Amsterdam Russ

The man's contribution to music was immense. The legacy he leaves us serves as a wonderful monument to his unique genius. Long live Jerry Ragovoy.

One that I got turned on to not so long ago is 'Loser' by New Dawn on Mainstream. I think they were a white prog/folk rock band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGynYSTvz0c

That's definitely not a problem. I moved from London to the Netherlands nearly four years ago and if there's just one thing I can tell you about the country it's that it's always damp!

Truly Smith, real name Josie Taylor, was born in Warrington. She became a teacher and retired as headmistress of a school in Alnwick. Her married name is Josie MacDonough. There's a lengthy article about her here: Truly Smith That came to me, Pete...

Sorry, that just doesn't help. On topic advice only, please. There must be others with acetates in their collection who know that these things are irrevocably deteriorating - and who must have thought about preserving them in the longer term. Acetates have existed as long as the pressing of records has, so some effort must have been spent in the preservation of what at times is the least preserved part of the whole process!

Rbman - that doesn't help answer the questions I asked, does it? Got lots of insights about the manufacturing processes of records? Great - please share it, but not here. I'm asking for specific advise and please respect that. Thanks...

That David and The Giants were really The Osmonds before they became famous... That The Soul Twins were really Sam and Dave using an alias to get around contractual obligations... That 'Interplay' by Derek and Ray was going to be the theme tune to 'Coronation Street - The Movie'...

I'm sure that the quality of the chemical mix that makes the lacquer adds to durability/stability or lack of it. From my experience acetate quality - just like vinyl or styrene - varies immensely. I recently picked up a 45 year old Four Tops acetate and it sounded as if it had never been played. At the other end of the scale, I have a couple of them the same age where the lacquer is falling off like some sort of acetate alopecia. However, it's the ones that fall in between - the ones that might just possibly be improved by some sort of gentle cleaning - that I'm more interested in. It's not about restoration, it's about finding ways of cleaning foreign gunk out of the grooves. A diluted mix of washing-up liquid and water, or just plain water, appears to be the preferred 'solution'. I did find a recommendation online to use distilled water for cleaning, which makes a lot of sense. All I have to do now is experiment to see what works! Now, which acetate should it be first?

Likewise, mine rarely see the light of day and typically get played once so that I can record them digitally. With a number of them I can't help but think that much of the crackles come from dirt rather than any real deterioration of the lacquer itself. I wonder if they can stand up to luke warm water and washing up liquid, but just don't want to risk it!

Bearing in mind the fragility of acetates, trying to find a practical means of cleaning them is not something that you'd readily want to experiment with. Spirit/alcohol based solutions are out of the question, so what works? Anyone had any success in cleaning them?

According to the TFL website, items left in the back of cabs are first handed in to local police stations. From there it can take seven days before the item ends up with lost property. So, keep checking back with them! Lost Property Note that there are three or four major black cab fleets in London, and these may be worth contacting as well. Off the top of my head you have: Radio Taxis, Dial-a-Cab & Computer Cab. There will be others. Of course, your driver may not belong to one of these firms, but between them they probably represent a good percentage of all black cabs in London. Good luck! Oh, just noticed you say you lost them 12th May! Still worth checking with the all the black cab fleets.

Sorry Ian, but unintentional as it is, that's up there as one of the funniest things I've read on this site for a long time. I very much suspect that you were right in your second assumption! Put yourself in her shoes - and, if some old geezer came on to your 20-something daughter like that, what advice would you offer?

Agreed. I have a version by Peggy Lee from the late 40s and have often thought when listening that it must have provided at least some modicum of inspiration for the Frank Wilson song.

Anyone know...?

Lorraine, it takes me very much by surprise that you would have any 'haters' at all, let alone a plurality of them. Beyond acknowledging the obvious fact that there are far too many people in the world who have a sandwich short of a picnic, why should this be so? Russell

My mind is now sufficiently boggled...

Jimmy Helms - Gold - Japanese 45.

The best thing about the 1974 film 'Gold' starring Roger Moore and Susannah York is the eponymous opening theme sung by Jimmy Helms. I bought a copy of this last week (Japanese 45 on Philips with lovely pic sleeve) and was disappointed to find that it's a different version of the song. The YouTube clip has the version I was after, rather than the funkier and somewhat disco-ified version I now have. Is this also on 45, or is it on the soundtrack album only? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJtjmS8WXR8

Hi Lorraine, A question for you, if I may... When you cut 'What can I do'/'Tell me you're mine' on Giant - or indeed any records - and the 45s are pressed and all packed in their boxes ready for distribution, what happened next in terms of you promoting the songs? How did that work; what happened at street level - were you performing the songs in clubs (and if so were the likes of Mike Terry out there with you?), or doing radio interviews, that kind of thing? Do bear in mind that whilst we might be able to hold these records in our hands years later, it's sometimes very difficult or impossible to appreciate and understand the life cycle of a record when it first came out at the time and the efforts that went in to promoting it, particularly by the artist or group. Insights about such things are (certainly for me) absolutely fascinating and really add an extra dimension not just to the songs, but to the disks themselves, the 45s we hold in our hands and treasure so much.

Incredible - the one and only Lorraine Chandler here, right now! Just by being here Lorraine, you're making a whole fresh batch of memories for people. It's the stuff of legend!

Wanted: Linda Jones & Whatnauts - I'm so glad I found you - Stang (Ex/M preferred). PM's only, please. Thanks for looking.

Just picked up a copy of the French release on eBay, with sleeve, for £2.99.

Benny was his older brother.

Nice French release