Davy Jones RIP

The Vinyl Word raises a glass to the British Monkee, Davy Jones, who has died aged 66. In the sixties the madcap adventures of the group was a must-watch show on TV. It was silly and the group was artificial, having been hand-picked for their cheeky personalities, but they made some half decent records, including I'm A Believer, Alternate Title, Pleasant Valley Sunday, Daydream Believer and Last Train to Clarksville. Manchester-born Davy appeared as Ena Sharples' grandson in Coronation Street before becoming a jockey and then moving into acting, playing the Artful Dodger in Oliver. Both before and after his massive success in the Monkees he recorded under his own name (rather uninspiringly it has to be said) for Colpix and Pye. But the Monkees were, above all, fun, and it is for his contribution to their success that he will be remembered. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUzs5dlLrm0

A belated final word, also, for two of the comics who appeared in The Comedians in the 1970s - Ken Goodwin and Frank Carson. Both of them had catchphrases that became ubiquitous - in Ken's case 'Settle Down' (said in a George Formby accent), and in Frank's case 'It's A Cracker' and 'It's the way I tell 'em'.