Joan Armatrading - Love and Affection 1976 had a very hot summer. It was also the year that punk really sprung onto the scene. I, however, was five years old for most of the year, and so found punk an affront to my sensitive young ears. (Funnily enough, when you listen back to it now, … Continue reading 1976
Category: Projects
Another trip comes to a close, and it reinforces for me once again the importance of being able to meet, face-to-face, the people that you are working with at least once in a while. Whilst the progression in tools to help us collaborate with others in spite of geographic dislocation has been dramatic in the … Continue reading TravelBlog 2.5 – The Importance of Being There (sometimes)
There are two things that I associate with Detroit - music and motors. The home of Motown Records, the source of house music, and the location for the big three US auto manufacturers - Ford, Chrysler and General Motors. The motor industry has been decimated by the economic turmoil of the past few years. It's … Continue reading TravelBlog 2.4 – Motor City
Actually, it should probably be the SouthWest Airlinesization of short-haul air travel, as they are the people that invented it. After many years of air travel being viewed as something of a luxury or prestige purchase, it seems that most flights under three hours now are a no-frills, budget experience where everything is a charged-for … Continue reading Travelblog 2.3 – The Ryanisation of short-haul travel
The Tribeca district of New York is a relatively low-rise area of the island, and historic. Many of the buildings date back to the 19th Century (which is real history in the USA), and many of the streets are cobbled. This is a major issue if you want to get a new fibre optic connection … Continue reading Travelblog 2.2 – Cobblers
Bob Marley & the Wailers - No Woman, No Cry (Live) Ok. So, at last, we get to years where I can actually remember stuff. I have a few sketchy memories from before 1975, but concrete reminiscences begin for me in the summer of 1975. Not surprising really, because we spent much of that summer … Continue reading 1975
Elton John - Bennie and the Jets For those of us who grew up in the commuter town of Watford in the 1970s and 1980s, Elton John has a significance in our lives far removed from the usual associations of tantrums and tiaras. In 1973 he became the President of Watford FC, and then in … Continue reading 1974
Arrival in Manhattan via Newark was strangely underwhelming. I think it must be the comparison with recent trips to Hong Kong and Shanghai, but New York looks somewhat spacious, with big gaps between the skyscrapers. Or it's just the cumulative effect of a long journey and heavy rain on arrival that made it look so … Continue reading TravelBlog 2.1 – Manhattan
On Sunday I'm off to the land of the free and the home of the brave. Or New York city and then Detroit, to visit our offices in the USA. I have visited New York a few times, and it's a great place to be (for a short period, at least). I've never been to … Continue reading TravelBlog 2.0 – La la la la la America
John Martyn - Solid Air One of many tracks that I was introduced to by the marvellous DJ Gilles Peterson. I've a stack of Peterson compilation albums, the first of which was from way back in 1985 - Street Sounds Jazz Juice. This John Martyn track is hauntingly beautiful. Number one on my birthday in … Continue reading 1973
