"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there"

...according to L.P. Hartley's "The Go-Between". Well L.B. I bought me a ticket there this afternoon! I was poking about in HMV this afternoon and I was gobsmacked to see a cd reissue of Labi Siffre's THE SINGER AND THE SONG.

This was released in 1971 and I got it for my birthday that year as I had recently seen him support The Supremes at Hammersmith Odeon - as it was and always will be!

I played it when I got back to the shop and found myself singing along! I swear I haven't heard it for 30-odd years. Lovely gentle ballads and more uptempo songs like "Thank Your Lucky Star" drifted down through the years.

There are certain albums you never expect to see on cd... this is one of them.

It looks like all his albums have been remastered and released on cd so hopefully it will make this fine gay performer some money. He gave up performing his music in 1999 and now channels his talent into his poetry. Here's his poetry blog - I like the one called "stupid boy".