Critics including Elon Musk have claimed it's wrong

to cast a black actress as Helen of Troy.

Seriously? WTF is wrong with these people?

Whatever next?

Do you have to be from Sparta to play Spartacus?

If so we need to tear down all those Kirk Douglas sculptures!

Whaddya mean there's no such thing?

Seward Johnson Sculpture: A well-known life-size sculpture

by artist Seward Johnson captures the actor

in two different stages of his life. It was famously featured

by the Seward Johnson Atelier to celebrate his legacy.

David Kracov Commemorative Piece: Artist David Kracov created a piece

specifically honouring Kirk Douglas,

which was gifted to the actor by his son, Michael Douglas.

That one doesn't look like Kirk much.

Marcos Marin Art: Renowned pop-art sculptor Marcos Marin

created a distinct monumental aluminium sculpture and wooden carving

representing the actor, which is showcased through Saatchi Art.

Quite like that one.

BTW...I'm Spartacus and so is my wife.

regards

Titus

The Frau and I returned to Brontë country for the bank holiday weekend.

This time we spent the day hopping on and off the KWVR:

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is a 5-mile-long (8 km)

heritage railway in the Worth Valley, West Yorkshire, England,

which runs from Keighley to Oxenhope.

There are six stations on the route and £21.60 gets you a "rover ticket"

which gives unlimited travel and free entry to the award-winning

‘Carriage Works’ and ‘Engine Shed’ Rail Story museums, both at Ingrow Station.

The line and its stations have been used in numerous period film

and television productions including the 'The Railway Children'.

They have a selection of vintage diesel and steam locomotives

as well as period carriages and general rail memorabilia.

Great day out if, like me. you are a railway enthusiast.

(I can't lay claim to the photos, just examples I found  online)

regards

Titus

The Robby Krieger Band

Club M 

Canoga Park, CA. 

October 25th 1992

Remastered soundboard.

Can anyone identify the three instrumental pieces?

regards

Titus

Robby Krieger -  guitar/vocals 

Dale Alexander - drums/keyboards/vocals

Skip Knape (Skip Van Winkel) - organ/foot pedal bass

with special guests:

Steve Hunter - guitar

Pete Haycock - guitar

John Hernandez - drums

Tony Gillis - percussion

Eddie Ray - vocals

Disc 1

01 intro (Touch Me)

02 Love Me Two Times

03 Gavin Leggit

04 Backdoor Man

05 instrumental

06 Riders on the Storm

07 instrumental

08 L.A. Woman

Disc 2

01 Spanish Caravan

02 instrumental

03 Little Red Rooster

04 Crossroads

05 Roadhouse Blues 

06 Light My Fire

link

Alex Ligertwood (December 18th 1946 – April 30th 2026)

Alexander John Ligertwood was a Scottish singer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer

best known for his work with Santana.

Alex was born in Drumchapel, Glasgow, Scotland.

He died at his home in Santa Monica, California aged 79.

Another talented musician gone but not forgotten.

I'll post something Alex-related soon.

regards

Titus

regards

Titus

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Mid South Coliseum

Memphis, TN

November 28th 1977

Remastered soundboard/FM/pre-FM? (you tell me Dear Readers)

I banished numerous offensive clicks and pops.

Turned out quite well I think.

Another show from the monster(ous) 77 'Works' tour.

I had a 'Madeleine Moment' during the remastering:

"The Blackburn Record Exchange was a well-known,

independent vinyl and music store formerly located

on Higher Church Street in Blackburn, Lancashire.

It was a staple for music lovers in East Lancashire

before closing its doors and relocating,

with the building subsequently vacant for a number of years."

Here is a photo from 2018 when the building was up for sale

priced at £160,000 which was probably ambitious.

(4000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire?)

The Exchange was a veritable Aladdin's Cave for music junkies.

I used to go there sometimes in the late 1970's.

They both bought and sold records so they would have multiple copies

of albums that people had obviously grown tired of.

I swear they had 50+ copies of Tarkus

and they were refusing to accept any more in part exchange :)

This gig is excellent and I'm not sure what came over those fickle folk

who traded in their Tarkuses (Tarkii?) for the Sex Pistols.

regards

Titus

Disc 1

01 intro

02 Peter Gunn/Hoedown

03 Tarkus

04 Take a Pebble/Piano Concerto No. 1 (1st movement)

05 Maple Leaf Rag

06 Take a Pebble (conclusion)

07 C'est la Vie

08 Lucky Man

09 Pictures at an Exhibition

Disc 2

01 Karn Evil 9 (1st impression part 2)

02 Tiger in a Spotlight

03 Watching Over You

04 Tank/The Enemy God

05 Nutrocker

06 Pirates

07 Fanfare for the Common Man/Rondo

08 Show Me the Way to Go Home/outro

link

Isaac Willis (November 12th 1955 – May 16th 2026)

Was sad to hear the absolutely fabulous Ike Willis has died aged 70.

For any Zappa fan worth their salt the man was a legend.

Ike as the bizarre/slightly disturbing Thingfish:

"I got yo language hangin', boy"

regards

Titus

In my reinterpretation of this old Gary Larson cartoon

the monster is China and Trump is the mutt.

regards

Titus

Beat Club

Episode 72

October 30th 1971

Great episode with Champion Jack!

There's also footage of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan in the studio.

Everyone has their own style but it is generally accepted that the guitar headstock

should be parallel to the nearest shoulder as an optimum playing position.

Richie Havens (pictured above) does the exact opposite.

regards

Titus

T.Rex - Electric Warrior/Jeepster/Life's a Gas

Richie Havens - Here Comes the Sun

Alice Cooper - Under My Wheels

Jethro Tull - Life is a Long Song

Procol Harum - In the Wee Small Hours of Sixpence

Champion Jack Dupree - I'm Going To Bremen to Get on the Radio

Stoneground - An Added Attraction

Passport (featuring Klaus Doldinger) - Uranus

link

Bottleneck slide.

Over 60% of China's trade volume and up to 83% of its seaborne oil imports

pass through the Strait of Malacca.

Could this be Trump's next target?

When does conflict become a World War?

Here's a list of top ten wars:

I like a good list me.

regards

Titus

Steely Dan

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Hindmarsh, Adelaide

South Australia

October 30th 2011

Remastered audience recording.

Top quality show as always.

Steve Winwood was the opening act

and he makes a guest appearance for the Steely encores.

regards

Titus

Disc 1

01 Dizzy's Bidness

02 Aja

03 Black Friday

04 Hey Nineteen

05 Time Out of Mind

06 Two Against Nature

07 Bodhisattva

08 Rikki Don't Lose That Number

09 Show Biz Kids

Disc 2

01 Papa Don't Take No Mess

02 Green Earrings

03 Dirty Work

04 Peg

05 My Old School

06 Reelin' in the Years

07 Pretzel Logic *

08 Roadrunner *

09 Untouchables Theme

* with Steve Winwood

link

I received a postcard from my youngest daughter

who is, currently,  on a reconnaissance mission to the USA.

Meanwhile the Donald, back from his humiliation in China,

is sharing his personal vision of space exploration.

He should go here:

...and reflect.

regards

Titus

Lost Hearts (1973)

Based on the 1895 ghost story of the same name by M. R. James

and first aired on BBC1 on Christmas day 1973.

A spooky blast from the past.

regards

Titus

link

Robert Fripp (with Debbie Harry) keeping an eye on the time?

Fripping the light fantastic:

Today is Robert Fripp's 80th birthday.

It is also the 40th anniversary of his marriage to Toyah Wilcox.

King Crimson's 'Discipline' is a complex exercise in polyrhythmic

and polymetric structure, featuring different instruments

playing in different time signatures simultaneously,

often centred around 5/8, 17/16, and 12/16.

The guitars generally play in 5/8 (or 5/4),

while the drums and bass follow a 17/16 pattern.

The piece shifts through various paired time signatures,

including 15/16 and 14/16.

So quite tough to play then huh? :)

regards

Titus

Joe Walsh

Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre

Irvine, CA

September 24th 1983

Remastered pre-FM vinyl rip.

A Westwood One Superstars in Concert broadcast.

Joe was opening for Stevie Nicks.

I assume the excellent additional singers are from Stevie's band.

"Stevie Nicks and Joe Walsh shared a passionate, intense,

and drug-fueled romance between 1983 and 1986,

which Nicks has described as the "great, great love" of her life.

Bonding over music and the pressures of fame, they were deeply in love,

though their relationship was ultimately severed

due to excessive substance abuse and the need to get sober."

F.A. cup final today.

I'm also very much looking forward to a program the Frau Luxor wants to watch later.

It's called The Eurovision Bong Contest...should be good!

Think that's what she said.

regards

Titus

01 intro/People Get Ready

02 In the City

03 Welcome to the Club

04 Life in the Fast Lane

05 Space Age Whiz Kids

06 The Bomber: Closet Queen/Bolero/Cast Your Fate to the Wind

07 All Night Long

08 Turn to Stone

09 Funk #49

10 Life's Been Good

11 Rocky Mountain Way/outro

12 radio promo

link

Rory Gallagher

Golders Green Hippodrome

London, England

March 17th 1973

Remastered FM.

Classic broadcast from the BBC archives.

Patched and repaired. (can you spot it?)

regards

Titus

01 Hands Off

02 What in the World?

03 Walk on Hot Coals

04 Banker's Blues

05 Race the Breeze

06 Hoodoo Man

07 Bullfrog Blues

link

Brand X

The Bottom Line

New York

June 26th 1993

Remastered soundboard/FM?

Brand X performing as a trio. (you make more money that way)

A short but brilliant set.

I think they were opening for Sun Ra Arkestra.

Drum & bass here is wonderful.

regards

Titus

01 The X-Files Theme

02 Liquid Time

03 Thalidomide Squid

04 Nuclear Burn/Cambodia

05 Strangeness

06 A Duck Exploding

07 drum solo

link

Wouldn't it be awful if the Chinese took Trump prisoner?

I, for one, would demand a five year enquiry.

(What's the rush?...Ed.)

regards

Titus

Kevin Ayers and the Whole Wide World

Gemeentecentrum

Driebergen, Netherlands

July 30th 1970

Remastered FM.

A treat for all you Kev/Soft Machine fans.

'If You've Got Money' seems very relevant to our inequitable times

and 'Why Are We Sleeping?' echoes Mike L's recent comment:;

"Frogs in ever warmer water"

regards

Titus

01 The Oyster & the Flying Fish

02 We Did it Again

03 Hat Song

04 If You've Got Money

05 Clarence in Wonderland

06 Colores Para Dolores

07 Why Are We Sleeping?

08 Lady Rachel (cuts in)

09 interview (snippet)

link

TLD3 is six years old today.

The USA turns 250 in July.

That's not a long time for a country.

Donald Trump has been around for almost a third of it :)

Thank you. as always, to all the Dear Readers

who have taken the time to leave comments over the last 12 months.

It is very much appreciated.

regards

Titus

Steve Hackett

Barcelona Teatre Musical

Catalonia, Spain

May 28th 2014

Remastered audience capture.

Not as long as the show I posted from the US leg of this tour.

Our Catalonian amics are very enthusiastic and occasionally talkative

but I think the reworked recording turned out quite well.

regards

Titus

Disc 1

01 intro/Dance on a Volcano

02 Dancing with the Moonlit Knight

03 Fly on a Windshield/Broadway Melody of 1974

04 The Fountain of Salmacis

05 The Musical Box

06 band intros/I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

07 Acoustic Ramble/Horizons

08 Firth of Fifth

Disc 2

01 Lilywhite Lilith

02 The Knife

03 Supper's Ready

04 Watcher of the Skies

05 Los Endos

link

Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan

Episode 36

Hair is Bob's topic this week.

These days I have more on my chin than on my head.

regards

Titus

link

Porcupine Tree

WKLQ Studios

Grand Rapids, MI

May 23rd 2005

A short SBD/FM broadcast from the PTree archive.

01 interview

02 Lazarus (acoustic)

03 interview

04 interview

05 Sound of Muzak (acoustic)

06 interview/outro

bonus

07 Sound of Muzak

08 Lazarus

Steve and Wes in the studio answering questions

and doing a nice performance of the two songs.

Excellent recording.

That's what it said in the notes.

Doesn't sound all that excellent to me.

Just can't get into PTree/Wilson.

Feel like I'm being scammed when I listen to them.

No idea about the origin of the bonus versions.

regards

Titus

link

Private Schulz (1981)

Reposted from December 2021

I've had this in mind since I posted the first Colditz series.

Another WWII themed TV production which I watch every few years.

Michael Elphick is excellent in the title role

but Ian Richardson (Major Neuheim) steals the limelight.

Great story/script and very funny.

I always make a point of 'squeezing' the last drop of a whisky

into my pint of beer in homage to this show.

regards

Titus

link

The evolution of civilisation (in a nutshell)

Step 1

We are marooned on an island.

Luckily there are lots of coconuts to eat.

Step 2

We invent money

Step 3

One guy owns all the coconuts

regards

Titus