Classical Interpretation of Queen - Original CD Idea

Kashif: Queen Symphony

Tolga Kashif's The Queen Symphony is described as "a symphony in six movements inspired by the music of Queen". If any rock band was to spark a symphonic work it might as well be Queen, after all this is the group that released an album entitled A Night at the Opera while its lead singer, the late Freddie Mercury, penned the epic "Bohemian Rhapsody"

If nothing else, the game played in trying to guess the songs is highly enjoyable. However, if you like Queen you will love this and even if you don't like Queen, but like classical music then you'll also love this. Trust us!

Gift idea for ABBA fans (also Beatles and Queen)

ABBA, Beatles, Queen [Netherlands]

This trio of CDs from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is great value of money (on Amazon for £6.99). If you are a fan of ABBA, Queen or The Beatles (even better if you like all three) and you enjoy classical music this is a marriage made in musical heaven.

The performances are first class and bring home what amazing tunes these bands created, as they certainly still work without the singing. Our favourite is the ABBA CD, but all three are a joy to listen to.

Christmas gift ideas for 2010

Yes, we are only in January, but the year is sure to fly by, as they seem to faster than ever each year. So, keep an eye out for Christmas gift ideas during the year, so you can avoid the last minute rush in December. Also, if there is a bargain to be had - does it really matter when you buy it?

Our prediction for the most popular Christmas present for 2010 is:

Amazon's Kindle E-book reader as the UK market wasn't quite ready for the technology in 2009, but we are sure the tide is about to turn and we'll be seeing e-book readers everywhere.

Another on the market at the moment is the iRiver ebook reader:

John Lewis announces record Christmas spending

British retailer John Lewis has announced that it enjoyed record consumer spending during the Christmas period, as Brits got their wallets out in the face of difficult financial times. The full story is here on the BBC.

UK Christmas Spending Up On 2008

After the difficult financial year, a last-minute surge of spending on the days before Christmas saw spending pass the figure of 2008.

Consumer spending during the final fortnight of December was 2.4% higher than in the same period of 2008, according to card processing firm Barclaycard Payment Acceptance.

The group, which processes credit and debit card transactions for 88,000 UK retailers, said consumers spent £4.09bn on their cards between 19 and 31 December, up from £3.99bn on 2008. The busiest day was 23 December, when £497m was spent on last-minute Christmas shopping.

As well as the rush to buy Christmas presents there has also been a rush of purchases by people aiming to miss the return to the 17.5% VAT rate at the turn of the year.

Christmas is over for another year

It may well be a few months, at least, before we all start thinking about Christmas presents, but this site will continue to deliver gift ideas when we see them, so we will be your one stop shop for Christmas gift ideas again next Christmas.