JOB APPLICATION and ANITA BAKER

The Time was now around September of 1988, and Two Things were Happening in our Life, Firstly I had the Bankruptcy Hearing to Sort Out and I was Looking for a New Job!

I had a Choice of 2 Different Jobs I would have Preferred to get at that Time, One was a Chef or the other was a Butcher, the Kids were 10 and 8 Years Old, so I Needed if Possible to get a Day Time Job, so it was Looking Likely I was going to go back into Butchery!

As for the Bankruptcy, Everything was just about Sorted out, apart from the  Money, I had to Pay to go Bankrupt, I think at that Time it was £100, which I did Eventually find, Cant Remember how I got this, but I did!

So One Late Septembers Day I had to go to Norwich for the Bankruptcy Hearing, One thing I do Recall is, I was Not Suppose to have a Car, so I went to Norwich Early and Parked Near the City Centre and had to Walk to the Building in Chapel Field Road, which was about 15 Minutes Away, I Cant Really Remember too much of what happened, all I can Recall is being Told what I can do and what I Cant do Financially, for about the Next 7 Years! 

After about 2 Hours of Listening to all that, I was on the way Home to see Susan and the Kids, as was Very Glad that all the Stuff was Over!

But as it Turned Out, that Day was the Start of a lot of Financial cr@p We were going to Suffer over the Next Few Years!

On the Job Front, I was Very Lucky, because the Local County Council were Advertising for a Cooks Job, about 10 Minutes from where we Lived, so I Phoned up for All the Details, and was Told all about the Job over the Phone, it Sounded Great, 8am to 3pm, 5 Week Days a Week!

This was the Ideal Job for me, I had Never had a Chefs Job Before where I got all Nights and Bank Holidays Off, so I asked the Centre Manager to Send me an Application Form. 

But there was only a Couple of Draw-Backs with this Job, I could see, and they were, I was going to be a called a Cook instead of a Chef, that was No Problem and Secondly they had Never had a Male Cook before, they had always been Female, so it was going to be Difficult in getting in there, in the First Place! 

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Now for Some Music, Around Late 1988, The Best Female Soul Singer "Anita Baker" Released her 3rd Solo Album to Date, on the Elektra Record Label, it was called "Giving You The Best I Got" 

The Album Reached Number One on both Pop and R&B Charts in the US and it also Charted in the Uk at Number 9!

The Second Single Release from the Album was a Great Track called "Just Because" what a Great Track this was, it Reached Number 1 on the R&B Chart and Number 14 on the "Hot 100" Chart.

The Song was Written by Alex Brown, Sammy McKinney and Michael O'Hara and Produced by Michael J Powell, he was the Founder Member of "Chapter 8" who Anita Baker had Sung with a Few Years Earlier!

             

"Just Because Lyrics"

When I think about how much I'm loving you
No limitations, no set of regimented rules
I'm amazed how much this love has touched my life
And the commitment that we share is a welcome sacrifice

This must be, sweet fatal attraction
My life-long date with destiny
Love this strong, it just brings out the passion
I never knew was here in me

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'

Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you
Just because you're you

You're a diamond in my mind. a treasure found
A precious gem to me. you're so nice to have around
I'm so glad I took the path that led to this
And it's amazin' loving you, I'm doin' things
I never thought I'd do

I don't know, there ain't no explanation
Of why I'm sharin' love at last this way
I won't try to work out all my reasons
I'II use these words to simply say

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby.

Could it be that there's more to this than meets the eye
Maybe that's the reason why
All I know is when I'm in your arms it feels all right
I'II hold you tight and I come alive

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

[til fade]

BACK HOME and JEFFREY OSBORNE

Our Move to Norwich  back in Early 1987 came to an Abrupt Ending, shortly after a the 15th June 1987!

This was the Date my Sister Telephoned me at Home in Norwich to say that "My Father had been taken ill and was Rushed to Hospital"

We came back to Yarmouth asap, we took Nathan and Natalie straight to Susan's Sister's House (so she could look after them) & we went straight to the Hospital.

My Old Boy (as I always called my Father) had been Suffering from an Heart Complaint for a Few Years Previously and had took a turn for the Worse!

This is when I found out that "The Old Boy" had been Bad for Ages, but my Mother and Sister's decided not to tell me anything about this!

What a Family (they are), Me and Susan are just the Opposite to this, if we are ill, our Kids are the First to Know! (not the last).

At this time I was 28 Years Old, Married with 2 Kids and the Eldest of 4 Sibling's, so perhaps I should have been the First to Know!

But Knowing My Mother as I Do (Back then, But Not Now), this I suppose, should have been Expected! 

Anyway after that Visit to the Hospital, we went to get Our Kids and went back to Our Home in Norwich, I am Not Sure of How it Happened or the Timing's, But We Decided to Move Back to Great Yarmouth (asap). 

As I said this is another Time in the Past I can't Remember 100%, I Don't know if we had Planned our Move Back before "The Old Boy" was ill or after, but whatever it was, we Moved back to Our Old House about 3/4 Days after "The Old Boy" was Admitted to the Hospital!

It turned out, Her who we Swapped Houses with (in the first place), Wanted to go Back to Norwich, So we just Swapped back Houses again!

So after about 12 Weeks we were back Home in Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, in the Same House we had left earlier, We were all Glad to be Left that Dump in Norwich, but now We had to Deal with "The Old Boy" who was Still in Hospital in a Bad Way!

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Now for some Music, During 1984 Jeffrey Osborne (Former Lead Singer with LTD) released His 5th Single on A&M Records, "Stay With Me Tonight" it was Taken from his Second Album (same Title for the Album), that was Released the Previous Year.

What a Great Track this was, I Purchased the 12" Single and the Album, Jeffrey Osborne has an Un-mistakable Voice.

The Track was Produced by George Duke and Reached Number 30 on the US Pop Chart and Number 4 on the US R&B Chart, it also Reached Number 18 on the UK Pop Chart.

The Album Attained Platinum Status and Number 3 on the US R&B Chart.

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• NORWICH and THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
• BULL TERRIER and THE BAR-KAYS
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• The Greatest Soul Singer of All Time....sam Cooke
• The Greatest Soul Singer of All Time....curtis Mayfield

NORWICH and THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP

Thinking back to our time in Norwich, around the early Part of 1987, I don't Really have Too many Good Memories, in fact I suppose it would have been Better not to have moved there in the First Place!

Probably the  Best thing was getting the Van (Mobile Shop) and trying too start a Business, things were not going too bad with the Shop, but I was only Selling enough to Buy more Stock, so something Needed too Improve or I would be in Trouble!

I did a Couple of Times at a Horse fair, Selling my Pies and Pasties, this went Well, but I needed more places to go, I also had certain Council Estates I you to Visit nearly every day.

I started getting a few Regulars most days, One Customer I remember, She had Stuff every time I Visited, in fact, she use to get Items through the Week, and Pay altogether on a set Day, this always built up to a fair amount!

I also Visited a Old Peoples Place on the other side of the City, I did Quite well there as well, not to mention when we went back Home on a Saturday, most of my Family had a Few Things!

Whether I would have made enough Money in the Future to carry on with the Mobile Shop was another Question, But after 11 Weeks in Norwich, Something was to  Happen, that was going to Force us to Move back to Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, I shall Post about this next time!  

Just a mention about my Last life Post, If you read it, I Mentioned the Person who we exchanged Houses with and the problems she caused us and how I see Her about once a Year around Our Town Centre, Well you Guessed it, we had the Miss-Fortune of Seeing Her Yesterday, Walking with Her Snout in the air, She thinks She is Something Special, All I thought to Myself was...........what a Tw*t!

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Wattstax (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As for some Music, This Track was never Released as a Single, for The Rance Allen Group, but in 1972 they Performed this Track Live at The Wattstax Concert, (in the Gospel section), it was Entitled "Lying On The Truth"

What a Great Song and a Great Voice, Rance Allen has, it's a Great Track, the Band also Featured 2 of his Brothers, Tom and Steve Allen.

I have included Video of The Wattstax Concert @ 1.53 mins and the Full Length Version @ 3.31 mins.




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• BULL TERRIER and THE BAR-KAYS
• Hand Bell and Jackie Wilson
• BROKEN DOWN YELLOW VAN and SLAVE
• THE 146th MIX FOR F.S.V.B
• The Greatest Soul Singer of All Time....teddy Pendergrass

THE POLICE and JIMMY RUFFIN

As I said in Previous posts, when we Lived in Norwich back in 1987, we always came back to Great Yarmouth on a Saturday, to see Family and Sell some stuff from my Mobile Shop Van.


I recall nearly straightaway after coming Home from Yarmouth on the Weekend, things started happening to Our House and Garden, when we were out in Yarmouth!

Things like, Nathan's Cars that were left out  where He used to Play, were Damaged, i.e smashed with a Hammer, I also think something was done to the Kids Bikes, damage to the Shed and Fence etc, this went on for a couple of Weeks, me and Susan never thought to much about, when the Kids Complained!


After 3/4 Weeks of things happening, and not doing anything about it, we came to Yarmouth as usual that Weekend, and when we returned everything looked normal, until Susan went to get the Washing in, thats when we saw what had been done,  there had been someone in Our back Garden, Slashing our all Washing with what must have been a Stanley Knife!

We got straight on to The Police, who came round, they were going on about Enemies in the Area, we said we didn't really know anybody in the area, as usual the Copper's were Useless & Done Nothing!  


When we were still Living in Norwich, we Never found out the Reason, why this stuff was done to us, but we found out Later!


We found out Later why this had all happened, it turned out, the Person (Moron) we Exchanged Council Houses with, still had a Sister who Lived on the Same Road, who Wanted Her back In Norwich and wanted to Scare us off, back to Yarmouth, so Her Sister could move back in!

What a Bunch of Tw*ts, Especially the Idiot who Smashed our Kids Toys Up, not too mention our Clothes etc they Ruined!


What makes me Mad about this situation is, None of Morons who caused all this Trouble were Never brought to Justice, perhaps one Day I will get the Chance to Repay them all one by one!


Incidentally the Prat we exchanged with, still Walks about our Town, and about once a Year we have the Mis-Fortune of seeing Her, and the First Thing I think is WHAT A DICKHEAD!

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Now for some Music, I had to go in to Hospital last week, and wanted something on my MP4 Player which I have not played for a Little While, that same Night I turned on a Local Radio Station and heard some Jimmy Ruffin, so I quickly got my Jimmy Ruffin CD's off the Rack and on to the MP4 player.


My Favorite Jimmy Ruffin Track was actually Released on 3 seperate Occasions, Firstly in 1967, then 1969 and Finally in 1974.

It was called "I've Passed This Way Before" it was from the Album "The Jimmy Ruffin Way" Released in 1966 on the Tamla Motown Label and featured 12 Tracks, including His Biggest Hit "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"

The Track Reached Number 17 on the US Pop Chart, Number 10 on the US R&B Chart and it also Reached Number 29 on the UK Pop Chart.

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• Yellow Van & the Four Tops!
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BULL TERRIER and THE BAR-KAYS

Around May of 1987, things for us were going Alright after our Move to Norwich, we had got the Kids, Nathan and Natalie into a Local School, which was about 10 mins Walk to.


If I remember correctly Susan used to walk them to School and I used to pick them up after, or was it vice-versa, I used to pick them up in the Van!

I can only remember one of our Neighbour's, that was "Bill" he was a "Laugh", he was about 65 years old and His stand out thing was He had a "Great Big Hooter" it was all Red and Blue, but He was a Nice Bloke, more than I can say for all the other Morons who lived around that area!


I also Recall "Bill" was a bit of a "Boozer" to say the least, one particular incident happened, one Afternoon, he came Home from the "Pub" and was Speaking to us, near our Front Wall, which was about 3 feet High, all of a Sudden He Fell Head first over the wall into our Garden!

That was Hilarious, but "Bill" smashed all his Face on the Wall and Ground, He had Scrapes  Bruises and Blood all over the Place! 


He (Bill) was Probably the only thing we Missed when we Left the House and Area in the Coming Weeks!


By this time, I was going out Every day trying to Sell my Stock, I had in the Mobile -Shop, I had particular places I went to, and things were not too bad, I can remember Taking "Nathan" on several Occasions, he used to like Ringing the Bell, when we arrived!


We always came back to Great Yarmouth on a Saturday, my Mother and Sister, always had a few items of Groceries from the Van, being Nice I suppose!

Another thing, I recall about Norwich, we had 2 Black Labradors then "Sally and Ben" and we use to take them for a Walk about 10 mins from our House, there was another Bloke, who was always on there & He had a Bull Terrier Dog!

That was one Helluva Ugly Dog, but the Best thing about it was His Name, it was Called " Basta*d" you could always hear Him calling his Dog, all over the Park! 


I said things were going alright for us in Norwich, but that was soon to Change, I will post next time about that!

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 Now for some Music, One of The Best Funk Bands of the 70's was "The Bar-Kays" in 1976 they Released the Album "Too Hot To Stop" on the Mercury Record Label.

It contained One of my Favorite Funk Tracks of All-Time "Shake Your Rump To The Funk" it also had a Great B-Side, which I played as much as the A-side "Summer Of Our Love"

They were 2 Great Tracks, I still have the Single in my Loft, and of course the Album on CD.


"Shake Your Rump To The Funk" Reached Number 23 on the US Pop Chart and Number 5 on the R&B Charts.

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