Like me we're going on back this week in time to 1981, when I was still in high school a little older but feeling still 12 to when I first heard this album.I was just starting to come out a fog following the death from a sudden illness of a very close school friend who also really interested in music so among the many memorable release of that year, this one comes to mind.
Coming after the new wave inspired Glass Houses album, this was a live album of songs some of which were on his first two albums and a few others not previously recorded. Lesser artists might of called this "Greatest Hits Live" but Billy being Billy gave it a proper and meaningful title "Songs in the attic" because it comprised of songs he thought the original recordings didn't do justice to such as Captain Jack or had literally been in his attic untouched and unrecorded.
Unlike the majority of live albums too, this yielded two top 40 hits "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" and "She's Got A Way" aided by the fact Billy had a great great live band backing him and his piano playing being caught well by the recording equipment, something this disc re-issue (on vinyl and regular cd with super audio cd layer for suitable players) really does justice too.
The specialty record company Mobile Fidelity have recent reissued it as part of their program of very high quality reissues licensed from Sony Music of his back catalogue.
As at the time I only had the European cassette to have an excellent cd version packaged like a lp couldn't be nicer and a pleasant reminder of those days gone by.
Bit of a musical rounded up for the first of two posts this week
We're back to 1981 a year I still can recall pretty well and the members of the band Fleetwood Mac were on a break after touring in support of the Tusk album and Stevie Nicks issued a well regarded album that had a lot of input from Tom Petty and to which he dueted on the hit "I Will Run To You"
Move forward to 1983, another pivotal year in my life, and in August I heard the first single that came from the just released follow up album, The Wild Heart on the radio. Entitled Stand Back, it announced to the world that in that year where the English synthesizer new wave bands dominated, she could compete with a sound that borrowed elements of it and yet keep the feel that makes her solo work so compelling, the space for her singing to transmit her emotions clearly. This was followed in October with the second 45 If Anyone Falls one the songs that continues to remind of the Fall of '83 even now.
It remains a favourite album of mine from when I bought the West German Chrome cassette version back in the day that sounded better than many pre-recorded cassettes just a year or two before.
One problem in the cd era for Stevie Nicks fans was the cd versions sounded thin, lacking bass and very bright, so much so for both albums that many Americans believe there is no good cd version of either album. However they are wrong as in 1990, EMI UK took over the UK rights and mastered this themselves to a much higher standard. It's simply that they've never encountered the discs that I obtained recently that I'm pleased to finally hear in digital form these albums. They sound really good.
Going back a decade further this time to when I was most definitely in single digits (too bad about not having ringlets at de time!) one thing I can recall is rushing on over to a family friend to see this TV show where they song nice songs and David Cassidy was super awesome looking.
I had been looking for a cd of the hits from the show such as "I Think I Love You"a big hit from 1971 for a while now and recently Sony/Bmg issued this 14 track Playlist set which can be gotten quite cheaply (like £5.09 shipped).
It features Breaking Up Is Hard To Do remixed to a more modern stereo spread for the first time where on previous cds it was mono only.
Fall at least in my area is almost coming to an end with the leaves having changed colour dropping on to the wood like a vast carpet of vivid colour so I thought I'd share with you this week this picture of Wild Berries taken in my local woodland.
As well, the acorns are falling which is great news for Squirrels, but not so good if you get several underneath of your feet which happened to me on Tuesday when I was out walking!
Before I forget, I'd like to say thanks for all five comments on last weeks blog entry the second largest as that went out to the little community exclusively and for the nice comments elsewhere for the photograph of me as that was a last minute touch!
Phew! It's taken me a bit of time to really take in the last couple of days as you'll of been aware from last week I was going to away for a few days.
All adventures start somewhere and for me it was a continuation of and part return visit from a few months back when the Head Girl and First Former met me in my environs on what was a rather warm sunny day.
Well first of all to get to GHS, you need transportation and as I don't drive due to my disabilities, it meant getting tickets to travel on a train having selected a suitable rail station I could get to by bus. Fortunately I'm not far from a BIG rail hub with plenty of journey options and one really good operator who have an excellent online ticketing site, so I ordered my tickets and got them next day in the mail.
So after packaging a change of clothes for an overnight stay in two Hello Kitty tote bags, I caught a bus to the rail station which got me a bit early as I had heard of some traffic delays from construction work nearby but typically on the day there wasn't!
That meant I had time to read the iPaper before wobbling down the stairs to Platform 5 to get on the 09:22 London Midland that calls near GHS before meeting the dedicated GHS taxi service to whisk me off. It was a most excellent taxi service I can assure anyone!!!
For the train people the engine number started with 350 but I forget the rest but it was modern with plush seats, overhead destination and automatic doors.
Having arrived in the spacious grounds of GHS and equally spacious building just set back from the road, it was time to reintroduce myself to the First Former, a lovely articulate girl in her uniform.
This can only lead to one thing, folks, I too as visitor to the school needed to get changed into full uniform for the duration of my stay so up the stairs I went one foot after another to have a quick wash and change.
It was at this point actually being at GHS, being in and presenting myself to the others for the first time fully uniformed completely hit me and I would be lying if I didn't say for brief second I paused before going down the stairs to met everyone as Joanne, the school girl.
Fortunately over the years with my disabilities I've learnt to "kick my own butt" to make things happen as difficult as they can be for me and so got over that.
We spend time freely chatting after light refreshments until Auntie Andi was able to come and so after the midday meal, she lead a presentation about out of school activities otherwise know as Camp looking at activities, expectations, general etiquette and so on. 'Big smile' was the response to wishing to attend next year as I think I can hack it being a fairly responsible member of 1EB.
Talking of which, something else happened as it had brightened up a bit:
The nearest you're gonna get to an official uncropped out photograph taken with Permission by the L6 Head Girl no less. As is usual form, things such as photos should only be taken and shared with the subjects permission including that of anyone also in on them within the group.
Cast your mind back to the 'likeness' of Jo and the illustration from the fall of last year when the little girl declared herself free after effectively retiring from the world of employment. Can you see the how they all fit together?
A pivotal moment for me I'd say.
Before I forget, the Head Girl it has to be said is an excellent cook and hostess, the food being delightful and the First Former has an excellent body of knowledge about cuts of meat amongst other things, for we had Beef and homemade Plum pie in the evening. Yummy!
We played Scrabble (tm) with the assistance of the First Former something it transpired she was rather a Wiz at, which from my point of view was a jolly fun game to play even if it reminded me of the difficulties my learning disabilities leave me with.
In my world at least I'm happy to take part in things that are fun even though they're hard for me, with you helping me as needed rather than have you feel you have to change everything for me and this was a good practical example of it as any. And thanks for everyone for helping with it for I got a reasonable score!
Before bed I read a bit from Five Go To Demon's Back (Famous Five series) and we played some music, guessing who sung it, the 'proper' title and the year which was fun as for a number of them I only recall the North American year and month(s). I did pretty well at this as I think anyone asking Auntie Andi would soon find out! (Shh).
Sometime after 11PM I think - as as most of you know I can't 'tell the time' from a clock - I went to bed downstairs with a great view of the embers from GHS coal fire glowing red in my white top with Hello Kitty pj bottoms on. I also bought with a HK plushy and a small Rabbit one in a pretty dress. Although I'm not a great sleeper I did manage to get to sleep.
Come the morning following a wash, I again got fully changed into uniform to be greeted with a smile from the First Former as she came to see I was up and went to have some Tea and chat about all manner of things obviously including how I was feeling being joined by Auntie Andi where we talked 'techno talk' for a bit (Andi and I know a bit about recording, radio and stuff).
Breakfast was rustled up from GHS's kitchen which is what I understand to be cooked British breakfast with smoked bacon which was delicious with Tea before packing my bags ready for leaving.
I am not one for putting words into peoples mouths but as I remarked to Andi, the online Joanne_ Chan people read and interact with is the one you get in 'real life', being less of a role play so much as a online expression of what I'm naturally like in real time with you. I think she saw that as I although I'd thought I'd only be with her for a short period rather than most of the time, interacting directly, so she could see it straight off. She was happy to affix a Merit badge to my sweatshirt before leaving later that morning anyway!
But that wasn't all because Auntie Andi had kindly offered to take me to the rail station and after a big hug I was making my way across the concourse to travel home on the London Midland service.
There, wasn't that quite an emotional adventure,eh?
Thank you's:
Everyone at GT for your inspiration over the years as without it this could never of happened.
London Midland for efficient trains and easily to understand ticketing.
The Head Girl for graciously having me and preparing scrumptious food, something nobody has to do but they do because they're generous, caring about others,
The First Former for being herself, witty, knowledgeable, caring and super fun to be around and finally, Andi for being Auntie Andi a great combination of the funny, serious where needed and pretty unflappable sort you'd want to be with.
This upcoming week, I'll be off on an adventure and so need to get myself prepared for it in the next few days so I'll have a little less spare time for blogging and that although I'm looking forward to it.
Looking around the internet as you do, I saw this captioned image - as you'll know I don't generally do captions - but in a way it gets to the heart of the matter.
We'd all agree she's physically a grown up by appearance but what of the things she does, the things that make her happy? Sat here, I'm thinking she could easily of been like me in my late teens and twenties, looking sophisticated but wanting to play games, running around clutching her teddy.
And that's really the thing, this idea that everything you do once your chronological age gets past 14 if you're lucky something funny happens to how you're expected to behave, like everything is meant to purposeful, serious and unless you're a parent or grandparent and get the chance to relive your childhood with children you can't be seen do anything that's not.
You're a groan up!
Really it's so silly and actually detrimental to our own well-being emotionally (something that is increasingly being recognized by experts in the field) that we need to say no to it.
Be responsible where it matters but don't jettison what makes you happy in the process.
As several of you know I do love Motown and a few years back Audio Fidelity issued this speciality Gold cd of the classic Talking Book album by Stevie Wonder plus a few others.
To recap a number of his albums were first issues in the halycon days of cd by Motown under BMG in Europe, then reissued in 1992 by Polygram and finally remastered in 2000 thru Universal.
Unfortunately most of these year 2000 titles are shrill, bright and very loud sounding you could tell even with the stores stereo system playing them but the 'classic' 1972-1976 albums in the 1992 series really could be better so I'm replacing them with these specialty gold remasters done by Kevin Gray using more modern devices to convert the sounds from the analogue tapes to digital.
Talking Book is the the home to "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" hit 45.
1972's Music Of My Mind was the disc that bought Stevie's use of the Arp synthesizer to our attention way back then featuring the hit single Superwoman.
My 1992 version sounds poor.
1973's Innervisions is in my opinion one soul album you just got to own featuring "Living For The City", "Higher Ground" and "He's Misstra Know-It-All" covering such topics as false religion, racial discrimination and mans relationship with his spiritual side.
Let it not be said Stevie took the white mans dollar and failed to address issues affecting African-Americans cos on this as with several albums he does bemoaning the failure of the political system on "You Haven't Done Nothin'" and "It Ain't No Use". All Stevie did was avoid the excesses of political sloganizing that ultimately dates his contemporaries lyrics
I feel this is the most improved disc of the set.
In 1976 he issued a double lp plus 4 track 7" EP entitled Songs In The Key of Life" where talks about everything he feels is important in the lyrics. This album included the smash hit tribute to jazz performer Duke Ellington, Sir Duke, I Wish and As although isn't She Lovely was a "radio hit" and a hit when recorded by England's David Parton in the UK and Europe
The original cd split the bonus tracks across the two cds but in 2000 the reissue that otherwise was very poor not helped by playing a Dolby A tape without it sounding very bright and compressed at least put the EP tracks at the end of disc 2.
For this 2011 Audio Fidelity release they kept to that disc running order with much improved sound.
Here's my brief series comments:
Having done a comparison with my older cd I'd say the major improvements are in the timbre of percussion smoother with more snap revealing greater fine detail and vocals.
Innervision is probably the next best thing to the rare and very expensive Mobile Fidelity cd issue from the early 90's that accidentally did use the master tape.
To summarize it builds on the original adding more subtitles within the limits of having to use a copy tape because Stevie does not give any record company any master tapes including Motown and for that reason is to be preferred although I am sure with the actual masters the results would be more noticeable.
I also picked up the 1985 mastered Love Songs 20 Classic Hits cd on Motown which offers a selection of his 60's output in much better sound than the 1998 Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits Vol:2 re-issues although it misses out Fingertips Pt2, Work Out Stevie Work Out and Travellin' Man
