A Record a Week: The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

SIDE 1.
SGT. PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS
GETTING BETTER
FIXING A HOLE
SHE'S LEAVING HOME
BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR. KITE!

SIDE 2.
WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU
WHEN I'M SIXTY-FOUR
LOVELY RITA
GOOD MORNING GOOD MORNING
SGT. PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (REPRISE)
A DAY IN THE LIFE

Well, what more can be said about this album. Seen by many as the pinnacle of their career, this album has been dissected more times than a high school science class pig.

This album is surely one of my favourite Beatles albums and probably top 10 in overall albums as well. It has a terrific flow and good mix of styles and instrumentation, which is harder to do than one might think. Take Revolver for instance; it had experimental songs and happy-go-lucky songs up back-to-back in high contrast. Not that I have any problem with that, but it certainly doesn't have the same continuity. Blending many different musical styles was not nearly as popular then as it is now, making an album like this very progressive for its time. On this album they have orchestral backgrounds, rock, jazz, pop and Indian music. Whether it's the harp-ridden 'She's Leaving Home', or the bouncy 'When I'm Sixty-Four', or the carnival-like 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!', the sounds are never quite the same. At the same time, using similar background sounds or effects allowed them to tie one song to the next, despite the differences.

The two sides of the Beatles fence come in to full play here. Those who enjoy their earlier music get a taste of hearing it infused with different styles and effects. Those who enjoy their more experimental music must admit that the groundwork for those songs was laid out by the fame gained by their earlier work. Experimental music was not by any means the norm at the time and the reception to an album like this would probably not have been what it turned out to be. Some reviews did find the album to be sub-par and that the efforts to branch out were forced or phony. I don't see it that way myself. Regardless of whether you like it or not, there is no denying the influence it had on music in the years following.

This album is also viewed as one of the earliest concept albums, in that its original intention was to portray a fictitious band (Sgt. Peppers) performing an album as written by them, not the Beatles. This idea only really held true for a few of the songs, but the natural flow that the song order took created the framework for concept albums. On the flip side, it is sort of an anti-concept album, as its broad covering of styles and themes do not fit the traditional sense of a concept album, which can usually be listened to almost as one whole song, as well as the individual songs that make up the whole album.

The songs are engraved from a childhood full of listening to this album, but 'A Day in the Life' stands out as one of my all-time favourite songs.

Recipe - Spicy Squash, Sweet Potato + Apple Soup

Ingredients:
1 large Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 large Sweet Potato/Yam, peeled and cubed
2-3 Apples, peeled, cored and quartered (I use McIntosh or Empire)
1 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
3/4-1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, peeled grated
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1 tbsp Vegan Margarine or Oil
Water or Vegetable Broth
Soy Milk (optional)

Heat marg/oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat and add cubed squash and potatoes. If you are using water, you can also add some finely chopped onions for flavouring. When they get soft and lightly browned, add the ginger, salt, cinnamon and cayenne; stir and cook over medium heat for five minutes. Add enough water or broth to cover the potatoes and squash; bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low, covered, until everything softens up, stirring occasionally. Add apple and cook until soft, then reduce heat to minimum. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth (works better if not too hot). If you do not have a hand blender, spoon out 2 cups at a time into a regular blender until the mixture is mostly blended. Add a small pour of soy milk if you want it to be creamy.

VARIATIONS:
-If you want a bit more tartness, use Granny Smith Apples
-For a milder flavour, use pear instead of apple. Try Red Bartlett.
-For a curried soup, replace 1/2 tsp cayenne with 3/4 tsp curry powder and use coconut milk instead of soy milk.
-Top with a tsp of 'Sour Supreme' or other sour cream substitute.

Murphy's Law Pt. 2 - Lights On, Nobody's Home.

I will state that in this entry, it is very clear to me that the thing that set the dominoes in motion was entirely my fault, but in no way was deserving of the string of events that followed.

In 2005, I lived in a townhouse with 2 guys (Ben + Adam) and for a while, a friend of ours, Matt, was staying with us as his old lease had run out and he was heading back to the UK in a month or so.

On one of the summer weekends it was real hot and we decided to take a drive up to the cottage for a guys weekend. We were all biked a lot around the city, so we decided we would bring up our bikes to explore the area, bike through trails and into the bustling metropolis of Port Sydney (one variety store, a beach, a rapids, a gas station and a grocery store). So up we went (surprisingly) without a hitch. The van behaved itself and the stereo even performed admirably as well.

We arrived some time not long after dinner on the Friday night and got right into the water. Before we got a chance to get in, Adam asked me 'Can you roll up the windows in the van? I'm not comfortable leaving my bike in there unlocked.' This was reasonable, so I ran over to the van and rolled up the windows. Now, they were power windows, so I had to turn the key over to roll up the windows. I did that, then closed the door and instinctively hit the power lock on the way out. When I turned around I saw the lights and it dawned on me.

Being so far from cities with garages, I thought CAA might not come, but I gave them a call anyways. The call went something like this:

'CAA How can I help you?'
'I locked my keys in the car with the lights on.'
'Where are you located?'
'Port Sydney'
'Well, our guys in Huntsville and Bracebridge are on a tows right now, but I will send the Huntsville guy when he's done'
'Any idea how long because I don't think my battery will last long.'
'We will give you a call when he is 1/2 hour away'
'Okay, thanks.'

In the meantime, we tried everything. We pulled hard enough on the doors that if they had opened, I would have been left with a way worse problem to deal with. We tried to run a coat hanger down the window to unlock the door. We connected two coat hangers together and had two of us working the contraption while one shined a flashlight and the 4th was on the other side of the van hollering directions. Nothing worked.

We ditched the idea and headed for the water, keeping the cell phone nearby in case they called. I kept from drinking, even though I really wanted to, because I thought it would be better if I wasn't hammered when the guy showed up. Finally, about 2 hours later, I went back in to call CAA back to see what was going on.

'Hi, I called a couple hours ago and I'm just wondering what's going on, my battery is starting to fade.'
'Hmm let me see....Oh yes, we told the Bracebridge guy to go home because Huntsville is closer, but the Huntsville job ended up taking a really long time. I am so sorry this happened, we will make sure he is there very soon and we won't charge you one of your 4 calls for the year.'

About then I was feeling pretty good about the situation. Then, after another half hour or so, the guy finally showed up. We were all swimming at the time, but I headed up by myself when I saw the headlights. I went over and told him what happened and he went through the usual askings about if I was the vehicle owner and what year is it, etc. I guess he took a while asking those questions or something, because the other guys came to check what was going on. The guy already had his wedge in the window and was taking out his sneaky break-in tools when he saw my friends. He then changed his tone and grabbed the wedge from the window.

'I can't let you into this vehicle.'
'WHAT? Why?'
'You've been drinking and we are liable if we let you in and you go driving and crash the car.'
'I don't even have a beer in my hand. In fact, I avoided drinking so I could get this situation dealt with and it's been hours trying to get it sorted out.'

He already had everything packed up and was throwing it back in the truck at this point.

'If you won't let me in, how about we go stand all the way over there and you can open it up, take the keys OUT of the ignition, throw them on the seat and lock the doors again? That way at least my battery doesn't die and I can deal with the rest in the morning.'
'Nope.'

He then proceeded to get in his truck, stare at me, lock his window and drive away. The lights were very dim and didn't take long to fade completely out. I called CAA back to complain, but they said there was nothing they could do and to call again in the morning. We proceeded to go swimming and get drunk.

In the morning I called back and they told me that this time it was indeed going to cost one of my four free calls for the year. The guy showed up (the other guy, luckily) and was very nice and laughed at the situation, saying he would have let me in. It took 40 minutes of battery charging to get it back in decent enough shape to start on its own.

We went on to enjoy the rest of the weekend at the cottage and around Port Sydney.

On our way home, we turned onto the highway and passed some very pretty girls with a broken down vehicle on the side of the road. One of us said 'If it weren't for the stupid weekend, I would so suggest stopping' and we all laughed. We made it about another kilometre or so before the van broke down. It wouldn't restart no matter what we tried. So again we called CAA. After a long while, the same guy who did help us came and said 'sorry, I took so long, I stopped to help these hot girls a little up the road.'

If you've ever had a broken-down vehicle with rear-wheel drive on the highway, you'll know that they won't tow it with a regular truck because they would have to turn around and hook it up on the back, which is too dangerous at highway speeds. So he had to call for a flatbed truck. The nearest one was in Barrie, about 2 hours away. We passed the time by trying to throw rocks at trees to see who could hit them, making a video documentary on burritos and we even considered walking back to our fellow highway break-downs. In the end though, I got really mad and kicked the van. Miraculously, it started. It was spewing black smoke at first, so we were hesitant to drive it, but we held a vote and decided it was worth the risk. At least we'd get closer to Barrie where the flatbed was.

In the end, the van survived another brush with vehicular doom and we made it safely back to Toronto.

Sunday Brunch: Tropical Citrus Fruit Salad w/ Coconut

I've been making some fairly un-healthy things these past few weeks, so I thought I'd take a break from that and make something that involves some fresh fruit.



Ingredients:
1 Pink Grapefruit (peeled and skinned, then chunks)
1 Orange (same)
2 each Golden and Green Kiwis (peeled and cubed)
1 Pomegranate
1 Banana (cut into small discs)
2 tbsp Shredded Coconut
Dash Maple Syrup

To keep your hands and work area clean, put pomegranate in a large bowl and cover with water and cut into/seed it under water. The skins will float to the top and the seeds will sink. Put all ingredients into a large bowl together, juicing the remainder of the grapefruit and orange out of the skins once fruit removed. Add a dash of maple syrup to the mixture, top with coconut and stir together. Cover and let sit, refrigerated for up to an hour to let juices mix. Add a dash of lemon juice if you are making farther in advance, to prevent browning.

A Record a Week: The Beatles - White Album

SIDE 1.
BACK IN THE U.S.S.R.
DEAR PRUDENCE
GLASS ONION
OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA
WILD HONEY PIE
THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL
WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS
HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN

SIDE 2.
MARTHA MY DEAR
I'M SO TIRED
BLACKBIRD
PIGGIES
ROCKY RACCOON
DON'T PASS ME BY
WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD?
I WILL
JULIA

SIDE 3.
BIRTHDAY
YER BLUES
MOTHER NATURE'S SON
EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY
SEXY SADIE
HELTER SKELTER
LONG, LONG, LONG

SIDE 4.
REVOLUTION 1
HONEY PIE
SAVOY TRUFFLE
CRY BABY CRY
REVOLUTION 9
GOOD NIGHT

Released in 1968, this album came out two years and two albums past Revolver, which drew a line in the sand amongst Beatles fans. That album marked a distinct departure from happy pop songs into experimental and psychedelic music. Not that they abandoned their acoustic guitars or love-song lyrics, but it was clear that they weren't going to be constantly churning out 'Love me Do' or 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' anymore.

The album was the first double album featuring all original music that the band had done. The label and producers had thought it might be better to filter it down to one album of all the best songs. However, the band felt they should release the entire things to clear out all of the songs they had been working on. The result is an album that stretches across a myriad of styles.

I personally find both sides of the band to have their own type of appeal. Though experimental music has gone in a thousand directions since the advent of samplers, keyboards and other electronics, it is hard to argue that songs like 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'Revolution 9' were the first of their kind. Even as a fan of those types of songs, you cannot deny the appeal of the straight-forward rock that made up much of their earlier catalog and is sprinkled throughout the later albums. It was those songs that helped create the foundation of rock'n'roll for years to come.

*edit - If you want to check out a creative use of samples off this album, search for the 'Grey Album' by Jay-Z and Danger Mouse, which uses a base of White Album tracks/loops and lyrics from Jay-Z's Black Album.

Sunday Brunch: Midway Donuts and Beingets

I made a decision that I was going to replicate the donuts that you get at baseball games and at the midway. I searched the internet and found this. I had to swap out some ingredients and make a few adjustments but it is basically the same.

Since I got out the deep fryer, I also tried out making Beingets, a German puff pastry.

Midway Donuts:
1 packet Active Dry Yeast or 2 1/4 tsp from a jar
3 tbsp warm water (I found I needed the extra tbsp to dissolve the yeast)
3 1/4 cups Flour, plus additional for sprinkling and rolling out dough
1 cup Soy Milk - Room Temperature
3 tbsp vegan margarine - Room Temperature
1 Egg Substitute
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
Frying Oil

1 Cup Sugar
Cinnamon (to taste...about 1 1/2 tsp)

Combine yeast and warm water in a large bowl, set aside for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to the yeast/water mixture and stir together until just mixed(should be a sticky dough). Set dough aside, covered, and let rise for at least an hour. Pat out dough to 1/2 inch and cut out circles. I like the suggestion of the shot glass from the website, but I might try using cookie cut-outs for shapes next time. Use your pinky finger to poke a hole in the centre. Set aside donuts in fridge to let rise (I wouldn't let the prepared donuts sit for longer than a few hours). Preheat deep fryer to 360F, if you do not have a deep fryer, you can use 2 inches of oil in a deep pot and heat to same temp (hot, but not smoking).

Drop in donuts and cook until golden, flipping once for even cooking. Drain onto paper towel and coat with cinnamon-sugar (or whatever topping you like!)

Beingets:
1/2 packet Dry Yeast
3/4 cup Warm Water
1/4 cup Sugar (brown would probably not work. White or cane would be best)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg Replacer
1/2 cup Evaporated Soy Milk
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp Shortening
Frying Oil
Icing Sugar to Dust

Combine water and yeast in a large bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. While you wait, make your evaporated soy milk by combining 1/2 cup Soy Milk + 2 tbsp Powdered Soy Milk or 1/2 cup Water + 4 tbsp Powdered Soy Milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Should be thicker than soy milk by a decent amount, but not too thick.

Add 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, egg replacer and soy milk to the yeast/water mixture, stir together. Add shortening and remaining flour and combine until just mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, but up to 24. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick and cut into 2-3" strips, then into squares and diamonds of similar width.

Heat deep fryer to 360F and put in beingets a few at a time. They should rise to the top of the oil and puff up. Flip once to cook evenly. Drain on a paper towel and top with icing sugar. Enjoy!

A Record a Week: Beach Boys - 20 Greatest Hits

SIDE 1.
SURFIN' U.S.A.
CALIFORNIA GIRLS
FUN, FUN, FUN
I GET AROUND
HELP ME RHONDA
BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL
BARBARA ANN
SHUT DOWN
WENDY
LITTLE HONDA

SIDE 2.
LITTLE DEUCE COUP
SURFER GIRL
DO YOU WANNA DANCE
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE
WHEN I GROW UP
409
IN MY ROOM
DON'T WORRY BABY
SURFIN' SAFARI
CATCH A WAVE

You know, I've never really stopped to think about it, but as much as the Beach Boys are considered the ultimate in surf rock, they don't really look like surfers at all.

They were undoubtedly the kings of surf music, though. This album, as it is titled, contains all of your favourite Beach Boys tunes (Beach Boy tunes? Which is it?). I have to be honest, I think an instrumental version of this album would sound like two or three of the songs on repeat. I can't tell the musical difference between most of the tracks, other than the lyrics. They do invoke that signature 'wave' dance move.

If only we could all live on the beach and have fun, bleached-teeth-filled parties all the time. Alas, it is a nice break to throw on surfer music and go to Carolina in your mind. Wait, I think I'm confusing artists here.

Sunday Brunch: Tex-Mex Breks

I used to make a breakfast that was called a 'lumberjack' breakfast, which was similar to this, but with an egg mixed in and one cracked over top. I have omitted the egg and added a few touches.

Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed (small cubes)
3-4 Potatoes, peeled and cubed (larger cubes than the sweet potato)
1/4 cup Red Onion, chopped
1 cup Canned or Frozen Sweet Corn
1/2 tsp Chili Powder 1/2-3/4 cup Salsa
+
1 or more of the following:
1/2 cup Sweet Pepper, chopped (any colour)
1/2 cup Mushroom, chopped
1/2 cup 'Ground Round'
1/2 cup Broccoli, chopped
(Increase potatoes if using more extras)

In a small pot, blanch potatoes for about 4-5 minutes. Start with the sweet potato, as thy take longer, and add regular potato a bit later. When done, fry onions and potatoes in a small pan over medium-high. As onions become translucent, add chili powder/veggies stir in, cook for 5 minutes. Add corn and salsa, cook until salsa reduces.

If desired, add salsa over top when served.

A Record a Week: Bay City Rollers - s/t

SIDE 1.
GIVE A LITTLE LOVE
BYE BYE BABY
SHANG-A-LANG
MARLINA
LET'S GO(A HUGGIN' AND A KISSIN' IN THE MOONLIGHT)
BE MY BABY

SIDE 2.
SUMMER LOVE SENSATION
REMEMBER(SHA LA LA LA)
SATURDAY NIGHT
MY TEENAGE HEART
KEEP ON DANGING

Oh, 1970's did you realize at the time how cheesy some things would become? Granted, there was some epic rock to come out of the 70's and granted, the next generation will certainly ask us what was cool about Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert and many other currently famous musical acts (not that I will have an answer for those particular ones).

Bay City Rollers hit the scene with their plaid shirts and their 'cool hair' and their disco/dance infused pop in the early 1970's. This album includes a few of the Rollers bigger hits. They are a band that finds its songs alive again in commercials and romantic comedies, as well as easy listening/classic rock radio stations.

Although they didn't explore as many musical avenues or rock as hard as the Beatles (not that the Beatles were hard rock either), they were billed as the best thing in music since. Many fans teenage girls swarmed to their concerts and fawned in Beatlemania fashion. I can't see the appeal of music that doesn't have some drive or at least the odd hard rockin' part to it, but it has still found its popularity over the years. I suppose they use their romantic lyrics to woo the hearts of young ladies or some crap. Other than Be My Baby (which may be more of familiarity than a fondness), the only part of this album I can get behind is the chant-like vocal line in 'Saturday Night'.

Why One Should Keep Aware of One's Surroundings

The airline industry is a competitive one and as such, they are always trying to attract you by adding features to make your flight more comfortable; offering cheaper fares; and offering more attractive in-flight features.

Thus, when I was flying down to Boston last year, I found myself in an airplane equipped with a personal screen on the back of the seat in front of me. This was something new to me. It used to be that when the airplane was like this:


The cabin tvs used to be set up like this:


But now was more like this:


The old way was very limiting. You had no choice over which movie was playing, and sometimes you would be seated at a very awkward viewing angle. The movie would only turn on at cruising altitude and turned off again as the plane began to descend.

With Boston being a relatively short flight, I decided to make use of this new feature as soon as I got settled in the seat. The new Star Trek film was the best of the choices and I hadn't seen it before, so I put it on. I was able to watch right from the airplane moving through takeoff with only a short interlude for the standard safety speech.

After it restarted, I got into the movie. I got REALLY into the movie. So much that I barely paid any attention to the short announcement that we would beginning our descent. Add to that the fact that the pilot was either very smooth or the cabin pressure adjustment was flawless and you get me right back into the movie. In the OLD way, the movie would have stopped at that point and you would be resigned to and turning off your personal electronic devices and watching the ground get closer out the window. I was fully engaged in the movie instead. If you've ever seen the movie, it was the point at which Kirk, Sulu and Olsen make a jump onto a platform and Olsen falls to his death. Looks something like this:


Anyways, the moment that they hit the platform was the PRECISE moment the plane wheels touched the ground. The shock immediately caused me to yell out "AAAAAAGH!" and all of the people nearby turned around and gave me a quizzical look.

Naturally, due to the personal viewing experience, the likelyhood of anybody else experiencing the same coincidence was pretty slim...which would explain them being so confused. So, I just took off my headphones, nodded my head, said 'hey' and made my way off the plane.

Title Tracks

A quick note about an issue I have with albums that have a title track. Well... some of them anyways.

Generally, I prefer albums with titles to self-titled ones, because they can give you a sense of what the artist was thinking when they wrote it, or an overall feel for the tone of the album. If they have cryptic lyrics, knowing this can be a real help in figuring out what the individual songs are about.

Not all titled albums have title tracks. Some are a summary of the story told within, and some are just titles ('Five Days in July' was recorded over five days in July, 'Odelay' is an English pronunciation of Spanish word Orale). On top of that, some of the title tracks therein are fantastic.

My real problem lies when the songs are not good ones. Sometimes the title track gets buried as the 13th or 14th song on the album and/or is just a piece of garbage. I was listening to this album by Los Campesinos called Romance is Boring when I thought of this. The title track came on and I thought 'this SONG is boring' and boy, is it ever. And then I was thinking, 'why would you make this the title song?' The rest of the album, while not the best thing in the world, is certainly not terrible. I understand that as a band or singer, you might have lyrics written that embody everything about the album itself, or maybe you are the type that writes your lyrics to the song. Either way, wouldn't you at some point stop and say 'hey, this is the namesake of our album, shouldn't it be a little better than this?' Add your important lyrics to a catchier or better musical composition, or swap them out with another, better song with similar phrasing.

I'm not asking for it to be the best song on the album, just that it be decent and definitely not the worst song. Also, it doesn't have to be the first song on the album, but maybe don't bury it at the end with the other last-written afterthoughts that are there to qualify it as an LP instead of an EP (not true in every LP case, might I add!)

Anyhow, that's where I stand on that issue and I'd love to hear if you have a favourite or hated title track.

Sunday Brunch: Vegan Cinnamon Buns

Oh man, this was a somewhat elaborate experiment, but it sure turned out well. Many more experiments to come!



Ingredients:
(Bun)
1 cup Warm Soy Milk
2 Egg Replacer (I uses Ener-G)
1/3 cup Melted Vegan Margarine
4 1/2 cups Flour (preferably bread flour)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Dry Sweetener
2 1/2 tsp

(Filling)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/3 cup Vegan Margarine (room temp)

(Topping)
1/2 package Tofutti (or other) Vegan Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup Vegan Margarine
1 1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
pinch Salt

Put bun ingredients in that order into the bread machine, put on dough cycle. When finished, let rise and turn out on floured counter. Cover and leave for 15 minutes. Roll out into a large rectangle (dough as thin as you can get it...about 1/8")

Spread the 1/3 margarine (filling) over the dough and sprinkle heavy amounts of the cinnamon mixture over the dough. Cut into 12 even strips and roll each strip up. Let rise, covered, for 20 minutes or so.

Heat oven to 400 and cook for 10-15 minutes. While cooking, mix together tofutti, marg., vanilla and salt in a mixer. Add icing sugar while mixing and whip until mixed. Top over cooked buns!

A Record a Week: Anthony Bailes - Récital pour Luth

This is not the cover I have, but it is the only image I could find after searching around.



SIDE 1.
LA VILLANELLA
BALLETTO
RICERCAR X
PADOANA ALLA FRANCESE II
O MIA CIECA E DURA SORTE
CHE FARALA CHE DIRALA
BALLETTO
PIECE W/O TITLE
WANTON(PLAYFELLOW NO.2)
COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE'S PARADISE
HEIGH HO HOLIDAY

SIDE 2.
WHIP MY TOUDIE
HENCH ME MALIE GRAY & I LONG FOR THE WEDDING
GALLUA TOM
TOCATTA III
CORRENTE XII
GAGLIARDA XII
PRELUDE
BOURREE I AND II
PAVANNE EN FORME DE COMPLAINTE
MAL SIMMES BAL ANLOIS
CARILLON DE VILLAGE

To say this album is before my time is an understatement. Though it was released in my birth year, it is composed of songs from the 16th and 17th century.

The lute is an instrument I don't understand too much. It seems as though it doesn't need to have such a wide neck, they could probably just make it a little longer and all the notes would still be there. Maybe there are some half notes in there or something. The instrument does make for a relaxing listen, though. Another album Bailes performs on has been called 'The Most Relaxing Album in the World'.

If you've ever gone for a massage, songs from this album might be found on the relaxation CD that is playing in the room when you lie down. Bailes doesn't miss a beat as he replays these folk songs from centuries before he was born.

While the song title 'Whip my Toudie' might make you think of something more raucous and 'Heigh Ho Holiday' sounds more like a song that might be on an album with Camptown races; the album flows smoothly from start to finish.

I wouldn't throw this on at a keg party or anything, but it is quite relaxing and is perfect for background music.