🎵 A new Bruce track dropped overnight. Nightshift appeared in my Insta feed over breakfast. I unmuted my phone with some trepidation. Relax. The Boss pulls it off. Just. He's suited and booted in the video clip, showing that he is taking his new role as US Soul Archiver seriously. There's a reassuring E Street feel with the keyboards and horns. Plus when did Bruce learn to sing? He manages to hold all the notes. It's very, very good and hints as more surprises with the new soul album. The Winston Reedy cover remains my fave. I still think we made the right decision in spunking out for a couple of electric bicycles rather than a two week Bruce US road trip. #
👜 Robert Elms had a journo reporting live from the opening of Battersea Power Station. Woh. This is a toughie. The building looks brilliant, it's right on my doorstep yet it's not for me. The best I can hope for is an occasional trip for cheapo T-shirts at Uniqlo. The Elms piece was annoyingly full of whoops and fireworks. Yay. Let's all celebrate what could have been a genuine community space being transformed into a playground for the obscenely wealthy. Whoop whoop.#
📮 The Postman delivers: XTC's Oranges and Lemons CD. I was a little uncertain about this. I blagged it for a bargain £2.11 price. It sells closer to £15 elsewhere. The listing didn't have an image. But it all turned up fine with the CD insert. #
🌼 Album of the Day: De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising #
This sounded unlike anything else when I first bought it back in 1989. It's the loved up response to a West Coast rap scene that was heading down the gangster route. I knew which direction I wanted to turn to. Hip Hop concept albums should usually be avoided. But the dialogue and in-jokes aren't annoying, They keep the Daisy Age feel flowing thoughout. There's still room for politics with It's a Ghetto Thing. Plus there's also personal politics on Say No Go. This should be a SIX star album.#
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐#
🚴 ⚡ The ride out on the Raleigh electric today was over to Frinton. I had a double pannier to fill with CD's from the Frinton second hand record shop. Chapeau! I've found my legs on the electric. I'm now riding it with the same control I have for my road bike. I'm feeling confident to cut off the motor when coasting, and then maximising it when I need a boost. I even managed to clock 45kmh freewheeling downhill on a 28kg bike with no power assist. #
Endless road works and temporary traffic lights did slow me down however. It seems that half of Tendring is currently being dug up to install fibre broadband. More pleasing was the sight of an old fella in a country cottage carrying out the final mowing of the lawn this season. Good effort, pal.#
I turned on the Turbo mode for the Frinton run in with one hefty hill left to climb. I actually laughed out loud to myself as I stayed in the saddle and coasted over the climb.#
The Frinton second hand record shop is fantastic. The trick is to set your budget and stick to it. I settled on £30 to snaffle up as many quality CD's as I could carry. Forty five minutes later and I left with a Beth Orton double, the Best of the Art of Noise, the Weddoes early compilation, R.E.M.'s Eponymous, Bob's Hard Rain, The Beatles at the Beeb, The Jam's Sound Affects, Buzzcocks Singles, 1,000 Volts of Holt, The Proclaimers' Leith, ZZ Top's Eliminator and The Best of Bill Withers. Oh - and Propaganda's debut for £1. I left Frinton £4 up on my planned budget.#
The return ride was eventful. I passed a discarded cat carrier tossed into a hedgerow. I cycled on for about ten seconds, and then had a horrid, horrid thought. No one would be cruel enough, surely? I stopped and turned around. I approached and saw something inside the carrier. I was almost too upset to look. It turned out to be a cat blanket. Phew.#
There was a magnificent falcon keeping watch on a pole in a field as I approached Elmstead Market. I pressed on and was back at base before the forecast rain. There was a new Chancellor as well. Which was nice.#
Friday evening was spent LOVING the track cycling from Paris. Ganna is an absolute BEAST.#
🎵 A new Bruce track dropped overnight. Nightshift appeared in my Insta feed over breakfast. I unmuted my phone with some trepidation. Relax. The Boss pulls it off. Just. He's suited and booted in the video clip, showing that he is taking his new role as US Soul Archiver seriously. There's a reassuring E Street feel with the keyboards and horns. Plus when did Bruce learn to sing? He manages to hold all the notes. It's very, very good and hints as more surprises with the new soul album. The Winston Reedy cover remains my fave. I still think we made the right decision in spunking out for a couple of electric bicycles rather than a two week Bruce US road trip. #
👜 Robert Elms had a journo reporting live from the opening of Battersea Power Station. Woh. This is a toughie. The building looks brilliant, it's right on my doorstep yet it's not for me. The best I can hope for is an occasional trip for cheapo T-shirts at Uniqlo. The Elms piece was annoyingly full of whoops and fireworks. Yay. Let's all celebrate what could have been a genuine community space being transformed into a playground for the obscenely wealthy. Whoop whoop.#
📮 The Postman delivers: XTC's Oranges and Lemons CD. I was a little uncertain about this. I blagged it for a bargain £2.11 price. It sells closer to £15 elsewhere. The listing didn't have an image. But it all turned up fine with the CD insert. #
🌼 Album of the Day: De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising #
This sounded unlike anything else when I first bought it back in 1989. It's the loved up response to a West Coast rap scene that was heading down the gangster route. I knew which direction I wanted to turn to. Hip Hop concept albums should usually be avoided. But the dialogue and in-jokes aren't annoying, They keep the Daisy Age feel flowing thoughout. There's still room for politics with It's a Ghetto Thing. Plus there's also personal politics on Say No Go. This should be a SIX star album.#
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐#
🚴 ⚡ The ride out on the Raleigh electric today was over to Frinton. I had a double pannier to fill with CD's from the Frinton second hand record shop. Chapeau! I've found my legs on the electric. I'm now riding it with the same control I have for my road bike. I'm feeling confident to cut off the motor when coasting, and then maximising it when I need a boost. I even managed to clock 45kmh freewheeling downhill on a 28kg bike with no power assist. #
Endless road works and temporary traffic lights did slow me down however. It seems that half of Tendring is currently being dug up to install fibre broadband. More pleasing was the sight of an old fella in a country cottage carrying out the final mowing of the lawn this season. Good effort, pal.#
I turned on the Turbo mode for the Frinton run in with one hefty hill left to climb. I actually laughed out loud to myself as I stayed in the saddle and coasted over the climb.#
The Frinton second hand record shop is fantastic. The trick is to set your budget and stick to it. I settled on £30 to snaffle up as many quality CD's as I could carry. Forty five minutes later and I left with a Beth Orton double, the Best of the Art of Noise, the Weddoes early compilation, R.E.M.'s Eponymous, Bob's Hard Rain, The Beatles at the Beeb, The Jam's Sound Affects, Buzzcocks Singles, 1,000 Volts of Holt, The Proclaimers' Leith, ZZ Top's Eliminator and The Best of Bill Withers. Oh - and Propaganda's debut for £1. I left Frinton £4 up on my planned budget.#
The return ride was eventful. I passed a discarded cat carrier tossed into a hedgerow. I cycled on for about ten seconds, and then had a horrid, horrid thought. No one would be cruel enough, surely? I stopped and turned around. I approached and saw something inside the carrier. I was almost too upset to look. It turned out to be a cat blanket. Phew.#
There was a magnificent falcon keeping watch on a pole in a field as I approached Elmstead Market. I pressed on and was back at base before the forecast rain. There was a new Chancellor as well. Which was nice.#
Friday evening was spent LOVING the track cycling from Paris. Ganna is an absolute BEAST.#
