[Hofy]

A “song” that made its way into my work-at-home playlist today and I was so focused I didn’t realize it until it was nearly done playing… been stuck in my head since. A little dry English comedy:

I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights,
No matter where they've been.

I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights,
But only when they're green.

He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights,
No matter where they've been.

He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights,
But only when they're green.

I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
That is what I said.

I Like traffic lights
I Like traffic lights
I Like traffic lights,
But not when they are red.
He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights.
That is what he said.

He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights.
He likes traffic lights,
But not when they are red.

I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights,
Although my name's not Bamber.

I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
I Like traffic lights.
I-- Oh, God!

orange barrels orange barrels every where i see,
orange barrels orange barrels looking back at me,
look at larry, darryl, and darryl standing next to the orange barrel,
looking back at me,

they have signs that say slow down,
i drive 25 through town,
there faces are dark, dirty and brown,
there looking back at me,

orange barrels orange barrels every where i see,
orange barrels orange barrels why can't i be free,
look at larry darryl and darryl standing next to the orange barrel,
in there orange vest apparel looking back at me,

they stand in there stink and sweat,
i haven't seen them working yet,
they have to pee in a port-a-let,
and there butt crack smiles at me,

(if i could fly i would leave this world behind,
and i'd free up my mind from this debris)
and the orange barrels looking back at me,

orange barrels orange barrels everywhere i see,
orange barrels orange barrels looking back at me,
look at larry darryl and darryl standing next to the orange barrel,
in there orange vest appearl,
they pissed off my girl friend carol,
whos sitting next to me,

she makes calls on my cell phone,
all she does is piss and moan,
i should have left her big fat ass at home,
or have her service me,

look at larry darryl and darryl standing next to the orange barrel,
in there orange vest appearl,
they pissed off my girl friend carol,
whos favorite actor is willy farrel hes a comic just like me,

we drive through the rain and snow,
through the orange barrels here we go,
will the work get done?
well, no one knows,
it remains a mystery,
orange barrels
orange barrels
orange barrels
orange barrels

 

[Ripper2860]

"Decent Man"

He was more than just a decent man, best friend I ever had
When you're shooting at a coffee can, a thirty eight don't kick that bad
But it kicks right through my bones every second of every day
Clacking by like cobblestones under broken wheels

If the truth be known, I wasn't doing that well
I wasn't paying attention, I brought it on myself
And I blamed it on the gods that seemed to smile on everybody else
I got so inside out, I didn't know what was real

My fields are empty now
My ground won't take the plow
It's washed down to gravel and stones
It's only good for burying bones

I took the pistol off the wall, somebody hollered, "Put it back,
Sit down Dad before you fall down, you got no earthly use for that."
But I slipped out the kitchen door, saddled up the sway backed mule
Cinched her tight and swung on board, rode off like a drunken fool
I rode right on off the world, just like it never mattered none
There wasn't nothing but me and the hurt, and the biting cold, and the heft of that gun
In the pocket of a sheepskin coat, moonlight in a madman's eye
For the unfairness of it all, surely something had to die

My fields are empty now
My ground won't take the plow
It's washed down to gravel and stones
It's only good for burying bones

He came out in the lantern light
His face in the flash was the last I saw of the world when it was still right
I didn't watch him fall, I knew I'd hit him good, twice in the chest without a thought
Turned the mule towards the county seat, like I knew I ought

My fields are empty now
My ground won't take the plow
It's washed down to gravel and stones
It's only good for burying bones

Lola comes to visit, there's just nothing I can say
We sit here of an afternoon 'til it's time for her to go away
She rides home on that same mule that brought me to this place
I don't know how she even stands to look upon her Daddy's face

He was more than just a decent man
Best friend I ever had
When you're shooting at a coffee can
A thirty eight don't kick that bad

 

[scotdouglas]

Question: I went to listen to some new stuff today that I DEFINITELY cannot afford! Naim SuperNait 3 driving some Wilson Sabrinas. That Naim is only 80 Watts/channel and it was driving those Wilsons to very satisfying levels at 9 o'clock on the volume. They are 87 DB efficient speakers. I have a Freya+ (Diff. Buffer Mode) with monoblock Vidars driving 86db Vandersteen 2ces and I am at 2 o'clock at a similar volume. What gives?!?!? I asked the owner and he said something about current blah, blah. I am not buying his answer despite him being a LOVELY fellow. Please let me know if you have any thoughts.

Really fun couple of hours! That stuff sounds great! VERY EXPENSIVE but really beautiful and nice sounding.

It would be interesting to know what the sound levels were. On a cheap phone app, my Freya+ running two Vidars into KEF Q350(87db), the 12 o'clock position is 95db, 3 o'clock is 104 db and I'm not interested in anything louder.

 

[Ripper2860]

Question: I went to listen to some new stuff today that I DEFINITELY cannot afford! Naim SuperNait 3 driving some Wilson Sabrinas. That Naim is only 80 Watts/channel and it was driving those Wilsons to very satisfying levels at 9 o'clock on the volume. They are 87 DB efficient speakers. I have a Freya+ (Diff. Buffer Mode) with monoblock Vidars driving 86db Vandersteen 2ces and I am at 2 o'clock at a similar volume. What gives?!?!? I asked the owner and he said something about current blah, blah. I am not buying his answer despite him being a LOVELY fellow. Please let me know if you have any thoughts.

Really fun couple of hours! That stuff sounds great! VERY EXPENSIVE but really beautiful and nice sounding.

I'd say that the gain is different between the 2. Your setting on Freya+ represents a 0db gain. I'm no electrical engineer, but this comment from Stereophile on the Supernait-3 leads me to think gain differences...

"Turning to the analog domain (there was no digital connection during these tests, to make sure the D/A section was turned off) and looking at the speaker-level outputs, the Supernait's line-level inputs gave a maximum gain into 8 ohms of 49.5dB, which is significantly higher than usual for an integrated amplifier."

I suspect the difference in volume setting would be less if you switched Freya+ to differential tube gain (+12-13.5db gain).

 

[Erratic Gravy]

And...in the high-brow, introspection and deep thoughts category...

Good mornin', starshine
The Earth says, "Hello"
You twinkle above us
We twinkle below
Good mornin', starshine
You lead us along
My love and me as we singing
Our early mornin' singin' song
Gliddy glub gloopy, nibby nabby noopy la, la, la, lo, lo
Sabba sibby sabba, nooby abba nabba, le, le, lo, lo
Tooby ooby walla, nooby abba naba
Early mornin' singin' song
Good mornin', starshine
There's love in your skies
Reflecting the sunlight
In my lover's eyes
Good mornin', starshine
So happy to be
My love and me as we singing
Our early mornin' singin' song
Gliddy glub gloopy, nibby nabby noopy la, la, la, lo, lo
Sabba sibby sabba, nooby abba nabba, le, le, lo, lo
Tooby ooby walla, nooby abba naba
Early mornin' singin' song
Can you hear me singin' a song, lovin' a song, singin' a song
Lovin' a song, laughin' a song, singin' a song
Sing a song, song a sing, song, song, song, sing
Sing, sing, sing song
Song, song, song sing, sing, sing, sing song
Sing, sing, song, sing a song
Yeah, you can sing, sing, sing song, sing a song
Sing, sing, song, sing a song
Sing

 

[Erratic Gravy]

I saw it performed live at the university of Evansville, a bit of a while back.

Me Too -I even got pulled up on stage and sang along !! Harlow playhouse circa 1983 ish , plus I had hair then too !! fab show

 

[Erratic Gravy]

Walking across the sitting-room, I turn the television off
Sitting beside you, I look into your eyes
As the sound of motor cars fades in the night time
I swear I saw your face change, it didn't seem quite right
And it's... hello babe, with your guardian eyes so blue
Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true?
Coming closer with our eyes, a distance falls around our bodies
Out in the garden, the moon seems very bright
Six saintly shrouded men move across the lawn slowly
The seventh walks in front with a cross held high in hand
And it's... hey babe, your supper's waiting for you
Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true?
I've been so far from here, far from your warm arms
It's good to feel you again
It's been a long long time...
Hasn't it?
I know a farmer who looks after the farm
With water clear, he cares for all his harvest
I know a fireman who looks after the fire
You, can't you see he's fooled you all?
Yes, he's here again
Can't you see he's fooled you all?
Share his peace, sign the lease
He's a supersonic scientist
He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary man
Look, look into my mouth he cries
And all the children lost down many paths
I bet my life you'll walk inside
Hand in hand, gland in gland
With a spoonful of miracle
He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary
(We will rock you, rock you little snake)
(We will keep you snug and warm)
Wearing feelings on our faces while our faces took a rest
We walked across the fields to see The Children of The West
But we saw a host of dark skinned
Warriors standing still below the ground
Waiting for battle
The fight's begun, they've been released
Killing foe for peace
Bang, bang, bang
Bang, bang, bang...
And they're giving me a wonderful potion
'Cause I cannot contain my emotion
And even though I'm feeling good
Something tells me I'd better activate my prayer capsule
Today's a day to celebrate
The foe have met their fate
The order for rejoicing and dancing
Has come from our warlord
Wandering in the chaos the battle has left
We climb up a mountain of human flesh
To a plateau of green grass and green trees full of life
A young figure sits still by a pool
He's been stamped "Human Bacon" by some butchery tool
He is you...
Social Security took care of this lad
We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower
(A flower?)
If you go down to Willow Farm
To look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies
Open your eyes, it's full of surprise
Everyone lies like the fox on the rocks
And the musical box
Oh, there's Mum & Dad, and good and bad
And everyone's happy to be here
There's Winston Churchill dressed in drag
He used to be a British flag
Plastic bag, what a drag
The frog was a prince
The prince was a brick, the brick was an egg
The egg was a bird
(Fly away you sweet little thing, they're hard on your tail)
Hadn't you heard?
(They're going to change you into a human being!)
Yes, we're happy as fish and gorgeous as geese
And wonderfully clean in the morning
We've got everything, we're growing everything
We've got some in, we've got some out
We've got some wild things floating about
Everyone, we're changing everyone
You name them all, we've had them here
And the real stars are still to appear
(ALL CHANGE!)
Feel your body melt;
Mum to mud to mad to dad
Dad diddley office, Dad diddley office,
You're all full of ball
Dad to dam to dum to mum
Mum diddley washing, Mum diddley washing
You're all full of ball
Let me hear you lies, we're living this up to the eyes
Ooee-ooee-ooee-oowaa
Momma I want you now
And as you listen to my voice
To look for hidden doors, tidy floors, more applause
You've been here all the time
Like it or not, like what you got
You're under the soil (the soil, the soil)
Yes, deep in the soil (the soil, the soil, the soil, the soil!)
So we'll end with a whistle and end with a bang
And all of us fit in our places
With the guards of Magog, swarming around
The Pied Piper takes his children underground
Dragons coming out of the sea
Shimmering silver head of wisdom looking at me
He brings down the fire from the skies
You can tell he's doing well by the look in human eyes
Better not compromise, it won't be easy
666 is no longer alone
He's getting out the marrow in your back bone
And the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll
Gonna blow right down inside your soul
Pythagoras with the looking glass reflects the full moon
In blood, he's writing the lyrics of a brand new tune
And it's... hey babe, with your guardian eyes so blue
Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true?
I've been so far from here, far from your loving arms
Now I'm back again
And babe it's gonna work out fine
Can't you feel our souls ignite
Shedding ever changing colours
In the darkness of the fading night
Like the river joins the ocean, as the germ in a seed grows
We have finally been freed to get back home
There's an angel standing in the sun
And he's crying with a loud voice
"This is the supper of the mighty one"
Lord of Lords, King of Kings
Has returned to lead his children home
To take them to the new Jerusalem

 

[Paladin79]

A question for y'all:

Has there ever been a musician more under-appreciated than Warren Zevon? Because I don't think there is. Outside the US and Canada, Zevon is only known to a really tiny group of listeners, and even over here he never really got the appreciation he deserved. If it weren't for Letterman, I doubt that anyone would still talk about him at all. Breaks my heart.

I have most all of Zevon's works and bought his first album early on. He did receive some fame when Linda Ronstadt recorded this.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=linda+rondstadt+poor+poor+pitiful+me&t=chromentp&atb=v325-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG-mj0Wc3Ws

and of course



A follow up to The Hustler, both written by Walter Tevis. Tevis also wrote The Man Who Fell to Earth as well as The Queen's Gambit (extremely popular on Netflix.)

 

[Balthazar B]

Great song from a guy who somehow managed to survive himself and his mates long enough to write several:

I dreamt we were standing
By the banks of the Thames
Where the cold grey waters ripple
In the misty morning light
Held a match to your cigarette
Watched the smoke curl in the mist
Your eyes, blue as the ocean between us
Smiling at me

I awoke alone and lonely
In a faraway place
The sun fell cold upon my face
The cracks in the ceiling spelt hell
Turned to the wall
Pulled the sheets around my head
Tried to sleep, and dream my way
Back to you again

Count the days
Slowly passing by
Step on a plane
And fly away
I'll see you then
As the dawn birds sing
On a cold and misty morning
By the Albert Bridge

The Broad Majestic Shannon by his life-hanging-by-a-thread bandmate is likewise brilliant, but then I'm just a stinking old romantic.

And while we're on self-destructive heart breaking song writers, there's Blaze Foley.

I'm going down to the greyhound station
Gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with 2 or 3 kids
And sit down by her side
And ride until the sun comes up and down around me about 2 or 3 times
Smoking cigarettes in the last seat
Trying to hide my sorrow from the people I meet
And get along with it all
Go down where people say y'all
Sing a song with a friend
Change the shape that I'm in
And get back in the game
And start playing again

I'd like to stay but I might have to go to start over again
I might go back down to Texas
I might go somewhere that I never been
And get up in the morning and go out at night
And I won't have to go home
Get used to being alone
Change the words to this song
And start singing again

I'm tired of running round
Looking for answers to questions that I already know
I could build me a castle of memories
Just to have somewhere to go
Count the days and the nights that it takes
To get back in the saddle again
Feed the pigeons some clay
Turn the night into day
Start talking again when I know what to say

I'm going down to the greyhound station
Gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with 2 or 3 kids
And sit down by her side
And ride until the sun comes up and down around me about 2 or 3 times
Smoking cigarettes in the last seat
Trying to hide my sorrow from the people I meet
And get along with it all
Go down where people say y'all
Feed the pigeons some clay
Turn the night into day
Start talking again when I know what to say

 

[GumbyDammit223]

Interesting…
I've been doing some research for a client and stumbled upon this little nugget, essentially a bunch of EU regulations (because the EU does what the EU does ) requiring that any audio equipment (among other things) that is to be sold in the EU has to come with either an auto-off or an auto-standby feature. Seems to have been the case since 2009.

No Schiit product (that I'm aware of) complies with these regulations.

From personal experience, I know that the EU isn't exactly lenient with their enforcements, especially when it comes to businesses based outside the EU. So I wonder how Schiit was able to get past that requirement and still sell gear in the EU…

Good question considering everything I've looked at is CE certified.

 

[Paladin79]

Great song from a guy who somehow managed to survive himself and his mates long enough to write several:

I dreamt we were standing
By the banks of the Thames
Where the cold grey waters ripple
In the misty morning light
Held a match to your cigarette
Watched the smoke curl in the mist
Your eyes, blue as the ocean between us
Smiling at me

I awoke alone and lonely
In a faraway place
The sun fell cold upon my face
The cracks in the ceiling spelt hell
Turned to the wall
Pulled the sheets around my head
Tried to sleep, and dream my way
Back to you again

Count the days
Slowly passing by
Step on a plane
And fly away
I'll see you then
As the dawn birds sing
On a cold and misty morning
By the Albert Bridge

The Broad Majestic Shannon by his life-hanging-by-a-thread bandmate is likewise brilliant, but then I'm just a stinking old romantic.

And while we're on self-destructive heart breaking song writers, there's Blaze Foley.

I'm going down to the greyhound station
Gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with 2 or 3 kids
And sit down by her side
And ride until the sun comes up and down around me about 2 or 3 times
Smoking cigarettes in the last seat
Trying to hide my sorrow from the people I meet
And get along with it all
Go down where people say y'all
Sing a song with a friend
Change the shape that I'm in
And get back in the game
And start playing again

I'd like to stay but I might have to go to start over again
I might go back down to Texas
I might go somewhere that I never been
And get up in the morning and go out at night
And I won't have to go home
Get used to being alone
Change the words to this song
And start singing again

I'm tired of running round
Looking for answers to questions that I already know
I could build me a castle of memories
Just to have somewhere to go
Count the days and the nights that it takes
To get back in the saddle again
Feed the pigeons some clay
Turn the night into day
Start talking again when I know what to say

I'm going down to the greyhound station
Gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with 2 or 3 kids
And sit down by her side
And ride until the sun comes up and down around me about 2 or 3 times
Smoking cigarettes in the last seat
Trying to hide my sorrow from the people I meet
And get along with it all
Go down where people say y'all
Feed the pigeons some clay
Turn the night into day
Start talking again when I know what to say

The Blaze Foley song is on my main playlist, his lyrics remind me of John Prine. I play the Pogues as well.

 

[tafens]

Ableza
Joined: Jan 18, 2014 (3188 days ago)
Posts: 6027
Posts per day: 1.89

ArmchairPhilosopher
Joined: Jul 24, 2021 (444 days ago)
Posts: 897
Posts per day: 2.02

You know what? When you you're right, you're right. I really do post too much…

​

tafens
Joined: Mar 13, 2015 (2770 data ago)
Posts: 1108
Posts per day: 0.4

Seems I have some catching up to do!
Or perhaps I should better spare you the ordeal of the 4432 further posts needed to get up to the average of 2 per day..

 

[RCBinTN]

I was takin' a trip out to LA
Toolin' along in my Chevrolet
Tokin' on a number and diggin' on the radio

Jes' as I cross the Mississippi line
I heard that highway startin' to whine
And I knew that left rear tire was about to go

Well the spare was flat and I got uptight
'Cause there wasn't a fillin' station in sight
So I jes' limped down the shoulder on the rim

I went as far as I could and when I stopped the car
It was right in front of this little bar
Kind of a redneck lookin' joint called the Dew Drop Inn

Well I stuffed my hair up under my hat
And told the bartender that I had a flat
And would he be kind enough to give me change for a one

There was one thing I was sure proud to see
There wasn't a soul in the place 'cept for him an' me
And he just looked disgusted an' pointed toward the telephone

I called up the station down the road a ways
And he said he wasn't very busy t'day
And he could have somebody there in jest 'bout ten minutes or so

He said now you jes' stay right where yer at and I didn't bother
Tellin' the durn fool
I sure as hell didn't have anyplace else to go

I just ordered up a beer and sat down at the bar
When some guy walked in an' said who owns this car
With the peace sign the mag wheels and four on the floor

Well he looked at me and I damn near died
And I decided that I'd jus' wait outside
So I laid a dollar on the bar and headed for the door

Jes' when I thought I'd get outta there with my skin
These five big dudes come strollin' in
With this one old drunk chick and some fella with green teeth

I was almost to the door when the biggest one
Said you tip your hat to this lady son
An' when I did all that hair fell out from underneath

Now the last thing I wanted was to get into a fight
In Jackson Mississippi on a Saturday night
'Specially when there was five of them and only one of me

Well they all started laughin' and I felt kinda sick
And I knew I'd better think of somethin' pretty quick
So I jes' reached out an' kicked ol' green-teeth right in the knee

He let out a yell that'd curl your hair
But before he could move I grabbed me a chair
And said watch him folks 'cause he's a thoroughly dangerous man

Well you may not know it but this man's a spy
He's an undercover agent for the FBI
And he's been sent down here to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan

He was still bent over holdin' on to his knee
But everyone else was lookin' and listenin' to me
And I laid it on thicker and heavier as I went

I said would you believe this man has gone as far
As tearin' Wallace stickers off the bumpers of cars
And he voted for George McGovern for president

He's a friend of them long-haired hippie type pinko fags
I betcha he's even got a Commie flag
Tacked up on the wall inside of his garage

He's a snake in the grass I tell ya guys
He may look dumb but that's jus' a disguise
He's a mastermind in the ways of espionage

They all started lookin' real suspicious at him
And he jumped up an' said now jes' wait a minute Jim
You know he's lyin' I've been livin' here all of my life

I'm a faithful follower of Brother John Burch
And I belong to the Antioch Baptist Church
And I ain't even got a garage you can call home and ask my wife

Then he started sayin' somethin' 'bout the way I was dressed
But I didn't wait around to hear the rest
I was too busy movin' and hopin' I didn't run outta luck

When I hit the ground I was makin' tracks
And they were jes' takin' my car down off'n the jacks
So I threw the man a twenty an' jumped in an' fired that mother up

Mario Andretti woulda sure been proud
Of the way I was movin' when I passed that crowd
Comin' out the door and headin' toward me at a trot

I guess I shoulda gone ahead an' run
But somehow I couldn't resist the fun
Of chasin' them all jes' once around the parkin' lot

They're headed for their car but I hit the gas
An' spun around and headed them off at the pass
I was slingin' gravel and puttin' a ton of dust in the air

I had them all out there a steppin' an' fetchin'
Like their heads was on fire and their asses was catchin'
But I figured I oughta go ahead an split before the cops got there

When I hit the road I was really wheelin'
Had gravel flyin' and rubber squeelin'
An' I didn't slow down 'til I was almost to Arkansas

I think I'm gonna re-route my trip
I wonder if anybody'd think I'd flipped
If I went to LA via Omaha

 

[Bonehead7171]

It would be interesting to know what the sound levels were. On a cheap phone app, my Freya+ running two Vidars into KEF Q350(87db), the 12 o'clock position is 95db, 3 o'clock is 104 db and I'm not interested in anything louder.

Huh....are you using tube gain mode or just differential buffer? I NEVER want it to be louder than 90 db so it is not like I want to crank it. Just looking for a full volume. And, with some recordings that are recorded at a lower level, I am concerned about going past 3 o'clock.

Also, I have several iPhone decibel apps on my phone. 1 of them says I never go over 87 db while another says I am constantly over 100 db. They are free apps and I do not see any way to calibrate them so I cannot tell what is going on. I always have them "A" weighted.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

Bit of an off-topic question to the tube collectors among us (while risking a ban for even asking):

Does anyone of you happen to have a NOS Type 83 rectifier tube lying around you don't need? I know a guy who knows a guy who may or may not be interested in one.