Royal Oak

I was a fan too, in my younger days - all part of the Smiths/Morrissey thing I was in to! What's next Bill - "A Taste Of Honey" or "The L-shaped Room"? I remember the TV adaptation of A Kind Of Loving in the 1980s - didn't it have Joanne Whalley in it? I used to love her.

Coninuing my 60s beat odyssey: The Spencer Davis Group - The Second Album. This I am enjoying. Certainly a much more convincing outfit thatn the Stones.

Tonight I listened to Sgt Pepper. This may be the last Beatles record I ever listen to deliberately. I followed up with "Bert and John" by Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. I quite liked this, but I prefer Davy Graham.

Why do you keep torturing yourself with all this stuff? I can certainly understand not liking it, but you've played the Beatles, Stones, and Kinks within the last week. (We all know the Beatles and Stones suck, but the Kinks at least were great from 1966-1969). I am in the process of selling these albums on Ebay, and so have to listen to them to ensure they're OK. Of the Beatles, I only have Sgt Pepper left to do (I did like this for a while in the early 1990s). There are several more Stones albums and, God help me, "Tommy" and "Dark Side Of The Moon".

Is it a Reprise or a Track label? I got an original Track pressing, not even a NM I would say VG, and it doesn't sound bad at all, actually it sound gorgeous with all pops and clicks in the proper place. It's a Track label. Currently listening to "Aftermath" by the Stones. The older I get, the less seriously I can take the Rolling Stones.

Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Are You Experienced?" This is the original mono album, which I recently inherited. I don't know if it's me or if this copy is shitty (it certainly looks pristine), but it sounds bad. All muffled and distinctly lo-fi in places.

I agree entirely!

Currently slugging my way through "Face To Face" by the Kinks. Having already listened to "The Kinks" and "Beatles For Sale" this evening, I'm very tired of mid-60s beat groups.

George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers (Jazzland)

Avoiding the rest of the white album: Yardbirds - first album.

RD, you really need to find the Ramsey Lewis "Mother Nature's Son" album - all White album tunes with Morton Subotnick-esque moog interludes between tracks. Far better than the Beatles' album. Is it ALL the tracks off the White Album, or just the good ones? I note that Amazon.co.uk has one copy available, at the bargain price of £110. Now listening to Davy Graham - "Folk, Blues and Beyond".

Ramsey Lewis Trio - A Hard Day's Night (more damn Beatles). Quite interesting sleeve notes - my favourite bit: "... the Young Turks of jazz are grimly exploring the wild beyond" Bo Diddley - "Hey! Bo Diddley" That's a primitive sound - not an insult/complaint by the way.

Couldn't face sides 3 and 4 of TFWA, so am working through some Buddy Holly EPs

The fucking White Album I'm only playing it because I'm going to sell it on Ebay and am checking for skips etc. It's pretty hard going so far and I'm only part way through side 2. Edit to add: I'd forgotten just how weak much of this album is. "Piggies", "Rocky Raccoon" and "Don't Pass Me By" make up a pretty desperate sequence. Further edit to add "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" to the above sequence.

"Preposterous bawling" as Cook and Morton once opined!

No. Just live in Didsbury, regional capital of used book and record stores. Aah, I see! I've done the charity shops in Didsbury, but find them pricier than most.

Yes! Sue Ryder charity shop in Edgeley. Sounds like you know something - I'm intrigued.....

Another rare jazz find - Ramsey Lewis 7" "A Hard Days Night" 50p for this one!

Very rare jazz find in a charity shop: George Shearing and the Montgomery Brother (Jazzland) Pee Wee Russell - Swingin' with Pee Wee (Transatlantic, appears to be an imprint of Prestige) £1 each

Just finished "Cancer Ward" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, now on to William Burroughs "Naked Lunch".

OK, as usual I have almost nothing, but here goes: 1. "Mercy Mercy Mercy". I have no idea who this is and I'm not that keen. I couldn't work out why for a while, then I thought - way too much brass in one go for me. 3. "Summertime" obviously. The alto sounds vaguely familiar, a bit Sonny Criss-like, but I've never heard a Sonny Criss organ record. The organist sounds "old-timey", not a Jimmy Smith-type; again no clue. 4. I love this! It has a very English sound, to me anyway. Conjures up sunny Sunday afternoons, village greens and all that. Is the guitarist Martin Taylor? 6. The alto sounds like Johnny Hodges, but I don't think it is - not quite sweet enough. 7. "Green Onions". The organist is dirty! Don't know who though. 8. I heard the needle drop. "Moonlight Serenade". This is bugging me, must be 1960s, it has that Prestige vibe.. I KNOW I have heard this organist before, but I can't think who it is. I'm going to kick myself I'm sure. 12. Another needle drop, another 1960s sounding recording. "Maiden Voyage" with 2 tenors. I like this, and feel I should know the tenor players, especially the second. I enjoyed this very much MG, thank you!

David St Hubbins Nigel Tufnel Phil Tufnell

Here's a little list: Ray Bradbury, Farenheit 451 Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake Kasuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go Cormac McCarthy, The Road Ta Bill. Funnily enough, a couple of days ago a colleague of my wife was telling her that he found "The Road" an almost life-changing experience.

Thanks Jazzbo/Jazzmoose, I'll look into those.

Still reading "Brave New World". I've developed a bit of a taste for these "dystopian future" books. Over the past year I've read Burgess's "Clockwork Orange" and "1985", "1984" and a Martin Amis short story. Anyone got any other suggestions? Preferably not too sci-fi.