Mr Arkadin

One of the advatnages of living in London is that as hard as it is to get decent gigs, I at least have a number of mates who will turn up and I don't have to worry too much about transport. Of course, I've never made much on a gig yet, maybe £20 up on one night I seem to remember, but I do it for shits and giggles (and art)

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1423067252' post='2680284'] However, i have recently discovered a new brand that stays lovely and zingy much longer than usual so have switched all my basses in to those. Getting about 5 gigs out of them it seems. Happy days. [/quote] Is the make a trade secret or summat? Go on, you can tell us, no-one else will know.

Love those Burns and Kay basses. This is my bass: OK I only it got it in 2012, but I'm primarily a guitarist (of sorts).

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1422459899' post='2672967'] The thing is, London is stuffed full of architecture that is quintessentially London. Having it punctuated with brave, ambitious and exciting (and polarising) buildings that replace the 60's cack is a good thing, IMO. [/quote] I don't disagree (although there is some '60s architecture I actually like and is also bold). In this instance I was talking about Denmark St which is mostly not '60s architecture. Also there's a difference with punctuating the quintessential architecture and just wholly replacing it.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1422446252' post='2672695'] Exactly what do you feel has been lost through this re-development? [/quote] True that area was crap, but replacing '60s crap with newer crap doesn't make it good, it just makes it newer. Anyhow I was referring to the planned Denmark St redevelopment rather than that one behind Denmark St. I was just using the nearby garish development as an example of the level of architecture we can expect these days (which in my view is poor). I'm certainly not obsessed by it. I'm definitely not saying no redevelopment should ever happen under any circumstances. There are some nice old buildings there that need a scrub up admittedly, but there's plenty other stuff like Centre Point and the rubbishy '60s thing behind it that deserve to go before Denmark Street which has at least some character. As I said I guess I'm out of touch with what I thought London was about, quirky streets and such rather than buildings that could just as well be in Dubai.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1422453893' post='2672852'] "John I'm only dancing" isn't on Ziggy, it's only on compilation albums. Gets rather unjustly overlooked too. [/quote] It's a bonus track on many CD versions of the album, I have it on at least three versions of the album. And it's on so many other compilations that it's hardly difficult to come by.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1422448517' post='2672743'] Slightly off topic but does anyone else think it a bit odd that the recent 3 disk 'best of' compilation doesn't include either Suffragette City or John, I'm Only Dancing? I know we all have our faves and it's not listed as a 'greatest hits' but if I didn't have any Bowie on CD and was looking for a fairly definitive collection then this one would fail for me just by those omissions. Unless I've misread the track list, only just glanced over it I admit. [/quote] I would have thought even a casual listener would have to have the Ziggy album, which covers both those tracks, in addition to any compilation. I thought the compilation was great, covering some different stuff, and love the new track "Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)".

Well it seems I'm out of touch with modern thinking and all these venues deserve to be knocked down to become garish office blocks, Tesco Metros, Starbucks and flats for Chinese businessmen. I guess we'll get the London we deserve.

Yeah just the usual tracks for me would be 'meh'. I would look at his recent "Nothing has changed." compilation for some different tracks. I would drop China Girl in favour of Cat People (there's a great 12" remix I seem to remember, maybe check out that version) and something like New Killer Star and Heart's Filthy Lesson are still rocking and might mix things up a bit, even if they aren't particularly well known outside of Bowie freaks like me. I for one am glad you're throwing in some less obvious material.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1422322920' post='2671250'] I almost don't want to do Heroes (the song) as it's just too obvious. Is that wrong? There is some great stuff on Lodger and that will come soon enough. [/quote] Yeah I'd avoid "Heroes", although that means nothing from that album except Beauty and the Beast or Joe the Lion which I love but not sure how well known they are outside of Bowie crowd. Might be nice to throw in the occasional curve ball amongst the more obvious tracks. I love Lodger, Repitition is fantastic but not well known, plus Red Sails, Red Money (You could do the Iggy Pop version Sister Midnight) and the fantastic Fantastic Voyage. Probably Look Back in Anger would be the track to do to avoid the obvious single. If you can pull off Five Years it's an amazingly powerful track.

Nice you're doing one slightly newer track, but there's nothing after Diamond Dogs all the way to Scary Monsters. Some of my fave albums are in there, although I would find it hard to pick tracks as I prefer the lesser known tracks, like I would do Beauty and the Beast rather than "Heroes" but how many people even know that track?

I'm hugely disappointed by this. Selling me an Odyssey should have been a no-brainer. But the Mickey Mouse size really puts me off: this is not what I was expecting from a 'faithful recreation'. Oh well, my Ody money will be going elsewhere, maybe Prophet 6.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1421753618' post='2664512'] However some of the newer venues that have popped up are often better in terms of sound, access, viewing angles etc. etc Unfortunately they've lost the charm and history but can be better places to visit. [/quote] Where are these places? All I see is smaller venues closing down (played the Buffalo Bar at the end of last year - one of the last gigs that'll ever happen there). Hammersmith Palais - demolished, Marquee - closed, Astoria demolished, Coronet - due for closure. I'm just glad plaes like Corsica are still going. These size of slightly grungy venues are disappearing in London and are being killed by gentrification and global identikit buildings. I thought we'd learned from our post-war vandalism of knocking down perfectly decent (and sometimes historic) buildings for cheap concrete structures, which haven't aged well and in a very short time are themseleves being demolished.

I know what you mean about service, but I don't see why development of an area has to mean knocking down some great buildings. Internally they could be revamped and externally most just need a clean. If the shops and staff don't cut it, yes get rid off them, but keep the charm of the area. Do glass and steel towers really make London unique against modern cities with no history, like characterless places like Dubai? When the Astoria went that was the death knell for the area. Once something's gone it usually remains gone, look at the Marquee Club.

Nice response from the OP about Denmark St whilst moaning about me and others making a comment about Shoreditch hipsters. Nice to see the owners have their Shoreditch uniform (beards) in place. Actually I hope to go there and I hope they do well, but no need to bash Denmark St. Have you seen the development behind Denmark St.? Awful orange and green towers, is that the kind of thing you want for London regardless of what you actually think of the shops there? I mean do we really need more Starbucks, Tesco Metros and Jamie Olivers? I was originally going to apologise for my comments as they upset you so much, but seeing your comment I now don't give a sh*t.

Yeah beardy hipsters and cereal shops selling single bowls of cereals for £3.20. Hate that sh*t. I was in a place called Shoreditch House yesterday. Obviously no sign on the door (that would be too mundane) and members only. I was meeting someone otherwise you wouldn't catch me at such a gaff.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1421353957' post='2660358'] Two others that have sprung to mind: 'Escape from New York' and 'Assault on Precinct 13'... and pretty much everything else that John Carpenter has scored. But those two films in particular. Brilliantly atmospheric yet catchy at the same time. He's the daddy! [/quote] Holy cow, how did I not mention John Carpenter? Love both the films and the soundtracks (well maybe not Ghosts of Mars and Escape from LA ). Assault on Precinct 13 and The Thing probably my two faves. Which brings up Morriocone. Absolute genius.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1421332769' post='2659990'] Dammit, late to the party as usual and most of my favourites have already been bagged! So I'll add...[list] [*]Moon (the main theme is just beautifully simple) [/list] [/quote] I like that one, although i think it is somewhat 'inspired by' Cliff Martinez's Solaris soundtrack (if you like Moon you should try that one). Couple more weird ones: The Legend of Hell House [size=4][font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]by Brian Hodgson and Delia Derbyshire[/font][/size] (BBC Radiophonic Workshop bods moonlighting) Phase IV (various people including some more moonlighting Radiophonic bods)

+1s to Goblin and John Barry. Anything bt Bernard Hermann, particulalrly Psycho, North by Northwest and Vertigo. Solaris by Cliff Martinez. Anything by Philip Glass, particularly Koyaanisqatsi, Mishima and Candyman. The weird metal samples on Full Metal Jacket (by Kubrick's daughter apparently) and the synth classical madness of A Clockwork Orange. Jerry Goldsmith, especially the little-known Mephisto Waltz and the tribal Planet of the Apes. Louis and Bebe Barron's Forbidden Planet (credited as Electronic Tonalities rather than music score). Herbie Hancock's Death Wish OST and Quincy Jones' The Anderson Tapes for the weird synth stuff. I'll probably think of more later, I love soundtracks.

With regard to six string guitars I have never observed any difference between steel or nickel strings reaction to being ebowed. The main drive comes from the interaction with the pick-up which gives you the feedback loop that gets the string really going. Of course the density of bass strings means their reaction will be different, but I imagine once you start diving into the pick-up there won't be any discernible difference. Of course here I'm talking about regular strings, not nylon covered of which I know nothing.

[quote name='aardvark' timestamp='1418752339' post='2632985'] 2. Is EBow Plus worth the extra? [/quote] There is no extra as there is only the Plus model available, unless you're buying second-hand.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1418402164' post='2629965'] There was a show a few years ago on this issue (one of the investigative journalism shows like Panorama or Dispatches), and it found out that certain companies were block-buying direct from the promoter, but also, they have teams of people sitting with books filled with credit cards, and they spend their time buying tickets. These companies then sold the tickets on at a huge markup, but they were always advertised as being a private sale i.e. not commercial. It also showed how the companies didn't always sell all the tickets they had bought, and the unsold tickets went in the bin if the staff didn't use them. [/quote] See link directly above your post

For anyone that may have have missed it, here's C4's Dispatches on it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWlnL8drSdw

Yes the Commercial Album was the one I got in some special edition. Think it was limited judging by current prices. Nice to see a John Oswald (plunderphonics) reference in this thread. Not for everyone. He had to destroy copies of DAB (see: MJ's Bad) because Michael Jackson's people were not too happy. Can't think why: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8xIWLG-F0Ag

I ended up buying one album and then stopped for that very reason. It's like just now getting into Frank Zappa or Neil Young. Where the hell to start? I'll be interested in the responses too.