De-stitched & Un-dressed

A bit of an update for any reader that still glances this way…

Back - de-stitched and un-dressed

First off, the latest on my back is that I’ve had the stitches out at last – or more accurately, the stitch (singular). Ever since being released from hospital a couple of weeks ago nearly, I’ve had a big waterproof (and everything-proof) dressing covering the wound. I went to see my practice nurse yesterday morning to finally have the stitch out.

As soon as she started peeling off the dressing I could feel the air getting to the covered area again - it felt soooo good! It was a bit like taking contact lenses out at the end of a long day and letting the eyes breathe again.

Then *snip* and out came the suture and a lot of tension vanished - it's been a bit uncomfortable over the last few days, feeling tight in the small of my back where the operation was. I wasn't sure if it was the operation or the stitch and now I know it was the stitch. Freedom at last!

The nurse put on a much lighter temporary dressing to protect the wound while letting air get to it. The first thing I did this morning was to slowly peel it off so now I’m stitchless and undressed. I can’t actually see because of where it is and no amount of careful twisting and turning gives me a good view of it. Naturally, the batteries for my camera are exhausted so I’m charging them at the moment and will take a photo later so I can see it properly.

Of course, now I need to be careful this doesn't go to my head and I try to be too active or do too much too soon. But it feels so much better now.

Adventure

I also had my first adventure yesterday – I went to Tooting! Ok, so Tooting might not be the most exotic of locations but it’s the furthest I’ve been from my front door since getting out of hospital. It also allowed me to try out my new Oyster card (I’ve always had a travelcard but it’s just run out so I thought I’d try an Oyster).

I was a bit apprehensive of getting a bus and being bounced and jostled round but it wasn’t too bad really. There were a few awkward moments when I gritted my teeth when the bus swerved, went over speed bumps or slammed on the brakes but I survived ok. Getting on and off were ok since the bus pulled right into the curb. I wouldn’t risk it in the rush hour just yet.

Walking slowly round the Tooting pavement and shops was fine as well. When it started to get crowded anywhere I made a quick get away so I didn’t risk anyone touching my back – that’s my one big fear at the moment, that someone might actually touch me!

After about half an hour I started feeling tired and bone weary so I headed back home. That’s the longest time I’ve been outside the flat since being released form hospital. When I got home I collapsed on the bed. I need to work on my stamina but, all in all, I’m pleased with my progress.

New Records

One of the joys of the internet is shopping and having your goods delivered to your door. Since I can’t get to proper shops and I no longer have a record shop in Streatham (which is shocking) then I’ve taken advantage of Amazon and Play.

SLADE

The last of the re-mastered albums were issued on 11 June but I just got them yesterday. The whole SLADE back catalogue has now been re-issued in glorious sound and with lovely booklets telling the SLADE story through the music.

I didn’t get these last four albums when they first came out in the ‘80s and these aren’t the SLADE of their glory days, this is the music of a tight, loud rock band that knows what it’s doing and excellent stuff they are too.

I think my favourite of the albums is ‘Rogues Gallery’. As ever, I seem to be going against the grain since this never gets a good write-up but it sounds good to me. Hard rocking pop music, an album of potential singles that hang together well. The CD includes 9 bonus tracks (timing runs to 79:54 minutes so they’ve squeezed a lot on here) with the wonderful ‘swing’ version of ‘My Oh My’.

It’s just a shame about the cover though – it’s the worst cover on any SLADE record in my view, dark and downbeat, but at least they're on the cover (unlike 'Kamikaze'). The re-issue picks up on the medals theme (if you look carefully you can see that all the lads have medals pinned to their coats) and uses the colour banding on the packing. It’s little details like this that make the packaging well worth it – well done Union Square!

The other record I’d pick out is ‘You Boyz Make Big Noize’, SLADE’s last album. Despite the title, the original album didn’t include the song of that name but this re-issue includes four versions of the song – luckily it’s one of my favourites of latter-day SLADE. I love the ending of the song which concludes with the refrain from my favourite SLADE song, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’.

So there we are. The SLADE cannon is complete. Or is it? Surely there must be more material in the vaults somewhere? Another discovery this week is that the ‘Delighted To See You’ EP by The N’Betweens is now available to download on iTunes so, obviously, I downloaded it in a trice. As all worthy people know, The N’Betweens were baby SLADE (as Chris calls them). I wonder what else there might be lying around somewhere…

Marc Almond – ‘Stardom Road’

I’m not a great fan of Marc Almond (although everyone who was around in the ‘80s will have a favourite Soft Cell song) but I’d heard good things about his new album and heard a few songs on his MySpace site so I indulged. It’s a bit of a grower – first listen was, ‘oh, ok’, second one got me looking at the song titles and third listen got me looking forward to hearing favourite songs. I’ve listened to it a few more times now and it’s a great record.

All the songs are covers except for the penultimate track, ‘Redeem Me’. It’s an interesting selection of songs, such as ‘I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten’ and ‘Strangers In The Night’, and also a lot of songs I haven’t heard before from people like Charles Aznavour and Al Stewart and, of course, ‘London Boys’ by David Bowie (a song I’ve never heard).

My favourite track is ‘Kitsch’, one of the more up-tempo songs that builds and builds and then explodes into a wonderful refrain of ‘la la las’ taken from ‘Hot Love’ by T.Rex. It’s a wonderful arrangement of the song but I’ve got no idea whether that refrain is included in the original.

Take a listen and if you download only one song, make it ‘Kitsch’!

Suzanne Vega – ‘Beauty & Crime’

I’m a long-time fan of Suzanne and have been looking forward to this record since I first heard about it and it’s all you would expect from Miss Vega. Lovely melodies and words place just so – I think her songs are getting simpler and less wordy with each album and I’m sure that makes writing them even harder.

I love her voice. It’s soothing, calming and placid, and I can’t help relaxing when I listen to her. The songs are all based around New York and the album is dedicated to the memory of her brother.

Favourite tracks include the single, ‘Frank & Ava’, ‘Zephyr & I’ (a conversation with one of her brothers best friends about the old days), ‘Unbound’ (freedom and growth, following on from my least favourite track, ‘Bound’) and ‘New York Is A Woman’ (and a sexy one at that).

I’m delighted that I’ll be able to see her play some of these songs live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in a couple of weeks time.

Donna Summer – ‘Bad Girls’ (Deluxe Edition)

What can I say about this album? Disco heaven! Relentless synth beats pounding away forcing you onto the dance-floor. The double album fits nicely onto one CD while a second is made up of 12” and re-mix versions of her singles from around the time the album came out, from ‘I Feel Love’ to ‘No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)’.

It includes the 17 minute ‘MacArthur Park Suite’ – ‘MacArthur Park’ is one of my favourite Donna Summer tracks that whisks me back in time to the Oranges and Lemons pub in Oxford being played inbetween what are now punk classics.

Discotastic!

Buffy Sainte-Marie

My big disappointment this week has been the absence of Buffy in my life. Not only did I not go to New York to see her show on Monday but I also haven’t been able to lay my hands on the new compilation album, ‘Vanguard Visionaries’. I’ve got no idea what Buffy thinks about this record - all the songs are already available but some that aren’t on the main Vanguard compilation from a couple of years ago so at least they might be re-mastered. I ordered it through Amazon but every few days I get an email saying release has been delayed. I think it’s available in America but only available here on import. At least being included in the series keeps her in the public eye (a bit, anyway) and might win her some new admirers.

I’m still waiting patiently for news of the real new album though, the one recorded over the spring. In a recent article Buffy refers to it as having only just gone to her agent so I’m doubtful it’ll be released this year. I’ll continue waiting patiently.

Beardy Hippy

Am I growing a beard or just not shaving? The end result is the same, what's different is the intent. It's disappointing (but not surprising) to see that most of my beard is white.