h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I will be 50 on Sunday.

You are still all invited to my party on the 27th. I am sure the cheap airlines will enable you all to get here. No idea where you'll sleep but we can all get so blotto it doesn't matter anyway.

We are having a whale of a party. My son Patrick will be 21 on that day and he and I are inviting about 30 people each. The idea is that all those who have one and can play one should bring their instruments and we shall have one mega-pangerational jam session. I have friends with accordeons and saxophones, he can provide the drums, bass and acoustic guitars.

I can't persuade him to set up a complete PA for mikes and instruments in our lounge, so we shall be just doing our thang unplugged.

At the moment I am copying out the words of dozens of songs to make a "song book" which I shall distribute among everyone.

The kids prefer playing with us old folk, as we "know all the words".

Any ideas about which songs would go down with a group of kids from 16 to 60? I've already got 100. I'm going to have to print them pretty small as it is!!!

Happy Birthday a bit in advance!

My birthday was the 19th - let's here it for Scorpios, yay!

A massive jam session sounds like a great way to celebrate a birthday! I would include some Beatles songs. Obladi Oblada would be fun!

JEllen

I'm soooooo sorry that I can't make it - I'm probably one of the closest here - but you know all about that already

I'd go with JEllen and say Beatles songs are good, but how about some other folkey things? and then of course there's always 99 Luftballons...

Hey Happy Birthday TC It just shows what an excellent year 1954 was. So far this year thats You, Lil, Teasswill, and me - all hitting the big 50. Obviously SHADOW attracts class.

Some things you have to look forward to ....

When an all-nighter means that you haven't had to get up once for the toilet.

Nobody phones you after 10, because they think you'll be in bed.

Getting lucky means you win the first house at Bingo.

Wish I could join you - I love a good sing-song - feel free to disgrace yourself, and remember to embarass the kids.

and in advance as I won't be online tomorrow. Have all the fun you are able to take.

Thanks for the invite, but I won't be able to make it - our choir is singing Messiah that night in Drogheda.

Beatles songs, a few Elvis, a few Abba. How about a few Simon and Garfunkel?

oh yes, Homeward Bound always gets everyone singing
Right now I'm trying to learn Morningtown Ride on the guitar, everyone I know loves that one

*sings & attempts to strum*
Train whistle blowing...

Hey Jude
You've got to hide your love away
Try a little tenderness
Whiskey in the jar
Je ne regrette rien
Those were the days my friend
Yellow submarine
Get back
All my loving
Something
No reply
Misery
In my life
I’m only sleeping
Please please me
Things we said today
When I’m 64
With a little help from my friends
Blowing in the wind
Spinning wheel
Where have all the flowers gone
Yesterday
Down town
Both sides now
I saw her standing there
Little boxes
Michelle
Scarborough fair
Tavern in the town
The water is wide
Rake and rambling boy
Banks of the Ohio
House of the rising sun
All my trials
We shall overcome
Amazing grace
Another girl
Baby’s in black
Blackbird
Can’t buy me love
Eight days a week
Eleanor Rigby
From me to you
Hard day’s night
Here comes the sun
Here there and everywhere
I don’t want to spoil the party
I should have known better
I wanna be your man
I’ll follow the sun
In my life
It’s only love
Let it be
Norwegian wood
Nowhere man
Penny lane
She loves you
Things we said today
Ticket to ride
You’re going to lose that girl
The wild rover

Oh, that's uncanny... I've just been trying and failing miserably at the Wild Rover.

TC: there's a webbie I've been using for guitar chords and word, it's here

http://www.geocities.com/songs2play

you can get lyrics, or lyrics & guitar chords, there are a few of those from R'man's list on there.

Beatles tunes are hard to play though... pesky b*ggers.

If you read them from the books they're set impossibly high.

Happy Birthday to you! Sing a song! Give a cheer!
Fifty is nifty! And sixty's pretty near!

Happy Birthday TC!

Happy Birthday TC!

Sorry, but I won't be able to make it.

anyway!
Tube

Thank you - one and all. I am taking it easy today and will have the whole week to get excited.

The songs are spot on - in fact on my list (100 songs so far) most of them are included, although not quite so many Beatles (for balance's sake)

Recumbentman's list is nearly all Beatles!

Some that we would break into spontaneously (Daisy, daisy; Right said Fred; - Music Hall stuff, and silly songs) aren't known so well in Germany, so I have to leave them out, as all the musicians are German.

And as a lot of my friends are Irish, they tend to burst into folk songs that I don't know, although my Scottish friend often does.

Oh yes - and I agree about things being set too high. They are nearly all for tenors and usually located around G. If asked, I always tell the accompanist (fortunately we usually have a friend playing with us who is very versatile) to play in D. That's better for us gals.

What is "The water is wide"?

I am supposed to be singing a Schubert Mass that night, but I shall put the record on and listen to it in the pre-math (is that the opposite of aftermth?) to the party. I'll put on a couple of arias from the Messiah, too, in Gnomon's honour. NOT the chorus. "The trumpet shall sound" is a nice way to ring in one's birthday (or is it too apocalyptic?)

Then we can party and sing until the neighbours complain. At which point the neighbours will be given a glass of "Sekt" and told to bring their guitars and keyboards and will be told "If you can't beat'em, join 'em"

Anyway, the chap over the road has his own band and rocks the whole street with their practices every Wednesday night.

Anyway, it's a gorgeous Sunday morning here and my family are wanting to pamper me ( ), so I'll be off.

oh is it today?

if I could remember the words I'd sing the "schön dast Du geboren bist" song...

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Happybirthday

Hi TC, how's the head? MANY HAPPY RETURNS

"The water is wide" is also known as "Waly waly" and ends with

Oh love is handsome and love is fine
And love's a jewel when first 'tis new
But when love grows old, it then grows cold
And fades away like the morning dew

-- not exactly festive, but a lovely tune.

I have a book, "The Guitar Songbook" compiled by Frederick Noad, that has all the old ones in it (All Through the Night, Barbara Allen, The Golden Vanity, The Salley Gardens . . . ) and I've been playing it in all our holidays since the seventies.

My list, as you may have noticed, went alphabetical at the end; I was consulting the Beatles Complete book at that stage

Hope your birthday was terrific and your party will match

*sings* Happy belated birthday to you...