Hey there, hope you’re all doing well. October has been quite a busy month for me, but not in many ways that will be of interest to you this time. So I do apologise from the get-go that this post is quite short. It’s not what I’d expected, but it’s a direction I’m glad it’s gone in on this occasion.
The main reason is that we’ve started to have a lot of work done on the house, which is something we’ve been wanting to do for ages. It’s only now that we’ve found someone reputable, reliable, affordable and available to do it, through a personal recommendation, and we have the financial stability to be able to pay for it, now that various issues over the last few years have been resolved. It started off as a relatively small job that the guy had been recommended to us for, but as we’ve got to know him and seen the quality of his work over recent weeks, and as he has time to focus on us, we’re keen to make full use of him while we have the opportunity. So he’s done quite a bit of work on the exterior of the house, and currently we’re working on a revamp of the kitchen. My bedroom will then hopefully be next.
I also didn’t have any shows, meals, etc booked this month anyway, and the weather’s been a bit iffy at weekends. So while I have been out for walks now and again, I haven’t done anything exciting in London during October. That should change in November and December though, as I do have a few nice things in the diary, including some with friends of mine. We’ll still be having work done as well, but I should have much more to talk about.
So for this post and video I’m just going to mention a music box set I’ve been listening to and a few things I’ve been watching, none of which are sponsored and all opinions are my own as usual. Again, I’m sorry it’s so brief this time, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!
Contents
Queen 1 Collector’s Edition
This month my favourite band, Queen, released a new super deluxe box set of their 1973 debut album. But it isn’t simply the original album remastered. It’s been completely remixed by converting the original multi-track tapes to digital, and then enhancing every element to bring it up to the standard that Brian May and Roger Taylor wish they could have achieved at the time. In particular, Roger’s drums have had a significant upgrade, but Brian’s guitar has been remastered a bit too, and Freddie’s vocals are clearer (with a bit of pitch correction that’s completely unnecessary but doesn’t ruin the tracks either).
I wouldn’t say that the new remixes are perfect, or that they sound better than the original versions, but they’re still an interesting and enjoyable alternative way of listening to the album. Liar is my favourite at the moment, as it’s got so much more power and energy to it now.
The best disc in the set, however, is the one containing previously unheard material from the recording sessions, as it gives a fascinating insight into the band hard at work, including some funny banter between them.
Beyond that, they’ve included instrumental versions of the remixed tracks, remixed versions of the previously released De Lane Lea demos, the BBC sessions relating to the album that have already been in the On Air set, and the relevant tracks from a Rainbow Theatre show that were already in the Live At The Rainbow release. So none of that is really essential.
However, after the Rainbow material on the final disc, there are much rarer live tracks, including performances of Hangman and Doing All Right from San Diego, and two songs from the earliest surviving recording of Queen at Imperial College in London, so they’re wonderful to hear.
All in all, therefore, there is some good stuff in this set, but also a lot of material I already have as well, and the remixes are an interesting though unnecessary gimmick really. That’s why I bought the digital download version, which gives you the contents of all 6 discs for just £17.99, rather than forking out an eye-watering £149.99 for the physical version.
If you want to find out more, check out my full review post for a thorough look at the tracks in the set.
The Sarah Jane Adventures
For the next step in my deep dive into the modern era of Doctor Who, for which I’ve written several reviews already, I’m currently going through a spin-off that I’ve never actually watched in its entirety before.
When it first aired, I ignored The Sarah Jane Adventures, given that it’s a children’s programme, focusing instead on the more adult Torchwood (which I’ll also be reviewing in due course), as that was more aimed at my demographic. So the only stories I really knew for a long time were the two featuring the Doctor as a guest star.
But now I’ve finally got around to watching it from the start, I am finding it much better than I was expecting, as it has plenty for the whole family to enjoy And it’s not just about defeating monsters and aliens, as there’s a lot more depth to it than that, even dealing with some quite dark subjects like divorce, anxiety and death. And of course it’s all led by the dearly missed Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith.
So I’m currently going through the DVD boxset of all 5 series, and for Halloween I posted my review of Series 1 & 2 if you want to check that out. My review of the final 3 series will be coming soon.
Hocus Pocus
I also marked Halloween this month by watching the 1993 Disney film Hocus Pocus on Disney+, as my friend Emily recommended… well, insisted… that I watch it, because she loves it and it’s regarded as a classic by many. I would have been 10 years old when it came out, so I might have seen it at some point. But, as with many things I only saw once or twice in my childhood, I have no recollection of it whatsoever.
It’s about 3 witches (played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker & Kathy Najimy) who were executed 300 years ago, but are inadvertently resurrected by a teenager called Max (Omri Katz) who has just moved into the Salem area of Massachusetts. The witches then have one night to try and become youthful again, by finding children and taking the life force from them. It doesn’t help, however, that Max, his little sister Dani (Thora Birch) and his school crush Alison (Vinessa Shaw) have stolen their spell book, and are being assisted by Thackery Binx, an immortal talking black cat (voiced by Jason Marsden) who used to be a normal boy in 1693, before the witches cursed him to become a feline forever.
And it’s alright. I wouldn’t say it’s an amazing film that I’d watch again necessarily, and there are better Disney movies out there, but it’s an entertaining enough way to kill an hour and a half. The witches are a fun trio, and it’s amusing to see them try and make sense of the modern world, as a lot’s changed over 3 centuries. There’s some nice music and visuals too, and having audio description on Disney+ helped with the finer details as well.
So I’m glad I’ve seen it to satisfy my curiosity. I’m not going to bother with the sequel that came out a couple of years ago, and there’s a third film in development as well. But I’m happy to say I’ve seen another cult classic so I know what people are talking about!
Ludwig
Ludwig is a new BBC comedy drama series starring David Mitchell as John Taylor, a reclusive and socially awkward puzzle enthusiast, who has written a renowned series of puzzle books under the pen name Ludwig.
He’s faced with the biggest puzzle of his life when his twin brother James goes missing, and ends up having to impersonate him to try and figure out why and where he’s gone. And that’s made all the more difficult considering that James is a Detective Chief Inspector, meaning John has to take on his role at the police station.
He’s been asked to carry out this mission and is supported throughout by James’ wife Lucy, played by Anna Maxwell Martin (who I saw in a play at the Old Vic earlier this year), because she knows that John’s love of puzzles will be key to unravelling her husband’s disappearance. But John’s skillset proves to be vital for other mysteries too, as he solves several crimes that the other detectives hadn’t been able to or had dismissed for the wrong reasons.
So while the investigations and revelations about James’ disappearance form a constantly developing story arc across the series, with plenty of twists and turns, it’s also a ‘crime of the week’ serial where the police have a different case to deal with in each episode. So it really holds your interest throughout.
There are also some great guest stars along the way, including Felicity Kendal, best known for The Good Life of course, deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who was great as a presenter on Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics in the summer, veteran actor Derek Jacobi, and a surprising cameo by Karl Pilkington, in a serious role worlds away from his dumb ramblings alongside Ricky Gervais.
I’m not going to give anything more away beyond that, given the nature of the series. But it is very good. John has some very amusing moments as he tries to integrate with the police team, and the crime-solving is cleverly done, while there’s a lot of drama, surprising twists and some emotional moments as well.
So it’s a funny, interesting and engaging series to watch, with David and Anna both perfectly cast in their roles. And the door has been left wide open for a second series, which the BBC has confirmed will be happening as it’s been a huge hit for them. So I’ll be very much looking forward to that!
Comedy Shows
I’ve also been watching other comedy shows as well of course. As I said in my September post, I’m very much enjoying Series 18 of Taskmaster, and it’ll be interesting to see what the new Junior Taskmaster starting in November is like as well.
I’m also glad that QI, Have I Got News For You and The Last Leg have returned – and the latter two shows have plenty to talk about now with the result of the US election. I do my best to steer clear of politics in this blog, but I think we’re all in a state of disbelief in the UK about it, and I know that a lot of Americans feel saddened, disappointed and scared by the outcome. My heart is with you, and I really hope that things don’t get too bad over there, or for the rest of us around the world, in the years ahead. Keep up the good fight for justice and decency, all is not lost.
But in terms of nicer things to come out of the States, I’ve also been recording the new episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? USA on Comedy Central to watch here and there, which I expect the Dave channel will get eventually as well. So I’m looking forward to catching up with those too.
Conclusion
So that’s it for this month, I hope you enjoyed looking through that despite its relatively short length. As I said at the start, I do have plans for November, so there will be more to mention next time. But until then, I hope you have a lovely month as well, whatever you get up to!
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