LeftyP

As an acne ravaged 16 year old, my life had already been changed when I met a girl at school three years my junior. I was well and truly hooked and used to walk her home every night (carrying her books of course). Nothing happened between us but when I heard John Sebastian's lyrics in "Younger Girl" they said it all. "Should I Hang Around Acting Like Her Brother, In A Few More Years They'll Call Us Right For Each Other. But Why If I Wait I'll Just Die!" Stupidly, I waited and she married someone else! I liked the Hondells version that was played on Radio Caroline (North) back in 1966. Here we are 50 years on and that song still strikes a chord with me. To compound things, a few years ago Frankie Valli recorded "My Eyes Adored You" which told my sad story; "Carried Your Books From School, Playing Make Believe You're Married To Me". Oh the pangs of first love! I met her again earlier this year and she still caused a little flutter in my heart. What a sad old fool I am!

Fotheringay at Newcastle City Hall around 1970-ish. Wonderful Sandy Denny with Jerry Donahue on guitar, Pat Donaldson on bass and the incredible Gerry Conway on drums. It was a magical night and their self titled album is still on of my favourites.

One thing to beware of is that an insurance company may not want to insure you because, as a gigging musician, you may be classed as high risk. It happened to me with house insurance because I worked for the BBC as a local radio presenter! Anything to do with "showbiz" and they assume you are into sex, drugs and sausage rolls! The problem occurs when you approach another company and they ask "have you ever been refused insurance". You may find it has a knock on affect on other areas of insurance. Try the MU, who have all kinds of advice for the performing musician.

I'm thinking about getting a leather bass guitar strap with a customized message or design on it. I've trawled the internet for likely suppliers but no one stood out. Have you had a your name or message put on a guitar strap and if so where did you get it done? Cheers!

I tend to treat this 'sale' with suspicion. If they can reduce the price of stuff by several % and still turn a profit how much is the stuff really worth? My late mother worked in a shop for years (Co-op) and knew all the tricks to offload slow moving stock. Take items off the shelves and put them in one of those big wire baskets with a sign saying 'special offer' or 'our price' and folk would buy them. Another trick was to say that some item was not going to be available again and people who didn't even like the stuff would buy it! If you are in the market for something and can get it for a few quid cheaper than usual then fine but treat all sales with great caution. When have DFS ever sold their sofas at 'full price'? As for Black Friday, well it's turned into a continuous money grab that appears to be lasting for weeks!

If you are thinking about virtuoso players then classical guitarist John Williams springs to mind as does pianist Oscar Peterson. My wife is a classical oboe player, used to most of the classical repertoire, and she cannot bring to mind any female composers from that era. Modern day, I would echo the mention of Carole King as a great contemporary composer and Diane Warren. Burt Bacharach deserves a mention plus the Irving Berlins, Cole Porters and Gershwins of this world. In short we are spoiled for choice so let's just enjoy their genius!

I'm not sure what to make of the Aretha song. The new orchestral backing was not too intrusive so the first lady of soul's voice was loud and clear. I well remember, as a teenager at school, hearing Aretha sing "I Ain't Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You". It was played on Radio Caroline (North) while I was waiting to go in for school dinners! I fell in love with her voice and songs right there and then and I don't think you can improve on perfection (that's Aretha as perfection not the school dinners!).

He would wait a long time to get a reply from me via Face-ache because I very rarely use it. I don't post anything on it and check it about once a fortnight as I 'follow' one or two performers and organizations who put notices on the site. I also get so much Spam email that I have a very high security setting on my 'In Box'. If your email details are not in my address book your communication will go direct to my 'Junk Mail' folder - along with the invitations from Anastasia to "enjoy" her Russian lady friends! There seems to be a expectation that everyone is hovering over their computers 24/7. What is wrong with a 'phone call?

This is a very interesting topic. How far do you go at finding out about an artist before listening to their music or watching them perform? If you hear a great track on the radio do you hold back your opinion of it until you've checked out the lifestyle of the performer? As has been said in an earlier post; look back through history at great artists (painters, composers etc) and you may find that their lifestyle was unsavory to say the least. One of the best live concerts I attended, some years ago, was the Gary Glitter Christmas Show (I got free tickets!). It was an absolute blast! Of course we didn't know then what we know now - but it was still a great evening's entertainment. I try to judge a song from its words and music. I'm sure if we dug deep enough we could find something to dislike about most of our favorite performers.

I've tried to watch some of his videos but can only tolerate about a minute of them because of his camera work. I am susceptible to motion sickness and his hand held camera swaying about causes nausea very quickly. Tripods should be compulsory!

[quote name='ChazzJEUK' timestamp='1501765481' post='3347223'] So I know La Bella have a habit of releasing limited edition silk wrapped Nylon Tapewounds most recently the "Tigers Blood" and before that the "Purple Haze". What I want to know is, has anyone in the U.K. Managed to get their hands on a set? & where from? [/quote] Don't know if they will have the exact strings you want but Supermusic57 Ltd of Clydebank stock La Bella.

You could try Supermusic57 Ltd, 32 Drumry Road, Clydebank G81 2LL I bought a set of the strings via Amazon and they came from Supermusic. I managed to snap one of the strings near the winding peg and Supermusic were very helpful in getting me a replacement. From the telephone conversations I had with them I don't think La Bella normally supply individual strings.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1509232251' post='3397506'] Would you have put it up, if it was Johnny Vegas playing this tune in his underpants? [/quote] I wish you hadn't put that image in my mind!

I bought a [b]SubZero 35 watt bass combo [/b]for use at home which is working well. I also bought a [b]Tascam GB-10 Trainer/Recorder[/b] which is great for playing along to backing tracks and learning songs. It may sound boring but I think my best purchase was a set of [b]La Bella Flat wound strings[/b] designed to fit my Hofner violin bass copy. They are so smooth and comfortable to play that I don't get any of the squeaks when sliding up and down the frets.

I have the Chowny SWB-1 on order - it should be here by mid-November. It looks to be a great little bass guitar and if it makes me play as well as Scott Whitley it will be a good purchase - not to mention a miracle!

I am currently a spare room warrior trying to get back into playing after a ten year (or so) break. My wife and I organized a large Christian music band some years ago and I mainly set up the sound system and helped out on backing vocals. When our bass player had to leave for other commitments I stepped in. I had been learning (without much success) the classical guitar so thought the bass would be easier. I've always liked good bass lines so maybe I was destined to play one! The band was about 15 strong with; drums, bass, guitar, trumpet, trombone, sax, clarinet, oboe, violin, keyboard, flute and several vocalists - we made a big sound (enough for me to hide behind). I played just what was needed but found that being in a band made me raise my game. I was never very good but my playing certainly improved over the time I was part of the group. Getting that many people together for rehearsals and gigs was a good trick - if you have problems getting four or five members in one place at the same time try 15! The band came to a natural end and my bass remained in its case until a few months ago when someone in the church I now attend asked if I played anything. When I mentioned the bass his eyes lit up, "We don't have a bass player!" So, at the age of 67, I'm getting back up to speed and there is a possibility that I'll be up in front of the congregation by Christmas. I am enjoying learning again, both from chord charts and sheet music. My wife, an oboe player, says that learning something new at my age will help ward off dementia and I'll be very happy if that is the case!

I suppose it makes a difference if you have something to work towards. Are you just playing for your own amusement at home or do you play in public. I played for a short time in a large Christian music band. I stepped in when the original bass player left the area. I wasn't very good and just did what was necessary for each song. When the band ended I didn't touch the bass for nearly 10 years. I recently moved to a new church and was asked if I played an instrument and I mentioned the bass guitar. Suddenly I find I may be playing in the base on the odd Sunday so I'm back to plucking the strings. I decided to really get to grips with following chord charts, reading music and playing by ear. The challenge has given me renewed interest in the instrument and I'm enjoying playing again - not sure the congregation will share my enthusiasm! I think you only get out what you put in. I don't put my bass in its case so I can pick it up anytime and spend a few minutes getting the fingers working. The bass is a great instrument but may be a bit limited on its own compared to a lead guitar. If you can set a target to work towards I'm sure that will help you get over your current malaise.

Joni Mitchell's "River" is a great song. Whisper it quietly but Barry Manilow does a pretty good version of it too!

OK this is not a band and my choice may shock and surprise you but I've grown to like Britney Spears! One of my daughters was a fan when "Hit Me Baby, One More Time" was a hit and I thought the song was irritating to say the least. Then some time after it had faded from the charts I heard it and really listened to it. I was impressed by the production and overall feel of the song. When I bought a cheap MP3/4 player a Britney Spears video had been loaded as a demo. The song was "Sometimes" and I really liked it. I was in the Pound Shop and found several of her CDs (for £1 each) so bought a couple. I cannot say I like everything she records but I do appreciate many of her recordings. I'm in my mid 60s so maybe I'm not supposed to like Britney Spears but I do. Maybe by the time I'm a hundred I may have grown to understand the whole Adelle thing - no that won't ever happen!

I've been using Hotmail for years without any problems. I do have by security setting on 'high' so that only mail from people who are in my address book get into my 'in' box. This is because of the amount of Spam I get from young foreign ladies offering all kinds of services! Since I asked for the ladies to be blocked I've been getting even more invites from them! Hotmail is fine and it means you don't have to change your email address if you swap service providers. I also have Gmail but don't know how to access it.

I can't compete with any of the above posts but I do have the same birthday as Mark King- although I'm a few years his senior! On a somewhat related matter; my wife and I were at the Montreux Jazz Festival some years ago and we were leaving a free concert when I bumped into a man carrying a guitar. I said sorry and moved aside. It turned out to be B.B. King!

"Yesterday Has Gone" - Cupid's Inspiration, I remember them "performing it on TOTP and the backing track was out of sync. "The Son Of Hickory Hollers Tramp" - O.C. Smith. I have an old LP of his which isn't bad. "Me & Mrs Jones" - Billy Paul. He had other records out but that's the one most people remember. "96 Tears" - ? & The Mysterians. Not even sure if it was a major hit in the UK. "Woolly Bully" - Sam The Sham & The Pharohs. Not sure of the spelling of some of these! "Black Is Black" - Los Bravos. "I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round" - Shotgun Express. I think this was a "turntable hit" back in the 60s. "Hang On Sloopy" - The McCoys. I do have another 45rpm by them called "Don't Worry Mother Your Son's Heart Is Pure"! There must be hundreds more but I'm enjoying this thread.

I think in these days of (anti) social media it is often better to use another name on internet sites. I really think that Parker would be a good pen name.