i'm going to say it now

too many too many lost last year it's staggering alton and isaac and norman and levi and bo and eartha and freddie and all so this year we're celebrating the greats still with us shouting it loud and cheering them on whenever we can and being desperately desperately grateful for all the joy they've brung to our hungry souls before it's too late.

ah hell that was january that got wrote and gee but the years flown hasn't it just zoomed with the precious treasure of little anthony and the imperials still all unsung unshouted unroared right here right here where we adore them where we can't quite believe the goddamn rocknroll hall of fame managed to induct the blighters and we never even managed to cobble together some tatty twadle. i'm a disgrace.

so finally... little anthony and the imperials we salute you



all you need to know is in the hall of fame performance this year. majestic.




i desperately want to be playing you i'm on the outside looking in or the definitive goin' out of my head or northern showstopper better use your head but i don't want to spoil the thrill for you and damn these two'll just rip you up mighty fine

little anthony and the imperials - it's not the same

little anthony and the imperials - world of darkness



now get a greatest hits if nothing else

mods mayday

how does this sound ?

'award winning Carnaby Christmas decorations take on a psychedelic theme'

'filled with fifteen, six metre high inflatable decorations declaring 60’s festive messages of Love, Joy, Hope and Peace, along with four, six metre high inflatable hot pink reindeers, and surrounded by brightly coloured suspended Christmas trees and sparkling lights'

'a psychedelic Christmas is a fond homage to the 50th birthday of Carnaby as it was the birthplace of the explosion of British fashion design and its vitality still invigorates the design world today'

'colours are reminiscent of the 60’s including pillar box red, bright yellow, orange, acid green, purple and candy pink'

'a FREE open air swinging 60’s disco will take place in Carnaby Street on Tuesday 10 November 6pm - 7pm with a live DJ set from Eddie Piller, founder of Acid Jazz Records'

i know. it's like christmas on acid. for gawd's sake. still at least old piller's playing records so that'll be nice. there's go go girls on podiums too apparently. well there were last week when it was all supposed to be on till nine. we'll be wandering about the place tutting and being despicable elitist snobs then retiring for something warming down the red lion if anyone fancies it.

i don't really do psychedelic as a rule and turn into a strident swinging sixties denier after a a gin or two (even without a gin or two as it goes) but i do do charles stepney bananasness which i'm sure has a kaftan in there somewhere so this'll have to do (man)

rotary connection- i took a ride (caravan)

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warm up

a quick bit of blog tennis with the mighty mondo. i think i've got more versions of light my fire than any other tune and this is a bit of a favourite starting off loungey ending up all jazz massive . and the doors do it rubbishest obviously.

the gerald wilson orchestra - light my fire

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you'll put someone's eye out with that

you be good now people




anthony newley - i don't want to set the world on fire

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what am i supposed to do

well it's looking like a do in a park for us then back for sparklers and a rocket or two off the fire escape so where do we go to my lovelies ? your top tips would be tip top




now if i could just lay my greedy paws on some of those moves on ground emits sparks and reports ones




and till i can track down a bit of waste ground for a bonfire to call my very own i guess there's only one song to play...

jocelyn brown - somebody else's guy

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when what where how

so when did it start to happen huh ? when did the spotty little herberts parked outside the off licence with a parka and their dad's best pants stuffed shoddily with heaven knows what and a wonky face drawn on a football shoved under the hood sulkily mumbling penny for the guy mister metamophosise into the darling little cherubs in dinosaur rompers being herded round by the guardian reading classes without the slightest hint of tricks but demanding treats all the same? and when did it all come to get so godddamn close together? and where can you get sparklers in the west end? and how the hell am i going to get thirty feet away from anything on our fire escape?



the pop group - thief of fire (live)

the recalls - nobody's guy



the pop group from we are time which you'll have to find down your local second hand store but you can get y and assorted other things from universal sound

the recalls from lost and found rockabilly and jump blues compiled by keb darge and cut chemist from the fine folk at barely breaking even

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burning love

right then. now we've got all that flipping haloween palaver done with ( which in my day was just mischief night - knock a door run filling your physics teacher's drive with milk bottles going and getting chips ) can we get on to the stupendously more thrilling fireworks. you know the one. bonfire night. fireworks night. guy fawkes night. treacle toffee. parkin (see our pal bltp's handy recipe). being quite insanely thrilled by a sparkler. that one yes. well it's this week and we're going penny for the guy guvnor barmy so stand well back... oh alright we'll be quietly over enthusiastic and fidget a lot but you get the idea

our lives are shaped by what we love seems appropriate somehow sung by a different hairier odyssey and off of the wobbliest record in my pile swapped for a couple of t shirts at a jon lucien show in brighton long ago. and a bonus other fabulous song off it cos it's too lovely to miss out

odyssey - our lives are shaped by what we love

odyssey - battened ships



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