Meanwhile...

Friday Reggae # 15

And before you know it, a week's gone.

Ach, I quite enjoyed shutting up for a bit to be honest - popping round other people's places, loving a bit of hot weather early in the week and beyond that just keeping the head down and bringing home the (veggie) bacon, you know how it goes.

I wonder if there's a record fair on somewhere this weekend? I quite fancy a record fair.

This popped up on the iPo en route to one in Chiswick a few weeks back, a sunny Saturday and the little cafes and veg shops bustling along Turnham Green Terrace, everything alright with the world.

It is rather fine and I commend it to the house.

Horace Andy & Ashley Beedle - 'Babylon You Lose' (2008)

Friday Reggae # 14

Because 25C is irie with me.

Sugar Minott - 'Good Thing Going' (1981)

Sunny Pop Song # 4

From the magnificent Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones LP, which I bought an old mono copy of donkey's years back, this song was written by the band's regular producer and ex-Turtle Chip Douglas, with Glaswegian songwriter Bill Martin (who - attention Eurovision trivialists! - also co-wrote 'Puppet On A String' and 'Congratulations').

Who was your favourite Monkee?

Mine was Mike Nesmith, hands down.

He's singing lead here.

The Monkees - 'The Door Into Summer' (1967)

Despatches

Pat - casual

I was pleased to find this priced so reasonably on Amazon Marketplace last week, but it is taking a bloomin' long time to arrive, I must say; possibly this is the fault of the Royal Mail who seem to have an especially casual approach to deliveries in our area - sometimes we don't get our 'morning' post until 3pm, and where's the point in that, eh? Sheesh. I may have to write a stern retired Colonel-type letter about it to the right-wing press.

Anyway, pending the lovely compilation and its lovely selection of a 25 lovely northern soul classics' final arrival and because, frankly, not much else is happening round here at the moment, here is one (cracker!) I was playing earlier.

Listen to the sound of the drummer
Thumpin' to the beat of my heart

The M.V.P.'s - 'Turnin' My Heartbeat Up' (1971)

The Smiling Hour

Funny since we were only talking about it in the pub last night that this should turn up today in the £1 bargain bin at Honest Jon's.

The gods of vinyl did smile down and the sun on Portobello did shine.

I got a large amount of baby plum tomatoes, two peppers, some aubergines and a big bunch of coriander too.

Gin!

Working Week - 'Who's Fooling Who?' (1985)

Soul Monday

I spent a fun hour or so last night watching clips of and about the Wigan Casino on YouTube (there are lots).

One was soundtracked by this, which is a beauty.

On vinyl it's one of those singles so rare it'll set you back a few hundred quid to buy.

So I'm thinking it's unlikely to turn up in my charity shop for 75p anytime soon.

Tan Geers - 'Let My Heart And Soul Be Free' (1968)

The Smiling Hour

Mancini, Nancy, gin.

Called for tonight more than ever.

Nancy Wilson - 'Moon River' (1963)

Exeunt

The sunny weather today reminded me of another, 13 years ago.

We took it off work and sat in the front garden, basking in the light and warmth and promise of a new beginning. The end of nearly twenty years of Tory rule, those bitter years of division and neglect and hectoring and despair. And we knew now things would change: a sweeping majority, a huge mandate; politics reshaped, a minimum wage, the NHS saved and remade, Education, Education, Education, ethics in our foreign policy, no more young British men and women sent to horrible deaths for spurious ends in unnecessary wars, a new society and a shared vision that re-united us as a people: Atlee in 45, Tony in 97 - dancing in the streets. Everyone smiling. Because this victory was ours.

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So here's where the story ends.

Not with a bang, but a whimper.

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