The Beatcroft Social, from Glasgow and Shetland, 26 May 2018 - technical details follow (and music!)

This was an experiment, or I should say yet another experiment in the continuing saga of experimentation which is The Beatcroft Social.

We have the shetlandwebcams.com site up and running, and thanks so much to all of those who pledged cash to support the development of our coastal webcams project. Your merchandise is on its way! New hardware has been purchased and camera installation will be underway soon.

This week, though, and for the next few weeks, the audio (ie, me and my choice of music) has to come from Glasgow, where I am engaged in some building work...so with me using some dodgy west end of Glasgow wifi, a Macbook Pro, an AKG D230 microphone, an old Logitech camera, the iRigPre interface and a set of Koss PortaPro headphones, we set to work. I normally use DJ Pro to play out the music (which can come from lots of places - iTunes, Spotify, downloads, Mp3s, CDs, vinyl, cassette, Soundcloud) and using the virtual desktop app Teamviewer I was able to control, with almost no time delay, the Mac Mini with DJ Pro on it in Shetland. To connect my voice, grizzled countenance and occasionally my dog Dexter to our Tricaster system and assorted gubbins so we can vision mix all the webcams and relay them to our various worldwide servers, it was just the simple online web service VMix, accessed through the Chrome browser.  This requires no extra software or hardware.  It's like Skype.

To our astonishment, it all worked. Sometimes not brilliantly well, and there were a few glitches and dropouts. You'll hear all this on the Mixcloud audio. We're working to improve the sound of my voice, but the hospitals are all booked up...different microphone and possible 4G instead of BT wifi next week.

Meanwhile, The live video went out smoothly, for the most part, and Andy went walkabout in Lerwick with his iPhone to see if we could send in remote video and audio. That worked too. Next week we're really stretching the boundaries, but my lips are sealed...

Meanwhile, here is the link to the full video-and-audio show at shetlandwebcams. com, the 60N Radio tab.

And here's the Mixcloud audio:

...Happy New Year, fantastic aurora on Hogmanay, some great music from Shetland...via Shetland...and onwards to the world

It's 1 January 2017, I'm the only one out of bed and the Rancilio has been duly fired up. Coffee (Bean Shop of Perth espresso blend, as used in Lerwick's excellent Peerie Shop Café) has been taken, but the benefit of doing the show last night was a late start to drinking and, due to tiredness, an early finish. Had to get up at 5.00am yesterday to get James from the airport. Now, in the house above, he, Martha, Magnus, Magnus's fiancée Katie, Susan, our pal Lizzie and three dogs (Rug the St Bernard, Cooper the Greyhound, Dexter the Hyperactive Mongrel) are all snoozing.

And it's a beautiful day! Cold northerly blowing, but clear and blue skies. After an amazing night for the aurora, da merrie dancers, the northern lights, which allowed some of our visitors, just three days in Shetland, to see a fireworks display that eclipsed Edinburgh's by a very large degree.

So anyway, here I am, and I hope you're feeling good about the 12 months to come. To cheer you on your way, here's the Mixcloud audio stream of last night's two-hour Beatcroft Social, plus the last 20 minutes or so of video on Facebook - the rest was annoyingly taken down by a Facebook algorithm without explanation. But that last half hour has some of the finest shots of the aurora, mostly from the Cliff Cam at Sumburgh head, looking north.

Back live next week! Happy New Year. Oh, and here's a full playlist too, plus a link to the Spotify playlist which includes some tasty extras (and excludes the vinyl and cassettes). And can anyone spot the ONLY EVER reference in popular song to the glorious Yamaha FS1E 'Fizzy' motorcycle?

a'best

Tom



Beatcroft Social Hogmanay Special - full playlist

Righteous Brothers/Wrecking Crew: Rat Race
The Beat: Tears of a Clown
Frank Wilson: Do I love You? (Indeed I Do)
The Ukrainians: Anarchy in the UK (vinyl)
Ryan Adams: To Be Without you
Beat Farmers: Reason to Believe
Bruce Springsteen: Cadillac Ranch
Paul Brady: Arthur McBride (live recording from 'The Missing Liberty Tapes')
Pete Atkin: Time to Burn (lyrics by Clive James)
Aly Bain, Tom Anderson, Davie Tulloch, Trevor Hunter, Violet Tulloch: Jack Broke Da Prison Door/Donald Blue/Sleep Sound in the Morning/Lasses Trust in Providence/The Bonnie Isle of Whalsay. (Vinyl, from 'The Silver Bow Volume One')
Richard and Linda Thompson: Wall of Death
Scrape the Barrel: Last Chance (cassette, from 'Shetland Calling')
The Bashies: Black Cat
Gloria Jones: Tainted Love
Seasick Steve: Abraham, Martin and John
Status Quo: Over and Done With
Joe Ely: The Road Goes On Forever
Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells: The Copper Top
Tom Robinson Band: Up Against the Wall
Thin Lizzy: The Boys Are Back In town
Ronnie Costley: Hogmanay in Heaven (demo)
Stone Roses: Fool's Gold (vinyl 12-inch single)
Toots and the Maytals: 54-46 - That's My Number
Chuck Wood: Seven Days Too Long
Lorraine Chandler: I Can't Hold On
Free: All Right Now

50 Hours of Beatcroft Social, The Prog Rock Poem, Mull2Muckle video, last night's Vera show and its Spotify playlist, plus BBC Radio Orkney's Orcadian Dalliance...all in one place

Kind of like, almost, a webzine, with embedded players, videos, poetry and playlists!
But first, a menu. Or, if you will, contents:

(1) Here's last night's Radio Vera Ireland Beatcroft Social radio show, featuring The Faces, Los Lobos, Dawes, Lowell George and Blue Rose Code among others. Streaming here, repeated on Vera at 10.00pm on Wednesday. Play from here or go to...
(2)...Mixcloud, where there's now an unbelievable 50 HOURS of Beatcroft Social music and chat for your delectation and delight. No ads, no trails, all choices my own. It's here.
(3) I decided this week to complete the Mull2Muckle cycle route (Mull of Galloway to Muckle Flugga in Unst) this summer. That'd be Perth to Kirkwall. Here's the video shot by Precious Productions of my 'short route' completion three years ago.
(4) For those on Spotify, here's the link to last night's show as a Spotify playlist, and...
(5)...here's Tuesday's BBC Radio Orkney show, Tom Morton's Orcadian Dallaince. It's on Soundcloud, which means you can listen online or download for later consumption. Don't ask me how...
...and finally, a poem, which was inspired by a Facebook post by Brian Crosland concerning the death of Keith Emerson. Have a good week!


Progressive rock

(Keith Emerson 1944-2016)

May we not remember yet, and grieve

For those who shared our youth, and who

Leave us bereft, diminished, lost?

The last limousine has left the stage door

In Renfield Lane we loiter, you

Hardcore in greatcoat and Docs that cost

Two Saturdays in Listen, Cambridge Street

Sneering at Osmonds fans, but serving them

Their sweet confections with contempt.

We have a last train which will not wait

From Central to Pollokshaws, we are condemned

Hating our superior discontent

The gap that yawns so wide between the audience

And band, is just the same for us. 

We hold the difference tight, though: our music’s real

Musicians, real ones, who can really play!

We miss the train, but catch the late-night bus

There are synthesisers in the swish of wheels 

I won’t forget that night, our coats’ wet-dog smell

Next day, my ears were ringing, but I could hear

Well enough to know that everything had changed

In Gloria’s Record Bar, I saw this guy

Bleached, shorn,spiked and pierced

“I ordered it. It should be in. I’ve got the cash,” 

He said. “The single’s White Riot. The band is called The Clash.”

Fresh for 2016: New Beatcroft Social from Tom Morton as heard on Radio Vera Ireland - stream anytime

This is the playlist for the last two-hour Radio Vera Ireland Beatcroft Social (it will be going to 1-hour as of next week, and as I'll be on holiday the next two will be repeats of the earliest Mixcloud-only Beatcrofts). This  new show was originally broadcast on Vera on 2 and 6 January.

You can go the website and hear the full programme on Mixcloud here

And the Spotify playlist is available to stream here

Or play the show direct from this blog:

Tom Morton's Beatcroft Social - broadcast on Radio Vera Ireland, 2 & 6 January 2016 by Tom Morton's Beatcroft Social on Mixcloud

There She Goes – The La's

Mr. Tambourine Man – The Byrds

Wild Horses – The Flying Burrito Brothers

Common People – Pulp

Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) – The Hollies

Marrakesh Express – Crosby, Stills & Nash

Running On Empty – Jackson Browne

Last train to Memphis – The Band

Sweet Thing  – Van Morrison

Runnin' Down A Dream – Tom Petty

Alright, Alright, Alright – Mungo Jerry

Tired Of Being Alone – Al Green

Small Town – John Mellencamp

Who'll Stop the Rain (with Bob Seger) – John Fogerty

Turn the Page (feat. Kurt Van Meter) – Bob Seger, Kurt Van Meter

Rock And Roll Never Forgets - Live – Bob Seger

Rock 'N Me – Steve Miller Band

Rock & Roll Band – Boston

Fool For The City – Foghat

La Grange  – ZZ Top

Let It Rock – George Thorogood

Texas Flood – Stevie Ray Vaughan

I've Been to a Marvellous Party – The Divine Comedy

Tonight The Streets Are Ours – Richard Hawley

Black Fang – Cherry Ghost

Man Of Aran – British Sea Power

No Fear Of Falling  – I Am Kloot

Grounds For Divorce – Elbow

This Is Music – The Verve

Rocks – Primal Scream

The Beatcroft Social on Radio Vera Ireland, Saturday 3 October 7.00pm, repeated Wednesday 10 October 10.00pm GMT

The show will be on every Saturday at 7.00pm for two hours, with a live chatroom operating at radiovera.ie and will be repeated at 10.00pm on Wednesdays. I'll be doing my best to hang around in the chatroom on Saturdays, not so much on Wednesdays. The show will be archived on Mixcloud every Sunday. Hope you like it.

Radio Vera Ireland - Beatcroft Social, 3 October 2015, repeated 7 October 10.00pm by Tom Morton's Beatcroft Social on Mixcloud

Beatcroft Social Volume 12 on Mixcloud (with talking) and Spotify (without)

Latest Beatcroft Social now available on Mixcloud, and featuring the Everly Brothers, Richard Hawley's new single, The Saints, the terrible obscure (but not terrible) Stewart and Kyle, Pulp, Mike Scott and New Celeste. And if you don't want to listen to me talking, you can stream the entire playlist on Spotify here.

Beatcroft Social Volume 12 - from Honeybus to The Everly brothers, The Saints to Richard Hawley by Tom Morton's Beatcroft Social on Mixcloud

The Beatcroft Social Volume 11: Iceland to Wales via Leith and various parts of the USA. Also approximate Spotify playlist

Here's the latest Beatcroft Social show on Mixcloud, featuring The Beat, King Creosote, The Proclaimers, Steely Dan, Wilco and more. The link to an approximate Spotify version (substituting King of the Road for Get Ready by the Proclaimers and Quicksilver Messenger Service for Help Yourself) is here.

The Beatcroft Social Volume 11: Iceland to Wales via Leith and various parts of the USA by Tom Morton's Beatcroft Social on Mixcloud

Live at Troon this Saturday 5 September and The Beatcroft Social Volume 11

I didn't think I was going to get to the Tom Morton's Homecoming Sessions gig in Troon on Saturday night due to that pesky heart business, but recovery has well and truly set in and I'll be toddling along to hear JJ Gilmour, Ashton Lane and Nicky Murray and Chloe Rodgers, at the South Beach Hotel. Full details here. 

JJ, Ashton Lane and Nicky all feature on the latest Beatcroft Social Cloudcast, volume 10, which you can listen to here:

The Beatcroft Social Volume 10: Bruce without Springsteen, or very nearly by Tom Morton's Beatcroft Social on Mixcloud

....and there's also a Spotify playlist here.