I am one very bad keyboard player and I'm not even going to pretend that I can play the guitar although playing a chord through a "death metal" distortion box is very good fun indeed especially if you have the Amp turned way up LOUD (I'm not actually into heavy metal but I can see why people are).
Even though I can't play to save my life I am constantly messing around with sound either getting weird noises out of my synths or mutating sounds on the computer.
Meet my friends Kevan & Gareth, two other Amiga based musicians at MidiCraft. (especially interesting if you have a Korg i3 or Trinity).
I also write audio software for the Amiga, interested? if so try Blachford Technology.
I've even tried some Lyrics
Some of the artists I like
+ many and numerous others...
Some of my Favorite Albums
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
I sort of discovered Pink Floyd after seeing a concert on TV, these are famed for being the most spectacular going but I thought the music was really good as well. I got this a couply of years ago when it first came out and wow what an album! Dave Gilmores Guitar solos on a lush complex background of sound goes to make (does this sound like a cake recipe?) one damn good album.
Mike and the Mechanics - Beggar on a Beach of Gold
I didn't think it was possible that Mike and friends would ever do an album as good as their first one but then I got a big surprise with this outing, lots of good songs. It even includes my theme tune - Another Cup of Coffee.
Mike Oldfield - The Songs of Distant Earth
Named after an Arthur C Clark book this is a very "ambient" type of album, very atmospheric and airy. Mike Oldfield albums are never the same, one could be heavy metal the next like this, you get nothing but surprises but you never get a real dud like you get with most artists. Sit back and relax...
Mike and the Mechanics - M1ke + The MeChan1C5
Mike is Mike Rutherford from Genesis who did a couple of solo albums prior to this but formed a band for this completely stunningly brilliant album, still one of my favorites after 12 years.
Jeff Wayne - War of the Worlds
I can remember my Mum & Dad getting this way back in 1977 (or there abouts) and I've been listening to it ever since. It is a musical version of H.G. Wells novel of an invasion from mars, a book that went on to spawn a million imitation films - including Independance Day. When the remastered double CD came out recently I went straight out to get it, the 4 extra tracks are remixes of some of the originals and much more than the average rehash you would expect in a remix, these really are more like new tracks. If you like high drama in your music this is it.
Jeff Wayne also did another album called Spartacus based on the story of a slave revolt in ancient Rome. Although it never got the same fame as War of the Worlds, it too is an excellent album.
E.L.O. - Time
This is a concept album about a guy who travels forwards in time and can't get back, some of their previous material was a touch slow but this is up beat and generally great. I think this and War of the Worlds are the real reason Analogue Synthesizers were invented!
Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night
I got this in 1987 after hearing a few of the tracks, I'd never heard anything quite like it before or ever since for that fact. It was after this Lindsey Buckingham left and they've never been quite the same since then although the next album, Behind the Mask was good.
Pet Shop Boys - Very
I like all the Pet Shop Boys music and always have done since they appeared in the mid 80's, This is in my opinion their best to date. It's completely different from their previous album Behaviour which was just about as mello as you can possibly get. This one is up beat, very melodic and as usual has some seriously kick ass bass.
Dubstar - Disgraceful
I discovered Dubstar and quite a few other Bands like Saint Etienne and Garbage on a compilation album I got a while back. I always meant to get Disgraceful for ages but as it happens it was going cheap in a record shop one day and I decided to get a copy. This was not a bad decision as it has since become one of my favorite albums. A poppy feeling album but with some damn fine songs to listen to.
Saint Etinne - Too young to die, the singles
I got this the same day I got the above Dubstar album. The two groups are sort of similar but St. Etiennes stuff have a unique feel to it. Some of it sounds very retro but that's not to say it's bad or dated. Like the Dubstar album this has some great songs on it, some truly excellent such as "Hug my soul" or "He's on the Phone". They also put on a good concert as I found out in Middlesborough a while back.
The Corrs - Talk on Corners
Sometime in 1997 I got a copy of Forgiven not Forgotten out the local library, I'd heard of the Corrs but never really heard much of their stuff. A good move it turned out as I may have discovered the perfect band - Great songs well performed and 3 gorgeous women Wow! Talk on Corners I got a while later and I initially thought it weaker than their first album but it's grown on me and I no longer subscribe to this opinion. I didn't think anyone could do any cover version of any song from Fleetwood Macs Rumors and make it even remotely as good but The Corrs cover of Dreams is splendid. If that's not enough this album has quite a number of good melodies to get your ears around.
At last I finally got some Lyrics written :
Dantes' Infirno
Copyright © Nicholas Blachford 1998
I met you in Dantes' inferno, we were walking on the road to hell.
The path was long but it wasn't lonely, there were many others there as well.
Salesmen, Lawyers, Politicians and Reporters, they all had their stories to tell.
Respected bastions of society, they were marching to the devils' bell.
Do you know how this happened to be?
Thought we were good, thought we were free.
It had all gone wrong but we failed to see.
How did this happen? Did we lose the key?
A consumer society becoming more competitive,
We weren't afraid of all those new developments.
They could deliver us to a new utopia.
But all we got was another soap opera.
It happened a change of Circumstances.
We lost touch with the old romantics.
While we were looking towards a new horizon.
Someone switched the Hymn sheet.
Someone switched the Hymn sheet.
Someone switched the Hymn sheet.
Insert excessively long fast electric guitar solo
Was there some significant change of opinion?
A new morality for the days in this vision.
Watch a movie, have a few beers.
Now watch it fall apart, did anyone fear?
Were you freed from inhibition?
Perhaps you tried a new sexual position.
Was it devoid of all emotion?
When you were seen, did it cause a commotion?
Perhaps this was necessary,
but not a conscious decision.
Maybe to find the path to heaven.
You must first tread the path to hell.
Insert Applause / Boos and rotten tomatoes as appropriate ;-)