Imagine - John Lennon (1971)

"Imagine" was the masterpiece written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Imagine" at No3 in its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

"Imagine" was issued as a single a month after the album in the United States, catalogue Apple 1840, and peaked at No3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached number one in Canada on the RPM national singles chart, remaining there for two weeks and was Lennon's only solo Australian number one single, spending five weeks there. When asked about the song in one of his last interviews, Lennon declared "Imagine" to be as good as anything he had written with The Beatles. The song is one of three Lennon solo songs, along with "Instant Karma" and "Give Peace a Chance", in The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 500 songs that shaped Rock & Roll.Rolling Stone ranked "Imagine" the third greatest song of all time in their editorial The 500 Greatest Songs of all Time.

The song's central theme was inspired by Cloud Piece, a three-line instructional poem that appeared in Yoko Ono's 1964 book Grapefruit. The words were reproduced on the back cover of the Imagine album. Similarly, in 1963 Lennon opened the Beatles song "I'll Get You" with the verse "Imagine I'm in love with you, it's easy 'cause I know", three years before meeting Ono.

In a 1980 interview with David Sheff for Playboy magazine, Lennon remarks on the message of "Imagine":

Sheff: On a new album, you close with "Hard Times Are Over (For a While)". Why?
Lennon: "It's not a new message: "Give Peace a Chance"—we're not being unreasonable. Just saying "give it a chance." With "Imagine" we're asking, "can you imagine a world without countries or religions?" It's the same message over and over. And it's positive."

Ono indicated that the lyrical content of "Imagine" was "just what John believed—that we are all one country, one world, one people. He wanted to get that idea out." In addition, the content of "Imagine" was inspiration for the concept of Nutopia: The Country of Peace, created in 1973. Lennon included a symbolically mute "anthem" to this country on his album Mind Games. Also, inspiration for Yoko's Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland came from words in the second verse:Imagine all the people living life in peace.

In the book Lennon in America, by Geoffrey Guiliano, Lennon commented that Imagine was an "anti - religious, anti - nationalsitic, anti - conventional, anti - capitalistic [song], but because it's sugar-coated, it's accepted."

"Imagine" was released as a single in the United Kingdom in 1975 in conjunction with the album Shaved Fish, where it peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart. Following Lennon's murder in 1980, the single re-entered the UK chart and was number one for four weeks in January 1981. "Imagine" was re-released as a single in the UK in 1988, peaking at number 45, and again in 1999, reaching number three.

"Imagine" was the sole John Lennon track included in a promotional-only various artists compilation album issued by Capitol records entitledThe Greatest Music Ever Sold, catalogue Capitol SPRO-8511/8512. Distributed to record stores during the 1976 Holiday season, it was part of Capitol's "Greatest Music Ever Sold" campaign promoting 15 "Best Of" albums released by the record label. The song was also included on a six-disc boxed set commemorating Capitol Records' sixtieth anniversary that was issued in 2002. Imagine, along with the entire John Lennon catalogue, was remastered and re-issued in 2010, to celebrate what would have been his 70th year.

"Imagine"
Single by John Lennon
from the album Imagine
B-side	"It's So Hard" (US) '"Working Class Hero" (UK)
Released	11 October 1971 (US) 24 October 1975 (UK)
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Recorded	1971
Genre	Rock
Length	3:03
Label	Apple
Writer(s)	John Lennon
Producer	John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector
John Lennon singles chronology
"Power to the People" (1971) "Imagine"/"It's so Hard" (US, 1971) "Happy xmas (War is Over)"/"Listen, the Snow is Falling" (1971)
"Stand By Me" (1975) "Imagine"/"Working Class Hero" (UK, 1975) "(Just Like) Starting Over" (1980) Imagine track listing "Imagine" (1) "Crippled Inside" (2)

Action Man ( Part Eight) The Royal Horse Guards/Blues & Royals

This edition of Action Man came with Blue tunic, white breeches, white guanlets, black boots with spurs, ceremonial plumed helmet, belt, sword and scabbard, cartouche. Cuirass (silver breast plate with sword and scabbard was also available as an accessory, along with Full dress accoutrement set including horse tack)

Radio Times - It's a Knockout (1972)

This Radio Times cover dates back to 1972 and welcomes the return to BBC1 of, the excellent, It's a Knockout.

Duke Ellington - The Centennial Edition

This rare US 53-track promotional CD box set was issued in 1999 and contains the complete RCA Victor Recordings 1927 - 1973 from Jazz King Duke Ellington. The boxed set was entitled, "Highlights from the Centennial Edition."

Disc 1: 1. Black & Fan Fantasy 2. The Mooche 3. Doin' The Voom Voom 4. A Night at the Cotton Club/Misty Mornin' 5. Jungle Nights In Harlem 6. Ring Dem Bells 7. That Lindy Hop 8. Rockin' In Rhythm 9. Creole Rhapsody Part 1 10. Creole Rhapsody Part 2 11. Echoes Of The Jungle 12. Mood Indigo/Hot & Bothered/Creole Love Call 13. Daybreak Express 14. My Old Flame 15. Jack The Bear 16. Cotton Tail 17. Never No Lament Disc 2: 1. Sepia Panorama 2. Sophisticated Lady 3. Day Dream 4. A Lull At Dawn 5. Take The 'A' Train 6. Bakiff 7. I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good 8. Menelik - The Lion Of Judah 9. Passion Flower 10. Rocks In My Bed 11. Chelsea Bridge 12. Perdido 13. I'm Beginning To See The Light 14. Work Song 15. Caravan 16. The Minor Goes Muggin' 17. Tonk 18. Just Squeeze Me 19. Midriff

Disc 3:
1. Long Long Journey
2. Caravan
3. Come Sunday
4. New World A-Comin'
5. A Christmas Surprise
6. The Biggest & Busiest Intersection
7. The Brotherhood
8. Ain't Nobody Nowhere Nothin' Without God
9. Isfahan
10. Blue Pepper (Far East Of The Blues)
11. Take The 'A' Train
12. The Second Portrait Of The Lion
13. Sophisticated Lady
14. Blood Count
15. Raincheck
16. Basin Street Blues
17. Mecuria, The Lion

Tribute to Macca - Club Sandwich

Club Sandwich was a fanzine mag published in the 1980's and dedicated to Paul McCartney & Wings. The mag featured articles and the pictures, ya know, the usual thing! The image above is that of the Fiftieth edition and published in Autumn 1988. There are some rare pictures inside, including Paul McCartney collecting his BMI Award for, "Yesterday."

Coronation Street - Then and Now

This excellent mug was released back in the 1990s and was entitled, Then & Now. The mug has a print of classic Coronation Street characters through the decades until the 80's, including Ena Sharples, Albert Tatlock, Stan Ogden and Curly Watts. A must for nostalgia buffs!

1978 Levi's Sportswear

1978 Levi's Panatela Men's Sportswear original vintage advertisement. "Made from wrinkle-free fabrics, Panatela jackets and slacks cost far less than many people spend on a sport jacket alone. Stand out from the herd."

Gerry & the Pacemakers: UK Tour (1964)

Back in 1964 Liverpool group Gerry & The Pacemakers embarked on a UK tour. Also on the bill were, Tommy Quickly, The Fourmost. Ben E King, The Dennisons & Sounds Incorporated. Comedian Jimmy Tarbuck was the Compere.

The Tour began in February at the Nottingham Odeon and then at the following venues;

09 - Liverpool (Empire)
10 - Walthamstow (Granada)
11 - Gloucester (ABC)
12 - Cardiff (Capitol)
13 - Exeter (ABC)
14 - Plymouth (ABC)
15 - Bournemouth (Winter Gardens)
16 - Brighton (Hippodrome)
18 - Chesterfield (ABC)
19 - Carlisle (ABC)
20 - Glasgow (Odeon)

21 - Stockton (Globe)
22 - Newcastle (City Hall)
23 - Scarborough (Futurist)
25 - Bedford (Granada)
26 - Cleethorpes (ABC)
27 - Doncaster (Gaumont)
28 - Northampton (ABC)
29 - East Ham (Granada)

In March the tour moved on to Leicester (Demontfort Hall)

Toying with Starsky and Hutch!

Many toys of Starsky and Hutch were produced back in the 1970s. Some were great, some naff. These dolls came along in 1975, don't know whether they're naff or great. I'll let you decide.

The Starsky Figure from 1975. This is the first release of these figures taken from the Starsky and Hutch TV series. Starsky has dark brown moulded hair, painted features and is jointed with grippping hands. Figure is in mint condition he comes complete on an illustrated backing card with a picture of the car on the front and two black and white photographs of the shows stars Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul.

This is the rarer UK version of the Starsky figure. These were made in fewer quantities for the British market and are therefore much harder to find. Starsky has dark brown moulded hair, painted features and is jointed with grippping hands.

Hutch Figure, 1975. This is the rarer UK version of the Hutch figure. These were made in fewer quantities for the British market and are therefore much harder to find. Hutch has moulded blond hair, painted features and is jointed with grippping hands. The difference to American version, other than logo, is the material used for the waistcoat is vinyl rather than suedette.

Hutch Figure, 1975. This is from the first release of these figures. Hutch has moulded blond hair, painted features and is jointed with grippping hands.

Huggy Bear Figure, 1976. This is from the second release of these figures which expanded the range from the two main characters to include three more taken from the Starsky and Hutch TV series. Huggy with dark brown moulded hair, painted features and is jointed with grippping hands.

Dobey Figure, 1976. This is from the second release of these figures which expanded the range from the two main characters to include three more . Dobey is looking very trim with dark brown moulded hair and moustache, painted features and is jointed with grippping hands.

Record Mirror (1970)

This fantastic edition of Record Mirror Dates Back to November 1970 and features as its main story, The Please Release me Bootleg Album by Elvis Presley!

Remembering Hill Street Blues - Let's Be Careful Out There!

One of my all time favourite series. Hill Street Blues first aired on NBC back in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes ending in1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations influenced many subsequent dramatic television series produced in North America. Its debut season was rewarded with eight Emmy awards, a debut season record surpassed only by The West Wing, and the show received a total of 98 Emmy Award nominations during its run.

In 2002, Hill Street Blues was ranked No14 on TV Guides 50 All time TV shows.

Mary Tyler Moore Enterprises developed the series on behalf of NBC, appointing Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll as series writers. The writers were allowed considerable creative freedom, and created a series which brought together, for the first time, a number of emerging ideas in TV drama.

• Each episode features a number of intertwined storylines, some of which are resolved within the episode, with others developing over a number of episodes throughout a season.
• Much play is made of the conflicts between the work lives and private lives of the individual characters. In the workplace, there is also a strong focus on the struggle between doing "what is right" and "what works" in situations.
• The camera is held close in and action cut rapidly between stories, and there is much use of overheard or off-screen dialogue, giving a "documentary" feel to the action.
• Rather than studio (floor) cameras, hand-held Arriflexes are used to add to the "documentary" feel.
• The show deals with real-life issues, and employs commonly used language and slang to a greater extent than had been seen before.
• Almost every episode begins with a pre-credit sequence consisting of (mission) briefing and roll call at the beginning of the day shift. From season 3 it experimented with a "Previously on HSB" montage of clips of up to 6 previous episodes before the roll call. Many episodes are written to take place over the course of a single day, a concept later used in the NBC series,L.A. Law.
• Most episodes concluded with Captain Frank Furillo and public defender Joyce Davenport in a domestic situation, often in bed, discussing how their respective days went.

Although filmed in Los Angeles (both on location and at CBS Studio Center in Studio City), the series is set in a generic unnamed inner-city location with a feel of a US urban center such as Detriot or Chicago.

The programme's focus on failure and those at the bottom of the social scale is pronounced, and very much in contrast to Bochco's later project, L.A. Law. Inspired by Police Procedural detective novels such as Ed McBain's 1956 Cop Hater, it has been described as Barney Miller out of doors; the focus on the bitter realities of 1980s urban living was revolutionary for its time. Later seasons were accused of becoming formulaic (a shift that some believe to have begun after the death from cancer of Michael Conrad midway through the fourth season, which led to the replacement of the beloved Sergeant Esterhaus by Sergeant Stan Jablonski, played by Robert Prosky); thus, the series that broke the established rules of television ultimately failed to break its own rules. Nonetheless it is a landmark piece of television programming, the influence of which was seen in such series as NYPD Blue and ER. In 1982, St. Elsewhere was hyped as Hill Street Blues in a hospital. The quality work done by MTM led to the appointment of Grant Tinker as NBC chairman in 1982.

There was also a short-lived Dennis Franz called Beverly Hills Buntz, in which Franz's dismissed Lt. Buntz character moves from the Hill to Los Angeles to become a Private Eye, taking along "Sid the Snitch" Thurston (Peter Jurassik) as his sidekick.

The producers went to great lengths to avoid specifying where the series took place, even going so far as to obscure whether the call letters of local TV stations began with "W" (the Federal Communications Commission designation for stations east of the Mississippi) or "K" (signifying a station west of the Mississippi). However, occasionally they would let something slip, such as the use of call letters WREQ, TV channel 6, in the season 3 episode "Domestic Beef". Another indication that the series took place in the Midwest or Northeast was Renko's statement to his partner in the season one episode "Politics As Usual": "Just drop that 'cowboy' stuff. "I was born in New Jersey, [and] never been west of Chicago in my life."

Specific references in other episodes to New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio would exclude those locales, while the clearest indication where the program was set lies in brief and occasional glances at Interstate Highway signs, including one sign designating the junction of I-55 and I-90, which is in Chicago.

The Billboard Hot 100 - 1961

The year is 1961 and just when you thought that rock & roll was the only sound on the radio dial along comes Motown Records. Named after its home town of Detroit, Michigan it signed up groups who were up and coming mega stars like The Supreme's and The Miracles whose 1961 hit "Shop Around" sold over a million copies and put the relatively new record label on the charts. Another Motown star was Ray Charles with the chart toppers "Hit the Road Jack" and "Let The Good Times Roll". The Motown sound was a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence which contributed major influences to the American music scene. It's creator Berry Gordy Jr. a song writer himself, would run the record label until 1988 when he sold his rights to MCA Universal Music.

Ricky (Rick) Nelson turned 21 this year and to celebrate he dropped the "y" from his name. To help promote his TV show a video recording was made of his performance of "Travelin' Man" which some believe is the first music video. The song made it to No1 for two weeks.

SONG	ARTIST	No OF WEEKS	DATE
Wonderland By Night	Bert Kaempfert	3	1/09
Will You Love Me Tomorrow	The Shirelles	2	1/30
Calcutta	Lawrence Welk	2	2/13
Pony Time	Chubby Checker	3	2/27
Surrender	Elvis Presley	2	3/20
Blue Moon	The Marcels	3	4/03
Runaway	Del Shannon	4	4/24
Mother-In-Law	Ernie-K-Doe	1	5/22
Travelin' Man	Ricky Nelson	2	5/29
Running Scared	Roy Orbison	1	6/05
Moody River	Pat Boone	1	6/19
Quarter To Three	Gary U.S. Bonds	2	6/26
Tossin' And Turnin'	Bobby Lewish	7	7/10
Wooden Heart	Joe Dowell	1	8/28
Michael	Highwaymen	2	9/4
Take Good Care Of My Baby	Bobby Vee	3	9/18
Hit The Road Jack	Ray Charles	2	10/09
Runaround Sue	Dion	2	10/23
Stay	Jimmy Dean	5	11/06
Please Mr. Postman	Marvalettes	1	12/11
The Lion Sleeps Tonight	Tokens	3	12/18

Picture goer Magazine - Marlon Brando

This edition of Picturegoer dates back to 1952 and features as its cover, Hollywood legend, Marlon Brando.

The Seventh Doctor with Classic Electronic TARDIS

Underground Toys present the Seventh Doctor action figure with Electronic Classic TARDIS as they appear in the ‘Curse of Fenric’. The Doctor comes with brown jacket, umbrella accessory and an Electronic TARDIS. The Classic TARDIS features opening left door with telephone cubby hole, a spring activated right hand door and features takeoff and landing light and sound effects.

Tiger Feet (1974)

"Tiger Feet" the classic song by Mud was written and produced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, Tiger Feet was the first of Mud's three number one singles in the UK, spending four weeks at the top of the chart from 22 January 1974. It was also the best-selling single in Britain that year and to this day is regarded as one of the best-loved party records from that era.

"Tiger Feet"
Single by Mud
B-Side	"Mr Bagatelle"
Released	January 1974
Format	7"
Recorded	1973
Genre	Pop, Glam rock
Length	3:45
Label	RAK
Writer(s)	Mike Chapman & Nicky Chinn
Producer	Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn
Mud singles chronology
"Dyna-Mite" (1973) "Tiger Feet" (1974) "The Cat Crept In" (1974)