Uploads from Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views, tagged europe, with geodata

365-157 Skin of Skunk Anansie body surfs at Wolverhampton Civic Hall 25/11/2009

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:42:00 -0800

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Skin of the late 1990's rock band Skunk Anansie, back together to plug their latest 15 cut compilation 'Smashes and Trashes'.

Skin has done some solo stuff but not really hit the peaks of Stoosh and Paranoid and Sunburnt.
SA were on top form tonight at the Wolverhampton Civic. Coincidentally the city xmas lights were switched on this night too, with fireworks.
However the best show was in the Civic with Skin body surfing down to the bottom of the hall& back, then doing a lap of the circle. A brilliant performance and two new tracks chucked in to boot!

Another shot from the gig here together with full setlist www.flickr.com/photos/hotpixuk/4141033347/in/photostream/

(c) Hotpix / HotpixUK Tony Smith - Hotpix.freeserve.co.uk WDCC

iPod Shuffle2 - The Last Ride [ Carousel between Trocadero and Tour Eiffel, Paris France]

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 04:52:00 -0800

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Johnny Marr & The Healers - "The Last Ride" - Play this track here.

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Johnny Marr should need no introduction being one half the team that founded "The Smiths" and on break up entered years of legal battles with the rest of the band members.

This track is from Boomslang, the first, and to date only album by Johnny Marr + the Healers. It was released in 2003 through Artistdirect and iMusic. The band consisted of drummer Zak Starkey and former Kula Shaker bassist Alonza Bevan with Marr handling guitars and lead vocals.

Boomslang received a mixed critical reaction. Uncut, Billboard and PopMatters gave the album positive reviews, while Q and Mojo published more lukewarm reactions.
In Rolling Stone, Pat Blashill wrote that the album "shimmers with elements of T. Rex and traces of the Stone Roses – it's got all the atmosphere of a great rock record, but not the guts of one"

Sadly, Marr and his immense talent seems eclipsed by his nemesis Steven Patrick Morrissey.

This shot was taken at dusk in a warm, sweaty Paris evening, after a meal of Steak Tartare and a calvados and apple tart.I thanked my lucky stars I was not queuing for the Eiffel tower, I would have needed my supper before I got to the top.

The restaurant up there is horrendously expensive. There is a story about a man who once a week always took coffee up there. He was asked why with it being so expensive. He replied it was the only place in Paris he was sure he could take his coffee, look out of the window, and NOT see the Eiffel tower!

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iPod Shuffle2 - Sister Europe [London St Pancras Station International Arrivals]

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 14:32:00 -0800

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The Psychedelic Furs - "Sister Europe" - Play this track here.

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This is one of my favourite tracks of all time. "Sister Europe" is a song by the English band The Psychedelic Furs from the band's 1980 first album, The Psychedelic Furs. Written by the band and produced by Steve Lillywhite, it was released in February 1980 as the album's second single.

This photograph echo's the cover of the single that shows the continental departures board at what looks like Charing Cross railway station London.

According to Richard Butler of the band, the lyrics conveyed sadness over his then-girlfriend moving away, and were written using imagery, "instead of saying 'My bird's gone to Italy and I miss her'".

The Psychedelic Furs are an English post-punk/New Wave band founded in 1977. Led by singer Richard Butler and his brother Tim on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene. Their music went through several phases, from an initially austere art rock sound, later touching on new wave and hard rock.

They scored several hits in their early career, but were launched to international attention in 1986 when the film director John Hughes used their song "Pretty in Pink" for his movie of the same name. A newly recorded version of the song became the Psychedlic Furs' biggest hit to that time. "Heartbreak Beat", from their 1987 album Midnight to Midnight, was the Furs' biggest Top 40 entry in the US.

The Psychedelic Furs went on hiatus in 1991, and the Butler brothers formed a new band called Love Spit Love. The Psychedelic Furs later regrouped in 2001 and continue to perform around the world.

St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a railway station terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the British Library, King's Cross station and the Regent's Canal.

It was opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway as the southern terminus of its main line, which connected London with the East Midlands and Yorkshire. When it opened, the arched Barlow train shed was the largest single-span roof in the world.

After escaping planned demolition in the 1960s, the complex was renovated and expanded during the 2000s at a cost of £800 million with a ceremony attended by the Queen and extensive publicity introducing it as a public space. A security-sealed terminal area was constructed for Eurostar services to Continental Europe via High Speed 1 and the Channel Tunnel, with platforms for domestic trains to the north and south-east of England.

The restored station has 15 platforms, a shopping centre and a bus station, and is served by London Underground's King's Cross St Pancras tube station. St Pancras is owned by London and Continental Railways, along with the adjacent urban regeneration area known as King's Cross Central, and is one of 18 British stations managed by Network Rail. The redeveloped terminus has been described by the travel writer Simon Calder as "the world's most wonderful railway station"

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iPod Shuffle2 - Paris Marquis [ Taxi Parisien ]

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:20:00 -0800

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Metal Urbain - "Paris Marquis" - Play this track here.

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This track, a slab of French electro punk from 1978 was pioneering indie label Rough Trade's catalogue number 001. Its in a giant box of vinyl singles in my loft, a bit scratchy and battered!

I have heard it said that the world was probably not quite ready for them at the time. Not fitting into any cosy new wave pigeonhole. Not electronic enough to be classed with the Sheffield set of the (old Ware-Marsh-Oakey) Human League / Cab Voltaire, not punky enough to be filed with Clash or Buzzcocks.

As a side note, check our the HM's 'Being Boiled' and the excellently surreal 'Black Hit Of Space' (I reached for the tone arm which was less than 1 micron long but weighed more than Saturn and timestood still ... Get James Burke on the case... Genius Lyrics www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBaL3cPxDbE )

Métal Urbain was one of the first French punk groups, formed in 1976 in Paris. They were heavily influenced by The Clash and The Sex Pistols on one hand, and on the other by an electro approach related to Metal Machine Music by Lou Reed.

They relied on heavily distorted guitars and replaced the traditional rock rhythm section of bass guitar/drums with a synthesizer and drum machine, a then-unique approach that foreshadowed the experimental possibilities that were explored by later post-hardcore bands such as Big Black. They were also known for their radical image (the color scheme of albums always being a stark black, white and red), and subversive lyrics sung in French.

They were met with much enthusiasm in England, particularly by John Peel and the Rough Trade label. (Métal Urbain's single "Paris Maquis" was Rough Trade's first release.) They had an enthusiastic but small audience in France, receiving little exposure. The punk rock scene was not as popular in France as it was in England, and they did not interest the French media as English bands like the Sex Pistols did. As a result, the band broke up by 1979, though members scattered to form such groups as Metal Boys, Doctor Mix and the Remix, and Desperados, as well as joining Ashpalt Jungle.

Métal Urbain had focused their efforts on singles, and only produced one album, Les hommes morts sont dangereux, during their first period of activity . However, several compilation records were released, gathering their singles with additional material such as BBC sessions and live recordings.

Their electro approach was very innovative for its time, and the group are a reference point for such groups as The Jesus and Mary Chain, Bérurier Noir, and the producer Steve Albini.

The French capital had 15,500 taxis Parisian beginning 2007. Taxi stations are organized into three categories: 28 major stations are installed near the main sites of tourist or large places of the city with taxis present 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. 90 district stations located near the main interchanges and 316 local stations located near public buildings (hospitals, hotels, theatres...) .

A taxi is free when this luminous roof device is illuminated in white or green, and repeaters off globes. When it is busy, the luminous roof device is turned off or lit in red and the Repeater globe is illuminated in white (A rate), orange (tariff B) or blue (tariff C), depending on the time13. Parisian taxis perform on average 200,000 journeys every day. Whatever tariff you may be on, ensure you have a pocket full of Euros, fives and tens are most useful.

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U8 Wittenau bound U-Bahn train arrives at Alexanderplatz, Berlin Germany

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 03:10:00 -0700

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View this whole set of cities here. If you do Twitter add me here.

Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex.

Alexanderplatz has been subject to redevelopment several times in its history, most recently during the 1960s, when it was turned into a pedestrian zone and enlarged as part of the German Democratic Republic's redevelopment of the city centre. It is surrounded by several notable structures including the Fernsehturm (TV Tower), the second tallest structure in Europe.

Due to its high profile, many newcomers to Berlin mistake the nickname Alex and apply it to the Fernsehturm instead. Alex also accommodates the Park Inn Berlin and the World Time Clock, a continually rotating installation that shows the time throughout the globe, and Hermann Henselmann's Haus des Lehrers. During the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, the Alexanderplatz demonstration on 4 November was the largest demonstration in the history of East Germany.

Since German reunification, Alexanderplatz has undergone a gradual process of change with many of the surrounding buildings being renovated. Despite the reconstruction of the tram line crossing, it has retained its socialist character, including the much-graffitied "Fountain of Friendship between Peoples" (Brunnen der Völkerfreundschaft), a popular venue.

In 1993 plans for a major redevelopment including the construction of several skyscrapers were published, but due to a lack of demand it is unlikely these will be constructed. However, beginning with the reconstruction of the Kaufhof department store in 2004, and the biggest underground railway station of Berlin, some buildings will be redesigned and new structures built on the square's south-eastern side. The Alexa shopping mall, with approximately 180 stores opened nearby during 2007 and a large Saturn electronic store was built and is open on Alexanderplatz since 2008.

Many historic buildings are located in the vicinity of Alexanderplatz. The traditional seat of city government, the Rotes Rathaus, or Red City Hall, is located nearby, as was the former East German parliament building, the Palast der Republik, demolition of which began in February 2006 and has been completed. The reconstruction of the Baroque Stadtschloss at the site has been in planning.

Alexanderplatz is also the name of the S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations there, including this one.

Berlin has always fascinated me and regretfully I did not manage to visit the DDR before reunification. Hansa studio and the Berlin Trilogy gives it a special place in musical history.

The Berlin Trilogy is a series of David Bowie albums recorded in collaboration with Brian Eno in the 1970s. The three albums are Low, "Heroes" and Lodger.

They became known as the Berlin Trilogy because Bowie was living in West Berlin at the time of their inception, at least part of them was recorded there, and they were influenced by the new Krautrock music from Germany that was popular at that time; most notably, the sound of electronic pop pioneers Kraftwerk (who, in the song "Trans-Europe Express", mention the lyrics "From station to station / back to Düsseldorf City / Meet Iggy Pop and David Bowie" as a nod to the two artists' work in Berlin), as well as bands such as Neu! and Harmonia.

The albums are experimental and rank among the most highly-regarded in the Bowie catalogue. Among the later styles influenced by the albums were New Wave, post-punk and industrial.

The accuracy of the moniker "Berlin Trilogy" is debated, as only "Heroes" was wholly recorded in Berlin, and none of Lodger, but the term has been used by Bowie himself to describe the albums.

Credit for producing the albums is occasionally mistakenly given to Brian Eno because of his extensive involvement with the trilogy and his well-known production work with other artists. Though Eno performed on all three records and co-wrote a few of the songs, all three albums were in fact produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti.

Lead guitar on the "Heroes" album was handled by Robert Fripp, and lead guitar on the Lodger album was handled by Adrian Belew; these two guitarists later formed a partnership in a reincarnated King Crimson that has lasted nearly three decades. Their shared experience with Bowie later led to King Crimson regularly performing "'Heroes'" on their 2000 tour.

Checkout the lyrics here www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBGNlTPgQII at about 3min 26secs in.

(c) Hotpix / HotpixUK Tony Smith - tone@Hotpix.freeserve.co.uk WDCC

Robert Cray live at Warrington Parr Hall, Cheshire, England UK 2012-06-30

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 06:08:00 -0700

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A shot from an excellent night at Warringtons Parr Hall (I am glad to say my local venue is upping its game) with Robert Cray and his band. I must say I had pretty much the worst seat in the place and only by blagging an empty seat in the row behind, managed to get a decent view.

The brilliant set played on the night which is apparently not aranged in advance with the band included: I shiver, Worry, The Things You Do To Me, Bad Influence, Dont You Even Care, It Doesn't Show, On The Road Down, I'll always Remember You, Phone Booth, Poor Johnny, I Can't Fail, Smoking Gun, Chicken In The Kitchen and Still A Man.

The Robert Cray UK June Tour takes in The London BluesFest 2012 at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, The Glasgow O2 ABC, Birmingham Town Hall, The Holmfirth Picturedrome, Reading Sub89 and The Brighton Concorde2 (July 2012).

Robert Cray (born August 1, 1953, Columbus, Georgia, United States) is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.

Cray was signed to Mercury Records in 1982. His third album release, Strong Persuader, produced by Dennis Walker, received a Grammy Award, while the crossover single "Smokin' Gun" gave him wider appeal and name recognition.

By now, Cray was an opening act for such major stars as Eric Clapton (who remains a friend to this day), and sold out larger venues as a solo artist. Cray has generally played Fender guitars (Telecasters and Stratocasters) and there are two signature Robert Cray Stratocasters models available from Fender. The Robert Cray Custom Shop Stratocaster is made in the United States in the Fender custom shop and is identical to the guitars that Cray currently plays, while the Robert Cray Standard Stratocaster is a less-expensive model made in Fender's Ensenada, Mexico plant.

Cray had the opportunity to play alongside John Lee Hooker on his album Boom Boom, playing the guitar solo in the song "Same Old Blues Again". He is also featured on the Hooker album, The Healer; he plays a guitar solo on the song "Baby Lee". The entire Robert Cray Band backs Hooker on the title track of Hooker's 1992 album "Mr. Lucky", where Cray plays lead guitar, sings, and banters with Hooker throughout the song.

Cray was invited to play at the "Guitar Legends" concerts in Seville, Spain at the 1992 Expo, where he played a signature track, "Phone Booth". Albert Collins was also on the bill on this blues night of the "Legends" gigs.

Cray continues to record and tour. He appeared at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and supported Eric Clapton on his 2006-2007 world tour. In Fargo, North Dakota, he joined Clapton on backup guitar for the Cream song "Crossroads". In 2011, Cray was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame

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iPod Shuffle - Saints - Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin Ireland

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:38:00 -0800

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The Breeders - "Saints" - Play this track here.

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"Saints" is a cracking track by The Breeders, released as the third and final single from their 1993 album Last Splash. It was released in 1994 on 4AD/Elektra Records.

The Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The band has experienced a number of line-up changes; the current line-up consists of Kim Deal (lead vocals and guitar), her twin sister Kelley Deal (guitar and backing vocals), Jose Medeles (drums and percussion), Mando Lopez (bass guitar) Todd the Fox (guitar) and Cheryl Lyndsey (guitar); Kim Deal has been the band's sole continual member.

Their first album, Pod (1990), received critical acclaim but was not commercially successful. The Breeders' most successful album, 1993's Last Splash, produced the hit single "Cannonball". The band's fourth album, Mountain Battles, was released in 2008. The band's name is apparently gay slang for heterosexuals.

Christ Church Cathedral (or more formally, The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland. It is situated in Dublin, Ireland and is the elder of the capital city's two mediæval cathedrals, the other being St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Christ Church is officially claimed as the seat (cathedra) of both the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic archbishops of Dublin. In practice, it has been the cathedral of only the Church of Ireland's Archbishop of Dublin, since the English Reformation. Though nominally claimed as his cathedral, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin uses St Mary's in Malborough Street in Dublin, as his pro-cathedral (acting cathedral).[2]

Christ Church Cathedral is located in the former heart of medieval Dublin, next to Wood Quay, at the end of Lord Edward Street. However a major dual carriage-way building scheme around it separated it from the original medieval street pattern which once surrounded it, with its original architectural context (at the centre of a maze of small buildings and streets) lost due to road-building and the demolition of the older residential quarter at Wood Quay. As a result the cathedral now appears dominant in isolation behind new civil offices along the quays, out of its original medieval context.

Christ Church is the only one of the three cathedrals or acting cathedrals which can be seen clearly from the River Liffey.

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iPod Shuffle2 - Street Life (Paris, France Tour Eiffel Tower)

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:44:00 -0700

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Roxy Music - Street Life - Play this track here.

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I was a latecomer to appreciating the talents of Roxy Music, born slightly too late I guess.

"Street Life" is the opening track of Roxy Music's third album Stranded, their first album with Eddie Jobson, who replaced the talented Brian Eno. It was released as a single in the UK in November 1973 and reached number 9 on the charts. Its non-LP B-side "Hula Kula", an hawaiian-like instrumental composed by Phil Manzanera, was re-released on the "The Thrill of It All" boxset.

Roxy Music are an English art rock group formed in November 1970 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and oboe) and Paul Thompson (drums and percussion). Former members include Brian Eno (synthesizer and "treatments"), and Eddie Jobson (synthesizer and violin).

Although the band took a break from group activities in 1983, they reunited for a concert tour in 2001, and have toured together intermittently since that time.

Roxy Music attained popular and critical success in the UK, Europe and Australia during the 1970s and early 1980s, beginning with their debut album, Roxy Music (1972). The band was highly influential, as leading proponents of the more experimental, musically sophisticated element of glam, as well as a significant influence on early English punk music.

They also provided a model for many New Wave acts and the experimental electronic groups of the early 1980s. The group is distinguished by their visual and musical sophistication and their preoccupation with style and glamour. Ferry and co-founding member Eno have also had influential solo careers, the latter becoming one of the most significant record producers and collaborators of the late 20th century.

This image was taken at 79 Rue Saint-Dominique, Paris 7th arrondissement. It is quite up-market, also home to many foreign diplomatic embassies, some of them occupying outstanding Hôtels particuliers.

The arrondissement is home to French upper class since the 17th century, when it became the new residence of French highest nobility. The district has been so fashionable within the French aristocracy that the phrase le Faubourg — referring to the ancient name of the current 7th arrondissement — has been used to describe French nobility ever since.

France's 2nd richest district in average income, this arrondissement is part of Paris Ouest, alongside the 6th, 8th, 16th arrondissements and Neuilly, and is usually considered the most aristocratic district of the area. Indeed, plat de jour at Thoumieux will set you back 80 Euros a head before service charge, water or wine. I have got to say though, the food is good!

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Dusk, Deansgate Manchester UK

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:00:00 -0700

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The road is named after the lost River Dene, which may have flowed along the Hanging Ditch connecting the River Irk to the River Irwell, at the northern end of Deansgate. ("gate" derives from the Norse gata, meaning way).

It begins now at Victoria Street but that street was a 19th-century creation: at the time the east side of Deansgate was occupied by Victoria Buildings (built by Manchester Corporation in 1876 but ruined during a bomb raid in December 1940 during the Second World War) on a triangular site (later a statue of Oliver Cromwell was placed at the northern corner commemorating Manchester's support for Parliament in the English Civil War). The statue was a gift to the city by Mrs. Abel Heywood in memory of her first husband Thomas Goadsby; it was the first large statue of Cromwell to be raised in the open anywhere in England.

At the northern end of Deansgate it becomes Victoria Street, on which lies Manchester Cathedral, and at the southern end is Deansgate railway station. At this point Deansgate connects with Bridgewater Viaduct and Chester Road (Whitworth Street West also meets it at this point). The section to the south of Peter Street was until the end of the 18th century known as Aldport Street (Aldport being the former name of the Castlefield area once separate from medieval Manchester).

The northern end of the street used to adjoin a retail area known as The Shambles. This was badly damaged in the IRA bombing in 1996. The area was eventually redeveloped and is home to several new buildings, including No. 1 Deansgate and the Manchester branch of Harvey Nichols.

Other recent additions to the Deansgate area include the Royal Bank of Scotland building, the Beetham Tower, and the redevelopment of the Great Northern Warehouse. These stand in contrast with historic buildings, such as the John Rylands Library and the Barton Arcade shopping mall. The disused Manchester and Salford Junction canal runs directly underneath Deansgate and below the Great Northern Warehouse.

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National Library Of Ireland, Dublin

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:00:00 -0700

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The first national libraries had their origins in the royal collections of the sovereign or some other supreme body of the state.

One of the first plans for a national library was that devised by the Welsh mathematician John Dee, who in 1556 presented Mary I of England with a visionary plan for the preservation of old books, manuscripts and records and the founding of a national library but his proposal was not taken up.

The beautiful National Library of Ireland was established by the Dublin Science and Art Museum Act, 1877, which provided that the bulk of the collections in the possession of the Royal Dublin Society, should be vested in the then Department of Science and Art for the benefit of the public and of the Society, and for the purposes of the Act.

An Agreement of 1881 provided that the Library should operate under the superintendence of a Council of twelve Trustees, eight of whom were appointed by the Society and four by the Government; this Agreement also conferred on the Trustees the duty of appointing the officers of the Library. This arrangement remained in place until the library became an autonomous cultural institution in 2005.

After the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1924/5 the Library was transferred to the Department of Education under which it remained until 1986 when it was transferred to the Department of An Taoiseach. In 1927 the Library was granted legal deposit status under the Industrial and Commercial Property (Protection) Act, 1927. In 1992 the Library transferred to the newly established Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (now Arts, Sport and Tourism) and on 3 May 2005 became an autonomous cultural institution under the National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997.

This is a joiner formed from 6 x 3 separate HDR images joined together.

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iPod Shuffle2 - Train In Vain

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 08:48:00 -0700

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The Clash 'Train In Vain' - Play this track here.

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"Train in Vain" is a song by the British punk rock band The Clash. It was released as the third and final single from their third album, London Calling. The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing, appearing as a secret track at the end of the album.

This was because the track was added to the record at the last minute, when the sleeve was already in production. It was the first Clash song to crack the United States Top 30 charts and in 2004, the song was ranked number 292 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In the US, the song's title is expanded to "Train in Vain (Stand by Me)", the words "stand by me" dominate the chorus. It was titled "Train in Vain" in part to avoid confusion with Ben E. King's signature song "Stand by Me".

"Train in Vain" was added after the deal for The Clash to write a song for an NME flexi disc fell through, and as Mick Jones commented, "The real story on 'Train in Vain' is that originally we needed a song to give to the NME for a flexi disk that NME was going to do. And then it was decided that it didn't work out or decided the flexi disk didn't work out so we had this spare track we had done as a giveaway.

So we put it on London Calling but there wasn't time because the sleeves were already done." The result of its late addition was that it was the only song without lyrics printed on the insert, and was not listed as a track, although its presence is announced as the title and position on the original vinyl record was scratched into the vinyl in the needle run-off area on the fourth side of the album.

'Train In Vain' sums up the 1960's British Beeching report.

The 'Beeching Axe' is an informal name for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard Beeching. Although this report also proposed new modes of freight service and the modernisation of trunk passenger routes, it is remembered for recommending wholesale closure of what it considered little-used and unprofitable railway lines, the removal of stopping passenger trains and closure of local stations on other lines which remained open.

The report was a reaction to significant losses which had begun in the 1950s as the expansion in road transport began to attract passengers and goods from the railways; losses which continued to bedevil British Railways despite the introduction of the railway Modernisation Plan of 1955.

Beeching proposed that only drastic action would save the railways from increasing losses in the future.

Successive governments were more keen on the cost-saving elements of the report rather than those requiring investment. More than 4,000 miles (6,400 km) of railway and 3,000 stations closed in the decade following the report, a reduction of 25 per cent of route miles and 50 per cent of stations. To this day, Beeching's name is unfavourably synonymous with mass closure of railways and loss of many local services. This is particularly so in parts of the country which suffered most from cuts.

Bury Bolton Street station was originally on the line from manchester Victoria to Accrington. Lines were closed between 1966 & 1980.

Bolton Street Station, with its original features, was rescued from demolition and placed in the care of the East Lancashire Railway, a preservation group. The line to Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall was re-opened as a heritage railway, under the name East Lancashire Railway in 1987 and has since been extended to Heywood. The line and station have since become a leading tourist attraction in the area.

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(c) Hotpix / HotpixUK Tony Smith - Hotpix.freeserve.co.uk WDCC

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Picnic In The Cathedral Gardens, Chester UK (Colour IR)

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:52:00 -0700

Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views posted a photo:

A tender moment, a picnic, a kiss, where might that lead later.....

Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since 1541 it has been the centre of worship, administration, ceremony and music for the city and diocese.

The cathedral is a Grade I listed building, and the heritage site, including the former monastic buildings, lying to the north of the cathedral is also listed Grade I. The cathedral, typical of English cathedrals in having been modified many times, dates from between 1093 and the early 16th century, although the site itself may have been used for Christian worship since Roman times. All the major styles of English medieval architecture, from Norman to Perpendicular are represented in the present building.

There are expansive gardens at the rear. These are locked at night, but its an easy matter to sneak in, at a number of points around it.

IR image taken with an adapted 720nm sensor.

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Philomena (or Phyllis) Lynott with The Thin Lizzy Lightbulb Sign

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:02:00 -0700

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I have always been a big Thin Lizzy fan. I saw them 16th Dec 1979 at the Manchester Apollo. Best £4 (25p booking fee from Piccadilly Records) I ever spent, I got lazers too, drawing Happy Xmas on the Apollo Ceiling!

It was a sad day in 1986 when Phil was no more. Still he wont have to do X-Factor or Eurovision, he is preserved in aspic.

Lynott was born in Hallam Hospital (now Sandwell General Hospital) in West Bromwich (then in Staffordshire), England, and christened at St. Edwards Church in Selly Park, Birmingham. His mother pictured here, Philomena (or Phyllis) Lynott (b. 22 October 1930), is Irish, and his father was Cecil Parris, an Afro-Guyanese

Lynott's mother met Parris in Birmingham in 1948, and they saw each other for a few months until Parris was transferred to London. Shortly afterwards, Philomena found she was pregnant, and after Philip was born, she moved with her baby to a home for unmarried mothers in Selly Oak, Birmingham. When Parris learned of Philip's birth, he returned to Birmingham and arranged accommodation for Philomena and Philip in the Blackheath area of the city.

Her relationship with Parris lasted two more years although he was still working in London and they did not live together. Philomena subsequently moved to Whalley Range in Manchester, but stayed in touch with Parris, and although she turned down a marriage proposal from him, he agreed to pay towards his son's support.

Philomena finally spoke of all her children, Phils siblings in July 2010, nearly twenty-five years after Philip's death. The Irish Mail on Sunday and Irish Daily Mail ran a twelve page interview with her over three days. She revealed that her three children all had different fathers, and that her daughter was white. She had met her now-grown children, but they had never met their brother Philip. He knew he had a sister, but never knew he had a brother.Lynott did not see his father again until the late 1970s.

It was said of Phil that when out of Ireland he described himself as Irish. when in Ireland he was from Dublin. When in Dublin he said he was from Crumlin. He has a recently erected statue near Grafton St. He is an artist of which Ireland should be justly proud.

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A quiet pint of Guiness in the Crown Liquor Saloon, Belfast

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sun, 08 May 2011 15:03:00 -0700

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One of Northern Ireland's best-known pubs, it is a rare and classic example of a Victorian gin palace. Its one of my favourites, similar to the Phil' in Liverpool and one more reason to consider staying at the famous Europa hotel over the road.

It was opened as The Railway Tavern, as the Great Victoria St train station is just opposite. The pub was then bought by Michael Flanagan. His son Patrick renamed and renovated the pub in 1885.

The Crown owes its elaborate tiling, stained glass and woodwork to the Italian craftsmen whom Flanagan persuaded to work on the pub after hours. These craftsmen were brought to Ireland to work on the many new churches being built in Belfast at the time. It was this high standard of work that gave the Crown the reputation of being one of the finest Victorian Gin Palaces of its time.

In 1978 the National Trust, following persuasion by people including Sir John Betjeman, purchased the property and three years later completed a £400,000 renovation to restore the bar to its original Victorian state. Further restoration by the National Trust was done in 2007 at a cost of £500,000. As a NT member myself it would be nice to get a free pint on production of my NT membership card. I might take that up with them.

The pub was used as a location in David Caffrey's Divorcing Jack (1998), a film following Colin Bateman's character Dan Starkey through a web of political intrigue and Irish sectarian violence. I would fully recommend the book and many more of his books in the same style.

The exterior is decorated in polychromatic tiles. This includes a mosaic of a Crown on the floor of the entrance. The interior is also decorated with complex mosaics of tiles. The red granite topped bar is of an altar style, with a heated footrest underneath and is lit by gas lamps on the highly decorative carved ceilings.

The Crown has ten booths, or snugs. Built to accommodate the pub's more reserved customers during the austere Victorian period, the snugs feature the original gun metal plates for striking matches and an antique bell system for alerting staff. Extra privacy was then afforded by the pub's etched and stained glass windows which feature painted shells, fairies, pineapples, fleurs-de-lis and clowns.

This has been formed from 29 images and the original size is 17000x7000 pixels.

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Edinburgh Playfair Steps, Scotland. Colour IR

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 10:06:00 -0700

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The Playfair steps pay homage to architect William Henry Playfair FRSE (15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857). Leading from the top of Market Street down to the square at the Mound, The Art Galleries, Princes Street and Princes Street Gardens.

Although they are as old as Auld Reekie herself, the current name dates from only just over 30 years ago.

They were renamed Playfair Steps by then Rt Hon Lord Provest, Kenneth W Borthwick on 21st April 1978. He held that post from 1977.
They were originally, The Mound Steps 1853/1972, then John Knox Way 1972/78 before Playfair steps 78 onwards. Thanks to Nicola for helping me with the history.

He was undoubtedly one of the greatest Scottish architects of the 19th century, designer of many of Edinburgh's neo-classical landmarks in the New Town.

Two of his finest works are the neo-classical buildings of the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy which are situated in the centre of Edinburgh, to the left of these steps. The Playfair Project completed in 2004 joined the two historic buildings with an underground link.

He was greatly inspired by a trip to Athens.

Playfair died in Edinburgh on 19 March 1857, and is buried in Edinburgh's Dean Cemetery, where he designed a number of monuments for others, including Lord Jeffrey.

This is an infrared shot taken with a 720nm adapted SLR. It is more convenient to use than using a Hoya R72 for IR. This spring day was heavy in infrared.

Hopefully this will be a distraction for everyone hooked today on the Kate (Catherine) Middleton and Prince William royal wedding at Westminster Abbey. In different times it might have taken place in Edinburgh and there may have been several monarchs, kings & queens in what is now the UK. Just some food for thought. Enjoy your day if you are watching it on TV or just spending the morning buying some 3x2 at Homebase.

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iPod Shuffle - School Mam

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:48:00 -0700

Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views posted a photo:

School Mam - "The Stranglers" - Play this track here..

¿Whats this iPod Shuffle set all about? Read about it here

Gives herself to teacher although he doesn't know
Works herself into a frenzied state and it shows...."

*** By Request ***

This is a track from 'No more heroes' the second Stranglers album. It was produced by Martin Rushent, and released in 1977. The classic cover featured a photo of a wreath placed on a coffin with the tails of several rats (the Stranglers' 'trademark'). It was one of the first albums I bought, after many plugs on the John Peel show.

They are said to be the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s. Beginning life as the Guildford Stranglers on the 11th September 1974 with pub rock origins.

The Stranglers' early sound was driven by Jean-Jacques Burnel's melodic bass, but also gave prominence to Dave Greenfield's keyboards at a time when the instrument was seen as unfashionable. Their early music was also characterised by the growling vocals and sometimes misanthropic lyrics of both Jean-Jacques Burnel and Hugh Cornwell.

To hear more (for my money), checkout any or all of the first 3 albums: Rattus Norvegicus (1977), No More Heroes (1977) & Black and White (1978 - I still have a promo grey/white vinyl version in my loft). Do tell 'em I sent you...

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Trinity College, Dublin (TCD; Irish: Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath), formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin. Located in Dublin, Ireland, it is Ireland's oldest university.

Trinity was set up in part to consolidate the rule of the Tudor monarchy in Ireland, and it was seen as the university of the Protestant Ascendancy for much of its history; although Roman Catholics and Dissenters had been permitted to enter as early as 1793, certain restrictions on their membership of the college remained until 1873 (professorships, fellowships and scholarships were reserved for Protestants) , and the Catholic Church in Ireland forbade its adherents, without permission from their bishop, from attending until 1970. Women were first admitted to the college as full members in 1904.

Its a cool place, make time in your busy life to spend an afternoon there.

This is the place to see the Book Of Kells or just to enjoy the green on a sunny afternoon. My thanks to MOB (you know who you are) for the suggested Dublin tour. I met some old friends and old ghosts during my afternoon.

This shot uses a 720nm filter and is composed of 4 x colour infrared shots joined in a panorama. Original size 11,400x2,800pixels.

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iPod Shuffle - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:26:00 -0700

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Sheena Is A Punk Rocker - "The Ramones" - Play this track here. If the link is broken, please comment with an alternative..

¿Whats this iPod Shuffle set all about? Read about it here

*** By Request ***

Well it took me a while to get to a hundred images. I hope you enjoyed the journey!
There were many bands I will have to come back to in 'son of iPod Shuffle' some time in the future. So expect more Magazine, Pink Floyd, Elbow, Cabaret Voltaire, Fall, John cale, Decemberists, Joy Division, Deep Purple, Qemist, Ruts, Smiths, Todd Rundgren, Vaselines and X-Wife when I get back to this.

If you have enjoyed it or any of the music has moved you, feel free to leave a commet on the set.

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"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" is a song by the punk rock group The Ramones. It first appeared on their third LP, 'Rocket to Russia', in 1977, and was also included on later pressings of the group's second album, 'Leave Home'. It was released as a single, reaching no 81 in the US, and no 22 in the UK singles charts, backed with "I Don't Care", which was also included on Rocket to Russia. I have a battered copy in my loft somewhere.

The song was written by Joey Ramone, and is one of the Ramones' more popular and enduring songs, showing the band's surf rock influences.

The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in Forest Hills, Queens, New York in 1974. they have been cited as the first punk rock group. Despite achieving only limited commercial success, the band was a major influence on the punk rock movement both in the United States and the United Kingdom.

All of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", though none of them were related. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years.

In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band played a farewell concert and disbanded. By a little more than eight years after the breakup, the band's three founding members—lead singer Joey Ramone, guitarist Johnny Ramone, and bassist Dee Dee Ramone—had died.

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iPod Shuffle - Hash Pipe

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:14:00 -0700

Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views posted a photo:

Hash Pipe - "Weezer" - Play this track here..

¿Whats this iPod Shuffle set all about? Read about it here

Just when you thought pipes were so yesterday.....

One of my favourite tracks, good to hear it today!
"Hash Pipe" is a song by US indie rock band Weezer. Released in 2001, it was the first single off the band's long-awaited third album, Weezer (The Green Album).

The song was aparently inspired by a male transvestite prostitute known for rambling to people in Santa Monica. Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson is featured on the cover of the song's CD single holding a pack of Natural American Spirit cigarettes that has been blurred out due to copyright issues.

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The new white Samuel Beckett Bridge (Irish: Droichead Samuel Beckett) is a cable-stayed bridge in Dublin that joins Sir John Rogerson's Quay on the south side of the River Liffey to Guild Street and North Wall Quay in the Docklands area.

The architect is Santiago Calatrava, a designer of a number of innovative bridges and buildings. This is the second bridge in the area designed by Calatrava, the first being the James Joyce Bridge, which is further upstream.

Constructed by a "Graham Hollandia Joint Venture", the main span of the Samuel Beckett Bridge is supported by 31 cable stays from a doubly back-stayed single forward arc tubular tapered spar, with decking provided for four traffic and two pedestrian lanes. It is also capable of opening through an angle of 90 degrees allowing ships to pass through. This is achieved through a rotational mechanism housed in the base of the pylon.

The shape of the spar and its cables is said to evoke an image of a harp, a symbol of Ireland lying on its edge.

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( !Beau )

iPod Shuffle - Uptown Top Ranking

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:13:53 -0700

Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views posted a photo:

Uptown Top Ranking - "Althea & Donna" - Play this track here. An alternative track for this image from Prestwich's 'The Fall' can be enjoyed here.

¿Whats this iPod Shuffle set all about? Read about it here

This is a track that for me always conjours up the old 'Top Rank' Bingo clubs of 1970's and 80's Britain. Another John Peel backed track that helped me to appreciate reggae.

The young Jamaican singers Althea Forrest (17), and Donna Reid (18), caused a surprise with their one-off reggae hit single, "Uptown Top Ranking". It was produced by Joe Gibbs using a re-recording of the 'riddim' of the 1967 Alton Ellis' song "I'm Still In Love", which had already been re-popularised in the 1970s by Marcia Aitken's cover "I'm Still In Love With You Boy" and the deejay track "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity, to which "Uptown" was an 'answer record'. The single's UK release was on the Lightning label.

"Uptown Top Ranking" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in February 1978, after early championing by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, but had only one week at the chart summit. The lyrics were written by the duo and Errol Thompson. Althea & Donna thus at that time became the youngest female duo to reach the pinnacle of the UK chart.

Its been covered many times since. A sample of the "No Pop, No Style" refrain from the record was used and formed part of the lyrics to Pop Will Eat Itself's (PWEI) 1991 single, "X, Y & Zee".

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Bingo or Housey Housey as some pensioners still call it is a gambling game of unknown origin. Players mark off numbers on a ticket as they are randomly called out, in order to achieve a winning combination.

The first column contains numbers from 1 to 9, The second column numbers from 10 to 19, The third 20 to 29 and so on up until the last column, which contains numbers from 80 to 90 (the 90 being placed in this column as well).

When called, numbers often aquire the types of preambles below:

Kelly's Eye 1, One Little Duck 2, Cup of Tea 3, Knock at the Door 4, Man Alive 5, Tom's Tricks 6, Lucky 7, Garden Gate 8, Doctors Orders 9, Tony's Den 10, Legs Eleven 11, One Dozen 12, Unlucky for Some 13, Key of the Door 21, Dirty Gertie 30, Down on your Knees 43, Heinz Varieties 57.

If you fancy yourself as a bingo caller, choose a handy mirror and have a go using any of the random phrases above. Alternatively, find some Reggae online, The Bob Marley 'One Love' compilation is as good as any place to start. Tell em I sent you!

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(c) Hotpix / HotpixUK Tony Smith - Hotpix.freeserve.co.uk WDCC

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365-364 View From The Pulpit St Wulframs Church Grantham Lincs, UK

nobody@flickr.com (Hotpix [LRPS] Hanx for 1.5M Views) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:27:04 -0700

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Simon Jenkins in his book "England''s Thousand Best Churches" awards St Wulframs church in Grantham a five star rating, in part for the tower and spire. "Here is the finest steeple in England", he writes. Constructed in the early 1300s, at 282 ft. the spire is one of the highest in the country on a parish church, dominating the views of the town. The church is built of Lincolnshire limestone, probably from around the Ancaster area.

It has to be said that Grantham is a place with a single real claim to fame. Much like Liverpool was the birthplace of the 1960's icons 'The fab Four', Grantham was birthplace of the scurge of the 1980's 'The Iron Lady'. Heady times. In the UK one of 3 million unemployed, Militant Tendancy (I often drank in the same Liverpool pub as Derek Hatton), pit towns desimated and Arthur Scargil. When he said that over 20,000 mining jobs would go they called him mad. He wasn't mad enough, the final figure was over twice that. However, dont get me on that subject....

But if you pass through this way, this church should be worth a visit. Check out its stunning spire and try to find its hippopotamus head. The church is dedicated to St Wulfram, a 7th century missionary born in about 650 AD near Fontainebleau, south of Paris. A quite popular saint of the time.

He was the son of a Frankish soldier but instead of following in his father''s footsteps, he took Holy Orders. He was Archbishop of Sens in 693. In 700 he became a missionary to the pagan Frisians in what is now northern Germany. He died in 720 and was canonised after numerous miracles had been attributed to him. There is a large collegiate church dedicated to him at Abbeville in northern France .

In pre-Reformation times this church contained a shrine of St. Wulfram. The reliquary was probably housed in the Crypt and at times in the upper chamber of the North Porch. The medieval font c1496 is surmounted by a tall and elaborate fixed cover of 1899 designed by Sir Walter Tapper. Inside the cover are three carved figures depicting Edward the Confessor, St Hugh of Lincoln and St Wulfram.

The Francis Trigge Chained Library is a great treasure of the church, established in 1598 when Reverend Francis Trigge, Rector of Welbourn, gave £100 for the purchase of books to set up the library. There are 356 separate items including a book printed in Venice in 1472, that is four years before Caxton introduced printing into England. Over 80 volumes are still attached by chain to the shelves, preventing their loan or theft. Unfortunately I missed this on my visit.

This image has been used on the churches blog (by permission) at www.stwulframs.org/wordpress/?page_id=2

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(c) Hotpix / HotpixUK Tony Smith - Hotpix.freeserve.co.uk WDCC