The Two Sheds Mix Tape #4: The Music of the Goons

The fourth in the mix tape series is a lot different than the different volumes. This particular compilations focuses on one of the greatest acts in the history of British comedy.

Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers came together in the 1950’s as The Goons. They’re weekly comedy show on BBC radio is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest comedy shows of all time whose influence continues to this day, sixty years after the original series ended.

The Two Sheds Mix Tape #3: 80's Medley Mania

The UK charts in the eighties were quite an odd place when you look at it more closely. Along with pseudo-Italians telling us to shut up, Austrians singing about Mozart, dancing birds and a couple of guys in loud shirts telling us to push pineapples a couple of Dutch guys released a series of records that took the charts by storm and produced many imitators.

Released under the Starsound banner, “Stars on 45” hit the charts in 1981 and featured covers of Beatles songs mixed in with other tracks to produce a medley of music. Other acts such as Tight Fit and Startrax soon followed, with tribute medleys for the likes of Abba, the Bee Gees, Stevie Wonder and the Beach Boys.

It wasn’t long before medleys featuring songs from original artists followed, with mixes from the Beatles and the Hollies hitting the charts. Even Chas & Dave got in on the act, releasing a medley of old songs called Stars Over 45.

The Two Sheds Review Podcast Episode 6 - Another Trip Into Cromer

Julian takes another trip into Cromer to see how his home town is doing after some of the lockdown restrictions were eased. Let's just say that there were some things that he wasn't too impressed with. 

The Two Sheds Mix Tape #2: Roots & Branches of Audioslave

In 2001 four musicians, Chris Cornell, formerly of Soundgarden, and Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, came together to form the rock super group Audioslave, bringing their respective talents together to produce a unique sound that became instantly recognisable.

Sadly the group only stayed together for six years, releasing three studio albums and playing festivals and gigs all around the world, including the Berlin leg of Live 8 in 2005. They were also the first act to play a live gig in Cuba.

With Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine reforming after the split, the band didn’t perform together again until January 2017. Sadly, Cornell’s death in May of that year meant that there wouldn’t be any further reunions.

The Two Sheds Mix Tape #1: Music From The Year I Was Born

It’s May 2020, we’ve been in lockdown for nearly two months, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to end soon. So why not spend the time listening to my latest little project, The Two Sheds Mix Tape Series.

As I’ve previously mentioned both in my podcast and on my blog this is something I’ve been considering for a long time. My original idea was that the series would be a sister show for my podcast, and that the project would see me acting as a disc jockey-type presenter, providing a few comments here and there about the various songs I was playing. But after careful consideration I decided to ditch the disc jockey idea. After all, who wants to hear me prattling on about why I chose these songs when you can read those reasons here?

So with all of that out of the way I can now present to you the first of the Mix Tape series, and I’ve decided to start at the beginning as it were with Music From The Year I Was Born.

Introducing The Two Sheds Mixtape!

If you've been listening to my The Two Sheds Review Podcast in recent weeks (and why haven't you?) you'll know that I've been considering launching a spin-off of sorts, a podcast where I play and talk about my favourite songs over the years.

Well, now I can officially unveil the launch of The Two Sheds Mixtape. This will basically be a series of podcasts in which I play a collection of songs that have a link with each other, such as the year they were released, songs from artists that have a connection, songs from a particular genre, that sort of thing.

However, I have decided to make one change. Instead of me doing by best Smashy and Nicey impression I'll be uploading the songs to my Mixcloud account where you can listen to them without having to listen to me prattling on about them. Instead I'll include brief descriptions of the songs when I post the episodes here.

 

The Two Sheds Review Podcast Episode 5 - Lockdown Changes & Trump's Hissy Fit

Julian looks at the easing of lockdown restrictions in the UK, Trump's latest hissy fit, and the imminent return of professional sport.

Oh, and if you don't share this post with your friends he'll send Christopher Walken around to read bedtime stories to your kids!

Microsoft Teams - Where You Can Talk About Any Old Crap Really

Microsoft Teams is the place where you can pretend you know stuff about things, and show pictures of your cat.

New Fiction Addition: The New Age *Updated May 12th*

Those of you who follow me on social media may have seen that I've been adding a few old chapters to the blog in recent times. The New

Age was by far the biggest Anglo-Force story I'd written at the time,coming in at over 25 chapters. Hopefully you've already read the prequel, set during World War II, and there will also be a sequel of sorts, set during the time of The Valkyrie Chronicles.

The first few chapters have already been posted, and you can read them by clicking on the links below. More links will be added when the chapters go online. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven 
Chapter Eight 
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven   
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen  
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen 
Chapter Sixteen  
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two  
Chapter Twenty-Three 
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five  
Chapter Twenty-Six

You'll Never Have a Dog Like Monty

By now many of you will know that I am a dog person. I’ve shared my life with many furry friends over the years, from Border Collies to gun dogs to terriers. All of those who passed through my life have held a special place in my heart, and they continue to do so to this day.

My current dog is Monty, a Jack Russell terrier who turns five in June. He’s not just my dog, he’s my friend, my companion, and a member of my family. He loves and cares about everyone he lives with, whether they have two legs or four. My big brother Paul once described him as being one of the most kind and caring souls he’s ever known.

Monty is definitely one of a kind, and you will never have a dog like him.