This game received a lot of column inches and had plenty of marketing effort behind it. No doubt that it was a significant achievement to squeeze in all those pictures, to supplement the basic game. However, it all seemed like so much hype. Essentially, a text adventure, with some nice pictures to punctuate your progress. I don't remember playing this very much at all.

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"The book's...photos and personal anecdotes will fascinate fans of the NP."

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AgHauler
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2019
GREAT NWPRR book
Well researched, with many photos, especially some that bring back personal memories of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad! Wonder book with a lot of information.

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

One of the best space invader shoot em ups ever to grace the BBC Micro, though not nearly as well known as equivalents from competitors with much fatter marketing budgets, like Superior Software and Program Power. Given its release date of 1983, most original copies were on tape, but here is a rare version on floppy disc. Reflecting the small scale/budget of the publisher, I seem to recall that the floppy disc (pictured) was all you got. No "retail" packaging for the disc version. That said, the contents more than made up for the lack of fancy artwork. I wasted hours on this, back in the mid 80s.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Amazing true story!

2 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

In my opinion, I think the movie is great.

1 person found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Thanks to jaimeeduardo for adding this. Blu Ray title screen in higher resolution now added.

This is a bizarre slice of Ozploitation directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. Low budget exploitation films have always cashed-in on trends whether that be roller skating (Rollerball, Derby), Disco (The Disco Godfather, Saturday Night Fever), Hip Hop and its culture (Rappin', Electric Boogaloo), Punk (Rock N Roll High School, Who Killed Bambi?), 90s (MTV-style) Youth culture (Wayne's World, SFW, Bill & Ted) ... I could go on. So why not BMX bikes? Due to this film being made in 1983 and much like the aforementioned 80s Rappin' and Electric Boogaloo; it looks dated by today's standards. Neon pink trousers!

The film is basically a family friendly action comedy. The BMX Bandits accidentally end up foiling some bank robbers. Like a lot of kid-friendly action films the bad guys are reduced to comedy (see also Cop and a Half, Home Alone, The Mask). You don't want truly nasty b*stards in a kid's comedy. Family films in the 90s got a bit darker (Mario Bros, The Mask based on a violent comic, Goosebumps), but this is a very bright colourful film with sill slapstick and not really much violence. Other than bad guys waving shotguns, knives and bats around there's not much to object to. The star is some nice photography of early 80s Sydney, which has since become much more developed, touristy and absolutely chocka with skyscrapers.

The film is notable for three reasons: a very early appearance of teenage Nicole Kidman - no wonder Hollywood became interested as every line is delivered with ease, although she doesn't really have screen presence in this. The film was much sought after "cult classic" and was traded on VHS until it got a DVD release. Thirdly the action scenes are by an experienced stunt team and features some incredible driving stunts for the 900K budget. Not a must see, but fun enough.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

The Trap is a series of three films by Bafta-winning producer Adam Curtis that explains the origins of our contemporary, narrow idea of freedom.

It shows how a simplistic model of human beings as self-seeking, almost robotic, creatures led to today's idea of freedom. This model was derived from ideas and techniques developed by nuclear strategists during the Cold War to control the behaviour of the Soviet enemy.

Mathematicians such as John Nash developed paranoid game theories whose equations required people to be seen as selfish and isolated creatures, constantly monitoring each other suspiciously always intent on their own advantage.

This model was then developed by genetic biologists, anthropologists, radical psychiatrists and free market economists, and has come to dominate both political thinking since the Seventies and the way people think about themselves as human beings.

However, within this simplistic idea lay the seeds of new forms of control. And what people have forgotten is that there are other ideas of freedom. We are, says Curtis, in a trap of our own making that controls us, deprives us of meaning and causes death and chaos abroad.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Oh yes, I liked this! A recent haunted house movie that works!

Yes, it owes its lunch money to The Exorcist but moves away from that source with style, while refusing to sink to predictability. Special effects are minimal but nicely done. The ideas are sound and interesting. The gradual escalation of terror has a dark, menacing grace and no-one is safe!

The acting of the key protagonist, the young daughter, is spot-on: scary without resorting to parody. I hope Lulu Wilson becomes a real star because that is within her grasp!

Very, very good!

9/10

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the third in rosemary sutcliff's extended matter of britain historical novel sequence, q.v., running from the investigation of the disappearance of the ninth legion through the attempt to set up an independent empire of roman britain and gaul, the withdrawal of the legions, the fight back by the romano-britons against the saxon invasions and colonisation, to preserve civilisation against the relatively barbarous frisian saxon invaders from the angle, through the final breaking of romano-british at aquae sulis - and the reappearance, flickering but still lit, of hope.

this novel is set in 323 a.d. (ce), in the period when the ''frontier wolves'' of the legions, still patrolling and still somewhat policing the vast area between the long-abandoned antonine wall and hadrian's wall, came under so great pressure from an alliance of irish and pictish tribes with the conservative religious elements within the local allied tribe, as to be forced to make a fighting retreat back to the main base of their operations - and what they and their commander, alexius flavius aquila, found there, and how he and they further fared. and thus, how the flawed emerald dolphin ring - and this member of the aquila family - survived the crisis.

2 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

The film itself is a classic as everyone should already know. This review is for the technicalities of the Blu-ray presentation.

Unfortunately it seems that someone made the decision to saturate the colour palate so now the action seems to take place on Mars, with orange-skinned men and Clint 'Blondie' now having much darker hair than before. I think possibly there may have been some tweaking on the soundtrack, much to the story's detriment eg no clinking of the spurs at the hotel shootout ....(maybe it was pushed over to some satellite speaker behind the viewer on a surround sound system which is useless when watching in mono).

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Adam Curtis has a whole series of documentaries running on BBC iPlayer at the moment and they are well worth the watch. He somehow manages to piece together allsorts of facts that lead to the reasons why we (the human race) are at the point where we are now by using archive footage and facts to make you think that things aren't always what they seem and why we are where we are at this point in time because of history. It's all a bit of a mind trip and awakening to to the realities of life as we know it. Offering in a very methodical way why the world is the way it is and that things aren't always that simple. Try and grab them while they are available or you will miss some of the most cogent and cohesive arguments for the human condition.

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Review in Swedish

PÅ LISEBERG
1 september 1966, Stjärnscenen
1 september 1966, Pop In
Detta var Dusty Springfields första Sverigebesök. Kvällens första framträdande gjorde hon på Stjärnscenen kl. 20. En drygt 35 minuter lång konsert som följdes upp med en minst lika lång spelning på Pop In senare under kvällen. Hon kompades av The Echoes, som för kvällen var förstärkt med två trumpetare ur Lisebergs Promenadorkester.

Dusty släppte sin första soloskiva två år innan Lisebergsbesöket och hade under de åren blivit mycket populär. I en läsaromröstning arrangerad av den brittiska poptidningen New Musical Express korades hon 1965 till ”världens bästa sångerska”.

LÅTLISTA
(Konserten på Stjärnscenen)

Dancing in the streets
24 Hours from Tulca
Whishin’ and hopin’
You don’t have to say you love me
Shake
Little by little
In the middle of nowhere
These Boots are made for walking
La Bamba
PRESS
"Nu är det dessutom bevisat – mycket hörbart; Dusty Springfield låter precis lika bra i verkligheten som på skiva! (...) Tack Dusty! (Tack Liseberg!)" – Hans Sidén på Göteborgs-Posten.

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Port-Au-Prince is an absolutely cracking tune by Winifred. I know pop Piano Instrumental Soloists are completely unfashionable now but maybe it's time for a revival.
The B side is ok but nothing on the A side.

7 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

2007 pas 2008

1 person found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

JukeBox

1 person found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

"Trains Across the Continent is everything you need to know about railroad history―both educational and enjoyable reading." ―Dean Bruce, President, Railroad Education Training Association

"Trains Across the Continent should be in every public school library in the country. Quickly and concisely Dr. Daniels leads you through the maze of building, merging, and a myriad of other details necessary to understand modern railroading. Steam, diesel, passenger, and freight are all carefully explained on a national scale rather than railroad specific, making this book even more of a useful tool for the student." ―Donald D. Snoddy, Historian, Union Pacific Railroad

"Trains Across the Continent" is a truly comprehensive account of how railroads helped shape, and are continuing to shape, the history of North America." ―Jonathan B. Hanna, Historian, Canadian Pacific Railway

"Nothing but positive comments about it from faculty and students alike. . . . The industry bible in this area." ―Phillip B. Cypret, Sacramento City College

"Professor Daniels displays both passion and scholarship in this nicely arranged buffet of subjects both large and minute, important and interesting, serious and fun, to present a delicious overview of railroad history." ―James D. Porterfield, author of Dining by Rail

"Daniels manages to make brief mention of all major points of North American railroad history . . . from the workings of a steam locomotive to the dawn of the railroad mega-merger, nearly every conceivable aspect of railroading receives attention. . . . This volume is a must for those wishing to broaden or hone their knowledge of the birth and evolution of the railroad industry in North America." ―Rail News

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Snippet taken from Roslyn Owens article, who reviewed the show for The West Australian a leading news source in Perth and WA.


Perth Capital Theatre 4th April 1964.

When the phenomenon of the beat sound, located most significantly in Liverpool, started to take off in Australia in mid-1963, Harry M. Miller set about booking his own ‘Liverpool Sound’ show to tour the capital cities, including Perth. ‘The World’s Top Record Sensations on the Wild “Liverpool Sound” Show,’ as they were advertised, played three sets in Perth at a converted cinema, the Capitol Theatre, on Saturday 4th April 1964, two months before the Beatles came to Australia. Headlining the show were Gerry and the Pacemakers. Dusty Springfield opened after her backing group, the Echoes, had played a warm-up set. Also on the bill were Gene Pitney and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Dusty Springfield was a blue-eyed soul singer who came from London and had previously been in a vocal trio called the Springfields. Brian Poole and the Tremeloes came from Dagenham in Essex. Gene Pitney was American. Miller, it seems, called the show the ‘Liverpool Sound’ to capitalise on the presence of Gerry and the Pacemakers.

This preference in Perth for the lighter, poppier end of the beat sound spectrum is more clearly demonstrated in the reception of the other group of the ‘Liverpool Sound’ tour, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Roslyn Owen, who reviewed the show for The West Australian, commented that ‘Jerry [sic] Marsden, backed by his Pacemakers, had tremendous attack, a wide grin and a loud presentation.’ However, Owen preferred Brian Poole and the Tremeloes: ‘Why Gerry and the pacemakers [sic] topped the bill is a mystery. The group was outshone by Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and the professional polish and charm of Miss Dusty Springfield

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first and first-written in rosemary sutcliff's extended ''matter of britain'' sequence of historical novels:

#1: ''the eagle of the ninth'' (1954), (this novel)
aka ''the eagle'' (film tie-in covers, some editions from 2011), q.v.
#2: ''the silver branch'' (1957), q.v.
#3: ''frontier wolf'' (1980), q.v.
#4: ''the lantern bearers'' (1959), q.v.
#5: ''sword at sunset'' (1963), q.v.
#6: ''dawn wind'' (1961), q.v.

with a definite link, but no plot connection; so maybe it's just an ''easter egg'':

2#1: ''sword song'' (1997), q.v. (found in her papers: published posthumously)
2#2: ''the shield ring'' (1956), q.v.


marcus, a newly-qualified junior officer in the legions, arrives at a garrisoned fort upon the great northern wall forming the limes of the roman empire in the province of britannia, a posting he's chosen for his family's connexions - his father served there as standard-bearer in the ill-fated ninth hispana, and an uncle chose to retire there rather than in italia - and not a little to get as far away from his prim, proper and oppressively stultifying uncle and aunt who raised him after his father, together with the whole of the ninth legion, disappeared somewhere north of the wall.

he makes a fair start, not too many mistakes - and after those he does make, shows his experienced subordinates he's really interested in learning from their advice; but he begins to notice small changes in the attitude of the native britons and recalls the warning that just one really poor harvest can provide tinder for a rekindling of resentments against the eagles later on that year, when midwinter comes, and food runs short - and indeed, that winter, a night assault at the very start of a local uprising very nearly takes the fort's defenders by surprise.

after surviving the assaults of the attack, badly wounded, he's sent south to his mysterious uncle near calleva, on the chalk, to convalesce - which proves not to be so simple a matter as he'd hoped, and has to come to terms with the truth that he'll never again be fit for service in the legions. he also acquires a slave - and a wolf cub; and a friend. and, in talks between his uncle and a legate, learns that the assault that almost overwhelmed his fort wasn't just the result of poor harvests combined with the burden of roman taxation, but part of a larger, more worrying banding together of tribes north of the wall against the roman occupation, and one inspired both by religion, and by the possession of some symbol of the native britons' power to triumph over the hated legions - possibly, a captured eagle standard.

marcus conceives of an audacious, and strictly unofficially authorised, spying mission to find out the truth of the matter and, if possible, to retrieve (or ''rescue'') what can surely only be his father's ninth legion eagle - and, after convincing both the legate and his uncle that it is practical, and the only way to discover what's actually happening, prepares and then sets off, disguised as the travelling opthalmologist demetrios of alexandria, equipped with (and instructed in the use of) an array of real eyesalves, accompanied by his bodyslave...

how marcus and esra fare, and what they discover of the possible eagle, and of the fate of the ninth hispana, is much more than he imagined possible, and riskier by far, for the two of them - and not all is welcome knowledge to him; but it is important news, and both a burden and a prize that must be conveyed to the legate.


the first in a series of historical novels written with the intention of setting the story of the fictional viewpoint characters, and the lives of their friends, families, colleagues and conflicts with their enemies, against as realistic a description of their society and account of the historical events (from their point of view) as possible.


rosemary sutcliff wrote many very fine historical novels set from pre-roman times in britain onwards; some of them, based upon the romanticised tradition of ''king arthur and his knights of the round table'', also deal with ''the matter of britain'' in their way; but are decidedly not historical novels written with the intention of portraying the historical events in which they are set as accurately as possible: they are novels based upon the historically impossible norman, plantagenet etc. troubadour creation, of tydder (tudor) re-confection, and victorians', of knights in suits of plate armour, heraldic devices upon their shields, jousting nobly bearing the favours of their lady loves...

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Haute Fidélité

Chants folkloriques, qui évoquent toute l’histoire du Canada : (Introduction ; Reel du Peddleur), Les Indiens de la plaine, L’Ouest, L’Acadie, La côte du Pacifique, La Nouvelle-Écosse, le Grand-Nord, Les Laurentides, Kébec. Comme il s’agit surtout d’un ensemble qui a été acclamé partout comme corps de danse folklorique, j’ai été surpris de la qualité de la partie musicale; son authenticité, sa variété, et la beauté sonore qui orne le tout; même les gigues et reels, joués par un orchestre de qualité symphonique prennent des reflets intéressants. Le choix des œuvres aussi est fort intéressant. Quelques danses sauvages, quelques belles cantilènes (anglaises et françaises), et j’ai bien aimé la chanson intitulée « Histoire du Canada », qui ouvre l’ensemble, qui s’appelle la « Ritournelle du Peddleur ». L’orchestration est pleine d’imagination, fait appel à côté des instruments de l’orchestre classique, à l’accordéon et à d’autres instruments populaires. Les solistes sont moyens, mais le chœur, assez peu nombreux, est très souple et d’une grande vitalité, en particulier dans la « Chasse esquimaude ». Recommandé.
(L’action, vendredi 11 février 1966, page 20)

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This is my all-favourite studio album from Carly Simon, and originally released in 1975 on vinyl and cassette for Elektra. My favourite tracks are After The Storm, More and More [the only track featured Ringo Starr on drums],Slave Attitude Dancing [also a cover version by Fred Astaire, which became an album title on the United Artists label],Waterfall, and of course Playing Possum, the name of the album title]. Overall, it`s a great album for me and I was 8 years old, when the original album released, and it still brings me back memories for me.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

This is one of Goldmine's more unusual compilations and doesn't use the label's normal numbering sequence.

The lack of any barcode or songwriter credits and the note on the cover that it is "A special limited edition pressing for RightTrack Merchandising" all point to it being something pressed up privately for Northampton based Promoter/D.J. Paddy Grady. Does anyone out there know the full details?

For those who are wondering "The Shades" was a nightclub that operated in Northampton between 1969 and 1974 and was "The Birthplace of Underground Soul" if the cover of the CD is to be believed.

In his notes Paddy Grady describes "The Shades" as having been "one of the South's top soul clubs", which I find to be a bit strange as I always thought that Northampton was in The East Midlands!! The BBC website has a brief article detailing the history of the place which can be read here.

Musically the CD is fairly representative of what was considered to be "Rare Soul" around 1970/71 (later to be rebranded as "Northern Soul") and maybe Paddy Grady's description of the club as being in the south is a reminder to us all that appreciation of "Rare/Northern" Soul was by no means confined to Lancashire and surrounding counties back in the early '70s and that many "Rare Soul" venues existed throughout The Midlands and The Home Counties at the time.

All the tracks on this CD had previously been included on commercially available Goldmine CDs, presumably to prevent any unwanted licensing issues from delaying its production. It is all very Motownesque and a half of the tracks are from the Mirwood group of labels (Los Angeles' own mini-Motown) and most of the remainder are from Motown's competitor labels in Detroit.

Musical highlights for me include J.J. Barnes "Please Let Me In", The Olympics "Secret Agents" (a tongue in cheek look at mid '60s TV shows) and The Parliaments "Don't Be Sore At Me", but there really isn't one dud track on here.

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

The CD is certainly an interesting compilation and the notes chronicle an often overlooked chapter in British musical history.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

superb historical novel in rosemary sutcliff's extended matter of britain sequence running from the decline of the roman empire in britannia, the attempt by carausius to establish an independently defendable roman britain, through the withdrawal of the legions, the campaigning and success of artorius - ''artos'' - later re-invented as the romantic ''king arthur'' - to halt the saxon colonisation of britain and preserve romano-british britain as both a haven and a beacon of civilisation and hope - and its eventual failure.

''dawn wind'' tells of the final catastrophic battle that saw the permanent sundering of south-west britain - devon and cornwall - from west-and-north britain - eventually diminished to wales - at aquae sulis, bath; and of the survival of one british lad and a dog from that battle, and his wandering, lost and purposeless, and his discovering another lost british refugee, surviving in the ruins, and hearing her story, and telling his; and how they fare together, looking for some reason, some purpose, and together attempt to re-establish their lives - but are taken and enslsaved by saxons; and how they fare separately;
and how, at the end, there is a glimmer of hope...

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

i bought this cd to get a copy of one track i heard someone - almost certainly john peel - play from an import lp in 1968: "cypress grove blues". all i knew about it (because i didn't realise I'd want the information until after he'd started playing the track) was that it was "delta blues" - which didn't mean anything to record shop staff in north london, newark-on-trent, kendal, durham, or newcastle. (it probably didn't inspire confidence either, that i said i thought the track was called "cypress tree blues", and it was really old...)

- just by chance, i happened to spot this skip james cd - at a reasonable price - and knew i had naught by this classic bluesman - and there it was, not just the title, but in the track-listing on the back of the digipak!

- and the rest of the tracks on this album are pretty fine, too... classic delta blues from one of the original great bluesmen as lived into the recording era.

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

'Mockumentary' series in which 'Saturday Night Live's' Fred Armisen and Bill Hader parody well known documentaries in a fictional but supposedly long running series celebrating it's "Fifty-First Season."

Helen Mirren introduces each episode to provide a kind of false gravitas.

It does help if you are familiar with the subject that is being parodied. For example, the first episode 'Sandy Passage' completely missed with me as I hadn't seen (nor heard of) 'Grey Gardens' which it was taking as inspiration. Once I corrected that, I realised how well crafted the episode was.

The standout from the first season is the 'A Town, a Gangster, a Festival' episode in which they seemingly get an entire small town in Iceland to play it straight in staging a festival devoted to Al Capone.

You assume that they put out a casting call for some local actors and Al Capone is just the right kind of subject in being slightly bad taste but plausible enough in terms of the mythology built up around him that it comes across as convincing. The whole episode is deliciously well staged.

Like 'Spinal Tap' there are music documentary parodies as well. 'Blue Jean Committee' is based on a very obviously 'Eagles' style California band who’s members are facing up to the expected awkwardness of their upcoming Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction having been estranged for over 20 years.

Does it always hit? No. But it's well written, well directed, well performed and nuanced enough that even when some of the episodes don't quite make it - it's still always a worthwhile watch.

'Spinal Tap' is obviously the granddaddy of the 'mockumentary' format... If you love that film as much as I do, then you'll definitely enjoy 'Documentary Now!'

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I was really looking forward to this gig, mainly because of Caravan, whose material I knew quite well by this time, but also as a mate of mine bought 'Turn Of The Cards' by Renaissance the previous year and had played it a lot whenever we went round to hang out. I think I'm right in saying that during the tour, the bands had taken it in turns to headline, but I'm not sure.
The following is taken from my diary of the time:
"We arrived at the Corn Exchange and had to join a huge queue of people waiting to get in; not as bad as it had been two years ago when we saw Focus there though, and we eventually got in. By the time we'd been to the bar to get some drinks Renaissance were starting their set, so we hurriedly found a place to sit down. (Note: The Corn Exchange is a seatless venue but for this gig the audience had decided to sit on the floor - they obviously knew it was going to be a long night.) The band sounded great from the off; Annie Haslam not only looked incredible but had a beautiful yet powerful voice, and at one point bassist Jon Camp played a great solo accompanied by his own echo. After a fantastic set that lasted nearly two hours and included 'Mother Russia', the band left the stage to deafening applause and cheering.
Before Caravan came on there was a BTM Records promo slide film shown on a screen at the back of the stage, with pictures and musical excerpts of other artists on the label, including Curved Air, Climax Blues Band, Trace and Wishbone Ash alongside Caravan and Renaissance of course.
At around 10:30 Caravan appeared and opened with 'Memory Lain, Hugh'. Each member of the band played extremely well, including the somewhat egotistical (it says here) viola player - Geoff Richardson - who also contributed guitar and flute at times. They featured some tracks from 'For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night' and some new ones from their forthcoming LP to be called 'Toys In The Attic' which apparently is an American expression meaning madness, according to Geoff. (Note again: by the time the album came out it had been re-named 'Cunning Stunts' instead, probably due to Aerosmith having made an album called 'Toys In The Attic', and beat them to it.) Their last number was the one I'd been waiting for and which I'd occasionally dared to shout out for - the lengthy 'For Richard', which was superb. After that they went off but soon came back and encored with a really lively piece appropriately entitled 'Hoedown', again from 'For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night'. The night's concert ended at around 12:25, a total of over four hours of live music and it had been thoroughly enjoyable and real value for money."

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No less than 6 tracks off this album were released as 45's on Creole's 'Rhino' label during 1972/73 so I can't help thinking that Trojan put together a hotchpotch of 70's tracks as an attempt to cash in on the groups' success. Trojan had already put out the 'Double Barrell' LP so it seems like they scrambled around for other tracks to put on this second album.
'Stone In Love' did make it onto a Trojan 45 (Maxi Trojan TRM-3002).
It's still nice to have 'Smooth And Sort' (singular on this LP!) on a Trojan label.
One nice surprise was 'Power To The People', another version of Shacatac, which I love, and has a slightly heavier chunkier feel, great!

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

"On sait que la gamine a déjà, dans les comptoirs à musique, un disque “ Pathé ” , sorti des presses il y a quinze jours, et qui porte notamment “ Ma p’tite polka". Cette chanson, enregistrée avec environ 10 musiciens, est fort plaisante à écouter, très “ dansante ” aussi, et elle a séduit le public américain aussi bien que celui du Québec."
(André Rufiange - Radiomonde et Télémonde, samedi 29 juin 1957, page 3)

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''vol de nuit'' (1926), winner of le prix femina, and ''pilote de guerre'' (1942), winner of le grand prix littéraire de l'aero-club de france - are autobiographical novels by antoine de saint exupéry. the latter was written to show quite how hard the french army, and in particular l'armée de l'air, fought their battle against the german invasion in 1940. it was banned by the collaborationist vichy french government shortly after its publication - and then by the free french government of charles de gaulle in algeria, also in 1943, making it perhaps unique to have been banned by both sides, and scarcely improving de saint exupéry's opinion of politicians in general. it was, however, successfully published in both french, and in english translation, in north america.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

found incomplete as well as unfinished after antoine de saint exupéry's death, the barely or unrevised-by-the-author manuscript (typescript) of ''citadelle'' was tidied up and published by gallimard in 1948, whereupon it won le prix des ambassadeurs, on the very first occasion this prize was awarded.

in it de saint exupéry sought to derive a philosophical, religious and practical firm foundation of values upon which to base one's life from his personal experiences and observations of the emptiness of modern life and the failure of modern values - or the lack thereof - visualised as the efforts of a berber lord to establish his citadel upon foundations of the shifting desert sands.

(bookcat lacks a ''genre'' of philosophy, hence a combination of personal development and society, under the over-all genre of non-fiction.)

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

This turns out to be a re-issue of a 1968 dated compilation which was, presumably issued in its rightful mono only. The lack of Sold In UK .... info suggests the latter half of 1969.

Many excellent tracks on this album that have been spoiled by the reprocessed stereo method that sounds even worse when compressed into mono. This probably explains why it sold cheaply!

Best avoided in favour of the true mono original.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Thanks to Dr Doom for adding this film. I've added some screenshots and the upscaled title screen from the Blu Ray.

This is another cheapie from the late, great Norman J Warren. It benefits from a sharp, self-referential script by David McGillivray who wrote the book Doing Rude Things about British sexploitation films, as well as being a prolific screenwriter still working today.

The film starts off with a film within a film, possibly based on The Witchfinder General. A witch's curse on a grand house leads to loads of unexplained deaths. The deaths are surprisingly gory in places with bloody stabbings and environmental accidents like falling down the stairs. Not a patch on Suspiria, The Omen or Dawn of the Dead that came out around this time. The film is noticeably low budget, but not embarassingly so. Good sets and cinematography stop it looking as cheap as say Lee Frost films. The knowing script has nods to British Sex Comedies with film within a film: Bathtime With Brenda. The acting is on the camp side, I think this is intentional. Honestly, it's not distractingly bad. Rare for a 1978 British film there is around five f-words. I know it's laughable now with films often containing 100 f words at 15 certificate, but this was rare for the time. The BBC censored films like Goodfellas and Scarface for TV broadcast in the 90s with hilarious overdubbing like melonfarmer and eating pineapple.

The Blu Ray from Powerhouse films features a superb print free from archive damage, but sadly only 1.0 sound. On the plus side it features the commentary track from 2004 and a decent amount of extras. It's not as good as Prey (Alien Prey), which was a dreamy and beguiling with a simmering sexual undercurrent. It's a mediocre slasher with some nice touches.

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Support band were probably called TNT and didn't come on until 10. My diary describes them as "crap" and "doing Quo stuff". Rich Kids didn't come on until midnight so audience was getting a bit "lively", thanks to the long wait. A friend of mine got chucked out but managed to sneak back in. RK were great.

Note: I found another site which says that this gig was on the 26th, but it was definitely Friday the 24th.

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A bit of a disappointment for various reasons, this one. I noted at the time that The Permanents were "worse than dire, impossible to describe" and The Slits were "just bad". Unfortunately, the Buzzcocks' set was ruined by a fight after just a few numbers. This was pretty rare for Lancaster Uni gigs, but punk/New Wave acts did tend to attract yobs, especially from Blackpool. Buzzcocks were obliged to play the rest of the gig with the house lights up which rather killed the atmosphere.

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Dwight, a homeless and mentally scarred vagrant, is informed that the man who killed both his parents is about to be released from prison. Springing into action he sets off on a quest for revenge without fully appreciating the consequences of his actions.
This is a very enjoyable thriller quite unlike other vengeance films in that the protagonist really doesn’t have a plan other than to kill the man he believes killed his parents. Guaranteed that things will turn out horribly wrong, Dwight then he has to deal with the wrath of the vicious clan who in turn decide not to involve the police in this family matter.
As a morality tale it works fine being that you can believe this kind of situation could occur, and thankfully the story doesn’t fall into the usual preachy territory of vengeance films and instead sustains an edgy and tense atmosphere right through to the end.

7 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I've added a (less than complementary) review of the gig from the local students' newspaper, SCAN. Yes, that was a good idea, send a self confessed fan of Camel, Caravan and Barclay James Harvest to review a Jam gig. However, to be fair, it wasn't The Jam at their finest. I was already a massive fan, but was quite disappointed. The vocals were barely audible and every number was indeed taken at the same breakneck speed. Weller's line in crowd interaction was almost non-existent, exemplified by the entire introduction to Bricks and Mortar, "this is about the Houses of Parliament". Huh? What? Probably the longest sentence he uttered throughout the set too. New Hearts were fair, but the vocals were inaudible. Local band China Street were so bad we walked out.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

retro review written May 21, 2011

Avril needs to just adopt pop and get over this ridiculous notion that she will ever be a part of anything resembling edgy. The only thing brazen about Lavigne is her audacity, while if she simply aimed her arrow at the pop that dominates most of her music, she could conceivably be respected. Trying to be a snarky and snotty 14-year-old is as convincing as Mick & Keith believing they still impact the direction of rock music.

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A tall glass of milk never tasted sweeter, nor more healing. All the hits are here exept for "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", as well as several non-hits you've probably never heard before, but should have. This CD edition adds two more tracks, "Poor Baby" and "Hair", both essential and exemplary. That said, with the two bonus tracks, we're looking at a mere 42 minutes. There's at least six more A-sides from the MGM period that could have been included with free space to spare. So if you can find this at a good price, it's a perfect listening experience, but you're better off with a more comprehensive collection which will be very much worth the extra cash.

8 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I am not a fan of Troma films for a number of reasons. "Creep Van" is a Detroit-based low-budget Troma wannabe, but it manages to capture all the contrived, unfunny magic of its influences. (Lloyd Kaufman even makes a cameo!) Attempts at humor miss 99% of the time, while the weak cast and their attempts at acting are campy at best and cringe-inducing at worst. The weakest link is the half-baked screenplay which, among other sins, never explains why any of this carnage is happening, instead relying on inconsistencies, plot holes and meandering dialogue. And there are three credited writers! The gorehounds will appreciate the creative kills which are more reminiscent of 80s slashers rather than modern day torture porn and found footage rubbish, but that doesn't forgive the tepid filler that ties it all together. And it's never scary, tension and suspense never make so much as a cameo.

Good movie? Not a chance. Loads of gore (no CGI!) with some nudity and mildly twisted sex? Check. I believe Scott McKinlay may have a good film in him one day, but he needs to at least start with a professional script, followed by actual acting talent. "Creep Van" is better than most of those direct-to-video cheapies found on those gutter trash compilations, but that doesn't make it a thumbs up.

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This is the DESS 2007+ release, with a c2010 disc shown.

The Audio is from a post-1971 pressed original LP, whereas the 2002 version had the far lower quality pre-1971 LP pressing audio.

2005-2007 did not contain genuine Dutch audio but audio from a German LP of the same name.

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''das schloß'' was started in 1922, but left unfinished, and probably incomplete°, by kafka when he ceased to be capable of writing, and subsequently died.

it's an account of the viewpoint character's arrival at a village (or town) dominated by a castle and its occupant(s?), and his attempts to get accepted into the position of surveyor to which he's been appointed, in the face of a labyrinthine stone-walling°° of every effort he can think of making to get recognised - or, indeed, anywhere.
the ordinary people he meets are all dominated by their fear of officials and the dire and dreadful unspoken punishments or sanctions, and fate, that inevitably awaits anyone as durst step out of line - including by helping anyone so evidently disapproved of, from their being unrecognised by the castle.
and though he receives some written encouragement from an official of the castle, in its details it is decreasingly consistent with both the reality that he observes, and that which he experiences...

° - given the nature of the beast, it's possible there could be, and could never have been, any conclusion - and certainly, no resolution...
°° - pun intentional - but intended by whom?

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first quarto publishing plc quid publishing imprint h/cvr printing, first edition

cover art none, exactly; cover design with cartoons and internal spot colour (yellow, green, blue, mauve, orange etc.) on b+w cartooned illustrations by michael windsor (credited)
cover price rrp £12.99
224pp. including 7pp. titles, indica, table-of-contents, introduction etc, 5 end pp: 2pp. bibliography, 3pp. index; sewn in signatures and bound with green endpapers between printed, non-gloss laminated boards, distributed without d-j


organised by five themed chapters or sections: everyday life, being human, the rules of the universe, in space, the natural world; the editorial department publishing category/genre/term is "a bog book" - which, for obvious reasons, is not emblazoned - or even mentioned - anywhere upon or in the book: it's not designed to be read from cover-to-cover (though it could be), but to be dipped into for diversion, for brief entertainment, and then put down again - 'til next time...

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I noted at the time that Clover were "trash" and I walked out. GP & The Rumour were excellent, sticking faithfully to the arrangements on record, but with tons more energy.

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Here's what I wrote shortly after the gig: "A great night. Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe were excellent musically. Ian Dury was unbelievable. Only the twat Wreckless Eric let things down a bit - apart from the single his stuff was rubbish. Overall EC was probably best - did a great encore of Alison."

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

My diary notes that the lead singer of the Tyla Gang was "a fat balding bloke who jumped about a lot - stupid prat". The PA broke down, delaying AC/DC's set until about 10pm. Apparently, they "got better as the night went on" and were "quite enjoyable". Damned by faint praise, I would say.

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At this distance in time, it's hard to believe that this was very much Lofgren's tour. The programme (for which I've added a few scans) was heavy on NL, with just a couple of pages set aside to introduce Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I believe this was only the latter's 2nd UK gig. I'd gone to see Lofgren, but TP&TH completely stole the show. At the time I noted that they were "BLOODY EXCELLENT, real shit hot rock & roll". After that, Lofgren was (inevitably, in retrospect) something of a disappointment, though the 2nd half of his set was tighter. Naturally, we were treated to the trampette somersault at the end, which was always a crowd pleaser.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I was conned into buying a ticket by two god-bothering door knockers. Awful.

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According to my diary, Dick Envy were "terrible" and The Adverts "weren't much better ... TV Smith was the only one who knew what he was doing". Sounds like a cracker.

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Worth going for John Otway alone. His half hour set was shambolic and mad, as always. Alexei was good too.

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A person wearing a mask goes around killing people by injecting them with drugs, the person wearing a mask will also makeout with his victims before killing.

Average drugsploit / giallo feeling from this one.

1 person found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?