DETERMINING GAPLESS INFORMATION

Up and out early yesterday for a pitch to the client. Went pretty well and quick too, giving me an extra few minutes to continue relighting my fire for actual fact interesting music. Strolled to Oldham Street and to Piccadilly Records which I have followed around Manchester over the years. I could spend all day in there. I got some great records. Studio’s West Coast album hase just been re-released on 2x45 and it is big and fat and great. Map of Africa are interesting too… but one of the best is a great mix CD from Sweden’s Prins Thomas who successfully squidges Boards of Canada and Hawkwind onto the same disc.

Then, before leaving town, I have a little time to go to the Hacienda exhibition at Urbis. Very, very good. Happy/sad memories for me and for many others I expect. I desperately want a pair of Fac 51 Y3s, but at £345 for one of 250 pairs I don’t think it’ll happen. The only thing I don’t get and never have is Miranda Sawyer. Why is she?

Back into work and driving off to another grimy northern town listening to Prins. A fun meeting which was also a bit nostalgic as it was about web layouts, colour ways, intuitive navigation, click-throughs, etc. It was just like the ecommerce wars of the 1990s all over again.

Back home to find that the wife and kids have left me. Great!

They’ve gone camping in someone’s garden in the next village. So after a listen to my new records I take the dog for a drag in the first evening sunshine we’ve seen since April and go visit the family. Not a step does that dog walk and I have to heave him all the way. (On the way home though, he trots along like butter wouldn’t melt. Nice puppies!)

The family are set up in a big eight man ubertent. Brownsea Island it ain’t. I pump their beds up, have a glass of wine and off I go.

At home I get to play music really loud without being told off and read some more of the book that mustn’t be named. I also watch Nick Lowe from BBC4 the other night. Really great… and he’s only 85 you know.