Amsterdam Russ

Just got these... Argentina (think this might have been posted already. Apologies if so). Argentina Argentina Argentina Turkey

It was sent registered mail about 2 weeks ago, and I've provided you with a copy of all the details. The sooner the refund comes, the sooner we can close this situation that began with me buying a 20 euro 45 from you at the end of January.

I'd go for white, green and yellow in order of 'hardest', although with so many copies about of all three it's hardly hard at all. Now if someone can find me a green label copy of Loma 2087...

Very nice way to spend a sabbatical, Steve, and your bird count must be going through the roof!

Sometimes I wonder why, but I'm still an optimist at heart, Pete.

Cool pics all round, Steve. You're lucky to be able to get out and about so often.

Sorry to hear that your having problems, Chris. Postal delays because of Easter? As for me, I should be getting my refund any day now.

Yes and no! Text books mainly preach that there should be a focus point; it makes for a good nature photo. Professional photographers also teach that the image as a whole should tell a story. In my case (as I perceive it) the image captures the idea of how fast birds fly past us human observers; how we sometimes just catch fleeting glimpses of shapes and sounds, and how, although they blur across our vision, we can still fill in what we don't see with our imagination and know it's still a specific tyrpe of bird.

Brilliant idea. Wish I was closer - & vice versa. - especially having seen what's potentially on offer!

Not sure, but are you working on the basis that motion shots have to be crisp and clear? If so, that's not the case. The point is to show motion/action/speed relative to the subject matter. I've caught loads of birds in flight that are motionlessly/frozen 'mid-flight'. It's trying to portray the scene as you observed it - the speed, sense of movement and action - that's the challenge. Apologies if I've misunderstood you!

Cheers, Steve. The shot of the geese flying past is one of my faves as it has that great sense of blurred motion about it. It was taken one evening in the late autumn, in the Amsterdamse Bos ( the Amsterdam woods), in an area once under water that was drained and reclaimed about 100 years ago by the Dutch. They call it a Polder. It's marshland by any other name. It's a feeding ground for 100s of geese and I was there that evening trying to get some dusky flying shots. As it turned out, the conditions were too dull all round for anything taken without a tripod. But, just before it got too dark, I heard a low whistling of goose wings in rapid flight. I could tell that they were close, but couldn't pinpoint them exactly. Realising then that they were flying super fast behind the trees directly in front of me, I panned the camera as quickly as I could across the trees in the split second available in the hope of catching the birds as they emerged from the other side. I got off just one shot - the one here. While I'm sure the result doesn't convay it, it was one of the most exciting and stirring photographic moments I've ever had. Now if only I was skilled enough to do such things at will!

As this brilliant thread runs over 10 pages because of everyone's great pics, I'm not sure if I've posted these already, but here goes... Peacock close-up Starling - summer plummage Geese flying past (really fast)!

Phew, I made sense, or at least partial sense in the end ;-)

Likewise, but the strong element of doubt adds to the intrigue and gives it an aura of excitement for me. It's a disc full of possibilities: is it, isn't it? And if it is - who, what, where, when and why?? ;-)

You misunderstand. Can't see where I even get close to suggesting that "DB isn't a worthy soul record", whatever that means. My point is that one is not a rare tune (two tunes to precise as it's a double-sider), but is rare in a couple of 45rpm formats. The other is a rare tune on 45 no matter how you look at it. Having DB as a London or Stateside demo is more about having a rare object than anything else. You can have the songs in a number of other, cheaper 45 formats. It's 45 rpm trophyism. Timi Yuro, on the other hand, is only available on 45 rpm via the Liberty single. It is both a rare (subjective term) object and a rare tune. Mind you, even rarer is the Timi Yuro acetate that featured in a thread here some years back. Now that I would quite like to own ;-)

You can report the seller. Here's a link to eBay's guidelines for both parties. Hope it helps. https://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/report-trading.html

Very, very sad to hear. Another one passes away. It's a sobering thought that won't be long before this music moves beyond the bounds of living memory.

A-ha. Thanks for that. I've not got the title right then, which might explain why I was having difficulty finding it! Checking now, I see it on YouTube as Summer in... Not Summertime in... And there's one on eBay listed with the same error.

Summer in the city by The Manhattans. Did that get a 45 release? I see what appears to be some form of reissue on eBay, but wonder if there is a proper 1st issue. Always thought it was album only. Mind you, I'm sure I recall seeing it on a French release, or did I just imagine that?

And the Dutch Liberty LP...

Brilliant! I admire their genius in marketing! Love this part: Can we assume then that it took them two years to sell the 50 sets? If so, it just goes to show what potential there is for great items such as these. I don't play guitar, but I sure do wish I did now.

Each to their own, of course, Pete. The DB is all about owning the rarest format of an otherwise very easily obtainable 45. It's about collecting rare things - objects as trophies. The Timi Yuro is about a sublime slice of soul that just happens to be rare. It's music as a trophy. To me there's a big difference. Mind you, find both in a charity shop for a quid each when I've only got one coin and one way or another I'd not leave either of them behind!

My choice? Timi Yuro - "It'll never be affordable to me". Great tune. Monumental tune! So is DB, but as a song it's easily available. On the other hand, Timi Yuro gave us something completely unique. In my book there's nothing else like it emotionally, well, except for Buddy Smith - When you lose the one you love. And that'll never be affordable to me either.

When I first started listening to Northern Soul and Motown as a stupid teenager - and naively believing that it was a black and white world in which life's choices were about picking one thing or the other - I recall saying to a friend that if this great music that I'd just discovered didn't exist I'd probably get into ska and reggae. That though would probably have led me to a completely different, possibly more "mellow" life, which ultimately may not have suited me. I like the heart-pumping adrenaline hype that goes with dancing to Northern Soul, and the tingles that come from listening to Northern Soul, so guess I'd need these feelings from some form of music. Like a lot of people, I listen to stuff across many genres such as the aforementioned Ska and Reggae along with jazz, bebop, jump blues/swing, Latin, cumbia, African, classical, blues and more. The thing is though, I rarely if ever get the 'Northern Soul' emotional highs - the rapture - with other forms of music, and I have no conscious control over these feelings. They happen or they don't. Some Latin sounds come close. For example, I recently bought a CD of Haitian music from the 60s through the 70s call Haiti Direct. It's got some great stuff on it like this one below. Reckon I could go for stuff like this in a big way in the non-Northern universe. And all those tropical cocktails and other colourful things that you'd associate with the tropics is a big step up from pints of lager, beer bellies, talc and grim venues in grey-skied towns

Locking this post as it's run its course.