OT - What Song (s) You Listening To Today?

[ramAnag]

I started coxing at the local rowing club aged 10 or 11. The lads I was steering were all between 2 and 5 years older and I soon became part of their social scene. We had weekly do's at the club. The Rugby Club had some big nights on with people like Mel Torme, The Equals and many more my addled brain forgets. Acts like Amen Corner at Trentham Gardens... or was it Drayton Manor.... Mud and Quo at Nottingham and Union Rowing Club, Major Lance at the Torch..... what a night that was. He was a C list artist in the States and had been surprised to get offered a UK tour. To get to the stage from the artists' dressing room he had to traverse the packed club floor. He was scared stiff. Being used to how things were in America he thought "what the hell am I doing in a club full of white kids, I'll never get out alive". He needn't have worried. He might have been a relative unknown in the States but UK Soulies loved him. He got up on stage, started to sing and was gobsmacked that all them white kids were singing along and knew all the words to all his songs. It took him an age to get back to the dressing room as he stopped to talk to all his new found friends..... He was absolutely amazed by the whole experience.

More recently, McCartney, Stones, Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top, 4 tops, Temptations, Kool and the gang, Jimmy James, Lionel Richie, Robbie Williams, 10 sharp, Tears for fears, U2...... and more, all here in the Netherlands.

I actually consider myself to be doubly lucky. First to have seen so many great acts live as well as being a regular attender and performer at "disco's". Secondly, I have manged to escape the clutches of Tinnitus.

In Burton we were spoiled. We also had the 76 club with Rock gigs of a Friday and Soul of a Saturday. Here are just some of the bands that played the 76..... Wild Turkey, Chicken Shack, Supertramp, Vinegar Joe, Juicy Lucy, Trapeze, Alan Bown, Raymond Froggatt, Thin Lizzy, Medicine Head, Alex Harvey, Suzy Quatro, AWB, *** Pistols............. Check out the various lists if you want to on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/76_Club

‘In Burton we were spoiled’...five words rarely uttered.

[MadAmster]

Rihgt now listening to the Fantastic Four, The Lost Motown Album on CD. The 12 tracks from the original album plus 13 bonus tracks, most of which have never been issued. The Album was recorded and planned for release in 1971. The band still don't know why its release was pulled at the last moment. I wonder if there were any copies on vinyl from back in the day that escaped the melting pot.....

I was put on to this by Martha's manager, Dundee. It's proper laid back, listen and chill album.

[MadAmster]

‘In Burton we were spoiled’...five words rarely uttered.

76, Leander, Rugby Club, Caribbean Club, Jubilee Hall, Town Hall. All places to go for music. Spoilt for choice.

Allied, Bass, Martson's, Everards, Truman's breweries. Spoilt for choice.

2 of my favourite things in abundance. Surely that outweighs any negatives?

[MadAmster]

.... just

[MadAmster]

Here's a thought on the old question of why vinyl is better than digital..................... maybe, quite simply, the music was that much better

[ramAnag]

76, Leander, Rugby Club, Caribbean Club, Jubilee Hall, Town Hall. All places to go for music. Spoilt for choice.

Allied, Bass, Martson's, Everards, Truman's breweries. Spoilt for choice.

2 of my favourite things in abundance. Surely that outweighs any negatives?

Burton Rugby Club...now you’re talking...love it there, like a Rugby League clubhouse transferred to the Midlands...no pretence and truly welcoming. Didn’t even know they put on any music events.

Packaging apart...where vinyl clearly has the advantage...is vinyl really better MA? I would have thought that sound systems vary so much that, unless you’re a real expert with perfect hearing, the difference is negligible and it all comes down to a bit of romantic tosh.

[MadAmster]

Burton Rugby Club...now you’re talking...love it there, like a Rugby League clubhouse transferred to the Midlands...no pretence and truly welcoming. Didn’t even know they put on any music events.

Packaging apart...where vinyl clearly has the advantage...is vinyl really better MA? I would have thought that sound systems vary so much that, unless you’re a real expert with perfect hearing, the difference is negligible and it all comes down to a bit of romantic tosh.

Working the bar one Saturday after a match, some posh chap from ths visitors asked for some poncey cocktail. I reminded him that this was a Rugby Club and not some Soho Cocktail bar. I seem to remember a couple of deletive expletives in there as well. He was offended and showed it. Even his teammates laughed at him.

Music events. Regular Friday night soul events back in the day. Bouncers were the 1st team forwards. For some reason we never had any trouble. Big festival type gigs as well in a huge marquee on the pitch.

Vinyl or digital? Obviously the fact that the music was better back then tips the decision in favour of vinyl . My own view is that digital "compresses" the sound a little so you don't get the full range. Vinyl seems to have a fuller sound. A view shared by many vinyl junkies.

[AdiSalisbury]

Digital or Vinyl? CD's produce the most purest sounds, as close as possible to the the real thing, unequivocally. Not so compressed that you lose all the ambience (ala mp3, such poor quality), and doesn't scratch, jump, or change tempo / pitch like vinyl. A skilled disc jockey (oo er missus!) is nothing to scoff at though.

But people don't want studio quality music - they either want convenient mp3, or nostalgic vinyl. Or worse still, they over-ramp the bass up on their system EQ and spoil the original mix.

People can get quite angry about the subject too! So, like any politician, I'm ducking out of any further debate on it.

Though if you're playing music through crappy speakers, it matters little. The sonic difference between your Alexa or TV soundbar, compared to the purest quality of studio monitors, is light years apart (or sound years, if that's a thing!).

Currently listening to London Stories, by Gianluca Corona (an old teacher of mine) and Maciek Pysz. Beautiful instrumental music, just 2 acoustic / classical guitars.

[Andy_Faber]

Currently listening to:

Dappy - 'Beautiful Me'

Costadinos Contostavlos, better known as Dappy, was a founding member of NDubz, and if you find the name sort of familiar, he shares his surname with bandmember and cousin, the more famous Tulisa (X Factor, Fake Sheik blah blah). Dappy may have seen the same fork in the road as the previously mentioned Mark Morrison, with the sign pointing to either 'tread carefully superstar' or 'minor league crim n#bs#ck', read his wiki entry to draw your own conclusions.

Whatever, and if he slips even from Z list celebrity from now on, he leaves us with two things - this IMO bl**dy gorgeous ballad, and the 'Dappy Hat', in summary a daft hat worn daftly, a style I apparently carry off pretty well

All allegedly

[Romanis]

Top song of the day:

Singing in the Rain - Gene Kelly

Followed by:

Bojangles by Sammy Davis Jr

That's Amore - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.