Hamilton Saint

No, you pay with an invisible 8 pound note.

I'm wondering why you keep putting an s on the end of words that don't need it.

Blackpool. Not that I like them; it's just that I dislike W Ham.

You seem to have a whole set of assumptions and prejudices about what these folk and folk-rock musicians think and believe about music. You write "that idea that if you take everything away and just sing it earnestly it reveals what the listener might never have suspected, *gasp*, a good song, smacks to me of arrogance and laziness". What makes you think that is an attitude they hold? It's not theirs, it's yours. Why do you think the folk scene "is largely consumed by its own smugness and self-reference"? That's your characterization - and it's not one I understand or share. How many of June Tabor's albums have you actually listened to? Have you ever listened to any of them? She does traditional folk ballads, but also covers contemporary singer-songwriter material in the folk/folk-rock scene. I've been listening to her for 35 years. She's brilliant. Consistently brilliant. For over three decades.

Your argument is an interesting one, but it's undermined by your prejudice (" ... faux authenticity ..."). Jimi Hendrix's version of "All Along the Watchtower" (bluesy-rock) is completely different from Dylan's (acoustic-folk), but they're both effective versions of a good song. Miles Davis's version (jazz) of the filmtrack song "Someday My Prince Will Come" (Disney pop ballad) is completely different - and excellent. Joe Cocker's version of "With a Little Help From My Friends" (gospel/soul) is an excellent cover of the pop original. And so on. We can enjoy very different arrangements of the same song - if they're done well. The music and lyrics of a good song can work in any style. But if you're biased against a particular genre you're just not going to appreciate it. Your attitude to folk and folk/rock ("the beige premise that songs should be stripped of their excitement and set instead to a backing of humdrum strum-along") means you're never going to like a song done in this way, no matter the quality of the original song. By the way, June Tabor, the vocalist singing here with The Oyster Band, has demonstrated over and over again in some 20 albums since 1976 an exquisite taste in contemporary songwriting, and she has recorded fantastic versions of many wonderful songs. If your bias makes you deaf to that quality, it is your loss, my friend.

No, it isn't! You just need to listen with an open mind (and ears!).

Now that we're finally back in the Premier League, it's gonna be fun to play Pompey and establish definitively who is the best team in Hampshire.

Interesting read. Based on the individual marks, you should have the overall mark as a B, not an A! IMHO, of course!

I would say that "Prog Rock" emerged as a recognisable genre in the late 60s/early 70s. Popular albums in those early days: In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson; The Yes Album by Yes; Emerson, Lake & Palmer's first album. I never thought of The Moody Blues as progressive rock - to me they were a glorified (and rather pretentious) pop band - who put out LPs masquerading as "concept albums". Other notable bands in the early phase: Genesis, Camel, Van Der Graf Generator, Pink Floyd. Sgt. Pepper is not prog rock but you can see certain elements tending towards that style and approach.

The new Bonnie Raitt album, Slipstream. It's excellent. She's a wonderful singer; she has an impeccable taste in songs; and she plays a mean slide-guitar.

3 = 2 + 1 5 = 4 + 1

These pictures are fantastic. Thanks!

... but implied. (It's called 'reading between the lines'.)

Three important points: 1) add a layer of top soil before you lay the turf; 2) lay the turf down like you're bricklaying (overlapping and staggering); 3) keep the lawn well-watered for a week or two until the roots are well developed.

Come on, Saints!

I remember when René Lévesque was Premier of Québec in the 70s, a newscaster in the States pronounced his name as Ree-nee Le-ves-queue.

'Twould be a good name for a band - Le Tissier Skills.

This thread is a load of Nanki-Poo.

59 Grew up in Hythe in the 60s. Went to St. Mary's College in So'ton. First game was at The Dell ca. 1964. Favourite memory was promotion to the First Division in the mid-60s.

A few miles from here, airforce veterans at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum have restored a Lancaster bomber to flying condition. Most weekends throughout the summer they fly it over the city. It goes right over my house. There's nothing quite like the sound of those engines as the thing approaches - instantly recognisable! http://www.warplane.com/index.html

I presume you mean that it's a mental thing - i.e., a matter of self-confidence; in which case I agree with you. Lambert radiates an aura that says, "This is going in - there's no way you're going to stop me!" James Beattie had the same attitude. He would put the ball down on the spot and, without looking at the keeper, would walk back a few steps, turn around briskly, and hammer the ball into the net. Yes, mental toughness is a big part of being a successful penalty-taker.

Which bit do they like so much? Killing people? Getting killed? Getting maimed by a IED? Getting PTSS?

Come on, Saints! Three points, please.

Yeah, saw that earlier. Thanks!

Let's put it this way, after listening to the game on Saints Player each Saturday, I immediately check the scores for the 6 or 7 teams below us and quickly work out the points difference between us the other top 8 teams. Also starting to study the run-in for us and the other top teams. Oh, and I'm not convinced by Merrington's bold assertions that we are definitely going up. Many long weeks ahead of us yet!