...who is really 'The WORDIAN KING?'

...and, specifically, my brother's ownership of this:

http://www.discogs.com/Rolling-Stones-Story-Of-The-Stones/release/626349

that, following my Mum's copy of this,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hits_%28High_Tide_and_Green_Grass%29

lifted the lid on the whole shebang.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

Here's an idea. If you're bored of all your favourite albums - which I think I might be - then try, as I may, swapping the sides. For example, I've always been of the opinion that the second half of Exile On Main Street is inferior to the wealth of good stuff that you get on the first half. Now, is this because of an actual difference in song quality, or is it just that my concentration or enthusiasm is waning after ten songs? So, today I'm going to put it on in the car and start with Happy. My son loves Abbey Road. Me too, but it's getting a little overplayed. So, seeing as it was so nearly released like this, why not start with Here Comes The Sun and let the CD run until the abrupt edit at the end of I Want You (She's So Heavy)? And - here's one for Mark Ellen - The Band's second album, but starting with Jemima Surrender...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/feb/18/celine-dion-film

I was in the car yesterday and Casino Boogie by The Rolling Stones came up on the iPod. My initial feeling was of joy at how much I love this song; and then I spontaneously tried to sing along to it. And you know what? I couldn't manage more than a few words. This is because, no matter how much I love this song, I do not have the faintest clue what the song is about or of what most of the lyrics are. And it got me wondering: are there songs out there that you love; that make you grin from ear to ear; and yet ones that you don't have the faintest idea what they're banging on about?

I'm sure many of you are familar with the 'post Christmas rip DVDs so you can watch them on your iPod' mularkey. Well, I've used Handbrake on a Mac, successfully, for years. Now, however, once I've converted the file and added it to iTunes, I have to AGAIN convert it using the 'Create version for iPod' option. This surely unneccessary process can actually take in excess of 24 hours, so I'm quite keen to cut it out. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong? I'm using the version 0.9.1, because the most recent version requires VLC and, even though I've downloaded the most recent versions of both, it doesn't work. I've tried the 'iPod' preset, I've faffed around with MPEG-4 and H.264 options, but no joy. If anyone has any tips I'd be very grateful.

Yesterday I was playing one of my Mum's old tapes of her singles, and I came across a song which took me right back to my childhood and memories of my late - therefore unavailable to ask about this song - parents. Thing is, I have no idea who sings it and I want to track it down. Googling the lyrics doesn't work because, taken by themselves, the lyrics seem to be nothing more than lots of rather tired, cliched lines. I've heard tell of this Shazam thing but don't know how to use it.

The song sounds to me like it hails from the mid Sixties: I'd say between 1965 and 1968. The male singer has a rather gruff, urgent voice in a sort of Barry McGuire vein, but the production sounds more like a band like Los Bravos (not helped by the fact that it's probably recorded a bit too fast). The lyrics, as far as I can make them out, go something like this:

Ever since my baby walked away
I feel I wanna die
Still I'm here waiting and a-waiting
Let me tell you why
Given everything I got
Now she's gone and left me flat
Said she never will come back
No more
Still I love her so
Baby don't you know, don't you know
(Chorus)
You know I love you (woah-ho-ho)
So I can tell you (woah-ho-ho)
How much I miss you (woah-ho-ho)

Help me, Massive. You're my only hope.

I was made aware of this programme on this very site, back when we were all invited to zoom in on Mick Jones' collection of bits and bobs.

I'm trying to use it now to share a photo of a document with my uncle in France, and...well, it's doing my head in, to be frank. I like to think that I'm reasonably computer literate, but I'm lost.

If anyone has any experience of using this successfully on a Mac, I'd be very grateful if they could pass on an idiot's guide on how to publish one bloody photograph. I feel frustrated and stupid.

Thanks, Massive.

Who'd a thought, fifty year ago...

Six CDs' worth. All of Buddy Holly's recordings, including overdubs. Available to listen to for free. Legally.

http://open.spotify.com/album/6UKP5bGGfUSH5S3iphJbZE

You guys rock.

It's only December 7th and already, if I hear Band Aid, Paul McCartney, Slade etc I may go insane. So I put this to the discerning Massive: what are the great Christmas songs that you NEVER hear in shopping centres?

I'll start the ball rolling with these three:

http://hypem.com/track/972902

http://redkelly.blogspot.com/2007/12/johnny-adams-please-come-home-for.h...

I would start a Spotify playlist, if (a) I knew how and (b) if it weren't for the inherent paradox that because they're obscurities they probably won't be on there.

...in the 'Facts You Only Know Because of Song Lyrics' thread, I thought I'd post this little obscurity from the Killer:

This popped up on the iPod yesterday, and I couldn't get over how like Tom Waits Alex Chilton sounded. In 1968.

The Box Tops – Yesterday Where's My Mind: http://open.spotify.com/track/5RmBUZVJ2w3NJ6Vbec89ZL

Any of the Word Massive ever seen this? It was played to me last weekend and made me laugh a lot. Thomas J. Wilson, aka Tom Wilson, is a stand up comic whose main claim to fame is playing Biff in the Back To The Future trilogy. Here, those two worlds collide:

Someone posted this on Facebook. It is quite wonderful - a school orchestra grappling with a piece of music that we all know a little differently: