Steamport Southport Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 46 minutes ago, CWJ said: Working with younger colleagues is a privilege, and one of the best aspects of my job, but there are downsides. My team's Christmas do this year is at - wait for it - an escape room. I mean, come on. If I wanted to try and find my way out of a bafflingly unfamiliar space I'd put on a blindfold and walk into the middle of Marks & Spencers. Cheers, Will Go for it! Possibly your only chance of doing one and if you are rubbish at the task then you can always use the excuse that you are only there under duress! You usually find those that are very enthusiastic about such things are the ones that are totally useless.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWJ Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 9 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said: You usually find those that are very enthusiastic about such things are the ones that are totally useless.... No, that's politicians 🤣 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted November 17, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 17, 2023 One Christmas we did a Land Rover experience, the day before my car got wrecked by an accident in front of me, and the victim flew into my side. Cost me 7k 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 3 hours ago, CWJ said: No, that's politicians 🤣 I was thinking more of graduates in general who are often in jobs vastly higher up the ladder than their experience suggests they should be in, but seeing as most politicians fit that bill.... Something I was discussing with someone I know recently. He's always enthusiastic about things and talks to everyone like they are still kids. Always the self appointed leader amongst his friends. I often point out the fact that seeing as he's a teacher he's spent the last fifty years in school as he's never really left! Knowing him, he's already started with the Christmas jumpers on a Friday night. Or doing something for Children in Need without putting his hands in his own pockets.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted November 17, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 17, 2023 1 hour ago, MJI said: One Christmas we did a Land Rover experience, the day before my car got wrecked by an accident in front of me, and the victim flew into my side. Cost me 7k I was looking around, wjen your car despite being slightly bananaed is preferred , it is a problem. Offered very little for a wrecked engine 2 trim models up, no reply. That was choice one, 1 year newer with no engine. In the end wanted a 4x4 7.5k minus some of the compensation and insurance Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted November 18, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 18, 2023 11 hours ago, CWJ said: Working with younger colleagues is a privilege, and one of the best aspects of my job, but there are downsides. My team's Christmas do this year is at - wait for it - an escape room. I mean, come on. If I wanted to try and find my way out of a bafflingly unfamiliar space I'd put on a blindfold and walk into the middle of Marks & Spencers. Cheers, Will Sometimes, the hard part is working out where you go to pay! One semi-department store near me, has the pay area in the middle of the store, nowhere near the exit! They do offer the choice of self-serve or a manned counter - guess which I use? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWJ Posted November 18, 2023 Share Posted November 18, 2023 12 hours ago, kevinlms said: Sometimes, the hard part is working out where you go to pay! One semi-department store near me, has the pay area in the middle of the store, nowhere near the exit! We're drifting off-topic, but just as a quick warning to anyone contemplating their Christmas shopping with dread, Sports Direct wins first prize for Best Hidden Checkout every time. It will be in an obscure corner right at the back of the shop, ofter round a corner, and completely hidden by floor-to-ceiling racks of clothes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted November 19, 2023 Share Posted November 19, 2023 Well this was the Christmas episode.... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 (edited) On 20/12/2022 at 18:25, Hroth said: And another thing. The interminable "Christmas" films, where X travels to Y and has an unexpected romantic entanglement with Z. Who may well be Xs ex, or a business rival. Sometimes X and Z might have an on/off "Christmas Wedding". Or X might have to learn "The true meaning of Christmas"... I forgot, X might have to co-operate with Z. They are siblings who have never got on together. This naturally morphs into another "True meaning of Christmas" heap of slush. Films that should never have been made! My wife is watching one now! I'm unclear what is happening but it looks fairly predictable. In these "socially correct" times it does rather look like Fresh Prince of Bel Air meets Phoebe from Friends.... Oh, here's another one. An agency waiter in a small, but expensive looking NY hotel proves to be the Ruritanian princeling whose "official visit" is awaited with such anticipation... or does he? Edited November 26, 2023 by rockershovel 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 My good wife has spent the last four hours wrapping presents for the children and grandchildren. I abjure this, on the basis that the grandchildren are spoilt rotten.... but what really grates, is that she has spent the entire time with Cliff Richard sobbing and moo-ing on shuffle. I used to be able to escape this, but her advancing deafness means that it can be heard in most parts of the house... 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2023 Its too late worrying about these things now, they've all happened! Classic FM is almost continuous "Christmas Music", and I never realised that there were so many cover versions of "Walking on the Air".... Never mind, I've read the first two "staves" of A Christmas Carol, tonight is "The Ghost of Christmas Present"*. * Or as we used to call it when children, The Ghost of the Christmas Present.... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 4 minutes ago, Hroth said: Its too late worrying about these things now, they've all happened! Classic FM is almost continuous "Christmas Music", and I never realised that there were so many cover versions of "Walking on the Air".... Never mind, I've read the first two "staves" of A Christmas Carol, tonight is "The Ghost of Christmas Present"*. * Or as we used to call it when children, The Ghost of the Christmas Present.... I did quite enjoy the TV version with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge, a couple of evenings ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2023 7 minutes ago, rockershovel said: I did quite enjoy the TV version with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge, a couple of evenings ago. I'm waiting for the Alistair Sim version tomorrow. Its in dodgy colour, as the past should be.... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2023 40 minutes ago, Hroth said: Classic FM is almost continuous "Christmas Music", and I never realised that there were so many cover versions of "Walking on the Air"... And they never play the original......☹️ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 40 minutes ago, Hroth said: Its too late worrying about these things now, they've all happened! Classic FM is almost continuous "Christmas Music", and I never realised that there were so many cover versions of "Walking on the Air".... Never mind, I've read the first two "staves" of A Christmas Carol, tonight is "The Ghost of Christmas Present"*. * Or as we used to call it when children, The Ghost of the Christmas Present.... The single of Walking In The Air was a cover version! Aled Jones didn't sing in the film it was Peter Auty. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 But you also had this version that came out before the film became popular and two years before the single. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2023 3 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said: But you also had this version that came out before the film became popular and two years before the single. ? The film came out for Christmas 1982 and was an instant hit, the single including Peter Auty was released straight afterwards in early 1983 on CBS. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2023 (edited) The problem with Classic FM, which started out alright when it was launched is that they play more and more IMHO substandard versions of original music. e.g. Chariots of Fire by Vangelis. They used to play the original Oscar winning version from the film but for some reason* now it is a no-no. Someone even requested Vangelis's version but they played an orchestral one instead. Goodness knows how many jazzed up versions of Gaudete they can find. Steeleye Span's A cappella version from their album Below the Salt is closer to how it would've been sung than many of them. Classic FM just lift music these days, inoffensive light music in the background. *London 2012 actually Edited December 23, 2023 by melmerby 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 5 minutes ago, melmerby said: ? The film came out for Christmas 1982 and was an instant hit, the single including Peter Auty was released straight afterwards in early 1983 on CBS. Was it really popular though? I don't think that version even charted. It was shown on Channel Four and nobody watched it when it first came out. It was Channel Four after all. It's something that grew in popularity as they years went by. Aled Jones version reached No 5 in 1985. Two years after the Rainbow version. You have heard of Rainbow I take it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2023 Just now, Steamport Southport said: Was it really popular though? I don't think that version even charted. It didn't, because nobody knew who it was, it's not even credited in the film. Presumably CBS rushed a single out because of enquiries, but by then it was past Christmas and interest had waned. Everybody I knew saw the film first time around. Maybe because we didn't watch the run of the mill Chrismas Day crap fayre? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2023 53 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said: The single of Walking In The Air was a cover version! Aled Jones didn't sing in the film it was Peter Auty. Never mentioned AJ 🙂 The funny thing is, they rarely play HIS cover version! (Probably to save him getting an extra bonus on top of his presenter fees...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
62613 Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 1 hour ago, melmerby said: The problem with Classic FM, which started out alright when it was launched is that they play more and more IMHO substandard versions of original music. My beefs with Classic FM, are the narrow playlist, and the "Bitsa" format. The playlist is of course forced by the Hall of Fame, which dictates the same 300 pieces of music being played ad infinitum, ad nauseam. There's far more to, for instance, RVW than The Lark Ascending, or Dives and Lazarus, to name but one. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2023 Unwanted things about Xmas You turn your back on an engine you left in steam and your donkey steals it....... 1 5 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted December 23, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2023 1 hour ago, 62613 said: There's far more to, for instance, RVW than The Lark Ascending, or Dives and Lazarus, to name but one. As far as RVW is concerned they've recently played "17 Come Sunday" from the Folk Song suite, 49th Parallel, Rhosymedre from the Welsh hymn tune preludes and the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. At least with the last, its impossible to be selective and chop it into bleeding chunks! If I want to listen to a particular broadcast work in whole, I'll listen to Radio 3. Apart from the ad breaks Classic FM is ok in that its good background sound and discounting the "popular film and game" music, there is a reasonable spread in the Hall of Fame playlist. Of course that allows them to dip into the H0F to select other works by composers voted for by listeners. Its not perfect, but its better than its competitors at the easy listening end of classical music broadcasting. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, melmerby said: Goodness knows how many jazzed up versions of Gaudete they can find. Steeleye Span's A cappella version from their album Below the Salt is closer to how it would've been sung than many of them. Thanks for this Melmerby. I'd forgotten just how good Steeleye Span were (still are?) . This is the best of their reditions of it I've found on Utoob https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDc2FD-vy8M and is clearly an authorised recording (judging by the multi-camera video) and I think being to a live audience makes it work even better than the studio recording on the album . There are several other A Capella versions of Gaudete around like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTdAugBt-_g. Being all-male voice it is probably more authentic for 16th Century church music but I think Maddy Prior's precise and haunting voice lifts the Steeleye Span version to the realms of the sublime and I've really enjoyed listening to it again. Edited December 23, 2023 by Pacific231G Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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