Dancing On The Valentine

Yes, it was 25 years ago that I bought this VHS EP video of Duran Duran performing three songs from the Seven and the Ragged Tiger album. This was video, issued by Picture Music International/EMI, was one of first to be done in stereo.
I still have my original copy in excellent condition.

Cardcaptor Sakura

I am currently enjoying this anime first show in a heavily westernized from as Cardcaptors on Children's ITV in 2002.

Sakura Kinomoto was an ordinary 4th grader until the day she opened a strange book and let dozens of powerful magic cards loose on the world. Keroberos, the Guardian of the Clow Cards, informs Sakura that it is now her responsibility to find and capture the freed cards. However, much to the reluctant Sakura's dismay, things aren't going to be easy for her; simply saying magic words and waving her wand around isn't good enough. Each card is a living, thinking, extremely powerful being. She'll have to learn to cope with her new responsibilities, as well as ordinary troubles like love, school, family, and friends. With the support of her friend Tomoyo and a young boy with powers of his own, she must learn how to use her newly awakened magical abilities to collect each card and prevent the disaster that will befall the world if she doesn't.

 

I was able to get this pack of two DVD's from Taiwan that has all 70 episodes on a total of 8 discs packaged in a fold out book manner with protective slip case. Although it has 8 or 9 episodes per disc the coding quality is actually very good - a par with many digital TV services - and has a excellent menu structure.

This is from the anime Cardcaptor Sakura a fantastic magical girl series from the early part of the this decade.

Knee high socks for the short skirted look

One unavoidable fact of life for me in my 'Little Girl' side is the fascination in maintaining the look I adored as a a child, that of the just above the knee skirt with long socks that are often either colour or striking in design.In many respects it's fortunate for me that at least a part of this aspect has become more mainstream so not only can I buy these cute girlish over the knee socks fairly easily but others are doing so to so there's less eye batting or outright ridicule as there used to be.




I just love these Grey and dusty Pink over the knee socks as they're so cute.
Available from the Sexy Minx ebay store and good local stockists.

Beatles in mono

Twenty-two years ago in 1987, the world finally got the Beatles on compact disc after  the issuing of the 60's Rolling Stones catalogue and it was that that in eyes of many marked the compact disc had come of age.
Although people who are more interested in how recordings sound have over  period criticized the sound of a good number of these, they've remained in print as the authorized Beatles selling well so rather like the originals while the Rolling Stones had their 70's albums reissued in much improved sound belatedly  Apple and EMI did the same for these in stereo and in Mono as a single box set.
I bought that Beatles in Mono box pictured above - the best part of GBP 199.98 - because it seemed to the only box of the two (there was a Stereo Box) that offered anything really essential and not otherwise available.

To start with the cds are all mono - the way many in the 1960's first heard them - and also the priority for mixing the separate tracks together by the record studios as most people bought mono records back then. Often the stereo versions had much less time spent on them so bits of the original mono mix just didn't make it into the stereo.
Most of these have been unavailable since the early 1980's (and then for a very limited time).

Then there's the packaging.
These cds have all been made in Japan with what is called a 'mini lp' form. That's to say they are made to resemble a miniature lp record sleeve using high quality card reproducing exactly the front and rear covers of the originals. There are replica inner sleeves with the designs used for each lp with the actual cd in a mylar wallet to keep it from getting scratched.
The individual cds have original period Parlophone, Capitol and Apple label designs featured for the centre labels of the lps.
The whole cd is then packed in archive quality acid free resealable see through envelope to protect it.

 The box has been carefully designed to store the discs with a slide in disc storage compartment to make getting them out to play easy.

The Discs:
Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles For Sale
Help! *
Rubber Soul *
Revolver
Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles (Also known as the "White Album" )
Mono Masters - a compilation of singles and EP tracks issued in mono that were not on any UK studio album which includes the prepared but unissued mono mixes of the Yellow Submarine film songs which one album I have no need to get.

* = These have the original stereo versions also on the same disc NOT the remixes done for the (stereo) cd.
The transfer to cd is extremely good - something that was a problem with the original cds issued in 1987.

I topped the set with the stereo only remastered Abbey Road and Let It Be which more open than the previous issue although the tri-fold unlined card cover isn't as attractive.

Get The Knack!

There was a time in the late 70's when bursting on to the scene they really were  'IT'.
Brash with catchy Power Pop possessed of the catchy but sexist lyric where would we be without Good Girls Don't, Frustrated, It's You, Baby Talks Dirty and My Sharona?
Well I fell under their spell in 79/80 as I was looking for guitar based pop muisc at the time loving much of the 60's music, so bought the 45's have the albums on cassette, 8 track and vinyl but this a UK cd on BGO - catalogue number BGOCD 248 - is the best of the lot sounding like you're in the studio with them.