"Shock Treatment/Autumn" by DON ELLIS/ORCHESTRA (April 2018 Beat Goes On Reissue - 2LPs onto 2CDs with Bonuses - Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Seven To The Bar..."

England's Beat Goes On (BGO) continues it Don Ellis CD reissue campaign with this further twofer (see below for other reissues). Here are the details worth trumpeting...

UK released 27 April 2018 (3 May 2018 in the USA) - "Shock Treatment/Autumn" by DON ELLIS and DON ELLIS and his ORCHESTRA on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1333 (Barcode 5017261213334) offers two Stereo albums from 1968 and 1969 Remastered in 2018 onto 2CDs with Four Bonus Tracks (issued 2001) that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 "Shock Treatment" (66:43 minutes):

1. A New Kind Of Country

2. Night City

3. Homecoming

4. Mercy Maybe Mercy

5. Zim

6. Opus 5

7. Star Children

8. Beat Me, Daddy, Seven To The Bar

9. Milo's Theme

10. Seven Up

11. The Tihai

12. Zim (Alternate Take)

13. I Remember Clifford

14. Rasty

Credited to DON ELLIS and Produced by JOHN HAMMOND - the original July 1968 US and UK LPs on Columbia CS 9668 and CBS Records S 63356 were 10-track affairs. The above track run for this CD mimics exactly the reinterpreted running order of the May 2001 US CD reissue on Koch Jazz KOC-CD 8590 (Barcode 099923859024). If you want to sequence the original "Shock Treatment" album use the following 10 tracks from this CD:

Side 1: Tracks 1, 4, 6, 8 and 11

Side 2: Tracks 9, 7, 3, 10 and 5

Disc 2 "Autumn" (57:44 minutes):

1. Variations For Trumpet [Side 1]

2. Scratt And Fluggs

3. Pussy Wiggle Stomp

4. K.C. Blues [Side 2]

5. Child Of Ecstasy

6. Indian Lady

Credited to DON ELLIS and his ORCHESTRA and Produced by AL KOOPER – Tracks 1 to 6 are the original March 1969 US and UK Stereo LPs on Columbia CS 9721 and CBS Records S 63503.

You get the usual card slipcase (makes the reissue look classy), a 24-page booklet that reproduces the original LP dedications by Digby Diehl for "Shock Treatment" and hip Producer/one time Blood, Sweat & Tears songwriter Al Kooper for 1969's "Autumn" - as well as a new appraisal of Doin Ellis' musical legacy by Mojo's main writer CHARLES WARING. The 2018 Remasters are once again carried out by BGO's resident Audio Engineer ANDREW THOMPSON and being licensed Sony material - sound awesome. At times you have to turn down the sheer assault of brass instruments that hit you on say "Opus 5" while the funky Bongo interplay with Ellis on "The Tihai" is fantastic stuff.

The first album is better heard as released with Track 2 "Mercy Maybe Mercy" being amongst my faves - 60ts TV Cops cool. It's writer Hank Levy is also represented here by "A New Kind Of Country" whilst Howlett Smith gets the lengthy "Opus 5" and decidedly shorter "Seven Up" with Ellis having penned the bulk of the rest. The four-minute 'Alternate Take' of John Magruder's "Zim" is a worthy addition whilst the unreleased trio of "Night City", "I Remember Clifford" and "Rasty" show DE is a more mellow lounge-lizard mood and so were probably left off the original platter because they didn't fit in with the hip 'n' happening vibe of the others. And "K.C. Blues" from "Autumn" is gorgeous stuff whilst the two lengthy pieces "Variants For Trumpet" and "Indian Lady" at 19 and 18 minutes are tour de force playtime. Treatment indeed...

A sweet release from BGO and one that Don Ellis fans will need saspo...

PS: The other DON ELLIS titles in this BGO series are:

1. The New Don Ellis Band Goes Underground [1969]/Don Ellis At Fillmore [1970]

(Beat Goes On BGOCD 1143 (Barcode 5017261211439 - released 2014)

2. Tears Of Joy [1971]/Connection [1972]

(Beat Goes On BGOCD1317 – Barcode 5017261213174 - released 2017)

"The Platinum Collection" [aka "Hello Stranger: The Best Of"] by BARBARA LEWIS (March 2007 Warner Brothers/Rhino CD Reissue and Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…I'll Be Yours Until The Stars Fall From The Sky…"

As part of the legendary label's 60th Anniversary celebrations - Atlantic issued a slew of budget-priced compilations under the title "The Platinum Collection" (see below for the full list). 

This Barbara Lewis set is a straightforward CD reissue of the US compilation "Hello Stranger: The Best Of" issued by Rhino way back in 1994 - just minus the detailed liner notes but still with that great Remastered/Restored sound. 

UK released March 2007 - "The Platinum Collection" by BARBARA LEWIS on Warner Brothers/Rhino 8122-79994-9 (Barcode 081227999490) offers 20 superb tracks covering her 5 Atlantic albums and some of her non-album single sides. The original 12-page booklet is reduced to a 4-page inlay that doesn't provide much info - so here's a breakdown of what track came from what (51:22 minutes): 

1. ”Hello Stranger"

July 1963, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8086 (CD Tracks 1 to 5)

2. ”Snap Your Fingers"

January 1964, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8090 (CD Track 7)

3. ”Baby, I'm Yours"

August 1965, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8110 (CD Tracks 6, 8 and 12) 

4. ”It's Magic"

April 1966, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8118 (CD Tracks 10, 13, 14 and 17)

5. ”Workin' On A Groovy Thing"

June 1968, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8173 (CD Tracks 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20)

Track 9 is "Spend A Little Time" - a US 7" single issued April 1964 on Atlantic 2227, A

Track 11 is "Pushin' A Good Thing Too Far" - a US 7" single issued in October 1964 on Atlantic 2255, A

Lewis is like so many of the fabulous Soul Ladies of the Sixties (Maxine Brown on Wand, Barbara Acklin on Brunswick, Clydie King on Stateside, Mabel John on Tamla Motown, Mitty Collier on Chess jump to mind) - beloved by soul fans everywhere for their sheer class and the strength of the material they issued. The fact that Lewis penned six of these tunes is even more impressive. Doo Wop fans should also note that the wonderful Chess group 'The Dells’ provided backing vocals on seven tracks (3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11) while the strings were arranged and conducted on Track 17 by ace producer Arif Mardin.

A great little CD compilation then - and for a peanuts amount of money it’s a top way of introducing yourself to the extraordinary richness of the Atlantic label and its huge Soul/R&B Legacy… 

PS: the other Atlantic artists in "The Platinum Collection" series are (I've reviewed many of them): 

LaVern Baker, Archie Bell & The Drells, Brook Benton, Booker T & The M.G.'s, Ruth Brown, Solomon Burke, Clarence Carter, The Clovers, Arthur Conley, Don Covay, The Detroit Spinners, Eddie Floyd, King Curtis, The Mar-Keys, The Persuasions, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, (Big) Joe Turner and Betty Wright

———————-

Atlantic Label DISCOGRAPHY:

“Hello Stranger” [1963] 

Atlantic 8086 (Mono), Atlantic SD 8086 (Stereo SD-8086) in the USA

Side 1: Hello Stranger/Puppy Love/On Bended Knees/My Heart Went Do Dat Da/My Mama Told Me/Gonna Love You Till The End of Time

Side 2: Would You Love Me/Longest Night Of The Year/Does Anyone Want A Lover/We're Too Young To Marry/Love Is A Castle/Think A Little Sugar

“Snap Your Fingers” [1964] 

Atlantic 8090 (Mono), Atlantic SD SD-8090 (Stereo) in the USA

Side 1: Snap Your Fingers/Please, Please, Please/Frisco Blues/I'll Bring It Back Home To You/Just A Matter of Time/Twist And Shout/I Don't Want To Cry

Side 2: Turn On Your Love Light/Stand By Me/If You Need Me/What'd I Say/Baby, Workout/Shame, Shame, Shame

“Baby, I’m Yours” [1965]

Atlantic 8110 (Mono), Atlantic SD-8110 (Stereo) in the USA

Side 1: Baby, I'm Yours/My Heart Went Do Da Dat/Come Home/Think A Little Sugar/If You Love Her/Stop That Girl

Side 2: Puppy Love/Hello Stranger/Someday We're Gonna Love Again/Snap Your Fingers/How Can I Say Goodbye/Straighten Up Your Heart

“It’s Magic” [1966]

Atlantic 8118 (Mono, Atlantic SD 8118 (Stereo) in the USA

Side 1: It's Magic/The Shadow of Your Smile/Let It Be Me/Quiet Nights/Since I Fell For You/Don't Forget About Me

Side 2: I Only Miss Him When I Think Of Him/Yesterday/He's So Bad/A Taste Of Honey/Sorrow/Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)

“Workin’ On A Groovy Thing” [1968]

Atlantic Stereo LP SD-8173 in the USA

Side 1: I'll Keep Believin'/Workin' On A Groovy Thing/Make Me Your Baby/Girls Need Loving Care/I Remember the Feeling/Baby, What Do You Want Me To Do

Side 2: Make Me Belong to You/Love Makes The World Go 'Round/I'll Make Him Love Me/Only All The Time/Sho-Nuff (It’s Got To Be Your Love)/Thankful For What I’ve Got

“The Best Of” [1971]

Atlantic Stereo LP SD-8286 in the USA

Side 1: Baby, I'm Yours/Hello Stranger/Make Me Your Baby/Don't Forget About Me/I Remember The Feeling/Make Me Belong To You

Side 2: Baby, What Do You Want Me to Do/Puppy Love/Stop That Girl/Come Home/Stand By Me/It's Magic

"The Platinum Collection" by ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS (March 2007 Warner Brothers Platinum CD Reissue/Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Here I Go Again…Thinking With My Heart…"

Celebrating 60 years of Atlantic Records - this UK released March 2007 Warner/Rhino CD set is part of a large series of budget-priced compilations offering generous amounts of classic music for peanuts money.

With all 20 tracks remastered to great sound throughout - "The Platinum Collection" by ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS on Warner Brothers Platinum 8122-79993-2 (Barcode 081227999360) gives you 16 soul songs from their 3 albums on the Atlantic label - along with 4 rare non-album 7" single sides. 

The inlay is basic (a gatefold slip of paper) and lacking in details at this price - so here's a breakdown of what's what (52:35 minutes total playing time)....

1. Tighten Up

15. When You Left, Heartache Began

18. You're Mine

20. Tighten Up (Part 2)

Tracks 1, 15, 18 and 20 from "Tighten Up" - May 1968 Stereo US LP on Atlantic SD-8181

2. I Can't Stop Dancing

3. Do You Feel It?

4. Do The Choo Choo

5. Love Will Rain On You

13. Monkey Time

19. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 13 and 19 are from "I Can't Stop Dancing" - 1968 Stereo US LP on Atlantic SD-8204

6. (There's Gonna Be) A Showdown

7. I Love My Baby

8. Girl You're Too Young

9. My Balloon's Going Up

14. Here I Go Again

16. Giving Up Dancing

Tracks 6, 7, 8, 9, 14 and 16 are from "There's Gonna Be A Showdown" - August 1969 US Stereo LP on Atlantic SD-8226

USA 7" Singles:

10 is "A World Without Music" - 1970 on Atlantic 2693 [A, Non-Album Track]

("Here I Go Again" was it's B-side - but it was also issued Sept 1972 as an A in the UK on Atlantic K 10210 - charted at number 11)

11 is "Don't Let The Music Slip Away" - 1970 on Atlantic 2721 [A, Non-Album Track]

12 is "Wrap It Up" - December 1970 on Atlantic 2768 [A, Non-Album Track]

17 is "Dog Eat Dog" - April 1968 on Atlantic 2478 [Non-Album Track, B-side to "Tighten Up"]

Forgotten gems include "Here I Go Again" and "Wrap It Up" - both are sort of Chi-Lites meets Motown dancers - really excellent. "Do The Choo Choo" is awful - a poor attempt at a dance craze after the number one success of "Tighten Up" on both sides of the pond. "Dog Eat Dog" - the rare non-LP B-side of their first British 45 "Tighten Up" on Atlantic 584 185 (May 1968) is a welcome addition to CD - great 60ts Soul. "When You Left Heartache Began" has been on Northern Soul compilations as a track to rediscover too.

Rare tracks, decent sound - this budget-priced remastered compilation is stunning value for money and makes available music that is increasingly hard to find now on original vinyl. 

Recommended big time as are frankly most compilations in this brilliant British set of CD releases…

PS: the other Atlantic artists in "The Platinum Collection" series are: LaVern Baker (see REVIEW), Brook Benton (see REVIEW), Booker T & The M.G.'s, Ruth Brown (see REVIEW), Solomon Burke, Clarence Carter, The Clovers (see REVIEW), Arthur Conley (see REVIEW), Don Covay, The Detroit Spinners, Eddie Floyd, King Curtis, Barbara Lewis (see REVIEW), The Mar-Keys, The Persuasions, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge (see REVIEW), Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, (Big) Joe Turner and Betty Wright

Archie Bell & The Drells – Atlantic LP Discography

"Tighten Up!"

Atlantic SD-8181, May 1968 USA Stereo LP

Side 1: Tighten Up (Part 1 and 2)/I Don't Wanna Be A Playboy/You're Mine/Knock On Wood

Side 2: Give Me Time/In the Midnight Hour/When You Left Heartache Began/A Thousand Wonders/A Soldier's Prayer, 1967

"I Can’t Stop Dancing"

Atlantic SD-8204, 1968 USA Stereo LP

Side 1: I Can't Stop Dancing/(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay/Do The Choo Choo/You're Such A Beautiful Child/Monkey Time

Side 2: Do You Feel It? /I've Been Trying/Jammin' In Houston/Love Will Rain On You/Sometimes I Wonder

"There’s Gonna Be A Showdown"

Atlantic SD-8226, August 1969 USA Stereo LP

Side 1: I Love My Baby/Houston, Texas/(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown/Giving Up Dancing/Girl You're Too Young/Mama Didn't Teach Me That Way

Side 2: Do The Hand Jive/My Balloon's Going Up/Here I Go Again/Go For What You Know/Green Power/Just A Little Closer

"The Hi Records Singles A's & B's" by ANN PEEBLES (June 2002 Demon/Hi Records 2CD Reissue and Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Love Power…"

Forty-seven Soul killers across 2CDs and hardly a duffer amongst them - not a bad track record by any reckoning for a decade long slew of hits. Ann Peebles knew how to milk a groove. Here are the 'give me some' credits...

UK released June 2002 - "The Hi Records Singles A's & B's" by ANN PEEBLES on Demon/Hi Records HEXD 54 (Barcode 740155205423) is a 2CD set and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (67:47 minutes):

1. Walk Away

2. I Can't Let You Go (1969, tracks 1 and 2 are the A&B of Hi 2157, B-side non album)

3. Give Me Some Credit

4. Solid Foundation (1969, tracks 3 and 4 are the A&B of Hi 2165)

5. I'll Get Along

6. Generation Gap Between Us (1970, tracks 5 and 6 are the A&B of Hi 2173)

7. Part Time Love

8. I Still Love You (1970, tracks 7 and 8 are the A&B of Hi 2178)

9. I Pity The Fool

10. Heartaches Heartaches (1971, tracks 9 and 10 are the A&B of Hi 2186, B-side non-album)

11. Slipped, Tripped And Fell In Love

12. 99 Lbs (1971, tracks 11 and 12 are the A&B of Hi 2198)

13. Breaking Up Somebody's Home

14. Trouble, Heartaches & Sadness (1971, tracks 13 and 14 are the A&B of Hi 2205)

15. Somebody's On Your Case

16. I've Been There Before (1972, tracks 15 and 16 are the A&B of Hi 2219)

17. I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down

18. One Way Street (1973, tracks 17 and 18 are the A&B of Hi 2232)

19. I Can't Stand The Rain (1973, track 19 is the A of Hi 2248, B-side was "I've Been There Before" (see 16))

20. (You Keep Me) Hangin' On (1974, track 20 is the A-side of Hi 2265, US B-side was "I Pity The Fool" (see 9))

21. Run, Run, Run (1974, track 21 is the B-side of "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" in the UK on London HLU 10468)

22. Do I Need You

23. A Love Vibration (1974, tracks 22 and 23 are the A&B of Hi 2271)

24. Put Yourself In My Place

25. Until You Came Into My Life (1974, tracks 24 and 25 are the A&B of Hi 2278)

Disc 2 (72:38 minutes):

1. Beware

2. You Got To Feed The Fire (1975, tracks 1 and 2 are the A&B of Hi 2284)

3. Come To Mama

4. I'm Leavin' You (1975, tracks 3 and 4 are the A&B of Hi 2294, B-side non- album)

5. Dr. Love Power (1975, track 5 is the A-side of Hi 2302, the B-side was "I Still Love You" (track 8 on Disc 1))

6. I Don't Lend My Mind

7. I Needed Somebody (1975, tracks 6 and 7 are the A&B of Hi 2309)

8. Fill This World With Love

9. It Was Jealousy (1976, tracks 8 and 9 are the A&B of Hi 2320)

10. If This Is Heaven

11. When I'm In Your Arms (1977, tracks 10 and 11 are the A&B of Hi 77502)

12. Old Man With Young Ideas

13. A Good Day For Lovin' (1978, tracks 12 and 13 are the A&B of Hi 78509)

14. I Didn't Take Your Man

15. Being Here With You (1978, tracks 14 and 15 are the A&B of Hi 78518)

16. If You Got The Time (I Got The Love)

17. Let Your Lovelight Shine (1979, tracks 16 and 17 are the A&B of Hi 79528, A-side non-album)

18. Heartaches

19. I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love (1980, tracks 18 and 19 are the A&B of Hi 80533 - Single-only release)

20. Be For Me (Alternate B-side for "Heartaches" - track 19)

21. Mon Belle - Amour

22. Waiting (1981, tracks 21 and 22 are the A&B of Hi 81534, Single-only release, both sides feature DONALD BRYANT)

The 12-page booklet features track-by-track writer credits, catalogue numbers and chart placing. Well-written Mick Patrick & Malcolm Baumgart liner notes give a detailed history of her stay at Hi Records with Producer Willie Mitchell - and the excellent mastering has been done by PETER RYNSTON at Tall Order in the UK.

Along with Al Green, Syl Johnson, O.V. Wright and Otis Clay (her label mates at Hi) - Peebles had an extraordinary 7" singles career on the American Billboard R&B charts - eight in the top fifty (" Pity The Fool" and "I Can't Stand The Rain" hitting 7 and 6 respectively) with the rest inside the Top 100. The Missouri Gospel singer struck a chord with buyers when her gritty Soul songs filled the airwaves - "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" and "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" having since been covered by numerous artists (many in the Rock sphere).

Tunes like Clay Hammond's "Part Time Love" and George Jackson's "Slipped, Tripped And Fell In Love" are typical of her groove - the Ann Peebles sound - gutsy vocals, real world lyrics about heartache, lust and cheating backed up by tight guitars and complimentary brass. But what's so cool about this compilation is getting to hear those 'just as good' B-sides like the aching "I Still Love You" and Don Bryant's "99 Lbs". And then there's those low end chart songs you've forgotten about like Earl Randie's "Somebody's On Your Case" and her superb Soulful take on the Gosdin Brothers country classic "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On".

Like Al Green - the sides Ann Peebles did at Hi Records never seem to date - but only get better as the decades pass as more and more Soul searchers stumble on her musical legacy. Start tearing your playhouse down right here...

"Shakespeare: The Illustrated Edition' by BILL BRYSON (2009 Reprint in Hardback with CD) - A Review by Mark Barry...

Who Is This William Shakespeare Geezer 

And Why Is Bill Bryson Saying All These Nice Things About Him...

This review is for the 2009 Hardback Reprint of "Shakespeare: The Illustrated Version" with 256 'oversized' pages (it was originally published as a plain-pages version in 2007 entitled "Shakespeare: The World As Stage"). Bryson’s reprint was initially £20 as a hardback but in 2018 is now available on the used marketplace for a lot less and is most definitely the version to own (note that original issues of "The Illustrated Version" also came with an exclusive CD of selected sonnets read by Sir John Gielgud - used copies may not have this).

In this gorgeously illustrated and brilliantly written account of the English language's greatest wordsmith - William Shakespeare - Bill Bryson does a fabulous job of 'informing us'. I mention this because in 2007 when Bryson's original bare-bones variant was published there were some 24 to 25 thousand books on The Bard and what Bryson found so amusing (and frustrating) during years of research is that most knew next-to-diddly about the man. Actual details on WS and what he thought, believed, felt or even how his process of writing came about are scarce and because we’re dealing with the 16th Century – notoriously difficult to confirm as authentic.

Worse - there are then the 5000+ books by debunkers (some with silly surnames like J. Thomas Looney, Sherwood E. Silliman and George M. Battey - I kid you not) who want to say that The Earl Of Sussex (Edward De Vere) was in fact the real Shakespeare. Or was it Christopher Marlowe (his portrait is on Page 123) – or perhaps Francis Bacon - relative of the mildly demented American lady Delia Bacon - say the Baconists? These determined revisionists produce clever suppositions and enticing connections that tell us an obvious truth (to them) – that William Shakespeare wasn’t in fact William Shakespeare. Rather missing the point though is that after four hundred or more years - little real evidence of this hypothesis has ever surfaced anywhere (the mother of all cover ups baby).

Back to the 2009 reprint - as you turn the large-leaf pages and devour the sleuth-like facts that we do know about him - you begin to see the problem with Willy Boy. Despite three pages of Selected Bibliography and two pages of image credits at the rear of Bryson’s tome - there are only a few actual likenesses of William Shakespeare known to exist. And of course, someone, somewhere, more knowledgeable than you or I - always disputes them.

William, the son of Jon Shakespeare, a humble and not well educated leather tanner, was born 23 April 1564 and while Billy’s name began to appear as early as 1598 on the title pages of quarto editions of his plays (famous while he was alive) - the depths and true emotional innards of this icon of literature remain infuriatingly opaque and elusive (he passed aged 52 in 1616).

One exciting development came from a two feet square portrait of a dapper but intelligent looking gent hanging for centuries in the stately home of the Cobbe Family in Newbridge House outside Dublin in Ireland. Long thought to have been a homage to Sir Walter Raleigh - one of the Cobbe family was visiting an exhibition in London's National Portrait Gallery and realised that their portrait might in fact be someone a tad more famous and historically important. Subjected to three years of rigorous tests including carbon-dating, X-Rays and atmospheric dendrochronological probes (trying saying that with a few jugs of ale) - as recently as 2006 - the Cobbe portrait was declared by the Chairman of The Birth Place Trust (Shakespearean experts) that it was in fact a new likeness of William Shakespeare.

I divulge all of this because outside of casual mentions in other people’s legal documents, a visiting Dutchman who wrote a short note on a play he saw at The Globe Theatre and had miraculously sketched what The Globe looked like (only discovered in 1888), Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage in Shottery (his wife), the cryptic almost nonsensical verse on his supposed burial place (where of course he isn't buried at all) and some signatures that may or may not be his own hand (a deed of mortgage for one of his homes at Blackfriars in 1613) - there is no paperwork, no evidence of religious beliefs, political leanings, no handwritten notes, corrections, ideas – naught, zip, and you guessed it - nadda.

Hell a huge number of the 154 Sonnets were actually dedicated to a man succinctly described by subsequent hetro historians as a fair youth. So was Shakespeare gay? Or was it the opposite? Sonnet Numbers 127 to 154 refer to a dark lady - so was our Wills in fact a rake – a bounder - a 16th century cad engaged in a lurid and ultimately rejected love affair as these bitter verses implied?

What we do know is that his wife Anne had born him three children, a son called Hamnet who died 1596 aged only eleven in mysterious circumstances and two daughters Judith and Susanna who lived to a ripe old age of 66 and 67 but never produced children so his line faded with them. In fact if it hadn't been for the diligence of his two friends John Heminges and Henry Condell who published the famous "First Folio" in 1623 (seven years after WS's death in 1616) containing and saving all of his written work (there are three variants of "Hamlet" alone with vastly differing lengths) - we might not have known of him except through other people's accounts or poor variants of the plays published while he was alive.

The First Folio was meant to correct all the preceding inferior versions of his work. But is it informative after eight years of prep? Is it bugger! The First Folio typically has a portrait of Shakespeare done from memory yonks after he died and offers a single dedication page that manages to tell you zilch whilst at the same time being more baffling than Brexit negotiations (so long and thanks for all the butter). Shakespeare also based loads of his plays in Italy but its known that he never travelled there...

So, despite lifetimes devoted to the great man and centuries of digging and cross-referencing - we may in 2018 be more in the dark than ever towards WS. 

Be that as it may - "Shakespeare: The Illustrated Edition" published by Harper Collins (ISBN: 9780007325238) is a fantastic read and one that's immeasurably enhanced by a huge plethora of images that illuminate and educate - hand carvings, legal documents, wills, the dedication page of The Sonnets addressed to Mr. W.H., the site of his grave and the famously odd four lines of doggerel, one of the 66 different copies of The First Folio on a pedestal and held at The Henry Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington (750 is reputed to be the number first printed though few know how many have actually survived the ravages of centuries).

I can’t think of any other writer who could have produced a book about William Shakespeare that is both detached in its arguments yet clearly and madly in love with its subject matter - even awestruck by the man's unparalleled written achievements (2000+ extra words are in the English language because of him and over 10% of all quotations are attributable to his pen).

Why do we mere mortals and the diligent Bryson adore this ancient scribe so much (some of his work is exactly that – bloody hard work)? Can we dig up that missing Elizabethan nugget of evidence hidden behind an inglenook somewhere that will finally prove Shakespeare's genius was all his own - once and for all?

Will a sweaty Neanderthal-like bricklayer stumble on a copy of his lost play Cardenio behind a flimsy wall in a Midlands timber-framed shack one day? Cue an edited Sonnet 116...

"...Love...Is An Ever Fixed-Mark...That Looks On Tempests And Is Never Shaken..."

WOW!