The week not as planned

 This week isn't as envisioned at the beginning of the year so we might as well forget all about that as that's all on a 12 month enforced hiatus and go with the world in our heads instead

Getting away for me always was about more than what was in your suitcase, it was really about having adventures and discovering more about things, people and possibly you.

More really about the sorts of things the younger side of you looked forward to  like play and exploring, arts and crafts, heck even even doing thinks like playing with paper dolls.

For me you might have a few changes of clothing and that reflected what I felt comfortable in, everybody else has their own but that's not a basis to question if really anyone "should" be there or really is "there" for is it? I'd like to think so.

School camps were fun for being about what we did together. Nothing more.

That some may have many changes and others don't can be as much a reflection of their home based opportunities or lack of if not different priorities and interests. Vive le difference!

A huddle that seems to question what you get out of it but doesn't engage with you to discover just why you keep coming back with rumours can seem more like the worst of the school playground.

Recreating that experience isn't something I'd go for. I had enough of that first time around thanks.

People can be different and are more than just how they present so really ought to be able to get along together.

Will things be different in twelve months time?

Updating the NOW's-Now Yearbook 80 on vinyl

 

This is from a series that started last year by NOW, the people behind the legendary Now That's What I Call Music series of chart hits compilations started in late 1983 but who have over decades moved into genre and other themed collections taking their cue from either seasons or as recently even PRIDE with a LGBT+ themed set.

The aim of this series is to compile the hits of a year and in the four cd set versions there comes out shortly afterwards a Extra 3 cd set that mops up anything missed off.

There has been a three lp selection from each main set issued which in the main I hadn't bothered with as I do own the original Ronco or K Tel lps that came out as much as Mr Hifi Bore goes on about thin sound and edited versions I keep for songs I don't have and just want a reminder of what they sound like having good single artist records and cds of anything I was really partial too.

There wasn't as far as I cam remember way back then a year compilation that at least was attempted with Super '81 Vol 1 & 2 and a similar set in 1982 on Ronco which did use full length versions which sounded pretty good  and after that we had the NOW lps plus from 1984 the HITS ones which take care of matters on record.

Given the lack of a vinyl 1980 hit set, I did relent and buy the 47 track lp version which comes on three silver coloured vinyl slabs not least cos I could get this for Thirty Pounds delivered which at just under a tenner per disc is close to what we paid around 1989/90 for a new single lp and arguably today is more affordable than back then.

 

Music in 1980 on the chart was a lot more varied than today (we'll side step any talk about the quality) and this set truncated of necessity on lp shows this mixing in things like disco based material such as Funky Town by Lipps Inc and the hard to forget Dance Yourself Dizzy  by the Liquid Gold with classy soul and funk such as Upside Down by the brilliant Diana Ross, Celebration by Kool and The Gang and With You I'm Born Again with other sounds.

Reggae and Ska are well represented with Baggy Trousers, Too Much Too Soon with evergreen pop such as The Winner Takes It All, Don't Stand So Close To Me and Brass In Pocket and Rock with Emotional Rescue and All Night Long.

The year brought in the synthesizer based sounds that were to dominate the next two years with such gems as I Die You Die by Gary Numan, and To Cut A Long Story Short plus the start of Ant Mania with Dog Eat Dog and gems like Blondie's Atomic and Geno by Dexy's Midnight Runners.

Strangely no edition has anything by Cliff Richard who had been "on fire" for a few years with great pop songs such as Carrie.

The year as some of us sadly recall only too well ended with John Lennon's death and his current hit of that time (Just Like) Starting Over for Geffen Records is rightly included. 

Given the current controversy over sources on vinyl releases these I am confident were from digital copies as trying to pull 47 tracks from original tape sources would be expensive apart from some labels just point blank refusing to let them out of their storage and the vinyl is not 180 gram (but that imho is just unnecessary owning many excellent sounding originals on thinner vinyl).

The only thing that matters is how it sounds.

Is this set worth it?

If holding the past in your hand together with your other favourite compilations you bought on vinyl, reliving the excitement you had back then plonking the stylus down, playing records then I'd say it is.

Recovering in the sun

 Phew, it's hot this weekend so we're on tons of ice creams and soda here.

As you can tell I'm still here, having been recovering from last weeks adventure which apart from bring back bad memories from the past knocked my confidence in being out back a far bit so it's been like starting back at the beginning working on all that stuff.

I hurt my leg Friday when I failed to get up from sitting twisting something so I'm having to rest that as I struggled with the stairs across Friday afternoon and Saturday.

That meant getting the comic annuals out and posting cds into the player as struggling with standing in certain positions to flip record sides.

You kind of wish you could go trampolining on a sunny day like this.

Still here

 

I'm rather all over place following what had prior to that been a enjoyable morning out talking with people, enjoying the sun when an occupant of a black coloured car upon seeing me having started to cross the road at an authorized crossing clearly signalling my intentions turned at speed into the road and carried on with This >\< much between his from and my body in the road without dropping speed.

I managed to dash to the curb within four seconds of being mowed down feeling horrified.

Perhaps some folk figure saving a few seconds is worth taking someones life for????