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

*gapes in wonder at Natalie's unfeasibly detailed knowledge of B.A. Robertson* Will you marry me?

Yup, that's the one, "I Have A Dream". Dreadful piece of tripe. Should have been strangled at birth. The master tape should have been destroyed, and all concerned should have entered into a lifelong pact: "We will never speak of this again".

Instead, they went ahead and released it. What wee they thinking of?

Dr E - ever since you started talking pop trivia on this site I have wondered (with awe, admittedly) who else would have anything to do with either one of us. So I don't see what else we can do!

Aww do you remember his duet with Maggie Bell? ('Hold Me', I think it was called).

"Wee" meaning "were", obviously!

Reddy, I think you are being unnecessarily harsh about Scotland/B.A.'s efforts. Still, I think only one magic pairing could successfully pull off the football/rock combination in that era - and it's got to be Spurs/Chas and Dave. Musical nectar.

Nah, I think the New Order one was pretty good. And I think I'm being entirely reasonable in my assessment of I Have A Dream.

You have to look at this from a historical context. At the time, some eight years before "World In Motion", "I Have A Dream" was a reasonably good World Cup song. Does anyone remember England's 1982 song? I rest my case.

*makes note to pack breath fresheners and stop off at jewellers before tomorrow's meet*

This is all absolutely true of course. I don't remember the 1982 song at all, and I'm generally tragic.

It was "This Time (We'll Get It Right)", as I recall.

Can we have B.A. Robertson's "To Be Or Not To Be" played at the wedding?

hmmm...I distinctly remember thinking IHAD was bad, even by the standards of the time, and football songs in particular.

I probably thought the same about the England one too. Remind me, Dr. E, which of the nation's popular beat combos was provided with sufficient drugs to agree to recording it?

Well, that's the thing, you see. In those days there were no popular beat combos involved. You had the England team attempting to sing, and that was enough.

Oh God yes! I was getting my years mixed up. 'We are Ron's twenty-two.'

The B-Side was of course 'Fly the Flag,' which was based around the tune used in the BA (aha!) ads at the time (i.e. 'We'll take more care of you/Fly the flag, fly the flag...')

Should I get me coat?

'To be or not to be' - no other choice I reckon!

So it was the footballers who were supplied with the drugs?

Get your coat, you've pulled.

*looks smug as she's never bought a single in her life*

I did once own a James Last vinyl, inherited from a dead relative, but I found it made an excellent target for the air gun.

*feels good in his lack of B.A. Robertson knowledge yet strangely does remember him on Swap Shop all the time*

I've probably already posted Star Trekkin by The Firm in the first incarnation of this thread. I'll have to therefore add In The Army Now by Status Quo although technically I didn't buy it. It was a PRESENT. Neah!

What's wrong with that? I'll not have you dissing the Quo

I once exchanged cash money for Dracula's Tango, by Toto Coelo. I hasten to add that this was a joke present for my brother, who once worked in a pub where they were regulars.

A likely bleeding story.

Absolutely true!!! Both the buying, and the bit about the pub! It was called "The Old Father Thames". Paul Young was also a regular. I swear on Nighthoover!

You bought him a Toto Coelo single and it wasn't even their hit?