Looking back 40 years...

I was painting the ceiling inside the trailer early that morning.

I'd got up early as I had loads to do that day, so was planning what I'd do next when I heard it come on the radio.

"John Lennon has been shot and killed."

And that was the end of my day's plans. I finished painting and spent the rest of the day glued to the radio and television, and in between reading the papers to find out more.

The Beatles were, and still are my favourite group of all time. There had been talk of them getting back together but that would never happen now.

Tribute after tribute came on the telly. It seemed like all anyone was talking about was John's killing.

It was the biggest news story of that day and it lead to his album 'Double Fantasy' and the single, 'Just Like Starting Over' going to #1 in the charts.

For me, it was on par with Elvis Presley dying. One of those, 'I remember where I was when I heard' moments.

And now it's 40 years later.

I didn't get overwhelmed with grief then. More a curiosity to find out what had happened.

I've never been affected by any celebrity's death. I understand it's upsetting for some people but not for me.

John's music meant a lot to me, it still does. I didn't know the man but having read loads of books about him and the rest of the Fab Four, I'm not sure I would have liked him in real life.

But we still have his wonderful music. His legacy lives on and as far as I'm concerned always will.

He was just getting back to recording at the time of his death and the biggest regret I have is that we didn't get to hear what he may have produced in the years that followed.

Today marks 40 years. And I can still remember that day like it was yesterday.

I won't be miserable, after all, he wasn't family or a friend. I will however, play some of his music and remember the joy that he and the rest of The Beatles have provided me with over the years.

R.I.P John. 

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My All-time Top 100

I mentioned a while back on Facebook, that I was going to have a go at compiling my Top 100 tunes and songs. I asked others to join in as well but so far, only one other has done it - seeing how long it's taken me, I can see why.

Anyway, I make no apologies for anything on this list. The majority of songs on this list are there because they're linked to either a person, a time or memory in my life.

It's not about what I think are the best musical pieces, it's totally personal and about music, that means a lot to me.

In saying that - the lower part of the chart could easily change by the day, especially if I hear a song that I'd forgotten while putting it together.

I've added a link to a youtube playlist if you want to have a listen.

And so here it is:

MY TOP 100 in reverse order

100 Jimmy Cliff – Wild World

99 Neil Diamond - Summerlove

98 Albert Hammond – It Never Rains In Southern California

97 Lord Rockingham’s XI – Hoots Mon

96 Electric Light Orchestra – Starlight

95 Vaya Con Dias – Nah Neh Nah

94 Gary Moore – Still Got The Blues

93 Barbra Streisand – Woman In The Moon

92 Bee Gees – Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)

91 Beach Boys – Break Away

90 Al Martino – To The Door To The Sun

89 Robbie Dupree – Steal Away

88 Charles Sheffield – It’s Your Voodoo Working

87 Perry Como – Love Makes The World Go Around

86 Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose – Too Late To Turn Back Now

85 Elton John - Writing

84 Randy Crawford – My Heart Is Not As Young As It Used To Be

83 Dawn – Tie A Yellow Ribbon

82 Jermaine Jackson – You Like Me Don’t You

81 Simon & Garfunkel - America

80 Lyn Anderson – Rose Garden

79 Gary Glitter – Rock ‘n’ Roll

78 James Taylor – Secret O’Life

77 The Beatles – I’m Only Sleeping

76 Sammy Davis Jr – The Candy Man

75 Glen Campbell - Galveston

74 The Originals – Down To Love Town

73 Peter Frampton – Show Me The Way

72 Wax – Bridge To Your Heart

71 Anne Murray - Snowbird

70 Rod Stewart – Ain’t Love A Bitch

69 America – Ventura Highway

68 Slade – Let’s Call It Quits

67 Shalamar – Take That To The Bank

66 Santana ft Rob Thomas – Smooth

65 The Hollies – Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress

64 Chuck Berry – Almost Grown

63 Rupert Holmes – Him

62 Stephen Bishop – On & On

61 Barry White – Sha La La Means I Love You

60 The Elgins – Put Yourself In My Place

59 Pickettywitch – Sad Old Kinda Movie

58 Donald Fagen – New Frontier

57 John Holt – You Baby

56 10cc – I’m Mandy, Fly Me

55 Trini Lopez – Sinner Not A Saint

54 Brenda Holloway – I’ll Always Love You

53 Eddie Cochran – Stockings & Shoes

52 Steely Dan – Only A Fool Would Say That

51 Amy Winehouse – Me & Mr Jones

50 Alessi – Oh Lori

49 The Beatles – This Boy

48 The Champs – Tequila

47 T Rex - Jeepster

46 Kirsty MacColl – In These Shoes

45 Etta James – I Just Want To Make Love To You

44 Stevie Wonder – I’d Be A Fool Right Now

43 First Choice – Armed & Extremely Dangerous

42 John Lee Hooker - The Healer

41 Sam Cooke – Frankie & Johnnie

40 Jackson 5 – Looking Through The Windows

39 O’Jays – Backstabbers

38 Barry Manilow – New York City Rhythm

37 Maria Muldaur – Mignight At The Oasis

36 Bob & Marcia – Young Gifted and Black

35 Lloyd Price – Have You Ever Had The Blues

34 The Drifters – Like Sister & Brother

33 Four Tops – Where Did You Go

32 Beach Boys – Don’t Worry Baby

31 Michael Jackson – Off The Wall

30 Van Morrison – Did Ye Get Healed

29 Janis Ian – At Seventeen

28 The Temptations – My Baby

27 Elvis Presley – Kentucky Rain

26 The Beatles – Penny Lane

25 Roy Orbison – Uptown

24 Jimmy Durante – Make Someone Happy

23 Brian Protheroe - Pinball

22 Stevie Wonder – Ngiculela, Es Una Historia, I Am Singing

21 Barbara McNair – Steal Away Tonight

20 Greyhound – Moon River

19 Chris Rea – On The Beach

18 Donald Byron Wheatley – Moondogs And Maddogs

17 Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat

16 Barry Biggs - Sideshow

15 Lavern Baker – Jim Dandy

14 Four Seasons – Save It For Me

13 Gene McDaniels – The Point Of No Return

12 Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack

11 Neil Sedaka – Brighton

10 Kandidate – Let Me Rock You

9 Percy Faith – Theme From ‘A Summer Place’

8 Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues

7 Hurricane Smith – Don’t Let It Die

6 Fortunes – Storm In A Teacup

5 Isley Brothers – Harvest For The World

4 Emilia Mitiku – You’re So Right For Me

3 Gilbert O’ Sullivan – Alone Again (Naturally)

2 Ruby & The Romantics – Our Day Will Come

1 Jackie Wilson – To Be Loved

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The innocence of 60s & 70s Variety TV

Back on my nostalgic trip - I know you couldn't do anything like the Black & White Minstrel show in this day and age, but I find myself wishing we still had variety shows like these back in the 60s and 70s.

It seems to me that shows like this from a bygone age were full of talented performers. I'm listening to my Dad's LP and remembering the work that went into producing those shows.

Different sets for each song. Each section a different theme. I know the songs were old even then, but I still find myself singing along.

Perhaps I just like them because they remind me of being sat on the floor in front of the telly, eating sweets, drinking cherryade and feeling the warmth of my family around me.

I recall shows like this being on the telly over Christmas - a circus on the telly in the afternoon.

Today's telly just doesn't match up for me.

Things have moved on over the years but the innocence of a bygone time still resonates with me.

I know I wear rose-tinted glasses when I look back but I suppose that was because I had no cares and woes then.

Mind you, I'm glad I'm not my Dad's remote control anymore!

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My first Motown memory

 In a Facebook group I'm a member of, someone asked the question, "What's your first Motown memory?"

That is such a hard one to remember. Motown's been about for all my life and the obvious one's like 'My Guy' and 'Baby Love' popped into my head at first, but when I thought about it, the answer was less obvious.

My brother Bill is 10 years older than me, so when Motown started to breakthrough in this country, he was right at the forefront of collecting.

Two records were vying for my first memory, but in the end, this is my first Motoen Memory, and the reason for it is probably the cover.

Hitsville USA No 1 sticks out in my mind because as a little boy, I remember his record collection and even today, in my mind I can still see his record collection full of records on the Motown label as well as Chess, Minit, Atlantic, Stax and Volt.

I used to hear them playing and I'd be there with him, looking at the records.

I was four when this came out in March of 1965. And on it are four great Motown songs/

First up is Marvin Gaye's,'Baby Don't You Do It.' With the Funk Brothers at their best providing the music this is a barnstorming start to the EP.

It was originally released on the Tamla label in the USA in September 1964.

Next up is a song I adore and, for me, the highlight of the EP. Brenda Holloway's 'I'll Always Love you is just stunning. It's slow, it starts gently, and then builds into a crescendo and her voice is magnificent. This is one of those songs that chokes me every time I hear it. When you talk about music affecting you, this does it for me. Easily in my Top 100 songs of all time.

Starting side two is Carolyn Crawford's 'Devil In His Heart.' Released at the end of October 1963, It's not to be confused with The Beatles song of the same name that was featured on the 'With The Beatles' album, this is a much faster song.

And the EP is rounded off with Eddie Holland's, 'Candy To Me,' a song that I was playing at soul events when I was DJing right up to 2013 when I called it a day.  IN fact, it was released in America on the very day of my 4th Birthday in July 1964!

Eddie Holland is so under-rated for me. A great songwriter (part of the Holland, Dozier, Holland team), he could sing as well and this proves it.

So that's my first Motown memory - I have so many growing up - watching my brother in his mohair suit practising his Temptations dance in front of the mirror right through to seeing him get annoyed when a Motown song charted in the UK.

He was in a group of teens that were Motown fans from the very start in the UK - my brother had Motown singles before they even had the label in the country. Motown's first singles came out on the Oriole label in the UK. I had 'Jamie' by Eddie Holland on the Fontana label and of course the earliest UK Motown hits were also on Stateside Records in the UK. The Tamla Motown label was eventually used from March 1965.

In fact, this EP was one of the first Motown EPs that were released on the first day Tamla Motown was used in the UK!

It's quite collectable these days and if you can pick it up for under £150 you're doing really well.

So this is my first Motown Memory. The one that vied with it is as my first Motown memory is
another favourite of mine, Kim Weston's, 'Another Train Coming.'

Feel free to let me know yours below...

If you can't play the video - click here

If you can't play the video - click here

If you can't play the video - click here

If you can't play the video - click here

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Jame's Top 10s - Comedy TV Series

 I love comedies - they cheer me up. 

And over the years, I've found plenty to love. 

Some obvious ones don't make my list. Some that I thought were brilliant at the time, when I've watched them again years later, don't seem as funny.

But the ten below, represent slices of humour that have kept me amused for hours.

And so here's my Top 10

10) Friday Night Dinner - Two siblings share their Friday night dinners at their parents home and, somehow, something always goes wrong.

9)Third Rock From The Sun - A group of aliens are sent to Earth, disguised as a human family, to experience and report life on the third planet from the sun.

8) Soap - The soap-opera-ish antics of two families: the Campbells and the Tates.

7) Father Ted - Three misfit priests and their housekeeper live on Craggy Island, not the peaceful and quiet part of Ireland that it seems to be.

6) The Vicar Of Dibley - A boisterous female minister comes to serve in an eccentrically conservative small town's church.

5) Spin City - Mike Flaherty, the Deputy Mayor of New York City, and his team of half-wits must constantly save the Mayor from embarrassment and the media. Mike is later succeeded by Charlie Crawford.

4) Scrubs - In the unreal world of Sacred Heart Hospital, intern John "J.D." Dorian learns the ways of medicine, friendship and life.

3) The Royle Family - A  sitcom about a family going through everyday life in the Royle family house (mostly, in front of the TV).

2) Frasier - Dr. Frasier Crane moves back to his hometown of Seattle, where he lives with his father, and works as a radio psychiatrist.

1) The Odd Couple - Two men, a neat freak and a slob separated from their wives, have to live together despite their differences.

That's my choices - I had a few close that could have been included, but these are the ones that made it for me.

I'd love to hear your choices. Feel free to let me have your choices below. 

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A great place to get ebooks...

I've said before how I like to read.

Last week, I came across an online source for some pretty good ebooks.

And best of all, they're free. There's a wide-ranging collection there that you can browse and downloads.

Feel free to check it out - click here.

All the books are downloadable as pdf files. 

It may not be the best format to download, but it does mean that you can put them on your phone and read them from there or your computer.

Well worth checking out.

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The music of my life #9

 It was the winter of 1978/9 and a load of us went to see Rod Stewart on a freezing cold night.

Stood just in front of me in the crowd was Bobby Moore, England's World Cup winning captain of 1966. I was within 2ft of the great man. And I was so awestruck, I never said a word to him.

The lights dimmed and the music to 'Hot Legs' started and we were off. Just a brilliant concert. This was his new album at the time.

I remember buying a maroon sweatshirt with the dates of the tour on it. I didn't manage to catch one of the footballs he kicked out that night.

We came out of the concert and it wasn't just cold, it had snowed heavily and people were slipping about everywhere.

A great night. And for me, it's a great album too. When I hear 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy' and 'Ain't Love A Bitch', it reminds me of that night.

Good times.

If you can't see the video, click this link

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