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CTTeller's White Space

I am preparing what is likely to be my longest writeup ever for my next wikibox, beating my personal record set with A Bit of Fry in the Lobbies in January 2020. Why does my brain hyperactivate* when I get the weirdest, eldritch ASB ideas?

*That fucking song by Thomas Dolby is stuck in my head
 
A snippit from my upcoming write-up, which has fucking smashed the record of A Bit of Fry in the Lobbies and currently sits at 7,400 words.

I'm sure my fellow Conservative MPs will join me in expressing our deepest relief that Sunny Suzuki has left intensive care. I, like colleagues across the house, remember when Roger Godsiff so horrendously attacked you with his callous vulgarity. When Sunny Suzuki confronted him, the love he has for you was clear for all to see. Of course, I can't condone violent threats, but his love for you was, and is clear. We saw the videos of you so tragically finding out about the condition of your husband, and your understandably frenzied reaction. The love that you have for him, like that which he has for you, is clear to see. The love you have for each other... it's something we rarely see in politics, not with such raw displays. It's something to be proud of. To be cherished. With Sunny Suzuki now having left intensive care, I am certain that he will make a full recovery, and I know you will see him again. In these trying times, it is important to break down these party political barriers. So Basil, from Philip and I, we send you our best wishes and hopes for the future.

For the record he's in intensive care due to COVID
 
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It appears someone has nicked my work and posted it on Twitter, without citation or acknowledgment that the work wasn't theirs, and done the same for other AH users. Apparently there's nothing to report this. It's a bit of a bugger.
 
It appears someone has nicked my work and posted it on Twitter, without citation or acknowledgment that the work wasn't theirs, and done the same for other AH users. Apparently there's nothing to report this. It's a bit of a bugger.
Link?
 
1900: Keir Hardie (Labour Representation Committee)
1906: Keir Hardie (Labour Representation Committee)
J. 1910: Arthur Henderson (Labour)
D. 1910: George Barnes (Labour)
1918: William Adamson (Labour)
1922: J. R. Clynes (Labour)
1923: Ramsay MacDonald (Labour)
(I would NOT vote for him if I had hindsight!)
1924: Ramsay MacDonald (Labour) (Ditto)
1929: Ramsay MacDonald (Labour)
(Ditto)
1931: Arthur Henderson (Labour)
1935: Clement Attlee (Labour)
1945: Clement Attlee (Labour)
1950: Clement Attlee (Labour)
1951: Clement Attlee (Labour)
1955: Clement Attlee (Labour)
1959: Harold Macmillan (Conservative)
1964: Harold Wilson (Labour)
1966: Harold Wilson (Labour)
1970: Harold Wilson (Labour)
F. 1974: Harold Wilson (Labour)
O. 1974: Harold Wilson (Labour)
1979: James Callaghan (Labour)
1983: Michael Foot (Labour)
1987: Neil Kinnock (Labour)
1992: Neil Kinnock (Labour)
1997: Paddy Ashdown (Liberal Democrat) or POSSIBLY Tony Blair (Labour)
2001: Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat) or MAYBE Tony Blair (Labour)
2005: Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat)
2010: Caroline Lucas (Green Party of England and Wales) OR Gordon Brown (Labour)
2015: Natalie Bennett (Green Party of England and Wales) or POSSIBLY Ed Miliband (Labour)
2017: Jeremy Corbyn (Labour)
2019: Jeremy Corbyn (Labour)
2024: Undecided, either Keir Starmer (Labour) or Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat)


Will do ones accounting for the fact that in the 10s and 20s one of my choices is fucking Mosley and my desperate attempts to vote anyone but
 
Here is a list of vinyl I own with the albums in detail.
  • Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison (1964)
  • Hey Jude / Revolution - The Beatles (1968)
  • Be My Baby - The Ronettes (1963)
  • It Must Be Love - Labi Siffre (1971) (Covered famously by Madness 10 years later)
  • It's Not Unusual - Tom Jones (1965)
These I don’t have sleeves for. The list below I do.
  • Don't You Want Me - The Human League (1981)
  • Copacabana (At The Copa) - Barry Manilow (1978)
  • It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It - The Fun Boy Three with Bananarama (1982)
  • Teach Yourself Edward Heath - Home Tutor Language Course (No clue but 1965-1975)
  • Where Did Our Love Go - The Supremes (1964)
  • Jealous Guy - Roxy Music (1981) (Written by John Lennon and was actually first recorded for the Beatles White Album and demoed but it was canned, he also had it on a previous album I believe)
  • Barracuda - Heart (1977)
  • Summertime - The Fun Boy Three (1982)
  • Ma Baker - Boney M (1977)
  • Another Brick In The Wall Part II - Pink Floyd (1979)
  • Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz (1981) (Fun fact! One of the members was the Brexit Party candidate for Kensington in 2019)
  • Celebration - Kool & The Gang (1980)
  • One Of Us - ABBA (1981)
  • Really Saying Something - The Fun Boy Three with Bananarama (1982)
  • Pop Muzik - M (1979) (Excellent track)
  • Coming Up - Paul McCartney (1980)
  • The Name Of The Game - ABBA (1977)
  • Popcorn - Hot Butter (1972)
  • Strangers in the Night / My Kind of Town - Frank Sinatra (1966)
  • Never Mind The Presents - The Barron Knights (1980) (Actually an LP)
  • Do They Know Its Christmas - Band Aid (1984)
  • I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do - ABBA (1975)
  • Always The Sun - The Stranglers (1986) (The ONLY Stranglers vinyl I've ever found at a charity shop)
  • Too Much Too Young LP - The Specials (1980)
  • Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile) - Dexys Midnight Runners (1982) (The inferior form of Dexys. Dexys Mark I is much better)
  • Billy Connolly meets Super Gran (1985) (Fun fact Patrick Troughton's last appearance on recording before he died was on Super Gran!)
  • Yes Sir, I Can Boogie - Baccara (1977)
  • D.I.S.C.O. - Ottawan (1979)
  • Mary's Boy Child - Boney M (1978)
  • Hold The Line - Toto (1985)
  • Cardiac Arrest - Madness (1982)
  • Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas (1981) (Yes, I know)
  • All Those Years Ago - George Harrison (1981)
  • Agadoo - Black Lace (1985) (Yes, really)
  • The More I See (The Less I Believe) - The Fun Boy Three (1982)
  • Africa - Toto (1982)
  • Love Theme from 'The Godfather' - Andy Williams (1972)
  • Woman - John Lennon (1981)
  • Livin' Thing - Electric Light Orchestra (1976)
  • I Feel Fine - The Beatles (1964)
  • Mull of Kintyre - Paul McCartney (1977)
  • September - Earth, Wind and Fire (1978)
That's the singles I have with covers. As for albums...

Schlaf, Mein Liebling - Richard Tauber (1937) (actually an old single. This was the first vinyl I bought, and I didn't realise it was in German. It's a German version of the song Goodnight Sweetheart, one of my favourite songs of the 1930s, introduced to me by the show of the same name starring Nicholas Lyndhurst, introducing me to one of my favourite artists of the 1930s, the excellent Al Bowlly.)

Kathleen Lewis Sings - Kathleen Lewis (1978) (No idea who this is but I saw the back of the vinyl was signed by the Kathleen Lewis herself, so I thought it was worth getting.)

The Inimitable George Formby - George Formby (1967) (Actually a posthumous 'Best of' album, Formby had died six years earlier.)

Noel Coward At Las Vegas - Noel Coward (1966...? The original was 1955 but this is definitely from at least 1966, but it may be a re-issue from the late 1970s, which would make it a posthumous re-release as Coward died in the 1973s.)

Syd Laurence with the Glenn Miller Sound - Syd Laurence (1969) (Not the great man himself but one from a member of the Glenn Miller Appreciation Society. Miller had some excellent tunes. Did you know Miller went missing in action over the skies during World War II?)

Green, Green Grass of Home - Tom Jones (1967) (Ironically this doesn't have any Tom Jones songs I actually like on it!)

The Best of Flanagan & Allen (1977) (Flanagan and Allen are perhaps best known for the children's classic, Run Rabbit Run, recently featured in Get Out. Allen retired from the group in the late 1950s due to ill health. Flanagan by himself was asked by the BBC to record Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr. Hitler?, the well-beloved theme to the well-beloved Dad's Army. Flanagan would die less than a year after recording this in 1968, and ironically Allen who retired due to ill health would outlive him by 14 years, dying in 1982, making this a posthumous 'best of' album. I suppose it might have something to do with Flanagan never retiring...)

The Singles 1969-1973 - The Carpenters (1973) (The extremely successful compilation album by the sibling duo that was number one for seventeen bloody weeks non-consecutive. I'm not big on the Carpenters with some exceptions but I realised this was a steal when I saw it.)

The Big Swoon of the Thirties - Al Bowlly (1965) (As previously mentioned, I fucking love Al Bowlly. Truly impeccable artist. Killed by a door during the war. Yes, really.)

Too Late For Goodbyes - Julian Lennon (1984) (Actually a big single, this was released by the better Lennon brother a few years after his father's assassination. His voice is very, very close to his father's and he's very very good!)

Fiddler On The Roof: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - John Williams (well, conducted the orchestra) (1971) (Saw this and immediately decided to buy it as I had listened to If I Was A Rich Man just days earlier on the computer.)

The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. 1 - Earth, Wind & Fire (1978) (The very successful greatest hits album by EW&F. Some great tunes, as you might expect.)

Nightflight to Venus - Boney M (1978) (Has some of Boney M's best tunes, including their most famous Rasputin. Not my favourite song of theirs that, but it's an undisputable classic. Fun fact! Bobby Farrell, the face of Boney M and the dancer (who lip-synced to the male vocals by producer Frank Farian) died on 30 December in 2010, on the same fucking day and even weirder, the same fucking city as Grigori Rasputin 94 years earlier. Freaky, innit?)

Greatest Hits - ABBA (1976) (A greatest hits album made before some of their best hits were made? That's the sign of a great band. I'm not sure why I bought this one, to be honest, though. It's hardly one of the greats and I initially thought it was something semi-unofficial/unsanctioned.)

Fawlty Towers: At Your Service (1982) (I got this A. because it's Fawlty Towers and B. in the event it was some exclusive audio play. It wasn't, but that's fine.)

Now That's What I Call Music 4 (1984) (My mum actually got this one for me, as well as Nightflight to Venus. It's neat but I wouldn't have bought this one myself.)

The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - Rick Wakeman (1975) (One of the best albums of all fucking time and by far the best find I've ever had at a charity shop, in this case in Golders Green. Seriously. Listen to it. The first track, Arthur, is best known as the theme for the BBC's election coverage for many years, which they still use now again in a truly bastardised form that's had the BBC pips forced into it. Listen to it. LISTEN TO IT.)

Glenn Miller's Greatest - Glenn Miller (I don't know, but I am told some time in the 1960s) (This one actually has Glenn Miller on it and as it was released in the 1960s it's a posthumous 'Best of' album. It contains his classic In the Mood, as well as Chattanooga Choo Choo, but incredibly does not include Moonlight Serenade. How and why? It's one of Miller's greatest tracks! It contains the similarly titled Moonlight Sonata, which is unrelated to Serenade and is a loose-ish adaptation of the piano piece.)

Night Gallery - The Barron Knights (1978) (This album contains A Taste of Aggro, which is thankfully not the one with the ridiculously racist 'Pop Muzik' parody 'Chop Suey', which is just... Jesus Christ no. If nothing else, I got this for collection's sake above anything else.)

The Master Sings - Noel Coward (1966) (The master indeed does! A compilation best of album from a few years before he died, it contains some of his best songs such as The Stately Homes of England and my personal favourite, London Pride. Nice cover, too.)

Piano Rags by Scott Joplin - Joshua Rifkin (1970) (Actually performed by the aforementioned Joshua Rifkin, this album contains some of the best ragtime pieces ever, composed by the master of ragtime himself. It contains his most famous pieces but does not include my favourite, Original Rags.) Continued below...

Classic Rock - The London Symphony Orchestra (1978) (What is it with albums from 1978 appearing in my collection? It wasn't intentional, I promise. This contains several rock songs by artists from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin but performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Choral Society. It got to number 3 and stayed in the charts for 39 weeks; bloody hell.)

Live in Belfast - Rowan Atkinson (1980) (I got this as I am a big fan of Atkinson's early stand-up stuff, pre-Bean and pre-Blackadder. Some of the sketches of this time feature proto-Beans, and includes one of my favourite sketches, featuring the headmaster.)

Not the Nine O'Clock News (1980) (Ditto, really. I really must get to watching the show; it's already got that bloody Mosley song in my head as it had done my father before me.)

Delilah - Tom Jones (1968) (I actually found a rogue single here. Delilah is probably my favourite Tom Jones song. I first heard it when I first properly saw Mark Williams play in the 2018 Betfred World Snooker Championship, who used the song as his walk-on theme and still does to this day with a brief period using a different song in 2019. I love Mark Williams, he's just so fucking cool. This song is really catchy too.)

Highlights from the Mikado - Gilbert and Sullivan (1976) (What a surprise, the gay alt-historian likes Gilbert and Sullivan. It's the surprise of the century. I actually got into Gilbert and Sullivan through Family Guy, with the first song I listened to being 'As Some Day It May Happen' and the actual version quickly became my preferred version in comparison to Stewie's rendition, though my friend disagreed at the time. I got into it before I got into AH properly, funnily enough. My favourite tune is probably actually the tune that precedes Little List; Behold the Lord High Executioner.)

Cowardly Custard - Noel Coward (1972) (Noel Coward strikes for the final of the albums I bought in a charity shop. This was one of the last revues staged during his life; he died eight months after the first performance. It was a celebration of Coward's life and, given the cover features Coward sitting on a chair with angel wings on it, it makes me think he probably knew he didn't have long to live. Featuring some, actually all, of his best songs, it features a young Patricia Routledge, several years before Keeping Up Appearances, singing I've Been To A Marvellous Party. You can really hear her operatic background when she sings the high notes. As the character is meant to be drunk, you could probably get away with singing it badly and it would work perfectly well. The cast also features Una Stubbs, who I always mix up with Mavis Pugh for some reason.)



Finally, for the good albums I bought at proper shops...


Rattus Norvegicus - The Stranglers (1977) (One of the best albums of all time, and the Stranglers' debut. Their first, like, five albums are all incredible. They went a bit shit after Cornwell left though they had occasional good songs (though nothing on par with their 70s and 80s stuff and came to a massive resurgence in quality when they released their first new album in 9 years in 2021, a year after the very sad death of keyboardist Dave Greenfield from COVID. He wrote Golden Brown; did you know that? Classics such as Down in the Sewer and Peaches feature on this album.)

Over-Nite Sensation - Frank Zappa and the Mothers (1973) (A very good Zappa album, though not my favourite. I'm The Slime and Dirty Love are excellent, genuinely excellent, and I play Dinah Moe Humm to piss off my friend. Camarillo Brillo, Zomby Woof, and Montana are great as well, and that's the entire album right there. Not my favourite and all the songs are really good! This album was recorded during the same sessions as Zappa's next album, Apostrophe ('), which is my favourite Zappa album of all time by a country album, partially for reasons of nostalgia but also because it's a great album. I must get it at some point. I've listened to it from beginning to end several times.)

Breakfast in America - Supertramp (PICTUREDISK - Release from 2013) (I love this album, but I'm actually a bit annoyed at this purchase and do rather regret it because as it turns out, I don't like picture disks. I reserve my judgement of this album until later. At least it looks cool...?)

Zoot Allures - Frank Zappa (1978) (Not my favourite Zappa album by any metric, but it contains one of my favourite tracks of his of all time, The Torture Never Stops, which is catchy as ever-loving hell. Not a fan of the sexual moaning noises in the background, it's rather distracting, but other than that, excellent tune. It also contains Wind Up Workin' In A Gas Station, which is one of my newer favourites from Zappa, as well as Ms. Pinky which is catchy as well. If I find Zappa in a vinyl shop again soon, I'll make sure to try and find Apostrophe, and or You're Only In It For The Money.)

Crime of the Century - Supertramp (1974) (As I write this, the opening song, School, is playing in the background from my computer by coincidence. It's a very, very good song and one of my new favourites from them. Crime of the Century is an excellent album and was their first hit. Every single song on this album is excellent, but my favourites are probably the first three songs; School, Bloody Well Right, and Hide In Your Shell. Very, very good album and thinking about it, might be my favourite album from them on average.)

Searching for the Young Soul Rebels - Dexys Midnight Runners (1980) (I get the feeling someone here will appreciate this entry. This is one of my favourite albums of all time. Every song on this album is very, very good. My favourite song off the album is either Burn it Down or There, There My Dear. Geno, of course, is also a certified classic. Why couldn't Dexys Mark I stay together!? Props to Mark II, of course, the version that featured on Celtic Soul Brothers, which had Come On Eileen on it, and they are good I suppose, but Dexys Mark I is bloody masterful!)

Breakfast in America - Supertramp (1979) (I later got this album properly, original release. This was Supertramp's most successful album and features their all-time classic, the enduring Logical Song, as well as the title track. The Logical Song is their most famous track by a considerable margin and is one of their most enduring examples of their signature Wurlitzer sound that makes literally EVERY song they had that featured it catchy. Bar none, literally bar none. Though those two songs are great, I think Oh, Darling and Casual Conversations are extremely underrated, and are some of my favourites on the album.

99 Red Balloons - Nena (1983) (Actually the single, but I got this properly from a vinyl shop in London. Very good song but I prefer the original German language Neunundneunzig Luftballons.)

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds - Jeff Wayne (1978) (1978 strikes one final time as I go into my final vinyl. I got this last Wednesday at the same time as my 30 quid PS3. £2.50. £2 bloody 50 for one of the best albums of all time in excellent condition. I've listened to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds several times over from start to finish as I have done Apostrophe. The Red Weed is great, Horsell Common and the Heat Ray is excellent and has a glorious bass line. Did you know I first listened to this album as a result of a wikibox on AlternateHistory.com that recommended playing Dead London, one of the last songs on the album, while reading the write-up and looking at the final box? I'm glad I did. Let's also not forget the impeccable narration from the legendary Richard Burton, whose deep voice is an excellent guide through the story. In the modern production of Wayne's WOTW, they got the similarly impeccable Liam Neeson to do the voice-over, which is an extremely inspired choice and works very well, but isn't quite Burton.)


And that's it. I have bought a number of vinyl in recent months and years and hope to continue adding to my collection.
 
1654363820754.png
The Jubilee Line already has the JLE from 1999, but North Greenwich was built with the infrastructure to potentially host a branch to Thamesmead. There were also discussions about the Jubilee Line taking over the slow Metropolitan Line services from between Wembley Park and Harrow, and I've had that happen here.​
 
Ridiculously well written AI piece.

Jarvis Cocker has been selected as Labour's candidate for Sheffield Hallam for the upcoming general election on December 12.

The former Pulp frontman announced the news on Twitter, saying he's "very happy" to have been chosen by the local party.

"I've been an activist most of my life," he said in a video posted to Twitter. "I'm an artist, I'm a musician, and I've been involved in politics from a very young age.

"I know the importance of politics, I know the importance of being involved, and I'm very happy and proud to have been chosen as the Labour Party candidate for Sheffield Hallam in the upcoming general election."

Cocker's candidacy has been backed by Jeremy Corbyn, who said the musician "brings a fresh and powerful voice to our movement".

"He is a man of great talent and integrity who cares deeply about the future of our country," Corbyn said in a statement.

"Jarvis is a man of great talent and integrity who cares deeply about the future of our country. He will be a fantastic asset to our campaign and I’m delighted to welcome him to the team."

Jarvis Cocker will be a fantastic asset to our campaign and I’m delighted to welcome him to the team. — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 6, 2019

Cocker has previously lent his support to the Labour Party, appearing at a Jeremy Corbyn rally in Sheffield and appearing in a Labour Party video in 2017.

The musician has also been an outspoken critic of the Conservative Party, and in 2017, he and Pulp performed at a rally against Theresa May's Conservative Party conference in Manchester.

Pulp are currently working on their first album in 17 years, with Cocker previously saying that he would like to release it before the general election.

The band last released an album in 2001 with 'We Love Life', and played a number of reunion shows between 2011 and 2013.

Pulp are currently working on new album 'This Is Hardcore 2'.
 
I'm working on the Wilson Line quite a lot now, a lot of research into the Old Oak Common Junction to the Tring Line, the Junction from the Aylesbury Line to Paddington with the new tunnels, and research into whether I can make triangle junctions to enable Reading to Tring and Aylesbury to Tring and vice versa. I'm making some roundels now in Powerpoint, and I'm embarrased to say there's something really fulfilling and satisfying about making these roundels in perfect Johnston font.

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