Royal Oak

Yes it is.

Another new arrival today, in unplayed condition:

Thanks, I will definitely be checking out more

New arrival today, in tremendous condition. I think it may be my very first Bennie Green album.

I bought a copy of that album some months ago on Ebay. Described as "VG+/VG+", it arrived looking like it had been skimmed across tarmac a few times, and the back was rubber-stamped "STOLEN FROM SCIPIO COLLINS" in 5 places.

Lark - it's a source of some embarrassment that I failed my English Lit A level. I remember thinking much of the syllabus was either dull (Austen, Dickens, Shakespeare) or utterly incomprehensible (John Donne, Chaucer). Out teacher tried to pass on her obvious interest and enthusiasm, but to paraphrase Morrissey, "it said nothing to me about my life". I look forward to seeing what my son will be lumbered with when he reaches the English Literature stage of his schooling - year 7 now, so I presume it will be another year or so. Bill - my literary tastes, like my musical tastes, are firmly rooted in the 20th century, so I'm unlikely to try Fielding. In fact, much of my choice of reading material is based on what I find at charity shops.

My English A level was scuppered by Mansfield Park and metaphysical poetry.

Sorry, I meant the current setup. £9 is a steal! I'd go every week just for the scalp massage at that price.

How much does all that cost?

Anyone here have their ear hair burnt off at the barbers?. My ear hair grows embarrassingly quickly these days, and I have to get the electric razor in there once a week. I'm sorely tempted to visit the local Turkish barber.

I've just finished J G Ballard's "Crash". I really didn't like it. Repetitive and not at all engaging, which may be the whole point I suppose.

1986, which is very difficult viewing at times, is a masterpiece IMO. 1988 and 1990 are not as good, but still well worth watching though.

I was listening to that very LP this evening! Not so keen on side 1 (the organ side) but side 2 is good - a nice "Django".

To my shame (Russell Brand once said that in rehab, one could safely confess to ANY example of egregious behavior, provided one prefaced it with those three words) I have never owned or listened to any version of "A Love Supreme".

There was a feature on Joddrell Bank on the BBC North West news tonight. I wasn't paying much attention until I heard Monk playing "Straight No Chaser" on the audio. One not infrequently hears jazz on BBC programming, I think it's cheap because it's out of copyright. Almost all of it sounds rather incongruous to me - you might hear "Dat Dere" playing behind documentaries about local councils or consumer programmes, It's a little disconcerting to hear Monk on national TV.

Yes, my mistake, it's "Erotica". Exotica, Erotica, Eroica.......

I found what appears to be an unplayed copy of John Gordon's "Exotica Suite".

The most famous brand in Britain also made full use of the nautical allusions: Captain Birdseye was a household name in the 70s. Don't know if he is still used - I buy supermarket own brand. "Sea" bass is something which bugs me greatly. When I was a lad (and I'm a good few years younger than fish fingers), bass that came out of the sea was just called bass. I don't know why it became "sea" bass. I always felt it was an affectation of culinary types, like calling mash "country mash", or calling gravy "jus".

About 200 pages in now, and I'm still not sure how it is offensive. I guess the knock on Rand is that the plot is contrived, the characters wooden, and the philosophy a paean to utter selfishness. OTOH, she has many acolytes, so I suppose you'll have to read through and decide for yourself. Still going, around 450 pages in now. I can only manage 10-20 pages at a time. I will finish, to claim the right to say I actually read it. I should have given the other side, and said that her beleivers view her as the philosopher of rugged individualism, free enterprise, capitalism and limited government. Anyway, what do you think of the book? I am trying not to let the politics of the author influence my feelings. The characters are very one-dimensional; the heroes and heroine are good-looking, intelligent and honest, while the moochers and looters are badly-dressed, with weak chins and shifty eyes, and whine a lot. The plot is a little far-fetched, though to be fair, no worse than most Dystopian future novels. All in all, I find it rather po-faced.

About 200 pages in now, and I'm still not sure how it is offensive. I guess the knock on Rand is that the plot is contrived, the characters wooden, and the philosophy a paean to utter selfishness. OTOH, she has many acolytes, so I suppose you'll have to read through and decide for yourself. Still going, around 450 pages in now. I can only manage 10-20 pages at a time. I will finish, to claim the right to say I actually read it.

I went to the Lowry Museum last Sunday. As well as the Lowry art, there was a collection of photographs of the Salford slums of the early 20th century, complete with quotes from a Robert Roberts. So inspired was I, I ordered a copy of this. Really enjoying it so far.

I got 25/25 before I ran out of time. Both my wife and my mother say I'm colour blind..........