best....

hello there

well, here we go. out of all the posts i would do (in any given year, look you see) it's this sort of thing, a quasi "best of the year", what attracts the least ("fewest") reads or "hits". no matter, let me carry on with the concept, for my own amusement if for the interest of none. 

a bit of a disclaimer would be that the selections i have made here (not that they count for anything) are from quite (as in very) limited chance to see, watch, read or listen to much. it does feel like i have forever been on the move this last year, running to stand still or what have you. so there's every chance i have missed out on some excellent stuff. 

....album of the year

there's probably more of a story in the albums (or tapes) which i did not get this year, but anyway. indeed i have bought a stack of discs this year, only most of them were not things made for a first release in 2023. so, here we go. 

by default, as in if there absolutely has to be a "best" album of the year off of what i heard, then it's likely that one off of Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds, even if the good stuff of it is mostly propped up by the two singles released. a competent album. Duran Duran had an album out, which wasn't all bad, and earlier in the year there was Inhaler with one and Metallica with one. for the former it feels like they shall fizzle out, the latter had a sense of good but why bother. 

of what was released that i did not purchase, well, U2's Songs Of Surrender just sounded completely and utterly f*****g awful from the tracks that came up on the radio. at least three (3) variations on disc just left a confusing choice, so i skipped them all. perhaps it will turn up in a sale and i might get it for the sake of a complete collection, but no rush. same is true for the Depeche Mode one. the lead single was excellent, but they wanted a mind boggling £18 for a "standard" edition or £25 (!!) for the same album but with extra pics of Dave and Martin looking sultry. should it turn up at a standard price i will certainly get it. sadly absolutely no interest in the James release, either, which appeared to be a set of needless acoustic / orchestral reworkings, but probably not as bad as the U2 one. 

easily my favourite two (2) 2023 releases were re-released, being the very welcome Bad News one, and the unexpected Suede "expanded" edition of Autofiction. may 2024 bring some more inspirational choices for vibes purchases. 

....service station of the year

little in the way of surprise here, as Donington, as in right next to Castle Donington, wins easily enough. bit of a shout out to Watford Gap Services too, mind, and stopping at Tibshelf has become a bit of a tradition. there's also some service station on the way to (and from) the south west (of the UK) what has a Cotton Traders shop. i forget the name but got a smart new jacket from them, and some rather fetching (or lovely) jumpers, too. 

i noted, with some interest, that Jeremy Vine (Radio 2 one) did a thing during the year where he tried to set up his own "rival" award for best service station. not sure who won his, but going on the general tirades what people who phone his show go into i am not sure i wish to know. 

worst service station shall forever be Blyth, until they demolish it and build a proper one. the toilets are small, narrow and useless, with the whole place being a magnet for people who like to stand in doorways and ignore the one way system. practically every service station on the A1 or A1(M) is a complete disgrace and not fit for purpose, at least north of Peterborough. 

....film of the year

right, i've not had chance to see Oppenheimer, Barbie, Napoleon or other one word titled films. so i don't have a big range to select from. earlier in the year i watched Ant Man 3 and Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, and both were decidedly "meh". for actual cinema visits, i only went the once, to see the anniversary presentation of Ziggy Stardust. you are not expecting me to speak ill of that, are you? 

sat here on video (disc) i do indeed have Oppenheimer, and the suspiciously anonymous, hardly made any waves recent Indiana Jones film. i shall try to watch them (quite) soon, and hope that Napoleon gets a video release soon. might get Barbie too, at some stage. 

....gig of the year

quite a tough one, this. i went to three (3) during 2023. first off i got to see an actual Sex Pistol play at the 100 Club, which is an experience i doubted chance would permit. and then there's the considerable matter of seeing Suede, which without doubt is one of the greatest gigs i have ever seen. 

but, and it is very hard to choose between this and Suede, the award (or what have you) needs, all things considered, to go to the Holly Johnson gig. wow. quite simply a frankly (ahem) brilliant gig just as it was, but of course loaded with memory and emotion for me. as it was a surprise to get the chance to see him once more, well, it feels like being demanding of me to hope for another tour. but, still, if that turns out to be the last time i see him live, what memories shall remain. 

....book of the year 

ok, quite the cheat as i know (and appreciate) the two (2) selected were published prior to this very year, which is 2023. i wait for the paperback, though, but yes, the paperback of my favourite was issued in 2022 too, so there is that. 

undoubtedly the best remains, as i (more or less) predicted in my review of it at the start of the year, the magnificent Project Hail Mary. throughout the year memories of the sheer joy it brought have come leaping to my mind. certainly i shall read it again. and probably again. for a close second, the third novel off of the tall one what used to do Pointless, and indeed was a backing dancer for Sonia, was  a most excellent, enjoyable read. 

anyway, that's enough of that. many thanks indeed, as ever (and always), to all of you who stop by and read this from time to time. or just look at the pictures and video. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now sweet sour stale sixteen

howdy pop pickers

do you know, i have a (really) vague idea that i had previously, rather than in the future, speculated about ceasing the purchase of all these Now re-releases. for they are now re-releases, look you see, since the ones coming out (again) now were indeed issued in the compact disc format at the time. it might (may) well be that this journey is at an end with Now That's What I Call Music 16. 

i didn't even know this one was due for release. provenance fans will be interested to know that i was wandering around Morrisons (the last supermarket left what sells discs, unless you could Asda), saw it on the shelf and then went "oh". the "oh" was, of course, followed by an immediate decision to purchase it. even after i had looked at the tracklisting. 

perhaps the most famous, celebrated and/or frequently quoted opening from a Charles "Chuck D" Dickens novel is it was the best of times, it was the worst of times off of A Tale Of Two Cities. this is certainly the case here, with quite a bit of disc one being "best" (London, presumably) and very nearly all of disc two being Paris, or if you like worst. let's have a gander. 

whilst i am not particularly all that big a fan of the band (as such) the first track on tape (disc) one is simply excellent. Sowing The Seeds Of Love off of Tears For Fears (some fans call them TFF to try and make them sound interesting) is the embodiment of perfect 80s production values. how very sorely we lack such effort being made to create songs like this in the present day. and that one getting followed by the excellence of Leave A Light On off of Belinda Carlisle is a great start. one that is not sustained, but every now and then gets close. 

all of the rest of the good stuff, as you might be able to make out in the above, is scattered across the first disc. Queen are present with Breakthru, which is easily one of the best ever songs to borrow off of that Boys Of Summer song from Don Henley. worst is, of course, that wretched Ed Sheridan (or whatever) and his "overpass graffiti" or whatever. this smart tune is slap bang in the middle of the disc, right next to the equally brilliant The Best off of Tina Turner. which i was sure was a 90s tune, but no, it did indeed get released in 89. 

oh, yeah, the time period covered here. looks like late summer through to the business end of the autumn of 1989. apparently this was not a vintage time for quality pop vibes, then. my memory suggests it was better than this, but perhaps these tunes were the only ones they could licence. 

not that i was quite finished with the decent stuff on tape (disc) one. a not too bad song off of Wet Wet Wet, which remains a strange name for a four piece band, in the form of Sweet Surrender is on. nice to hear I'm Not The Man I Used To Be off of Fine Young Cannibals, too. at the end of the tape is Right Here Waiting off of Richard Marx. schmaltzy and all that, to be sure, but still, a great song. 

tape (disc) two is something that i really don't need in my life, or collection. mostly quite forgettable songs, with a lot of them being if not below average then just plain sh!t. as in it starts off with a tune by, ahem, Milli Vanilli. it's like they were warning you how bad it would be. 

elsewhere on the tape (disc) and it's, at best, meh. a lot of it were "mainstream" songs attempting to leverage, as in cash in, on the burgeoning acid house / rave scene with a similar but not entirely drug induced sound. like, for instance, the comical Cliff Richard "rave" tune here. the Jimmy Sommerville song sounds so muffled you might well think there's something wrong with your stereo. admittedly Pump Up The Jam was a big hit, mostly as that now regarded as annoying Brooklyn / Bronx accent thing was a bit of a novelty back then. for the rest, well i don't particularly remember any of them and none of them are buried treasure. i promise this tape (disc) shall not touch my stereo again. 

yes, they probably will continue with these re-releases. my assumption is that Now 17 is going to be all early 1990. not sure that was a great era. as and when (or should) it turn up, maybe a look at the track listing shall determine if i keep getting them. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

overload

ho ho ho

it is (most decidedly) so that this post isn't too far off in subject from the most recent of previous ones. this would be something i normally try and avoid, look you see, but here we are. 

we are now, at least at the time of this being published, within the realms of the business end of the era of Christmas (2023). so yes, i am going to have my usual good moan about what a mess has become of those most important traditions, the Christmas television guides and Christmas television in general. 

\

as far as i can recall, or from what i can remember (if not the same thing) last year i elected or opted to skip the previous joys of the Christmas television guide. might actually be for the last two, or more. for some reason i decided to purchase one this year, featured prominently below, for all of £1.60. nostalgic me (moi) wishes to get the classics, Radio Times and TV Times, but they are in the region of £5 each, if not north of that. and they absolutely (resoundingly) are not worth that. 

exactly how do tv guides remain a thing? i mean no, sure, not everyone is on the internet, no matter what internet users may think. but still, every tele in the UK now has an electronic guide. we are tactile creatures, as i have argued before, and like to hold stuff as we look at it. just surprised the high value ones still exist, when cheaper ones do the same job. also "free" ones, as about every newspaper throws a television guide at you. 

yes, i sort of (half halfheartedly) tried to read the guide i bought. it's more or less impossible. there are just far too many channels to look at and consider. certainly, bravo, it is superb that so much range and choice exists, but there's a cost to that. one (or at least moi) can get such a sense of overload, of being overwhelmed, that they just give the whole thing a miss. 

suck it up, or suck it down, i suppose. we are not going back, they are not going to say "let us cut back on the channels". if anything, more and more (and more still) channels and options, be it streaming or what have you, come with each passing year. a collective sense of everyone watching the same thing has been stripped from our society. 

but, that, said, you know, enjoy whatever you, like, watch, man. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bowie variation

heya

well, 'tis the season for kind of Christmas things, so here we are. also i've not managed to get a mention of Bowie in here much of late, so how lovely to get both done in one go. this might even be of some general interest, look you see, for it delves (kind of) in to the realm of myth and urban legend. 

it is so that there are various traditions around television here in the UK at Christmas. or, at the least, and it would (sadly) be more better to say that there used to be. quite a bit of fiddling has gone on. in days gone by you could count on ITV to show a smart Bond film on Christmas Day or Boxing Day afternoon, now that's been moved to New Year's Day. or Eve. BBC also used to have a really smart, very class big blockbuster on Christmas day, now it's just whatever recent(ish) computer animated thing off of Disney that comes to hand what gets shown. for some reason they don't even show the classic, celebrated Chas & Dave Christmas Cockney Knees Up 1981 (click here) no more. 

yet some traditions prevail, or if you will survive. like, for instance, a yuletide screening of the much celebrated 1982 film The Snowman. but, even then, it hasn't always been shown as it should, or at the least in a format i would consider to be the best. that said, i am not so sure that anyone is at fault for this, or it's not that someone has deliberately messed with a tradition. 

most reading this (and thank you for doing so) may well not be aware of this, but the variant of the broadcast version of The Snowman what featured a brief (ish) introduction from David Bowie (that one, yes) "vanished". it got screened once (possibly twice) with it, but then on all other years it got shown without it. so when i, down the market, saw a video (disc) which stated that it had this particular introduction on it, i purchased it. 

exactly how it came to be that Bowie gone done an introduction is something i don't know. also, no idea at all why said introduction got excised, or otherwise removed. so, if you are here looking for information on those aspects, well, sorry. at least you are assured you have not imagined, or hallucinated, either. it existed, it exists, it did go missing. 

considering elements such as a video (disc) being available with it on, recent (ish) broadcasts featuring it and in all likelihood the whole thing being on "streaming" sites this might be a bit of a pointless post. but, also, no, not really. with just about everything ever recorded available worldwide via pressing a couple of buttons (or touchscreen similar) many of us will recall the days when it was far from easy to find and watch something obscure or off the beaten track. such things built up conversation and folklore. like, for instance, my occasional looks at the myth of a 13th episode of Fawlty Towers. one suspects that such mysteries shall never be again. 

above, then, for your viewing pleasure, is some video off of the Bowie variation of The Snowman. yes, i have gone done recorded it with that (still relatively) new VHS app what i have on my phone what has a camera welded to it. thought it might make it have a "bootleg" feel, which would be appropriate for anyone trying to see this version over the course of the late 80s and (probably) all of the 90s. no, this intro what Bowie did isn't anything life changing, but still. 

since the subject of The Snowman is here, there is the one (1) myth what can be put aside. no, that is not Aled Jones singing it in the film, it's another lad called Peter Auty. the then young Aled did a cover in the mid 80s what got released as a single. rather similar sounding, which is why all and sundry assume it is the exact version off of the film. so, there, some accidental information for you. 

no, indeed i have not mentioned much of the film (The Snowman) itself. rather brilliant, it is, even if the overall theme, plot, conclusion or what have you isn't exactly full of the joys of the season. should you have not seen it, well, yes, well worth 30 minutes or so of anyone's time. in particular, i am obliged to say, if you watch the Bowie variation. 

right, well, let me let you get on with something else via the means of not adding too much more here. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

further reading

hello reader

blimey. well, after dragging my feet reading the last two (2) novels before these, i seem to have got through these ones fairly quick. perhaps it's a reaffirmed love of reading what has caught hold of me, or simply a bit more free time on an evening, look you see. 

keeping to a set way of doing things isn't always a bad approach. indeed it is so that virtually every employer, or "big business" out there, appoints someone or other what feels they know best, or have to make a mark, and so f*** about with stuff for no reason. so, let's stick with an image of the books, a brief overview and then some more details. details which might be considered to contain spoilers. 

commencing left (yours, probably) and The White Knight off of Scott Mariani was a surprisingly good, well above average Ben Hope adventure. as in really, really good. then there is The Satsuma Complex, being as it is the debut fiction work of the most beloved Bob Mortimer. not bad as such, but still, not one which i would herald as a great.

right then, on to a bit more on each. although, to be fair (or in fairness) all you need to know of either is probably right there. but, should you wish to read on, please note that a *** SPOILER WARNING *** is in place, just in case. 

starting where i did is to begin where i am going to, which i with The White Knight (yes as in the chess piece) off of Scott Mariani. i am not sure what number this is in the Ben Hope series, but i think it's all now well north of 20. this one i picked up earlier on this year (2023) and got prompted to read it as usual by virtue of picking up the next one. 

provenance of this one? so long ago i forget, but going on the entire lack of stickers i will take it as a given from Tesco. for some reason they make these Scott Mariani novels a tie in with a newspaper, so it probably cost £3 plus the price of an edition of whichever newspaper it was. for those what like to keep track, the next one, which i may well read in a few months, was bought mostly with some vouchers off of them. 

and the plot? quite possibly one of the more if not absurd then outlandish ones in this series, yet it improbably works. an old friend of Ben Hope, who happens to be a multi billionaire and is a member of a secret, possibly (potentially) sinister gang of billionaires, by some miracle survives a well orchestrated attack. the one family member what Hope previously saved calls him in, and he is given unlimited resources to hunt down those responsible. 

it really really does test the limits of what is plausible, this one. even, yes, in the realms of sheer fun, thrills and adventure in which this book exists. but, in a welcome change, here Mariani isn't just ticking off requisite formula boxes. it's enthralling and engaging, with note perfect pacing. huh, i would like to think that is the kind of quote which might appear on a book as a review, if i had more than a dozen or so people reading this to give such any value. 

one issue here is, of course, that the book is part of a series. i have little or no doubt that i would likely enjoy books by (and i think i have the names right) Harlan Coben (sp) and Lee Child, but i just don't know if i have the time or budget to do them all. with this one, The White Knight, you would likely have needed to read a few of the others (at least) for it to all make sense. yet as i have read them all i am not sure. Mariani does throw in some background details as he goes, mind. 

there are no continuity or "series" issues with the next one, then. it wouldn't exactly be out of character for Bob Mortimer to start his fiction career in the middle of something, but no, one has the sense that The Satsuma Complex is quite the one off read. 

from where did i procure my copy? actually pretty sure it was in a London (innit) chapter of Tesco. no stickers or anything, likely it was their "book of the week" for £4.50, although going on who the author is i may have paid their full whack £5.50 for it. 

plot? oh boy. a sequence, or series, of unusual events which affect ostensible protagonist Gary, a solicitor in that there London (innit) over the course of a few weeks. well, also affecting his neighbour and her dog, his coffee seller of choice and a few others. murder is indeed kind of involved too, along with the police and a few other interested parties. 

yes, the somewhat peculiar (and not out of character for author) title does make sense (kind of) as you read, but no, i am certainly not going to give that information away here. 

essentially, and to be brutally honest, The Satsuma Complex feels like the residue of characters created for a sitcom that felt too flimsy for a six part series so got lumped into a flimsy, breezy, whimsical novel. that feels somewhat harsh, but yet here we are. once in a while the natural comic genius of Bob seeps through in the pages. sadly, or alas, not really as frequently as you may have expected. it is very far away from being the worst "celebrity novel" what i have read, but some distance from being the best, too. one rather suspects this may well be as much as the end of Bob Mortimer's fictional career as it is a start, but there's enough to suggest him doing another one wouldn't be entirely bad. 

right then, that would be that for these books. actually, overall, i did enjoy them, it's just that the Bob Mortimer one wasn't the huge level of laughs i had anticipated. worth a go, though. 

let's see if i can sustain this pace of reading. very much doubt it, but who knows, i may all of a sudden end up in a scenario where i am sat for (many) hours with nothing much of anything to do but read. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

video car wash

greetings

well, pretty much what it says in the title. perhaps there's some inevitability to to this, but for the sake of clarification, yes, i have gone done a car wash with my fancy new VHS app thing, look you see. 

yes, yes, this is all (quite) exciting, but before we all get carried away with a look at a car wash via the medium of VHS, let us appreciate some tradition. behold, then, in the first instance, the magic of the service via the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode. 

my suspicion, or if you will anticipation, is that this shall (surely) be the last documented car wash adventure of the year that is this year (2023). who knows, i might nip in again as the business end of the year is reached, but won't put it on display here until next year (2024). 

how about a nice bit of that "animated gif" sort of Commodore 64 mode look at the car wash? i know you like it, and you know i know that you like it. does it show i have little left to say on this particular subject? 

now let us move on to the excitement, the buzz and the drama of a car wash being presented in VHS mode. unless, of course, you have (wisely) already scrolled down to it. 

i don't think the "still frame" image in VHS mode (or if you will picture) is all that great, but for the sake of completeness, here is a pic i took. 

but some video (in VHS mode) is what you shall want, and so that is now here for you. well, below, i would imagine you just click "play" on the image of it and you can watch several seconds of car wash action in VHS mode. 

true, no, not the most detailed (or involved) post what i have ever gone done here, but perhaps the simplicity of it all shall prove popular. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

let in light and banish shade

hello there

well, Christmas has come once again, so let's all have some fun, look you see. or i shall at the least do my best to do a good go at such. no, this isn't intended as a grouchy sort of misery thing, it's just well, let me crack on. 

for the third (3rd) time in my era of exile i go into the whole festive season on my own, then. up to now i have not engaged in the tradition of decorations for the season (to be jolly). so no, no tree or anything like that. partially this has been due to me seeing little sense in such when only i (moi) would see them, but mostly it's rather more that i am on my travels so much it's not like even i would see them. as it is i can barely justify even having a calendar up. 

yet i felt kind of quasi compelled to put some effort in this year. note, some, as you can see above, all in the greater glory and good of Commodore 64 mode. as in yes, no, that's not a cross section in the image you can see, behold it is all of my Christmas decorations. 

many shall, of course, have put (considerably) more decorations than me and done a by far more better job of it. also, some will have done less (or "fewer" as is trendy) and be quite content with so. to be honest it was just the "big" (comparatively) Santa thing i was going to do. by virtue of them being, i believe, 99p each, them snowglobes were very much an afterthought. 

oh yes, as the picture above gives every indication, there's some VHS style action on display here. that above is of course just an image, but one which i suspect (or feel) showcases the finer details of my display better than what Commodore 64 mode does. sadly, alas, no, there shall be no regular style images of them. 

to the "big" Santa thing, then. you have probably worked out that it lights up, and the box what it came in does seem to make quite the fuss about two (2) "led" things in it. or on it. but it also does some music, which i present now, or rather below. indeed yes, we have got a video. 

i can just about vaguely recall reading something on the box about it playing a number of different songs of a Christmas variation. possibly it was four (4), but it may be more. should i be accurate, well, what a shame i have only gone done 3 (three) videos for here. indeed, scroll down if them are the only bits you wish to see, but be wary of the selfies. 

some may fear that my relatively recent penchant for VHS style video may take away from my enthusiasm for animated GIF things in Commodore 64 mode. let the below bring some comfort to those who require such that it is simply not so. 

how truly spiffing, indeed boss, it would be if i could get something what made video in the style of the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode with sound. such technology is beyond the human race it seems. perhaps a far more evolved form of life, when we are all long since gone, shall perfect the ability to do so. 

now then, a warning, as below comes two (2) selfies, featuring moi (me). i appreciate full well that many reading this have no wish to actually see me or how i am getting on, and further do not disagree with them. but hey, 'tis the season, etc. also showcases why i have not troubled myself too much about decorations for Christmas. 

due to the nature of my verk i am here, there and everywhere. hence the number of reviews of motorway service stations that crop up. whilst camping holds a certain (if limited) appeal, invariably i am in a hotel during such journeys. they more often than not have seasonal displays on the go for whatever is being celebrated, and as you can see in the above image (behind me) Christmas is certainly not some exception to this. 

what are my feelings on the decorations i bought? having spent (i think) south of £10 on them i really can't complain. don't think the music aspect will be on all that often, but there is a way to switch on just the lights. for the snowglobes and, well, i have had better. it seems there's lots of snow like stuff in them, but when you shake one of them it swirls around a bit but tends to settle rather fast. not really much fun to watch, but here we are. 

a bit more (VHS style) video for you above, then, to give you a bit of a break from the selfies. for another selfie follows shortly. yes, i tried to get some snowglobe action on the go for it, but, well, see the previous paragraph (or thereabouts) for clarification. 

i suppose it cannot be all that far off me wondering whether or not to purchase a Christmas edition guide for television. yes, maybe, so i can see what to "tape" for Mum and Dad. unlikely to be one of the classics, being Radio Times and TV Times, for the price of them is ridiculous. perhaps a free one out of a newspaper may do the job. 

relax, for that is the final (or last) selfie for this post. this one features a most lovely tree, sadly obscured by me, but i do take issue with the location. just as was the case last year, they remove a specific table in the restaurant area to put it up. it happens to be the one table i and a good friend used to sit at. so yes, i get a little heartsore when i can't sit where i would have with him. 

sadly, or indeed sorry to disappoint, i am one of them what feels like Christmas is just not the same no more. for the most part i feel this is an internal thing, with it all seeming to just happen and be done all so fast. people seem not to linger on it, instead moving on to "the next thing". i have no quarrel or issue with all that commercial side of it, far from it. just, well, whatever time i have left seems to drift so very quickly now. my memories of Christmas gone are that the good, warm feelings of it all lasted far longer than they are allowed to now. 

final bit of video for you above, then. indeed i did have something (reasonably) specific on in the background on the tele, well done you if you have worked it out. 

not really much more i can add here, except another picture for you, if you so wish. 

well, there we are. let me get on with enjoying my efforts (or attempts) at placing some festive cheer in my lodgings in exile. but, more likely, let me get off to wherever it is i am going next. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just as black and whispering as the rain

howdy pop pickers

a truth, if specific to moi rather than of the universal nature, would be that i probably have far, far, far too many tapes (discs). such things, or more specifically the vibes on them, are my passion, my hobby and the thing what i love the most. which has likely made the procurement of such quite the addiction, look you see. indeed there are (considerably) worse things to be addicted to. 

going off and purchasing the exact same tape (disc) what i have is something that happens more than you might thing. every now and then such is for valid reasons, be it to have a copy in my vehicle as i travel about, or perhaps to gift to someone. or replace a gift some time later. none of which would appear to immediately apply to my decision to obtain a second (2nd) copy of the CD single of Streets Of Philadelphia off of Bruce Springsteen. 

indeed i did purchase this at the time, which i think is (very) close to 30 years ago. wow. the 90s were three decades ago? that cannot be true, for if it is that has implications for my beloved 80s. no matter. i have it, somewhere, in one of those "cardboard sleeves" that it came in. having not seen it in what some may well call a "proper" box, i thought yeah, go on. especially as it was in a charity shop and it cost me all of 30p. 

the song itself, as in the main track on the tape (disc), remains just as brilliant, powerful and spectacular as it did at the time. pretty sure Bruce, The Boss, got an Oscar for it. and why not. generally Oscars bestowed on songs off of films are fuss free, except for the one time they gave it to that gender free f***wit for that hideous Bond song. yet that was not the reason for wishing to pick it up again, so as to have a copy at hand that i did not have to dig through (ahem) several boxes to find. 

hidden away (track three) on this single is a truly superb live rendition of Growin' Up, which i am pretty sure was on Bruce's first album but i discovered by a cover of it off of David Bowie. this live recording was off of his (in)famous MTV Unplugged, or if you will Plugged, session, where he decided that he did not like the acoustic sound so just went full tilt regular electric for the show. for some reason this particular number (Growin' Up) didn't appear on the subsequent album released, and buying this single was the only way to get it. 

unlikely i would ever watch Philadelphia again, for the precise reason i would probably not willingly watch, say, Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence once more. every now and then a film perfectly strikes the message it wishes to send in such a traumatic, harrowing way that one could not really put themselves through it all again. or perhaps i am just being soft. no matter, let it be known that i would most decidedly listen to the song off it as many times as you care to ask. and, of course, the live take of Growin' Up found here. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

someday soon they're going to pull the old town down

ow do

news has reached me of something of a change in dynamic to what has, rather surprisingly, become a fairly routine matter for me. soon it shall be so, look you see, that i will not be able to avail myself of the various facilities offered by Watford Gap Services, for there is an intention to demolish it. oh. 

i first learned of this off of Dad. he sent me a message about it. well versed is he in my travels across these lands (or around), and he knows my preferred stop off points. curious i read up, and yes, it is indeed to be demolished for a new development. not that i doubted what i had been told, of course, but to learn more. 

maybe (perhaps) the reason for demolition is quite fitting. rather famously this service station was the first such of its kind to be opened on a motorway. with a glance to the future, if that future is not now, they appear to have taken the decision to turn the whole thing into a place where them what have electric vehicles can pull in and charge up. well, i assume that is the plan. it certainly sounded like it from what i kind of vaguely read. making the first motorway service station dedicated to purely vehicles what run off of electricity make sense. 

whereas it is no Castle Donington services, it certainly holds a place in rock mythology and folklore. this was, once upon a time, the service station where Jimi Hendrix met The Beatles. or vice versa. so far as i am aware it was a by chance meeting, but if they planned it, good for them. 

above should be some (relatively) normal video for you, if you are interested. since i had every reason to stop there on my travels, i thought it would be nice to send Dad some video of the place, on the off chance i didn't go again before it was no more. 

just what do i like about this service station? it has all one could need. bathrooms would be a priority, although not for the sort of thing what my mate Spiros does in them. also coffee is available there, and there's a decent smoking area (sorry) too. mostly the location, i guess, as it seems pretty handy for when i need to address a call of nature on the road, and feel it is time to give my lungs a bit of a reminder of the harsh reality of life. 

for the sake of completeness, except where i am missing something in the format of the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode, yes, that's some VHS camcorder footage, too. with a fancy title on display, so you can be reminded of where it is. 

exactly what is my plan for when Watford Gap Services closes? well, i suspect they shall have all the facilities i need except fuel, so perhaps i shall stop off anyway. for the bits when it is closed, or if you are not allowed in when you have a non-electric one, i dare say i shall just stop off at the one before it, likely the one after too. still, it has been a nice enough spot to stop at. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

reading returns

hello reader

well, it feels like quite some time since i last gone done one of these posts. as in, a post about reading some novels, look you see. not just one, or as many as three, to give the usual statement. rather two (2) i have read, and thus feel compelled to give comment on them here. calling this any sort of word that would mean review feels plain wrong. 

so, to do this as i usually would, an image (yes, in this instance provided by the forum or means of my new vhs camcorder thing) of those novels that i have read, followed by a brief overview. 

and in starting from the left, Licence Renewed is a 1980(ish) "official" James Bond novel off of John Gardner. this was bought off of nostalgia for a different Bond novel by the same writer. alas, i can find no post about it, which is quite odd as i seem to recall waffling on. no matter, it was all right, even if it did put me off reading another Bond straight away, as was intended. eventually i ended up reading (to the right of picture) The Bullet That Missed, being the third Thursday Murder Club off of that tall one formerly appearing in Pointless and occasional backing dancer for Sonia. quite frankly a superb novel, and if you have not done so already please read the first two (2) so you can enjoy this. 

i am unaware if this is really required for the ten or dozen or so people who(m) read this (and thank you for doing so), but to err on the safer side of safe, please take as a given, or otherwise assume, that one of them fancy *** SPOILER WARNING *** things exists from here on out. 

yes, i know, appreciate and understand that the provenance of the books what i read is of some interest to a percentage of those what read all of this. quite the bargain, in this instance. whereas it was marked with a price (that you can see) via a sticker in a local branch of The Works shop, when they put it through the till it came up as £1. i offered to pay the actual price, whatever it was, but they said no, they were obliged to sell it as it came up, and they must have just missed a discount sticker. nice one. 

plot? well, it's a James Bond novel. actually, or as it happens, it is now a fair few months since i read it. from what i recall usual Bond stuff. it was all to do with some eccentric billionaire nuclear physicist (of which there are more in the world you might think) who had obtained some sort of Scottish title of "Laird" by dubious means and had some sort of plan or other to blackmail the world into his new, quite class way of making nuclear power. as one might suspect or even expect, various authorities around the world do not view this as quite class, and so Bond is sent off to go and sort it all out. 

wish i could remember where and when i wrote of it, but this (of course) did not have the nostalgia appeal of a different John Gardner Bond novel, Role Of Honour, or Role Of Honor if American. that book i commenced reading on holiday (Portugal, i think) in the 80s, didn't finish it, was delighted to find a copy of it at some stage in the 2010s. blimey. in comparison Licence Renewed all felt a bit pedestrian and not as enjoyable, but it was far from bad. should you be enthusiastic about reading novels what have got James Bond in them, well, go for it with this one. and that's probably all i can say of it, since i jettisoned most information with the (lavish) plot summary. see, told you that one can't really call these reviews. unless you like rubbish reviews.

my lack of enthusiasm for Licence Renewed and my insistence on finishing novels what i start to read, no matter how long it may take, is probably behind my lack of reading much of late. that and an unexpected decision i made so casually i didn't notice it to be somewhat more sociable with my verk colleagues, who(m) i often end up staying in the same places as. my intention was to read a new Bond off of Anthony Horowitz, so as to make a "double Bond" review thing, but ultimately i was no longer in the mood for such. perhaps i will read it soon. 

instead, then, i elected to read the third (3rd) novel off of Richard Osman, as mentioned above. yes, i know at this stage four (4) exist, but i am not to keen on reading hardbacks. so, i picked this one, with the title being The Bullet That Missed, up as soon as i saw the paperback version on the shelf. 

now, then, exactly where the shelf was where i saw it has become ever so slightly a forgotten thing. which, of course, makes declaring the provenance of it somewhat tricky. i would imagine that i got it off of Tesco, since there are no stickers, and perhaps as one of their "book of the week" things, with it being at some discount or other. yet there remains every chance, or possibility, that it was somewhere else. not Morrisons, but oddly with this third one they have now started selling all Osman novels, when they (for whatever reason) declined to stock the first two on release (hardback or paperback). 

plot? even with a spoiler warning in place i am reluctant (reticent, even) to give much away. but yes, the usual gang of four what make up the Thursday Murder Club, along with an ever expanding set of friends, set about solving another "cold case" murder. from the past, for they have not got the skill to sort out future ones just yet. but some matters from the previous one (The Man Who Died Twice i think it was called) linger...........

just brilliant, really. if the first novel took me by surprise (i expected little from yet another celebrity writing stint) and the second felt perhaps not quite as good, this one is quite the fun read.as it happens, it makes that second one, with recollections and some follow up, feel a lot better than it perhaps did at the time. if that makes sense. probably not. a rather nice touch was some landmarks in that there London (innit) place what i had been to, and it seems had spoken to some of the same people what the writer did as he gone done research. bring on book number four, please. 

right, that would be about that. oh, as for the "40th anniversary edition" business which you can kind of see on the cover of Licence Renewed, i think it amounted to a forward by someone or other that i skipped over. two (2) novels that i have no regrets about reading. 

off i go to the next books to read, then. i am sort of hoping to get through another two (2) in the next six weeks, give or take, which is to say finish the second in such time. after that i will in all likelihood be using my fancy "ebook" thing for a brief period, but more on that later. rather than earlier. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hedgehog

hello there

on a practical level i am quite aware that this shall be of little use, look you see. but still, here we are. 

further, if i may be so bold, we are approaching the end of days for the year that is this year (2023). this is at the least true of when this went and gone done got published, being as it is the last throes of the Nigel Tufnel month of the standard (Gregorian, if you will) calendar. my thoughts must thus progress to what, or which, calendar to procure for the year to come (2024). but, for now, a look at what i ostensibly had on display for the one louder month of this year. 

yes, truly, it is so, as in the above picture (and title) i have had a hedgehog on the wall, so to speak, via the wildlife calendar what i went and purchased. indeed it is also true that the image above (and below) is in the format of that fancy, smart VHS camcorder thing what i got for my (relatively) new phone what has a camera welded to it. 

the main reason, or inspiration, for purchasing the calendar what i did was that it featured this image of a hedgehog on the front of it. perhaps for matters of seasonal relevance they elected to show off this cover image only in as far as November, i know not. but yes, it was totes worth the wait to reveal this one. not that many (if any) other than me see it in situ, if that is the right term, but still. 

anyone wishing to see real (and clear ish) images of a hedgehog, along with a slight video (yes, we have got a video) then you could do a lot worse than click here for documentation of a recent sighting. 

no, it is simply not so that at this stage i have declared an interest in one (1) particular calendar for the year ahead. which, to clarify, shall be 2024. so far i have seen a number on sale what celebrate the late, much missed HMQE2, The King, Elvis Presley, and Sir Cliff Richard. i am uncertain if one of those would hold appeal. let me just wander around, observing, and i am sure that the one which would best be on the wall shall speak to me so as i gaze upon it. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

vibes of a recent release nature

howdy pop pickers

time tends to not be there for the more regular updates here. some might say this is not particularly bad, and that perhaps (maybe) i should give it up all together, look you see. well, no. just what would i do with what time i get free, and where else would i write so? 

right then, music. vibes. tunes, if you will. up to now it feels like i haven't really purchased all that much in respect of "new" records this year. mostly this would be down to the U2 one being overpriced and awful sounding, with the Depeche Mode one being overpriced. and James doing the acoustic thing just held no appeal either. so, October brought not one, not three (that i am aware of) but two (2) records that (which) i had some interest in. 

for clarity, they are Danse Macarbe off of Duran Duran and Hackney Diamonds off of Rolling Stones. those who(m) are interested in provenance may be interested to know that i purchased them off of wha has become my favourite vibes merchant, Sister Ray down in Soho. should chance permit i would strongly endorse or otherwise recommend a visit. 

exactly how interested was i in either or both of these releases? being honest, not that much. my basic rudimentary knowledge of each, discussed a bit more in respective comments below (rather than above) did not suggest any compelling reason for them to actually exist. certain good intentions lurked, to be sure, especially around the DuranX2 one. but then, they just had a new one out (i think last year?), and as for the Stones, really? 

well, anyway, here we are, and both exist. having played each of them at least four or five times, i feel relatively ready to pass comment on them. mindful, of course, that at time of writing each record is now north of a month old, and so in this ever prone to disposal world many shall already have forgotten about them. 

starting with the one i played first, with a sense of "best get it out of the way", as picture above that would be Danse Macarbe off of Duran Duran. i had heard whispers that it was "not great". bit sh!t was one review i saw. oh dear. well, they have done plenty of records dismissed as such, and i have disagreed. and so i gave it a go. 

difficult to see this (with its impressive and lavish packaging) as an album, rather more a collection of songs. there are some new ones, some (partially brave) cover versions and then some "re-imagining" of previous works. which at least are not just awful acoustic versions (refer U2). mostly it feels like an excuse for them to get together with some friends. former member Andy Taylor being an obvious important one, but it is really, really nice to see Warren invited to be part of it. 

considering that an album of covers, Thank You, very nearly (and unfairly) sank them close to thirty years ago, it's quite interesting to see them return to this. i gazed upon the selection of songs what they decided to cover and i feared the worst. should you play the album and find their cover of Ghost Town is awful, well, relax - the next track, Paint It Back, gets even worse. and as for Super Lonely Freak, not quite sure what they were hoping to achieve with Super Freak samples that MC Hammer had not, but this is Simon le Bon we are talking about. you know, a man who will sometimes wake up, think you know what, i (Simes) am going to sail around the world, and then actually do it. 

oddly the cover of Bury A Friend off of that lass what did Glastonbury (Billie Eilish, i think) works really well, but then i am not all that familiar with the original. i really (really) did fear the worst ahead of the Talking Heads cover, but surprisingly their take on Psycho Killer works very well. 

not really an album feel to it, as mentioned. rather more a case of "Simes and chums having some fun and determining it being of a quality to release". with the latter somewhat debatable. at first, as in on my first listen, i was like, ok, exactly how many times do i need to pay this to feel like i got value for money, then put it in a corner and forget it? yet it has grown on me. no way shall this get played as frequently as, say, Medazzaland, but it will get a few more spins. 

moving along, then, and the "surprise" return of The Rolling Stones. who never went away. and when they released the (oddly not on this album) single Ghost Town in the midst of that plague thing some 3 or so years ago, they did make it clear an album was "on the way". but, still, the narrative dictates that actually Hackney Diamonds is a surprise return album. 

partially it was so that i wasn't entirely confused by a new album off of them, just a little sad. for a remarkable, shall never (ever) be repeated career, it did feel like Blue & Lonesome from a few years ago was the perfect (studio based) bookend to it all. just them (and friends) playing the songs which started them on a phenomenal journey. but, for whatever reason, behold a new album. yes, it (very much) is a bad name for a record, Hackney Diamonds, but when you look at their catalogue, more often than not they have come up with a poor name for an album. Exile On Main Street and Sticky Fingers of course being massive exceptions. 

is the (actual) album any good? yes. no, it is not brilliant, nor is it their "best and most important album since....." stuff. well, when i say not brilliant, actually the two (2) lead singles, which got a proper release as singles, Angry and Sweet Sounds Of Heaven, are such. both have had very heavy airplay, particularly on Radio 2, who(m) no doubt like to be nice to the Stones on the off chance they can get one of them to guest. 

speaking of which, to draw guests and the one song together, Sweet Sounds of Heaven. this is a record, or album (tape, even) overloaded with guests. one suspects Mick has a slightly better address book that Simes, for the likes of Sir McCartney of Paul, Sir John of Elton and the Wonder of Stevie features. as does former member Bill Wyman, but no Mick Taylor. oh. anyway, all of those guests are only ones you are aware of by reading the liner notes. which is to say they bring nothing that dramatic or different to the sound. not so with Ms Gaga, who truly does deliver one of those great vocal tracks which remind one of how much they love music and why. 

just about all the reviews of Hackney Diamonds have decided to go for that "oh isn't it amazing that they are still going and doing this" approach, which is a shame. there isn't a bad track here, with even one that appears to have Keith on vocals being not bad. rather perplexingly one review focused on how it had the perfect running time length, but never mind. it, this album, has sold huge amounts, and it would be nice to think it has done so on the basis of the quality of songs as much as the brand name. 

quite soon i am going to have to consider thinking about a "best" of the year thing. no idea at all what shall go for the album of the year. i am not sure either of these should qualify, but the only other new music i can recall off of the year what i actually got was the "difficult" second album off of Inhaler. oh well, i shall give it a think. both of these albums are fairly decent, then. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the day the donkey derby came to town

greetings

well, in truth, no. as it happens there was no donkey derby as such, and they didn't quite come to town. but still it remains so that i did see some donkeys (or donkies) on my travels. since such is reasonably interesting i opted, or otherwise elected, to share such here, look you see. there are a few out there who will catch the reference in the title, though. 

a further "no" would be that this was not in that there London (innit). for a change i went off to inspect, or roam, another part of the land. ostensibly i was based in Blackburn (of Lancashire) but appeared to spend more (or most) of my time in and around the Lake District. a quite lovely place; one which holds rather fond memories for moi from the 80s. to answer any question lingering in your mind as to where i was based, no, i did not see (or rather count) so much as one hole there, let alone four thousand. 

mostly, or if you will for the most part, i took these pictures and video (yes, we have got a video) for a couple of dear friends. one in particular, as they have a strong emotional link to the welfare of these wonderful creatures, but such is not my story to tell. i suspect neither would mind me placing them, the images and video, here for anyone else who has an interest. especially as my new phone what has a camera welded to it appears to have taken some decent images for a change. 

do i even know what a donkey derby is? not exactly. i suspect, based on the name and association of a specific definition of the latter word, that it is some quite class race what they have donkeys do. perhaps just for fun, but as with all things in this country undoubtedly some shall place bets on the outcome. good luck to them, and i hope the donkeys enjoy it all. can't ever recall actually being in attendance at a donkey derby, but maybe i was once, in my youth, at some seaside concern or other.

video is above, then, as if not promised then stated as would appear. indeed i have once again gone right ahead and used that smart VHS camcorder thing for it, because why not. those static lines, or signs of tape damage, give it a rather special, human feeling, i think. possibly. 

how were things in Lancashire? well, not entirely as i expected or suspected, coming as i do from the far superior lands of Yorkshire. for a start it appears someone has taught them all the secret of fire, or maybe someone stole the knowledge. overall their interpretation of what a civilised society is like appears to have come on leaps and bounds. indeed all were quite friendly. perhaps they have all just come to accept their lot in life and are no longer quite cross about the fact that they are not of Yorkshire. lovely that there is now peace between our cultures. if anything, any anger or resentment the people of Blackburn had was directed at Burnley, with the express wish of destroying the place. 

in my time momentarily admiring the donkeys (a brief break from verk matters) a rather nice lady came along and drew my attention to the sign on the gate. this sign is reasonably legible in the first image, giving one a warning of being bitten off of a donkey. very wise to keep a distance. often we see animals which appear cute, such as a koala or panda, and assume they shall be have so. true, yes, strictly speaking (in terms of that comparison) no, a donkey is not a bear. but, still, you know. 

perhaps it is just me (who certainly does not read what i write, but thank you for doing so) but it does feel like a good deal more wildlife has been showcased here on my blog this year than would be normal. and why not, really. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!