tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43359913348694674802024-03-17T19:13:33.181+00:00The World's Worst Records<b>an arcade of audio atrocities</b>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.comBlogger663125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-81891636484819377452024-03-14T17:23:00.000+00:002024-03-14T17:23:19.993+00:00My Yummy, Yummy Love Note Tree<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7i-V2K2YwoR9U8iRJ4jRXR0E0a_Cy3E8mmNdl77JfH4b23k-1r7x_Xi439DiKXHqbYwCbxmpc1aQvXTZpj4VyHsqynsAIxX5UKeegsxTV3m8J8CgmH2pi-SwKbkqkzmtzzjcSyiZozCKSXu6aXjyUulboPHF1ESqYWMNiEbpjxVpnRyWx297rtNOdgax/s1550/20240314_151153.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1548" data-original-width="1550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7i-V2K2YwoR9U8iRJ4jRXR0E0a_Cy3E8mmNdl77JfH4b23k-1r7x_Xi439DiKXHqbYwCbxmpc1aQvXTZpj4VyHsqynsAIxX5UKeegsxTV3m8J8CgmH2pi-SwKbkqkzmtzzjcSyiZozCKSXu6aXjyUulboPHF1ESqYWMNiEbpjxVpnRyWx297rtNOdgax/s320/20240314_151153.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A couple of tracks from a wonderful and rare song-poem album
that I’ve owned for a number of years but have not blogged before, the
wonderfully-titled <i>Delick Records Invites You to Pick a Delick Record of “The
12 Most Unpopular Songs” in the Little Yellow House of Icka-Delick-Music</i>. <i>The
12 Most Unpopular Songs</i>, to use the more popular short version of the
rather unwieldy title, was produced for lyric writer Francis E Delaney by Lew
Tobin’s Five Star Music productions company.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most of the discs that emanated from Five Star – and its associated
label, Sterling – feature full group performances: this album is different in
that it features Five Star’s two best-known vocalists, Norm Burns and Shelly
Stewart (Mrs Lew Tobin), accompanied by the solo piano of Mr Tobin himself. Tobin
proves himself to be a more than capable pianist, and both Burns and Stewart are
perfectly serviceable – if somewhat emotionless - vocalists.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The 12 Most Unpopular Songs</i> was issued around 1968 on
the tiny Delicks Records label from Icka-Delick-Music of Chicago Ridge,
Illinois. The label also put out at least three 45s, Betty Bond’s wonderful <b>Blinky,
The Blue Nosed Snowdeer</b> (1971), Shelly Stewart’s Gentle On My Body (backed
with <b>Yummy, Yummy, Dum-Dum</b>, although I do not know whether that is the same
version as appears on the album), and the 1969 single <b>The Quiet Americans</b>
by the Chain Reaction. Three of the four tracks on the two singles were also
written by Francis E Delaney, known to his friends as Frank, but whereas <b>Blinky,
The Blue Nosed Snowdeer </b>is very much the kind of thing you would expect
from our Francis after listing to this album, the Chain Reaction single is a
slice of garage rock, with fuzz lead breaks, out-of-tune rhythm guitar and a
plaintive vocal from a teenage male singer. The B-side, the rocking <b>Only the
Bleeding (Hey, Boy!) </b>was penned by Raymond L. Lovato, presumably a member of
the band. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESupEkwOD7VBNDqTmQaLhqk7WMN44luo8s756IzAXsEpv2brFzePPzCZUrFP4eRZZ0Ixc73xyBMyG7A_VouNDP8wz99uUX_PjJf5iNGCER3W2aMbOzCjDRVSs701ATaQdTpLuncuorFQ_iujBEPT_5jU5TG8zvTHYS-P8LAjcDo5isap3zBZKVn9wJl9i/s1816/20240314_152629.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESupEkwOD7VBNDqTmQaLhqk7WMN44luo8s756IzAXsEpv2brFzePPzCZUrFP4eRZZ0Ixc73xyBMyG7A_VouNDP8wz99uUX_PjJf5iNGCER3W2aMbOzCjDRVSs701ATaQdTpLuncuorFQ_iujBEPT_5jU5TG8zvTHYS-P8LAjcDo5isap3zBZKVn9wJl9i/s320/20240314_152629.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A Raymond Louis Lovato worked in advertising, ran a tourist
resort in Palm Springs and now writes fiction with lifelong friend Michael
Black. I’ve no idea if that’s the same man, but as this one wrote and published
poetry in high school and college I reckon it’s a fairly safe bet. Like
Raymond, Frank – who was born in 1936 - also saw himself as a bit of a writer, self-publishing
the 1978 book <i>When Elvis Played His Music: (the World Began to Sing)</i> and
the 2006 collection <i>Memories Minutes in Time: Poetry, Words and Music and
Love</i>. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Frank was born in 1936, to Martin and Mary Delaney. As he
wrote, ‘My father met my mother at Marshal Fields during the depression. They
got married and in three short years, she was the mother of five step-sons and
two sons of her own… My six brothers were in the U.S. Army, Marines and the
Canadian Air Force. I watched all my brothers go to war and watched them all
come back alive. I was the lucky one I didn't have to go.’ Frank recalled that
he ‘Graduated from Mount Carmel High School class of 54. I played cornet and
piano. I started writing poetry and wrote my first song at age 21. From
1969-1971, I took a correspondence course with the Berklee College of Music in
Boston. Didn't finish it, did 17 of 20 lessons. Wish I did finish it…’ He died
in January 2023, at the grand age of 86.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5w1Er16bzDLgES0rbxjBAIBiAWSdEfvMeotkEbZWe16xMa9TLCVZ4v1NlnhoagE8ZyEJZAzoNikOM908jnZ24qqP2dFy3HKEbe5JzwzLBH0BY3FqDEta7gMtyDfe8g6GPX-j13avfdM761FrR1YHvafeCh2tCr-6huB_cQ_2U51YG-hCXr4IMeCzJznl/s1769/20240314_152644.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1769" data-original-width="1769" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5w1Er16bzDLgES0rbxjBAIBiAWSdEfvMeotkEbZWe16xMa9TLCVZ4v1NlnhoagE8ZyEJZAzoNikOM908jnZ24qqP2dFy3HKEbe5JzwzLBH0BY3FqDEta7gMtyDfe8g6GPX-j13avfdM761FrR1YHvafeCh2tCr-6huB_cQ_2U51YG-hCXr4IMeCzJznl/s320/20240314_152644.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As well as the album and singles, Frank wrote or co-wrote
many other songs, some of which he seems to have sent Mr Tobin’s way, including
1977’s <b>MOE (More of Everything)</b>, but for others - including <b>Dance Your
Cares Away</b>, <b>I’m Returning to Georgia</b>, <b>The Way you Wear Your Hair</b>
(all 1977), <b>Love is Wanting, too!</b> (1978), <b>Real Live Toy </b>(1979), and <b>Tantalising Music Magic</b> (1980) – he worked with other musicians able
to translate his ideas. His songs appeared on at least one more album: <b>Boots
on the Floor</b>, <b>The Man in Me,</b> and <b>The Way You Look at Me</b> all
turned up on a 2000 CD from Nashville Records. His last known song was <b>Ribbon
on a Tree</b>, a tribute to the victims of 9/11.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, here are a handful of tracks from <i>The 12 Most
Unpopular Songs</i>, Norm Burns and Lew Tobin with <b>My Love Note Tree</b>, and <b>The Hickory Kick</b>, and Shelly Stewart and Lew Tobin with <b>Stop It, Stupid </b>and the ridiculous and misogynistic <b>Yummy,
Yummy, Dum-Dum</b>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Tree <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzU2MjAzMjRf/My%20Love%20Note%20Tree.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a> </p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzU2MjAzMjRfVm9vWUc" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Yummy <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzU2MjAzMjZf/Yummy%2C%20Yummy%2C%20Dum-Dum.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzU2MjAzMjZfUlVVSE4" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Download Kick <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzU2MjA2MTBf/The%20Hickory%20Kick.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></div><div><br /><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzU2MjA2MTBfTVpTOHU" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Download Stupid <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzU2MjA2MDVf/Stop%20It%2C%20Stupid.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzU2MjA2MDVfQkNQTlo" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-68285613291382853552024-02-09T12:07:00.000+00:002024-02-09T12:07:16.211+00:00I Like My Stew<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-pJNQnfmKGIoCU9rAtL170jGs4cnMqfKOm3u0cGFfa-oJFstfgIL2oaL3TTqHuHJAs82mSm6XwKkoAJ7ARJnvbllgr9sP-H7FxT_OJw3RM5U68sttbNHw3h5nX2E-YAHJMiflgU3namzGFm2k9R2V0PynidRii8ze72wZJ7Ecq3VSgn3ZOsHBilEFxjW/s1816/20240209_104247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1814" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-pJNQnfmKGIoCU9rAtL170jGs4cnMqfKOm3u0cGFfa-oJFstfgIL2oaL3TTqHuHJAs82mSm6XwKkoAJ7ARJnvbllgr9sP-H7FxT_OJw3RM5U68sttbNHw3h5nX2E-YAHJMiflgU3namzGFm2k9R2V0PynidRii8ze72wZJ7Ecq3VSgn3ZOsHBilEFxjW/s320/20240209_104247.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif">A little oddity
for you today from 1968, and Radio One DJ Ed ‘Stewpot’ Stewart, accompanied by
a 40-strong choir of pre-pubescent boys and girls.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Edward Stewart
Mainwaring (23 April 1941 – 9 January 2016) was a British radio broadcaster
and TV presenter, principally known for his work as a DJ, initially (in the UK
at least) at Radio London before joining BBC Radio 1 as one of their first ‘name’ presenters when the station launched in 1967. He hosted the
Saturday morning show <i>Junior Choice</i> from 1968 until 1979, and he became
a well-known face on television, as a presenter of both <i>Top of the Pops</i>
and <i>Crackerjack</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Credited to Stewpot
and the Save The Children Fund Choir, the A-side is a cover version of the Jeff
‘Please Let Me Be a Beatle’ Lynne song <b>I Like My Toys</b>,<b> </b>originally
recorded by Lynn’s band The Idle Race. The flipside, co-written by Stewart, is
a song-cum-comedy sketch entitled <b>Myrtles Birthday </b>(sic). The disc was
issued to raise money for the Save the Children Fund, and all profits ‘including
half Ed’s own royalties’, according to a contemporary newspaper report in the <i>Liverpool
Echo</i>, would go to the charity, which apparently cost £5,000 a day to run. The
<i>Echo </i>reviewer called it ‘Cute, catchy, slightly tongue-in-cheek and
engagingly youthful’. I somehow doubt this effort made much of a dent in the
charity’s finances, but you can’t begrudge the effort put in by those involved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ePYekwD8PtjgoVE_z3U4X-_kSXphkT3L-3usP5QksE3tZD3JWkKyFpKYD4RtZVJ0KpvpFjD8RGIVjFlp0tgiUmhvJ2UytOHxPEIhaR6Y4FNuu3DDIszcscyojsmdupR6lYgHgvfBCAVUSp5Xrt8JnrfsGJLlqE6yv4CcuL71RH1ucvAEqu8PUGmNuLSc/s1681/20240209_104258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1679" data-original-width="1681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ePYekwD8PtjgoVE_z3U4X-_kSXphkT3L-3usP5QksE3tZD3JWkKyFpKYD4RtZVJ0KpvpFjD8RGIVjFlp0tgiUmhvJ2UytOHxPEIhaR6Y4FNuu3DDIszcscyojsmdupR6lYgHgvfBCAVUSp5Xrt8JnrfsGJLlqE6yv4CcuL71RH1ucvAEqu8PUGmNuLSc/s320/20240209_104258.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Recorded at the
legendary IBC studios, the disc was issued by MGM in October 1968, a few months
after fellow DJ Kenny Everett issued his sole single on the label, covers of
the Nilsson songs <b>It’s Been So Long </b>and <b> Without Her</b>. Apparently, Everett used the
backing track to <b>I Like My Toys </b>to make jingles for his Capital Radio
show. It was produced by Bill Landis, best known for his work with Paul and Barry
Ryan, and Dusty Springfield, but who also produced Tony Blackburn’s MGM single <b>It’s
Only Love</b>. Whoever it was at MGM that thought a Radio One DJ was capable of
having a hit single was wrong, as none of these baleful recordings made the
charts. To Landis’s credit, he also produced the Settlers’ magnificent <b>Lightning
Tree</b>, which most of you will remember as the theme to the 70s kid’s drama <i>Follyfoot</i>,
and worked with Marianne Faithful.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anyway, here
are both sides of the engaging, slightly deranged <b>I Like My Toys</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Download Toys
<a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzUxMjg0NDZf/I%20Like%20My%20Toys.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></span> </p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzUxMjg0NDZfcGNQZGw" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Download Myrtle
<a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzUxMjg0NDdf/Myrtles%20Birthday.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></span> </p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzUxMjg0NDdfSXVPYlc" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-45007033858495057962024-01-13T20:20:00.002+00:002024-01-14T08:31:45.905+00:00Ode to Billie Joe<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfWh5-TMpLxqLNNDZvuB41HTXnxok0gSDVbkwMRFAsYUR0kNDr6tA78vL_gfTXFxTz9fRBCvLLuRf6XoJGVpmByRCFIlDsvP71rlhk2FbfjEKhCndHUDHnJe3sYRZhBU7iUwKqJ07lnfDHUpqg4CZlFtr9GTZXBH4ylsa18pj0MwQwB4h88yAoDlw0yMX/s599/L4LA.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="594" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfWh5-TMpLxqLNNDZvuB41HTXnxok0gSDVbkwMRFAsYUR0kNDr6tA78vL_gfTXFxTz9fRBCvLLuRf6XoJGVpmByRCFIlDsvP71rlhk2FbfjEKhCndHUDHnJe3sYRZhBU7iUwKqJ07lnfDHUpqg4CZlFtr9GTZXBH4ylsa18pj0MwQwB4h88yAoDlw0yMX/s320/L4LA.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>A recent discovery, one I was completely unaware of until I
started looking around for a few new tracks to include in what turned out to be
the last episode of the World’s Worst Records Radio Show, is this little nugget
from Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, <b>Look For Love</b>, issued in
May 1977<b>.</b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Issued on Fiat Records (named after its founders, James J.
Fiatarone Sr, and his wife, Marie-Louise Fiatarone), Armstrong’s debut disc
came in a plain paper sleeve accompanied by a flyer featuring a photograph of the
precious toddler resplendent in a ‘look for love’ t-shirt. The flip side - and
I love this conceit – featured an interview with the youngster, titled <b>“Meet”
Billie Joe</b>, that was taped in a San Francisco recording studio immediately
after the Fiatarones and Armstrong put down the A-side. Claims have been made
that the tracks were recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, the
same studio where Green Day would later record <i>Dookie</i> in 1993, but the
label on the 7” clearly stated that it was recorded in Frisco, on the other
side of the Bay.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO528GumXthxfSVjr_gwYsO-2VhwyyEOVQuSKyPmX3neVRWVSg8hSAZamg_Bx7SEvbywC1qgUK2WnBdczZfnC1q8_1qmDK39O6oinh4vZOojG-dBngntNcUREswVLq3p7rOTgLSVU4rdoNKmTv3CJ5tc7g2OcTvyBc1FBE7d2vAlS8oHCVFdRx6Es7enG/s600/L4L.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="443" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO528GumXthxfSVjr_gwYsO-2VhwyyEOVQuSKyPmX3neVRWVSg8hSAZamg_Bx7SEvbywC1qgUK2WnBdczZfnC1q8_1qmDK39O6oinh4vZOojG-dBngntNcUREswVLq3p7rOTgLSVU4rdoNKmTv3CJ5tc7g2OcTvyBc1FBE7d2vAlS8oHCVFdRx6Es7enG/s320/L4L.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>The Fiatarones had written <b>Look For Love</b> three years
earlier and had already published the sheet music for the song, but it was not
until they met little BJ that they knew they had found the right singer for
their <i>magnum opus</i>. To promote the record the precocious nipper appeared
on the nationally-syndicated TV show <i>San Francisco Live</i>. It's a shame that the couple had nothing up their sleeves for the flipside, but in <b>“Meet” Billie Joe</b>, we get to learn a little about what is important to the fledgling musician. Armstrong reveals that he can play
piano and that he likes school, where his favourite thing is to hear stories
from the bible. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Billie Joe Armstrong was just five years old when <b>Look
For Love </b>was recorded. He had been taking music lessons from Jim Fiatarone, who ran the Fiat Music Company in a shopping mall in Armstrong's hometown of Pinole. Fiatarone convinced Armstrong’s mother to let her boy record <b>Look For Love</b>. It
appears that very few copies of the one-off pressing were issued - estimates vary at anything between 50 and 800 - and it is now
a super-rare collector’s item, with a copy currently on offer on Discogs for
$5,000. Mentioned briefly in <i>Billboard </i>in November 1977, it would be Armstrong’s last solo recording until 2020. At elementary school
he met Mike Dirn; the two bonded over a mutual love of music and formed the
band Sweet Children at the age of 14, later changing their name to Green Day.<o:p></o:p></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dGWXTo2CLEBd97nN4fp51qvK3NaSakUF1eln-8NHO61asIUso51JxScSdz2YcmQPYY6cCUlfd3PiNZViWYvJgbzKrg1YSE42GpSErWKZYtLnPVL4nMg7UKxAg0AgHjnpN_u8SGUg0AtNRMKphppdI3hs5LLXOXgxBxdj-q0okHghGkpsDxQKgIPEYzvj/s600/L4LB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dGWXTo2CLEBd97nN4fp51qvK3NaSakUF1eln-8NHO61asIUso51JxScSdz2YcmQPYY6cCUlfd3PiNZViWYvJgbzKrg1YSE42GpSErWKZYtLnPVL4nMg7UKxAg0AgHjnpN_u8SGUg0AtNRMKphppdI3hs5LLXOXgxBxdj-q0okHghGkpsDxQKgIPEYzvj/s320/L4LB.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><b>Look For Love </b>appears to be the only disc associated
with the Fiatarones, although they founded (and still run) the Academy of
Language and Music Arts in Orinda, California. The child who would grow up to lead the multi-million-selling band was clearly not embarrassed by his earliest outing, as a short clip from <b>“Meet” Billie Joe </b>turned up on the Green Day album <i>International Superhits!</i>, the band's first greatest hits collection,<i> </i>introducing the song <b>Maria</b>. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Armstrong clearly saw something in the Fiatarones schtick,
as in 2011 he did something similar with his own 13-year-old son Jakob (aka The
Boo) issuing a four-track EP featuring the teenager backed by a band that comprised of his other son, his
wife, and himself (as Daddyo) on bass.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, here are both sides of this wonderful little disc.
Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Look <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzQ0NDYzMjVf/Billie%20Joe%20-%20Look%20for%20Love.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzQ0NDYzMjVfSDQyZHM" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Meet HERE</p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzQ0NDYzMzhfZ2x5QXE" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-90566138935062711122023-12-24T09:37:00.000+00:002023-12-24T09:37:02.397+00:00Christmas cavalcade 2023 - Part Three<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSQCUPIFZDCEz9rWNi32PVAs3h9WJ6_q3gvDsL2Mjjjrsx3lDWGgE_bVwQxCJQfFzhzXlBWZDx9HxrPg1OmZXdTG-TUm-OwDovLqeh2isk8n-UpPLIPSvNDzsNupDomWpucuWYkPKIZCeDssiJVuHxGyY1jmTqw4wnh60IN-D-GO_s4H5mT8VjhFxb9o8/s2672/20231104_170635.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2672" data-original-width="2672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSQCUPIFZDCEz9rWNi32PVAs3h9WJ6_q3gvDsL2Mjjjrsx3lDWGgE_bVwQxCJQfFzhzXlBWZDx9HxrPg1OmZXdTG-TUm-OwDovLqeh2isk8n-UpPLIPSvNDzsNupDomWpucuWYkPKIZCeDssiJVuHxGyY1jmTqw4wnh60IN-D-GO_s4H5mT8VjhFxb9o8/s320/20231104_170635.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Well, with just a day to go before we all get to fill our
faces with turkey (or whatever your chosen alternative might be), there’s just
enough time for one last installment in this year’s Christmas cavalcade.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you were listening to the festive edition of the World’s
Worst Records Radio Show earlier this week, you would have heard me playing
snippets from a cute 1960s kid’s Christmas tale, Shirley Higginson’s <i>The</i>
<i>Lisping Elf</i>. Well, here’s the whole thing for you to do with as you
will. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>The</i> <i>Lisping Elf</i> was issued at least twice -once in the
early 1960s on Corpat Records (my copy, picked up in an antiques centre in
Exeter, comes from this original pressing) and again, during the second half of
the 1970s, by LEI records. The charming music (which always reminds me of the
kind of thing you would hear during BBC schools’ broadcasts during the 1970s)
was composed by Tommy Banks (a.k.a. the Reverend Thomas Banks) one half of the Canadian
folk duo Tom and Judy. Ms. Higginson was an author – based in Edmonton I believe
- who specialised in fables for children: her other works include <i>Ralph the
Flying Dog </i>and <i>Ice Cream Sneakers</i>. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-6OIYliPs4D2UrIZS3gip_Zpa6L8SRt068Vocz3ZPWCEtPDSnmbN3UqZcDjBWJP-tIVt3Du8280XnNpiR26NEOHEQCIQLN9uSMe003tua9ZYtl9lZtt9jw4YSbxGEXq8TxjXbzNvdxxm0MPcaXj-HNB2DlFjbPXUnCS0RWU43aIzmUZ-AJaaU9YDi9ne/s1080/Wilson%20Family.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-6OIYliPs4D2UrIZS3gip_Zpa6L8SRt068Vocz3ZPWCEtPDSnmbN3UqZcDjBWJP-tIVt3Du8280XnNpiR26NEOHEQCIQLN9uSMe003tua9ZYtl9lZtt9jw4YSbxGEXq8TxjXbzNvdxxm0MPcaXj-HNB2DlFjbPXUnCS0RWU43aIzmUZ-AJaaU9YDi9ne/s320/Wilson%20Family.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Next is a recent (like, this morning) YouTube find courtesy
of the always excellent <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ThriftStoreVinyl" target="_blank">Thrift Store Vinyl</a> </i>channel. Issued in 1974, here
from Austin, Texas are the Wilson family (well, the Wilson kids at least) ‘singing’
<b>Santa’s Surprise</b>. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Composed by Dick Culp and Billy E. Nix (guitar player,
songwriter and owner of Ben Records), the Wilson family would issue at least one
further record on Darva, the 1976 single <b>Candy Cane Castle</b>, backed with <b>Running
Through The Sunshine</b>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And finally, for this year anyway, here’s a song-poem oddity
from Gene Merlino. Professional vocalist Merlino did most of his song poem work
for two labels, Preview (as Gene Marshall) and Columbine (as John Muir), but
also recorded for a number of other companies under a variety of different
names. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFCWwuwR3CiUlEf5IgdgnP68JVaxIR7I36a4Tom0rfFEK-u4Pe7h3BkLaUaHgh54ajSPH_d3yO3e3YFU4ZYH2ak1J7B28BY-3T9WTcychvLvaoQ_U_yTRJ3HFxhhVqiGoOaUHXgfou3qkqaCyUbSb2csFwQN0M53X8NCc329jwGzYlv9CrpoSF9gb06zt/s548/Santa's%20Mommy.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="548" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFCWwuwR3CiUlEf5IgdgnP68JVaxIR7I36a4Tom0rfFEK-u4Pe7h3BkLaUaHgh54ajSPH_d3yO3e3YFU4ZYH2ak1J7B28BY-3T9WTcychvLvaoQ_U_yTRJ3HFxhhVqiGoOaUHXgfou3qkqaCyUbSb2csFwQN0M53X8NCc329jwGzYlv9CrpoSF9gb06zt/s320/Santa's%20Mommy.png" width="320" /></a>Some time back, obscure music collector <a href="https://strangemusicworld.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sammy Reed</a> unearthed a 45 on the
George Liberace Songsmiths label (Lee’s violin-scratching brother had his own
publishing company, which also dabbled in the song-poem world), the rather fun
and jaunty <b>Santa’s Mommy Must Have Had Quintuplets</b>, and although the
vocalist is not credited on the disc itself (the only credit is for the lyric’s
author, Clate Hazelwood), the singer is unquestionably Merlino. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, there you go. Enjoy these tracks, and I shall be back
soon with some decidedly un-festive fare for you all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Happy Christmas!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Lisping <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzM5NzcyMjFf/The%20Lisping%20Elf.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzM5NzcyMjFfTlhFTlg" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Surprise <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzM5NzcyMjBf/The%20Wilson%20Family%20-%20Santa%27s%20Surprise.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzM5NzcyMjBfalJCMzk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Mommy <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzM5NzcyMTlf/Gene%20Merlino%20-%20Santa%27s%20Mommy%20Must%20Have%20Had%20Quintuplets.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzM5NzcyMTlfYzc3a2w" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-23321826470732577932023-12-16T10:39:00.000+00:002023-12-16T10:39:29.873+00:00Christmas Cavalcade 2023 - Part Two<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKiJlwf3StX-je8FdId41A5ethgOQlmUDE1iQ2YZHmdcwo_HFuKXAGrOR9SvxgTqF1K-Y0DnZyyP5Tz59uy0Fmc3L-O7VG5iHKmrNRii3mnqtBAnar93_PMMFwEHx9KQwH7aBIGJDKNQnCCsXe00Jun7cowkm3lGZcWKJdwD1J5oWypcxqB1IcyEVbl-y/s600/Kelly%20Santa.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="600" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKiJlwf3StX-je8FdId41A5ethgOQlmUDE1iQ2YZHmdcwo_HFuKXAGrOR9SvxgTqF1K-Y0DnZyyP5Tz59uy0Fmc3L-O7VG5iHKmrNRii3mnqtBAnar93_PMMFwEHx9KQwH7aBIGJDKNQnCCsXe00Jun7cowkm3lGZcWKJdwD1J5oWypcxqB1IcyEVbl-y/s320/Kelly%20Santa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>A bunch of random, Christmassy nonsense for you today,
brought together simply because these singles are seasonal and have not featured
on the blog before. Make of this lot what you will.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First up, from the late comic actor Frank Kelly, is <b>Christmas
Countdown</b>, a song that provided the man best known for playing Father Jack
Hackett in the brilliant (if now somewhat overshadowed by having been
co-created by a toxic loon) sitcom <i>Father Ted</i>. Not only would Christmas
Countdown reward Frank with a top 30 hit in British singles charts (during Christmas
week 1983), but it also saw him performing on <i>Top of the Pops</i>! </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The disc
had first been issued, in Ireland, in 1980, on the tiny Lunar Records label,
but it was resurrected two years later and became a surprise hit locally,
making number eight on the Irish charts. It was also a top 20 hit in Australia.
Kelly had form when it came to Christmas-themed novelties: in 1979 he issued (via
Dublin label Crashed Records) the new wave-inspired comedy single <b>Dear Santa</b>,
this time credited – in a tip of the hat to Mr Lydon – Rotton Frank. As it’s
the season, I have also included that track here for you to enjoy (or endure!)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhtyRxLCObkuHrMXM4yXE27K0PooojRQIpVaAaMMY_Q_4bpNwfD3_aGSdWsGMg9KW23JDfSKI7Wqg8MoBYtp3Z3YNK4Re3tV7YJnlSAb3WDSgCxEJe6wSc6HrRp2pkx20iN4atN-3Bvmce1wKDCEPaN4Jh6VQJlRSXlUn02uvjLQQdwc_YO93wIgxxbzb/s600/Bob%20Anthony.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhtyRxLCObkuHrMXM4yXE27K0PooojRQIpVaAaMMY_Q_4bpNwfD3_aGSdWsGMg9KW23JDfSKI7Wqg8MoBYtp3Z3YNK4Re3tV7YJnlSAb3WDSgCxEJe6wSc6HrRp2pkx20iN4atN-3Bvmce1wKDCEPaN4Jh6VQJlRSXlUn02uvjLQQdwc_YO93wIgxxbzb/s320/Bob%20Anthony.jpg" width="320" /></a>Next is the A-side of a 45 from Bob Anthony, the cabaret
singer whose tribute album to the island of Jersey I featured on the blog back
in November 2021. This time he’s singing about spending the festive season in
the slightly less exotic locale of London: <b>Christmas in London </b>first
appeared as a single in 1978 (on Bob’s own Regis Rose label, based at his home
address in Bognor Regis), before being compiled as part of his early 1980s
album <i>Magic of London</i>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">America’s amateur poets and lyric writers were hot on
Christmas. So it should be no surprise that there are quite literally hundreds
of festive-themed song-poems out there. All of the big names of the genre,
including Rodd Keith, Gene Marshall, Cara Stewart and Norm Burns have Christmassy
clunkers in their catalogues, and many have already appeared on this very blog,
but to round off today’s post is one I have not featured before now. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYRiBRxgAs1riyNrB3y3oNDLyeULbJ5Rq86FiD3e3ThKUqJ9l-BC9IoS18TuiT-k11YprN1Mmi5QQ6w2c4gTtqOInd5slu1sGLR5KXIDGv6WRoCIxo6IlJLybg_bOTgZjDLy8R9QLdWLEFXz9hTnA18pXDTESvg41h0QgkyIfdQ-lYLr48FnIFvQZYZuy/s600/Norris.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYRiBRxgAs1riyNrB3y3oNDLyeULbJ5Rq86FiD3e3ThKUqJ9l-BC9IoS18TuiT-k11YprN1Mmi5QQ6w2c4gTtqOInd5slu1sGLR5KXIDGv6WRoCIxo6IlJLybg_bOTgZjDLy8R9QLdWLEFXz9hTnA18pXDTESvg41h0QgkyIfdQ-lYLr48FnIFvQZYZuy/s320/Norris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>From the
pen of Norridge Mayhems, a.k.a Norris the Troubadour, here are the Seaboard
Coastliners – an entirely studio-fabricated band (and the same act that
appeared as the Ping Pongs on the utterly brilliant <b>Pinky Tail</b>) – and
the wonderfully atonal <b>Christmas Time Philosophy</b>. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I love this track. The singer could not sound more bored, and it's clear that whoever has been given the job of trying to keep time has never seen a drum before. It feels as if the only thing on the minds of the participants is to get this recording finished as quickly as possible and get down to the pub to begin their own seasonal celebrations. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The song first
appeared on the 1976 double LP <i>Our Centennial Album</i>, before being compiled
on the rather wonderful song-poem collection <i>Daddy, Is Santa Really Six Foot
Four?</i> In 2003.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Santa <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzM1NzEwNjRf/Rotten%20Frank%20-%20Dear%20Santa.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzM1NzEwNjRfS094REo" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Countdown <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzM1NzEwNjNf/Frank%20Kelly%20-%20Christmas%20Countdown.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzM1NzEwNjNfZGdBZEc" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download London <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzM1NzEwNjJf/Bob%20Anthony%20-%20Christmas%20In%20London.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzM1NzEwNjJfWlhEZFo" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Philosophy <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzM1NzEwNjVf/Seaboard%20Coastliners%20-%20Christmas%20Time%20Philosophy.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzM1NzEwNjVfUXF3TW0" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-40482051839941056462023-12-09T09:22:00.001+00:002023-12-09T09:22:13.522+00:00Christmas Cavalcade 2023 - Part One<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhujWAj93gNP36IN5Xz-VyFpBJa3P98UZOdDUM_OwyORR-HdfhCNj3qFo3uX5wwgeEuI5yuPkqD8robpZ-HNYxU3eiinkPM31T1htJo-4g_S_CnxSk9mOK0mV3gq_Nbldrdl3QWHWYAN7bJcrCID9NR7KlqFb9c0UlLHLLWNBZMUST2HYDSNYvYiFaD23YZ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhujWAj93gNP36IN5Xz-VyFpBJa3P98UZOdDUM_OwyORR-HdfhCNj3qFo3uX5wwgeEuI5yuPkqD8robpZ-HNYxU3eiinkPM31T1htJo-4g_S_CnxSk9mOK0mV3gq_Nbldrdl3QWHWYAN7bJcrCID9NR7KlqFb9c0UlLHLLWNBZMUST2HYDSNYvYiFaD23YZ" width="239" /></a></div>You will have to forgive me for the paucity of posts this year, it's been a busy one. One of the unfortunate byproducts of aging is having to deal with health issues (in others as well as myself), the death of family and friends (and friends who have become family), and life in general: this year I have published my latest book, moved house twice (which resulted in putting my entire record and CD collection into storage for six months), made several 'live' appearances and have been beavering away on my next tome. So, apologies for so few blog entries during 2023; I hope to make it up to you in 2024.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>But it's almost Christmas, and what would this time of year be without a handful of festive failures for you? that's right, it's time for the first installment of the annual Christmas Cavalcade! Hold on to your Santa hats...</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8JtDchoCrT3UDZCN02BDPsIZ1zWRCmGm3d2eix5f4s9F1eYAw5_rM7iOlTzbuj8MP9WDssA3D8Gmu9J0ACiblq6iJM157mssclM6QJwc2ABSyzEHYAUUpuVYcB1dWyuoJKpBb8-sVjzPFOkoLfpf-cTuW2webQ_aOXyoyI0h934sd3LTlJti00XM3jf_G" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8JtDchoCrT3UDZCN02BDPsIZ1zWRCmGm3d2eix5f4s9F1eYAw5_rM7iOlTzbuj8MP9WDssA3D8Gmu9J0ACiblq6iJM157mssclM6QJwc2ABSyzEHYAUUpuVYcB1dWyuoJKpBb8-sVjzPFOkoLfpf-cTuW2webQ_aOXyoyI0h934sd3LTlJti00XM3jf_G" width="240" /></a></div>First up is both sides of a 45 issued in the US in 1975, the first of two singles issued by The Whales Featuring Rathbone and His Tuba. Their debut was this bizarre, and utterly pointless cover of the 1958 hit from David Seville and the Chipmunks, namely <b>The Chipmunk Song</b>, backed by a cover of a 1948 number originally popularised by singing cowboy Gene Autrey, <b>If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas</b>. The Whales' schtick was to do the opposite of what the Chipmunks had done so successfully, namely instead of speeding up the vocal track to sound like tiny furry creatures, the producers of this dreck (Mickey Joe Yannich and Bobby Lee), slowed the vocal down to suggest the sound that a huge, lumbering ocean leviathan might make. Unsurprisingly this and the follow-up, <b>I Want to be the Only Whale (to Graduate From Yale) </b>were not hits, and the Whales sank without a trace.<b> </b> <br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDCRssaj-ypqWXHrnA2ndb-Xm5zg1jRwtPHzg4CfyOzVAdh3O3B2DALsJR8n5z6aTRvMN252LuSCPVm4lieBQDt2I1nk2ku1caZnatelx-9H9xY3Isp_kH_L-lGZDOhLCMPKyVaNEXQc9QqAzEv7uNpp8fqAGukpcyq6nE0KS0mRwLUXYjH5BZZYM_aTCo" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDCRssaj-ypqWXHrnA2ndb-Xm5zg1jRwtPHzg4CfyOzVAdh3O3B2DALsJR8n5z6aTRvMN252LuSCPVm4lieBQDt2I1nk2ku1caZnatelx-9H9xY3Isp_kH_L-lGZDOhLCMPKyVaNEXQc9QqAzEv7uNpp8fqAGukpcyq6nE0KS0mRwLUXYjH5BZZYM_aTCo" width="240" /></a></div>And talking of Chipmunks rip-offs, the year after Alvin and Co had their big breakthrough, Capitol Records retaliated with Dancer, Prancer and Nervous (the Singing Reindeer) and their debut offering <b>The Happy Reindeer</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">. </i>Like the Whales, these three also issued a second 45, coupling <b>The Happy Birthday Song </b>with <b>I Wanna Be an Easter Bunny</b>. Capitol clearly thought they had a hit on their hands, even issuing a promotional EP featuring the voice of Nervous introducing segments for regional radio play, but although <b>The Happy Reindeer </b>was a modest hit, the follow-up failed to chart and that was the end of that. Incidentally, the B-side of <b>The Happy Reindeer</b>, <b>Dancer's Waltz</b>, was simply an instrumental version of the plug side.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>So, enjoy these three tracks for now... there will be more soon!</p><p><br /></p><p>Download Chipmunk <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzMxMzkwNDBf/01%20The%20Chipmunk%20Song.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzMxMzkwNDBfOFNXazk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p>Download Snow <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzMxMzkwNDJf/02%20If%20It%20Doesn%27t%20Snow%20On%20Christmas.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzMxMzkwNDJfblJ0ZW0" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p>Download Happy <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzMxMzkwMzlf/The%20Happy%20Reindeer%20Dancer%20Prancer%20and%20Nervous.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><br /></p><p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzMxMzkwMzlfMElERFo" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-76133292206554974562023-11-26T07:32:00.000+00:002023-11-26T07:32:10.199+00:00Like a Pig in Mud<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_QO-TRAHubbGrzdLlPz8vgI7emY77lmmRTsj7Lf-9EUj2o5YRtB5tcd6w5KoFkswplhPuQ2xyRgRtU2PsFAujg-OR1CeWbblBpLhsm648mAS92IaeOoWHABXLcBwBWUva5CFMd8TO0lkPJfK4-WZ-pYaho9A7U9FKl4AIqIaSa3Tq3IGw58mC4A8jvMB/s519/Farinella%20A.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="519" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_QO-TRAHubbGrzdLlPz8vgI7emY77lmmRTsj7Lf-9EUj2o5YRtB5tcd6w5KoFkswplhPuQ2xyRgRtU2PsFAujg-OR1CeWbblBpLhsm648mAS92IaeOoWHABXLcBwBWUva5CFMd8TO0lkPJfK4-WZ-pYaho9A7U9FKl4AIqIaSa3Tq3IGw58mC4A8jvMB/s320/Farinella%20A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now, I realise it has been quite some time since I last posted on the blog, but I have been rather busy! We're currently in the middle of our second house move in less than six months, and hopefully by the time most of you read this my husband and I shall be happily ensconced in what will be our forever home. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>I've also been publicising my latest book, Queer Blues, and a lot of my time has been taken up writing my next book - more about that as we get closer to publication day.</p><p><br /></p><p>But I have been remiss: It's been months since I brought you any silliness, so here is something that will hopefully keep you all happy until this year's Christmas Cavalcade begins.</p><p><br /></p><p>I found this particular disc recently when looking around for something I had not previously played on my WFMU programme, <i>The World's Worst Records Radio Show</i>. Happily, this little treasure of well-meaning Christian pop was discovered more than a decade ago by our friend and song-poem collector Bob Purse, and posted on the now-defunct WFMU blog... is that serendipity or synchronicity? </p><p><br /></p><p>I really don't know where to begin with this nonsense. <b>Don't Be Left Behind</b>, <b>Pig in Mud (II Peter 2:22),</b> and <b>Look at The Mess</b> were all written by G.M. Fretto, and issued in 1984 on a three-track EP credited to Farinella-Siena-Fretto. The same three tracks also turned up on the 1986 album by Mi'Chelle Nelson, <i>Don't Be Left Behind. </i>Messers Gerald Fretto, Joe Farinella and Mark Siena all appear on that record too, although this time Siena is credited as Mark Sena. Both album and EP were released by G.M. Fretto Records - the only products, as far as I am aware, ever to appear on the label. </p><p><br /></p><p>Based in Rochester, New York, Mister Fretto and his crew specialised in a peculiar jazz/God rock hybrid. Instrumentally, the opening track <b>Don't Be Left Behind </b>has elements of jazz, funk, and progressive rock, and is accompanied by some ill-fitting lyrics about spiritual redemption. The title, one assumes, comes from the idea that should you not have sought absolution for your sins you will be left behind when God (in whatever form he or she chooses) decides to revisit our planet and gather up the faithful. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSfsFgvw9katAmNzjYOde8DWyUyBr9kEdCjAKvhIffsBMDt43HKcsQvXf9H_iYnaTE1rUwEB4XlHEud76zyFpglFdXn0J7NfQ5YHOi5_nIul807bg8gn45ff0fV7JuiUOrh3O6Efzhh2lTkePebmLscUEPsV5yqEGw1NGGCKTcJ_JsnpPy41E385asgzW/s1440/Farinella_Back%20(2023_10_02%2012_01_39%20UTC).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1379" data-original-width="1440" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSfsFgvw9katAmNzjYOde8DWyUyBr9kEdCjAKvhIffsBMDt43HKcsQvXf9H_iYnaTE1rUwEB4XlHEud76zyFpglFdXn0J7NfQ5YHOi5_nIul807bg8gn45ff0fV7JuiUOrh3O6Efzhh2lTkePebmLscUEPsV5yqEGw1NGGCKTcJ_JsnpPy41E385asgzW/s320/Farinella_Back%20(2023_10_02%2012_01_39%20UTC).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Judging by the subtitle, <b>Pig in Mud (II Peter 2:22) </b>is clearly<b> </b>based on a bible verse. The verse itself is indeed quoted in the lyric: 'A dog goes back to its own vomit, and a pig that is washed heads back to the mud,' or somesuch. I'm sure it's all very important and meaningful, but frankly, to this atheist it is simply baffling. The final song, <b>Look at The Mess </b>is the most 'traditional' of all three songs, but even this has odd, discordant backing vocals that add an unsettling note. It is all very peculiar.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Searching Discogs you will find no further releases from Farinella-Siena-Fretto or from Mi'Chelle Nelson, and neither Joe Farinella nor Mark Siena appear to have recorded anything else. However, as Jerry Fretto, our man has issued at least three albums of Christian praise, the most recent being the 2012 collection <i>The Joy Ahead</i>. He had a period of ill health following his last album but happily is still around today, as is Mark Siena, who now works at the Calvary Chapel in Niagra; sadly I could find no trace of Joe Farinella, but I hope he is healthy and well.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are all three tracks from the wonderfully odd EP by Farinella-Siena-Fretto: enjoy!</p><p><br /></p><p>Download Behind <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzI5NTczNzlf/Farinella-Siena-Fretto_-_Dont_Be_Left_Behind.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a> </p><p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzI5NTczNzlfN3dOcnY" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p>Download Pig <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzI5NTczODBf/Farinella-Siena-Fretto_-_Pig_In_Mud.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a> </p><p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzI5NTczODBfdzRVSjc" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p>Download Mess <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzI5NTczODFf/Farinella-Siena-Fretto_-_Look_At_the_Mess%20%282023_09_11%2017_43_12%20UTC%29.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzI5NTczODFfZFo0Qzk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-2512089434020679842023-08-25T09:07:00.003+01:002023-08-25T09:07:41.804+01:00Here Come the Mad Hatters<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQggcSIXB1_8UrScF62ZPQ06nXIsOaEH7MLopfl7H3QI_N1Ery3hPUh0gQ-sb-UVgoYeY1orXybWSJB8xpsJCjLs3YI9gFcUTUp_r63nasz6-mV6xy5uuQaHoAJWWKN9SVNQ0AYcFb7O0kqDp2x5XzxOFibrHq9ip_JuxsSkjZVznZ8BTCj4EWmGux8L5a/s600/Mad%20Hatters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQggcSIXB1_8UrScF62ZPQ06nXIsOaEH7MLopfl7H3QI_N1Ery3hPUh0gQ-sb-UVgoYeY1orXybWSJB8xpsJCjLs3YI9gFcUTUp_r63nasz6-mV6xy5uuQaHoAJWWKN9SVNQ0AYcFb7O0kqDp2x5XzxOFibrHq9ip_JuxsSkjZVznZ8BTCj4EWmGux8L5a/s320/Mad%20Hatters.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of those albums that is forever turning up in ‘bad album
cover art’ lists, for years I had assumed that the sole album by the Mad
Hatters (or the Mad-Hatters, as they appear on the disc’s labels) was the
product of some evangelist folk duo.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How wrong I was.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I had presumed, you see, that the crucifix-like symbol emblazoned
across the artist’s ensemble had some sort of religious connection. Now, thanks
to the ever-wonderful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ThriftStoreVinyl" target="_blank">Thrift Store Vinyl</a> YouTube channel I know better. It is,
in fact, the logo of the National Tuberculosis Association, for the Mad-Hatters
(or the Mad Hatters) album – believe it or not - is a collection of ‘comedy’
songs about tuberculosis. 19 of them, some under a minute long, with titles
such as <b>I Had Tuberculosis</b>, <b>T B Girls</b>, <b>Soft is the Voice of a
Fungus</b> and the singalong hit <b>Pneumonoultramicroscopic-silocovolcanokoniosis</b>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A product of the Greene County Tuberculosis Society of Springfield,
Missouri, the album carries no date, but I would suggest it pre-dates Van
Morrison’s <b>T B Sheets </b>by a couple of years. The cover mentions Admiral
Asterbloom, a character from US comic strip <i>Mr. Abernathy</i>, which ran for
three decades from 1957, and the song <b>Pneumonoultramicroscopic-silocovolcanokoniosis</b>
references <b>Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious </b>from the soundtrack to the
1964 film <i>Mary Poppins</i>, so it would be a fairly safe bet to say that the
album dates from no earlier than 1965 and, judging by the quality of the cover –
one of those old-type US covers with a slick pasted onto a blank white cardboard
sleeve – I would suggest that it was most likely issued before the end of the
decade.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But who were the Mad Hatters themselves? Were they two nurses
– or volunteers – working on a Missouri TB ward who thought they could raise a
few dollars by selling an album of their silly songs? No doubt a few copies sold,
as it turns up for sale now and again, but not many I would assume. The album
originally came with an insert offering people the chance to purchase more
copies at $3.25 apiece; I wonder how many actually took them up on that offer?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As usual, if you have any more information please feel free
to share it. In the meantime, enjoy a couple of tracks from the brilliantly
bonkers <i>The Mad Hatters</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download I Had Tuberculosis <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzIyNzUzNzNf/The%20Mad%20Hatters%20-%20I%20Had%20Tuberculosis.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzIyNzUzNzNfbUZMYnU" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzIyNzUzNzJf/The%20Mad%20Hatters%20-%20Nurses%20Marching%20Song.mp3" target="_blank">Nurses Marching Song </a>HERE<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzIyNzUzNzJfbVFjMlQ" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-14377613396289040642023-08-11T14:45:00.002+01:002023-08-11T14:45:34.535+01:00The Greatest Record Buy in the History of the Business, Apparently<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiUeZ0l7MPdGRPUu4y6ipEI8ckqCqhLieEz42GFwKJcle_UB-wd6Y-ZdG2IT3a7FL4yDttk5AoGhQxITxtRCKpEg-ru-RCCXxvG4OztwlnzgQC21wc9W4VXToe_LGJc6tI0tI28r_jDYm9xyvk8K0x_a881AADailsEmJ6-Kauc2WHN4mu4sfa2OfIDHf/s708/Good%20Vibrations.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="708" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiUeZ0l7MPdGRPUu4y6ipEI8ckqCqhLieEz42GFwKJcle_UB-wd6Y-ZdG2IT3a7FL4yDttk5AoGhQxITxtRCKpEg-ru-RCCXxvG4OztwlnzgQC21wc9W4VXToe_LGJc6tI0tI28r_jDYm9xyvk8K0x_a881AADailsEmJ6-Kauc2WHN4mu4sfa2OfIDHf/s320/Good%20Vibrations.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>According to whoever wrote the Discogs blurb, ‘Hit Parader
was a music magazine. Which also sometimes produced rare EP's and 7"
vinyls [I could stab them just for using that utterly unnecessary ‘s’]. These
records include coversongs. The covers are very well done and are very close to
it's original artist. The names of the different artists who sung these tracks
are unknown. For a reason. These records were made as a statement to the music
industry; that the record prices are too high. They wanted to show that it
could be done cheaper with the same quality’ [sic].<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">True, there was a magazine called <i>Hit Parader. </i>A pop music monthly, it ran from 1942 until 2008 and printed song lyrics, articles, pin up pictures and the usual teen fare. There was
clearly a link between that and the label – both were based in Derby,
Connecticut, and the discs were advertised extensively in the pages of the magazine - but that’s about where the truth in the Discogs description ends. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1w-7_CDlqnF3CgzU69YsJEWg2MOKyh0Gml5i8gjwabxqhZMCbVmCUybjb3bOtNJFB53g9ZEwugG2MQGh4b74q0XKD3Av_XGZ3RXeqoFwV7geCgc2XL1Zp9ZPfIMN5ivU-ATNvtPnED8-ib-uKydMSPRzFAil9snyhTO1edQltefQRJisnBbeUQUnIsuG/s885/Hit%20Parader.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="646" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1w-7_CDlqnF3CgzU69YsJEWg2MOKyh0Gml5i8gjwabxqhZMCbVmCUybjb3bOtNJFB53g9ZEwugG2MQGh4b74q0XKD3Av_XGZ3RXeqoFwV7geCgc2XL1Zp9ZPfIMN5ivU-ATNvtPnED8-ib-uKydMSPRzFAil9snyhTO1edQltefQRJisnBbeUQUnIsuG/s320/Hit%20Parader.JPG" width="234" /></a></div>To claim that the covers featured
on the Hit Parader Records EPS are ‘Very well done and are very close to [the]
original artist’ could not be further from the truth. Sure, some are more than
passable, and not unlike the quality of the UK’s Embassy label, which put out copycat
covers of pop hits in the 1950s and 1960s. However, frankly, many of the cover versions
featured on these EPs are nothing short of diabolical. So cheap and shoddy as to be embarrassing.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I would seriously question the notion that ‘These records
were made as a statement to the music industry’, and that the magazine ‘Wanted
to show that it could be done cheaper with the same quality,’ too. The records
were not produced to ‘stick it to the man’, but to make money, and the quality is nothing like as good as that of the similar product marketed by a major label. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The label began,
in the late 1950s, as Song Hits, offering six covers of recent chart singles by
anonymous performers for ‘The giveaway price of just 69 cents’, as their own advertising
claimed. Handily, readers of the magazine could pick up the latest disc at
their newsagent. Similar schemes had existed since at least the 1930s: Hit of
the Week and Durium, both launched in the early 1930s, were flexible records
sold at newsstands in the States, but by the 950s and the advent of the 45,
hard vinyl records marketed in this way were becoming more popular, and far
cheaper to produce.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVA5U3UN8zxykCsPcpqKHrdGARXCgOzruAtf_VEg6FX9XkjROxl3x2XvDUz00Kx6kIDPWMh7Fy9YPrT0HMOlZCaBHo7MHo9i1jqTlRAn8ByuA3BPRZitymYn-2UMBIFkb7zt9ZHVNX1f-Sx1NFspXDTDxe1QlDX0o0w3a21TasioiolLHQ_GPCfxaWbQu/s882/Song%20Hits.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="406" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVA5U3UN8zxykCsPcpqKHrdGARXCgOzruAtf_VEg6FX9XkjROxl3x2XvDUz00Kx6kIDPWMh7Fy9YPrT0HMOlZCaBHo7MHo9i1jqTlRAn8ByuA3BPRZitymYn-2UMBIFkb7zt9ZHVNX1f-Sx1NFspXDTDxe1QlDX0o0w3a21TasioiolLHQ_GPCfxaWbQu/s320/Song%20Hits.JPG" width="147" /></a></div>Hit Parader Records may have started with good intentions,
but by the time the beat boom came around they had all but given up. In early
1964 they issued an EP containing a cover of <b>I Want To Hold Your Hand </b>that
is so abominable it defies belief: it should not surprise you that I featured
this very same recording on this very same blog five years ago. This very same
cover version would turn up time and time again, issued by a number of
different budget and cash-in labels and credited variously to Billy Pepper and
the Pepperpots (on the album <i>Merseymania</i>), the Liverpool Beats (on the
eponymous album issued by Rondo records), and others including <span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: rgb(254, 253, 250); color: #333333; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">the Beats and the Mersey Beats of Liverpool
(not The Merseybeats)</span>. Confused? You should be.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: rgb(254, 253, 250); color: #333333; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>Anyway, here are a couple of tracks from the Hit Parader
label: from HP-31, issued in 1964, is a reasonable version of <b>Leader of the
Pack</b>, complete with the most pop art, Joe-Meek-esque bike smash I’ve ever
heard, and from 1966, a wonderfully naïve version of the Beach Boys classic <b>Good
Vibrations. </b>You can find the version of <b>I Want To Hold Your Hand</b> and read all about Billy Pepper and the Pepperpots <a href="https://worldsworstrecords.blogspot.com/2018/04/lmw-281f.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> <div><br /><div><br /></div><div>If you tune in to the <a href="https://wfmu.org/playlists/WR" target="_blank">World's Worst Records Radio Show</a> next Wednesday (August 16, Episode 231) you'll hear me play <b>Good Vibrations, </b>alongside a truly ghastly version of the Trashmen's <b>Surfin' Bird.</b> <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Leader <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzIxMTA5MzBf/Leader%20of%20the%20Pack%20-%20Unknown%20-%20Hit%20Parader%20HP%2031%2C%201964%20%28128kbps%29.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzIxMTA5MzBfaTREckk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Vibrations <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzIxMTA5MzFf/Good%20Vibrations%20-%20Unknown%20-%20Hit%20Parader%20HP%2043%2C%201966%20%28128kbps%29.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzIxMTA5MzFfTGpWNnU" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p></div></div>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-3744129434819073482023-06-03T08:43:00.002+01:002023-06-03T08:43:56.971+01:00Beyer Than Die Beatles<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been a while... my apologies for the (quite literal) radio silence of late. It's been a busy few months, with a new book about to be published and a house move taking place, so I hope you'll forgive me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxPnP1ZAJTJfpLF9RnnRdEJY_BkA9mwJSuoyxbQ1AvuZYgjufj41gN7xncKFy4aFbKSkiFpoh4OiLF_nFgdUcjCZWSkbtucZxhaWfi3uZG9lzRIt89B3mkSdU8iGqHEk6fGc5DgsBoWhWxvFnScUib53r2HTbRLJLzkJYlNGX5D8IcmRXizQ43hYqgQ/s600/Beyer%20Pepper.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="600" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxPnP1ZAJTJfpLF9RnnRdEJY_BkA9mwJSuoyxbQ1AvuZYgjufj41gN7xncKFy4aFbKSkiFpoh4OiLF_nFgdUcjCZWSkbtucZxhaWfi3uZG9lzRIt89B3mkSdU8iGqHEk6fGc5DgsBoWhWxvFnScUib53r2HTbRLJLzkJYlNGX5D8IcmRXizQ43hYqgQ/s320/Beyer%20Pepper.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am indebted to the lovely Miss Mei for bringing Klaus Beyer to my attention. German outsider artist Beyer, born in Berlin in 1952, has been making music for decades, but is probably best known for his bizarre reworkings of pretty much the entire Beatles canon. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Working from home, Beyer began deconstructing the Beatles in the 1980s, taking their original recordings to pieces, removing the original vocals, and adding his own off-key ramblings. It's a karaoke car crash, leaving enough of the original song intact so that even the casual listener would instantly recognise it, before that same listener is beaten around the head by the onslaught of Beyer's voice. It is both unnerving and fascinating. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking not unlike the late Daniel Johnston (who, of course, also adored the Beatles) Beyer - and his tape deck - has been performing live since 1985; he has performed in <span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Brazil, Namibia, France, Austria, and Iceland</span>, and has even played the legendary Hamburg club the Indra, the very same place that the Fabs made their German debut in August 1960. In his spare time, (while working by day in a candle factory) he made short animated films and did some bit-work in German films, but it was for his all-consuming passion for the Beatles that he achieved fame (of sorts). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have a listen to a couple of examples of his work and see what you think.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Download Hey Jude <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzE0MDU4ODVf/KLAUS%20BEYER%20%20-%20Hey%20Jude.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzE0MDU4ODVfVFdkaXY" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Download All Together Now <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMzE0MDU4ODZf/KLAUS%20BEYER%20-%20All%20Together%20Now.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMzE0MDU4ODZfa3hWOE0" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-24136679169351691252023-03-31T09:56:00.002+01:002023-03-31T09:56:51.603+01:00Chou-Chou-be-doo, Where Are You?<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgBxBZHVf9WEpSMceNSp_PAlHTRMriQh3WA5Z8e4ygLpUm4yT0BadmXL_nfhxYjiwCvou3qdpanfb2cv4C-k6DZVUkwdoSDVZskLT18VL2qaLDYXU0D_2-Wpzs4WzBhVfGtOxIG8TmoIyyceY-UNxZfLy_P960HYHaPg-T91SLBdXpRAR1_Dfqp5Gwg/s719/Baby%20Chouchou%20et%20DJ%20Quinto%20Rocco.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="719" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgBxBZHVf9WEpSMceNSp_PAlHTRMriQh3WA5Z8e4ygLpUm4yT0BadmXL_nfhxYjiwCvou3qdpanfb2cv4C-k6DZVUkwdoSDVZskLT18VL2qaLDYXU0D_2-Wpzs4WzBhVfGtOxIG8TmoIyyceY-UNxZfLy_P960HYHaPg-T91SLBdXpRAR1_Dfqp5Gwg/s320/Baby%20Chouchou%20et%20DJ%20Quinto%20Rocco.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In the mid-1980s, a young Belgian singer, known only as Baby
Chou-Chou (occasionally credited as Baby Chouchou), released a half dozen
singles in their own country – all of them awful and all worthy of a place in
the World’s Worst Records Archive.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This singing moppet was initially presented to the world as
a genderless star of the future - on some of their 45 sleeves Chou-Chou is styled
as a girl, on others they look more boyish, possibly subscribing to Eddie
Izzard’s maxim that ‘They’re not women’s clothes. They’re my clothes.’ The
genderfluid outlook was enhanced somewhat by the choice of material, with songs
such as <b>Je Ne Suis Pas Une Fille à Papa</b> (I am Not a Daddy’s Girl).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But she was a young girl, related in some way to Sicilian
singer Di Quinto Rocco, born Rocco Befumo in May 1949; apparently, he chose the ‘di
Quinto’ prefix as he was fed up with always coming fifth in singing competitions.
According to Discogs, Baby Chou-Chou is Rocco’s Goddaughter, but I believe she
may actually be his niece: at one point in the 1980s, he was performing with said
niece, Christine Befumo, who now appears to be working in Italy and no longer
involved in showbusiness. I have not been able to verify yet if Chou-Chou and
Christine are one and the same, there is absolutely nothing about her on the ‘net
or in any of the press archives I subscribe to, but I suspect as much. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The majority of Baby Chou-Chou’s output appeared on the
Little Star label, a company that specialised in singing kiddies and that appears
to have been owned by Di Quino Rocco. Other ‘singers’ (and I use that word
advisedly) on the label include pre-teen boy Filippo Di Curto, the teeny winner
of a kiddie talent show Pamela Chiffi, and Franco Befumo, Di Quino’s son. Most
of the songs issued by the company were written (or co-written) by Rocco
Befumo.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNQ1RRSgvf5_NZIrFGCsEHtWuDWu3E64N1OHnFWItJO5RZLo8CzDS3HMyJpN5HBatRyiqzn1AcJ1vmHU_jkiapqCD3IMyEfnf7yAs1py8I_4YHhnuN24pL1qGiNMcbY0QblNp5gf-AynNxTEb-zRRME0trkPvob9uiXbtI4bdt3uBpbk5ZMv878AzHw/s526/Baby%20Chouchou.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="522" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNQ1RRSgvf5_NZIrFGCsEHtWuDWu3E64N1OHnFWItJO5RZLo8CzDS3HMyJpN5HBatRyiqzn1AcJ1vmHU_jkiapqCD3IMyEfnf7yAs1py8I_4YHhnuN24pL1qGiNMcbY0QblNp5gf-AynNxTEb-zRRME0trkPvob9uiXbtI4bdt3uBpbk5ZMv878AzHw/s320/Baby%20Chouchou.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>Rocco’s greatest successes came when he was singing with
children. In 1980 his record company, Philips, paired him with a young girl
singer called Cardillo Giusy for a ghastly single, the sugary and sentimental <b>Je
t’Aime Bien Papa</b> (I Love You, Daddy), that the duo also recorded in Italian
as <b>Ti Voglio Molto Bene Papa. </b>In 1981 the pair followed this up with the
equally saccharine <b>Bonne Fete Maman</b>, and even to this day, Di Quinto
Rocco can often be found performing alongside a pretty, albeit adult, woman. It
made perfect sense to him to attempt to turn Baby Chou-Chou into a star. It’s
just a shame that she, and the other children on his label, were so hideously
untalented.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, until more detail can be uncovered about the young
lady herself, here are a couple of tracks from her discography, namely the
A-side of her 1988 single (her last, I believe) <b>La Bière Aux Chocolats</b>
and, from 1986, <b>On m’Appelle Belle </b>(They Call Me Pretty).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Biere <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjk2MTM1MDdf/BABY%20CHOU-CHOU%20-%20La%20bi%C3%A8re%20aux%20chocolats.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjk2MTM1MDdfVmxyN2I" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>Download Belle <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjk2MTM1MTRf/BABY%20CHOUCHOU%20%26%20DI%20QUINTO%20ROCCO%20-%20On%20m%27appelle%20Belle.mp3" target="_blank">HERE </a></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjk2MTM1MTRfdVJHbWg" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-57649167355458687292023-03-10T10:44:00.005+00:002023-03-10T10:44:48.930+00:00Charlie Barlow Sings!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrcKMAhECPTd69saE6Pa3iBFwUZWa-NrRfcAUe-DoW1jaX8YJ5C7im-XcnzedX9loCiRRhJWi7Mv6oeTEKrJassxXB_tHfGpusvA_k7SY6gP6MqJd1EOOlyg-xQ_ji7WukULkeY0ZvEzKXto-PpvVjOmwTbespy4C5BV75AYXs0CIbmF8_4haJsMTTg/s600/Stratford%20Johns.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrcKMAhECPTd69saE6Pa3iBFwUZWa-NrRfcAUe-DoW1jaX8YJ5C7im-XcnzedX9loCiRRhJWi7Mv6oeTEKrJassxXB_tHfGpusvA_k7SY6gP6MqJd1EOOlyg-xQ_ji7WukULkeY0ZvEzKXto-PpvVjOmwTbespy4C5BV75AYXs0CIbmF8_4haJsMTTg/s320/Stratford%20Johns.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Alan Stratford Johns (born 22 September 1925) first came to
prominence, here in the UK at least, in the mid-1950s, in a string of small
parts in movies and theatre, before hitting the big time as Detective Inspector
Charlie Barlow in the long-running BBC police series <i>Z-Cars</i> and its many
spin-offs.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Johns grew up in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and served
as a deckhand in the South African navy during World War II. After the war, and
following a short period working in accountancy, he became involved in amateur
theatre. In 1948 he bought a one-way ticket to Britain and learned his craft
working in repertory theatre at Southend-on-Sea. One of the first roles he was
offered was in a Christmas musical, which he turned down as he felt he did not
have the vocal chops. He did, however, stay with the company for almost five
years, and during that time changed his name, dropping ‘Alan’ and becoming known,
simply, as Stratford Johns. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Early film appearances included a bit-part in the classic
Ealing comedy <i>The Ladykillers</i> (1955), and, in 1957, he made his British
TV debut in the Associated-Rediffusion series <i>Destination Downing Street</i>,
but it was as Barlow that he would become one of the most familiar and popular
faces on British television. Charlie Barlow appeared in five TV series, four as
the star: <i>Z-Cars</i> (1962–1965); <i>Softly, Soft</i>ly (1966–1969), <i>Softly,
Softly: Taskforce</i> (1969–1972), and <i>Barlow at Large</i> (1971-1975,
retitled <i>Barlow </i>in its final seasons). The character appeared for a
final time in 1976, in the series <i>Second Verdict</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Johns’s film appearances include 1970’s <i>Cromwell</i>, with
Richard Harris and Sir Alec Guinness. Later roles included appearances in the <i>George
and Mildred </i>movie, the 1980 big screen version of the popular sitcom, and
in Ken Russell’s 1988 films <i>Salome's Last Dance</i> and <i>The Lair of the
White Worm</i>. His many stage credits include Daddy Warbucks in the original
West End run of <i>Annie</i>, and the Ghost of Christmas Present in the stage
adaptation of the film musical <i>Scrooge</i>. Guest appearances on TV include <i>The
Avengers</i>, <i>Department S</i>, <i>Doctor Who</i>, <i>Great Expectations</i>,<i>
Blake's 7</i> and I<i>, Claudius</i>. He can be seen, alongside Clare Grogan
and Moly Weir in the video for <b>Young at Heart</b>, the 1984 hit by Scots
band The Bluebells. One of his final roles was in the TV series <i>Heartbeat</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Outside of acting, he and his wife (and her aunt) ran a
hotel and bar for actors in St Martin’s Lane (which opened during the 1950s and
closed in 1976), and in the mid-1960s there was a popular photographer used by
members of the acting profession, the Stratford Johns Studio<i>, </i>in Marble
Arch. He was also the author of the children's book <i>Gumphlumph</i>, which he
read on the children's television series <i>Jackanory</i> and narrated for album
release. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But that’s not why we’re here, is it? We are here because,
in 1965, he released an album <i>Stratford Johns Sings</i>, on His Master’s
Voice. A selection of ballads which, as he himself admits in the sleeve notes,
were chosen ‘quite deliberately’ because they were ‘square’. It’s a delight:
Johns’ stentorian voice blasts its way through 14 songs, including <b>Summertime</b>,
<b>Beautiful Dreamer</b>, and <b>How to Handle a Woman</b>. In other hands it
could have been awful; somehow <i>Stratford Johns Sings</i> manages to be
charming, if a little amateur and vainglorious. It’s clear, though, that the
actor knows his limitations: on the back cover Johns writes about how he has
taken singing lessons but that he realises his voice has been somewhat ravaged by
too much drinking and smoking. He even enlists his children, offering their
opinions on his vocal abilities. The producer of the album goes unnamed, but I’ll
lay you a pound to a penny that the man behind this was Norman Newell, one of
EMI’s in-house A&R men, whose career I touch on in my book <i><a href="https://dwbullock.blogspot.com/p/the-velvet-mafia.html" target="_blank">The Velvet Mafia</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Johns died on 29 January 2002: his wife, Nanette Ryder (the daughter
of actors Morris/Maurice Parsons and Mona Ewins), who he had married in March
1955, outlived him by four years and two days.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here are a couple of tracks from <i>Stratford Johns Sings</i>:
<b>You Stepped Out of a Dream</b> and <b>You Do Something To Me</b>. Enjoy!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Stepped <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjc1MjI5ODVf/You%20Stepped%20Out%20of%20a%20Dream.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjc1MjI5ODVfQmVHS3I" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Something <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjc1MjI5ODRf/You%20Do%20Something%20To%20Me.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjc1MjI5ODRfY3BLNDM" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-31890997023440581102023-02-03T10:56:00.000+00:002023-02-03T10:56:11.120+00:00Toy Boy Tunes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOyTh6MUhftveQ4ofQVczGnM2e32O6GZqg654LpWwUwtLmNfnIojO0A1t7gtGbAR1vlKc3PDrwwEtoAcfy3HJQPu5FyxwnwoYam9ijG4TwYrjX6kyozlRe8nGquqDTDdVEPWWXVhFyEl3T-cqgRAeQ3hAdyb7wXyHR0hb3pHcte3iUiKt3kWJkOMSxg/s599/Roddy%20Llewellyn.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOyTh6MUhftveQ4ofQVczGnM2e32O6GZqg654LpWwUwtLmNfnIojO0A1t7gtGbAR1vlKc3PDrwwEtoAcfy3HJQPu5FyxwnwoYam9ijG4TwYrjX6kyozlRe8nGquqDTDdVEPWWXVhFyEl3T-cqgRAeQ3hAdyb7wXyHR0hb3pHcte3iUiKt3kWJkOMSxg/s320/Roddy%20Llewellyn.jpg" width="320" /><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Born on 9 October 1947 – John Lennon’s seventh birthday - Sir
Roderic Victor Llewellyn (better known as ‘Roddy’) is a British baronet, garden
designer, journalist, author, and television presenter best known for his eight-year
relationship with Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the younger sister of
the late Queen Elizabeth II.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They were introduced, at the Café Royal in Edinburgh in
1973, by Lady Anne Glenconner. At the time, Roddy was a gardener and, at 25
years old, a full 17 years younger than the princess.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The much-publicised relationship was a factor in
the dissolution of the princess's marriage to the Earl of Snowdon. In 1976,
photographs of Roddy and Margaret in Mustique appeared in the press, and Roddy
was outed as Margaret’s ‘toy boy’. Llewellyn issued a public statement, saying
that ‘I much regret any embarrassment caused to Her Majesty the Queen and the
royal family, for whom I wish to express the greatest respect, admiration and
loyalty’. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Queen was not happy, according to Princess Margaret’s
authorized biographer, Christopher Warwick, who said that ‘The Queen didn’t
approve of Roddy or of the relationship, and she thought that in all of this
Roddy business, her sister was behaving badly.’ However, Lady Glenconner would
later tell <i>Vanity Fair </i>that, ‘After Princess Margaret’s funeral, the
Queen, she said, ‘I’d just like to say, Anne, it was rather difficult at
moments, but I thank you so much [for] introducing Princess Margaret to Roddy
’cause he made her really happy.’ Personally, I find it difficult to believe
that our later monarch would say ‘’Cause’, but there you have it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the height of their eight-year relationship, Roddy was
persuaded to spend a few days in a recording studio. The results were issued as
<i>Roddy</i> by Philips in 1978. According to the note, in Roddy’s own
handwriting, on the reverse of the sleeve, ‘Like lots of other people I have
always wanted to make a record, and I feel very fortunate to have now done
this. We all had a lot of fun recording the album – hope you enjoy it too.’ <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He may have ‘always wanted to make a record’, but there
should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that he would not have had he not been at
the centre of a high-profile scandal. Musically, it’s slick, synthy,
lightweight stuff, but the simple fact is that Llewellyn cannot sing. There’s a
difference between bumbling through a few bars of a song at home and standing
in front of a microphone in a professional studio, attempting to cut a hit
recording. The voice is too mannered, too thin and too flat. I’m sure he did
have ‘a lot of fun’, and today, with a little touch of autotune and a more
forgiving backing, he might have gotten away with it, but when you’re crooning
along to what is essentially the soundtrack to a seventies sitcom there’s no
room to hide.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Produced by Tony Eyers, who specialised in recording
musak-versions of standards for the foreign market (including <i>Reggae Music
Played By Tony Eyers</i>, and <i>Tony Eyers Plays Beach Boys</i>, both issued
in Sweden in 1977) but will be best known for writing <b>I’m On Fire</b>,<b> </b>a
hit for 5,000 Volts, featuring the voice (if not the face) of Tina Charles. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By the beginning of 1981, Roddy and Margaret were through
and, on 11 July 1981, Llewellyn married Tatiana Soskin, a daughter of film
producer Paul Soskin. The couple have three daughters, Alexandra, Natasha, and
Rosie. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 2009 Roddy succeeded his elder brother David (better
known as ‘Dai’), to the Llewellyn baronetcy. Roddy and Dai had a difficult
relationship, and barely spoke to each other after the elder Llewellyn talked
to newspapers about his brother’s relationship with a royal. 25 years after his
relationship with Margaret had ended, Roddy Llewellyn told the <i>Daily Mail</i>
that he still could not bring himself to forgive his brother’s ‘betrayal’. Dai
dismissed him as a ‘snob and a resentful, chippy little twerp’, but the
brothers were reconciled shortly before Dai’s death. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now aged 75, he’s still working and he’s still singing.
Apparently, when he went to meet actor Helena Bonham Carter, while she was preparing
to play Princess Margaret in the Netflix drama series <i>The Crown</i>, ‘He
started singing a song in my kitchen,’ she revealed to the <i>Sunday Times</i>.
‘He came to tea with me and Harry [Treadaway], who plays Roddy. He was so fun
and warm — that’s what she needed. He’s very musical.’ Well, I’ll leave you to
make up your own minds there, with a couple of tracks from <i>Roddy</i>: <b>Missing
Her Again</b> and <b>Crazy World</b>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Missing <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjcwNTU1NzNf/Roddy%20Llewellyn%20-%20Missing%20Her%20Again.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjcwNTU1NzNfVTNwQm8" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Crazy <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjcwNTU1NzBf/Roddy%20Llewellyn%20-%20Crazy%20World.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjcwNTU1NzBfNnJuNXg" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-58429432766525759022023-01-27T10:56:00.000+00:002023-01-27T10:56:15.412+00:00Ol' Blue Eyes's Bark<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyfTqz3ITSo9P4V5YpZIl3mZRcY96rHJIDHCfPBTFK3C733t2cE0-s4T3lr5-vIRJjWyN_mZ9j2Re6m7jjOpWxkWtUPgJpvfBI0aHoZfXtoh5m3XQnJSS1SbD3I8SNxfgFBmPhnjKyh_QoI4bKTCqUuqt0hDgnqzlioT_6Dw2ELML73qKoHLGsD67Uw/s612/dagmar.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyfTqz3ITSo9P4V5YpZIl3mZRcY96rHJIDHCfPBTFK3C733t2cE0-s4T3lr5-vIRJjWyN_mZ9j2Re6m7jjOpWxkWtUPgJpvfBI0aHoZfXtoh5m3XQnJSS1SbD3I8SNxfgFBmPhnjKyh_QoI4bKTCqUuqt0hDgnqzlioT_6Dw2ELML73qKoHLGsD67Uw/s320/dagmar.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>Frank Sinatra is one of those singers who always gets a
pass, the commonly-held belief that he was a great singer makes him seemingly
untouchable when it comes to the kind of folk – like me – who write about bad
music.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But that’s a shame because there are some truly horrific examples
in the Sinatra canon, a couple of which I offer up for you today.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Singer and actor Francis Albert Sinatra (born 12 December 1915),
known as the ‘Chairman of the Board’ and ‘Ol' Blue Eyes’, Sinatra was one of
the most popular entertainers in the world. He began performing in the mid-1930s,
performed with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey and, after signing as a
solo artist with Columbia Records in 1943, became the idol of the bobby soxers,
selling out venues and starring in the weekly radio show <i>Your Hit Parade</i>
(more about that later). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He also forged a highly successful career as a film actor, appearing
in 60 movies and winning an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best
Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity in 1953. Among his screen credits are
the hugely popular musicals <i>On the Town</i> (1949), <i>Guys and Dolls</i>
(1955), and <i>High Society</i> (1956). He left Columbia and signed to Capitol,
releasing critically acclaimed albums including <i>In the Wee Small Hours</i>
(1955), <i>Songs for Swingin' Lovers! </i>(1956), <i>Only the Lonely</i>
(1958), and <i>Nice 'n' Easy</i> (1960).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sinatra left Capitol in 1960 to start his own label, Reprise
Records, and released a string of successful albums: through his lifetime he
sold over 150 million records. Sinatra may be best known for his string of
classic performances, from <b>Fly Me To the Moon </b>to <b>Strangers in the
Night </b>and, of course, <b>My Way</b>, but he also recorded a significant
number of clunkers during his career, especially in the early years. While with
Columbia he was often at loggerheads with Mitch Miller, then head of A&R at
the label. It was Miller who insisted that Sinatra record the execrable <b>Mama
Will Bark</b>, as a duet with shapely starlet Dagmar, which <i>Billboard</i>
dismissed as ‘a silly novelty piece [which] proves that Dagmar is better seen
than heard’. Legend has it that Sinatra was so angry with Miller that he never
forgave him: when the pair passed each other in a hotel lobby, Miller extended
his hand to greet the singer, but Sinatra snarled, ‘Fuck you! Keep walking.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then there’s Sinatra’s version of <b>Woody Woodpecker. </b>In
the 1940s Sinatra was starring on the radio show <i>Your Hit Parade</i> and, as
a consequence of this, was often called on to perform songs that were doing
well in the charts that week… one of which was Mel Blanc’s <b>Woody Woodpecker</b>,
a major hit in 1948. Although Sinatra’s lacklustre performance of this
monstrosity was never supposed to be released, in 1974 British budget label
Windmill Records put it out on a collection of Sinatra rarities, <i>I’m
Confessin’</i>, and the recording has been in circulation ever since.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv2EEzrvsxU36i2Fk8fod7lw8xL_L_c-7UOJGe9NnmIkqtLmZGMuOT9Hu_SHl_aN7QdxBLrG8xMsd6MpZGLtPF6gTOr78vJ10p8nIrMZuodYr6r5jnl4eYXPIpTrQaKjMM4BLv6Bdhk8LwPe0NerhzxzC325cDrR9ndoz8_RiQnAJlBTAr87yu4ujhQ/s600/Sinatra%20confessin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv2EEzrvsxU36i2Fk8fod7lw8xL_L_c-7UOJGe9NnmIkqtLmZGMuOT9Hu_SHl_aN7QdxBLrG8xMsd6MpZGLtPF6gTOr78vJ10p8nIrMZuodYr6r5jnl4eYXPIpTrQaKjMM4BLv6Bdhk8LwPe0NerhzxzC325cDrR9ndoz8_RiQnAJlBTAr87yu4ujhQ/s320/Sinatra%20confessin.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>He made the occasional misstep during his Capitol years too:
take, for example, the ridiculous version of <b>Old Macdonald </b>(awful, but
admittedly better than Elvis’s stab at it, and his 1960 campaign song <b>High
Hopes With Jack Kennedy. </b>That’s not to say his later career was free of
faux pas. His disco version of <b>Night and Day is </b>truly horrible (the
disco-fied <b>All or Nothing at All </b>was more successful, but still nasty),
as is his cover of Paul Simon’s <b>Mrs. Robinson, </b>where Sinatra alters the
lyrics (most egregiously the line ‘Jesus loves you more…’ becomes ‘Jilly loves
you more…’, and confused an entire generation) and attempts to turn a rather
wonderful pop song into a big band swing number.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Outside of his recording career, Sinatra’s somewhat
colourful personal life included turbulent relationships with wives Ava Gardner
and Mia Farrow, and rumours of his association with mob bosses followed him his
entire career, leading to his being investigated by the FBI for his alleged
relationship with the mafia. He became one of the best-known members of the Rat
Pack, an informal group of Hollywood stars and recording artists that originally
included Sinatra, Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Humphrey
Bogart and Lauren Bacall (Bacall and Sinatra were set to marry following Bogart’s
death, but Sinatra called the wedding off after shortly after the couple became
engaged, in mid-1958), but is probably best known for its Las Vegas iteration,
of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. In
1963 his son, Frank Junior, was kidnapped and Sinatra paid $240,000 ransom for
his safe return.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He died, aged 82, in May 1998, leaving behind an incredible
body of work, including the two songs I present for you today, <b>Mama Will
Bark </b>and <b>Woody Woodpecker</b>. Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Mama <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjY5MzUxODFf/Frank%20Sinatra%20%26%20Dagmar%20-%20Mama%20Will%20Bark.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a> </p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjY5MzUxODFfYmI0Q1o" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Woody <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjY5MzUxODBf/Frank%20Sinatra%20-%20Woody%20Woodpecker.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a> </p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjY5MzUxODBfVHNZWjQ" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-70234500658800384392023-01-06T11:47:00.000+00:002023-01-06T11:47:03.879+00:00The Future Is Now<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TRQx7lZBvtbSEJ4mFCxj8F8vG8T3fc0ri4jNPB5W6ebIuH8qsqaNLMK-7-pnOmoRSBkO70qyF49Ntopm2JHZBSD026H7qNVgng9pcPPlJHM0tivyL8DS4mjz9D1jXtIFqVPevNEBvG48SPHiexVFC-bKFGdOdqQy2ZPlwELkInphi2umnwWvJaWILQ/s599/Neil%20Dick%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Future%20Is%20Now.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="599" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TRQx7lZBvtbSEJ4mFCxj8F8vG8T3fc0ri4jNPB5W6ebIuH8qsqaNLMK-7-pnOmoRSBkO70qyF49Ntopm2JHZBSD026H7qNVgng9pcPPlJHM0tivyL8DS4mjz9D1jXtIFqVPevNEBvG48SPHiexVFC-bKFGdOdqQy2ZPlwELkInphi2umnwWvJaWILQ/s320/Neil%20Dick%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Future%20Is%20Now.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Happy Friday, my friends, a happy New Year to you too, and a
big welcome to the world of New York-based outsider musician Neil Dick.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I first heard of Neil through his inclusion on one of Irwin
Chusid’s <i>Songs In the Key of Z </i>collections: a home cassette demo of <b>The
Future Is Now<i>, </i></b>which appears on the third volume of the series. More
recently I was reminded of his brilliance by fellow incorrect music enthusiast
and Sheena’s Jungle Room DJ Miss Mei, who posted his entire 2006 album, also
called <i>the Future Is Now</i>, on YouTube after CDBaby decided to cease
production of physical discs and make it almost impossible to find Neil’s
album. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Which is a huge shame, as it really is a wonderful thing. As
Neil himself said at the time of release, ‘I take great pride in presenting my
debut album… Having been a music lover nearly all of my life, I consider this
album as a coming to fruition of really “finding myself” musically.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Neil was, he tells us, ‘An avid listener of popular songs on
the radio as early as the age of five.’ A few years later, at his mother’s
insistence, he ‘Took piano lessons for a couple of years… which came in handy
in the future. In high school, I discovered I had a good singing voice. I would
sing many of the popular songs of that era to myself, but was too shy to pursue
this skill before audiences. Decades later, having overcome my shyness, I
started performing in karaoke events in clubs.’ These karaoke spots emboldened
him and encouraged him to pursue his dream of releasing his own music. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Neil purchased his own synthesizer, and found himself a studio,
Olive Juice, to record his debut full-length album. Eleven of the 12 tracks on <i>The
Future Is Now </i>were written by Neil himself: the twelfth, <b>Broken Heart<i>,
</i></b>was composed by his friend Andrew Singer, aka rap artist soce the elemental wizard
(all lower case, just like k.d. lang). Many of the tracks on the album
originally appeared on a demo cassette, released in 1998 under the name Neil
Darins. That cassette also includes several Neil Dick originals that would not be
re-recorded for <i>The Future Is Now</i>, including the rather sweet <b>I Really
Flipped Over You</b>, and <b>The Edmonton Song</b>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the 1950s, Neil was at school with Chuck Negron, a
founding member of the band Three Dog Night. The pair reconnected backstage in
2004, and one of the tracks on the album, <b>It’s a Small World</b> tells the
story of their friendship. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An active member of New York’s LGBTQ community (he gets a
credit on the soundtrack to the 1995 film <i>Wigstock: the Movie</i>), having
recently turned 78 (he celebrated his birthday
on 21 December), Neil is no longer making music but is still working, currently
as part of the staff of the New York Language Center. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy a couple of tracks from the extraordinary <i>The
Future Is Now</i>, Neil’s ode to Chinese cookery <b>I Love That Red Sauce</b>,
and the magnificent, uplifting title track <b>The Future Is Now</b>. For more,
check out mei Clover's YouTube channel, where you can find the entire album, as well as a couple of tracks from Neil's 1998 demo cassette.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Sauce <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU5NzM1ODBf/Neil%20Dick%20-%20I%20Love%20That%20Red%20Sauce.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU5NzM1ODBfWDhMVWk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Future <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU5NzM1ODVf/Neil%20Dick%20-%20The%20Future%20Is%20Now.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU5NzM1ODVfVUVxVUQ" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-9539472238292844272022-12-23T12:12:00.000+00:002022-12-23T12:12:05.759+00:00Christmas Cavalcade 2022: Part Three, the Wing Wing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeyaSitCR763KWqvJAlVfVR3AI10FBiZzpoSv48a_gtIAXq-b4FPKXmuRdP3l3hr_f6l8cOVQ4XBYS-n2-nqJLqCXUR_cFForG6R9eA5rjupXbPvTQAJ8JQw1OexOMqOOES1DYHizHV5P8DpEEsvWVdS0GnSaGzTXfLulSe16-EPmApKn8mVUtYMCuA/s566/Everyone%20Sings%20Carols%20With%20Wing.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeyaSitCR763KWqvJAlVfVR3AI10FBiZzpoSv48a_gtIAXq-b4FPKXmuRdP3l3hr_f6l8cOVQ4XBYS-n2-nqJLqCXUR_cFForG6R9eA5rjupXbPvTQAJ8JQw1OexOMqOOES1DYHizHV5P8DpEEsvWVdS0GnSaGzTXfLulSe16-EPmApKn8mVUtYMCuA/s320/Everyone%20Sings%20Carols%20With%20Wing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ho! Ho! Ho! (again) and welcome to the third and final instalment
of this year’s Christmas Cavalcade.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m finishing my Christmas Selection Box for 2022 with four
tracks from the utterly wonderful Wing Han Tsang – an artist I have regularly
featured on the World’s Worst Records radio Show, but who will be known to many
of you from her appearance on the 2005 <i>South Park</i> episode ‘Wing’. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have featured Wing on the blog before, but that was way
back in 2011, so it is probably best that we have a quick recap. Wing Han Tsang,
usually known simply as Wing, is a Hong Kong-born singer, who began her career
in music after emigrating to New Zealand at the beginning of the 1990s. She began
by entertaining patients at nursing homes and hospitals in and around Auckland,
as well as busking in shopping centres (check out YouTube for some superb
footage of Wing doing the latter), and singing in hotels in the Auckland area. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her popularity prompted suggestions that she release a CD;
the result was <i>Musical Memories of Les Miserables and The Phantom of the
Opera Performed by Wing</i>, released in March 2001 and recorded at the Otara
Music Arts Centre, based in the Otara Shopping Centre, Auckland. The second album,
<i>I Could Have Danced All Night</i>, followed six months later, and by 2015
she had released 20 albums and Eps.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRWahgUnMVRpNeE_V_Dh9_6dM_G14TD-H4ZnwDnzL3sfYUETyUBQ8Q7wRgPWrdp-_B4hZZSt4XcqeRmuF_ASesYov3M60OHcE5R3GkSWGf2Dx0fJb0LVmncbVugkuew2axF0iftymnoow6pabWt5278LALAG7VskisoR9wkZz5fTAw77gT_oFAeTE4w/s300/carols_2010_cover_300.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRWahgUnMVRpNeE_V_Dh9_6dM_G14TD-H4ZnwDnzL3sfYUETyUBQ8Q7wRgPWrdp-_B4hZZSt4XcqeRmuF_ASesYov3M60OHcE5R3GkSWGf2Dx0fJb0LVmncbVugkuew2axF0iftymnoow6pabWt5278LALAG7VskisoR9wkZz5fTAw77gT_oFAeTE4w/s1600/carols_2010_cover_300.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Following her ‘discovery’ by <i>South Park</i> creators Trey
Parker and Matt Stone, Wing toured the US, appearing in San Francisco, at the famous
Birdland jazz club in New York and at the 2008 South by Southwest festival. In
May 2008, she performed on the BBC Introducing stage at Radio 1's Big Weekend, in
Maidstone, singing songs written by Abba and Elton John. She has since made
many more television and radio appearances around the globe.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 2015, Wing announced that she retired from the music
business via her official website. A sad loss of a singularly unique talent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, here are four Christmas-themed tracks from the
magnificent Wing; <b>Jingle Bells </b> and <b>Santa Claus Is Coming To Town </b>from
her 2007 collection <i>Everyone Sings Carols With Wing</i>, plus the
wonderfully daft <b>Santa in a Helicopter</b> and her reading of the classic <b>Silent
Night </b>from her 2014 EP Carols - Rap and Sing a Beautiful Christmas With
Wing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy! And I'll see you all again after Christmas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Jingle <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU3NzM4MzZf/04%20Jingle%20Bells.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU3NzM4MzZfeVhwbnk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Town <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU3NzM4MzVf/01%20Santa%20Claus%20is%20Coming%20to%20Town.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU3NzM4MzVfRmF1TVQ" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Helicopter <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU3NzM4MzNf/Wing%20-%20Santa%20in%20a%20Helicopter.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU3NzM4MzNfcEJEWWk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Silent <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU3NzM4MzRf/Wing%20-%20Silent%20Night.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU3NzM4MzRfZlM5WGo" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-28505029806205263432022-12-16T10:41:00.005+00:002022-12-16T10:41:40.707+00:00Christmas Cavalcade 2022: Part Two<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbVtuJSV81TCWKQvXDGFzW5HtlJv6uzZ3hKt2FE824zukDDiL8x74e4SrqvVigvdYgg5D8R1Vm5iLBoiRV8JYjBoPTgPDiZTuCF_z2qOxUG8p4LP5satVjGaTklhGqN-As_syYv6VJYm8lyQ_1v6krPTvxX_Yw3GgEyoIyY15MDjEDN5ja4b35xrJ1g/s552/Dick%20and%20Richard%20-%20Santa%20Caught%20A%20Cold%20On%20Christmas%20Eve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="552" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbVtuJSV81TCWKQvXDGFzW5HtlJv6uzZ3hKt2FE824zukDDiL8x74e4SrqvVigvdYgg5D8R1Vm5iLBoiRV8JYjBoPTgPDiZTuCF_z2qOxUG8p4LP5satVjGaTklhGqN-As_syYv6VJYm8lyQ_1v6krPTvxX_Yw3GgEyoIyY15MDjEDN5ja4b35xrJ1g/s320/Dick%20and%20Richard%20-%20Santa%20Caught%20A%20Cold%20On%20Christmas%20Eve.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ho! Ho! Ho! Everybody: who is up for another selection of
Christmas-related catastrophes? Two singles, four tracks, and all of them worthy of inclusion
on your own Christmas playlist<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First out of the snow-covered barn door is (or, rather, are)
Dick and Richard, and both sides of their 1963 seasonal offering <b>Santa
Caught A Cold On Christmas Eve</b> and the even sillier <b>Stinky The Little
Reindeer. </b>The A-side song was written<b> </b>by Dave Barbour, first husband
of the singer Peggy Lee (the couple were married for eight years between 1943–1951),
her son-in-law Dick Foster (husband of Lee and Barbour’s only child, Nicki Lee
Foster) and Richard Addrisi, Dick and Richard being the son-in-law and Mr
Addrisi. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jack Marshall, who produced the disc, wrote the flip side; Richard
Addrisi also performed with his brother, Don, as the Addrisi Brothers, and as
Dick and Don. Previous to that, the brothers had been part of a traveling
trapeze act, The Flying Addrisis, with their parents. The brothers were
successful songwriters through the 60s and 70s, and in 1972 scored a minor <i>Billboard
</i>hit with their song <b>We’ve Got To Get It On Again</b>, but this
particular clunker failed to chart.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS8lAokFm8-23dGKIu0IIDu7MPjAyren8mut_kCe30hLLVpp-qeoh3cRlbqiSaKAgFKVDX4KhYID492QpBpMRIeAbzg19ZE0K2YKWTbGm4Y97GQA7l7NDguZFKAQsq6ALEABXmHXRylLMt8xNsgDC6zeCdIzkYXcuT8DNPWFG-p8GEy_kTrPUYeiPSw/s600/Red%20Rver%20Ronald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS8lAokFm8-23dGKIu0IIDu7MPjAyren8mut_kCe30hLLVpp-qeoh3cRlbqiSaKAgFKVDX4KhYID492QpBpMRIeAbzg19ZE0K2YKWTbGm4Y97GQA7l7NDguZFKAQsq6ALEABXmHXRylLMt8xNsgDC6zeCdIzkYXcuT8DNPWFG-p8GEy_kTrPUYeiPSw/s320/Red%20Rver%20Ronald.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Next up is a coupling from our old friend Red River Dave, with
both sides of his 1980 single, the atonal horror that is <b>Santa's Watchdog
Archibald </b>(featuring the dulcet tones of Gloria May), backed with the
political polemic <b>The Night Ronald Reagan Rode With Santa Claus</b>. I
featured Red River Dave on the blog back in August, and you can read more about
his career <a href="https://worldsworstrecords.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-ballad-of-red-river-dave.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Apparently, <b>The Night Ronald Reagan Rode With Santa Claus</b>
was penned by Dave 'Red River McEnery 'in the spirit of Christmas forgiveness’.
The song features then-president Reagan issuing a pardon to striking air
traffic controllers, with Santa telling the Pres that 'Santa Claus counts on
air controllers all over the world. He's counting on a safe sky as he flies
round the world with Christmas greetings and toys for good little girls and
boys.'<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy these, and I’ll be back before the Big Day with the
third installment of this year’s Christmas Cavalcade.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Santa <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU1OTkwOTlf/Dick%20and%20Richard%20-%20Santa%20Caught%20A%20Cold%20On%20Christmas%20Eve.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU1OTkwOTlfVWFIaEc" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Stinky <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU1OTkxMDBf/Dick%20and%20Richard%20-%20Stinky%20The%20Little%20Reindeer.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU1OTkxMDBfcTNHbkY" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Archibald <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU1OTkxMDFf/Red%20River%20Dave%20Santa%27s%20Watchdog%20Archibald.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU1OTkxMDFfdFhIcUI" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Ronald <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjU1OTkxMDJf/Red%20River%20Dave%20The%20Night%20Ronald%20Reagan%20Rode%20With%20Santa%20Claus.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjU1OTkxMDJfbGx5WGs" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-43500864831144652552022-12-09T09:30:00.001+00:002022-12-09T09:30:41.315+00:00Christmas Cavalcade 2022: Part One<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwclhQJt5M2sPb8_1TP0jdlnQY-xs9aljIjQmrMslN24_L-Fu6EwotZpxWsCW2b-jVUCaCSz2etUarl239lKuTrhGl1ojTcYuIW8lrbAHWM-Wkw_Xx-ILEahBNlrodegiqhU76JGfJjNoI9C27zJqFwCQETouHHNIP67velAl3iO-mnjKoNCZeYtMLbA/s549/Eilerts%20Jul.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="549" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwclhQJt5M2sPb8_1TP0jdlnQY-xs9aljIjQmrMslN24_L-Fu6EwotZpxWsCW2b-jVUCaCSz2etUarl239lKuTrhGl1ojTcYuIW8lrbAHWM-Wkw_Xx-ILEahBNlrodegiqhU76JGfJjNoI9C27zJqFwCQETouHHNIP67velAl3iO-mnjKoNCZeYtMLbA/s320/Eilerts%20Jul.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Well, here it is... almost. Just over two weeks to go until the Big Day, so I had better pull my finger out and give you some Christmas-themed music, hadn't I?<p></p><p><br /></p><p>And how better to kick off than with three tracks from Eilert Pilarm's seasonal offering from 2001, <i>Eilerts Jul</i> or Eilert's Christmas?</p><p><br /></p><p>I haven't featured Eilert on the blog for a long time, more than 11 years in fact, although he regularly pops up on <i><a href="https://wfmu.org/playlists/WR" target="_blank">The World's Worst Records Radio Show</a>. </i>Just this week I was reminded, by regular blog and show contributor Stephen 'Beany' Green, of this particular album, and it felt like an entirely appropriate opener for this year's Christmas cavalcade.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eilert, for those previously unacquainted with his genius, is (or was, he stopped performing over a decade ago) Sweden's number-one Elvis impersonator. A cult figure in his home country, Eilert became semi-famous on TV, appearing in adverts cooking while dressed as a cut-price Presley, and singing his off-key renditions of the King's greatest hits. </p><p><br /></p><p>Born in 1953, his original surname was Dahlberg, but he changed it to Pilarm to give himself the same initials as his hero. Championed here in Britain by the late John Peel, Eilert first appeared on stage - playing in an ice hockey arena in the town of Husum - in his Elvis garb in 1992, while working at a paper mill. A local radio DJ saw him, got hold of a couple of cassettes of Eilert doing his thing and began to feature him on air, National stardom soon came: Eilert issued six albums and a couple of EPS between 1995 and 2006, he appeared on TV in Britain and the USA, and in 2001 alone he played over 150 gigs across Sweden.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are three tracks from the brilliant <i>Eilerts Jul</i>: Eilert's cover of the Elvis standard <b>Blue Christmas</b>, a Swedish version of <b>Silent Night </b>(<b>Stille Natt</b>), and a traditional Swedish carol from 1898, <b>Nu Tandas Tusen Juleljus</b>, which roughly translates as <b>A Thousand Christmas Candles are Lit.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Enjoy!</p><p><br /></p><p>Download Blue <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjUzODk4Mjdf/Blue%20Christmas.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjUzODk4MjdfOTIwaWg" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p>Download Silent <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjUzODk5MDJf/Stilla%20Natt.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjUzODk5MDJfY29MS1U" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p>Download Candles <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjUzODk4Mzhf/Nu%20T%C3%A4ndas%20Tusen%20Juleljus.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjUzODk4MzhfMmMwM2Y" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-55707255319463124242022-11-18T10:13:00.001+00:002022-11-18T10:13:31.283+00:00No Ordinary Star<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRA_1Mw2i292bD2ImNMt3-mCDYtH7Iqxs3jiZKgUW1i-JONTAn5NtOMqSojLh8Ls8pCOlFBzD31VPK3p6oWADgU4Iq8COklorz_Ohd7scDL_kR0Dw49NGXR_Uadj9oPH357gZddk_ZcNCI0V4NyJBNNGqgGXH70Il4FT_NmisEsqPauLaEW886-3Ikg/s528/Hopkins%20Star.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="528" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRA_1Mw2i292bD2ImNMt3-mCDYtH7Iqxs3jiZKgUW1i-JONTAn5NtOMqSojLh8Ls8pCOlFBzD31VPK3p6oWADgU4Iq8COklorz_Ohd7scDL_kR0Dw49NGXR_Uadj9oPH357gZddk_ZcNCI0V4NyJBNNGqgGXH70Il4FT_NmisEsqPauLaEW886-3Ikg/s320/Hopkins%20Star.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Sir Anthony Hopkins is, unequivocally, a star. Having made
his first professional stage appearance in 1960, in Swansea Little Theatre’s
production of <i>Have a Cigarette</i>, in 1965, he was spotted by Laurence
Olivier, who invited him to join the Royal National Theatre in London. Hopkins
became Olivier’s understudy and filled in when Olivier was struck with
appendicitis during a 1967 production of Strindberg's <i>The Dance of Death</i>.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He made his movie debut in 1968, playing Richard the
Lionheart in the Peter O’Toole/Katharine Hepburn vehicle <i>The Lion in Winter</i>,
and big screen stardom soon followed. Subsequent films included <i>When Eight
Bells Toll</i> (1971), <i>A Bridge Too Far</i> (1977), <i>International Velvet</i>
(1978), Magic (also 1978), <i>The Elephant Man</i> (1980) and The Bounty (1984).
He is, undeniably, a major international icon of stage and screen.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>But following his turn as Captain Bligh in <i>The Bounty</i>,
he had a little misstep. Perhaps it was appearing opposite Mel ‘I’m not a
racist’ Gibson that did it. Something went wrong: film parts dried up, leaving
him to work mostly on television… And then this.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RCrIKKUiqe5hDJF020UCOHkv_Jn6nG-2UHXqM32j94iY6bzUrkgClL8aUSMv2T5A7k0L6zRHAtwyvNpzy5PPMYZgZ_X_n0uTdPQZCqHv6sqX2yBrtXyrZUjPb6RtF02MTXdp41j-5g3X0sVua87CMqouoO7Ok7YTVhQV0qbCRlhJLL56W0oTkTDeNA/s800/half-brother-hideaway-hansa-international.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="795" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RCrIKKUiqe5hDJF020UCOHkv_Jn6nG-2UHXqM32j94iY6bzUrkgClL8aUSMv2T5A7k0L6zRHAtwyvNpzy5PPMYZgZ_X_n0uTdPQZCqHv6sqX2yBrtXyrZUjPb6RtF02MTXdp41j-5g3X0sVua87CMqouoO7Ok7YTVhQV0qbCRlhJLL56W0oTkTDeNA/s320/half-brother-hideaway-hansa-international.jpg" width="318" /></a>In December 1986, possibly in a feeble attempt at a Christmas
hit, the Welsh acting legend issued his one and only single <b>Distant Star</b>,
backed with <b> Ordinary Man</b>.
Remarkably, it managed to reach number 75 on the UK singles chart.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The tracks were co-written by Jonathan Kermode, who had
previously been a member of the soft rock/disco group Half Brother with former Wings
drummer Henry Spinetti and Howard Goodall, best known to most of us I would
assume for his stellar work on television and in film. The group gained its
name as Goodall and Kermode are indeed half-brothers. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The lyrics to <b>Distant
Star</b> were written by the late Jackie Trent, Mrs. Tony Hatch, who wrote for countless
stars from Petula Clark (including the pop classic <b>I Couldn’t Live Without
Your Love</b>) to Scott Walker, but will be best remembered for writing the
lyrics to the theme from <i>Neighbours</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHybfUF8wNpOsI3LTXoyP6LYG83eJABDhmCtw7aC_FlR3sMF5ng7cpDv3_fDepvAeMILmBrrjJUw-6JCW-4cS75-F5rUKvb7zEwndltXDMPP0Br93o_EG9hXa320XNUhsozvTEFLbfbuvdI9htL-4H3u1I_kZGRzk0eHq3dmYkRMBRjRXgZAYLFvwLEw/s600/Hopkins%20label.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHybfUF8wNpOsI3LTXoyP6LYG83eJABDhmCtw7aC_FlR3sMF5ng7cpDv3_fDepvAeMILmBrrjJUw-6JCW-4cS75-F5rUKvb7zEwndltXDMPP0Br93o_EG9hXa320XNUhsozvTEFLbfbuvdI9htL-4H3u1I_kZGRzk0eHq3dmYkRMBRjRXgZAYLFvwLEw/s320/Hopkins%20label.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Thankfully Hopkins was able to redeem himself, going on to
win the Best Actor Oscar for the 1991 chiller <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i>. He
was knighted in 1993, and since then he has continued to appear in hit after hit.
He has even turned his hand to classical music, issuing the 2012 album <i>Composer</i>.
According to Discogs he also appeared on the 1953 Peter Ustinov single <b>Mock
Mozart</b>, playing the harpsichord. However our Hopkins would have been 15 when
the single was recorded, and still at school: Ustinov’s keyboard player is a
different person.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But whatever he has or will achieve in his acting or
composing career, nothing can ever compensate for the twin horrors that are <b>Distant
Star </b>and <b>Ordinary Man</b>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Star <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQ1MDY3MDZf/Anthony%20Hopkins%20-%20Distant%20Star.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQ1MDY3MDZfandyaFE" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Man <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQ1MDY3MDdf/Anthony%20Hopkins%20-%20Ordinary%20Man.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQ1MDY3MDdfejc5Tkg" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-28737191421044914552022-11-04T09:32:00.000+00:002022-11-04T09:32:03.641+00:00Waltzing With Alan Gillett <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSjOyiZueepIkjcBo0IRNIHySyQTFgh7tThTICcO653qWy0Nan1XlcpW3rdbTJDsXYn7jJu-hfeI2oXgtcSwSvJQhSgMrtVdZR5BYavJOyaZ0uoU3o8Ov3kL700tynQe-1HtOokUTVXnCR2WB0EumIDUQis2UsjT9-zLCFe65yPu9v-q6bcasI33DcQ/s574/Gillett%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="574" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSjOyiZueepIkjcBo0IRNIHySyQTFgh7tThTICcO653qWy0Nan1XlcpW3rdbTJDsXYn7jJu-hfeI2oXgtcSwSvJQhSgMrtVdZR5BYavJOyaZ0uoU3o8Ov3kL700tynQe-1HtOokUTVXnCR2WB0EumIDUQis2UsjT9-zLCFe65yPu9v-q6bcasI33DcQ/s320/Gillett%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A couple of weeks ago, on the live message board that
accompanies each episode of the World’s Worst Records Radio Show, a regular
listener brought my attention to the incredible Alan Gillett, and it would be
remiss of me not to share what I have gleaned of him with you.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hailing from Peoria, Illinois, Alan is (or possibly was) one
of the three children of Cliff and Vivian Gillett. He came to fame, or infamy
if you prefer, through a series of appearances on public access television,
especially those he made for a talent competition (possibly <i>Nashville Starseek</i>)
which aired in the early 90s by the Music City Television Network of Nashville,
Tennessee… described by WFMU as ‘a sort of low budget American Idol for the
country crowd.’ He also made an appearance, in 2000, on Chicago’s public access
TV show <i>Chic-a-Gogo.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alan clearly enjoys what he does. On both shows he bounces
around joyfully while he’s singing his songs, dragging the audience and the hosts
with him. Interviewed on <i>Chic-a-Gogo</i>, Alan reveals that he sees singing
as the ‘peak of self-expression’, and that ‘there’s harmony and disharmony,
both, in music, and that’s what expresses humanity and human nature. We need
that balance of both harmony and disharmony in order to keep life exciting.
Music is an expression of that.’ I could not have put it better myself.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipafxsAkZgfU85_XsmVF8OHf44lKCg895HRmh5W_FrF-52v2ceeeDmNMZjgF3vTbn6USpItIrfZ4R8mUNHKCYHbu7CaRU-R8FD7nwb3C_ItGaE-tfuSQ8tXAjRJp5b1HFMdfNyIif08qRm_pKXqbjss1U5wFklzuPaKejbK4qrKwZDpSgMjoybB68BPg/s581/Gillet%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipafxsAkZgfU85_XsmVF8OHf44lKCg895HRmh5W_FrF-52v2ceeeDmNMZjgF3vTbn6USpItIrfZ4R8mUNHKCYHbu7CaRU-R8FD7nwb3C_ItGaE-tfuSQ8tXAjRJp5b1HFMdfNyIif08qRm_pKXqbjss1U5wFklzuPaKejbK4qrKwZDpSgMjoybB68BPg/s320/Gillet%202.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>Alan Gillett issued two 45s on Frontier Records, sometime in
the 1990s, <b>Silver Threads Among The Gold</b> backed with <b>Blue Side of
Lonesome</b>, and the double A-side P<b>aper Roses,</b> coupled with<b> Waltz
Across Texas. </b>They appear to be the only two releases on the label, so
Frontier may have been his own vanity outlet. There are no address or contact
details on either disc, but they were mastered by Nashville Record Productions
(NPR). NPR does not operate a pressing plant, but I would guess that Gillett
had his discs manufactured locally too. Apparently, he recorded an album’s worth
of material which was available, direct from Alan, on CD-R. The album is
reputed to include a killer version of <b>Ave Maria</b>.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here, from his two known singles, are <b>Silver Threads
Among The Gold </b>and <b>Waltz Across Texas. </b>Check out Alan’s videos,
below, for his amazing performances of <b>All Shook Up </b>and <b>Personality</b>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Waltz <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQ0NTU2MzRf/alan_gillett_-_waltz_across_texas.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQ0NTU2MzRfcW1qbjE" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Silver <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQ0NTU2MzNf/alan_gillett_-_silver_threads_among_the_gold.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQ0NTU2MzNfNzgxWGo" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ytN4hSJuptk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AFxDpRXLmB8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-14046451704908411012022-10-14T10:13:00.000+01:002022-10-14T10:13:13.803+01:00Un-Note-Able<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8yc-_qz_JumPd2DO3aJDFTdWx062Fp81FSVBNmuKP8ZEynPnyQDHjuWbkeu6I58kqXTpJweXaspPyoUoZs-hX0MgVHdq6SA-C8Rj5oSIS4BBUPlGtV14oaSvHRKrhY_kJSCErfxWzdL7n3l-CJyxUfrawfmjForgZKOch6qczEQ7Ox9DF2YIqCYnrg/s500/The%20Note-Ables.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8yc-_qz_JumPd2DO3aJDFTdWx062Fp81FSVBNmuKP8ZEynPnyQDHjuWbkeu6I58kqXTpJweXaspPyoUoZs-hX0MgVHdq6SA-C8Rj5oSIS4BBUPlGtV14oaSvHRKrhY_kJSCErfxWzdL7n3l-CJyxUfrawfmjForgZKOch6qczEQ7Ox9DF2YIqCYnrg/s320/The%20Note-Ables.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Today, a couple of racks from a 1977 album that was recently
brought to my attention by the head honcho at <a href="https://wfmu.org/playlists/WR" target="_blank">Sheena’s Jungle Room</a>, and former host
of the <a href="http://musicformaniacs.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Music For Maniacs</a> blog, Mr. Fab. And I’m so glad he did, because it is
rather marvellous!<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Note-Ables were a polka band that probably hailed from
St Paul, Minnesota. Neither of their albums give much of a clue as to where the
four men – brothers (or possibly cousins) Jeff and Craig Dahlberg, Ken Trombley
and Tom Johnson - originated from, but the labels on their debut mention KNOF,
a studio facility in Minnesota that specialised in Christian and polka recordings.
Jim Reynolds, who engineered both albums, was chief engineer at KNOF before
setting up his own studio, Custom, nearby.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That first album - <i>Meet the Note-Ables – </i>is entirely
instrumental, featuring<i> </i>14 polkas and waltzes. It was recorded in
September 1976 which dates the release of this second effort, <i>Flipside</i>,
to 1977 at the earliest (not 1974 as Discogs would have you believe).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And my goodness, what a record <i>Flipside</i> is. The
Note-Ables were desperate to prove that the four of them were capable of more
than imitating Lawrence Welk at local hootenannies and shindigs: the notes on
the reverse of their debut state that their polka and waltz repertoire made up ‘just
a fraction of the many songs and styles of music the Note-Ables produce. Polka,
Waltz, Fox Trot, Country Western, Swing, Rock – ALL done in their own special
sound.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYS6pt5FS6hvBRFJSe1lGE2dws_WOn3ZS8gT49BiD1DY19OE1virlKpHzYHLSr39KjIllvNnypkEXsTUzQFFnDPO96z5q3cmJ7D4wF4nlMYBj4VSV4JwZw2l2xUNDRYKXW9Rboi59s6o2B5jmHjZJmxP6vgu4xrrLncvN-dvo-Y5kawbEZsr8AHKPMA/s600/Flipside%20flip.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="586" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYS6pt5FS6hvBRFJSe1lGE2dws_WOn3ZS8gT49BiD1DY19OE1virlKpHzYHLSr39KjIllvNnypkEXsTUzQFFnDPO96z5q3cmJ7D4wF4nlMYBj4VSV4JwZw2l2xUNDRYKXW9Rboi59s6o2B5jmHjZJmxP6vgu4xrrLncvN-dvo-Y5kawbEZsr8AHKPMA/s320/Flipside%20flip.jpg" width="313" /></a>And what a special sound it is – assuming the word ‘special’
is being used here in the same sense as we might have referred to a certain
place of learning as a ‘special school’. <i>Flipside</i> consists of 13 tracks,
the majority covers of popular standards, all played by a band who have more in
common with the Shaggs than the Stones. Clearly recorded in one take, perhaps
in an effort to capture the excitement of a live Note-Ables concert, it finds
the band stumbling – like blind men in a particularly crowded subway station –
through inept, out-of-tune versions of popular standards including several written
by or popularised by the Beatles (<b>Roll Over Beethoven</b>, <b>She Loves You</b>,
<b>I Saw Her Standing There</b> and <b>Can’t Buy Me Love</b>) as well as two
originals written by Jeff Dahlberg, <b>Lost and Found </b>and <b>Love’s Not
Always Kind</b>, a song that features the kind of trumpet break that makes you
want to set fire to all of your Tijuana Brass albums<b>.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Flipside</i> is truly mesmerising, it’s little wonder
that Mr fab refers to the act as the ‘Note -UNables’, but the whole process must
have proved a bit too much for the lads, as after destroying ten pop and
country favourites they suddenly perform an about-face and switch back to accordion-led
dance music, a genre in which they are clearly more comfortable.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here are a couple of tracks from the brilliant <i>Flipside</i>,
the Note-Ables’ supremely ham-fisted attempt at the Chuck Berry classic <b>Roll
Over Beethoven</b>, and the equally delightful <b>She Loves You. </b>You can find the whole album on YouTube should you so wish.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Beethoven <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQ0MTExMjBf/The%20Note-Ables%20-%20Roll%20Over%20Beethoven.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQ0MTExMjBfbm14VEw" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Loves <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQ0MTExMjFf/The%20Note-Ables%20-%20She%20Loves%20You.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQ0MTExMjFfeExxcUk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe></p>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-8010784412326045412022-10-07T09:44:00.000+01:002022-10-07T09:44:09.824+01:00Rock Me, Amadeo<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPCslHiSLQq0NhR5ViaAfIvjEmkeYw3GD1yWzgMTTfDRr0cUi-96al_nlRvIJXtKpNxfOxvYC8rOH5RY5mwqihnbOwoJokFefU5ueT4c0BseIlH-nTNLiDqlj4KysZFUS-Y3cHSCESqyPmw7iJV10BgbMqzMX1OsO3gVn0p9OIHdvdTQCJcJfXAedRQ/s2890/So%20Young.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2890" data-original-width="2890" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPCslHiSLQq0NhR5ViaAfIvjEmkeYw3GD1yWzgMTTfDRr0cUi-96al_nlRvIJXtKpNxfOxvYC8rOH5RY5mwqihnbOwoJokFefU5ueT4c0BseIlH-nTNLiDqlj4KysZFUS-Y3cHSCESqyPmw7iJV10BgbMqzMX1OsO3gVn0p9OIHdvdTQCJcJfXAedRQ/s320/So%20Young.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A pair of tracks from Maltese lounge singer Amadeo Carmel
today, both sides of his third single, something I was overjoyed to find in the
warehouse of a house clearance company in North Wales recently.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who is (or was) Amadeo Carmel? I cannot tell you much: he
has zero presence on the internet, and a trawl of online newspaper archives in
the UK, US and Malta revealed nothing either. His discs turn up fairly
frequently though, often in the States (and almost always autographed), so I
feel it’s safe to assume that Amadeo worked as a singer in the cabaret bar of a
hotel on the island, signing copies of his mediocre warblings for tourists
grateful for any souvenir from their trip that did not come with the obligatory
Maltese Cross emblazoned upon it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Despite being one of the most inept lounge singers of all
time, Carmel issued at least four singles, all of which are stunningly bad. Search
them out: this is the man for whom the phrase ‘flat as a pancake’ was invented.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyeY2xEfn_B4UwY4KSYvgDWWR3obFcOjReer85zhPZsCiVw9MSZ_yAWmumC5ujUDcuOLqTRss81v39cgx1HfFnDNYNTYm_Wlnfc_7yRcZj8JCQ57jX6AMR-zmz1jzARZteu5FoFUBT-nKN9FAN8nRgzO_SkQZjGWlC_0y7SvtU1WTAu-az4q45kebWQ/s2850/Try%20a%20Little%20Tenderness.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="2850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyeY2xEfn_B4UwY4KSYvgDWWR3obFcOjReer85zhPZsCiVw9MSZ_yAWmumC5ujUDcuOLqTRss81v39cgx1HfFnDNYNTYm_Wlnfc_7yRcZj8JCQ57jX6AMR-zmz1jzARZteu5FoFUBT-nKN9FAN8nRgzO_SkQZjGWlC_0y7SvtU1WTAu-az4q45kebWQ/s320/Try%20a%20Little%20Tenderness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It seems as if Amadeo only ever had two photographs taken
during his career, one where the young man looks not unlike the late Stuart
Adamson - and which appears on the rear cover of his singles – and a more
formal shot, with our boy affecting a Rat Pack-esque air, used on the front of
each sleeve. In fact, apart from the song titles, the only thing that
differentiates one disc from another is the background colour: his debut, <b>Wonderful
Illusion</b> coupled with <b>Begin the Beguine</b> (MLT 257) appeared in a blue
sleeve, then came MLT 258, <b>All Or Nothing At All </b>backed with <b>Dream </b>(in
a fetching green), MLT 259, <b>So Young </b>backed with his rather unique take
on the classic <b>Try a Little Tenderness </b>(the very yellow one that appears
here), and the only other disc I have seen so far, MLT 261, <b>My London </b>backed
with <b>So Young </b>(in orange). <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">It’s reasonably safe to assume that there was
a fifth release, MLT 260, but I have yet to uncover any details of that
particular coupling, should it have ever seen the light of day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All of Carmel’s releases come from Melita Records of Paola
(or Pawla, as it is known locally) and all come in near-identical sleeves. Melita
Records was a small operation, possibly Amadeo’s own vanity label. No other
discs have surfaced on the label and all of the discs were pressed in France or
the UK. Melita’s address, 23 Nazzarene Street, does not exist. There is a 23
Nazarene Street (one less ‘z’), and a company, Charles Vella And Sons Limited,
that has existed at that address since at least 1985. It's a tiny street that does not even appear on Google maps. Did Amadeo have an office
or even reside at that address, or was it just a useful rented mailing address?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have nothing else, although there appears to be a UK
connection: Amadeo’s own compositions, including <b>My London </b>and <b>So
Young </b>were copyrighted to a publishing house based in Honiton, Devon, the
Daylight Company. That same company ran a studio in the town for a period from 1979,
which leads me to wonder if his recordings were made there, rather than on
Malta? The discs are all undated, but were clearly manufactured in the early
1980s.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, here for your delectation, are both sides of the
third single from Malta’s Amadeo Carmel: <b>So Young </b>and <b>Try a Little
Tenderness</b>. Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Young <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQzOTM2ODVf/So%20Young.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQzOTM2ODVfTVVzMFk" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> Download Tenderness <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQzOTM2ODlf/Try%20a%20Little%20Tenderness.mp3" target="_blank">HERE </a></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQzOTM2ODlfUGEyQno" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-83139670071262550832022-09-09T09:38:00.005+01:002022-09-10T07:54:52.913+01:00Ou Est Maddy Genets?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNop-XpJ9V2PggBy0WO2IgdA6iEIzdlFI2lfPYG0dtTH09sS25kM0XeoeiQxLdtPd_JfFIqOCXw08pKVFxJnK_8eW69MuHFkGpVQObErPlJf3GjovKfPzrnTYLhPnlgtmgQRnl4Tcow7kf0bGihr-24ix_pLzcetNGcLbkxgCp775-vGNrfNQpioMjaQ/s807/Maddy%20Genets%20et%20son%20Ensemble.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="807" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNop-XpJ9V2PggBy0WO2IgdA6iEIzdlFI2lfPYG0dtTH09sS25kM0XeoeiQxLdtPd_JfFIqOCXw08pKVFxJnK_8eW69MuHFkGpVQObErPlJf3GjovKfPzrnTYLhPnlgtmgQRnl4Tcow7kf0bGihr-24ix_pLzcetNGcLbkxgCp775-vGNrfNQpioMjaQ/s320/Maddy%20Genets%20et%20son%20Ensemble.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>For today’s posting, I bring you one of those records that is
a staple of those endless ‘worst album covers of all time’ lists but which has,
until relatively recently, proved nigh on impossible to track down. Perhaps
that’s because <i>Maddy Genets et son Ensemble</i> is not an album at all, but
a four-track EP. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The entire Maddy Genets discography appears to consist of
two Eps and one 45, issued by Le Kiosque d'Orphée in Paris, a custom pressing
label for recordings made at a small studio at 20, Rue des Tournelles, a couple
of blocks from la Place des Vosges, in a gorgeous art nouveau building that now
houses a second-hand shop called Sissi’s Corner. All three releases are as rare
as Maddy’s teeth, judging by her inability to crack a smile in the portrait
that appears on the cover of this particular EP. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other two releases are credited to Maddy Genets Et Ses
Accordéons, although the trio that makes up the group appears to be unchanged;
Maddy, her husband, and a man I assume is their son. The name change I guess
came about because Monsieur Genets moved from accordion bothering to thumping
out a tune on an electric organ for the <i>Maddy Genets et son Ensemble</i> EP.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Both of these other discs come in identical sleeves, which
probably means that Maddy and her family had a bunch printed and shoved discs
in willy-nilly, depending on demand. All of the 10 songs distributed over the
three known discs are standard tourist fare, which leads me to believe that the
trio more than likely spent the early 70s busking outside Parisian attractions,
shilling their discs from a suitcase on the pavement rather than through any
stores. I have seen it suggested that some or all of the family were (or are)
blind, which would have certainly helped their earning ability, and explained
why they were unable to work out which record went in which sleeve, although as one correspondent asks, why would Maddy be wearing glasses if she were blind? Perhaps she was visually impaired, rather than completely sightless. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The music the trio played was perfectly acceptable; accordion
instrumentals with the occasional verse sung by Maddy herself, and nothing like
as awful as the covers might lead you to expect (or hope for). Perfect fodder for the tourists around Montmartre or the Marais.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, have a listen for yourself. Here are all four cuts from the
1973 EP <i>Maddy Genets et son Ensemble</i>, <b>Acropolis, Petite Fleur, Dalila, </b>and <b>Solenzara</b>. <o:p></o:p>As always, if anyone reading this has any more information on Maddy and her family, I would love to hear from you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Download Acropolis <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQzMjIwMzdf/01%20Acropolis.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQzMjIwMzdfeDNNWkM" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Petite Fleur <o:p></o:p><a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQzMjIwMzlf/02%20Petite%20Fleur.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQzMjIwMzlfWXZDQnM" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Dalila <o:p></o:p><a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQzMjIwNDBf/03%20Dalila.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQzMjIwNDBfVUV5cTM" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Solenzara <o:p></o:p><a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQzMjIwNDNf/04%20Solenzara.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQzMjIwNDNfS1Z0T2g" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-9507686821723984542022-08-26T09:21:00.003+01:002022-08-29T07:47:01.546+01:00The Ballad of Red River Dave<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zkhhy5J075lJdQ1BGmx1dTawcNzJPcNoJr3tk-hgpkQqd0et944Eebc-H9gGRrjRj12pMIwMp6bZoKt93YaY0_3oMOS7FV9XPCJTHMEA47-EwUsRzlpn9mf3bzoKOY9oqBblRH1KPyrQzGlx-qKrnejKlRend0WwFsPOzvpfNRa2eJzkEx3-uSG-bw/s600/Marilyn.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zkhhy5J075lJdQ1BGmx1dTawcNzJPcNoJr3tk-hgpkQqd0et944Eebc-H9gGRrjRj12pMIwMp6bZoKt93YaY0_3oMOS7FV9XPCJTHMEA47-EwUsRzlpn9mf3bzoKOY9oqBblRH1KPyrQzGlx-qKrnejKlRend0WwFsPOzvpfNRa2eJzkEx3-uSG-bw/s320/Marilyn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Born in San Antonio, Texas, Red River on 15 December 1914, David Largus McEnery was an American artist, musician, and
writer of topical songs who specialised in the darker side of music, writing
and performing dozens of tributes to deceased celebrities. Apparently he picked
up the nickname ‘Red River Dave’ in high school, because he enjoyed singing the
song <b>Red River Valley</b>.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">As a teenager, Dave regularly appeared on radio, as well as singing, yodelling, and performing
rope tricks at rodeos - something he would continue to do for the rest of his life. In 1936, he broadcast live from the Goodyear Blimp for
WQAM in Miami, but his career really took off (quite literally) with his song <b>Amelia
Earhart's Last Flight</b>, which it is claimed was the first song ever sung on television
in the US, broadcast from the 1939 New York World's Fair.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he appeared in
several westerns movies as a singing cowboy, playing Steve Barrett in <i>Swing
in the Saddle</i> (1944), which also featured the Nat King Cole trio and Slim
Summerville, and was either featured or starred in more than half-a-dozen shorts,
including <i>Hidden Valley Days</i> and <i>Echo Ranch</i> (both 1948). He
worked for several radio stations, including WOR in New York City, WSAI (Ohio)
and XERF, on the Texas/Mexico border. In later years, he became a well-known
painter of Texas landscapes and Western Americana themes and was often known to
paint the backs of his old guitars. Dave’s compositions (outside of the death
disc genre) include <b>Hitler Lives (If We Hurt Our fellow Man)</b>, the Wink
Martindale, communist-themed pastiche <b>Red Deck of Cards</b>, and the 1980
novelty <b>The Night Ronald Reagan Rode With Santa Claus.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoo1paeZ-57Y3s__Z4Xm1XPCHU5mZteLYd-QhwJsrC_6mKTv5JnQUXY3vz5fe8_w5lw15_IwaqnyrE_wJLCk2liF2idPsoDOcWMDR768BFNowJPNKx1iHFK91yQ4YCBiWiIg-yfzS9vDpeVWpSkJqRY4A-s2yCsaDbjmNhT6o5xiSCvSA3JNEl7_c4A/s354/Hippie.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="354" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoo1paeZ-57Y3s__Z4Xm1XPCHU5mZteLYd-QhwJsrC_6mKTv5JnQUXY3vz5fe8_w5lw15_IwaqnyrE_wJLCk2liF2idPsoDOcWMDR768BFNowJPNKx1iHFK91yQ4YCBiWiIg-yfzS9vDpeVWpSkJqRY4A-s2yCsaDbjmNhT6o5xiSCvSA3JNEl7_c4A/s320/Hippie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hugely prolific – in 1946, as part of a publicity stunt, he wrote
52 songs in 12 hours while handcuffed to a piano - Dave had a way with a death
disc, and throughout the 1950s and 60s seemed to concentrate on songs about
dead Hollywood stars, releasing ‘tributes’ to James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Bing
Crosby and Sharon Tate, as well as one dedicated to Elvis’s mother. In 1975 he
was on the cusp of issuing his latest waxing, <b>The Ballad of Patty Hearst. </b>He
had just mailed out dozens of press releases to promote the single and was
looking forward to getting some much-needed television coverage for the song, ‘with
its emotional knockout punch aimed at the Symbionese Liberation Army’ [the
newspaper heiress’s captors] when, what do you know, the FBI found Patty in San
Francisco and scuppered his plans. Dave was heartbroken. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Red River Dave joined the subjects of so many of his songs
on 15 January 2002, aged 87. His passing merited an obituary in <i>The Guardian</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here are a couple of killers from Dave’s prodigious output, his
1969 single about the Tate-LaBianca tragedy <b>California Hippie Murders! </b>and, from 1962, the surprisingly graphic <b>The Ballad of Marilyn Monroe</b>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enjoy! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Hippie <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQwODY5MDVf/Red%20Rriver%20Dave%20-%20California%20Hippie%20Murders.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a> </p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQwODY5MDVfNGlHVm8" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal">Download Monroe <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjQwODY5MDZf/Red%20River%20Dave%20The%20Ballad%20of%20Marilyn%20Monroe.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjQwODY5MDZfUzllMU8" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335991334869467480.post-9055032624749787022022-08-19T08:44:00.001+01:002022-08-19T08:44:15.143+01:00Introducing Mandy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqKpl4NGkQJ_lE7EhhTihDKnN_GJTtdIY9CA6zMbZHieTcQggJ14ENEStqeREw5p5_2x9FI29wQsoE6x4Bqh8tGC0ej5mcot8ihIs4CAuxtHqLAqnR1NjuT7wt0gGkZ2z2XGq4P5wptlLc1s41YWldkeHPhNfkQRzdjc8xF_z5XsLanHOjfhuM6-mJA/s502/Introducing%20Mandy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqKpl4NGkQJ_lE7EhhTihDKnN_GJTtdIY9CA6zMbZHieTcQggJ14ENEStqeREw5p5_2x9FI29wQsoE6x4Bqh8tGC0ej5mcot8ihIs4CAuxtHqLAqnR1NjuT7wt0gGkZ2z2XGq4P5wptlLc1s41YWldkeHPhNfkQRzdjc8xF_z5XsLanHOjfhuM6-mJA/s320/Introducing%20Mandy.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>Mandy Rice-Davies, (born Marilyn
Davies, 21 October 1944) is undoubtedly best known for her role in the 1963
Profumo scandal, the sex and spy shenanigans that rocked British society in the
early 19860s and led to the downfall of the Tory government. Ahh, simpler times:
today it seems that a government of any stripe can get away with anything. <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">For those unaware, or in need of
a refresher, it all began one weekend in July 1961 when William, Viscount Astor
(known to everyone as Bill) and his wife Bronwen were hosting a house party at
their Buckinghamshire pile, Cliveden House, with guests including the president
of Pakistan, and the then-Secretary of State for War, John Profumo and his wife,
actress Valerie Hobson. At the same time in Spring Cottage, a small house on
the Cliveden estate, 19-year-old Christine Keeler was attending a different
party held by Stephen Ward, a friend of the Astors and a keen amateur artist who
had recently been invited to Buckingham Palace, where the Duke of Edinburgh and
Princess Margaret had sat for pencil portraits. </p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">On the Saturday evening, guests from both parties mingled
at the Cliveden swimming pool. Keeler, who had been swimming naked, was
introduced to Profumo (although it was later established that the pair had met
previously), and they began an affair shortly afterwards. Sadly for Profumo,
Ward was also friends with Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, a naval attaché at the
Soviet Embassy in London - and Ivanov was also having an affair with Keeler. Profumo
broke off the affair, and that might have been the end of it had all of this
not occurred at the height of the Cold War. MI5 wanted to use Keeler to entrap
Ivanov, who they saw as a potential double agent, and they encouraged Ward to
ensure that this happened. MI5 knew of Profumo’s liaison with Keeler, and
rumours began to circulate around Fleet Street about the affair, but even then
it may have blown over if Keeler had not become involved in another scandal, a
shooting incident at Ward’s London home in December 1962 that led the press to
investigate her more thoroughly. </p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
Christine Keeler was as the apartment with her friend Marylin Davies. The man
who had tried to shoot the lock off the door, and admitted that he had intended
to kill Keeler, was Johnny Edgecombe, a petty criminal and thug who had already
carved up one of Keeler’s other lovers, Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon, on the
dancefloor of Soho’s Flamingo club, formerly owned by Jeffrey Kruger, the
founder of Ember Records. Kruger, who had helped bail Joe Meek out when he was
setting up his studio at Holloway Road, could never be accused of missing an
opportunity. Ember would issue the single <b>Christine</b> by Miss X (<a href="https://worldsworstrecords.blogspot.com/2015/04/sex-with-miss-x.html " target="_blank">which I wrote about back in 2015</a>), inspired by Christine Keeler: the enigmatic Miss X was actually Joyce Blair,
the sister of dancer and choreographer Lionel. The company also issued an album
that lampooned the whole affair, <i>Fool
Britannia</i>, featuring Peter Sellers and Joan Collins.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
Questions were being asked about the relationship between Profumo and Keeler
and about the Government’s involvement in another spy scandal concerning John
Vassall, a naval attaché at the British embassy in Moscow. Labour MPs George
Wigg and Barbara Castle took advantage of Parliamentary privilege, which
provides immunity from legal action, to refer to the rumours linking a minister
with Keeler and then raised questions about how the scandal related to the
Vassall case. Wigg demanded that there should be either an enquiry into the
rumours or a denial from Profumo, although he stopped short of identifying him
in the House.<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeh7GzmbNOiaOEN-G7IDKTa4KpL1AX2jNA8mgXqadzI4yOkVeik8Hlcd47adXd451vphvS_Y2-AkpMOcSJ71FgfjG7d8epiEIM1gYK-AXP-at9Qu3CMWSAkSM_1XMfUea7Cyksv-tvLgPqYg-738aIa7clog4eX67kjCxa0DAQK6NXOWwMCKQLuL96w/s599/hey%20Mr.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="599" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeh7GzmbNOiaOEN-G7IDKTa4KpL1AX2jNA8mgXqadzI4yOkVeik8Hlcd47adXd451vphvS_Y2-AkpMOcSJ71FgfjG7d8epiEIM1gYK-AXP-at9Qu3CMWSAkSM_1XMfUea7Cyksv-tvLgPqYg-738aIa7clog4eX67kjCxa0DAQK6NXOWwMCKQLuL96w/s320/hey%20Mr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The following day Profumo made a personal statement in which he admitted he
knew Keeler and Ward, but he insisted that ‘There was no impropriety in my
acquaintanceship with Miss Keeler and I have made this statement because of
what was said yesterday in the House by three MPs and which remarks were
protected by privilege. I shall not hesitate to issue writs for libel and
slander if scandalous allegations are made or repeated outside this House.’<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
Keeler was absent for the duration of the Edgecombe trial. Barbara Castle
suggested that Profumo could be involved with her disappearance, but Miss Davies
was happy to tell reporters that she believed that her friend was somewhere on
the Continent: ‘Christine has very influential friends who mix in diplomatic
and political circles in European capitals.’ Among her influential friends was
Alex Murray, the former lover of both Lee Middleton (Lady Lee, who would later
marry DJ Kenny Everett) and Lionel Bart (Bart once revealed that his ballad <b>As
Long As He Needs Me</b>, which was featured in <i>Oliver!
</i>and had provided Shirly Bassey with a big hit in 1960, was written about
Murray) who, under his real name Alex Wharton, had recorded Keeler’s
confessions on to tape for a possible ‘tell all’ book about the affair.<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
On 5 June 1963, Profumo was forced to admit that he had lied to the House, and
he resigned from office. <a name="_Hlk520714253">The
following month, Ward stood in the witness box of the Old Bailey, charged with
five counts of living off immoral earnings. The jury found him guilty, but he
was not there to hear the verdict. Ward was in a coma when the sentence was
passed, having taken an overdose of sleeping tablets. He died three days later,
leaving suicide notes addressed to several people including Lord Denning and Vickie
Barrett, who had claimed that Ward had picked her up in Oxford Street and had
taken her home where she was “required to be intimate with some men and to whip
and cane others.’ Ward admitted knowing Barrett and having sex with her but
denied acting as her pimp. He did admit to paying the rent on the flat occupied
by Keeler and Rice-Davies, and to introducing them to Lord Astor and others. Barrett's
letter said: ‘I don't know what it was or who it was that made you do what you
did. But if you have any decency left, you should tell the truth. You owe this
not to me, but to everyone who may be treated like you or like me in the
future.’</a><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
The series of scandals scuppered the Conservative government. Prime Minister
Harold Macmillan, who openly supported Profumo as he lied to the House,
resigned in October and the following year the Labour party won the General
Election, ending 13 years of Tory rule.<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Rice-Davies traded on the notoriety the trial brought
her, and in 1964 released a four-track EP, again for Ember, entitled <i>Introducing
Mandy</i>. That would be her only UK release, but it was followed in several
European countries by the single <b>Hey Mr Robinson </b>(a nod to Labour grandee
Geoffrey Robinson, who was alleged to have passed on highly sensitive
intelligence including defence secrets to communist agents), backed with <b>Auf
Die Grosse Liebe</b>, both sung in pigeon-German and with the tune for the
latter based on Au Clair de la Lune. </p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Over the next few decades she would be involved in
several enterprises, including running nightclubs, issuing her autobiography ad
even acting, appearing in the Tom Stoppard play, <i>Dirty Linen and
New-Found-Land</i>. She went on to appear in a number of television and film
productions, including the comedy series <i>Absolutely Fabulous</i> and <i>Chance
in a Million</i>. Her film career included roles in <i>Nana, the True Key of
Pleasure</i> (1982), <i>Black Venus</i> (1983), and <i>Absolute Beginners</i>
(1986). She was played by Bridget Fonda in the 1989 film <i>Scandal</i>, alongside
Joanne Whalley as Keeler. </p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Mandy Rice-Davies died, aged 70, on 18 December 2014 after
a long battle with cancer.<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Here are a couple of tracks from Miss Rice-Davies, the aforementioned
<b>Hey Mr Robinson </b>and, from the <i>Introducing Mandy</i> EP, her flat but
fun cover of the classic <b>You Got What It Takes</b>. Enjoy! </p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Download Robinson <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjM5Nzg2NDZf/Hey%20Mr%20Robinson.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjM5Nzg2NDZfVHA2cEw" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Download Takes <a href="https://od.lk/d/MjhfMjM5Nzg2NTFf/You%20Got%20What%20It%20Takes.mp3" target="_blank">HERE</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="25" scrolling="no" src="https://www.opendrive.com/player/MjhfMjM5Nzg2NTFfdXQ2TEc" style="border: 0;" width="297"></iframe>Darryl W. Bullockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08158619405568235974noreply@blogger.com0