Been away to Devon for ten days or so but managed to get a few runs in, including the aptly named Killerton Park run. Arrived late and had to sprint up a ridiculously steep hill causing me to stop...at the start. I managed to crack on though through hills and dales, puddles and mudbaths. Managed a reasonably respectable 27 mins ish although the official time was 29 something due to me arriving/starting late. Didn't stop all the way round though which, bearing in mind some of the hills, was an achievement in itself.
Stayed at the Forest Glade campsite near Cullompton, camping in a tent for the first time in about thirty years. It rained pretty much every day and night but we travelled about a bit so chased the sun around where possible and still had a good time. Other runs were up and down the roads near the site and the long run was mostly downhill so not too strenuous although the stamina side of it was tough after a few nights of Sheppy's 7.4% Oak Matured cider. Couple of days off until today. Need to work off a couple of bacon sandwiches, plenty of folk-fuelled Guinness (more later) and another night of Sheppy's last night. All part of the training though!
Soundtracks
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Rattlesnakes album.
A kind of older, U.S. influenced brother to The Smiths, the Commotions released a couple of great albums in Rattlesnakes and the follow up Easy Pieces, a patchy third before Lloyd Cole embarked on a solo career which, after the tuneless first album (called X - maybe he wanted to cross it out immediately after making it) I failed to follow. Rattlesnakes is a kind of soulful, country, bluesier pop version of the gentler moments of The Velvet Underground with some great, intelligent but still playful lyrics. It's aged pretty well and compares favourably to The Smiths first, poorly produced debut.
Can - Future Days
Aaah. Can. Fell in love with them back in the early 1990s after picking up a copy of the "greatest hits" compilation Opener (Can - Opener. geddit?) for a couple of quid. Still sounding fresh, funky and unique 40ish years after its release, Future Days is, perhaps, their most accessible album. Only four songs, three of which clock in at about 9 mins each. The title track, with its one note bassline, builds to a spacey, almost drum'n'bass crescendo with whispered vocals from Damo Suzuki (I've played two gigs in his band and he stayed at my house!). The equally hypnotic Spray genuinely helped me up a hill I would ordinarily have capitulated to.
Cardigans - best of (again)
Woof! Used this, partly due to length, for the long run of 8.1 miles. Still a bit obsessed with them and their lovely chord progressions amongst other things. I had a bit of time to listen closer to some of the later stuff and I'm finding myself drawn in. More rock/country than the earlier, jazzier, pop but still really well written and lyrically quite skewed too.
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