Seb Palmer

Ok, so I’m having a real ball listening to Uncle Walt’s Band. I’ve ordered all three of their self-released official albums. I was a bit unsure about getting this anthology, ‘cause I have most of it already.

But I’ve caved in. They’re so good, I simply have to have it all. There’s a couple of tracks at least that I can’t get elsewhere, ‘Getaway’, an original, and the ol’ timey classic, ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’.

Can’t wait!

RELATED NEWS: The Contenders, 1978

My mania for all things Walt, Champ (and David) does have limits, though. As I’ve discovered on listening to the above. Walt and Champ were part of The Contenders, a short lived group who released just the one album (see above).

I love the Walt and Champ stuff, but not much else, alas. The album opens with ‘Lean On Your Mind’, which I know from the (superior) UWB version. But when tracks by non UWB members come on, I’m unmoved.

And I’m not too taken with the drummer. Which, as a drummer myself, is an issue. Sorry, Jimbeau! Walt’s sister Kathy occasionally played drums with UWB (she might even be on some of their recordings?). But I like them best sans drums.

I’ve only managed a partial listen to The Contenders. Maybe it’ll grow on me? But somehow I suspect not. It’s been re-released. And allegedly the sound is much improved. So maybe I ought to check out the reissue?

Hmmm!?

Just lovin’ Walt & co! One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen on video is Tom Waits at Austin City Limits. And that’s available online in very good definition.

Sadly this video isn’t great, in terms of graphics. The definition is rather poor! But the music? That’s a whole ‘nother Turkey shoot. Fabulous.

Setlist:
Shine On
Honest Papas Love Their Mamas Better
Don’t You Know
Seat of Logic
Green Tree
Getaway
For The First Time
Snowing Me Under
Sitting On Top Of The World

I wonder if this is available anywhere in better definition? Such beautiful music deserves better. Still, that said, I’m terrifically grateful to the person who shared this VHS recording.

Wonderful stuff!

And if, like me, you just can’t get enough of this good stuff, you’ll dig the above video. An hour long live recording of the dudes, from 1975.

Tillman Hall, 26/2/‘75
1. Seat of Logic
2. Billy Goat Hop
3. Your Tender Kiss
4. Can’t You Hear Me Callin’ (Sweetheart of Mine)
5. Every Road I Pass
6. Getaway 
7. The Spittoon 
8. Don’t You Think I Feel It Too
9. In the Night
10. Beauty in the Flesh 
11. Aloha 
12. Amethyst (Walter’s solo spotlight)
13. Bach guitar piece (Champ’s solo spotlight)
14. Brisk Young Widow (David’s solo spotlight)
15. Under the Boardwalk
16. As the Crow Flies
17. Whatever Reason
18. Dish Wiped Clean
19. Sittin’ on Top of The World
20. Undecided

The venue for the latter concert recording is, alas, named for Benjamin Tillman, a white supremacist. I wonder what he’d have made of these three white boys playing ‘Under The Boardwalk’?

Indeed, I heard David Ball saying, in an interview (Patrick Scott Armstrong, Lone Star Plate?) that when he’d mentioned liking ‘Hot Fun In The Summertime’, by Sly & The Family Stone, Walter and Champ learned it, and the group played it live several times.

They play plenty of blues (not so much on this gig tho’), and plenty of what was once called ‘race music’, in the US of A. And if Ben Tillman saw this (below), he’d be spinning in his grave so hard he’d drill his racist ass straight to Hell:

Now that makes these cats the kind of good ol’ southern boys I can really get behind.

I was hoping that I’d find this fabulous track on one of the Uncle Walt albums I’ve already acquired. But no! It’s not on either. They had a third album, which was all live stuff. Perhaps it was on that?

But nope, ‘Getaway’ isn’t on this either! Not to worry. I’ve ordered it anyway. I love them so much I can’t imagine not loving this one as well as the others. How am I going to get Getaway, though? Not sure about buying the Omnivore comp’, Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing, just to get one track!

Rather annoyingly, during my shift today the leaflet in the above CD fell out of the car. I’ve only had the CD a day or two, and now it looks like it’s years old. Damn!

One song that jumped out at me today was ‘Early Riser’, a live track included as an extra on the Omnivore reissue of their debut (above). It appeals to me as antidote to another of their tracks, ‘In The Night’.

Whereas ‘In The Night’ celebrates the wee small hours, ‘Early Riser’ finds our handsome hirsute hero turning in nice and early! I do that, and I love it. I haven’t mastered the other part, the part that gives the song its title.

And in the evening, afore bed, we watched Pursuit to Algiers, with Basil Shinbone and Nigel ‘the Bruce’. Ah, what formulaic fun.

I do love the combo of Basil and Nigel. Not very Conan Doyle, admittedly. Esp’ Bruce’s bumbling buffoonery! But I grew up watching these, and they’ve carved a little niche in my heart.

Who really cares about the silly plots? It’s all about the heroic pair, and their chemistry. Rathbone’s Holmes is always clipped, often earnest, and frequently in a hurry. Bruce’s Doc’ is slower paced, hankers after food n’ drink, a bit of sport, and comely dames.

Will Holmes solve the case, whilst simultaneously sending up Watson, and still charm the pants off everyone, inc. the Doc’? Of course. He always does. It’s not the destination, be it Algiers or elsewhere. It’s the trip.

As ever, we’re just chasing clutter around the house. I am selling stuff, slowly. In the last year or so I’ve probably sold about £3Ks worth of musical gear. Alas, for less than that. Prob realising about £2K on it.

And sadly that’s just money to stay afloat. A slow process of asset attrition. Not ideal at all. And not selling because I want of the stuff, but because of a combo of poverty and lack of storage space!

We might let the blue room. We’ve been thinking about it for ages. I’ve been really set against it. Not wanting to share our home now we’re in our 50s! But this time the possible tenant is family. And that makes all the difference.

These are the ‘before’ pics. I’m taking a coffee break. Listening to Dorothy Ashby, with Chester sat beside me. In about 15 minutes I’ll tackle the table. Then I’ll take the ‘after’ shots.

The above area is a bit of a dead space at present. I really want to do something better with it. One idea is a box-shelf/cupboard type construction, atop the fridge (but attached to the walls.

The microwave ought to come down off the fridge, as well. So perhaps another box-cupboard thing to the left of the fridge, with the microwave sat on it?

The best work I did, of a short term sort, I guess, moving the drum kits off the bed. But they’ve remained in the room. They’re cluttering up a different area now. As you’ll see below.

I actually improved on the above, by removing most of the clutter off the chest o’drawers. The drum bits are now behind where I was stood taking the above snap. And a few other bits (eg headphones), are elsewhere now, as well.

I managed to remove about two thirds of the stuff off the tabletop. Which is good. I’ve just bunged it on our bed for now. I’ll have to deal with it properly later, or tomorrow.

My Ayotte and Mapex kits are mostly (but not completely, as can be seen above) bagged up. And are stacked separately. The Mapex is hiding the Ayotte! You can still access the fridge. Which is a necessity, as we already use it as a backup to our other fridge and freezer set up, downstairs.

Finally got the table (more or less) completely cleared. And I’m glad we did. As Antonio, our prospective tenant, and (former?*) brother in law, sat down at it to test our WiFi, and see if it’s up to snuff for his work.

He seems pleased, and it looks like we’ll have a tenant for a while, from mid-April.

This is one of the many GB albums I don’t yet have in a ‘hard copy’ format, yet. Indeed, I don’t think I’d ever even listened to it until now.

Having been totally blown away by the Rick Beato George Benson interview, I’ve been delving into areas of Benson’s back catalogue I’d not explored before.

And, unsurprisingly, it’s proving a rich and rewarding experience. This disc is interesting for numerous reasons. First of all it’s unusual, in popular music, for an artist to release an entire album covering just one other artist.

Secondly, later on in Benson’s career he’d get a lot of flak for ‘selling out’, as he began introducing vocal numbers. But, as he says when talking to Rick, he’d always sung, since childhood. And this album precedes the ones – Breezin, In Flight, etc – that drew certain folks’ ire.

Personally I absolutely love these recordings. What’s not to love? Excellent songs, reinterpreted by equally excellent musicians, but in a different vein. The blend of jazz, R’n’B, popular song, and terrific classical influenced arrangement, all add up to a Fab whole.

A short while back I discovered Uncle Walt’s Band, and bought their self-released debut, reissued by Omnivore, with lots of bonus material. It’s superb.

I love it so much I’ve now got their follow up (also self-released), An American in Texas. This is another Omnivore reissue. Also packed to the gills with extras.

The group actually took a bit of a hiatus, between albums one and two. According to the liner notes for this album, Champ Hood took up violin between the recording of the first and second album. There is violin on the first disc, however. So I wonder about that?

What’s certain is that the violin plays a more prominent role here, later on. For example, the title track itself is a violin lead instrumental.

My initial reaction is that whilst American is brilliant, I slightly prefer their debut. What’s intriguing is that the extras on American are phenomenally good.

The upshot is that both collections, albums one and two, when taken together with the extras, are utterly fabulous.

I came home from work, today, and this was on the TV. I was surprised to see Bumphrey Hogarth and Ronald Raygun are in it.

The plot involves Bette Davis’ flighty socialite Judith Traherne discovering she’s terminally ill, after her Doc’ – George Brent as Dr Steele – trying to keep the news from her.

It’s full of dated themes, some of which the movie doesn’t address at all. And some it only addresses partially or momentarily – such as relations between the rich and their servants – but it still packs quite a punch, for addressing such a hefty issue.

Ultimately it’s really very moving. We all face death. And this film faces that awful topic head on. It’s also interesting in how it deals with cancer, which Steele, first Traherne’s doctor, and then her husband, can’t help her. It’s perhaps even more poignant now? Because of how cancer treatment has come on since then, and yet remains one of our chief killers.

Also very moving is how it treats the idea of protecting a loved one. Although perhaps nowadays we’d counsel straightforward honesty, in favour of noble self- sacrifice.

But the way it ends remains very powerful, very moving. I blubbed like baby. but then I’m a big softy.

The daffs are, of course, gorgeous. But there aren’t near enough. Yet. I suppose with each year we’re getting better?

I can never seem to recall the name of the ‘purple bobble’ flowers. I near enough always have to look it up.

We’ve been trying to get flowers going in the garden for years. With minimal success. It’s nice to finally see a few tulips making it above ground. Again, need lots, lots more!

The border of the lawn section of our garden needs neatening up. Weeding, edging, and hopefully some more of those rope doodads.

We have plenty o’ trees. Two holly, an apple, pear, plum, several figs, two… no, three cherries, some bamboo, and a laurel bush. There’s also sundry stuff we inherited, down the far end. Inc the biggest tree of the lot. I don’t know what type of tree that is, yet.

It’s funny how things come out at different times. The cherry out front is already in near full bloom. Whereas the one out back (above) is just budding.

Both me and the garden appear to need a haircut.

Petting Chester this morning lead me to wonder where and when the conjunction of cats and humans, as we know it now – there are estimated to be in the region of 600 million pet cats, worldwide – occurred.

I read several different things on the subject. The best of which was this piece from the Scientific American.

It seems, according to the evidence gathered in that article, that Felix Silvestris Lybica, or the African Wildcat, is the prime candidate for ancestor to our modern domestic cats.

The common name is a little misleading, however. As rather than the African continent, the location for the coming together of cats and humans is believed to be the Fertile Crescent:

This places the conjunction of cats and humans in what we’d nowadays call The Middle East, rather than Africa. And one of the earliest archaeological evidences for this is the burial together of a human and a cat, on the island of Crete, about 10,000 years ago.

There are several striking thing about cats, as opposed to most other domesticated animal species: the latter, from cows, pigs, sheep, to dogs, are social or group – herd or pack – animals. And they serve us in many obvious ways. Providing meat, clothing, and security services.

Cats, by contrast, are solitary, and not so biddable. It seems possible or probable that they chose to live with us, rather than vice versa. And the trade off was access to domestic mice and human trash; bountiful food sources for the populations of f. s. lybica living near the booming human settlements of The Fertile Crescent.

Oh, and then there’s the fact that they’re adorable!