tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21593845852291191502024-03-06T03:26:32.759+00:00The ongoing ramblings of James MurphyJames Murphy is a presenter of syndicated radio shows and someone who's always got something to say.James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-20704194592325558822017-03-03T12:11:00.000+00:002017-03-03T12:11:09.597+00:00March UpdateHiya!<br />
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It's been a while. This is just a quick update to let you know that since I've blogged last time a lot as happened, but in a nutshell this is what's gone on:<br />
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Found out I had cancer on my kidney in November. Had the kidney removed in December and have been recuperating since.<br />
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However, I'm now getting ready to resume my radio career.<br />
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I've had a few changes with my shows and now I'm getting ready to present an upgraded Proper Oldies show and introduce a new show called 'Lost In Music'.<br />
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You can find out more about that at my website. The links over there >>>>>><br />
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There you go! I told you it would be a quick update,James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-53817700884615583162016-04-18T16:01:00.000+01:002016-04-18T16:01:16.843+01:00The ongoing saga of whether you're really a DJ if you're not using Vinyl<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px;"><b><i>Flashback - An article I wrote for Pure Grooves Magazine in September 2010</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px;">I've just been reading an article I wrote back in 2010 and it seems as relevant today as it did then. I thought I'd share it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px;">*************************************</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDlfjIxso9qPf4zzKnfpSa7SJuEMcKYTrKv4M204dOaoQ9sx8J5DG9vOWKSKM6nFfiiKEmsrucpcg0Qh8yBLIY4xHhGltO0YF3YBW2ip7Tnrnb7HYzJOKeTBXGsfJddfvRxkXVXcWV3FN/s1600/vinylDJ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDlfjIxso9qPf4zzKnfpSa7SJuEMcKYTrKv4M204dOaoQ9sx8J5DG9vOWKSKM6nFfiiKEmsrucpcg0Qh8yBLIY4xHhGltO0YF3YBW2ip7Tnrnb7HYzJOKeTBXGsfJddfvRxkXVXcWV3FN/s320/vinylDJ.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">About a month ago I
was doing a disco and a lady in her 50s came up to me and asked me for a
request. I checked on my computer and I had the song she wanted, and told her I
had it and would play it soon. She then looked at me and with contempt said,
‘You use a computer? You’re not a real DJ then!’ and skulked off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">I can only say I was
spitting feathers! I’ve DJed on and off since I was 17 years old and to be told
I’m not a proper DJ because I’ve chosen to go down the computer route annoyed
me immensely!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">I remember DJing with
vinyl when I was young, thin, had hair and could see properly, and I can
remember carting 2 tonnes of records from venues in the pouring rain at 2
o’clock in the morning, and having reached 50 this year, there is no way in the
world I would want to go back to that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">In the 1980s we all
started to make the move to CD, and I will say this here and now, that I hate
DJing with CDs. Why? Because the cases that came with them, force all the track
listings to be tiny. And that plays its part when your eyesight is failing and
it’s semi-darkness behind the DJ console. Also, even the CD’s themselves don’t
lend themselves well to DJing, mainly because the track listing is rarely on
the disc itself, and even when it is, the problem of reading it is still the
same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">To carry the amount
of songs I do in CD format also means loads of boxes of CDs to cart back and
forth, so the same problem I had before still occurs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">Around 6-7 years ago
I made the decision to DJ using a computer. Now that may seem easy, but let me
tell you, converting vinyl and CDs to computer file formats is an endless and
ongoing job. I had already started converting my CDs back in the early 2000s, and
when I did eventually start DJing with a computer in 2004, I had around 11,000
different tracks available to use. As I’m typing these words, there are in
excess of 35,000 different songs at my disposal for each and every event. Do I
need them all with me all the time, probably not, but there is nothing better
than seeing someone come up to you and ask for something like Pinkerton’s
Assorted Colours’ ‘Mirror Mirror’ and in less that 6 seconds have it cued up
ready to play for that person next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">Is it obscure? Not
really. It was a top ten hit in 1966. But more significantly it was the person
whose birthday I was doing’s favourite song, and it took him and his friends
straight back to a time when they were teenagers in their local youth club. You
can’t beat the feeling you get when someone’s face light up like this person’s
did. That happened back in 2007, and I still can see the look on the man’s face
when I think about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Pmsu3468TAXcIGldU0aMUsOQ5Jvnji2fIRr9O3bXFew8I0zRcO-L0FkKZ3zu5whRpzPCqRTEOnpDNfw2r0GU0s8kf-VJ67hL_8wj62d6Cr0Zb-fhx_XEUOZ9ws6ECVFgsOlYDZyAnb_l/s1600/CD+DJing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Pmsu3468TAXcIGldU0aMUsOQ5Jvnji2fIRr9O3bXFew8I0zRcO-L0FkKZ3zu5whRpzPCqRTEOnpDNfw2r0GU0s8kf-VJ67hL_8wj62d6Cr0Zb-fhx_XEUOZ9ws6ECVFgsOlYDZyAnb_l/s320/CD+DJing.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">Had I been carrying
CDs about or vinyl, there’s a good possibility I wouldn’t have had it with me
as it was something I rarely played, but it’s one of the things that I think
makes me stand out above a lot of DJs in the area I lived. And I received a
whole host of referrals from the hosts and guests, just because of that one
song.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">Sure there are a lot
of people that think you aren’t a DJ if you don’t use vinyl or CD, but I’m of
the opinion that great customer service and being able to have people going
home with a big smile on their face, and coming up to me saying what a great
night they’ve had, is what makes me a ‘proper DJ’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">Here’s another
finding I have as well. When I DJed with either vinyl or CD, I spent half of
the night facing the back wall of the venue whilst hunting for songs. All the
time I’m facing away from the dance floor, I can’t see what’s occurring, which
means I can’t gauge how the event is going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">However, with a
computer, I never need to face any other way because the monitor is in front of
me, and if a guest should ask for a tune, I can type in the song, find it if I’ve
got it, and have it in the queue to play, usually in less than 10 seconds and
without the need to take my eyes off of what is happening in front of me for
any amount of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6qymfeJJnjgpHAy9M3d8DXUOHGB9D98A_a17Xyx3f3PMylrIj3sdRfejp4XgiM12CUz4pk4K4BlNIaHUnvmzJzljDiit3gUKSMDHXlZKfRnQh8TuAaZHmJTUKkv98kpPkrjE5kI-t4N_/s1600/ots+djing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6qymfeJJnjgpHAy9M3d8DXUOHGB9D98A_a17Xyx3f3PMylrIj3sdRfejp4XgiM12CUz4pk4K4BlNIaHUnvmzJzljDiit3gUKSMDHXlZKfRnQh8TuAaZHmJTUKkv98kpPkrjE5kI-t4N_/s320/ots+djing.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">On top of this, I
have spent a fortune over the years replacing my old well worn vinyl with
better quality sounding CDs. So why would I want to play my worn out vinyl? To
me it makes no sense. If I was just a collector that had all my vinyl in
pristine condition at home, that’s fine, but this is what I do for a living and
with the vinyl being moved about in loads of different environments, the
chances of the vinyl being damaged is significant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">There are times when
I play the file as converted from vinyl on my radio shows and at discos, and I
have to say that I cringe when I hear the difference in quality. And that’s
after I’ve already doctored the file to clean up the songs!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">Like a lot of people,
I will always have that affinity with vinyl. For me, taking the record out of
the sleeve, looking at the label, and placing it on a turntable and cueing it
up are things I have a warm affection for and I do still love playing vinyl.
But only in my own home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">So am I a proper DJ
or not? I think I am. What makes me think I’m a proper DJ is not what format I
play music on. For me it’s the way I do what I do. On my radio shows, I would
like to think people who listen enjoy the professional way I put them together
and like the music choices I make. With the disco I would hope the people at
whatever event feel the same. Where the disco is concerned however, I would
like to think that what also makes me a ‘proper DJ’ is that as well as
preparing for the event thoroughly, I’m able to satisfy the guests and dancer’s
tastes, as well as the remit placed on me by my clients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">And finally, the
smile on people’s faces as they go home after having a terrific night is what
makes me a proper DJ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">Wouldn’t you agree?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">Oh yeah…….The woman
earlier. I played her song too. She danced, was happy and said thanks
afterwards. I smiled back!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 100%;">By the way, I do
still carry a certain amount of CDs - just as back up mind you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-155734138514220692016-04-12T16:05:00.000+01:002016-04-12T16:17:37.134+01:00What I play at home and in the car.<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 101%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Someone
recently asked me what I listened to when I’m playing music at home or in the
car. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 101%;">Depending
on my mood, I’ve been known to play a whole load of different styles and genres
of music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">So I
thought I’d give you some idea what other music I listen to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Truth
be told, I like most genres of music and can usually find something that I find
satisfying to listen to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdDYMHYpaNU7JruUHPQ6RxHEsZabpJxVZ5_kDFs8cWJ3t1WbqtJSBviW1i-mqD6mAbFU5OkFgt3P5kWfTbaLgLUafNXy3ghyqSIwlrd3kPi-3cHgIBoC0B2OqzBedPY20MVuLjRo-RLID/s1600/songs+in+the+key+of+life.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdDYMHYpaNU7JruUHPQ6RxHEsZabpJxVZ5_kDFs8cWJ3t1WbqtJSBviW1i-mqD6mAbFU5OkFgt3P5kWfTbaLgLUafNXy3ghyqSIwlrd3kPi-3cHgIBoC0B2OqzBedPY20MVuLjRo-RLID/s320/songs+in+the+key+of+life.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 101%;">It
must be said that I am a massive Stevie Wonder fan so you’ll often find one of
his albums on a usb stick to play in the car when I’m out. ‘Songs In The Key Of
Life’ being my favourite. At the same time, you could find albums as diverse as
James Taylor’s ‘Gorilla’, an album that rates as one of my favourites, to
Queen’s ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ .</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Donald
Fagan’s ‘Nightfly’ album is another that gets played a lot as does John Holt’s
‘1000 Volts of Holt’. Back in 2009, Will Downing’s ‘Classique’ was my favourite
album of the year and that can be heard as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">There’s
a part of me that likes Smooth Jazz and many a time I’ve spent an evening
listening to an internet station I discovered years ago called KJZY. I do like
to chill and the mix of tunes they play works for me. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 101%;">Bearing
that in mind I’ll admit to liking Kenny G, Dave Koz, Kirk Whalum and many
others of that ilk.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmv3SPJLkJ0H3PAcdVX4YaX_tRWlcNyfkl9McrFztn9nyhr8Emw3s3mJYPD5BlKonncuxmx27KNlTwe1Nx1GOyCSa05ibHoxxyJQOwO-znJ-I6N5URkQfFRkYGdLRfbq4ZknjpuK1MyYn/s1600/Barbara+Lewis+-+It%2527s+Magic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmv3SPJLkJ0H3PAcdVX4YaX_tRWlcNyfkl9McrFztn9nyhr8Emw3s3mJYPD5BlKonncuxmx27KNlTwe1Nx1GOyCSa05ibHoxxyJQOwO-znJ-I6N5URkQfFRkYGdLRfbq4ZknjpuK1MyYn/s320/Barbara+Lewis+-+It%2527s+Magic.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">I’m
a great oldies fan as well. So in my collection, you’ll find most of the
Beatles albums, ‘Revolver’ probably being my favourite. A few years ago I went
on an ebay hunt and bought a Barbara Lewis album called ‘It’s Magic’. It’s the
third time I’ve bought the album over a 30 year period. I remember buying in
1989 and giving £15.00 for it. Somewhere along the way it went missing and in
2008 I bought it again for £31.00. It’s just a lovely album and this time I’m
not letting it go anywhere!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Just
before he died, I persuaded a group of people to come along with me to see
Lonnie Donegan in concert. Lonnie has been a hero of mine for years and he was
one of the pioneers of the pop scene in this country way back in the 50s. After
the concert, the great man was in the foyer saying hello to people as well as
selling a 3 CD compilation set of all his singles which I just had to buy, and
I have to say I still play that when the mood takes me. He was really excellent,
but was suffering from the flu’ and it was sad that a few weeks later he passed
away in his hotel room on that same tour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">The
Beach Boy’s, ‘Pet Sounds’ is another of those classic albums that I still
listen to, and I have to say I have a few Beach Boys compilation albums that
always cheer me up whenever I play them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkD7lyB5CdbFwzY8kJpz60PBhTuu4V-we8ZfeZLf_A2fhsGDIU9_JtbPmRKemV5-T01jxe_CWzLZRESl0BTJdeBha0Fg0WzFOmikknral_EF5hyv2kuuVUPtTnvf4cqdV-eXZFAO_RIMu/s1600/Mario+biondi+-+handful+of+soul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkD7lyB5CdbFwzY8kJpz60PBhTuu4V-we8ZfeZLf_A2fhsGDIU9_JtbPmRKemV5-T01jxe_CWzLZRESl0BTJdeBha0Fg0WzFOmikknral_EF5hyv2kuuVUPtTnvf4cqdV-eXZFAO_RIMu/s320/Mario+biondi+-+handful+of+soul.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Back in 2006, I bought an album called ‘Handful Of Soul’ by Mario Biondi. It’s
an absolutely awesome album and many will know the track ‘This Is What You Are’
from it. Trust me, there are some other fine songs on the album worth hearing
and if you’ve not heard it, go get it. It’s a shame the follow up album
couldn’t keep to the same standard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Other
albums over the years that seem to get played a lot by me are Carly Simon
‘Hotcakes’, which brings back some great memories for me. Eagles ‘Greatest Hits
(1971-75)’, Van Morrison ‘Moondance’ Marvin Gaye ‘Let’s Get It On’, and Al
Green’s ‘Call Me’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Frank
Sinatra is another of those classic artists that I still find time to play. ‘The
Capitol Years’ probably encompasses his most successful period and is
jam-packed full of classics. I have a
few Ella Fitzgerald compilations that I love and hearing songs like ‘Manhattan’
and the absolutely awesome ‘Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye’ still send shivers down
my spine. You’ll also find compilations by the likes of Dean Martin, Tony
Bennett and Bobby Darin in there too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Classic
albums do play a part in my listening and so Dire Straits ‘Brothers In Arms’ is
there – as a side note it was the first album I bought on CD, way back in 1985.
Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’ takes me back to a time when I was just a kid. Pink
Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ is there as well. I just love ‘Money’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWixvaC3YqYjKjRs5CM-b3JatacnJrFyEPqU3-7YrvxEqa4KseMU1buyRssVCvrOxkjx9zNjk437JkmU2uPARmDjZOGNDKjIPzKbh7VFnqGhqpNjoSjF-Y-gXUlEH5B5utipXe3bkI1Ngh/s1600/elvis+presley+-+GI+Blues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWixvaC3YqYjKjRs5CM-b3JatacnJrFyEPqU3-7YrvxEqa4KseMU1buyRssVCvrOxkjx9zNjk437JkmU2uPARmDjZOGNDKjIPzKbh7VFnqGhqpNjoSjF-Y-gXUlEH5B5utipXe3bkI1Ngh/s400/elvis+presley+-+GI+Blues.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">I
have a load of Elvis Presley albums, but I always end up playing ‘GI Blues’ for
some reason. Probably because I still love the film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Speaking
of films, Isaac Hayes’ ‘Shaft’ soundtrack is awesome and listeners to my show
will have heard me play ‘Café Reggio’s in my shows more than once. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">One
of my top three films is ‘Cinema Paradiso’ and the soundtrack album by Ennio
Morricone is just about as chilled as it could be. Now it goes without saying,
‘Saturday Night Fever’ was a major turning point in my life, and I am very
nostalgic about the album and just love to play MFSB’s version of ‘K-Jee’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">So
what guilty pleasures do I have that I listen to – more to the point should I
admit to them? Ah - why not. After all they add to the rich tapestry of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AI5L6gru1D5jnfmnpvB6JKQfW85HcyFdKBReje1ohTXBvyalOyYlfaFx1ZZMvcpn8UT6R2sI3AdilZjJrJBA-GxfMPcluMH64fOGiztF-be5gZE7utrC1bvVuU1AamDZqeVsZSWpTcMT/s1600/Gilbert-OSullivan-Back-To-Front--In-346126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AI5L6gru1D5jnfmnpvB6JKQfW85HcyFdKBReje1ohTXBvyalOyYlfaFx1ZZMvcpn8UT6R2sI3AdilZjJrJBA-GxfMPcluMH64fOGiztF-be5gZE7utrC1bvVuU1AamDZqeVsZSWpTcMT/s320/Gilbert-OSullivan-Back-To-Front--In-346126.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">First
up comes Gilbert O’Sullivan’s ‘Back to Front’ the album that has my favourite
lyric of all time. In the song ‘The Golden Rule’ Gilbert sings,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">‘I wouldn't behold wouldn't be cold,<br />
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my Dear old mum and dad,<br />
And the fun they had,<br />
Early one night,<br />
Dad put out the light,<br />
Got hold of me mum,<br />
Said he wanted a son,<br />
And as you can see,<br />
The result was me’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">What a lyric eh?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Barry Manilow’s ‘Greatest Hits’ is there too – ‘Weekend
In New England’ is just lovely. I can remember having the cassette in my car as a teen (but keeping it well hidden).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG0KbgsPdvIPQ9kJ1k56AbW4233uin2Z7hdxFM-A4M0pXsgI6nUdIK_g-pYhBsH3oikJEdTmHUbcy2GTjB8TbcUJvfmpOLHctpTz4PKSHXgbpg4CE3j_7BfjUaZVVI3By1IePwpp7zrwE/s1600/Max-Bygraves-The-Hits-Of-The-Twneties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG0KbgsPdvIPQ9kJ1k56AbW4233uin2Z7hdxFM-A4M0pXsgI6nUdIK_g-pYhBsH3oikJEdTmHUbcy2GTjB8TbcUJvfmpOLHctpTz4PKSHXgbpg4CE3j_7BfjUaZVVI3By1IePwpp7zrwE/s320/Max-Bygraves-The-Hits-Of-The-Twneties.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">This next one has a sentimental pull to it to me as it’s
an album I remember from when I was very young.
Max Bygraves & Ted Heath did an album in 1959 called ‘Max & Ted’
and it contained songs from the 1920s in it. Dated? Yes. Corny? Yes Do I love
it? Yes. And it’s been rereleased under a different name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">And finally in my hall of shame ‘The Best of’ Wham’. Do I
need to say anything about this album? No, I thought not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">Add to that a plethora of compilation albums and you can
see that I pretty much like a bit of everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 101%;">I promise not to play ‘Macerana’ or ‘Agadoo’ in a show
anytime soon though!</span></div>
James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-71805387439526531572016-01-25T10:06:00.002+00:002016-01-25T10:06:23.732+00:00An update....<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
As you may have read on my blog at the end of 2015, my career as a radio presenter had been put in jeopardy due to the new Copyright Royalty Board changes that came into play as of the 1st January 2016 in the USA.</div>
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The changes have caused many American stations that carried my shows to close down and cease trading. This has in turn impacted me.<br /></div>
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Starting the week commencing February 1st 2016, 7 years of sharing free podcasts of my shows will come to an end.</div>
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If you would like to carry on receiving the shows, you will need to pay a subscription to continue to get them.</div>
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For a one off week, you can get all three of my shows for a payment of £3.00.</div>
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If you subscribe by weekly ongoing subscription, you will get all three shows for £2.00 per week.</div>
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It's not a decision I've taken lightly. However, without taking this step, I would not be able to continue doing the shows. The finances lost at the turn of the New Year due to the ruling, have made it no longer financially viable to continue.</div>
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Hopefully, with enough subscribers, I will be able to continue in the long term.</div>
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What this means is that for less than the price of one large cappuccino per week from one of the major coffee houses, you'll get almost 7 hours worth of entertainment.</div>
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I think that's a bargain!</div>
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I will be putting details on the website on how to subscribe closer to the time.</div>
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James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-8897543527685487882015-12-30T12:55:00.001+00:002015-12-30T12:55:04.429+00:00What to do, what to do?<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOImkmKhTQ2OZn4rlAiSjJfeHOyA3ucZa5Z7q2Bwr3O-bPCX9c_hxxxQxN7gbLLhvwWlAyYemlRUX12hADU3yrqY7h9MPHhlSrFQgu6joKP1LoUv8VGjHS68Yi3hSskBqmUK7YqRxVEiYu/s1600/radio+dial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOImkmKhTQ2OZn4rlAiSjJfeHOyA3ucZa5Z7q2Bwr3O-bPCX9c_hxxxQxN7gbLLhvwWlAyYemlRUX12hADU3yrqY7h9MPHhlSrFQgu6joKP1LoUv8VGjHS68Yi3hSskBqmUK7YqRxVEiYu/s320/radio+dial.jpg" width="320" /></a>It's nearly time to go back to producing my radio shows.
When I finished before Christmas, I was looking forward to the break, but
little did I know what was coming. </div>
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Because of the new ruling
by the Copyright Royalty Board on December 16th, my radio operation has been
torn to shreds and seven years of hard work has been decimated. </div>
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Rewind Central
will close down at the end of New Year's Eve and on top of that, I've lost 65% of the stations
taking my shows due to the new ruling, as they too have decided it's no longer viable to carry on.</div>
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As I said, I will be continuing the shows in the short term
while I decide whether to carry on doing them over the long run, or call it a day
and find something new to do.</div>
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The obvious situation is that I can't afford to carry on for
any amount of time following a self-funding plan. It's just too expensive.
Approaching stations isn't really the way to go, as I come from a point of
weakness. </div>
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The majority of smaller stations these days are only willing
to take on new shows if they don't have to pay for them. It's not the way
forward for me as I still need to eat each week. Having a station on my CV
doesn't feed me too well! Some however, do pay and they generally contact me.</div>
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I've already had a few listeners say I should try and monetize
my shows via listeners. And it may come down to the fact that if listeners want
me to carry on, they will have to pay a small weekly donation in order for me to
continue. </div>
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It's a plan I'll have to look at, and it means that after 7
years, I will no longer be allowing the shows to be freely downloaded. The way to hear my
shows will be that you'll have to either listen to them via one of the stations
that still takes them, or pay a small amount and get a link to them from me.</div>
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So, how much would I be talking about via ongoing weekly
donation? Probably less than the price of a coffee from one of our big coffee
shops on the high street. And that would get you the current week's shows.
However I would need enough listeners willing to do that.</div>
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Someone pointed out that people are willing to pay for Spotify
and other streaming sites on a monthly basis, and that my shows were worthy of
being paid for in the same way. Time will tell.</div>
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I've made no decisions as yet. But one thing's for sure. The
events of the 16th December in America have affected what I do. And I fear that
narrower playlists and less choice for listeners is going to be around the
corner if webcast stations are killed off as they appear to be trying to do.</div>
James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-574346286455596472015-12-30T09:14:00.000+00:002015-12-30T12:55:33.505+00:00I wasn't expecting that!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvJLmZck0tyVQmiPBGZ6IwyjPWzv3J6TmilAEevNYZt44_Fe8OpCMorYC8mcUoqkUH2CbZ02MVSbC8-XFrHIOxvejARsuDmhx6OdHo6T3MhUHLt16KchxoNuH-tFE7VdJDfg0CF78gPxH/s1600/copyright-royalty-board1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvJLmZck0tyVQmiPBGZ6IwyjPWzv3J6TmilAEevNYZt44_Fe8OpCMorYC8mcUoqkUH2CbZ02MVSbC8-XFrHIOxvejARsuDmhx6OdHo6T3MhUHLt16KchxoNuH-tFE7VdJDfg0CF78gPxH/s320/copyright-royalty-board1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
On December 16th, while I was in Weymouth visiting my sons, The Copyright Royalty Board, a group of three judges appointed by the Library of Congress in America, made a decision that had wide ranging implications for many small webcasting radio stations that broadcast there and also stations worldwide that have listeners in America.<br />
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In fact, in my opinion, they effectively killed small independent web radio stations in America by setting a new royalty pricing structure that puts licensing far out of the reach of most small broadcasters.<br />
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These judges who determine rates and terms for copyright statutory licenses, made a decision which will raise the rates that web radio stations currently pay for the privilege of entertaining you with recorded music, by over 16 hundred percent beginning January 1st 2016.<br />
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Why am I telling you this? Quite simply because over the past 24 hours or so, I've seen my radio endeavours impacted greatly. Much of my radio income comes from stations that will be affected by this ruling.<br />
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How so? Over 65% of stations taking my shows have announced within the last day that they shall cease broadcasting at 11.59pm on 31st December 2015. Therefore, they will no longer be subscribing to my shows.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIYo_EBZQmYiSTCa4eam4K9WVQLHz-SjbrgW_grlaaa7ivJtWWFFhjExVnkvYE3Pkj7H9lz6Is1EwrVftjtSrK1j1ntK8KtI38c4FYRSO0iWRKikjMCeQMlHsll311CSaOZiAh-4zY_Tg/s1600/01+thanks+for+that.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIYo_EBZQmYiSTCa4eam4K9WVQLHz-SjbrgW_grlaaa7ivJtWWFFhjExVnkvYE3Pkj7H9lz6Is1EwrVftjtSrK1j1ntK8KtI38c4FYRSO0iWRKikjMCeQMlHsll311CSaOZiAh-4zY_Tg/s1600/01+thanks+for+that.jpg" /></a></div>
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The knock on effect of it for me is that as of the same time in the UK, I shall be closing down Rewind Central as I no longer am going to self-fund it.<br />
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I am now considering where I go in regard to doing my shows. The fact is, the major radio stations in this country aren't going to take my shows. I don't fit their format and I'm not what they want. The shows that I do certainly aren't. That's fine, I understand that.<br />
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The likes of Community Radio stations and with the rare exception, most smaller stations, all want me to donate my shows for free to them (apparently it will look good on my CV). You would not believe the amount of stations that tell me they love my shows, but aren't willing the pay the small amount I charge to air them. But that's the way it is these days I'm afraid. I've also been offered shows on stations, if I'd like to pay them for the privilege.<br />
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On 12th January 2009, I did my first radio show and since then I've invested thousands of hours and pounds into building my radio presence. On 12th January 2016, it will be 7 years since it all started for me. I love doing what I do, but I am now deciding where the future lies. As much as it's a great hobby for lots of people, it's not the way I see it. I never have. I've never treated it as a hobby, nor will I in the future. It's always been more than that to me.<br />
For now in the short term I'll carry on, but unless I can find a way of financing the shows, it appears I'll be looking for something new to do in 2016.James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-21254289275412906742014-10-05T15:56:00.001+01:002014-10-05T15:56:05.778+01:00Eric Clapton's Greatest Hits by James Murphy aged 3 and a half<br /> <div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br /> <div style='background-color:transparent;' data-iframestyle='background-color:transparent; display:block; min-width:320px; max-width:700px;' data-boourl='http://audioboom.com/boos/2536170-eric-clapton-s-greatest-hits-by-james-murphy-aged-3-and-a-half/embed/v3?eid=AQAAAAVcMVTqsiYA' class='ab-player'><a href='http://audioboom.com/boos/2536170-eric-clapton-s-greatest-hits-by-james-murphy-aged-3-and-a-half'>listen to ‘Eric Clapton's Greatest Hits by James Murphy aged 3 and a half’ on audioBoom</a></div><script type='text/javascript'>(function() { var po = document.createElement("script"); po.type = "text/javascript"; po.async = true; po.src = "https://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/cdn/embed.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();</script><br /> </div><br /> James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-74426415650617811782014-06-23T10:29:00.001+01:002014-06-23T10:29:19.344+01:00Being insulted doesn't work for me!<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, a station contacted me to tell me they love my shows and want them on their station and it would be great for my exposure. However it wouldn't be a paid opportunity, but it would look good for my C.V.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've spent the last five years working to try and earn a living from this. For four of those years, I didn't really earn a penny as I learned my trade and used what I earned to improve myself. I have been managing to syndicate my shows and getting paid of late, and that's as it should be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I understand loads of people want to do radio and many are willing to do it for nothing. But as far as I'm concerned enough is enough,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My point is this. I didn't go asking for the job at the station - they approached me. But at the same time they patronised me and insulted my intelligence as well. If they feel my shows are great and want them, then it's only fair I should be paid for my efforts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I felt that it warranted a measured response, but at the time I was just a tad annoyed - I will say this, I turned down their kind offer - and I took a short while to put the message below together</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94SlCyMCJV41Wnn48sksZVZ1qGDutOedJSPltdbn8s63wTsaJw2_e33zWUqsRk795wDYhDlHv0pkwRGx_1BiLBzVXlpP3SM-L3EbtZdz2P7kFyFaFHd0LzhDdmxi0trRinz7sRkawOf0G/s1600/work+for+free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94SlCyMCJV41Wnn48sksZVZ1qGDutOedJSPltdbn8s63wTsaJw2_e33zWUqsRk795wDYhDlHv0pkwRGx_1BiLBzVXlpP3SM-L3EbtZdz2P7kFyFaFHd0LzhDdmxi0trRinz7sRkawOf0G/s1600/work+for+free.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-78278366843472310842014-03-28T12:59:00.001+00:002014-03-28T12:59:04.759+00:00Wanna be one of our 'voices'<br /> <div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br /> <div style='background-color:transparent;' data-iframestyle='background-color:transparent; display:block; box-shadow:0 0 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); min-width:349px; max-width:700px;' data-boourl='https://audioboo.fm/boos/2027178-wanna-be-one-of-our-voices/embed/v2?eid=AQAAABhyNVOq7h4A' class='ab-player'><a href='http://audioboo.fm/boos/2027178-wanna-be-one-of-our-voices'>listen to ‘Wanna be one of our 'voices'’ on Audioboo</a></div><script type='text/javascript'>(function() { var po = document.createElement("script"); po.type = "text/javascript"; po.async = true; po.src = "https://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/cdn/embed.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();</script><br /> </div><br /> James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-69162926904916862232014-03-20T08:13:00.000+00:002014-03-20T08:13:30.415+00:00Missing In Action (the first show) - Song By Song<div class="MsoNormal">
As it's the first show, I thought as a one-off, I'd give you a run down of the show, song by song. Loads of information and pictures for you to read whilst having a listen!<br />
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All you need to do is <a href="http://jamesmurphy.podomatic.com/entry/2014-03-20T01_00_00-07_00" target="_blank">click the link</a> and you'll be transported to the show!</div>
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1 Reunion – Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcGBhoXeBjgdhAaKyeHiA2fzT7X-OyNN7vJyLsCHlfd07hRFNfznWD5c0eEWlNifUs9-M_qU04PfsLL0zj4bFliyZZEA6TwOazFlmNqDTEGaKcNJqhGZTikbDS8_gq9_Wf03UvswStn3b/s1600/01+Reunion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcGBhoXeBjgdhAaKyeHiA2fzT7X-OyNN7vJyLsCHlfd07hRFNfznWD5c0eEWlNifUs9-M_qU04PfsLL0zj4bFliyZZEA6TwOazFlmNqDTEGaKcNJqhGZTikbDS8_gq9_Wf03UvswStn3b/s1600/01+Reunion.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
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Reunion was a studio group created around songwriters Norman Dolph and Paul DiFranco, which scored one US Top 10 single in 1974 with the novelty song ‘Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)’. The group had already released a number of singles on RCA Records with no luck when writer/producer DiFranco approached writer/singer Joey Levine to work on the song which ultimately became their only hit. The song had been written two years previously but had remained unfinished. Levine, Dolph and DiFranco took final writing credit and it was recorded in a bubblegum style (Levine had had success writing hit songs in the 60s for studio bubblegum outfits such as the Ohio Express, and was a member of the Third Rail). ‘Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)’ reached number 8 in the US in late 1974 but further releases under the Reunion name failed to chart. They did not record any albums and the project was soon shelved.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7q_RFetXQa8uKmX3A0-aeVxepVoqjQ8Od5cMODh4vmui4ih3b5pSCbdyvfPG0LCZwoLagR7T3Klf5Z7R214Su1LOrbhDplQCjxEI9cJipY-H9ZVrlx_QM32FLVqajOyYxAbnqO0bMgUr/s1600/02+Cat+Stevens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7q_RFetXQa8uKmX3A0-aeVxepVoqjQ8Od5cMODh4vmui4ih3b5pSCbdyvfPG0LCZwoLagR7T3Klf5Z7R214Su1LOrbhDplQCjxEI9cJipY-H9ZVrlx_QM32FLVqajOyYxAbnqO0bMgUr/s1600/02+Cat+Stevens.jpg" height="194" width="200" /></a></div>
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2 Cat Stevens – I Love My Dog</div>
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"I Love My Dog" is a song written by Cat Stevens, and was his first single (b/w "Portobello Road"), appearing the following year on his debut album Matthew and Son. Stevens later acknowledged that the song had been inspired by American jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef's "The Plum Blossom", from his 1961 Eastern Sounds, with which it shares a melody.</div>
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FEATURED ALBUM – CARLY SIMON – HOTCAKES </div>
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(JAN 1974)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZ2T01eWPUH1IJbWMeliO54UPI54eIHt4geaoaoWWCS-JB-Xu5ddCQkC3QlwJBBYGJGf_Fil07ff4xdd_Y2r0rYUqdkpBX3d2nVruW0V8ZVn1VWmW3yeK8jLO3r8ICMA58D8G2C5dqjVP/s1600/03+carly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZ2T01eWPUH1IJbWMeliO54UPI54eIHt4geaoaoWWCS-JB-Xu5ddCQkC3QlwJBBYGJGf_Fil07ff4xdd_Y2r0rYUqdkpBX3d2nVruW0V8ZVn1VWmW3yeK8jLO3r8ICMA58D8G2C5dqjVP/s1600/03+carly.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a>Hotcakes is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's fourth studio album. Released in 1974, it became one of her biggest selling albums. The album featured the hits "Mockingbird", a duet with her then-husband James Taylor (a cover of a 1963 hit for Inez and Charlie Foxx), and "Haven't Got Time for the Pain", as well as many other songs that reflected Simon's upbeat mood during her pregnancy with her first child. On the album cover, Simon sits in a gleamingly white kitchen, robustly pregnant, smiling brightly and wearing a somewhat bohemian white linen dress.</div>
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The album went gold immediately and it stayed on the charts for eight months, yet it was initially overshadowed commercially by two other major albums released by Simon's own label, Elektra/Asylum, in the same month as Hotcakes, Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark and Bob Dylan's Planet Waves. These took the #2 and #1 spots, respectively, on the Billboard album chart while Hotcakes peaked at #3.Hotcakes went on to sell several hundred thousand more copies than Dylan's album and was listed in the Top 40 of Billboard's Year End Top albums for 1974, while Planet Waves did not make the Top 50.</div>
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3. Carly Simon - Haven’t Got Time For The Pain</div>
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This was the follow-up to "Mockingbird," which was Taylor's duet with her husband at the time, James Taylor. Here, a once sad, unfulfilled woman has discovered happiness and has turned her back on a past that once seemed hopeless.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7CD9_uvgDtSxYg4OIyvS1vMCvbplIenWOsKDm737LMByoIGEGKPdzCp3mqAMxj9S5mwmNposhQ1OCbOrCsOc3EH8YFhEykG4lmJtiAhKp9hmRl-fxgBVbDUcrUMjrakpV6aqI4BMRKEN/s1600/04+beach+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7CD9_uvgDtSxYg4OIyvS1vMCvbplIenWOsKDm737LMByoIGEGKPdzCp3mqAMxj9S5mwmNposhQ1OCbOrCsOc3EH8YFhEykG4lmJtiAhKp9hmRl-fxgBVbDUcrUMjrakpV6aqI4BMRKEN/s1600/04+beach+boys.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
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4 Beach Boys – Break Away</div>
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"Break Away" (occasionally listed as Breakaway) is a song recorded by The Beach Boys in 1969. It was written by Brian Wilson and his father Murry Wilson, who is credited as lyricist under the pseudonym "Reggie Dunbar". The single was relatively unsuccessful compared to the groups releases, and charted at #63 in US Billboard (top 40 in Cash Box and Record World charts). "Break Away" sold better abroad, reaching #6 on the United Kingdom charts.</div>
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5 Boomtown Rats – Banana Republic</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFpFXbVCZzOL-ncSB4lFpLziQGMyyL5CGhaUuVCRbUBG_mYZIJQzKNh3cOuQkieAJjCWJb1u7ye7L7gPV62fgda5JBLwq_HUqKCc1L5Pyg_jHlH5Cmnnl9uruLfEVf3wHKtVu49phN20D/s1600/05+boomtown+rats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFpFXbVCZzOL-ncSB4lFpLziQGMyyL5CGhaUuVCRbUBG_mYZIJQzKNh3cOuQkieAJjCWJb1u7ye7L7gPV62fgda5JBLwq_HUqKCc1L5Pyg_jHlH5Cmnnl9uruLfEVf3wHKtVu49phN20D/s1600/05+boomtown+rats.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
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"Banana Republic" was the first single from The Boomtown Rats' album Mondo Bongo. It peaked at number three in the UK charts and was the band's last major commercial success. Breaking from the band's previous new wave sound the song opens with a ska-reggae hook (that repeats at the close of the much longer album version). However, the song itself is a more mainstream piece musically. The 'Banana Republic' which the song describes is actually a deliberately scathing portrait of the Republic of Ireland, the band's country of origin, and was written in response to the band being banned from performing there</div>
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6 Bee Gees – Run To Me</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GS7UvgjynheBBHAMhQyAbIX6r7oPJm_neoLVsOVLI2vqo0nVFEemJJAcy-y5cS8qK5MGxSqR0D7By03fv_iQZnER5JwCK4w36b_Y20M9sWvwLfJgNiailLqaO5zpzBGsCU-ZQDlK_DBD/s1600/06+bee+gees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GS7UvgjynheBBHAMhQyAbIX6r7oPJm_neoLVsOVLI2vqo0nVFEemJJAcy-y5cS8qK5MGxSqR0D7By03fv_iQZnER5JwCK4w36b_Y20M9sWvwLfJgNiailLqaO5zpzBGsCU-ZQDlK_DBD/s1600/06+bee+gees.jpg" height="196" width="200" /></a>"Run to Me" is a song by the Bee Gees. It was the lead single and released in 7 July 1972[1] and first track on the group's 1972 album To Whom It May Concern. There is also a promotional video for this song filmed in black and white. Written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. Lead vocals by Barry Gibb on the verses and Robin Gibb on the chorus. "Run to Me" saw the Bee Gees return to the UK Top 10 after a three year absence, climbing to #9 while in the US it reached #16. The first Bee Gees single without drummer Geoff Bridgford as he left the band in January that year.</div>
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7 Frankie Avalon – Bobby Sox To Stockings</div>
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Born Francis Thomas Avallone on September 18, 1940, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet by the time he was 11. Two singles showcasing Avalon's trumpet playing were issued on RCA Victor's "X" sublabel in 1954. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints. In 1959, "Venus" (5 weeks #1) and "Why" went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Why" was the last #1 of the 1950s. Avalon had 31 charted U.S. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including "Just Ask Your Heart" (U.S. #7), "I'll Wait For You" (U.S. #15), "Bobby Sox to Stockings" (U.S. #8), and "A Boy Without a Girl" (U.S. #10). Most of his hits were written and/or produced by Bob Marcucci, head of Chancellor Records. He was less popular in the U.K., but did still manage four chart hits with "Why", "Gingerbread", "Venus" and "Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5VHQ_wL7xNLp6ioiSuAt9Nb6d6digz1IbOr-jzcoXaJCWYjtZW_30svKWc8WYC3Y4X_U-Gl0JVMHeOfSfQKb1s_VXhs714LLsL-HuKdycxqOslOxtjewaBUkmzoeNgdLbMUl4KrzXL0q/s1600/08+elo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5VHQ_wL7xNLp6ioiSuAt9Nb6d6digz1IbOr-jzcoXaJCWYjtZW_30svKWc8WYC3Y4X_U-Gl0JVMHeOfSfQKb1s_VXhs714LLsL-HuKdycxqOslOxtjewaBUkmzoeNgdLbMUl4KrzXL0q/s1600/08+elo.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>8 Electric Light Orchestra - Last Train To London</div>
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"Last Train to London" is the fifth track from the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) album Discovery. The song was released in 1979 in the UK as a double A-side single with "Confusion". It peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart. However, in the US the two songs charted separately, with "Confusion" in late 1979 followed by "Last Train to London" in early 1980. It peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] In Spain the single was released with the Spanish title "Ultimo tren a Londres".</div>
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9 Julia Fordham - Happy Ever After</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BeHJJmcLaqdVOmr7B6-9p8S_BqKNQTFWF-OBeyP0gTimEwBjiGN75FU_X_f7AkJz4WkjskcMOLreYFF_d2ZovE118M3dgD3GjiKN_OtSwuJs9kfD9Fn1YuHqr1SIU3JoIBvpC8HOHcYC/s1600/09+julia+fordham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BeHJJmcLaqdVOmr7B6-9p8S_BqKNQTFWF-OBeyP0gTimEwBjiGN75FU_X_f7AkJz4WkjskcMOLreYFF_d2ZovE118M3dgD3GjiKN_OtSwuJs9kfD9Fn1YuHqr1SIU3JoIBvpC8HOHcYC/s1600/09+julia+fordham.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Julia Fordham (born 10 August 1962) is a British singer-songwriter. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde, before signing a recording contract of her own later that decade. Fordham is now based in California.</div>
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In 1988, Fordham released her first album on Circa Records. Simply titled Julia Fordham, it reached No. 20 in the UK and eventually earned a gold disc. It contained the Top 40 single "Happy Ever After" (which peaked at No. 27 in August 1988). The album also charted in the US, reaching No. 118 on the Billboard 200 chart.</div>
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10 Canned Heat - Let's Work Together</div>
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"Let's Stick Together" or "Let's Work Together" as it was subsequently titled, is a blues song written by Wilbert Harrison, which was released in 1962. In 1969–1970, the song became a hit for Harrison and has been recorded by a variety of artists, including Canned Heat and Bryan Ferry who had chart successes with the song.</div>
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Shortly after the release of Wilbert Harrison's "Let's Work Together", Los Angeles blues-rock band Canned Heat recorded their version of the song. Unlike their previous singles ("On the Road Again", "Going Up the Country", and "Time Was") which featured vocals and harmonica by Alan Wilson, for "Let's Work Together" Bob Hite provided the vocals, with Wilson adding the slide-guitar parts. The song was prepared for release as a single in December 1969, but after learning that Harrison's song was becoming popular, the band delayed their release until Harrison's song had run its course.</div>
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Canned Heat's "Let's Work Together" was released in August 1970 and reached #26 in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It was featured on their 1970 album, Future Blues. In the UK, where Harrison's single failed to generate interest, Canned Heat's version was released earlier in January 1970. It became their biggest UK hit, reaching #2 in the UK Singles chart during a stay of fifteen weeks. According to band manager Skip Taylor, "'Let’s Work Together' was actually their biggest hit as it rose to #1 in 31 different countries around the world"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHi3oP8W5nYvDdueCVYZhKV_Nne6ROvNZr2S0WKaOB-ooNIjelFwuqPNKDKzWedOCkjj2jdWgwXQeUwIaP_OBpDqGZTHWww3c8Jfhnn-kzxEKvXQz7FaEA5uHykWHButsyb2CJmRjbiN1/s1600/11+gary+moore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHi3oP8W5nYvDdueCVYZhKV_Nne6ROvNZr2S0WKaOB-ooNIjelFwuqPNKDKzWedOCkjj2jdWgwXQeUwIaP_OBpDqGZTHWww3c8Jfhnn-kzxEKvXQz7FaEA5uHykWHButsyb2CJmRjbiN1/s1600/11+gary+moore.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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11 Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues<br />
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Taken from the album of the same name, the title track was released on the single format and reached No. 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 16 February 1991. It was the only single of Moore's to chart in the Billboard Hot 100. It reached No. 31 in the UK.</div>
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12 Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Honey Chile</div>
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"Honey Chile" is a 1967 single by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas on the Gordy label. This was the first single to bill Martha Reeves by her full name, as opposed to simply "Martha" and the Vandellas.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTGB30MJ9VMQE85Rv-ojyyDEfDecdxgDJhjvmRpwzxN2FHGC0YRj6_nGzSheBQ6lusEBzRrH_LlU8Z3bmTle6svVntomr9Q_biCLQfgSle_o0UNyCNttKsVwc0NrhEswdhds6IzV0zbW3/s1600/12+martha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTGB30MJ9VMQE85Rv-ojyyDEfDecdxgDJhjvmRpwzxN2FHGC0YRj6_nGzSheBQ6lusEBzRrH_LlU8Z3bmTle6svVntomr9Q_biCLQfgSle_o0UNyCNttKsVwc0NrhEswdhds6IzV0zbW3/s1600/12+martha.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a>This song, rare for a pop song, actually shows character development: at the end of the first verse she states that she is worthless without him, while in the second to last line she says she will find the strength to leave him.</div>
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Filled with Southern connotations (inspired by Reeves' birth in rural Alabama), the tune rose to number eleven on the Billboard pop singles chart and number five on the Billboard R&B singles chart. It is notable for several reasons: it is the first track to feature new member, Martha's younger sister Sandra "Lois" Reeves replacing just-fired Betty Kelley, it was the group's twelfth top 40 pop single, and it was also the last top 40 hit the group would score throughout the rest of their Motown tenure though they would score several top 40 R&B singles before leaving the label in 1973.</div>
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13 James Taylor & JD Souther - Her Town Too</div>
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James Taylor and J.D. Souther wrote this song with Waddy Wachtell, a guitarist known for his work with Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt and Warren Zevon. The song tells the story of a woman who finds herself living alone after a breakup with her man, and has to deal with the small town gossip. Many people speculated that the song was doubly autobiographical: Taylor's marriage with Carly Simon was ending, as was Souther's relationship with Linda Ronstadt. Taylor and Souther refuse to say who they were singing about, which we found out when we posed that question to J.D. in 2011. When we asked if he'd like to reveal her identity, his reply was, "Of course not. You think after all these years suddenly I'd rat somebody out?"</div>
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There are some clues that this is about James Taylor's divorce from Carly Simon. Taylor's ongoing problem with drug use led to their divorce, as did spending more time on his career than with her. This is indicated in the lyrics: "She gets the house and the garden/He gets the boys in the band." The title of the album, Dad Loves His Work, could be another reference to the martial breakup.</div>
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14 Gale Garnett - We'll Sing In The Sunshine</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTA3OqXbnCZyE4k0bZ2hM2_RtSGSuuk6S4Fxqin7x2N1kWkvvB_OVenqzV6DB1K7LeJmeNp4FOEaSTqESP_3RcuV70qEjwt14lvLgjr9Eph52ceHWtFe3_oHbJUxSDU-8xv9fDhZfYc8y/s1600/14+gale+garnett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTA3OqXbnCZyE4k0bZ2hM2_RtSGSuuk6S4Fxqin7x2N1kWkvvB_OVenqzV6DB1K7LeJmeNp4FOEaSTqESP_3RcuV70qEjwt14lvLgjr9Eph52ceHWtFe3_oHbJUxSDU-8xv9fDhZfYc8y/s1600/14+gale+garnett.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>"We'll Sing in the Sunshine" is a 1964 hit song written and recorded by Gale Garnett which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending 5 September 1964. The song also enjoyed success on easy listening and country music radio stations, spending seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and number 42 on the country chart. The Cash Box Top 100 ranked "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" at number one for the week of 31 October 1964, and it also reached number one in Garnett's native New Zealand that November. In Australia "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" afforded Garnett a Top Ten hit with a #10 peak in October 1964. Garnett's sole Top 40 hit, "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" won the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording in 1965.</div>
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15 John O'Banion - Love You Like I Never Loved Before</div>
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John O'Banion (16 February 1947 – 14 February 2007) was an American vocalist and actor</div>
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John was the lead singer in Doc Severinsen's band, "Today's Children". He was managed by Bud Robinson, also Doc's manager. They parted ways in early 1974. O'Banion said that Johnny Carson was a big fan and supporter of his career. John made five appearances on Carson's "Tonight Show", as many on Merv Griffin's and Mike Douglas' shows. He also appeared on American Bandstand, Solid Gold, and was the winning singer of the pilot of Star Search.</div>
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His song "Love You Like I Never Loved Before" was a hit single in 1981, making it to #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. O'Banion won the prestigious Tokyo Music Festival Award in 1982, with "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love", later sung by Crystal Gayle on her 1983 album Cage The Songbird, achieving as a single release, the #2 spot on Billboard's country music chart. John also got the attention of his Japanese fans with two songs written and sung for the samurai/fantasy epic movie Legend of the Eight Samurai, with those songs being "I Don't Want This Night To End" (called Satomi Hakken Den in Japan) and "White Light".</div>
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He also appeared in the films Borderline with Charles Bronson, TV movie Courage with Sophia Loren and Billy Dee Williams and starred in the 1990 independent film The Judas Project. In 1995 he released an album with jazz cover versions of such contemporary hits, such as "I'm Not in Love" (10CC), "What You Won't Do For Love" (Bobby Caldwell) and the title track "Hearts" (Marty Balin).</div>
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Just two days before his 60th birthday, O'Banion died of blunt force trauma as a result of being hit by a car while touring in New Orleans, Louisiana in the early 90s. He died at his home in Los Angeles, California surrounded by friends and family. He had been battling the long term effects received as a result of the trauma to the head following the incident in New Orleans.</div>
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16 KD Lang - Miss Chatelaine</div>
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17 Ricky Nelson - Believe What You Say</div>
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Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) — known as Ricky Nelson, later also as Rick Nelson — was an American actor, musician and singer-songwriter. He starred alongside his family in the television series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–66), as well as co-starring alongside John Wayne and Dean Martin in Howard Hawks's western feature film, Rio Bravo (1959). He placed 53 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973 including "Poor Little Fool" which holds the distinction of being the first #1 song on Billboard magazine's then-newly created Hot 100 chart. He recorded 19 additional Top 10 hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987. In 1996, he was ranked #49 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.</div>
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18 Carly Simon - Older Sister</div>
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The fourth track from this week’s Featured Album, Hotcakes</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEcLVCwTpV_MbIpBme6k8bRWX_GcOE5tJeb58nlJSfJ-YSjYkkN0sYH64Uda4lX3AWwpfm-tYXcpBBzy-GWtNjiVPxzF3rDaiZyfoQ6mkYu1lvZ1Lw9CALorzCFTw0WBs3dMqjSOa7U8O/s1600/19+ace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEcLVCwTpV_MbIpBme6k8bRWX_GcOE5tJeb58nlJSfJ-YSjYkkN0sYH64Uda4lX3AWwpfm-tYXcpBBzy-GWtNjiVPxzF3rDaiZyfoQ6mkYu1lvZ1Lw9CALorzCFTw0WBs3dMqjSOa7U8O/s1600/19+ace.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a></div>
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19 Ace - How Long<br />
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How Long" is a 1974 song by the British group Ace from their album Five-A-Side. It reached #3 in the US and Canadian charts, and #20 in the UK chart. Lead singer Paul Carrack composed the song upon discovering that bassist Terry Comer had been secretly working with other bands. Comer returned to Ace in time to play on the song.</div>
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20 Kim Wilde - Four Letter Word</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLAmWNMf614TasyEKnNlbw9e3SBg-Zio43Rqftb0DBW_GnTynw4XUIUlH3iQ-Ox-RPggEgTvHM6mIwK_kiEhywctsfCgDsj0kUzjMlaoKRevkdSisUT4UwhkPXpP7KmGFrpHGTLdJFugW/s1600/20+kim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLAmWNMf614TasyEKnNlbw9e3SBg-Zio43Rqftb0DBW_GnTynw4XUIUlH3iQ-Ox-RPggEgTvHM6mIwK_kiEhywctsfCgDsj0kUzjMlaoKRevkdSisUT4UwhkPXpP7KmGFrpHGTLdJFugW/s1600/20+kim.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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"Four Letter Word" is the fourth single from the Kim Wilde album Close.</div>
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It was released at the end of 1988 — the year that had seen Wilde release a best-selling album, have four international hits (including the chart-topping "You Came") and support Michael Jackson on the European leg of his world tour.</div>
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"Four Letter Word" marked the first occasion in Wilde's then eight-year career where she released a straight ballad as a single. It also marked her last release of a song written by her father and brother (who had written the majority of her early hits together, including the pop classic "Kids in America)". It became her third consecutive UK Top 10 single from "Close", reaching number 6.</div>
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21 Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning</div>
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Taken from the album of the same name, it was released in April 1955 on Capitol Records, produced by Voyle Gilmore with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. The songs on the album deal with themes such as loneliness, introspection, lost love, failed relationships, depression and night-life. As a result, In the Wee Small Hours is generally regarded as one of the first concept albums. The album's cover artwork reflects these themes and portrays a reflective-looking Sinatra on an eerie and deserted street awash in blue-tinged street lights. Sinatra would successfully continue the "concept" formula with later albums such as Songs for Swingin' Lovers! and Only the Lonely. He had been developing the idea since 1946 with his first album release, The Voice. In the Wee Small Hours was issued as two 10-inch LP discs, and also as one 12-inch record LP, making it one of the first of its kind. It was also issued as four four–song 45-rpm EP discs sold in cardboard sleeves with the same cover as the LPs, not in paper covers like 45-rpm singles.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4Zi5qKXE6jyEfCUFyxwpT14w_n45c-w0OwDfzVm7ph-L7NQT_LSt_TMsRLCZ3NBDiw-qyexHwH9mglWh6wBfxIzv1Ngpr0kIXkbjXgh1UZz-9XWxX95r2eEDXN_73i59Yyzmn8NgOmKa/s1600/22+linda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4Zi5qKXE6jyEfCUFyxwpT14w_n45c-w0OwDfzVm7ph-L7NQT_LSt_TMsRLCZ3NBDiw-qyexHwH9mglWh6wBfxIzv1Ngpr0kIXkbjXgh1UZz-9XWxX95r2eEDXN_73i59Yyzmn8NgOmKa/s1600/22+linda.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
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22 Linda Lewis - Rock A Doodle Doo<br />
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Rock-a-Doodle-Doo is a popular song and hit single by British singer Linda Lewis.</div>
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Written by Lewis and produced by Lewis and her first husband, Jim Cregan, it was her second single, her first hit and her first on the Warner Bros. Records vanity label Raft Records. The song entered the UK charts at #50 in June 1973 and reached #15 in July finally leaving the chart in August 1973.</div>
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23 Cliff Richard & The Drifters - Living Doll</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15P1NG5AmiHyqR1FxMR8lZyiJjKqfUKFZmjv05x6aWaloM_xY5iY2muGCWgphJ_3ApwWAsWE2QTYgdbHchtFTYRpGFED3Hdhr8tutAoQinYLERY67X7grYtddy8BpV5rTMtzkAee10yW0/s1600/23+cliff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15P1NG5AmiHyqR1FxMR8lZyiJjKqfUKFZmjv05x6aWaloM_xY5iY2muGCWgphJ_3ApwWAsWE2QTYgdbHchtFTYRpGFED3Hdhr8tutAoQinYLERY67X7grYtddy8BpV5rTMtzkAee10yW0/s1600/23+cliff.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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"Living Doll" is a song written by Lionel Bart made popular by Cliff Richard and the Shadows (then still The Drifters) in 1959. It has topped the UK charts twice; in its original version and a new version recorded in 1986 in aid of Comic Relief.</div>
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The song was originally recorded in 1959 by Cliff Richard and the Drifters and produced by Norrie Paramor. It peaked at #1 on the UK singles chart for six weeks from July 1959, selling over a million copies in the process. The song won Bart an Ivor Novello Award for best song. It was Richard's first US hit single reaching #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9p5PN6VmtSfdM9YM9G2wcl8YQvCM9muugMLzfBMkmz_EpDXmbn3n9m7g12l3jFyPeMQ8C0HTJqaE0vKVTeLHc9Tp_H4DLXZZFwcGVb3xZZR7yewRqyRHfqw9S7WDpL4Bgn8xAixK7UTxl/s1600/24+christians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9p5PN6VmtSfdM9YM9G2wcl8YQvCM9muugMLzfBMkmz_EpDXmbn3n9m7g12l3jFyPeMQ8C0HTJqaE0vKVTeLHc9Tp_H4DLXZZFwcGVb3xZZR7yewRqyRHfqw9S7WDpL4Bgn8xAixK7UTxl/s1600/24+christians.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a></div>
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24 Christians - Forgotten Town<br />
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Taken from The Christians' 1987 debut album and contained their first five UK hit singles: "Forgotten Town", "Hooverville", "When the Fingers Point", "Ideal World" and "Born Again".</div>
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25 People - I Love You</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0V1UNimBjaMgklEuoncYPz8GDCO-xO-mMWMf3i9elraYD3N5CFAcfGIIXqw6b5k_9U9f0BXOERuVBD9DAd0LdTzcKFCtb5chkwX6bCZZi7pnlLOxo6BHGclyS3zpeROvWx-vLgjvJaIV/s1600/25+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0V1UNimBjaMgklEuoncYPz8GDCO-xO-mMWMf3i9elraYD3N5CFAcfGIIXqw6b5k_9U9f0BXOERuVBD9DAd0LdTzcKFCtb5chkwX6bCZZi7pnlLOxo6BHGclyS3zpeROvWx-vLgjvJaIV/s1600/25+people.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a></div>
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"I Love You" is a 1965 song by The Zombies, written by their member Chris White, which was covered by People! and The Carnabeats and by several other artists, including foreign translations.</div>
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The cover version by People!, released in February 1968 (officially, it was the B-side of "Somebody Tell Me My Name", which was written by Dennis Fridkin and Geoff Levin) (Capitol Records 2078) was a No.14 hit in the USA and went to No.1 in Japan (Capitol CR-1960). In 1968 Capitol released People!'s version in Mexico; Australia and Canada, where it reached No.7 in May 1968;</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLg7S2SGKCMkoEPXV7AoTpwVIEyeYGPNz4srP_8z9D5Ga6O2O2ZU0dqm8PAPi7TL_gLCWiUT4EyBdUPg53o8cXr7L8j4spgN6T_ukNRZXSoXlpcg9PaJhO_RgkVDuhlQGGfEuGjSNqr1UB/s1600/26+roger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLg7S2SGKCMkoEPXV7AoTpwVIEyeYGPNz4srP_8z9D5Ga6O2O2ZU0dqm8PAPi7TL_gLCWiUT4EyBdUPg53o8cXr7L8j4spgN6T_ukNRZXSoXlpcg9PaJhO_RgkVDuhlQGGfEuGjSNqr1UB/s1600/26+roger.jpg" height="200" width="196" /></a></div>
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26 Roger Voudouris - Get Used To It<br />
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This song was the only hit for Roger Voudouris, who wrote the song with Michael Omartian, a producer known for producing many of Donna Summer's hits as well as "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross and "The Next Time I Fall" by Chicago. This was the only hit for Voudouris, who became a bit of a cult-figure in Australia after appearing on the popular music TV show Countdown in August 1979. Sadly, Roger died in 2003 from liver disease.</div>
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27 Ali Thomson - Take A Little Rhythm</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsejtqWs-ppg2Dd1YXYQ_YPewpwVSpKO-fUcD6WF-HsjnDOZoRe1gCUBlrkKW9JNkNMVDHA1xlhIB8T98ufnwgHqZvGqozZTKflsjKTGJxgX8sHW0USBmx-qEacKsFO4-qv4WszXpmNn-/s1600/27+ali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsejtqWs-ppg2Dd1YXYQ_YPewpwVSpKO-fUcD6WF-HsjnDOZoRe1gCUBlrkKW9JNkNMVDHA1xlhIB8T98ufnwgHqZvGqozZTKflsjKTGJxgX8sHW0USBmx-qEacKsFO4-qv4WszXpmNn-/s1600/27+ali.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a></div>
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Ali Thomson (born 1959 in Glasgow) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. His brother is Doug Thomson, of the Alan Bown Set and Supertramp. Ali began singing and playing piano in local bands and moved to London in the 1970s where he worked for Mountain Records as an office helphand. Ali signed to A&M Records in the UK and recorded two albums. The first album was entitled Take a Little Rhythm, and the title track was a hit in the US, peaking at #10 on the Radio & Records chart and #15 on the Billboard singles chart in the summer of 1980, "Take A Little Rhythm" also peaked at #4 on the Adult Contemporary charts. A second single, "Live Every Minute", charted but did not make the top 40.</div>
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28 Billy Paul - Thanks For Saving My Life<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrxwpyFD-i0hvoU7Sc7O6B87uBmVxTdSoXI7ox6ZtnU58PWR8uc_NLZzP-0Hk_MRcYR9-6RMQwuCaJ1kLmfBo38tjWGrxxUs4EZb2_aGfuBTurgEw5q-TctYvrTekcEnQNWm0pZ0fU-xw/s1600/28+billy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrxwpyFD-i0hvoU7Sc7O6B87uBmVxTdSoXI7ox6ZtnU58PWR8uc_NLZzP-0Hk_MRcYR9-6RMQwuCaJ1kLmfBo38tjWGrxxUs4EZb2_aGfuBTurgEw5q-TctYvrTekcEnQNWm0pZ0fU-xw/s1600/28+billy.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>Billy Paul (born Paul Williams; December 1, 1934) is a Grammy Award winning American soul singer, most known for his 1972 number-one single, "Me and Mrs. Jones" as well as the 1973 album and single "War of the Gods" which blends his more conventional pop, soul and funk styles with electronic and psychedelic influences. He is usually identified by his diverse vocal style which ranges from mellow and soulful to low and raspy.</div>
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Paul was on the Neptune Records label for many years. He recorded much other material of note, including "Am I Black Enough For You?", "Let's Make a Baby" and an alternate version of "Let's Stay Together". Other songs he recorded include "Let 'Em In", "Your Song", "Only the Strong Survive" and "Bring the Family Back".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYj9niO7tFnGQhfCKd31FhFFRD4y2K-dkTBXIhL0JAQugsrvqcYIfq-rsCcYpWilDzp8rCMWCEN0sLbEAza77kDDlRTxwpR9fLYmn1wVAot4D_9T_5W99VgknJc4KqGwoR8l0AtuUK1sh/s1600/29+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYj9niO7tFnGQhfCKd31FhFFRD4y2K-dkTBXIhL0JAQugsrvqcYIfq-rsCcYpWilDzp8rCMWCEN0sLbEAza77kDDlRTxwpR9fLYmn1wVAot4D_9T_5W99VgknJc4KqGwoR8l0AtuUK1sh/s1600/29+family.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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29 Family - Burlesque<br />
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In August 1972, one month prior to the Bandstand LP release, the band issues this single with the A-side a band like the Faces would have dreamed to compose.It's a hit, and should have reached an higher place in the charts than this modest n°13 (but it stayed 12 weeks in them). </div>
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30 Chuck Berry - My Ding A Ling</div>
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"My Ding-a-Ling" is the title of a novelty song written and recorded by Dave Bartholomew. In 1972 it was covered by Chuck Berry and became Berry's only U.S. number-one single on the pop charts. Later that year, in a longer unedited form, it was included on the album The London Chuck Berry Sessions. Two members of the Average White Band, guitarist Onnie McIntyre and drummer Robbie McIntosh, played on the single</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WulF1GoeLSgguDPWTclt6JcyOEgDWbWxF_N7tCx-eJWJP1vr0SNV1Y9XEpqSyP8VVOPGjz7cSGfA7Z6IOqalrTrDfcIKMSx1X44pfx2Ff0hjHx89uL2KuZAGV9YRQyRDeXz4BKXqQLL0/s1600/30+chuck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WulF1GoeLSgguDPWTclt6JcyOEgDWbWxF_N7tCx-eJWJP1vr0SNV1Y9XEpqSyP8VVOPGjz7cSGfA7Z6IOqalrTrDfcIKMSx1X44pfx2Ff0hjHx89uL2KuZAGV9YRQyRDeXz4BKXqQLL0/s1600/30+chuck.JPG" height="200" width="198" /></a>The lyrics with their sly tone and innuendo (and the enthusiasm of Berry and the audience) caused many radio stations to refuse to play it. British morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse tried unsuccessfully to get the song banned. "One teacher", Whitehouse wrote to the BBC's Director General, "told us of how she found a class of small boys with their trousers undone, singing the song and giving it the indecent interpretation which—in spite of all the hullabaloo—is so obvious … We trust you will agree with us that it is no part of the function of the BBC to be the vehicle of songs which stimulate this kind of behaviour—indeed quite the reverse."</div>
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31 Gene McDaniels - Point Of No Return<br />
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Gene McDaniels (February 12, 1935 – July 29, 2011) was an African American singer and songwriter, who had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s.</div>
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In 1962 he appeared performing in the movie It's Trad, Dad!, directed by Richard Lester. He continued to have minor hit records, including "Chip Chip" and "Spanish Lace", each in 1962, but his suave style of singing gradually became less fashionable.</div>
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32 Duncan Browne – Journey<br />
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Duncan Browne (25 March 1947 — 28 May 1993) was an English singer-songwriter.</div>
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Browne's biggest hit in the UK was the song "Journey" (UK number 23), as televised on Top of the Pops in 1972. The song was included on Browne's second album Duncan Browne in 1973.</div>
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33 Al Matthews – Fool</div>
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Al Matthews (born November 21, 1942, Brooklyn, New York) is a UK-based American actor and singer, best known for his appearance as Sergeant Apone in the James Cameron film Aliens (1986). He reprised his role 28 years later, providing the voice of Apone for the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines </div>
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Matthews has played various acting other roles, such as a fire chief in Superman III (1983), General Tudor in The Fifth Element (1997) and Master Sergeant #3 in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). He has also worked in British television, appearing in Grange Hill as the father of Benny Green, as well as in theatre and radio; for the latter, as both an actor (on BBC Radio 4) and a presenter (on BBC Radio 1 and Capital Radio). In 1975, he scored a musical hit in the UK Singles Chart, "Fool", which reached number 16 in the September of that year.</div>
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34 Carly Simon - Mind On My Man</div>
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The second track on this week’s featured album, ‘Hotcakes’</div>
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35 Five Star - Rain Or Shine</div>
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Peaking at #2 on the UK chart, it was held off the top spot for three weeks by British pop band The Communards with the year's biggest selling song, "Don't Leave Me This Way". "Rain Or Shine" spent a total of 13 weeks inside the UK Top 75, five of those in the Top 10.</div>
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36 Al Johnson - Carnival Time</div>
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Al "Carnival Time" Johnson (born June 20, 1939, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American singer and piano player best known for the Mardi Gras song "Carnival Time".</div>
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In 1956, at seventeen, he recorded his first songs, "Ole Time Talkin" and "I've Done Wrong"" for Aladdin Records.[2] Johnson subsequently signed with Ric records and recorded series of songs at Cosimo Matassa's New Orleans recording studio starting with "Lena" in 1958. "Carnival Time" was recorded for the label in 1960.</div>
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Well... I hope you enjoyed the show - hopefully, over the next few weeks the show will bed itself in and I'll get it more refined as we go along. Feel free to get in touch and let me know what you thought of the show.</div>
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As for the notes above - they took longer to put together than the show did!</div>
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Till next time...</div>
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James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-87631999427711032192014-03-14T11:41:00.000+00:002014-03-14T11:41:21.747+00:00Crashed computer files, Champion the Wonder Horse and a new show!Wow what a week it's been!<br />
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It all went wrong last Friday afternoon, when I booted my Music computer, which I use as the playout system for my shows.<br />
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I opened the radio software only to be confronted with no music. To say I was slightly concerned would have been an understatement. Panicked would be closer. 8 years worth of music had suddenly disappeared - that's over 41,000 songs.<br />
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I checked my music files on the computer and they were still there, so I realised it had to be the data file that had crashed. And here's where I made the big mistake! I re-opened the programme to make sure no data was being found and then went to close it down. As it closes down it asks where you want to save the session data to, and for some stupidly unknown reason, I said I did, and instead of saving it to where it usually goes, I went to where my back up was and saved it over the back up file instead!<br />
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Don't ask me why I did it, I really don't know. It wasn't bad enough the file crashing for the first time in eight years, that I then had to ruin the back up as well. Until I'd saved an empty file over a perfectly good back up, I hadn't realised what I'd done. If I've ever been really angry with myself this was the time.<br />
<br />So basically I've had to start compiling the database in the programme all over again. Importing the music was easy - it took around an hour to get all the music back on there. But it wasn't until I'd got the music back on there that it had me what I'd really lost. With so many songs on the computer, they need to be compartmentalised into different genres to make the songs easy to find. I'd originally done this as I imported the music a bit at a time. So now I'd have to start from scratch and do it all again. If that isn't bad enough, over the years I've added notes to the files to tell me loads of details about the songs. For instance if the song's a 'B' side, I'd have a note saying what the 'A' side was, which album the song was on. Also when it was released and it's highest chart position if that was needed. And loads of other little details.<br />
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As you can see, the enormity of my error suddenly became clear, and it has been overwhelming. Since last week, I've spent around 10 hours a day putting the most important songs into new genre folders. So far I've managed to do 24,460, so I'm over halfway through. It's the other details that are going to be the problem. All the information that I've accumulated over the last eight years has to be found and re-input. So as you can tell, one silly action has caused me a whole lot of grief and work to do, just to get back to where I was last Friday morning.<br />
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While I was going through my files, I came across Frankie Laine's 'Champion The Wonder Horse'.<br />
When I was a kid it used to be on the telly on a Saturday morning and I loved the show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-n4D-f3-6n-XTpczdY5x4l06H3hgiNjcfASkMA_rS5cF23NlLTqr4htCM9BYwWQp6XeuOTJxlT5tfGoouzUl6wMQ1Yik1SnR2SAbxpsjUIfBBMxZAtTjhxLzwFwMkq9iigpDTBsriAefD/s1600/champion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-n4D-f3-6n-XTpczdY5x4l06H3hgiNjcfASkMA_rS5cF23NlLTqr4htCM9BYwWQp6XeuOTJxlT5tfGoouzUl6wMQ1Yik1SnR2SAbxpsjUIfBBMxZAtTjhxLzwFwMkq9iigpDTBsriAefD/s1600/champion.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>As I was struggling putting all my info back on the computer, I decided to see if the series was available on DVD and if it was and at a sensible price, I was going to treat myself to it. Sure enough, I looked online at Amazon and there it was. And what's more it was only £9.99 + postage. And so I bought it. 3 days later, it turned up and I was like a kid. I couldn't wait to watch it, so I took a break from data input and watched the first two episodes.<br />
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I loved it! Ricky, Uncle Sandy, Blaze and Champion, my old friends were back! I can't wait to see the rest of the shows. Simplistic they are, but nostalgia is such a wonderful thing. It's great to be transported away from being a grown up and just reliving my childhood, if only for half an hour at a time.<br />
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Talking about being transported back in time, this morning, I recorded the first 'Missing In Action' show. I explained about it in the <a href="http://theongoingramblingsofjamesmurphy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/missing-in-action.html" target="_blank">blog</a> last week, and I've spent the time in between choosing songs for the first show.<br />
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Well after recording it, I can only say you'll either love it or hate it! Personally I loved it, but then again, I'm biased. I've always wanted to hear a show that had these songs in it and now I'm fortunate enough to be doing it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLnBjXikEGaP0E3qW7oVDEYGMS9uSUCHWxfaWFQFeRXJCv8hIHQCHh7YKd1YROk8Ex8YSrngyeH6oZTEDYJwMXETmD0VAztAxyI0HsLdsozwNcDD7z5983WUjDYnGq2Mjl-jfBpm74Plr/s1600/MIssing+In+Action.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLnBjXikEGaP0E3qW7oVDEYGMS9uSUCHWxfaWFQFeRXJCv8hIHQCHh7YKd1YROk8Ex8YSrngyeH6oZTEDYJwMXETmD0VAztAxyI0HsLdsozwNcDD7z5983WUjDYnGq2Mjl-jfBpm74Plr/s1600/MIssing+In+Action.jpg" height="192" width="200" /></a>There are 36 songs in the first show. 21 are British Top 40 hits. There are 3 album tracks and some American hits as well as others that didn't quite make the charts, although they received airplay.<br />
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All in all I was nervous doing it, but it was great fun to do and I can't wait to get some feedback after it's been heard.<br />
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I think it'll take a few shows for it to bed in and get it how I want it, and I'll be hoping to get a lot of listener input along the was as well.<br />
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So it's been a good end to what's been a very frustrating week.<br />
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Till next time....James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-5234231515805450712014-03-12T14:00:00.001+00:002014-03-12T14:00:48.732+00:00Champion The Wonder Horse<br /> <div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br /> <div style='background-color:transparent;' data-iframestyle='background-color:transparent; display:block; box-shadow:0 0 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); min-width:349px; max-width:700px;' data-boourl='https://audioboo.fm/boos/1985888-champion-the-wonder-horse/embed/v2?eid=AQAAAJBoIFNgTR4A' class='ab-player'><a href='http://audioboo.fm/boos/1985888-champion-the-wonder-horse'>listen to ‘Champion The Wonder Horse’ on Audioboo</a></div><script type='text/javascript'>(function() { var po = document.createElement("script"); po.type = "text/javascript"; po.async = true; po.src = "https://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/cdn/embed.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();</script><br /> </div><br /> James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-14439472429523112242014-03-02T13:49:00.001+00:002014-03-02T13:49:56.608+00:00Missing In Action!<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-oehbF5qvfl99sknWTZtUy3pH6g-CN3Dl33AhnnwE5JlJQvlpCJ7geeIrnFNU-RsI6WU2x6shkLgKixCMj3o5Jcq1GZpHDm9n_xFkGseDP-Ol5t7SxdeRicMpSn0Z_WT70223hXxj6ta/s1600/helicopter+MIA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-oehbF5qvfl99sknWTZtUy3pH6g-CN3Dl33AhnnwE5JlJQvlpCJ7geeIrnFNU-RsI6WU2x6shkLgKixCMj3o5Jcq1GZpHDm9n_xFkGseDP-Ol5t7SxdeRicMpSn0Z_WT70223hXxj6ta/s1600/helicopter+MIA.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You may be wondering what this new show I'm so excited about doing is going to be? Well Let me explain.</span><div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many times
during my shows, I’ve had someone say to me, "They just don’t play songs like
this on the radio any more".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well that’s
about to change – I’m going to be doing a brand new show called <i><b>‘Missing In
Action’</b></i> where I’m going to endeavour to right that particular wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m going to
be playing those <i><b>‘lost pop hits’</b></i> that used to be on the radio but no longer fit
their formats. I’m going to be playing those songs you’ve not heard on the
radio in ages, and for a whole show!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you
remember in the days before youtube, how you’d have some friends round and play
your records and you’d dip in and out of singles, LPs, and even CDs, and find
yourself going ‘Wow I’ve not heard that in ages’? Well I’m going to be doing
just that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each week we’ll
have a <i><b>‘Screwball’</b></i> – a novelty or oddball song from way back when.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <i>‘<b>Flashback
Three’</b></i> is where you’ll have the chance to remind me of three of your favourite
hits that never get played anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>‘<b>Off The
Beaten Track’</b></i> will be where we play something that was in our Parents’
collection that we shouldn’t have liked, but did!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every week we’ll
feature a great album and play some songs from it<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There’ll be
the <i>‘<b>Bargain Bin Special’</b></i> where you can ask me to play a song that you’ve bought
in a second hand shop, car boot sale or a charity shop. It’ll be a great ‘pop
song’ that once again, doesn’t receive airplay at most stations. Best of all, you paid next to nothing for it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And each
week, I’ll post some songs on my blog that I’m not sure are <i>‘<b>Lost Or Not’</b></i> and
you can decide. Once you have, we’ll play the songs if they’re <i><b>‘lost’</b></i> but won’t
if they’re <i><b>‘not</b>’</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All in all
it’s going to be a fun show with loads of hits that are still out there, but
have been ‘Missing In Action’ for far too long! </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The show will be with you for the first time in just a few weeks. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does that sound to you?</span></span></div>
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James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-12688196097035746862014-02-28T14:36:00.002+00:002014-02-28T15:18:54.353+00:00Into the sunset for 'The Weekender'!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3AWS3vD-fa7FdEK3S2LfsO_kO7cYhRAEADVCOKvSZLDertaTuU6w63YGNIpOOtYuLPLTtxV3sog3TRjCMkw05tknY2VGA8Q_g3PthhE0tta507lf3Eqk1lD0rxKH8lzMu8stpc67_4wU/s1600/into+the+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3AWS3vD-fa7FdEK3S2LfsO_kO7cYhRAEADVCOKvSZLDertaTuU6w63YGNIpOOtYuLPLTtxV3sog3TRjCMkw05tknY2VGA8Q_g3PthhE0tta507lf3Eqk1lD0rxKH8lzMu8stpc67_4wU/s1600/into+the+sunset.jpg" /></a>You know when things seem to be going OK, but you have an underlying feeling that things aren't quite right? Well that's how I've felt with one of my shows of late. So after mulling it over for a while, I've decided to call it a day with 'The Weekender.' It feels like it's the right time to say goodbye, and by the time I do the last show, I'll have done 125 of them.<br />
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The show started out as 'Friday Night Out', a cheesy getting ready to go out show that was done specifically for Ace FM over in Spain, and was so well received that after the first month, they wanted more. However, you can't really play 'Friday Night Out' on a Saturday, so after the fifth week, we changed the name to 'The Weekender.'<br />
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Since then the show has gone to stations worldwide and to be honest, it's done very well. The premise of the show was that we were going to do a cheesy show that was just about having fun, and for a while that's what I did. Along the way the show started to evolve and the music changed adding the 90s to the 70s and 80s I'd originally started playing.<br />
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However, by the start of this year, it became apparent to me that it was feeling a bit stale. Listener's wouldn't have noticed, but I'm my own worst critic and I can tell when it doesn't feel right. And as the weeks have gone on, my feelings haven't really changed. After recording next week's show, I felt that I couldn't in all honesty keep putting a show out that I felt wasn't going to get any better. And so I made the decision to call it a day. I have one more show to record and I'll make it as good as I possibly can.<br />
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It's been a pleasure to do the show for the last few years and I think the time is right to let it finish on a high, while listeners are still enjoying it.<br />
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Will I be replacing the show with something else? Absolutely. I have an idea for a show that I'm quite excited about, that I'm going to have a play with and put it out on Rewind Central and Podcast to see if it sounds as good as I think it will, and if it's received well, I'll make it available to stations.<br />
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What's it going to be? I'll let you know in good time.<br />
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Until such time, don't forget to keep listening to the shows I already produce. Also, while I think about it, if you have any ideas for a show that I may want to do, let me know.<br />
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<br />James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-27295805645791407782014-02-26T19:30:00.000+00:002014-02-26T19:37:44.935+00:00What I'm Listening to: Jose Feliciano - Feliciano!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqyRxi4PFVfU6YipD7XdxYEnwfcvYYhg1WEkQetGwuOXNIU6XeK5jKRQ9zpSS15RDiF90LWewhn3rcEbaSTOERjyCd0sjv41YyQbr3DaV_htpsXuPbf874f3eDJAAlsUh9DDptkSN3Okv/s1600/Jose+Feliciano+-+Feliciano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqyRxi4PFVfU6YipD7XdxYEnwfcvYYhg1WEkQetGwuOXNIU6XeK5jKRQ9zpSS15RDiF90LWewhn3rcEbaSTOERjyCd0sjv41YyQbr3DaV_htpsXuPbf874f3eDJAAlsUh9DDptkSN3Okv/s1600/Jose+Feliciano+-+Feliciano.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a><b><i>Listening to this album is like listening to an old friend.</i></b> Guitar virtuoso Jose Feliciano is without doubt a legend of popular music having been around for 40 years or so.<br />
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It was his breakthrough album back in 1968 and comprises of a collection of covers that warms the soul. The single from the album was his version of The Door's 'Light My Fire' which had his version of the Mama's and The Papas 'California Dreamin'' on the flip side. However you shouldn't forget his versions of 'Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying' and 'In My Life' which to be fair, he makes his own.<br />
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Jose's voice has a haunting quality about it that makes me just want to listen carefully and embrace it fully. This is an album that combines ballads, soul, Latin and Folk, and yet it's one that even if you've not heard it before will be familiar, probably because of the songs.<br />
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He shows his quality as a guitarist throughout the album, particularly on the instrumental tracks such as 'And I Love Her. Even though I can't speak Spanish, 'Nena Na Na' is enchanting,<br />
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A quick research enabled me to find out that this album won two Grammy's including 'Best New Artist'. In 1969, it was nominated for a grammy as 'Best Album Of The Year', and producer Rick Jerrard received a nomination as 'Best Producer Of The Year'.<br />
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Like I said this album is an old friend. I've not played it in ages, and hearing it again has been a joy. Oh yes, and in 1968, the other Grammy was for 'Best Male Pop Song of The Year' with 'Light My Fire'<br />
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A great album, well worth your time!<br />
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Track Listing:<br />
<ol style="border: 0px none; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">California Dreamin'</li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">Light My Fire</li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying </li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">In My Life </li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">And I Love Her</li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">Nena Na Na </li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me</li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">Just A Little Bit Of Rain </li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">Sunny </li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">Here, There And Everywhere </li>
<li style="border: 0px none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.8em; padding: 0px;">The Last Thing On My Mind </li>
</ol>
James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-25724531363192615202014-02-26T12:30:00.000+00:002014-02-26T14:14:31.522+00:00The Burning House and what I'd take.<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs710HXLC8rzfhYbLwGGljllmGBp-04MCBDVM6UZhkmutr02DCYFzDoW8LF7ZEZrz1BsXIxetAW_uCSUU8zAdHfREVSucmKXt7bGN1KVWOyzomw5E2SOZZ6BH_fclEBc3fPV_EgbmNMZJV/s1600/burning+house+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs710HXLC8rzfhYbLwGGljllmGBp-04MCBDVM6UZhkmutr02DCYFzDoW8LF7ZEZrz1BsXIxetAW_uCSUU8zAdHfREVSucmKXt7bGN1KVWOyzomw5E2SOZZ6BH_fclEBc3fPV_EgbmNMZJV/s1600/burning+house+book.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>I bought a book
the other day which has caused me to evaluate what’s important to me in my
life. It’s called ‘The Burning House’ and the premise is that your house is
burning. You have to get out fast. Suddenly you are forced to prioritize,
editing down a lifetime of possessions to a mere handful. Now you must decide:
Of all the things you own, what is most important to you?<br />
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So are the things that are important to your life
practical, valuable or sentimental. This is what separates us as individuals
and makes us the people we are.</div>
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At first, I started to think about what I’d hate to lose
in my life. Well all my music for starters. I’ve been collecting for as long as
I can remember. I’d be in a terrible mess if I still had all the vinyl I’d
bought over the years. Luckily, back in 2002, I started to convert all my
records and CDs into mp3 format.</div>
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I now have a all my music on hard drive, well on one hard
drive and two back up hard drives. There is also my playout computer system
that has 42,000 songs that I can choose from for my radio shows. These songs
are backed up onto 274 mp3 CDs as back up. So basically, It’s all comfortably
backed up and can all be accessed from one of 3 hard drives.</div>
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Photos play an important part of my life as I’m a
nostalgic kind of guy. I have all my photos on CDs and hard drives. All my
pre-digital photos have been scanned and they are also on hard drive. However,
there is one area I still need to address. When my Mum and Dad died, I took possession
of three suitcases full of their old photos. These photos have played such an important
part of my life. When I used to visit my parents, we’d often get the photos out
and my Mum would tell me about the people on the photos. They were a part of
the history of my family, and their friends.</div>
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I’ve managed to scan one of the suitcases of photos and
have them on my hard drive, so I’ve still got a lot to do. Then, I suppose it
would be a good idea to keep a back up hard drive of all the photos. </div>
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Having done that, two hard drives would pretty much
contain the things that I’d struggle to replace.</div>
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Books would be another area where I’d struggle. I’ve
thought about that and at a push I could leave all of them, because the favourite
books could all be bought again.</div>
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I’m not really someone who values possessions too much, I
could pretty much sell 99% of the stuff I have and replace with new.</div>
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So it comes down to what is irreplaceable – priceless –
the stuff that it would break my heart to lose. When it comes down to it, what would
I want to make sure I got on my way out of the door? </div>
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Well, the most important things to me, are probably worth
very little on the open market, but they probably say more about me than
anything else I own.</div>
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The most important possessions I have are four reel to
reel tapes that belonged to my Dad. On these tapes are basically the songs and
tunes that made me the music lover that I became so early in my life and
continue to be today.</div>
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So what’s on them? Well, my Godfather owned a record
shop, and my Dad used to borrow all the chart hits of the time, take them home
and record them (A& B sides). The music on these tapes comes from the chart
period of 1958 to 1960. I’m sure he had more tapes, but over the years they
disappeared (although I don’t remember there being any more).</div>
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Besides all the singles, there’s one tape that has a very
early Bill Haley LP on one side, and a Gene Vincent LP on the other side. The
Bill Haley LP has songs dating back to 1953 on it, the Gene Vincent LP is from
1957. I've pretty much spent most of my life collecting the songs on these tapes.</div>
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The tapes are all still playable, but the music has degraded over the 50+ years since Dad recorded them.</div>
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It’s funny, I’d never really thought about it before, but
now it seems to me that 2 hard drives and four reel to reel tapes could
contain the goods and chattels of my life that are important.</div>
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Before I go, I just want to say that I’m talking about
the things of my life, not the people!</div>
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James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0Cambridge England, UK52.1874047455997 0.131835937551.5704842455997 -1.1590575625 52.8043252455997 1.4227294375tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-2176791057290157392014-02-24T12:35:00.000+00:002014-02-24T12:35:29.600+00:00Ringtones, dieting, recycling vinyl and a tune for Spring!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxBC1l1LP6HUaBMZm3Vw_coHXA_2_BjxbG8dfWOIR92-tXzNJy1BIAs4I-X3-C21inrZEKfW2CAMXS8cBGvZHARoZ8oUT1ly20g5yEKngc70zbq5oEUqTp86WZ6fezO2yWsy70RMa27y7/s1600/George-Formby-jnr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxBC1l1LP6HUaBMZm3Vw_coHXA_2_BjxbG8dfWOIR92-tXzNJy1BIAs4I-X3-C21inrZEKfW2CAMXS8cBGvZHARoZ8oUT1ly20g5yEKngc70zbq5oEUqTp86WZ6fezO2yWsy70RMa27y7/s1600/George-Formby-jnr.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a>Well after a horrible winter, we've recently had a nice few days and I have to say it really cheers you up. As George Formby used to say, "It's turned out nice again!"<br />
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As always, I'm busy with my radio shows. The four of them keep me out of mischief for the most part and I've recently had some ideas for a few more 'special' shows.<br />
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Do you remember when we had phones that used to make that ringing bell sound? Not any more. Walking through the street last week, I heard some people's phones going, and all had different music.<br />
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I'm no different. For the last few years, my mobile phone rings to the intro of Donell Jones' song 'U Know What's Up.' In fact, I've had it so long, that now whenever the song comes on, I look around for my phone!<br />
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Anyway, the other day, I was having a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jclmurphy/posts/10152207956013744?notif_t=like" target="_blank">little muse on Facebook</a> as you do about ring tones and started to ask people what their's was. There are some great responses with tunes on the phones. There seems to be plenty of soul, a fair few TV and film themes and some other odds and sods. If I get enough in, I thin k we could end up with a ringtones special show!<br />
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Last week, I decided it was time to shed the winter poundage. I don't know about you, but once November descends on us, I start to comfort eat - you know, stews, shepherd's pie, all that sort of thing. The trouble is it just piles the weight on. Particularly for me as I have a fairly sedentary life. Let's be fair, I spend most of my life sat at a desk, and the thought of jogging.... well it doesn't bear thinking about does it?<br />
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So anyway, I thought it was time to start my losing weight regime again. I'm a week into it, and I've lost 2lb 6oz - as you can tell, I still work out my weight in the old-fashioned way. For the life of me I don't understand kilogrammes.<br />
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I figure if I share my weight with people on a weekly basis, I might stick with it. It makes me accountable. At least I think so. If I tell you I'm going to lose 10lbs, which is what I said, I need to stick to it, and posting the photos of my weight will let you know I'm sticking with it.</div>
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Now some people think losing 2lb 6oz isn't to much, but I look at it this way. Carry a 2lb bag of sugar around with you for a day, and then tell me it's not a significant amount.</div>
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I'm aiming to lose a pound a week. I figure it's not too much to lose and also a small goal makes it achievable and will keep me motivated to carry on.</div>
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So what else have I been up to since we last spoke? Well, I've started a new mailing list to promote my radio stuff and Rewind Central. I know I bung loads on facebook, however, I'm not really good at promoting as I don't make the effort to get out there and hopefully, a newsletter every couple of weeks will help to remedy that. If you'd like to sign up to it, <a href="http://eepurl.com/LDmxn" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br /><br />On top of that, in order to bring in a bit of extra income to help with the running of Rewind Central, myself and Debz have started a little online shop. As music plays so much a part of my life, and as we've got a nostagia love, we thought we'd try to combine the two and make and sell related goods. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T2MVT3X5d69WwhOA-J8S-LcI5LKZ-YHIZ1o7zPFkbJyHTFcYQA_yVPlzCWAe59L_-oXf6gzKmlf6M2813imtClQnupJHAkDJGtvFiUDixAEAo0IhAaCY5VeYy_6jlIPwPM4hcDYqh8ki/s1600/Elvis2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T2MVT3X5d69WwhOA-J8S-LcI5LKZ-YHIZ1o7zPFkbJyHTFcYQA_yVPlzCWAe59L_-oXf6gzKmlf6M2813imtClQnupJHAkDJGtvFiUDixAEAo0IhAaCY5VeYy_6jlIPwPM4hcDYqh8ki/s1600/Elvis2.JPG" height="200" width="198" /></a><br />The first line we have is a series of upcyled record clocks. We're taking unloved records and revamping them to make them into cool gifts that are talking points. It basically saves taking them to the tip. I bought a job lot of albums that were basically going to be scrapped and have been revamping them, giving them new labels and adding clock movements to them. We can take specific orders for them, so anything within reason is possible.<br /><br />We've opened a shop on Etsy where the full range is at the moment. Hopefully, we're going to be recycling records, cassettes and suchlike into things that can be used for a bit of fun. Also we'll try to find some genuine retro bits and bobs as well. It'll be the Rewind Central gift shop for want of a better guise. You can check out the shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/RewindCentral" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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So we've become all art and crafty too! As you can tell, it's not been idle around here.</div>
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I'd like to leave you this time with a tune to celebrate the start the end of winter with a little ditty from Donna Summer. Till next time....</div>
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<br />James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-10528910330021612992013-11-18T10:42:00.000+00:002013-11-18T10:42:02.038+00:00Off the chest time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrpJPc4Tz7tLW2b1b1zzigQRFJ_fj6F_4rVqndTc_k2xsLObI7LuzbLwOd_BWNDp9-sA6hxRcya8-RD9mBGi4-90TkdgKwE_rAo5cQxnBIJlZzsTCrkkKE2c_uHVnw_Tuwohfu6u1X1zs/s1600/taking+the+mickey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrpJPc4Tz7tLW2b1b1zzigQRFJ_fj6F_4rVqndTc_k2xsLObI7LuzbLwOd_BWNDp9-sA6hxRcya8-RD9mBGi4-90TkdgKwE_rAo5cQxnBIJlZzsTCrkkKE2c_uHVnw_Tuwohfu6u1X1zs/s320/taking+the+mickey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now I know I wear my heart on my sleeve and people can tell
how I’m feeling just by looking at me. I’ve suffered this all my life but I
think it’s what makes me me.</div>
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Now since last week, I’ve been mulling something over in my
head and I really need to get it off my chest. It’s to do with human nature and
to be honest it’s always annoyed me.</div>
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You may know that I come from a
showman’s family and as such am part of a close knit community. I spent the
formative years of my life settled down in Seaside towns looking after Arcades
and Bingos and left home at 20 and went travelling on fairgrounds.</div>
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Now what’s bugging me today revolves about a few events that
happened to me between the ages of 20 and 21 and were to do with lorries,
engines and the like.</div>
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Last week, I went to a surprise 50<sup>th</sup> birthday
party for a showman that I’ve known for years. It’s always good to see old
friends, and yet I only stayed for around 2 hours and then came home.</div>
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Why? Because I’m sick of being reminded of things that
happened 30 odd years ago that seem to be all that certain people remember
about me. Oh yes it was so funny wasn’t it? Maybe if I was in your shoes, but
personally I’m sick of hearing about it. Oh and yes, I love having the mickey taken
out of me. It’s one of the joys of my life….yeah sure.</div>
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Do you know what? I’ve lived a full life since then and yet
they only seem to be able to talk about my mishaps. Now it’s not even that big
a thing, but I’ll tell you what, I’ve achieved loads of things since then and
what’s more I’ll continue to do so. But to say it doesn't grate would be an understatement.</div>
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It’s probably why I tend to keep myself to myself. I’ve
always found that people love to take the mickey or run people down. Why is that?</div>
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I do believe I’m a sensitive soul at heart, and that makes me
vulnerable to certain things, but I like who I am, and don’t feel the need to
take the crap anymore.</div>
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The funny thing is that the same people who like to remind
me of my mishaps, are supposedly the people I’ve always called my friends. I’m beginning to wonder whether I need new ones!</div>
James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-14125971065244916992013-11-17T14:15:00.002+00:002013-11-17T14:15:38.531+00:00What I'm Listening To - T Rex - Electric Warrior<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnArVzPV5q0w57yQ-fXZo3BiXFFDyQ5_QCUA0ezXNarHCtax-1HNwvC7mjayKgAQVtLjeTmWRkFzgX8zd8hIFBopSq0Uho8GHfQ3I-zOUACtIlXXwP6G_T6lK4jNEKxJ9RV9p6dq2quqT/s1600/T+Rex+Electric+Warrior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnArVzPV5q0w57yQ-fXZo3BiXFFDyQ5_QCUA0ezXNarHCtax-1HNwvC7mjayKgAQVtLjeTmWRkFzgX8zd8hIFBopSq0Uho8GHfQ3I-zOUACtIlXXwP6G_T6lK4jNEKxJ9RV9p6dq2quqT/s320/T+Rex+Electric+Warrior.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I really didn't appreciate this album when it came out. But then again I was only 11 at the time. I have to say though hearing songs like 'Jeepster ', 'Hot Love' and 'Get It On' (by the way it's not 'Bang A Gong') takes me back to a time when I was starting to feel my feet musically.<br />
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I'd grown up listening to my Dad's reel to reel tapes with the hits of the late 50s and early 60s, and then my brother's forays into the world of Motown, Stax and Atlantic in the mid 60s, and by the time the 70s rolled around I was beginning to get an idea of what my music was.<br />
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Obviously I'd been influenced the the music I'd heard but all of a sudden I was hearing music that hadn't been theirs. One thing I discovered was that I loved all sorts of songs, but I was more of a singles kid. The only albums I bought were compilations of greatest hits.<br />
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Singles wise, I was loving Freda Payne, Chairmen Of The Board and Stevie Wonder. But Lee Marvin's Wandrin' Star was a favourite too. And then Glam started! I didn't know it as Glam then,<br />
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As my Dad said - 'Have you seen those soppy twats dressed like women?' And I went looking!<br />
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But I digress...<br />
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Back to the album.<br />
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The first time I heard it was in 1972 at a fairground in Crowthorne. I come from a fairground family and was visiting my sister. I was walking past David Traylen's Octopus, and it was playing on the ride.<br />
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It sounded great hearing it out of big speakers and I had to listen to it all because I wanted to hear the songs I knew.<br />
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I decided I had to buy it and when I went home I went down to the local record shop and forked out my money to get it.<br />
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And since then I've played it quite a bit. Not recently though. In fact not in ages.<br />
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I don't think it's as good as The Slider, but as I listen to it now, it brings back loads of memories from back then,<br />
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I never did get 'glammed up', but I can remember many that did.<br />
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Marc Bolan was more talented than I thought he was back then and this album sounds so good 40 odd years after it was recorded.</div>
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<br />James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-45785615802142680392013-09-27T19:51:00.000+01:002013-09-27T19:51:09.303+01:00A well overdue updateI'm not the best blogger in the world as there's always something I've got to do that seems to take precedence over sharing my thoughts. Oh yes, and I forgot my password to get into the account!<div>
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So what do I want to share with you? Well let me start by talking about terrestrial radio and how I feel that people that love what I call 'oldies' are being left behind.</div>
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What do I mean? Well in this day and age, 'Oldies' seem to have morphed into 'Classic Hits' and what we appear to be seeing is a moving on from the 'Oldies' of the 50s, 60s and 70s, to the 'Classic Hits' of the 80s, 90s and 00s.</div>
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I understand that time moves on, but I can't believe how little of the music that changed life for generations to follow. I feel left out if I listen to radio and can't hear not only the classics from the 'Oldies' era, but what I call the 'Forgotten 45s' either.</div>
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I read the following <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/what-changes-in-oldies-radio-say-about-our-disappe,70608/" target="_blank">article</a> earlier today and it made me think about things have changed. </div>
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And although I had only read it today, I have been thinking along the same lines for ages. And that's why I put together my <a href="http://www.rewindcentral.com/" target="_blank">Rewind Central</a> music channel/radio station.</div>
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Not only do my shows get played on the station on a daily basis, but I've added a jukebox to it,and on the jukebox, you'll hear some of the greatest hits of the 50s to the 80s as well as those long forgotten 45s.</div>
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As a snapshot of what gets played on there, here's the songs that have been playing whilst I've been writing this blog.</div>
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Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again</div>
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Carole King - It's Too Late</div>
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Junior - Mama Used To Say</div>
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Carly Simon - Why</div>
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Meco - Star Wars-Cantina Band</div>
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Rock A Teens - Woo Hoo</div>
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Monkees - Alternate title</div>
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Freda Payne - Band Of Gold</div>
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Stevie Wonder - More Than a Dream</div>
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Bobby Rydell - Forget Him</div>
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Keith Emerson - Honky Tonky Train Blues</div>
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Randy & The Rainbows - Denise</div>
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Whispers - Mother For My Children</div>
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Barry White - Honey Please Can't You See</div>
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As you can see it's a pretty varied list of songs.</div>
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And that's what I'm looking for in a station. I'd like to think I'm not the only one. We launched Rewind Central at the end of May, and it's growing month on month, not at the speed of light, but steadily.</div>
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Also unlike many stations out there today, we don't have a playlist of around 300 records. We've over 2000 on the jukebox and we update and change various songs on a weekly basis. What that means is that you're going to hear a whole range of songs.</div>
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During August we changed the whole jukebox and played only 'Forgotten 45s'. People were getting in contact and leaving nice messages about what we were playing.</div>
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I can't believe that radio is slowly moving away the formative era of 'Rock 'n' Roll', 'The Swinging 60s' and 'The Sensational 70s' and playing only the same old songs from those eras if they play them at all.</div>
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I have to admit I'm very nostalgic and love to look back. So much so I've developed a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/smile101radio" target="_blank">facebook page</a> to run alongside the channel, and it takes a loving look back at the culture of those eras. You'll find photos that will have you looking back on your own life and smiling to yourself. </div>
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Feel free to climb on board as we take the train back in time. Great music and great memories. They're all there!</div>
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I've lots of plans for Rewind Central and I'm aiming to put them in place over the coming months.</div>
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In fact why not <a href="http://eepurl.com/EKbZD" target="_blank">subscribe</a> to the mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with what's happening</div>
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James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-90605145089457179912013-09-25T15:17:00.001+01:002013-09-25T15:17:54.274+01:00The Four Top Hatters - 45 Men In A Telephone Booth<br /> <div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br /> <div data-boourl='https://audioboo.fm/boos/1621465-the-four-top-hatters-45-men-in-a-telephone-booth/embed' class='ab-player'><a href='http://audioboo.fm/boos/1621465-the-four-top-hatters-45-men-in-a-telephone-booth'>listen to ‘The Four Top Hatters - 45 Men In A Telephone Booth’ on Audioboo</a></div><script type='text/javascript'>(function() { var po = document.createElement("script"); po.type = "text/javascript"; po.async = true; po.src = "https://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/assets/embed.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();</script><br /> </div><br /> James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-83825295074488333672013-09-05T11:03:00.001+01:002013-09-05T11:03:31.414+01:00Brut Advert<br /> <div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br /> <div data-boourl='https://audioboo.fm/boos/1583826-brut-advert/embed' class='ab-player'><a href='http://audioboo.fm/boos/1583826-brut-advert'>listen to ‘Brut Advert’ on Audioboo</a></div><script type='text/javascript'>(function() { var po = document.createElement("script"); po.type = "text/javascript"; po.async = true; po.src = "https://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/assets/embed.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();</script><br /> </div><br /> James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-8778437528949169082012-07-21T12:40:00.002+01:002012-07-21T12:40:56.662+01:00A rant about bike riders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I pay around £700 on road tax and insurance per year to be able to drive on the roads of the UK.<br />
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And this morning, in the space of 10 minutes, bike riders made me so angry. If I had my way, unless they were insured and paid road tax, I'd ban them on the roads.<br />
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Now I know that there will be loads of people who will be up in arms at my comments, but it's my blog and I have the right to say what I think.<br />
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I was sat at traffic lights at a major junction in Cambridge this morning, waiting for the lights to turn green, when a woman on a bike came up the inside of me and just turned left and joined the traffic, causing a car to have to pull over to miss her, and cross over into the oncoming lane, almost causing a crash. Obviously the red light didn't apply to her!<br />
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If he'd have hit the woman, then he'd have probably killed her and ended up in a court accused of bad driving.<br />
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And within ten minutes, I got stuck behind two girls riding bikes, side by side in the middle of the lane, dawdling along and chatting, oblivious to two things - the bike lane to their left, and the fact they were holding up traffic.<br />
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Now while I come to mention it - bike lanes - why should we have them? Bike riders contribute nothing in the way of vehicle tax, and they don't pay insurance, so why do we have to have bike lanes? Keep them off the road.<br />
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The alternative as I see it, is to make them take a proper test to prove their competency on a bike when on the road, and make them pay tax and insurance.<br />
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And speaking of competency, what the hell do parents think they're up to letting 4 and 5 year olds ride their bikes on main roads? As a driver, they frighten me to death. Yes Dad can be riding his bike up front and Mum can be behind, but can they guarantee that if their darling child should fall off that they're going to be able to scoop them up before some horrible accident happens?<br />
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I know it doesn't help living near Cambridge where we've got more bike riders than enough. The trouble is with such large numbers of bike riders in and around the town centre, so many of them are like thugs - they fly by you, many times close enough to catch you if you're carrying anything. Lots feel like they own the road and pavements as well.<br />
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Whilst walking through the town the other day I encountered someone having a go at a bike rider for riding on the pavement when the pavement was already full of pedestrians.<br />
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I'm sorry, but it drives me nuts!!!!!!James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-51034654062389315212012-07-12T18:09:00.004+01:002013-09-27T19:59:23.193+01:00Junk Email.....<br />
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When I get up in the morning, it’s not until I’ve had a wash and get my glasses on that I remember I’m no longer the 20 year old I still think I am.<br />
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That’s OK, I can live with that. That, my receding hairline, and the enlarging belly.<br />
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However it’s not until I sit at my computer to survey my morning’s emails that I realise other people think I’m old too.<br />
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Now not for one minute am I going to assume that I understand how all these companies manage to profile me by what I look at on the internet, but one thing’s for sure. ‘They’, whoever they are, seem to know what age group I’m in and I appear to be getting targeted emails. This I’m sure about<br />
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Why? Mainly because of the amounts of email I get and what their subjects are. Let me give you an example of what appeared in my mailbox today.<br />
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<b>Subject: James, You may be eligible to receive a power chair or scooter at little to no cost</b>. It then goes on to tell me how I can get one of those scooters, that at the minute, either hit me up the side of the legs, or clatters me on the pavement as a geriatric Jenson Button heads for the nearest Starbucks!<br />
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<b>Subject: Half price laser eye surgery - request your FREE Info Pack & DVD now!</b> Obviously they know I wear glasses, and to help me into my dotage, they’re going to help me see better to clatter people in my motorised scooter.<br />
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<b>Subject: It takes seconds to calculate your claims with our injury calculator.</b> Now I’m not sure whether this is so that when I turn my motorised scooter over and get crushed by it, or because I get beaten up by someone who I run into, I don’t know.<br />
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<b>Subject: We can help you use your stairs again.</b> It then goes on to say that (company name) Stairlifts can help you and your family, (They think I’d share it?) once again, have full use of the home you love. They’ve obviously been in contact with the motorised scooter company and decided that if I can’t walk about very well, that I’m going to struggle with my stairs as well.<br />
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<b>Subject: We're here to help make bathing a pleasure again. </b>Now this company, having found out that I need a motorised scooter to run people over when I’m in town, and can no longer get up my stairs without a stairlift, seem to have realised that I now can’t navigate my way into a both or shower anymore. So now I need walk in bathing solutions!<br />
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<b>Subject: High Quality Electric adjustable beds for the elderly and disabled at low factory direct prices.</b> Well obviously, after I’ve had to go out shopping with my motorised scooter, made it up the stairs with my stairlift, and bathed in my walk in bath, I’m obviously going to need help getting into bed.<br />
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Now if all of the above aren’t bad enough, the next two are getting personal.<br />
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<b>Subject: stop and reverse male baldness in its tracks with oral treatment that's effective in 95% of patients. </b>Thanks for that! I think they may be a bit late for me as I’ve been steadily losing my hair for the last 20 years. However, this may have been the first email that affects me directly.<br />
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And now the one I’ve been waiting for.<br />
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<b>Subject: Don't let erection problems keep you from a more satisfying sexual experience.</b> Wahey!!!!! Viagra. That’s the baby. Now they’ve really sussed me out. If I can’t get around without my motorised scooter, need a stairlift to help me get upstairs to my walk in bath, and have eventually managed to get into bed, then I’m definitely going to need some Viagra. I take it I’ll be needing that so that I don’t fall out of my new electric bed as I certainly won’t be fit enough to have some fun with a lady.<br />
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The reason I know this is because, I haven’t had even a sniff of an email regarding mail order brides. I know there must be someone out there peddling them via email.<br />
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Now all of this would be funny if it wasn’t true. So is it that once you reach 50, all these companies decide that you’re just about to fall to pieces?<br />
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How do these companies find out my email address for starters? And when they do, how do they know I’m not one of the 18-30 holiday set? Why aren’t I getting the emails about dating girls in my area?<br />
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Now somehow or other, these companies seem to be profiling me. It must be happening, because why would I be getting email in such a narrowly targeted area?<br />
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Well let me tell you, you junk mail senders…..I don’t need any of your wares yet…. I’m still very sprightly…..for my age!<br />
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James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159384585229119150.post-89307778479851525092012-05-05T13:10:00.002+01:002013-09-27T19:59:02.403+01:00One a day!<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday on facebook I took park in what was called '<span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">TIMELINE: May The 4th Be With You.'</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/392099947479273/" target="_blank">See it here</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"> idea was that during the cou</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">rse of the day, you took a photo of something relating to your life. At the end of the day, when I looked at the photos, it was amazing the variety of things people did.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br />I can only say it has inspired me to undertake a little project of my own. I an calling it 'One A Day' and my aim is to take one photo about something relating to what I'm up to each day.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br />I think my life is pretty boring, so I'm really hoping I can find at least one photo opportunity per day.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">I'll put it on here and see how it pans out and how long I can keep it up for.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br />Anyway, here's my first photo - it was taken just after midday today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a photo across the car park of my local Tesco in Bar Hill. I was just on my way out after having been in the shop. Now we say the country's skint, but judging by the amount of cars in the car park, I'm not so sure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Inside the shop was heaving and there was plenty of money being spent, not just on weekly shopping , but on plenty of luxuries too. TVs, DVDs, Phones, and loads of other things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The photo shows just two sections of the car park and what you can see is possibly about a tenth of the car park.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span>James Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922305489281125025noreply@blogger.com0