New video

 Not much to add this week, that we have a new VCR. It's a Hitachi with all the bells and whistles from the latter end of the 1990's. Think videoplus and NTSC playback, which is nice.

In related news some boring tape of mid 80's home movies has turned out to be quite the gold mine as when the shots of Devon cut we have a bit of Price is Right and the show Hokey Cokey which is clearly the inspiration for Don't You Start.

 

Edit further into that tape we have a nice episode of BBC Watch, an old schools program with puppetry from the Trumpton people.

ITV in the neck.

 A few things here found on either tapes or in books. First up some new VHS Mess for you.

We have brought home a fresh stock of old tapes to comb through. This includes some home recordings that ultimately peter out after about 10 minutes to go to ITV junk. Specifically the ITV Telethon 92, the last ever Telethon, with Michael Aspel and a we start with a feature film.

It's Hercules in New York, the first film of Arnie's career, a clunker of a film shot entirely in the NY area, and with him barely speaking English then, so we have him dubbed over by some bloke. I didn't see any ad breaks in this, so we fast forwarded through and currently am at the point where there is a special version of Hitman and Her with Springwatch's Michaela Strachan. I shall be looking forward how this pans out.

The second tape is the death of the Queen mum, two hours of deferential old shite before it ends and cuts to the Country House (Woburn Abbey) docu soap. This is also interesting and quite posh as well as it seems like a bunch of ravers had infiltrated his estate and set up a free party there. So far I'm about 2 minutes into this so will have to cap the whole thing and put it on YT. There is a sub plot about the lady of the house making her own coffin, which for some reason is hilarious.

Fantastic Facts.

The final thing here is a book which I've picked out, which is tied in to the whole theme as it used to be a TV show on ITV, I used to watch. Can remember a clip about Fainting Goats and that is all I remember. Anyway reading this at bedtime and there is a section on records. Being a collector of Dance, I decided to check through and see if any of them stack up.

The Radiophonic Workshop sound effects LP is real as I own it. (first sound effect record to reach the top 100.)

The Quantum Jump one (Lone Ranger, longest word used in a single) is also real. (Fun fact its used as a sample in Over 2 U What's it all mean) 

The smallest single ever made is also real (a tiny god save the King) and you can view it, here.

An Arab/ Israel band called Abu Hafla recorded an LP called Humpin' is bollocks. The band's full name is Abu Hafla Orchestra and their only LP according to Discogs is called Wanna Buy a Camel. What there is of it is quite a banger though.

Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys There ain't no instant replay in the football game of life Is by Mitch Greenhill. Though Kinky sounds an interesting guy. Bobby Bare Drop Kick me Jesus also exists, sadly.

The final one is the most tricky. but I think I have it. Worse it only exists as an obituary, but explains about the entry. Its IBM share price data set to music and was called Rhapsody In big blue. Touch Records did something similar but for weather temperature (its the Tobias Frere Jones track).

Bill Wymans Mobile Recording Studio.

 So America has a new president, and Trump is predictably being a cunt, not budging from office. So what the world right now needs is... The Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Studio or rather an old BBC programme about it.

Bill Wyman set up a project called AIMS and set off around the country to find local talent and give guidance and more importantly, a recording gig in the mobile studio. The culmination of this is whittling the acts down to a manageable amount and a charity concert at the Albert Hall in South Ken. in aid of the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The tape I have is the legendary "Gostbastes" tape which does indeed contain Ghostbusters but also has quite a bit of music on it. There is the back half of the Montreux rock festival 88 with Gary Davies as host. And this, AIMS project.

It takes in the East Anglia leg of the tour with a lot of local acts from Norfolk and Suffolk. We get a genuine look at the studio which has the mother of all mixing desks along with 1" tape and two engineers straight out of Rockstar Ate My Hamster.

In fact its a lot like that with a few local rock bands and a rather good Christian band called Supafrutas which is surely an oxymoron. No Christian rock is good especially one with a choir of kiddies.

There's a dutch guy going by the name Mola Mola who was one of the winners as such. Had a video made of his track, with some blue screen trickery and a spot at the titular gig at the Albert Hall. 

Along with all the guitar wankery there is a lingering shot of them programming a Yamaha DX7, the old techno workhorse, and some Simmonds drums, which you might remember from Italo Disco, which begs to mind, what tracks did the Stones use a DX7 on.

At 30 mins its too big for my Youtube channel but will upload to Archive.org so at least it'll be archived, though the tape isn't that hot in places as its quite jumpy and jittery.

Finally we are halfway through Hooded Hawk's book encoding. The original is all formatted and we are currently editing it down against my original UK edition so it scans nicely.

Anyway Bill Wyman AIMS tour uploaded, here.