In no particular order
Jazz Journal, June 1965
Always a pleasure to stumble across a pile of Jazz Journals in a second-hand bookshop. I especially like this sixties edition printed in trademark two colour, black on spot silver (the latter possibly not fully realised on the optimised RGB colour spectrum). Apart from the masthead and issue identifiers the only other cover text is a credit for the photographer and designer, 'Innes/Swan' respectively, set on the image. It doesn't say who the cover star is, Jazz Journal readers would, I expect, not need telling. Unfortunately I do. Possibly it's Jabbo Smith, based on the feature inside, but it's worth 6d of anyone's money regardless. I bought a small job lot. Here's a few more.
Illustration by Ben Tallon, When Saturday Comes, July 2011
Commissioned for the latest issue of WSC this drawing accompanies an article suggesting that the pervading negative view of football's world governing board, FIFA, is largely an English one. Elsewhere in the issue FIFA get taken to task for their non-transparent governance and the political convenience of their location in Zurich. The illustration is by Ben Tallon a regular contributor to WSC over the last few years with his distinctive sketchy style.
Arbiter Guitar, bought in South Benfleet circa 1981
In my early teens I started to teach my self a few chords on an accoustic guitar with four strings. This was fine as using any more than four seemed impossible. What I really wanted though, was a proper guitar. An electric one. With knobs on. I stumbled across this Arbiter model - technically a Gibson copy but more of a poor imitation - in the local junk shop. (Guitar boffs will pause discerningly and note that, in fact, it while it has Gibson SG shaped body the machine heads are Fender Strat shaped. Yes indeed). I had to have it. I began badgering my Dad, who I think by then was a little crestfallen that I'd given up playing violin and no longer feigned interest in the classical music of his liking. Despite this, he seemed prepared to consider it. I guess this was because (a) I'd shown, at least notionally, a creative interest in a musical instrument and (b) I had recently painted a picture of Paul Weller's Rickenbacker on my bedroom wall (as seen on the back of All Mod Cons) and was clearly 'very serious' about it. Then we hit a snag - the small matter of amplification. With an amp added to the financial equation it came, if memory serves, to £25 all in. There was a delay for consideration but then, a few days later, I came home from school to be told there was something for me in my bedroom. There, in all its glory was the Arbiter and a Zenta amplifier. The latter, I was to joyfully discover, had a built in tremeloe effect. I had pulled it off. Dad had delivered. I owned an electric guitar. With blue and red knobs on.
PG Tips 'Play Better Soccer' cards, c 1977
I was always fond of the Brooke Bond PG Tips cards you got in tea packets when I was young. For the most part they were drawings of wild animals and birds, which could be glued in to handy-sized A5 books. These lovely mini-tomes were available from the tea maker, for a small additional fee plus p&p, I recall. (I could look all this up properly on t'internet but where's the fun in that?) PG Tips struck a particular chord with me when they produced these 'Play Better Soccer' cards, the drawing style a fantastic hybrid of hyper-realism and quasi-surrealism. There now follows a short pause while I congratulate myself on that sentence. Meanwhile you can idly pass the time trying to identify the seventies stars from the somewhat groggy likenesses. Their names, in time honoured fashion, are below.
Radio Times World Cup Special 1974
This 1974 Radio Times at first looks like a cheesy affair with Jimmy Hill cuddling-up in a slightly unsettling way to Leeds and Scotland legend Billy Bremner on the cover. Inside, however, is some rather sublime art direction by David Driver ably assisted by Derek Ungless. Largely eschewing action photography he instead opts for thoughtful portaiture and lifestyle photography of the World Cup stars. Offsetting these are some great analysis drawings by Peter Brookes. If you can show me a better magazine spread than the Jairzinho spread amongst the following samples I'd be delighted if you can send it to me.