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You've caught me in the midst of a Shostakovich frenzy! For the symphonies, you can't do much worse than the Barshai cycle on Brilliant records. It's cheap, the sound is great and the performances quite brittle and not as soft as the Haitinks. However, I've just purchased the Kirill Kondrashin cycle which is madly frenetic, edgy and totally Russian from my POV! Absolutely superb and given that some of the performances date back to the sixties, the sound ain't bad either. That's on the Melodoya label. Obviously if you're going for seperate discs then you have a bit of freedom but personally at the moment I'm very happy with the above two. Have fun.

Not at all a daft idea David....something I would run through my head every morning in the car before a TT! Usually it was Led Zep II or Four. Sometimes Soundgarden's Superunknown but if I won, then the next race would always have to follow that playlist Most of these events I rode were SPOCOs (David will know) so you didn't have the constant thrum of traffic. I would set off with a song in my head and about 12 bars of it would repeat through the whole event --- apart from the bits were I was vomiting or couldn't see for stars. Happy days.

How about this one? Nice, but it might not be abstract enough to really tick him off.... which is now my only goal in life

Yep, that is my point Agree. And I want an ECM forum, just to bother Chewy. With a pretentious monochrome pic on the door.

It's almost like Aric's back....

I voted yes. Partly because I'm listening to so much more 'classical' music than I ever have and partly because the other threads get lost in the back pages if you haven't been on for a few days; I need to seek the advice of Mike, Chuck et al regarding which recordings to go for etc. Can we also post those nice images of Hilary Hahn too?

There's some pretty good shows on TV for kids, possibly more than the grown up alternatives. My son is now a big Spongebob fan, and why wouldn't he be? The show is hilarious and at times quite free-form which I like. At ages 2-4 he loved Kipper, the stories were just so lovely and the characters really endearing. As he's now 6, he's getting into things like Raven, a BBC production in which children take part in mystical challenges against demons and physical obstacles. As mentioned above, Arthur is a great show too. Of course, there's always the old favourites like Scooby Doo, Top Cat,Tom & Jerry and The Pink Panther --- the stuff I was raised on!

It's good. Hasn't got the sparkle or pop of the newest discs but it also doesn't have too much of their 'hanging in space' sound either. Very neutral and honest IMO.

J.G Ballard's best mate called the centre I was working at once to find out why he couldn't get in touch with him. I was reading Crash at the time (post-Diana and all that...) so we chatted for a while about the book. He said give him a ring, he's a nice bloke to talk to.

I was second in line to star as this man's body-double in a BBC documentary.

Just seen that on BBC. Sad that such a great man has gone, but what a legacy!

There was an article in The Guardian a while back about this; how we seem intent on spending thousands on our home cinema set up yet neglecting (or being content)with DAB radio at 128kBps and micro systems based on the simplest of circuitry. Visual candy once again takes precedence to something which requires mental investment maybe?

I bet it works! Good plan. Tom, hope you decide to go for the 50mile ride. Before the event, if there's a website us board members can sponsor you on, let us have the link. If you're training specifically for it, then bear in mind you'll only have to train up to about 80-85% of the distance; the good morale and large bunch will carry you through the extra mileage. And as for all those big carb meals the night before, take it or leave it. If you're getting through your regular rides with a normal balanced diet then don't go changing your routine the night before. It'll only stress your system -- possibly having adverse effects. Let us all know how you're progressing.

Hi Tom. I'm pleased there are other cyclists here! Glad you're enjoying it and gaining some condition that you may have lacked before. It's a great pastime/sport in spite of the problme that are well publicised enough (not that they aren't endemic in othere sports too). A great way of seeing your countryside, meeting people and keeping the demons away I ride one of those....<<<<<..made in your fine country. Equipped with Campag and Mavic. I used to compete at various levels. Some European events that were the hardest races I've ever experienced. Met some big names along the way, in various ways. Lucien Van Impe, Fred Rodriguez, Stuart O'Grady, the Plankaerts and many more British and European 'names'. If I had the chance again, I'd have done some things differently but it all came along quite quickly for me and as a young bloke, you don't always make the best choices so now I just ride daily, between 30 and 70 miles (some days I venture farther afield --- 90 - 100), all at an average of 20mph to keep me fit and able to get in shape quickly if I ever decide to compete again. It keeps me sane too. Sane-ish. You're a long time dead, so if you enjoy the activity then invest in some quality gear. It'll make life so much more bearable and inspire you to push yourself that little bit more. Some think you have to martyr yourself to old hack bikes and cheap gear because that way you've made more of an effort and 'earned' your achievements but the good stuff will allow you to ride further, faster in as much pain but with less chance of minor irritations (breakdowns etc.) keeping you on the roadside. Keep your head up Tom and if your ever in the UK give me a shout and we'll stack some miles in! Oh, and coffee stops! Everybody needs the coffee stops. Have fun!

See it. Soon. I was in a small city cinema last night watching it and even the fidgety young crowd on a school history trip were dead silent once the film started. Either that or they were making out. Or high. Or both. Anyway, marvellous film.

Hi Al. Great film. As far as young kids are concerned though, I'd be reluctant to let an 11 year old watch it. Others may disagree but there's a fair amount of sexual innuendo in there along with quite a lot of gory (slasher type) violence. Really well done, but completely over the top. Moreover, the closing part of the film sees (I won't try to spoil it too much for you) the cops attempt to rectify all the wrong-doings by means of big automatic weapons and extended shootouts. Obviously all done with tongue firmly in cheek and knowingly derivative (Simon Pegg is a huge film buff) but possibly not intended for youthful heads. Let's see how others feel!

That's a very nice story. Priceless indeed.

A sad day for all his fans and family. Luckily he left a hell of a legacy devoid of compromise and artifice. Job well done Andrew! R.I.P

AGGIE AGGIE AGGIE....OY OY OY!!! All the very best bud

Lovely city by the way. With or without it's 'vices' I adored the place. I envy the continentals here who are so close to it.

Don't get your panties in a bunch, J.A.W. I was asking a simple question. I've been to Amsterdam and I love everything about the city. I asked this because if smoking is banned in the hash bars, than that is going to have a major effect on the city's economics as well as the tourism industry. Whether you like it or not, its the only place in the world (I'm pretty sure) where you can walk into a bar, legaly buy marijuana, and smoke it right there without getting arrested. And as I'm sure you know, that element alone draws mass amounts of people annually to Amsterdam. I was just asking a question about a city I love dearly; there's no need for your prejudice. Say 'Amsterdam' to me and the first thing I think of is pork pies. Don't ask. It's a long story.

Yum! Brewed down the road from here but if you buy it botteled local off-licences it's £2 per bottle. Some pubs nearby do it for 50p less than that per pint!