Into August

So, it is Friday and a New Month during the summer vacations here so while it is cooler if a bit wet what's going on this week?

Well a Big Baby came to Scotland and played golf between various political meetings with the Prime Minister, the First Minister of Scotland and the leader of the European Union who kind of invited herself that went fairly well by Trump standards - no tantrums and swearing.

Perhaps he was on Cow-pol? 

The Lionesses roared winning the penalty shoot outs so a 1-1 draw was converted to 3-1 win over Spain at the final of the Women's Euro's defending their previous win, bagged a reception at 10 Downing Street, London and after an open top bus parade, held a party for all including the youngest girl fans.

Football has been refreshed with lots of new girls teams being established, more women watching games and a different feel to the game.

Thank you women for making it all happen and delivering the bestest posthumous spanking to the Football Association that said women and girls can't play football. They beeping can! And how!!!! 

This week saw the Beano comic mark its 87th birthday, still going strong.

The world has changed from when casual racial tropes and stereotypes might of been seen as appropriate, gender roles have changes for boys and girls as well those pesky grown ups and modern technology has altered lives including children.

All the evidence shows children do love a humour based comic but production cost and issues with getting magazines out to them in stores plus online marketing make it difficult.
 

Broken wings part two

 

Today's post is a quickish one as domestic arrangements here more days of have been switched but getting back to the topic we've spoken of having things arriving broken or otherwise not of merchandise quality in any hobby that involves collectables things can happen before then.

It may be that something isn't what is described as being which you may detect - the number of times I see cds or records give issue dates that clearly are not first issues are numerous - before you get that far but in the main you do trust in descriptions not least those that talk about the quality of used discs.

Sometimes I get a record that on the surface to be free of scratches but as with one that arrived on Wednesday it sounds between the tracks like it's been played with a nail with random noises that are intrusive.

Yesterday though I get a message to say a classic 80's disc described as being near mint was indeed more like well worn having paid for it but had been spotted by the person packing the order who then messaged  me.

I appreciate the fact they cared enough to message and give me option to decline and get a refund, the question arises how come it listed as being near mint and why their buyer accepted a disc that no serious collector would want.  

At times it takes the fun out hunting and getting recordings to enjoy. 

They say they want a revolution...

 

While schools and politics really shouldn't get tangled up not least in schools between staff and pupils sometimes they do such as over campaigns to convert high schools to Comprehensives (and sometimes back again), what *should* be in the National Curriculum, teaching around LGBTA+ topics, "de-colonializing" and so do cause the fur to fly.

Many schools do put out education about the British Constitution,  civil rights, how elections are run and the political system to equip pupils with knowledge about how it all works ready for when the become adults, ready to stand for Elections and to take part by Voting in them at the age of 18 for UK wide elections.

This is quite sensible but the incoming labour Government had in its Manifesto (a set of promises to do things if they win)  the idea of reducing the age of voting to 16 saying as they old enough to in certain circumstances pay taxes they should be able to influence decisions around how it is spent.

My main concern is most sixteen year olds are insufficient aware and experienced about how things work, are able to see fully the consequences of how they would vote and how politicians regardless of party don't always tell the whole truth at least.

Many schools run "Mock Elections" where pupils stand for election within school, have to campaign, debate topics and vote which teaches basic skills needed in a democracy and you mature sometimes quite radically by 18.

This will need to be debated in both Houses of Parliament before making its way before assent is given so let's hope this idea is fully considered. 

The summer escape plan

Things won't be as originally intended, I wouldn't say planned as we didn't get that far so it's a matter of reworking things a bit over the mid summer period to fill the gaps although I suspect it would of been a matter of taking the thinnest nightwear and cotton dresses with me as the weekend is going to be very hot apparently.

 

I was in Llandudno on Tuesday on a coach with less than comfortable seats enjoying the sea air and visiting a few shops as I never was away with the usual crew in North Wales although I believe they did in the early years of this century and actually it would of been very easy for me to had made my own way there by train.

Unlike the days when I did spend a good four days or so there, North Wales today has a dirth of record shops so any record shopping is restricted to markets and record fairs and photo shops equally left from the days of Jessops having a branch but I suppose when people are not likely to need to get consumables such as film, filters and photo processing  there probably is insufficient turnover to justify it.

Heck many don't print out or even back up the many pictures they take on smartphones or digital cameras while we'd sort our slides and make up photo albums by topics.

Anyway, that's this weeks recollections! 

End of summer term reflections

 

June, traditionally the time of an all day school trip if not a residential usually involving some broadly speaking educational objectives so they will be a field trip with things to find and worksheets to work though either individually in in twos.

I did surprisingly given my autism manage a conversation face to face for the best part of three quarters of an hour with a woman I'd never met before while out shopping whose youngest child goes the local Primary School and others are at a nearby girls school and University  where the topic of Residentials came up in the context of the digitalization of school communication as in a school specific app post the was a rolling list about the week long residential that wasn't structured with requirements such as clothing clearly separated and annoying no paper check list was made available  which is often the most efficient way of ensuring cases are properly packed ticking off as you go along.

Even getting the school to print *anything* off  given many people don't have printers not least those who tend to use smartphones proved a battle of wills.

Then there was the matter of being late in sending any notification of their leaving and an update given the motorway issues that plague this area.

Not everybody uses the internet well - many grandparents who look after school age children when parents are at work  do struggle - and yet everything goes through this with no use of importance to highlight urgent stuff in a deluge across the day

That means things like Internet only Teacher/Parent introductions to that years work can get missed and in any event isn't better for parents to meet others and all to meet face to face the class teacher, Head and Deputy so everybody knows each other and if anyone has skills then offers to assist are more likely to be forthcoming than leaving many feeling marginalized.

It seems to me this digital only approach is rubbing schools of an actual real sense of community between it, parents and the wider community.

Broken wings

New week and I think the last Friday in the month as things kind of return to normal around the grump and related household activities.

Now then, now then pop pickers you know how much I like music to the point there's usually something arriving here to admire and play, new titles or new copies of old favourites in different forms but in with disc from Josie from Stafford was a special cd issue from late last year I'd missed. 

Well after opening the thin card envelope and undoing the seal I was greeted by this broken title with some impact marks on the envelope and I've only had this in some 39 years of buying cds once before although those early 90's lift lock cd cases could damage the centre hubs if used incorrectly.

We'll waiting on a refund to be granted but I've ordered another that did arrive in one piece, playing well.

Hot overview

It's a very hot summers day as I type this after the crazy week that was last week and things are over time getting a bit more back to normal although if you are in town today you'll see me shopping bags in hand bringing some of shopping in before it gets way too hot.

The world's a bit in a mess not just with Ukraine, Gaza but now Iran as the United States of Disgrace threatens joining in something that has no realistic or even thought through end plan plunging the Middle East into more turmoil. 
 

A replacement stylus did come which I'll get around to fitting having played the new copy of Boys And Girls yesterday and the sacd of Animals that gets a reissue in August in it's much cleaned up remix. 

 

Moorcroft that I wrote about some four or five weeks ago was saved by a family member and hopes to reemploy some thirty plus of its original staff - now dear government how about some help with energy costs that are so crippling to manufacturing?

Now we are facing the only fibreoptic plant in the UK in Hindley, Lancashire to Chinese subsidized competition, something is needed to make wind turbines.

We need a UK First manufacturing strategy backed by action. 

Farewell Brian Wilson

We know it was going to happen, as we'd lost Dennis in '83, Carl in '98 but yesterday evening UK Time, it was announced Brian Wilson, the surviving Wilson brother  who with cousin Mike Love and Al Jardine made the Beach Boys died aged 82 years.

They'd been playing as high school kids before going professional in 1962 with following limited local success with Surfin' based around the California sport beloved of teens before recording a series of increasing complex musically and mature lyrically albums despite issues with their record label and abusive father, Murry whose actions didn't just cause mental issues down the line but also deafness in one ear.

Following the decision in late 1964 that Brian would not tour but work at home and in the studio on songs, popular music just expanded its range as in differing ways the Beatles in Great Britain were and in time Rock Music was born. 

If there's one album that you can say really changed things it was Pet Sounds - his favourite sounds - created with a massive group of session musicians and unusual instruments that nobody had ever heard before and with analytical, lyrically complex lyrics.

That's Brian in the control room during the recording of Pet Sounds, directing the whole session.

The group rehearsing their vocals added on extra tracks on what by today's standards was primitive 8 track studio recorders.

The album had its issues, some feeling it strayed too far from their traditional sounds, a lot of stresses coming from their record company that under promoted it in the States preferring to push a Best of compilation although it Great Britain it was a massive seller, lauded by many of that countries musicians.

No sooner than that album was out Brian was working on sounds literally recording, cutting and splicing bits to make what many feel is the greatest single of all time, Good Vibrations which those brits made a number 1 for two weeks.

The attempt to make SMiLE, the follow up to Pet Sounds the same way not helped by the use of in vogue drugs caused not merely the cancellation nine months on of the album but a major mental health breakdown for Brian who pulled away for a long from having much to do the Beach Boys beyond a contribution here or there to an album.

In time with some missteps, Brian got the help he needed to be more engaged with music and even do some touring both solo and with the group.

The legacy is one of initially of fine vocal harmonies, pushing the envelope of what music for teens and young adults could be and with others such as the Beatles, Who, Jefferson Airplane what became Rock Music, not just music with a beat to sing along to and dance.

Thank you Brian for everything and the many albums of your group I so love playing.

Taking a summer breather

 

Hardly the best weeks emotionally with the legendary Grump being unwell with a lot more to do around the place plus all the usual outburst and that to deal with so it's hardly surprising that what spare moments have been available being up, on the job from around a quarter of Six in the morning have been more around creature comforts such as my plushies and reading comics which you can just put down after a few pages and just resume.

I have a mixture of a few originals of comic or tv series and a number of more recently acquired ones both new-old or newer ones such as the modern icon that is Shaun the Sheep.

This time of year especially I tend to miss the sheer variety of comic summer specials we had in the seventies and eighties even though with the latter decade we lost a number of classic girls titles as the market was moving to a more Tween magazine style for the girl who wanted to ape her older sister who had Jackie and Just 17 for star gossip, tips and relationships stuff.

New copies and the "right to comment"

Back with a post kind of linked to the previous but in some respects a little different in the week the Donald was told he lacked the Authority on many but all his tariffs by a court, clearly acting out of the constitution. What a naughty little boy!

There often is lovely discourse in music and especially audiophile circles about what constitutes "the best" version of an album and if you read through page after page it's obvious there can be a major difference in what people or prioritizing or perhaps the copy that works best on their stereo systems.

Take this the 2017 half speed mastered version of Roxy Music's classic 1982 Avalon album that beyond the title track included the top ten single More Than This which some feel is a bit bland but many others like.

I have an American Warner Bros original that I was able get in great shape and yes I am happy with it, but having heard this edition I'd say it was a very decent copy obviously lacks wear and can be replaced by the shop if there's any issue.

One person suggested the only comments that should be accepted about how it sounds are by those who have compared at least another edition and ideally several.

If you were talking about a review then that kind of approach would make sense being able contrast and compare any difference you observe but a casual reflection on how having talked about the new version coming out a person posts there thoughts having just received their copy really you don't.

Naturally the kind of super fan with multiple copies is into the comparison, the "is this worth picking up?" aspect but really so long as you're upfront about it being your only copy it's crazy to deny it.

We don't all have multiple copies - storage issues would increase if you took that approach - and many of us can recall just going into a shop and getting the version that was available even for older titles and provided we felt it was great sounding and we obviously loved the music we were satisfied with that.

Many people are getting into (or back to) vinyl and "more than good enough" new copies are well worth picking up when they can be had for modest prices.

In the end it's only an opinion and the one that matters most is yours.

Brothers In Arms...again

The last time I wrote about Dire Straits, the rock group and not the state of my purse would of been late 2019 when I was building up a collection of super audio cds and slowly their recordings were coming out in that format.

This week reminds me a little of when I went to my summer holiday around this time in 1985 when after a couple of years there seemed to be a real buzz around the Compact Disc since its introduction and So Far Away was played a lot on the radio.

That was the lead single from Brothers In Arms, the new Dire Straits album and this was for many the gateway album to get a cd player and a few discs one reason being the songs run for longer on the cd (but then they also did on the Chrome cassette) and in time I got the cd with those versions.

That was very much it until I got the sacds.

These days I do play a lot of vinyl and I always wanted to hear those other versions so hearing the record as in a single lp was being reissued at start of this month I picked it ip.

Cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road, London from the tapes this sounds more analogue and in some ways being more concise does suit it.

It also avoids the four side changes of modern full length versions spread over two records.

I'm pleased to get this version.

On the appointment of Pope Leo

The last week has been a warm one and as mentioned it was a rather busy week for news that we really couldn't keep up with it.

Following the death of Pope Francis in rather less time than it's taking the Anglican Church to organize the appointment it's most senior Bishop, the Cardinals have appointed a new head of the Roman Catholic church.

Robert Prevost was selected and has chosen the styling Pope Leo XIV (14th) and he is an american by birth, widely travelled, speaks several languages fluently and appears to share many of his predecessors concerns coupled with the more humble approach to the role, being more of a bridge-builder with the more modern secularized world.

Concerns over the handling of historic sexual abuse issues, excessive influence in some countries running and long running issues around the role of women and place of lgbt people within the wider church and internally have had an impact on membership, extent to which people are less likely to just follow papal teaching and church attendances.

That was something Pope Francis made some headway with, joining in discussion about things that faith and belief plays a part in such as stewardship of our planet and its environment that some while not attending Mass as often in the past do care about as well as social justice generally.

Much of my family are Roman Catholic, the reminder being Anglo-Catholic so it's pretty much home for me, some of those values show in my views around certain topics in much the same way I am sure your beliefs do in what you do but values matter.

VE Day reflections

 

Yesterday was VE Day and while its politics aren't mine Phillip Zac was a brilliant cartoonist the Daily Mirror employed during WW2 whose cartoon are easily the most iconic and at times moving of that era, really getting the emotions.

For me this cartoon speaks volumes not just of the sentiments of many of that generation but really invites us to think about what it means when we consider the millions of lives lost, the destruction of so many towns and cities that it took us here in the U.K. decades to really recover from and the massive economic price paid: For Freedom.

Our Freedom

The Freedom of hundreds of Millions in Europe as imperfect as that peace proved to be

To strive to ensure it Never Happens Again

To co-operate to help each other and resolve our differences peacefully.

Some trends in our world, the war in Ukraine, disengagement from being a force for diplomatic good by the United States and indifference to the difference N.A.T.O. has made keeping Europe free and in the main peaceful are very worrying.

We should NEVER lose it again.

Another one bites the dust

A new month almost a year on from the General Election, four month near enough from the arrival of one Donald J. Trump in the White House and we return to more current affairs.

We are in Staffordshire, specifically Greater Stoke on Trent an area radically changed in a half century into a if not the world centre of Pottery production with a massive legacy in that regard beyond Coal mining and Iron and Steel production which we had a good deal of.

Changing dining habits, the increased use of dishwasher leading to less specialized crockery being bought, competition from much cheaper labour countries, wholesale "dumping" at below cost foreign production and monsterous hikes in energy prices which firing wares in the kiln has seen decimation over recent years.

Late Wednesday it was announced the famous Moorcroft pottery with a very long history is set to close as the impact of energy costs and, yes, the impact of Tariffs on U.S. sales, a major sales area for speciality ware which they produce.
 

 It is sad the brand and its wear will be lost beyond obviously the loss of jobs but as this continues it is bound to have an impact on skills which in order to maintain the industry are needed to be taught both in college and also in the workplace.

End of month away thoughts

 

It's Friday, no scrub that it's really Thursday when I've written this post as I was out this morning getting a few things from town as I'll be away from today to the end of the of the week end with all the delays and that which come with having a life beyond Angels Continuity and SH.tv.

With all that's been going on in the adult world that we've covered on this blog, talked about on forums and a few other things on my mind that, with regret I am unable to state,  I need a break just get away from all of that and do something far more relaxing which would help my mental health too.

It was St. Georges on Wednesday and while at school we did mark it with readings about his life and raised the flag on our flag pole, it seems little is done in our communities today to just mark the occasion in the way others do, quite rightly for their Patron Saints and the like. 

Just why that is is something I find puzzling given how much attention is paid to identity as an issue in modern life.

Grown up discourse

 

Plenty of things being talked about in the grown up world without much clarity as ever from what a "peace deal" in Ukraine may look like and how everyone involved might feel about it to the reverberations from the Supreme Court in the UK deciding that as far the 2010 Equality Act was concerned the intended meaning of the term Woman was that of a biologically female which sticking my old "legal hat" on is pretty much what most of us in that area would say with no intended slight to anyone who is or may be from a gender point of view different to that of their at birth sex and with recognition of their struggles.

In most respects being socially your gender is the main thing, we seldom have to prove biological basis in everyday life, for those who formally transition a Gender Recognition Certificate acknowledges the path we have been along providing a basis for reissuing birth certificates and passports to match to make getting by easier.

The issues around changing rooms, restroom provision and so do need working through as even for some who are not trans they don't always work out well.

Women complain about restrooms being forever occupied, increasing numbers of men are wanting separate cubicles, dads with tiny tots need changing areas while taking them out, disabled people like me find our facilities misused or often out of order.

Rather than having bolt ons, perhaps we need to rethink how we provide things for all of us and work though things like changing rooms such as in hospitals or fitness centres to provide more privacy and separate access to each.

Facilities in some of our towns and cities are getting worse when it comes to public toilets.

There is a concern, much understood given the amount of disrespect and actual verbal abuse I get for being disabled by "the normals" that in directing sex back to biological basis it leads to some, a small proportion admittedly to target anyone at variance.

It is variance these cowards target wither its sexuality, having a white stick, gender difference, being autistic, having a physical disability and so on. Staying in only rewards them and doesn't help all of us who are targeted one or more aspect of our lives we have little control over.

We need in everyday life a combination of  a live and let live attitude and an understanding that where we do share spaces of understanding each others needs and concerns and less them and us.

It's the world economy, stupid?

 It's not all stopped or paused for ninety days but good god almighty what a week we've all been through with the suited baby with all the vocabulary of  six year old minus the fluency crashing the markets, removing stability by the hour.

The whole business of ever increasing tariffs between China and the United States currently over 104% and 84% respectively with neither side prepared back of and agree to look into the issues around dumping things such as steel at below cost and barriers to trade through diplomatic means.

It is like watching to kids in the park threatening and counter threatening each other as the atmosphere gets uglier and uglier as one by one we all leave the park losing out.

It never really works.

In so far far as elsewhere goes, the pause is to be welcomed but even the 10% we were due to pay still would of adversely affected UK Exports and from the Jobs not least here in the Midlands with the Car and Pottery industries.

The 25% on things from the EU and the threat of retaliatory actions would impact us as we still trade a fair bit with the EU as much as post Brexit the volume has dropped by at least a third and the basis for the figures seems...muddled.

One can only hope this breather is used constructively to set up proper talks to explore with independent trade exports how these disagreements can be resolved with less damaging measures. 

Governance  by chaos???

Messing up the economy Donald style...

Was it that long ago back in June 1983 I took my Economics examination in three papers and from a week or two later had no lessons to attend until school was out for good?

We were in throws of major changes as banks and building societies started to do what had been each others bespoke activities, public sector businesses were being prepared for privatization and if they were not profitable, being shut down.

Globalization and trade liberalization were the new order of the day even on the financial markets because it was believed by all but the hard political left competition on a global scale lead to greater efficiency, lower prices and greater prosperity than shoring up anything any once country did where there was no competitive advantage in the same.

Now on Wednesday President Trump, leader of the country that really pushed that philosophy, signalled he was having none of it sticking protective tariffs from 10% to 34% beyond individual whole world tariffs on sectors such as Steel or Automobiles of some 25%

It is on the face of it fragrant violation of the rules of trade the WTO (World Trade Organization) expect of members that include the United States and is likely beyond legal action likely to result in retaliatory measures and a full blown trade war.

How ____ irresponsible in a time of global recession can you get when we need to grow the global economic cake, finding work for those without and getting major infrastructure works done to aid it in individual countries. 

And actually protectionism doesn't work. You just  waste your GDP sustaining inefficiencies.

Inappropriate Representives

 Well I will be off for the weekend so before I do we'd better get this post done I think.

Something that has concerned me for a good while in modern politics is the manner representatives communicate information to others

Instances that stick out in my mind were the Tameside Labour Whats App group that verbally insulted members of the public who complained about various policies that also included a Member of Parliament where no member ever questioned what was being said within that group.

It was as of they'd forgotten the responsibility that comes with political office and were just like students taking the mickey out of those they represent and ignorant that they had in effect published remarks which carry the same constraints in law as in publication such as a election leaflet.

Of course this week the totally bizarre world of Donald Trump's administration has been in the news again for using Signal, an app to discuss military action around the Somali coast as shipping makes its way towards the Suez Canal.

While the plans were not technically restricted in most circumstances given it was a live operation it would of been "Classified".

Apart from the odd idea to add a reporter to this group, one member was working in Moscow on talks  so would having this on end of his smartphone be great?

Even more troubling was the casual banality of the discussion that didn't show any awareness that you were committing U.S. forces lives  to actions that could result in loss of life, much of the comments being more suited to the chat room of a gaggle of kids playing war games.

Thirdly, government decisions are Confidential: I had to go on data handling courses to make sure I know the levels of confidentiality, how to carry documents, procedures if anything were lost and yes keeping your mouth shut yet they're just yapping away.

The numbers of times I see ministers here breaching the very guidance we were given and faced a "dressing down" for if we made a mistake is shocking.

Given the administrations reaction to this with flat out lies, you might wonder if that sign has any truth in it

Of retaping and a replacement

Following a little on from last week's post spring cleaning an area I have been dealing with is redoing a few older tapes as some of those older tapes had wear and other issues including being missing.

Simultaneous to that I had been sorting out the cd shelves moving some discs down here as I'm spending more time downstairs and in the instance of my REO Speedwagon cds there always was one whose sound I'd been never really impressed by.

Something went wrong with the mixing with this album as has flabby ill defined bass and muted top in places and the UK version of lp wasn't much good so was replaced by Dutch copy that used the American parts to make  the pressings that was much better.

By 1989 compact discs were very much a thing and I was buying cd copies of albums starting with those I originally bought on cassette and so when came to getting a couple of titles I had on record I had to wait to the summer before U.S. versions came out.

When it came to the puntastic You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish, the only copy I saw was the european copy that came out in the mid 80's.

That sounded nearly as bad as the first lp I had. Maybe it used the same source?

What until recently I didn't realize was there was a U.S. version  in that series I did get and I managed to track one down and it does sound much better.

Going for a moment back to cassettes the first cassettes I made of the lp only material were done of genuine BASF Chrome Super and later redone in late 1987 to Maxell XLII but those left the house in the late 1990's as they were superseded as I thought by MiniDiscs.

The tapes have been redone on Maxell XLII-S and UDII type two tapes minus noise reduction, the way back in the early 1980's I did them sounding really good.

The past never goes away, it just returns.

Spring clean

Well it was my birthday last week and actually I have found a few of my MIA kitty plushies from that rather intense, full on period in early 2023 and actually I've been pretty much busy with some spring cleaning here from packaging that was tossed and lost to items that simply re no longer wanted but taking up much needed space.

Then there's the seemed like a good idea 4 cd 8 album box set by sax player John Coltrane that just didn't sound so good so for my birthday that was replaced and some of the missing albums from that initial set added.

The five disc Rock and Roll cd set I bought in 1992 with vintage Wurlitzer Jukebox illustrations came to light so I replaced the cases for something slimmer and moved them downstairs so I can play them here where they would be appreciated rather more.

They just ended up partly covered by a wooden rack over the decades.

And actually it feels good to have gotten all this done!
 

New month and remaking something from the past

 It is a New month this entry and I might just say a new season too as I saw a robin on Wednesday afternoon putting in an appearance.

Things shooting up after the cold months always warms my insides up even in these rather worrying times.

 

One thing I did do this week was remake this pre-recorded tape that had got very stiff over the years so the first step was to find a great blank tape of the right length to use so opted for a early 90's still wrapped Maxell UD1-cd.

The tape basically is the same as the SX1 but in a see through shell but is a super ferric that will take high signal levels and is quite quiet when it comes to noise.

Actually it was one of the best tapes of the era IF you had a recorder that could fully exploit its potential which is where using the Aiwa three headed deck with fully adjustable sensitivity and bias settings acquired last year came into play.

Making sure the high notes were clear even with Dolby B type noise reduction in was easier to achieve as you could hear it in real time and setting the record level to peak at +6 kept noise right down and was close to the originals.

I did add the song Monochrome which was the b side of the single Big Apple on side one to even out the sides.

It turned out extremely well.

End of Winter edition

Well last day of Winter by some definitions and the build up towards the around the sun event in just over a weeks time and yesterday we had bumble bee being struck by heavy rain in midflight as he was buzzing between the hedge that separates our house from our neighbours for a good half hour at least before hand.

The daffodils are out here too, heralding the spring that is to come as are the snowdrops where actually we do have a famous Snowdrop Walk.

 

 We do have some unfinished business on this blog following being away until very late last week that I intend to catch up with but with sustaining a fall, I do have to be mindful of overdoing things and causing additional complications.

We're back!

 

 We're back even if the lower arm to just above the fingers is very bruised following the magic carpet incident at LG Camp when I went flying and few others fell down stairs which in view of the fact my BFF fell getting off a train, hurting her knee and taking a pair of tights to boot perhaps is suggesting we're great at falling and that being a bit wobbly on our feet.

I've always been a bit wobbly under paw from childhood to be honest with you.

But beyond that it was a great time that wasn't a sit indoors winter get together but something more active and outward directed as much as I'm reading my comics while I recover from the accident.

I had a Now Yearbook for 1998 waiting for me, a preorder to pay for and a record needing a good cleaning but holding promise beyond a few letters and that.

A cold trip out for a few days

 So I'm preparing a post for this blog and there are a few a few things going on like a widening of one social media account to cover a few related points in their own way that in a previous blog life there had been some posts around but because of issues with cross linking and plowing through profiles I decided it was best removed.

It's also the case I'm literally one the move today as its Littles camp and I've a train to catch so I've got this done before I went through the front door.

It has got a bit cold this week - was around one degree c yesterday morning - so thicker socks and more layers are called for although I do have warm padded jackets for outdoors and woollen hats for exploring around and about.

I did get a used speciality record that came out some thirteen years ago by Rickie Lee Jones, namely her excellent debut album of 1979 but in a 45 rpm cut super high quality form that I missed out on then with both budget constraints and a a certain scepticism that my then stereo could make all it may have to offer.

Perhaps you remember that hit, Chuck, He's In Love?

I'm delighted to get a copy from a proper record store in Cornwall that does mail order  that knows how to package things well and it sounds great with the much improved system now.

The end of UK Angels

 

No, I'm not feeling like lobbing a snowball about today although it's rather cool out but after a good many decades one forum I have had continuous membership of will be closing on February 28 and so transitional arrangements as befits a well run establishment are being formed and I have made my own arrangements.

UK Angels was my home given my gender past since around 2005/6 although in 2008 I did lose my login stuff inexplicably so my account migrated from majorclanger to majorclanger1 where amongst things I arranged my first ever Tg meet up in real life in a town in mid cheshire we both knew.

It was where I learned about how the Law applies to Tg/Tgurls, how to deal with situations such as encountering the Police as this did concern Mom rather a lot at the time, what facilities you could expect to use and what your rights were.

It wasn't all Tgurl/Tg news and discussion although we did talk about issues, our preferences when it came to presenting "en femme" and where to by it from NOT from "Tat For Trannies" as we satirized a well known Tg/Tv supplier at the time who advertised in the popular press and whose owner had a tv feature or two on her.

There was a lively discussion about music in it's own sub forum where we had a number of people really knowledgeable about music and for a period "T Music" was a thing in an age of 96kbps mp3 downloads.

It was there where we did discuss various subcultures such as "sissy" and where I struggling with having a younger LG side and a Bigger side I came out and people accepted me as that hybrid which was deeply moving.

That paved the way for me to find groups that were LG and my excursions while not heavily pushed were known as a part which was touched on in this blog that started mainly for the Angels (and some folk at a music forum).

It is sad it is closing, part down to litigious attitudes by various bodies, more people using social media  and also upcoming legal changes but I have joined our continuation Reddit private group as Facebook is just too open for stuff you don't want family and the General Public to know just escaping.

As we say today "What is seen cannot be unseen" and things are screenshot and passed about too easily so a private group is much better.

Now 12 inch 80's Pt.III

We're going back to the summer, July actually of 2024 and last entry when Now decided to make this series into a game of two halves per year so our format changed and we move from 1983 to 1984, the year George Orwell had a lot to say about.

As with all the others in series the presentation, just folded card with tracklistings could of been better but this new volume is jam packed with so many great hits in their longer mixes.

This collection showcases the diversity of the era, with genres including synth-pop, alt-pop, disco, hi-nrg, electro, and hip-hop, featuring the essential 12" mixes, that ruled the charts and the dance-floor. 

It was an era where I'd grovel through the boxes of just dropping out the chart 12 singles and come home with a handfull often for half price or even less and drop the stylus down on them.

Disc One opens with Queen’s timeless ‘I Want To Break Free’, in its’ extended mix and beginning a run of 1984 Pop gold such as Alison Moyet’s Top 10 debut ‘Love Resurrection (Love Injected Mix)’, and Duran Duran’s ‘New Moon On Monday’ the poster for was one my bedroom wall back then are followed by Culture Club, who scored a huge worldwide hit on 12” single with ‘It’s A Miracle / Miss Me Blind’ and Bananarama, who delivered a Top 3 smash with ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting’. 

More gems feature from Matthew Wilder with ‘Break My Stride’ that I'd first heard in late 1983 as an american hit, Ray Parker Jr.’s blockbuster soundtrack theme ‘Ghostbusters (Extended Mix)’, and Nik Kershaw’s ‘The Riddle’, with Howard Jones with a thoughtful new synth sound and Ultravox bringing the first disc to a close. 

Disc Two is a celebration of electro-dance, hi-nrg and 80’s disco, kicking off with Freddie Mercury’s synth classic ‘Love Kills’ and Shannon’s electro classic ‘Let The Music Play’, apersonal favourite that still sounds as fresh today as it did in ‘84. 

Sister Sledge feature with the 1984 Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers Remix of their peerless ‘Lost In Music’, a hit originally from 1979, while The Pointer Sisters' ‘Jump (For My Love)’ and Dead Or Alive’s cover of ‘That’s The Way (I Like It)’ were guaranteed floor-fillers. 

Hi-NRG made a huge chart impact in 1984 – and the 12” single was made for the genre with its longer playing time – Bronski Beat and Laura Branigan feature alongside early chart smashes for production team Stock, Aitken & Waterman from Divine with ‘You Think You’re A Man’ and Hazell Dean with ‘Whatever I Do’. 

The genre defining anthem ‘High Energy’ from Evelyn Thomas ruled the clubs dance-floors, and the disc still has room for party favourite ‘It’s Raining Men’ from The Weather Girls and Kim Wilde’s synth-pop hidden gem ‘The Touch’. 

Disc Three opens on the dancefloor with soulful vocals and electro beats from Chaka Khan’s ‘I Feel For You’, followed by Womack & Womack’s ‘Love Wars’ and the sublime full-length version of Jocelyn Brown’s ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’ that I loved. 

The often-sampled old-school hip-hop of The World’s Famous Supreme Team and Grandmaster Melle Mel’s ‘White Lines (Don’t Do It)’ are up next ahead of Nick Heyward’s pop-dance essential ‘Warning Sign’ with its two raps, and synth gold from Tears For Fears and Scritti Politti. 

The remainder of the disc celebrates some of the years’ greatest alt-pop 12”’s, featuring Propaganda’s incredible ‘Das Testament Des Dr Mabuse’, Cocteau Twins with the sublime ‘Pearly Dewdrops’ Drops’ and Echo and the Bunnymen’s stunning ‘The Killing Moon’. 

Finally onto Disc Four and it delivers a charged mix of iconic chart gold:- Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s 9 week #1 ‘Two Tribes (Annihilation)’ opens a stellar run featuring Duran Duran’s epic 12” of ‘The Wild Boys’ (and who doesn't forget its memorable video) and Spandau Ballet’s ‘Only When You Leave’. 

Paul Young’s  powerful ‘I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down’ is next, and leads into Adam Ant’s superb ‘Apollo 9 (Francois K Splashdown Mix)’ where he attempted a comeback. ‘Up On The Catwalk’ from Simple Minds originally on the Sparkle In The Rain album has a great extended version and synth-pop essentials from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark with ‘Tesla Girls’, Blancmange with ‘Don’t Tell Me’ Alphaville’s ‘Big In Japan’, and Howard Jones second appearance on this collection with the ‘International Mix’ of ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’ leads this set to its’ conclusion – not only 1984’s biggest selling single, but at the time the U.K.’s biggest ever seller – ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ from Band Aid in its full 12” mix.

Come April the second volume appeared with an additional 46 tracks.

The same presentation lacking any background was used which remains a pity with the whole series.

Disc One opens with the long mix of Wham!’s ‘Freedom’ opening a stellar run of huge chart hits. Culture Club’s ‘The War Song’, is followed by Nena’s worldwide #1, ‘99 Red Balloons’, followed by Eurythmics, New Order and Scritti Politti. Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder’s classic ‘Together In Electric Dreams’ in it’s extended mix, along with the 12” version of ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’ from Ultravox are enduring synth-pop classics – and rounding off the disc ’84 Pop gold from Spandau Ballet, Alison Moyet, Bananarama and Elton John.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘5-weeks at #1’ smash ‘Relax’ needs little introduction, and opens Disc Two with its ‘New York Mix’. Bronski Beat’s powerful and poignant ‘Smalltown Boy’ is up next along with celebratory Hi-NRG and electro from Hazell Dean, Deniece Williams’ ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’, and the 12” remix of The Pointer Sisters’ ‘Automatic’. A run of synth-driven gems from Peter Schilling, The Art Of Noise, ABC, Re-Flex, Talk Talk and Fiction Factory conclude the disc in style.

Disc Three is packed with pure pop brilliance, opening with Duran Duran’s worldwide #1 hit ‘The Reflex’ in its iconic Dance Mix. Nik Kershaw scored a huge hit with ‘I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’, Kim Wilde’s hits continued with ‘The Second Time’ and Limahl’s ‘Never Ending Story’ was one of the most memorable film themes of the decade, here in its 12” Dance Mix. Simple Minds and Soft Cell lead into classic alt-pop tracks from The Stranglers (‘Skin Deep’), Echo & The Bunnymen (‘Silver’), The Icicle Works with the long version of ‘Love Is A Wonderful Colour’, and Swans Way with the 12” mix of the stunning ‘Soul Train’.

Ending the set, Disc Four opens with legends, Paul McCartney with the extended version of ‘No More Lonely Nights’, and Tina Turner with ‘Better Be Good To Me’. Some of ‘84’s biggest floor-fillers including ‘Just Be Good To Me’ from The S.O.S Band, and ‘Running With The Night’ from Lionel Richie are featured along with jazz, latin and electro infused dance pop from Shakatak, Miami Sound Machine and Ollie & Jerry respectively. Rockwell’s timeless ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’ leads into two synth ballads to close the collection in their extended versions: ‘Talking Loud And Clear’ from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, and the beautiful ‘Hide And Seek’ from Howard Jones.

Our last entry: Now 12" 1983

Looking Up with Ringo

While a storm ranges around us here, something of another sort of storm from the one who started out drumming for Rory Storm before taking over from Pete Best to be the Beatles drummer before upon that bands end, issuing a good number of solo albums and singles.

A few days ago Ringo released a brand-new country music album, 'Look Up', produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. This is an stunning collection features 11 original songs, recorded this year in Nashville and Los Angeles.

The story goes Ringo asked one of his acquaintances to write a song for his next EP. That friend later returned with nine tunes, all with a country flavour and instead of selecting just one, he decided he liked all of them, which led to him recording each one and turning it into his first album for six years. 

With assistance from Molly Tuttle, guitarist Billy Strings, Alison Krauss, four piece Indie band Lucius and sister duo Larkin Poe, Ringo realises his love of country music by issuing his first LP of such in over five decades since a Beaucoup Of Blues in 1970.

Time On My Hands is the most played track on the likes of Boom Radio, being a great advertisement for just how well these songs and the arrangements really suit his voice making this one of his best solo albums ever and one I'd strongly recommend on its own merits.

Albums we loved - The Shadows Greatest Hits

 

Well it was a very much Brrr weekend here  with quite a few inches of snow and temperatures dropping below minus seven degrees  beyond the internet mess referred to on last weeks rather brief post so apart from there being none of the usual internet based stuff to be engaged with something did come that didn't rely on that.

If you're a Britisher Cliff Richard and the Shadows need no introduction, they are a building block of british rock and roll and our much bigger than you might think place in the world of popular music in the last century and this.

Cliff was the first major breakout artist, no disrespects intended to the likes of Marty Wilde, father of the great Kim Wilde having row after row of major hits, commercial and critically acclaimed films before the Beatles and the DC5 did and even got substantial albums in an era where it was mainly film soundtracks, stage shows and compilations that made the pop lp charts.

The Shadows were his backing band, originally entitled The Drifters but changed as that clashed with the American excellent Drifters soul group but by 1960 had started to develop a collection of tunes of their own that radically changed the sound of electric guitar playing, added highly choreographed routines on stage, making even hard bitten critics sit up and pay attention to how good popular music could be.

They had solo hits, even #1's in the UK, some on their own projects, others tied to Cliffs films and featured on the successful soundtrack albums of The Young Ones, Summer Holiday and others  and in 1963 they were rounded up in the massive selling Shadows Greatest Hits album.

Although I had borrowed this album a number of times, by the time I decided to get a selection of this music and that of Cliff's I had bought the early 1970's World Records box set of Cliff and the Shadows that covered 1958 to 1972 and then added a few compilations of Cliff's on compact disc.

What drew me back to this set was it is a perfect summary of what was so great about those early shadows tracks and that these are the original mono mixes we had then, singles on Columbia, their label around 1970/71 only switching to stereo.

The edition I got uses the  same metal parts as the original 1963 pressings but was issued around 1967/8 going by the tinted advertising inner sleeve showing albums of that era in their mono and stereo where issued forms.

The catalogue number on the disc had changed from 33SX1522 to SX1522 reflecting the switch in prefixes as stereo records back in the early sixties being a luxury special offering to as that decade ended to being the norm with less mono discs being issued even if the jacket carried over the old prefix.

Oddly enough the album was not issued in the UK on record in stereo until 1974 although in the early 70's stereo cassette and eight tracks were issued bough three tracks were issued in so-called "electronically reprocessed for stereo" as the original had never been mixed to stereo.

Listening to this with the excellence of their playing coupled with the memories of these tunes has been most enjoyable.