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| Network Rail Tree Clearance Programme: systematic destruction of wildlife habitat on railway lines throughout the UK |
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Network Rail are planning to rip up the trees along the line behind Cromwell Road in Whitstable, Kent.
The work was due to begin on Monday 16 th April, but an aggressive campaign by residents forced the contractor to halt work temporarily. However, work continued on the opposite side of the track and further down the line and will recommence behind Cromwell Road sometime in August.
It seems they are ripping up trees along half the lines in England too. They are ripping up trees in Cheshire, in Bath, in Oxfordshire, in South Yorkshire, and in parts of London (see below for links). They are probably ripping up trees near to you even now. Network Rail's own consultants state that their clearance programme will "destroy an area the size of the Forest of Dean."
Something very strange is going on. According to the contractors, Capel Group, “Trees draw excessive moisture out of the embankment and cause issues relating to track quality.”
This is odd because that line, those trees and that embankment have been there for over a hundred years, and there’s never been any issues relating to track quality before. Residents were given less than 24 hours notification of the work and at a public meeting were only told why the work had to go ahead. There was no consultation, and no need, apparently for an Environmental Assessment to take place. The Public Works Act, under which Network Rail are operating, allows them to circumvent the normal processes of public consultation.
They are citing safety concerns as their excuse. How odd. I wonder how many people have been killed by falling rail side trees in the last hundred years? I would venture to suggest, very few, if any.
In some cases trees up to 100 ft from the line have been cleared.
Why do I hear the warning sound of cash tills going off in my head? As always it will have something to do with money.
This is the mark of how degenerate we have become as a civilisation. Railway lines are like wildlife corridors through the landscape. They are rich natural resources. They show that it is possible for nature and technology to live side by side. They mitigate the worst excesses of our age by allowing a place for nature to bloom and to thrive in the heart of our towns.
And now some unaccountable company thinks it’s ok to rip them up, to replace the infinite interdependency of nature with a dust-grey gravel desert for the sake of some measly blips on a computer screen.
Network Rail resides within a legal anomaly. It is a public company but it acts like a private company. It is publicly owned but not answerable to the public. Only the rail regulator has a say in its decisions. The company is in debt to the taxpayer to the tune of £24.5 billion, while its tree clearance programme is costing us £15 million per year. Read on... |
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HAWKWIND NEWS
(The Masters of the Universe do seem to have a steady stream of interesting stories featuring them, their various friends and relations, and alumni). Each week Graham Inglis keeps us up to date with the latest news from the Hawkverse.. |
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HAWKWIND MEMBER TO STAR IN "I'M A CELEBRITY"? - well, not quite.
The "Daily Mirror" newspaper has revealed that Matthew Wright is confirmed as a contestant for an upcoming "I'm a Celebrity" jungle survival show.
Matthew Wright is best known to the public as the lively presenter of Channel 5's daytime tv discussion show, "The Wright Stuff," and best known to Hawkwind fans as having sung on the 2006 single, "Spirit of the Age." He's not actually an ex-member of the band, more a friend of the band.
He's hosted a "Hawkwind Question Time" at Hawkwind's own semi-festival, an indoor event called Hawkeaster, where fans could put questions directly to the band.
In the wider world, Matthew Wright has made a name for himself with his strong opinions on his television show, but he's also created a few bizarre Hawkwind moments on daytime tv.
When he had the 'Great British Barbershop Boys' on his show, they did a brief rendition of the Bob Calvert classic, "The Right Stuff."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frSJqO5dgF0
It remains to be seen whether going in to the jungle will be less scary than going in to the studio with Dave Brock and the gang to record a single.
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| DOUGLAS HARR: Genesis and Revelation |
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Steve Hackett was the guitar player for Genesis during their early years – with Peter Gabriel on vocals until 1975, and then for two tours when Phil Collins first took on vocals. The first time I saw Genesis it was for the “Wind and Wuthering” tour in 1977. It was the last time Steve toured with the band, who continued on their path with Phil Collins in front, becoming less about mysterious “progressive rock” and more about pop, to the acclaim of millions. Now thirty-six years later, we traveled to London to see Steve perform a concert entitled “Genesis Revisited” at London’s wonderful Royal Albert Hall, October 24, 2013.
As hoped, the show was spectacular, focusing entirely on early Genesis work – three tracks off each record from 1971’s “Nursery Crime” through 1976’s masterpiece “Wind and Wuthering.” |
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We were quickly reminded that to really appreciate Genesis music, it’s important to experience it played live. The skilled band included Roger King on keys, Gary O’Toole on Drums, Lee Pomeroy on bass & rhythm guitar, Rob Townsend on winds, and Nad Sylvan on vocals. They all reproduced the sound faithfully, with thrilling dynamics, arranging the songs with Steve’s parts nicely highlighted. While Nad did a laudable job of covering both Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins vocals, special guest vocalists helped, including John Wetton (Roxy Music, King Crimson, UK, Asia -plus) singing “Firth of Fifth” from 1973’s “Selling England by the Pound” – a highlight of the set. Also in attendance was Ray Wilson who sang on the 1997 Genesis release “Calling All Stations.”
Ray came out to perform “I Know What I Like” also from “Selling England” and “Carpet Crawlers” from “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” both songs being the closest thing you could call “hits” from that era. Amanda Lehmann came out to do an acoustic version of “Ripples” from “Trick of the Tail” – an emotional song done beautifully as a duo. For the hardcore fan, Steve included the full version of “Supper’s Ready” the sprawling 23 minute track from “Foxtrot.”
Read on... |
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| THE YES CIRCULAR - TIME AND A WORD |
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The Court Circular tells interested readers about the comings and goings of members of The Royal Family. However, readers of this periodical seem interested in the comings and goings of Yes and of various alumni of this magnificent and long-standing band. Give the people what they want, I say
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This is terrible! For the first time since I started doing this magazine a whole year ago, there is no Yes news, or news from the various Yes alumni whatsoever. This is unprecedented, so I went onto YouTube to see if I could find anything recent that wasn't either blatantly illegal or completely stupid, but to no avail.
I hope this is a situation which will redeem itself over the next week or so and that next weekend we shall be able to return to normal in our coverage of what is - after all - the world's longest running prog band. |
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| Despite the fact that there is no news today, I am probably getting a bit OCD about all of this, but I find the Yes soap opera of sound to be absolutely enthralling, and I for one can't wait to see what happens next! |
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YOUR FACE STILL SMILES ON FACEBOOK
(though i know that you are gone)
and adventures that we had still spring to mind
I stop @every photograph that froze our time
and wait for you to fade/and then move on
I carry you -it makes life lighter
To be reminded that goodness once lived here
In every bloody news item about another massacre
I think of you and harmonies wing near
Candles,flowers,cards and songs all fade
Yet these stories of you stay and linger on
Whether we are weak or whether we are strong
I carry you-and you carry me along..
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In Victorian times every well-bred Gentleman had a 'Cabinet of Curiosities'; a collection of peculiar odds and sods, usually housed in a finely made cabinet with a glass door. These could include anything from Natural History specimens to historical artefacts. There has always been something of the Victorian amateur naturalist about me, and I have a houseful of arcane objects; some completely worthless, others decidedly not, but all precious to me for the memories they hold.
But people send me lots of pictures of interesting, and, may I say, peculiar things. But it was Corinna who found (and comments on) the following.
"Do you have what it takes to own www.MichaelJoeJackson.com" says the sale on Ebay. "A once in a life time opportunity! Appraised @ $30 million! This is the best domain name on the market that can do it all! " And with a 'buy it now' for only US $5,000,000.00 (Approximately £3,107,327.08) a mere snip surely. I wonder what the 112 declined offers were .....
Read on... |
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SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION TIME
Just in case you are interested, here is yer beloved Editor at iTunes
   
Check it out now... |
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| INTRODUCING THE NINE HENRYS |
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There are nine Henrys, purported to be the world’s first cloned cartoon character. They live in a strange lo-fi domestic surrealist world peopled by talking rock buns and elephants on wobbly stilts. They mooch around in their minimalist universe suffering from an existential crisis with some genetically modified humour thrown in. I think Peter McAdam is one of the funniest people around, and I cannot recommend his book The Nine Henrys highly enough. Check it out at Amazon. Each issue we shall be running a series of Henrybits that are not found in his book about the nine cloned cartoon characters who inhabit a surreal world nearly as insane as mine... |
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THE WORLD OF KEV
Kev Rowland |
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| KROBAK Little Victories (MALS) |
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The very first time I played this I just wasn’t sure what to think. The melodies are sometimes fairly simplistic and often repeated, and there is a great deal of space between the instruments; but as is often the case, one doesn’t get the most out of an album just by playing it once. The more time I spent with this, the greater the rewards. The bass and drums keep everything together, although there are times when one or the other is absent depending on what is required, leaving just the violin and guitar as the leads. Sometimes they duet, sometimes they contrast, but themes are brought in and played with and it is the ‘simplicity’ and repeating of motifs that actually makes this album what it is.
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This is truly an album that creates its’ own space and dimension, a world where nothing else matters. The only way to truly get the most from this is by playing it on headphones and being removed from everything else that is going on, as this is music that definitely rewards those who are willing to invest the time in getting to know it better. If I had reviewed this after only playing it a few times I would have been scratching my head trying to work out how I could break it to Igor that I really wasn’t a fan. But, having listened to it a great deal I am happy that I am able to go to him and say that he has created something that is quite different to most prog albums I listen to, namely that they have created something that is all about emotional connection with the music with a low note density. I have surprised myself with just how much I have enjoyed playing this, and the digipak artwork from Mals also shows that this is something a little out of the ordinary. Listen to some of their music on Bandcamp and discover it for yourself. krobak.bandcamp.com
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| SWEDISH HITZ GOES METAL Vol. II (DOOLITTLE GROUP) |
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| When it comes to reviewing music I have some fairly rigid self-imposed rules, and one of these is that unless there is a really good reason I will review music in the order in which it was received so that I am always clearing the oldest first. For any other IT geeks out there I am running FIFO, but when this came my way I knew that it just wasn’t going to happen and it was on the player as soon as possible. Back in 2011 Tommy ReinXeed put together a band to perform cover versions of songs by ABBA, Roxette and Ace Of Base, and it has to be said that it was an absolute triumph. I wasn’t the only one who loved it and it topped the chart in Sweden, and did so well worldwide that there was enough demand for another power metal take on Swedish songs. |
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This time around they have covered songs by ABBA (7 of the 12), The Cardigans, Robyn, Da Buzz, Meja and Loreen. Now, I have to confess that I don’t know the originals of all of these, and that may have impacted the way that I feel about this album, in that possibly there wasn’t really enough room for a follow-up. When I heard the debut I absolutely loved it, with power metal versions of songs that I knew and loved, but there are few here that really fire. The album starts with “Dancing Queen” and they should never have bothered, honestly. But, it is one of ABBA’s most famous songs so that is probably why it was covered. However, I couldn’t help feeling that for the first album they took their time and chose the songs that best fitted the power metal treatment but painted themselves into a corner by calling it ‘Swedish Hitz’ so the follow-up had to also just take songs from that country.
It isn’t an awful album, but more of one where the listener will play it just once or twice, smile while playing it, but then leave it on the shelf until they have friends around and they get it out for the novelty value. www.swedish-hitz.com |
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS Fly Like an Eagle (PURPLE PYRAMID) |
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| There is a purpose to albums like this – I mean, there must be, otherwise we wouldn’t keep getting them would we? So, here we have ‘Fly Like An Eagle – An All-Star Tribute to Steve Miller Band’, where Billy Sherwood has recorded a load of backing tracks and then got some stars to come in and provide elements such lead guitar and vocals. There is no doubting the quality of those involved, with Rick Wakeman, John Wetton, Joe Lynn Turner, Rod Argent, Steve Hillage, Nektar and Geoff Downes just a few of the names. But I go back to just asking “What is the point”? I don’t know all of the songs as I have never really investigated Steve’s catalogue, but all of the songs I would have expected to find are here, and they all seem to be pretty close to the original. |
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| There is just one that stands out above the rest, and that is “Winter Time” which not only is the sole song to feature a female singer (Sonja Kristina), and what appears to be a very different arrangement to the rest of the album (although I don’t know the original), but also the guitarwork of Peter Banks. Apparently this was Peter’s last recoding prior to his passing earlier this year, but whether the quality of the song or that historical fact is enough to make one want to get this album is another matter altogether. But if you are a fan and want to hear Fee Waybill doing a strong version of “Living in the USA” then this is the one for you. |
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| ASKA Fire Eater (PURE STEEL RECORDS) |
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| Aska are back with their first album since 2007, their sixth overall continuing a legacy that started with their debut as along ago as 1991. The band is based around mainman/singer/guitarist George Call (also Omen and Banshee), and aren’t afraid to hit the road either as they have played in more than 40 countries during their career. This is traditional heavy metal guys, with elements of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest as they crank it up and belt it through with some extremely strong vocals from the aforementioned Mr Call. It is in your face from the beginning and even the artwork shows that here is a band that aren’t going to compromise in any way and are just going to turn it up to 11 and power it through. No sub-genre for these guys, |
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this is simple heavy metal, but played very well indeed with some very Maidenesque twin harmony leads that are used for effect as opposed to being in your face throughout. They may veer slightly into power metal every so often, especially with the anthemic “Valhalla” but we’ll forgive them for that.
The surprise is the cover song, namely “Ripper”. It takes a great deal of confidence to approach such a classic, and they have arranged it differently to the original, and have managed to provide a strong level of passion. George’s voice is up to the task, and there aren’t many who would dare to take on Rob’s legacy. All in all this is a really good album, and definitely worthy of investigation.www.askaband.net |
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| POINT ME AT THE SKY ARCHITECT |
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Dutch prog rockers SKY ARCHITECT return with their brand new album "A Billion Years Of Solitude” , two years after their ambitious "A Dying Man's Hymn".
Prepare for a launch into space. Prepare for wormholes. Prepare for planet eaters, supernovae, and lots of unexpected twists and turns. This time heavily inspired by the vintage science fiction classics, SKY ARCHITECT boldly venture into new territories, once again proving themselves to be pioneers within the genre.
On "A Billion Years Of Solitude", SKY ARCHITECT sound heavier, are more daring and inventive, and have challenged themselves more than ever before. In every step in the process, including the cover artwork, the band have taken full creative control. The result: a stunning outburst of creativity, featuring typical SKY ARCHITECT elements such as surprising changes, crazy rhythmic devices, polyphonic arrangements and extensive song structures.
Fans of Gentle Giant, The Flower Kings, Beardfish and Pain Of Salvation take note. "A Billion Years Of Solitude" will be released by Galileo Records on November 4th |
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THE BEST LAID PLANS...
My assistant editor Captain Frunobulax the Magnificent and I have had another rather a nice week. It is always a pleasure to have Mama-in-law staying, and she spends quite a lot of the time in the office chatting. |
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She even comes and sits in the office when I am recording or editing, and it really is a joy to have her. I know that I have a tendency to go all mystick about this sort of stuff, but houses like the one in which we live were built for families, and not really intended just for two or three adults of the same generation.
Since my brother and I left home thirty odd years ago, there has only ever been one generation living here. Firstly my parents, and now, Graham, Corinna and me, and I always feel that the household always feels more complete when there are others here.
On the few occasions when mother, and one or both of the girls are all staying here, the house feels even more complete, and I am truly a happy man.
It has been a long, hard, but immensely satisfying week, and to close I really would like to give many thanks to Corinna for holding the fort wonderfully in our absence. Baby, I don't know how I would even conceive surviving without you... |
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