Mr Krum & His Wonderful World Of Bizarre

Podcast

2011-02-13T04:04:00.000-08:00

Usual melting pot of Hip-Hop, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Rock, etc... fix a nice brew, click the play button, then head over to King Canute's Record Club for some perfect Sunday afternoon reading material to accompany the music.

Tracklisting

1. Al Jazzbo Collins And The Bandidos "Sonny Cool" (Intro)
(from "A Lovely Bunch Of...". 1967, Impulse Records, U.S. LP)
2. Eddie Hazel "Frantic Situation"
(from "Game, Dames And Guitar Thangs". 1977, Warner Bros, U.S. LP)
3. Gang Starr "Take Two And Pass"
(from "Daily Operation". 1992, Chrysalis Records, U.S. LP)
4. The Pharcyde "Passin' Me By"
(1993, Delicious Vinyl, U.S. 12")
5. Weather Report "125th Street Congress"
(from "Sweetnighter". 1973 CBS Records, U.K. LP)
6. London Posse "How's Life In London"
(1993, Bullet records, U.K. 12")
7. DJ Format feat. Sureshot La Rock "Mr DJ"
(2011, Project Blue Book, U.K. 12")
8. DJ Format "Mr DJ (B-Boy Version)"
(2011, Project Blue Book, U.K. 12")
9. The Magnetic Sounds "Super Erotica"
(from "The Magnetic Sounds". 1972, News Records, Brasilian LP)
10. DJ Format feat. Sureshot La Rock "Dope Pusher"
(2011, Project Blue Book, U.K. 12")
11. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth "Good Life"
(from "All Souled Out". 1991, Elektra records, U.S. EP)
12. Eddie Kendricks "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind"
(from "People...Hold on". 1972, Tamla, U.S. LP)
13. O'Donel Levy "I Wanna Be Where You Are"
(from "Dawn Of A New Day". 1973, People Records, U.K. LP)
14. The Credibility Gap "An Evening With Sly Stone" (Skit)
(from "A Great Gift Idea". 1973, Reprise Records, U.S. LP)
15. Sly And The Family Stone "Love City"
(from "M'Lady". 1968, Direction, U.K. LP)
16. Big Daddy Kane "Wrath Of Kane"
(1988, Cold Chillin', U.S. 12")
17. Unknown Artist "Without No Doubt...These Are The..."
(1987, U.K. 12")
18. Ultramagnetic MC's "Ego Trippin (MC's Ultra Remix)"
(from "Critical Beatdown". 1988, Next Plateau, U.S. LP)
19. Gang Starr "Code Of The Streets"
(1994, Chrysalis Records, U.S. 12")
20. Masta Ace Incorperated "Mad Wunz"
(from "SlaughtaHouse". 1993, Delicious Vinyl, U.S. LP)
21. Gabor Szabo And The California Dreamers "San Franciscan Nights"
(from "Wind, Sky And Diamonds". 1967, Impulse Records, U.S. LP)
22. People under The Stairs "San Fransisco Knights"
(from The Next Step". 1998, PUTS records, U.S. LP)
23. Rodriguez "Sugar Man"
(from "Cold Fact". 1974, Sussex Records, U.K. LP)
24. Roland Shaw And His Orchestra "Diamonds Are Forever (Reprise)*"
(from "The Phase 4 World Of Spy Thrillers". 1972, Decca Records, U.K. LP)

*Dedicated to John Barry (1933-2011. R.I.P)

Mr Krum & His Wonderful World Of Design...

2011-02-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

New blog for my artwork - here.

I'll be back on this one soon...stay tuned.

If you need your fix of Hip-Hop related goodness, goes without saying - head over to the Daily Diggers site.

Have A Happy Christmas...

2010-12-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

...lots of love, Billy Jackson, The Citizen's Band and Mr.Krum.

XXX

Billy Jackson & The Citizen's Band "Have A Happy Christmas".
(1983, Streetwise, U.K. 12")

The Christmas Get Down...

2010-12-03T04:47:00.000-08:00

It's coming up to that time of the year again when we all celebrate and remember the life of one of the greatest human beings to ever walk the face of planet earth. That's right party people, December 25th is the date that marks the passing of a true great - the Godfather of Soul, Mr James Brown.

It goes without saying he was one of the most influential musicians of our time and has left us with an immense catalogue of both solo material and production work for countless other artists' records. I own a LOT of J.B. related vinyl yet there is a whole heap more that I still need! The man was prolific as hell and definitely lived up to the title 'Hardest Working Man In Show Business'.

On Saturday the 18th of December, alongside the rest of the Vinyl Veterans and Positivity crews, I will be playing a set of James Brown influenced Hip-Hop down at The Black Lion in Brighton. Golden Era material that lifted more than a fair chunk of funk from the Minister of the Super, Super Heavy stuff. What better way to warm you up and ignite some Christmas spirit?

Kicking off at 9pm and running through til 3am (FREE ENTRY), DJ's Mac McRaw, Rob Life, Matt The Hat, Bobby Boucher, Foly, Southpaw, Tipster, OMC, Extract, Scratchy Muffin and myself will be playing nothing but J.B. related material all night long. That's basically a 100% guarantee for having a good time!

I'm gonna try and get a J.B. mix uploaded on here sometime before Christmas, for now though, to wet your appetites, here's a few cut-n-paste classics I've recorded and converted this morning. All of these records are easily obtainable online and since it's the 'season for giving' I've included links to available copies for sale on Discogs (click the track titles below) . Enjoy!

R.I.P. James Brown (May 5, 1933 – December 25, 2006). Thanks for the music!

Salaam Remi "J.B.'s 40th Anniversary Mix"
(1997, U.S. Promo 12")

DJ Format "Stealin' James (Parts I & II)"
(2007, Limited Edition, U.K. 12")

Norman Cook & Steetsahead "Payback - Final Mixdown"
(1988, Urban, U.K. 12")

Coldcut "The Payback Mix"
(1988, Urban, U.K. 12")

Froggy & Simon Harris "Froggy Mix (Sides 1 & 2)"
(1985, Boiling Point, U.K. 12")

DJ Format featuring Sureshot La Rock...

2010-11-21T10:02:00.001-08:00

Essential new Hip-Hop!

Five track 12", coming early 2011.

Listen to snippets here.

Son Of Noise

2010-11-14T13:38:00.001-08:00

Last post of the day is just a quickie to remind everyone (and myself) that I do actually collect 'proper' records as well as the stupid odd-ball curiosities.

When I was last over Rarekind they had a copy of this up on the wall and Old Man Mac McRaw commented he'd never seen it before, so for him, and anyone else who might have previously overlooked it, I thought I'd post it up here...

I bought this 12" back in 1993 on release, at a time when the Golden Era of hardcore U.K. Rap was pretty much fading out. It's kinda split in styles with the A-Side, which I've never been that keen on, leaning towards an American influenced production sound, whereas both cuts on the B-Side fit more comfortably into the typical Britcore mould which, for me anyway, is the reason for owning the record. I've uploaded three tracks from the twelve and there's also a Radio Edit of 'Crazy Mad Flow' but I haven't bothered including it here.

The main version is produced by Kobalt 60 of 'Kaos From Order' fame and also features a nice verse from Atom. There's a video for this track which is a worthwhile watch but it's the Son Of Noise 'Urban Alien Mix' that really delivers the goods along with the other flip side cut, 'Retrocide 93'. Both are heavy on the Incredible Bongo Band sampling tip, and definitely won't disappoint fans of their earlier material. Mada and Renegade execute those trademark killer scratches on 'Retrocide', which is the faster of the two tracks, and Curoc rides the beats well with his typical hardcore battle rhymes. Classic Son Of Noise.

Well, I said it was gonna be a quickie, so that's it. Check out the tracks below and if you like what you hear drop Ewan at Rarekind a line to see if he's still got a copy for sale. Failing that Discogs is well stocked.

"Crazy Mad Flow" (Urban Alien Mix)

"Retrocide 93"

"Crazy Mad Flow" (Unedit)

The Fight Of The Century...

2010-11-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

...and I'm definitely not talking about last night's pathetic three round farce between David Haye and Audley Harrison.

Nope, the bill in this case lives up to it's name in every way possible! 'The Fight Of The Century' finds Muhammed Ali and 'His Gang' coming face to face with 'Mr. Tooth Decay' on this long playing record which I plucked from the bargain bin on Friday's brief digging excursion (see last post). Now after spending a good part of the last hour scanning in the cover and recording snippets from the vinyl, a quick google search revealed this record has already been 'blogged' about elsewhere. You can grab a download of the full album here if you're one of those leachy types, or read the sort of post I probably would have written if I hadn't been beaten to it by 'Franks Vinyl Museum'.

I've decided to upload the artwork anyway as neither site have particularly good scans or include the inner sleeve, which I wouldn't normally bother with but felt compelled to include for a number of reasons ...

1. An illustration of, what I'm hoping was an actual product - the Ali boxing glove toothbrush.

2. Copy relating to a follow up vinyl release - 'Ali and His Gang Vs. "Fat Cat the Dope King" and His Sidekick Peter Pusher'. (I *NEED* this record).

3. What appears to be a photo of Ol' Blue Eyes auditioning a bunch of multi-racial kiddies for recruitment into the next generation of Black Panther activists (I'm presuming the boy to Frank's right, the girl next to him, and the kid at the bottom all received 'fails').

Back cover (click to enlarge)

Front cover (click to enlarge)

Inner sleeve (click to enlarge)

Reverse of inner (click to enlarge)

Here's a rip of my favourite section from the vinyl which includes some great Blaxploitation style drama Funk and a script that sounds like it was written by the same people responsible for the amazing 'Black Dynamite' film.

FOR ADULTS ONLY!

2010-11-14T05:18:00.000-08:00

P*ssing with rain, all Bootsales cancelled. Perfect day for a little blogging catch up. Gonna kick things off with a couple of records pulled from my local shop's 10p 45's box on Friday - two 'Listen With Rustler' 7" flexis.

I was aware of these novelty spoken word discs (that were given away with some of the top shelf lads mags of the late '70s and early '80s) but never come across any before (yes I know, very cheap, but pun intended). Unfortunately 'Plain Jane Feeling Juicy! UNCENSORED!" must have been a favourite with the previous owner and is now unplayable due to a couple of heavy creases across the fragile grooves. "Randy Rosamund's SENSUAL SECRETS" is still in good working order though and had me giggling like a little school kid throughout the 5 minutes or so of decidedly un-erotic audio.

Rosamund is a Yorkshire lass who likes nothing better than a good seeing to and talking in detail about her lovely Northern coont. She sounds about as sexy as Les Dawson and I very much doubt looked anything like the girl in accompanying magazine photos. But still, I guess it was a nice little extra for the average dirty mag enthusiast of the early eighties. Remember, back then a lot more effort was required to obtain material of this nature - I should imagine anything which was a step closer to the 'realness' was a very welcome bonus!

I ummed and erred about posting the accompanying audio for obvious reasons. At the end of the day though, the content is hugely incomparable to what you could potentially listen to (and watch) on the internet at just a couple of mouse clicks away. As I said before, this is pure comedy. I hate the term, or abbreviation, LOL but I defy anyone not to within the first minute of 'Randy Rosamund's SENSUAL SECRETS!'. Hit the play button below - if you find yourself doing anything but laughing then you should probably; a) find a sense of humour, or b) head straight to google for some real action!

October the 31st...

2010-10-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

A few records I've pulled out for the kids Halloween party. Bonus nerd points for the first person to identify which West Coast rapper sampled a line from the "Haunted Mansion" record (audio below).

"Ghostly Sounds" (197?, Peter Pan Records, U.S. LP).
Music by Gershon Kingsley. Narrated by Peter Waldron.

"Tales Of Witches, Ghosts And Goblins" (1972, Caedmon Records, U.S. LP).
Narrated by Vincent Price.

"Hammer presents Dracula" (1974, EMI Studio 2, U.K. LP).
Music by Philip Martell. Narrated by Christopher Lee.

"More Death And Horror" (1978, BBC Records, U.K. LP)
Music by Mike Harding & Peter Harwood.

"The Haunted Mansion" (1970, Disneyland Records, U.S. 7")
Narrated by Robie Lester.

"It is a rare, one of a kind, original pressing..."

2010-10-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

Rescued from 'Help The Aged' in Bognor Regis (99p).

Modern Jazz Quartet 10" Acetate (Test Pressing).

Limited Edition Artwork by ??? (Felt Tip Pens).

"And the award for 'Most Pointless Radio Edit Ever' goes to...

2010-10-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

...Akinyele - for 'Put It In Your Mouth'"!*

Finally got myself a copy of this record that's been on the low-to-medium-level wants list for quite some time (cheers Rob!). Not that many people even know about a Radio Version of "Put It In Your Mouth". I mean, why would you? Who would ever want to play an edited version of this song? I can't imagine radio stations getting away with it, even in the curse free form it's presented here, so what's the point? It's irony in the highest degree - a complete contradiction of terms! The only 'listener friendly' version that a commercial station could get away with playing is an instrumental, surely? Well, bizarrely a 'Radio' version was included on a self financed white label 12" that came out shortly before the official E.P. dropped. Credited to 'Akafella' and titled "In Your Mouth", the 12" includes Street, Radio and Instrumental versions of said track, with Street, Radio and Instrumental of "In The World" on the flip. I first heard this in the old Deal Real shop (below Dark & Cold in D'Arblay Street). Pete had a few in stock which unfortunately had all gone by the time he played me his personal copy. The other usual West End outlets had also sold out but at that time there was plenty of other decent records being released regularly so it wasn't like I was fiending for it in a big way. The official stickered sleeve E.P. finally came out on Stress and I was happy enough to pick that up.

"Put It In Your Mouth" was a huge record and played to death in the clubs - the marriage of Al Green's "I'm Glad You're Mine" drums and Brick's "Fun" guitar loop laced with Ak's hilariously ignant lyrics make for some classic tongue-in-cheek head-nodding Sex-Rap, which I guess is near on a Hip-Hop anthem of sorts. As much as I love the track it wasn't the sole reason I initially wanted the record. "In The World", the B-Side I'd heard in Deal Real, was on some proper hardcore, underground New York ish, BUT, and this to me is a big but, when I got home and played the E.P. the first thing I noticed was the inclusion of a completely different beat. What I later found out was the Large Professor produced original had been replaced with a watered down Bad Boy influenced style track, which although isn't bad, isn't great either. It was the Extra P version of "In The World" I actually wanted just as much as "In Your Mouth" and the reason I've been after a copy of the white label ever since. You didn't really think I was gonna talk exclusively about a radio version of "In Your Mouth" did you?!! As the title of the post states, it's the most pointless edit ever made! Mute or reverse as many of the curses as you like - it's still blatantly obvious what the track is all about, and it definitely ain't the delights of sucking on candy lollipops! No matter how you try and disguise it, it's not gonna go down well with sensitive day time radio listeners! As ironic as it is, that's about as interesting as it gets! ...Nope, the white label 12", for me anyway, is all about some classic mid-nineties Mad Scientist production.

I'm presuming the beat by 'the live guy with glasses' was replaced on the E.P. due to problems with sample clearance as it sh*ts all over the Jiv Pos & DJ Enuff version from a great height. Either that or there were complications with the fact Large Professor used exactly the same breaks for a remix of Tragedy's "Funk Mode". Both tracks were released around the same time, I'm not sure which came first but this was in the pre-'MF DOOM beat-recycling' days so there may have been some friction between camps over the use of the same beat. "Funk Mode" and "In The World" are based around an incredible Gwen McCrae chop laid over the hard hitting Power Of Zeus drums - classic Large Pro production. Although both are well worth having individually, an added bonus with the Akafella 12" is the inclusion of the instrumental, which if you're a fan of the L.P. makes it a fairly essential purchase. I've gone off on a bit of a tangent comparing the two records there actually. It's pretty irrelevant. I only intended to highlight the difference between the versions of "In The World" for those that didn't know.

Now this record is finally in my possession I don't have a great deal of use for the E.P. - let's be honest, "The Robbery Song" is the only other worthwhile track on it. To me this white label was the last Akinyele release that's really worth having. "Vagina Diner" and the two twelves released off it are bonafied must-have classics, "Loud Hangover" with Sadat-X was dope and "Break A B*tch Neck" is also worth having for the instrumental (only, that is, if you've got disposable income and already own all the classics, 'Random Rap Raers' and every other super expensive Hip-Hop record known to man - most of which are far better anyway). Soon after the E.P. though, it all went down hill. A string of sex influenced follow up records aiming to cash in the success of "Put It In Your Mouth" put a dead to my interest. I did buy the "Music Killz" LP but it's far from essential with only a couple of Dr. Butcher produced tracks and a J-Zone joint that I rarely listen to now. It does include the Large Professor version of "In The World" but the 12" is a cheap pick up so I'd recommend hunting that down instead. It used to be a bit of a b*tch to find and fairly expensive in the early days of eBay but it's dropped in price now and is always in plentiful supply on Discogs (watch out for the Euro bootleg though which has some extra writing running around the edge of the label).

Again, big thanks to Rob Life for supplying me with a copy on Saturday down at the Vinyl Veterans night. DJ Format absolutely smashed it by the way with one of the most impressive Hip-Hop sets I've seen or heard in a very long time, and that's regardless of the fact he played exclusively from 45s! If you get the chance to catch him in or around your town, make sure you go out of your way to do so!

Akafella "In Your Mouth" (Radio)
(1995, white label, U.S. 12")

Akafella "In The World" (Original 'Extra P' Mix)
(1995, white label, U.S. 12")

*Honorable mention goes to Tim Dog for "Forget Compton". Feel free to add on...

Podcast (Episode One)

2010-10-18T00:52:00.000-07:00

Just re-upped. Thanks Matt!

Favourite Breaks

2010-10-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

The title of this post isn't meant in it's literal form. I'm not about to start dissecting The Honey Drippers' "Impeach The President" or the Godfather's "Funky Drummer"...in fact the title of the track I am going to talk about is slightly misleading itself. I've not really got an interesting story to accompany it either, and it's far from rare or particularly desirable, just a dope record I haven't played in a good while and thought was worthy of sharing with those who might not know it.

I bought JC001 & DJ D*Zire's "Eternity" 12" when it was first released in 1991, purely for the B-Side cut "Favourite Breaks". When listening to it again (just now) I was instantly transported back into the time of my early college days. Certain records do that to me, and for some reason, others don't. I'm talking about a 'feeling' that's quite indescribable, like I can actually smell and taste that time even. Sounds weird, and I probably haven't explained it that well, but I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about.

In '91 I was heavily into U.K. Hip-Hop but hanging around with mostly 'ravers'. I was studying Graphic Design at Northbrook College in Worthing which was literally a 5 minute walk away from the infamous 'Sterns' nightclub. Most of my mates would spend their weekends up there getting E'd out of their faces and dancing all night to a genre of music I really couldn't give a toss about. A couple of them liked the odd Hip-Hop track but most, like me at the time, weren't that bothered about 'other' styles of music. 'Favourite Breaks' crossed over into that crowd and was one of the few 'Rap' tracks that all of them liked. Maybe it's the breakneck pace of the tune (126bpm) or the eery synths running through it, I dunno. Whatever it was, it definitely hit a chord with the 'rave' crowd. I must admit, it's quite a strange track that doesn't sit too comfortably amongst the traditional 'Britcore' style of U.K. Rap at the time. Come to think of it, any time really - it's an odd, genre-defying record that has little by means of comparison. The nearest similarity I can think of in 'sound' is early Massive Attack. If you don't know it have a listen below and let me know what you think. I'd also be interested to hear the opinions of people who are already familiar with this track as it rarely seems to get talked about.

I have a few other JC001 / DJ D*Zire 12"s - "Bad Place To Get Hit", "Alone" and "No MC, No Comment", all of which I would highly recommend and are real cheap pick-ups too - check your local bargain bins or failing that, Discogs always seems to be well stocked! The track I've posted here is from the "Eternity" 12" but there is also a white label, promo release of "Favourite Breaks" which includes Instrumental and Bonus Beats. Something I'd like but not for the prices listed on Discogs...just have to wait for a cheap copy to turn up somewhere else.

JC001 & DJ D*Zire - "Favourite Breaks"
(1991, Anxious Records, U.K. 12")

Ferguson Electronics catalogue (Circa 1970)

2010-10-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

I've found some wonderful bits and bobs over the last couple of years whilst up in peoples lofts, either laying pipes or draining water tanks. At the beginning of the Summer I had the pleasant task of insulating twenty or so Student dwellings. Trust me when I say, this is not the nicest job in the world! Hot, itchy, awkward...I could moan about it for days - which I did at the time - it's not the sort of work you do for any type of self satisfaction. I was however presented with a reward, of sorts, in one of the last houses which played home to a treasure trove of junk, bundled amongst the rafters. Boxes and suitcases full of unwanted clutter left behind by the previous owner. I probably spent a good couple of hours sifting through it all, hoping to find something worth salvaging, and I did in fact come way with a nice little pile of goodies that, in my mind, made it all worth while.

Out of a small box of records I rescued a classic Ska 45 - "Skinhead Moon Stomp" by Symarip, on the original Treasure Isle label, but It was actually the other bits and pieces of worthless trash that I was more excited about. One of the suitcases contained a stash consisting entirely of Carrier Bags, immaculately folded and stored away since the 1960's and 70's. I took a good selection of these, around fifty or so and most from local shops, the Graphic Design on some of them being nothing less than beautiful. Same goes for the suitcase full of Christmas wrapping paper with some fantastic examples of period design I just had to take home with me. Other bits included various tins from the '50s and '60s and random brochures and pamphlets (some pretty scary Catholic literature which features shocking quotes and images that I find both amusing and disturbing at the same time). What I want to share on here though, is this lovely little catalogue for electrical products manufactured by Ferguson in the early 1970s.

The brochure does include Televisions and other goods but I've narrowed down the point of interest to highlight some of their amazing Audio products, including a couple of really nice Portables. Click images to enlarge. Enjoy!

Hip Hop Connection #7 (August 1989)

2010-10-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

Just over six months since I last posted up any HHC scans so I think it's about that time again.

Issue seven of the self proclaimed 'Bible of Hip-Hop' is pretty solid throughout, including interviews with Silver Bullet, The Beastie Boys, Ice Cube, MC Duke and a nice track-by-track breakdown of 'Ghetto Music: The Blueprint Of Hip-Hop' by the Blastmaster himself. I've included Normski's snaps again as there's a few good'uns in there, the Big Daddy Kane shot in particular made me laugh! 'Strictly Business' gives news of Demon Boyz parting ways with Music Of Life as well as a Roland R5 Drum Machine up for grabs in the competition. Page 5 features the lyrics from the LL Cool J Flexidic which came free with this issue but unfortunately I no longer own this and have absolutely no idea what happened to it. If anybody reading this does have a copy and could send over a scan it would be much appreciated.

A few decent adverts appear throughout the pages, my favourite being for Gang Starr's debut LP 'No More Mr Nice Guy' which came (in The UK) with a free 'Movin On' 12" and was priced at an amazing £3.99!!!

As always, you can click the thumbnails for super-size, readable scans...

'Normski'

'Strictly Business' / LL Cool J

Breaks list

Silver Bullet

Boogie Down Productions

Ice Cube

B.R.O.T.H.E.R.

MC Duke

Beastie Boys

DJ Premier signature headphones...

2010-09-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of people know this but back in the late '80s and early '90s, at the height of popularity for the personal stereo, U.K. electronics giant Currys released a series of signature headphones with top DJ's of the time putting their names to the hot product. After years of searching I finally tracked down a set of the 'DJ Premier HP550s' (box fresh and all). I would have preferred the Heavyweight HP1000s which were intended for club and studio use but for 50p I'm not complaining, the sound quality of these bad-boys is top notch.

As you can see from the illustrations on the box (click image to enlarge), these durable 'lightweight' headphones were designed for everyday use - not exclusively for the aspiring DJ. Suitable for lounging on the beach, Walkman in full effect or washing the dishes whilst humming along to the latest cassette by the B-I-Z. In fact you could comfortably use these headphones whilst skate boarding, gardening, hiking, walking the dog, fishing, boating, skiing, travelling by plane, painting and decorating, the possibilities were endless.

During the period of 1988 to 1991 Currys also manufactured Cash Money and DJ Scratch editions as well as one-off Heavyweight versions from Miz, Aladdin, Richie Rich (3rd Bass) and Steve D. Now, I'm not sure how true this is but I've also heard rumours that Rumbelows ripped off the idea and at one point had a set of 'Eric B Super Heavyweight' phones which were available in most of their big city branches. I've yet to find any evidence of their existence so for the time being remain slightly sceptical.

Accompanying sounds...

Gang Starr "Words I Manifest (Special Remix)"
(1989, Wild Pitch Records, U.S. 12")

Rock On...

2010-09-21T04:52:00.001-07:00

Bognor's last remaining Record Store has finally shut up shop.

Had some fantastic stuff out of here over the years, always cheap as chips.

R.I.P. Rock On.

Podcast

2010-09-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly six months since my last Podcast - can't believe how quickly time flys! Anyway, Waxer's kind comments on this weeks Disco Scratch Radio show inspired me to pull my finger out and have a sift through the crates. The usual format - Soul, Funk, Break-to-the-Beat, Bootsale pickups, new(ish) and old Hip-Hop, etc... included amongst the selections is a short Female Rap segment as well as an appreciation for Fatback penned goodness. Goes without saying - all ORIGINAL vinyl pressings. Enjoy...

Tracklisting

1.Gene Harris "Prelude"
(from "AstralSignal". 1974, Blue Note Records, U.S. LP)
2. The Sound Of Feeling "Along Came Same"
(from "Spleen". 1969, Mercury Records, U.K. LP)
3. Quincy Jones "Snow Creatures"
(from "The Heist". 1972, Reprise Records, U.K. LP)
4. Edan "Beauty"
(from "Beauty And The Beat". 2005, Lewis Recordings, U.S. LP)
5. Memory Man ft. Kool Keith "The Kool Keith Show"
(2007, Chopped Herring Records, U.S. 12")
6. James William Guercio"The Chase"
(from "Electra Glide In Blue O.S.T." 1973, United Artists, U.K. LP)
7. Astra Nova Orchestra "Soul Sleeper"
(1974, Alaska Records, U.K. 7")
8. Undercover latin break
(sampled by the P-Brothers)
9. Roy Head "She's About A Mover"
(from "Same People". 1970, Dunhill Records, U.S. LP)
10. Oxygen "Gone Diggin"
(2010, BBP / Big City Records, U.S. 7")
11. MC Lyte "Cappucino (DJ Doc Remix)"
(1990, First Priority Music, U.S. 12")
12. Queen Latifah "Latifah's Law"
(from "All Hail The Queen". 1989, Tommy Boy Records, U.S. LP)
13. Yo-Yo "Dope Femininity"
(1990, Atlantic Records, U.S. 12")
14. (Roxanne) Shante "Straight Razor (Large Professor Remix)"
(1992, Livin' Large, U.S. 12")
15. Rimshots "Dance Girl"
(1974, Astroscope, U.S. 7")
16. The Fatback Band "Why Is It Hard To Do (Things I Wanna Do)"
(from "Feel My Soul". 1974 Perception Records, U.S. LP)
17. Mexicanos "Street Dance"
(from "Soul Construction". 1976, Klik Records, U.K. LP)
18. Original Tropicana Steel Band "Spanish Hustle"
(from "Hot Steel". 1978, Polydor Records, U.K. LP)
19. Main Source "Just Hangin' Out (Our Hood)"
(1991, Wild Pitch Records, U.S. 12")
20. Gwen McCrae "90% Of Me Is You"
(from "Rockin' Chair". 1975, Cat Records, U.S. LP)

Vinyl Veterans

2010-09-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

New night in Brighton.

The Vinyl Veterans are Bobby Boucher, Mr.Krum, Mac McRaw, Matt The Hat & Scratchy Muffin...

Forthcoming guest sets from DJ Format, Daily Diggers, Andy Eldica, Baby Charles, Rob Life, DJ Prone & more…

Facebook: Vinyl Veterans (for further info)

B-Boy Break from Hell...

2010-08-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

MPC 2000 edit...

Insane Macbeth (update)

2010-08-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

Just had word from Insane Macbeth that, despite the fact the 'True Heart' 12" is regularly selling for good money on eBay and Discogs, he still has copies of both the Black and Limited Edition RED vinyl available to buy direct.

Contact insanerecordings (at) aol (dot) com if you're in the London area, or, if you require mail order, hit up Disorda at Suspect Packages.

Check Insane Macbeth's myspace for news on current and upcoming projects and follow him on Twitter here.

Insane Macbeth featuring The Legendary Icepick (former associate of HIJACK and KATCH 22) 'True Heart'

Insane Macbeth featuring The Legendary Icepick 'Judgement Freestyle'

Record Heads...

2010-07-08T10:26:00.001-07:00

Vintage...

2010-07-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post until I have time to write something a little more substantial.

As well as working my b*llocks off during the tiresome hours of 8-5, I've been hard at it organising the Vintage at Goodwood Pre-Festival Party. For those of you unfamiliar with the forthcoming event (13th-15th of August), take the time out to have a good look around the website - here.

Festivals in the past have never really offered enough for me to warrant the ticket prices. Standing round in a field full of people I'd rather not be with, paying extortionate prices for cr*p food and probably only seeing one or two artists I'm actually interested in, isn't really my idea of fun. 'Vintage at Goodwood' is something a bit different though. Confirmed acts playing over the weekend include Cymande, Leroy Hutson, Jean Jacque Perrey, Earth Wind & Fire, Martha and The Vandellas, Joe Bataan, Ann Sexton, The Pretty Things and Tony Hatch, amongst a long list of impressive others. The line up of DJs is pretty amazing too - Keb Darge, Jazzie B, Jonny Trunk, Norman Jay, John Stapleton... to name just a few. Like I said, check the website. I can't really do it justice here.

Below is a 'Leisure Dome' style playlist I put together, as well as the artwork for the back of the Pre-Festival Party flyer. I'll be DJing on the night alongside Mex (Black Grass), Wayne Hemingway and his son Jack. If you're local, come along - should be a great night...

1. Valiant Orchestra "Call It What You Like".
2. Ian Carr's Nucleus "Roots".
3. Northern Dance Orchestra "Mas-Que-Nada".
4. Trax Four "Comin' Home Baby".
5. Adam Best "Wall Of Sound".
6. George Shearing "The World Is A Ghetto".
7. Elaine Delmar "Sneakin' Up On You".

(click to enlarge)

And for all you other collector nerds out there, here's a little snap shot of some of my favourite 'Vintage-ness', including some recent pick ups - The Sharp GF 525 Boombox, the 'Record Selector' and a small batch of 'Disco 45' mags. I know. I'm a geek.

(click to enlarge)

Summer BBQ All-dayer - Audio (Brighton)

2010-06-27T01:56:00.000-07:00

Super busy at the moment but plenty of posts in the pipeline...stay tuned.

Gone Diggin...

2010-05-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

...arrived through my letter box this morning...

Direct pre-orders via Oxygen are now SOLD OUT and all records have been shipped. If you missed out, hit up Jared from Big City Records in N.Y. - beatstogo(at)gmail(dot)com. He still has copies available in the shop and will ship Worldwide.

Oxygen "Gone Diggin" snippet (2010 B.B.P. / Big City Records)

They reminisce over youth...

2010-05-17T05:45:00.001-07:00

Remember 'Pebble Mill'? What about 'Radio Victory'? If you're younger than thirty you probably won't be familiar with either. And if you've never lived in or around Hampshire then the answer to the latter is more than likely 'no'. To be honest though, you didn't really miss much...

Pebble Mill was an early afternoon chat show which ran through the 1970s up until the mid '80s on BBC1 or BBC2. I suppose the closest we've got to it now is 'This Morning' (which is only worth watching for Holly Willoughby, if you're lucky enough to have the day off work). The faint recollections I have of the show are from spending time round my Grandparents' house as a kid. Nan and Pops loved the show but for a young lad there wasn't really much going on to grab your attention. I'd usually head out to the garden for a kick about when it started, sometime just after lunch.

Radio Victory was your typical regional Radio Station that played little more than the average run-of-the-mill Pop cr*p. The only time I ever listened to it was with my Dad and Uncle on the way home from Fratton Park on Saturday afternoons. The jingle they used to play before reading the Football results was a favourite in the car. A good old sing along was guaranteed if Pompey'd had a good win.

The other memory I have of Radio Victory is from around fifteen years ago when they sold off their entire library of vinyl. Barry Styles, Nic Bossa and myself headed over to Portsmouth (maybe Gosport or Fareham, can't remember) on the day of the sale and after queuing up for an hour or so were told we had a fifteen minute limitation on digging time. So many people had turned up it was the only fair(ish) way they could handle the numbers. Once in, it was all a bit overwhelming with around twenty other record fiends scrambling around a room full of uncatergorised vinyl - the clock quickly ticking away in the background. Everything was 50p and I dis pull out some nice James Brown albums and a couple of Hip-Hop bits but I think we'd probably been beaten to most of the real gems that day. Still, a great experience which I wish I could relive all these years later.

Anyway, about a year ago I picked up this album - "Down At The Old Pebble Mill". I can't remember where from, which is unusual for me as I can normally recall where I bought, and how much I paid for, pretty much every record I own. I don't even know why I picked it out in the first place but ended up buying it for Elaine Delmar's version of "Alone Again (Naturally)". It was only a few days ago though that the lovely certificate from Radio Victory (below) popped out whilst removing the vinyl from the sleeve. I'd not noticed it before. Apparently Barbara Pryce won the 'Vintage Competition' on Dave Carson's Victory Vintage show back in 1978. This record was obviously her prize. Now I'm pretty sure the station folded a few years ago, I definitely haven't heard the name for some time anyway, but the sight of this certificate sparked off the memories I wrote about above and the reason I decided to post it here. It also reminded me of the one and only prize I have won in a competition of this type, which must have been in 1989 - the prize being De La Soul's "3 feet High And Rising" on cassette. Winners could choose any title from the U.K. Top 40 Album Chart at the time. I can't remember exactly how you won but I was pleased as punch when the tape arrived in the post a few weeks later. I wish I'd kept my own congratulatory certificate and also, not leant the cassette to Stuart Potts - his two year old brother pulled it to pieces leaving it long past any state of repair. Little b*stard.

All these memories, that were pretty much buried and lost along with a million others, have all come flooding back, thanks to a record and piece of paper that lay tucked inside it's sleeve for just over thirty years. Thank you Barbara, for either selling me this album at Boot Sale or donating it to a Charity Shop that I might have bought it from. I've had a lovely afternoon reminiscing over my youth.

So I guess you're wondering about the music on the record then? After all, this blog is meant to be about vinyl and the wonderful sounds some of it creates. Well like I said, I bought the album for the Elaine Delmar song. I already had the original pressing of her self titled album, which includes this track, and was hoping for a live version with alternative drum break intro. Alas, it's exactly the same, only slightly shorter. Still, nice to have doubles of a dope drum break. The fact that one of them appears on an album celebrating 1000 editions of a crappy British TV program gets bonus points from me for novelty value alone. There's f*ck all else on the record but if you like theses drums and wanna save yourself a few quid, keep an eye out for it on your travels. The Elaine Delmar LP goes for considerably more money, with not a great deal else warranting the extra cash you'd need to spend. Do yourself a favour and grab the BBC product for pennies instead of pounds. Having said that, there is a nice moody version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" which makes for good sample material, and the entire album is arranged and conducted by Nick Ingman so it's worth picking up if you see it for a fiver or so, just don't get drawn into eBay prices . If I didn't already own the original I'd be more than happy having this one track on the Pebble Mill LP.

Elaine Delmar "Alone Again (Naturally)" (1972, MCA Records UK)*

*I recorded this from the original album but the Pebble Mill version is EXACTLY the same, just fades out a little earlier.

An open letter to Lionel Morton...

2010-04-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Morton,

Firstly, I would like to say thank you for the many hours of entertainment you provided as a presenter on one of my favourite television programs as a child. Growing up in England during the 1970s 'Play School' was a firm favourite in the Krum household and I have many a'fond memory of you, along with other members of the gang (Brian Cant, Johnny Silvo, Carole Ward, etc, never liked Johnny Ball too much) telling stories, playing games, singing songs and generally having fun. My brothers and I would regularly participate in activities you encouraged on screen and thoroughly enjoyed singing along to beloved Nursery Rhymes like 'Three Blind Mice', 'Old McDonald' and even some of the more crazy ones you occasionally made up.

Enough of the niceties though. This isn't some belated show of gratitude, far from it on fact. I am actually writing a rather disgruntled response to a certain record you released in 1973 on the U.K. budget label, Contour.

Now, as a 34 year old man, with an unhealthy obsession for, what are known in the collectors' world as, 'drum-breaks', I was most disappointed to discover the omission of Roger Swallow's banging skins on the re-recording of 'Fearless Fred's Amazing Animal Band' from the aforementioned LP. As drum-breaks on novelty records go, the original version, from the 'Play School' album, is actually up there with the best of 'em. I've found numerous copies of the BBC released version over the years but never one which retains any condition. I guess the kids who owned them back then had as much fun listening to them as I did watching your show and held little regard for the care and attention that vinyl so desperately needs.

Imagine then, how pleased I was to find an album, which includes the said track, in near mint condition. 'Over the moon' you might say. OK, so the cover isn't nearly as attractive as the 'Play School' one but I can live with it. What I can't live without though is the DRUM-BREAK. Where's it gone? Why? What on earth possessed you to go back in the studio and re-record the whole song without including Ollie The Octopus' hard hitting drum solo? I mean, come on, the pathetic little knocks that can be heard on the newer version are just not doing it. Didn't you realise at the time there would be people, twenty to thirty years later, searching for obscure sources of sample material on records like this? You really should have thought more carefully before depriving the drummer of his shine. You could have had an album, with your face across the whole front cover, which would later become a fabled piece amongst the break-digging community. Instead it's just another throw-away kiddies LP that will never be included in any Ikea-Expedit-Show-Off-My-Records display type photos. You could have been up there, up amongst the best of 'em...

If only you'd included those drums...

Anyway, glad I've got that off my chest. Just in case you've forgotten what the different versions sound like I've recorded them both for you to compare*.

Feel a bit silly now, don't you Mr. Morton?

Yours sincerely,

Mr.Krum

Lionel Morton 'Fearless Fred's Amazing Animal Band'
(from 'Play School'. 1972, BBC Records, U.K, LP)

Lionel Morton 'Fearless Fred's Amazing Animal Band'
(from 'Lionel'. 1973, Contour, U.K, LP)

*Drum break on the original version just after the 1min mark.

Got doubles???

2010-04-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Head over to The Daily Diggers and submit your photos...

GIFTED UNLIMITED RHYMES UNIVERSAL

2010-04-20T12:14:00.001-07:00

Rest in peace KEITH ELAM. One half of my favourite group, period. Thanks for the music - the most treasured records in my collection.

Gang Starr "Mostly Tha Voice"
(from "Hard To Earn".1994, Chrysalis, U.S. LP)

Kurious (Summer Sundays Part 4)

2010-04-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

First post for two weeks! The weather's been too good to be stuck inside writing about vinyl. Thought I'd best drop another Summer tune though for the three or four people who are interested...

This is the radio edit of Kurious' classic "Uptown Sh*t", fittingly retitled "Uptown Hit". It's a bit of odd one really. They took the time out to re-record the vocals, yet couldn't be bothered to switch up some of the lyrics, instead relying on the old 'reverse' option for selected curses. The chorus has obviously been changed but the singing on the outro remains as 'Uptown Sh*t'! Must have caught a few Radio DJ's off guard on first spin - quite funny though, whether deliberate or not.

Don't know if it actually was/is a New York Summer anthem, but the track definitely conjures up images of the Big Apple around this time of year, for me anyway. Vintage Beatnuts production utilising a Roy Ayers sample, layered with echoed horns and snappy drums - perfect driving music for the hot Summer months. Kurious' crew, The Constipated Monkeys also make an appearance on this one.

Enjoy...I'm off to spark up the BarBee...

Kurious "Uptown Hit" (1993 Columbia U.S. 12")

Nomad Soul (Summer Sundays Part 3)

2010-04-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

A day late with this post but never mind, yesterday was still pretty good weather wise, so here's the third installment of Summer Sundays. This is a 12" cut by U.K. producers Dobie and Howie B, who were collectively known as Nomad Soul. I'm pretty sure this is the only record they released under that moniker although they did produce a few remixes using the same name, most notably London Posse's classic "Jump Around" as well as Boo Ya Tribe's "Psycho Funk". I've got a fair few of Dobie's solo 12"s and of course, another London Posse classic which he also skillfully crafted - "How's Life In London". The guy's a gifted and highly underated producer in my opinion.

Now if you're familiar with the records just mentioned, which you should be, don't expect anything too similar from this track. It's hard to categorise "Candy Mountain". The beat I guess could be described as Hip-Hop (Steve Park's "Moving In The Right Direction" looped up over the Honey Drippers' drums) and although it's laced with sweet Female Soul vocals (courtesy of Diane Charlemagne), I wouldn't call it R&B. Don't know what you could tag it as really. No matter, it's not all that important, just file under 'good music'.

Whenever I play out over the Summer months I usually give this record an airing and more often than not get asked what it is and who it is by. All types of people seem to love it. It took me ages to find a copy back in the early '90s, after initially hearing about it, I think, through an older local DJ called Greg Tipper (although it might have been Mex, I can't remember for sure. If you read this Greg, hope you're doing well). Eventually one turned up at the bootsale in Croydon's Multi Storey Car Park for next to nothing. And the good news is, for those of you who might also want a copy, it can still be found today, nice and cheap, on Discogs and in plentiful supply. There's actually three different pressings listed but oddly none are the same as the one I have. They all include the Radio mix though which is the only version you need anyway.

Here's the MP3. Enjoy...

Nomad Soul "Candy Mountain (Radio Mix)"
(1991, Island Records, U.K. 12")

Tougher Than Leather...

2010-04-05T10:02:00.001-07:00

On special occasions I will now be rocking this vintage 1950's Leather Flight Case, supplied by the 'House Clearance Man' and sponsored by Puma Strut Records.

That is all.

Podcast

2010-04-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

"Disc-Jocks created Hip-Hop, check it out..." (Rakim Allah)

Tracklisting

1. Demon Boyz "We Call Him D.J. Devastate"
(from "Recognition". 1989, Music Of Life, U.K. LP)
2. D.J. Scratch & G-O-D "The Party Is Jumpin"
(1988, Universal Sound Productions, U.S. 12")
3. T.D.S. Mob "T.D.S. Scratch Reaction"
(1989, Race Records, U.S. 12")
4. Gang Starr "D.J. Premier In Deep Concentration"
(1989, Wild Pitch Records, U.S. 12")
5. Kool G Rap & D.J. Polo "Butcher Shop"
(1989, Cold Chillin, U.S. 12")
6. Marley Marl "He Cuts So Fresh (featuring M.C. Shan)"
(1987, MCA Records, U.S. 12")
7. Three The Hardway featuring White Flash "Hyped"
(1988, Hardcore Records, U.S. 12")
8. Word Of Mouth featuring D.J. Cheese "Coast To Coast"
(1986, Profile Records, U.S. 12")
9. Low Profile "Think You Can Hang?"
(from "Rhyme Syndicate Comin' Through". 1988, Warner Bros, U.S. LP)
10. D.J. Cash Money & Marvelous "New Sheriff In Town"
(1989, Sleeping Bag Records, U.S. 12")
11. D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince "The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff"
(1987, Champion Records, U.K. 12")
12. Ultimate Force "Supreme Diamond D"
(1989/2007, Strong City Records, U.S. 12")
12. Unique "Axe Maniac"
(1989, New Day Records, U.S. 12")
13. Tuff Crew "Soul Food"
(from "Back To Wreck Shop". 1989, Warlock Records, U.S. LP)

The Cyrkle (Summer Sundays Part 2)

2010-03-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Seems I jinxed the weather after last Sunday's post - been p*ssing it down all week here! After a slightly overcast start this morning the clouds broke and it's been a fairly decent day in all. Picked up some decent Hip-Hop and late '70s Soul at the early Boot Sale, nothing at the afternoon one.

Anyway, since the sun has had his hat on today, I'm gonna post track two for the "Summer Selections" compilation. This is from the album "Neon" which I picked up a month or so ago at my local Record Shop. Paid £5 for an ORIGINAL SEALED copy (of which he had multiples). I did previously own this LP but it got ditched along with 1000 or so other records shortly after I split up from my children's Mum (can't remember if I've mentioned that tragic tale on here before. Heartbreaking at the time, I'm over it now though).

"The Visit (She Was Here)" is another beautiful song, with that kinda, Psychy, drifty, U.S. 'Sunshine Pop' sound. Everyone's favourite dead producer, Jay Dee, sampled it for Tribe's "Get A Hold" although it's not an instantly recognisable break, so listen closely. I had it recorded on tape from years ago and, for some reason, always associate it with Summer. It's one of those songs I never tier of no matter how many times I hear it.

So this is track two for those of you that can be bothered to download. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do...

The Cyrkle "The Visit (She Was Here)"
(from "Neon". 1967 Columbia, U.S. LP)

Hip Hop Connection #6 (July 1989)

2010-03-24T03:17:00.000-07:00

Still haven't managed to track down a copy of issue 5, although I've gotta be honest, I haven't really been trying all that hard. For now I'm skipping straight to issue 6 from July '89, which sadly isn't as good as the last edition I posted. There's an in depth interview with Russell Simmons which is quite an interesting read (for some reason I cut out the 'MC's' type from the Ultras poster so a small section of the article is missing), a good eight page coverage of the infamous Bridlington Graf Jam (some top photos here - haircuts and tracksuits to go!), and the first appearance of the 'Demo Blaster' section. 'Strictly Business' gives news of a forthcoming, exclusive LL Cool J flexidisc and 'On The Tip' sees Wendy K taking a pop at The 45 King for keeping the breaks he uses close to his chest (oh dear). Short but sweet interviews with Prince Lover Dalu and T La Rock are worth a read as is Malu Halasa's 'Science' article and the 'Gangsta Limpin' section (some cool photos included). I've also posted this shot from Normski's photo page - a scene of total chaos at the Ultramagnetic's Dingwalls show - any one reading in attendance on the night? Love to hear some stories!

Click thumbnails for super-size readable scans...

Strictly Business / On The Tip

T La Rock

Science

Prince Lover Dalu

Demo Blaster

Gangsta Limpin

Russell Simmons

Bridlington

Leo's Sunshipp (Summer Sundays Part 1)

2010-03-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

Digger supreme, Kid Dyno, has just dropped a nice selection of B-Boy jams to help get things warmed up for the forthcoming Summer months - go check it out here - I'm 20 minutes in so far and it's been fire all the way!

It's funny how a little bit of sunshine can perk you up and inspire certain listening habits. I always find myself pulling out records that spark an uplifting summery feeling around this time of year and I've spent the afternoon recording some of my favourites. In the good spirit of Summer I thought I'd spread love and share them with you here, all in high quality 320Kbps format. From now until the official beginning of the season, which is July the 21st, I will upload a track on every Sunday that we have good weather. The idea is, that by the time the longest day of the year comes around you will have downloaded enough songs to burn off a nice CD to listen to throughout, what will hopefully be, a decent couple of months sunshine.

The first track I've selected was a recent-ish Boot Sale pick up and a bit of 'no-brainer' really, an absolutely beautiful cut by U.S. Soul-Funk group 'Leo's Sunshipp'. Years ago I remember Nic Bossa harping on about the album this song originally appeared on but I've yet to come across a copy in the wild. As much as I'd love an original pressing of the album I simply don't pay good money for anything other than Hip-Hop so I'm pretty resided to the fact I will probably never own it. I do however have the original U.K. single of "Give Me The Sunshine" which includes "I'm Back For More" on the flip, arguably the best two tracks on the album anyway, and on deep cut 12" grooves - nice and LOUD. If I had to pick a track that I thought best represented the widely thrown around term 'Rare Groove', then this would be it. Beautiful really is the best way to describe this song and it makes for perfect late night listening on those sweaty Summer evenings. Get your download on and enjoy, this is the obvious choice for Track One on your 'Summer Selections' CD, Track Two coming next week, weather permitting!

Leo's Sunshipp "Give Me The Sunshine" (1980 Grapevine U.K. 12")

Esther Phillips and The Private Investigators

2010-03-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of Saturday's ago my kids were away for the weekend with their Mum so I took the opportunity to hit a few charity shops in the morning before lunchtime kick off at Fratton Park. I took the camera out to document the days digging but haven't yet got round to finishing the post (dragging those damn pictures about drives me mad). Anyway, one of the records I picked up on that day was Esther Phillips's 1975 Kudu release "Esther Phillips With Beck". It's an OK LP with a few decent tracks but nothing particularly outstanding. It does however feature a song which I immediately recognized as being sampled on a Hip-Hop record that I've been trying to track down for ages.

I first heard "Mom Dukes" a year or two ago on a DJ Premier radio show from 1993 and although I'd asked quite a few people about the song nobody seemed to know who it was by. I'd pretty much given up on it until the sample popped up on this Esther Phillps LP. Now, I'm not really a great fan of 'The-Breaks' or any other similar website that straight up 'snitches', as Primo would say, but in this case I must say I'm quite grateful for the info. A quick 'artist search' for Esther Williams revealed that "Hurtin' House" was sampled by a group called 'Private Investigators' on the track "Mom Dukes". Bingo! Problem solved! I'd never heard of 'Private Investigators' before so next stop was Discogs, and luckily for me there was a plentiful supply of cheap copies available for sale. A week later and the record was finally in my hands.

So who exactly are the 'Private Investigators'? Well, it turns out 'they' were in fact The Redhead Kingpin (and his crew), which probably explains why I must have overlooked it in the racks at the time. 1993 was pretty much the peek of my Hip-Hop buying habits when I'd spend just about every penny I earned on vinyl. There wasn't much at the time that I didn't buy and even some fairly average records (in hindsight) were snapped up. Still, I don't remember seeing this about. Maybe I did, and maybe it was the Redhead Kingpin tag that put me off. I'm surprised I didn't at least give it a listen though - there's Diamond D remix on here for G*d's sake! Anyway, thanks to Esther Phillips (and the Scope Charity Shop it came from) "Mom Dukes", or the 12"s' A-Side title "Who Am I?", sits happily in the shelves alongside all the other classics featured on that DJ Premier radio show.

The record as a whole is pretty decent for a cheap pick up. You get three different mixes (and album Instrumental) of "Who Am I?" plus the album versions of "Mom Dukes" and "Mash Up The Mic". The latter is a typical party style tune from that era - think "Igpay Atinlay" by Black Madness or KGB's "Pick Up The Pace" - pretty cool for occasional play but slightly irritating after repeat listening. The title track in it's LP form features a hard, sinister beat but is let down by the rappers who sound like they wanna be the bastard sons of Onyx and Leaders Of The New School. Thank god for the instrumental. The Diamond D remix is vintage early '90s DITC production - deep bassline, screaming horns and hard hitting drums - Lord Finesse or Big L would have been so dope on this but unfortunately there's no vocal-less version to put their accapellas over. Shame. Anyway, all of these tracks are kind of a bonus for me since I only bought if for the timeless ode to mothers across the world, which I love. To hear DJ Premier cutting up doubles live on radio click here. Listen to the whole show and weep at the state of current Hip-Hop compared to the classics that were getting dropped weekly back then. At the same time remind yourself that not only is DJ Premier the best Hip-Hop producer to ever do it, he is arguably the greatest DJ too.

Private Investigators "Mom Dukes" (1993 Virgin U.S. 12")

Esther Phillips "Hurtin' House" (1975 Kudu U.K. L.P. track)

Royalty checks...

2010-03-19T03:35:00.000-07:00

Fairly recently I dug up a couple of obscure records that have very interesting stories behind them, which as far as I know, are not documented anywhere else on the Internet. There's a few brief references to both pieces of vinyl on various sites, but nothing that delves much deeper than the basic acknowledgement of their existence.

Now being from the U.K. it was particularly interesting for me to learn that both these records, which are by U.S. artists and were manufactured in the States, have a link extremely deep rooted within the British Isles, funding being supplied by a most unlikely source. Before I get into all that though, lets kick off with some basic info...

The first record is by a group called The America Poeple (sic) on the Attack label out of Richmond, Virginia. This was the only release by the group and although the small print states both sides are 'from Attack LP 6910', it never saw the light of day (more about that later). Side-A's "Give It Up If You Can't Do Nothing With It" is a funky Soul cut that sounds like it was recorded in a garage. This isn't a bad thing, if like me, you dig that gutter raw production approach. The band aren't the tightest in the world and the singer lacks a certain spark, but the song itself is one catchy number that I find myself playing on a regular basis. The B-Side is an instrumental take (always a bonus) with added party atmosphere - people chatting, laughing, drinking and generally sounding like they're enjoying themselves. This record is one of my favourites from a small batch of very similar 45's I picked up at the Boot Sale last Summer. All on tiny labels and all possessing that same 'homemade' charm. I might write about a few more on a later date but for now enjoy the rips of both sides below, a little crackly I know but hey, that's the world of obscure Funk 45s for ya!

The America Poeple "Give It Up, If You Can't Do Nothing With It"

Prince Charles & The Royal Guards "Funky Bootie"

The second record, again a one off label release on 'Rolls Royce Records' is a Rap 12" by The Two Fresh Brothers featuring Easy El & Chilly D, from 1986. The twelve includes four tracks in all - "She's Fine" (Club, Radio and Dub versions) and "Don't Even Try It". "She's Fine" is an OK-ish sparse drum machine cut, typical of the period with The Two Fresh Brothers trading lines back and forth, sounding like a cross between Run DMC and Black Rock & Ron. This track doesn't do a great deal for me. The subject matter, the odd tale of a supposedly fit girl that eats a lot and then moves on to the next man, isn't particularly interesting and doesn't get any better after repeated listening, but never mind, the bonus flip side cut "Don't Even Try It" is dope. Like the old saying goes, "B-Side wins again". Credited as an accapella, it's actually a Beatbox (courtesy of Easy-El) backed battle/brag rap, with The Two Brothers, again, trading lines back and forth, this time coming off far harder and even more reminiscent of Black Rock & Ron (or The Vicious Four as they were known at that time). Funnily enough one of the lines refers to them originating from Hollis, Queens so the Run DMC influence is obviously close to home.

If you can track down a copy of this 12" then it's well worth copping for the B-Side alone but check out both cuts below...

The Two Fresh Brothers "She's Fine"

The Two Fresh Brothers "Don't Even Try It"

So there you have the records, now here comes the really interesting part, the story behind them. The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the name 'Prince Charles' credited on both labels, I'm sure however you haven't made the connection yet. 'Prince Charles' is actually the Prince Charles. The Prince Of Wales or, as he's less well known - Charles Philip Arthur George. That's right, just like the also very unassuming snooker wiz Steve Davis, turns out old Charlie boy is a massive Black music lover. Rumour has it that one of the wings in Clarence House was specially converted in the early '80s to house his ever increasing Northern Soul and Funk collection. And even more amazing is the fact that before The Princes Trust got off the ground, Charles was lending financial support to budding musicians across the globe who were struggling to make the break.

At the tender age of 23, whilst serving in the Royal Navy, a brief post in Richmond, V.A, gave him exposure to a bubbling Black Music scene in the underground clubs across the city. One particular group playing regular late night spots caught his attention and a meeting was arranged, the result being the Royally financed release of the America Poeple's "Give It Up If You Can't Do Nothing With It" 45. In honour of the Prince's commitment to the band they decided to credit the B-Side as 'Prince Charles & The Royal Guards' and the label was apparently named 'Attack' as a tongue in cheek nod to a higher ranking officer in Charles' fleet - 'attack' being his favourite phrase when at sea and confronted with unknown vessels. Unfortunately due to a short notice re-posting Charlie was unable to follow through with promotion duties that were lined up and the single sunk without trace, subsequently the planned album which had already been recorded was never released.

Some 25 years later a chance meeting with long time friend Larry Joseph led to another vinyl venture for the Prince who'd been looking to release a 'Rap' record since first hearing 'Planet Rock' on a trip to New York in the early '80s. Much like the America Poeple 45, only brief financial support was supplied before Charles' ever growing family commitments took hold and the group were left to fend for themselves. Despite the Prince managing to attract further financial support from the prestigious UK car company Rolls Royce, the record received poor promotion and minimal radio play, resulting in little more than a very minor local hit. You'll notice a similar reference to Charles on the label credits - 'The Prince Charles Crew presents...'. By the time this was released he was married to Diana with both William and Harry in tow, so the term 'Crew' was adopted, cheekily applied by Chilly D to help give the family's 'street cred' a boost.

So there you have it, the story of Prince Charles, the Funk 45 and the Hip-Hop 12". Who would have thought it ay? Of course it's all a load of b*llocks that I just made up to keep myself amused whilst I'm rained off from work. It does tie the two, otherwise completely unrelated, records together quite nicely though.

Enjoy the music.

Philips 'Discleaner'

2010-03-17T04:25:00.001-07:00

Another one rescued from a customer's loft...

In Search of The Holy Grail...

2010-03-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

The weather's starting to pick up a bit and so is my anticipation for this summer's Car Boot Sale shenanigans which will hopefully be better than last season's complete washout.

I'm sure there's more than a few of you out there who enjoy the 5 a.m. start on a sunny Sunday morning as much as I do, trekking round country fields in search of the unknown. The smell of greasy burgers, the fresh dew on the grass f*cking up your trainers, the melting pot of mentalist collectors running round like headless chickens. Nothing better!

For those of you who can relate, check out this beautiful, Patrick Adams penned song by Astrud Gilberto from her 1972 Perception album "Now". Forget the imaginary lover she sings about - replace that sh*t with your Holy Grail vinyl 'want', and you have a near perfect ode to Car Boot Sale digging!

If you see this record on your travels be sure to pick it up, it's a cracker that also features the better known Latin dancer "Take It Easy My Brother Charlie", with a stellar line up of musicians including Mike Longo, Deodato, Bob Cranshaw, Ron Carter, Airto, Al Gaffa and Billy Cobham, etc...

Astrud Gilberto "Touching You"

Twelve 12"s

2010-03-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Some of you might already be familiar with the 'Twelve 12"s' mix series 'Southern Hospitality' have been running on their blog for a few months . If not, go check it out - they're currently up to volume 17, so if you're short of dope mixes to bump then take your pick and get your download on.

What's refreshing about this series is the fact that all mixes are LIVE using VINYL and, as the title suggests, contributing DJ's are limited to a choice of only twelve 12"s, a concept far removed from the vast majority of modern day mixes which tend to cater for people with short attention spans, chopping and changing between tracks every minute or so. Now don't get me wrong, I love fast mixing and when DJ's do it well the results can be amazing. Sometimes though, it's nice to kick back and listen to a mix with smooth transitions and a DJ who lets the tracks ride out longer. This is basically what you get with the 'Twelve 12"s series - I guess you could call it 'pre-Serato' ethics.

Anyway, I decided to put together a little mix using the 'rules' laid down by Southern Hospitality and I gotta say, really enjoyed going back to the days of just two turntables and a mixer. I used to make tapes like this nearly every week back in the early to mid nineties. I'd work out a nice running order from all the latest releases I'd just bought and then rehearse it a few times until I was familiar enough with any gain and pitch adjustments. Once ready I'd press 'play and record' and hope for the best, more often than not I'd end up stopping and starting again, sometimes over and over, until I had a decent enough take I was happy with. And that's what I've done here - twelve tracks (it goes without saying, all from VINYL) blended or cut in to produce a mix clocking in at just over 40 minutes, the theme being records that have all been signed by the artists. I was gonna write up accompanying little stories for each one but have been so busy recently, and with a number of other posts in the pipeline, just wanted to get it up. Basically, I was lucky enough to have the records signed either, when I was supporting DJ for the act, or when I knew the promoter who got me in back stage for the hook up.

So here you go...

'Twelve (signed) 12"s', mixed LIVE by Mr Krum...

1. The X-Men "Musica Negra"

2. Ugly Duckling "Fresh Mode"

3. Cash Money & Marvelous "Find An Ugly Woman"

4. Mikey D & the L.A. Posse "Comin' In The House"

5. Big Daddy Kane "Ain't No Half Steppin'"

6. Stezo "It's My Turn"

7. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince "A Touch Of Jazz"

8. Blade "We're Going Independent"

9. Jeru The Damaja "D. Original"

10. Mad Skillz "Extra Abstract Skillz" (feat. Large Professor & Q-Tip)*

11. J-Live "The Best Part"*

12. People Under The Stairs "Big Daddy Brown"

*For the sake of a smoother mix I cheated a little and used the Instrumental (as well as vocal) of "Extra Abstract Skillz". I also cheated by using an album track, J-Live's "The Best Part", again for the sake of a smoother mix.

Bobby Granite - Something For The People

2010-02-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

In my last post I told you about a forthcoming project which I've been lucky enough to be involved with...today I'm gonna treat you to an exclusive release from a few years back which I also had a little hand in. I say exclusive, you might be one of the very few to have received a copy out of only sixty which were pressed, if not then I'm pretty sure you won't have heard any of these tracks before. I'm talking about a real nice promo C.D. by my main man Bobby Granite, entitled "Something For The People".

I first met Bobby around 2001 when, along with fellow digger Jubru, he came into the record shop which I was running at the time. I can't remember any specific titles or names we ended up talking about but I can remember being pretty taken back by the vast knowledge of records he had - a rarity, even then, for someone of his age. I often meet younger kids that say they are into Hip-Hop but don't seem to understand or even show any interest in learning about and upholding the basic foundations and ideology of the culture. By which I mean, the culture of the true Hip-Hop DJ and producer...digging in the crates and all that. DRUM BREAKS. ORIGINAL VINYL PRESSINGS. If you're reading this there's more than a good chance you know what I'm talking about. Some get it, some don't. Bobby does.

Anyway, I've become pretty good friends with him over the years and we've been on a good few digging missions together. He's put me up on records I didn't know about and likewise, I've done the same for him. His record collection is deep and his beats are dope so I thought I'd share these tracks and hopefully give him a little more exposure which he definitely deserves. If you're into producers like Lewis Parker, Mark B, L-Dolo, DJ Nappa, Jehst, etc...then I'm sure you'll like this too.

Here's Bobby's synopsis (love that word - shouts to E-Rule!) from the time of release...

"Some time in the next week i will be sending out copies of an E.P./mini album named 'Something For The People'.

It was started two months ago and represents the practical work of the final project for my music technology degree.

I have made all the beats on my MPC and the vocals have kindly been provided by Salvo (a combination of reworked old material and newly recorded product).

The CD is going to artists and labels with the hope of receiving some feedback to include in my project write up, and also to friends and acquaintances who may have an opinion on such a thing, for the same purpose.

If you receive a copy I hope you enjoy it.

Peace! B.G."

I've ripped eight tracks, out of the fifteen on the album, which you can download below - a nice selection of vocal and instrumental cuts and, since this is my blog, you get the track that I feature on first (there you go Mac!). I just spoke to Bobby and he's still got a few copies of the C.D. so if you'd like the full package, complete with dope artwork (I did it again Mac!!!) then drop me a line or hit Bobby up on - bobbygranite 'at' hotmail.co.uk

Enjoy, and be sure to show Bobby some love in the comments section below.

"Son Of Gonzo" (feat. Salvo & Mr Krum)

"SmAkai" (Bobby Granite Remix feat. Salvo & Frank Costa)

"Well Well Well" (Instrumental)

"1000 Possibilities" (Bobby Granite Remix feat. Salvo)

"Hey Bobby" (Skit)

"It Girl" (Instrumental)

"Dead Moths" (Bobby Granite Remix feat. Salvo & Conspicuous)

"S.F.S" (Instrumental)

Oxygen - Gone Diggin' 45

2010-02-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming...

Finally(!), Oxygen's super dope "Gone Diggin" track is about to be unleashed to the RECORD buying public via a limited edition picture sleeve 45. Released by the ever reliable Bronx Hip-Hop label B.B.P. in conjunction with Big City Records Inc, pre-orders are now being taken via Oxygen himself (details at bottom of post), after which remaining copies will be available at Big City and selected stockists worldwide.

For those of you that have been sleeping and not yet caught the buzz for this release, check the snippets below. Side-A is a Gensu Dean produced (with Daily Diggers' Kid Dyno and DJ Ragz of the Jazz Addixx on the cut) ode to digging in the crates and is backed by a very apt, previously unreleased 1988 cut - "Mastermind's In Effect" from Oxygen's first demo tape (under the name Hype Sound Productions, alongside Cut Wizard Albee).

Oxygen's years in the game go waaaaay back. A Strong Island native who's released, or been featured on, a number of sought after records, most notably the 1991 LaRhon 12" "Groove To Get Down" which was included on DJ K-Prince & DJ Muro's "WKOD 11154 FM - The Golden Era Of Hip Hop" mix. Check out Jesse Serwer's dope interview with Ox for an in depth history lesson on the man who now records alongside Howard Lloyd, E The 5th, Xis10s and DJ Shark in the group 'Sputnik Brown' (if you didn't cop the bangin' "U Havin Fun Yet" 12" or Howard Lloyd's "Quickie EP" then be sure to ask Ox if he has any left when placing your order for the "Gone Diggin" 45!).

Oxygen "Gone Diggin" snippet (2010 B.B.P. / Big City Records)

Hype Sound Productions "Mastermind's In Effect" snippet
(2010 B.B.P. / Big City Records)

The "Gone Diggin" vinyl is priced at $7.99 with discounts available on shipping for multiple copies. Hit up Oxygen on 24karatblack 'at' gmail.com to pre-order through Paypal TODAY.

SUPPORT REAL HIP-HOP.

False advertising...

2010-02-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

Main Street, U.S.A, Disneyland Paris. No records - no Mickey Mouse March 45's.

Southern Freeez

2010-02-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

It's definitely very cold down here on the South Coast at the moment but this post doesn't revolve around today's shivering weather conditions. Nope, it's just more obsessive talk about obscure vinyl...

On the way home from work this Friday I payed a visit to my local record shop which I hadn't managed to do for a couple of weeks. Plenty of new stock to browse through and after an hour or so I left with a nice bag of goodies for just under twenty five quid. Amongst the batch of fifteen or so records I bought, were sealed copies of The Cyrkle's "Neon" LP (Tribe sample) and Central Nervous System's "I Could Have Danced All Night" (OK-ish Bluesy Psych Rock). Copped a nice Ahmad Jamal album which includes a cool semi-instrumental version of Steeley Dan's "Black Cow" and also upgraded my copy of The Gap Band's "Outstanding" 12". The best 'known' buy though, was a mint, original U.S. pressing of Le Pamplemousse's "Gimmie What You Got" 12" for £2 (classic disco break). The rest of the money was spent on blind punts from the pound crates, which turned up the following L.P...

Now I always have a quick look over the sleeve credits on any oddity that appears half interesting and although this features one of the ugliest covers I've ever come across, the inclusion of "Southern Freeze" within the track listing was enough to intrigue me into buying it. Besides that, the album was released by a local record label called Airship who's studios were based six miles down the road from me in beautiful Bognor Regis. I've had a few records on Airship over the years but none have been keepers. I did get very good money for a couple though - a female Folk LP that topped the £100 mark and another by some Heavy Metal group which went for £80 or so. There's a fair few highly collectible releases on the label - this however, is NOT one of them!

'After Eight' it appears were a Cabaret act, of sorts, who played various venues across the South Coast during the late seventies and early eighties. As it states within the sleeve notes, they were the amalgamation of two previous bands - 'Mayfair Suite' and 'Gone Cheese Band' (what a great name!), forming in 1977. You can read the rest of the brief biog by clicking the scan if you want but I'm gonna crack on with the track I mentioned earlier - "Southern Freeze".

I've always had a soft spot for U.K. Jazz-Funk. Groups like Atmosphere, Incognito, and Freeez released some great records in the late seventies / early eighties and the track "Southern Freeez" is a particular favourite of mine, so when I noticed the inclusion of "Southern Freeze" (sic) on After Eight's album I was really hoping for a cover of the classic Freeez track instead of some god awful, self-penned, local band tripe. I'm sure by the fact that I've written this far, you've already guessed that it is in fact a cover of "Southern Freeez" and, a rather good one at that.

I very much doubt there's any other versions of this song out there, if there is, I haven't heard them, so I've only got the two to draw comparisons between. The original is widely known anyway, appearing on many compilations over the years and I'm sure at one point was used on a T.V. advert in the U.K. There's no need for me to get into some deep analysis or review it in anyway, in fact there's no need for me to do that with the After Eight version either, you can simply click on the players below and listen for yourself. One thing I will point out though is; although the cover version lacks slightly in production and suffers from a far weaker kick than the original, it does contain elements which I actually prefer. Rimshots replacing the clapping snare sounds add a new dimension and the breakdowns on After Eight's version hit far harder than on Freeez's.

Anyway, draw your own conclusions. It might be another one of those records, that unless you actually own, you aren't that bothered about. Me? I love it. Probably because I discovered it first hand. I guess that's half the enjoyment of records like these.

After Eight "Southern Freeze" (1981 Airship Records)

BONUS

Freeez "Southern Freeez" (1980 Beggars Banquet)

Walt Disney presents...

2010-02-12T02:53:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Euro Disney with the kids in a couple of days. Don't think I'll find any records out there but you never know, Mickey and the gang have been know to bring some occasional funkyness. Well, I say funkyness, the only record I have that actually grooves in a funky way is the infamous Mike Curb Congregation version of "Mickey Mouse March". I've got the U.K. released album "BBC presents Best of Disney Time", which features this track, but there's a cool U.S. picture sleeve promo 45 I've been after for a while now - I'm hoping Walt's workers might have found some dead-stock copies to put out in the gift shops that clearly advertise 'Records' on the signs (I'll take photos this time).

I've also got a few spoken word Disney albums which have been sampled by various people over the years, including the one pictured above - "A Child's Introduction to Melody and the Instruments of the Orchestra". I won't give up exact details about what this was used on but I'm sure most of you will instantly recognise it anyway - just hit the play button below. Prince Paul craziness in full effect!

Also included below is the aforementioned version of "Mickey Mouse March". The sleeve artwork for the U.K. album is disgusting so I didn't bother scanning it in but if I do find a copy of the 45 I'll post that up when I get back...

Camarata "Cavemen" (1962 Walt Disney Productions)

The Mike Curb Congregation "Mickey Mouse March" (1975 BBC Records)

Listen, Move & Dance - Stories In Movement

2010-02-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

I realised at work today (yes, I think about vinyl, amongst other things, to help pass the time) that I totally forgot to mention my favourite John Dankworth record in the last post. Don't know how because I've been meaning to write about it for a while now. I think maybe because it's a 45 and I'd immediately delved into the Jazz section of my LP's after hearing of his passing.

Anyway, this 7" E.P. - 'King Monkey - Stories In Movement 4' - is somewhat of an obscurity, recorded in 1969 and intended for play in primary school lessons as a tool to help encourage children's' use of imagination and their expression of it through dance. The liner notes give suggestions for teachers on how they might want to try incorporating the music within drama sessions, each 'band', or track, designed to stimulate different actions or emotions. I've scanned in the back cover so you can read the full guidelines but the basic story of 'King Monkey' (Side-B) "takes place in China, long ago, on the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers". As the tale unfolds, moods are set with music and notes are given on how the accompanying dances should be acted out. Side-A is split into five bands - The Chinese Elements - 'Earth', 'Water', 'Fire', 'Wood' and 'Metal', again with suggested dance expressions for each.

The actual music on here is completely bonkers! The best way I can describe it is - quirky Oriental themed Jazz. It kind of has that U.K. 'Library' type sound and features Laurie Hall (Piano/Hammond Organ), Denis Walton (Flute/Clarinet), Ralph Izen (Trumpet), Brian Odger (Bass Guitar) and Stan Barrett (Percussion) playing John Dankworth's original scores. For sampling it's a producers dream with loads of stabs, percussion sounds and even straight loops - I remember freaking out when I first found it.

I've actually got two copies of this record now, the first turning up at a bootsale about ten years ago. The vinyl was a bit battered so I instantly added it to my eBay search notifications and finally managed to cop a nice mint one six months or so ago - it took that long for another one to turn up! Typically I can't find the good copy at the moment so you'll have to make do with a sample from the scratched up one...

John Dankworth 'Wood' (1969 E.M.I. Records)

Whilst I'm on the subject of these 'Stories In Movement' type records I thought I'd include a couple of others with similar concepts - 'Listen, Move and Dance, Nos.1-3' and 'Listen, Move and Dance, No.4', again released in the sixties on the E.M.I. label.

'Nos. 1-3' features a cover shot that instantly takes me back to my own primary school days - sitting cross legged on a cold wooden floor, in shorts and a T-shirt with accompanying black plimsolls, being forced to participate in a weekly lesson which I absolutely dreaded. 'Expression through Dance' was not my thing at all. As a young lad all I wanted to do was kick a football about or sit quietly by myself drawing. In fact thirty years later and it takes a good few pints and sounds far removed from this to get me moving in public.

The music on this one is mainly Classical (arranged by Vera Gray) but does feature some interesting 'Electronic Sound Patterns' composed and created by Daphne Oram who was a founding member of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and a credited pioneer in the Electronic music scene. I don't know about you, but I find the 'music' kind of scary and definitely wouldn't have played it to my children when they were five years old, not unless I wanted to torment them for some sick reason.

Again, there's samples to be had off this album so if you see it cheap, pick it up.

(click for supersize, readable scan)

Daphne Oram 'Rhythmic Variations' (1962 E.M.I. Records)

I love the sleeve artwork for 'Listen, Move and Dance - 4' and out of the three records here, definitely includes the most sample material. The vinyl is split into two basic themes - 'Moving Percussion' and 'Electronic Sound Pictures'. Side-A features an endless supply of drum and assorted percussion sounds set across sparse arrangements which allows each individual hit plenty of breathing space, supplying perfect food for the MPC, SP12 or whatever your preferred weapon of choice. I've put together a really decent library of sounds just from this one recording. Side-B is much like the Electronic pieces from 'Listen, Move and Dance, Nos.1-3' but the liner notes on this one include suggestions for imaginative expression, much like the John Dankworth E.P. Desmond Briscoe (the other founding member of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop) composed and arranged the 'sounds' in collaboration with Vera Gray, who in turn composed 'Moving Percussion' on the flip.

I've recorded a track from the 'Electronic Sound Pictures' as an example of the music on here but if you're one of the very few traditional Hip-Hop beatmakers still left out there, who like to dig for original sample material instead of relying on lame 'stock' sounds, trust me when I say you won't be disappointed turning this one up. I haven't ripped any of the percussion side as with these sorts of records I save the best for myself. Get digging if you wanna hear the rest.

(click for supersize, readable scan)

Desmond Briscoe & Vera Gray 'Machine' (1966 E.M.I. Records)

John Dankworth R.I.P.

2010-02-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

On the BBC News tonight they announced the sad news that John Dankworth passed away, earlier today, aged eighty two. I've just spent the last couple of hours pulling out and listening to his albums from my collection, something I've never properly done before. I've always skimmed through them looking for loops or maybe just listening to the odd track, so as a sign of respect decided to take time out to give the music the full attention it deserves.

Breaks collectors might be familiar with some of his material - DJ Premier made very good use of his "Two Piece Flower" on "Above The Clouds" and also hooked up a dope piano loop from the "Off Duty" L.P. I was gonna upload those two tracks but decided to post a lovely tune off his "Life Line" album that seems far more apt - "Tomorrow's World".

This song was used as the theme tune for the British T.V. programme of the same name. Now I'm too young to remember it from the time, but I'm sure for some of the older folks it probably holds quite fond memories. It's a light, bouncy number with obvious pop appeal and features a beautiful flute solo courtesy of Stan Sulzman. Don Rendell also features on the album, as does a host of the usual high-end British Jazz session guys - Harold Fisher, Tony Hymas, Duncan Lamont, etc. If you come across it on your travels, pick it up, it's a great listen from beginning to end with plenty of sample material ("Brass Roots" is the one). Another reason I chose a cut from this record is for the liner notes on the back which give a fairly comprehensive guide to Mr. Dankworth's work up until 1973. I've scanned it super-size for anyone that's interested to have a read...

The Dankworth Big Band "Tomorrow's World" (1973 Philips U.K.)

R.I.P. John Dankworth

Black Fist O.S.T.

2010-02-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

After a cold and rain soaked winter, resulting in far too many missed weekends of bootsale digging, my last couple of outings have proved really fruitful. Besides a good lot of highly collectible German Prog Rock, (which I've already shifted on for nice money) the Sunday just gone turned up Les McCann's "Layers" L.P. as well as the Blackbyrds self titled debut (I've wanted this for a long time for the "Me & Him" break). Today I took home the "Joe Farrell Quartet" album on C.T.I. as well as this - the original soundtrack for a film called "Black Fist".

I nearly sh*t myself when I pulled it out of a box of nothingness. I've never seen or heard it mentioned before and the cover ticks all the right boxes for a killer Blaxploitation score, besides maybe the date of 1977 which I was trying to convince myself wouldn't matter. Super cool dude sizing up on front cover - check, independent label - check, promotional copy - check (even better - maybe it didn't get a full commercial release), list of interesting artists - check (including drummer Paul Humphrey, as well as a load of other acts I've never heard of) and great song titles - check. My anticipation on the journey home hadn't been as high for a long time.

So obviously it's the first record on the turntable when I get in and settle down after making a nice cuppa. And after all the initial excitement, guess what? It's a bit of an anti-climax, and if I'm being completely honest, generally pretty disappointing. Paul Humphrey's sole track, "Humphrey's Overture", is exactly what I was hoping it wouldn't be - upbeat disco-tinged averageness, typical of the period. And the the same goes for much, if not, all of Side-A, with nothing being worthy of more than one listen. My concerns about the date were unfortunately being realised. Having said that, Side-B is an 100% improvement, kicking off with a half decent slow track called "L.A. Gray" by Geraldine Kaye. Nothing great or outstanding, but much better than anything on the flip. When track two begins though, with a dope Hip-Hop loop, all is forgiven. Art & Ron's (producer Ron Castle and arranger Art Freeman) "Can't Stop Talkin" sounds like a Ghostface break and is exactly the type of music I was hoping for throughout. Thankfully they deliver the goods again immediately afterwards with "I'm Your Man", another drama style instrumental I'll be recording and burning for repeat listening. Unfortunately that's about it though, the interesting sounding, and looking, artists like Sam & Jus' Us, Velvet Fire, Sam Shabrin, Denise Gordy and Bishop Mounger fail to deliver anything note worthy that I would ever feel the need to play again.

I know I shouldn't complain about finding records like this at my local booty for pence, and although I've got a couple of really nice tracks to come back to, overall, this is probably the most disappointing find I have had for ages. Popsike and eBay reveal going rates and asking prices of far more than I would ever recommend anyone paying. For the cover and the two tracks maybe I'd say a tenner is pretty fair - any more than that and I think, like me, you'd probably be pretty disappointed.

Anyway, check out "Can't Stop Talkin" cause it's a banger. I'm 99% sure this has been sampled and the name Tony Starks is definitely ringing bells, maybe Lewis Parker though. Gonna listen through some albums later and try to locate it...

Art & Ron "Can't Stop Talkin" (1977 Happy Fox Records)

Hip Hop Connection #4 (May 1989)

2010-02-07T01:02:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty slack with the old HHC scans but a couple of recent requests has prompted me, so here's number four from May 1989...

It's by far the best issue I've covered so far - the articles are more in depth and the subject matter less commercial than previous editions. Black Rock & Ron, De La Soul and Kool DJ Red Alert bless the cover with fairly lengthy pieces about each of them inside. Ultramagnetic's get a page and a half, Stezo nearly a page. There's an interesting little interview with Peter Essence and, if like me, you'd never heard of him before, it's worth your time reading. The 'On The Tip' section features news of DJ Cash Money beating up some dodgy U.K. Promoter, the 'most exciting British release of the year' - M.C. Mell 'O's 'Comin Correct' 12", and a 'current' playlist from Afrika Bambaataa. For those of you wanting to brush up on your Golden Era Hip-Hop slang, check out the hilarious (in hindsight) two page spread by the Artful Dodger called 'Word Up'.

As always, you can click the thumbnails for super-size, readable scans...

'Strictly Business'

'On The Tip'

News in brief / Stezo

'Word Up' (Dictionary of Hip-Hop Slang)

Ultramagnetic M.C.s / Dolby D

'Gangsta Limpin'

Kool DJ Red Alert

Black Rock & Ron

De La Soul

Peter Essence / Choice M.C.

Creed Taylor, Inc

2010-02-05T04:16:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm probably not breaking any new ground with a post about C.T.I. Records. In fact, I know I'm not - there's tonnes of great sites on the internet dedicated to the label and probably loads of blogs with individual album reviews and downloads. I couldn't, however, find anywhere else which includes what I have here - a nice little label catalogue from 1975. Initially I was only gonna post up the scans, but then decided it wouldn't hurt to delve into the crates and include some of my favourite albums as well.

I can't for the life of me remember where this catalogue, or 'katalogus' came from because I don't own any C.T.I. releases which aren't either U.K. or U.S. pressings, and as the spelling suggests, this must have been included in an Hungarian or perhaps German release? I've had it in my collection for around ten years now and no matter where it came from, it's a nice little reference point that I find myself going back to from time to time.

The booklet features a full list of releases up until 1975, on Creed Taylor's C.T.I. imprint as well as the subsidiaries 'Kudu' and 'Salvation'. It also includes photos of all the covers, which is what, for me, makes it something special. Although it is only reproduced in black and white the stunning graphic design and photography still translate well - a testament to the artists responsible, in most cases Pete Turner (Photography) and Bob Ciano (Design). In doing a little research for this post I've only just found out that Pete Turner had a book of his photography published in 2006 called "The Color Of Jazz". Looks like a 'must have' that I'll be adding to this years birthday present list.

So anyway, here's the scans...

Front cover

Inside pages (click to enlarge)

Back cover (click to enlarge)

So that's the catalogue, now for a few records.

C.T.I. is one of my favourite non Hip-Hop labels that consistently turned out top notch Jazz throughout the seventies after Creed Taylor split from a production deal with A&M in the sixties to set up his own independent imprint. Finding a C.T.I. record in the wild is always really nice for me. Sure, you can probably pick up a good deal of the catalogue on eBay with great ease, but to find them at Bootsales and Charity shops in the U.K. is quite a struggle - when they do turn up it's a real bonus.

I'd say I've got around thirty or so albums (including releases on A&M and the two subsidiaries) and pretty much everything I've ever bought has been pure quality. From the heavyweight, high gloss, gate-fold sleeves, through to the lush production and arrangements, a record on C.T.I. near enough always guarantees a great package throughout.

Here's my top five tracks from the collection...

Bob James
'Nautilus'

Thought I'd start with what I consider to be the ultimate release on the label, Bob James' classic, 'Nautilus'. Recorded at the tale end of the 'Golden Era', featuring the staple line up of session kings (including Steve Gadd, Idris Muhammad, Ralph MacDonald, Grover Washington, Jon Faddis, Thad Jones, Hugh McCracken, Eric Weissberg, Gary King, etc...) as well as a full orchestra, all six tracks on this album are 'epic' scores of the greatest proportions.

I won't babble on too much about each individual song, who sampled what off them, etc, because like I said before, I'm not breaking any new ground, these are just my personal favourites. If you're into Jazz or collecting breaks it's more than likely you already own this album anyway. If you don't, you really should.

I can honestly say, I never tire of listening to 'Nautilus'. Play it back to back for an hour and it never drains - musical arrangements just don't come much better than this. As for samples? The list goes on and on...

'Nautilus' (1974 C.T.I. Records)

Stanley Turrentine
'Sister Sanctified'

Next up is an album that includes another 'ultimate break and beat' - 'Sister Sanctified' by Stanley Turrentine featuring Milt Jackson on Vibes. You should all know this track anyway with it's classic break, most notably made famous by Boogie Down Productions on 'My Philosophy'. Billy Cobham is rocking the funky drums with Ron Carter on bass. Bob James blesses the keys and Cornell Dupree does his thing plucking away on the guitar. This particular song was written and arranged by the late Weldon Irvine Jnr, and much like 'Nautilus' is a track I never tire of listening to. Many of Stanley Turrentine's albums can be kind of hard work unless you like cheesy Sax solos, but they seemed to have found a nice balance on this one.

Unfortunately I only own a re-issue of this L.P. from 1982 and as much as I avidly avoid them, the year of re-release sort of allows forgiveness in my eyes. Until I find an original that is.

'Sister Sanctified' (1972 C.T.I. Records)

Deodato
'September 13'

In much the same fold as Bob James, Eumir Deodato was a prolific arranger and keys man throughout his career and worked on a whole wealth of classic albums, like wise supplying many a 'break' or 'sample' for producers of later years. 'Prelude' was his debut L.P. on C.T.I. and produced a cross over hit in the shape of his arrangement of 'Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)'. The track was released as a single and is the only 45 on the label that I have ever come across whilst out digging. I've had quite a few copies of this album over the years - I should imagine, thanks to the success of the single, it was the label's biggest seller.

Like most C.T.I. releases, there's a good load of sample material on the L.P. which you can check over at 'The-Breaks' or wherever, but I did recently notice the use of the drums from 'September 13' layered (I think) into Black Sheep's 'Try Counting Sheep'. Very subtle I know, but I'm pretty sure they're in there.

By the way, this is probably my favourite C.T.I. sleeve.

'September 13' (1972 C.T.I. Records)

Grover Washington, Jr.
'Knucklehead'

From the saxophone superstar's Kudu released album 'Feels So Good' I was hard pressed to pick a favourite between 'Knucklehead' and 'Hydra'. Most would probably choose the more obvious 'Hydra' as it features the instantly recognisable break that Black Moon used for their classic single 'How Many Emcees'. After weighing them up I eventually settled on 'Knucklehead' as I've always loved the remix of Yvette Michell's 'Everynight And Everyday' (featuring Doo Wop), which used a loop or two from this.

The album features pretty much all the same musicians I've already mentioned but it's worth noting Jimmy Madison hitting sticks hard on 'Hydra'.

I never noticed the halo round Grover's head until i scanned in the cover today. The glow is far more subtle in the flesh.

'Knucklehead' (1975 Kudu Records)

George Benson
'The Changing World'

Another great cover and another great album. Recorded during George's transitional period, there's hints of some of the cheese he was later to release, but still plenty of quality material on 1974's 'Bad Benson'.

I remember finding this album in an Antiques shop somewhere in South London about thirteen years ago with my mate Si. Can't remember the name of the town. Near Croydon somewhere. Doesn't really matter anyway but I do specifically remember getting goosebumps though the first time I played 'The Changing World' and the sample for Common Sense's 'I Used To Love H.E.R.' dropped in. I love finding breaks I don't know about, especially on songs that are quite emotive anyway, which 'The Changing World' definitely is.

If you haven't heard this track before, and have a short attention span you'll wanna skip to the 4min mark. If you like good music in general just hit play, sit back and relax - it's a beautiful piece of music.

'The Changing World' (1974 C.T.I. Records)

And before I go, thought I'd leave you with this "definition of a holy-grail"! Word to Soulman Phill...

Bob James 'Take Me To The Mardi Gras (Live)'

Voices from the Forces

2010-01-24T05:04:00.001-08:00

Just got back from the lunchtime bootsale with not a great deal to report. Well not Hip-Hop or breaks wise anyway. I did pick up a copy of A.Z.'s "The Format" 12" for £1 which I was happy with as I missed it when it first dropped. Came from a guy with about thirty other twelve inches - all cra*ppy dance stuff mainly on the Ministry Of Sound label. Christ knows why he had this in his collection?!!

I'm not gonna bother talking about that record though. As nice as it is, there's nothing particulary out of the ordinary on it. Primo beat with A.Z. on the M.I.C. Straight East Coast banger. What more you need to know?

I did, however, find a couple of very intriguing items which I've never come across before. Tucked inside a little paper bag amongst a box of house-clearance records were these two 'shellac' coated 5" 'singles'. Now, I've seen 5" records before, which, 99% of the time, are Nursery Rhymes pressed on novelty size vinyl for children. I've also had a few shellac 10"s over the years so this was nothing new to me either. My curiosity stemmed from the fact the printed labels also had hand written (in pencil) details, which automatically suggests something quite unique. Usually 'test pressing' or, in some cases, promos will have credits and the like written on the label, but the writing on these appear to be far more personal. The printed design features blank spacing with three categories; 'To', 'From' and 'Regt.No'. Above these categories is the title (or record company name if you will) 'Voices of the Forces'. It then dawned on me just how 'personal' these records actually are, or were.

I'd already worked out by the time I got home and googled for confirmation that these records were 'one-off' messages recorded by members of the Armed Forces on international duty which were shipped back home to loved ones. I've been unable to find any specific details as to this service which, it looks like, the Army provided, but I'm guessing it would have been fairly costly so not widely available to personnel throughout the ranks.

The two examples I bought today read 'To: Mrs Nicholls, From: Sgt Nicholls' and 'To: Irene, From: Jack'. I much prefer the more heart-felt and intimate addressing of the latter but they could well be to and from the same persons, which seems very likely, as they were both grouped together in the same bag. Unfortunately I am unable to listen to them since they play at 78rpm and the grooves are pretty worn to say the least. The fact that the bronze playing surfaces display considerable signs of wear and tear demonstrates just how cherished and comforting these recordings must have been to their recipients, more than likely being played over and over again. It goes without saying that this was at a time long before skype, video messaging and even email, so to receive a 'letter home' in a more 'physical' type form must have evoked a huge wealth of emotions. I can only imagine how heart breaking it must have felt being miles away from the dearest person to you, at a time of great uncertainty, and not be able touch, see or even speak back to them whilst they speak to you. In fact as I am writing this I've just realised it's probably best I can't play the records anyway. They were obviously only made and intended for the persons closest to them, and to be listening in, no matter how many years later, would be insensitive and an invasion of privacy.

So, why do I buy records like these? Well, for a start they are cheap. Twenty five pence each in this case. I wasn't expecting samples or any other type of Hip-Hop related content with these particular pieces, although that usually is my motive when buying vinyl for pennies at the bootsales, charity shops, dumps, etc. If a record is cheap enough, something I've never seen before and looks like it has a bit of potential I'll buy it. If it's cr*p it gets thrown back into the cycle of unwanted wax. Nothing lost. Remember, you can't even buy a chocolate bar for the price of most of the records I buy. Over the years I've found a hell of a lot of known gems or 'holy-grails' that would cost an arm and a leg on eBay or any other online spot. I've also found a good amount of unknown heat that you couldn't turn up, or even know how to turn up, on eBay. That's the joys of digging in the real world. When it comes to the type of records in the this post though, it just comes down to a love of all things vinyl related. I'm old school like that. I mean, what interest would I have in an unknown soldiers message home via an email or telephone? Absolutely none. It's only the fact that I've just found out records were once used to provide this service that intrigues and fascinates me. It's kind of hard to explain to an 'outsider' (i.e. MP3 leach) but I'm sure there's plenty of other vinyl nerds out there who understand and relate...That's why you read this blog right?

Killa Sha R.I.P.

2010-01-20T02:53:00.000-08:00

Sad news of yet another Hip-Hop talent passing way too early.

Killa Sha impressed me over the years, most notably for his guest spots on various Ghostface projects.

For a good representation of his essential work check Unkut's tribute here.

Out of respect I thought I'd drop this slept on 12" from 1996 featuring Sha when he went by the name Prince A.D. Produced by the legendary Chuck Chillout, utilizing a heavy slice of The Daly Wilson Big Band's classic "Dirty Feet".

R.I.P. Killa Sha

Prince AD & Psycho Child "Lyrical Flava"

BrixHAM briefcase...

2010-01-17T05:25:00.000-08:00

Just picked up a number of good 'blogable' records from the bootsale. Haven't got time to post anything else at moment, but felt an urge to share this tasty little item straight away.

You don't need to know anything about the music on here, it's complete cr*p. I couldn't resist a picture disc 45 featuring a pig holding a ghetto blaster though - not for 50p anyway.

Listening and Reading

2010-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post on the visual front today - a couple of spoken word children's story records I picked up a month or two ago. Produced by Penguin Education (a division of Penguin Books) in 1973 on double vinyl, housed in beautiful, super glossy, laminated gate-fold sleeves. Unfortunately the illustrator has not been credited anywhere on the cover which is a shame really cause I'm liking his/her style. The Graphic Design is real nice too - crisp and clean throughout, just how I like it...

Del Richardson - Pieces Of A Jigsaw

2010-01-07T00:53:00.000-08:00

Being snowed in and with no work yesterday finally gave me the opportunity to record this here album which I'd been meaning to for ages.

I picked it up in the summer and on reflection probably turned out to be my best bootsale find of 2009. Initially I slept on it after briefly skipping through the grooves but after repeat listens it's grown on me hugely. A quite unique melting pot of Soul, Jazz, Folk, Rock and in places Funk make this album hard to slot comfortably into a particular genre but one word that does spring to mind is when trying to describe it is - 'beautiful'.

There's not much I can tell you about Del Richardson that isn't already written somewhere on the internet. Popsike reveals that this album is highly in demand and various other online sources suggest it's a very hard record to turn up (as far as I can tell, it was only released in the U.K.). I imagine the fact that the L.P. is pretty tricky to categorise caused a marketing nightmare at the time and therefore probably didn't shift too many units on release.

As I mentioned above, the styles of music vary from track to track but the album retains a great consistency in sound and feel with well thought out track sequencing, making this an easy and engaging listen from beginning to end. Side-A kicks off with the funkiest cut on the album "Do What You Can" which, if I'm honest, is one of my least favourites. It has a very similar vibe to Tower Of Power's trademark Jazz-Funk sound or even vintage Average White Band which I've never been overly keen on. Don't get me wrong, both groups have turned out some fantastic material and I have a good amount of records by both but there's something, I can't place my finger on, that grates on me after a while. I'm sure a lot of people will love "Do What You Can" but it just doesn't do it for me as much as some of the others tracks on here. My personal highlights come in the shape of Jazz-Folk tinged cuts "Gypsy Girl", "Jigsaw", "Good Morning World", "Mama Jane" and "A Song For Two". All possess an ethereal beauty that touches the soul and are so warming to the ear I can't imagine a single person not liking them.

The package comes complete with 'icing on the cake' - sleeve artwork deigned by revered illustrator Roger Dean who produced a heap of classic album covers from the late '60s through to the late '90s. Breaks collectors will be familiar with his work on staple pieces like Babe Ruth's "First Base" ("The Mexican") and Atomic Rooster's "In Hearing Of..." ("The Rock") plus some harder-to-find gems such as Nucleus' "Elastic Rock" or Lighthouse's "One Fine Morning" (the U.K. release on Vertigo). Strangely the actual labels on the record credit the artist as Dell (instead of Del) Richardson and the album title as "Pieces Of THE Jigsaw". The labels are standard company design so I can only assume that someone at M.C.A. supplied the wrong details to either Roger Dean for the sleeve, or the person working at the pressing plant for the labels. Which one is correct I don't know but it does amaze me when big corporations like M.C.A. (who were manufactured by Decca in the U.K.) make f*ck-ups like this!

Enjoy the complete album below - I don't usually do this. The rip was really only intended for digging buddy Nic Bossa who passed by it whilst suffering from a severe hangover one early Sunday morning. After plodding round the rain soaked booty for an hour or so we decided to call it a day. Just as we were leaving I spotted a car with records still in the boot. Nic half-heartedly flicked through a couple of boxes and, I think, pulled out "Troubleman" before giving up. It was in one of those boxes that "Pieces Of A Jigsaw" turned up and was amongst a handful of about eight other L.P.'s I eventually bought, averaging out at around £2.00 each after a 'bulk-buy' discount.

If Nic had been clear headed that morning I'm sure he would have bought it without hesitation and I do feel a bit guilty so don't mind sharing something that, on another day perhaps, I would have missed out on...

"Do What You Can"

"Gypsy Girl"

"Jigsaw"

"Kodjo"

"Road Song"

"Good Morning World"

"Mama Jane"

"A Song For Two"

Heeeeeeeeere's Johnny...

2010-01-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

Recently I've had a couple of people ask about the banner at the top of the page and if the head that replaces the 'Diabolical' one's is mine. Well, to set the record straight, no, it isn't. A lot of people that know me say I look older than my years and although I've got a few 'silver ones' poking through, my hair, or what's left of it, isn't yet as bad as the fella you see above, who is in fact U.S. chat show host Johnny Carson.

Mr. Carson presented the 'Tonight Show' from 1962 to 1992 and although I've never seen a single episode (I don't think it was ever broadcast in the U.K.) I am familiar with the name through references on various Hip-Hop records. So why did I decide to use his image to partly represent this site? Read on...

The initial concept of this blog was to talk about stupid records I've found over the years and upload MP3s that nobody would really want to download. It was originally intended to be a tongue in cheek dig at all those boring blogs that 'share' super rare albums with little or no background information on why they like it, where they got it, etc, etc. Just a download link and nothing else. That sh*t bores the f*ck out of me. Werner von Wallenrod's regular blog posts are far more interesting and rarely even include sound-clips, let alone full album rips. To me, the Daily Diggers have found the perfect balance for a great blog with knowledgeable write ups and accompanying snippets. Give me those two sites over the wealth of snore-fests any day. With 'Wonderful World Of Bizarre' I tried to follow those blueprints but from a slightly p*ss-takey point of view and have a laugh with it. So when putting together the site banner I flicked through my comedy records and for one reason or another decided to chop the head off Johnny and fix it to the body of Biz (from his iconic "Goin' Off" sleeve artwork) which I think represents the content of my babblings pretty well. If you're a regular reader of this site you obviously know all about the Biz 12" but may not have come across the "Tonight Show" album so here it is...

First of all, let me just say, when I'm out and about I usually buy any comedy record if it's fifty pence or less. This particular album turned up in a Charity Shop, still sealed, for twenty nine pence so was snapped up quick. Once home and opened a large fold out poster with very nice Graphic Design (unfortunately it's too big to scan) revealed itself from the two slices of wax tucked inside. Bonus. I like the design work on the front and back of the cover anyway but the poster really is something to keep. Now the vinyl is four sides of recording highlights from 25 years of the show and features interviews as well as performances by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina Turner and Bette Midler (you can read the full track listing by clicking on the image). I genuinely enjoyed listening to the entire album and found Carson to be very funny which I wasn't expecting at all - I usually can't stand American chat show hosts. His banter with in house 'band' leader Doc Severinsen is at times hilarious and leads me on to the excerpts I've recorded for you below. The sharp eared amongst you will notice several vocal snippets sampled by a certain 'Scratch Pharmacist' before Doc Severinsen and his Sweetheart Band belt out a funky version of "Ode To Billy Joe", nice break included. Enjoy...

Excerpts from the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
featuring
Doc Severinsen and His Sweetheart Band 'Ode To Billy Joe'

New Year's Resolutions?

2009-12-31T01:41:00.000-08:00

I was gonna write a year round-up, or maybe even decade round-up with top ten lists and the like but decided it would be a bit too obvious for 'The Wonderful World Of Bizarre'. Besides putting together charts of decent Hip-Hop releases over the last ten years would prove to be a struggle, let alone just for 2009!!!

Instead, I thought I'd try and help a few of you smokers out with your annual New Year's Resolutions. So here's a record by Australian/Canadian Magician/Hypnotist 'Raveen', entitled 'Stop Smoking and Overeating with Raveen'.

I've had a couple of his records over the years and they never fail to make me laugh. The guy has got one of the scariest voices I've heard, which is pretty ironic really as his main objective on each record is to try and make you relax. I guarantee you will feel far from calm after a 'session' with Raveen! In fact the first thing I wanted to do after listening to Side-A was spark up a tab to ease my nerves. I've recorded a large segment which you can check out below. If Raveen's deep, droning voice manages to relax you, in any way, then I suggest you go see a proper Doctor and get your head examined. Check out his technique after the brief introduction and prepare to be amazed!

Raveen 'Stop Smoking'

And for those of you who are really serious about giving up, I've scanned in the sleeve of another 'stop smoking' record. The message couldn't be simpler.

Happy 2010 everyone. Let's just hope the Roc Marciano album finally gets released this year - there's not too much else I'm really looking forward to.

Schoolhouse Punk

2009-12-30T04:12:00.000-08:00

Well I didn't get round to writing this up the day after my last post like I said I would but better late than never. Christmas is always a hectic time of year so excuse the delay. During the weeks leading up to it I attended a couple of Carol Services my children were involved with and whilst sitting in church listening to the usual bog standard set of hymns it got me thinking about these two records - 'Gynt On The Rocks' by Boundstone School and'Fist!!' by Hedingham School.

When I was at school I hated Music lessons and even more so Drama lessons. The curriculum was always very conservative with subject matter never straying too far off the standard teaching of Shakespeare or religious based themes for Drama. And Music, well, I can't even remember much about Music lessons they were that boring. The kids at the aforementioned schools must have had a right good laugh getting involved in the productions they put together though, particularly this one...

A 'new Rock Musical based on Ibsen's Peer Gynt' - 'Gynt On The Rocks' was produced, I'm guessing, in the late '70s (there's no date anywhere on the record or sleeve) and performed by a cast from a school about 20 miles down the round from me in Lancing, West Sussex. I'll let the liner notes give you an idea of the story before we get down to talking about the music...

"The production which we present for you on this record is a new show based on Isben's epic story 'Peer Gynt'. It has been re-written and updated with original music written by an ex-pupil of the school, Paul Rogers.
The show involves a company of well over one hundred pupils from the school in all areas of production, actors, technicians, make-up artists, set builders and costume makers.
Peer Gynt is a rebel teenager who, after finding himself in a great deal of trouble, journeys to London where he finds himself in the midst of the Punk Rock scene and then travels to Hollywood where he becomes involved in the making of a film. He eventually meets his downfall, although of course, we endeavour to bring you a happy ending".

So that's the basic plot and the music reflects the story well with most of it being anarchic Punk Rock depicting tales of drugs, violence and sex. And when I say Punk, I do mean, straight ahead raw Punk. Some of it of course has been polished up with that theatrical sing-song style typical of any stage show type production but there is a couple of great musical highlights. The track I've ripped below is a three part medley, of sorts, which represents the content of the record well. You've got a short section of dialogue from the show (nice 'wooden' acting included), a typical crappy, high energy full cast sing-a-long, and the amazing 'Gin On The Rocks, Campari...' which is what the break fiends will want to fast forward to (on the 1 min 12 sec mark). Check the lyrics...

"Gin on the Rocks, Campari, Vodka, Martini too,
Southern Comfort for your friends, and Valium for a few.
Make a Hash of the clientel, pass around the Weed,
Needle all your favourite friends, Sugar the Pill and then bleed,
and then bleed, and then bleed, and then bleed.

Gin on the Rocks, Campari, Vodka, Martini too,
Southern Comfort for your friends, and Valium for a few.
Make a Hash of the clientel, pass around the Weed,
Needle all your favourite friends, Sugar the Pill and then bleed,
and then bleed, and then bleed, and then bleed."

I picked this album up a couple of years ago from my local car booty, instantly being attracted to the artwork on the front cover, and haven't seen another copy since. I imagine it was pressed up in numbers of no more than 500, probably even less in fact as it was a self financed 'private press' with no proper label backing. I 'ummed and arred' about sharing this for ages but its the sort of record that is only of special interest if you actually own it. A real gem that adds up to 'treasure' once its nature and obscurity are placed into the equation.

Before writing this up I googled 'Gynt On The Rocks' with the only result being an eBay 'no longer available' listing from some time ago. Funnily enough the seller was a local dealer I know who I used to score a lot of dope records from before he got wise to internet trading.

So that's Boundstone School's 'Gynt On The Rocks'. The only thing left to do is list the band members who I think deserve a mention...

Trevor Grant - Guitar
Simon Morse - Guitar
Graham Rolph - Guitar
Terry Smith - Bass
Tina Lewis - Recorders, Violin
Paul Rogers - Keyboards, Synthesiser
David Roper - Keyboards, Piano
Mike Vince - Drums

Music composed by Paul Rogers
Musical Direction by Kenneth L. Wilby

Boundstone School 'He's Arrogant and Selfish / Gin On The Rocks, Campari'

The other record of this type which holds a special place in my collection is 'Fist!!' by Hedingham School which I believe is in Essex (google says so anyway).

As soon as I laid eyes on the sleeve it was already in the bag. A proper low budget release with poor quality, A4 black and white printed sheets, hand pasted on to the cover. Although the title 'Fist!!' (with it's double exclamation marks) began to conjure up images of some Blaxploitation type action I honestly wasn't expecting any Wah-Wah Drama Funk from a U.K. school production recorded at 'The Mercury'. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the musical content of this album and is the exact reason I take fifty pence punts on records like this...

The only information to go by on the sleeve is that the music is credited to N.P.E. Hildreth with lyrics by D.J. Lee. Unlike the 'Gynt On The Rocks' album there is a date listed, being 1980, and was recorded at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester. Other than that and a track listing on the back the only other clue to the show's subject matter is an illustration of what looks like an rather bleak Industrial town on the front. And after listening to the record, this image does actually represent the content of this production well. From what I can work out (the vocals are recorded pretty badly) 'Fist!!' is the story of a man called Jonathan Fist who invented something called the 'universal twisting machine'. He's the boss of a Factory where workers are slave driven but desperate to keep food on their family's tables. It's all very sombre and like I said, you struggle to keep track of the full plot due to the poorly recorded vocals. To be honest though, I'm not overly intrigued by the story anyway - it's the backing tracks I'm more interested in...

The overall 'style' is pretty hard to categorise but in trying to describe it I'd say it has a sort of, dark Prog-Rock type sound and in places, dreamy Psych-Folk influences. Now that probably makes it sound far more exciting than it actually is, because after all, this is a stage production by school children, not professional musicians and the amateur results are definitely apparent. Having said that, this, to me, adds to the appeal of the record. I've uploaded the track 'Visiting Song' so you can listen and draw your own conclusions.

Judging by the sleeve alone I would say there were even fewer copies of this pressed up than the 'Gynt' album, possibly only one or two hundred were made to supply friends and relatives of those in the production. If you like what you hear and decide to try and track down a copy for yourself, all I can say is - good luck! I couldn't see a trace of information on the interweb about it and turning one up in the wild really would be like finding a needle in a exceptionally large haystack.

Hedingham School 'Visiting Song'

Protection for your records (Part 2)

2009-12-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas shopping is complete and all presents are now wrapped so I thought I'd spend the spare time writing posts I've been meaning to for a while now.

Firstly a quick update on this earlier 'Anti Static Turntable Mat' article.

Now, I don't consciously spend time looking for these, they are merely a by-product of digging for vinyl but whenever they do pop up I have to buy 'em. In fact having said that, two of them were actually given to me when I found them tucked away in boxes of records at bootsales. Once the sellers realised what they were they were happy to give them away free of charge!

These two turned up sometime over the last year and I've finally got round to scanning them. First up is Warwick's (a U.K. budget Record label) version and below is an unbranded mat produced by a company based in Crawley called 'Trace House Ltd'. Maybe not as striking as the two in my original post but still nice vintage record paraphernalia all the same. There's no date on the Warwick mat but the unbranded one is dated 1976.

Check back tomorrow for some interesting 'private press' childrens school music...

Free Ringtones!!!

2009-12-18T04:17:00.000-08:00

No my account hasn't been hacked into by some spamming Mobile Phone company. Just thought I'd share this homemade ringtone I've had rocking the second hand Samsung for a while (no IPhone for me). Simply click the Divshare icon on the player below to download and transfer from your computer to mobile device. Totally free of charge of course, but when all your friends are asking where you got it from be sure to let them know.

Gang Starr / Q-Tip Ringtone

Who is Fab Farm Freddy???

2009-12-16T02:42:00.000-08:00

The latest childrens character to hit the little screen on Cbeebies? No. Maybe an agricultural psychopath with razor blade gloves? Nope, not him either. Fab Farm Freddy is simply the result of misconstrued lyrics by an uncredited 'U.S. Disco Explosion' vocalist on her/their cover of Blondie's classic pop track 'Rapture'.

Now, even I have struggled over the years to decipher some of the words within Deborah Harry's somewhat abstract 'rap', but one line which is definitely as clear as day is, "Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody's fly...". How on earth the vocalist ended up with "Fab Farm Freddy told me everything he's tried..." I don't know. Oh well, nothing to lose sleep over and since the vinyl is pretty scratched up I won't be listening to it very often anyway. Besides, it's all about the sleeve and vinyl on this one...

The records been sat in my crates for a few years now and I only stumbled across it again the other day. It's a Japanese promo demonstration album for Sharp's 'Linear Tracking' turntables, an idea which obviously didn't take off too well at the time. You can read all about the 'exciting new technology' by clicking on the scan of the back cover for an enlargement, or if like me you're not particularly interested, just admire the sleeve and picture disc vinyl. Classic '80s material throughout.

I've already got a pretty solid collection of "Carrying Type Stereos" - to quote the sleeve - but only one which includes a turntable, the J.V.C. 'BA DC33' (that's not my clip on Youtube by the way). Since having laid eyes on the one pictured here though I definitely need to upgrade - that MONSTER should definitely "vibrate the concrete"!

So here's the sound-clip (crackles and pops included), and below that are some photos of my own 'Ghetto Blaster', 'Boombox', whatever you wanna call them, collection...

U.S. Disco Explosion 'Rapture' (1982 Sharp L.P.)

Aiwa TPR 990K (click to enlarge)

J.V.C. BA DC33 (click to enlarge)

Hitachi TRK 8200E (click to enlarge)

Sharp GF 555E (click to enlarge)

Sharp GF 8989E (click to enlarge)

'Tis the season...

2009-12-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little post to share this super dope Christmas themed Jazz number by Roland Kirk. I only recently got round to listening to his "Hip!" album (picked up amongst this lot) in it's entirety and was totally blown away by "We Free Kings"...

Instead of posting an accompanying photo of the cover (which I'm sure you could find easily enough with a quick google image search), I thought I'd bust out this shot of me macking it with Santa, circa 1979.

Roland Kirk "We Free Kings" (1963 Fontana U.K.)

Podcast

2009-12-11T03:59:00.001-08:00

Just under an hour of 'Golden Era' Soul, Funk & Hip-Hop, Break-To-The-Beat / Beat-To-The-Break action. As usual, all from ORIGINAL VINYL - no bootlegs, re-issues or WACK MP3s.

Tracklisting:

1. Ronnie Gee "Raptivity" (vocal intro)
(1980, Reflection, U.S. 12")
2. MFSB "Zack's Fanfare" (music intro)
(from "TSOP", 1973, The Sound Of Philadelphia, U.K. LP)
3. Scholar 1 "Turn Up The Radio"
(1988, G-Fine Sounds, U.S. 12")
4. Rufus Thomas "Do The Funky Penguin"
(1971, Stax, U.K. 7")
5. Ernie Hines "Our Generation"
(from "Electrified". 1972, We Produce, U.S. LP)
6. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth "Straighten It Out"
(1992, Elektra, U.S. 12")
7. Laura Lee "Crumbs Off The Table"
(from "Two Sides Of Laura Lee". 1972, Hot Wax, U.S. LP)
8. D-Nice "Crumbs On The Table"
(1990, Jive, U.S. 12")
9. Low Profile "Funky Song"
(1990, Priority, U.S. 12")
10. Ripple "Funky Song"
(from "Ripple". 1973, GRC, U.S. LP)
11. Eric B & Rakim "I Ain't No Joke"
(1987, 4th & Broadway, U.S. 12")
12. The J.B.'s "Pass The Peas"
(from "Giving Up Food For Funk". 1974, Polydor, U.K. LP)
13. Dennis Coffey "Ride Sally, Ride"
(from "Goin' For Myself". 1972, Sussex, U.S. LP)
14. Black Rock & Ron "Stop The World"
(from "Stop The World". 1989, RCA, U.S. LP)
15. Earth Wind & Fire "C'Mon Children"
(from "Earth Wind & Fire". 1971 Warner Bros, U.S. LP)
16. Master Ace "Ace Iz Wild"
(1990, Cold Chillin, U.S. 12")
17. Jackie Wilson "Light My Fire"
(from "Do Your Thing". 1968, Brunswick, U.S. LP)
18. Above The Law "Untouchable"
(1990, Ruthless, U.S. 12")
19. Kool & The Gang "Jungle Jazz"
(from "Spirit Of The Boogie". 1975 De-Lite, U.S. LP)
20. Brand Nubian "Drop The Bomb"
(1990, Elektra, U.S. 12")
21. James Brown "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag"
(from "Everybody's Doin' The Hustle...". 1975, U.K. LP)
22. K-Solo "Speed Blocks"
(from "Tell The World My Name". 1990, Atlantic, U.S. LP)
23. Little Royal "Razor Blade"
(from "Jealous". 1972, King, U.S. LP)
24. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "Kool Is Back"
(from "Wanted: Dead Or Alive". 1990, Cold Chillin, U.S. LP)

Ask The D.J.

2009-12-06T05:31:00.000-08:00

So I managed to get a morning off during the week to hit up some Charity shops and a few Recycling Centres along the way. P*ssed down the whole time and driving around wasn't much fun but I did turn up a nice batch of goodies including a Spanish Psych 45 (with nice break), a couple more Boosey & Hawkes library LPs (one being a particularly nice Tony Kinsey outing with loads of sample potential), and an assortment of good quality Easy Listening (found the sample J-Zone used for 'Zone Mission' off his classic debut 'Music For Tu Madre'). Also picked up another copy of a Private Press UK Jazz album by Bryan Jones & The New Jazz Orchestra called 'We Play For Fun' which includes a really good version of Lalo Schiffrin's 'The Cat'. The copy I already had is battered so I was pleased to find a nice mint one.

My favourite record rescued from imminent doom at one of the dumps though is this U.K. 12" by Barry Upton called 'Just Ask The D.J.' Now this really is something special. And not only did I manage to turn up one copy, but two of the little beauties were sat there amongst a pile of equally awful, mid '80s, throwaway Dance 12"s. Just take a look at the sleeve (click images for supersize scans to fully appreciate), and ask yourself if you could have left them behind for 25p a pop.

The immensity of the cover didn't really dawn on me until I got home and studied it properly. Sure, the Super-Hero DJ dressed in DMC lycra with accompanying cape obviously jumped out and those two hotties are without a doubt eye-catching to say the least, particularly the one sitting down, but It wasn't 'til later I noticed the little details that make this cover even more special. DMC 'record' belt buckle, those headphones, and the amazing logos on the girls T-Shirts. The Disco lights too. Man this is classic material right here and that's only the front cover.

On the back, reads a message from the cool dude on the front..."Hi! Mix Man here. I've borrowed the mortal coil of DJ Barry Upton to deliver my first messages to humans everywhere. I know how many of you like to play around with sound these days so I've arranged for two 12" versions of 'Ask The DJ' to be made available to provide you with all the 24 track cut-outs and production items you'll need to make yourself into a record producer. I've also arranged with my friends at Philips to provide a sensational Philips Compact Disc Hi-Fi system F462 for the human who sends me the best remix. Meanwhile Barry Upton is joined on this DMC release by Uncle Funk so you have two unique vocal raps, a white version and a black version. All versions are re-mixed by the superhuman Les 'Mixdoctor' Adams. I'm sticking around the planet for a few months and will be judging the competition in January, you'll read the results in Mix Mag the ultimate DJ monthly magazine. Meanwhile I'm flying around the country with the DMC roadshow and hope to see you prior to checking out another planet with turntable problems".

Amazing stuff! A 'white' and a 'black' version. Well, of the two, I've uploaded the black version which features Uncle Funk. His rapping skills are marginally better than Barry Upton's but they are both equally atrocious. Uncle Funk pipped it though with lines like..."So many records that I wanna hear but not enough time in the day" and "I sold all my keyboards, my house, my car, and bought records like a man possessed". Words of a true digger. And for the icing on the cake - the record is pressed up on white vinyl. Nice touch.

For those of you with a sense of humour this release is one of those that is sooo bad it becomes good. Enjoy the scans and enjoy the music. As for the spare copy I picked up, I'm looking for trades. Still after Ron B's elusive 'Stitch By Stitch' 12" which would make a fair swap. If you got a copy hit me up and the deal is done.

Barry Upton 'Ask The D.J.' (feat. Uncle Funk)

Dolby The D - Gone Clear 12"

2009-11-29T06:26:00.000-08:00

It's p*ssing down with rain again and this is the forth Sunday in a row that the Car-Boot-Sales have been a no-no. I can't remember a winter where we've had this much rain. I know England is renowned for it's miserable wet weather but it's been years since it prevented me from going digging in the fields on a Sunday morning for a WHOLE MONTH STRAIGHT. Gonna have to make time for a midweek Charity Shop excursion to try and compensate for it.

So instead of driving round to South Coast fields all morning I've spent the time flicking through my own shelves looking for an interesting record to write about on here. What I finally settled on is this 12" by relatively unknown U.K. artist 'Dolby The D'. I say 'relatively unknown' because I'm not 100% sure he hadn't already put out another 12" under the name 'Dolby D' a few years before.

I bought this record a couple of summers back at my local Boot-Sale on a hunch that I recognised the name (plus the fact the track listing included a freestyle and bonus beats). I was sure I'd seen the name written amongst some shout outs on the back of another U.K. Hip Hop record. Turns out that hunch was semi correct. On the back of Blade's 'Mind Of An Ordinary Citizen' 12" it reads... "Soon To Breakthrough Hard:-(i) K King & Baron, Forte Apache alongside Capone, Hard Noise, B Sprint, Black Knights, Dolby D, Doc & Dazzle, Starlite Assault Squad (SAS), Gunshot, 2 X Def, Outlaw Posse, Bad Intention, Catch 22, Standin' Ovation, Construction, Jus Ghetto Posse, Ardon & Davis". A quick google search revealed that 'Dolby D' had put out a 12" in 1989 called 'Loud N Clear'. Now I've never heard this record but I'm assuming that 'Dolby D', is more than likely the same person and for one reason or another decided to add 'The' to the middle of his name at a later date. I noticed Disorda played the 'Loud N Clear' track on one of his radio shows, so if you're reading this mate, maybe you can clear up whether it is in fact the same guy.

So anyway, the 'Gone Clear' 12" was released in 1993. There's no date listed on the label but he states the year in the first line of the track. It features four versions of 'Gone Clear' - Urban, Suburban, Instrumental and Bonus Beats as well as a short 'Bonus Freestyle'. I can't work out any differences between the 'Urban' and 'Suburban' mixes, the 'Instrumental' is self explanatory, and the 'Bonus Beats' is just the striped down drum track. The production is pretty solid throughout with 'Long Red' snare stabs beefing up the already snappy drums and deep bassline. Don't expect no uptempo Britcore action on here - this is from 1993 and like most U.K. Hip Hop of the time things had slowed down drastically. In fact listening to this reminded me of the overall vibe on the 'Ruffness - The British Underground' E.P. which came out in the same year. Wouldn't have fitted in quite nicely on that I think.

Dolby The D's rhymes are on the straight forward freestyle bragging tip and he rides the beat well. The cuts on the chorus are also competent enough - nothing amazing, but still pretty nice all the same. He is also credited for the production with co-production by Herbie Laidsley & Flacky C. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this 12" is a must have U.K. rap classic, because it isn't. It is however a very solid release which deserves a bit of shine on the Internet (the only reference to it I could find was a listing on Discogs and a Japanese auction on Yahoo). Hopefully this write up will spark a bit of interest amongst U.K. collectors who previously might not have heard it and want to try tracking down a copy for themselves.

I've also included a scan from Hip Hop Connection #4 which features a pretty crap interview with Dolby D. The article is completely throwaway but at least puts a face to a name (if it is in fact the same guy).

Dolby The D 'Gone Clear' (1993 G-Tone Records U.K. 12")

Hip Hop Connection #3 (April 1989)

2009-11-29T01:54:00.000-08:00

Nearly a whole year after I promised to do monthly scans, here is issue number three of Hip-Hop Connection and the first that can be accurately dated from the cover - April 1989.

Ice-T, Fab 5 Freddy, KRS-One and DJ Richie Rich bless the front page with inside articles including features on Slick Rick, the Bristol Hip-Hop scene, Fab 5 Freddy, the DMC World Mixing Championship, Ice-T, Demon Boyz breaking down their classic 'Recognition' album track by track, as well as breaking news of Hijack signing with Rhyme Syndicate and Big Daddy Kane firing off shots and hitting a member of Kings Of Pressure!!!

Best advert comes in the shape of a Music Of Life promo for Demon Boyz 'Recognition' 12"...

Click the thumbnails for enlarged, readable scans...

Hijack / Big Daddy Kane news

Fab 5 Freddy

Ice-T

Slick Rick

Demon Boyz

The Bristol scene

D.M.C.

Music from the Kia-Ora advert...

2009-11-27T05:02:00.000-08:00

This was my favourite advert as a kid (I was eight when it came out in 1983). I loved everything about it. The animation was cool and the music instantly had you hooked with its bouncy, infectious rhythm. I knew all the words and would sing along every time it came on the television.

Twenty six years later and it had never occurred to me that the music may have been released on vinyl. It hadn't even crossed my mind in fact, until this morning that is. Whilst sifting through the 7" soundtrack section at my local Record Shop I stumbled across this little picture sleeve 45. The graphics instantly brought memories flooding back and the vinyl was placed swiftly into the 'definitely buying' pile. Once home, it was the first record out the sleeve and onto the platter. Although the lyrics were changed for this commercial release from 'Kia-Ora' to 'Fedora' the music is still exactly the same and had me nodding my head and singing along like a little kid again.

For all you other thirty-something year olds who have similar fond memories of the little hobo, his lost dog and the cool-as-cat crows, there's a full rip below...

Caramba 'Fedora' (1983 Billco U.K. 45)

Podcast

2009-11-26T07:44:00.001-08:00

Tracklisting:

1. Undercover Japanese Break
2. The Electric Indian "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
(from "Keem-O-Sabe". 1969, United Artists, U.S. LP)
3. Adam Best "I Am A Man"
(from "Wall Of Sound". 1970, Fontana, U.K. LP)
4. The New Birth "Got To Get A Knutt"
(from "New Birth Disco". 1976, RCA Victor, U.S. LP)
5. E.P.M.D. "Rampage" (Remix featuring LL Cool J)
(1990, Def Jam Recordings, U.S. 12")
6. 991 Volts "Champion Of Love" (Scratch And Hip-Hop Mix)
(1989, Mercury, U.S. 12")
7. De La Soul "Ain't Hip To Be Labeled A Hippie"
(1989, Tommy Boy, U.S. 12")
8. K.M.D. "Peach Fuzz (Last Chance For Radio)"
(1991, Elektra, U.S. 12")
9. Undercover, Blue-Eyed Soul, B-Boy Break
10. I Pepper "Love Rock"
(1978, Cam Recording, Spanish 7")
11. James Royal "House Of Jack"
(from "Call My Name". 1969, C.B.S. U.K. LP)
12. Dangerdoom "Old School (featuring Talib Kweli)"
(2006, Lex, U.K. 12")
13. Soundsci "Remedy"
(from "Dig For Victory E.P.". 2009, Crate Escape, U.K. 12")
14. The Mike Sammes Singers "He Who Would Be Valiant Be"
(from "Hymns A' Swinging". 1969, Davjon, U.K. LP)
15. Max Gregor and his Orchestra "Love Is Blue"
(from "Sunshine Starshine". 1970, Polydor, U.K. LP)
16. The Flambeaux Steel Band "Evil Ways"
(from "The Flambeaux Steel Band". 1971, Melodisc, U.K. LP)
17. Steel Band Des Caraibes "I Shot The Sheriff"
(from "Steel Band Des Caraibes". 1981, Arion, Spanish LP)