Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Retro: Kimmer

Retro: Kimmer

Link to Retro: Kimmer

BREAK UP SONGS FROM RK READERS....

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 06:47 PM PST











GUEST STORY FROM KAREN ANN HUNTER!

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 03:25 PM PST


Steve (The Deacon) and Karen Ann Hunter

Just received a lovely autographed copy of Empty Spaces and I just love it so much! It is available now on my Amazon Store and other retailers too...

Here is a lovely story from Karen Ann Hunter:

I joined my first band when I was 17, left Art College and my parent's security to start a life on the road and never looked back.

In 1976 I got signed to Giorgio Moroder whilst working for the US Army doing gigs in West Germany.



Other than recording backing vocals on a track called 'I Wanna Funk With You Tonight' from the album 'Knights In White Satin' and a pop song called 'Doctor Funk' (Smiley - Featuring Karen Taylor) this union was short lived as I was signed just after Donna Summer had released 'Love To Love You Baby' with him and we all know how that story went.

When I returned to London I got another producer, recorded a bunch of my own songs under the name Yuka and had a couple of singles out on Chas Chandlers label 'Cheapskate'. The first single 'Who Will Believe The Young Man' made it to BBC Radio One's record of the week.



During this time I was working as a session singer and also as a TV extra, I sang on a lot of jingles and appeared in a lot of beer commercials. In 1984 I got a gig touring with Gary Numan on the Berserker tour which included a live album and video then toured again the next year with the The Fury. I also married in 84, had my first child Holly in 88 then my son Mathew came along, this put an end to gigs for a while.


Karen Ann Hunter

I recorded another self composed album called Kickin' Up Dust in 2004 which was half jazz and half blues, it couldn't decide which it was and neither could I so after 34 years I decided to throw in the towel on music altogether.


My favorite song on Empty Spaces "If I Were You"

However, a guest guitar player on that album was Pete Haycock of Climax Blues Band, Pete lived in Germany and he emailed me a track by an old friend called Steve Hunter who lived in Hollywood, USA.

The track was called Nylon Café; it had layers of wonderful acoustic guitars and I told Pete it had made me go all peculiar, Pete told Steve and eventually Steve and I made contact on email, the rest is history.

Nylon Cafe is now on a CD of Steve's called Short Stories.

Steve encouraged me to write and sing again, he loved my soft voice, a voice I had never tried recording and so 'Empty Spaces' was born. I wrote the songs and Steve made them into beautiful tracks. Karen Ann

Read More on RK

Karen Ann Hunter's New Cd Launches

PHOTO GALLERY WEDNESDAY: WITH DENIZ TEK

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 01:33 PM PST

RETRO: KIMMER'S FAVORITE BREAK UP SONGS

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 12:05 PM PST


Aretha Makes Her Point

I have recently had some of my fabulous readers ask me for my personal top ten break up songs from the most fabulous decade of them all... Today I am in a break up kinda mood so here is my top ten best break up songs of the 1960's

Honorary Mention: Chain of Fools Aretha Franklin (because she doesn't leave the guy..)



01 Promises Promises Dionne Warwick



02 Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying Gerry and the Pacemakers



03 Our pal "Q" with the Mysterians and 96 Tears



04 Don't Bring Me Down The Animals



05 All of the Day and All of The Night The Kinks (Guaranteed to make you stop crying and dance!"



06 Hit the Road Jack Ray Charles



07 How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? Al Green



08 Bye Bye Love The Everly Brothers



09 Where Did Our Love Go The Supremes



10 Bye Bye Baby Mary Wells

I FEEL SO GOOD TODAY! BROWN EYED HANDSOME MAN...

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 11:24 AM PST



Feels like I have been on a long vacation to a strange land. Now we just surfaced and are back in the USA! Grateful to be here and kicking it in my room with Chuck Berry and Linda... I feel so good today! I'm so glad I am living in the USA!



Then this song comes on the DVD!!! Who can resist?? Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"


Robert Cray



Oh what a man! Robert Cray gets Kimmer's hunky guitarist award today...

Arrested on charges of unemployment
He was sittin in the witness stand
The judge's wife called up the district attorney
To say "free that brown eyed man"
If you want your job you'd better free that brown eyed man.

Flyn' across the desert in the TWA
I saw a woman walking across the sand
She been walkin 30 miles en route to Bombay
To meet a Brown eyed handsome man
Her destination was a Brown eyed handsome man.

Way back in history 3000 years
Back ever since the world began
There's been a whole lotta good women shed a tear
For a brown eyed handsome man
A lot of trouble for a brown eyed handsome man.

Beautiful daughter couldn't make up her mind
'tween a doctor and a lawyer man
The mother told the daughter "go out and find
Yourself a brown eyed handsome man"
That's what your daddy was: a brown eyed handsome man.

Milo Venus was a beautiful lass
She had the world at the palm of her hand
But she lost both the arms in a wrestiling macht
To get a brown eyed handsome man
She fought and won herself a brown eyed handsome man.

Two, three, the count with nobody on
He hit a high fly into the stand
Round the third he was headed for home
He was a brown eyed handsome man
that won the game
he was a brown eyed handsome man

Latest articles from Retro To Go

Latest articles from Retro To Go


Peter Pan Lace Dress from Dorothy Perkins

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 10:32 AM PST

Orangelace
Much of the use of lace in retro fashion is in eighties looks, but the fabric's vintage use stretches much further beyond that. This Peter Pan Lace Dress from Dorothy Perkins has an effortless sixties chic that uses lace to great effect.

The sleeveless, structural cut creates the ideal mid-sixties silhouette, with a mini hemline and high neckline. With a statement collar and peep hole at the back, the simplicity of the dress allows a geometric lace pattern to shine.

Get it now from Dorothy Perkins for £35.

Find out more from the website

Peasant Blouse from Bettie Page Clothing

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 09:40 AM PST

Peasantblouse
Looking for that perfect piece to compliment your circle skirts and cigarette pants? Finding fifties separates can be tricky on the high street, so retro reproduction brands like Bettie Page Clothing are always at the ready.

This Peasant Blouse is a super chic choice that you can wear again and again. With an off the shoulder cut, there's just enough sex appeal without showing too much. The short cuffed sleeves and bombshell red shade finish off a top that's perfect for fifties and early sixties styles.

It's available from Bettie Page Clothing for $35.

Find out more from the website

Anthropologie Fiery Foliates Espadrilles

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 08:53 AM PST

20236741_060_b-1
If you're growing weary of winter-weight footwear then allow your thoughts to turn to summer's frivolous shoes in general and these Anthropologie Sandals in particular.

They have a cool retro vibe which pays homage to two classic seventies styles; the clog and the espadrille. The upper part of the shoe is silk with an eye-catching crimson leaf print that is repeated on the ankle strap and the soles are wooden, with a manageable 10cm heel.

Perfect to give you a bit of height with this season's midi-skirts, flared jeans and peasant blouses.

The shoes cost £178 and are available from Anthropologie here

Vintage Tennis Racket Mirrors

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 08:36 AM PST

P1019137 
Velvet Ribbon specialises in specialises in homeware that mix the old with the new, such as these Vintage Tennis Racket Mirrors.

Old-fashioned wooden tennis rackets (none of your modern ultra-light graphite models) have had the strings removed and replaced by a mirror. As they are made from vintage materials, the design of each racket will vary. Quirky certainly, but a nice talking point  for your home if you are of a sporty persuasion.

The Vintage Racket Mirror costs £50 from the Velvet Ribbon website. If squash or badminton is more your game, then you can buy one of those fashioned into a mirror on the Velvet Ribbon shop on Not on the High Street.

RetroFit TV iPhone Holder

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 08:20 AM PST

PhpThumb_generated_thumbnailjpg 
The RetroFIt TV iPhone Holder is one of those products that combines retro style with the very latest technology.

Shaped like an old-fashioned television, your new iPhone or iPod Touch can be inserted into the holder, so it keeps it upright for you to watch videos and the like on your device. Perhaps not a hugely essential item, but at just $7.99, it might be worth a try.

Buy it online from FredFlare.

Sanderson 150th anniversary Skier cushion

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 05:12 AM PST

Sanderson skiier
Last year was the 150th anniversary of Sanderson and we featured many of the products produced as part of their celebration, including the range of cushions produced using some of their textile designs. Their range has also expanded beyond this, to include designs based on ephemera in the Sanderson archive, such as this skier cushion.

The cushion is based on an invite to an early Sanderson bash and also features an appealing illustration showing a skier against a wintery background. There's no year given on the invite but it looks like it dates right back to the early days of the company. If you like this, there's also another design based on an Edwardian design for the company. 

Made from linen, the cushion costs £35. 

Buy it from John Lewis

eBay watch: Philips Gadabout 1950s motorised bicycle

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 05:05 AM PST

Gad

The more I see these engine-clad vintage bikes, the more I like them. All the looks of a vintage cycle with the bonus of not having to pedal uphill. What's not to like? Very little when it comes to this Philips Gadabout motorised bicycle.

It actually dates back to 1956 and comes with a 50cc engine, good enough to get you around your local area at a decent speed. It does need some work, you'll need a couple of tyres and lights to get through the MOT. But according to the seller, the bike has been 'dry stored' for the last 20 years and is in 'good running order', so nothing major to worry about.

£150 is the current price.

Find out more at the eBay website

Spin seating from Designers Guild

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 05:03 AM PST

Spin-furniture-main

The new collection from Designers Guild includes this retro-influenced Spin seating range.

The range is inspired by the shape of furniture in the 1950s and '60s and includes a chair and a two or three seater sofa, as pictured. Each item has a curved buttoned back and is given an added retro feel by those long tapered wooden legs. They are available upholstered in any one of the Designers Guild fabric, or in a choice of over 40 colours of leather. 

More information, including full details of pricing, can be found in store. You can see the list of stockists online

John Lewis Audrey Hat Shade Table Lamp

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 04:42 AM PST

Audrey

It's 50 years since Breakfast At Tiffany's first hit the big screen, so expect an awful lot of related product this year. Yes, more than usual - and that includes this John Lewis Audrey Hat Shade Table Lamp.

As you might have guessed, this affordable light has a pleated fabric shade, in the shape of a 'Holly Golightly' hat, the character played by Audrey Hepburn. Finishing things off is a chrome stand, combining to produce a modern light with a retro twist.

It's available for just £45. There's also a floor lamp version, which sells for an equally reasonable £90.

Find out more at the John Lewis website

Retro Indoor Fireworks

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 03:54 AM PST

Normal_fireworks_500


Recreate the excitement of your youth with these nostalgic Indoor Fireworks. 

Harking back to birthday parties of the 1980's, who can forget the anticipation of an indoor dispay tinged wih a frisson of excitement should things not go to plan?

These days all the fireworks have met stringent health and safety requirements but you can still enjoy oohing and aahing at the likes of "Snakes Alive" and "Flash Gordon".

The fireworks come in a set of 20, costing £13 and are available from Not On The High Steet here.

Don't Be So Quick to Overlook the Maserati Grecale Folgore

If the GranTurismo Folgore is a guide, this Grecale Folgore could be surprisingly competitive. The EV GT was one of the year's best surp...