My Personal Review of 2010

“Another year over, a new one just begun.”

Well, not quite but it’s not a kick in the arse off it. Here’s my summary of my own personal 2010. (Note:  I reserve the right to make amendments as I see fit or as things come back to me. My memory’s not what it was).

PERSONAL HIGHS

- Another whole year without anti-depressants and only one (unavoidable) sick day off work – change days.
- Being shortlisted in the Best Specialist Music Show category for the 2010 Hospital Broadcasting Association awards in Erskine
- Watching my daughter grow up into a right little character and having a whole week together of holiday fun in July
- Winning £2500 worth of vouchers across five shops in a Trafford Centre competition
- Appearing on “A Question of Genius”
- Appearing on Fred Macaulay’s Radio Scotland show five times
- Family trips to Strathyre, York and Aberfoyle
- John Cavanagh’s interview with Andrew Loog Oldham (Trongate 103, Glasgow)
- Winning the primary school Family Quiz night
- An evening in the company of The Orchids at Glasgow Popfest
- “Mozipedia” book came out last year but this article – about yours truly – is from this year and had me blushing

PERSONAL LOWS

- Missing out on a job interview for Question Researcher for The Weakest Link
- Not winning anything for Best Specialist Music Show at the 2010 HBA awards
- The station not submitting my entry for the 2011 HBA awards
- Voluntary redundancy – it was a no-brainer
- Villa losing in the Carling Cup final to a lucky Man Utd.
- Not making more progress with the book
- Missing out on an audition for Pointless thanks to the weather.
- The cancellation of Ronnie Spector’s Edinburgh gig because of the weather

READING (just don’t get as much time as I want to read)

Phill Jupitus – Good Morning Nantwich: Adventures in  Breakfast Radio (2010)
Stewart Lee – How I Escaped A Certain Fate (2010)
Chuck Klosterman – Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs (2004)
Mojo magazine

FILMS ENJOYED (Not necessarily out this year because I don’t see many new films. In fact my daughter has probably seen more new films this year and she’s 6!)

- Julia (2008)
- In the Loop (2009)
- Telstar (2009)
- Toy Story 3 (2010)
- The Illusionist (2010 – okay, I haven’t actually seen it yet but I just know I’ll love it)

MUSIC ENJOYED – COMPILATIONS/BOX SETS

- Where The Action Is: Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968 (Rhino)
- Love Is The Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970 (Rhino)
- Ember Sixties Pop 1-4 (Fantastic Voyage)
- Take a Trip: The Psych Pop Sounds of Capitol Records (Now Sounds)
- Instroville: Hits and Rarities from the Golden Age of Pop Instrumentals (Fantastic Voyage)
- The Rubble Collection Volumes 1-10 (Fallout)
- The Rubble Collection Volumes 11-20 (Fallout)
- Girls Gone Rockin’: 75 Fabulous Femme Rockers (Fantastic Voyage)
- Hey, Beach Girls: Female Surf ‘n’ Drag 1961-1966 (Ace)
- You Baby: Words and Music by P F Sloan and Steve Barri (Ace)
- C’est Chic! French Girl Singers of the 60s (Ace)

MUSIC ENJOYED – SINGLES

- Peter Parker – Pretty Living
- Maple Leaves – Golden Ether EP
- Allo Darlin’ – Polaroid Song
- The Orchids – She’s My Girl
- Teenage Fanclub – When I Still Have Thee
- Teenage Fanclub – Baby Lee
- Tommy Reilly – Take Me Away For The Night
- Jonny – Free Download EP
- French Wives – Me vs Me

MUSIC ENJOYED – ALBUMS

- Teenage Fanclub – Shadows
- Jackie DeShannon – Liberty Singles Volume 1 (Ace)
- Jackie Leven – Gothic Road
- Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
- Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep
- The Orchids – The Lost Star
- Orange Juice – Coals to Newcastle (thanks Simon!)
- Timi Yuro – The Amazing Timi Yuro: The Mercury Years
- Ritchie Blackmore – Getaway: Groups and Sessions
- Chris Farlowe – Out of Time: The Immediate Anthology

GIGS/EVENTS

- Jackie Leven (Abbot House, Dunfermline)
- Teenage Fanclub (HMV Picturehouse, Edinburgh)
- Sergeant/The Ray Summers/Saint Kilda/The Rioteers (Rothes Hall, Glenrothes)
- The Orchids/Maple Leaves/Peter Parker/Just Joans + more (Glasgow Popfest, Stereo, Glasgow)
- Andrew Collins – Secret Dancing (Edinburgh Fringe)
- HBA Awards/Conference (Erskine)
- “Beautiful Burnout” play (Rothes Hall, Glenrothes)
- Hosting quiz night for Special Constables and staff at Scottish Police College
- Hosting quiz night for Turcan Connell (my 9^th/10^th time (?) and always a pleasure)
- The bloody snow!

BEST MUSIC RADIO SHOW

- Sound of the Sixties (Radio 2)
- Art School Dancing (Leith FM)
- Collins and Herring (BBC 6Music)

TV ENJOYED

- Nurse Jackie
- This is England 86
- Mad Men
- House
- Sherlock
- Modern Families
- Big Bang Theory
- Sport (The Tour de France/Mosconi Cup/The Ashes)
- The Trip
- Getting On
- Pointless
- Only Connect
- University Challenge
- Shaun the Sheep
- Gigglebiz
- Phineas and Ferb

CELEBRITY ENCOUNTERS

Shirley Robertson
Andrew Collins
Fred Macaulay
Kirsty Wark
Jim Bob (Carter USM)
John Cavanagh
Andrew Loog-Oldham
Phill Jupitus
Ian Rankin
Lenny Helsing
Stephen Mulhern
John Barrowman
Stuart Maconie
Susan Boyle (okay I didn’t see her as such but she was in our hotel and the girls saw her)
Amistead Maupin
The Orchids

HEROES OF THE YEAR
Charlie Brooker
Stephen Fry
Andrew Collins
Ian Rankin
The Orchids
Simon Goddard
Amazon (for resolving a problem, on a Sunday, caused by a courier. That’s customer service, HDL. Take note)
The guy from Dalgety Bay who took my large parcel home for me from the City Link depot in Glenrothes when I couldn’t fit it in my car.

VILLAINS OF THE YEAR

I had a whole list of people and organisations but scrapped it on account of it being rather negative.

TV/RADIO APPEARANCES

A Question of Genius – BBC2
Fred Macaulay’s Radio Show (5 times) – BBC Radio Scotland
Request on Sound of the Sixties (last Saturday!)

COMPETITIONS WON (added this category as an afterthought)

Saint Etienne “Sound of Water” CD (via Twitter)
£5 x 3 (Sure for Men World Cup sweepstake)
£2500 worth vouchers (“Spring Home Makeover”) from Trafford Centre, Manchester
£50 voucher for Baxters shop (yes, the soup people)
£20 Amazon voucher (Prepress Perth Twitter comp)
“Kick-Ass” on Blu-Ray (Hey U Guys website)
Lauren Pritchard CD (Original 106 radio station)
4 x Trashcan Sinatras CDs (3 signed) (trashcansinatras.com website/YouTube competition)

WHAT DOES 2011 HOLD?

Finish my book?
A job in radio/broadcasting?
Maybe do an HNC or HND in Radio?
A show on Leith FM?
Weight loss (another half a stone will do nicely)?
Seeing The Orchids live again?
God knows…

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Where The Action Is: Playlist Sunday 19 December 2010

This week on Where the Action Is it’s my second dip into my musical festive selection box, featuring Christmas tunes from the late 50s through to current day. 

As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three festive tracks and this week’s Foreign Language track from Isabelle Aubret. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental and Two of a Kind from The Beach Boys.

Jan and Dean – Frosty (The Snowman) (Liberty 1962)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Saint Etienne – 21st Century Christmas (Foreign Office 2006)
Wedding Present – Holly Jolly Hollywood (Scopitone 2008)
Nat King Cole – The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot (Capitol 1953)
Badly Drawn Boy – Donna and Blitzen (Twisted Nerve 2001)
Hannah Peel & Tunng – Hey Santa! (Mojo 2001)
The Waitresses – Christmas Wrapping (Ze/Island 1981)
Attic Lights/Cerys Matthews – Santa’s Girlfriend (Island 2008) (Connect 3)
Fountains of Wayne – The Man in the Santa Suit (Atlantic 1997) (Connect 3)
James Brown – Santa Claus, Go Straight To The Ghetto (King 1969) (Connect 3)
Margo Guryan – I Don’t Intend To Spend Christmas Without You (Demo 1967)
Marc Almond – Heart on Snow (XIII BIS 2003)
Low – Just Like Christmas (Tugboat 1999)
Ryan Adams – Hey Parker Its Christmas (Promo 2003)
Isabelle Aubret – Savez Vous Qu’il Faut Au Sapin de Noel? (Label Unknown 1969) (Foreign Language)
The Beach Girls – Skiing In The Snow (Dynovoice 1965)
The Ventures – Jingle Bell Rock (Liberty 1963) (Half-Time Instrumental)
The Del-Vetts – I Want A Boy for Christmas (End 1961)
Sea of Bees – Feliz Navidad (Heavenly 2010)
Aztec Camera – Walk Out to Winter (Rough Trade 1983) (Under the Influence)
Cocteau Twins – Winter Wonderland (Fontana 1993)
Big Star – Jesus Christ (Rykodisc 1974)
Joe Tex – I’ll Make Every Day Christmas (For My Woman) (Dial 1967)
Kate Bush – December Will Be Magic Again (EMI 1980) (Connect 3)
Beneath Her Parachute – December Cliche (Label/Year Unknown) (Connect 3)
Paper Dolls – Remember December (Utopia 1970) (Connect 3)
The Lollipops – Mister Santa (Warner Bros 1959)
Three Wise Men – Thanks for Christmas (Virgin 1983)
The Beach Boys – Christmas Day (Capitol 1964) (Two of a Kind)
The Beach Boys – Santa’s Got An Airplane (Capitol 1977) (Two of a Kind)
Jim Reeves – Senor Santa Claus (Label Unknown 1964)
Mary Chapin Carpenter – Christmas Time in the City (Label Unknown 2008)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

Next week’s show will be my end of year celebration of my favourite tracks from my show in 2010. This will go out on Boxing Day.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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Where The Action Is: Playlist Sunday 12 December 2010

This week on Where the Action Is it’s time to crack open the chest of festive tunes. Usually my selection is from the late 50s through to the early 70s but for the next weeks the Christmas tracks played will be old and new. 

As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three festive tracks, a birthday track for Connie Francis and this week’s Foreign Language track from France Gall. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental and Two of a Kind from Sufjan Stevens.

Eels – Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas (Dreamworks 1998)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Marvin Gaye – Purple Snowflakes (Motown 1964)
Kim Weston – Wish You a Merry Christmas (Motown 1994)
Valerie Masters – Christmas Calling (RGM 1964)
Saint Etienne – I Was Born on Christmas Day (Heavenly 1993)
Jackie DeShannon – Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown (Imperial 1969)
Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Philles 1963)
I Am Kloot – Sunlight Hits The Snow (We Love You 2001) (Connect 3)
Cocteau Twins – Frosty The Snowman (Fontana 1993) (Connect 3)
Harpers Bizarre – Snow (Warner Bros 1968) (Connect 3)
KT Tunstall – Mele Kailimaka (Christmas in Hawaii) (EMI 2007)
The Orchids – Christmas Is The Time To Be With Your Baby (Columbia 1964)
Connie Francis – I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter (MGM 1962) (Birthday: 12/12/38 Connie Francis)
The Flirtations – Christmas Time Is Here Again (Deram 1968)
Rufus Wainwright – Spotlight on Christmas (Unreleased 2004)
France Gall – Il Neige (Philips 1965) (Foreign Language)
Teenage Fanclub – Jesus Christ (Creation 1997)
Russ Conway – Snow Coach (Columbia 1959) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Juliana Casablancas – I Wish It Was Christmas Today (Rough Trade 2009)
Chuck Berry – Run Rudolph Run (Chess 1958)
Dan Lyth – Maybe This Baby Could Save Us All (Moojuice 2009)
Patti Page – Pretty Snowflakes (Mercury 1955)
Ron Sexsmith – Maybe This Christmas (Nettwerk 2002)
Superchunk – Child’s Christmas in Wales (One Four Seven 2010)
Dropkick/Alice Marra – I May Never (Sound Asleep 2010) (Under the Influence)
Camera Obscura – The Blizzard (4AD 2009)
The Free Design – Close Your Mouth (It’s Christmas) (Project 3 1968)
Fountains of Wayne – I Want An Alien for Christmas (Atlantic 1997)
Scott Walker – Winter Night (Philips 1969) (Connect 3)
Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal (Bella Union 2008) (Connect 3)
The Beach Boys – Child of Winter (Christmas Song) (Brother 1974) (Connect 3)
Paul Revere – Wear a Smile at Christmas (Columbia 1967)
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Ain’t No Chimneys in The Projects (Daptone 2009)
Sufjan Stevens – Put The Lights On The Tree (Asthmatic Kitty 2002) (Two of a Kind)
Sufjan Stevens – Come On! Let’s Boogey To The Elf Dance (Asthmatic Kitty 2003) (Two of a Kind)
Manic Street Preachers – Ghosts of Christmas (Download 2007)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

Next week’s show will be the second and final Christmas special and on Boxing Day I’ll feature my favourite tracks from my show this year.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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Where The Action Is: Sunday 5 December 2010

Firstly apologies to regular listeners  for the lack of a Jocknroll special last week. The weather put paid to it. I shall instead be using it to celebrate Burns Night in January 2011. I did, however, manage to get to the studio to record this week’s show. I’ll be in the Wild West at the third and final day of the Glasgow Popfest at Stereo, featuring the very wonderful The Orchids, so you’ll have to put up with me on tape.

This week on Where the Action Is we celebrate the music of those from the world of rock and pop who have passed away in 2010 with a special edition of the show entitled “Gone But Not Forgotten”.

As usual we’ll have two slightly different games of Connect 3, where the three tracks will each involve someone who died this year. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental and Two of a Kind from Big Star, who lost two members this year, as did The Action.

The Action – Love is All (Unreleased 1967/1968)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Stone Poneys/Linda Ronstadt – Different Drum (Capitol 1967)
The Isley Brothers – Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While) (Tamla Motown 1968)
Lesley Duncan – See That Guy (Mercury 1965)
The Kinks – Tired of Waiting for You (Pye 1965)
The Kinks – Dead End Street (Pye 1966)
The Free Design – Bubbles (Project 3 1970)
Johnny Kidd & The Pirates – Hungry for Love (HMV 1963) (Connect 3)
Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas – Chinese Girl (Reaction 1967) (Connect 3)
The Dakotas – The Spider and the Fly (Philips 1968) (Connect 3)
Willie Mitchell – That Driving Beat (London 1965)
Bobby Hebb – Love Love Love (Philips 1966)
Reg King & BB Blunder – Little Boy (United Artists 1971)
The Carpenters – Goodbye to Love (A&M 1972)
The Essex featuring Anita Humes – A Walkin’ Miracle (Roulette 1963)
Redbone – The Witch Queen of New Orleans (Epic 1971)
Neil Christian and the Crusaders – The Road To Love (Columbia 1962) (Foreign Language)
The Kinks – Village Green (Pye 1966/1967) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Eddie Fisher – The Chase (Ramrod 1960)
Crispian St. Peters – You’re On My Mind (Decca 1965)
The Action – Twenty Fourth Hour (Parlophone 1967)
The Action – Never Ever (Parlophone 1967)
The Supremes – Someday We’ll Be Together (Motown 1969)
Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell – If I Could Build My Whole World Around You (Tamla 1967)
The Boston Dexters – What Kind of Girl Are You? (Contemporary 1964)
The Buzz – I Gotta Buzz (Columbia 1966)
The Showmen – It Will Stand (London 1962)
Chairmen of the Board – Give Me Just a Little More Time (Invictus 1970)
The Action – Mine Exclusively (BBC 1966) (Connect 3)
The Action – Interview with Reg King (BBC 1966) (Connect 3)
The Action – Baby You Got It (BBC 1966) (Connect 3)
The Action – Shadows and Reflections (Parlophone 1967) (Connect 3)
Big Star – Daisy Glaze (Stax 1973) (Two of a Kind)
Big Star – When My Baby’s Beside Me (Stax 1972) (Two of a Kind)
Solomon Burke – Home in Your Heart (Atlantic 1962)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

So  it’s goodbye and thanks for the memories to Mike “Ace” Evans (The Action), Reg King (The Action), Kenny Edwards (Stone Poneys), Lesley Duncan, Pete Quaife (The Kinks), Chris Dedrick (Free Design), Mick Green, Willie Mitchell, Bobby Hebb, Tony Peluso, Anita Humes, Lolly Vasquez, Neil Christian, Eddie Fisher, Harvey Fuqua, Tam White, Norman Johnson, Solomon Burke, Alex Chilton and Andy Hummel. God bless you all.

Next week’s show, weather permitting, will be the first of two Christmas specials, full of weird and wonderful festive tunes.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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