I have been randomly taking photos of Ghost signs for some years now, Ghost signs are historic, faded and outdated tatty advertising images that were painted on the outside of buildings. Ghost signs are a significant component of the historic fabric of our Roads, streets and Avenues.Over the years where ever I go I tend to always be looking up, hoping to see some faded old advertising on the side of a building or residence. I have gathered a lot of these images onto Flickr which can be viewed here
In 2024 myself Jack Packer and Warren Grech decided it was time to put the 1st Psylons single and both BBC sessions onto YouTube. After many many months of tinkering for your pleasure we have finally uploaded them. Unfortunatly Mr Edwards is no longer with us, but we are 100% sure he would approve.
Monday, 28 April 2025
Shadows was a Thames TV supernatural/mystery series that ran for 3 series from 1975 to 1978. All
the stories were supernatural/Ghost/Fantasy/Mystery based. Shadows
featured a superb array of actors including John Nettleton, Jenny
Agutter, Jacqueline Pearce, Gareth Thomas, Brian Glover, June Brown,
Russell Hunter (as Mr Stabs this character was also in Ace of Wands)
George A Cooper (Caretaker Grange Hill) Brian Wilde (Mr Barraclough,
Porridge) Norman Rossington, Gwyneth Strong and Joan Greenwood. Writers for the series included Fay Weldon, J.B.Priestley, Susan Cooper, Joan Aiken. What is also rather wonderful about Shadows was the exceptionally good intros to the series. A total of 3 different intros were used across all three series. My Personal favorite
was the intro to the 2nd series with the animated bird flying, high
contrast tower blocks and the creepy girl standing still whilst her
shadow skips on a pale blue landscape. Some of the stories are perhaps a bit obvious/cliched and samey (After School & Waiting Room) some are fun (Dutch Schlitz's Shoes, The Man Who Hated Children) The Inheritance is a personal Favorite anddefinitely has a Folk Horror edge to it. A very fine and often over looked series. If you do get the chance check out all three intros here.
About 12 months ago I decided I needed a break from the Test Transmission Archive reel mixes. Was not sure at the time if or when I would do another..but here we are nearly 12 months later and it is time for Test Transmission Archive Reel 56. A Psych, Electronic, Acid Folk (and all other goodies) mix. To keep you all entertained this mix is 2 hours long and contains all sorts of ear worms, Focus Group, Funkadelic, Sweetwater, Joe Meek, Levitation, Dudley Moore, Fairport Convention, Genesis, Amon Duul ll, Forest, Fair Mothers and much more. I should say this is not the start of reguler Test Transmission mixes, but maybe the start of some random every now and then mixes. So until next time strap yourself in for a right old audio head massage.
Tracklist Focus Group - Bachoo Bonzo Dog - We are Normal Amon Duul ll - Pale Gallery Ivor Cutler - I Got No Common Sense Pink Floyd - Heart Beat Pig Meat Funkadelic - What is Soul Julian Cope - Transporting Schifrin/Holmes - The Pidgeon Toad Orange Peel Sweetwater - In a Rainbow Fifty Foot Hose - Cauldron Large Plants - Every Single Day Psylons - Midnight Sun Broadcast - The Be Colony Fairport Convention - If I had a Ribbon Bow Joe Meek - Entry of the Globbots Joe Harriott John Mayer Double Quintet - Acka Raga Spectrum - You Satisfy Me Genesis - The Conqueror Delia Derbyshire - Ziwzih Ziwzih Lother and the Hand People - L O V E United States of America - Coming Down Forest - Graveyard Levitation - Pieces of Mary Bruce Haack - Incantation Silver Apples - A Pox On You Elephants Memory - Old Man Willow Gershon Kingsley - Pop Corn White Noise - Here Come The Fleas Belbury Poly - Chapel Perilous Fair Mothers - Birds Bees and Tiny Fleas Dudley Moore - Bedazzled The 101 Strings - Flameout Tangerine Dream - Ultima Thule Part 1 Red Crayola - Hurricane Fighter Plane Free Design - Make the Madness Stop
Originally released in Jan 2023 on Castles in Space. Burial at Bevill's Leam sold out very quickly. The plan was not to repress and leave it as a limited release that was now no longer available on vinyl. However after a recent tidy up and change of distributor at Castles in Space, a few of these red 12inch singles appeared. A few are now on sale again on the Castles in Space Bandcamp page and myself and Mr Powell have a few to make available soon.
When recording the album “Sad Old Tatty Bunting”, I decided it needed a
spoken word track. I wanted to mix this in the style of The Velvet
Underground track, 'The Gift', with the vocals hard panned to the left
and music to the right. I approached singer/songwriter Douglas E Powell
and asked him if he would be interested in writing a short story for
this purpose. Doug came back to me sometime later with a 13/14 minute
tale about ancient giant crabs and a burial at a place called 'Bevill’s
Leam'.
I loved the story, however it was too long, way too long. There was only
about 7 minutes spare for the last track on the album. So Doug went
back to work on it and presented me with a shortened version. The voice
was recorded and mixed, hard panning left and right.
“Sad Old Tatty Bunting” was released on Castles in Space in Feb 2022.
In the Spring of 2022 I started thinking about the full version of
'Bevill’s Leam', and started to think that we should revisit the track
in order to record and release the long version using Doug’s full text
as originally planned.
I told my label, Castles in Space that I wanted to do
the 12” in the style of a DIY white label. We agreed on no cover
artwork and only a white sleeve with an A5 paper insert. Taking
inspiration from Public Image’s “Metal Box” a red typewriter font was
chosen for all the text. Colin Morrison at CiS proposed a red vinyl pressing
because he’s like that.
So, with all the label details worked out, the last remaining problem we
had was that Doug no longer had the original full story! So in double
quick time he set to work and re-wrote and re-recorded the whole thing.
It turned out Longer, darker and better.
Myself and long time friend and producer Jack Packer set to work
remixing the new version of 'Bevill’s Leam'. Some new tracks were laid
down with additional sounds and effects and then Doug’s new extended
vocal (sounding amazing) was sewn into the mix.
This new version of the track is very different from the album version,
having a fuller sound and sharper clarity. Doug’s vocal was perfect, and
the new musical additions created a more balanced and atmospheric feel.
The B side instrumental version was slightly extended, and again some
new sounds and effects added.
So there you have it…the full story of Burial at Bevill’s Leam in glorious hand numbered, red 12" 45rpm format.
Clip Clop Non Stop (Belbury Poly Mix) by Keith Seatman and Belbury Poly
is our opening salvo.
There will be a vinyl compilation of some of these singles coming towards the back end of the year, but meanwhile prepare yourself for a series of exclusive virtual 7" and 12" singles as we move through 2025. These tracks will not be appearing anywhere else other than within the Subscription Library community. credits released February 22, 2025
Was absolutly blown away and so chuffed to have been included in Stuart Maconie's Best of 2024 Freak Zone show (Dec 29th) Really did not see that coming at all. So a massive thankyou to Mr Maconie and all who bought my last CD/Digi release a skip and a song to see us along.
A nice end of year surprise. My last self release CD/Digi made it into
the Electronic Sound Mag end of year top 100. Number 14. Def did not see
that coming. Hopefully new Castles in Space Album and remix single
2025. Also for your listening pleasure something from my past should make an appearence early 2025.
On a very wet cold and dark December morning myself and Mrs Seatman set out to find the old ruins of Bedham Church. Set deep in West Sussex not far from Pulborough and Petworth Bedham
Church is not that easy to find. To get to Bedham you have to head West
on the A283 out of Pulborough and then look for a small sign on the
right for Bedham Lane. The small track/road to Bedham Church (Bedham
Lane) is narrow and very bumpy and muddy (it was very wet that day) and
if approaching from the south the church is on the right. Lucky its
winter and the trees are bare, if it was the summer the trees would
totally obscure the church and make the task of finding it even more
difficult than what it is. Once we had found the church the next problem
was to find a lay by to park the car in. We managed to park about 100
yards or so from the church and then headed back down the road, and down
the muddy slope to Bedham Church. Bedham Church was built in 1880 and
funded by William Townley Mitford MP for Midhurst as a dual purpose
Church and School House. At one time the Church/School had 60 pupils and
3 Teachers. The Church was finally abandoned in 1959. Given the
remoteness of Bedham Church there is also lack of litter/rubbish and
only a tiny bit of graffiti which can only be good at a lovely old place
like this. If you have the time and can get to Bedham, then this old
church is worth checking out.
Some recent reviews for the last long player a skip and a song to see us along. Available from Bandcamp A Shindig an Electronic Sound and a Fortean Times
Saturday, 7 September 2024
A few years back on a little trip into Wells
(smallest city in UK, so they say, used as the town of Sandford in the film Hot Fuzz) I briskly popped into a rather good charity shop
and found this 3 box 9 disc collection, recorded by Victor C Lewis. It
really is quite wonderful. Had to move very swiftly as someone else was
looking at it from afar, so I sprinted across the shop and then parted
with the cash. Not often these days that you could find something like
this in a charity shop.
a skip and a song to see us
along is
the 8th album by Keith Seatman and his 1st non-Castles in
Space album release since 2017. Castles in Space will be releasing a new LP
from Keith in Feb 2025 and a remix 7inch single in late 2024.
In the meantime this release is a collection of 10 new tunes featuring more of
his Odd Electronics, Psych, Radiophonics, Drone, quirky melodies, samples and
random thoughts. Douglas E Powell joins Keith again and supplies Acoustic
Guitar on track 10 jumbled letters.
