Christmas 2023

So it is Christmas, not that is the same Christmas as in the past as with one Aunt unwell and of course Mom not being here that's two faces missing, two hugs less apart from the rituals before that you are abruptly reminded.

Still despite everything there is Christmas, tree, nativity scene and fairy is out plus cards arranged across the window sill and mantle place and dinner is underway.

There were some presents such as the Triple Pack of Beano and Dandy annuals from past and in the case of the Beano very modern and present day.

For enjoyment later is this up to date compilation of  eighties synth pop from Erasure taking us from O L'Amour to the mid twenty tens via unforgettable songs like Stop! spread across two lps.

And then there's a Winnie the Pooh dairy which given my brain is invaluable for noting what is happening when as I forget.

I had some money to put toward some feature purchases in the new year which should see me away earlier on the year.

Christmas edition

It's the norm on this blog for as many years as I care to remember to pause matters just before Christmas as I have more than enough to do as people come and those we used to visit are no longer around.

For some of us Carolling was always a thing and to hear at least traditional carols being sang if not to join in community singing for me is a magical recreation I love as an adult little girl that runs through the core of Christmas.

*** HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE ***

The tree is out!

After last weeks music post we'll start the countdown toward Christmas as I work the blogging schedule as I'm usually pretty busy but i think it should be two full posts and something on or around Christmas Day.

 At the start of last week, our Christmas tree came which in this age of elf and safety had to planted and wired by people with certificates not sophisticats lest somebody either climb up it or try stealing the bulbs whilst turned on.

The people here have a collection to  pay for the tree which is as well as we do want something like this at Christmas and keeps the lights that have to put on it.
I think every town and estate should have one.

Obviously it isn't going to be the same as Mom's not around anymore as messed up as last Christmas was with both of us very unwell although I have got The Grump tm to bring out the Christmas tree and the Nativity scene Mom and I so looked forward to setting up plus things like the milk and a Turkey have been sorted out.

It's just the memories of going around the shops looking for gifts, trying out clothes, seeing Santa Claus on the district shopping centre and walking to visit family and friends with presents and cards that I'll miss.

Warming up with Genesis

Brr it's very cold and has even snowed here so we're going to be in and rather wrapped up so it's time to spin some discs, keeping occupied.

Nearly all of my albums by progressive rock group Genesis are on cd as the few I had on tape got converted over the decades but the sounds a bit hit and miss on some of those early titles so I have a few on vinyl.

This is a epic story of Raul a Porto Rican boy finding himself spread across four sides of vinyl which was remixed in 2007 by Nick Davis but I found the original UK lp from the 70's much better.

This to my ears does work bringing tracks like The Carpet Crawlers to life.

Duke was a bit of an event in early 1980 coming out around the same time as Rush's Permanent Waves which was the first call on my pocket money.

I had a friend who was heavily into the group and played it to me for most of that year before I got around to getting my own copy.

It found a way of mixing long tracks that segue into each other on a concept album with hit singles such as Misunderstanding and Turn It On Again which I did like.

What went wrong recording and mixing this remains a mystery but the production just doesn't expand having a cardboardy feel to it and next to no bass.

While nothing can rectify all of that the 2007 remix does bring some bass, better projection of Phi Collin's vocals and inner clarity.

This will do very nicely until someone does any better at fixing this album.

Advent 2023

While I'm wrapped up with fleecy top and bottoms with hot cocoa with the minus temperatures here waiting for the postman to call collect a parcel return as Amazon goofed up totally and being smartphone free return options as most now use QR codes at the collection point it kind of reminds you we have only so many days to go before CatMas.

Usually like most littles I countdown the days and traditionally that involves an Advent calendar with chocolate to be revealed as the days get fewer and fewer.

This years is a little different for being that of the arch nemesis of CatMas, the Grinch who as you'll remember tried to steal Christmas but included with this is a Happy Christmas greeting.

Perhaps the Grinch gets the point?

Anyway get set to enjoy the countdown yourself!

Taking stock of the found records

It's been another damp weekend not being helped here by having NO Beano although I have a subscription and another comic was a few days late too so it was find something useful to do time.

One strange quirk since the events of earlier this year has been the sporadic reappearance of things from the past presumed lost or chucked out and this has included a clutch of records but some go back ages so in order to sort them into those to stay and any that might need replacing you do need to not just look at them but play them too.

This three lp set was one on the list to check over so seeing this was going to take time I did play.

These accounts of Beethoven's later piano concertos are amongst the finest ever recorded but playing them did reveal some wear - constant noise in the groove - from the earliest record player I had apart from some wear and tear to the actual box so I think I'll replace this set as the playing is enrapturing rather like I did with the odd Beethoven symphony from the whole set I bought in the 1970's.

This will be used as the amount of new vinyl reissues for classical has been lower pop and rock although it is starting to show signs improvement.

Remembrance

Weekend whatever the popular press was focused on for some of us is about Remembrance when we remember all who served, the dead as much as the living however they served our country.

That link between those who served and those of us who gained from their sacrifice the peace and freedom we benefit so much from is one of the most profound links which for all who served in guides, scouts, boys brigade and so on honour through marching and taking part in the remembrance service while leaders teach as we we taught about it and what as guides and scouts we contributed ourselves on the home front.

The cenotaph is where we lay our wreaths as some of us recall doing forming a line with other representatives to lay them in order. 

I like many others this weekend will remember them.

Now And Then

Some years stick in your mind for events that happened within them and within music which has always played a part in this blog from the start years such as 2004 and 2006 covered in the early days of this blog took in the the release of the Beatles 1964 and 1965 Capitol Albums Vol 1 & 2 sets which growing up with them on record was much anticipated.

Equally 2009 and 2012 were major years as they saw the new remastering of the Beatles album catalogue and its issue in the Mono box and in stereo as a box and individually as compact discs and in 2012 (and 2014 for the mono's) on record.

2014 also saw the U.S. Albums set that was supposed to make available all the 1964 to 1970 U.S. only albums from the cleanest sources and with high quality presentation.

In more recent years attention has been more on deluxe sets that saw the main album remixed although for most the jury is still out as to in the case of Abbey Road it was even needed and with Sgt Pepper it really achieved the notion of getting the feel of the mono without some of issues of the original stereo mix being somewhat extreme left/right positioning of backing and vocals.

Revolver, done using Artificial Intelligence (A.I) technology though did turn out well sufficient I have that on both cd and vinyl. 

This week, November 3rd to be exact, saw a new single release that used the same process and that's what we're covering this week even if the cover doesn't exactly grab me by the lapels.

The Beatles’ double-A-side single for “Now And Then” and “Love Me Do” pairs the last Beatles song with the band’s first UK single. Powerful musical bookends to The Beatles’ recorded canon, both songs are also featured in the expanded Anniversary Editions for 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’).

I will most probably write something around the 1962-1966 "RED" alum as I have ordered that at some point on here.

“Now And Then” is the last Beatles song, written and demoed by John Lennon in 1978. 

With John’s voice now pristine in the mix, “Now And Then” features elements from the 1995 sessions including George Harrison’s guitar parts, and vocal and instrumental parts recorded by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in 2022, along with a new arrangement for strings. Produced by Paul and Giles Martin, “Now And Then” is the last song recorded by all four Beatles, a powerful and fitting finale for the band’s timeless recordings.

A much better attempt at fleshing out what was a demo recording made on decent stereo radio cassette recorder on top of John Lennon's piano was achieved using this technology than was possible in 1995 for Real Love and Free As a Bird.

This is rear of the single which on vinyl I have ordered on seven inch black vinyl although somewhat late in the day a cd version was also announced which also has is coming.

Rather like 2012 Past Masters album that features a Parlophone label on one side and the "Granny Smith" Apple one on the other for Now and Then.

That label is similar to that of the very first Love Me Do single that reached #17 in the UK charts in 1962 but whose impact propelled them to topping the Merseybeat poll at the end of that year and getting to #2 some four months later with Please Please Me.

An amazing feat.

The eagle eyed will have noticed on the right hand side of the label underneath the 45-R catalogue number the word "STEREO" and in someways as a more old school beatles fan that sees things not recorded past 1970 as interesting curios than core catalogue, that's more interesting.

For one thing this is the 1962 hit recording with Ringo on drums with a more blues feel than the remake with Andy White where Ringo is relegated to playing a tambourine used on the Please Please Me album from March 1963 and used to replace the original on all subsequent copies of the single.

Because they threw away the actual tape - which is really crazy - ever since 1980 when the original surfaced a copy from a clean record had to be used and cleaned up taking out any tics and pops.

The other thing was like every UK Beatles single until The Ballad of John and Yoko in 1969 it was recorded and issued in mono.

For this issue the same A.I technology that cleaned up Now And Then was used to isolate all the individual elements, rebalence and then remix to stereo which to my ears worked really well with a good sense of stereo image but not too wide to lose impact.

That we believe will be featured with She Loves You for the first time in stereo on the upcoming RED album on two cds and three lps.

That is something I'm looking forward to come November 10th

GHS Halloween special 2023

Today's entry will be work in progress as normally a blog is written before publication date and as I won't be around until late Sunday today's entry won't be fully prepped until later on today.

This is the most spookiest time of the year where around this neighbourhood we decorate our gardens with all manner of ghoulish from lanterns made from Pumpkins and massive spiders webs ready for parties which is where I've been for the last few days.

An interesting take on decorations of which there were a good many around the venue in places you might not of noticed.

All having arrived by around 1pm BST on Saturday we had a homemade burger before starting on the treasure hunt finding well hidden candy cones - one was in in the bonfire! -  with the aid of clues.

After that we decided to make our lanterns ready to light in evening, that bit did prove more a challenge given the weather but everybody put a lot into it.

*Photographed in spookyography.

Some used templates to make cats' -how apt! - and they turned out well.

After painting the halloween gingerbread with icing it was time to light the bonfire and start the fireworks show.

Unfortunately it was raining hard so we had to stay in a gazebo to keep dry apart from two that went to an adjacent greenhouse.

The rain caused a few issues with a couple failing to stay lit but when you saw spectacular effects like this it kinda made up for it.

We had a diy buffet meal with everybody bringing or making something toward it which was delicious and then a quiz with a general knowledge and music sections with clues which was fun.

There was much talking around various things until around 2am BST when miraculously we lost an hour and I got to sleep facing the fire. 

Sunday morning we all emerged for losing that hour and had a smoked bacon sandwich before going to the pub for a meal where I had turkey roast, sticky toffee pudding with cream and a pint of orange as I don't do alcohol.

We mainly walked back before sorting upcoming meet ups together for next year before making my way to the train station to go home.

A splendid time was had by all and thanks to Miss Green, Andi  and everyone for a great time together.

You can't argue with a storm

It's been a wild and wooly week in the week before I'm away for a couple of days with very strong wind requiring bins to be rescued before the heavy rain landed causing some localized flooding here but major issues not so far.

For instance at my older brothers farmhouse on the North Shropshire/South-east Cheshire boundary a nearby river burst its banks across one of his fields and flooded the stable block where the horses and crazy pony live and they sandbagged the doorways.

Trainlines were affected too with the Transport for Wales service from Crewe to Mid Wales, the Crewe-Chester line  and Stafford via Rugeley on the Trent Valley to Walsall all off due to flooding.

This was central Stafford on Saturday by Riverside and in the Black Country one person travelling in Wombourne got stuck when the Ford flooded.

Apart from concerns to peoples welfare in the aftermath of the storm, one hopes the train network can be restored as although most of my route avoids the most affected areas it's possible a speed restriction may be in place between Stafford and Penkridge later on the week when I'm off.

New -old things and that

 Hello there.

It was apparently as I hadn't been born then 65 years last Friday that that iconic BBC tv children's show Blue Peter first began and so on friday's show they looked at past shows and presenters most of whom were known to me ever since I first watched it.

Henry the dog was as good as gold throughout the show as makes and challenges were performed before the cake was cut.

Monster Fun in all its ghoulish fun is being enjoyed here as is the Beano which is actually the oldest  British in production comic even though the life of a child has changed in many ways since the late 1930's and today apparently they don't "do" phone calls.

A few more records were cleaned across the week as some were not cleaned at the time and a clean groove is a prerequisite for clear crackle free sound from them as I played a few this weekend for the first time in ages. 

We don't normally mention the cd only Extra editions of the Now yearbook series only normally looking at the regular three lp version instead as for me handling and playing records is linked to the period but this is worth picking up as it has a great collection of glam rock, soul and pop which shows what a great year for music 1973 was.

Yes Singles and thoughts on the vinyl revival

There was a time when vinyl records were expected to be just a memory removed from shops as a new item with just few used ones traded more as mementos of the past in "Olde World" shops.

Equally many of us expected and went through the process of converting our record and tape collections to compact discs as I recall going on Friday afternoons with bags of records to part exchange for new cds or credits for any they held.

By the mid nineties I had just a few left usually where a title hadn't been issued on cd (some early Rolling Stones titles were not) or where I wanted mixes not issued on cd such as the stereo Beatles first four UK albums and the original stereo Help and Rubber Soul.

But in the main all new titles and back catalogue was now bought on the cd thus all my Yes progressive rock lps went for compact discs either regular ones or the audiophile issues on labels such as Mobile Fidelity and Audio Fidelity.

Things as you may of noticed are different today.

Your record shop has a lot of brand new records, not just old classic rock or soul but todays artists too because many have rediscovered over twenty years the vinyl record and buy them.

I haven't been immune from that virus having upgraded my record playing equipment and buying brand new discs and rebuying some favourites from the past, hearing more of the playing than I did back in the day.

That you see is where Yes Singles fits in, a single disc of single edits that capture them from 1969 to 1984 which is really where my interest in this prog rock band stopped as much as I did get Big Generator on vinyl in 1987.

The full track list is here and if you know this music, you can see why I'd want it.

1 Your Move (Single Version)

2 Starship Trooper: Life Seeker (Single Version)

3 Roundabout (Single Version)

4 America (Single Edit)

5 And You and I (Part One) [promo Radio Edit]

6 Soon (Single Edit)

7 Sound Chaser (Single Edit)

8 Wonderous Stories (Single Version)

9 Don't Kill the Whale (Single Version)

10 Into the Lens (Single Version)

11 Owner of a Lonely Heart (Single Version)

12 Leave It (Single Remix)

While some are not whole works - and with Yes some do run to over 20 minutes! - it reminds you of their achievements in their single forms that are otherwise stuck on many pieces of seven inch plastic so I got this on Friday, day of release.

It was cleaned before playing and it does sound great and just hearing Roundabout and Wonderous Stories on vinyl takes me back years.

Recommended  even if you may want Classic Yes for the full length versions of some tracks.

HK and the Millennium Now series revisited.

This may be a "wrapped up" edition but there's a few things going on such as the closure of Sanriotown.com and the associated email service some of us adored in the earlier part of this century where we could play games and talk about everything in the Hello Kitty world.

A few months back Now who gives many hundreds of compilations resumed a series originally undertaken in 1999 called the Millennium Series that covered 1980 through 1999 in two cd sets.

They decided logically to start at the year 2000 but strangely rather than having stand alone editions per year  decided to make each set a pair so we have have on the third and forth cds, 2001

I did buy a fair bit of music during this era but I never bought the Nows as much of the chart music they featured was Electronic Dance and HipHop which generally doesn't do much for me but as a reminder of what those hits were like and there are some I really did like it's a handy set.

On Friday the follow up emerged which pairs 2002 and 2003.

There is actually more on this set I do like although as before I tended to buy individual artist albums by people I liked such as Jamiroquai and Katie Melua so I can see this being played a fair bit.

One of the things I noticed in the early two thousands was the wide gap between sales between the most popular albums artists and what was in and promoted for the singles charts, wider than it was between 1971 and 1974.

It was the start of the TV talent show acts being pushed into the charts often by producers and labels owned by the tv production company

Summer and Fall

Dodging the rain this weekend I did get out and things are beginning to make that change and I saw this poem that I felt really describes my relationship to this between bit of the seasons.

I thought that was wonderful.

Oklahoma!

 I was a bit ruff a few days back but here goes.

I had on pre-order a cd box set of the full musical score to Okalhoma!, perhaps you've seen that classic 50's technocolor (tm) movie version as one common thing with musicals is for the scores to be cut down to suit the performance, taking a number out here and there.

The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry. A secondary romance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie.

The other thing being just how do you go about recording it?

Do you record it in multi-track in a studio, player by player editing and mixing takes or do you "stage" it in a theatre and record that performance where the sound balance is controlled via the orchestra and actors projection between spoken word parts as you if you'd of attended a show?

John Wilson decided to pursue the latter for this two cd - and g*a*s*p* limited edition vinyl set too based upon his experiences conducting it live in 2017 and the enthusiasm of the players comes over strong in this recording as does the live atmosphere.

To my ears it works well complemented with the full libretto in English where you can follow the Prairie dialect and pronunciation "cain't" for can't for instance 

I really enjoyed this modern stereo/surround sound recording on hybrid super audio cd (also playable on regular cd equipment).

School issues

In some ways it wouldn't be a back to school week without controversies whither we're talking the concrete issue that goes beyond schools to other public sector buildings, school uniform issues including dealing with heatwaves or what have you.

We've seen bans on knee socks in some high schools including banning anything other than thick tights some saying they have to be between 40 and 70 denier for "safeguarding" reasons and indeed one school specifies 100 denier which is very much past a joke with temperatures above 28 degrees c.

Others banned any kind of not fully covered instep shoe such as ballet style "pumps" apart from such common things as trainers.

Boys faced tailored shorts bans but COULD wear a skirt in some schools while many were forced to keep jumpers and blazers on as they dripped like a tap at their desks as if that was going to aid their learning and attentiveness.

In many businesses adjustments and even a range within uniform today is the norm so is it that some head teachers and governing bodies are power mad that they want to control virtually every aspect of a child's presentation to a military level facing daily inspection drives?

It is one thing to wish to see children in school looking smart and try to keep out competition in dress but just what is up with some of our educators?
 

Updating the Nows - Now Yearbook 1973

September,eh?

That month which has the last week of the summer vacations, the return to school which for most of this district will be tomorrow building permitting and the return of old friend of a series, the Now Yearbook.

1973 was a year that loomed large in my memory being more of the age you took in more of what was going in the world and you followed pop stars and music more and that is the year Now have strangely enough decided to pick up the seventies.

Our last release was 1978 and the contrast between the late seventies and the remainder was quite big, like if diversity in terms of music styles was a big thing in the decade the early seventies had it big time.

That diversity reflected in my own buys that year from things like the instrumental Eye Level to Slade and Wings via Gary Glitter and Alice Cooper.

As with all the vinyl editions you only get a selection about 47 tracks from the 4 cd set but let's face it if you were around then you associate playing these songs  with plonking the record and playing it on your record player so to pick this up and do that brings it all back.

Talking of Mr Glitter he's not on the set in any form and there is the odd strange choice such as Blinded By The Light by Bruce Springsteen that as much as I love it, just was NEVER a UK hit in that year but on whole most of what should be here such as songs by Wings, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Sweet, Ike & Tina Turner are present and correct  when it comes to versions.

If you want a Glam Fest, this isn't it although there is rightly a good sample of it as it covers the popularity of soul not least the delights of the Philadelphia International catalogue which as a soul fan I just adore.

This is great set overall that only could of been improved on by bumping the number of lps to four and certainly sounds better than those 24 track K Tel compilations we had that year!

Bank Holiday musings

 I did do fairly well to stay fairly alert in Storytime yesterday as we go through True You 101 despite being unwell, something that's kind of run on for a good week or so with all its details and quirky discoveries along the way.

That's before you have battle with errant kitchen  wrap that just messes up sticking to each other which even has prompted the one and only Grump to investigate some better stuff tomorrow morning when he goes out as the bank holiday means the buses don't run.

I got around to listening to a few cds that due to length I'd left until I could listen to the end rather than having to pause just cos the grump came down and expected everything to change to what he wants on on a whim.

I still feel the best thing you can be is a Unicorn.

Tiny tech aimed at girls...

Children's toys and technology have always had an appeal, even playing a part in a ultimately unsuccessful blog that was folded into this one but one thing you might not get is the connection between the evergreen Etch-o-Sketch and a incredibly small record player for children.

You see Ohio Arts were the people that distributed that drawing toy we all knew and loved and as a organization were into all sorts of novelties.

The Mighty Tiny was a product of the late 1960's thinking coming into market in 1970 where things were still pretty groovy in more than one way and this was another way following the PocketDisc of 1968 of trying to miniaturize record playing for children accustomed to parents and older siblings having standard records.

Records you could take with you when you played.

The records were themselves really small, not much bigger than the diameter of your thumb unlike the four inches of the PocketDisk so had smaller groove dimensions but played around 90 rpm. 

That is the turntable, powered by a AA battery with a tiny arm that came out of a recess on the top which had a needle that went to a plastic acoustic reproducer.

If you had certain dolls, you may of had something similar built into them but that meant they didn't play for more than just over ten seconds!

For all that ten seconds counted for great attention was paid to providing a record sleeve worthy of something bigger.

The target audience was mainly girls although you might feel theirs something rather Addams Family like about the box illustration!

I shouldn't need to say reproduction from a steel non replaceable needle to a plastic baffle isn't quite hifi but that didn't stop the attempt to upsell with a record storage unit and even a " stereopex" a stereogram although let's be honest this system was strictly mono from how the records were cut but you had a miniature unit that looked like your parents who if they were like mine had such big wooden music playing pieces of furniture back then.

To me it's more like dolls furniture but hey if you loved your dollies and lots of tiny shiny things this would of been just your thing back then.

Now USA 80 - any good?

Sometimes it seems those people at Now That's What I Call Music seem to have a release most weeks in any given month.

Having given us the first in a volume of year by year 80's 12" mixes, recently they've concocted this broad spread of American hits from the 80's across four well filled cds although it has a plain card sleeve and no track notation which might of helped the casual fan.

Given the small type, I'll post a full tracklist.

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1 Jennifer Holliday - And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going 

2 Anita Baker- Giving You The Best That I Got 

3 Tina Turner- What's Love Got To Do With It 

4 REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You 

5 Toto - I Won't Hold You Back 

6 Journey - Open Arms 

7 Kenny Rogers - Lady 

8 Juice Newton - Angel Of The Morning 

9 Christopher Cross- Ride Like The Wind 

10 Paul Simon - Late In The Evening 

11 Neil Diamond - America (From "The Jazz Singer" Soundtrack) 

12 Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer 

13 John Mellencamp - Jack & Diane 

14 Bruce Springsteen - Hungry Heart 

15 Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield 

16 The Police - Every Breath You Take 

17 Daryl Hall & John Oates - You Make My Dreams (Come True) 

18 Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl 

19 Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes 

20 Billy Joel - A Matter Of Trust 

Disc: 2

1 Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine - Conga 

2 Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight

3 A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away) 

4 Corey Hart - Sunglasses At Night 

5 Nena - 99 Luftballons 

6 Stacey Q- Two Of Hearts 

7 El DeBarge - Who's Johnny 

8 Smokey Robinson - Being With You

9 Debbie Gibson- Foolish Beat 

10 Paula Abdul - Cold Hearted 

11 Whitney Houston - You Give Good Love 

12 Lionel Richie - My Love

13 The Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another 

14 R.E.M. - Stand 

15 Peter Schilling - Major Tom (Coming Home) 

16 Duran Duran- The Reflex 

17 Go-Go's - We Got The Beat

18 Culture Club - I'll Tumble 4 Ya 

19 The Cars- Shake It Up 

20 The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep 

21 The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian 

Disc: 3

1 Exposé - Seasons Change 

2 LL COOL J - I Need Love 

3 Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - Lost In Emotion 

4 Irene Cara - Flashdance...What A Feeling 

5 Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters 

6 Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams

7 Diana Ross - Upside Down 

8 Lipps Inc. - Funkytown 

9 Olivia Newton-John - Physical 

10 Michael Sembello - Maniac 

11 Eddie Murphy - Party All The Time 

12 Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson - Say Say Say

13 Ready For The World - Oh Sheila 

14 The S.O.S Band - Take Your Time (Do It Right) 

15 Aretha Franklin - Freeway Of Love (Singles edit)

16 Sheila E.- The Glamorous Life, Pt. 1 

17 Company B- Fascinated 

18 Pebbles - Mercedes Boy 

19 Young MC - Bust A Move 

Disc: 4

1 Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra 

2 Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger 

3 Belinda Carlisle - Mad About You 

4 Blondie - Call Me (Theme From "American Gigolo") 

5 Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone (From "Top Gun" Original Soundtrack) 

6 Yes- Owner of a Lonely Heart 

7 Pretenders- Show Me 

8 Laura Branigan- Spanish Eddie

9 Eric Carmen - Hungry Eyes (From "Dirty Dancing" Soundtrack) 

10 Robert Palmer- Simply Irresistible 

11 John Waite - Missing You 

12 The J. Geils Band - Centerfold 

13 Don Johnson - Heartbeat 

14 Night Ranger - Sister Christian 

The set is not perfect, for instance we really don't need Duran Duran's The Reflex (remix) even though this was a US no.1 as it was too in the UK and has a place in Now 3 where something like Talk Talk's It's My Life or Def Leppard's Photograph big US hits that did little in the UK do fit better.

King Of Pain also would of been a better choice than Every Breath You Take being a big hit over there for a Police track but overall it does work adding often missed off tracks by Corey Hart. Bruce Springsteen, Belinda Carlisle, Laura Branigan and The Fixx that I loved following the US Charts back then.

Talking In Your Sleep was good example of  massive US hit that did nothing as much as I bought the 12" in late 1983 from my local record store and was covered in 1986 by Bucks Fizz and is exactly the sort of track that does belong on such a set.

For the modest price, it's worth some shelf space.

A week away

 Amazingly I was away last week at a Littles Meet Up in the Lake District, North west England  for several days and this post is about that.

For me the journey began not with a taxi or featuring a train but rather with lift as Jennifer was passing this way enroute so coming off the motorway at one point to rejoin at the next junction which is literally minutes away was very possible.

Given conditions, as well rather being at an agreed meeting point this time it was a direct lift from the house which probably turned a few heads as I went out the front door wearing a Tartan mini kilt skirt and white tights just at the point the gardener arrived to start work!

You just get to the point of not bothering that much about who in the street saw you and it's not as if I hadn't been out before.

Journey continued on taking in a more scenic route with a a couple of stops until all three of us arrived at Ribchester, Lancashire, stepping out in style.

We ate a pasty here while admiring the view although I declined to walk through mud and even had an ice cream.

Upon arrival we sorted the room out as the cat basket needed to go in and Katie joined the Curry consumers  and Jennifer and I prepared and cooked a cooked meal.

Jigsaws were completed.

The legendary GHS sports day got moved forward to Sunday as the weather wasn't too great so beanbag event, egg and spoon, water relay and so on took place in the morning.

It's really more about the taking part and good natured humour than deadly serious sports.

There was a painting session and competition of which this was my rather impressionistic entry.

We also decorated a lot of cakes such as fairy cakes and sponge cakes apart from making scones which I rather enjoyed and turned out well.

There was a Devon Cream Tea and some farming related games which included milking an artificial cow.

Also scarecrows were made.

Boo!

Jillian ran a music quiz of which our team did come a respectable second even if the Cat did get a bit over excited over The Knack and Boston when the musical clues were played.

We came back Wednesday after hailstones and rain overnight that for two of us meant a walk to the local cafe didn't happen as my feet were under three inches of water along the route, opting for a later start after packing cases by which most of rain had cleared.

Thanks for everyone for what you did and bought to this event, for various people for the meals not least the amazing Shepherd's Pie and for Jennifer and Katie for being good company.

A trip out

Last week runs a bit into this week really for having a number of things all one but on Wednesday I was out for the day in Llandudno, North Wales.

We were a bit late in arriving thanks to really silly idea of the drive to go due south via the motorway around the outskirts of Nantwich on the day of the Nantwich show for good measure that delayed us over a half an hour.  

A short discussion between a group of us came to the conclusion we'd better off getting food and then visiting any places of interest.

Thus the first change was in getting a meal where the usual haunt of Tribells was given a miss as reports on Trip Advisor suggested the quality had dropped off in the last year so we went to a cafe /restaurant on Mostyn Street near the former M&S shop for cod, chips and Mushy peas.

Given I had breakfast at half seven in the morning it really was a must and it did not disappoint being in thin non greasy batter with plenty of superior pure fish rather than the reconstituted sort served quite warm with a huge pot of tea.

Several shops were visited such the Gift Centre, Boots and the cat rescue shop although like a number towns in the UK there had been changes such as M&S moving to Mostyn Champneys retail park which I used to like to visit for the school wear section and HMV closing its store due to issues between it and the landlord over rent.

I did get to see the promenade walking a good length of it  and pier with the gift shop no longer with us but with the boat trip excursions around the coastline still running, busy as ever.

We took the better route through Tarvin, Winsford and Sandbach back thank goodness in the light rain of the late afternoon only to find one of our friends thought they'd lost their house keys.

Thankfully they were found after  quarter of an hour.

Musical discourse

 One of "those" adult spoof Ladybird books we've had for a good few years like people can't treasure  a series but try to take it into areas it doesn't belong but there's a bit of truth in this covers mash up.

Like anything, take a passion to the extreme and house can get filled up while are savings consumed by with everything to do with it whither it's fashion, sowing or music so it makes sense to say "do I really need that?"and "what does it exactly give me?"

It's like while the Now People have reissued the LP (and cd bookform) 1983 and 1984 Yearbooks, I'm not buying which may feel like collector "oh my goodness you're not getting a complete set that might be worth more money" but simply there's nothing I don't already have and no, owning them doesn't mean anything to me.

When it comes to the umpteenth issue of some individual albums I'm very selective so there's only three issues of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on lp, the 2014 mono, a mid 70's analogue stereo and the 2017 Digital stereo remaster and when one Doobie Brothers album recently came my way that was a one on one replacement after doing a comparison

One private forum that sometimes acted as a enabling place for such things recently closed which was kind of sad given I'd been there since 2007 when having been given the boot by the management of a bigger site we set up our own place.

Thing is many of them drifted towards Facebook making groups where I point blank refused especially when being partially pushed to go to the no longer with us Google Plus social network by them only to see them move back to Facebook for free coffee at Costa and the like and it that point slowly over time it just drifted apart.

It's like be on Facebook or be cast out.

Sorry I'm not prepared to jump through the hoops and privacy issues that site has just to keep in touch with people who just left me.