The 2020 review

It is Bank Holiday Monday, that is the one before the New Year so it is usual on this blog to write a kind of review which may as well start a bit from where we were last year.

Ever since the great schism between CG/l with age play and age regression broke out on Tumblr there had been further division between purists of Child Like regression that had no place within it for being in a relationship and with some even claiming it for older teens and younger only and the more CGL/re side who did accept relationships but one in which the little was regressed and had that child-like headspace respected within it.

For good measure those of us on that side also maintained that regression was not limited in any way to your chronological age because it is about the child-like space you thoughts, feelings and emotions that you (re)enter so it didn't matter if you were seventeen or seventy as that body was just the physical form that allowed you to express your inner child.

The peace that broke out in 2019 continued even as a few tried to find the buried bones of the argument from the last gals and guys standing on the purist Chire side which was as well as how the year panned out meant we really needed age regression.

Things had started out as normal with me going with friends for fun, games, fresh air and fun at the Winter Littles Camp in a new venue we'd found having a great time even if the weather wasn't all one may of hoped for.

By little more than a month we all saw what will in future be seen as an historical announcement on Tv that informed us that things were going to be very different thanks to Covid which while being found in China we'd assumed was likely to stay around there but that wasn't to be.

That was going on as unexpectedly I was returned for a couple of weeks to the world around which my old job revolved and while doing a little investigating on foot the  best route to get there and having done that a bit of shopping in the City centre I was taken quite ill within a couple of hours for a few weeks with symptoms' that in hindsight did match Covid.

The restrictions from the announcement meant that two attempts to arrange littles camp togethers were foiled as the rules and deadlines kept changing and even our GHS Halloween Party couldn't happen.

Covid affected an aunt and a cousin both of which have recovered but a third died from complications of which of necessity meant the funeral arrangements were anything but straightforward.

I found myself taking comfort more in my more littles/middle side reading comics, watching children's tv and spending time in the fields enjoying the countryside, nature and fresh air playing even if we had to wait a good while for the playground to reopen to use the equipment.

The world-wide nature of Covid affected pretty much everything from marking VE day anniversary, the postponement of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics together with much sport  to making tv, arts performances and recording music.

While recordings were affected I did enjoy buying some new  classical Super audio cds that I did write about here and enjoyed hugely this years Folklore and Evermore albums by Taylor Swift

While it is hard to look ahead when there are continuing developments within Covid, there is reason for hoping the massive vaccination program launched in December will over time lead to a greater ability for us all to function more freely even if it is about for a while.

Christmas gone was very smol, it needed to be as impacted as even that was with presents that were for being played with such as lego or at least allowed me to enter the smaller more reassuring fun world of imagination.

As much as I can say going forward, in my own tomboyish forever schoolgirl way this next year is more likely to see me in world and mindset of her, coping through repetition and imaginary play with whatever is going one around me in much the same way as two tween girls did playing on their bikes in the wood on Christmas Eve.

To me they showed the best response to getting by in all of this and certainly not obsessing over news and groan up things. 

Christmas Day

It's been a crazy year and that of course feeds into Christmas where I'll be with my folks this year although the difference between what the rest of my family say they're going to do and what in fact they do remains.

In terms of presents as it is time to open them I think we'll kick off with "The Big Un".

I've been slowly and with Covid affecting recording and manufacturing this year, slowly building up a collection of Super Audio cds, mainly classical.

My folks bought me this new recording on Sacd, of Beethoven's Piano concertos, all five plus bonus material which will supplement my classic 1960's stereo William Kempf versions with the Berlin Philharmonic on DG.

The Beano today isn't what it was growing up although to be fair the world of children today isn't either although much of childhood remains the same so while back then I'd of had the Annual, today I have the Christmas special edition of the regular comic with the mixture of classic cartoon strips such as Dennis The Menace and newer ones that are more inclusive around sex, race and disability.

The Beano and Dandy were comics I had and more fittingly I did have this years installment in the "Classic" Beano and The Dandy themed compilations from that past they issue every year, this time looking at the work of Dudley D Watkins, one of D C Thomson's finest creators of comic book strips.

Finally as I sip my grape juice, eventually after a long delay the all time early classic Harry Nilsson Nilsson Schmilsson album issued in 1971 came out on a Super Audio cd edition with just a print run of 2,500 world wide in October.

This album, the title of which may escape you was a massive seller in that era and was the home of the #1 single Without You written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of the Welsh group Badfinger.

Now that's what I call scrumptous!

I also had some lego and money although whither the shops may be open in the New Year is another matter although I'm sure Amazon will be running.

Happy Christmas folks!

Christmas Paws Thoughts

We have but four days to go before the Main Event as different as unfortunately it will be for most of us but we are having it nontheless, scaled down because actually it matters to us to maintain faith with time honoured rituals we were introduced to as our parents and grand parents were themselves.

No One not even The Grinch or that nasty chap, Covid has any power to deny you Christmas as you make it in your hands and it lives in your heart wherever you may find yourself this year.

Just let it out and above all, be Smol, Be Little, be your Little Girl or Boy self and enjoy the magic for what it is keeping the groan up cynical thoughts and polly ticks out of our magical time.

It might not of been the Christmas we wanted, but have it, savior it and enjoy the time using whatever means at your disposal to keep connections with family and friends alive as trying as things are.

My message to you is Happy Christmas AND Make It Happen.

The Fiio X1 Mk II

We are almost ready for Christmas with appoint fixed with the Fur Cutter tomorrow to get that under way and the stuff I need for other peoples Christmas here.

I've been recently road testing a small thin digital audio player as mine are a few year old and a bit chunky.

This, the Fiio X1 mkii is thinner than my original X1 and has a different rotary encoder to move though the menus such as songs, artist, folders, albums, playback settings and system set up.

It is more positive than the original X1 but as it uses touch it can and does overshoot at times so it's often easier to use the << and >> buttons to navigate.

The output socket, micro sd card slot (it has no internal memory) and micro usb fit at the bottom of the unit.

The display is a basic 320x240 but adequate and can be turned off by one light press of the power button on the side while the output can be switched from headphones to a line out for  stereo system or portable headphone amplifier such as Fiio also make as some headphones do need more output than many devices natively can provide.

The line output has a number of built in level adjustments you can apply that can help if the output is such you can hardly turn up the volume without it being too loud which is sensible.

This handles all the major audio file formats such as Flac, Apple's Alac, Aac and the evergreen Mp3 but the one issue that there doesn't seem a cure for is sometimes it doesn't do gapless replay correct putting even a tiny space in or a click sound which may be a distraction on music that has lots of parts that segue into each other such as things by the Pink Floyd or live concerts although it isn't as bad as my old Sensa Clip+ used to be in 2010 for it.

Unfortunately there hasn't been any new software updates that may of cured that.

It's fine for playing compilations or most studio albums where it does sound very good for the money but not a first choice for prog rock or live rock concerts where its gap issues do take the edge of seamless songs.

Oh Christmas Tree

After last week's post in this crazy year I went out for a stroll only to find something familiar had returned.

In among the many Christmas decorated houses and gardens, the community Christmas Tree had come back which normally would be the focal point of carolling this weekend but that is presently out with singing in any close public setting but at least it's here.

A beacon of hope for the incoming year, something we could certainly use.

Advent

The year's been messy this is true so much so that if you've been out you may of seen signs of Christmas out early and this week we're in the preparation period for it.

Advent is the build up, the counting down for Christmas Day itself which as we all are aware will be a bit different this year but it's about a bit more.

It's about preparing yourself for celebration of the Nativity of Christ, which we may do by reading the story of Mary and Joseph, in this house we have a model of that sign with them and three Wise men we put out too.

You may sing Christmas carols around the Christmas tree not just because singing is a fun thing to do but to mark His coming into the World.

You may have and a good many churches have Advent Crowns which has its origins in the Lutheran church is widespread today and you may light candles.

There's a significance in the sequence of candles we light, the things we pray for in the World not least at troubled times like these and the promise of better times to come.

In with the chocolate of our Advent Calendars, there's something magical if you keep your eyes open for it. 

Hope. 

Preparing for Winter

As I write this it is actually a bit cold, I mean when I walked up to the shops I did have to put my grey and white pom pom'd gloves on and actually overnight it had dropped as low as 0.6, a sure sign we are entering winter.

What other craziness we seem to be going through at the minute we haven't had ice or snow as yet even if the other day I spotted a reindeer outdoors and a few window decorations already for Christmas.

This time of year tends to bring out my craving for hot puddings with cream not least hot syrup coated ones.

I like a tree and craziness aside, according to the Council newsletter we will be having a Christmas tree on our green paid for by them even if we might not be all gathered singing around it thanks to restrictions.

Teenbeat XXVIIII - Wildflowers & All The Rest

Just about the last time I mentioned this artist would of been about twenty seventeen so it's kind of fitting to pick up again.

In 1994 Tom Petty released the album Wildflowers for Warner Brothers which was issued on cd, cassette and in very limited quantities on double vinyl.

That limited release now goes for huge amounts used when and only when you do see a copy in the wild but when it was issued originally it was to contain another ten songs but Warner's blocked that.

Since Tom's death in 2017 a number of projects have come out but that longer version of Wildflowers was something he had been working on before death and that came out in late October this year.

There were a number of different lp and cd options so I opted for the triple lp containing the original double mastered by Chris Bell and those missing ten tracks which sounds superb on very quiet vinyl on this Dutch pressed edition. 

It happened that I spotted a special discount code which when entered brought the price to £26.56 which was quite cheap.

You Wreak Me 

Remembrance Edition

In more normal times yesterday would of seen many of us attending Remembrance Sunday services, the more poignant this year for being the Seventy-Fifth anniversary of the end of World War Two although British forces fought in other conflicts since such as Korea and Afghanistan apart from peacekeeping duties in Northern Ireland during the "Troubles" of the late Nineteen Sixties and into the Nineteen Nineties.

Sadly that thanks to Covid could not be happening.

People of every colour and creed fight together not just in our Armed Services as British People but also with those from other countries not least our Commonwealth.

 We WILL remember them.

The Halloween that took a break

Normally this weekend I would be off for a Halloween Party and Bonfire Night but like so much else this year it's been messed up being polite by the Covid Party none of us wanted so it's had to be called off.

In any event with at the time of writing this some 90 odd percentage of this district on Tier Two restrictions and my own council ward having a high rate of infections, it really would not wise to travel and stop overnight with people.

Anyway had we'd of been able to then it would of been highly likely we'd of been making Halloween Lanterns to which a tea light would of been placed inside and there would of been some sort of treasure hunt going on.

You'd of had to had been careful not to accidentally come into contact with people from the spirit world who just seem to be hanging around.

Boo!

There would of been on the Saturday night a Bonfire lit to which we'd be out dressed up for the cool nights standing near holding sparklers before the fireworks would be carefully let off illuminating the night sky in pretty colours.

Dedicated to friends who haven't been able to see for a good while.

Spooky Times

This week is spooky week and even in the crazy mixed up world we're living in right now I have noticed spooky stuff about in peoples windows, doorways and even gardens so expect batty bats and groovy ghoulies to be coming near you!

Miss Kitty was always in on the action, enjoying fun with friends and supporting friendship around the World that's why she makes a clean sweep of being with Halloween, having her own range of goodies.

Obviously this year it's a little different as "Trick And Treat" is being discouraged  due to concerns about social distancing and transmission of that virus through handing over candy although I suspect it'll carry on with people just calling round a few per-detirmined neighbours who will leave a package of candy for each child to pick up as they're waved at through the windows.

We need a bit of fun and excitement in our lives.

 

A cozy time in

I think we're well into the fall here as I can certainly feel it in the air and especially when I get up in the mornings, not quite shivering but certainly cool on my arms and hands before I go for a stroll in the fresh air.

This time of year tends to bring back memories of how we cope with the seasonal changes back then when we didn't even have central heating just block storage heaters on the landing and in living room which were supposed to store electric energy from the night and release it during the day.

Back then we had a coal fire although truthfully we did burn wood in it so we tended to play in the front room as children near by not right up against the fire with us and some of our toys on the floor while our folks and older children sat reading or watching the television.

Compared with today, we were very much more together, not in separate spaces even if we were doing different things, able to interact when needed and in more than the physical sense, in a warm setting.

That playing with on the floor with everybody else around is one of those things I miss.

Getting by in 2020

 

I don't think anyone can honestly deny this year has been extremely challenging in ways that would of seemed alien to us only a matter of days into the new year, having to think and continually rethink what were going to be doing, if we can actually still do it as everything seems to be in a never ending cycle of change.

 It's hardly surprising that we'd sooner settle for something more warmer and more straightforward that we recall from the past be it a hobby, watching reruns of tv shows or so on especially if they had positive messages about coping and getting by.

It is important to remember we have choices about how we respond to things and how that effects the person we become.

We don't have to be defined by the more negative sides of life for many of us at the minute. 

Being

This is being typed while it's very wet outside, practically too wet to be out walking far without getting drenched as much as I'd sooner be out  enjoying the fall so instead I'm listening to Elgar's Cello Concerto.

That's more what I'd sooner of been doing as we've entered October just out enjoying the tree canopies exploring on foot.

That's just me, liking to be out exploring when not being bitten by things and that may not be you.

Because I may do things differently doesn't make me any less valid, any less who and what I am from those who may not for having strong tomboyish streaks anymore than a male who has an interest in dance or gymnastics is any the less who he is because you are you. 

We own who we are, exploring how we express that as ourselves not needing anyone's or any groups  validation or approval.

To me gender equality means being treated equally regardless of gender and how you express that as you are.

We are US.

 

The end of the month

 

We've certainly had a number of days that have required umbrellas this last week as we move out of late summer and into the fall as I caught it a little while out and about trying to keep my mind away from the more worrying statements and latest rules  around this health emergency we're living through.

I've been working through some older things here that are seldom if ever used  and donating them to various charity collections not least because someone would get something out them when I'm not and also with Christmas, which sadly will be different this year I imagine, you tend to get things that need to be accommodated.

This week I've been playing a mixture of classical cds and also some new records that required cleaning when it hasn't been so great to be out aqainting myself with compositions and recordings I've always loved and that process often takes me back in time, which is good thing for me.

It might of been rainy but inside it's not like that.

Teenbeat XXVIII - More Rumer

 It's not the week most of us have been wanting to be entering looking toward current affairs but as we can't do much about that we might as well focus on what keeps us going and that for some us includes music.

The artist Rumer to whom a good number of first caught in 2010 with Seasons Of My Soul has recently returned with a album that collects fifteen superb songs by the acclaimed American songwriter Hugh Prestwood routed in Southern folklore of stories told from the heart.

Many of these songs have not been commercially recorded and the arrangements and production by Fred Mollin makes the most of them while Rumer's voice continues to remind us of late great Karen Carpenter.

The song Ghost In This House is a favourite of mine with its folksy feel.

Recommended.

Getting beyond differences

In the week where I haven't been feeling too great between the thing I've had and what I've needed to take to deal with it I've had enough opportunity to reflect upon much of the discourse that's polarized society, heightened sensitivities and turned former friends into enemies.

It is rare for matters to be absolutes with often common ground existing between sincere advocates on each side of an argument and even when not perhaps more of us should reflect upon the reality that each is actually a human being, deserving with being treated with respect.

 There is something much bigger at stake and when we forget that the consequences for all of us are massive.

It doesn't matter what your race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion (if any) or politics are, we need to find a way through all of this that is respectful of each other as people first and foremost.

Will you lay down your arms?

A new term looking back

Here we go again

 This week as schools went back although as I'm writing this on Friday, The JCB Academy at Rocester here in sunny Staffordshire has had ask boys and girls not to turn in this morning due to one covid case but I suspect we'll have the odd incident that can be dealt with,  I was looking back at a few things.

One is the extent the age regression wars are over. I mean I have written at length about the origins of the split between Agere and Cg/l at least as it applied at Tumblr but the splits between different groups of age regressors were something else.

There's something in the view that discourse  begets  more and and bitterer discourse around those who seek to replace one view  for "the truth" and having had a ringside view of it it is hard to find adequate words to describe how toxic it really was.

You might of thought anyone who genuinely tried to explain the differences between Chire and Cglre to help find the right side for them would be applauded for at least cutting out the misunderstandings but it wasn't.

In an atmosphere of mutual suspicions arrows were fired at people like the Regression Uncensored tumblr which although I am biased toward Cglre I would say did a good job in trying to explain all to the point their moderators had to leave on a regular basis as they could not take the verbal abuse and trolling.

Thankfully that's all over with so they feel able to move on and in time take the blog down cos that past is just best left in it with people just moving on.

There's been a few entries around the Tartan Terrors on here before now and sadly it was announced last week at the age of 62 Ian Mitchell, a member during the turbulent nine months from April 1976 had died.

 He played guitar on this cover of a Dusty Springfield song that got to in the top ten in November of 1976 although my copy as a UK one in plain sleeve and on the Dedication lp recorded in Canada.

That's him on the far right who took over from Alan when he felt at the ripe old age of 26 he was told to be in pop group!

Thankfully my copy of that record survived much playing at school that year as we were rollermanics and if you scratch beneath the surface still am.

Bank Holiday edition

Today is a Bank Holiday here in England which means I should be just resting enjoying myself  although everything has been altered a little by this covid-19.

 One place I am likely to snuck off to is  the local canal towpath where while there  be a number of people passing through in their barges, it is generally very restful where you'll see a lot of wildlife about if you keep your eyes peeled.

Often ducks and swans can be seen in the canal itself although the ducks can also be seen in some nearby properties gardens and fish are caught by local anglers before being returned.

The park is open and I expect to hear the excited voices of children enjoying play before returning to school on Wednesday as Tuesday is an Inset teacher training day locally.

Past sunny times

After stormy winds as we headed into the weekend that saw me getting rather soggy on Friday actually it turned out quite well although I did hear a few airplanes going overhead dealing with the premature returns of people who needed to return due to the ongoing health crisis.

 I was looking back over some photos where I spotted this of a enjoyable day on the Jetty at Conway North Wales of what would of been about fifteen years ago that were taken on a Advanced Photo System (APS) film camera of fairly simple kind.

It was supposed to make taking pictures easy and give people at the touch of a button Standard, HD (16:9) and Panoramic pictures from film but didn't really take off as most people were happy with their 35mm film compact cameras and digital photography was just around the corner.

This was a view from the harbour looking across to the other side of the river bank which may people including me went on a boat to enjoy. 

It did take a bit of after the event digital processing, falling short of what I was able to take on my Olympus OM10 but does deliver on the panoramic bit.

Of course the other big attraction of Conway which does have decent bus and train links is its Castle built between 1283 and 1289 by Edward I of England during his conquest of Wales, part of the wider plan of building the walled town of Conway as a defence.

That was another part of that day not that I'm great with steps but I do enjoy things like Castles and the like so I did take some pictures.

When you have this on your doorstep maybe until things are sorted staying within the UK makes more sense?

Teenbeat XXVII - Body and Soul

You could say this is what goes round gets turned around as sometimes things go full circle with interests in this "Teenbeat" edition.

 Way back in 1984 having an interest in the British singer and songwriter Joe Jackson to the point of owning a few of his albums on tape I heard a few tracks from his then new album being played on Radio One.

I hunted down and got the chrome cassette of Body and Soul which was both very well sounding using BASF genuine chromedioxide tape for the highest sound quality when few of us had CD Players and they were extremely expensive.

That tape was much loved - too much loved - and got replaced in time by the Joe Jackson Collected triple compilation that took many of his songs and packaged them well.

Thing was I still had strong memories of this album which was in so many ways a reaction to over smooth polished studio productions and the lack of organic live playing that is evident in songs such as You Can't Get What You Want and Be My Number Two, both singles that have a jazz/blues feel to them.

Earlier this year fledgling reissue company Intervention Records remastered this album for Super Audio cd using the services of Kevin Grey who has work for Analogue Productions and Audio Fidelity.

Getting a copy easily here wasn't easy but has been well worth it as it has a very real in the room with the artist presence with a wide dynamic range.

It simply could never sound better and in this version can also be played on regular cd players too.

Getting by during the Hols

 As I'm typing this I'm on the umpteenth glass of pop trying to stay both cool and hydrated this warm weekend.

 Naturally school is off even if sadly it was only half on at best since Spring as I struggle to recall anything like this from my own childhood as more or less everything isn't what it was since the word Covid-19 entered the daily news reports.

It's really rather more the outdoors that I've clung onto, watching birds and insects going about their business, enjoying the tree blossoms and flowers growing  and even looking after this.

 I've also been reading a fair bit from comics and comic annuals to the books I adored as a child probably cos in this messed up world I have the same needs for escaping what's around me.

 It seems the same needs for repetition, routines and security I had then apply now and in odd sense never really being fully adult seems to aid it as inevitably we have to try to work our way through this one day at a time.

Now for another one of these!

The end of the Catalogue

Things don't always stay the same even though you may of thought they'd never be a day they would but this week it was announced that it would.

The Argos catalogue ever since 1973 has been an institution tracking all that we thought was needed for the modern consumerist society with items coming and going over time but always there.

For a long time it was essential because it held the item numbers with seven digits such as 1**/0*** that we needed to write on a slip of paper we handed in at the store for your item to arrive after waiting for "Customer 430 to our collection desk" as the item would come down for us to collect.

Of course the modern world added computerized ordering from a online site to it but for a good number of us just doing things old school was quick and easy but as people cannot hang around in vast busy stores and many people seeing trying to use the high street with Covid restrictions as too much of a faff are just ordering online.

That has lead Argos to say the last one will go from stores buy January 2021.

 For many of us we dashed to get a copy and circle the stuff we wanted like a Strawberry Shortcake dolls and leave it for parents and relatives to find sharing thoughts with others a ritual that will end with the catalogue.

It's possible a Christmas offers leaflet may emerge although to be honest I find paper catalogues much easier to seach for things in than online ones such as Amazon's.

R.I.P Argos Catalogue

Teenbeat XXVI - the J Geils Band

This is a rewind production, from the days I discovered this Boston, M.A. R&B group so we're pressing play today.

Way back in 1982 I tended to buy 7 inch singles and one I bought was Centerfold by the J Geils Band and that lead to me buying the cassette of the album it was from which included Flame Thrower that I played rather a lot at the time.

While the inserts remain good, sadly the black rubber pad that holds the tape against the players heads has decayed to a sticky mess which is a common problem on EMI tapes from the late 70's onward where they removed the metal supported spring pad for a block of foam.
 
I managed to get hold of the well regarded British BGO label cd from 1993 of this album recently which sounds just great.

Also in that series was Love Stinks, the 1980 release that include the U.S. hit single Just Can't Wait apart from the title track.

Back in early 1987 I joined a compact disc library that allowed you try discs first for seven days and if you liked them you'd send payment and get the cd case and booklet to keep it and this was one title I tried and copied on a TDK tape cos I thought even then it wasn't a generous retrospective of this bands EMI America era recordings.

Sadly that tape left the building some years back but I was able to get very cheaply the original US cd for some tracks I don't otherwise have in my collection.

Sliding and resting edition

Just relaxing here as you do having spent part of the morning would might of seemed uneventful other than going flying under mud with rice krispy shaped indentations while out walking chasing butterflies and bees.

So that meant cleaning up my shoes and changing my socks as they were covered in mud when I got back place cleaning up a cut before applying a band aid to it.

One minute you're on your feet and the next you're on the grand slide, trying to apply the breaks, trying to keep the small Sony camera I had with me well away from the mud having had to replace the old Canon compact one earlier in the year.

Talking of replacements, this was replaced earlier on in the week after two decades of feline claw damage was getting to me from the time one of my cats got stuck behind the record storage area and clawed it's way out damaging the outer and in this instance the inner sleeve of a number of albums which was annoying as I'd only had it for a month.

After all this sorting myself out, I played this new copy.

Time Together

Because this month I may not be away with friends due to you know what doesn't mean I cannot look back at those moments and some of the views I saw such as walking around this lake in East Anglia enjoying the tranquility of it all.

 Nor does it mean I forget the joy of being able to stroll around the grounds of where we usually stay enjoying the trees and watching the insect life on a warm Winter's day.

 It's the memories we make that help us get through difficult times such as those we are all facing presently.

It is to be hoped we'll be able to get together in February.

Kool and the gang 1979-1985

We enter a new month, see some changes around what we can do (and how)  and a few things have arrived here.

The music of Kool and the Gang goes back quite  along time, actually to the dawn of the 1970's  but as flavours changed, the group itself did coming up with a smooth soul and funk style that was extremely popular until again in the late 1980's a mix of more electronic instrumentation and the influence of HipHop moved what had become dubbed "R&B" along a very different line.

This is  a set that across three discs takes six albums from 1979 through 1985 all of which had major hit singles in either the US or the UK that many regard as some of the must enduring of the era.

Songs like 1979's Ladies Night as covered by Atomic Kitten, Celebration, Get Down On It, Big Fun, Joanna, Fresh and Cherish are all songs featured in this collection together with minor singles and deep cuts.

It comes with a booklet that carries the original album credits and adds background information on the group and each albums history in a single slim package.

For the £13.99 I paid for this Beat Goes On set, that was quite a bargain.