New single...

Driving in to work this morning, I heard that Tony Christie is releasing Avenues and Alleyways on the 25th July, hot on the heels of his success with the now dreaded Amarillo single. As Johnnie Walker said after the song, "Well, I say new single, it was actually first released 32 years ago".

All the same, I still quite like it, but then I didn't mind the Amarillo song up until a few months ago. Although I wish him every success with it, I just hope this one doesn't go the same way. What the "new" song does have in it's favour is that it brings back memories of 70's TV for me, as it was used as the theme tune for The Protectors. Not that I would have been allowed to watch it I don't suppose at the ripe old age of 7, but I clearly remember the "chime" of the opening five notes which possibly signalled bedtime back then.

On the subject of those opening notes, I've always had my suspicions that a certain Mr Mercury found them somewhat inspiring 5 years later when he wrote "We are the Champions". I wonder if this could be the beginnings of a new copyright dispute? I'm sure Mitch Murray would be grateful of a few quid's worth of royalties.

Off on a complete tangent, this also reminds me of an office where I worked in the late 80's that boasted a window with an excellent position for the sunshine and therefore, growing of plants. I enjoyed much (and seldom repeated) success with a variety of cacti and an enormous coleus plant which I later dubbed Nat King Coleus whose pot was labelled accordingly. So, it only seemed fitting when someone bought me an amaryllis bulb in a pot which later grew to exaggerated proportions that it was also given a name, so I decided on Tony. I had to explain it a lot back then aswell...