Abi Rhodes' Zigzag Wanderings

The Architects of our Downfall and Depression

Do you remember these 2 villains. They're called Raymond Baxter [left] and James Burke. From 1965, in a TV programme called 'Tomorrow's World,' they bombarded us with futuristic designs, ideas and inventions which would free us from wage slavery and bring increasing leisure to all our lives. We could expect a future of prosperity, idleness and pleasure.

Well, many of us have the idleness although not in the way we were led to expect. Others do in fact have the pleasure and prosperity - but number only a measly 2-3% of our population. Many of us are being forced to spend the evenings of our lives as drudges or searching for jobs that do not exist.

These men stand accused of selling us similar dreams to those peddled by the likes of Mao, Stalin and Hitler.

They have betrayed generations. They should be rounded up tried for treachery of the highest order.

FREELOADING

Right!

I feel a duty to point you in the direction of as much FREE MUSIC as I can.

There's tons of it around and it is my intention to help  you find it. Perhaps in return you can show me any you find elsewhere.

The advantage to bands in giving free downloads is obvious - they give you a chance to re-listen to their wares without the faff of constantly having to go back to their myspace or website for another listen - you can burn them to CD or put them on your portable mp3 player and hear them at will. Then if you really get into a track you're likely to return to the source and may even buy the whole album or some other product that's available. I wish more bands would enter into the spirit of things and adopt free downloads as common practice.

If a few weeks go by without me posting a new FREELOADING message please remind me as I'm sure I'm suffering from early onset dementia and am likely to forget!

So this week I've been mainly listening to BIG BIG TRAIN

They're a nu-prog rock band from down Bournemouth way.

You will know that I'm mainly into the spikier end of Prog by way of Van der Graaf Generator and King Crimson. Big Big Train don't confine themselves to that sort of stuff but include what I'd call the softer Yes/Genesis end of the prog spectrum too. And theyare extremely competent at their craft. They have come up with the brilliant concept of a free download each month. So if you go to http://www.bigbigtrain.com/ and follow the links you'll find the first three months worth. These are all what they call epic songs - extended meandering pieces full of true proggy noodly indulgent virtuosity that will delight the novice or the seasoned prog-rocker of any age.

My other big discovery of the week has been Somber Gravity, who has an absolutely stunning MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/dave80tunes  .

The spiel on the page contains some spiritual messages which you must absorb or ignore as you are inclined, but the music that you might choose to locate somewhere between Tangerine Dream and Stockhausen is sublime. It is ambient, experimental electronica of the first order and you are invited to freely download 6 'Phases' totalling the equivalent of a traditional LP. Brilliant - thanks Dave, whatever you are!

Lastly, for now, I'd like to draw your attention to Proof of Concept. You can find this interesting person at http://www.myspace.com/dotheface   where you can download the brief but perfectly formed 'nine'. I daresay it'll leave you gagging for more!

Get on THE GABABEAT - free downloads from Mice Base

Isn't MySpace just the best thing to hit music since Hip-Hop????

Now that John Peel is no longer among us, where are we able to find out what's new in the world of music?

You can just comb MySpace and sooner or later you will find something amazing that you didn't know was just what you were looking for!

I had one of these moments today when I responded to a bulletin from The Gababeat from Pécs, Hungary. They were announcing that it was OK for radio stations to play their songs freely. I guessed this meant that FREE DOWNLOADS were available so hurried on over to their page. And I wasn't disappointed. In fact I got a really nice surprise in what I discovered there.

Sure enough there were 4 tracks available for download and I quickly found them to be just what I'd been missing for some time and hadn't realised my deficiency. The Gababeat quite unusually don't quote any particular influences but I soon realised that they either listen to a lot of late 60s British Blues based Rock [pre-prog, pre-metal] such as peddled by The Bluesbreakers, Cream, Heavy Jelly - even The Beatles in Hey, Bulldog! mode, or they had re-invented the format!

It sounds pretty innovative even though nearly 40 [yes, I said 40] years ago it was fairly standard fodder. But, today it sounds so brilliant. Despite the wonderful bluesy voice of vocalist, Krisztina, a couple of the tracks are instrumentals reviving the arts of fuzzy, whining, wailing and talking guitars. How have we managed without these orgasmic sounds for so long? Thank Borg, they've found their ways back to us.

I just can't wait until I can hold a fullscale Album by The gababeats in my sticky paws. I'll feel like I've just died and gone to Heaven, I'm sure.

So why don't you get on over to http://www.myspace.com/thegababeat   and download your four helpings of ecstacy.

 You can return the compliment by letting me know where I can find other free downloads I don't yet know I'm looking for!

Carry on Camping?....I don't think so

http://www.ledernierjourarivesaltes.com/ is a very special website [in English & French] dedicated to the people who suffered under the Nazis at a concentration camp near Rivesaltes - not far from Perpignan, in the shadow of the Pyrenees.

It is in the process of being redeveloped and my friend Helena is determined that the horrors perpetrated therein shall not be forgotten.

She started the process by writing a poem having lived near the site for many years, passing it daily on her travels around the locality.

Then she organised the making of moving a film featuring the return visit of a camp survivor to the site prior to the remaining buildings being demolished.

The website, which has yet to be completed will feature the poem, photos and details of the film.

Please support this project by visiting the website, learning about the history of this place and watching out for the release of the film.

This will ensure that one way or another, the sorrowful story attached to the location will survive long after the hard physical evidence has disappeared forever.

Watch out - There's a Pre-Raphaelite about

CLICK HERE
to see more of this brilliant photography by a person calling themself slightlydramatic - a master/mistress of understatement

Photos of strange and curious people.....

...can be found at http://www.brianmoss.com/index2.html

and there are more at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianmoss

A number may be a little pornographic for some tastes but this is a typical example that isn't...

And here's another...

Fab Site

http://www.monday9am.tv

this is a great little site with short films about stuff we all need to know

try it and take advantage of free membership if it's up your street which I expect it will be

Brilliant Website

visit http://www.octanecreative.com/Parodyville/
for more of this madness

Take a peek

http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/fashion/prom/

Top ten reasons why you should wear duct tape to the prom
by the Duct Tape Guys, authors of The Duct Tape Book(s)

10. Cheaper than renting a tux or gown.
9. Resistant to punch spills.
8. Prom decorations start falling down? Just peel off part of your outfit and repair 'em on the spot.
7. The gals' dads LOVE those hard-to-remove duct tape gowns.
6. As you grow, you don't have to buy a new gown or tux, you just add more duct tape.
5. With duct tape hosiery, there's no need to shave your legs for weeks after the prom.
4. The sauna-like nature of duct tape apparel allows you to loose up to 20 pounds in one night.
3. Blame your lack of dancing skills on the stiffness of your duct tape tux.
2. Rip your outfit? Get out your roll and patch it!
1. Couples wearing duct tape tend to "stick together".

Excellent Classical Record reviews

Bridge Records, a classical music recording company, operates out of New Rochelle, NY, USA

I have had the pleasure of reviewing some of their product over a period of time and always found their releases to be be of great interest.

Their excellent website,
www.bridgerecords.com
has now been blessed by the addition of an excellent review page

find it at

http://www.bridgerecords.com/wordpress/