Sunday night in Hunstantons KIT KAT

[EWW]

Mag 7 is one of my favorite goodie baddy films. Flint I did not like at all. In several quiz's over the years I have been in the same
question has come up several times. Without the help of Google in the quiz the main charecters are easy, Brynner, Coburn, Mcqueen
ect. There is nearly always one that quizers fail to get. We did and lost points, but still went on to win through to the next round
of Top of the Town quiz at the RAFA club which was then in High Street. Merlin Saddleton was the quizmaster.

[8 boston square]

Is a good old quiz question that catches out lots of older people who were the original Magnificent Seven? Well here they are............Yul Bryner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughan, Horst Bucholtz and Brad Dexter. The music was good as well Elmer Bernstein was it, I did have the single.
Another film I liked was "the Time Machine" with Robert Taylor, 1961 ? I am not surprised he went to find Lana, I would have as well!

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Most people forget Horst Bucholtz. And it was Rod Taylor. Certain of my family call me "Rod" after the said actor.

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As I have probably said before I still recall my first visit to the Kit Kat on a summer Sunday night in 1962 but had no idea what was coming luckily Danny Ford usually announced whose track they were playing next but who was Chuck Berry and Fats Domino? The Ventures I had heard of with their 1960's hit "Walk Don't Run." but had never heard "Perfidia" and "No Tresspassing" how did I miss them? I expected I might be hearing Elvis and Cliff but who else? Who were the musical heroes of that time? Where and when did Rock and Roll really start, one day it was just there wrapped up as popular music and I was thrilled by it.
in 1986 the CEO of Atlantic Records opened the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland , OHIO and the first man in was Chuck Berry followed by Fats Domino what a surprise! Also that year came Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers and Ray Charles among others, off to a good start then.
1987 saw The Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Roy Orbison and Ricky Nelson among others. 1988 we get the Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Drifters. 1989 We get the Rolling Stones and Dion. 1990 Its Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Kinks and the Who amongst others. 1992 The Yardbirds. 1996 David Bowie and the Shirelles. 1997 The Bee Gees.1998 Gene Vincent. 1999 Del Shannon. 2002 Brenda Lee and Gene Pitney. 2003 The Police and the Clash. 2006 Black Sabbath and the Sex Pistols.
2008 The Ventures at last and the Dave Clark Five. 2009 Little Anthony and the Imperials. 2010 ABBA and the Hollies. 2018 Dire Straights and 2019 The Zombies.
Now I have not listed everyone who was inducted into the Hall of Fame, some took a while to get there and there are some famous omissions as well so how are they selected? Well it was done by vote, apparently and there is the time difference to consider as well but there is one glaring group missing on this list have you managed to spot it?

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Two artists that I forgot from the list in 1986 Buddy Holly and in 2001 Queen, so who is missing?

[Tresagreen]

Is it The Shadows?

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Tresagreen you are almost right the correct answer was Cliff Richard and the Shadows, neither Cliff or the Shadows or indeed Cliff Richard and the Shadows have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which I find amazing in some ways, I cannot imagine growing up without Cliff and Elvis they were the base f all rock and roll in my formative years and I suspect the answer lies very much with Cliff's lack of success in the USA, he only ever had 3 top 10 American hits and then not until the 1980's and they were "Devil Woman", "We don't Talk Anymore" and "Dreamin." Although he was very successful in Europe and around the world the USA evaded him like many others. It also shows how inward looking the USA can be at times. I expect it would have been very different if the group were American! The other thing to also bear in mind is that in the late 50's and early 60's a lot of American hits were also covered by UK artists with Marty Wilde as an example who did "Dream Lover", "Teenager in Love.", "Bad Boy" and "Donna" to name but a few from Bobby Darin, Dion and the Belmonts and Paul Anka. Craig Douglas also got in on the acts as well but Cliff well I can only think of two. Tommy Edwards 1958 hit "Its All in the Game." which got to number 2 in 1963 and the 'B' side to "I'm Looking out of the Window." which was released in 1962. The song was a song we got on a Sunday Night at the Kit Kat although the song had its name changed. Originally it was hit for Billy Freeman in 1958 and called "Do you Want to Dance." for Cliff Richard and the Shadows it came as "Do You Wanna Dance." At the Kit Kat I remember when I heard it "well whose version are the Offbeats doing, Cliff's or The Beach boys?" Time plays its ghastly tricks! The Beach Boys version did not come out until 1965 so now we all know it was Cliff's version and a very good rendition it was as well
The Shadows don't seem to have an impression in the USA either although there were plenty of American groups similar to them so a wrong that's needs righting but don't hold your breath

[EWW]

Many years ago on a visit to the USA to see family I was talking to my niece and her husband and they said they had been to see some
English guy called Cliff Richard in concert. This was in upstate New York.I told them that Cliff was a big star over here and in lots of
countries in the world.

They said the show was great but they had never heard of him. The only reason they went was because they had been given free tickets
as a promotional thing.

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What would you have called the music we got on a Sunday night at the Kit Kat? A bit of rock n Roll, pop, classical a right mixture but mainly it was rock n roll I think, whatever rock n roll is because I bet my version in whats included and whats not is different to yours! So, when I look at the list of whose in the rock n roll hall of fame the early inductees I go along with, some who should have been in a lot earlier in my opinion and some were a right rum selection. You get the nominees, no idea who comes up with that and then people vote on who is inducted, most votes gets in, or so you would think but in 2005 Dave Clarke got enough votes to be inducted but the CEO of the rock n roll hall of fame thought it was time that a rapper was included so Dave missed out that year and came in a year later, the name of the rapper was Grandmasterflash and the furious five, two things to say here is what does rapping have to do with rock n roll and who are Grandmasterflash and the furious five I have never heard of them!! Probably because I am an old fart, a square, out of touch you know what I mean.
Its an American business after all and if you did not conqueror the states you don't get in, perhaps one day we will have a British Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we rightly put the ones missing in there along with Cliff and the Shadows, I would have for starters and as always I will forget some that ought to be there but here are some that will never be in the USA version Tommy Steele, Mary Wilde and the Wildcats, Shane Fenton and the Fentones, The Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, The Honeycombs, Herman Hermits, Freddie and the Dreamers, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, ABC, Human League, Pet Shops Boys, Level 42, Tears for Fears, Billie Davis, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan and lets not forget Johnnie Kidd and the Pirates.
Whilst you all bask in the dark days and cold snowy weather I am off to the coast on Thursday for 6 nights at 2 resorts on the eastern seaboard so next Saturday I will be in a deck chair doin a bit of the relaxin whilst eating the ever popular grilled langoustines so see you on the 30th!

[EWW]

An old mate of yours still going strong. From this weeks local rag.

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Its good to see that Nigel is still getting about and entertaining the locals, you cannot keep a good man down and he certainly is that! Playing more jazz these days I see but I would too as I get older and now I would be happy to sit there and listen rather than want to cruise the dance floor at high speed. Thanks for that, 57 years and counting since the Kit Kat days really amazing but what a life imagine being paid or your hobby throughout your life ( so far ) not many can say that. Remember when we boys were small we all wanted to be engine drivers and how many did?
Before I pop off for the coast a couple more for the British rock and roll hall of fame, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and Showaddywaddy, I also have to admit that a also liked Eden Kane, remember him? "Forget me Not", "Boys Cry" and "Well I Ask You." He always reminded me of DINO'S in Wisbech funny how songs are twinned with places in our lives isn't it?

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Now back from very welcome break down by the coast and its a strange thing that you just cannot get away from those sounds of long ago at the Kit Kat! We were staying at the Maepim resort in Rayong province about 100 kms from Pattaya, a very nice Thai style hotel just across the road from the beach, literally! Breakfast was taken in the Fresco Restaurant which we also used at night, the background piano music included "Exodus." Lost on the rest but not on me and the memories came flooding back, Roger would have played on his Gibson guitar but would still have sounded spot on.
Now I know from watching the news in the UK that things are getting pretty cold as Christmas approaches, well it coming towards winter here as well but the sea was calm and clear and 28' so I could walk in every day 3 times a dips a day, something you will not get in the UK and its an option that I really do appreciate.

[EWW]

I know you have lived there for quite awhile so I take it you speak the language like a native boston.

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I will never be able to do that! There are 44 letters in the Thai alphabet and 3 tones and if you look at the writing its like STARGATE! My Christian name contains 5 letters 2 of which are same so you would think there is chance to make some progress until you find out that in Thai there are only 4 letters and the second letter comes before the first! There is no logic that we would call logic to Thai.
Here are 2 examples of Thai logic.
When I first went there over 10 years ago I was asked if I wanted a massage? How much? 100bts. 2 weeks later I turned up for the massage, 100bts? no now 200bts we not have many customers! So the ones that come pay more to do the figures. Needless to say I walked away.
Last week stayed in Pattaya at our usual hotel, should have been 1140 bts for 2 per night but now 1340 bts! They give me an extra breakfast worth 150 bts but the price is still up 100 bts a night and looking at the room cleaners chart as to what needs cleaning only 1/3 full so we wont be going back there and already found somewhere for next time!
If you go into a shop in the UK you might ask for 3 chickens, here its chickens 3, they would not understand you.
I could tell you so much more its a different culture here and you have to look at it through Thai eyes as well as western ones, suns out again, might be December but its still going to be hot.

[EWW]

I think I follow that boston So a 1000 baht is worth about £20 or am I way off?