Chess for Oldtimers --- Good Idea !

Yes, Ralph, I loved that song as well.  I think it's based on a Russian folk tune; it certainly sounds Slavic.  I had Miss Hopkin's Post Card LP, then CD, and now remastered CD with extra tracks.  I must post a video of Those Were the Days.

Those really were the days, the days when girls were pretty and you could actually tell them so.  That seems like all a goodbye now.  And speaking of goodbye ... how dya' like that segue? ... here's one for the road: Goodbye, one of those extra tracks I spoke of.

Thanks a lot for the post and the videos Fightingbob. Somehow I had forgotten Mary Hopkin's version of " Goodbye ", a nice song that was eclipsed by the her monster hit " Those Were The Days " ( TWTDs ). And yes you were right that TWTDs was a Russian song having been written by Boris Fomin ( according to YouTube ). I also found a couple of versions of TWTDs in the Russian language, one very nice version by the Red Army Chorus and another one by Manca Izmajlova done in a rather Operatic style.

Wow, Ralph, it appears Those Were the Days is quite popular on YouTube.  I played both the Alexandrov Red Army Choir version and Manca Izmajlova with the Russian State Symphony Cinema Orchestra.  I thought they were both great in their own way (hard to beat a Russian baritone) so I'm currently downloading them using my MacIntosh YouTube Downloader.  You never know what will eventually be removed for copyright infringement.

Thanks for the post Fightingbob. Yes I didn't know about the other versions of the song either because Mary Hopkin had the big hit with it so that is the one that I remember. She also did a theme song for a movie however I can't remember the film but it was her voice ( and the credits at the end of the film listed her name ).  

A search at IMDb turned up the film Kidnapped (1971) based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's book of the same name.  It's not highly rated and I don't believe I've seen it, but it has a fine cast.

You will have to go to YouTube by clicking here to listen to Miss Hopkin singing the theme song For All My Days accompanying what appears to be a promotional video of the singer.  The person who originally posted the video does not allow it to be embedded on other sites.

Thanks for the info Fightingbob. This subject brought to mind another rarely heard singer who also did an interesting theme song for a movie. Joan Armatrading wrote and performed the theme to " The Wild Geese " ( 1978 ). I don't know much about this singer but another nice song that she did is entitled " The Weakness In Me ".   

Thank you, Ralph, for introducing me to Joan Armatrading and The Weakness in Me.  Here is a video of Miss Armatrading accompanying herself on piano.

Glad that you like her Fightingbob. Thanks for the post.

I recently came across this interesting quote: " Every day in my old age is more important than I can say. It will never return. When one takes one's leave of life, one notices how much one has left undone " ( from Composer Jean Sibelius ).

A melancholy quote from one of my favorite composers (e.g. Sibelius violin concerto).  Thanks, badenwurtca.

I saw Joan Armatrading live many tears ago in New Haven, CT. Smaller auditorium, great show!

Thanks a lot for the new posts.

Perhaps a way to reverse the aging process in the brains of seniors might be by taking nootropics, which are drugs or supplements which have been demonstrated to improve cognitive functioning.  I have taken astaxanthin, the operative element in krill, for this purpose, and I find more ideas springing into my head than ever before.

One of those is perhaps establishing a special players' section of chess.com where senior players can find opponents, possibly with a predisposition for longer time controls, constantly repeated questions, etc.

I have taken Cialis and find more ideas springing to my head than ever before!

A man with a floppy, old phallus
Once took a dose of Cialis.
To his great surprise
He got a big rise,
But now can't find his Digitalis.

Good to see this forum reactivated. I am an admin of a fun group "Geezers". A warm welcome awaits all old timers there. Men 60 or over and women 50 or over.

Thanks for the posts. Being in the " Geezers " group I can confirm that it is definitely a fun club with very nice members. 

Very glad you enjoy Geezers too.

Thanks for the post Pam.

I recently saw this quote from the Actress Della Reese: " My idea of forgiveness is letting go of resentment that does not serve to better your interest, ridding yourself of negative thoughts. All they do is make you miserable. Believe me, you can fret and fume all you want, but whoever it was that wronged you is not suffering from your anguish whatsoever. " Very good advice for me also as I'm one of those people that that tend to hang onto things for a while ( we must learn to let go ! ).