Back in Black

I'm really not tempted or taken by the Dark Knight trailers. I should be. I'm a lifelong (since the age of three anyway) Batmaniac - more than a fan, but not quite a geek - a fanorak I suppose.

But I've been put off by sequential superhero cinematic letdowns, the all black outfit which makes the Dark Knight Detective look like Robobat, and the Joker seemingly styled on Wurzel Gummidge meets Leigh Bowery and not the clipped, edgy deadly dandy he actually is.

What I hope to see at some point is an adaptation of Batman's equivalent of Elvis's 68 Special. A period when after spending most of the sixties lost in the wilderness of wackery and camp, the Caped Crusdaer became regenerated and revived by the dynamic duo of Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.

Adams almost draughtsman like artwork, expressive cape and the make over of Batman's build (Adams felt that Batman and Superman shouldn't share the same body type - Batman should be athletic rather than powerful) and O'Neil's Gotham goes Hammer Horror stories - 'The Demon Of Gothos Mansion', 'The Secret of the waiting Graves' 'Night Of The Reaper' 'Daughter Of The Demon' - all late night tales of haunted mansions, ghostly lovers and freak show runaways, that created a magical arc of dark art and returned Batman to the spooky moonlight roots of his earliest appearances.

Now that would be something to tempt me out of the shadows and into the cinema.

Recommended Reading

www.nealadams.com/
Neal Adams Batman Cover Gallery
Dennis O'Neil - Wiki entry

Stress Down Friday - All The Way From Memphis

Forget the Vegas suits and capes, the 'Burger King' tribute acts, Teddy Boys (why are they always ginger?), the tackery, quackery and clunky iconography.

It's all about the music.

Elvis 'Any Day Now'



Davey H's long haul hunt for the Percy Sledge version 'Any Day Now' is over, and he's sharing it right here.

That Linking Feeling

During some recent cyberspace-hopping I've stumbled across a fistful of mighty sites, all of which are just too good to keep hush about - so, I'm logging them in the blog with one pic' from each, to give a taste and flavour of the treats instore..

The Cobwebbed Room
The best of British horror from compendium paperbacks and ghouly mags to Horror Bag crisps and Haunted House ice lollies - but no sign of the terrifying hardback, large format, New English Library Dracula/Vampirella style comic which I swapped for something silly years ago.

Peter Gray's Cartoons and Comics
If you were ever a Whizzer and Chips, Whoopee or Shiver and Shake fan this blogfull of comic covers, stories and features should be right up your Fleetway Street.

George & Lynne
Fancy getting your hands on a Sun loving swinger - there's original 'George and Lynne' artwork for sale right here.

My Rear In Sears
Retro a go-go - for him and her

Worst Bowie photosEven international superstars have mad hair days.

What Not To Knit
Don't say you weren't warned!

No Sir!

I've only got a handful of irritations, aggravations and annoyances that nudge the needles in the red, but the one that'll really do it every time and have me cringing my shoulders and bristling like a badger is being called "Sir" in shops.

What fancy Dan grandness was afoot last time I was on the wrong end of this instore display of over embellishment, fawning and foreluck tugging? Buying a £5 hat at T K Maxx, that's what! If I'd had a pound for every time it was used during this sale, I could've paid for the hat and still had change.

Five Earth pounds on a summer tifter (as seen in my facebook photos) and I'm treated and greeted like the King of China. It's not polite - it's a pantomime

I haven't called anybody Sir since leaving school, so why should anyone else* have to?

*The exception being Police Officers, Traffic Wardens and cold callers.

Moon Boots

Following on from the last post's theme of themes it seems appropriate to post this - a monster mashup of Space 1999/Destiny's Child/Stevie Wonder/The Flying Lizards - neatly clonked together by the King of cut and paste Pop Mark Vidler (Go Home Productions).

Go Home Productions - Destiny 1999



I've still got my original pair of Dinky Eagles and both are in great nick you know.* Snaps fingers and thinks - what a great name for a blog or mystery session musician 'Dinky Eagles'!!!*

This post is dedicated to Reg Varney who's 92 today.

Theme from 'On The Buses'

Where Have All Good Themes Gone?

Can you whistle or mentally cue up any recent TV theme tunes? I can do Eastenders and Have I Got News For You, but wouldn't know a post millenium motif or TV tune if I tripped over it (apart from QI, which is possibly the weediest opening anthem ever).

So what happened to big brassy small screen themes packed with action and splash - is it to do with budgets? It usually is. And where are the new names to replace Laurie Johnson, Ronnie Hazlehurst, John Barry or Barry Gray (the fun size John Barry). All of the above and and a handful of others wrote compositions so strong they were regularly released as singles or bundled up into budget compilations.

One often overlooked and underplayed obscurity is John Barry's theme to The Orson Welles Mysteries, which makes a perfect companion piece to his Persuaders theme.

You can download The Orson Welles Mysteries here

Or grab Geoff Love playing Your Top TV Themes here

But, if you fancy something cinematic why not try out this team up from Roman Empress and myself.

Stress Down Friday - 'what a waste of gunpowder and sky'

I haven't found this tune anywhere else (of course it's bound to be on the very next blog I read). So I'll fire it up here.

Aimee Mann -'4th Of July' (live version)


Aimee Mann -'4th Of July' (studio version)

Random Roulette - Stick or Twist.

In all the time I've been blogging (not quite a year yet) I haven't once loaded up a randomizer/shuffle post - mainly because my player will cough up chunks of clunk from the catalogue when it's under pressure. So this time I set myself some rules...

List the first five songs and get 1 point for every good song.

Then - either stick if it's a good hand, or twist for another 5 points and repeat if you dare.

However should a clunker come into play - that's it. Bust. Game Over - lose all your points.

So, how many hands could I do before going bust? Well I make this three twists without any howlers so decided to stick at 15 points...

Little Rose Little - 'You've Got The Love'(Talcum Soul, Vol. 3)
The Upsetters - Return Of Django(The Trojan Records Sampler 2002)
David Bowie - 'Beauty And The Beast'(Stage)
Small Faces - 'Tin Soldier'(The Darlings Of Wapping Wharf Launderette)
Toni Daley - 'Like The Big Man Said'(Take My Tip)


Dub Specialist - 'Bionic Dub'(Mojo Presents: Studio One Selector)
Sex Pistols - 'EMI Unlimited Edition'(Sex Pistols Box Set, Disc 1)
John Martyn - 'Solid Air'(Solid Air)
Azymuth - 'Tarde'(Aguia Nao Come Mosca)
Eno - 'I'll Come Running'(Vocal Box Set)


Corciolli - 'Ponta Da Praia'(Electro Bossa)
Sex Pistols - 'Anarchy In The UK'(Live at the 76 Club)
The Beatles - 'When I Get Home'(Something New)
Gladys Knight & The Pips - 'Gladys Knight & The Pips'(Motown Chartbusters, Vol. 2)
Jim Stafford - 'Spiders and snakes'(Spiders and Snakes)