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.