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Happy Five Thousandth post!
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin. Marvellous. Unfortunately, Stourbridge’s moment in the spotlight simply served to reveal the shocking standards of numeracy in these parts. Two bass guitarists and yet no singer.
And speaking of bad hair and long shorts…..lest we forget
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcvHCKo8MRw
This is what Take That should have been like.
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin. Marvellous. Unfortunately, Stourbridge’s moment in the spotlight simply served to reveal the shocking standards of numeracy in these parts. Two bass guitarists and yet no singer.
Well, a sort of singer by the name of John Penney. I’m guessing not the same one.
Stourbridge, briefly the musical epicentre of the planet [steady on – ed], thanks to Neds, Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself, and to a lesser extent Fretblanket and Scorpio Rising…
…and at the moment, this fella as well;
VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME – Trading Things In
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ljaHJC5AcoAnd speaking of bad hair and long shorts…..lest we forget
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcvHCKo8MRw
Ah, it’s the Ecstasy Mother F*ckers! (or the Epsom Mad Funkers, as
Smash Hits
used to claim, unconvincingly).
Proof positive that it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for – whilst James, Zac and Derry haven’t been seen since the public tired of their rap-rock tunes, practical jokes (supplanting the content of milkbottles with milk of their own was a particular favourite, if memory serves), etc., guitarist Ian recorded two albums as part of gorgeous acoustic indie-pop trio Whistler, and has more recently hit paydirt as the writer of "Beautiful Liar" for Beyonce and "Tattoo" for Jordin Sparks.
Nice trick if you can pull it off.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Cousin Vinny and Best Mate
To all the Best Mate knockers out there.
Obviously he was no rival for Arkle or Kauto Star but history tells us how hard it is to get a horse fit mentally and physically for 3 Gold Cups.
I think that in his second victory it would have taken a rival out of the very top drawer to have beaten him on that day.He could do no more than beat the other horses who were around at the same time as him and at that time and he was clearly the best staying chaser in these islands. He was near the top of his class as a novice hurdler, was effective over all types of going and was never out of the first two in any of his races (except that fatal one at Exeter).
I wonder if there is a certain snobbery about horses that the general public take to. Are we blinded by the memories of Jim Lewis’ awful singing, Terry in tears and the little kids wearing horrible bits of "Matey" clothing into marking down this brave, sound and versatile horse?
Dearie me, what a way to bring up the 5,000
Every one a winner Jeb
VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME – Trading Things In
Great name, nice tender little song
Curiously, on seeing that floppy-locked wan-youth-in-black my first thought was ‘that’s the mental image I have of Graysonscolumn’. Only the DMs are missing
atb
Drone (haggard greybeard)
VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME – Trading Things In
Great name, nice tender little song
…and an even more engaging proposition live, as he does the whole lot by himself using a couple of AKAI Headrush loop pedals and a very active mind.
Curiously, on seeing that floppy-locked wan-youth-in-black my first thought was ‘that’s the mental image I have of Graysonscolumn’. Only the DMs are missing
Take away the gap teeth and yes, he’s ballpark at least.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
I find it strange and somewhat irritating to an extent that the two highest-rated horses of all-time (Arkle and Sea Bird II), both raced in the mid 60s. It all seems kind of biased to me.
And Carter USM are much missed too. Well, by me anyway.
They are doing two gigs this year in November, one at Kentish Town Forum and one at Brixton Academy, so miss them no longer!
Thanks for that information Librettist, but I am far far too lazy to make it all the way down to what sound suspiciously like London establishments.
Good to hear they are still going though.
I find it strange and somewhat irritating to an extent that the two highest-rated horses of all-time (Arkle and Sea Bird II), both raced in the mid 60s. It all seems kind of biased to me.
Why biased ? It is merely a coincidence that the two best European racehorses ever (of NH and Flat) should race in that era – and both at their very best in 1965.
Just as coincidental as the greatest pop ever group ( The Beatles ) and greatest ever footballer ( Pele ) also strutting their stuff during the sixties.
Maybe it just happened to be a golden era for sporting greats ?
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Ludmilla Tourischeva
[edit: sorry, got this wrong, looks like she was at her peak in the early 70s, rather than late 60s.]
I find it strange and somewhat irritating to an extent that the two highest-rated horses of all-time (Arkle and Sea Bird II), both raced in the mid 60s. It all seems kind of biased to me.
Why biased ? It is merely a coincidence that the two best European racehorses ever (of NH and Flat) should race in that era – and both at their very best in 1965.
Just as coincidental as the greatest pop ever group ( The Beatles ) and greatest ever footballer ( Pele ) also strutting their stuff during the sixties.
Maybe it just happened to be a golden era for sporting greats ?
The notion that everything was best in the sixties just emphasises the fact that it wasn’t. the world has been going for millions of years, sport for hundreds horse racing included yet the three "best" Arkle, Sea Bird, Flyingbolt were all amazingly around at the same time. Yeah right, thats not co-incidence its nonsense.
The sixties was the first era that the general public got to see events properly through television. The first "greats" are automatically lodged in the nostalgic memory therefore.
Was George Best as good as Steven Gerrard for example? Not a cat in hells chance. Gerrard is quicker, stronger, allround better, footballers are better athletes now than they were twenty years ago let alone 40 years ago that is a medical fact as much as anything else.
Its the same with horses.
Music is slightly different in that it is litterally all about taste.
You can’t even properly compare how a horse now compares with a horse from yesteryear given that there are far more horses running now, horse don’t run on really fast ground anymore and the jumps programme is no longer really set up for the best horses to have to carry weight in handicaps. Lets not even start on fitness etc.
Yes Arkle could give two stones to a previous Gold Cup winner but wouldn’t Kauto Star be able to give two pounds and a beating to Nortons Coin, Cool Dawn, Cool Ground etc all previous Gold Cup winners who a lot of the time only ran to ratings of 130 odd to 150 odd (check on Racing Post site if you don’t believe me). Infact Master oats once gave Cool Ground 4 pounds and a
distance
beating in a handicap. Deep Bramble (no world beater by any means) once gave Cool Ground over a stone and a beating. He was still a Gold Cup winner. Do you seriously think Kauto Star rated 185ish couldn’t give over two stones and a beating to horses running to marks in the 150’s considering he is 30 pounds better?
The Timeform ratings given out in the 60’s were such a joke no one really believes their credibility they don’t even warrant an argument. Anyone that swears by their validity simply does not know what they are talking about, simple as. Timeforms ratings have been of much debate down the years. They now (though they do still tend to "rate up") have their system much more realistic than they used to. There was a time in the 70’s and 80’s where just about every Derby winner was rated in the 130’s. Now you struggle to get any horse achieve such lofty ratings because ratings guru’s have ammended the way races were rated.
See, I love Arkle, but at 212, imagine a match race (Kauto at a guessed-at 185) over 3m2f, G/S at Cheltenham. And taking your peers on in handicaps is the way forward, apparently, so…..
Arkle 12:7
Kauto Star 10:8Feel free to price this up, people………
The notion that everything was best in the sixties just emphasises the fact that it wasn’t. the world has been going for millions of years, sport for hundreds horse racing included yet the three "best" Arkle, Sea Bird, Flyingbolt were all amazingly around at the same time. Yeah right, thats not co-incidence its nonsense.
The sixties was the first era that the general public got to see events properly through television. The first "greats" are automatically lodged in the nostalgic memory therefore.
Pretty much agree with that
I happened to see a recording of the 1970 Brazil v Italy World Cup final recently; a match and a team (Brazil) I – peering through rose-tinted spectacles – had regarded as the footballing pinnacle all have strived and failed to attain since.
However viewed through the 21st century eyes accustomed to lightning fast play and superfit participants the game was slow and cumbersome. It wasn’t bad, far from it as it was an entertaining, skilful "beautiful game", but was simply just a very different type of football to that played today.
And for all the consummate skill of Pele, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Tostao et al I really do believe they would have had rings run round them today. Not because today’s top footballers are intrinsically more able than back then, just supremely fit, superbly well-drilled and their method-of-play built – and ever being built – on the techniques developed by such previous ‘greats’.
So the comparison of modern-day sporting greats with those of yesteryear is pointless and futile. Like is not being compared with like.
I have no idea if Kauto Star is better than Arkle, and would be mightily pleased if that ’60s non-pareil was never mentioned again on racing message boards when discussing the merits of today’s top beasts.
the past is a foreign country; they do things differently there
I wouldn’t go back to the world I knew
I wouldn’t go back for a day
Although I loved that world I knew
In the past it has to staySome people are just in denial – or maybe it’s because they weren’t around when Arkle, Sea Bird, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Pele, The Beatles and George Best et al were showing their undoubted class.
Steven Gerrard, a player I rate and admire is a totally different type of player to George Best – but Ian, if you truly believe that Gerard was in the same class as Best, then you really don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.
I am not a sentimentalist or a head in the sand nostalgic; and neither do I think that every horse or sportsman or woman was better in the past. The fact is that such comparisons are pointless and indeed, odious. There is no way of telling or proving who is right or wrong.
As for the Kauto Star/Arkle argument. Again, pointless ! However, whenever Kauto Star proves that he can give the likes of Denman or Neptune Collonges over a stone and still beat them, or concede two and half stones and more to lesser talents around Sandown or Newbury, then I will really sit up and begin to take notice.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
However, whenever Kauto Star proves that he can give the likes of Denman or Neptune Collonges over a stone and still beat them
Looked as though he could have given the pair a stone on Friday, H.
Could Arkle have given Flyingbolt a stone then ?
No, and neither could Flyingbolt have given Arkle any weight at all and beat him over three miles.Who said so – their jockey and trainer.
But Arkle did give a great horse in Mill House 16lbs and a pounding.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
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