Keeping Two Chevrons Apart

In which a drunken and incompetent guitarist/bassist interprets the songs of Half Man Half Biscuit, with occasional assistance from the peanut gallery. Perhaps to become a podcast. Or not.

If you're here, you shouldn't be, because the blog has changed a bit

It's OVER HERE

Jim'll Fix It So She Dreams Of Me

He will. Totally It was inevitable, really, that a song named "Fix it so she dreams of me" would get prefixed with A Jimmy Saville reference, even though I didn't actually leave my heart at Papworth General. Need chords? Then Chords you shall have Jim'll Fix It chords came courtesy of Ukulele Hunt.  Fix it so she dreams of me chords are here, because the blog engine can't format them reliably. DAMN YOU SUBTEXT. Anyway, instrument list: Cordoba Tenor Ukulele Sanchez Soprano Ukulele aNueNue Concert Banjulele Fender Jazz Bass Percussion...

#HMHB's 90 Bisodol (Crimond) - a review

So this weekend, Half Man Half Biscuit, one of my favourite bands (full stop) released their new album, 90 Bisodol (Crimond). So it is up to snuff? Does it do justice to all which has passed before? Can it, in fact, match up to the previous work of the lads that shook the Wirral? I think, having listened to it for a full day, that the answer can really only be a yes. We got a sneak preview of the album last year when the lads did a 6Music session featuring L'Enfer C'est Les Autres, Tommy Walsh's Eco House, RSVP and Left...

Hell is, in fact, other people

The latest instalment in Keeping Two Chevrons Apart - my quixotic mission to play as many Half Man Half Biscuit covers as possible on my YouTube channel - has arrived. This one's a goody, I think. Here's why. The new album, 90 Bisodol (Crimond), is due out on the 26th September. Back in August 2010, 6 Music in the UK played a session from the lads with four songs off the new album and a new version of Joy Division Oven Gloves. This is one of those songs. One of the new ones Yes, one of the ones that isn't released yet. L'Enfer C'est Les Autres  So now, I am...

The Len Ganley Stance

Len Ganley died on the 28th August. Given the Half Man Half Biscuit connection, I had to do a version of the song. And before the requests for chords come in, the original is in C, my version is done two steps up in D by putting the capo at fr5. The chord shapes you then play are: A, flavoured with Asus4 (by adding fr3 on the B string) E, flavoured with E6 (by adding fr2 on the B string) repeat. Then the chorus (no, no, no, no) has an E (playing a barred B shape with capo at fr5)  Lyrics can be found via Chris Rand's excellent site. This...

Split Single With Happy Lounge Labelmates

After something of a hiatus with the Keeping Two Chevrons Apart project, I present the latest Half Man Half Biscuit cover in the series, from the album Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral. Split Single With Happy Lounge Labelmates First, the fully mixed version, which sat on my harddrive for months before being discovered earlier today, having a kazoo solo added and getting published  Split Single With Happy Lounge Label-Mates by StopThatAstronaut However I wasn't 100% happy with it, so I dashed off a quick unplugged version for YouTube instead of making a video with the mixed one. I think I prefer...

I went to a wedding....

  I promised chords. Therefore, here Chords. Roughly: Intro: C G x3 F G C Am On the bleakest day autumn could muster F G In a church to to...

Keeping Two Chevrons Apart: Uffington Wassail

Another post from my ongoing "Keeping Two Chevrons Apart" series, in which I murder the music of Half Man Half Biscuit for my own amusement and the amusement of other lunatics who happen to stumble by. Normally, I just do a one-take "live" version on a single guitar or ukulele, because I'm both lazy and time-poor. Today, however, I had some time free, so I have something a little more involved. Yes, folks, a full-band mix, involving programmed drums (via Hydrogen), bass, guitar (lead and crunch), mandolin, banjulele and vocals. Enjoy. I enjoyed making it muchly, and here's how it was done.  The Making Of  Ingredients: ...

Keeping Two Chevrons Apart: Lord Hereford's Knob

I've had two or three requests for the chords to this in the last couple of weeks. On checking back against the blog, I realised, to my horror, that I'd never actually uploaded it or provided the chords. Which is a bit of an oversight. So below the fold, in glorious technicolor, is a slightly altered arrangement of Lord Hereford's Knob, by Half Man Half Biscuit, featuring me on guitar, me on bass, me on vocals, me on backing vocals, and my foot on drums.

Monday Musical Madness returns with.... ME!

Yep, I'm the new hotness for Monday Musical Madness, unashamedly placing myself among the ranks of previous greats such as Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits and Focus. OK, so I'm not that good, but I have a new Half Man Half Biscuit vid recorded last night at about 1am. It's "Outbreak of Vitas Gerulaitas", which I think was the first song I ever saw HMHB play live (Oct or Nov '99 at the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden). I accousticised it a bit, since it's just me and a guitar, and I'm sort of pleased with the result, even if the vocal is a...

NOT Vashti Bunyan

Continuing my unhealthy obsession with the work of Half Man Half Biscuit, I give you "Totnes Bickering Fair" from the 2008 album "CSI: Ambleside", a tale of divorce, new-age and non-organics. Chords and lyrics included for HMHB fans with similar pathological obsession. Video and stuff below the fold

Mmmmm.... pancakes

I appear to have solved the audio/video sync issues on my ongoing HMHB youtube project, so here's the very latest installment, recorded not half an hour ago. If I Had Possession Over Pancake Day, a short ditty from Blackwell and Crossley's 2002 Album "Cammell Laird Social Club". Enjoy. Or something. Update: Feb 17th 2010 Zymeck requested chords. Here be chords G C GOutside Goldsmith’s coughing up blood,G ...

Don't go into the light

In a continuing series, I butcher the music of Half Man Half Biscuit. This week, The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train) I was a little drunk when I recorded this, hence the cheesy grin at the end. Audio/Video sync issues are YooToob's problem and I'm endeavouring to get them sorted out for further installments

Can *you* think of anything worse than washing sieves?

  Lock Up Your Mountain Bikes, by the incomparable Half Man Half Biscuit. Bonus lyrics and chords. The "E" is the high 'E' barred on the seventh fret, and the G is barred at 3 I'm using a capo at 2 in the video to make the B7 braindead easy to play for a big-fingered bass player like myself.  [correction 12/11/09 - I messed up writing out the chords. thanks to steven in the comments thread] EThere is surely nothing worse than washing sieves ...

Modern Day Commentary on Orwell Novels, Birkenhead Style

Yes, another in the "Keeping Two Chevrons Apart" blog series. I've been a busy, busy guitar playing maniac. Arthur's Farm first appeared on the ACD album, and was on the first copied tape of HMHB stuff I ever posessed. It's obviously, a take on "Animal Farm" involving Arthur Askey and Douglas Bader. To explain would belabour the joke, but if you have no clue, read the links. Recorded on my Epi G400 SG, which desperately needs new strings, through a Zoom G1X on "accoustic emulator", with a cardioid mic through a BOSS DS-1 distortion. Anyway. Arthur's Farm. I've been having issues with de-sync of...

In which I murder Half Man Half Biscuit songs

Questioning my own wisdom as I do so, I hereby begin the "Keeping Two Chevrons Apart" category on this here blog, in which a guy who can neither sing, nor play guitar, will post songs for the edification, amusement and possible derision of his audience. Click the date to see the vid in all its horror-filled glory

Announcing: Sydney Ukulele and Beers Meetup

Yes, Myself and good mate James Taylor decided, over a couple of glasses of wine and some rousing choruses of "Creep", "Light at the End of the Tunnel" and "When I'm Cleaning Windows", to start a meetup group here in Sydney for those interested in: Drinking a beer or two Playing songs on ukulele Having a laugh To join, you must fulfill at least two, preferably three of the above criteria and join the Facebook Group "Sydney Ukulele 'n' Beers Meetup". We're currently in the process of finding a venue for the...

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