Nostalgia. Don't you just love it, not that today can be exactly like yesterday but rather you carry chunks of it about with you and everything on today entry is connected somewhere down the line to it.
This, one of many compilation albums by the Beach Boys, a famous Californian group, was by design designed in 1974 to appeal to a sense of nostalgia for past times in the United States by invoking imagery from the 1960's and a set of songs that spanned 1962 through to 1965 while using their early 70's appearances as if to say "You can have past and we're still here".
In its original form it suffered from trying to make mono recording stereo and famously getting Help Me Rhonda confused with an earlier version but this lp recut in 2009 corrects that with better sound too. I got a new sealed copy cheap.
I remember buying the 1981 UK budget re-issue lp at the time so having it back in this form brings back memories for me when I first started regressing.
You all know I loved the Dandy and looked forward to the Summer Specials and this was one I had back in 1972 which I recently bought a new copy in pretty decent condition given we ready them cover to cover several times over that featured many of my favourite characters and cartoon strip series.
The essential Winker Watson featured wrangling out of things and as befitted that era Form Master Creepy had his cane out at Greytowers awaiting Boodle and in another strip no less than three canings are featured in one story!
That was so relatable to our generation.
Every year D C Thomson do a compilation of past strips from the Beano and Dandy and this one from 2007 was all from the 1970's where they like Tiger were essential boy comic reading.
Re-reading this brought back a lot of memories not least where they tied into the current affairs of the day such as space missions and the advent of Punk.
This week while eventful on certain other respects we are looking at a few staples of LB/ASB life mainly attire.
Photo credit: Albert Prendergast
If you are LB/ASB then there is a possibility you may of encountered Albert Prendergast's store either on Ebay or from his own website which may be easier if you need additional touches to an item making.
I recently bought these Worsted wool white lined shorts which as supplied come in wide variety of waist sizes and can be taken up before dispatch if the supplied regular size inside leg, 9 inches, is longer than you prefer.
These are British, fully lined with an elastic back which is something with curvature of the spine I appreciate and a zip fly which is easier for some of us who struggle with buttons.
I would say while not cheap, they are very high quality, no so-so stitching and the like so you do get what you pay for, looking the part.
Photo credit: Albert Pendergast
Sometimes I sound like a one LB band because with the exception, just, of the M&S ribbed socks trying to find decent ones in actual child sizes cos I have small feet can be hard going as most long ones are "unisex" grey or black plain ones with lycra and none are classic turn over tops.
Luckily Mr Prendergast had some in that would fit perfect by Magic Fit that look very smart fitting perfectly.
Finally while still intact my blue pajamas from a few years ago were beginning to show a few signs of wear.
I'm of the school of thought that a pair for a LB/ASB should be of a fairly plain, simple sort being just for sleeping in just like some of us had in first childhood.
These are about as plain as it gets, certainly nothing fancy as in logo's or motif's just a simple functional pair with a button fly should I need to get up at night to go somewhere.
That concludes this mini look at new LB/ALB attire at chez Chris.
This week has been in many respects a turbulent one although I generally don't do politics on this blog those who know me understand my thoughts around certain matters but as that goes I'm going back to the present.
Seasoned followers of this blog will know soccer (aka Association Football) is a big thing with me being what we played on the streets, during break times and for boys games at school.
Face it, if back then you didn't do soccer then your options for socializing with other boys were going to be diminished so we all did including disabled me who learned his lessons on getting along with picking himself up from and standing up for himself on the pitch.
We followed teams following the results on Saturday's and talked about them Monday's at school that means for me soccer reopening next weekend is a biggie so I'll be watching in my footie strip, jumping up and down.
The other thing was footie was in our comics of which a big one was Tiger cos it had Roy of the Rovers who has been rebooted for today's boys (and girls) in fiction and comic strip form.
Rebellion who have the rights to the Tiger era Roy of the Rovers have had a series of annual like compilations starting with the 1950's and getting into the 60's that took whole stories that run across issues compiled.
This week we reach the 1970's kicking off with stories I remember as a boy back then in Junior School reading first time from June 16th through October 6th 1973, August 3rd through December 28 1974 and January 4th through June 21st 1975.
These are straight reproductions of the cartoon strips as published with little digital beaching so you will see some signs of a light brown cast from the paper and the colour where used such as the front cover of that weeks issue as all colour comics were not a thing when I was reading them is muted.
It comes with an introduction from Barrie Tomlinson who joined the team behind Roy of the Rovers at that time as a sub editor talking about how they developed the stories such as it was during this era Roy became a Player-Manager which was a move mirrored in the real life game then.
The compilation is very well put together being well bound and so makes a lovely modern replacement for those comics we had back then.
Recommended for any schoolboy of that era.
It's Friday, it's cooling down so we'll get on to this.
You might remember the grey shirt from that portion of your life we have fond memories of even if for some strange reason my high school didn't do grey thus most of mine today cos I live this life full time were white.
Some academies too seem to have an issue with grey, mind you sometimes you look at their uniforms and think it's more upscale business wear than anything really for children in school too.
That tends to mean bigger collar sizes in grey aren't always stocked by the usual online uniform stores but I found one in the Black Country, here in the Midlands that did and so did get a couple.
Most of my original school shirts were Banner, often brought from Markets in Newcastle Under Lyme and the Potteries and were good, fitting well.
I did pick up an new tie.
Ties are an issue with me as I don't have the dexterity and co-ordination to fasten them so while I agree with the more traditionally minded, reality is unless you going add tie fastening to shoe lace fastening as something you're going to do for me, like with them they have to fasten differently.
That's why it's a clip on, so I can put it on even if that remains difficult so I can be more independant.
That too came from an establishment that sells school wear.
Pix credit Albert Pendergrast
Albert Prendergast just got in stock these UK made grey jumpers with red, white and black trim and turn over cuffs.
So soon no sooner that I'd see the email announcing their arrival, one was promptly ordered and paid for.
I know you can get others and they are not bad value for money but for one thing the styling on some is a crossover between a jumper and a sweatshirt and for another they tend to be synthetics not wool.
These are very good quality and like much of the sector I can remember what I paid in the early 80's for similar UK made jerseys which when you take into account inflation these are close to.
In reality, in the passing decades generic uniform has been driven down for understandable reasons around inclusiveness for the least well off, to becoming less well made and this shows in materials and being made in countries with poor labour conditions.
They may be cheap but they aren't as well finished and don't last as long.
Final thought. On Monday I had reason to meet up with relatives and family friends and I was in toned down schoolboy attire not a million miles removed from how I would of presented back then in grey shirt, tie, grey shorts and a pair of proper turn over top grey socks from A.P
I felt good to be me on what was a sad occasion, that good that I was able to engage in a good twenty minutes of conversation looking very smart with cousins without being me and presenting as such being an issue.
Part of that comes to wearing well made and fitting clothes that having nothing to explain you feel confident and so you just join in.
