Titus Luxor

Axolotl (2026)

Some recent recordings.

regards

Titus

01 I Drink, I Smoke and I Lie

02 Doble Hélice

03 Trump

link

I remember it well.

Back in the late 50s I was just a fresh-faced, wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn

from over the pond, touring the States with Johnny Cash.

Johnny was the star of course but also on the bill were:

Slim Vittles and his Cosmic Playboys

Warren 'need any drugs?' Jenkins (who was popular backstage)

and Gospel combo The Rustbelts.

This left little time for a wannabe shmuck from England.

Johnny Cash told me straight: "Son, you got three minutes"

A rare audience recording has recently surfaced

of my allotted slot at the Brand New Opry in Bitchville, Alabama

(with backing from The Rustbelts) which I'd like to share with y'all.

It's called 'The Dark Forest Hypothesis'

Later on I tried to sell the song to Johnny Cash but he said "fuck off".

At least I think that's what he said.

It was hard to tell as he was coughing up blood at the time.

Trivia corner: Mickey Rooney was in the wings during my performance

and I'll never forget his words to me as I exited the stage.

He said "Titus...you're shit"

Happy days.

regards

Titus

When I met your mother I asked her for a date

She was fine in every single way

Long before we married I took her to the woods

Let me tell you what we saw that day

It was a blue-faced, five-eyed, God damn lizard

With a friend in tow dressed up like a wizard

I was scared, I thought that we were gone

There was an untold tale with an end and a middle

As a ten foot goldfish played on a fiddle

We were fine and we're just travelin' on

Later on that evening we went to the police

I got the notion they just didn't care

No one would believe us, they all laughed out loud

But I maintain the thing was really there

There is a second version of the chorus but I didn't use it on the demo

because the Frau Luxor doesn't liker swearing:

There was an evil, goat-like, odd motherfucker

But I know my Faust and I won't be a sucker

I was scared, I thought that we were gone

Pigs flew by in a race with The Devil

And the antique chair had a groove and a bevel

We were fine and we're just travelin' on

link

There will be fireworks tonight here in the UK.

Just a happy coincidence :)

regards

Titus

Hawkwind

Queensway Hall

Dunstable, UK

September 30th 1976

Remastered soundboard.

Not the greatest quality but an interesting listen for fans.

Opening song was probably Reefer Madness

but it is missing from the recording as is the end of Time for Sale.

I did a slight patch to make this less traumatic as well as a few other repairs.

regards

Titus

01 Paradox

02 Chronoglide Skyway

03 Hassan I Sabbah

04 Brainstorm

05 Wind of Change

06 Steppenwolf

07 Uncle Sam's on Mars

08 Time for Sale

09 Back on the Street/Kerb Crawler

10 Magnu/Paranoia/Master of the Universe/Welcome to the Future

link

The cost of gigging crisis (part one: 1977)

Reposted from August 2022

Saw Hawkwind in June 1977 (opening band: Motörhead)

pretty cool huh?

Cool or not my interest here is purely financial.

We note Brock was charging £2.25.

This was fairly average for 1977 and considering Hawkwind

were lugging Atom Henge around/funding Robert Calvert's excesses

I consider it a reasonable tariff.

Our 2nd 1977 concert is Peter Gabriel:

Still a (pre-Biko) upper-class jerk he thinks it's fine to charge £2.80.

N.B. Despite the crappy ZD row position, me and my mate Mike Knowles

snuck down the front and actually watched from about row six!

MAGIC, if a tad expensive for schoolboys on £1 a week pocket money.

Moving on...

Van der Graaf (Generator):

Touring the, then new, album 'The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome'.

Probably the best gig of the three.

And, at £1.50, they win the (admittedly subjective)

Titus Luxor Award for 'People's Champion 1977'.

regards

Titus

Happy birthday to Peter Hammill who turned 78 today.

regards

Titus

In this episode, Bob Mills' victims

include hapless England football manager Graham Taylor and Marlon Brandon.

Ulrika Jonsson proves herself a good sport

with an extended cameo appearance.

The musical guest was Stiff Little Fingers but, unfortunately,

all their segments were edited out from this VHS copy

and only fleeting glimpses remain:

regards

Titus

link

Rory Gallagher

Stadsschouwburg

Sittard, Nederland

October 18th 1979

Remastered soundboard/FM.

Exceptional sound quality with very good stereo separation.

Unfortunately the opening track was not on the recording.

regards

Titus

Disc 1

01 Wayward Child

02 Tattoo'd Lady

03 I Wonder Who

04 Follow Me

05 Bought and Sold

06 Keychain

07 Secret Agent

08 Bad Penny

Disc 2

01 Out on the Western Plain

02 As the Crow Flies

03 Goin' to My Hometown

04 Moonchild

05 Shadow Play

06 Bullfrog Blues/Sea Cruise

07 bonus: Too Much Alcohol (studio session)

link

Prog Rock: A Fanfare for the Common Man

Royal Albert Hall

London England

July 18th 2026-07-18

Prog at The Proms (DVD)

The BBC broadcast of this orchestrated homage

to some of the greats of the progressive genre.

regards

Titus

Aaron Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man arr. ELP, orch. Robert Ames

Ian Anderson - Living in the Past orch. Sam Gale

Mike Ratledge - Out-Bloody-Rageous – Part 1 orch. Sam Gale

Genesis - I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) orch. Sam Gale

Michael Dunford - Northern Lights orch. Christian Balvig

Justin Hayward - Nights in White Satin orch. Fiona Brice

Peter Hammill - Refugees orch. Adam Dennis

Yes - And You and I orch. Peter Riley

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells, Part 1 excerpt orch. Adam Dennis

Keith Emerson/Greg Lake - Karn Evil 9: First Impression, Part 2

orch. Chester Tribley/Bronte Tucker

Thijs van Leer - Sylvia orch. Christian Balvig

Osibisa - Komfo orch. Christian Balvig

Frank Zappa - Peaches en Regalia orch. Christian Balvig

Greg Lake/Robert Fripp/Ian McDonald/Michael Giles

21st Century Schizoid Man/I Talk to the Wind/Court of the Crimson King

orch. Fiona Brice

Tony Banks/Steve Hackett - Entangled orch. Fiona Brice

Kerry Minnear/Derek Shulman/Ray Shulman - On Reflection orch. Sam Gale

Mike Heron - Maker of Islands orch. Christian Balvig

Richard Wright - The Great Gig in the Sky orch. Fiona Brice

Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson - Crime of the Century orch. Christian Balvig

Modest Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition/The Great Gate of Kiev

arr. Keith Emerson orch. Robert Ames

BBC Concert Orchestra - Robert Ames - conductor

with:

Guy Garvey - vocals

Jane Weaver - vocals

Gruff Rhys - vocals

Carl Palmer - drums

Peter Hammill - vocals

Vanessa Haynes - vocals

Stuart Maconie - presenter

link

Best wishes to Russ Ballard.

Halloween 2026 marks the legend's 81st birthday.

regards

Titus

Beat Club - episode 79

June 24th 1972

Another solid episode with a top quality range of music.

The program closes with a feature on The Rolling Stones. 

Ritchie rips it up:

The Captain's gonna Booglarize you.

(Using the appropriate protection I hope)

regards

Titus

Tucky Buzzard - Fast Bluesy Woman (are you here Raul?) :)

Deep Purple - Highway Star

Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby

Frumpy (feat. Inga Rumpf) - Going to the Country

New Riders of the Purple Sage - Truck Driving Man

Don McLean - Vincent

Ashman Reynolds - Taking Off

Rory Gallagher - Pistol Slapper Blues

link

One Ham's Family (1943)

Another three little pigs inspired cartoon from the Tex Avery archives.

French or English audio option.

regards

Titus

link

Good Rats

My Father's Place

Roslyn, N.Y.

December 31st 1980

Reposted from April 2021

Another great show from the Good Rats recorded on New Year's Eve.

Mainly pre-FM but the radio station didn't broadcast/record the whole thing

so an audience source has been used to bring you the full gig.

There are a couple of cuts but now it's mostly intact.

This was the final performance by this line-up and it absolutely rocks.

regards

Titus

Disc 1

01 intro

02 Back to My Music

03 School Days

04 Cherry River

05 Takin' it to Detroit

06 Does it Make You Feel Good?

07 Mr. Mechanic

08 Victory in Space

09 Coo Coo Coo Blues

10 Tasty

11 Yellow Flower

12 Injun' Joe

13 Klash-Ka-Bob/drum solo

Disc 2

01 Just Found Me a Lady/Could Be Tonight

02 Local Zero

03 Fireball Express

04 300 Boys

05 Mean Mother Fucker

06 Reason to Kill

07 Don't Hate the Ones Who Bring You Rock n Roll

08 Icy Cold or Burning Hot

09 chat

10 Let Me

11 Gino

12 chat

13 Rock n' Roll Point of View

14 On My Way to School

15 Advertisement in the Voice

16 Rat City in Blue

17 Beat Up Rambler

link

Beat Club - episode 78

May 27th 1972

Nice episode for Deadheads.

I was never really into the Grateful Dead

but I did see Kingfish (with Bob Weir) back in 1977

when they were opening for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.

regards

Titus

Pacific Gas & Electric - Are You Ready?

The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies

featured artist:

Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode/Wee Wee Hours/Let It Rock

Grateful Dead - One More Saturday Night

The Doors (post-Jim Morrison) - Tightrope Ride

The Rolling Stones (Rialto Theatre, Montreux May 21st 1972)

- Shake Your Hips/Tumbling Dice

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Cloud Atlas (2012)

Based on the 2004 novel by David Mitchell,

Cloud Atlas has multiple plots occurring over six eras

and features an ensemble cast who perform multiple roles

across these various time periods.

The, independently financed, film barely broke even at the box office.

It seems to have been largely German funded

including $20 million from the German government.

I really like it and, for me, it has the best performances

by most of the well known actors involved.

My work colleagues said it was weird at the time

which only confirmed that it was notable and unusual.

The time-skipping plot reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

or Sandy Pearlman's Imaginos tale.

Optional subtitles in vasrious languages are included.

regards

Titus

link

I'm thinking of buying a small practise amp.

It won't be for practising as such, I want to use it for recording.

The one above looked interesting but I was slightly perturbed

by the tagline "Easy-to-turn Knob Controls".

Are there ones with Difficult-to-turn knobs?

regards

Titus

Progglådan Box D: Melodisk Rock

CD 407 - Monica Törnell/New Band

Monica Kristina Ingeborg Törnell (born: June 3rd 1954 in Söderhamn)

is a Swedish singer and songwriter who mainly plays folk and rock music.

With Lasse Holm, she represented Sweden in the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest

with the song "E' de' det här du kallar kärlek?".

In 2022 she was inducted into the Swedish Musical Hall of Fame.

Monika has an excellent voice and lashings of presence.

The band are pretty darn good too from the more folky/rock stuff

to some beautifully executed Steely Dan style jazzy grooves.

I really enjoyed this one.

regards

Titus

link

box-set artwork

Titus Luxor

Frog E.P. (2025)

Reposted from January 2026

01 Derek's Jag/It's a Sin

02 To Carry Me Home (for Jack)

03 Be Bop Shakin' (Moon Over Samara)

regards

Titus

link

Frank Zappa/Mothers

Memorial Auditorium

Buffalo, NY

November 15th 1974

Reposted from December 2020

There's about 200 CDs that I have not catalogued.

They all (eventually) get numbered and entered into a book.

This was one I found in the uncatalogued section.

Really good especially Tom Fowler's bass playing

which benefits from a prominent place in the mix.

regards

Titus

Disc 1

01 Tush Tush Tush (a token of my extreme)

02 Stinkfoot

03 RDNZL

04 Village of the Sun

05 Echidna's 'arf (of You)

06 Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?

07 Penguin in Bondage

08 T'mershi Duween

09 Dog Breath variations

10 Uncle Meat

11 Building a Girl

Disc 2

01 Don't Eat the Yellow Snow

02 Nanook Rubs It

03 St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast

04 Father O'blivion

05 Tush Tush outro/encore break

06 Camarillo Brillo

07 More Trouble Every Day

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The Neville Brothers

Glastonbury Festival

Worthy Farm

Pilton, England

June 22nd 1990

BBC Radio 2 broadcast.

Sounds great despite (or maybe because of?) being mp3.

regards

Titus

01 Hey Pocky Way

02 I Walk on Gilded Splinters

03 Mojo Hanna

04 Voodoo

05 Yellow Moon

06 Bird on the Wire

07 Brother Jake

08 Fire on the Bayou

09 River of Life

10 Shake Your Tambourine

link

1984 (1984)

John Hurt stars as Winston Smith

in this classic adaptation of the George Orwell novel.

Now it is 1984

Knock-knock at your front door

It's the suede denim secret police

They have come for your uncool niece

I got the Frau a set of Orwell books for her birthday

and she's actually reading them which is unusual for a German.

There are optional embedded English subs

and I have included optional subtitles in some other languages.

regards

Titus

link

Larry Carlton Blues All Stars

Tokyo Jazz Festival
Tokyo International Forum
September 8th 2013

Reposted from July 2021

From Andy Williams to Steely Dan, Larry has played on so many hit records.
This is a superb recording.
If you are into guitar/jazz/blues get it now!
Not just great guitar playing, sax, drums, bass, keyboards and vocals are all top notch.
regards
Titus

01 The Rose Prayer
02 Friday Night Shuffle
03 RCM
04 My Mama Told Me So
05 If You Don't Come Back
06 Funny But I Still Love You
07 Farm Jazz
08 Dream On
09 Lose it in Louisiana
10 Edge of the World
11 Don't Cross Me Wrong
12 interview

link

Bill Hicks - Sane Man (1989)

Classic biting stand-up from the late, great Bill Hicks.

regards

Titus

link

GOAT

Nox Orae Festival

Jardin Roussy

La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland

August 28th 2025

Remastered soundboard.

regards

Titus

01 One More Death

02 Goatbrain

03 Goatfuzz

04 Under No Nation

05 Golden Dawn

06 Ouroboros/Fill My Mouth

07 Goatman

08 Let It Burn

09 Gathering of Ancient Tribes

10 Let It Bleed

11 Run to Your Mama

link

I've been away on my travels.

Saw Steve Hackett play at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester.

A beautiful and historic venue.

I managed to secure a seat on the fourth row.

I took the picture above before the show.

My phone doesn't take great photos at gigs but here's a few more:

As the band were basking in applause before the half-time break

I made my trademark 'getting to the bar first' move and took two pics as I fled:

It really was a great gig and the bootlegs do not fully capture the performance.

Lalle Larson has settled in wonderfully as the new keyboard player.

A few more pics:

Great to see the double neck but the real action was sometimes in Jonas' feet.

Those bass pedals registered on the Richter scale!!!

regards

Titus