Royal Oak

The Uranium joke made me laugh out loud.

Does this count? I get the feeling they are in some kind of telescope tower observing alien visitors....

I agree - it's so terribly upper middle class (or whatever the new classification is - elite?)

I find all celebrity / TV gardeners to be insufferable. The exception, bizarrely, is Titchmarsh, given that he's essentially a parody of himself.

Didn't know that. If you didn't have a job you could watch it every morning on Channel 4.

"Now listen kid, vinyl doesn't sound better than CD....."

Been watching Alan Bleasdale's "GBH". I remember enjoying this when it was first broadcast in 1991, but I've been surprised at how much I didn't get first time round, mainly that Michael Murray's character was at least as much sinned-against than sinning. I seem to recall viewing him as a cartoon villain to Michael Palin's hero. Now I feel much more for him, while Palin irritates me somewhat. I was also surprised at the general fecklessness of the husband / father figures in the show (Murray, Murray's brother, Jim Nelson and the Michael Angelis character) Amazing what 22 years and fatherhood will do to you.

Relax girls, they're married....

I had a look in my "Keeper of the Flame - Modern Jazz in Manchester 1946-1972" book - there is a photo of Sonny at Club 43 on April 29th 1967 but no other info available. I imagine if anyone knows the answer it would be the author Bill Birch, especially with the info you already have. I can't find an email address on the net, but I recall his son registered on the board when the book came out - think his username is Julian Birch. Edit to add - it's JulianBirch, but he only ever made the one post. May be of some help?

Thanks Hans - brilliant as always.

Is that Wagner on the shirt? as i recall Bach wasn't the only thing switched! Mm-hmm..........

Walter Carlos, the man behind Switched On Bach, has an interesting life story.

When I used to work on a dementia ward, we had that poster on the wall at the nurses station! Haven't seen it in years!

I like this cover, FWIW

Hans - I'll take the Stanley. Can't have too much Sonny Clark

Your cover is not showing? Maybe you're right though. . Maybe personally, I just have a highly sensitive paranoid 'smug' meter that goes off in my head. Perhaps anyone mugging for the camera with a happy and content face can be projected onto as 'smug'. So maybe a bit of 'poetic' licence to the term smug. But every time I look at these covers and think of 'smug' I can't help laughing. Especially those Classical ones Now that Mahavishnu/Devadip album. That is the worst kind of 'smug'. It is 'passive aggressive' smug . I have involuntarily sworn at that cover ever since I first seen it when I was about 14. Thank God they marginalised Larry Young on the packaging/project Orrin Keepnews is the winner. I agree. Rieu is 'smug'. Jeez I hope his 15minutes are over. Having never heard of the Mahavishnu album, I found one at a car boot sale yesterday. I had a little chuckle to myself as I flicked past it.

Is it me or is Sir John anxious to fend off that hand job? I've looked long and hard at this cover, and I agree, he's not really looking forward to his birthday present. You know what's weird? This cover image was photo-shopped. If you google for different cover images, you can see that her abdomen isn't actually disappearing (as if Scotty is beaming her up to the Enterprise) as it is in this image. I guess they thought the original was too sexy: I see it - they have her hand on a fake arm of the sofa. For my post I pulled a random Ebay shot - it seems like the other listings have the unedited image. Another reason to say "uuuh?"

John again. My son has this picture on his bedroom wall - I don't know how he sleeps under the weight of JL's disdain

Is it me or is Sir John anxious to fend off that hand job? I've looked long and hard at this cover, and I agree, he's not really looking forward to his birthday present.

Eewwww.....

^ Good call!

Look at the size of that woman's hand

You'd be smug if you could balance 3 inches of cigar ash......

I pour scorn on your feeble attempt to photograph me....