Amsterdam Russ

Have you ever considered that all those people were scared because they considered you to be the socially inept male?

Must admit to having a soft spot for setting up and taking Christmassy shots like this one of a snowman in his snow globe (although to me it kind of looks like a snowman stepping through some sort of space/time portal!). The green effect in the background comes from a small light-up tree decoration, which I placed behind and I used a small torch to provide some side light and to create some shadow at the same time. Camera on a tripod… room lights off… click, click, click… and away you go!

Of course there's the man who wrote this classic... ...but who is much more commonly known for this instantly recognisable theme tune.

Not a record, but a CD... https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2015/11/24/wu-tang-clan-secret-album-sold-by-paddle8-but-to-whom/

Wu-Tang Clan - from a year and a half ago... https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2014/05/06/unlocking-the-wu-tang-clans-secret-album-in-morocco/

Aren't there countless one-copy-known acetates out there that ought to be considered equally as rare - if not rarer – than "the rarest record of all time"? Come to that, and excluding acetates, did any label ever actually press just one copy of anything?* * excluding the alleged one-off gimmicky press of a hyped record a few years ago that was supposedly held securely in a vault in Morocco or somewhere similar!

I thought the whole point was that it contained a few classics and left-of-field tracks, but that the unreleased Motown and stuff was the key as far as Universal or whoever it is was concerned. And that brings up the question again, is this young lady actually responsible for this compilation in any meaningful way or merely just a poster girl. Of course, none of us on here are in any way the target market - unless you can claim to look like her, dance like her, have her "attitude" or are broadly in the same age group. Nope, didn't think so. Although I'm not particularly keen on what she does - and nor the marketing hype that surrounds her - she is a modern day and very successful walking, talking, completely interactive, multi-media, social-media friendly version of the classic still photos from the 70s that made the scene so iconic – not only to those who "kept the faith" and still do, but also to those on the periphery who think it looks kind of cool - and sort of sounds kind of cool as well. Out of that comes people who not only like a few tunes compiled here and there, but also those who might develop a deep sense of appreciation of the music as a whole - if they're allowed to without being mocked or derided.

Our local garden centre - the largest in the Netherlands at a whopping 80,000 square metres - puts on a great, but sometimes surreal Christmas display every year. Here's a few pics from this year's festive offering (pics taken with my iPad)...

You got it in one. The next fruit bat you find on the vine is yours!

A misheard lyric rather than a stupidly daft lyric. "When I found that love of mine, I found the fruit bats on the vine…" There's a prize of a fruit bat if you can ID the song.

Soul Music Video feature Name: Northern Soul Amsterdam Category: Event Trailers Date Added: 2015-11-15 Submitter: /profile/9478-russell-gilbert/>Russell Gilbert Event promo for Northern Soul Amsterdam launch party 12th December 2015 @ Café Batavia watch now... /videos/view-1102-northern-soul-amsterdam/>Northern Soul Amsterdam

Just this afternoon had to pay €17.20 for goods bought from Amazon.com priced at €69.93. The charge comprised of €4.20 VAT and €13.00 as a handling charge. To add insult to injury, the package wasn't even for me! Have to say I'm buying less and less vinyl from the States nowadays because of these charges and the often ridiculous mailing costs in the first place. I find it incredible that some eBay sellers can still mail out a 45 for $6-8 while others want to charge $20+. No problems at the cheaper end of the postage scale if you know the seller will mark down the value of the item, but otherwise it's no longer worth it. Add to that the terrible euro/sterling rate (from my perspective) and buying from the UK is considerably less attractive than it once was. Hunting vinyl locally, or buying within the EU, is the only way to get value for money - unless you're lucky enough to have nabbed yourself a bargain.

Thanks for the offer, Andy. Now sorted with a Key-Loc issue. And thanks to everyone for the offers.

Wanted: Sunny & the Sunliners - I'm no stranger - Key-Loc (EX cond both sides) PMs please.

Saw a few a couple of weeks ago from our balcony. Normally all we see from there are swifts, so I can only presume that the swallows and martins were extending their hunting grounds as the insect population decreases with the dropping temperatures. Have seen a number of birds of prey from the same balcony over the same period - much more so that I've usually seen and guess they're also extending their range in the search for food. Thank goodness. I was running out of ideas. Now for the photos, please...

Third time lucky… Menorca?

Then it has to be Elba!

Corsica...

Which island? Better still, get out there with your camera, take some snaps, and we'll have a guess! My first guess is Lanzarote...

If there's one thing I miss about the UK since moving to the Netherlands, it's the countryside - gently sloping hills, an undulating horizon and the like are a welcome sight when you're in a land as flat and as managed as this (it's so well managed they even plant the trees in straight lines!). Thanks for sharing.

Fans might be interested to know that Eli "Paperboy" Reed was recently a special guest on the long-running Fingerpoppin Soul show from Amsterdam. As well as performing acoustic versions of a couple of his new songs, he also talks about his musical heroes! Listen here: https://www.mixcloud.com/fingerpoppinsoulsoulradiofroma/fingerpoppin-soul-11142-17-09-2015-special-guest-eli-paperboy-reed/

Isn't this just the same as book clubs and wine clubs? Sure to be of interest to some, but I doubt it offers much for people with specialist interests.