Like the queue ouroborously we turn in on ourselves in a moment of reflection. What would be be your choice? I eagerly await.
Your Top Five Afterword Threads ever ever.
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Where do you fit in the grand scheme of things?
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The Daily Mash has posted this. Where do you fit on the spectrum, are you on the ultra violet or the infra red or somewhere in the visible range? Are there any other music areas that need to be exposed?
Old photographs
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I didn’t want to hijack Carolina’s thread but she mentioned annotating old photographs. Downsizing at home I came across several photographic slides from the sixties and the seventies. I couldn’t look at fhem properly but hope to get them transferred to digital. What they did do was make me think back to those times. The ones I were delighted to see were from 50 (gulp) years ago when I’d just returned from Morocco and had met some friends on my return where we travelled to the Dales for a holiday of meeting girls and drinking. I met up with one of them last month our walking sticks clashed. Then today a friend sent me this photo I’d taken for a local folk singer, Bill Price,(I was a photography student at the time) for his poster. As I don’t remember my mother or her family (it’s complicated) there are people in my parents’ wedding photo I have no knowledge of. Carolina’s annotating of photographs is an excellent idea. I appreciate people find it difficult to add photographs to the forum, but those silver halide shots and colour slides certainly bring back memories of times past.
Today is of course International Bagpipe Day
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Where has the year gone?
I appreciate this is a niche area, but as today is International Bagpipe Day it’s time to celebrate the instrument that’s loved and loathed equally.
Here is Luigi Lai who I saw many years ago and it was one of those what did I see and hear moments. The launeddas are played using the mouth as the ‘bag’.
Enjoy.
Records, records, records.
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Just watched this on Talking Pictures, I certainly recognise, if not the people, the traits they exhibit.
Hello, I’m not new here.
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Never lurked but just wanted to say hello.
Polling the pollsters
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As some of you may be aware I get a ‘chance to vote’ in two weeks time (deep joy). 16 candidates are standing possibly a record. Today I was telephoned by a ‘polling company’ my wife had spoken to them last week, he admitted then that it was on behalf of the tories. I’d just returned home after a hot afternoon on the allotment so I wasn’t quite ready for the questions. I did tell him that FPTP is outmoded and outdated and that I negatively vote by voting for a candidate who will help ensure the candidate I don’t want to win doesn’t and not voting for the candidate I may want. I did say I wouldn’t vote for anyone that thought brexschitt was a great idea. After batting away some of his questions he said that my views were different from many that he’d spoken to and would I like to join a ‘discussion’ in two weeks for which I’d be paid. He asked age and religion ” none really, but I do follow Bokononism ‘
If I do get chosen is there anything else I should add?
Arthur English Custard
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In ‘discussion ‘ with someone yesterday he had asked if anyone remembered the children’s rhyme, which he called Manchester Tart, I mentioned it had been used by Lennon in the song I am the Walrus remembered by Pete Shotton as a childhood rhyme to add to the song. Do you recall it, do you have your own version?. I know we are a well travelled lot so I wondered if it was known globally and not just from Walrus. Has it fallen out of fashion? I shall ask my son today if he knew it. Because of our average age on here do your grandchildren know of it? I’ve not used the opening words as I’d like to hear as many versions as possible.
Singular use in a song
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Duco01 mentions that the Dan use the word “bodacious” in the lyrics of “Gaucho”, Which set me on the thought of single use words in songs. R Thompson used the word illustrious in the song Albion Sunrise. Ry Cooder used copastatic in John Lee Hooker for President A personal favourite is caterempously in Big Muff by J Martyn though I am somewhat doubtful about its veracity. Are there other single use words or have these been used in other songs?
Packet of cheese and onion crisps, a pickled egg, oh and two packs of pork scratchings please songs.
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mentioning Bees Make Honey reminded me of the pub rock scene in the seventies. Alas not living in London I never got to see many of the bands mentioned in the NME or Sounds just a couple at a few festivals etc. The pub names read like a mythical country populated by the people in the know. Although we had a pub scene in Leeds we didn’t get to see those bands listed. Did you see any of those bands in their natural environment ? Here’s Ducks Deluxe ,one of the few bands I saw.. https://youtu.be/M6IDGGJVnBo
Lockdown recipes
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On the irritable thread a sub sect of pesto recipes appeared. Toast or not to toast the pine nuts. Wild/bear garlic or rocket instead of basil. Decisions. So what has been tickling your taste buds these last few weeks? I made (though I say it myself) some rather tasty forced rhubarb jam.
Days of the old school yard
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Watching Pointless the other day two of the answers were Sir Titus Salt and Joseph Priestley. The odd thing was they both went to my old school (obviously not at the same time as me or even each other).
Reading the biography of Al Bowlly I also found out that Ray Noble the bandleader also attended Dulwich College I have previously mentioned that P G Wodehouse and Raymond Chandler also went there.
So were you at school with someone who went on to fame and fortune or even noteriety?
How Sweet
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What does it sound like?:
HOW SWEET TO BE AN IDIOT was Neil’s debut solo album, first issued on United Artists in 1973, its title and cover design reflecting Neil’s eccentric sense of humour. ‘Despite the poor sales and lack of chart activity How Sweet To Be An Idiot serves as yet another reminder of what a remarkable talent Neil Innes was. Reflecting on the album in 2013 Neil told the blog Transatlantic Modern “I am one of the shrinking violets in this business because I’ve never been that keen on being famous. I like to share observations and feelings and things like that, but I can’t stand the idea of being popular.”
A couple of confessions, I planned to review this relaxing on my holiday unfortunately this enforced ‘ holiday’ scuppered those plans. I also planned to listen to this with a duck on my head, alas that plan also went awry. Plus I have had to listen monaurally as due to build up of cerumen in one ear and I have no hope of having it cleared at the moment. (You didn’t get this with the Melody Maker).
Neil left this planet in December last year » Continue Reading.
Gong 12 CDs and a DVD Box Set
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What does it sound like?:
Gong
What does it all *mean*?
As John Peel said of them on the Glastonbury Fayre Album “Curious Band”
Back in the early seventies I was introduced to this band by the ‘big boys’ and you either liked what Gong were doing or wondered why they were doing it in the first place. I recall seeing them at Bradford uni at about two in the morning at a Freshers’ Ball and reading in an interview with them that students had been fighting after the gig depending on which side of the fence they fell.
One of the ‘big boys’ I saw recently said that he didn’t want to listen from stuff from then in case it didn’t stand up to scrutiny and spoiled fond remembrances, so I’ve done it for him. I donned my Gong boots and with a plate of camembert (batteries not included) by my side I aurally immersed myself in the discs.
So what do you get? 12 CDs and a DVD * The First 4 Virgin Records studio albums plus bonus tracks * First CD release of the original Flying Teapot masters. Beautifully remastered with previously unreleased bonus mixes. * » Continue Reading.
Same name, same Band.
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On the Dull Men’s page on Facebook someone has said he can’t think of a band that contains two people with the same first name. There has been some sensible and quite daft suggestions. I’m sure we can do better. Over to you
The Magical Thread (aka the desperate touting for a hamper thread)
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As my last post was nine (9) posts away fro receiving a hamper this is my blatant attempt to curry favour and sympathy to receive that must have The Afterword Hamper.(c)
So I ask what are the magical experiences that you can remember?
Mine I hear you ask is standing in a wooded clearing near a lake late evening with my then young son as hundreds of pipistrelle bats flew round us. Truly a memorable and magical moment.
Over to you (remember that hamper won’t win itself)
Television Film locations I (or anyone else) have stumbled across.
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Yesterday watching Gentleman Jack I noticed that the room used for the solicitor’s office was one I had visited, nay actually worked in. I recognised the painting on the wall and ejaculated loudly “That’s Oakwell Hall” as indeed it was. My place of work was used in Love, Lies and Records (admittedly before I started there). It had been used in Frost previously (and other Yorkshire programmes). The off license in Muswell Hill was used in Paul Whitehouse’s Happiness. ( I visit regularly as my GLW is from there) Are there places (though some have changed, some forever, not for better) that you’ve recognised from films or TV standing in for somewhere else where you say Bloody hell look that’s dot dot dot?
Actually an afternoon out with Dr Strangely Strange
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Venue:
Cafe Oto
Date: 14/04/2019
Although the book launch happened three weeks ago I am only now putting finger to keyboard to write this review. I stayed in London for a week after with only a dodgy tablet to use (since repaired and now broken again after falling down the stairs this morning, both of us that is)
Because of my tardiness and feeling strangely strange I was beaten to this review by the Sun which says that the band played ‘with wit, warmth and some of the old wide-eyed wonder.’
Arriving early at the sold out show I rested my weary bones on a seat outside and watched as the queue built steadily with a preponderance of mostly silver-haired folks. People had travelled far and wide to be there.
Iain Sinclair (filmmaker and friend) started proceedings off with a talk about the Strangelies in Dalston (which I why the launch took place in Dalston) and the band and Adrian read the parts of the book about their stay with Renchi, (an old school friend of Tim Goulding’s), Goulding’s new shoes from the Kingsland Road and early gigs.
Then to the band proper Tim Booth, Ivan Pawle and » Continue Reading.
Dr Strangely Strange ‘Fitting Pieces to the Jigsaw’
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Author:Adrian Whittaker
Fitting pieces to the jigsaw’
Why did I want to review this book? Let me explain. 72/73 being a late-flowering trainee hippy in a Northern mill town, I was introduced to Dr Strangely Strange (DSS) by a chap I’d met well versed in the ways of music as he was three years older than me. We listened to their music, well the first album anyway as that’s was all we possessed. We recited various pieces from the songs and greeting each other with ‘There you go’ (even though we may have wondered where we were supposed to be going). Forward 36 years and a visit to the maze like Barbican, for the Witchseason season to see Fairport Convention, noticing a poster for the next day’s event I see that DSS will be playing in the foyer and playing with the Incredible String Band (sometime referred to as the Incredible Bing Strand). As I was staying in that London I thought I’d go and see the band I’d liked all those years ago. Stood in that foyer I travelled back over those years to the person I was then a smile on my face as I realised that quite » Continue Reading.
Great hats in popular music
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I recently saw a picture of Richard Thompson (see enclosed) wearing a hat that wasn’t his usual wellisitaberetorisitsomethingelse? I felt this looked better on the bonce than his usual headgear.
This put me in mind of various headwear sported by our musical chums. What have been you favourites?
True love?
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Longevity
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Listening to the radio in the car last night, ‘Pick of the Week’ there was a clip about U2 in Dublin. I thought about how long they had been together without a line-up change. 1976 to date. Any other bands with that longevity without changes to to musical differences etc?
What we did on our holidays.
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For many it’s the return to school tomorrow. What we did… was asked and to write an essay and the enjoyment or not of the six weeks off. Luckily two years ago I took redundancy from the school I worked at and can now enjoy holidays throughout the year. How did this summer pan out for you? I spent most of mine recovering from a second back operation but I shall be leaving soon for other climes. Do not write on both sides of the paper at once.
Today’s Kwik Kwizz, Guess what’s in the hamper.
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All this talk of hampers, has made me think. What are the surprise contents of the above hamper? Be inventive, be creative. Top answer wins.
IncongruousT Shirts
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On Saturday walking through town I saw a young woman wearing a Louis Theroux T-shirt. Not to knock Mr Theroux but it did seem an odd choice for a T-shirt. Any other odd choices spotted, advertising an allegiance to someone or something
https://www.nme.com/news/nme-merch-presents-louis-theroux-special-2011150
