#i will be so annoying to my beloved tmr

[luminique]

and if i speak my thoughts about boothill and robin…. oh my blog will have to be 18+ forever i fear….

[confusedspaceotter]

Daily avatrice analysis (day 7)

day1 day2 day3 day4 day5 day6 day7 day8 day9

lemme interrupt the normal programming of wishing Netflix a good DIE and get back to business :)

I’ll try to keep this light and not break everyone's hearts(no promises tho

So

Ep 9

aka Vatican Heist?!

After Ava did the cross gesture

Look at how Camila and Beatrice smiles aww

I’m 100% on board with the headcanon that Camila and Ava will devise pranks together

Make this happen in S3🙏🏻

Anyway 

Notice how while Camila is looking though the mirror 

Bea is directly looking at Ava?

Bea really is in love since day one 

Actually I think she did started to smile more after ep 8

Especially when Ava was around or when she made a nun joke(which we will get into later

Bea smiling after looking at Ava counter: more than two 

Also Mary looks so done here lol

Before we get deep(that’s what she said) with this scene, one question

How the fuck did Ava got the rings lol

Did she just take them from Mary either way?

Even though Mary said nah imma get my ass kicked by Bea lol she is truly our cocky little shit(affectionate)

We can also see the little look they exchanged before they used their rings

Speaking of looks, we gotta talk about 

Avatrice and non-verbal communication

More importantly why is it important to them by using this scene as an example

For Ava, notice how she looks at Bea first?

My theory is coz she don’t want to upset Bea so she’s asking for permission 

In the Avatrice timeline, after the confession scene in ep 8 

They have definitely gotten closer relationship wise

So it make sense that Ava turning first is her way of asking for permission because she had a new found respect towards Bea 

Kinda like when a beloved teacher told you the story of how they overcome hardships 

And next time you saw them you’re like “wow they been through some shit I should be nice to them”

Also I can imagine growing up in the orphanage she was shaped by the environment to ask permission for anything

So naturally she did it here as well

For Bea is mainly reassurance

She is trying to give the “is okay” vibes 

Bea is so considerate is annoying sometimes 

Not in a negative sense, but more like

Bea please take care of YOUR NEEDS AS WELL

considering her background 

I feel like she had to make compromises a lot

So she is forced to be considerate 

And also love and all that you know they did say I love you to each other in S2 

Or they could just agreed to use the rings at the same time to avoid one of the guards noticing so they did a silent count of 1 2 3 with a look but hey i’m an overthinker okay is what I do 

Anyway moving on

let's do a little line by line analysis to mix things up

Bea: The plan was to use the rings to ensure he stays safely unconscious until we're done. 

There's no room for improvisation. What were you thinking? 

You're gonna need every bit of the Halo's power to get into the crypt.

(Bea and Logic 1:0 Ava and being impulsive and new to being stealthy)

Ava: I specifically didn't use the Halo. 

(Ava your child-like attitude is showing)

Bea:I know that's what you think... but the Halo's healing you. 

Whether you mean to or not, you're using it.

 (Bea said you need to think with your head and not your heart)

Ava:I just want to help. 

What kind of a leader doesn't pull her own weight? 

(I see it as Ava wanting to show off a little and proof to herself and the OCS crew she can be a worthy halo bearer)

Bea:The one that puts the mission above everything else. 

If you're not at full strength when we get to the tomb, all of this will have been for nothing. 

(ep 1 & 2 bea are showing, putting the mission above everything else, but also I feel like secretly she’s saying that because she couldn’t bear seeing Ava get hurt)

Bea:There's only one thing you need to do right now.

(so she rather she got hurt if it means ava is safe)

Ava: What? 

(Bea you could’ve just ask Ava to trust you we all know that you are in love with her I mean look at her eyes)

Continuing the rest tmr cause im too sleep deprived rn

take care of yourselves, keep fighting, let’s bring our girls back ✨

stay tuned :)

day8

[s4kasaki]

hello! 👉👈 may i ask for ritsu and mao w/ a rlly affectionate s/o hcs? thank you ♡

Another insanely cute request, omgawd. nays serving~☆ I'm so late on posting so I'm working on all my request tonight and tmr!

♡︎ — mao and ritsu with an affectionate s/o!

‣ tws / cws: none !

‣ reader: gender-neutral - they/them.

‣ author's note: it's kinda funny, bc Mao.. and Ritsu .. yk?.. not funny? oka... (╥﹏╥)

☆ — RITSU.

Usually, he’s the over-affectionate one. He doesn't know what it feels like to be doted on since he's always been the one doing the doting and half the time it's unintentional. ( unless you count mao's constant attention to him bc he randomly slept EVERYWHERE back then. )

He was technically like an oversized cat, giving you unwanted affection & attention whenever he felt like it. Or whenever he wasn't sleeping on you. And In health-wise, probably a koala with how much he sleeps. His way of affection was sleeping with you.

At first, he was... Neutral— not suspicious, not shocked of anything. But he did make some remark about how you’re acting as if you're that silly old man he calls his brother again.

“Hmm. Why are you acting like that older brother of mines all of a sudden?”

He does accept your love and never-ending tenderness like no other, he seeks it sometimes really.. especially when he's feeling a bit needier than ordinary. So please do give him kisses on the cheek while he snoozes! \(^ヮ^)/ he definitely can feel them, he can sense when you're hovering over him sometimes, it takes a lot of willpower for him not to pull a soft smile in his "sleep". But he smiles anyway, he's been that way before you two even got together, how could he not though? You love him so much he feels confounded!

May it be a sight for sore eyes, nonetheless, you often have a very annoyed Izuhog telling you two to get a room. And you can't blame him, neither can Tsukasa, Arashi or... Leo. You're too sweet.. even for them! While Izumi may not admit that.

oh, he does enjoy napping with you, it's kinda funny because you as well began to use napping together as a way of affection to fit in his persona, and he couldn't be any more happier.

Yawn. “Ritsu. Let's take a comfy nap together! You'd like that, right? alright! I've gotten pretty overworked from all the work I've been finishing for weeks... so it would be nice to rest with my sleepy-head of a soulmate...♥︎”

it was all a bunch of teases to spit whenever affection was thrown. napping with you, what better way to fall asleep than with you, his beloved: by his side? nuzzled up against his body placing many kisses on his cheek as you two sleep soundly? he thinks you’re beautiful even as you sleep— you aren't ashamed to admit that you do enjoy watching him sleep for a bit before you drift off yourself.

He might even wake up a little bit after you drift to sleep, which is to say he wasn't entirely sleeping and might've felt you staring at him while he begins to rest.

“Keep this between the two of us, okay?...”

as he approaches down onto you and leaves an Everlasting kiss on your plum, sleeping lips that he'd hope to hear the same amount of love, care, and doting from, as he does every day. Before drifting to sleep in your sweet embrace.

☆ — MAO.

TO BE HONEST, he's just as affectionate as you are. He loves spending time with you as much as he can. If he had a love language, it would be showering you affectionately as much as he can but in a cool-ish boyfriend way, because he has a tight schedule full of talk shows.

But when he's free, or when he skips his job to be with you finally... Love is all that flows in the house.

Giving him an overwhelming amount of love is like giving a dog... AN OVERFILLED BOWL OF DOG FOOD. He’s overexcited like he's high on sugar and sugar alone.

“Ah! What's the occasion!? ^O^”

“Oh, shush!”

He loves how your affection matches up with each other! You two share the same amount of love for one another as if you two are going on at it like a war of who's the most affectionate in the relationship, speaking of which? It sort of is a war. You two go on and on complementing each other, giving each other gifts, kisses, and hugs. Everything! He's fond of having a little playful competitiveness in a relationship.

Unlike Ritsu, he seeks it but he doesn't do it by going up to you and mopping like a cat. It's more like this because he tries to be insanely slick with it and fails half the time:

“Say, you know you said you were gonna drive to the shopping mall today?” reminding you of your forgotten about duties of the day, you can’t forget something so important to yourself. You wished to go yesterday, but the weather was a disastrous mess and locked you inside, there was so way in "hades" you were going out there. That is what Mao said in his head when he blocked the door with a pouty face of disapproval yesterday morning, and it was quite obvious.“Oh? Right! Such a dependable boyfriend you are... Thank you~☆” mwah.

That's his way of seeking your affection, not straightforward, or not even unintentionally. He has a whole plan set for it before he even seeks for it, thinking of what to say to get the right response. Once he gets his compliment/kiss, he's like a new man. It gives him the boost he needs to carry on doing anything! He's smiling way more than he was before, maybe even giving a mischievous smirk

But there are times where he seeks it straightforwardly! When he feels needier and more desperate for it, remember it's what gives him the biggest ego boost of the day. Give him affection at night time and oh God— you have a bundle of sunshine and rainbows, expect to be up late than expected with a bundle of movies playing

It's nearly impossible for him to maintain himself sometimes, but he always returns the affection. This war of devotion will last forever if it's the last thing Mao does!

An everlasting war of loyalty, tenderness, and love declarations. That goes on for days, months, even years. Maybe it'll be forever until you're both married... Who knows? It's all up to you two to decide.

[limetameta]

Voldemort's appropriate petnames which he uses on significant other:

*nickname of name*

Abraxas - Abbie (all of Abraxas' friends call him Brax but Voldemort has to be different so Abraxas becomes Abbie and Abraxas loves the distinction)

Hermione - Herm or Herman (it started off as a joke but then it completely grew on the both of them (she in turn calls him Marv to be spiteful, but that,too, becomes a weird and beloved nickname))

Harry - Harrison (here we go in the opposite direction because Harry's name is too short for any shortening but Voldemort still wants to be an inconvenience to the world) Harry calls him Mortimer as a nickname for VoldeMORT. This is done mainly to annoy him but Voldemort sometimes answers to it on instinct.

Bellatrix - Bella or General. She loves it. He remembers it.

*petnames that Voldemort enjoys being called*

Abraxas - Mon chou, darling, beloved, dear *name*, mon tresor, dear heart, mon âme (he tolerates the french ones a lot more than the english ones because he doesn't feel like the cringe how he does w the english ones ya know)

Hermione - love, dear, *name but in a very cross manner* (neither hermione nor voldemort care much about what they call each other)

Harry - precious idiot, moron, fiend, bastard (v: they were married h: bastard can mean other things!), dear, love (very sparingly because voldemort cannot take affection at all)

Bellatrix - my lord, sexyman, mon amour, beloved, i dunno super pretentious shit that she thinks will lift up his ego

*variations on Voldemort's name he allows to be called*

Abraxas - this man could call him whatever the fuck he wanted to because he saved him a lot of humilation by telling the T in Voldemort is silent.

Hermione: Vol, Tom, Voldemort, VoldemorT

Harry: Just not Tom

Bellatrix: Not Tom or anything associating with TMR. But he allows her Voldumbass (she was drunk he was laughing way too much on new years eve aka his birthday)

*petnames which Voldemort uses on his significant others*

Abraxas - love, *the more cockney it goes the easier he finds himself to mockingly show affection but then he conditions himself to actually like saying it*, poppet

Hermione: poppet, darling, love, professor, doctor (when hermione gets that phd cuz ofc she will)

Harry: dear Harry (in the most exasparated tone possible)

Bellatrix: *this is when he takes out a french dictionary*

[scattered-winter]

🌸 Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield ? 🌸 Dylan O'brien or Ki Hong Lee ? 🌸 TMR Thomas or Gally ? 🌸 Thomally or Minewt ? 🌸 Newtmas or Nalby ? 🌸 Brendesa or Soniet ?

anon you went OFF huh ❤

andrew garfield definitely. tom holland is kinda annoying ngl. and andrew was always my favorite spiderman of the 2, anyway, so this was an easy choice

he's just a friend-shaped fluffy-headed fella

dylan o'brien is my favorite of the two! watching the old cast interviews and bloopers from the maze runner trilogy is always so fun because he's such a fun-loving goof

I gotta say, I like Thomas more than Gally, but I do love them both! Gally's another interesting narrative foil to Thomas (maybe not on Teresa's level but it's definitely there) which makes their dynamic really interesting to see

thomally is good....classic enemies to lovers, 10/10 rivals. but MINEWT MAN.......best friends to lovers always holds a special place in my heart because those dynamics always straddle the line between romantic or platonic, which makes my aroace heart very happy....also they've been through so much together and they care about each other so much ❤ so I'd probably choose minewt

nalby is.....I have some mixed feelings on this one. my main problem with it is because alby is SO radically different between his book characterization and his movie characterization. so it's kind of hard to pin down a characterization that'll stick, yknow? and I never really saw the appeal for shipping them, but thats just my opinion ofc! (I don't tend to ship characters until a friend points out that they ship something, then I rethink things in that lens and decide if I wanna ship it or not. it's generally not my go-to when I look at fandom stuff, so I'm not the resident TMR Ship Expert jshdhskdhd) but newtmas holds a very special place in my heart so I'd have to choose that one ♥

brendesa would be one of those sexily toxic relationships that are an absolute DUMPSTER FIRE to witness but it'd be funny so. there's that. (if you're looking at it from a canon perspective, at least. they're so different that I don't think they'd vibe At All. but from a fanon standpoint they'd probably work) but SONIET IS MY FAVE ❤ they don't have a huge part in the books lmao but in the movies they're shown together at all times and I respect that ❤ post-apocalyptic sapphics my beloved. that scene when Sonya gets rescued from WICKED and Harriet runs to give her a big ol' hug? lives in my mind rent free (I know aris was there too but this ain't about him)

make me choose!

[miraculous-puppy]

TMR Newt X Reader: All My Fault

"No, I won't allow it." Newt says, voice slightly raised but still athorative and trying to remain calm and collected as he usually is.

"Newt, I'm one of the strongest people here and I'm just as fast as Minho!" you exclaim, irritated with how calm he is at the moment. Normally, it's something you've admired about him. How he's always so calm and collected and knows what to do.

"(Y/N) the answer is no, and that's final!" he raises his voice more, now starting to get irritated with your stubbornness. This arguement has been going on for almost an hour now so he was starting to get angry. You wanted to be a runner, but he won't let you.

"I'm going out there whether you like it or not Newt!"

"No, you're not!"

"Yes I am!"

"Your stubbornness can be really annoying sometimes you know that?! You always want to go run off somewhere you're not supposed to be, and it's tiring having to constantly watch you!" he scolds, glaring at you with harsh eyes.

You gasp step back out of fear from the anger on Newt's face. He's never insulted you like that. He's normally so kind and gentle towards you, always telling you how beautiful you are and how much he adores you. Was it all a lie? You've been through so much together, did it even mean anything to him? He wouldn't have said it didn't have meaning... "You know how I am, you know that I love to explore, and if that's to much for you to handle, then you can sleep by yourself tonight. You. underweight. Prick." you whispered as tears start to spill over the walls of you bottom eyelid and flow down your cheeks. Ever since you and Newt had gotten together, he's never been able to sleep without you next to him, without holding you in his arms and keeping you safe and protected from the horrors of the maze that haunts all gladers.

None of it meant anything to him. None of it. All of the nights he was awake crying and depressed that you helped him through. All of the nightmares, all of it. It was all meaningless. He toyed with you, he wouldn't have said that if he didn't mean it. "I hate you." and with that, you walk away, tears still spilling over as Newt looks at you with widened, shocked eyes at what he had just done, at who he had just hurt.

You walk over to the entrance of the maze, looking deep into the large, mysterious cavern covered in Ivy. "He thinks I'm to weak.....I'll show him too weak." and you run into the maze, unaware of the horrors that await for you inside.

______________________________________

"Alby have you seen (Y/N)? I need to talk to her." Newt asks, wanting to apologize for what he said earlier.

He hasn't been able to get it out of his head. That horrible image of you backing away from him in fear. He never wanted to scare you. Ever. That's why he's always so gentle with you, because even though you're stubborn and strong willed, you're also sensitive. Things like that truly hurt you. He never wanted to do such a thing to you. To frighten such a precious being. A being he held so close to his heart. A being he loved more than anything, more than himself. If he had a choice between you or him, he would choose you without a second thought. He couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt. And he never wanted to be the person who hurt you. He promised himself he would never be, never be the person to hurt you, never be the person to frighten you, yet here we are.

He doesn't want you to be a runner because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something had happened to you. You're his whole world, you're what keeps him going, his reason for waking up in the morning. If something bad had ever happened to you then he just wouldn't be able to handle it. He absolutely hates fighting with you, he didn't really mean anything he had said in that argument. He was just angry, he actually finds it cute and down right adorable how you're always curious and wanting to explore. How optimistic you always are about finding a way out. He loves the way your eyes smile with you when you're happy, your adorable laugh that you absolutely hate, but he thinks it's the cutest thing in the whole world. Nothing could ever measure up to how much he adores you, and it would kill him inside if something had every happened, and you were taken away from him. To have your life wrestled away from his grasp, to see your dead, lifeless body covered in blood from a griever attack. He just wouldn't be able to handle it, he loves you too much to take the chance of losing you. He's always worried something will happen to you, which is why he won't let you be a runner. Cause he knows that he would die inside if he ever lost you to the God-forsaken maze.

"No, I thought she was with you." he replies, clearly confused.

"We had an argument and she-" a shiver slithered it's way throughout his entire body as realization hits him like a train on where you are. "Oh my God...." he puts a hand to his mouth as he fight back tears at the very idea of you being in that place.

"What is it?" Alby asks, stopping what he's doing as he walks over and puts a hand on his 2nd-in-comand's shoulder.

"I need a search party to cover every inch of this glade until we find her, cause if I'm right, then we have a big problem." Newt replies, taking his hand off of his mouth and speed walking out of the hut so he can go find the person that holds his whole reason to live.

You came up the month after he jumped off that wall and got his limp, and the moment he saw you something just clicked. He had a reason to live again, to reason to try, to get up in the morning and work hard to get out of this hell-hole. You saved him from himself, and no matter how cheesey that sounds it's very true. He doesn't know what he would have done had you not walked into his life, and into his heart. Just the thought of losing you makes him break down into tears. He's had nightmares of you getting stung, or being attacked by a griever and dying, and he always woke up crying into your shoulder, holding you close, and making you promise that you would never leave him.

All of the gladers met back in the center of the glade to see if anyone had found even a trace that you were anywhere but the maze. "Anything?" Newt asks, Hopefull that he was wrong.

"I found this." Minho said carefully as he handed the skinny British boy a rip of your clothing that must have gotten caught and pulled off.

"Where?" he looks up at the keeper of the runners, praying that he won't say what he thinks he's going to say.

"....by the maze entrance..."

Newt looks over to Alby, silently begging him to allow him to go into the maze to find his beloved. A moment later, the leader nods, and starts giving commands. "Minho, you and Newt will go into the maze, find her, and bring her back here."

Newt immediately grabs a vest that the runners wear with the required gead, and they both head off into the maze, where a certain sandy blond haired boy's reason to keep going lies within.

___________________________________________

After making a turn, Newt sees his nightmares come true. The image of his beautiful, strong, (Y/N) lying bloody and helpless on the floor. His blood runs cold, and the world seems to go in slow motion as he dashes towards your beautiful, uncounsious form. Tears run down his face as he holds you close in his arms, remembering the last thing you said to eachother.

"Your stubbornness can be really annoying sometimes you know that?! You always want to go run off somewhere you're not supposed to be, and it's tiring having to constantly watch you!"

"I hate you."

The last thing he said to his beautiful, precious (Y/N) was an insult that he didn't even mean, and the last thing she said to him, was that she hated him. Was that really going to be the last thing that ever said to eachother?

"(Y/N), wake up. Please, I need you. I can't do this is you're not there, I need you to wake up." he full out sobs as he holds your bloody, limp body close, caressing your cheek as he looks at you desperatly, wanting to see those familiar, beautiful (E/C) eyes that always seemed to suck the darkness away.

"We have to get her back now, or she won't make it." Minho reminds, wanting to get you to the Med-Jacks as quick as possible. You and Minho have been best friends since you first came into the Glade. You would never tell him this, but you loved his sassy remarks and how he teases you about you and Newt. He knew you liked Newt before you even did, he could tell, but you hadn't accepted it yet. He always teased you about it, and it didn't exactly get better when you 2 actually got together.

"Right." Newt picks you up Bridal Style and whispers into you ear, tears still falling from his eyes. "It'll be alright love, you'll be ok....you have to be..."

___________________________________________

You've been asleep for 3 days and Newt had hardly left your side, Alby worked his part for him, knowing that he'd want to be with you as much as possible until you woke up. He had alot of apologizing to do. He grabbed your small hand in his large one, which was a bit pale from your normal color. But you lost alot of blood so it's not exactly surprising.

"This is my fault." tears drip down his cheeks like rain as he looked at your uncounsious form. "If I hadn't have been so awful to you then none of this would have happened." he brings your hand to his face and kisses the back of it, and just keeps it close to him.

He would give anything for something as simple as a reassuring squeeze from your hand, or even a glance. He never realized how much he held these little things dear, the little things he took for granted. How your eyes smiled, how you always got shy when Minho teased you about you and Newt being together, all these little things that he holds so precious to him. Now here you are, injured, and on a bed with no real proof that you'll actually wake up. But you have to wake up, he can't let those harsh words you said to eachother be the last. He has to make this right, he can't live knowing that you died thinking he thought of you as annoying, stubborn, and tiring. Because you're not, you're the most precious thing he has, you're his world, and he can't keep going on without you there, let alone keep going knowing that such harsh words, were your last. He just can't do it.

Suddenly, he feels the small, delicate hand he's holding to his face squeeze back lightly, and his eyes shoot open and is met with those beautiful (E/C) eyes that has calmed him down for so long.

"I would have gone in there either way, so don't blame yourself." (Y/N) smiles along with here bright shinning eyes, "I love you, even if you don't care for me." more tears start to shed from those beautiful eyes of hers that no words can describe.

Those words hit him harder than any words could describe, he loved her so much. The only time he ever left her side these past 3 days was to either eat or use the restroom. He slept at her bedside. Alby, Minho, and the other gladers tried to get him to go outside for some fresh air and clear his head. Bit he refused to leave until he knew she was going to be ok. Until he knew that he was going to be able to hold her in his arms once again and tell her how much he loves every aspect of her. There is no part of her that he dislikes, he loves every part of her. From her cute little giggle, to her optimism, to how shy she gets when Minho teases her. She was flawless.

He brought a hand up and caressed her cheek, to which she leaned into his touch and looked at him in sadness. Thinking that this will be the last time she will ever get to feel his gentle touch.

"(Y/N), I love you so much." he tucked a loose hair behind her ear and returned his hair to caress her cheek once again as tears brim his eyes. "My whole world stopped when I saw you bloody on the floor. It was my worst nightmare come true. Don't you ever think that I don't love you. Words cannot explain how precious you are to me. I would have switched places with you in a heartbeat, so I would've been the one in that Maze. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you died and that argument was the last thing we said to eachother. I didn't mean any of it. I didn't want you to become a runner because I was afraid I'd lose you. I can't even sleep unless you're next to me, without you, u wouldn't be able to function. I love you so much. Never forget that."

By now, you were crying. With no words to describe how you're feeling, you give him a passionate loving kiss that explains everything you're feeling better than any words would ever be able to.

[trevorbarre]

Trout Mask Revisited, Part 1

I’ve been a bit busy, what with researching for the Barry Guy biography, so haven’t found a lot of time for blogging. However, after visiting my Captain Beefheart-adoring friend in Sheffield, I decided to return to the lifetime task of decoding Trout (although it look more like a carp on the record cover) Mask Replica (TMR). Now TRM is a cultural avant milestone, and listening to it thoroughly is analogous to the task of properly exploring Ulysses (my favourite book) in the world of literature, or perhaps a proper evaluation of the films of Tarkovsky (who I don’t especially ‘get’,) or getting a proper handle on Coltrane’s Ascension. Anyway you look at it, it is a dense, difficult and demanding recording.

One does need a bit of a historic perspective on this ‘masterpiece’ (I will probably have recourse to a lot of inverted commas in these blogs, Beefheart’s work necessitates their use, I find). Many, many listeners, including my beloved wife, would not describe TMR as ‘music’ (see, I’m using them already). You would have to be disingenuous or passive-aggressive in the extreme, to not admit that this former double album, now a single CD, is not an incredibly disturbing and dissonant and dislocating listening experience, at least on first hearing (unless you’re one of those ‘look at me, I’m well-weird, me’ types). Certainly, when I first heard it, I was as perplexed and annoyed as I was when I was first exposed to free improvisation, which also both got my goat and yet presented a challenge.

To set the scene for younger readers and listeners - TMR  was first released in America in 1970, but wasn’t readily available in this country until ten years later, when Reprise Records released it over here. Before that it was only available as an expensive import (older readers will remember the thrill of getting your hands on American imports, whose covers were  were made of  more durable and tough cardboard, or so it seemed, being coated with Yankee fairy dust). I remember beggaring myself buying the Mothers of Invention’s Uncle Meat as an import in early 1973, on Bizarre Records, the same label that released TMR.  I never regretted it - in those times, it often involved considerable expenditure of teenage pocket money to get to hear particular music. I first set eyes on TMR at Warwick University in late 1974. A fellow long-hair, educated at St. Paul’s and loaded (in more ways than one) had a copy and kindly lent it to me. I listened to it, initially in homeopathic doses, and gradually got to grips, over several weeks, with Side One. I do remember that Ella Guru was the track that initially clicked with me (but even this was odd in the extreme). 

It’s important to remember that this was originally two albums, with four sides, an architecture that is totally lost on the CD version (although the latter does have the ‘advantage’ of having the lyrics printed out). This format was a good way of gradually getting into the record, as opposed to being confronted with it in its entirety, as on the CD - each side has a very strong opening and closing number: to wit:

Side One: Begins with Frownland, which You Tube’s Samuel Andreyev thinks is the most musically complex track, on this most complex of records, and ends with the bone-crunching Moonlight On Vermont (my personal fave)

Side Two: Pachuco Cadaver starts this side strongly and ends with the instrumental Dali’s Car, which gave it’s name to a later English band.

Side Three: Begins with the album’s other instrumental Hair Pie, Bake 2 (cute!) and ends with the tremendous, mostly-instrumental, Ant Man Bee.

Side Four: The verbal recital Orange Claw Hammer starts this side, which end with another number with an long instrumental coda, Veteran’s Day Poppy.

To be continued.