Critically evaluated rotational–vibrational line positions and energy levels, with associated critically reviewed labels and uncertainties, are reported for two deuterated isotopologues of the H3+ molecular ion: H2D+ and D2H+. The procedure MARVEL, standing for Measured Active Rotational–Vibrational Energy Levels, is used to determine the validated levels and lines and their self-consistent uncertainties based on the experimentally available information. The spectral ranges covered for the isotopologues H2D+ and D2H+ are 5.2–7105.5 and 23.0–6581.1 cm−1, respectively. The MARVEL energy levels of the ortho and para forms of the ions are checked against ones determined from accurate variational nuclear motion computations employing the best available adiabatic ab initio potential energy surfaces of these isotopologues. The number of critically evaluated, validated and recommended experimental (levels, lines) are (109, 185) and (104, 136) for H2D+ and D2H+, respectively. The lists of assigned MARVEL lines and levels and variational levels obtained for H2D+ and D2H+ as part of this study are deposited in the ESI to this paper.


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In an age where new technology is gauged both for efficiency and for ease, the newest updates with regard to chemical applications by air check both boxes. Take advantage of low rates and vastly increased output when it comes to helicopter aerial spraying and traditional airplane spraying methods. Select the best option with regard to your individual business preferences, as well as your respective budget. There's never been a better time to count yourself among those who upgrade their spray application methods to accommodate fast-paced reality.
To understand the direction that spraying applications are heading, you need to understand where it has come from. Since 1906, when New Zealand innovator John Chaytor first applied seed by hot air balloon, the concept of agricultural expediency by air has existed. Since then, valuable patents have allowed for continued advancement in the sector, as these means slowly accommodated aircraft of increasing speeds. Once a patent was officially issued in 1911 for the specific use of aircraft as it related to agriculture, the push was officially on for an aircraft optimized exclusively for agricultural output.
Today, nearly 20% of all chemical applications for crop protections occur by air, and the industry has begun accommodating these application efforts. Individuals who neglect aerial application of chemicals may soon find themselves far behind the times. With respect to on-ground chemical application speed, nothing can match the output of an aircraft. And it's time you put this output to work for your own endeavors.
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Helicopters, therefore, prove the faster, more efficient option, though they do not come without a slightly higher price tag. Given the fact that helicopters do not need to retreat to a local airstrip in order to refuel, they can further cut down on overall performance time. When it comes to efficiency and overall aircraft performance, helicopters are the simple, obvious answer to any spray application needs.


text:
Ir para o Dot Esports Brasil
Ir a Dot Esports Espanol
March 26, 2019, 12:01 GMT-0500 General
Article 13 has been passed—what does it mean for Twitch and esports?
European content creators are in uncharted territory.
Adam Newell and Luke Goodling
Image via Twitch
The European Parliament voted today to approve Article 13, which will start to introduce heavy online changes for European content creators.
Under Article 13, websites like YouTube and Twitch will be required to pay publishers for using pieces of their content on their site or face copyright infringement. This means websites and online communities will pay the price of copyright fraud, not the actual user who infringed upon copyright. These sites will need to pay for people to manually look for copyrighted material and either get rid of it or pay the person that it belongs to.
Twitch on Twitter
Everyday creators and viewers come together to do amazing things on Twitch. Article 13 is bad copyright reform that could limit the content you create and share. Together, we can stop this. Learn more and take action at https://t.co/KBnAWle9rc. https://t.co/CZdcG7gmbp
This most likely won't happen as YouTube, Twitch, and other popular websites have taken an aggressive stance against Article 13. To avoid breaking the law, YouTube and Twitch have said they'll have to impose restrictions for European users. While no one knows the full extent of these restrictions, it could mean Europeans would be blocked from accessing certain channels on Twitch.
As a whole, Article 13 was meant to protect creators from copyright infringement, which is fair—but on the other hand, it means platforms are punished, not the user, for committing copyright infringement. So if you use an image of Mario as one of your Twitch sub alerts, for example, the channel and Twitch is held responsible. This means the stream could be blocked from being viewed entirely by Europeans.
For those concerned about memes, don't worry—an exemption has been made in Article 13 specifically for memes and GIFs. If a meme or a GIF is used "for purposes of quotation, criticism, review, caricature, parody and pastiche," it won't be deemed as copyright infringement.
Related: How will Article 13 impact Twitch?
While this new law directly impacts Europeans, anyone on the internet will feel the consequences of Article 13. If a streamer on Twitch living outside of Europe posts content they don't have the rights to, channels could be potentially blocked from European viewers, which limits the number of total viewers that the streamer could be getting.
The same can be said for esports tournaments, where something as simple as a fan holding up a sign of a famous person's face or content in the crowd could potentially have dire consequences in the long run.
For now, the law isn't fully in effect. Article 13 changes won't come into law until 2021 across all European countries and can be amended or even contested over the course of the next few years. If Article 13 isn't altered over the next two years, many content creators fear they will be negatively impacted.
© 2019 Dot Esports

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Insurance contracts. The FASB continued its discussions on the insurance contracts project by considering the accounting for investment contracts with discretionary participation features.
The FASB tentatively decided that investment contracts with discretionary participation features should not be included within the scope of the insurance contracts standard unless the contract meets the definition of insurance.
The FASB and the IASB will continue their joint discussions on insurance contracts in the week of March 19, 2012.
Agenda decision announcement: definition of a nonpublic entity. The FASB chairman announced that she added a project to the Board's technical agenda that will reexamine the definition of a nonpublic entity. The chairman's decision was based on comments from stakeholders requesting clarification of the existing definitions and ongoing questions about which definition of a nonpublic entity was being used in various projects. There also is a similar need for clarity on the definition of a nonpublic entity with respect to the private company decision-making framework that the staff has been developing. This project will provide an opportunity to simplify the definition of a nonpublic entity, address a few known practice issues, and help to identify the scope of entities that would be considered in future discussion about potential differences in requirements for nonpublic entities.


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Ian Somerhalder & Nina Dobrev Split Inevitable, According To Pal
By Roberta Ferguson
We weren't all that shocked to learn that Vampire Diaries co-stars and real life couple Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev called it quits. In fact, it was common knowledge that the former couple were having problems for quite some time now.
Now that they have gone their separate ways, folks are wondering what exactly happened! Was there cheating? Did work come in between their relationship? What is going on?!?
They'd been together for three years and were really good friends beforehand, but their mutual friends say that there isn't any bad blood between them at all. A snitch said, "There was no mean spiritedness behind either of their motives. The relationship kind of brewed out of a friendship and the fact that they had to get into a romance for the show."
The source added that the breakup was "inevitable". Of course, they are professionals and will continue to work together on the show. In fact, they are remaining amicable despite a tweet that Ian put out there yesterday which had us scratching our heads. He tweeted, "A thought for today: 'People change and forget to tell each other.'"
Another rumor making the rounds is that he wanted to get married, but she wasn't looking for that. What do you think happened? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Photo Credit: Fame/Flynet
Roberta Ferguson325 posts62 comments
jody says 9 years ago
two famewhores
Diane says 9 years ago
It's there business leave it alone the truth will come out sometime. I just hope he plays Christian Grey he is so dam sexy.


Precisely how much money is to be made with this 'alternative'?, one would possibly ask. The reply is simple: not that much. Many of the illicit earnings made via Lyoness disappear into the pockets of its instigators. With the great help of David Brear , the Lyoness Complaint Centre has managed to lay its arms on important proof that ought to be an eye fixed-opener for everybody concerned with, or planning to get involved with Lyoness.
Common tax price: Taxes as a fraction of income; total taxes divided by complete taxable earnings. Hello, Wayseeker – thanks in your very generous feedback! Most of this data is from a whole lot of research and from workung with or interbieeing enterprise owners as a marketing consultant or as a author. I love individuals who create a marketing strategy, build on their idea and venture out into the world with it! Many thanks, once more, for studying and sharing your thoughts.


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Friday, September 29 • 10:30am - 11:30am
Traveling the Solar System with C++: Programming Rocket Science
Spacecraft travel our solar system with exquisite accuracy. It is almost commonplace to learn that a spacecraft hit bullseye to within a few seconds after over a decade of space travel. How do we do that? What does it entail to design and operate the trajectory of a spacecraft? Newton, Kepler, Einstein, Tsiolkovsky, Battin and many others gave us beautiful mathematical models of the universe. Beautiful, yes, but also perversely complex.
Without hope for analytical solutions, we must rely on numerical methods. Initially, numerical methods were executed by hand (people known as "The Computers"). Eventually we adopted electronic computers, and entered a multi-decade period of Fortran domination.
Over the last decade, we have been experiencing increased adoption of C++. Organizations feel attracted to C++'s uncompromising performance, and its ability to abstract away the overwhelming complexity of spacecraft trajectory calculations. But it has not been an easy move! For example: luminaries of the field are stuck in Fortran, and current Engineering schools seldom offer any C++ education.
As advanced scientific concepts require increasingly complex spacecraft trajectories, we see a bright future for C++ in this field. But we must be proactive in attracting, accommodating, and educating the current generation of engineers and scientists.
Juan Arrieta
CEO, Nabla Zero Labs
Juan holds a BSc (2002) in chemical engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City, Mexico) and a PhD (2007) from Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, USA), where his work focused on numerical optimization applied to spacecraft trajectory design. Upon concluding his... Read More →
Friday September 29, 2017 10:30am - 11:30am
Level Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert
Tags rocket science, scientific computing


High Traffic great visibility property on Meighan Blvd! Medical/Office building with 50 feet road frontage. Parking in the front and the back for customers and employees. This office space features 5 exams rooms, an office, a lab and two storage rooms and 3 bathrooms. Convenient to downtown Gadsden, also accessible by Garner Street.


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Rainbow Generator, Australia
Rainbow Generator - Dance of the Spheres. 1978 Fission Chips.
Well, I'm finally back here. Seems spending time with the stereo is getting harder and harder to do. Unfortunately my job is highly transactional and social, and when not onsite, is entirely conducted by phone. Not a conducive environment to solo pursuits like listening to music that's for sure. I try to reserve evenings for a little solitude and music. The wife has other ideas sometimes.
The other day I mentioned 3 unknown monsters and one goodie to report. This is the goodie. I've heard about Rainbow Generator for years, but somewhere along the line I either read or understood that they were a mechanical Systems styled electronic band. That peculiar genre of minimalistic sound sculpturing is way too static for me. However, Rainbow Generator is no such thing. They are in fact a highly inventive electronic meets space rock band. In some ways, they're like fellow countrymen Cybotron, though Rainbow Generator do not pursue the obvious Tangerine Dream temptations. With the electric guitar explosions, female and male semi-singing/narrations, didgeridoo, and synthesizer solos - Rainbow Generator conjure up images closer to that of the Cosmic Courier clan. They do use a very primitive drum machine, but it oddly recalls Klaus Schulze's "Picture Music" than anything associated with the cheesy 1980s experiments that were to be hoisted on us. Really swell stuff here for old school space rock heads like me.
See the comments for updates from the band!
Labels: Priority 2, Rainbow Generator
Bahamas, France
Bahamas – Le Voyageur Immobile. 1976 Motors.
Song based progressive pop music sung in French. Relatively harmless, but does feature a few truly inspired progressions hidden within the commercial attempts. Nice organ and bluesy guitar leads are interspersed throughout. Not dissimilar to how the US groups operated in the mid to late 70s. Or perhaps one can be forgiven thinking of this album as a French Alan Parsons Project. Features a beautiful gatefold cover.
Posted by Purple Peak Records at 8:00 AM 4 comments:
Labels: Bahamas, Priority 3
Stefan Zauner, Germany
Stefan Zauner - Narziss. 1976 Ariola.
Stefan Zauner - Prisms and Views. 1978 Teldec.
So now I have 3 monsters to tell you about (coming soon!), plus one goodie I heard last night that I should be able to post about tomorrow (I need to hear it one more time). Anyway, let's continue the clearing house of the main list. I really don't care for these Zauner albums much, but I don't think they're worthless either.
Zauner was a figure involved with the late 70's Amon Duul II albums, and that's clearly not at their best stage. With that in mind, Zauner's own solo albums show enormous potential but fall considerably short. Narziss is the more interesting, as it features German lyrics and more quality synthesizer solos ala Banks. The tone of his voice and the overall structure of some of the compositions point to a love of the early 70s Genesis albums. But there are far too many other elements at play here to call this a progressive rock album - mostly it's straight ahead vocal rock. Prisms and Views falls further down the drain, now singing in English and pretty much tossing all progressive ambitions out the window. I owned this record many years ago, and sold it as quickly as I bought it. This revisit proved that was not a mistake.
Priority: none
Labels: Priority none, Stefan Zauner
A Paradise is Born, Germany
A Paradise is Born - s/t. 1978 TTS Records.
Following on my lead yesterday with Sustain, I'm going to start featuring albums from the main list that never received their own post. I will use these as "gap fillers" while I await some free time to checkout the great music already sent in from The AC, MM, SF and others.
Most of these albums are in the folk or fusion category, styles I didn't feature exclusively in the past. While still not my personal favorite genres, I know many of my audience here are dedicated fans. As hinted at prior, we still have 2 monsters to inform you all of, that I'm very excited about.
I first heard A Paradise is Born back in my cassette tape trading days of the early to mid 1990s. Below are my notes from the last listen back in 2007 or so:
German folky with dual male/female vocals, that sounds more English in execution (and language of course). Parallels to Carol Of Harvest can be found, but without the progressive elements. Some nice electric guitar leads. File next to Stone Angel.
You will sometimes find this album under the name Richard Abt. This album is still largely unknown and very obscure.
Labels: A Paradise is Born, Priority none
News: The Laser's Edge to reissue Hermann Szobel!
The news continues to fly in this January. Ken has officially announced the reissue of this rare title from Arista. We featured this album long ago. You have to love an album that features the Flatiron building (maybe my favorite skyscraper architecture ever).
Ken is still determining if best fit is on his flagship TLE label or the fusion oriented Free Electric Sound. This will not be a Modulus release.
Excellent news!
Posted by Purple Peak Records at 2:10 PM 1 comment:
Labels: 2012, Hermann Szobel, Laser's Edge, News
Sustain, Netherlands
Sustain - s/t. 1978 private.
As mentioned on the Rhea spot, I realized I never posted about Sustain. It's definitely not a big deal, but given its rarity, I should at least put the word out. I first heard the album about 7 years ago, and had it buried in the main list.
Sustain's debut is one of those big time rarities that have collectors turning every stone over for. And when you finally here it, you go "What? That's it?" Sustain are about as generic as it gets. Slow to mid tempo rock/jazz tracks, amateur thin production, slightly spacey textures, poorly executed accented English vocals, some mild sax and guitar leads. I suppose if you listen to some other Dutch/Flemish albums from the era, like Flyte and Isopoda perhaps, you can get an idea of their sound, though not as professional as either. It's not that it is terrible or anything, but it's hard to imagine ANYONE getting too worked up about it. It's just so... so.... so....
Labels: Priority none, Sustain
Matao (with Atilla Engin), Denmark
Matao (with Atilla Engin) - Turkish Delight. 1980 Ra Records RALP-6046
Another insane obscurity from The Alaskan Connection. As noted by the AC, Atilla Engin is a Turkish percussionist who landed in Denmark and formed a fusion group. My first thought was this is Engin's response to Oriental Wind (who were based in Sweden)! But Matao are a more fiery bunch with a strong rock component (especially in the guitar work), verse the more decidedly jazz direction of Okay Temiz's group. As if a Turkish drummer suddenly took over Secret Oyster. Not surprisingly, there's a strong slant towards Middle Eastern melodies and scales. The AC's observation about the Rock Andaluz scene in Spain is very astute as well. Another excellent discovery and well worth a CD.
The AC says: "Atilla Engin is a Turkish drummer/percussionist who emigrated to Denmark in the 1970s and formed the band Matao with local Danish musicians. It seems they only stayed together long enough to record this one LP, but what an LP it is! This actually has some similarities with the Louis Banks/Sangam record I covered recently, in that it's an intense sort of ethnic jazz-rock fusion with a strong percussive drive, but obviously in this case with Turkish influences rather than Indian. But what really sets Matao apart and pushes this album over the top is the heavy dose of complex instrumental progressive rock that they throw into the mix, often achieving a sound that bears striking resemblance to some of the classic "Rock Andaluz" groups from Spain. In fact, one of the tracks here is actually named "Rain In Spain", so that style may have been a real influence on them rather than just a strange coincidence. In any case, this is a truly choice blend here. The musicianship and production are superb, and on top of that it's a fairly lengthy LP (over 45 minutes), but remains entirely consistent all the way through, with nary a dull moment or duff track to be heard. A real gem in my opinion, that unfortunately seems almost completely unknown. After Matao broke up, Engin formed a new band (still in Denmark) called the Atilla Engin Group. Their first album, "Nazar" (1982), while not nearly at the level of this one, is also worth tracking down."
Another serious rarity. Not listed in RYM(our friend Isabel has now added it!). As with many of these titles from the AC, I personally added this to our Gnosis database.
Priority: 3 (borderline 2 - probably a couple of more listens and I'll be there!)
Posted by Purple Peak Records at 7:39 AM 1 comment:
Labels: Matao (with Atilla Engin), Priority 3
Rhea, Switzerland
Rhea - Sad Sorceress. 1980 private (HD 363).
And here it is - probably one of the most mythical of the sought-after releases by progressive rock fans around the world. I first heard of this title about 5 years ago from Heavyrock. Once I started to search for it, I realized it was on tons of want lists, including from some of the world's largest collectors (which would include Heavyrock!). So it sat on my want list untouched - until now. Of course, leave it to the Alaskan Connection to turn this one up. When it comes to digging for rare treasure, he has no peer.
And with that fanfare out of the way, let's reveal the big secret....
.... exciting isn't it? ....
.... Tom pulls back the curtain....
Oh NO! It's a banana creme pie! (Let's Make a Deal anyone?)
While listening to Rhea I was most reminded of another treasure I hunted down for years: Sustain** from the Netherlands.
There were a few of these kind of European progressive rock acts in the late 1970s and early 80s. Long on ideas, but short on execution. You can tell they had talent, but without the major label funding and expertise, the level of professionalism was incredibly lacking. So I thought it was very astute of the AC to call out Schakta below, as that's a very apt comparison. They are both: From 1980, Swiss, amateurish, feature cool covers, nominally progressive, and mythical for collectors. In fact, Schakta was one of my top curiosities throughout the 1990s, after first hearing about it in a 1980s issue of Marquee Magazine (Japan). My review of Schakta here.
All the same, I enjoyed this album a bit more than both Sustain and Schakta (though hardly worthy of a CD reissue). It is quite charming in its ineptitude. The melodies are not bad, and I enjoyed the organ work - which was surprisingly good. Perhaps this latter element is the separator. Most of these type of albums rely heavily on thin sounding string synths (there is that too though).
So for every Genshi-Kyodotai, there are 5 Rhea's. That is to say, for every mythical album that is great, there are 5 that are hardly worth bothering with.
So unfortunately we have no choice but to demystify Rhea. Certainly my words alone will not stop the search, nor would I recommend that. But just be prepared: Rhea isn't going to be the next Dun or Kultivator.
Don't fret - we have at least two unknown monsters to talk about in the coming days. A few things behind the scenes are being worked out first.
Here are the excellent liner notes from The AC: "Swiss private press mega-rarity that has haunted the want lists of many a prog collector for years. The only problem is that it's not very good. The stumbling, amateurish musicianship and shaky, heavily accented female vocals are no treat to begin with, but are even further marred by a lo-fi, barely produced "live in the studio" sound that quickly grates on the ears. To put it in Swiss progressive terms, these guys make Schakta sound like Flame Dream in comparison. Most of the material is very basic and song-oriented, with only one brief instrumental that doesn't exactly light the world on fire either. About the only highlight here is the lengthy second track, "Going Through the Time To Live", with its droning organ and depressingly morbid lyrics, which has a sort of anachronistic proto-prog feel. I'm afraid it's all down-hill from there, though. At least the typically crude hand-drawn fantasy sleeve art is kind of cool, but that's only going to take you so far. In any case, the band seems to have been from the French speaking part of Suisse, and the album was recorded in Montreux. Oh, the irony..."
** Hmm... I just realized I never posted about Sustain separately. I'll take care of that later. Believe me, you're missing nothing with that album.
Labels: Priority none, Rhea
News: Aztec working on Jackie Orszáczky's "Beramiada" album
Like the Steven Maxwell Von Braund, here's another one that Aztec is working on!
We featured this former Syrius and Bakery bass player's sole album here.
Labels: 2012, Aztec Records, Jackie Orszaczky, News
News: Musicbazz to reissue both Pete & Royce albums
And here's the first announcement from Musicbazz. I haven't heard the Pete & Royce (Greece) albums in ages, so I had them in the main list for a revisit. But I'll just buy the CD now! Spyros tells us: "The debut release, already pressed with only covers still pending, is the first two PETE & ROYCE albums on a single disk. Licensed directly from the band's leader Panos Tsiros and mastered by their original keyboardist Nick Ghinos who is a professional studio owner."
Suffering of Tomorrow (1980)
Days of Destruction (1981)
Labels: 2012, Musicbazz, News, Pete and Royce
News: Two new reissue labels launching soon!
I first got wind of this news from a regular reader on Saturday morning. By Sunday, I had full details. This is the most exciting industry news for the CDRWL since Ken started the Modulus label!
Long time friend and charter Gnosis member Spyros is involved with the new venture and he elaborates further: "A parent label baring the "Musicbazz" title and logo that will be dedicated to reissuing progressive, psych, folk, electronic stuff from 1965-1979. So as you can understand the musical style of the label will be somewhat multi-selective, covering a wide range of subgenres. The criteria will be simply "the greatest "unsung" albums from the aforementioned period still not on any CD or LP format".
"A sub-label called "Cosmic Eye" focusing on post 80s stuff in the acid folk, cosmic electronics, psych doom, neokraut, avant ambient, retro progressive & space rock fields. The scope is reissues/resurrection of very rare material (previously issued only on cassettes or CDrs with minuscule original distribution) or new and promising bands."
Wow! He shared with me some of the newer bands they are seeking out, and they're exactly the type of music I love most, and are featured prominently on my Under the Radar CD blog. I'm not sure where all of the albums he mentioned to me (reissues and new) stand contract-wise, so I will refrain from posting about them just yet.
In the next post, MusicBazz has announced a couple of titles from our main list!
Labels: 2012, Cosmic Eye (label), Musicbazz, News
News: Rictus debut to come out on Strawberry Rain!
Here's one that comes out of left field! Rictus band member Roland Brultey wrote in yesterday to let me know about this exciting development. I wasn't familiar with the Strawberry Rain label prior, and one look at their website showed a few other interesting releases, mostly from Indonesia. Apparently they are based in Canada, and it looks like a label worth following.
I asked Rol if the album was from the master tapes. His response: "No original tape, but a very good transfer and a restoring job which is made by one of the people restoring the Virgin and Atlantic catalogs. And on the CD, there will be bonus songs, and many photo's and an insert with the history of Rictus. I think that makes you happy guy!". And indeed it does makes me happy guy!
Thanks again to Rol for this exciting news. And to Carlos for the introduction!
We featured Rictus a little over 2 years ago.
November 2, 2012 update: From the label: "Reissue of a rare, 250 copy private press progressive rock album from France. Recorded on a 4 track Akai in the small town of Luxueil-les-Bains, this album was only sold at a few shows and in one local shop. Pressed at the small Le Kiosque D'Orphee pressing plant, this was truly a private offering with the band having made and glued the covers themselves. A long album, including the 14+ minute Theme Guerre, the music spans from lo-fi fuzz laden garage sounding numbers to strong progressive songs with numerous bridges and changes. Conceptually a Rock Opera, but plays like a full length progressive album that could rival anything from France at the time. Remastered with wonderful sound quality, this is sure to open the ears of many who've overlooked the band until now. Limited edition one time pressing in heavy paste-on sleeves, including insert full of photos and history of the band as told by Rol Brultey himself. LP limited to 550 copies, CD limited to 1000 and includes bonus songs not included on the original album. Shipping late this month, in shops by November 2012."
Labels: 2012, News, Rictus, Strawberry Rain
Irolt, Netherlands
Irolt - De Gudrun Sege. 1975 Philips.
Irolt - Kattekwea. 1977 Philips.
Irolt - De Smid Van Earnewald. 1979 Philips.
These three albums were sent in courtesy of StrawbsFan (thanks again!), one of our more dedicated folk experts. As stated prior, I'm not the world's most famous progressive folk fan, but I do have an appreciation of the genre. My issues probably stem from my early childhood when my old man would torture me with his Irish/Celtic folk collection (when I just assume go out and throw the baseball with him instead...) And we're not talking the good stuff either - I mean this was the hardcore gather-round-the-pub drunken singalong stuff. But after hearing bands like Mellow Candle and Hoelderlin's Traum, that provided a whole other dimension of the folk genre for me, and I know many of you out there are big fans, so I'll report what I can with my somewhat limited knowledge / palate.
To my ears, Irolt straddle the line between progressive and contemporary folk. This is primarily acoustic folk with inventive arrangements. In this way, they are to folk what fellow countrymen Flairck are to classical music. I love hearing the Dutch language (Oops - correction. Thanks to reader Bas - the language is West Frisian. More info here.) , something that is sadly missing in almost all of the region's progressive rock recordings. If pressed for comparisons, I was most reminded of the German band Ougenweide or perhaps even the first Emma Myldenberger album. These are the Germanic equivalents of Fairport Convention and Pentangle. Though there's not really much of a rock element present here at all. Very professional and worth seeking out for fans. And the album covers are pretty cool too!
Labels: Irolt, Priority none
News: Caldera's Sky Islands reissued in Japan
Been meaning to post this for a couple of days. Out of the same series (EMI Japan) that sees the reissues of The Fourth Way albums, comes the second Caldera album. The first album was reissued years ago in Europe on EMI (2004). I haven't gotten around to writing about any of these yet, though I put a placeholder in the main list last year (which is more than I did for The Fourth Way).
Posted by Purple Peak Records at 10:36 AM 1 comment:
Labels: 2012, Caldera, EMI (Japan), News
News: Esoteric February and March reissues
Nothing here caught my eye from my list, but I'm sure many of you will be interested in these titles. Esoteric always does a first class job and these will most likely be the best reissues to date.
"These are as follows
Terry Riley-A Rainbow in Curved Air
Terry Riley-In C
Jan Akkerman-Talent for sale
Gary Boyle-Electric Glide
Gary Boyle-The Dancer
Touch-Touch
Dave Brock-memos and demos
Hawkwind-It is the Business of the Future to be Dangerous
Februarys titles are
Matching Mole-s/t 2cd expanded
Matching Mole-Little Red Record-2cd expanded
Lindisfarne-Back and Forth
Lindisfarne-Magic in the Air
Bill Nelson -Luminous
Omnia Opera (Delerium)--Omnia Opera/Red Shift
Colosseum 11-Strange New Flesh
Tangerine Dream-Live Miles
March titles are
Sanguine Hum---Diving Bell with 3 bonus tracks--
Tangerine Dream-Electronic meditation
Tangerine Dream-Pergamon
Decameron-Say Hello to the Band
Todd Rundgren and Utopia--Disco Jets (first Cd release outside of japan)
David Bedford-Stars End
Jim Capaldi-Whale Meat Again
Jim Capaldi-Oh How we danced"
Labels: 2012, Esoteric, News
Tempo e Modo, Portugal
Tempo e Modo - Um Mundo a Construir. 1983? private.
This one comes courtesy of our friend Isabel at Prog Not Frog. I'd never even heard of this album, and one look at the cover had me intrigued. Given that they are of Portuguese origin and supposedly from 1980, I had presumed the album would be a symphonic fusion along the lines of Tantra and Ananga Ranga (which would have been great as well). But that's not really the case at all. Primarily it's a mixture of instrumental symphonic progressive rock combined with a distinct new wave element, that tilts the album towards the neo-prog camp. This latter style, as I've noted in prior posts, was quite a good genre in its early stages, and Tempo e Modo are an excellent example of it. Think early 80s IQ / Pendragon / Twelfth Night. The instrumental tracks are the highlight here, with a strong melodic content coupled with excellent guitar and keyboard runs. A very nice surprise. This is the kind of album Musea used to release in their prime. I keep hoping, perhaps naively so, that they will dip back into the reissue market.
The date commonly affixed to the album is 1980, but as noted in the YouTube video below, I also see 1983. And that does seem more like the logical date. Isabel also posted the back cover, but it doesn't indicate when it was recorded. Pure speculation on my part, but it sure does have that early 80s New Wave of British Progressive Rock thing going on.
The YouTube below gives you an idea of their "neo prog" sound. And to consider the instrumentals are even better, Tempo e Modo is a real nice find!
Oh, and be sure to read the comments from Dom. Excellent info- thanks!
Labels: Priority 3, Tempo e Modo
Robin Runge, USA
Robin Runge - Don't Give Up the Ship. 1974 QCA
Robin - Don't Give Up the Ship. 1977 Century
Labels: moved to UMR, Priority none, Robin Runge
Louis Banks' Sangam / Jazz Yatra Sextett, India
Louis Banks' Sangam - City Life. 1982 CBS (UK).
Also released in Germany as Jazz Yatra Sextett - Sangam on Eigelstein Musikproduktion.
Oh man, I'm so far behind. There are so many great rarities to talk about, but I'm struggling to get up for air and hear them. The Alaskan Connection has turned in some mighty fine gems in the last few weeks - which I'm sure most of you will be interested in. As mentioned at the beginning of the year, the real job is starting to heat up, so time is becoming an even more precious commodity. OK on to the show - let's see if I can get a few of these out anyway.
Back in the 1980s, one of my favorite discoveries was Embryo's Reise (1980 Germany). Embryo was only a name I'd seen in passing to that point, and so I took a chance on this sprawling double album that documented their musical and literal journey through Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Even to this day, I think it's one of the most successful East meets West blending of styles. A true fusion of cultures. Back then, I had presumed perhaps there may be similar bands from the regions they had ventured to. 25 years on, without much evidence to support that theory, I had pretty much given up hope.
Until The Alaskan Connection sent in this gem from Louis Banks' Sangam. Certainly I'm familiar with L. Subramanian, Vasant Rai and others, but its clear right from the get-go that Banks' album is different - much more of the underground rock fusion that Embryo had provided my ears years earlier - and as you will read below, that is not coincidental. Not all of the ideas on the Sangam album work or flow perfectly, but it's exciting to know that an indigenous artist from India was exploring the vast reaches of the 70s jazz and rock underground.
Here are the fantastic "liners", as it were, from The AC:
CBS: IND 1006, 1982, UK
"Louis Banks (real name Dambar Bahadur Budaprithi), is an Indian jazz pianist who's worked with some of the big names in the jazz/fusion scene, including John McLaughlin. In the early 80s he got together with percussionist Ramesh Shotham and a group of musicians from the Karnataka College of Percussion to form the band Sangam, with the clear goal of mixing jazz-rock fusion with the virtuosic traditional music of India. They went on tour in Europe, and ended up collaborating with Embryo, who Shotham (the composer of all of Sangam's material) would play with off and on throughout the 80s. The group apparently didn't stay together for too long, but their album, recorded in Munich and co-produced by Christian Burchard, is a great piece of classic jazz-rock/ethnic fusion that has remained surprisingly obscure, despite its notable lineage. The first side is dominated by a massive, nearly side-long track, reaching a frenzied level of intensity that will leave your head spinning. Things calm down and get a bit moodier after that, but the standard remains very high throughout. Now, the strange thing here is that there are actually two different versions of this album. The first was released on the small German label Eigelstein under the title "Jazz Yatra Sextet", followed less than a year later by the CBS version reviewed here. Having heard both of them, I can say that the track orders are completely different, as are some of the track lengths, although the recordings themselves seem mostly identical. I'm only speculating here, but I think what might have happened is that once they received a little bit of exposure in Europe and got signed to a major label, they decided to re-arrange the material a bit to better suit their liking. However, the CBS version actually seems to be the rarer of the two, oddly enough."
Not listed in RYM (oh good, it's there now - Isabel added it!)
Labels: Jazz Yatra Sextett, Louis Banks' Sangam, Priority 3
News: P-Vine (Japan) to release Marc Moulin; Plus
Perhaps not surprising news, given that the Placebo albums have recently been given the royal treatment from P-Vine. March 14th is the projected release date for Moulin's 1975 album "Sam Suffy". Personally I think the album is a slight step down from the Placebo albums, but still quite good.
As well, P-Vine will be releasing a very rare 1972 album by the Belgian group Plus. I haven't heard this album, though it appears to be in a similar vein - and there is some cross-pollination between the groups. Plus is also scheduled to be released on 3/14.
Labels: 2012, Marc Moulin, News, P-Vine, Plus (Belgium)
News: Creole Stream (Japan) reissues Svenska Löd AB!
This is the second album we've run across from the mysterious Japanese label Creole Stream (the other was the German jazz rock obscurity Namaz). Since Heavyrock owns that CD I was able to review it, and it looks entirely legit. Still, I was hesitant to rush this news off until I checked with a music industry friend in Japan. He said he wasn't sure about Creole Stream. So I think we'll consider them legit until we hear otherwise.
Reader Bacoso also wrote in to let us know about this reissue. I'm definitely going to pick it up for myself.
We featured this album nearly two years ago when I thought the name of the band was Horselmat.
Labels: 2012, Creole Stream, News, Svenska Löd AB
News: EMI Japan reissues 2 of the 3 Fourth Way albums
That header sounds like a math formula doesn't it? This news comes courtesy of Mike M. via Laser Ken. I'm not sure why I never put The Fourth Way into the CDRWL - as I own the vinyl of Werwolf and it definitely fits our scope. Fourth Way are yet another band who were really jazzers but experimented with rock textures and instrumentation.
So the debut and the third album "Werwolf" have been reissued. No word on the live album "The Sun and Moon Have Come Together" which was recorded in 1968, but not released until 1970 (and according to a comment below - was reissued in 2010 on a label called Take 5 - thanks for the info!).
Labels: 2012, EMI (Japan), Fourth Way, News
VSOP, Japan
VSOP - s/t. 1973 London / King.
Ahhhh, finally a band from Japan that doesn't require me to type a book as the title! :-)
Here's the last of the Japanese rarities sent in by The Alaskan Connection, though we have a few more non-Japanese albums to cover, including one that's a total mindblower! For me anyway...
VSOP are a fairly typical early 70s blend of blues rock and various other styles. Side 1 is a pedestrian "trail mix" of genres, whereas Side 2 has a nice raw, grungy underground feel about it (and it's a live concert recording). This latter element recalls the Argentinian blues psych scene such as Pappo's Blues or Cuero.
Fortunately for us, The AC has provided a much more insightful review:
"London/King Record (Pop Shop): SKD (L) 1018, 1973, Japan
1 - Shizuka da kara
2 - Ame
3 - Omiyage
4 - Henji wa Irimasen
5 - Tengoku e Ikou
(Recorded Live 3/31/73)
1 - Haru
2 - Yuuwaku sarete
3 - Shinkyokushoukai:
- Chotto dake yo (Taboo)
- Shizuka da kara
4 - Kami ni Sugaru Yowaki Mono ni Utau Uta
Hard rock/heavy psych rarity by this largely unknown unit. Led by guitarist/vocalist Kazumi Mukai, they manage to kick up a pretty good racket here. The first side is a regular studio recording and runs the gamut from blazing guitar-led heavy rock to psych ballads, standard blues rock, etc, and features some fine songwriting throughout. The action really picks up on side two, a live concert recording from early '73. Long, jamming tracks filled with blistering heavy fuzz guitar soloing that will peel the paint off your walls if played at the proper volume. A very good album in this style, and should be a lot more well-known. Cool cover art, too. They also released an even more obscure second LP in 1975 called "Epilogue", which I haven't heard but apparently saw them heading in a less interesting pop-rock direction, as well as a few singles."
And like The AC, I love albums that peel the paint off the wall! Would be interesting to know if they had some archival material from this era.
Labels: Priority none, VSOP
Galorn, France
Galorn - s/t (aka Jezaig). 1978 Velia
Galorn - s/t (aka Sands et Derobee). 1980 Velia
This one comes in courtesy of StrawbsFan, who has sent in a nice batch of folk and electronic rarities that we'll also be covering this month.
Galorn are one of many participants in the 1970s/80 Breton folk scene. I haven't really focused too much on the genre for the CDRWL (though I own my share of Malicorne albums), but I do have some peppered throughout the main list and a few more featured on the blog. And while the music is no doubt folk first and foremost, there are underground progressive elements in all of these albums to crossover to our interest area. I'll probably pull a few more out to feature over time.
I've only heard the first album to date, but it's on the darker side of the genre. This isn't gather by the campfire and put-your-hands-together music. Rather these are musical representations of the mystical Dark Ages. The kind of sound that might keep you up all night if you're easily spooked. Violin, flute, acoustic guitar, hand percussion and bass make up the instrument palette, and the atmosphere is misty and haunting. The album cover itself (top one) gives a pretty good idea of the contents within.
Labels: Galorn, Priority none
Toshio Tanioka / Tom & Jerrys, Japan
Toshio Tanioka / Tom & Jerrys - Nippon Minyou In New Country. 1972 Tam (Toho)
Toshio Tanioka / Tom & Jerrys - Human Being. 1973 Tam (Toho)
Here are a couple more major Japanese rarities sent in by the Alaskan Connection. This is stuff you can't find listed anywhere (including Rate Your Music). The 70s Japanese underground continues to reveal mysterious recordings not heard of prior. We're in 1600's era exploration mode for the modern age.
I'll admit that many of these albums are difficult to absorb at first. Similar to how we were first able to listen to Zeuhl or Krautrock or Canterbury. At some point all of us into experimental music made a leap from normal convention. To illustrate what I mean, perhaps I should use a food reference. It should come as no surprise that I'm also very much into exploring restaurants as well as trying new beers. One thing you notice over the years is tolerance for different flavors and styles. In effect, you train your palate to be able to distinguish the various ingredients and tastes. I feel the same about music. One has to train their ear palate as it were.
For this particular brand of Japanese rock music, my ear palate is untrained. I have a particular aversion to anything "country", and yet I found both of these albums fascinating. Tanioka has a smooth voice, almost like Marty Robbins (my Old Man had a pretty large C&W collection, so I do have some background knowledge of the genre). As well, harmonica is an instrumental that usually has me coiling in despair, and yet here it has a gratifying Spaghetti Western scene setting mood about it. There's also plenty of loose underground rock sections as well, so this isn't something out of scope.
The Alaskan Connection, on the other hand, has an advanced ear palate for this genre. So that's one reason (of many) on why I copy in his reviews- especially for those that are right there with him. So take it away AC!
Toshio Tanioka & Tom & Jerrys - Nippon Minyou In New Country
Tam (Toho): MX-4001, 1972, Japan
Toshio Tanioka - Violin, Guitar, Harmonica. Taisho-Goto, Percussion
Kazuo Mizobuchi - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Yuichiro Toyama - Electric Guitar. Acoustic Guitar
Iwao Tsujita - Electric Bass, Piano, Cembalo
Shotaro Tanaka - Drums, Percussion
1 - Soran-bushi
2 - Tabaru-zaka
3 - Kobiki-uta
4 - Taue-uta
5 - Dompam-bushi
6 - Suisen no Hana
7 - Kiso-bushi
1 - Itsuki no Komori-uta
2 - Tairyo utaikomi
3 - Chamomi-uta
4 - Kuroda-bushi
5 - Asadoya Yunta
6 - Aizu-Bandaisan
7 - Kokiriko
Toshio Tanioka & Tom & Jerrys - Human Being (Ningen De Aru Koto)
Tam (Toho): AX-4005, 1973, Japan
Toshio Tanioka - Violin
Yuichiro Toyama - Electric Guitar
Iwao Tsujita - Electric Bass
Shotaro Tanaka - Drums
Kazuko Katagiri - Lyrics
1 - Yukidoke
2 - Mike to Tama
3 - Kaminari
4 - Rengesou to Tentoumushi
5 - Okiwasureta Natsu
1 - Akimatsuri
2 - Taian Kichijitsu
3 - Asamoya no Naka de
4 - Furikaereba
5 - Kamakura
Toshio Tanioka is a violinist who made the rounds as a studio session-man in the early 70s Japanese rock scene, even scoring a playing credit on Yosui Inoue's "Koori no Sekai", probably the biggest selling Japanese pop/rock album of the entire decade. Soon afterward, he struck out on his own as the leader of the group Tom & Jerrys. Initially conceived as something of a country-rock band (American country music having a surprisingly large following in Japan), what they ultimately came up with bore scant resemblance to that style. You'll notice from the title of their first LP that, much like the Jirou Inagaki "Dousojin" album which I recently covered, this is another attempt at fusing traditional Japanese "minyou" folk songs with the emerging New Rock movement (or in this case "New Country", confirming their self image as a country-rock band). However, far from standard Japanese folk styles and even farther from any kind of country music you might have heard, the concoction they brewed up here is an exquisite mixture of deep, earthy Japanese folk-rock and languid jazzy psych that is nothing short of extraordinary. There's an incredible emotional depth to this work, something that's very hard to put into words. Each note is perfectly placed, seemingly filled with a deeper meaning related to the whole. The songs are compact and precise, with no wasted or excessive effort, but still fluid and expansive, filled with fascinating small details and nimble musical diversions. Kazuo Mizobuchi's vocals are incredibly beautiful, calm and reflective but filled with melancholy. All of these elements weave together to create an elevated, almost sacred atmosphere that seems to emanate from the very soul of old Japan. A haunting masterpiece which words fail to adequately describe.
Now, how does a group of mere mortals follow up such a transcendent work of art, merely a year later? Well, there's no way they really can, but "Human Being" is still a wonderful album in its own right. Leaving the traditional adaptations behind and concentrating on their own compositions, they created a fully realized concept album using the passing of seasons as an analogy for growing up and aging. A more light-hearted folk-rock sound predominates, and at times their country-rock roots finally come to the fore. But the musical imagination, impeccable performances, and focus on creating a unified whole all make this much, much more appealing than that description might imply. A subtle undercurrent of psychedelia is still present, and the many interesting sound effects and sonic colors evoke a palpable atmosphere, creating a sort of received nostalgia for a childhood spent in the rural Japan of an era long since passed. Aside from these albums, the group also appeared on the soundtrack of the film "Nippon Sanjuushi", which resulted in a single featuring a couple more original songs.
These LPs were both released on the Tam label, a subsidiary of the famous Toho film studios. Japanese prog fans might recognize this as the same label that also released the excellent Yasuo Inada and Bemi Family LP, but that minor classic is practically growing on trees compared to the mind-numbing level of rarity we're dealing with here. Even in Japan, these incredible albums are almost completely unknown. I sincerely hope that this lamentable situation will be rectified by a full reissue campaign at some point in the future. But until that time, Toshio Tanioka & Tom & Jerrys will remain one of Japan's greatest buried musical treasures.
Serious rarities for sure. And we've covered the Yasuo Inada and Bemi Family here on the CDWRL prior.
Labels: Priority none, Toshio Tanioka / Tom Jerrys
Mio Hani / Osamu Kitajima, Japan
Mio Hani / Osamu Kitajima - Mio to Juuippiki no Neko. 1972 Warner Pioneer.
Now here's an odd bird! Mio Hani is a 7 year old girl who pretty much recites non-stop throughout the whole album about her 11 cats - in Japanese of course. So it's basically a children's record... BUT... with the psychedelic band Far Out providing the background music. I won't lie to you, this one's a tough listen. However I think plenty of folks out there will be interested in this one, especially some of the darker fuzz laden moments towards the end of the album.
As usual, The Alaskan Connection writes a far better review and detail (not to mention providing the music itself!):
"Mio Hani was a young girl whose father was film director Susumu Hani, known mostly for his French-style New Wave films of the 1960s. In the early 70s, he apparently decided to give his little girl a star turn, casting her in the leading role of his latest film, "Yousei No Uta" (known simply as "Mio" in the west), a Japanese/Italian/French co-production (you can actually watch the whole thing on Youtube, just search for "Mio Hani"). Undeterred by its relative lack of success, he pressed on, conceiving an integrated media tie-in which included a children's book full of Mio's photographs and poems, as well as this unusual children's record of the same name. The whole concept behind this thing seems to be her obsession with cats and the strange fantasy dream-world that she inhabits with them. Anyway, her father decided to charge Osamu Kitajima with the job of providing musical backing for Mio's silly little songs/poems and odd ramblings, who naturally brought along his buddy Fumio Miyashita and the rest of the nascent Far Out (who had already released a single and appeared on the "Rock Age Concert" compilation and were just about to record their debut LP) to help him out. The end result is a concept album of sorts, although full comprehension will obviously be lost on those who don't speak Japanese (I can say that the lyrics are often quite amusing, for what it's worth). Musically, the best way to describe this is as a children's folk-rock album, although that doesn't really do it justice. It flows quite nicely through a variety of moods, and there are lots of neat little psychedelic touches going on in the background, if you listen closely. Occasionally (primarily on side two), the whole band gets brought in for a bit of Far Out-style psych/prog jamming, although that only lasts for a few minutes in total. Overall, it's probably closer to the Fumio & Osamu "Shinchuugoku" LP that was released around the same time than Far Out, but I honestly like this one a lot more. Maybe my brain was warped from watching too much of Carole and Paula's "The Magic Garden" as a young child back then, but I find the whole "psychedelic 70s kids show" atmosphere highly appealing. Comes in a really nice gatefold with an illustrated booklet."
And our friend Isabel copied this review from Tilapia Records of Japan into RYM:
"Mio Hani & Osamu Kitajima with Fumio Miyashita, SAYU EIICHI, ISHIKAWA KEI and ARAI MINAMI (basically Far Out backing up): "Mio To 11 Piki no Neko" (Warner – L-8014W) Hideously rare and impossible to get Japanese psychedelic masterpiece by ex-Far Out and Far East Family Band main man assisting a 7 year old kid on his trip through the love and death of 11 beloved cats. Basically this by Osamu Kitajima produced album was completely backed up by the band Far Out, who did not record their eponymous album until the following year in 1973 but their slowly acidic drenched lysergic jamming is already present on this monster album, only to fully explode when the second side rolls in and which they would perfect for their sole album the following year. The whole affair starts off with a distinct Far Out vibe backing up this young kid singing and talking about her cats. So basically this is a children's disc where the musicians are tripped out lysergic gunslingers and although it may be deceptively innocent at beginning to dive into this album, it slowly grows darker and darker and acidic intoned. Mio starts singing off in an upbeat, playful and joyous style, interrupted by instrumental breaks where she lovingly raps away about her beloved cats. The scenery is almost folky but with some stoned laidback vibes shimmering throughout. The mood is light, upbeat and optimistic but as soon as side a draws to a close and side b begins the whole affair gets darker and darker as one of the cats gets sick and eventually dies, sucking you into a distorted perceptive and hallucinational vortex of slow bubbling paranoid dementia. And on that moment the true lysergic downer jam-infested riffage of the backing band comes shining through, revealing the true identity of the hired, longhaired acidic gunslingers that are Far Out in the making. Just a splendid record that till this day is still undetected by non-Japanese psychedelic music lovers. The reason for this is that it is a hideously rare album and that it basically always got rightly labeled as a children's album but no one bothered to point out the lysergic nature of this gem. Largely unknown, but mind-blowingly great, this is one of my all-time treasured and favorite Japanese children/ psychedelic/ hybrid records of all time. Just never shows up on these shores since the album sold so depressingly badly upon its release that only a handful copies remain in circulation. Still affordable at a cheap price until a larger crowd will get air of it and push it through the roof. Just a massive disc and possibly the one to pick up out of this list. Filled with great acid deranged guitar licks and that will please everyone who is into Far Out and Far East Family Band discs. Simply a MUST!!!!! Price: 600 Euro"
Labels: Mio Hani / Osamu Kitajima, Priority none
Jiro Inagaki / Soul Media, Japan *** REISSUED ***
Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media - Dousojin (Yabunirami Minyoukou). 1972 Columbia
*** Reissued by Columbia April 2015 ***
Here are the details from the AC, with his usual fantastic review:
"Nippon Columbia: NCB-7017 (Adventure In Sound series), 1972, Japan
Jirou Inagaki & Soul Media (Music) Yasushi Sawada (Vocals) Yasuhiro Koyama (Composer, Arranger)
Side 1: 1 - Inanome 2 - Kigishi 3 - Susomi 4 - Kusakahi 5 - Arisobe
Side 2: 1 - Tabute 2 - Sasara 3 - Yabunirami No Isan
Saxophonist and band leader Jirou Inagaki was a familiar face to Japanese jazz audiences in the 1970s, putting in countless hours as a studio session man, collaborating with most of the other big names on the scene, and fronting his own group, the Soul Media. Their early 70s catalogue is a real mixed bag of serious jazz (including collaborations with luminaries such as Masahiko Satoh and Hiromasa Suzuki), exploitation/covers LPs and a few albums worth of easy-going jazz-funk, such as "Head Rock" and "Woodstock Generation", which unsurprisingly later found favor with the hipster DJ types, leading to easily available CD reissues. However, in the midst of all this they also produced one album that should hold great interest to fans of progressive and psychedelic rock. Would it surprise you to hear that it also just happens to be horrendously rare and virtually unknown? No, I didn't think so. In any case, "Dousojin" (a type of Shinto fertility deity, often depicted on stone statues such as those seen on the album cover) is yet another attempt at fusing traditional Japanese music with "New Rock", in this case an interesting fusion of prog/psych and a uniquely Japanese sort of folk-rock. The songs, arranged by composer Yasuhiro Koyama (who also penned one side of Toshiyuki Miyama's "Tsuchi No Ne", another of Columbia's "Adventure In Sound" albums), are all actually variations and elaborations on traditional Japanese "minyou", old folk songs known to people all across Japan for countless generations. The whole album flows very nicely, running seamlessly from solemn folky songs to fuzz-guitar and piano led progressive pieces and back again, always maintaining a deeply Japanese atmosphere. The musicianship and production are both top-notch, as well. Another of Japan's truly excellent "lost" albums, terribly rare and barely known even in its own homeland. Hopefully a proper CD reissue will rescue this from obscurity someday, as I believe it could have wide appeal to fans of prog/psych, folk-rock, and enthusiasts of Japanese music in general."
Labels: Jiro Inagaki / Soul Media, moved to UMR
News: Vadim to release CCPP and Janko Nilovic CDs
This year we open with a news item, which had slowed considerably in the last couple of months.
Before going to the announcement, let's recap some of what we can expect in 2012: 1) The first reissues from Modulus in March (Het Pandorra Ensemble, Randy Roos); 2) the remainder of the Sunbirds and Missus Beastly CDs from Garden of Delights; 3) and finally the much anticipated Laurence Vanay albums from Lion Productions. There are others of course in the hopper. 2011 was a great year for obscure progressive rock CDs, especially from Japan, so the bar has been set high for 2012.
Today's announcement comes from the hipster French label Vadim. Their label output crosses into CDRWL territory on occasion, generally in the areas of early/mid 70s jazz rock. Their best reissue to date, for me anyway, is Laurent Petitgerard's "Pop Instrumental de France".
For my tastes, neither CCPP nor the Nilovic are essential, but I know many who revere these records highly. We never featured the Nilovic and we have the CCPP only in the main list, where I had this thumbnail sketch: "Ceccarelli / Chantereau / Padovan / Pezin - C.C.P.P. (France) 1975 Flamophone. Typical funky fusion, though the guitar solos have more bite to them than usual, thus adding more to the score." Believe it or not, that's actually more informative than the label's description, which says: "Vadim brings you a shining example of 70s European jazz funk with this legendary and unique album from French supergroup C.C.P.P."
Just a quick note to state we still have plenty of rarities to talk about here. A large amount of albums came in from The Alaskan Connection that I still need to absorb. As well we have a couple left from the Midwest Mike stack, including one I think many of you will want to seek out instantly. And finally, StrawbsFan has sent in a nice batch of progressive folk and electronic rarities. Time is my eternal enemy, and the new year promises to be very busy from a career perspective - so we'll see how it goes. The more I can get done in the next couple of weeks, the better....
Labels: 2012, CCPP, Janko Nilovic, News, Vadim Records
News: Aztec working on Jackie Orszáczky's "Beramia...


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TradeMoves' website was re-designed in early 2012: www.trademoves.net. The site has a new format and look -- all with the same, high-quality trade advice and support that clients rely on and depend.
TradeMoves' TradeTips, located on a vertical side-tab of our website, are helpful Q&As for SME exporters related to FTAs, exporting opportunities, trade tools, and sourcing strategies among others.
TradeMoves' TradeBlog was launched this spring: trademoves.net/cgi-bin/ebb/blog2/index.php. The blog provides timely information and perspective from TradeMoves' associates on current trade issues which may affect movement of products across international borders.
TradeMoves expanded into additional office space in May. While we remain in the DC-Baltimore corridor, our new offices are now closer to DC and located in downtown Silver Spring.
Earlier this year, TradeMoves announced that a new full-time associate, Elena Aceves Fowlkes, had joined our firm as an International Trade Analyst. Check out her bio and blogs on the site. Elena can be reached at EFowlkes@TradeMoves.net or at 443-668-8683.
Finally, TradeMoves is pleased to announce that our favorite intern has returned as a full-time associate. Lori Hammer returned to TradeMoves in August after completing her graduate studies and a language fellowship overseas.
Prior to joining TradeMoves, she worked for the Department of Homeland Security and the US House of Representatives, researching trade and security issues. Lori has worked abroad in Shanghai, China and Johannesburg, South Africa, and recently returned from Beijing, China where she studied Mandarin Chinese for two months on a Critical Language Scholarship. In May 2012, Lori received her Master's degree in international relations and international economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where she studied international trade and strategic studies. She earned her Bachelor's from Harvard University.
"We are delighted that Lori has returned to TradeMoves," said Shawn Marie Jarosz, President of TradeMoves. "She was our first intern and has set the bar for all future interns in terms of her intelligence, work ethic, research skills, attention to detail and client service."
Her portfolio of work for TradeMoves includes helping to identify opportunities to reduce tariff-costs on the movement of materials and finished goods across international borders, and researching import requirements to support export of US processed foods to foreign markets. "Lori's educational pursuits in international trade, international economics and government give her a solid foundation for researching tariffs, taxes, quotas, import documentation requirements, product standards and labeling requirements that are necessary for companies to sell their products in overseas markets," remarked Shawn. You can reach Lori at LHammer@TradeMoves.net.
With all these changes, what does that mean for US exporters and TradeMoves' clients? Lots of good things! In its seventh year, the company continues to serve clients to advance their international trade, customs, export and sourcing priorities. Let us know if we can help your company prepare for exporting and selling to customers in important foreign markets.
Shawn Marie Jarosz / SJarosz@trademoves.net / 240.242.810


The warmer weather has arrived very late this year, and consequently all of my training runs seem to have been in snow, hail, rain, wind and if I was lucky, just overcast!
The start of my 'ultra' week began with 3 solid days of rain, but by Sunday the climate had finally shifted to normal if not warmer conditions. This meant my first long run in 18°C sunshine, and by long I mean my longest ever run – 35 miles of off road countryside for the "Shires & Spires" Northants Ultra 35.
I originally decided to run an ultra after feeling like I could have run further when I finished my first marathon last year. Thoughts of running a 50k soon after were put on hold with the amount of training time I had already consumed. But several months later when I saw there was an ultra practically on my doorstep I had to put the ultra bug to bed!
Training officially started in mid December, when I broke the schedule up into three chunks; a marathon in March, another four weeks later and the ultra five weeks after that. It was the only way I could get my head around training for 35 miles.
Although I felt in good shape in December, I had an unfortunate (read stupid!) incident involving my soles and 13 miles of frost, resulting in major blisters. Two weeks out was a lucky escape and I found I could run (in shoes) once the blister fluid had been re-absorbed. I took the risky approach of ramping up my mileage quite sharply to get me back on track, which mostly paid off. I did suffer a calf strain after a fartlek session one evening in February, missing a mid week 9 mile run, but was able to drop my pace and got 16.5 miles out of the 20 mile weekend long run done in 4mm xero shoes. At this point I was taking part in a barefoot running study so was keen not to miss any runs through injury. Fortunately this was the only one!
The first marathon was tough, but provided some valuable lessons about nutrition and terrain pacing. The second marathon was comfortable up to 21 miles and although it was a training run I wanted to PB. Without gels this wasn't going to happen though, and I promptly moved on to some ultra marathon specific training.
For me this involved running to heart rate, something I had never tried before. Being tired, it was great having a valid excuse to slow down or walk when my bpm started to rise. I quickly established 150 bpm as the point to slow on the flats and 155 bpm as a cue to walk the hills. On my final 24 mile long run on the actual ultra course I adhered to this rule, and managed a sub 10 min / mile pace without gels and included three decent hills. Over the final three weekends I ran the entire ultra course, which eased any anxiety over navigation, terrain and footwear.
The race started and finished at the impressive Lamport Hall. I felt strangely calm standing on the start line at 8:30 with the other 116 runners. I had every intention to enjoy the entire race, with no unrealistic time goals or wish to go into a zombie state for the final 9 miles of unknown. My gut feeling several months ago was a 6 hour finish (10 min / mile) but having run the course I thought 6 1/2 to 7 hours was more realistic. Once we got started and the atmosphere and temperature pushed my heart rate zones up by 10 bpm I was prepared for a 7+ hour finishing time!
The first 4 miles were offroad and flew by, and we reached the first check point (Cottesbrook) and I refilled my bottle. I had brief conversation about suitable footwear with the marshalls as I was in my tatty fivefinger bikilas and one had been asked if trail shoes were required, and another had tried some barefoot running on grass. Once done though, I whipped off my shoes and continued barefoot myself!
2 1/2 miles, one big hill and a chat with a running club member/spectator later at Hazelbech, and I put my shoes back on as I knew the road was rough having run it barefoot on a training run. I seemed to lose the group of runners around me for a few miles at this point, but it gave me a chance to relax and get my head ready for the many miles ahead. It was here I realised I would struggle to eat the fig rolls I was carrying and had used throughout training. The heat and my elevated heart rate were a real appetite suppressant, so I decided to use the fruitcake provided at the next and remaining checkpoints along with my gels.
At mile 10 the route headed offroad again (Thornby) and I over the next 4 miles I only saw and overtook two female runners. At 14 miles I noticed a couple of runners had missed a turn heading out of a village (West Haddon) so called them back. I was ready for some company at this point and chatted until we reached the 16 mile aid station. This was quite busy with 15 or so runners refueling as it was the only one to offer savoury snacks. I ate two small sausage rolls, another slice of delicious homemade fruit cake, and topped up with water before a group of us set off together, running silently for a few miles. As we inevitably started to spread out, the runners in the lead missed a tricky turning and again I called them back – I had done exactly the same thing in training!
Through the next village (Long Buckby) and it was back on road for a few miles until we reached Althorp and the next checkpoint at 23 miles. I had been looking forward to this one as it was on a stretch of smooth road and was another chance to run barefoot. I only managed about 1.5 miles though as my quads had started to cramp. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get my shoes back on if I went too much further! I've never experienced cramping in a race before, and suspect it was due to the temperature, but found a short walk break stopped it before it became too intense. I was also starting to feel tired at this point, but it was a gradual decline rather than the sudden 'wall' I had experienced in the last marathon.
At around 26 miles I realised I didn't feel any more tired than I did an hour ago, and I became more confident of a happy race. I was always 99% sure I would finish, but didn't know what state I would be in!
The runners around me were becoming familiar. We had similar average paces, but ran at different speeds on the varying terrain and gradients. It was possible to start a conversation, pause it for a mile or two, and continue when we crossed again. Very weird! One highlight was chatting to a previous Western States 100 runner, who was running this race for the third time. He had also run over 130 ultras and had broke a metatarsal trying fivefingers! When the results were published I recognised his name – I had read Nick Ham's previous reports on his blog when researching this race.
The remaining miles required concentration as I was beginning to tire mentally. Seeing anyone walking on a slight incline now seemed like permission to walk and the minimal attention I was paying to my pace showed it was slipping. The two big hills sandwhiching the final checkpoint around the 29 mile mark required extended walk breaks, but were a good chance to get it together mentally for the final push. Closer to the end we could also see the pub opposite Lamport Hall high up in the distance, which brought the conversation round to cold beer! That was all that was required for a strong and quite emotional push to the bottom of the final hill. This last uphill walk gave me a chance to compose myself for the final run over the hall grounds and across the finish.
I was cramping like crazy but just about managed a smile and victorious arm raise!
Leaning forward to receive my medal brought on instant dry heaving, but crippling leg cramps soon distracted me from actually throwing anything up! Walking around stopped any further spasms, as did clapping in and shaking hands with the next few runners I had been alongside for the last few hours.
So the race plan didn't quite pan out as I had envisaged. I had worked especially hard on nutrition, which had meant running two difficult marathons on fig rolls and dried apricots. But I think my body used the five gels conservatively as a result. I felt no sudden drop in energy and think the adrenaline of completing my first ultra boosted my energy towards the end.
The cramping was an unwelcome surprise. I experienced intermittant calf twinges towards the end, which took some concentration to relax out whilst running. I also felt my left foot fail to dorsiflex a few times too, but the worst could be walked off.
The nausea stayed with me and I couldn't face eating until late in the evening. With 3800 calories used during the race I thought I would be ravenous, but that hunger never arrived.
Out of 116 runners, I placed 43rd in a time of 6:17:19 which I am ecstatic about. Five runners DNF'd and a further 37 failed to start. My garmin recorded a 'moving' time of 6:05 but to be honest I am just pleased I made it to the start line injury free, crossed the finish line, and remained injury free inbetween.
I'm also pleased to have run about 4 miles barefoot. Not as far as I'd hoped but better than nothing! It helped start up a few conversations later in the race, and got a tiny bit off awareness for barefooting! I also wore my Barefoot Britain / Brighton race T-Shirt, but with my race number (1 as in number 1 not 1st, as I kept telling spectators!) covering the front, only those few runners behind me could appreciate it!
So……exactly four weeks after running my second ever marathon I was running another – This time the Rotary Shakespeare Marathon!
When originally entering this I felt four weeks was ample time to recover physically, and in fact suffered no post race aches or stiffness at all after the first one. I even ventured out with my running club for an interval session two days later. With the ultimate goal of an ultra marathon, I was worried about maintaining my weekly long runs though, with a double taper and double recovery, but they went like this: 13 / 26 / 15 / 20 / 13 / 26 / 13 so no issues there.
I had been eating fig rolls and dried apricots up until mile 18, but had my first of two gels here as could feel my energy start to decline. The last 4 miles felt like really hard work but my pace only dropped by about 10 seconds a mile and I overtook a lot of plodders and walkers.
I was overtaken early on by a runner who said he liked my shoes (vibram five finger bikilas) and it wasn't until he was a few metres ahead I noticed he was wearing the same! I decided not to catch him up as he was slowly pulling away. However, I saw him at the finish and we had a quick chat. Turns out it was his first marathon and he finished 70 seconds ahead of me. I did see someone doubled up at the side of the road wearing vivobarefoot evo's so not sure he finished.
I had no issues with my shoes at all, dispite them being very worn after 1250 miles. I reinforced the thinnest parts with bike tube repair patches, which were still present afterwards. The bodyglide and glass lens cleaning cloth covering the rough areas on the inside completely eliminated any rubbing.
I did have a few issues with my UltrAspire hydration belt though. On the last few training runs the belt had jumped around a lot when the bottle was full, but settled once there was some air space in it. It just didn't settle down at all during the marathon and at one point fell off completely with all the adjusting! Luckily I caught it as it fell. Since then I have realised that although my weight has stayed constant throughout training, my waist has gotten slightly smaller. Coupled with thinner clothing now it has finally started to warm up, the belt on the smallest adjustment isn't tight enough. I have sewn a double fold in the outer fabric to reduce the fit by about 2 inches and since then it's been spot on.
Running at a lower effort level.
And hopefully running the ultra course as it's local.
I first heard about strava last year but assumed it would have little significance to me in little ol' Markat Harborough due to the USA user bias. So when it appeared on my radar again recently (for the wrong reasons) I decided to register and see if there was any local activity.
After a quick and painless registration, a search revealed quite a few road cyclists in the area who were regularly logging sessions. There were also a couple of local runners who ran regularly on the same routes I used – great!
So I uploaded a few of my most recent runs using the garmin gpx files, and I was awarded a few personal achievements for my trouble. I then wondered about importing my garmin history in to strava, and maybe claim a few of those course records. There isn't an easy strava side way to to this en masse, but I found a website claiming to do just that, as well as copying in any fresh data from garmin connect. After setting up this process, my 3 odd years of moutain biking and running had appeared overnight – wow!
This indeed landed me a few Course Records (CR) or King of the Mountains (KOM) for cycling activities, and also refreshed my personal achievements, although some of these are off due to GPS reception issues. It is also very easy to create a new 'segment' using the gps map of a previous run, and then others can attempt to beat it.
Now when I get in from a run my data is uploaded to garmin connect and all I have to do is make it public for it to show up in strava. After a few minutes I can see if I beat any previous distance or segment records. Strava also have a phone app which will record activities directly and I believe gives a warning when approaching a segment, but I haven't really tested the app yet.
I haven't looked too much into the controversy regarding strava – I didn't want to form any opinions before trying it for myself. What I do know is training is more fun with others and it can bring out the more competitive aspect. If that happens in a time shifted, virtual environment then so be it.
Once all this long distance training malarky is out of the way I'm looking forward to attempting a few local segments to see if I can grab me some CRs!
I intend to run my first ultra marathon at the beginning of June this year, a 35 miler.
I couldn't get my head around training for 35 miles, so planned a couple of 'training run' marathons leading up to the A race; this being the first.
The Northampton Running Festival stages a 10K, half and full marathon distances over a multi-lap off road course on the grounds of Delapre Abbey. It was organised by GoBeyond, who also hold the ultra in June.
On this fosty morning the 10k runners set off first for their 3 laps, the halfers followed 5 minutes later for 6 laps and lastly the marathoners. This starting format worked fairly well as the faster runners were well ahead by the time we conservative pacers started.
The course was modified in the final week due to flooding caused by the earlier nationwide snow storms. The original route circumnavigated the lake for a large portion of each loop, which would have meant a flatter, more consistant course. The modified route was more compact and twisty with four inclines, a couple of drops and a much more varied terrain, all multiplied by 12. Not that I'm complaining; dozens of races were cancelled the weekend before and so I was just happy this one went ahead at all! I ran in my vivobarefoot breathos (2.mm sole and 4.5mm lugs) and they were the definitely the right shoe for me on the day.
As the first few laps went by, I noticed my mile splits forming a pattern: alternating roughly between 8:35 and 8:45 mins / mile. This was due to the lay of the course for a similar level of effort. I had intended to run at 8:45 for first half and then try to pick up the pace depending on how I felt, so timing would sort itself out if I continued with these alternating splits.
As a long training run I didn't have any real expections for a finishing time, which took any pressure off when my pace began to slow. Compared to my first marathon last year this one didn't go to plan, and was a timely reminder that running long distances isn't easy and not to get complacent. I had visions of running a extra lap at one point! Speaking of which, I passed one finisher (100 marathon club member) running in the opposite direction after finishing. He might have been joining a friend, or possibly making up the full 26.2 distance – I had read a blog where last year's course was short, and intended to run the extra myself. But after crossing the finish line I didn't have the energy or willpower to run the extra 0.75 miles my garmin indicated. Inspecting the downloaded garmin data, I think a lot of this was due to the 24 turns over 12 laps and the general GPS accuracy, so I'm not going to beat my self up over it!
Adjust pace for terrain type and conditions.
I have also been impressed by my recovery, with no aches or stiffness, just one foot cramping up the day after. I ran 4 miles (club interval session) two days after the marathon, 6 miles midweek and a decent 15 miler seven days later. The next marathon is 4 weeks after this one, then only five weeks to the Big One!
I recently semi-retired my first pair of fivefinger bikilas after 1200 miles of faithful service. A couple of DIY repairs to the thinnest part of the soles with bike inner tube patches had extended their life by a few hundred miles. But there were areas on the inside that had become rough and were causing blisters on longer runs.
After treating myself to a shiny new pair of fivefinger seeya's, I experienced rubbing on the inside of my feet from the first few steps. Unfortunately this didn't dissapear once the shoes had been worn in. I think the rubbing is caused where the stretchy upper fabric meets the relatively secure strap. The solution I came up with was to place a glasses cleaning cloth over the area in question. I used this as the material is very thin but has a high weave density. It's strong but doesn't cause any friction.
The first real test was a 15 mile run at 8 minute miles. The foot with the cloth was fine (hooray!), but the other (which hadn't actually caused any problems to date) had rubbed to the point of drawing blood (boo!).
I just need to secure cloth permanently to both shoes with a few stitches.
So what to do with my poor feet? The constant rubbing had left darker patches of skin once the blisters had healed. I remembered reading that vitamin E was effective for healing scars, but rather than use cream I purchased some high concentration vitamin E capsules. I pierce them and apply the content locally. One capsule lasts about three days, applying twice daily.
There has definitely been some improvement over the weeks, with the old vivobarefoot base of big toe war wounds almost gone. I've also noticed any fresh damage healing more quickly than before!
Sometimes on a run we make a bad decision…."of course I can overtake that runner in front", or "shall I just just have a quick explore down that track", or even "that probably isn't really a bull in that field." Usually they cost us a breathless few minutes, a telling off from your better half for getting back late with muddy shoes, or a surprise sprint out of the bull's field.
At the start of December I made my worst decision (so far) when out for a run. It cost me a day's work through not being able to walk, two visits to the doctors, a fortnight of no running, and worrying my family. And I think I got off lightly!
I walked the dog as usual before my Sunday long run, and thought "wow, it's really cold and frosty. If I run barefoot today I must be really careful." The reason I was even contemplating any barefoot miles was to hit my final goal for 2012 – 500 barefoot miles. I was currently at 443 miles so my goal was just about achievable.
Within the first quarter mile I ran over a few patches of thick, crunchy ground frost with slight discomfort. But once the blood got properly circulating my feet warmed up and I settled in to the run. At mile 7 I felt a new sensation at the back of my heels; almost like coming out of a numb state. I stopped and checked my feet but they looked and felt fine.
Another 1.5 miles over really hard frost and I was back in town and a mile from home. However, this was a 13 point something mile run so I carried on for another half loop. At 10 miles I made the decision to carry on barefoot, rather than slip on the xero shoes I was carrying. I wanted those 3 barefoot miles to add to my goal. Bad move Bob!!
Most of the frost had melted by now so I was also running on very wet roads, although towards the end I began to feel cold, but I put it down to the wind. At exactly 13 miles I reached a patch that had been dried by the winter sun, and within seconds I could feel something wasn't right. Something felt vague, almost mushy. I stopped and found large blisters on the balls of both feet. Bugger! At his point they were only partially filled with clear fluid. I popped on the xeros and ran a quarter mile, before having to walk the last quarter mile home. The last few hundred metres became progressively painful, and when I got home the blisters had become fuller and had turned pink.
My partner insisted I saw the out of hours nurse, who diagnosed frostbite. I had antiseptic pads and bandages applied, and she advised not to pop the blisters so as to maintain a sterile environment for the skin to heal. The blisters had filled with blood now, which indicated damage to the blood vessels underneath.
I could hobble around for the remainder of the day, but when I woke up the next morning the blisters were so full I couldn't put any pressure on them, making walking too painful. After a day off work with my feet elevated, walking was bearable using the outer edge of my feet. My partner wanted me to see the doctor for a checkup, and this was a good call as he put me on antibiotics due to the redness and temperature around the right blister, indicating a possible infection.
Another few of days shuffling around, and the fluid in the blisters started to become absorbed, until slightly over a week later there was just dried blood under my thick skin.
Things stayed like this for three weeks until the Christmas holidays, when I ran off road almost every day. Due to the flooding, my shoes and feet were sodden for hours at a time which softened the skin allowing it to peel away. The new skin looked very healthy and pink, but is was baby soft!
When I did my first barefoot run almost four weeks later, the rest of the skin on my forefoot also started to come away, so it had been damaged by the cold too.
I took a series of photos and video clip over the initial days and final weeks of the healing process. So as not to offend any the casual browsing folk they can be viewed by clicking here or on the top photo.
So although I had made a mental note to be careful before my run, I completely ignored this and ran for almost 2 hours over frosty surfaces. I should have been checking my soles regularly. The very last point at which I should have stopped barefooting was when I started to feel cold, as that is when my core temperature dropped and the blood supply to my feet wasn't adequate enough to prevent frostbite.
Happily, my feet suffered no long term damage and I only lost a couple of weeks running (and that was being safe). However, a lesson was well and truly learnt!
Joining the local running club also meant automatically registering with UK Athletics and RunBritain.
UK Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom and RunBritain oversees road race organisation.
In 2010, RunBritain launched a handicap scoring system for road runners where each race entered, from a 5K to a marathon, is awarded points depending on the race time, course difficulty and conditions on the day. Usually the results are compiled automatically soon after the race.
The points are displayed on a graph over time, so a registered runner can see how they are progressing. Other features include how a predicted time will effect your rating, and your national ranking.
Although I wasn't 'racing' my time was captured and had a negative affect on my ranking. My next race was a barefoot half in October, and then the week after that I PB'd in another half. I was obviously happy to PB, but (you guessed it!) was also happy to find myself at the top of the list for October's most improved road runner.
First prize was an Adidas miCoach training thingy, and second onwards was a pair of Sennheiser sports headphones. As I already have a garmin GPS / HRM watch I decided if I won I would donate the miCoach widget to my running club.
My first position remained unchanged until the final week, when I was overtaken and dropped to second place. Boo!
I used the handicap predictor, and if I entered the nearest parkrun and ran a 20 minute 5K, I would gain another 1.6 points easily returning me to first place. Unfortunately we were travelling on the final Saturday and there was no way I could fit in a race.
And sure enough a nice pair of sports headphones arrived a couple of weeks later. I'm sure I will put these to good use on those long offroad runs!
The Bupa Great Birmingham Run was my second half marathon race in two weeks, and one I really wanted to set a new PB in. My exertion induced headaches meant I hadn't done any race specific training so would be running on my base fitness.
Since my 1:41 hr current PB last year in the Leicester Half, I had joined my local running club and run a marathon so I knew I was in better shape. Then again the previous weeks barefoot half had taken more out of me than I thought, but I ran it a lot quicker than I planned too!
I managed to get a very good place a few metres from the start of the first wave, but as I passed over the chip mat, someone clipped the back of my trusty vibram and my heel popped out. It was a bad start after all!
I ran on for fifty or so metres, glancing behind me looking for a safe place to stop. That was the moment when a camera caught me, broadcasting live on national TV!
Once I had sorted out the shoe issues, I settled into a steady pace until just under half way. The out and back stretch along the Pershore Road meant we passed the lead and faster runners (or rather they passed me!), including the overall winner Micah Kogo.
On the return stretch I was feeling strong so pushed the pace a little, the live bands every mile helping distract me. I knew there was a 1.5 mile uphill section around mile 11 so kept a bit back. When it arrived it continued around several sharp turns making it really hard to judge.
The final straight had massive crowd support which helped with a strong finish. My partner and daughters were just over the finish line so it was great to see them. My final time was 1:35:55 hrs – a solid PB!
Sadly a runner collapsed and died after crossing the finishing line. Kevin was 36, a regular runner and had trained for the race. RIP Kevin.
A couple of weeks later I recognised the name of the race winner, Micah Kogo in the book I am reading "Running with the Kenyans" by Adharanand Finn.