The pitchers held their own in May, without being overwhelming. The Yankees’ experimentation with an opener – primarily using Chad Green continued and that seems to be going well. Again, let’s look at things in more detail.
Continue readingThe New York Yankees spent most of April buried in injuries. It didn’t get much better as the season rolled along but that didn’t stop the team from growing in confidence. With their young call-ups flexing their muscles, their May record was 20 wins to 7 losses. Ending April at 17-12 and in second position in the American League East, they scorched to 37-19, headed the table and were showing a one and a half game lead by the end of the month of May!
Continue readingSad Café
Discography
(This is not a typical discography. It does not relate to any one country’s releases for the band but where there has been a UK copy, it favours that. It is primarily a listener’s discography, rather than a collector’s discography. It will tell you where to get all the releases, in the most modern formats.)
Continue readingWith all these injuries, this season was never going to be straightforward, but the Yankees except for an initial stumble or two have handled the opening weeks with style. Let’s see who had the arms which led the way:
The New York Yankees had the most amazing start to a baseball season in their history but unfortunately, it wasn’t in the Wins column (although they didn’t too badly in that respect). Rather it was in terms of players heading to the (now renamed) injured list (IL). Let’s see what happened:
Continue readingWho: Sad Cafe
Where: The Cinnamon Club, Altrincham
When: : 22nd & 23rd March 2019
A few weeks ago, I published an article which concerned itself with rock bands who first reached prominence between the late 60s and early 70s and who are now facing questions about their continuing careers following on from the death or retirement of prominent members:
https://twilightdawning.com/2019/02/28/steely-dan-today/
It looked primarily at U.S. bands but did make some reference to UK bands. Following on from this, opportunity arose for a follow up article looking at bands in similar circumstances but this time from the mid-70s to the early-80s and this time UK bands.
Exhibit A: Sad Cafe
Continue readingWho: Sweet
Where: Nell’s Jazz and Blues, West London, UK
When: 19th December 2018
What: Live in Concert (50th Anniversary Tour)
Last Christmas on the 15th of December I was stood just in front of the stage as Sweet tore up Nell’s Jazz and Blues playing to a packed house and delivering an uproarious set. Well, having started a good tradition, why break and so I and they are back just a little over a year later for more of the same.
What: Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare
Where: The Swan Theatre @ The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Waterside, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
When: 13th December 2018
It has been a strange year for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). It just got stranger. Their take on – should I say adaptation of Timon of Athens – is an unusual one. And that is to say something quite remarkable because this play is seldom performed.
(Sometime over the last few years I was approached to write a “blurb” for the cover of a book of thoughts about Bob Dylan by an Australian author, Phil Mason. I’ve never met Phil but I’ve been privileged to help him with his research. By the time the book was approaching readiness, the idea had expanded and I wrote a foreword for the book which eventually appeared under the title of “A Voice From on High”. As well as reproducing that foreword here, I take the opportunity to recommend Mr Mason’s book which can be obtained through Amazon in softcover and for your kindle.)
“Well I’m sitting in church
In an old wooden chair
I knew nobody
Would look for me there”
Bob Dylan – Marchin’ to the City (Disc 3 of Tell Tale Signs 1989-2006)
In 1707, Isaac Watts, the Christian hymnwriter, wrote a lyric called “Marching to Zion” in which he referred to Zion as the beautiful city of God. Now, this was long before Zion had become a short-hand for some Western European political scheme to establish a physical homeland for disenfranchised Jewish people in the middle East (a scheme commonly referred to as Zionism). It is Watts looking forward to the end of an earthly journey where all the faithful people of God, Jew and Gentile, would be gathered in to an eternal home.
What: Twentieth Anniversary tour of the “Gran Turismo” album
Who: The Cardigans
Where: Hammersmith Apollo, Hammersmith, London, UK
When: 7th December 2018
Twice during this show (once during the performance of the whole of the “Gran Turismo” album and one during the subsequent “smorgasbord” selection) all the sound from the stage failed, leaving Nina Persson and the rest of the band stranded. Taking this all in their stride, they pressed on in good-humoured fashion to return with flash and panache as soon as the problems were corrected.
twilightdawning 