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Book Review: Retiring in Thailand
by Lang Reid
 Many
expats in this country have already retired and have made the decision that
‘Retiring in Thailand’ (ISBN 1-887521-70-4, Paiboon Publishing, 2006) is for
them. Written by Philip Bryce (retired in Koh Pha-Ngan) and Sunisa Wongdee
Terlecky (semi retired in California and Bangkok), the book promises to tell
the reader “how you can live in paradise for pennies on the dollar.”
The book is divided into five sections, with Philip writing the second
section on ‘Planning your retirement in Thailand’ and Mrs. Sunisa writing
the other four entitled ‘Why Thailand?’, ‘Tips on how to live a successful
retired life in Thailand’, ‘Retirement locations’ and the ‘Reference’
section.
I did find the words of wisdom from the few retired expats they had
interviewed very interesting, and many of the tips are well known, but
ignored, and it is good for potential retirees to understand that spending
the next 20 years sitting on a bar stool is not much of a way to spend the
last years of your life, even though initially it is much more inviting than
working as an assembly line worker in Detroit.
It has a strong American bias, which is understandable, with both Philip and
Sunisa having worked for many years in the US, and the reference currency
throughout the book is the US dollar. In the section at the end of the book
is a table showing the costs of everyday living items in Thailand, which the
reader looking at retiring here will not believe. A haircut for $2! Or $3
for a movie ticket! However, the book does not point out with sufficient
emphasis that these prices, when you are living here on a limited budget (an
Old Age Pension for example, or perhaps no pension at all and using savings)
that these prices are relatively just as expensive as the similar items in
the US or the UK where incomes are higher.
At B. 495 it is a cheap enough reference book, though much will have to be
brought up to date each year. The book had no sooner been published when the
government was overthrown by a welcomed bloodless coup. Rules and
regulations regarding house purchases, nominee shareholders and visa stay
requirements have also, or are in the process of change. This is good for
the authors as it will keep them busy in their respective retirements,
updating the book!
Personally I feel that this book does not go deep enough. More first-hand
experiences are required, and probably a more in depth look at the various
areas to retire and the comparison between metropolitan expat retirees and
those who have settled up-country. What type of people are they? What is the
difference and how does that relate to my situation in life?
There are many pages of good information at the back of the book and
reference sources, though it was interesting that the website for Chiangmai
Mail is listed, but Pattaya Mail, the longest running non-metropolitan
English language newspaper, is not.
I look forward to the next edition, which will have corrected some of the
information and filled in the omissions.
Mott’s CD review: Uriah Heep
Raging Silence
‘Eavily by Mott the Dog
‘Umbly by Meow the Cat
With thanks to Ian Gambel
 5
Stars *****
Uriah Heep first came into being as a rock band in 1969 and released
their first album ‘Very ‘Eavy, Very ‘Umble in 1970. Twenty years after
and fifteen line-ups later they released their seventeenth studio album
‘Raging Silence’. It had been four years since their previous album, the
to be honest lack lustre ‘Equator’ (1985).
After the Equator tour two members of Uriah Heep left the band, Peter
Goalby on vocals, who found the whole process of touring not to his
liking and John Sinclair on keyboards, who although a fine keyboardist
was not really in the Heep mould. So joining the band in 1986 was Phil
Lanzon on keyboards who was scooped up from the floundering ex-Glam Rock
band ‘Sweet’, having previously been with ‘Grand Prix’ and ‘Sad Cafe’,
giving Uriah Heep back that necessary wall of sound. It was whilst in
‘Sad Cafe’ that Phil Lanzon had played with a talented young Canadian
singer Bernie Shaw, who had also been the pipes for ‘Praying Mantis’ and
‘Clive Burr’s Escape’.
Upon Phil Lanzon’s recommendation Mick Box Uriah Heep’s cheerful lead
guitarist, who by now was the only original member of the band left,
went down the London’s famous Marquee club to see and hear the vocalist
of the night’s headliners ‘Strauss’. Bernie Shaw certainly showed that
he could handle the high notes necessary to be the Heep’s vocalist, and
after a few after gig beers proved he was the team man for the job. That
was twenty years ago, and since then there has not been one change to
the ‘Uriah Heep’ line-up, so according to your point of view Uriah Heep
are twenty years old in 2006, or in Mick Box’s case thirty seven years
old, or drummer Lee Kerslake apart from the absence of one album thirty
five years, or bassist Trevor Burton apart from a two album absence
thirty years. Lee Kerslake and Trevor Bolder are one of the finest
rhythm sections to have graced the world of rock ‘n’ roll.
In 1986 the new line up started gigging like mad, playing anywhere that
would have them building up a rock solid stage act, without doubt as
good and reliable as Uriah Heep had ever been. Playing a selection of
Heep classics as well as trying out some new songs.
Uriah Heep was the first band to play behind what was then referred to
as the Iron Curtain, playing a series of ten consecutive well received
gigs in Moscow in December 1987. Although at the time ‘Uriah Heep’ did
not actually have a recording contract, it was decided that it was too
good an opportunity not to record the concerts for possible release as a
live album.
When the band got back to England, Legacy Records took one listen to the
tapes and immediately signed the band up for the release of the live
album and a further studio album.
The album ‘Uriah Heep Live In Moscow’ put the band straight back at the
top of the hard rock tree, a single album putting together some Heep
classics as well as the aforementioned newly written material which
slotted in well with the older material. (If you let the album play on
past the last and tenth track you will find some extra encore tracks
hidden away). On the strength of the live album the band spent the rest
of the year touring, before over December 1986 and January 1987 Legacy
took the band into the studio to record their eagerly awaited new studio
album.
The album was no disappointment, and is a fine addition to any hard rock
collection. The album only hit the bottom end of the album charts but
this was only to be expected, as this was the end of the Eighties, not
exactly a prime time for hard rock bands in record sales, although they
could still pack amphitheatres all over the world. The four year gap
between studio albums may not have helped either.
The album opens up with a rip roaring cover of the ‘Argent’ hit single
‘Hold Your Head Up’ - a clever way to start the album as it gave the
uninitiated something to grasp onto before the Heep originals hit you.
But being a band to not stand on ceremony, they still had in the vault a
good song from previous vocalist Peter Goalby, so with new vocals and
keyboard parts by the new members, the second song up is a hard rockin’
‘Blood Red Roses’, which also features a devastating axe solo from Mick
Box.
This is followed by two more rockers written by band members Mick Box
and Phil Lanzon combining to write ‘Voice on My TV’ with its atmospheric
sound effects, whilst Trevor Bolder gives us ‘Rich Kid’ which he must
have been writing from the memory of his days with David Bowie and The
Spiders from Mars.
The next Box / Lanzon song, ‘Cry Freedom’, steals a refrain from one of
Heep’s previous classics, ‘Sweet Freedom’, but tells of forbidden love,
perhaps inspired by Uriah Heep’s earlier travels. Phil Lanzon then comes
into his own with a full out rocker in the guitar driven ‘Bad Bad Man’
which is still a stage favourite today.
The Box / Lanzon partnership scores another hit with ‘More Fool You’.
This is followed by a fine tribute to Australian rockers ‘Cold Chisel’
with ‘When The War Is Over’. The album proper is brought to a fine
conclusion with another fine pair of rockers, with Bernie Shaw finally
getting his name on the writing credits on ‘Rough Justice’.
That is the end of the original album, but those good folks from Reprise
Records have re-released ‘Raging Silence’ in 1998 adding on a whole
bunch of bonus tracks. ‘Miracle Child’, which was the B-Side to the
single release of ‘Hold Your Head Up’; three fantastic live versions of
‘Look At Yourself, ‘Too Scared To Run’, and ‘Corina’, which had to be
left off the Live In Moscow album due to time constraints, an extended
version of ‘Hold Your Head Up’ and an alternate mix of ‘Blood Red
Roses’. This gives you over seventy five minutes of classic Heep rock.
The album cover is one of rock’s finest as well.
Uriah Heep continues to tour almost continuously to this day, issuing
live albums yearly. Unfortunately their studio output, although of the
highest quality, has been a little less in quantity, only ‘Different
World’ (1991), ‘Sea of Light’ (1995) and the wonderfully named ‘Sonic
Origami’ and that was in 1998, six years ago. Time for a new album boys.
Uriah Heep are:
Mick Box: Guitar and Vocals
Phil Larzon: Keyboards and Vocals
Trevor Bolder: Bass and Vocals
Lee Kerslak: Drums and Vocals
Bernie Shaw: Lead Vocals
Songs
Hold Your Head Up
Blood Red Roses
Voice On My TV
Rich Kid
Cry Freedom
Bad Bad Man
More Fool You
When The War Is Over
Lifeline
Rough Justice
Bonus Tracks
Miracle Child
Look At Yourself
Too Scared To Run
Corina
Hold Your Head Up. (Extended Version)
Blood Red Roses (Alternate Mix)
To contact Mott the
Dog email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mott-the-dog.com
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