I'm writing this live, as a kind of thought experiment.
It's a Great day - one of those I always remember being so special I would consider them almost sacred.
That moment when you first put any album inot he CD drive is always important, but when its a Marc Almond album it takes on deeper significance.
Stardom Road is the album that three years ago no-on ethought they would ever hear,a s he lay paralysed after The Crash.

So, to mark this occasion, I'm going to jot down thoughts and feelings that occur to me as I lsten, for the very first time, to the best singer/songwriter of the last thirty years.

I Have Lived
Sweeping string arrangements - a big opener. The voice is most definitely back and he is singing with more passion than even on the last couple of albums. A wonderful choice of song with pertinent lyrics (as they all are). I too, have lived. So he's managed that already - singing to me about my life. Stunning.
Aznavour has written some incredible songs. Full of baggage.

I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten
Not a big fan of Sarah Cracknell. her voice has mature and she complements him beautifully. Sounds like something off the Tenement Symphony. Ends too quickly - rather a clumsy fade?

Bedsitter iMages
Such a lovely voice. I'm getting sentimental. Just a simple guitar, and it builds quickly, but he's not scared to sing.
Lots of words. Bouncing along now - supremely confident. You can feel the musicians are keeping up withhim. Leading from the front of the sound. Arms outstretched. Welcome back, Marc…

The London Boys
Camp. Gay. Pompous. Glamourous. Seedy as fuck. Bowie was never like this. Or was he?
Seems somehow to be an old song - evocative of a Soho gone.

Strangers in the night
Seems a bit coy? Bit of a show tune.
This doesn't seem to work somehow...

The Ballad of the Sad Young Men
Where have I heard this before. Anthony Hegarty is SO good - he undersings even better than Marc does!!
Perfect mixer. This is an AWESOME song - that piano is really hurting.
This is about the life I haven't lived, but feel so close too.
There's always been another man inside of me, a darker, lonely side. Longing for adventure, loss and excitement.
Here he comes again, on that trumpet
Here come my first tears of the evening....

OK so I've had to pause it now...

Stardom Road
Whatever he hasn't got, its here. He has not any of these things in abundance.
Blessed be the persecuted.
You won't get that load
Up Stardom Road
Superlatives are worthless. Defiance reins. Strings wash the shore of loneliness.
I'm still here. No-one will ever be Marc Almond. Thank heaven for individuals.

Kitsch
Here it comes. Opens like a John BArry soundtrack.
Foot tapping. Eyes streaming.
Tears fall like diamonds - shattered on the desk. A celebration of the panal.
Gloriously pompous - yet empty for all that. tasteless. garish - tongue in cheek and wonderful!!!
Sublime. Memorabilia. Plastic thngs on pencils
Keychains and snowstorms.
For alll the shiny people.
Now I'm laughing aloud. AMong the best things he's ever done.

Backstage I'm Lonely
This I've heard of - his tribute to the late great Gene Pitney. No doubt all performers feel this and he captures it perfectly. The fears and ghosts are back.
And the guitar is so trashy.
Doesn't capture the pain of the original. Too celebratory?
He overcooks this one

Dream Lover
Most familiar song on the album.
Scratchy vinyl effects as per Open All Night. This is the Lonely Ballerina.
Very much like the songs of that period.
Why doesn't this work? Is it too slow.
In fact, it goes right back to to Child Star off Fantastic Star.
he really does bring out a much darker side to the lyrics, very cleverly. There is desperation and melancholy that is lacking from the uptemp original. Love the ending

Happy Heart
Hmmm... what's going on here? I'm entirely disinterested in this one.
This is a song for all those people for whom my music has made memories out of moments in their lives.
That'll be me then.
Despite myself, I love him.

Redeem Me
I don't miss the me I used to be. I'm inspired too - happy with the me i am. No regrets for what I've been, accepting that all those experiences have made me what I am now.
Celebrate live. Live and love it. Take it, dig for diamonds. Beauty will redeem the world.
Kissed in doorways covered in glitter
Held my arms out loved the litter
This just oozes with confidence and happiness.
Ironically, redeeming the previous song?
he's done it AGAIN - this is MY SONG!!!

The Curtain Falls
He has stated that the next album of original songs will be his last.
And he is happy with that obviously. So we share that. No sadness. No ending.
Truly, truly scrumptious.
This is Judy Garland on her knees.
Overwhelmed with the wieght of his own genius. Honest and humble.

Playing the whole thing again.
Emotionally drained. Exhausted.
Still crying and laughng at the same time

Special meeting of the PCC tonight to discuss the impending Parochial Re-Organisation that is effectig the whol eof the deanery over the next few years.
And we have to deicde, before may 2008, whether or not to apply for the suspension of St. Dnys to be continued. I think we agreed that we are in favour of maiintaining the status quo for as long as possible and will go for our 'priest-in-charge' to remain under that title for the following five years. In 2014 we will be 'trimmed down' according to the Sheffield formula to our allocation of 0.64 of a vicar.
Tonight we discussed our options in terms of 'moving forward' with our neighbouring parishes, but I was frustrated that we didn't get to discuss how having 0.64 of a vicar woould actually effect us, regardless of how he divides his time.
Only four of us asked any questions.
Come on guys - it's your decision too. If you don't understand, say so. There was every opportunity!

I like Fathers' day. OK, so its a commercial invention, but if you don't pander too much to the pressures of getting sh*t and spend time with the kids instead, you can have a really good day.
Mine went like this.

Woken by the Baggins as usual around 6am.
Conscious and showered just after 7am.
Children alive, and crowded into the bed when I came out the bathroom.
Some fantastic handmade cards. A wins this year. She did some kind of weird map thing, with locations on including "Marc Almond's House" (which she spelled correctly) and "The John Foxx Music Store".
LC has just about learned to write her name, which is a weird feeling.
Traditional box of licorice allsorts. Yummy!
With S help this morning I finally got round to raising the headboard on our bed, and fitted the shower again (it fell down again agter my faffing around a week or three ago…)
Not the best service at church - CS not so inspired this week as usual – but the new speakers sound great. I still have to find out exactly why entries for the weekly newsheet get re-typed and hevily edited. Who does this - its all very frustrating and unnecessary? Collection money is regularly falling, though we had another 6 new faces this week.
And we were all given a geranium to plant out, which the kids did after lunch.
Kink and D arrived within seconds of us getting home after the service, and managed to eat just about everything left in the house. Took them over to the office to pick up a few bits and bobs, including an old iMac that she wants to 'play' with. F bought her invites with her for next weekend's birthday party and gotthose printed out. I have booked cinema tickets to see Shrek III.
Expect disappointment. The second film was poor, and I suspect this will be one sequel too many...
3pm, and the sun shining brightly.
My choice - Netley Abbey

Not so good for hide and seek cos its too big, but we fell about laughing after inventing a crazy game throwing tennis balls throught he windows! It's really touching to see how well LC and Stan in particular seem to have taken to boyfriend D. He makes a lot of effort with the kids, and generally seems to be well liked. Talks to me and Trx as well, without too much trouble. Rubbish hair and very bad taste in music, but that's by the by.
Gave me a copy of the first 'device" album though. One day I'll get round to playing it!
Kink gave me a copy of the new/old Tolkein novel "The Children of Hurin" which I will enjoy - superbly illustrated by Alan Lee, and her sister sent a Key Finder thing that bleeps.
ha ha - very funny! Its infuriating - goes off every few minutes

Big Sunday tea and they went off home about 8pm.
After that I had a few minutes on the phone to Biscuit (exams again next week) and rang my daddy who thanked me for the John Barry CD.

Bed time occurred around half-past nine.
Tx eye has gone silly again. All red, swollen and looking very sore.
She is overdoing too many things.