Thursday 7th February 2013

So, it is Thursday, and on the downward slope towards the weekend, which looks like it will be full of painting. Which is a good thing.

Yesterday the basin and WC were taken out, and in the evening Mike, Jools’ brother, came round to fill the larger holes in the wall in preparation for plastering and skimming today. Although it doesn’t look like we’re any further forward than Tuesday, a lot of preparation work has been done, the new waste pipe for the new shower is in, and once the plaster has dried the new base will be able to be fitted and tiling can begin too, but that might be on Monday.

But there is a chance that the shower will be up and running for Monday night! And the painting should be done, as Sunday is forecast to be pouring with rain so very little reason for going out with a camera.

The previous owner had installed a hand decorated scene of the seabed on MDF around the bathroom. It was all very nice, but the board trapped damp and since removing most of it we have found many black patches of mould. The final bit of MDF was behind the radiator, which despite being hidden was still decorated, and they had mounted it and then fitted the radiator through pre-cut holes. Now, this was all well and good, only that the valve on the rad is seized in the on position, and so removing the rad was not an option. Mike found a way to remove it, though, sawing an inch at a time from the bottom until it could be slid off. Good work!

Anyway, even though it still looks like a bomb has gone off, the floorboards have been replaced, and once the plastering is done it will look better. And then there is the painting. So, all well and good.

As I mentioned a year ago at this point, my company announces its annual results via a webcast. Now, like most multinationals, it is very good at propaganda and spin, but there have to be honest with the financial results as this is released to the Danish Stock Exchange, and as last year’s results were so dire, things had to be done. And it is like turning an oil tanker round; it takes time, but the Q4 results are a massive improvement, but more needs to be done. Anyway, at least there was some good news (no further redundancies announced) amongst the news that more lean times are ahead.

And England beat Brazil last night, and not really a fluke either! A 2-1 victory with one of the England goals and the Brazil one coming from defensive errors. And the team played well, passed well which is a real pleasure to see and write about. They just have to carry that to the next World Cup qualifying games at the end of March.

Don’t Stand Me Down
Hounds of Love
A Few Small Repairs
One Mississippi
In the Heat of the Night
Rumours
Back in Black

The above four albums (I may add to that list, but not by much) are the four albums I think are pretty perfect. In fact, as I write this I realise there is one track on Hounds of Love I dislike a lot (Mother Stands for Comfort), so maybe I should take that off the list. I write this as Danny Baker is hosting a show each night on BBC 4 this week which looks at great albums.

As a music geek, freak and record collector, it may come as a surprise to learn that I am not an album fan, I buy them, and bought them by the truckload on the strength of one song and if it didn’t grab me, I won’t listen to it all or ever again. I have records, CDs and DVDs still in their wrappers, as I bought them on a whim and just haven’t found time to listen to them.

So, here is a short list of some great albums I have not sat down and listened to all the way through.

Ever.

I mean I have not heard these albums at all, all the way through.

So, every Beatles album. Every one. I have reached the grand old age of forty seven and a half without listening to a whole Beatles record. The single most popular band in history of rock and pop. A friend did burn me a copy of Revolver or something and it was on as we drove to Niagara but it didn’t sink in. So, Revolver, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, Help!, Let it Be, Rubber Soul and all the ones I forgot; never listened to one of them. But I do have the Love remix album; does that count?

Didn’t think so…..

Who next? I was going to say Pink Floyd. But I have sat down and listened to all of The Wall. In fact it was one of the first records I bought. I played it once and after that just played Another Brick in the Wall and Comfortably Numb. I have never sat down and listened to Dark Side of the Moon. I’m sure I have heard it all on the radio at different times, but I have never actually listened to it.

Pet Sounds. When the Beach Boys got it right, they were wonderful. And yet for every God Only Knows there is a Sloop John B. Oh yes, Sloop John B: I hate that song with a passion. I mean I freaking hate that song. I had a music teacher in Middle School who loved it and we used to have to sing it. I hated it then, I hate it now.

Bob Dylan. I like Bob, I really do. But, even though I own one of his early records, name escapes me (see), I have not played it. It might be Highway 61 revisited. Never. Played. It. So, Blonde on Blonde, never heard that. At all.

I used to like rock. Heavy rock. But I have never heard, all the way through, any albums by: Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and the list goes on. So, on the first show of the series about great rock albums, how many of those 12 featured have I heard all the way through?

The list:

Physical Graffiti
Rumours
Crime of the Century
Dark Side of the Moon
Transformer
London Calling
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Sheer Heart Attack
Hot Rats
Coliseum
In the Court of the Mountain King
We’re Only in it for the Money
The Hissing of Summer Lawns

From this list I can tell you I have only heard Rumours. I have bought it three times, and it is perfect, so I will add it to the list above.

I have not listened to any David Bowie albums released before 1983, so that’s Hunky Dory, Aladin Sane, Ziggy,. But wait a minute, I have . I have listened to one. I bought Low and and played it once. Liked it, but not enough to play it again.

London Calling. I have it, and yet have I played it all the way through? I heard ‘Police on my Back’ a few months back and I swear it was the first time I had ever heard it. So maybe it’s another unlistened purchase?

This may surprise Jools, but neither have I ever heard an album by: Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Blancmange.

Oh and the pop ones; which ones I have I listened to?

Hounds of Love
Hatful of Hollow
First Last and Always
Hunky Dory
Tanx
Desire
A Hard Days Night
There Goes Rhymin’ Simon
Court and Spark
Off the Wall
Electric Warrior
Captain Fantastic
The Ramones

We already know that I have Hounds of Love, but that is the only one form that list. And as for The Smiths: Well, I have two Smiths albums, the first one and The Queen is Dead, both played once and dismissed. Maybe I just don’t get Morrissey, or that much miserable is too much.

Jools and I look at our overloaded bookshelves and say will we ever get time to read all the books we have? Well, I now know that I will have to be listening to some of rock and pop’s most classic records to get everything in.

I think for a project this year, I will sit down and listen to some of the classic records and blog about what I think of them. For my first one it will be the Beatles. And I will listen to each album and see what I think.

Yay, I like projects….