I remember buying an album entirely based on a review I read in NME one week. I had no idea who the band were or what the music was like, but the reviewer described the feeling listening to it was of sitting in a front room looking out into a drizzly saturday afternoon. You can hear it here YMG.
The album was Colossal Youth by the Young Marble Giants. It was fab. So fab I went to see them shortly after when they played Rafters on Oxford Street in Manchester. They played the album in full and when we bayed for more they apologetically said they didn't have any more. "Play it all again!" we bellowed. And so they did.
At that time would have been hard to pick up a copy of the magazine that didn't feature a photograph by Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard, or Anton Corbijn as he was more snappily known. This links very nicely back to my gig night on Saturday as he was known for pictures he made with Joy Division.
A still from the video for Atmosphere. See the video here.
He also made some famous images with U2.
I love all that empty space on the right. I saw U2 at Salford Uni Student Union in 1981 (2?) supported by The Comsat Angels and Wall of Voodoo and they were brilliant. Not really a fan now, but they were really good in a relatively intimate venue.
What's brought all this to mind? This afternoon I decided to watch a film and Netflix suggested "A Most Wanted Man" directed by Anton Corbijn and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman (for whom I think I've expressed my man love in previous blogs). It's a spy film and I had seen it before and I loved it again. His films - and you should also see Control (about Ian Curtis and Joy Division) and The American (with George Clooney in Italy) - have a photographic sensibility, and also are very serene. I'd recommend all three.
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In January, for Gel's birthday, I 'bought' a couple of Friday nights in hotel/pubs with reputations for decent food.
Last month we went to The Mytton and Mermaid near Shrewsbury, and this last weekend we stopped at The Nags Head Inn at Pickhill near Thirsk. We set off in the morning and decided to spend the Friday in York, and explore Thirsk and the environs on the Saturday.
We arrived in York and decided to visit the Minster. We'd been to York a few times when Caitlin was an undergraduate (seems a lifetime ago now) but never went to the Minster. It was fab.
We had a free guided tour by David who gave us the history of the place and pointed out some odd architectural things we wouldn't have noticed on our own.
One suggestion that our guide made was that we return around 5pm for evensong. As long as we stood up and sat down in the right places we didn't need to join in, but it was a lovely service to enjoy with a choir singing psalms, responses and prayers.
We took our life in our hands, hoped that we wouldn't be struck down by lightning, and, heathens that we, are returned in the afternoon for Evensong. And David was right, it was beautiful. Just about the right length, rather too much smiting down of non-believers, but beautifully sung smiting.
We then headed off to Pickhill near Thirsk for our B&B which was splendid. We were both a bit knackered and had filled up on roast pork sarnies in York so just had mains and a shared pud. We had a nice chat with the owner who had horse racing pictures on the wall - Nags Head? - which showed him as owner, trainer and jockey. Quite impressive was a photo of Frankie Dettori wearing colour with "Nags Head Pickhill" plastered across the front of his racing colours.
Breakfast the following morning was utterly wonderful, and, full as butchers dogs, we headed to Thirsk for the Saturday market which, if truth be told was a bit pants. Lovely little town, but poor market. Next we headed to North Allerton which our host the previous evening had recommended as the market was much better.
As we meandered about a thought struck me and I rang my mate Phil to find out if this was the home of the world famous Joe Cornish Gallery. It was. My memory wasn't playing tricks and we headed off to look in before we went home. How glad we were. A beautiful setting with stunning photographs, jewellery, ceramics and more.
We had a free guided tour by David who gave us the history of the place and pointed out some odd architectural things we wouldn't have noticed on our own.
There were rehearsals for a concert later that evening which meant there was music drifting about for the whole time we were there.
The most chilled out statue I've seen. Archbishop Badass taking it easy with some dancing cherubs.
One suggestion that our guide made was that we return around 5pm for evensong. As long as we stood up and sat down in the right places we didn't need to join in, but it was a lovely service to enjoy with a choir singing psalms, responses and prayers.
We took our life in our hands, hoped that we wouldn't be struck down by lightning, and, heathens that we, are returned in the afternoon for Evensong. And David was right, it was beautiful. Just about the right length, rather too much smiting down of non-believers, but beautifully sung smiting.
We then headed off to Pickhill near Thirsk for our B&B which was splendid. We were both a bit knackered and had filled up on roast pork sarnies in York so just had mains and a shared pud. We had a nice chat with the owner who had horse racing pictures on the wall - Nags Head? - which showed him as owner, trainer and jockey. Quite impressive was a photo of Frankie Dettori wearing colour with "Nags Head Pickhill" plastered across the front of his racing colours.
Breakfast the following morning was utterly wonderful, and, full as butchers dogs, we headed to Thirsk for the Saturday market which, if truth be told was a bit pants. Lovely little town, but poor market. Next we headed to North Allerton which our host the previous evening had recommended as the market was much better.
As we meandered about a thought struck me and I rang my mate Phil to find out if this was the home of the world famous Joe Cornish Gallery. It was. My memory wasn't playing tricks and we headed off to look in before we went home. How glad we were. A beautiful setting with stunning photographs, jewellery, ceramics and more.
Gel checking out a browser in the Long Gallery.
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