Hi folks. Well the EB Band has begun rehearsal again. We had a lot of fun last weekend. We are trying to add some extra sounds and parts to some of the old songs by fairly simple means i.e. running a stereo track from an I Pod with sounds and extra parts we couldn’t realise otherwise. One side has the parts and the other a percussive pattern for Steve to play along to. He has to wear head phones for this and in spite of this being a bit strange for him at first, he soon got to grips and it all went along quite well. Getting the tempo right as well as what the drummer listens to is crucial to it all working. The tracks were made including all the speeding up and slowing down on the original recordings but it was decided it would be easier to keep the tempos constant. Adjustments were made until Steve was comfortable playing to the guide. So there it is, extra acoustic guitars on Hotel room which allows for real slide guitar, the original strings on Evening over rooftops, backing vocals, the effects on Green lights and so on. We used this technique years ago when we used an old Apple computer to drive the patterns and parts Steve played to.

Luke is playing some acoustic guitar and I've got a few songs where I don't play guitar which is all adding to the dynamics of the songs. We are making some very subtle changes as well as some quite major ones. We’ve put Dr Spock back in the set along with Side by Side / Sister Angela, Night Hogs from Super Chip, Speak Down the wires, Roccoco Cooler and other old favourites. We are planning to put together a show that starts small and ascends through the set to flat out mayhem. I hope the above tech stuff isn’t boring. I know some people like to know how things work so I hope those that don’t care forgive the inclusion.
It was a good weekend made all the better by the continuing rampage of Liverpool F.C. Yer !Later on Sunday afternoon, young Sonny had a good work out on his dad's drums. It was a bit like listening to the fire of a heavy calibre machine gun stuck on automatic jumping around on a marble floor. Wicked innit ?

Pic below.

It seems Gordon Brown is not just a chip off the old block. There are signs that he is implementing some interesting and welcome policies. I was very interested in the announcements around citizen responsibility to look out for and to intervene for children at risk which came out of the govt white paper “Every Child Matters”. Perhaps this might be considered especially welcome at a time when a comprehensive survey stated UK children were more poorly served than in most other European countries and some non European countries.
This policy was rolled out as a new “duty” for all local govt / public service employees, at all levels. The idea was that this new responsibility would be extended to all citizens. I am not sure how this being implemented and how it is being progressed but it was/ is a good sign.
The latest development applies to all adults along the same lines. It involves the setting up of a pool of social workers across the country who will investigate any complaint brought to their attention in respect of treatment received in any public service environment such as hospitals , youth provision , residential care homes etc. If the complaint by any person friends, relatives or ANY member of the public is found to have substance then an advocate can be employed to pursue the case. I know this is about to run in some parts and it seems to me that this is the kind of idea I can totally endorse. Hey! this what I voted for and expected to get from Labour. I know it’s early days but let’s give it a chance. I know I bang on about the lack of labour commitment to the crucial things but I like to think I will also give credit where credit is due. We need a lot more accountability especially where the care of vulnerable folk are concerned.

So Sir Fred the banker is shaken that people have trashed his car and had a go at his house. I don’t condone the senseless vandalism lol but, nor do I care that he is inconvenienced. This is the tip of the iceberg and people will take what they consider to be direct action when they feel let down by the people who should have intervened to prevent him getting away with it in the first place.

R.I.P. Jade Goody. Perhaps thousands of women will be saved from the tragedy she faced because of her. Perhaps we should be extremely grateful that her loss will be of lasting benefit through her contribution to the seed change in public awareness around cervical cancer. Reviled she was but if we are to be judged by the harm and good we do in our lives then perhaps she has the edge on most of us. Judge ye not ! We didn’t look after her all that well after all. Did we?

Well I am off to learn the words to Roccococooler. I am probably a dead man if I turn up with a lyric sheet for the next rehearsal. No rest for the gifted eh?

Peace

copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2009

There is some thing timeless about the attraction of a fire in the open air or in the home.

Like many of us I remember being a small child sitting in front of a coal fire, peering through the fireguard at the pictures drawn there in the flame and smoke. I still do this when the rare opportunity to sit by a hearth with a fire is presented. With the heat of the fire hot on my cheeks I look for phantoms among the dying embers. It is easy to see how this captivated ancient peoples and on through all time.
Taking some shots of a fire on a cold frosty night recently I was astonished by one image which is contained in the cropped pic above and shown below completely untouched. You can see the iron hearth through the fire and there he is up to the left side of the photo. I've met him some where before but I never got take his photo before ha ha! Any way, I thought some of you might find this amusing.


On looking at other photos I found some coals that had face like shapes so I filled these in with a few alterations.

I am a novice at this but still it's great fun. If I am making some thing I am happiest. What could be better than spending an old fashioned winter evening with good company and ..... a fair few fire phantoms?

peace

copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2009

we have ways of making you talk

I am increasingly concerned about the way government is responding to the recent allegations of collusion with the US torture and rendition program and the way this is beginning to impact on all our lives. Jack Straw's recent refusual to allow public access to information around the issue of torture and rendition on the grounds that " It would not be in the public interest", comes as no surprise. After all he is implicated in the great deceits around this war as much as any one .
The actioning of government anti-terrorist policy is devisive, discriminatory and is creating a climate of suspicion and prejudice. Recently the European Parliament has denounced Ireland and 13 other EU countries for collusion with the US to help the CIA carry out secret 'rendition' flights to transport terror suspects. Amnesty International claims three aircraft involved in US rendition flights had links to Shannon Airport. To mark International Day Against Torture, they published a report on Europe's role in rendition and secret detention. The report claims a number of European states either turned a blind eye to rendition or actively participated in it.
According to a 2006 report from the Council of Europe 14 European countries colluded in or tolerated the secret transfer of terrorist suspects by the US and two of them, Poland and Romania, may have harboured CIA detention centres .
That report listed Sweden, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Britain, Italy, Macedonia, Germany and Turkey as countries 'responsible, at varying degrees ... for violations of the rights of specific persons.'
Seven other countries 'could be held responsible for collusion - active or passive', Ireland, Poland, Romania, Spain, Cyprus, Portugal and Greece.
Germany has rejected the charge.
The home secretary, is to be questioned over allegations that British security services colluded in the torture of terrorism suspects and operated under a "James Bond-style get-out clause".
Suspects say they were repeatedly tortured by agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) before being questioned by MI5.
It is claimed British officials put pressure on the Pakistani authorities to get information and "knew very well" they were using torture during their investigations.
The Home Office has already launched an inquiry into claims that UK intelligence services colluded in the brutal treatment of British citizens and residents in Pakistan. I suggest that an independent equiry to investigate both the Home Office and UK intelligence services be expedited with out delay. David Miliband is himself accused of suppressing torture allegations that might embarrass the British government.

In a recent BBC survey more than 27,000 people in 25 countries were asked if torture would be acceptable if it could provide information to save innocent lives.
Some 36% of those questioned in the US agreed that this use of torture was acceptable, while 58% were unwilling to compromise on human rights
Countries that face political violence are more likely to accept the idea that some degree of torture is permissible. Some polls seemed to indicate difference of opinion along religious lines.

A majority of Jewish respondents in Israel, 53%, favour allowing governments to use some degree of torture to obtain information from those in custody, while 39% want clear rules against it. But Muslims in Israel, who represent 16% of the total number polled, are overwhelmingly against any use of torture.

The British poll indicated 72% were against the use of torture and 24% for it.

The survey suggests that nearly a third of people worldwide back the use of torture in prisons in some circumstances.

I find these figures extremely disturbing though not surprising. The issue is well reported through out the media but there seems to be little reaction from the great British public. Have we forgotten the lessons of our own history so soon? Are we really only concerned with the issues that affect our own immediate well being?

If your door gets kicked down in the middle of the night by the men in masks it is far more likely that they will be officers of the British government than terrorists. Perhaps in the end we do get what we deserve and a prolonged reluctance of the UK masses to enage in any effective protest may lead us to the place we dread most. Or - we could get more hands on rather than sitting on arses tutt tutting.......


Peace





copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2009

I thought my mate Ramblin’ was off work last week so I mentioned we might go out some where taking a few snaps or something as long as the some thing was not on a bike. Am I out of condition or what? Still a few hours on the turbo trainer spinning low gears on the bike will soon sort that before the next EB Band gigs in April.
Any way I went to visit Ramblin on Friday and we resolved to head out some where on the Saturday ( yesterday). Ramblin’ needed some bib tights and a jacket for bike riding. He wanted to go to the main warehouse of a well known cycle supplier to get them and their place was on the way to the Sussex Downs and beyond. We like it down that way. After lunch I got a call from Ramblin’ saying he was off on his mission and did I fancy the trip? I was so relieved it wasn’t 8 in the am that I eagerly accepted and after a trawl through the traffic and the bleak environs of the London hinterland, going south, we arrived at the cycle store. Ramblin’ chose his gear and we set off to catch a few pics of the very imminent sunset. Being a practical man Ramblin' headed for the nearest hill and we gawped at the dipping sun and the far off sky line while we snapped away with a our cameras.

The sun dipped out of sight and we headed down to Brighton. ramblin' has a new motor and it it flys. It would make a perfect band car. Fast reliable and steady as a rock. Ramblin’ was well pleased with his toy as he put it through it’s paces down the lanes and down the motorway to the coast.


The whole trip was a buzz. Any one who knows me knows that I love to burn down a road in the darkness especially if it’s in the direction of any sea shore but that wasn’t the high light.
Ramblin’ has been my best mate for years going back to when his son and mine we were very small. It’s fairly easy to begin to take people for granted but I value his friendship as high as any and a lot more than most. Ramblin’ is one of the most serious and seriously amusing, eccentric people I have met and always good company. We have similiar politics, common interests including a love of a wide range of music. On the car stereo we listened to Dave Brubeck, Scratch Lee Perry, Golden Earring ( I know ), some weird trance beats, some strange wonderful Afro / Latin Christmas song and a host of other audio delights. This was all on a CD Ramblin' put together for a Christmas party at his place of work. I can imagine the reaction of those attending ranging from astounded to delighted.

I really enjoyed my afternoon out and evening by the sea at Brighton. Last time we did the trip to Brighton by car I had not long emerged from hospital after a heart attack. Ramblin correctly decided I should get out and about. It was just before Christmas, there was snow on the ground as we set out for ramblin's annual Christmas shopping in the famous Brighton Lanes. We had some fun sliding around on the snow on country roads taking the scenic route in Ramblin’s old Astra. Ramblin's idea of cardio rehab. Aaaargh!

Times change, cars change and towns change. Brighton is not what it used to be. What UK seaside town is? A gentle decline persists. People change also but true friendship endures. Thanks for the ride mate.

ps - Almost forgot. I left a comment on last post announcing JJ as the comp winner. Shop in the Charity shop - win , win. Send me your details by email JJ and I'll send you the goodies.





Peace



copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2009

In 1538 Henry the eighth began the dissolution of the Monasteries. The ruined section of Leiston Abbey pictured above was the result of this purge. How ever every cloud has a silver lining or so they say, and now the place houses an Art Centre and is the UK centre for the development of chamber music.
In 1665 the plague visited upon the people of these lands showed the church to have no direct link with the almighty. Indeed they had no way of showing them selves to be protected by their piety and their prayers for others did nothing to assuage the hungry plague. The clergy dropped like flies as did any one else who came into contact with it. The people soon came to question the authority of the church and it’s pontiffs. Perhaps for the first time the people began to see through the cant and pointless rituals and slowly the church began to lose it’s hold over the flock. This was not the only change that developed out of this terrible time. After the viral carnage and destruction of most of society the practices associated with serfdom began to erode. The few surviving able workers plied their labour with the highest bidders and some managed to obtain their own land for their services. The dreadful plague had liberated the workers who would never be surfs again.
In some towns and villages in England there are still old market crosses that have a depression at the foot of the stone cross. This was filled with vinegar during times of plague as it was believed that vinegar would kill any germs on the coins exchanged at market and so contain the disease. It looks as if the Government might be employing similar nonsense to deal with the current collapse of international monetary systems. In any event there is a sour taste in the mouths of many people in the UK and increasingly, in Europe. As the facts begin to emerge piling one on another, surely there can be no doubt that this system of government and capital is failing badly. It does not work any more.
The reality check is unsurprising. Just as the experts warned there would be no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq others warned of the imminent financial mess we are now experiencing. We are governed by fools and liars and narcissists in denial.
There are a few rather worrying indications that in the face of hard times, sections of society will be easily inclined to discriminate against others who are perceived to be a threat to their economic survival. The borders that restricted the movement of workers within the European community may be removed but I fear we have not heard the last of protectionist demonstrations against foreign labour and the related nastiness that goes with it. We all know where that can lead us.
Recently I heard a home office minister interviewed about alleged British collaboration with US torture as cited in a recent top level UN report. When asked about specifics he answered “The UK government neither condones nor supports torture”. He used the same answer for three separate questions. A chill went down my spine. I thought of the same scenario at the height of nazi control in Germany. The difference would have been that the reporter would have been dragged off after the interview and disappeared. *
On some days are we not just a whisker away from the totalitarian experience? Even so it seems that few crises throughout our history have produced no silver lining in the cloud and although it is not easy to predict the outcome of the Bankers folly nevertheless, people are adapting and changing their lifestyle, spending habits and more in order to cope. I am still waiting for the innovative advice and suggestions from all of you out there. Come on! Tell us what you are doing to adapt and how it is all affecting you and yours. There has been some good stuff in the comments but please – more. The competition is still running.

Post script 17/02/09
A former head of MI5 has accused the government of exploiting the fear of terrorism and trying to bring in laws that restrict civil liberties.
In an interview in a Spanish newspaper, published in the Daily Telegraph, Dame Stella Rimington, 73, also accuses the US of "tortures". Dame Stella became the first female head of MI5 in 1992. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7893890.stm

Peace




copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2009

I'm back

High folks. Thanks to all for the very kind comments on my last post. I’m back refreshed after a very relaxed break from all things EB Band.

Christmas was mostly extremely boring and seemed to be more sadly irrelevant, except for kids, than in other years. I cooked Chinese food for our family meal so nothing traditional there. We did have a nice tree though which Luke decorates. A little bit of Pagan never did nay harm while the annual vomit of Victorian images and Christian nonsense, the huge lemming like flight to the shops followed by the desperate fight to find a bargain at the sales is all a bit embarrassing. Of course it wasn’t difficult to find a bargain anywhere and the shops are still throwing useless rubbish at us for half it’s normal asking price. Isn’t it time we grew out of this Christmas crap and reinvented it? It could easily be some thing meaningful that we could all could join in with in order to make life better for people with less. Christmas – Ba humbug! In the words of a great song “Get back to where we once belonged” ?

The year is well underway now and so I can tell you the EB Band will be back on the road touring Norway at the end of April. Some dates are still to be finalised.

Lots of people are asking when we will be touring in the UK again and I have to say that with things they way they are right now I can’t honestly say. It is quite easy to end up paying to play here in Blighty and we can’t afford to do that. Having said this we will be considering good offers for later in the year.

This year is our 40th anniversary and to celebrate it we will be playing a show featuring our favourites from all of the albums. We will be concentrating on the old songs, playing them as close to the original form as possible. As you might expect there will be the occasional song that gets a new treatment but it will all be aimed at creating the atmosphere of the original. I am finding it interesting that so many of the old lyrics have retained some relevance to me and I hope the same is true for you. I am playing with a list of songs at this time and I have to admit I am keeping a bit of one eye on the difficulty factor and the time that can be reasonably spent on this venture. There is always so many other things that need to be done these days.

Work is continuing on my biog that is being written by Ms Sally Fadelle and I have to finish my novel which is long overdue ha ha !
Luke and I have been looking a fresh at new songs (his and mine) and plotting the way forward to recording them.

I recently bought a new 8 mega pixel digital camera with a few lens filters and gadgets. Loads of features for less money than I paid for my original 1.5 Mega pixel job back when. It shoots decent video too. I am still up to my eyes and ears in video footage and tunes and I will post some thing eventually. I did get hung up on finding out what can be done instead of doing it but I have to have some research and development time these days with all the possibilities available to me to make video / music material on what is fairly basic equipment. Ah! That is my excuse any way.

So it is official. The UK is in recession and it seems folk are already finding ways to change their spending habits and other strategies in order to maintain some security and hopefully a little fun in their lives. Tell me about what you are doing to defeat the CRUNCH in the comments section and I'll send a signed copy of the Rockpalast DVD and the ONE CD to the comment with the most useful suggestion. I am guessing it might take a time for people to realise this blog is under way again so we'll let this one run over a week or two. Same rules as usual as many entries as you like under different names.

Well it’s back to compiling a list of songs for the new show for me. I’m off to explore the eastern coast for a few days at the end of the week but I’ll write this when I can.

Peace

copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2009