The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Monday April 21st is Record Store Day here in the UK so there's a special post today.

This album, Piper At The Gates of Dawn, goes back a good while with me buying my first copy in March of 1981 from Mike Lloyd Records Newcastle under Lyme branch but that copy left the collection in the late 1980's.

There is something else though that made today's release special, namely that that copy I originally had was in stereo but this is in Mono.

The packaging is a bit weird in that the actual record in its sleeve goes in this special envelope that also contains a poster  

Yip, rather like that with a period poster included to no doubt to tempt record buyers and collectors to pick it up.

Record company and distribution changes can be hard to keep track of but the original lp was made by an EMI company in the UK called Columbia not to be confused with Columbia Records in America who became part of the Sony Music Group in 1991 and who now have the rights to the Magic Notes logo.

In 2013 EMI was split up after making losses with most of it going to Universal Music Group and this might of been heading that way except for Pink Floyd having the rights and licensing them to Warner Music in the UK and Europe and Sony Music in North America.

They managed to make arrangements so the historic Magic Notes Logo could be used for this issue although the original label was Black with a blue background on the Logo and "Columbia"

The reason I wanted this was because the mono mix was more complete with organ underdubs on Interstellar Overdrive a  eleven and a bit minute instrumental that I heard in junior school when it was played to us in 1974 when our teacher had taped it from his mono lp and other mix  differences abound.

There had been a mono cd reissue in 1997 but while welcome it was made louder overal than it should plus sounding a bit harsh.

This record version is much better.

In many respects the main lyricist was in a very child-like frame of mind writing this with some tracks being more like lullabies, children's stories and in the case of Astronomy Dominé, virtually a list of space systems recanted to music.

April arrives

Into April where after one important event were soon enter the world of the Easter Bunny with treasure hunts, arts and crafts such as we had at school and obviously sticky paws as we get through our Easter eggs and the other chocolates included in them. 

Believe it or not it is Ten years and four months on since I sat by the behemoth that was that Stone tower system PC running Windows XP with separate monitor and keyboard cranking out posts around this thing as much of the online stuff wasn't anything like me or worse.

It's obvious I was the biological male equivalent to the Tom Boys I knew and where we could hung out together, not questioning our sex but having variant expressions of gender roles compared to our peers that we need to express even if we did dress and act sometimes more in tune with them.

Melodie referred to us as Jane Girls which if we need term is up there with Tom Boy given we're not "crossdressers" by a large distance.

Mozart

Mozart on cd for me started in 1991 with the DG Mozart Masterpieces  25 cd set that I bought an awful lot of during that era.

Those discs were mainly drawn for performances in the 1960's and 70's usually from mid 1980's cd transfers from analogue tape rather than the late 1990's and onwards remasters for "The Originals" or "Collectors Edition" box sets so I felt it was time to look at newer performances that would sound better in super audio cd to go alongside them.

 This does actual breach that rule being a 1972 recording  but it was exceptionally well recorded in quadrophonic sound being one of the finest ever performances with Alan Civil's horn playing standing out.

This was part of a series of recordings made by Linn Records, part of the Scottish Hifi manufacturer that use modern instruments but with a smaller scale orchestra than has been the case in the past to great effect, letting more light and shade in. 
Technically these best my mid 1970's accounts on DG.

This is a set of performances by the label BIS performed under Historically Informed  Performance criteria, which is HIP in some classical circles even if some traditionalists like me feel it's flawed as a concept. This account using an early 19th century piano while being a bit faster than I'm used to, do work quite well bring Concerto 27 that can sound plodding to light.

I bought this on recommendation in September as it has all of Mozart's violin concertos plus a few other works performed by that modern day gem of a violinist, Julia Fisher. 

Mozart's flute concertos always interested me as our Head Girl was a Flautist so one often heard them but the recordings I had didn't breathe as much as the best modern ones which was why I tracked down this 2005 release complete with catalogue as these are the finest available to date.

I have two groups of recordings of the main Symphonies, one set conducted by Karl Bohm  mainly in the 1960's and a mainly 1970's box set by Herbert von Karajan both of which were featured in the Mozart Masterpieces series.

These two double sacd sets while using modern instruments do use a smaller scale and some elements drawn from in vogue period performances and were very highly regarded upon issue in 2008 and 10 with the very finest of sound by Linn Records.

Spring outdoor week

Phew, it's been a warm week out with plenty of sunshine so I've been out for quite a while so if I haven't been as active as I might on social media, that's unfortunate but I honestly feel it's better to prioritize my physical and psychological well-being.

It's so great to start to wake up to the dawn chorus now that it's getting a bit bit bright and for longer because it sounds so peaceful and when I'm out walking often I stop and listen out for them spotting them in the trees or just overhead near the fields.

Also the people who look after our Inland Waterway have been at work so I've been over there on my travels talking with them and other people about too.

It's strange but all of this actually leads to me feeling less stressed and from that much less likely to lash out at people when it just all becomes too much emotionally and when it comes to stimulation too which is a great help not just to me but Mom too.

Fresh air and exposure to sunlight  ultimately are better for me.

A double helping of Art Garfunkel

Just after Easter here and after last weeks 'golly gosh Caro actually posted about cycling!!!' post, we're back on firmer territory albeit with a bit of a twist.

The last time I posted anything around Simon and Garfunkel was way back in April 2010 when after living with reissue lps and the odd tape I finally sorted out my recordings by them but that left the period after they split off.

Fast forward on to January 2018 and the small British company Vocalion announces it is to the release the first two Art Garfunkel albums recorded for Columbia/CBS in 1973 and 1975 which of itself wasn't so unusual as both got their UK cd debut in 1992 in the short lived Collectors Choice budget choice.

What was is that they were being issued on hybrid Super Audio cds like a few others I've commented on in the recent past on this blog that play on regular players and for improved quality on Super Audio cd players like my current one.

The twist being they included the original Quadraphonic four speaker surround sound mixes too that came out on SQ Quad record and Q8 discrete Quad 8 track tape for the first time ever.

This means those mixes much acclaimed are now available while tracks such as "Mary Was a Only Child", "I Shall Sing", "I Believe (when I fall in love it will be forever)", "Disney Girls" originally recorded by the Beach Boys and featuring BB member Bruce Johnston on this recording, "My Little Town", a Paul Simon Song where they duet and the British smash "I Only Have Eyes For You" have never sounded better being carefully remastered from the original mid 1970's analogue tapes.

If you lived through this period and liked more soothing performances you won't want to miss this as they sound the best ever in any format. Recommended especially as they're just £11.99 each delivered less than U.S. speciality companies charge.

Supporting the young sissy or cross dresser

Some topics do deserve tackled head on and that definitely includes handling the first signs of gender variance in children as approaches from the past including trying to beat it out what resembled physically a boy or rushing headlong into medical treatments and surgery make little sense.

It's bound to show up, a discarded item you wouldn't expect in their bedroom, female clothes of siblings looking disturbed even though you put them away very neatly or perhaps you walked in  and Tommy looked more like Tammy.

To ask how they are and if there is something they'd like to talk about and make clear they are not in any trouble.

Apart from discussing where and what you'll do to let them be themselves, make an offer of time to learn how to dress more like a girl and for you to dress them like you would any young girl in the family. 

Encourage and help get them into smooth silky dresses so they learn to love feeling nice as themselves and being pretty.

Work with them on developing a good play look, decent, fairly fuss free similar to what girls of their age are wearing.

Encourage them to get into short summery dresses and buy them a dolly they can learn to play with and care for.

Now you know Tommy is now Tammy, buy the gurl girls custumes for fancy dress parties and be prepared to push to let hur be included in the girls activities having spoken with the girls parents.

Aim to ensure the young sissy,cross dresser or possible transgendered child feels your love.

Spring days on foot

Officially we're in spring now so it's a bit warmer again which helps when it comes to getting out as ice and walking don't mix with me at all.

 Sometimes you just come across things when you happen to be out aided no doubt for more tuned into nature, rather less on techno and groan up things and that is where this nice picture comes in as just happening to be passing thinking to myself "This looks good", quickly framing it up old school style with twin finger actions.
At a more technical level I did stretch the lens out to 114mm (in 35mm film terms) to fill the frame better and soften the background a little and corrected the colour in Roxio but otherwise it is 'as is'.
Just obscured by the tree, there is a very famous North Staffordshire landmark that is the home of a certain running event and playing a central place in establishment of the form of Methodist Christian teaching known as "Primitive Methodism" which shaped much of our region.