Don Woods

The song I’ve sent you this week was the extended version of a jingle I did for Norman Thomas on Radio City. It was for a daily competition he used to have on his programme called “What have I got in my hand” whereby he would give out clues as to what he was holding and the public phoned in with their guesses….the winner getting 20 quid. It was really funny stuff and Norman did a great job…he sadly died a few years ago….I did quite a bit of stuff for him…he was a great bloke I watched the Michael Buble Christmas show just before Xmas and was well impressed…I thought it was real quality…unlike the John Bishop comedy show…whatever happened to FUNNY…he wasn’t even slightly funny and the string of comedians he had on weren’t much better….these guys are in serious need of good comedy writers…they seem to think they can do it on their own…they are wrong. I went up to Carnforth in The Lake District for a few days up to Xmas Eve to take in the ambience….it BUCKETED down so Bowness didn’t look too Chistmassy….the

The song I’ve sent you this week ....... I wrote and recorded as the B side to Beatle City which you played a while back….it was a vinyl single which the then Merseyside County Council Tourism Dept commissioned from me. It sold well and I think you’ll enjoy the sentiment. There has been a bit of an outcry regarding Cheryl Cole’s “live” performance on the X Factor…..fortunately I didn’t see it….it was alleged she was miming…but they deny it…COURSE SHE WAS MIMING…SHE CAN’T SING!!!....it’s as if it’s a big surprise….The X Factor proves you can kid most of the people most of the time… It’s Children In Need time again….I find all this stuff somewhat annoying year after year….Heavens above I hate the thought of ANY kiddie injured or starving….I help run a children’s charity myself every week…but when I hear the talentless Terry Wogan bleating on about how £2 can save a life etc…….why not have a collection from Jonathan Ross,Wogan,Beckham,all the politicians in their mansions,all the footballers…and those in ch

The song I’ve sent you is from an interesting period of my songselling activities. It was originally written for the Blackpool tourism dept and it was called “It’s Blackpool Magic”…they didn’t want it so I changed the lyrics to “Long Live The Isle of Man”…sent it to Norman Wisdom who lived over there ............ I was quite moved when I watched “Rock Around The Clock” on the TV recently….this was the film which changed the direction of my life in 1956 when I saw it on the pictures…it still has that same magic…as John Lennon once said “before rock and roll there was nothing”….what surprised me was one of Bill Haley’s Comets played an accordion…unbelievable…a classic film. As always there is the annual debate about bonfire night…WHY?... I was watching the programme they had on the guy who cracked the Enigma code…thus saving thousands of lives and helping to end the war…but oh no…that’s of no importance …HE WAS A HOMOSEXUAL!!... Nothing has changed in this country….as I always say it’s serfs and noble

The track I’ve sent you this week is frmo the album “Portrait of Wales” which I produced for my mate Paul Damian….. Went to The Floral Pavilion Thursday night to see “The Magic of Motown”…absolutely brilliant….packed house all on their feet…worth every penny. There was a Portuguese lady on one of the news programmes stating that the Brits are always complaining about foreigners coming into the country yet they are virtually taking over Portugal… On the same topic the police burst into Cliff Richard’s house (while he’s away on holiday) and ransacked it…. I’m back in touch with my mate Adrian Street….and recently we have been approached by an independent record company who want to put the stuff out there again…

The track I’ve sent you this week is called “The 4122” which was the last train down the Wirral way before they closed the line and converted it into the present footpath and cycle track. There can’t be enough to fill the news so the BBC have resorted to reporting “killer” mussels which are arriving in the Thames from foreign climes ..this together with “killer” shrimps which are already here it’s time to worry about this and not the threat from terrorists. I pay £285 road tax and there is a move afoot to ask people in local constituencies to volunteer to fill in potholes in the road…. The NHS have been on strike…first one in 35 years because Mr.Hunt has decided we can’t afford the ONE PERCENT wage increase they are asking for…says the man who will get a NINE percent rise. Mind you people who keep us alive can’t possibly be as important as a high speed rail link that no-one wants…and costs BILLIONS. My pal informed me he is making a will and against my advice he went to a solicitor…...even Dick Turpin

The song I have sent you this week is about everyone’s favourite lady Una Stubbs…...she said she was delighted with the song and THANKED me for the compliment…. After the recent Liverpool Everton Derby game a pal of mine told me that as the fans walked past his house there was an Everton supporter ..it’s a FOOTBALL MATCH…that’s all…but to some morons it’s warfare…........ There has been a lot of publicity surrounding “Trolling”… I recently watched John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) on morning TV... The BBC have recently been spending our licence fees on making serious attempts to promote classical music to the masses........

The song I’ve sent you this week is one I composed and produced in the 80s for the Scout Movement….”Scouts of The World”....As you know the scouts began in Birkenhead in 1908 by Baden Powell… I was again a bit taken aback by our wonderful legal system….Dave Lee Travis…who was cleared of 11 out of 12 sexual assault cases was found guilty of one INDECENT assault … On a similar note Stella McCartney has upset the feminist brigade by saying girls should be gentle and show their frailty instead of trying to prove they are just as good as any man… Last week we were discussing postal scams where people were told they have won a fortune and letting their greed get in the way of their better judgement…WELL…believe it or not I got one of these letters THIS WEEK… I watched a drama on the tele about a guy called Neil Baldwin who suffered with learning difficulties….it was a true story of how this guy dealt with the problem…amongst his many strange adventures he approached Stoke City FC and asked Lou Macari if he ne

.The song I've sent is one I wrote for wrestler Adrian Street and was one of the first records I made on my independent label...."I'm In Love With Me" We got so much mileage out of this minor "classic".. Despite the stick we took on this song Adrian went to live and work in the States and had a video made of the song which was played a lot on MTV. There has been a big issue here about people being scammed through the post... After the Scottish fiasco they are now talking about home rule for councils.. The "experts" are at it again....must be no news....it has been suggested that rugby players bathe separately after the match...otherwise they might get skin problems or boils etc.. It is the 20th anniversary of "Friends" which in my opinion was the best comedy series ever...consistently good and brilliantly written...

Thank goodness the Scottish referendum is over… This week I have found one of my ancient classic novelty songs which I composed for The Liverpool Health Authority. “The Exercise Song” went down really well….….it aint rock and roll but it’s close…. ....speaking of Liverpool did you see the drama about Cilla?...Rory Storm with black hair?...and The Beatles looked nothing like…a little bit more effort to detail would have been better. The BBC coverage of the Oscar Pistorious trial was ridiculous…........ Remaining on the subject of getting ripped off…my car tax is due…£285 a year… Sunday Night At The Palladium is back….which will sort the wheat out from the chaff… it’s now O.K. to have salt…it’s SUGAR that’s gonna see you off. .....and finally there was a short announcement regarding a space satellite which has landed successfully on a planet 250,000 miles away….and hey the surface was rougher than they thought…

I spent this afternoon on my kayak in Chester….it was paradise…so I thought I’d send you a tribute to this wonderful city which I composed many years ago…it was actually a B side of a vinyl…the A side was a song I did about Chester Zoo which I sold to the Zoo who used it on radio and TV adverts (handy royalties)…this is my original version of the song…the one I marketed to the Zoo was sung by a good friend of mine called Julie Bright who I used on a lot of my demos which required a female vocal…she was great. Bit of a panic going on around here regarding “necessary” financial cuts which have to be made because of cash shortage…this doesn’t seem to effect things down south as the politicians have awarded themselves a 9% wage increase…I’m so happy for them….no wonder Scotland want to get out of it all…this will be the news now for the next couple of weeks….I’m thinking of starting an “Independent Wirral” campaign…..I’ve never believed in aliens but when I look at our government I’m beginning to wonder. I’m

After slating the X Factor last week I thought I’d have a look at the new series to see if had improved…horrendous…it’s even worse than ever. It’s the arrogance of the judges that gets me…Cheryl Cole and Mel B telling someone they are out of tune….rich coming from two talentless females who have spent their careers MIMING. The programme is a perfect example of the level of intellect of the British viewing public…I salute Cowell on cashing in on this. The news has been heavily covering the case of Ashya King…the little lad who was taken out of a hospital here and taken to Spain because the parents were not happy with the treatment here…because they took their kid without consent the wonderful legal system drags them through the courts and sends them in handcuffs to jail…is it me or is the world losing the plot?...to drag ANYONE through the courts is a dreadful ordeal…let alone innocent parents…at least the Spanish judge saw sense and tossed the case out….the whole thing was a disgrace and I hope the parents

.Sad news about Richard Attenborough....He was in one of the funniest sketches I've ever seen...it was about 25 years ago in a programme called "Alas it's Smith and Jones"....with Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones.....he said he had just completed filming Ghandi and required the music track...to which Mel said he had the man to do it...the best...Griff then turns up on a pushbike with a banjo and sings a ridiculous song in a 48 track studio....Sir Richard played it dead straight concluding with "GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!"....I always admire anyone who sends themselves up.....great guy. Kate Bush has recently made a comeback after 30 odd years...and stormed it in a live concert...rave reviews....never quite got her...bit too far out for my taste...but good luck to her....however I did like the orchestration on Wuthering Heights….and unfortunately the X Factor is returning….the least talent being behind the judges desk The Nanny State strikes again!!....some bright spark who is obviously trying to create a job for

Cliff….oh dear…the witch hunt continues…as usual no charges – probably no real evidence…yet he’s all over the papers….guilty before he’s even spoken to. I think we are all getting a bit sick of all this….I’m not a fan of Cliff as you know (he just wont go away) BUT he has got a bit of a rough ride ahead of him and I do feel for him….his faithful fans are buying his record in an attempt to get it to the top of the charts….the whole thing is a disgrace and all this trial by media needs sorting out…preferably by a judge who can keep awake. 2.Jon Culshaw is back on the tele….I am a massive fan…I love impressionists (your mate Paul Melba being a top rater) and Jon Culshaw is the best…he is so funny and talented. I’ve always found impressionists to be really entertaining especially live….give me a good one as opposed to a good singer any day. He was on Aled Jones’s Sunday morning programme (which is excellent) and he was brilliant. 3.There’s a new celebrity challenge programme reared its head called “Tumble”…an

The Nanny State strikes again...now drinks have to let you know how dangerous they are for your health via labelling....like cigarettes...I'm sick and tired of being told what is and isn't good for me by so called experts who are probably part of the manipulation process of big greedy companies....there is also talk of bringing down the drink drive limit...which I'm actually all for. Sinead O'Connor was recently on (plus hideous tattoos) talking about her latest album...the concept being that SHE'S the boss....she quite rightly stated that artists who sign up to record companies are doing them the favour...not the other way round...which is right but hopeful artists are 10 a penny these days...so if you don't want to be a puppet go it alone....which you can only do if you are good enough. I don't know how the BBC have the nerve to charge us for a licence......here's an example...Monday 11th August...3.00 Escape to the Country (repeat)...3.30 The Hairy Bikers (repeat)....7.30 Fake Britain (repeat)...8.30 M

Edwin Starr said it all in his song WAR. What is it good for...absolutely nothing and such a waste of human life with all its attendant misery. However, we are celebrating the centenary of WW1. The latest news from the UK Govt is that we will be fined if we leave our motors running in traffic queues. Oh Yeah! That's an easy one to police. Don went to see Eric Faulkner (ex Bay City Rollers) and was disappointed. Find out why in the podcast. There's a new show on TV and the winner, a singer, Takes it All. Yet more dross this time presented by Alan Carr and full of today's technology.Count me out! ....and finally, these are the Doo Wop Days and Don tells us about the title track and how it links with a radio station in America.

I watched Terry Christian on a chat show recently…I LOVE this fella…he says it like it is…he said the public should be allowed into Parliament to ask questions and the MPs should be put on lie detectors. He totally shares my views about the lying,thieving,selfish shower of public schoolboys who supposedly run the country…and have you seen Miliband lately?...he’s had a major make-over…hair,teeth,the lot…he looks even more slimy and slithery than he was before….and Cameron with his botoxed forehead and Eric Pickles looking like he needs a fork sticking in him to see if he’s cooked…it’s a freak show. I also watched an interview with Tony Blackburn who has been around for 50 years…what a great bloke…he’s on 7 radio stations he was saying and deservedly so…should be knighted. Here we go again…it those “scientists” again….these “experts” have come up with a brilliant discovery….last year we had to eat 7 portions of fruit a day….but that’s all wrong!!!...these experts have decided that any more the 5 portions a

.......and to track 8 on my CD “What Happened To Julie?”…which begs the simple question as to whereabouts of one of your young schoolboy crushes…it would be nice to know what happened to those lost loves and what they are doing now…….or not? Still lots of sport on the tele….the Open was a huge success…it was £75 to get in on the Saturday and Sunday…£11 for fish and chips…and a fiver a pint…and it is much better on the TV…but there you are…The Commonwealth Games are now upon us…I saw the highlights of the opening ceremony which looked the same as every other opening ceremony where we watch hoards of athletes jogging past waving at the camera…I’m sure those involved have a great time but I find it all a bit boring…the swimming is a good cure for insomnia….along with Rod Stewart who should have called it a day years ago. The news is still covering the terrible tragedy of the Malaysian airliner…it’s heartbreaking and unbelievable but what you don’t need is the gutter press showing a photograph of a lorry carry

..and to the 7th track on my album…”Tribute to Ricky Nelson”….I’ve always been a huge fan of the guy..preferred him to Elvis in the 50’s…so I thought he deserved a place on my CD….it tells of how his love songs brought us all through the dark times after just being chucked by the love of your life…sit in a dark room with your Dansette and put on “Lonesome Town”…problem solved. the weather here has been very hot…great for sailing and all outdoor activities…EXCEPT for the poor pensioners….this country has to be top of the charts for moaners…a few weeks back it was too cold and the poor pensioners needed looking after (The one’s who aren’t cruising round the Medi that is)…now they are too HOT and need looking after…in case they de-hydrate…next thing will be the droughts…what does it take to make some people happy…beats me. ..The Open Golf Tournament is upon us…..and Hoylake is buzzing…I decided to go out in my kayak on Thursday and row on the Dee alongside the Royal Liverpool in the hope of getting on the te

..track 6 on my CD (Doowop Pioneers)was an idea to educate the world as to what is actually Doowop...it originally began on street corners in the U.S.A. whereby a group of guys would congregate and harmonise...similar to our barbershop...and it developed into those great 50's classics such as Blue Moon...Teenager In Love...Why Do Fools Fall In Love...etc...this song is a tribute to them. ......O.K. Brazil took a hammering in the World Cup...but if you went by the headlines you'd think it was the end of the world......the country was "HUMILIATED...SHAMED....DISGRACED...." and people in the street crying....it's a FOOTBALL MATCH!!...that's all...surely there are other things to think about?...mind you to stand alongside thousands of people overnight to see a bunch of cyclists fly past for 11 seconds....I begin to wonder whether some people actually have a life. ......The news is full of the "missing" documents regarding child sexual abuse....when you watch the media's re-action you would think that the countr

Rolph Harris has been all over the news this week….WOW…what a fall from grace…MBE OBE CBE and portrait painter to the Queen…oh dear. What I still don’t get about all this is someone MUST have known back in the day?...why take so long to come forward…anyway he’s got 5 and a half years….I went to his exhibition in Liverpool a few years back and his drawings and paintings were on sale…at a ridiculous price….they wont be worth much now, Our roads are getting more and more dangerous for cyclists…according to those in the know….I must say I steer clear of main roads these days when I’m on my bike…but we are very lucky on wonderful Wirral as we have a coastal cycle path right round the peninsula…so you can do a thirty mile stint without going on the main road and risking your life…..they have cycle lanes along a lot of roads which are O.K. providing idiots don’t park on them. There has been a very informative survey by “scientists” at one of our universities and have come up with the staggering information regar