At McDonald’s in George Street a Quarter Pounder cost eighty cents, French fries forty-five cents, a Cheeseburger forty-five cents, and a Fillet-‘o-fish burger seventy-five cents. We walked up the street to the run-down and hot Roma Cinema where we paid four dollars each to see the screening, from 1.30 p.m., of “Public Vices And Virtues”, which came with subtitles.
It was preceded by a short film, “The Spy’s Wife”, about two spies who, unknowingly, end up in bed with each other’s wife; another on French stunt drivers in their Peugeot cars; and, finally, yet another short film — that won an award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival — about a man who practices doing more and more each day, in the lift between floors, until he dies from overdoing it. The main film is just an orgy of naked men and women and nothing like “the film of ’76” Bill Collins had labelled it to be.
New Zealand was dismissed for 175 in its second innings after Australia’s first innings had ended on 377 (Rick McCosker, 84). Australia needs to score just twenty-eight runs to win the match.
It is a miserably cold last day of summer, accompanied by much heavy rain that is torrential at times. We paid our monthly contribution of forty dollars and fifty-six cents to the Medical Benefits’ Fund.
“Happy Days” is on Channel Nine, from half past seven, this evening. This week’s episode of “Rich Man, Poor Man: Book 2” on Channel Seven, from half past eight, has ended as Falconetti (played by William Smith) shoots at Rudy (Peter Strauss) and Wesley (Gregg Henry) from a bridge. Wesley had just been released from hospital after having been bashed by unionists.
Rose Royce formed in the early 1970s, in Los Angeles. Edwin Starr, a singer of soul on the label, Motown, introduced the octet to that company’s producer, Norman Whitfield, who had had such success with The Temptations.
Initially, the band was known as Total Concept Unlimited and then The Magic Wand. It was while under the latter name that Norman Whitfield recruited a female singer, Gwen Dickey, to lead the group. Gwen was given the stage name of Rose Norwalt. As Norman had been given the opportunity to score the music to the film, ‘Car Wash’, he decided to use The Magic Wand, featuring Rose Norwaldt, in the picture’s soundtrack, but not before changing the band’s name to Rose Royce.
In 1976, even before the film had opened, the world was listening to its main theme, in the form of the pulsating disco single, “Car Wash”. It sold more than a million copies, topping both Billboard’s rhythm and blues and pop singles charts. The group’s second single, “I Wanna Get Next To You”, also from the movie, performed almost as well as its first release.
Rose Royce’s album, ‘In Full Bloom’, was released in 1977. The first single to come from it, “Do Your Dance – Part 1”, was followed by “Ooh Boy” and, finally, “Wishing On A Star”. The following album, ‘Strikes Again!’, is a collection that includes the tracks “I’m In Love (And I Love The Feeling)” and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”, a song that was to be revived by Madonna on her album, ‘Like A Virgin’.
“Rose” departed from Rose Royce shortly after the release of the band’s next album, ‘Rainbow Connection’. A year and a half was to pass before the band released its next album, ‘Golden Touch’, in 1981; with new vocalist, Ricci Benson. However, not one single from this album succeeded on the charts in the United States.
The albums, ‘Jump Street’, ‘Stronger Than Ever’ (1982), ‘Fresh Cut’ (1987) and ‘Perfect Cut’ (1989) followed, as the group’s personnel continued to change. By the middle of the 1980s Rose Royce had been reduced to a sextet and prior to the recording of ‘Perfect Lover’ Lisa Taylor had replaced Ricci Benson.
“Car Wash” was revived by Christina Aguilera (featuring Missy Elliott), in 2004.
I came upstairs at 9.15 a.m. and turned on Channel Nine. “Here’s Humphrey” was screening with the young presenter dressed as the Wicked Queen, and “Humphrey”, a ‘bear’, as Snow White. There was no footage of the carnage at Granville but forty-two people have already been confirmed dead.
Two programmes from the “Untamed World” series, narrated by the actor, William “Cannon” Conrad, screened from 10.00 a.m. on Channel Nine. The first was on kangaroos and the second looked into the lives of the birds of the mangrove swamps.
The death toll at 11.00 a.m. stands at fifty-seven.
At 7.00 p.m., “Willesee” featured a prostitute, of just nineteen years of age, who has been addicted to heroin — she takes it three times a day– since she was fifteen. She has been handing it out to her customers at forty dollars per capsule.
The death toll from yesterday’s disaster at Granville, already the worst in the history of the Australian railways, now stands at eighty.
A can of “Tarino” orange soft drink cost thirty-five cents. The admission charge of $3.50 per adult to the Lion Safari at Warragamba Dam, covered the “Parrot Show”, at 3.00 p.m., and the “Seal and Dolphin Show”, at half past the hour, as well as other activities.
After the news and “Willesee”, on ATN Channel Seven, we watched “Here It Is”, introduced by John Bailey and featuring Australia’s ‘King’ of rock and roll, Johnny O’Keefe.
When I found Tiki sneakily eating chocolates behind my back, I stated, “That’s all right. I have a long memory.” To which she cheekily retorted, “I’m glad something’s long!”
Jimmy Carter has been sworn in as the thirty-ninth President of the United States. He was formerly a farmer who grew peanuts, a naval officer and Governor of the state of Georgia.
The eighty-second victim of the rail disaster at Granville, died today. He was Brian Gordon, twenty-eight years of age, from Penrith, and the last person to be freed alive, ten hours after the accident occurred on Tuesday.
At 4.30 p.m., we were greeted by a heavy thunderstorm, which contained a trace of hail. We later heard that it caused much damage across Sydney.
Englishman Rex Williams (186) defeated Pierre (Perry) Mans (82) on “World Masters’ Snooker”. The latter player was born in South Africa.
In the final of the Gillette Cup, on ABC TV, Channel Two, from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Victoria scored 164. In reply, Western Australia had collapsed to be 7-73, at 5.10 p.m., due to some excellent bowling from Alan Hurst and Max “Tangles” Walker, yet fought back to win a ‘cliff-hanger’ by taking its score to 9-165 (Craig Serjeant 38 and Mick Malone 47 n.o.) at 6.55 p.m.
At half past seven, Ian Chappell, a former captain of Australia at cricket and now retired from the game, is this evening’s guest on “This Is Your Life”, on Channel Seven.
The Rick Z Combo formed in Indiana, in 1962. Thence this band became known as Rick and The Raiders before eventually evolving into the rock group, The McCoys. It was under this name that it experienced its initial and most successful hit, “Hang On Sloopy”, in 1965. This recording sold well in excess of a million copies.
http://youtu.be/Gi1WXYHHc2s
As the group sought to find sequential glory, it turned to reviving hits from the past. “Fever” had initially entered the charts for Little Willie John, in 1956 — two years before Peggy Lee’s definitive version — and “Come On Let’s Go” had meant success for the late Richie Valens, in 1958. “Fever” did rise as high as No.7 on Billboard’s pop chart for The McCoys but “Come On Let’s Go” could climb no higher than No.22, and was a sign of things to come.
http://youtu.be/saBtR_wv070
The B-side of “Fever”, “Sorrow”, was covered by the British male vocal duo, The Merseys, and peaked at No.4, in 1966, on the British singles charts. “Sorrow” was again revived, in 1973, this time by the significantly more famous David Bowie, who, on this occasion, took it to No.3 in Britain.
http://youtu.be/iDWCsp3Y-oU
“Hang On Sloopy” is just one title named in the list of my favourite recordings, located in the suggested playlists. I shall be adding to this list from time to time.
We shopped at the Half Case store on Parraweena Road at Taren Point. At 8.00 p.m., on Channel Two, the “Big Country” series is looking at ‘The Taipan Man’: Ram Chandra. This was followed at half past eight, on Channel Seven, by the introductory two-hour episode of “Rich Man, Poor Man: Book 2”.
The British comedy series, “Love Thy Neighbour”, is on Channel Seven from 8.00 p.m. It was formerly screened on Channel Two. It stars Jack Smethurst as the bigoted Eddie Booth, and Rudolph Walker as his coloured neighbour, Bill Reynolds.