Sunday...

While I was aimlessly seeking comfort from the internet I came across this article by chance on examiner.com suggesting that Motörhead has got into some fashion industry collaboration with a company called Hurley, so I press the link and head on over to Hurley whereupon I am nearly blasted off my sofa as an embedded Ace of Spades soundtrack kicks off while the Hurley Motorhead goods page loads up - I'd unwittingly left the laptop speakers on at 11 - some revolving photos of Motörhead t-shirts, hoodies etc are displayed all available for launching in June it says. But what was fecking worse is all the time the Ace of Spades was playing and I couldn't see the link where to turn the bloody thing off...

And those noisy types Motörhead are playing Guilfest this Friday night, down in deepest Surrey...and what a fine evening's entertainment for those making the trip.

Semi-regular, semi-serious, semi-conscious contributor to this blog, The Ayatollah of Rocknrolla has been in touch to ask, nay he actually begs, for some more stuff showing Doris Yeh of Chthonic...well Ayatollah you should get your own blogposts set out for the purpose, or use your powers and perhaps track down copies of FHM Taiwan or visit the various websites which highlight her attributes, or sit back and watch this brief clip courtesy of a YouTube contributor...be warned as with most 'Tube en vivo videos the camera work and sound is...well you know what to except.


Right then that's me, thanks to AK for posting up yesterday T posting which I was too preoccupied to cater for, Pop Pickers I am feeling that I am slipping into period of depression just now, like treading in quick sand. I recall standing in the chill freezer aisle of the Co-operative supermarket yesterday in a fit of internal turmoil, lightheaded and overwhelmed by the thought of the trouble at mill, and quite frankly I don't know what I am doing at the moment...relying too much on plans methinks the complacency has caught me out. He who lives looking for pleasures only, his senses uncontrolled, immoderate in his food, idle, and weak
Small ill feelings exacerbated by losing out to getting my glove grips on a Suzi Gixer Kat', still there will be other opportunities for other mounts, not a problem. So for the meantime the kamidana will have to be returned to its normal corner instead of the shed.

And then back to reality, here I sit in my drawers writing a blog which slips from coherency to downright idleness induced during any given paragraph.

Toodle Pip

Piggy

So good I can't believe it...;

Thanks to my hastily recruited blogposter below which was all professionally done until I remembered that today was the launch day of a certain t-shirt....an obvious reason therefore for this brief return to the Blogsphere today after my planned (black) sabbatical from blogging on account of my worrying job situation....because there is artist par excellence Joe Petagno, master of the 'Pig with his latest creation for a black t-shirt as fine an effort I've seen since the original 'Snaggletooth' t-shirt by Joe appeared last year. For a taste of its design see above and of course to get your hands on one, check out Mr Petagno's website for full details. I got the first of the t-shirt series and it is all good, believe me fast shipping and quality goods straight from the hallowed shores of Danmark which incidentally is just across the water from my location here at Victory Mansions.

Oh, and by the way while drooling and laying down your order for the latest Pig t-shirt you should tarry a while and have a look at his other stuff up for grabs including the top notch galleries. Go here...

T

Doris 'Thunder Tears' Yeh image by Clive 'T for Tibet' Arrowsmith

已經是第五十個春天了，對達賴喇嘛以及流亡世界各地的藏人來說，2009年三月，是他們逃離故鄉的第五十個春天。五十年，足以讓一個人由孩提邁入老年；五十年，卻不夠讓藏人回家，回去屬於他們的自由西藏。
「雖然我們是難民，沒有國家……可是我們很驕傲。槍桿的力量只是暫時的，真正的價值會長存，所以團結非常重要」，在達賴喇嘛的帶領下，藏人正面樂觀的態度 和團結的力量，讓「西藏議題」成為全世界關注的焦點，自由西藏，已不再只是西藏人的事，是世界上每一個有良知、有感覺的人都應該給予支持的行動。
「西藏自由」不僅僅代表西藏本身的自由，更是全世界關心人權、自由、民主、和平，對抗暴力霸權運動的表現！「西藏自由」代表和平非暴力、宗教的相互瞭解
今年（2009）是中國入侵西藏五十年，當世界持續關注西藏的時候，台灣自三月起便展開包括遊行、座談與影展等一系列支持西藏的行動，七月份的「第五十個春天 - 西藏自由音樂會」將在台北登場，讓台灣援藏的聲音達到高峰。

回家的路，走過第五十個春天，儘管崎嶇無盡，他們微笑面對，達賴喇嘛與流亡藏人用和平的武裝屹立在這條通往故鄉的路上，這不僅是藏人回家的路，更是世界邁向進步的自由大道，你無須搖旗吶喊，也無須畏縮，因為站在「西藏自由」之路上，你並不孤單，你和全世界站在一起。

Oft mentioned on this here blogsphere is the brilliant metal band Chthonic, and indeed Chthonic (Doris Yeh pictured above) play the Free Tibet Concert in Taipei on July 11th and have a new album out August 10th entitled 'Mirror of Retribution' - on Spinefarm Records UK (get a taste of a track live, Rise of the Shadows via this YouTube video cut).

The above post was submitted on behalf of Löst Jimmy who is currently away from his laptop in Victory Mansion's sunlit front room, and in the middle of feeling sorry for himself, however in spite of his self-imposed blog exile felt it necessary to dictate a post given the importance of the above plugged concert next week.

'Nuff said.

To Hell In A Handcart

The above image is entitled Spacewitch by Nik Keelen go to www.artistrising.com

Life can be very cruel when you are treading the wheel of fate as a work slave...but this week your humble narrator has been given further frightening news about job cuts at the Factory (in terms of cash cuts they are talking telephone numbers, big phone numbers including the international dialing code too). Although not certain, the next 10 months apparently is the critical time frame for my workbench if you will and I am less than comfortable given the fact I'm already on a 2 year pay freeze (which actually means a pay cut) upon which everything 'was going to be OK'.
So now I am under starters orders for what may or may not be the worst case scenario.
As much as I miscall her I am thrall of Madam Factory and all her flaws and torture so I would hate to part in such a brutal manner (I'd much prefer a departure at a time and manner of MY choosing!).

I am numbed

I seek solace this evening away from drink, for that would be a negative comfort and instead drift off ad astra through the audio capsule that is Hawkwind's Space Ritual Alive forever my companion amid troubled moments. And talking of which I can promote here a very nice artwork (see above) entitled the Spacewitch by Nik Killeen. A certain beautiful celestial queen wouldn't you agree Pop Pickers?

Nice work there Nik.

Of course, completing my (oh yes Jimmy start counting your chickens before they have kicked their way out of the egg why don't you as always, never learn etc etc) bike deal is out the fucking window now...

Bah!

I may be away from this blogspace for a few days in order to regroup and manifest myself once more into the optimistic bastard I allegedly once was...

Boo Hoo

Hoo

Now go, leave me to my cosmic recuperation...

Metal For Muthas

My earlier continous replaying of the Angel Witch debut album, or rather the definitive collection on the 25th anniversary expanded edition which featured not only the superlative Friday Rock Show session (that FRS of extraordinary magnitude made good and greater by Sir Tommy Vance) but also the version of Baphomet which I originally heard on the Neal Kay (he of the HM Soundhouse*) compiled album from 1980 entitled Metal for Muthas. I recall this incursion into compilation albums because I had just turned 16 and all was metal in my life, I even insisted to my mother that I ate my porage with a metal spoon in the morning...now how metal was that!?!

*anyone remember Iron Maiden's Soundhouse tapes then?

The Metal for Muthas album was putting bands out there who were for the most part integral to the NWOBHM at the time, of course its selling point was the inclusion of Paul Di'anno era Iron Maiden (the superb track pairing Sanctuary and Wrathchild) who were already making a big impression on the wasted youth of the day even by early 1980. But the standout track on the Muthas collection for me has to be by this band Angel Witch, there is something unholy good about Baphomet. It conjurs up (sorry pun) the best of the period and tied in to my love of such lyrics and imagery.

Other tracks featured included the Sledgehammer self-titled track, which to this day still sounds great. The other treats which kept this album on the turntable at the time was Samson's Tomorrow or Yesterday, and Toad the Wet Sprocket song Blues in A is not to be sniffed at plus the excellent Praying Mantis (that top notch melodic act, good music and great Rodney Matthews album covers!!!) track Captured City.

I have a bit of difficulty with compilation albums as it is, mmm I was going to say like a box of Milk Tray...you know you are not going to like all the contents unless you happen to be a masochist for those faux strawberry centres...Having said that two of my favourite albums of all time remains the Neat Records merging of some of the finest NWOBHM tracks of all time on their Lead Weight compilation and the unofficial web only Head Heritage offering, which is never finished being plugged on this very blogspace, the simplistic titled Hardrocksampler.

As for the colllection of demos and first recordings that is Metal for Muthas, it captured a distinct moment in time straddling as it was between the heady Metal maelstrom that was 1979 & 1980, NWOBHM had not yet quite reached the height of its powers and there were still a lot of fresh metallic ideas to come too. Nice times. As Saxon once asked, "Where were you in '79 when the dam began to burst?"

I believe that CD copies of the Metal for Muthas album can still be had through various second-hand sources, and It is likely that copies of the vinyl original still survives in bargain bins at record fairs and on eBay no doubt.
I recall there was a volume 2 of the Metal for Muthas which featured acts such as the straight down the middle rock n roll of Chevy, the likes of Trespass and probably the stand out song on the album for me, Dark Star's Lady of Mars.

Vorsprung Durch Technik

Good evening Blogbusters, are we cooking with napalm today? You bet!

Before we get right into it, just for some mid-summer fun...with a nod to the great comic summer specials comics and their emphasis on puzzles and quizzes (i.e. Beano, Dandy, Topper, Beezer, Victor et al)...hidden within this blogpost are 3 rock,n,roll bands...name them.

This blogpost will verge on the self-indulgent but please stay with me if only on the basis of bearing witness to a short massaging of my bruised and battered ego. Hahahohohehe.

Although merited today having just watched some BBC highlights there will be no mention of Lily Allen wearing that purple wig at Glastonbury* (I refuse to say or use the word Glasto...) last night, but that lady does look a million times better than her dad (Bonehead in The Bullshitters). But never better than when she donned those blue stockings - shame on me.

I may not want to admit it,
I'm just a fool for your stockings I believe (ZZ Top)

*Löst Jimmy set out for the Glastonbury CND festival in 1981 to see Hawkwind...he got lost for 3 days en route south and never made it south of Hadrian's Wall.

And now on to the real subject matter of today's exclusive blogpost...Germany

My love affair with Germany goes a long way back, back to my childhood yeas before I eventually invisited the country. You see I was transported everywhere by my parents in air-cooled VWs and that noise and that style has stayed with me...

Many a time I have since visited Germany on short breaks and longer ones, my goodness I even met her indoors in Frankfurt and what a fateful day that turned out to be.

And so that nation has blessed this planet with many great persons & things...from Karl Heinrich Marx and his mate Friedrich Engels with their social science revelations and a cure for humankind.

The wonderful invention of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, the people's car the 'Beetle' (let us ignore for the moment his other creative contributions to the world, the part he played in the Tiger and Elefant tanks), that symbol of successive generations that has forever a place in my heart.

There was Ludwig Van,...He did no harm to anyone. Beethoven just wrote music!

Gerd Müller - Der Bomber!

Sophie Scholl and the die Weiße Rose movement

Sigmund Jähn - Start in den Kosmos!

Rammstein

Werner Herzog

Of course the work of Michael von Gimbut for the Scorpions In Trance album cover. A personal favourite for gratuitous reasons I might add. Most Shameful.

The Bonn band Hairy Chapter's monumental moment on the Can't Get Through album has to be included in my homage to German inventiveness if only for the wunderbar song 'It Must Be An Officer's Daughter', this guitar treat of extraordinary magnitude with its lyrical magic it can't be beaten on sheer indulgence, oh man we'd all want to be narrator in this houghmagandie with a bourgeois totty. Shame on me (yet again!)

And then there is Target Design from Bavaria, responsible for the magnificent machine the Suzuki Katana. The beautiful street bike which will shortly become part of my life once it is delivered to the Victory Mansions front door. The child of Hans Muth, Jan Fellstrom and Hans-Georg Kasten that became an icon of the early 19eighties during my most irresponsible years, although yearned for it proved a budget too far for your humble narrator.
The truth of it is that the Suzuki remains a fragile budget too far but the time is now, I am following my heart of course and not my head...like a lust, condemned as I am to fall for yet another Japanese enchantress, and this time she just happens to have a body imagined in Germany.
The iron mistress will be delivered wrapped in an obi within the next couple of weeks, a small lock-up will house her majesty. This will protect her from the harsh climate and roving street baboons. I already have a small shinto shrine prepared as is the tradition of my relationships with mechanical japanese metal gods. Another dream unfolds.
Better than continuing to peer into the abyss I'd wager...

A Nice Nancy Reprise...

...For my Motörhead mate Toast from over at the official forum...

Monday Night, A Big Ape & Baphomet

Just arrived home somewhat merry from unplanned post factory drinks. Sat down in time to witness Kevin Webster leering at Molly whatshername in Coronation St. Get in there Kev! That'll leave your missus Sally aching for this pot bellied jock!


And then later there was King Kong on ITV2. That relationship between Ann Darrow and the Ape will never work out, and only leave a distraught Naomi Watts begging for a piece of this scruffy Highlander...

Later, your humble narrator gives the Angel Witch debut album, the (w)holy remastered 25th anniversary edition a spin on the CD grinder...while I sit slumped, headphones on, in front of the idiot's lantern all morose scoffing a heady quantity of Mackie's ice cream.

Monday nights? I shit 'em!

Kadie's Bar

As it is Sunday evening and I am already experiencing the pre-Monday jitters let your humble narrator lower the tone and recount here a tale that I shared earlier this evening over at Mr.H's blog GodShatMyIPod. Indeed if it weren't for the fact that Mr H started the 'conversation' by describing, much to my heightened blood pressure, the story of a beautiful blonde stripping off to the strains of She's Got Balls by AC/DC in a bar down Hackney way...my memory might never have regurgitated the following bar-room recollection;

...Late one evening back in the late eighties I found myself in an oft frequented sawdust floored public house partaking in a small refreshment as one does, when an elderly lady began stripping off her attire as Danish fishermen threw her cash and words of subtle encouragement, the inebriated old woman was lapping (no pun intended) up the sick crowd's attention as she proceeded to shed her clothes in a somewhat unsteady and most unprofessional manner. It was car crash entertainment, you didn’t know whether to look down into the depths of your pint or glare at her dried prune like features gyrating like it was 1999. Despite my immaturity I do recall thinkng might this be what granny looks like under her semit?
Not exactly a Nancy Callahan...and yes, I still have the nightmares…

Of course I have learned as my own skin has dried and contorted that beauty is not a simply a measure of angles and bumps and lumps.

Toodlepip Pop Pickers

Zut Alors!

Reading the MCN today I was alerted to news of the jailing of feuding one-percenters who set upon each other at Birmingham Airport in January this year. According to The Guardian, the Polis are attempting to put the brakes on the annual Bulldog Bash, the big big Angels run biking get together in Stratford upon Avon which this year features the musical talents of a certain band called Motorhead. On a side note, according to the MCN article weapons recovered from the scene of the fighting at the airport were among other things hammers, a meat cleaver and a machete! And to think your humble narrator couldn't even get his jar of Marmite through the airport concourse before having the healthy spread confiscated by security under the prevention of terrorism regs (i.e. liquids and pastes) during my last flying experience from London to home!
I have never been to the Bulldog Bash but those I know who have say it is appears to be a well run gathering with lots of fun and eye-popping bikes etc. I'm sure the weekend events will go ahead given the licencing authority decision last year and all the law abidding attendees will thoroughly enjoy the weekend especially in the presence of that noisy trio Motörhead too!
Motörhead play the main stage on Saturday, tickets available for the weekend at a cost of £50, see the Bulldog Bash site for details.

Today I re-watched the DVD of Akira. Only my marathon journeys to witness the cinematic re-showings of Get Carter (the original, not the risible US remake) and Cronos comes close to my 250 mile round trip in 1991 to see the theatrical release of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. An evening road journey, commencing after work, to the cinema and back. It was of course worth every winding dark mile there and back, the film was and remains an in-depth masterpiece. A landmark anime epic from the visual imagery to the wonderful soundtrack.

And finally, quote of the week comes from RTÉ's coverage of Royal Ascot; "Fashion focus: BBC fashion correspondent James Sherwood is fawning over Monaco-based milliner David Schilling. Painful viewing. Hats festooned with wildlife are in fashion, apparently. Try sleeping in a ditch, mate." Full marks for those at the RTÉ Sports desk for getting the measure of fop Sherwood, who they claim has attained cult status in the RTÉ.ie office for his withering comments, pouting and camp affectations.
If I have little time for snobs, then I have precious little patience for so-called fashion 'gurus' (sic) or indeed music elitists and well quite frankly workplace parvenus who strut about the Factory floor!
Bah!

White Line Fever

On Thursday I had one of my shittiest days on record at the Factory so imagine my delight upon receiving the above load of vinyl gems upon returning home in my sweat and fear drenched work clathes!!

This is the latest brilliant package of releases from Sir Pilly at LAMF Ltd, the super emporium that is The Devil's Jukebox. This, as they say, is it! Recorded at Pebble Beach in Worthing, and of course, the version of White Line Fever is 100% different from that found on the debut album.Originally on Stiff in the UK, and (only semi-legitimately) on Skydog in France, and Blitz in Sweden.... and rare as rocking horse crap. Here, Devils Jukebox is proud to present this killer seven inch in 3 awesome sleeves, on coloured vinyl, all based on the original sleeve designs, plus a new design (The Stiff sleeve reversed out) on black vinyl, all remastered for your sonic enjoyment!

The English, French and Swedish sleeve editions are limited to 666 numbered copies each, 566 on White vinyl, and the first 100 each on Purple vinyl, reserved for the sets.
There are 100 sets of the English, French and Swedish sleeves on Purple Vinyl, with matching numbers and in a cute PVC sleeve with two inserts.
The 'Reverse Stiff' sleeve houses the regular, un-numbered Black vinyl 7".

I can't praise these slices of fried gold enough, what a great job Devil's Jukebox have done. It is an amazing collection of that piece of Motörhead history way back when vinyl was king and the world was only just getting a taste of what a noisy future lay ahead...

So, Motörheadbangers grab your piece of nostalgia, and don't forget Pop Pickers there is still some copies of the one off alternative sleeve version of the 1916 album - order this and more direct from The Devil's Jukebox, your official pedlars of Motörhead vinyl rarities for it is Nostalgia and it's Riches!
Appreciate the hard work and remember for The Devil's Jukebox vinyl emporium it is a labour of love.

The Macra Terror

Only a few segments survived so the Doctor Who story from 1967, The Macra Terror will never see the light of day as a DVD release more's the pity. This particular observation is absolutely nothing to do with today's cover story except perhaps for the fact that The Macra crablike creature was more than just a little bit of Overkill!

Albums that changed my life (forever) #1
It has to be the superlative Jimmy Miller produced piece of Metal Magic that is Motörhead's Overkill, released in 1978 on the Bronze label. It is the complete package, a brilliant selection of songs, held together with the Miller produced adhesion and the amazing artwork by Joe Petagno - the exploding 'Pig, that snaggle-toothed Pig of eternal notoriety of course.
And the music is all there, the good, greater good and the welcome ugliness - standout tracks have to be the perenial tour favourites Capricorn and Metropolis, the latter with Fast Eddie's hypnotic guitar conjuring. And of course there is the title track which has to be head and shoulders above any other track in the known universe save for one or two exceptions perhaps. And bring all the above ingredients to the boil with a limited edition green vinyl edition (a green colour I hasten to add which looked like those typical garish coloured E-number riddled juice drinks from the 70s) - Fantastic!
And by the way Pop Pickers...it'll tear ya down

It's 'Wednesday', and I am not really liking Wednesdays lately

Time for the Factory Bell to shrill, unfortunately, so toodle pip

Saturday Night Lethargy

I'm struggling to keep this blog in some form of continuing form, what with the lack of Motörhead news...well news of note anyway and my own dirge means there is little to talk about, except what I have done during the last while but DearReaders I shall willingly avoid transporting you to Planet of the Bored.

Still I await the arrival of my newest (iron) mistress...the silver machine, the beautiful Japanese crate, my new Suzuki. I've yet to name the lady as is the tradition of bikes rode by your humble narrator, Meiko is a possibility...maybe we'll have a vote for it, although I expect the turnout for such a vote would be lower than the recent EU Parliamentary Elections!
And with some justification no doubt. Blimey, I'm really running out of blog material eh? oh!

Meanwhile over in The Guardian there is an interesting debate about the downloads versus the music industry...incidentally I find it, as regular readers will have detected previously, more than a bit difficult to sympathise with the Music Industry Suits and all the establishment bullshit that goes with their pursuit of the lone home downloader (I'm not one of them...)

And that's all for this evening....I hope I will proffer better words and entertainment in the next Blogpost...

Tonight's audio entertainment currently heating up the CD grinder is in the form of the Saxon album Wheels of Steel

And finally, on the telly right now (BBC One) is Reign of Fire, hohohehehohe...er, groan....worst bit, US National Guard types someone manage to turn up in Blighty to face off evil Dragon brood...and no I'm not watching it, again...