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[Trollheart]

Can you believe we're halfway through February already? Soon be donnin' the Green for Paddy's Day --- yeah, not while there's breath in my body! Anyway, here's what's been a-happenin' down here in Journal Land...

The Batlord gets us started on this update, and in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html he's musing on the best way to treat poseurs (not kindly, you can be sure!) and also giving us the top ten reasons why a metal show is better than sex!

A welcome return for Big Ears, whose journal http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html has a review of Pain of Salvations's "Remedy Lane". A great review, should be required reading.

Engine's new journal (first journal?) http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...can-dream.html is, like his alter-ego, gathering steam and pace, and the story is really developing. Pay him a visit and see what it's all about...

And it looks like there's been some overtime going on over at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...use-songs.html, where he's reviewing The Noisettes, Richard Thompson, The Strypes, Jolie Holland and the Go-Betweens, as well as waxing lyrical about Kevin Shields. Take a coffee break man! Fine work, and definitely worth your taking your time to visit and check out.

Which takes us to Janszoon, where I'm delighted to report there's a new entry in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sible-man.html. This time our insubstantial friend is listening to music from --- let me see if I can get this right --- Robotobibok. Think that's it. Anyway, pretty eclectic as you'd expect from Jansz, always a great read and some great music coming your way.

I must also note the now-finished http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...e-all-die.html, which is still deservedly getting comments and praise even months after it was finally finished by Jansz. Rightly so: it has to rank as one of the best journals. Ever. If you haven't already read it, then by the gods you have a treat in store.

And so we're back to me. I must say, this week has been the busiest and most productive since I started my third journal, so much so that I've written a thread to the mods to apologise for all the updates during the week! And more to come! In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html I've looked at albums from Buckethead and Devil's Train, while in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html there's a new section called "Great moments in history set to music" --- snappy huh? I was trying to think of a cool title for it, but couldn't decide on one so just went with that. Anyhoo, it does what it says on the tin, obviously. The first edition features the Battle of Thermopylae --- yeah, the 300 Spartans thing. There are also reviews of the new EP from Eden Shadow and a very old Thin Lizzy album.

Over at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html there has been a lot of activity, with another few episodes from season 1 of Supernatural, an introduction to Love/Hate and The New Statesmen, both due to be featured soon, as well as a character profile of Arnold Rimmer from Red Dwarf. Oh yeah, and Series Link has shifted over to this journal too, migrating from my main one. Only made sense. Well, about as much as anything in my journals does...

Unknown Soldier continues to be http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html, and this week he's looking at albums from Budgie and Sabbath. Yeah! Rock on man!

WIth Urban then updating his journal, that leaves US for once not the last entry in this update. In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-stuff.html he's ignored all votes for the next album to be reviewed by him and has gone for a 1968 outing by The Love Machine. Groovy!

And that's it once again. Plenty more coming your way, certainly from me and I'm sure from most if not everyone here. Don't work too hard (haha! I'll be thinking of you when I'm tucked up in bed listening to the wind howl outside!) and we'll see ya all on the next update, which will be the last for this month.

Toodles!

[Engine]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Engine's new journal (first journal?) http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...can-dream.html is, like his alter-ego, gathering steam and pace, and the story is really developing. Pay him a visit and see what it's all about...

No, I once used a structured album review format but got bored of that. Here's my first.

Also, the imagelink to the hand-drawn Family Tree that I referred to in the initial post has died but for those interested, here it is:

[Trollheart]

Something of a quiet one this week, with not too much in the way of updates. Here's what we have for you...

Yay! The Batlord is embarking on another kick-ass adventure! Check out his latest escapades here in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html --- but approach only if ye be true Metalheads, for his wrath towards poseurs is mighty and terrible!

Engine is still relating the story of Erik, Sergio and his family in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...can-dream.html; go see what you're missing!

Goofle11 has a new album to review in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...lbum-week.html : it's from Kings of Leon. Why not visit him and check it out?

Although it's long finished now, Janszoon's http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...e-all-die.html continues to garner praise and attention, showing why it was the obvious choice for winner of the Music Banter Award for Best Journal this year (fume, fume...) --- see what it's all about. You won't be disappointed.

And so back to me. I've been doing what updating I can, though truth to tell I'm more writing stuff to have in reserve at the moment than posting updates. But this week in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html there's a review of one of the better post-Roger Hodgson albums from Supertramp and one from Simple Minds, and a section that's been delayed, uh, a year in the implementation! Oh well: better late than never.... Over at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html there are reviews of the new album from Lacuna Coil, as well as ones from Texas and a weird little EP from Theatres des Vampires.

Hasn't been too much happening on the Couch this week --- again, more writing than posting --- but I've managed to slot in the first episode of Spooks so head to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html to check it out. Hope to get more updates in the coming week.

Which takes us, inevitably, to our old soldier friend, where he's http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html with albums by Rick Derringer, Uriah Heep and a pile of albums that he says didn't quite make the cut. Do we assume 1974 is on the horizon soon?

So that's it for this week. Not, as I say, too much on the books but as Urban once put it, quality above quantity. Of course, I try to strive for both. Watch for new things happening very soon in my journal, and keep an eye on this thread: you never know when someone will suddenly post in a journal that hasn't been updated in yonks.

Till next Sunday then!
Toodles!

[Trollheart]

THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN...

Ah-hoy hoy! Monty Burns here! It's time you people stopped being mollycoddled by that Trollheart fellow and heard what people REALLY think of your --- ahem -- journals! From now on there'll be some changes around here, as I'll be calling the shots. Excellent!

More of your blasted scrawlings and scribblings that are clogging up the Inter-Net thing and making it harder for me to read how my stocks and shares are doing! Don't you lollygaggers have anything better to do? What? We do? We are? BAH! Oh all right then, for those of you who simply must know, here is the kind of drivel your fellow members are spewing out, preventing me reaching the Wall Street Journal website in a timely manner. Bunch of ingrates! Spell in the army would do you all the --- what? Oh yes, my medication. You're quite right there, Smithers. What would I do without you.?

And the rest of you: get back to work! Oh no, wait, I didn't mean .... damn and blast it Smithers! They're UPDATING again!


Anteater (Anteater? What in blue blazes sort of name is that?) is still trying to get us all into his confounded smooth jazz via http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ed-masses.html; never gonna work for me I have to say! But this week he has reviews from Kyoto Jazz Massive and Special EFX, so "check-them-out", as I'm reliably informed is the popular vernacular used these days, if that's your thing. Who knows? Maybe if it isn't he'll convert you... (not bloody likely...)

We've all been waiting for (What? I haven't been waiting for this juvenile, peurile drivel ... contract? What contract? Oh curse your eyes then, all right!) the, um, second instalment of the Batlord's latest crazy trip across time and space, and you'll find it in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html, so what are you waiting for? Begone, I say!

Ki's getting his journal back underway, (well whoop-di-doo! Sorry, sorry...) with reviews of albums by HIM, a look at his hometown of Seattle, and a more in-depth review of "Swedish hitz goes metal". Why are you still here? This http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...er-things.html is where you need to be!

And lo! PoorOldPo is back with us! Poor indeed! I bet he couldn't afford ONE limousine, let alone --- what? IRS? Er, no, I can't talk to you just now. Very busy.... Check his journal http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ychedelia.html for a taste of Donovan and lots of other cool psychedlic music. Man. (Come on: I'm meeting you lousy hippies halfway!)

Ah, some decent material at last! Excellent!

Trying to keep my --- er, that is to say, his --- journals updated, this is what I've come up with on http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html: A "rare" album by Asia, the new one from Kris Kristofferson (no, I'm not joking!) and another foray into lyrical heaven with "More than words". As for http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html? Well there's the fifth part of season one of Babylon 5, about halfway in now, and more from season one of Supernatural. Plenty more to come, of course. That hasn't left me any time to update "Bitesize" this week, but I'm stockpiling a lot of mini-reviews and there'll definitely be some updating done in the coming week.

1973 was a good year for hard rock, though I was more into the Mantovani sort of thing, you know. He gets a bad rap but ... ah, I digress. Like I say, a good year as you'll discover when you read the latest entries in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html, where Unknown Soldier has reviews of albums by, among others, Mott the Hoople, ZZ Top, New York Dolls and Iggy and the Stooges. There's also part two of his "In the shadow of Sabbath" article, looking at bands influenced by the godfathers of black metal. (Venom who?)

And Urban(Hatemonger, eh? Excellent! I like the cut of this fellow's gib!) drops in to tell us about his regard for Charlie Brooker. Seriously. He says "I love this man" eight times! Hmmm. Watch that one, Smithers. NO NOT LIKE THAT! Oh Hell and damnation! Why couldn't I have a STRAIGHT bootlicker? Sigh! Check out http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-stuff.html to read it.

And that would normally be it, but we're lucky to be favoured this week with an entry from the lovely Vanilla, who is so impressed by new female "rapper", I believe is the term, Iggy Azalea that she appears to have taken her image as her new avatar! Not my thing, rap music, but don't let that stop you checking out her journal here http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-eargasms.html. Ah, if only I were ninety years younger...

And so we come to the end of another update, and move on into a new month.... What? I'm not reading that out! I do? Oh hell and damnation! Very well then...

A note from Urban on getting your new journal approved or indeed on getting entries in your existing journal approved: "Please use common sense when posting Youtube videos. I have gone into two journals to approve posts and both times the number of Youtube posts in them caused my computer to freeze. If you're posting multiple videos please post them under a cut and please use your brain. Even if you're only posting one per post that's still 10, 20 or 30 depending on how many posts per page people are using.
This isn't a rule, this is a polite request so that a rule doesn't have to be made.
Thank you."

Wise words, and ones I've had to heed myself (Er, I mean ones Trollheart has had to heed!) and which made me -- I mean, him --- (prior to this) look at just how many videos I was trying to post at once. Don't do that any more! Not entirely sure what "under a cut" means: I think it means with SPOILER tags? Urban, if you're reading this maybe you could clarify? Anyway, as he says, use your noodle: don't overload a mod's computer. They're less likely to want to approve your journal if you do that. (I'm assuming using SPOILER tags removes the problem; if I'm wrong someone please set me straight). But expect a visit from my highly-paid lawyers if you do...

So, until next time, same place, same, er, place...
Toodles!
Smithers! They're just standing there! Release the hounds...