Author Topic: A magical area  (Read 25364 times)

Jacqueline

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2006, 06:33:44 PM »
He wrote the song but was not famous for singing it.

Graham

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2006, 08:08:01 PM »
Jacqueline, lucky you having Raymond Froggat as a family member! You see they are out there these great Brummies from our magical area.

In and out of the red balloon
marry the farmers daughter
sleepy heads in the afternoon
callow, callow la vita

That's off my head the rest I can't remember, maybe there isn't more? Good songs can be that simple.  8)

Langstraat

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2006, 08:56:17 PM »
Luscious Lips Kathy Kirby came from Ilford in Essex
Never argue with an idiot, they'll drag you down to their level and try to beat you with experience.

john2000

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2006, 10:57:44 PM »
I know her, she is/was a singer, she came to Birmingham one night and we asked her to sing "seven drunken nights" but sang another song instead ;D
Growing old is mandatory..........Growing up is optional

Langstraat

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #15 on: October 28, 2006, 11:47:09 PM »
I came 'out' in 1972, now before you get the wrong idea 'out' oftens refers to being true to yourself; that was the case for me after 6 years of Lambretta's I bought my first Motorbike. It had been denied to me because I had chosen to be classified as a Mod during the swinging sixties. I had had four scooters startings with an Li150 Special before finishing with a GT 200. In 1972 I needed a more reliable form of transport to enable shiftwork and the extra money that brought. The decision was made easier by the Honda CB 250 here was a motorbike which was as cool as a scooter and still avoided by the true blue Rockers who rode Nortons and BSA's The Honda had an electric starter 5 gears, loads of chrome and could out run most oily 650's. It was reliable and clean you could have kept it in your front room without fear of it leaving a mark. It was shortly after getting the bike that I went to Vale Onslow for the first time talk about stepping into the Lions den. I wanted a half fairing and had noticed them in their window. I went on a Saturday afternoon slightly intimidated by a gang of Rockers I was convinced they would damage the bike so rode onto the pavement adjacent to the door. I expected some sort of derision from them when I asked for a fairing for the Honda but was pleasantly surprised when it was explained that they fitted most types of bikes. Everyone took an interest in the bike as if it was the first one they had seen close up.  Vale Onslow's collection of bikes was entirely British each with a baking tray beneath the engine. I bought a fairing from them and that was the last time I ever went into the shop, the writing was on the wall for old bangers and his shop only carried on because of the devotion of those of that era.
My last bike Yamaha XS 750 was bought from Percy Tate's at Small Heath he was the UK team manager for many years with many TT races to his credit.
The Yamaha was a hybrid, they had to change over from two-stroke engines to four stroke to comply with American legislation and commissioned a dutch company to design a bike for the challenge. The XS had Honda electrics, a Norton feather bed frame, BMW shaft drive. They choose the Triumph trident three cylinder motor and stopped its inherent oil leaking problem by fitting a Suzuki ram air cowl to force air down the back of the cylinders to stop it expanding and leaking (shame Norton hadn't thought about that earlier. It had triple disks and alloy wheels for the first time on a production bike. I was stopped often in the first few months by Norton Commando Police riders so they could have a closer look. A beautiful bike but after the silky flow of the Honda 400 which I had traded in this one was a noisy banger like the British bikes I had tried to avoid. oh hum. I rode it for a couple of years until one day I lost my bottle. I'd been working night shifts and after finishing on the Friday couldn't sleep on Saturday night. I decide to take the bike out and at 1.00 a.m on the M6 heading north rode towards Stafford. it was a clear night and unlike todays traffic congestion there was nothing on the road. I opened her up after the services crouching froward over the dials. I stretched back and placed my feet over the rear indicator stalks to reduce the wind resistance and get a few more MPH. It was whilst I was in this ironing board position egging on the speedo to pass 115 that I wondered what would happen if a tyre burst. I didn't wonder about it too long before sitting upright and placing my feet on the pegs. I turned round at the next exit and returned home at a more leisurly pace.
During my two wheeled experience I had a broken collar bone on a scooter and a broken leg on a motorbike.
It's true what they say about bikers falling into one of two categories
 "Those that have had accidents and those that are going to"
I haven't been on a bike since, do I miss it? do I heck.
Never argue with an idiot, they'll drag you down to their level and try to beat you with experience.

Graham

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #16 on: October 29, 2006, 08:40:37 AM »
In the 60's I was a "mod" and proud of it I did have my Lambretta 150 trashed when one evening I left it outside at the Silver Blades ice rink. Rebuilt my scooter there and then on the pavement, jumping up and down on the side panels to get them straight enough to fit back on! In the daytime I worked for a time at BSA (1961 & 1965), building bikes for the "rockers".

I even started a new fashion. As I had little spare cash, keeping my racing cycles in good nick cost me all I had, I used to go out in the town with my racing jerseys on. They were real good quality, better than the cloths in my wardrobe, and that took off like a house on fire. Cycle shops were soon sold out of jerseys, not to the cyclists but to the "mods". At the time that the twist was in swing I found that cycling shoes were ideal for twisting the night away, that type of shoe soon became the fashion too, among the "mods". The type of shoe that I used and became 1967 world champ in are now in a museum, I'm told it looks more like a shrine, at Ruxley Cycles in Kent.

Graham

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #17 on: October 29, 2006, 12:56:22 PM »
Jacqueline, I have looked up the lyrics and see that there is more to the song.

http://www.raymond-froggatt.com/lyrics.htm

It appears to be a translation of a once French song with with the catch lines in Spanish.

http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/q/quecalorlavida.shtml

 This disappoints me as I thought that the lad from Small Heath was a genius  :(. Broke my red balloon.

http://www.royalgenes.biz/alt.music.lyrics/thread88.html


Jacqueline

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #18 on: October 29, 2006, 07:19:36 PM »
I also had a look around and found it was Dave Clark Five who recorded Red Balloon. I know Froggie has written many songs but was not aware this was a translation.

Hubby has not seen him since they were 12 and 13 when they had a scap. :o. Some of the family have been to his gigs. He used to do the country weekends at the Haven holiday camps.

Graham

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #19 on: October 29, 2006, 07:59:42 PM »
Still remains a catchy song, too much in fact can't get it out of head today! The words always remind me of the Paris Park where I had a photo shoot in 1967 for my French sponsor.

Langstraat

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #20 on: October 29, 2006, 09:32:32 PM »
Carrying on with the Red Balloon theme; Can anyone remember the children's film The Red Balloon? it won many awards and was shown on TV in the fifties. It was about a little boy who found a red balloon, it was filmed in Paris's the old quarter. The balloon took on magically qualities and followed the boy on his daily trips to school. I wont spoil the end for those who haven't seen it but when I first saw it as a child it was wonderful. I recently tracked it down in an internet film society and for 25 minutes was lost in a childhood many years since past. I played it for my grandchildren and for the same period they were transfixed with the storyline. The only other film that has ever come close to it was the Snowman. These are two films that children of all ages  ;) will enjoy.
Never argue with an idiot, they'll drag you down to their level and try to beat you with experience.

Jacqueline

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Re: A magical area
« Reply #21 on: October 29, 2006, 10:48:59 PM »
I seem to vaguely remember that film. Were very few words said? Or then that might have been me being too young to follow subtitles. ???

I loved the early Peter Pan, well i am a girl so i guess it was my job. :)


 

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