♪ Early 60s round up - ask your Gran if she remembers...

Perhaps not so well-known as British legends Cliff Richard, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Joe Brown or Lonnie Donegan, we present...

John Leyton
actor/singer: successfully escaped in The Great Escape, Von Ryan's Express. UK hit records ♪♫ Johnny Remember Me & Wild Wind

Adam Faith
singer/actor: hit singles What Do You Want, Poor Me, Lonely Pup; several films; went on to star in TV series Budgie and Love Hurts with Zoe Wannamaker

Eden Kane 
singer, eldest of the Sarstedt brothers: hit records include Well I Ask You & Get Lost.

Craig Douglas
singer: Only Sixteen, When My Little Girl Is Smiling

Emile Ford
(originally from St. Lucia) hits include: What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For, Slow Boat To China, Counting Teardrops, Them There Eyes.

Tommy Steele
(actor/singer) The Duke Wore Jeans, Half A Sixpence, Little White Bull, What A Mouth, Flash Bang Wallop (What A Picture)

Frankie Vaughan
singer: Green Door, Garden of Eden, Tower of Strength, Don't Stop - Twist! Plus about a hundred other singles

Mike Sarne
actor/singer: several acting roles plus hit singles Come Outside (with Wendy Richard) & Just For Kicks

Female artists:
Kathy Kirby: Secret Love
Susan Maughan: Bobby's Girl
Helen Shapiro: Please Don't Treat Me Like A Child, Walking Back To Happiness  

Because They're Young - Duane Eddy.

Beebopalula

♪ ♫ Ghost Riders in the Sky on the Storm

Hmm, bit of a mashed up title mixing two great songs linked by the word 'Riders'. I just can't decide which of the songs I like best. No contest, though, as to the best video (in my opinion).

Writing this post was inspired by the previous blog post featuring Riders on the Storm and, coincidentally, saw a tweeted link to Frankie Laine's Ghost Riders in the Sky which featured a great video - so good that it's included below for you to enjoy...

The Doors

A vague title that allows a number of items to be covered. Obviously, in musical terms, reference to the artists who gave us Riders on the Storm is a must, and the video below is a 'must see' for Doors fans. It's 7 minutes so here's some information to read while it plays...

This post also refers to patio doors of many kinds:

• bi folding doors (various frames)
• sliding doors (various shapes & sizes)
• slide & turn doors (various frames)

For each section, there is an introductory paragraph and a link to more information.

Bi Folding Doors are retractable which means that they open completely to the sides of the opening, allowing maximum width of access. They are double-glazed doors with side frames on which the hinges are attached to enable the doors to zig-zag open as they slide and fold. Double-glazing, therefore each door, is quite heavy so that the frame and hinges need to carry that weight, carry that weight a long time. This means that stronger aluminium framed doors can be manufactured with slimmer frames than pvc, which is how to tell them apart at a distance. SunSeeker Doors is a manufacturer and installer of aluminium framed bi folding doors.

Sliding Doors can overlap to open or retract into the wall (pocket doors). There are manufacturers who create glass sliding doors that are better than the 'bog-standard' patio door; these include extra large glass doors with panels up to 3 metres by 6 metres, sliding doors that open from a corner, plus curved glass doors and windows. All are available from Sightline Doors.

Slide and Turn Doors are fully retractable, similar to bi-folds but without hinges, therefore all doors open independently. Available with UltraSlim side frames or as Frameless glass doors, they are manufactured by SunSeeker Doors and ideal modern replacements for old patio doors or as room dividers. Demonstrations of Slide and Turn Doors are available on YouTube.

Post submitted by The BPc on behalf of clients.
Thanks for listening! 

Music Analysis 1960s & 50 years later

Why did songs from the 1960s convey feelings of unrequited love or of the hurt that follows rejection, whilst the trend today is more about sex or aggression? Discuss.

There was limited social acceptance of teenage boys and young men admitting to 'soft' feelings in real life during the 1960s therefore the rock-and-roll outlet was a credible alternative to release the angst and share with others who were secretly feeling the same way.

So many examples come to mind from Ben E King's 1961 hit Stand By Me, Go Now in 64/65, and a number of Lennon-McCartney songs, including: I'm A Loser, If I Fell, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Don't Let Me Down (okay so they are mainly John Lennon's lyrics - he had a lot of angst).

These days, homosexual relationships are not illegal (it was a criminal offence in the 1960s) and it is more acceptable for boys to confess their 'soppy' feelings to sympathetic ears, male or female. It is less 'taboo' to harp on about sex (previously disguised in songs as 'making love') unlike in 1969, when Je T'Aime… Moi Non Plus was banned in several countries for being too explicit.

There are other frustrations for today's youth, leading to a growth in rap (ranting-to-a-beat) which, regretfully, I'm unable to comment on as I haven't listened to much of it, except some Run DMC which is the exception that proves the rule!

Agree or disagree? Please feel free to comment but keep it polite and keep it clean, thanks.

BP2

♪ Great 'Mama' Songs!

Mama Mia - obvious, so obvious, too obvious. Well, That's All Right Mama because there are far better ones! Mama, oo-ooh, didn't mean to make you cry... Mama told me not to come... ♪♫ Here's the Three Dog Night version:

 

Recommended Music Blog: soundsandvision

Beebopalula

Reading Sir ACD's Sherlock Holmes

Thanks to a free download from Amazon book store to my kindle, I've been reading through the full Sherlock Holmes stories for a while now and I'll be sorry when I'm finished (which I nearly have, so I've slowed down) because I'll miss the companionship of Holmes and Watson. Sounds odd, I know.

Another odd thing I noticed while reading was that, in my head, Sherlock Holmes' dialogue was delivered in the style and voice of Jonny Lee Miller (from the SkyTV series "Elementary") yet my head-based Watson was played by Martin Freeman.

Of note: Moriarty barely featured in the books, same with Irene Adler, both hyped up from the original stories. I also recognised a few expressions that had been 'borrowed' from the stories, too. Not so many as from Shakespeare's works, of course, but interesting (I never could get to grips with Will's style of writing). Thumbs up for ACD!

Here's a link to the free downloadable version: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1661