           
    
|
Book Review: The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
Caravan - Live BBC by Mott the Dog ***** 5 stars This is one of the wonderful BBC in concert series released from the dusty vaults of the government run British Broadcasting Corporation. The band are introduced by D.J. Pete Drummond sounding very serious whilst extolling the virtues of these fine musicians; you must remember that this was March of 1975 when progressive rock was in its hey day, all trying to look deadly serious whilst wearing kaftans, beads, & 30 inch bell bottom hipsters. No wonder twelve months later Johnny Rotten & Punk rock came along to breathe some fresh life & fun back into Rock ‘n’ Roll. But does the music of Caravan stand the test of time after 26 years? Surprisingly, yes, very well indeed. Back in the late sixties “The Wilde Flowers”, the senior rock band of Kent, Garden County of England, split in two, spawning “Caravan” & “Soft Machine”. Caravan helped create a musical style that has become known as the Canterbury sound, a name that has stuck to this sub genre of progressive rock ever since. Surrealist lyrics, humour, & a rock style that incorporated elements of Procul Harum, Jethro Tull & Pink Floyd, the Canterbury sound was a jazzy - classical - folk - ish sound that was still very unique. Caravan were definitely one of the founding progressive rock bands, having already recorded seven albums by the time they went into record this concert at the London Paris Theatre. By then, the 3 original members of David Sinclair, Pye Hastings, & Richard Couglan, had added Geoff Richardson on violin and replaced David Sinclair’s cousin, Richard Sinclair with Mike Wedgewood on bass, who came in from “Curved Air”. There are only 4 songs on this hour long concert, 3 of them clocking in just under the 20 minute mark before the final rave up, of the short & sweet audience fave rave, “Hoedown” from Caravan’s fifth album “For girls who grow plump in the night”. The original album sleeve, depicting a naked pregnant women, was vetoed by record label Decca, but a compromise was reached & the women appeared wearing a night dress. Ho hum, such are the politics of mid seventies rock. “For Richard” comes from Caravan’s 2nd album “If I could do it again I’d do it all over you” which appeared way back in September of 1970. Regarded by many fans as their best work it became a perennial favourite in the live set. As you can see there were some marvellous titles from Caravan’s history, none better than the tricky titled “Cunning Stunts” from which the other two musical pieces on this album come from. This album is a fine showcase for the rich musical
talents of a band whose unique contribution to pop music history is
unlikely to be forgotten. Mike Wedgewood - Bass Track Listing 1. Love In Your Eye
By Poppy Rush Hour 2 the story opens in Hong Kong, where Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) of the Royal Hong Kong Police is showing LAPD detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) the sights while on their vacation. No sooner do they arrive, than they are confronted with the biggest case of their careers - a bomb has exploded in the American Embassy, killing two U.S. Customs agents who had been investigating a money smuggling ring that is producing and shipping millions in high-grade counterfeit U.S. $100 bills. Lee and Carter must track down Fu-Cang-Long Triad boss Ricky Tan (John Lone), avoiding his deadly second-in-charge, the beautiful Hu Li (Zhang Ziyi), and trying to find out the true motives of Customs Agent Isabella Molina (Roselyn Sanchez). For Lee the case is personal - Ricky Tan was once his father’s partner on the Hong Kong police force and played a direct role in his father’s death. Carter can see all his vacation plans disappearing as Lee gets involved in the case. Their investigation uncovers an international counterfeiting ring and takes them from Hong Kong to Los Angeles to Las Vegas, where the finale comes in and around the strip’s newest, most lavish casino. (Are you yawning yet?) Although the action sequences work in Rush Hour 2, little else does. The comedy is sporadic at best with some jokes being overplayed to the point where they cross the line from mildly amusing to downright silly. I wouldn’t rush to see this one - wait for the video. Directed by Brett Ratner Produced by Arthur Sarkissian, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, and Jay Stern Screenplay by Jeff Nathanson Cast: Jackie Chan as Detective Inspector Lee
Updated every Friday Updated by
Chinnaporn Sungwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk. |
|
This book is a Penguin paperback collection of what is
considered to be the best of some of the works of Richard Feynman, a
brilliant man who was a Professor of Theoretical Physics in America.
Mott’s CD review:
