30th July 2022
We just finished an extra, four-week summer school, which meant working from 8.30 – 10.30, then coming back for two evening classes, 17.10 – 21.00. This schedule, for all of us, was exhausting.
However on my last day, three girls gave me some presents: two notebooks and some chewy sweets. The sweets soon went the way of all flesh, but I will use the notebooks for ideas, songs and lyrics.
Thank you so much. A teacher NEVER forgets any gift from a student.
24th July 2022
Recently, I finished an anthology of Modern Chinese short stories namely ‘The Picador Book of Contemporary Chinese Fiction.’
The collection, first published in 1998, is one of the best I’ve ever read; all stories are worth reading and many are excellent.
My experience of Chinese Literature has been mainly limited to the Classics: Confucius, Lao Tzu and poetry from various dynasties, so this is a great introduction to contemporary fiction.
The Picador anthology has the following contents:
Western readers may be aware of Su Tong as he wrote ‘Raise the Red Lantern’, which was filmed by Zhang Yi-mou in 1991.
If you can find a copy I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
July 2022
1965 ended with The Beatles throwing down the gauntlet with the ‘Rubber Soul’ LP. The musical Cold War between The Beatles and the Beach Boys was on !
Bob Dylan had released ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ which would be a very tough act to follow, while The Who had debuted on LP with ‘My Generation’.
Ravi Shankar issued his ‘Sound of the Sitar’ LP, an instrument that George Harrison would use on ‘Rubber Soul’, and would be heard on several big hits over the next two years.
Some of the early 60s beat bands were fading away while garage bands were on the rise. Meanwhile London was swinging, and the UK was getting ready for the World Cup
Please note, most dates are from Wikipedia so there may be some errors. Also, some LPs were only issued in the States, while UK and US release dates varied; I have usually given the UK date. This is a selective discography, showcasing just some of the amazing music of 1966.
January
1st Paul Jones ‘My Way’ LP
7th ‘Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds’. Live recording from December 1963, featuring Eric Clapton.
7th Spencer Davis Group ‘The Second Album’ LP
14th London-born singer David Jones changes his name to David Bowie. Bowie would release four singles in 1966 but none entered either the UK or US charts.
17th Simon & Garfunkel ‘Sound of Silence’ LP
21st Them ‘Them Again’ LP, featuring Van Morrison on vocals, but the LP failed to chart.
31st Tony Bennett ‘Movie Song Album’ LP
February
4th Rolling Stones ’19th Nervous Breakdown’ single
9th Death of Blues singer Sophie Tucker
11th The Animals ‘Inside-Looking Out’ single
14th Bob Dylan ‘One of us Must Know’ single. Reached 33 in the UK, but didn’t crack the Billboard 100 in the US.
18th The Hollies ‘I Can’t Let Go’ single
19th The Lovin’ Spoonful ‘Daydream’ single
21st Cher ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)’ single
25th The Kinks ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’ single
25th The Yardbirds ‘Shapes of things’ single. Some critics have labelled this as the first psychedelic rock song.
28th The Mamas and the Papas ‘If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears’ LP
March
1st Elvis ‘Frankie and Johnny’ soundtrack LP
4th The Who ‘Substitute’ single
4th The Beatles ‘Yesterday’ EP
4th John Lennon quoted in the London Evening Standard saying that the Beatles were “More popular than Jesus.” This causes protests and record burnings, especially in the Bible belt of the USA
7th The Who ‘A Legal Matter’ single. Issued by Shel Talmy (producer) without the band’s permission.
8th Crispian St. Peters ‘the Pied Piper’ single. Peters also covered the Phil Ochs song ‘Changes’ but it failed to chart.
14th The Byrds ‘Eight Miles High’ single. Record is widely banned due to perceived drug references.
15th Nancy Sinatra ‘Boots’ LP
25th Dusty Springfield ‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me’ single
28th Cher ‘The Sonny Side of Cher’ LP
March
The Mamas and the Papas ‘Monday, Monday’ single
Percy Sledge ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ single
The Fugs ‘The Fugs’ LP
Love ‘Love’ LP
The Lovin’ Spoonful’ Daydream LP
The Monks ‘Black Monk Time’ LP
Phil Ochs ‘In Concert’ LP
April
1st Sam & Dave ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’ LP
7th Manfred Mann ‘Machines’ EP
15th Manfred Mann ‘Pretty Flamingo’ single
15th The Beach Boys ‘Sloop John B’ single (March 21st in USA)
15th Rolling Stones ‘Aftermath’ LP (2nd July in USA)
22nd The Troggs ‘Wild Thing’ single
April
James Brown ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ single
Bob Dylan ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35’ single
The Seeds ‘The Seeds’ LP
Otis Redding ‘The Soul Album’ LP
May
3rd The Temptations ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg’ single
4th Stevie Wonder ‘Uptight’ LP
6th Small Faces ‘Small Faces’ LP
7th Rolling Stones ‘Paint it Black’ single
13th the Animals ‘Animalisms’ LP
21st The Animals ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ single
27th The Yardbirds ‘Over Under Sideways’ single
30th The Beatles ‘Paperback Writer / Rain’ single
May
Dave Clark Five ‘Look Before You Leap’ single. Only reaches number #50 in the UK charts.
Simon & Garfunkel ‘I Am A Rock’ single
Frank Sinatra ‘Strangers in the Night’ single
‘When The Boys Meet The Girls’ soundtrack LP. The first film starring Herman’s Hermits. The LP is an eclectic mix, featuring the British band alongside Connie Francis, Liberace & Louis Armstrong
June
3rd The Kinks ‘Sunny Afternoon’ single
3rd Jimmy Ruffin ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted’ single
3rd Manfred Mann ‘Instrumental Asylum’ EP
10th Elvis ‘Paradise, Hawaiian Style’ soundtrack LP
15th The Beatles ‘Yesterday and Today’ LP (US only)
Beatles producer George Martin stated that his first disagreement with the band was over this LP cover. Capital Records recalled the sleeve which today is a valuable collector’s item.
17th The Hollies ‘Bus Stop’ single
17th Death of Jazz musician Johnny St. Cyr
20th Bob Dylan ‘I Want You’ single
20th Bob Dylan ‘Blonde on Blonde’ double LP
27th The Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds’ LP (May 16th in USA). The LP peaked at number 2 in the UK, but only reached 10 in the USA
27th Mothers of Invention ‘Freak Out’ LP
June
The Count Five ‘Psychotic Reaction’ single
Bobby Hebb ‘Sunny’ single
‘What’s Shakin” compilation LP featuring The Lovin’ Spoonful, Paul Butterfield and Powerhouse, a supergroup comprising Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce & Steve Winwood.
July
1st Donovan ‘Sunshine Superman’ single
1st The Hollies ‘Would You Believe ?’ LP
4th The Lovin’ Spoonful ‘Summer in the City’ single
8th The Beatles ‘Nowhere Man’ EP
11th Cher ‘Alfie’ single
15th The Kinks ‘Dedicated Kinks’ EP
15th The Yardbirds ‘Yardbirds’ LP, more commonly known as ‘Roger the Engineer’
18th The Byrds ‘Fifth Dimension’ LP
18th The Beach Boys ‘Wouldn’t it be Nice’ / ‘God Only Knows’ single.
Paul McCartney proclaims ‘God Only Knows’ “The greatest song ever written.”
22nd John Mayall ‘Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton’ LP
25th The Supremes ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ single
25 The Troggs ‘From Nowhere’ LP
29th Manfred Mann ‘Just Like A Woman’ single
30th World Cup Final. England beat West Germany 4 – 2 after extra time.
31st Death of Jazz pianist Bud Powell
July
Lee Dorsey ‘Working in the Coal Mine’ single
The Left Banke ‘Walk Away Renée’ single
Wilson Pickett ‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ single
The Troggs ‘With a Girl Like You’ single
The Butterfield Blues Band ‘East – West’ LP
Tim Hardin ‘Tim Hardin 1’ LP
Paul Jones leaves Manfred Mann for a solo career, and is replaced by Mike d’Abo
August
5th The Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby’ single
5th Small Faces ‘All or Nothing’ single
5th The Beatles ‘Revolver’ LP
12th The Who ‘The Kids are Alright’ single. This iconic track didn’t even enter the UK Top 40.
15th Jefferson Airplane ‘Jefferson Airplane Takes Off’ LP with original singer Signe Toly Anderson, and Skip Spence on drums
16th The Monkees ‘Last Train to Clarksville’ single
18th Bob Dylan ‘Just Like a Woman’ single (US only)
18th The Four Tops ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ single
26th The Who ‘I’m a Boy’ single
26th Spencer Davis Group ‘Autumn ’66’ LP
26th The Walker Brothers ‘Portrait’ LP
29th The Beatles play their last ever public concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco.
August
? and the Mysterians ’96 Tears’ single
September
6th The Byrds ‘Mr Spaceman’ single
12th The Mamas and the Papas ‘The Mamas and the Papas’ LP
23rd Rolling Stones ‘Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby’ single
September
Ike & Tina Turner ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ LP
The Incredible String Band ‘The Incredible String Band’ LP
Autumn
John Lennon begins filming How I Won the War
October
7th The Hollies ‘Stop Stop Stop’ single
7th Death of Johnny Kidd
10th The Beach Boys ‘Good Vibrations’ single
10th The Seekers ‘Georgy Girl’ single
10th The Monkees ‘The Monkees’ LP
12th Supremes ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ single
21st Manfred Mann ‘Semi-Detached Suburban Mr Jones single
21st The Yardbirds ‘Happenings Ten Years Time Ago’ single. One of the few Yardbird tracks to feature both Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page.
21st Manfred Mann ‘As Is’ LP
22nd Simon & Garfunkel ‘A Hazy Shade of Winter’ single
24th Simon & Garfunkel ‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme’ LP
28th The Kinks ‘Face to Face’ LP
31st Elvis ‘Spinout’ soundtrack LP
October
Bobby Darin ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ single
Tim Buckley ‘Tim Buckley’ LP featuring Lee Underwood, Van Dyke Parks & Jack Nietzsche
The Deep ‘Psychedelic Moods’ LP
Herman’s Hermits ‘Both Sides of Herman’s Hermits’ LP
John Lee Hooker ‘The Real Folk Blues’ LP
13th Floor Elevators ‘The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators’ LP
November
2nd Death of Bluesman Mississippi John Hurt
10th Los Bravos ‘Black is Black’ LP, featuring the hit single by this Spanish band fronted by a German singer.
11th The Who ‘La-La-La-Lies’ single. Another track released by producer Shel Talmy without permission.
12th The Monkees ‘I’m a Believer’ single
16th Martha and the Vandellas ‘Watchout !’ LP
16th Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ‘Away We a Go-Go’ LP
18th The Kinks ‘Dead End Street’ single
21st Joan Baez ‘Noël’ Christmas LP
28th Tages ‘Extra Extra’ LP a beat group from Sweden
November
The Bee Gees ‘Spicks and Specks’ LP
James Brown ‘Handful of Soul’ LP
Love ‘Da Capo’ LP
The Lovin’ Spoonful ‘Hums of The Lovin’ Spoonful’ LP
Booker T & The MGs ‘And Now!’ LP featured one single ‘Sweet Potato’ which was nowhere near as successful as ‘Green Onions.’
December
3rd The Who ‘Happy Jack’ single
5th Buffalo Springfield ‘Buffalo Springfield’ LP. Future pressing replaced an LP track with the ‘For What it’s Worth’ single.
9th The Hollies ‘For Certain Because’ LP
9th The Who ‘A Quick One’ LP
9th Cream ‘Fresh Cream’ LP
10th The Beatles ‘A Collection of Beatles Oldies’ compilation LP
18th The Family Way film released, music by Paul McCartney, the first solo Beatles recording.
26th ‘Not Only, But Also’ TV comedy Christmas Special aired on the BBC, featuring John Lennon
December
The Left Banke ‘Pretty Ballerina’ single
‘After the Fox’ film released. The Hollies released a single of the title track in August but it failed to chart.
December Eric Burdon of the Animals, releases his first solo single ‘Help Me Girl’. His first LP in 1967 is credited to Eric Burdon and the Animals.
December Gerry and the Pacemakers ‘Girl on a Swing’ LP. Fails to chart in either UK or USA
In Jazz:
Wes Montgomery released ‘Tequila’ & ‘California Dreaming’
Miles Davies released the live ‘Four & More’ LP and Lee Morgan issued the ‘Charisma’ LP.
In Free Jazz, Ornette Coleman had two LPs, ‘Chappaqua Suite’ and ‘The Empty Foxhole’.
John Coltrane released ‘Ascension’ and ‘Meditations’
In Folk and Country:
Bob Lind, whose songs have been covered by Glenn Campbell, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, and Eric Clapton among others, released ‘The Elusive Bob Lind’. Glen Campbell issued ‘The 12 String Guitar’ LP.
Waylon Jennings issued 3 LPs including ‘Folk-Country’ while Johnny Cash released 2, including ‘Happiness is You’.
In Blues:
B.B. King released ‘Confessin’ the Blues’, Muddy Waters issued ‘Muddy, Brass & the Blues’ & Lightning Hopkins had ‘Lightnin’ Strikes’.
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
23rd July 2022
Lesson aims:
Encourage students to answer in sentences
Introduce the ‘a’ or ‘an’ article
Correct use of adjectives and sentence structure
Today we learnt six adjectives:
clever / cute / dangerous / scary / wild / wonderful
Part 1: What are these animals ?
What is it ? It a ________ or It’s an _________
We use ‘an’ if the word begins with a / e / i / o / u
Example: What is it ? It’s a dog.
What is it ?
Part 2: Use the new adjectives
What is it ? It’s a wild lion
What is it ? It’s a ______ ________
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
5th July 2022
First, let’s build a word bank of incredible, useful and unusual adjectives:
amazing / beautiful / Chinese / colourful / cute / dangerous / difficult / energetic / English / famous / fantastic / generous / greedy / great / hard-working / healthy / intelligent / interesting / Japanese / kind / lazy / loud / messy / naughty / nervous / outgoing / popular / quick / quiet / rich / rude / selfish / talkative / top cat / unhealthy / unusual / valuable / wealthy /
Game 1 – say are these adjectives positive (good) or negative (bad) or neutral (neither good nor bad)
Game 2 – make sentences using present continuous and two adjectives
EXAMPLE: She is reading a heavy, interesting book.
I ___ play ___________________ , ______________________ music.
You ___ watch a _______________ , ________________ film.
He ___ talk to a ____________ , _____________ film star.
She _____ study every day because she ___ __________ and ___________.
Ms H ____ smile because she is so _________ and ___________ .
The fat cat ___ not share her food because she is ______ and _________ .
We ___ learn ________ grammar but it is _____________ .
President __ wear a _________ dress. She ____ very _________ .
The boy ___ leave school because he was __________ and _____ to the teacher.
The teacher ___ laugh because the ________ , _________ student was sent home !
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
5th July 2022
On June 12th, I blogged about the ‘release’ of our first set of recordings, a Jazz-influenced quartet of tracks called ‘Red Ribbon in Long Hair’. That blog may be accessed here: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2022/06/12/butterfly-decal-red-ribbon-in-long-hair-ep/
I previously linked two tracks, ‘Red Ribbon: A Short Story‘ & ‘Miles et Juliette.’ Today I have the YouTube links for the two remaining instrumental tracks. The full EP listing:
1) Red Ribbon: A Short Story
2) Red Ribbon Suite
3) Swing, Princess, Swing
4) Miles et Juliette
First, track 2, ‘Red Ribbon Suite’ a piece in three distinct movements:
Photography by Niall Keohane & Paul Pacifico
Track 3 is based around a simple guitar pattern, with Niall adding piano, strings and harmonies:
All music written by Keohane & Pacifico.
Production by Niall Keohane.
Copyright ⓒ 2022
Thank you for visiting this blog page. If you like the music, we would really appreciate it if you could give us a ‘Like’, and pass on to your friends. The ‘visits’ and ‘likes’ really help new bands to get attention.
24th June 2022
This short blog introduces young learners to adjectives, and how they can start to build longer sentences.
First, let’s start an adjective word bank:
big // small
cute // dangerous
strong // clever
yummy // healthy
plus colours
Game 1:
Who can tell me a colour beginning with the letter y ?
Letter b ? Letter o ? g ? r ? p ? Letter w ?
Game 2:
Tell me an animal begins with the letter d Letter g Letter e Letter s Letter l Letter c Letter w Letter z
Game 3:
What is it ? Tell me about these animals. Use 2 adjectives.
EXAMPLE
It’s a cute white sheep
Now … your turn
Finally – tell me about the food
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
23rd June 2022
Contents:
1 Summer Holiday
2 World’s tallest buildings
3 Egyptian Gods
Here’s a compilation of video clips that can be used in class for listening skills, observation, collecting information, and for fun.
‘Screen Test’ was a children’s TV show on the BBC from 1970 – 1984. A group of children were shown short clips of films, then asked questions about what they had seen.
First up is a clip I’ve used several times, ‘Summer Holiday’ starring Cliff Richard and his backing band The Shadows.
1 Summer Holiday
red // white // blue ?
2. What was the number of the bus ?
9 // 19 // 28 ?
3. What was the road sign at the beginning of the clip ?
London // Berlin // Paris ?
4. How many children wore a hat ?
1 // 2 // no children ?
5. How many men were riding bicycles ?
3 // 4 // 6 ?
6. What did Cliff, the driver, eat ?
a sandwich // a biscuit or cookie // nothing ?
BONUS POINTS – Can anyone sing the song – just two lines
“We’re all going on a summer holiday // we’re all going for a week or two.”
2 World’s tallest buildings
Questions
1) How tall was the Philadelphia City Hall ?
2) Where was the Singer Building ?
3) What year was the Bank of Manhattan Trust finished ?
4) How tall is the Chrysler Builder ?
5) The Empire State Building has two different heights – why ?
6) In what year did Chicago have the tallest building ?
7) What was the first tallest building in Asia ?
8) How tall is the Dubai Creek Tower planned to be ?
Answers: 1) 167m / 548 ft 2) New York City (NYC) 3) 1930 4) 319m / 1046 ft 5) first is height of building, second is height to the tip. 6) 1973 7) Petronas Tower in Malaysia 8) 1321m / 4351 ft
3 Ancient Egyptian Gods
Questions
1) What was the name of the Sun God ?
2) Which God was a writer ?
3) Anubis had the head of which animal ?
4) Would you see Nut in the day or night, and why ?
5) What was the name of the lioness ?
6) What animal was Bastet ?
Answers 1) Ra 2) Thoth 3) a jackal 4) night because she was the star goddess 5) Sekmet 6) a cat
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
21st June 2022
The Three Johns, a Rock band from the UK
Can a young teen class have better English than an IELTS class ? That is the challenge. Without pushing the students too far, and with realistic expectations, let’s introduce some low-frequency words (L-FW), phrases and idioms.
Furthermore, students will also be expected to speak in longer sentences, using connectives as well as a wide range of adjectives.
The subject of our current unit is very dear to my heart: music. Let’s rock !
First match the new words with the meaning
ubiquitous // over the moon // genre // extremely
kind of or type // to feel very, very happy // everywhere // an adverb that means very, very
Roll up your sleeves and practice: Fill in the gaps using the new words AND your own ideas.
Today, music is ______________ . We can hear music on our _______ and when we go to _______________.
Yoyoka, a Japanese drummer, is ____________ talented. She must ________ many hours, every day to be so skillful.
If I pass my English test with A+, I will be ___________________ . My parents will be so happy, they will _______________.
My favourite _______ of music is ____________ because it makes me feel ___________ and ____________ .
Genres (types) of music:
Jazz / rap / pop / rock / classical / electronic
Look at the photos. What genre are they ?
Why do you think so ?
Grammar exercise. Rewrite the following blog post in the Past Tense (verb 2)
EXAMPLE: Yesterday I go to school and I have a speaking test. I do very well and my parents are over the moon.
Yesterday I went to school and I had a speaking test. I did very well and my parents were over the moon.
Now … your turn
Last week I see a concert on TV. The group is Blackpink and they play for 30 minutes. They sing many songs and dance extremely well. It is so exciting I am over the moon. The next day I buy their music and decide to be a pop star too !
Watch this concert and write your own blog using Past Tense (verb 2) as well as adjectives and new words. Let me help you with the start:
This morning I watched a video from T-ara. The band … (what song did they play ? Did they all sing ? What else did they do ?
Did you like the music ? Why or why not ?
Were they alone on stage ? What did they wear ?
How did the audience feel ? Do you wish you were there ?
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
19th June 2022
Last week, to my delight and amazement, I saw I had nearly seventy hits on one day, most of which came from South Korea.
To say thank you, here are some of my memories of your breathe-taking country, it’s films and literature.
Hope to come back again one day.
Some of my favourite Korean films:
Some of my favourite Korean books:
This one’s cheating – my favourite Korean restaurant in London, near the British Museum.
All street scene photos by Thay Paul. Book and film images from Google
Thay Paul's Notes 