Great Lost Tracks - An Everyday Series

"Don't get any big ideas..."



Sound advice

Yersel Paddy

Alan Sillitoe (4 March 1928 – 25 April 2010)

One of the first authors I truly fell in love with via the fusty plastic-smelling environment of the Fawkirk public lie-brey.

A proper WC hero

Tougher than Orwell

More authentically bonkers than Rimbaud.

His great stuff is well known; but The General, The Death of William Posters and Guzman Go Home are lost classics in the true sense of the term.



Watch borstal governor Michael Redgrave's face at 3.41 when he realises that he's been conned and the whip hand is no longer his as Tom Courtenay (Colin Smith) finally realises the power he has to crush the governors staus-dream of winning the big cross-country race against a team of public schoolboys.

Then get a load of the 'fuck-you' look TC gives him at about 3.44 as he finally gains control of his life.

(NB The hairs on your arms should be standing smartly to attention at this point )

My resolve is beginning to ebb

The wooden hill beckons...

My resolve not to encourage the promoters of Macca's Hampden bash in their exorbitant ticket pricing policy is gettin wobblier by the minute an'all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P2MOrWrsk8&feature=related

Great Scaw-ish traditions.

The dodgy mid-week disco.



1980-something...

Staggering home after a leisurely all-dayer.

Big sign on the unlovely, brick-built extension on the unlovely brick-built hotel on the outskirts of town....

(Then flaunting its tawdry wares under the umbrella of the "Reid's Disco" group of companies )

... Malibu promotion!!!! Only 50p per measure.



Like we seasoned topers don't know that they'll sting ya with the price of the mixers and a two-quid door charge for the privilege of "till-after-midnight" drinking.

Still...

Wouldn't do not to check would it



No door charge



Rummage through the pockets...

Quick calculation....



Let me tell you dear readers that I am no stranger to the look of withering scorn

But I have to say that the one directed my way by the (frankly quite surly) barkeep on receiving his third 50-pee's worth of smash for my third (and final) order of a Malibu and water was quite piercing.

A lesser man would've quailed under it.

The soundtrack made it worth it tho

In those days Malibu was for birds and poofters.

What next, your Blue Lagoon memories ? So much curacao, so little time...

I profoundly disagree with your analysis of the target demographic Professor Sperms

Malibu's marketing strategy at that point in the eighties was clearly also aimed at the ridiculously-fulla-various-alcoholic -combinations-yet-unable-to-call-a-halt demographic.

Destitute-to-£1.50 on the disposable income scale.

Rambling, disaffected outlook on life... heavy consumers of eco-friendly dishwasher tablets and organically sourced rhubarb.

Oooft!

Mark E Smith is a force of fukkin nature

The fact that his 28th album contains a song this good is positively fukkin freakish!!

All hail MES!!!

(He even includes a wee personal message for me at 2.31 )

It's getting worse

Is there a 24-hour helpline for weakening Macca fans with limited funds/brownie points?

Forget it, Immo. Stadium rock sucks.

I've seen the Stones, U2, Springsteen and Eminem at Hampden. All reasonable gigs (except U2, thanks to that sanctimonious cunt "Bono") but spoiled by the venue tbh.

Stick to Randy Newman, likely to be far more enjoyable a night.

Yeah but it's Macca and you'd hafta know what a big-deal Beatlewise that would be for me.

(Incidentally - if any of your dot-com millionaire pals are going; is there any chance of them blagging a backstage pass for me so I can spend the entire post-gig schmooze whacking the big M round the head with a rolled-up copy of Liverpool Echo? )

On another tack...

During a v successful weekend (Chekov at The Lyceum, some very nice scallops )

I heard Craig Charles play Donny Hathaway's drippingly lush gospel versh (try sayin that lot pisht ) of 'Young Gifted & Black'

It's a bit of an acquired taste.

But, - and if I may quote here - 'if you don't like this.... '

Seein as how this board's got a slogan

(L'enfer c'est les autres (...et Bewlay) )

Shouldn't we have some kinda referendum on a nash-nell anfem for Stennydonia?

Might I seek a seconder for Monshewer Price?



Or alternatively...

It's only me 'n you keepin this board goin James

I'm assumin you've already got this but it's still a good wee clip

Think of it as my 'Swansway' if you hafta

I was only jokin about the Alan Price thing

The Stennydonia N.A. has to be 'done' by the best....

The Beatles...



Playing the Stennydonian Nash-nell anfemmm

'All Together Now (even bewlay) '



Please be upstanding

As the actress said...

Instrumental breaks are always interesting on TV clips.

Check out the incredibly bored Dusty-a-like gettin the clapping thing right while her hopelessly gawky partner does all the right claps but not necessarily in the right order.

Stay sharp tho - cos at 1.30 you gotta be ready for the biggest-eared miniature monkey in a suit that ever epitomised the beautiful plurality and excitement of the 60's.

He's clapping correctly and looks fucking fabulous as a result.




The (very live) performance is a delight an'all but hey ... it's The Fabs

Caught up on some Sky-plussed stuff tonight.

Watched that 'I'm in a Rock & Roll Band - Guitarists' thing from BBC4.

Wilko was fucking fabulous.

'Go on - offer me fifty grand for me guitar'

His account of how he left the band was v moving and I'm not ashamed to say I had to dash away the manly tear

Too much cock-rock of course...

(Richie Sambora is a bell-end of the first water )

Just cheap telly really

Like 'The Rock 'n' Roll Years' that DLT used to introduce.

A load of cheap clips over a contemporaneous soundtrack, dash of post-modern voiceover et voila!! .

A little package of knowing, marketable, demographic-specific entertainment for under a fiver.



On the other hand tho ...

Jeff Beck tore off a heartbreakingly good take on Cliff Gallup's solo on this one.

There was no dashing away of the MT likes ....

But it was a close run thing

Hooooooooooo-weeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Monshewer Rockin Rik is sending me a copy of that (let's rip the sorry fuckers one last time) 'Legacy' edition of Exile soon.

James is consistently bumping up into the red on the ole gent-o-meter... however Monshewer Rockin is off the scale

I'll up it when I get it.

(Regular posters on this board will know to file that little beauty alongside "The Conservative Liberal partnership will deliver...", "The SFA will relentlessly pursue clubs whose fans persist in singing proscribed songs" and "I've got a compilation sorted - should be in your in-boxes soon")



Bonus tracks on it.

That one didn't make the final cut???

On a double album????

Definitely lost

I fuckin hate my life

Embdy up for a swap?

While you're thinkin about it....

Scuse me while I whip these out....