Nicks` Cabinet of Curios

Trevor African is a name used by Jamaican singer and record producer Cecil Brown. I assume that this is the same Cecil Brown who sang in vocal trio The Willows in the `70s and that Cabrock (formerly C A B Rock) is his own record label, C A B  being, presumably, his initials.  Joan (actually Joanne) is a classic song. It starts with the songs` protagonist sitting alone watching the sunset and reflecting on his relationship with Joan/Joanne. He realises that in life, night passes and a new day begins ; "As the moon goes away/And the sun comes up/We welcome, we welcome/A brand new day" . He admits that there have been times in the relationship when he was in the wrong and his commitment to Joan/Joanne is renewed. It might sound a bit trite put like that, you really have to hear it.    Jah is My Soul - a nice little tune. Not as strong as Joan but very agreeable and in many ways quite uplifting. The kind of tune that you get it out and play it, and straigh...

Passenger to London (1937) `Passenger to London` is a 1930s British B-Movie. It was written by David Evans, a screenwriter with 37 TV and film credits to his name, and features an impressive cast, notably Jenny Laird (Dr Who, Inspector Morse, Z Cars, Sherlock Holmes and the Mask of Death, Ghost Squad and much else).  Clearly, it was made on a low budget and as it only lasts 1 hour some of the finer points have to be glossed over. As an example, Lairds` character very quickly comes to trust a man she has found in her hotel room, even though she is openly dismissive of his explanation for being there and despite the fact that he initially pretends to be a hotel employee, which he is not.  I don`t really mind that myself, but I can imagine some would not be so tolerant. However, the film does pack a lot into an hour and that suits me fine. If `30s b-movies are not your thing, I very much doubt that this one will win you over, I think this is one for afficionados onl...

Dorothy B Hughes - The Blackbirder - The Feminist Press/City Univ of New York -- 2004 In the `Femmes Fatales - Women Write Pulp` series Modern reprint of book first published in 1943. Some time has passed since I read this, so I can`t really provide a review as such.  This book was first published during World War Two and at that time would have been quite contemporary .  The author was not writing for an academic audience, probably not writing for posterity,  and disliked the term `woman writer`. I`m guessing she would not have been chuffed to be published  by the Feminist Press at the City University of New York, or to have been included in a series of  highlighting women writers of pulp.  However unchuffed she might have been, I for one am glad this title has been reprinted. It is not what I would call a spy story, but is an absorbing read in the `noir` style. I recall there were quite a few printing errors and it was not always c...

Reggae on the Rocks - Arnot Hill Park (Arnold Park) - Nottingham - 16 June 2019 This is the third time I`ve seen this talented group of local lads live, and hopefully not the last time. Their set began with The Harder They Come and ended with Too Experienced so as you can tell there was plenty there for the lover of vintage reggae. At one time it would have seemed odd the idea of a reggae covers band as all the emphasis was on original material, but these days I quite like hearing a few old favourites played live. Perhaps I`m getting old ! The band are proficient and versatile, playing an hour-long set that is designed to appeal to a wider audience but still have something to offer for the seasoned reggae fan.  Some will say that they are something of a reggae variety act - whether that`s a criticism or a recommendation is very much a matter of personal taste. Inevitably, there were a couple of songs I personally could have done without, a couple which they sometim...

The Trollenberg Terror (US Title The Crawling Eye) 1958 Just seen this on the UK`s Talking Pictures channel. Independently made in the UK, this was the last film to come out of Southall Studios and was   based loosely on a 1956 British TV series of the same name.  I would say that it is well-acted and for the most part relies heavily on suspense rather than special effects. Although it is a science fiction film, it is noticeably influenced by the horror genre in places. Towards the end it is marred to a degree by low-budget special effects but speaking personally that didn`t really spoil my enjoyment overall.  Would recommend to anyone who`s prepared to enter into the spirit of the thing and not really worry about whether it`s the last word in film making. At the end of the day it was an enjoyable and effective film and that`s all I care about. 

Martin Davies - Mrs Hudson and the Malabar Rose - Canelo - 2015 In the `Holmes and Hudson` Series In practise I`m not able to review each and every book that I read, but instead I shall  just tell you that this is the book I`m reading at present and that I`m enjoying it enormously.  I certainly plan to read the other two titles in the Holmes and Hudson series but after that I suspect that Martin Davies and myself will be parting company as I suspect his other titles will be less in my line.  Unfortunately, I don`t have time to comment in greater detail, but that`s the way it is with us international men of mystery, constantly in demand ! 

J M Allen - A Senior Sort of Murder - Vanguard - 2007 This authors` books are not always easy to find, probably because they were produced in quite small quantities. For this reason, some sellers are asking huge prices for them, but I am not convinced those prices are realistic. A quick search online produced very little trace of `chatter` about her books and I would have thought that if they had achieved cult status there would be a lot more talk about them. Secondly, she is not the only author to have written as J M Allen, so don`t assume all J M Allen books are by this J M Allen.   On to the matter in hand. The author, who I take to be an amateur, has had five books published to my knowledge, four of them being crime fiction. Having read this I can truthfully say it is worthy of a professional writer.  It is a good story, told well, and the couple of criticisms I have are quite minor. The only one worth mentioning here is that some of the dialogue seems s...