that is, look you see, if you have so kindly taken time out of your day on Christmas Day to come and have a bit of a gander at this. if, as i suspect will be the case, you are looking at some stage after the fact, well then I trust your Christmas was indeed a most merry one. or, you know, whatever you want it to be.
first off, then, a bit of an apology i suppose. i am sorry that i referred earlier in the month to Channel 5, and the Radio Times, as being "absolute b@stards" or similar for not showing Chas & Dave Christmas Cockney Knees Up this Christmas. they have, or at least did - just not on Christmas Day, as has come to be the tradition. instead this televisual feast was broadcast on December 21, which is an important date in itself for reasons which escape me. perhaps that's the "proper cockney" day for Christmas, who knows.
i should really warn Dave enthusiasts that Chas happens to be my favourite of the two. not that there's much between them, for they are both excellent, but just so you know there's more images of Chas than what there is of Dave coming up. and, you know, video too.
if for some reason you've never heard of Chas & Dave Christmas Cockney Knees Up 1981, either here on this blog or anywhere / nowhere else, best i fill in some blanks for you. actually no, for it really is pretty much is all there in the title; a title that does what it says on the box.
for some reason Channel 5 here in the UK has obtained the exclusive rights to this show, and do without fail (it now seems) screen it at least the once every Christmas. which helps make Christmas all the more special.
the above is indeed the first of many images of Chas out of Chas & Dave that will feature in this post. well, not maybe that many, but still. indeed i did take the above in Commodore 64 mode with my relatively new phone, and yes i am happy with how it came out.
here's a few seconds of Ain't No Pleasing You for your enjoyment. it's timeless, so don't worry if you are not watching at Christmas, you can enjoy this whenever you jolly well like.
what's the appeal of Chas & Dave? they're two blokes with some musical talent that just want to be happy and make other people happy. it's an ambition that's as simple as it is noble, and they are much cherished for it. sure, plenty will knock them or have a cheap pop, but that's their problem and not something for Chas or Dave to worry about. i would think you would find they're far more worried about achieving their stated aims than they are about anyone with absolutely nothing better to do than knock them.
Dave off of Chas & Dave fans, here you go. a Commodore 64 style portrait of Dave which, if i say so myself, has come out really excellent.
that's really boss, that is. if i were a Dave off of Chas & Dave enthusiast i would probably get that image printed on a t-shirt, or perhaps even a mug from which to drink cockney style tea out of.
but, so that it may be recorded for research for all time that this blog stands as testament to it, more details on the show for you.
Chas & Dave Christmas Cockney Knees Up 1981 is, at heart, a light entertainment and variety show. true, the driving force behind it is the music of Chas & Dave, but there are many guests of note. popular comedian Jimmy Cricket is, for a start, on the bill. people who were in both Cream and Blind Faith are represented too, in the form of Eric Clapton.
all of these were noble and impressive guests, but the ultimate, if you like uber, star of the show was a spectacular VIP presence of Lennie Peters off of Peters & Lee.
it's easy to forget now, some 35 years later, but back in 1981 there was always a feeling that 1981 would be forever known as the year of Lennie Peters off of Peters & Lee. i mean, he was absolutely massive, man. he could pick and choose any gig he wanted to play - and name is fee - and yet there he was, or if you like here he is, playing down the local boozer with Chas & Dave.
did Lennie Peters off of Peters & Lee perform a song with Chas & Dave? despite it being unheard of to share a stage with anyone other than Dianne Lee, yes he did.
i have little or no doubt that at the time there would have been a lot of excitement, buzz and speculation about the above. many probably thought - hoped - that Lennie Peters off of Peters & Lee would be joining Chas & Dave on a full time basis, making the band Lennie & Chas & Dave, or some variant like that. it never happened, of course, but it's nice to have a think about what might have been.
a similar incident to that famously occurred in 1992. George Michael was so excellent with Queen at the Freddie Mercury concert that many expressed the wish that he would be an absolute boss permanent replacement for Freddie. a lovely thought, but it never happened.
another image of Chas out of Chas & Dave? i don't see why not.
nope, sorry, not sure what the badge what Chas off of Chas & Dave is wearing says. i would bet at least a quid that it's some notable charity that he either supports or is a patron of, or then again maybe it is for something to do with Spurs, which i seem to remember is the team that he has a preference for.
a little snippet of the song they call The Pub Song? absolutely. at least i think that is what it is called, they have done a lot of songs and i bet or if you like bertcha they can't keep track of what they're all called.
as far as i am aware the only way that you can watch Chas & Dave Cockney Christmas Knees Up 1981 is when Channel 5 screen it. this is a shame, as i would love to be able to get the DVD of it and send it all around the world as a gift to people who may not have seen it, or would wish to watch it once more.
hopefully the above situation is reviewed and a change comes about. if that's in time to allow for the sending of the disc as a gift in time for Christmas 2017, then so much the better.
for now, then, a final look at Chas out of Chas & Dave, this time in the "classic" Commodore 64 mode with scan lines most decidedly turned on.
so, yes, well, right, then. with my viewing of this masterpiece of light entertainment it feels as though at last the magic of Christmas has come into my world. i hope this is true for you, whether it featured Chas & Dave or not.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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