Cool concept … record sleeves with only the living on them, the dead having been removed with some software or other … via http://liveiseedeadpeoples.tumblr.com/  [tnx4tip Eav!]

I keep getting back to this song … do you know what I mean? Lesley Duncan (née Cox) wrote and performed the original version in 1969, while Elton John's cover version from 1970 - which also features la Duncan - has made the song famous ever since … resulting in fine versions by Dionne Warwick(e) (1971), Peggy Lee (studio version d.d. 1972), etc. (Apparently, David Bowie and John Hutchinson had already recorded a demo of this song as soon as 1968-12, later to be released on the bootleg "The Forgotten Songs Of David Robert Jones".)
http://www.lesleyduncan.net/
http://www.45cat.com/record/rca1783
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesley_Duncan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumbleweed_Connection
http://thehelplessdancer.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/lesley-duncan/
http://garbocathedral.blogspot.com/2007/10/lesley-duncan-love-song.html
http://eltonjohnallsongslist.blogspot.com/2008/06/unforgettable-people-xxi-lesley-duncan.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lesley-duncan-singer-and-songwriter-who-worked-with-elton-john-and-pink-floyd-1942138.html

What with Kate Bush releasing her first album in many years … here's a completely different act, viz. the Irish girl duo Clodagh Simonds & Alison O'Donnell (née Bools) of Mellow Candle! As for Kate … do check "Come back Kate", a compelling documentary (by Helena Muskens & Quirine Racké, 2007) on her cult following … the strangest of fans, really ;-)
http://www.janetrecords.com/mc/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellow_Candle
http://www.irishshowbands.net/bgmellow.htm
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Mellow+Candle
http://www.cherryred.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=1586
http://dewerelddraaitdoor.vara.nl/Video-detail.628.0.html
http://katebushforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2248&st=160
http://www.idfa.nl/nl/tags/project.aspx?id=879462c2-56a5-4b41-8cb4-7faea9517203
http://www.nps.nl/page/programma/238/het-uur-van-de-wolf/aflevering/detail/6821345/come-back-kate
http://www.mediamatic.net/page/34920/nl

While Jeanette Leech was writing her fab folk book … Rob Young was working on another excellent volume - not just about folk: "Electric Eden - unearthing Britain's visionary music" (Faber && Faber 2010-08-05, ISBN 9780571237524). I haven't finished reading it yet but it's a real treasure trove of information, making it an impossible task to list the acts he brings into view. (Kevin Ayers, David Bowie, Joe Boyd, Anne Briggs, Vashti Bunyan, Shirley Collins, Donovan, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, Bill Fay, Forest, Fotheringay, Roy Harper, (Mike) Heron, the Incredible String Band, Bert Jansch, Kaleidoscope [UK], John Martyn, Mellow Candle, Mighty Baby, Mr Fox, Parchment, Pentangle, Pink Floyd, John Renbourn, Soft Machine, Steeleye Span, Traffic, Trees  ànd Talk Talk have been dealt with, of course. Surprisingly, Michael Chapman, Fresh Maggots, Mushroom and Tractor hardly get a mention.) On pages 512 & 513, for instance, Mr. Young describes the (three album) legacy of UK folk act Spirogyra (mainly Martin Cockerham & Barbara Gaskin) … Don't confuse them with the US fusion jazzers Spyro Gyra who debuted in 1978!
http://www.electriceden.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Young
http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/Spirogyra.html
http://www.thewire.co.uk/details/contributors/?contributor=10
http://www.faber.co.uk/work/electric-eden/9780571237524/
http://www.readysteadybook.com/Article.aspx?page=robyoung
http://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/book-review-electric-eden
http://sidsmith.blogspot.com/2010/07/podcasts-from-yellow-room-xxix.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/07/electric-eden-folk-rob-young
http://growlikeweeds.com/2011/05/10/rob-young-reading-from-electric-eden/
http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2010/07/electric-eden-music-young-folk
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/07/entertainment/la-et-robyoung-20110607
http://fionnchu.blogspot.com/2011/04/rob-youngs-electric-eden-book-review.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/books/electric-eden-by-rob-young-book-review.html
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/brieflynoted/2011/07/11/110711crbn_brieflynoted4
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/electric-eden-by-rob-young-2331733.html
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2011/10/interview-with-rob-young-author-of-electric-eden-unearthing-britains-visionary-music.html
http://www.artrick-playground.com/article/Interview-with-Rob-Young-author-of-aElectric-Eden-Unearthing-Britainas-Visionary-Musica/619/510396

The "Where Are You From? (Christophe Lemaire And Now-Again Records Present A Series Of Global Psychedelic Rock, Funk And Folk Grooves. 16 Tracks From 1968 Until The Present Day)" v/a cd on Now-Again (NA 5073, 2011) has been compiled by Christophe Lemaire, a Frenchman who has worked for Lacoste (dig their brilliant L!VE! collection) and who has now replaced Jean-Paul Gaultier at Hermès … Great to see gypsy hippie Damon end up in the hands of Paris' beau monde and other filthy rich, too ;-

Bonus book for those of you wanting to get a degree or into waxing academical: http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&calctitle=1&pageSubject=568&pagecount=5&title_id=8700&edition_id=12010

Fantastic music … housed in a discouraging cover, sadly, as you can hardly read the band's name. Which may cause Koen Kohlbacher's Birds That Change Colour to be filed under "On Recording The Sun (And The Moon)" - the album's title (Munich 2011). For fans of Paul Roland, Ned Collette, Syd Barrett, Donovan, Kevin Ayers, … and delicate pop music tout court. Give it several spins and you'll discover one of the best albums of the year. And to see them live … 2011-11-11 or 2011-11-19 have cool bills …

Silly … but since we'd already posted this one … here goes! Hey and while you listen to that brand new "Love will tear us apart" cover version by June Tabor & Oysterband (off "Ragged Kingdom", Topic 2011), or Bis's interpretation (2002), or to two more Curtis & co covers by My Robot Friend (2006) & Tortoise (1995) … well, do check Kapetank's two other nods to to Joy Division, Peter Saville and Chris Mathan's CP1919 pulsar sleeve for "Unknown Pleasures" won't you?
http://kapetank.tumblr.com/post/3102166266
http://kapetank.tumblr.com/post/6278563909/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
http://adamcap.com/2011/05/history-of-joy-division-unknown-pleasures-album-art/
http://joydivisionunknownpleasures.blogspot.com/2011/09/front-cover-image-comes-from-edition-of.html
http://testpressing.org/2011/07/tony-wilson-and-peter-saville-in-conversation/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2011/may/29/joydivision-neworder
http://homepage2.nifty.com/truefaith/tosq/petersaville/1985-1989.html
http://paulstolper.com/gallery/img.php?id_img=207
http://ricardocabello.com/blog/post/640
http://www.joydiv.org/covers.htm
http://www.joydiv.org/up.htm

I.M. guitar master Bert Jansch (1943-11-03 > 2011-10-05). Didn't die of an overdose. Incidentally, "Blues run the game" (also covered by Nick Drake) was originally written & recorded by Jackson C. Frank.
http://www.bertjansch.com/
http://workandworry.com/?p=995
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Jansch
http://www.dragcity.com/artists/bert-jansch
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/oct/05/bert-jansch
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15179959
http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2011/10/bert_jansch_a_tribute.html
http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2011/10/farewell_bert_jansch_1943_2011.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8808301/Bert-Jansch-guitar-wizard-dies-aged-67.html

Music of its age and time, by Koen De Bruyne. "Pathetic dreams" is off his debut lp "Here Comes The Crazy Man!" (Vogue 1974); era vocals by Patricia Maesen, drums by Jean-Pierre Onraedt. (A year later, this trio would feature on Janko Nilovic's Mad Unity lp, also on Vogue Belgique.) As a follow up, shortly before his (untimely) death in 1977, De Bruyne recorded the soundtrack for Jan Gruyaert's film "In kluis" (Hans Kusters Music 1978, reissued 2007), of which the first three tracks below were taken. De Bruyne (brother of Kris) also participated in the recording of "Laat me nu toch niet alleen" by Johan Verminnen (1974), which features a (Belgian) classic moog solo by Telex' Dan Lacksman.
http://www.discogs.com/Koen-De-Bruyne-In-Kluis/release/694800
http://www.muziekarchief.be/identitydetails.php?ID=17017
http://www.soundslike.be/reviews/?reviewID=4050
http://houbi.com/belpop/groepen/debruyne.htm
http://www.johanverminnen.be/extra.shtml
http://www.ximon.nl/Films/in-kluis/142446
http://www.dvdinfo.be/bespreking.php?id=2190
http://www.vintagefilms.be/vlaamsefilmcollectie_page.htm

… a couple of Chapman updates … there's a documentary in the making (see links below), some touring going on, and a release on Ecstatic Peace upcoming … Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore had already interviewed Michael Chapman in Fretboard Magazine in 2009 … meanwhile the tracks below are off "Trainsong: Guitar Compositions 1967-2010" on Tompkins Square (TSQ2530, 2011) … "Trying times" is a requiem for Jack Rose (1971-02-16 > 2009-12-05) …
http://michaelchapman.co.uk/news.htm
http://www.weirdwolf.us/?p=435
http://www.weirdwolf.us/?p=281
http://www.weirdwolf.us/?p=133