Where Worlds Collide

It’s a long time since I last saw Magnum live. I can’t remember the exact date, but it may well have been while Fish was still in Marillion. As for the first time I saw them, that was the 1980 Reading Festival. I’ve seen bands this year with some members that weren’t even born then!

For those not familiar with Magnum’s music, they’re a sort of British equivalent of American stadium rockers such as Journey and Styx (both bands I’ve seen this year). Their sound is epic and anthemic with occasional neo-classical flourishes, while lyrically they avoided the cheesy cliches those American AOR bands often tended to fall into.

The Magnum of 2007 are older and wrinklier than before, but most definitely can still cut it live. Bob Catley was in fine voice, and sang his heart out for the best part of two hours. The revelation of the night was the now hatless Tony Clarkin. Previously I’d never rated him much as virtuoso lead guitarist, but his playing has got an order of magnitude better since the last time I saw him. Now he plays not one but two extended solos, and they were both phenomenally good, just the perfect combination of technique and feel. Keyboardist Mark Stanway was, well, Mark Stanway, and the two new boys in the rhythm section Al Barrow and Harry James (on loan from Thunder) were energetic and enthusiastic thoughout.

The setlist, not far short of two hours long, was chock full of old favourites; “Vigilante”, “On a Storyteller’s Night” “All England’s Eyes”, “How Far Jerusalem”, “The Spirit”, “Sacred Hour” and “Kingdom of Madness”, plus some impressive sounding new songs from the current album “Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow”, which I’ve yet to hear. Magnum performed old and new with an energy and passion that belies their years. Long may they continue!

The Guardian’s John Harris thinks that all British rock music is the language of wet Wednesdays.

All of which puts one in mind of a great rule of British rock: that whereas musicians born and bred in the New World need only drop place names and cultural references to suggest an epic reality in which even lives gone wrong take on their own kind of romance, British people are best at the language of wet Wednesdays. There are not even many broken dreams in our music because no one dreamed very much to begin with. To grasp the essential point, go straight to that symbolic lyric in the Arctic Monkeys’ Fake Tales of San Francisco: “You’re not from New York City, you’re from Rotherham.”

All of which goes to show how much music journalists actually know about music. Does he listen to anything other than indie? People like him seem to think drab kitchen-sink parochialism (preferably sung in a fake working-class accent) is the only legitimate subject matter for lyrics. You won’t catch the likes of Iron Maiden singing about that sort of thing; bands like them think bigger. Why write songs about fights outside chip shops on a Friday night when you can write “Brighter than a Thousand Suns” about nuclear war?

This a provisional track plan for a new British outline layout using my existing 12′x2′ benchwork from my previous Swiss layout Wominsee. The 2′ width means I’ve got to use 9″ radius hidden curves at the ends.

The trackplan is based on the eastern end of Lostwithiel in Cornwall. I’ve seen Lostwithiel modelled in N before, focusing on the station area and associated sidings. But from several visits over the years, the loops at the Plymouth end are where much of the action tends to be, so this is what I’ve based the layout on. The station itself is not modelled, apart from the extreme ends of the platforms.

It’s not intended to be a 100% accurate model of the prototype; I’ll be using kitbuilt structures rather than scratchbuilding models of actual prototypes, and I’ve taken a few liberties with the trackplan. Hence the name “Restormel” rather than “Lostwithiel”.

The layout is intended to be multi-era, capable of running from the last days of the WR diesel-hydraulics to the present day scene of Virgin Voyagers and EMD class 66s. So some structures will have to be interchangeble. The uppermost siding will serve the creamery when running in 1970s mode (I’ve just got hold of a rake of Dapol milk tankers!). For later eras I might substitute some other industry so I still have something to shunt.

The upside of having to postpone my holiday until July is that I can now go to see Magnum in Manchester Academy 2 this Wednesday. It’s a long time since I’ve seen this lot live; I think the last time I saw them Fish was still in Marillion.

Older bands can be a bit hit and miss; over the past couple of years, my experiences have ranged from rather mediocre (Queensrÿche), the appallingly bad (Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd) to the amazingly good (Van der Graaf Generator and Styx). Reviews like this one from Newcastle suggest that they’ll be in the latter category. Should be a good one!

Another belated review. This one’s only two months old.

Cardiff’s The Reasoning are one of three bands to arise from the ashes of the original lineup of Karnataka, which imploded in 2004. The band includes Karnataka’s former lead vocalist Rachel Jones, and bassist Matt Cohen, formerly of Magenta. Their debut album was one of the most eagerly awaited for the first part of the year.

While the presence of Rachel Jones is invitably going to draw comparisons with her previous band, musically The Reasoning are a quite different beast. Compared to Karnataka’s atmospheric keyboard-driven sound, The Reasoning’s twin guitar lineup is more prog-tinged melodic hard rock than atmopheric celtic prog. And do they indeed rock out on this album.

It’s well-produced album with a crisp, clear sound courtesy of Dave Meegan of Marillion fame. Rachel shares lead vocal duties with Dylan Thomson, who I’ve heard compared with Frances Dunnery of It Bites, and the fact the Dylan sings more lead than Rachel is perhaps the album’s only fault. Several of the songs get stuck in the brain after just a couple of listens, notably “Aching Hunger”, “Fallen Angels” and the atmopheric “Sacred Shape”, perhaps the closest-sounding song to Karnataka, despite being sung by Dylan. Celtic prog sounds also surface in the album closer “Within Cold Glass” which features guest appearances from Marillion’s Steve Rothery and The Bluehorses Liz Prendergast.

For a debut album, this is an impressive piece of work. I look forward to the followup, to be recorded in the new year.

I’ve been very remiss on album reviews this year. Something like half a dozen good albums have come out in the first four months of 2007, and I haven’t posted reviews of a single one of them.

This is the oldest one in the backlog. Officially released in February, I had the limited pre-order edition since before Christmas. So I’ve been living with this album for something like five months now, and heard the bulk of live several times, so it’s had more than enough time to sink in.

It’s an album that appears to have divided with the fanbase; although it’s been well-received by the majority, there’s a vocal minority that still strongly dislike it. I suppose this is inevitable for any band that refuses to tread water musically; this work is definitely not a retread of any period of the band’s past. It’s not a repeat of “Storms Over Still Water” or “Passengers”, nor is it return to the style of the much loved (by some) early albums.

Saying that, it is probably their most varied album since their 1996 debut. Opener “Fading Colours” has to be the most powerful hard rocker Mostly Autumn have ever recorded. A few bars at the beginning strongly recall Rainbow’s “Eyes of the World”, and the rest of the song has a similar feel. Other highlights are the lengthy “Walk With a Storm”, part epic hard rocker, part electifying celtic jig featuring guest musicians Peter Knight and Troy Donockley on violin and uilleann pipes, Heather’s heartfelt “Half a World”, and the achingly sad “Find the Sun”, also featuring Peter Knight’s violin.

Several songs break new ground for the band, such as the sparse “Broken”, just piano and Heather’s voice, and Chris Johnson’s hauntingly beautiful “Silver Glass”. Then there’s the largely instrumental “Further from Home”, six minutes of Bryan Josh putting that blue Stratocaster through it’s paces, and sounding like all the best bits of Dave Gilmour’s “On an Island” compressing into a single song.

The plodding sub-Oasis “Pocket Watch” is the album’s only real dud. There are hundreds of other interchangeable bands doing this sort of three chord nonsense, and Mostly Autumn shouldn’t be wasting their time trying to copy them.

Other quibbles are minor; I’d like to have heard more of Angela Gordon’s flute, which is almost completely absent this time around. And a couple of songs, such as “Ghost” and the closing epic “Dreaming” might have benefitted from a little more time polishing up the arrangments. But overall it’s a very strong album, even if it’s not quite the masterpiece I believe the band are capable of. If “Storms Over Still Water” marked a step change in Bryan Josh’s guitar playing, this one shows the same sort of improvement in Heather’s lead vocals; I’ve never heard her sing better. And Chris Johnson has proved that he can fill the role of third songwriter left by the departure last year of Iain Jennings.

One way to tell the lawn needs mowing:

• From the upstairs window you can see next door’s ginger cat asleep in the middle of the lawn
• From downstairs, you can’t see him at all

Useful things, strimmers.

A meme from Psychochicken, in which you have to list your ten most played artists, then answer some random questions about each one.

You’re supposed to base this on which artists feature most in your iTunes or last.fm playlist, but I play all my music by putting CDs into the stereo. So this list is very much a guess, based on what albums have been getting a lot of plays in the last few months.

1. Marillion
2. Porcupine Tree
3. Mostly Autumn
4. The Reasoning
5. Fish
6. Rush
7. Blue Oyster Cult
8. Within Temptation
9. Thereon
10. Rainbow

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?

Can’t actually remember. My first encounter with Rush’s music was from a college friend that played me their live album “All the World’s a Stage”. So it was probably ‘Bastille Day’, the opening track on the album.

What is your favorite album of 2?

“Fear of the Blank Planet”, their latest. An amazing piece of work that manages to combine all the best elements of all their earlier work. The fact that one or two tracks are vaguely reminiscent of Dream Theater is a feature, not a bug.

What is your favorite lyric that 5 has sung?

I’m more of a ‘music’ person than a ‘lyrics’ person, which makes it difficult to choose a lyric without it being coloured by whether or not I really like the song musically. But Fish has written some great lyrics in his time, both acidic political stuff, and heart-on-sleeve personal ones. Let’s go for one of the former, ‘Big Wedge’.

I found a new religion yesterday
I’d just cleared immigration JFK
A priest got in a Cadillac
The shoeshine boys sang gospel
And God and his accountants drove away

You’ll see him coast to coast on live TV
In a stadium rocked by Satan just the night before
The collection from the faithful it is tax free
It will pay for his presidential campaign and his yacht

How many times have you seen 4 live?

Twice, once at the Uplands Tavern in Swansea, once at the Limelight Club in Crewe

What is your favourite song by 7?

‘Astronomy’, especially the live version from the album “Some Enchanted Evening” with that superb solo from Buck Dharma. Incredible combination of atmospherics and hard rock, with wonderfully high wierdness lyrics. Frustrating that I’ve seen the band live five times and have yet to hear it live; they’ve always played it on other dates on the same tour, but their rotating setlists catch me out everytime. Bah!

What is a good memory you have involving the music of 10?

Hearing ‘Eyes of the World’ on Nicky Horne’s late night show “Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It” on Capital Radio. That was the one song that turned me on to symphonic hard rock, and made me realise there was a lot else out there than the rather one-dimensional new-wave stuff that was all the fashion at the time.

Is there a song of 3 that makes you sad?

Would have been “Find the Sun”, except that knowing how the story ends doesn’t leave me feeling sad any more. Then the intro of “Heroes Never Die” brings a lump to my throat every time I hear it, but that’s not a complete song. So I’ll go for”Half the Mountain”.

How did you get into 3?

I first bought their album “The Last Bright Light” after hearing ‘Half the Mountain’ on a magazine cover disk. But it wasn’t until two years later when I first saw them live that everything clicked, and my life has never quite been the same since.

What was the first song you heard by 1?

Can’t actually remember. First time I heard any of their music was the 1981(?) Reading Festival, before they’d released anything on record, and I don’t remember the setlist. “Forgotten Sons” was the one that stuck in the mind, though.

What is your favorite song by 4?

Presumably their superb live version of Karnataka’s ‘Talk to Me’ is disqualified on the grounds that this meme is about recordings rather than live performances. And their album “Awakenings” is so full of great songs that no single one really stands out. I’ll go for ‘Fallen Angels’ since it’s the one that keeps getting stuck in my head.

How many times have you seen 9 live?

Never. They’re one of these bands that seldom tours the UK, and when they do come over here it’s just a one-off date in London.

What is a good memory you have involving 2?

Seeing them live at Preston last month.

Is there a song of 8 that makes you sad?

Can’t think of one off the top of my head.

What is your favorite album of 5?

Difficult one; although his career’s had it’s ups and downs, there have been several good ones over the years. I think “Raingods with Zippos” is my current favourite.

What is your favorite lyric that 3 has sung?

Now, I’ll readily admit that Mostly Autumn are not really about deep and meaningful lyrics; they’re very much about music first and lyrics second. But there’s something about the apocalyptic imagery in “Fading Colours” that’s appealed to me enough to use it as inspiration for an space opera RPG character.

They tore the rudders from our ships
And turned the forests inside out
The broke the ladders
That took us to the moon
And pulled the anchors from the sky

Yes, that’s where the collapsing beanstalk elevator from Gavilan comes from. The song also explains why on this forum I’m nowhere near Telford anymore, not even over the rainbow.

What is your favorite song of 1?

One song? That’s impossible!

What is your favorite song of 10?

‘Eyes of the World’, as previously mentioned.

How many times have you seen 8 live?

Never. They played Manchester a couple of months back, but it sold out too quickly.

What is your favorite album of 1?

They’ve done many great albums, and their best ones are so different from each other that they’re hard to compare. But I always keep coming back to “Brave”.

What is a great memory you have considering 9?

Not having seen the band live, I don’t have any really strong memories. I do remember discussing their music with someone wearing a Thereon t-shirt at a Karnataka gig in Manchester.

What was the first song you heard by 8?

‘Intro’, the opener from “The Silent Force’. One of those tracks with vocals but no lyrics, so whether it really qualifies as a ‘song’ is questionable. But it’s still great, with that sweepingly cinematic choral intro followed by Sharon den Adel’s soaring soprano vocal. Not bad for something of less than two minutes in length.

From Alan Vaughan

I liked the Macedonian entry, but only because it was in 7/4 and I quite liked the idea of something in an odd time winning!

Only a prog-rock bass player would come up with that one.

Yes, the annual celebration of Euro-kistch has come round again. As we know, last year winner was Finnish monster metal band Lordi, who won at least partly as a result of a word of mouth campaign across metal forums and blogs across Europe.

Some random impressions of this years contest:

• Will somebody please strangle Terry Wogan. He committed the unforgivable sin of prattling all over Lordi’s performance of last years winning entry. Right. Through. The. Entire. Song. Metal Warriors! Burn the heretic!
• Finland have entered a rock number again. It’s very much in the Nightwish/Within Temptation style of commercial female-fronted pop-metal, but it’s just a little bit tame. Finland can do better than this.
• Nobody else has tried imitating last year’s winner. This is probably a good thing. Balkan monster-metal would be a scary, scary thing.
• The Irish entry certainly didn’t feature the best bodhran-playing singer I’ve seen this year
• A few countries avoided formulatic bacofoil glam disco, like Germany’s swing number, or the rootsy blues entry from Hungary.
• There were a lot of very, very bad entries.
• One of which was the British entry. Scooch were truly, truly awful. Who voted for this bilge? Nul points?
• Bacofoil disco is not dead.
• Neither is glam-pop from circa 1973.
• I voted for Finland. Anything that scares Terry Wogan is good for me.
• While they’re counting the votes they’ve got the wonderful heavy metal cellists Apocalyptica playing (a band I’ve seen live supporting Rammstein) and that moron Wogan is prattling over the top of them.

Update: Just when Britain’s appalling entry looked like getting the nul points it richly deserved, the Irish go and ruin it. Why?