Tuesday 18 May 2010

solvitur ambulando

Well, enough of all that politics stuff.  Welcome to a new world.  A brave one?  Who knows?  However, there is a film version of Dan Dare in the pipeline, so another piece of our childhood is about to be watered down and made hyper-real and packaged for the ADHD generation.

Still, back to matters at hand - music.  "If music be the food of love . . . prepare for indigestion" was the title of a Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mitch and Titch album in the 1960s.  Can't argue with that.  Here's the latest half-term concept album.  I can't give sleeve notes this time as the concept is "Connections" (cue James Burke).  If I explain anything, it'll give it away. I'll offer the list - you have to guess the connection - by the way, the last track is supposed to connect back to the first one. Anyone who recognises the cover will work it out.  Anyone working out the (rather obvious) connection is every bit as sad as me:

Rosie - Don Partridge
White Bird - It's A Beautiful Day
Les Oiseaux et les Electrons de Branilis - Dan Ars Braz
Hey Mr Spaceman - The Byrds
Golden Ring - J. J. Cale
Flight of the Snow Goose - Camel
Molly Bond - The Oysterband
One Misty Moisty Morning - Steeleye Span
I Can't Dance - Julie Covington
The Lord is in This Place, How Dreadful is this Place - Fairport Convention
An Phis Fhiiauch: The Girl in the Big House - Moving Hearts
Let There Be Drums - The Bunch

Oh, and you need to explain each track.  Happy hour is even cheaper here.

11 comments:

Mike C. said...

Life...too...short... Must...sleep...

Mike

Dave Leeke said...

Perhaps it's because I can't sleep that I come up with this stuff!

Brendini said...

Okay, I'm conceding complete and utter defeat. Too thick to compete.

Dave Leeke said...

Jesus I'm getting some stick for this - I thought this was SO simple.

Honestly, you'll kick yourself, it really is so straightforward.

Mike C. said...

"It is solved by/with/from walking" or "The answer is an ambulance". Perhaps they are all about sensible shoes?

I haven't even heard of, never mind heard, seven of these...

Mike

Dave Leeke said...

It can also mean idiomatically "you'll solve it as you go". It has nothing really to do with the actual connection. The problem is, it's so easy and the title of the woodcut is the title overall. I'm counting on people getting it . . .

Andy Wright said...

I am never that good at 'Cryptic' type puzzles but I think I may have worked this out.

Seems like the theme of your compilation is some seven months premature.

I think the connection is the 12 days of Christmas and I claim my prize of five goooooooold rings (one by J.J. Cale).

The connection with the first and last verse is that of course the singers always return to the first verse throughout the song.

I don't recognise the image but presumably it's to do with the festive season in some way (Is it of Tiny Tim possibly?)

In closing may I be the first to wish you and your readers a very Merry Christmas!

Dave Leeke said...

Well done, Andy - it's actually five months late!

Partridge; White bird (dove); french birds; Byrds calling, "hey!"; gold rings; geese; The Oysters singing "I took my love for a swan"; Steeleye warbling as usual about milkmaids; Julie - a lady dancing (or not); Lord; Moving Hearts with two Uileann pipers wailing away a storm; drums drumming. The twelfth track links back as (groan) Don Partridge was a one-man band and played a bass drum on his back (I warned you).

The cover is by Fritz Eichenberg and is titled "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and is from a classic edition of Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales".

The next month will mostly be taken up by AS level Film Studies exam papers you'll all be glad to know.

Five Gold rings indeed to you Andy - we'll make it five pints of St Peter's Suffolk Gold instead, shall we?

Mike C. said...

Oddly, I find that I am not kicking myself over this, as advertised...

Have fun with the exams!

Mike

(Word verification: tunona! Mrs. Ryder's mermaid daughter)

Andy Wright said...

Despite the fact that gold is probably a better bet than Sterling or the Euro at the moment, I will definitely go with the five pints of
St.Peter's Gold instead. Let's do it soon. I hope the next few weeks are not too horrendous for you.

Brendini said...

Christmas???!!! Well, fer f.......
Now, had you used Ardizzone's illustrations for A Child's Christmas in Wales, I still wouldn't have got the damn thing.