Napoleon (miniseries) (2002)

Did you know there was an epic miniseries on the life of Napoleon? From the wiki it looks pretty interesting with John Malkovich and Gerard Depardieu involved. How did I not notice that?

Imdb facts

Clips at the official site - available on DVD.

Youtube clip of Battle of Austerlitz

Battle of George Square 1919

Anniversary today of the mass picket and riot in Glasgow that scared the authorities so much in the wake of the Bolshevik revolution they sent in 10,000 English troops and tanks into the city - no Scottish soldiers were deployed for fear of their disloyalty.

Emhar Crimean/Franco-Prussian war figures out

It's a bit of a golden age for 1/72 plastic figures at the moment with many interesting and well produced sets coming out - and none more eagerly awaited by me than this set of French infantry for the reign of Napoleon III. Check out the above review for images... Zouaves and Prussians to come. Features British company Emhar's poseable plastic so some variation is possible within the given sculpts. With all the manufacturers in this scale producing good quality figures like this I hope more people get into plastic as they are aesthetically better anatomically than most metal figures and the scale fits in with the stuff you find in model shops...and it won't cost an arm and a leg.

Also new out at the moment is Italian infantry of World War 1. Hat Industries are about to produce early Great War French. I'd like to see someone produce compatable white metal figures to fill in the gaps - for example gun crews for the Franco-Prussian war - to go on ACW guns and limbers. (Incidentally I am thinking of using Fire and Furia Francese mods to the Fire and Fury rules. If I ever get that far).

When wargaming was in its infancy you used to be able to get figures in this style - why not now? I presume the answer is in the UK where small scale model soldier production is part of our heritage if you like - plastic figures are looked down upon. Not so in continental Europe where they love 1/72 plastics but they have no cottage industry of figure making so can't fill the gaps. Does that make sense? Chances are you've stopped reading by now anyway but to conclude - if you think 1/72 plastic figures are just for kids then you're missing out on a lot of good things in the industry - the only problem is waiting for new sets to come out.

Yorktown reenactment DVD trailer 2

More footage from last autumn's event in Virginia celebrating the final battle in the war for American independence. Great camera work. Looks worth buying. More historical shorts from the filmmakers here including some pleasant American Civil War sequences.

Monochrome Set 'Eine Symphonie des grauens' from 1979

Here's a really early clip of this brilliant band from 1979. I've never seen this clip before - looks like it's from before Andy Warren joined so this is very early on - the Rough Trade era. Title means 'A Symphony of terrors' and is from the subtitle of Nosferatu by FW Murnau. Cherry Red have issued a Monochrome Set dvd - based on their Destiny Calling VHS with some extras... it's pretty good - unmissable if you're a fan...otherwise ...maybe

Catch me who can

Next year is the bicentennial of this event - the showing of Trevithick's locomotive 'Catch me who can' in Euston Square London - seen here in this print by Rowlandson in the National Library of Wales - it came off the track and this was seen by Trevithick as a failure and he retired from inventing. More here on Trevithick's engines and if this particular engine survived. Anyway, how about someone recreating this famous event? - I'd go see it.

Early locos

I find these engines pretty interesting.

'Alatriste' movie trailer

I love the pike - the weapon that is - and the first 10 seconds of this trailer for what looks an amazing Spanish historical movie has some pike action that is stunning. Rarely do you see Pike and Shot warfare being done well on the screen but this looks very good. Viggo Mortensen plays the fictional Captain. The setting is 17th century Spain... it's a modern swashbuckler - what more do you need to know - watch the trailer! Official site

CSS 'Let's make love and listen to death from above'

We've got tickets to see this brilliant band from Brazil next month in Bristol. It's unusual to find something that both Susan and myself like but we love this band. They remind us of Kleenex on some songs. CSS Myspace

Battle on Snowshoes

Photos of the French and Indian war skirmish of 1758 reenacted in the snow in North America recently are on this gallery. This historically involved the famous Robert Rogers of Rogers' Rangers fame. He lost. Not surprising as Canadians and Natives were masters of winter warfare.

Also here for pictures and movies of earlier reenactments. Looks bitterly cold but I am pretty jealous of them out there in the snow. Well done. Shows there's more to do in winter than stay in. Snowshoes movie site

Bunker Hill diorama

This is an impressive recreation of this battle of the American Revolution made using 1/72 miniatures. I wish I had the perseverence to do an epic project like this but it looks like a collective effort, so I suppose it's a social activity too. Plenty of images on the Strelets site. Well done.

Hellzapoppin clip

Yesterday was my Dad's 77th birthday so I thought I'd put something up that he would enjoy if he looked at my blog - and chose this clip from the 1941 classic movie Hellzapoppin. Such an original movie.

Roger Fenton

I love looking at Roger Fenton's photographs of the Crimean War. They are a link to a world now gone. Not really that many on the web though sadly. He took quite a few pictures of this lady who I presume is a vivandiere of a Zouave regiment. His photos are remarkable documents and deserve to be put into a book that is accessible to all. Index of Eastman images

Some are here

His letters are interesting - for example

While they were falling in I went down to the edge of the ravine down wh the troops were to march to the trenches before the attack[.] The French columns were approaching, Zouave’s leading. As they drew near our soldiers not on duty stood as a hedge on each side and cheered each regiment as they passed. Most of the French seemed wild with excitement tho’ some looked very anxious and well they might for it was certain that many of those voices cheering so loudly wd be still in death before the sun had set. When they had passed I went back to our columns and heard Genl Pennefather going amongst the men and begging them not to shout so as they were only giving the Russians notice of what was coming.

Fenton's letters from the Crimea

Crimean stone throwing skirmish

Found this and thought it interesting...could make an amusing low budget battle movie.

"Incident in Crimea - A party of ten men of the 33rd encounter a dozen Russians. Both sides having expended all their ammunition, resort to throwing stones."

Who won?

Animals and men at last fm

Tank recovered from lake after 62 years

A captured T-34 with German markings was dragged out of a lake in Estonia where it was dumped by the retreating Germans. It was found to be in relatively good order and the enthusiasts plan to restore it. Apparently a boy noticed tank tracks leading to the lake and saw bubbles coming to the surface.

Crimean war reenactors

I thought while investigating warfare in the age of steam it might be worth looking at the reenactors of the Crimean war. Check out the King's Hussars site for images of the anniversary event in the Crimea celebrating the Charge of the Light Brigade.

19th foot - British redcoats of the period

In the US - group recreating British troops.

The Diehards have a Crimean section. Recreating the 55th and 77th.

Abel Gance's Napoleon

One of the great historical movies of all time with a cast of thousands. Dieudonne who played Bonaparte became obsessed with the man and recited his farewell address to the troops every year. I was lucky enough to see this movie on the big screen with an orchestra - particularly thrilling to see the final scene in tryptich... across three screens.

Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud

I spend quite a bit of my time peering at old photographs. There's nothing better than an old image for capturing days gone by. This French photographer has captured the end of an era with his. This scene is part of a series of autochromes capturing the French army on the eve of the Great War in all their colourful old world glory. His scenes of country life are a treasure too.

Images of 1870

Interesting site with lots of images - like this one - watch them as a slideshow - makes a little movie of the Franco-Prussian war. Beautiful graphics. Links are useful too.

Vivandieres in the Civil War

I was reminded by a reader of this blog that Vivandieres - uniformed female camp-followers - existed in America's Civil War. This site has all the useful information you need to study these possibly scary women. Also information and pictures of their European origins. This photo is of 'French Marie' Tepe of Pennsylvania.

Napoleon and his stomach

Once again Napoleon's stomach is in the news as he now has been reckoned to have died of gastric cancer. Apparently he would have died of it even today. It wasn't helped by his diet, which lacked fresh fruit and vegetables. What can you say? Napoleon is remembered today for the quote 'an army marches on its stomach'. What is this preoccupation with food that everyone has these days? I know it's January and people generally get a bit hypocritical about their health about now but I think there is an unhealthy obsession these days with food and what is considered good or bad. Here's a quick reality check. We all die. No matter what we eat. Napoleon would still have died even if he had had his five veg a day. He wasn't preoccuppied with his diet as he had better things to think about.

Fulda photo cd

This is the premier 18th century event in Germany - at Schloss Fasanerie in Fulda. Organised by Martin Heller it gets better every year usually falling in August. Check out these wonderful photos by Kersten Kircher and maybe order the cd.

Cold Mountain Battle Scene

My son had to do an exam on the book of this film today - giving me an excuse to show this opening scene. It doesn't happen in the book apparently but it depicts the Battle of the Crater - part of the battle of St Petersburg - the crater was the result of a mine dug underneath the Confederate positions so obviously of interest to me as my Grandfather did something similar in WW1. However it was not a success - reading the wiki on it you get the impression that it was ahead of its time. More on the Battle of the Crater

I found this piece on a page of the site History in the Movies which I will go back to soon - note the bit at the end - it isnt just me...
Q Was the battle portrayed accurately?
A. The opening battle sequence of Cold Mountain realistically portrays the gruesome nature of Petersburg's "Battle of the Crater." Union engineers created a massive crater with explosives in an attempt to penetrate the Confederate lines. Untrained Union soldiers rushed into the crater and got trapped. Confederate soldiers remembered the ensuing clash as a "turkey shoot," with over 5000 Union soldiers dying.What the film misses, though, are the many black Union soldiers involved in that battle. Probably this was a function of filming in Romania, with all-white Romanian army troops as extras. But though the Union army's racial diversity wasn't portrayed, the use of Romanian extras made for more believable looking soldiers. Young, gaunt, and sporting bad teeth, these soldiers are a far cry from the chubby, middle-aged Civil War reenactors who populate the battles in recent epics like "Gettysburg."

Solferino reenactment photos

This site has some lovely photos of the reenactment of this battle in 1859. Well worth a look to see what is a relatively obscure battle to English speaking people being done well in lovely sunshine.

Wiki on the Battle of Solferino 1859

Vivandieres and Cantinieres

One of my first posts was about these redoubtable women who followed the French army - their dress was at its height in the Second Empire - this webpage will definitely give you an insight into a women's lot in the French army. Some of the photographs show them to be more than a little scary but if you were selling spirits to soldiers and you were one of the few women around you'd have to be scary! This one is pretty glamorous though...
As you can see from this photo from the Crimean war they used to wear a very stylish version of the men's uniforms. On the above linked site there are colour photos of actual outfits and period paintings.

French infantry of the Crimean period

Here's a reconstruction by Louis Delperier of a French infantryman 1851-66 done for Tradition magazine - the era of Magenta and Solferino too - you can see how close it is to the Franco-Prussian war by comparing it to the image below. The Second Empire. The era of Maximillian in Mexico. In the UK where gun ownership isn't so prevalent as in France it might make sense to recreate this end of the time spectrum with Civil War muskets and renting chasspots or similar when in France. Of course there are differences when you approach it but French troops of the Crimean might get some home-based events in Britain...you never know - this reconstruction is a voltigeur - these distinctions were abolished by the time of the Franco-German war.

Wiki on Napoleon III

Maximilian and French intervention

Magenta Reenactment pics

More 1870 reenactors

I apologise for doing all these posts about Franco-Prussian war reenacting - this will be the last one on the subject for a while. This group DSM were involved in the film mentioned below La forteresse assiégée and it give me an excuse to show some pictures involving railways...why? This was warfare in the age of steam. It is of course a great misnomer the Franco-Prussian war as most of the German states were involved including Bavaria - depicted in the light blue. Anyway let's hope these groups flourish - they are highlighting a much neglected part of European history.

Johnny Burnette 'Lonesome train'

Some excellent rockabilly from the 50s - I think we should bring back trains - steam ones at that, to reduce our dependence on oil and cut congestion. Then we can start coal mining again and we can look forward to a steampunk future. Steam on.

Another Franco-Prussian war film - Surviving Sedan

French Franco-Prussian war reenactors

I put a piece about this French group Association UNIF-EUROP 19 up on this blog in 2005 but it seems only fair to put this link up again alongside all the others. There's lots of interesting links on the site including one to this film La forteresse assiégée Un film de Gérard Mordillat - a docu-drama set during the Franco-Prussian war. Also this site dedicated to photos of the era including some beautiful colour photos.

Zouaves

Just in case you are wondering what a Zouave is (see below) now is your chance to find out. First coming to the world's attention in the Crimea these French North African-inspired elite infantry caught the attention of the world's media and they were soon a craze across the world - in particular in America at the eve of its Civil War. This meant that the armies of both North and South had some extremely colourful units. The style of huge baggy pantalons, a short jacket and a fezlike Chechia was still in vogue by the time of First World War when eventually a more practical uniform was adopted.
Photos of Zouaves at Napoleon III's camp

Zouaves database

Duryee's Zouaves

Origins of the Zouaves gallery

Duryee's Zouaves today

Franco-Prussian war reenactment in the USA!

This is a pleasant surprise - reenactors of this period in America. Pretty new by the look of it, I am guessing they are experienced reenactors as they seem to understand the benefit of getting things right at the outset. They have a Zouave unit (see above for explanation) and some Prussians. I hope this grows as it's a period that has been neglected. Go to their site and get involved. Links are useful too. I hope this catches on in the UK.

Germinal clip - showdown between miners and soldiers

I know I have posted stuff on this movie before but this clip has the French army of the late 19th century in it. Miner's strikes are also something of interest to me as my family were all Radstock colliers. Of course Emile Zola never came to any of our strikes but you can imagine what they were like by watching this - one of the greatest of French epics.

Zvezda French voltigeurs reviewed

National World War One Museum

This new museum in Kansas City opened in December 2006 and is apparently a very good attraction - the website is good too...

My career in the colonies

As it's been a while since I put a picture of me in the 18th century here's one with me receiving the King's commission at Fort Carillon - now Ticonderoga in upstate New York - I am the one on the left. You may think being a captain in the French Marines is meaningless but if I ever see any Canadian militiamen loitering about I will have them build a fort in my garden. I may then set up a trading post to obtain furs from the natives.
Ticonderoga was the scene of one of the great French victories of the Seven Years War when wave after wave of British and American troops threw themselves against a well fortified position - the action was a devastating defeat for the British. Preparations are already under way for the big 250th anniversary...

Fort Webpage
About the battle in 1758

Bad Detectives vintage pic

Looking for some photos to put up on Myspace and found this old photo by Ian Mackay - (Dave's brother) of the Bad Detectives circa 1978 with me on the right with dyed black hair when I used to sing and play harp for them. This was for a Battle of the Bands thing at the Hexagon suite in Frome. I remember Ivan's home-made bass amp which resembled a washing machine catching fire and Henry breaking about 4 strings. I don't think anyone there 'got it' at all.... Great days... I think we were ahead of our time - I don't suppose many people would agree but we were doing stuff in rural Somerset in 77-78 that Billy Childish gets massive praise for doing in London nowadays - but maybe that's the point? I know we were ahead of our time... we did get some mixed reactions though ... anyone got any tapes out there?

French Army of 1870 and beyond - the Belle Epoque

I have been searching the net for a really good image of a French infantryman of 1870 - partly because it is a period that I like and I want you to like it too...OK? This is one I chose from Louis Delperier's article on French Infantry of 1870 in No 12 Military Illustrated Past and Present. Delperier seems to be the most knowledgeable author on the subject and has written many articles on the period for Tradition Magazine.
The uniform is one that is based on the campaign experience of the French army in North Africa - the kepi copied across the world's armies had its origin in a peaked version of the fez and the greatcoat being the prinicipal garment was another modification from North Africa. The epaulettes got left off in time - this reconstruction is apparently from August 1870.
How I would go about reenacting this period is something that has been on my mind for a few days and here is my thoughts on the subject. I reckon the period of the Third Republic is most famous for its art and culture - so a group ideally would recreate the whole Belle Epoque - cycling, Impressionist painters and radical politicians could run shoulders with the military bit. The period up to 1914 could be done at Heritage railways and boating lakes, picnics and the infantry wing could be ready for the centenary of the Great War in 2014.
I think there is a group doing this in France but it could work anywhere - the US, UK anywhere...just my thoughts on the subject. Feel free to comment...

Richard Hell 'New Pleasures'

I know Susan would like this high quality clip of punk legend Hell doing one of his songs - trouble is - she doesn't read this blog.

BDs

Wiki about Franco-Belgian comics - more to the subject than Asterix and Tintin - not that there's anything wrong with Tintin...

The dog Mustache

If you thought the English were a bit daft about dogs then check out this site dedicated to Mustache - a dog of Napoleon's Grande Armee.

Forbach and Spicheren

As you might have guessed I am interested in the Franco-Prussian war at the moment and I am trawling the web looking for information - mainly pictorial - so I can get to grips with this clash of arms. This site has some excellent illustrations from all manner of sources, and is worth a look even if you don't speak French. What I am wondering is to what extent French equipment of 1870 is the same for 1914 - I have a feeling that although it looks the same it's all different.

French Napoleonic living history group

Maybe you are fancying a new hobby for this year? How about some hard campaigning following the Emperor as he blazes a trail across Europe?

Ah the Neufieme... or 9ème Regiment d'Infanterie Légère - I can remember the time - as I have said on this blog before - when this group was about 3 blokes in number and people thought they were too hard core to ever get to a decent size - now they have sections all over Europe and look immense and they have the quality too; having started with high standards they have steadily increased without compromising. They have a great webpage too. Well done. They are a credit to the concept of sticking to your guns - they have been following a bicentennial progress through their events and uniform changes - this image is from the reenactment of Marengo. Wiki on Marengo

Haslerigg's Lobsters

Anyone recreating the English Civil War in 1/32 scale would be pleased to see the release of these armoured cuirassiers by a Call to Arms. They are one of the few fully armoured mounted units in the Civil War and they were routed by Royalists at Roundway Down. Already the lighter and cheaper harquebusier style was the norm - think classic Roundhead in buff coat and helmet - these were the last relics of the age long gone. The Lobsters were the subject of one of Charles I's only known jokes - when talking about the pursuit of one - he likened the attempt of the attacker to get at him as being like a siege. However in the continent in the 30 years war fully armoured cavalrymen were not a joke and these figures could easily do for Pappenheimer's or similar Imperial cavalry. Now that could be a project that could occupy me for a month or two - recreating the army of Wallenstein in 1/32 scale.

Violence and music 1 The carnyx

This is going to be a short series of pieces about the connection between music and violence - what were the sounds that were intended to induce a state of mind that is capable of aggression. This is a subject that has always interested me whether in the form of modern rock music or 18th century fife and drum music - what is it that makes the hair stand up on the back of the neck?

The Carnyx - war horn of the ancients

The first such sound I am going to interest you in is the carnyx - ancient war horn of the Iron Age peoples of this country and across Europe. According to Diodorus Siculus , "Their trumpets are also of a peculiar and barbaric kind which produce a harsh, reverberating sound suitable to the confusion of battle."(article on the carnyx with link to a sound files). They resembled boar's heads and they may have had the same function as the alpine horn - reverberating across valleys. On the famous Gundestrupp cauldron they are shown grouped, played ensemble style (see image). Given the style of warfare this sound would have played its part in preparing warriors for a suicidal charge - the nearest modern equivalent could be the Scottish bagpipe in the First World War. These days the instrument has had a bit of a revival as John Kenny has recorded and lectured on the subject.

Photo is from a website of Gaulish reenactors Les Ambiani and it is their recontructed carnyx.

Italian page

German Celtic reenactment group Carnyx

Youtube clip of carnyx being played

Art and the Franco-Prussian war

This is a great period for military art which was at the end of the 19th century at its height employing almost photo realism in its depiction of recent events. Detaille (see picture) was someone who trained under the great Meissonier, though there are many colourful depictions of this tragic conflict which along with contemporary photographs create a unique visual record.

The Seeds 'Mr Farmer'

This song is one of those ditties that when you first hear it you say 'what?' and the next thing you're playing it again or turning it up when you hear it. It's a one-off song that deserves to be heard more.'I wanna have a green thumb too'.

Imperial German reenactors

I am particularly impressed by their early, 1870 impression because it is so different. Good to see something Victorian other than American Civil War. How difficult is it to obtain a chassepot?

Franco-Prussian war festival in Woerth

This looks really good - I know it's the time for starting mad projects and give them up by about March but in my good intentions file I would love to get a contingent of French infantry going in the UK and attend this festival. The nearest I'll get to it though will be making some of the ICM 1/35 figures and plan some conversions in that scale. The Germans depicted may be from this group.

Field of Honor

Looks worth tracking down, if you are a Franco-Prussian war fan.

Franco-Prussian War Reenactors

Here's a surprise...while looking for details of the movie Champ D'Honneur which deals with this period of war between the German Empire and France in 1870 I found these images of a skirmish - the Germans look really good - I'd like to see this period catch on - any American Civil War reenactors out there wanting to go forward in time? Oh well, we live and dream... the above site is about the battle of Froeschwiller by the way.

Reports from the Paris Commune

This is the first in a series of films about the Paris Commune in 1871. This happened after the siege of Paris by the Prussians when the working-class of Paris who had suffered terribly during the siege began to resist the terms of the surrender. It looks like all the parts of this movie from 1999 are up on Youtube - reading the above link it was made with non professional actors and the results look well worth watching. Learn about the Communards and the spirit of Revolution here.

Animals and Men Myspace

Sue was getting busy with her myspace so I said 'why not do something useful like something for our band' so she did. It looks good to me. http://www.myspace.com/animalsandmenterraplanes

Gettysburg the movie

I had a hankering for some American Civil War action so I put on the movie Gettysburg with the sound down. Put some early slide guitar compilations on in the background. Not bad to watch it like this as you avoid the awful dialogue and ridiculous acting and just get to see the big set piece scenes and action sequences. Some of it is a bit ropey though - obviously the facial hair is famous but what about the overweight reenactors? There is a scene at the beginning where the scout is reporting to the Confederate command and there is someone in the background who looks like Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas. Some of the fighting is marred by some Billy Bunteresque Rebels who look distinctly in need of some hard campaigning and less time at the biscuit barrel- it's funny to think that they are correct in every detail apart from the fact that their diet could feed a whole family in 1863. The clothes don't look at all well tailored for a lot of the speaking parts - looks like they went to one of the reenactor suppliers and as a result the stuff looks unlived in and bunchy if you know what I mean - did they not have anyone on set to sort out the little details like badly worn clothes? Apparently the reenactors got a T-shirt (XXL no doubt) and a copy of the video for their work. The bright Pennsylvanian Summer sunlight and settings are beautiful of course and it is a picturesque movie all in all on a grand scale rarely seen these days apart from annoying and obvious digital fakery. Obviously Americans get very sentimentail when dealing with the Civil War and it might make a European cringe but it's all part of what we expect from a movie of this genre. The clip below deals with Pickett's charge and is pretty effective in demonstrating the folly of using Napoleonic infantry tactics on a Victorian battlefield. Wish someone would make a big budget movie of the Franco Prussian war though.

Another sequence

Manet's Execution of Maximillian painting

Interesting article from the Guardian about Manet's famous painting of the end of French intervention in Mexico drawing paralells with recent events.

Save Tara

Tara is the ancient Irish hill where their Kings were crowned - now there are plans to build a motorway through it. Go to this link to learn more. It is a shame that Ireland is falling into road mania - one of the most endearing features of the Irish landscape was the fact that it hadn't been sacrificed to the interests of people who think buzzing from one place to another is somehow progress.

Howlin' Wolf 'Evil (Is Going On)'

I was going to do the 12 bluesmen of Christmas with some of my favourite artists but I didn't - but to finish off a strand of classic blues clips check this colour sequence of the Wolf backed by Hubert Sumlin. It doesn't get much better than this if you like Chicago Blues.

Battle of Colmar

Today is the anniversary of this battle won by the great Turenne in 1675. More on the man here.

This is the time of year when everyone sets out with good intentions to get fit or do something worthwhile with their free time - I haven't made any resolutions and I haven't started a week by week model of a medieval castle. I might give up doing this Blog - maybe blogging is a bit 2006 - what do you think? Have I got anything relevant to say anymore? Probably not. Maybe when the light is better I might be able to take some photos or something.

Eastern woodland kit

A friend is trying to track down some woodland indian living history gear - this site Blue Heron Mercantile has some pretty useful items and also some interesting photos.

Gus Cannon

Still in Memphis here's someone who isn't recognised as much as he should be - Gus Cannon - who with his Jug Stompers made some of the greatest recordings ever. One of these days I am going to form a jug band - with banjo, harmonica, jug and maybe washboard guitar...maybe the odd kazoo... Listen to Going to Germany here - isn't that one of the greatest ensemble sounds ever? Harp is the legendary Noah Lewis.

Panther Burns video

Here's one for you Memphis maniacs among you - the legendary Tav Falco's Panther Burns playing 'Rock Me Baby' - ain't the internet great? http://www.myspace.com/pantherburns

Susan's myspace

Red made Susan a mypace page. Visit it and add yourself...or whatever people do on them.

Best songs of 2006

Last night Bea made up three cds of the best songs of last year - we do this every year - it always is a fun game and then we try and rate what our top five is - so I'll share some of our choices with you. I have to go with the Cardigans 'I need some fine wine and you you need to be nicer' for my top single - Susan chooses Sean Paul Temperature. Also in there are the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Gold Lion, Morrissey You Have Killed Me. Other hits we liked included Wigwam Checking Out My Wigwam Beck Cellphone's Dead Hot Chip Over and Over. The Kills The Good Ones was popular with both Sue and I as being T-Rexy in a good way. Outkast's Idlewild Blue is of course a blues harp winner sounding almost Ike Turner ish and Amy Winehouse's Rehab scorched itself into our brains like everyone else. We (OK I) liked Deja Vu by Beyonce and the Raconteurs Steady As She Goes and Country Girls by Primal Scream although we're all a bit sick of it now. For some reason my lot like Lady Sovereign and chose Random (kids eh?) and I think most of us like You Don't Know by the various rappers. The Horrors Count in Fives made us fans and we learned to love CSS in particular Ala la.
Most of these videos are available by searching this Blog - I will post some more of our favourites - in the meantime Happy New Year