Come Taste the Band

by Deep Purple

Isn’t it curious how, 50 years later^*, the only Mark IV studio album still manages to divide Purple fans. Is it, or is not, DP? Why it shouldn’t be DP? Come Taste the Band could (or should) be called pioneering for being the first album in Purple discography not to feature Ritchie Blackmore. It’s not Machine Head, and thanks for that. It did not spawn any stadium hits à la Smoke on the Water — ditto.

I myself didn’t quite dig CTTB upon first hearing, some time in early ’80s. The fact that I heard the atrocious Last Concert in Japan first must have contributed to my initial prejudice towards Tommy Bolin. But why? Poor Tommy couldn’t even play on Last Concert in Japan, not with two hands anyway. Forget it. On CTTB, Bolin shines through and through. Re-listening it now, I realise how ahead of the time this record was.

The title is, of course, a portmanteau of the famous Cabaret lyrics. My favourite tracks are Gettin’ Tighter, This Time Around/Owed to ‘G’ and You Keep On Moving. The 35^th Anniversary Edition (why not 30^th or 36^th, I wonder?) does not provide much in terms of extra material. The second CD (2010 Kevin Shirley Remix) is a refreshing alternative worth listening to... before you go back to enjoy the “original” version, in this case, CD1 (i.e. 2010 Digital Remaster). If I owned a turntable, a space to house it, and £105 to spare, I’d go for the real thing, not least because of its gorgeous cover art.

*	Wikipedia says, in the same article, that the album was released on 10 October 1975 and on 7 November 1975. This cannot be right. According to the BPI database, Come Taste the Band was certified silver on 01.11.1975, six days before its release on 07.11.1975.

The Thread (𐄎)

Patient Visit Report

Name: Asterion, son of Pasiphaë
Age: 24 years
Last routine examination: five moons ago; no illness reported (as per the patient’s medical record).
Chief complaint: that he is restrained.
Other complaints: the continental breakfast portion size.
Description: the patient is disoriented (not knowing where he is) and confused about his own identity. Shows aggressive-suicidal behaviour. Talks about himself variously in first (“I’m a <illegible> hero”), third (“Have to destroy the Minotaur”, “Death to the Minotaur”, etc.), and both first and third person (“I’ll show him”). Uses formal titles for his close relatives (the Queen, the Princess) while can describe their appearance in greater than necessary detail. In spite of spending most of his life in the Maze, apparently unable to find his way around, e.g. to the bathroom. Paradoxically, immediately recognised me as his doctor (false memory) with the words “You’re late again, <illegible> quack”. Tachycardia.
Diagnosis: acute psychosis.
Immediate treatment: Her Majesty Pharmacy™ Herbal Sedative no. 21, orally, 1 dose with a cup of Valerian infusion.
Follow-up: continue with a daily dose of Herbal Sedative no. 21 for two weeks. Plenty of rest and <illegible>. 24-hour surveillance nurse attention. Weekly music therapy sessions (optional; flute is not recommended). Avoid alcohol and spicy food. Double portion of continental breakfast.
Revision: in two weeks’ time from today. In case of emergency, call me in.
Date: <illegible>
Signed: <illegible>

Note 1: the patient’s regular doctor could not be reached at the time of episode as she was off to a Mediterranean cruise. This report was completed by the Emergency Physician who was given access to the patient’s medical records under oath of non-disclosure.

Note 2: for the two weeks, the patient was kept at the Facility, then transferred back to the Maze after the medical revision.

To be continued...

(Almost) free live music and stuff in Las Palmas, October 2025

What we’ve seen in October:

• 4 October: «Tránsito, Lienzo y Voz» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  A concert of Camerata Lacunensis, a chamber choir of the University of La Laguna (Tenerife) lead by Jose Herrero. The programme included:
  • O lux beata Trinitas (Andrej Makor)
  • Wade in the Water (traditional, arr. Stacey V. Gibbs)
  • Veni sponsa Christi (Albert Alcaraz). Soloist: Celia Martín
  • Si ha de ser (Jose Herrero — Josefina de la Torre)
  • Let My Love Be Heard (Jake Runestad — Alfred Noyes)
  • Penas (Beatriz Corona — José Martí). Quartet of soloists: Amayra García, Lucía Torres, Pedro San Blas and Andrés Rodríguez.
  • Verano (Jose Herrero — Félix Duarte Pérez). Soloist: Celia Martín
  • El Guayaboso (Guido López-Gavilán)
  • Folías (traditional, arr. Jose Herrero). Soloist: Vicky López
  • El cuarto de Tula (Sergio González Siaba, arr. Jose Herrero)
  Encores:
  • Bésame Mucho (Consuelo Velázquez)
  • Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

  

• 6 October: 30MASDANZA @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  The programme included:
  • Raquel Gualtero Soriano (Ibagué, Colombia — Barcelona, Spain): 360º
  • Catarina Casqueiro & Tiago Coelho (Lisbon, Portugal): Forget Me Not
  • Eugenio Micheli & Marta Papaccio (Catania, Italy): The Waiting
  • Albert Hernández & Irene Tena (Madrid, Spain): No

  

• 8 October: Luis Quintana @ Palacete Rodríguez Quegles, Calle Benito Pérez Galdós, 4
  What I find irritating in a performer: (1) asking the audience to sing with, or instead of, them (90% of cantautores do it); (2) explaining what their songs are about; (3) wearing a hat on stage. LQ does all this and it is annoying. I liked Ángel Ravelo’s sax (he didn’t ask the crowd to play any with him).

  

• 9 October: MASDANZA Showcase I @ Sala Gabriel Rodó, Paseo Principe de Asturias
  The programme included:
  • Kiko López (Valencia, Spain): Honest
  • Charlotte Carpentier & Giovanni Molendi (Gzira, Malta): Silenced
  • Olé Khamchanla (Saint Vallier, France): Cercle
  • Cristina Roggerini & Gaia Mondini (Marano di Napoli, Italy): Last Movement of Hope: II Chapter — Organs
  • Paula Comitre & Julio Ruiz; cante: Al Blanco (Seville, Spain): Un diálogo entre Paula Comitre y Julio Ruiz

  

• 12 October: The 5.6.7.8’s @ Parque de San Telmo
  The Big Bang Vintage Festival this year was not free. We discovered this on Sunday when the security guy told us that the concert was “a private event” and we were meant to purchase tickets. The prices were €50 (a four-day pass) and €20 (a one-day pass). We were not ready to pay €20 per person for just one concert, and, judging by the applauses, it didn’t look like there was great attendance. Timur and I stayed outside the bus station to listen for the fist few songs. The sound quality wasn’t impressive either.
• 28 October: «Arrudeio» @ Casa de Colón
  This concert was part of the 22^nd (!) Festival Tensamba — why haven’t I heard of it before? With Camila Masiso (vocals, percussion) and Carol Benigno (accordion).

  

And exhibitions:

• 25 September — 24 October: «Caminar la forma» @ Centro Cultural CICCA, Alameda de Colon, 1
  Wood sculptures by Juan Carlos Déniz.

  

• 30 October — 28 November: Exposición del Concurso «Gran Canaria de Series de Obra Gráfica» @ Centro de Artes Plásticas (CAP), Calle Colón, 8
  ...where you can see some engravings by Tamara and Timur.

  

Bye, October.

An Artist of the Floating World

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro’s second novel is not a follow-up, but is in a similar vein to A Pale View of Hills. The narrator, a retired painter Ono, could be considered a development of Ogata-San. The title, as I just learned, is based on the literal translation of Ukiyo-e, “picture of the floating world”. Once again, the characters seem to be permanently embarrassed about practically everything.

This childlike aspect of Shintaro has frequently been a source of entertainment for Mrs Kawakami, who has a somewhat wicked side to her. One night recently, for instance, during a rainstorm, Shintaro had come running into the little bar and begun squeezing his cap out over the doormat. ‘Really, Shintaro-san!’ Mrs Kawakami had shouted at him. ‘What terrible manners!’ At this, Shintaro had looked up in great distress, as though indeed he had committed an outrageous offence. He had then begun to apologize profusely, thus leading Mrs Kawakami on further. ‘I’ve never seen such manners, Shintaro-san. You seem to have no respect for me at all.’ ‘Now stop this, Obasan,’ I had appealed to her after a while. ‘That’s enough, tell him you’re just joking.’ ‘Joking? I’m hardly joking. The height of bad manners.’ And so it had gone on, until Shintaro had become quite pitiful to watch. But then again, on other occasions, Shintaro will be convinced he is being teased when in fact he is being spoken to quite earnestly. There was the time he had put Mrs Kawakami in difficulties by declaring cheerfully of a general who had just been executed as a war criminal: ‘I’ve always admired that man since I was a boy. I wonder what he’s up to now. Retired, no doubt.’ Some new customers had been present that night and had looked at him disapprovingly. When Mrs Kawakami, concerned for her trade, had gone to him and told him quietly of the general’s fate, Shintaro had burst out laughing. ‘Really, Obasan,’ he had said loudly. ‘Some of your jokes are quite extreme.’

The Thread (𐄍)

From the report of 𐄍, Senior Lieutenant of the Secret Service, responsible for the operation of detention

There was no difficulty in identifying the subject among the passengers disembarked from the Athenian ship, for he was considerably older than his companions. His behaviour also differed from that of the rest of the party. If the younger men and women were showing signs of anxiety and fear, the subject was smiling, joking and even trying to flirt with Her Majesty and the princesses who were all present at the farewell dinner.

The following morning, before entering the Maze, the subject bribed the guard to let him smuggle a bladed weapon^*. As the guard immediately informed his superiors, the agents were keeping an eye on the subject at all times ready to disarm him. At the same time, they were under strict orders not to harm him in any way.

Once in the Maze, the subject deployed a so-called “thread”, likely as a tracking device. The analysis has shown that the thread was identical to those on sale in the Ariadne Wools shop, one of the tourist traps of Amnisos. The thread had snapped approximately half-way to the central chamber which could be explained by the poor quality of the wool. This occurrence, when discovered, caused the subject to panic and run back towards the entrance; in reality, by repeatedly taking wrong turns, he was moving in the opposite direction.

The subject was apprehended in the central chamber of the facility where a group of operatives, myself included, were waiting for him. The subject was interrogated in situ whereby he grew agitated and aggressive. He did not provide any meaningful answer to the interviewer’s questions, instead interrupting this latter with questions of his own. After asking repeatedly where he could find “the monitor”, the subject was shown a mirror. The subject remained in a state of shock for several hours, until the Emergency Physician arrived (the Patient Visit Report is attached).

*	The cash obtained thus was fully accounted for and transferred to the Treasury, as is the standard practice for funds raised through controlled bribery activity.

To be continued...

Zafari

a film by Mariana Rondón
screenplay by Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás

I went to see the closing screening of this year’s Ibértigo, expecting to see a bit of comedy. Well Wikipedia says “dystopian black comedy-drama”, surely it must have some comedy in it?

Not really. There was not a single moment that made me laugh. So it doesn’t count.

Even so, Zafari was well worth watching. The film’s setting — the apartment block, its swimming pool and a neighboouring zoo — is a microcosm of an unnamed Latin American country clearly inspired by the director’s motherland, Venezuela. Things ain’t going well and the arrival of Zafari the hippo doesn’t help... Prepare to be disturbed, but — the only spoiler I’ll give you — there is a glimpse of hope, if not exactly an happy end, for the protagonist. Starring Daniela Ramírez, Francisco Denis and Samantha Castillo.

Devenir Rosa & Hummingbirds

I read the programme of this year’s Ibértigo and decided to watch the two films whose one-line summaries sounded least depressing. I think I made the right choice.

Devenir Rosa

a film by Valeri Hernani

A Peruvian short is a poignant dialogue between generations, that of Valeri and her grandmother Rosa.

Hummingbirds

a film by Silvia del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía “Beba” Contreras

Not much happens in this documentary set in Laredo, Texas (not to be confused with real Laredo), and thank goodness for that. Two teenage friends enjoy “doing nothing together”, they know it’s not gonna last, and it’s beautiful.