Got the pink Miss You on 12”. The cover was actually quite dull. Nothing to give away the surprise of getting it out of the sleeve.
A favourite thing of mine was to watch the original UK Vertigo label going round on a turntable on a 7" single. Very clever. Then picture discs, coloured vinyl, and... strawberry-scented, strawberry-coloured vinyl to accompany the strawberry-scented scratch and sniff sleeve for "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The King's Singers. The vinyl has long ago lost its whiff, but the scratch and sniff sleeve still works 44 years later. And that is to say nothing of "Shine On" by John Townley, which came with a third track, "You've Let Me Down", on a playable sleeve. Both of these sold by the thimble-load.
I can remember going to my local record shop in the late 70s and seeing the walls covered in coloured vinyl and picture discs. They weren’t badly priced either. We’ll not see that again.
Darkness On The Edge Of Town was certainly worth the wait and my favourite Bruce album. Have to say I thought Steel Wheels a bit of a (much needed) return to form and consider that the last really good Stones album - but then I don't mind Keith's, Talk Is Cheap LP... Disco Inferno was my favourite track from SNF for years. BOC and Kansas were two more excellent sounding 12" singles I bought, both with sleeves, but good old black vinyl. Kate, The Kick Inside is simply one if my all time favourite and most played albums. Edit. It also sounds fantastic!
Pan's People could always be relied on to liven up TOTP (one way or another). I always looked forward to their more literal 'interpretations' of the record. The Clash's Bank Robber was a hoot; ditto for The Chi-lites' Homely Girl. And who can forget the suitcases in Randy Vanwarmer's Just When I Needed You Most? But Gilbert's Get Down (#1 1973) just has to be their absolute apex of glorious naffness. I love how the middle dog thinks 'sod this' after 20 seconds.
One wonders if the production team were inspired to do that from Elvis Presley's 1956 appearance on The Steve Allen Show where he sang "Hound Dog" to . . . a basset hound, placed next to him.
Anyone remember Ruby Flipper? They took 0ver from Pan’s People for a few episodes of TOTP in 1976. This is probably their most memorable routine.
Yes I remember Ruby Flipper. Top Of The Pops really upped their game at this point, you could see the budget had greatly increased and the choreography was just stunning. And we even get a glimpse of a page 3 girls naked boobs whilst gramps is reading the newspaper.
I had - well, I still have - a blue 'Mr. Blue Sky', a purple 'Sweet Talkin' Woman' and a yellow Slade single, 'Ginny Ginny'.
They should have kept them, but I suspect they only wanted a female-only dance troupe, like Pan's People or Legs & Co. More sophisticated viewers had no problem with Hot Gossip, on the Kenny Everett Video Show.
How dare you!?! As Cupid Stunt used to say in his later series, "It was all done in the best possible taste." Or not... And just for clarification: I loved Kenny Everett. There was always stuff that I found too silly in his shows, but what was good, was remarkably good. And silly. His impersonations of his personal friends The Bee Gees were worth the entrance fee alone. (And it was free...) "Mass-a-Chew-Sets". Still works!
This is the news everyone in the UK been waiting for... Rubettes singer Alan Williams wins High Court battle with other members over who owns group's name | Daily Mail Online
We can all sleep easier tonight. Typical Daily Mail piece though. And of course Alan Williams didn’t ‘voice’ Sugar Baby Love. It was well known that it was Paul Da Vinci who did the vocal.
You could try, but I think it might just be me, you and Alan Williams, if he’s a member, who’ll respond.
I might... But just because of that one powerhouse song, "Sugar Baby Love". Talk about wall of sound! On reflection, seeing that he´s not the voice who sings on that song, I retract myself...
Certainly around 20 years ago (OK, maybe closer to 30)), Alan was belting out Sugar Baby Love really well and Paul Da Vinci finally did join Rubettes in 2000, but the other one. featuring Bill Hurd. The Rubettes family tree is complicated..... @Jarleboy , do you have to be careful retracting yourself?
He, he... I figured it was an unusual word to use in that context, while still conveying what I meant. I like to experiment. With words as well...
That's the wonder of Woolies... Some brilliant albums in there. Do you have the three I haven't (can you guess what they are?) Bobby?