Royal Oak

Skee-diddley-wah-bap-bap-bap...........relax, pay your income tax. The "Bismillah" in question was from the line in Bohemian Rhapsody ("Bismillah, nooo! We will not let you go" etc)

No-one mentioned Jim Morrison yet? That's assuming he wrote the lyrics. I remember there used to be a weekly feature in the New Musical Express (late 80s), named "Bismillah". It featured dire lyrics from pop songs.

Why doesn't the link work? Here it is... http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=wyOLBInYlmo Thanks Cyril, however you did it! All 4 parts are now available - just click on "Tonydav1942's videos".

Here is a link to a UK TV programme "Celebration" from 1981/1982, which features the Stockport Schools Stagesound band in performance with Ronnie Scott. I doubt this has been seen since it was first broadcast. Being a regional programme, it probably wasn't seen by many at the time, and it was broadcast in the days before video recorders were in every home. It's in my posession because my dad did many of the arrangements for the band in it's early days. There are another 3 files to come, once I get them uploaded. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyOLBInYlmo

More Steinbeck - this time "East Of Eden".

30/38 for me too. Mostly the right-hand side ones I didn't get. I haven't reached the 70s in my jazz odyssey yet Bill!

Eddie Large Bobby Ball Eric Morecambe

Pretty good. Funny band: Wynton Kelly; Tiny Grimes; Buster Williams; Oliver Jackson. Who thought that one up? But they play together beautifully And Jacquet plays "Round midnight" on bassoon; yeah! MG Listening to this album tonight, which inspired me to find this thread. "For Once In My Life" is amazing. The whole thing, but Wynton's solo especially, sounds to me like a teary-eyed down-and-out who just knows his number is up. It's too tragic for words.

Just finished "Of Mice And Men". Typically bleak Steinbeck, but I had the funniest feeling reading it: In 1990, a friend and I wrote a comic strip. In it, our hero is a New York cop on the trail of a serial killer. His girlfriend is (of course) then a victim. In the comic, we had a scene where our grief-stricken hero tells his older cop partner (they were based on Robert Duvall and Sean Penn in "Colors") about their long-cherished plans to move to a farm in the country, where they will grow alfalfa and raise rabbits. As you'll know if you've read "Of Mice And Men", this is George and Lennie's fantasy. Thing is, I'd never read "Of Mice And Men" and I'm pretty sure it was me who came up with that line when we wrote the story.

CD arrived, in very nice condition. Thanks Jeff!

I bought a Benny Golson album on Verve called "Turn On, Tune In" or the like. It was an album of TV advert tunes arranged and played by Benny. I thought it pretty terrible - cheesy - and it lay unplayed for several years until I sold it last year. I should really have listened again before I sold it, just to see if I "got it", but I'm not too upset to see it gone.

Just finished Anthony Burgess's "1985". Sort of a reply/alternative to "1984", only the UK is in the grip of the unions (It's been renamed TUCland). Quite apt, now strikes are back in the news in the UK.

Damn those striking UK postmen.......

My wife (who is a critcal care nurse) had the flu jab and the H1N1 jab. She's always had the flu jab, but swore she wouldn't have the H1N1 because the lack of long-term data about its safety. After everyone else in her department had it, she changed her mind. I have always eschewed the flu jab, but now I'm in two minds. I'd get it free, as a clinical employee of the NHS. What to do?

Means nothing to me since I had kids, it just means they get up at 5.56 instead of 6.56, and that makes it a loooong day.

A number of Leo Parkers available on Amazon.co.uk for around $8.00.

I like it, though he should really be wearing some kind of swimsuit! I still see loads of those albums in charity shops.

Not just jazz; I got booted from a British horseracing forum about 8 years ago. There was a poster, handle Goldman, who used to put up daily picks for the racing. He was a fair enough tipster (picked a lot of obvious winners), but he spoilt the effect by talking about his "inside contacts", tiresome boasting, and (literally) demanding RESPECT for his God-like picking skills. So every day's thread was followed by a list of fawning "you're the best Goldman", "We love you so much Goldman" posts. In the end, I could resist no further and left a facetious comment. Within hours my post was deleted and I received a very unpleasant email from the moderator, banning me and wishing me "good luck, WHEREVER you go on the internet".

I've found them OK for the UK - takes about 2 weeks (no better or worse than Caiman), and I've never had one cancelled yet.

Marshall Brown playing "Angel Eyes" on the Pee Wee Russell "Ask Me Now" album is a good one. J J doing "It Could Happen To You" on "The Eminent" is a killer.

One in Manchester (maybe no longer there) - Sifters. I always thought this a good name; conjures up images of sorting and sifting through racks of vinyl. I believe it was namechecked on an early Oasis song. Don't know if it ever had a jazz section, as the last time I went was well before I started listening to jazz. You must know this one Bill?

Yes, yes, yes. The ballads are amazing. Reminds me of a musician joke my dad told me once. A singer asks the band for "Darn That Dream". The bandleader agrees, but says "Okay, but how about we play it a half-tone sharp and miss out the last bar of the bridge". The singer looks aghast and says "What are you doing to me, I can't do that". The bandleader replies (here it comes) "Why not, you did it last night". Boom boom.

There is a temptation to say "only in America", but here in the UK we had a nine year old girl "abducted" for 20+ days last February. Turns out it was her mother and her partner's uncle who staged it for God-knows what reason, one of which may have been the proceeds of a "Find Shannon" fund.

Stolen Moments - the Booker Ervin maybe? Obviously, the original is no 1.

I agree FWIW (which isn't much!)