective black & white video filmed on the seafront of Wallasey. One frame shows a small BSA C11 rolling along the promenade. 

October 1, 2015

Three: That’s the Magic Number

  
Three Triples lined up: white, green & black. Like some dollar bill waiting to be spent.

Schoolhouse Rocks

http://youtu.be/aU4pyiB-kq0

Written by Blind Melon

Three is a magic number

Ya it is, it’s a magic number

Somewhere in that ancient mystic trinity

You’ll get three

As a magic number

The past, the present, the future,

Faith, and hope, and charity,

The heart, the brain, the body,

Will give you three,

It’s a magic number

It takes three legs to make a tripod or to make a table stand,

And it takes three wheels to make a vehicle called a tricycle

And every triangle has three corners,

Every triangle has three sides,

No more, no less,

You don’t have to guess

That it’s three

Can’t you see?

It’s a magic number

A man and a woman had a little baby

Yeah they did

And there were three in the family

And that’s a magic number

June 18, 2015

Monkee Man

  

The Nez: one of the sixties assembled pop groups to thwart Beatles domination the guitar singer songwriter Michael Nesmith enjoyed all things cool Californian. And that included his love for Triumph motorcycles. 

Plenty of zany shenanigans on their TV show. 


And that green wool bobble hat! 

 

  

June 5, 2015

Hair of the Dog

   


Scottish heavy metal band Nazareth had a fantastic hit in ’75 with the posts titular name:

  Heart breaker, soul shaker

I’ve been told about you

Steamroller, midnight stroller

What they’ve been saying must be true
Red hot mama

Velvet charmer

Time’s come to pay your dues
Now you’re messin’ with a

A son of a bitch

Now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch

Now you’re messin’ with a

A son of a bitch

Now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch
Talkin’ jivey, poison ivy

You ain’t gonna cling to me

Man taker, born faker

I ain’t so blind I can’t see.

Nortons rotary F1 was their last hurrah into early nineties racing actually taking a win at the Isle of Man TT with Steve Hislop at the controls. Many consider Hizzys race to be the superlative classic of the event pipping Carl Fogarty’s Ysmaha: a true David versus Goliath. In black it certainly looks the part. Those wankel power units spinning like a jet turbine at speed.

  

Here’s Ron Haslam winding this one up to good effect… 


 

May 18, 2015

Crescent City 

  

Here’s the Triumph dealer down in New Orleans Louisiana. Our man on the ground Dean Rennie was down in the Big Easy for a conference and had a few moments to pop in and see that southerners are being offered the same Bonnevilles, Daytona’s, and the usual range as up here in Chi-Town where the Delta Blues ended up.   

 

Nice display with plenty of sparkling new product being looked over by choice vintage specimens, such as this Tiger. Of course our correspondent was also enjoying the outstanding music Nawlins has to offer. Ask the Big Chief: 

 

 

March 16, 2015

‘Thirty Two

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After appearing on the cover of the Beach Boys 1963 album “Little Deuce Coupe” Clarence “Chili” Catallo’s glorious ’32 Ford coupe hot rod, nicknamed the “Silver Sapphire”…became the very definition of sixties Hot Rod.

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Purchased in Motor City Detroit when he was 15 he completed its muscular yet spare blue and chrome vision whilst working at the great George Barris’ LA suburbs kustom ‘shop in California. After appearing on the cover of HotRod ‘zine the rest is music history.

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“Just a little deuce coupe with a flat head mill
But she’ll walk a Thunderbird like it’s standin’ still
She’s ported and relieved and she’s stroked and bored.
She’ll do a hundred and forty with the top end floored
She’s my little deuce coupe
You don’t know what I got..” Brian Wilson

February 20, 2015

Black Bonnie

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A Paul Simonon painting of a dour T100 Triumph Bonneville. Stealthy, gothic, oily. Looks like you could hop on her and hare off down to Boxhill. Looks like our Clash bass-man has this very machine.

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February 13, 2015

Wot! No Bike?

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Artist, bassist, motorcyclist. Punk. Paul Simonon is the greasy biker, musician painter with a new exhibit of his leather ‘n’ cigarette imagery.  On show at the Institute of Contemporary Arts ICA in London.
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The Clash set the music scene on fire with such greats as London Calling and Rock the Casbah. He was the Fender Precision Bass wielding rocker on the cover of the bands third album.  Hailed as the greatest music photograph of all time taken by Bennie Smith at The Palladium in New York.image

January 23, 2015

Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right

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I spent today drafting planting plans, devising associated details and writing specifications. No ‘phones ringing to distract me! So I put on some Dylan music to hustle the hours along. Worked like a charm!

January 16, 2015

Tiger Feet

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70’s glam rock band Mud had a number 1 hit with Tiger Feet. Here’s period advertising. With dancing Cubs probably bopping to that very tune.

I really love your tiger feet

I really love your tiger feet

Your tiger feet
Your tiger feet
Your tiger feet

Well alright.