Welcome to the area on the site where non recruitment specific things (and mostly music and musings) are discussed. Content updated from time to time so why not bookmark this page and come back soon!
I'm not saving my soul
I'm not favouring friends
I'm just living my life
I don't know how it will end
Build your bridges and learn your lessons - and-
Build your bridges and learn your lessons
I'm just saying what I think
I'm not trying to offend
I'm just living my life
I dont know how it will end
(c) WBKEMP 2008 from the song "Build your bridges"
If you like your music as much as Warren does then recent albums to buy include :
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang - The Clash meets The Boss - and do it their own way anyway. This summers sound
Plan B - Strickland Banks - whoo! - white soul boy who rapps and reinvented himself - movie to follow
The Courteeners - Falcon - takes a few listens to get past some simple tunes/tuning and appreciate the overall mood
Ian Dury - reasons to be cheerful the best of - Got his hard to get Kilburn & The Highroads stuff on - funk on!
Cliffy and their Byro - Only Revolutions - strange band - write music in a non song way - but if its anthems you want - wey hey
previous ones>>>>
Ellie Goulding - Lights ...wondered what the hype was..no hype needed - class... Laura Marling meets Lilly Allen with manners
Thirty Seconds to Mars (30STM)- This is War. Emo & orchestra & childish choir...and shock..it works! Zeros to heroes in 2 years not 30 secs
Yeasayer -Odd blood. 2nd album . Experimental synth band - pop tunes are ace ..some others are not..buy it & watch for their 3rd album
Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea... If no-one knew about her husband dying this would still be awesome -so just listen anyway
Vampire Weekend - Contra .... Paul Simons Graceland meets Ska -media favourites- don't let that put you off
Mumford & Sons- Sigh no more .... Stunning Kings of Leon feel to English folk music 5+ stars - one kick drum & lots of jangling
Flo & her Machine - go on everyone should have a copy of .... Lungs
Paramore- Brand new eyes .... this will grow and grow as you listen
The Big Pink - A brief history of love ( The band for 2010 if they stick to the right sounds- domino etc.)
The Enemy - Music for the people ... Coventry's own bring a new Asian vibe to their Jam like songs
Eels - End Times .... If you haven't heard of him then you're missing out.... sparse sounding relationship breakup album
Snow patrol - A hundred million suns ...same old Snow Patrol buts that's ok by me- need a bg change next though
MC Rut - 25 years... one guitar one set of drums for the biggest sound you will ever hear from 2 people
The Proclaimers - Notes & Rhymes .... they just get better and better and are much more than 500 miles
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! ..... almost never writes a bad song, a couple of these are sublime
Hey - wanna take a punt on random music you might like?.... great !! thought you would.......no hints here goes:
testing
testing
one
two
three ...(my favourite single ever by the way.)
and older albums include:
Mystery Jets - twenty one . www.mysteryjets.com
Paul Weller - 22 dreams . www.paulweller.com
Mattafix - rythmn & hymns. www.mattafix.com
Billy Bragg - mr. love & justice. www.billybragg.co.uk
Elvis Costello - momofuku . www.elviscostello.com
The last shadow puppets . the age of understatement . www.lastshadowpuppets.com
Eels - useless trinkets . www.eelstheband.com
Newton Faulkner -hand built by robots www.newtonfalkner.com
Kanye West – graduation www.kanyewest.com
Athlete- beyond the neighbourhood www.athlete.mu
Amy MacDonald -this is the life www.amymacdonald.co.uk
Him - love in cold blood www.heartagram.com
Plain White T's -every second counts www.weareplainwhitets.com
One for your kids to read .........
"Bertie’s Great Balloon Race"
One summer’s day, Bertie the butterfly met his good friend Bizzy the bee
And after exchanging some pleasantries, invited him home for some tea.
“Oh Bizzy, my friend, I need some good honest advice.
You see, my butterfly chums say I’m dull – well boring to be precise.”
So over sunflower sandwiches and dandelion squash,
They discussed Bertie’s plight while scoffing their nosh.
"That’s terrible poor Bertie", Bizzy sympathetically said.
"But isn’t your demeanor simply inside your head?"
"No Bizzy my friend. Alas if only that were true.
I wish that just once for excitement, my friends I’d undo.
When they give me my turn to choose which game we should play,
I struggle to come up with something to awaken their day"
"Then think hard Bertie my friend – let your mind dance!
What would you really like to do in life, if given a chance?"
So Bertie closed his eyes thinking hard, while eating his food.
"I’d like to fly as high as a plane," he mused. "That would be good!"
Said Bizzy "Let’s now work out how you can all fly really high,
Higher than the tallest trees and up to the very top of the sky.
They’ll laugh and they’ll scream and your game will be such a hit.
Bertie’s flying game is the best ever - they’ll be forced to admit!"
Our friends thought hard together while munching a rose petal flan
"I’ve got it dear Bertie" Bizzy shouted, "I’ve got you a plan!
You’re going to fly much, much higher than ever before,
Then jump from a great height and float down to the floor"
"But Bizzy, butterflies aren’t built for such a long flight
To travel that high we’d have to hold on to a kite!"
"I’m not thinking of a kite Bertie, more of an air filled balloon.
If you hang on as it rises you could go to the moon!"
"A balloon!” exclaimed Bertie, "Oh yes, now I see.
When my friends hear my game, they’ll giggle with glee.
They can blow up a balloon each and then start the race.
Oh Bizzy, you’re brilliant! The plan’s falling into place.”
"Our balloons can float up and up till we’re as high as a plane
But to get there and back fastest will be the name of the game.
We’ll need someone to start it and to be a judge at the end.
Can you do it Bizzy? I know the rules you won’t bend."
So invitations were sent to nine of Bertie's best butterfly friends
Asking all to compete in a balloon race on that very next weekend.
The RSVP's were sent back from his chums - post haste
It seemed they all wanted a chance to win that great balloon race
Bizzy and Bertie then spent the week planning a fantastic event.
To have the biggest and best game ever was Bertie's intent.
They bought ten coloured varieties of the best stretchy balloons
And they arranged a landing area, around which ribbons they festooned.
Soon the day came for Bertie's Great Balloon Race to commence.
His friends gathered round with excitement and no little suspense
As Bizzy stepped up to explain the rules of their game.
"The first to two thousand feet and back will win the acclaim!"
They were to hover with balloon in hand till the hooter did sound
And then blow their balloons up to lift them high off the ground.
Bizzy had asked two bluebird friends to fly up to two thousand feet
And as each butterfly reached them, "Go back down!" they would tweet.
The winner would be the first up then back down to the finishing line
Where they would receive a winner’s garland and some marigold wine.
And so the butterflies hovered holding their balloons with some trepidation,
Each hoping to be the one back first for the crowd’s adulation.
For a throng had now gathered to watch Bertie's great race,
Some taking bets on which butterfly would best last the pace.
So with much excitement, but with no further ado,
Bizzy counted “3-2-1”, then his hooter he blew.
When each contestant was ready, they were to tie a knot good and tight,
Then hang onto their floating balloon, while rising up to the agreed height.
When the bluebirds gave them the sound and they were ready to turn around and go,
Bertie and his friends would leave their balloons behind and fly down to the target below.
Quite soon the sky was filled with ten coloured balloons in gay flight,
As both the crowd and the contestants cheered in loud delight.
The balloons rose higher with each and every butterfly's blow
As the crowd whooped and hollered, applauding this colourful show
Bertie and his nine friends were trying their hardest, all keen to win the race.
Some butterflies had more puff than others and soon flew up at quite a pace.
And so it was, that ten balloons and their pilots made their way up through the sky
But poor Bertie was really struggling and was unable for his balloon's knot to tie
While our hero was still trying valiantly to reach two thousand feet,
Some friends were getting the 'go down' signal as they heard the bluebirds tweet.
It was Alex first to flutter down past him as Bertie was still on the rise,
His friend certainly looked the favourite to get the winner’s prize
At last Bertie reached the bluebirds, but his friends had by now fluttered past.
He knew he'd have to do something really special if he wasn’t to finish last.
So when Bertie got the signal, instead of letting his red balloon go,
He thought he'd let the air out bit by bit and speed back down below
Now although Bertie's idea was quite good in theory he hadn't built into his plan
That air from his balloon would mix with the wind, like some wild extractor fan.
So as Bertie hung grimly on to his balloon, while downwards it was darting,
It let out a great ‘brrroooooooom’ type of sound, like someone who was farting!
Soon he shot past his friends Johnny and then Timmy and then Joe,
While trying to control his balloon as if at some wild rodeo.
Next he flew with gusto past Jenny, Millie and Pete.
He had only three more to better by seven hundred feet
Bertie's balloon continued its somewhat dizzy descent
Until all of his red balloons' hot air had been completely spent.
With five hundred feet left until the end of the race,
His balloon suddenly ran out of hot air and all of its pace!
Bertie in limbo did not know quite where to turn,
But this chance to win the race he knew he should not spurn.
So he went into free fall closing his wings and started diving
To go past the remaining three racers, was for what he was striving.
He picked up some pace as past his next friend he did lunge,
And through wind, air and cloud Butterfly Bertie did plunge.
With only two more to pass he continued his rather ungallant fall,
But to the crowd (who could see him by now) he'd started to enthrall.
"Bertie's coming through fast now" they shouted "Look at him go!"
There were only two more to beat and he seemed very 'gung -ho'!
Then suddenly out of the blue, our dear Bertie remembered his place.
It was about making friends happy he recalled -not winning the race.
Bertie then opened his wings, slowing down to consider his position,
Remembering that to feel part of the group was his original mission.
“For I will get more” (he thought) “through making others happy
Than by zipping down past them like some uncaring, cocky chappie”
So instead of sky diving, he flapped and then started to glide and to fly
And then our hero began hovering gently still some two hundred feet high.
Soon his friends were shooting by him looking bewildered in passing,
For there was Bertie - cheering, flapping, shouting, and laughing!
"I hope you are having fun and good luck my chums!" he was screaming,
As one after one his friends towards the finishing line were streaming.
Bertie watched as far below him his friend Alex landed first,
No doubt looking forward to his garland and to quenching his thirst.
Alex was followed quickly by Amy, then Jenny and then by Pete,
While as all the others finished, Bertie still hovered at two hundred feet.
When he was satisfied that they had all finished and had their fun,
Bertie floated down gently - his silky wings glinting in the sun.
Alex looked up and shouted - "Look! Here's Bertie coming down now.
Let’s all clap and cheer him home - his game has been such a wow!”
“Thank you friend” they hollered. “It has been a fantastic day!
Three cheers for good old Bertie - hip hip, hip hip hooray!"
Later, as the sun set over Buttercup Meadow, Bertie reflected on the day.
“You know, Bizzy, I had a great time with my friends, but I really have to say
Today I learned that, as closer towards the ground I was spinning,
Taking part in the game is what counts – it’s not about winning!”
(c) Warren Kemp 2009
and a snippet of one that maybe hit the spot at the time ..........
Dear Tony
Is this what you meant when you said war?
Endless uneasiness both sides of the divide
One is too many dead and from that you can't hide
Who's war were you trying to win?
Throw away the spin and your wars all gone
Throw away conjecture and your wars all gone
Throw away the grudges and your wars all gone
(c) WBKEMP 2007
If ever you find yourself coming off at an
eclectic tangent then send your musings to
Warren@recruitmentmatters.com and with your permission show it here.