Review added to Vinyl Album by MR B PAGE:
Carly Simon - Playing Possum (1975)

This is one of my favourite album of all time,released on the 21/4/1975,and this is her third studio album and among the musicians who took part is then husband James Taylor,Rita Coolidge,and not to mention of course,Ringo Starr,only on A4 and only playing the drums.

Review added to TV by MR B PAGE:
Gambit (1975 - 1997) (1975)

This UK Gameshow is originally based on a US gameshow of the same name,and came to our TV screens in 1975-85,and produced for Anglia Television.Peter Fenn wrote the theme tune for Gambit [as well as the theme tune for Sale Of The Century],and he composed two different themes for the show.In 1975-80,first did this in a Tijuana Style like Herb Alpert,and in 1981-85,the same tune but in a style of Sale Of The Century,and not to mention,we see him in person playing a Hammond Organ in Part Two in the Music Question segment. The voiceover for this show in the 1975-85 era is John Benson [also did for Sale Of The Century].

Review added to TV by MR B PAGE:
240 Robert (1979 - 1981) (1979)Rated 10/10

This series is created by Rick Rosner [also created another TV series before 240-Robert called CHiPs for MGM TV].I do remember the TV series very well,and used to be screened on Saturday Nights at 7:15 p.m. in the London Area.Mike Post and Pete Carpenter [who composed the theme tunes such as The Rockford Files,The A-Team,Knight Rider,etc.] also wrote this original theme tune.This show is produced by Rosner Television in association with Filmways Television

Review added to TV by MR B PAGE:
240 Robert (1979 - 1981) (1979)Rated 10/10

This series is created by Rick Rosner [also created another TV series before 240-Robert called CHiPs for MGM TV].I do remember the TV series very well,and used to be screened on Saturday Nights at 7:15 p.m. in the London Area.Mike Post and Pete Carpenter [who composed the theme tunes such as The Rockford Files,The A-Team,Knight Rider,etc.] also wrote this original theme tune.This show is produced by Rosner Television in association with Filmways Television

Review added to TV by MR B PAGE:
The Amazing Spider-Man (1978 - 1979) (1978)Rated 10/10

David White [from the US TV comedy series Bewitched] played the part of J.Jonah Jameson in the pilot story before Robert F Simon got a permanent role and appeared in 29 episodes and I remember the series and screened on Friday nights at 7 p.m.in the London Area.

Review added to TV by MR B PAGE:
Fangface (1978) (1978)Rated 10/10

I remember this show,when screened on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the London area at 9:30 a.m.in the late 70`s and early 1980`s,and still my TV favourite of all time,especially I like the theme tune as well as the character voices. Frank Welker who voiced Fangface,is best remembered voicing Fred in the Scooby Doo Series.

Review added to Classical Item by Magic Marmalade:
The Philharmonia Orchestra Conducted By Constantin Silvestri - Franck: Symphony In D Minor (1961)

Wagner, for people who don't like Wagner...

...At least, that's how I would describe Side 1's first movement:

A dramatic, foreboding, and serious work in the Wagnerian opera style, but in symphony form. Basically, taking all the highlights of the Wagner style and cutting away the other fifteen hours of Viking helmets, Valkyries, and probably a little less Helicopters and Napalm (for all you Apocalypse Now! fans :).

However, Franck does have the ability to sweeten things a little, with passages of light melodic tunefulness here and there, and is capable of a lightness of touch that Wagner frankly, isn't.

...And while the notes on the back of this make a comparison instead to Beethoven, this is only true of the second side's two movements... much more subtle, and tuneful, as Beethoven was indeed capable of, and reversing the trend of side one to intersperse the heavy drama with touches of lightness, this side, being generally lighter, is interspersed with moments of drama, and impact.

So a much easier listening experience than Wagner, but with all the stuff you do like about him and Beethoven.


A word on this issue...

I've looked about on the net, and can only find a few copies of this, so it is, in H.M.V terms, toward the rarer end of the spectrum; For while Columbia SAXs will draw the truly eye-watering values, compared to these, and on a more consistent basis, this is one of those that fetches the mid-higher end of values for ASDs (And it seems to be on the march too!).
This, it would seem, is signified by the fact that I cannot find, even among those copies that I do see, any with the later red labels, of any variety. I can only conclude that this must be one that was never re-pressed in those later times - hence it's comparative rarity.

...And given the date is 1961, this shows me that the use of White / Gold continued later than I had thought...

(Looking to other areas of EMI label designs - jackets and labels - I wonder if 1962 may be more likely, due to the well documented switch in the early stages of release of The Beatles first album then, and the switch to boxed logo designs across the stable again in 69, making it likely that they all changed at once).

So if a copy of this does turn up with red labels, it would seem to be a lot rarer than the White / Gold labels here!

(If only my copy wasn't so tatty!!! :(

Review added to Vinyl Album by guest star:
Ritchie Valens - The Original La Bamba (1963)

This was one of the best LPs released by budget company Synthetic Plastics. It combined cuts from Richie's first and second Del-fi albums. (The second, which contained mostly unfinished demo cuts, had become hard-to-find by the time this came out on SPC's Guest Star label.) So we get hits like "La Bamba" and "Come On Let's Go" combined with songs like "My Darling's Gone," (which could have been another "Donna" had Richie lived long enough to polish it) and "Oh, My Head" (Richie's take on Little Richard's "Ooh! My Soul" with different lyrics.)

Brian McFadden

Review added to CD Album by leonard:
Karen Dalton - It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best (1997)

This was the first record I added to this site as a vinyl album. My favorite record, together with Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, of all time. Before listening be prepared: sit down comfortably, pour yourself a little glass of wine, but keep the bottle at hand. As I used to start with the B-side of the vinyl album start at track 6. A voice, goosebumps, shivering and shaking. Oh, this is really down and out. Drowning in the music, I'll never come out of these blues alive.
Wait a minute: you say you're a music lover and don't own this album? Buy, steal or borrow, but get it.

Review added to Vinyl Album by kab2112:
Spooky Tooth Featuring Mike Harrison - The Last Puff (1970)

1969 - 1970 saw the rise of "underground" and "progressive " rock music, taking over from psychedelia and blues/rock. Blues/rock based bands such as Free in the early days fitted into this category along with Jethro Tull and many others. Spooky Tooth were one of these bands and in 1970 released this excellent album. The outstanding track has to be "I am the Walrus" which was given the full progressive rock treatment, totally different to The Beatles version. The album version is arguably the finest Beatles cover ever, although the single version was a different take and is nowhere near as good by comparison. There are songs by Joe Cocker and Elton John on this album that are also excellent cover versions. "The wrong time" is another excellent track, in fact every track is at the least "very good", not a bad track on the album . The 2015 CD re-issue of this album has the album and single versions of "I am the Walrus" where the comparisons can be made. One of my all time favourite albums.

Review added to CD Album by Juke Jules:
Gráinne Holland - Teanga Na NGael (2011)

Gráinne Holland comes from Belfast and sings in Irish Gaelic, singing songs from the Irish, Scots and Manx traditions. The songs here are romantic, bucolic, political - everything you want of a contemporary folk tradition


(YouTube Video)

Review added to Vinyl Album by Azguard:
Roger Whittaker - Mexican Whistler (1977)

Very clever and talented musician, his whistling sounds like an instrument. Roger Whittaker is well known for his exceptional whistling, baritone voice and guitar playing ability. This is an excellent album for a little bit of out of the ordinary, nice listening. Only downside I could find was that it doesn't include his hit song, (The Last Farewell). Other than that it was a most enjoyable way to pass half an hour.

Review added to Vinyl Album by Azguard:
Hank Williams Sr. - Memories Of Hank Williams Sr (1973)

A very early style of country music, slightly depressing at times. But an honest album with a couple of highlights if your into this style of music. So if your in the mood and you've got your cowboy hat on you should enjoy this album. Of course if it gets to depressing you could always play the album backwards and your wife comes back home and your dog doesn't die(sorry could resist the old joke).

Review added to Vinyl Album by Juke Jules:
The Guest Stars - The Guest Stars (1985)

The Guest Stars' style was a mixture of Jazz, Soul, Soca, Highlife and Funk.
They were based in Britain but released their album on a German label, selling it at gigs