A year gone by already...

I've a bit of a Christmas present dilema that could use some well informed advice from the massive (again)?

What's the best rock discography to buy, not especially aimed at, but might appeal even more to a HiFi enthusiast? Any time he visits us he likes a noodle through our old copy by Martin C Strong (5th Ed, bearing logo of rival mag that shall not speak its name). A brief search on popular online shopping sites have thrown up many options, too bafling to wade through, and its a bit of a panic...

Apologies if this question has been covered in a feature already, especially the latest. I do have my lovely best n worsts gala special but am saving that for post lunch Christmas Day treat.

Here's a question that threw me today, having moved away from old smokey some 6 years ago. Where do you go to buy Black Metal albums in London these days? Didn't there used to be some basement in Camden somewhere that did that? I don't actually know what black metal is to be honest, but thought I'd try to be helpful.

Another appeal to the worldly wise word massive:

You seem like a well travelled bunch to me and one or two of you may have, ahem, faced this landmark already. I'm trying to figure out what on earth to do that would be memorable for my 40th. Did the parties with friends & family all through 20's & 30's and thought maybe a trip to somewhere out of the ordinary would better fit the bill this time round?

Have been reading up on Marrakech but the feedback there seems to be you either love it or loath it.

Anyone have any first hand experience or suggestions for somewhere else?

Just out of curiosity you understand, I did a bit of light browsing in the music mags section of my well stocked corner shop this week. No serious competition there, needless to say, but there was one surprising addition to the shelves. A Kings of Leon magazine.

When did this caper start then? I quite like their current album but is there really enough to say about one, relatively new band, to fill a whole magazine and are they all going to start now? Arctic Monkeys Monthly?

Que?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/analysis/

Following on from recent discussion about the lack of cars on the roads in those old episodes of Minder, thought I’d share this little blast from the past with you. I was reminded about it by an old friend who remembers watching it on the box one afternoon when he was off sick from school and turns out its on google video:

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3578692700171397566&ei=ih2TSb2...

‘Melody’ – 1971 Produced by David Puttnam & written by Alan Parker (and lots of Bee Gees music)

I also remember a series called ‘Johnny Jarvis’ from the eighties that I’d love to see again, and something I think was called One Summer.

Anyone else reliving their childhood memories via the wonders of the web?