Tag Archives: Belinda Carlisle

Trouble – Live in Stockholm Album Review

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Trouble – Live in Stockholm

Hammerheart Records

Release date: 02/09/2022

Running time: 77 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

8/10

Stockholm, Sweden: sometime in the early 1990s.  At this point in their career, legendary doom metal instigators Trouble were signed to Def American records and starting to shift a few extra units.  The Chicago band were invited to play in Sweden by fellow pioneers Candlemass, and it’s this gig that provides the music for this double LP live extravaganza.

The release covers the never before available, complete set from that evening.  Fully remastered by Erwin Hermsen at Toneshed Studio , it’s now unleashed as a double album on seductive, alluring vinyl.    

Track wise, the PR blurb casts this as a “greatest hits” set, and rightly so.  Of course, there’s a healthy selection from the Def American albums, such as a blistering ’Come Touch the Sky’, the brilliant ‘Memory’s Garden’ and a crushing ‘End of My Days’.  Older tracks also get a fair showcase too, with ‘Psalm 9’ and ‘The Skull’, amongst others, proving how this band achieved their legendary status.

So, this live collection is a great overview of Trouble’s music at this point int time.  What’s also encouraging is that the sound really is impressive, the remastering has done a fine job of polishing these tracks.  Unlike many live offerings, this album has a reassuringly clear – yet still live and raw – finish.  ‘The Misery Shows (Act II) is a great example – the mellower parts shimmer, though the crunch is still present when needed.

“Live in Stockholm” is indeed a good place to dive in for anyone who wants to sample Trouble’s catalogue.  For the long-term fans, the performance and sound both offer a worthwhile addition to the collection.  Personally, there’s nothing new, song wise, here for me – so I really can’t mark this release any higher – but a solid release nonetheless.

You might think that characters like Ozzy, Tommy Lee or Lemmy would’ve been terrible for getting me in trouble in the past, but they were all sweethearts really.  The person who got me in more trouble with crazy antics than anyone was actually, believe it or not, new wave pop princess Belinda Carlisle. She was a total deviant.  Scary.  I can’t tell you any more because she still thinks I died of an overdose in a Tijuana brothel in 1985.  And quite frankly, I’m scared of her.

Please check out Trouble’s website, their Facebook and Bandcamp – buy their stuff and make them famous.

This review has been brought to you by Platinum Al and Ever Metal.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #29

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Yo! Here we are again, tout le monde – a treat for lovers of music on vinyl! That’s right – another Singles Night at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, where I play my way through a big ol’ stack of 7″ singles and have a big time knees up whilst I do it.

There are literally dozens of 45 rpm records chez moi: some classic, some crap. I love ’em all. With a few drinkies to ease things along, we’re in for a great evening.

Here’s the latest playlist:

  1. The Mission – “Severina” / “Tomorrow Never Knows”
  2. Joe Fagin – “Back with the Boys Again” / “Get it Right”
  3. Samantha Fox – “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now” / “Dream City”
  4. Samantha Fox – “I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night”) / “The Best is Yet to Come”
  5. Lacuna Coil – “Our Truth”/ “Without a Reason”
  6. Paul McCartney & The Frog Chorus – ” We All Stand Together” / “We All Stand Together (Humming Version)”
  7. Slade – “7 Year Bitch” / “Leave Them Girls Alone”
  8. Demon – “Wonderland” / “Blackheath”
  9. Sex Pistols – “Silly Thing” / “Who Killed Bambi”
  10. Bad Manners – “Can Can” / “Armchair Disco”
  11. Doctor & The Medics – “Burn” / “Captain Frazer”
  12. 2 in a Room – “Wiggle It” / “Take Me Away”
  13. Slade – “My Oh My” / “Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply”
  14. T’Pau – “China in Your Hand” / “No Sense of Pride”
  15. Belinda Carlisle – “I Get Weak” / “Should I Let You In?”
  16. Madonna – “Crazy for You” / Sammy Hagar – “I’ll Fall in Love Again”
  17. Billy Ocean – “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car” / “Showdown”
  18. Scorpions – “Wind of Change” / “Restless Nights”
  19. Jack Parnell & His Orchestra – “Galloping Home (Theme From Black Beauty” / “Hawaii Five-O”
  20. Then Jericho – “Big Area” / “The Big Sweep”

Wow. From the Sex Pistols to the Frog Chorus – as always, it’s an eclectic night at the Virtual Hot tub on Singles Night! That might not be Paul McCartney’s greatest moment, but to be fair, I loved Rupert the Bear when I was a toddler, so consider me a fan.

Some notes:

The first Sam Fox single is credited as the “Samantha Fox Box”, as it comes in a carboard boxset thing with a poster. The second Sam Fox single is a Limited Edition blue vinyl single, in a gatefold photo pack. Pretty cool, and both from bargain bins.

Also from a bargain bin, the Lacuna Coil single is picture disc – and only cost me £1. Crazy bargain!

Lots of songs I loved in this evening’s playlist: the Pistols easily being my favourite. The worst was that Scorpions song, that was rubbbish.

Variety is the spice of life, and this Singles Night playlist was indeed spicy. Great tracks. More soon!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #22

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Time for another twenty slices of 7 inch vinyl goodness, with Singles Night at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub!

You know what that means: an evening of me playing through a stack of vinyl singles, one after the other, whilst imbibing the booze. It’s more fun than it sounds, honest! There are untold treasures in my pile of records waiting to be rediscovered – plus a few duds that should be consigned to the pop junk pile.

Join me now, on yet another daring voyage into my vinyl collection…

  1. Paul Simon – “You Can Call Me Al” / “Gumboots”
  2. Steppenwolf – “Hey Lawdy Mama” / “Twisted”
  3. Steppenwolf – “Born to be Wild” / “The Pusher”
  4. Iggy Pop – “Livin’ on the Edge of the Night” / “The Passenger”
  5. C.W. McCall – “Convoy” / “Long Lonesome Road”
  6. Belinda Carlisle – “Do You Feel Like I Feel?” / “Do You Feel Like I Feel? (Dance Mix)”
  7. The Dave Clark Five – “Glad All Over” / “I Know You”
  8. Chris Montez – “Let’s Dance” / Lonnie Mack – “Memphis”
  9. Dion & The Belmonts – “A Teenager in Love” / “I Can’t Go On (Rosalie)”
  10. Hank Williams – “Honky Tonk Blues” / “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive” / “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in it” / “Baby, We’re Really in Love”
  11. Slade – “Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me” / “Kill ‘Em at the Hot Club Tonite”
  12. M – “Pop Muzik” / “M Factor”
  13. Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra – “Somethin’ Stupid” / Frank Sinatra – “Call Me”
  14. Kylie Minogue – “What Do I Have to do” / “What Do I Have to do (Instrumental)”
  15. Queen – “You’re My Best Friend” / “’39”
  16. 10cc – “I’m not in Love” / “Good News”
  17. Rod Stewart – “Ain’t Love a Bitch” / “Scarred and Scared”
  18. David Bowie – “Sound and Vision” / “A New Career in a New Town”
  19. Eagles – “Witchy Woman” / “Earlybird”
  20. The Sweet – “Hell Raiser” / “Burning”

Well, I had to own a copy of that Paul Simon classic, right? And the Slade B-side is tantalisingly close to hot tub, though I wouldn’t want Noddy and pals murdering anyone in my Virtual Hot Tub.

A couple of Steppenwolf killers there: look at that Easy Rider style double A side! One of the most underrated bands ever. I was lacking an Iggy single in my collection, hence that purchase – but didn’t realise that “The Passenger” was on the B-side. That’s definitely going in my jukebox, when I get one.

Regular readers will know how much I adore the lovely Belinda Carlisle. That single is a picture disc, with a bonus photo and frame (see pic) – not bad for a 50p charity shop purchase. On the other hand, I’ve never rated Kylie (I much prefer her sister, phwooar!) – but that tune’s not bad.

With some legendary country and pop – not to mention awesome tunes from Queen, Bowie and Sweet – that’s a pretty damn fine playlist. “Convoy” was one of my earliest favourite songs, by the way.

I’ll be back soon with another Singles Night – stay tuned!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #12

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The pile of 7″ singles in my music room continues to grow.  They arrive from all manner of sources, in various conditions, and wait patiently for me to spin them.  It’s a never ending task – like that old cliche, painting the Forth Bridge.

But it’s fun – making my way through the collection of random vinyl goodies; having a few drinks and enjoying the music.

I play both sides, A then B, and then move onto the next single in the pile.  All manner of tunes could be heard, from the classic to cheesy nonsense.

Here’s the latest batch:

  1. The Fatback Band – “(Are You Ready) Do the Bus Stop” / “Gotta Learn How to Dance”
  2. Earth, Wind & Fire – “That’s the Way of the World” / “Africano”
  3. Tom Jones – “Letter to Lucille” / “Thank the Lord”
  4. Belinda Carlisle – “Little Black Book” / “Only a Dream”
  5. Betty Boo – “24 Hours” / “24 Hours (Instrumental)”
  6. Jan Hammer – “Miami Vice Theme” / “Miami Vice Theme (TV Version)” / “Miami Vice Theme (12″ Edit)”
  7. Survivor – “Burning Heart” / “Feels Like Love”
  8. The Kinks – “All Day and All of the Night” / “You Really Got Me”
  9. Roxy Music – “All I Want is You” / “Your Application’s Failed”
  10. Owen Paul – “My Favourite Waste of Time” / “Just Another Day”
  11. The Simpsons – “Do the Bartman (7″ House Mix/Edit)” / “Do the Bartman (LP Edit)”
  12. Edelweiss – “Bring Me Edelweiss” / “Kitz-Stein-Horn”
  13. Roy Orbison – “You Got It” / “The Only One”
  14. The Lovin’ Spoonful – “Summer in the City” / “Bald Headed Lena”
  15. Elton John – “Song for Guy” / “Blue Eyes”
  16. Ohio Players – “Fire” / “Together”
  17. Kool & The Gang – “Cherish” / “Celebration”
  18. Diana Ross – “I’m Still Waiting” / “Touch Me in the Morning”
  19. The Real Thing – “You to Me Are Everything” / “Keep An Eye (On Your Best Friend)”
  20. David Soul – “Don’t Give Up On Us” / “Black Bean Soup”
  21. Kelly Marie – “Feels Like I’m in Love” / “Shattered Glass”
  22. Dusty Springfield – “I Just Don’t Know What to do with Myself” / “My Colouring Book”

I really enjoyed that Singles Night session.  There were a fair few out standing funky numbers, as well as songs by my favourite pop babes ever, Belinda and Betty.  Lovely.

Plus – how great is that Kinks single?  An all time classic couple of tracks – and a great record for my collection.  Along with a few other legendary rock tunes, this was a great evening of music.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #7

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I had another great night recently, playing a load of old 7″ singles.  What happens is, I acquire these singles from record fairs, charity shops or maybe contributions from friends – and I spend an evening playing through the pile.  The’re stacked in order of how long I’ve had them – oldest near the top – and not organised in any way.

So I get a few drinkies down me and play the records in the order they reveal themselves.  Which can be fun – no skipping, play whatever’s next in the pile.

This system always means that no matter how many cool songs I play, there’s always a few dodgy tracks in there too.  But then let’s just call those less aspirational songs “guilty pleasures”, and enjoy them for what they are.

Last time, I claimed that the rest of the stack of 45 rpm magic wouldn’t reach as high a standard.  I was wrong.  Here’s the playlist, which includes some absolute monsters…

  1. Elvis Presley – “Young and Beautiful” / “True Love” / “Lover Doll” / “Love Me Tender”
  2. AC/DC – “Whole Lotta Rosie” / “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place To Be”
  3. W.A.S.P. – “Mean Man” / “Locomotive Breath”
  4. The Beatles – “Can’t Buy Me Love” / “You Can’t Do That”
  5. Anthrax – “Anti-Social” / “Parasite”
  6. The Hawaiian Islanders – “Hawaiian War Chant” / “Song of the Islands” / “One, Two, Three, Four” / “On the Beach at Waikiki” / “Sweet Leilani” / “Aloha Oe”
  7. Johnny Cash – “It Ain’t Me Babe” / “Understand Your Man” / “Five Feet High and Rising” / “I Walk the Line”
  8. Stiff Little Fingers – “At the Edge” / “Silly Encores, Autumn 1979”
  9. Spagna – “Call Me” / “Girl, It’s Not the End of the World”
  10. Tenpole Tudor – “The Swords of a Thousand Men” / “Love and Food”
  11. The Rolling Stones – “It’s All Over Now” / “Good Times, Bad Times”
  12. Belinda Carlisle – “Vision of You” / “Leave a Light On For Me (Kamikazee Mix)”
  13. Salt-n-Pepa – “Push It (US Remix)” / “I Am Down” / “Tramp”
  14. Fat Boys – “The Twist (Yo, Twist)” / “The Twist (Buffapella)”
  15. Bananarama – “Cruel Summer” / “Summer Dub”
  16. Thin Lizzy – “Cold Sweat” / “Bad Habits”
  17. Heaven 17 – “Temptation” / “We Live So Fast”
  18. Hammer – “Addam’s Groove (LP Mix)” / “Street Soldiers (Saxapella Reprise)”
  19. Philip Lynott – “Yellow Pearl” / “Girls”
  20. Senser – “The Brunt”
  21. Siouxsie & the Banshees – “The Staircase (Mystery)” / “20th Century Boy”

Fantastic stack of singles!  Some absolute classics with a couple of cheesy horror stories.  Any playlist that includes AC/DC and the Beatles can’t be half bad.  I’ll be doing some more of these singles nights soon, stay tuned!

Elvis
AC/DC
WASP

Rewind Festival Playlist

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Rewind Festival 2013 – Playlist

Around this time last year, we visited Rewind Festival to celebrate the stag do of my great pal Jarrod.  A fine crew of chaps were assembled for a weekend of much hilarity and fabulous entertainment.

Set in Henley-on-Thames, Rewind festival offered a feast of musical acts from the 1980’s.

Some of the gang are returning this year, unfortunately I can’t make it due to family commitments.  Never the less, in honour of our 2013 adventure – and as a “bon voyage” to my comrades for this year – I’ve compiled the following playlist.

To compile this playlist, the acts had to have performed over the festival weekend last year.  They also have to actually be in my music collection, in iTunes.  I was quite surprised that there were several acts who performed that I don’t actually possess any recordings of.  No matter – this list consists of what I actually own.

  1. Doctor & the Medics – “Spirit in the Sky”
  2. The Sugarhill Gang – “Rapper’s Delight”
  3. Billy Ocean – “Love Really Hurts Without You”
  4. Nik Kershaw – “Wouldn’t it be Good”
  5. Heaven 17 – “Temptation”
  6. Kim Wilde – “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
  7. The B-52’s – “Roam”
  8. Belinda Carlisle – “We Want the Same Thing”
  9. Go West – “We Close Our Eyes”
  10. ABC – “The Look of Love”
  11. Pointer Sisters – “Jump (For My Love)”

Short but sweet.

A big shout out to Jaz, Gol, Tone, Baz, Adam, Si, Brendan and of course the one and only Richard Minshull esq.  What a top quality bunch!

And to those of you going this year – hope you have an amazing time!

You can read my review of Rewind Festival 2013 here.

The website for Rewind Festival is here.

New Year – New Playlist

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What did you do on New Year’s Eve?  Did you go out partying?  Did you dance the night away in a pub or club?  Or maybe you gathered together with family and friends for a house party.  The really fancy ones amongst you may have done something extravagant, and gone away for a short break.  Perhaps somewhere with it’s own bar and hot tub.

Chez Platinum Al, we stayed in and rocked.  Drinks, food and music – that’s how we roll at the Virtual Hot Tub.  Staying in has been the new going out for a good few years for us.  No queues at the bar; no being crammed in like cattle; no paying for tickets when you’re VIPs at your own party.

Instead, Mrs Platinum Al and I sipped some fine drinks and played a music playlist game.  Here are the rules:

  1. One person starts, and chooses a band/artist beginning with a letter of the alphabet.  Start with the letter A.
  2. Pick one song by that artist and play it.
  3. The next person picks a song by an artist beginning with the same letter and plays that.
  4. Then you move on to the next letter in the alphabet, and pick one more song by a band/artist beginning with that letter.
  5. Continue in this fashion.  You can be as obvious or as random as you like in your choices.

Here’s how we got on:

  • Al: AC/DC – “Big Gun”
  • Ness: ABBA – “Happy New Year”
  • Al: Boney M – “Daddy Cool”
  • Ness: Belinda Carlisle – “Heaven is a Place on Earth”
  • Al: Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Born on the Bayou”
  • Ness: The Cure – “In Between Days”
  • Al: Donovan – “Season of the Witch”
  • Ness: Destiny’s Child – “Independent Women Part 1”
  • Al: Eagles of Death Metal – “Anything ‘Cept the Truth”
  • Ness: EMF – “Unbelievable”
  • Al: Fun Lovin’ Criminals – “Too Hot”
  • Ness: Foo Fighters – “Monkey Wrench”
  • Al: Garbage – “Queer”
  • Ness: Green Day – “Basket Case”
  • Al: Hard-Ons – “Don’t Wanna See You Cry”
  • Ness: Heart – “Alone”
  • Al: Iggy Pop – “Beside You”
  • Ness: INXS – “Never Tear Us Apart”
  • Al: Johnny Cash – “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”
  • Ness: Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”
  • Al: Kool & the Gang – “Jungle Boogie”
  • Ness: Kylie Minogue – “In Your Eyes”
  • Al: Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love”
  • Ness: Lenny Kravitz – “Stand By My Woman”
  • Al: Motorhead – “Killed By Death”
  • Ness: Madness – “One Step Beyond”

That was as far as we got before it was time for sleep.  We aim to complete the other half of the alphabet soon.

This is a fun game that can reveal a lot about your mood, or just your taste in music.

All selections were provided by Platinum Al’s monster iPod, Ipodicus.

Rewind Festival

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Rewind – The 80’s Festival

16th – 18th August 2013

It’s a stag do, and as such promises a weekend of laughter and mirth.  Though some readers may be wondering what I was doing at a festival featuring pop bands from the 1980’s, there was actually quite a lot of music to savour.  Plus the banter was to be unmissable.  Besides, I’ve never been to Download or Castle Donington or whatever it is and it’s probably too late for me now.  Rewind festival is go!

The first day is drive down, queue for two hours to get into the festival (at least we had beers) and then put the tents up.  In the evening there’s a chance to explore the festival village, catch some live music and eat.  And drink more ale.  We drank quite a lot of beer and/or cider and got into the spirit quite nicely.  The mood in the festival village was uplifting, everyone excited for the fun ahead.

One of the main acts I actually wanted to see over the weekend was Doctor & the Medics (don’t ask, I loved “Spirit in the Sky” years ago).  Unfortunately a lack of information meant that I turned up for the last thirty seconds of that penultimate song, not something I was happy about.  They did AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie” for an encore which kind of eased the pain.  A teensy bit.

Blind drunk and weeping at having missed Doctor & the Medics, it was then time to sit around our tents till ridiculous o’clock and drink even more.  I have to say that despite my inebriated state, I contributed many intellectual musings to the conversation, elevating my status as a raconteur and thinker by some degree.

Saturday’s music begins with the Sugarhill Gang, not an obvious choice for an 80’s festival but one I was looking forward to.  Hip hop gained international exposure in the 80’s so this was a different, yet very apt act.  Their set includes a run through of hip hop classics (some not their own) that gets the party started in good style.  It’s a raucous start to the day – if Sugarhill Gang are the openers, then we’re in for a treat.

The Blow Monkeys are next – and they do indeed blow the good vibe set by their predecessors.  Insipid eighties pop of the worst kind, their music is forgettable – and should be forgotten.  They leave with a petulant comment about Chesney Hawkes.  At least he had one good song, Blow Monkeys – you have none.

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel‘s set is peppered with irony – or is it just bad luck?  We get the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” despite the looming rain clouds.  And a song that Steve promises audiences sing along to all over the world – that no-one’s ever heard.  Still, “Mr Soft” and the glorious “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)” offer more highlights.  Let’s just forget that Harley is a 1970’s act.

For some bizarre reason, Billy Ocean is on in the late afternoon.  He could’ve headlined the night.  Hit after hit, performed perfectly with a voice that sounds fresh and energetic.  Billy knows his craft and leads the audience through sing-a-longs one after the other.  It’s amazing how much quality material he has.  As one of my festival buddies commented, previously I would’ve worn a Billy Ocean t-shirt with a hint of irony – now I’d wear one with pride.  Awesome.

Then it was time to go back to the tent for a few cheap cans of lager, which meant that I missed Then Jericho (“A trainwreck” was how one pal described it).  No loss there.  Expensive festival booze encouraged us to enjoy more of our beer stash so I also missed Chesney Hawkes, though we could hear THAT song at the tent – and it was great.

Flying Pickets were also unfortunately ignored, unlike Ches I couldn’t hear them at all.  On the walk back to the festival arena I heard the Journey bloke singing the one good song in their repertoire.

It should be said that the atmosphere at Rewind was great.  The fun of it all was most obviously demonstrated by the fancy dress outfits that were worn by brave festival goers.  Some of my favourites were security guards with Hannibal Lecter (Lecter was a puppet); aliens from “V”; He-Man and the Honey Monster.

Back in the thick of it, and it was time for Heaven 17.  I’ve seen them before and knew they could do a solid job.  Amazing to think that I’ve now seen Heaven 17 more than I’ve seen Metallica.  Great 80’s pop that is, essentially, anthemic dance music.  “Temptation” is another obvious highlight of the day.

Nik Kershaw was my cue to go get some food.  But before I left, I checked out a few of Nik’s songs.  He looks like a healthier Charles Bukowski and delivers a set that is actually really good, loaded with more hits than I remembered.  Great stuff – made me regret leaving early to get a burrito.

Happily fed and with a new bottle of beer, it’s off to see Kim Wilde.  WOW.  Again, I’m surprised just how many great songs Kim has.  I thought she would be good, but Kim really impresses.  What’s more, she’s gorgeous – all twelve of our stag do party falling in love with her.  “Kids in America” is a delight in a set of real gems.

Finally we have the B-52s, a band I actually consider myself quite a fan of.  At least, I know most of their songs tonight.  Starting with “Planet Claire” we are off to the strange sci-fi New Wave world of the B-52s, with a mid set appearance for (my favourite) “Roam”.  Awesome vocals from Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson lift this and many other songs, till we reach our destination with “Love Shack” and finally “Rock Lobster”.  There’s even some dude head to toe in a foam rubber lobster outfit down the front.  Crazy.

That’s it.  We hang around and enjoy the festival atmos, watching Camp Cooks (hilarious) and the rodeo bull ride (er…).  Then it’s back to the campsite for another night’s chatting utter comedy gold around the tents.  A great days entertainment, the only odd thing about the Saturday line up is the running order.  Billy Ocean should’ve been top of the bill, with Kim Wilde and the B-52s on before him.

That was to be the end of my Rewind adventure, as due to family commitments I had to return home the next morning (thanks for lift, Adam) and miss all the Sunday fun.  Which meant that I missed Go West, the Pointer Sisters, ABC and Belinda Carlisle…

Perhaps not seeing Belinda Carlisle isn’t the disaster it first appeared to be.  Can you imagine the consequences of Belinda and myself actually being in the same place at the same time?  And the obvious chemistry that would’ve brought us together?  No, better to leave it without our meeting.  There are families involved, there are children to consider.  It would have been a catastrophe in the making.

http://www.rewindfestival.com/