Tonight's movie. Dangerous Crossing (1953) After a beautiful bride boards an ocean liner with her new husband, he goes into hiding and she becomes the target of a murder conspiract.

Nice cool afternoon, about to start rehearsal.

The Who - 'Magic Bus'. Super rare 1968 DJ copy, probably from New Zealand.

One of zillions of LPs of session musician versions of 60s and 70s hits. According to the back sleeve, the model is in the latest fashion and wears a fabulous outfit obtainable from all branches of Dorothy Perkins - so rush on down girls. I know it was fifty years ago but they might have some left.

Regular collaborators on EMI New Zealand's 1970s compilations, of both domestic and overseas artists; compiler Bruce Ward, mastering engineer Kirk McMillan and artist/cover designer Kevin Dunkley. This 1976 LP pulls together 20 ballads from 1956 to 1975, by international artists.

"I may be your forgotten son (Oh, mamy) Who wandered off at twenty-one (Oh, mamy) It's sad to find myself at home (Oh, mamy) And you (Blue) you're not around"

The Reds on stage in Clapham, 1979. Julian Griffin, Mick Watson, me, Steve Payne. "Walking In Dreadland"

William Shakespeare walks into a pub, tries to order a pint and the barman says 'get out, you're bard'

To be fair, sunshine, moonlight and good times have got to accept some level of responsibility. You can't simply blame EVERYTHING on the boogie.

John 'Speedy' Keen had already had one of his tracks recorded by the Who when Pete Townshend put together a band, Thunderclap Newman, to showcase Keen's talents, in 1969.

Manfred Mann had an unerring ability to spot a pop hit and his band's run of top tenners continued after Paul Jones left the group to be replaced by Mike D'Abo. In 1968, the band scored with a version of Tony Hazzard's 'Fox On The Run' (no relation to the later Sweet hit of the same name).

"I think I bust a button on my trousers...I hope they don't fall down...you don't want my trousers to fall down, now do ya???"

A fabulous & rare 1960s Australian artifact; this 45 had three tracks on one side and just pictures on the other and was given away to purchasers of the HMV Minigram portable record player - presumably HMV felt that buyers might not have any records and wanted them to have something to start with.

Hail the crooners! Australia's budget J&B label licensed original material from the majors to make their own compilations. Sometimes they'd put two artists on one LP, giving them a side each - this comp by Perry Como and Matt Monro is a good example

Sidney Frey's Audio Fidelity label was founded in New York in 1954 and opened it's British branch, Audio Fidelity (England) Ltd in 1957. This is a British release of one of their staple bands, the Dukes Of Dixeland. The label was renowned for the high quality of its recordings.

Breaker Bay, Wellington, looking down from Breaker Bay Road as it winds up towards the Pass of Branda and looking towards Point Dorset with the inter-island ferry in the background. Drawing by Peter Arnold, 1983

"Mr. Hancock, when a blood transfusion is being given the family background is of no consequence." "Oh, come now, surely you don't expect me to believe that? After all, east is east ....."

Lay me place and bake me pie I'm starving for me gravy Leave my shoes, and door unlocked I might just slip away Just for the day Please come away

She kept Hancock in his place, undermined Edwina's pomposity and goosed David Tennant's Dr Who. What more could you ask of an actress? - the wonderful June Whitfield.

Why is this in my saved photos?

Went to see 'The Godfather' at the Embassy one Saturday night in 1972. Sold out. Paramount, Cinerama, Kings, Plaza, Regent and Lido also sold out, and the only major theatre left was the Majestic, which was showing this. So we watched it. Didn't catch up with "The Godfather" till the 1990s.

Prior to 'Satisfaction' the Stones were more interpreters than innovators - but all that changed around the time of 1966's 'Aftermath', the first time the song-writing skills of the Jagger/Richards team were featured over a complete LP. Japanese pressing with obi.

Kia ora! A 1956 ten inch album. Love this cover.

I once thought twice, even though it was alright. Take that Mr Dylan.

My favourite part of 'Pride And Prejudice' is when Lady Catherine de Bourgh attempts to elicit information from Elizabeth regarding D'Arcy's intentions toward her and after expressing her disapproval of a possible cojoining of these two in matrimony, Lizzie invites Lady Catherine to fuck off.

I accidentally threw out the lid to one of Mrs Vinylsol's Pyrex dishes because it was the same colour and size as the lid of her used yogourt pot ... so it's her fault .... for buying the yogourt. Right?

Too tired to work on songs this arvo so I'll catch a movie. Something nice and easy to watch and you can't beat Omar Sharif and Jean-Paul Belmondo. (And the car chase through Athens is one of the best you'll ever see).

Peter Posa's excellent debut album, green label Zodiac, 1961. The guitar maestro at his best (although he does look a little like he's hosting a tupperware party on the fabulous cover shot). Don't you just love the girls' dresses?

Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds and Vic Damone in MGM's 1954 musical production of 'Athena'. An original Australian 10inch pressing.

Bums, boobs, bare backs and flowers. A certain way to encourage Woolies customers to invest in a cheap album of cover versions in the 1960s and 1970s. It worked - Boulevard and like labels sold millions.

Inspired by Herb Alpert's success, Teddy Phillips formed the Mexicali Brass in the1960s. They never matched Alpert's success - perhaps because they weren't in the right place : this young trumpeter appears to have lost herself some 50 miles from ..er .. Mexicali?

Booker T Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn and Al Jackson - a rare New Zealand yellow Stax label pressing of Booker T & The MG's 'Soul Limbo' from 1968, in which the cool Memphis soul/funksters tackle the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, among others.

"You've really got to hand it to short people haven't you?" "Why?" "Well, they can't reach, can they?"

I hope Hercule Poirot, Jessica Fletcher, Father Brown and Miss Marple never all go on holiday to Midsomer, at the same time. The carnage that would ensue doesn't bear thinking about.

Actually, I think I'm very sincere.

Just finished Carlyon's epic appraisal of the @1915 Gallipoli campaign so, in need of something lighter, I'm going to knock off Ed McBain's "Fuzz" and then the Chronicles of Narnia (again)

@otdscalacinema.bsky.social I went to a Scala allnighter and saw 'Monster On The Campus', 'Colossus Of New York', 'Cult Of The Cobra', 'War Of The Worlds' and I'm sure there was at least one more and I wish I could remember what it was. This would be around 1980/1981.

What I love about this is that these two had just spent 90 minutes battling each other in deadly, earnest rivalry, a clash of style, language and culture, Pele doing everything he could to get past Bobby and Bobby doing everything he could to stop him. Then, at the end...this....

Following the departure of Billy TK, Maurice Greer brought in Martin Hope (Fourmyula), John Donoghue (Timberjack) and Glenn Mikkelson for the Human Instinct's fourth album, which also saw a switch to the Zodiac label.

This is a record my friend Patti made in 1982, recording wherever she could get into a studio. Has some great people on it and it's an excellent track. Barry Adamson played bass and John Perry and Peter Perrett from the Only Ones are on guitar. Patti came from the USA but lived in London.

Happy Boxing Day

I have written a poem for Samuel Pepys. I hope you like it. Here it is ..(cough cough, clears throat).... "I don't like to spend time with creeps who can't pronounce Samuel Pepys It's not two syllables, like prepuce so isn't said as Samuel Pep-iss"

If God exists it's very presumptuous of people who haven't met him to call him by his first name. They should refer to him as 'Mr Almighty'

I've just heard this Christmas song about Jesus which has the words 'holy infant so tender and mild'. Frankly, that sounds to me as if someone has been tasting him, possibly mildly grilled.

Two great champions embrace; Pele and Bobby Moore after their epic battle in Guadalajara in the 1970 World Cup

"Tales From The Crypt" - Jack Oleck's novelisation of the classic Amicus omnibus film in which Peter Cushing returns from the grave, Richard Greene gets dismembered and Joan Collins murders her husband. Michael Craig can be seen reading this in the sequel, "Vault Of Horror".

"The Vault Of Horror" - Jack Oleck's novelisation of the Amicus classic in which Michael Craig rises from the dead, Tom Baker dabbles in voodoo and Terry-Thomas gets killed with a hammer and dismembered by Glynis Johns.

"The Scars Of Dracula" - Angus Hall's novelisation of the 1970 Hammer film. Christopher Lee returns as Count Dracula, a particularly vicious and evil version, protected in his castle by Patrick Troughton and pursued by a young Dennis Waterman

"Countess Dracula" - Michael Parry's novelisation of the Hammer film where Ingrid Pitt, as Countess Bathory, discovers the secret of eternal youth - murdering virgins and bathing in their blood.

1970s horror novels, written to tie in with Hammer and Amicus classics.