The Afterword

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An Easter Quiz. Billy Joel as an opening act.

by 248 Comments

I have spent the last few days clearing out my loft and de-cluttering.

As I went through my CDs and DVDs I came across the 30th Anniversary CD/DVD set of The Stranger by Billy Joel.

Included is a facsimile book of his lyric writing for the album the first page lists the 39 artists he acted as a support act before he headlined on his own.

Can you name them without cheating?

Do you ever use post nominals to show your qualifications? if so, when and why?

by 50 Comments

Dai mentioned in the ‘demise of the signature’ thread that Engineers are much more valued in wider Europe than they are in the UK and he is completely correct as I am am not sure it is a protected title here unlike many other professions.

He would use his B.Eng and M.Eng in the past if appropriate.

I don’t know what the protocol is anymore. I assume in business emails it is relevant to give you credibility in a professional exchange but other wise why bother?

Does it ever get you a better table in a restaurant?

The demise of the signature

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I received a new company credit card today and had to sign it.

I can’t remember the last time I physically signed anything and so my physical memory of my signature had gone!

I made a scrawl that I am sure I can replicate if needed.

Squeeze 50th Anniversary Tour

by 29 Comments

Venue:

The Hexagon, Reading

Date: 07/11/2024

I have seen Squeeze on many occasions since the 1980s but this was the best I have ever seen them.

Support was from Badly Drawn Boy who provided an excellent 40 minute set drawing on all eras of his career and full of anecdotes as anyone who has seen him before would expect.

Squeeze cane on at 8.40pm and delivered a 1hr 40 minute set that was pure joy. The kicked off with an excellent ‘Black Coffee in Bed’ quickly followed by great versions of ‘Is it Love’ and ‘Up The Junction’. They are are bit more rockier than I have seen them before with Glenn Tilbrook showing of his guitar prowess with short solos in most songs.

They are now performing as an eight piece band with two percussionists, two keyboard/slide guitarists and a new female singer alongside Glenn and chris on guitars and their new producer on bass. The expanded band allows a lot more beefing up of the sound and room for exploration on very familiar tunes which I really enjoyed.

They have recorded two new albums in the first 6 months of 2024 apparently, one a set of songs » Continue Reading.

Classic Rock’s list of the 50 best rock bands of all time

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We haven’t had a list thread for a while so I thought I would share this list from the latest issue of Classic Rock magazine.

50. Roxy Music 49. King Crimson 48. ZZ Top 47. The Ramones 46. Journey 45. Cream 44. Motley Crue 43. Rainbow 42. Pearl Jam 41.Marillion 40. Status Quo 39. Uriah Heep 38. Chicago 37. Creedance Clearwater Revival 36. The Doors 35. Lynyrd Skynyrd 34. Slade 33. Bruce Springsteen 32. Tool 31. Fleetwood Mac 30. Nirvana 29. Judas Priest 28. Genesis 27. Motorhead 26. Foo Fighters 25. U2 24. Bon Jovi 23. David Bowie 22. Thin Lizzy 21. Bob Dylan 20. Jimi Hendrix 19. Yes 18. The Eagles 17. Aerosmith 16. Kiss 15. Van Halen 14. Def Leppard 13. The Who 12. Guns ‘N; Roses 11.Deep Purple 10. Iron Maiden 9. Metallica 8. The Rolling Stones 7. Black Sabbath 6. The Beatles 5. AC/DC 4. Pink Floyd 3. Rush 2. Queen 1. Led Zeppelin

Today my job was made redundant. I am 59. So what next I wonder?

by 44 Comments

As a pharmacist my background has always been in NHS pharmacy/pharmaceutical industry/medical technology industry in sales and marketing roles.

I am bored of that now and need a new challenge to revive my passion for work.

I have paid off my mortgage and my two kids, 14 and 15, are happy at school and doing well so no issues there.

I have a decent severance package that will keep me stable for 12-18 months and could risk £20k into a new venture.

Any wacky/sensible ideas gratefully received!

Noah Kahan – Nice to see rock fandom pass a generation

by 8 Comments

I took my 15 year old daughter to her first proper gig at the O2 on Wednesday to see Noah Kahan supported by Maisie Peters. Both artists have had number 1 albums in the UK in the last 18 months.

I had never heard any of their music and so turned up deaf and blind as to what was to follow.

Both acts were pop/folk/rock based and excellent and not knowing any of the songs, or able to sing along, I was impressed by the current state of music for my daughter’s generation.

Noah performed a 2 hour set and my daughter sung along to 95% of the lyrics. His band were excellent.

I was impressed by her knowledge and enthusiasm, and thought, when I was 15, this would have been my equivalent of seeing Blondie at the Hammy Odeon in 1980 with 4 albums under their belt when I would have known every song.