Have A Happy Christmas...

...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")

BrixHAM briefcase...

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.

Ask The D.J.

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)

Christmas Rap-up

This is the last post I'm gonna get a chance to write before the new year so I thought it best to bless you with something appropriate for the Christmas season. Here's some festival fun courtesy of Dizzy Heights and his/there 1982 Polydor 12" - 'Christmas Rapping'. An early British Rap record with a slight P-Funk feel to it and some typically hilarious vocals - file it under 'comedy'.

I want to thank everyone that's checked the blog and left comments over the year and send special thanks to the Positivity and Daily Diggers crews - Macca, DJ Southpaw & Bex, DJ Foly, The Tipster, Dj Extract, DJ OMC, Kid Dynomite and The Beat Detective. Also to Rob 'Iron' O'Brien - thanks for the records and mix CD's - really appreciate them.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you all!


Dizzy Heights 'Christmas Rapping' (1982 Polydor 12")

Library Hip-Hop...

...not a sub-genre or common descriptive you might normally see. 'Library-Funk', 'Library-Breaks', 'Drama-Suspense', etc, are some of the more usual titles you would come across when searching eBay or the like.
Now, I'm not gonna break down what 'Library' music actually is, because if you're reading this you'll probably already know. If you don't know, do a google search for any of the following titles and you'll get the gist - KPM, Music De Wolfe, Bruton, Chappel.

As any collector will tell you, there is some seriously dope music within this field, and also an abundance of absolute sh*t. This album falls into the second category but for comedy value is priceless.

'Flash Music', composed by James Asher and Alvin Christie was produced in 1984 and obviously made to supply T.V. production companies with the latest, cutting edge, style of music that was breaking into mainstream England around that time. This album is a result of somebody who knows nothing about that music or culture, trying to emulate it purely for commercial gain. The track titles are about as unimaginative and corny as you can get - 'The Breakers' ("Rockit" style funk), 'Scratch Robotniks' (mechanised dance rhythm), 'Scratch City' (electro-percussion feature), etc...and the music itself is terrible. I've included 'Flash Man' (scratch sounds) below as an example of just how bad it really is, although I can picture Neil Buchanan having an 'Art Attack' to it. And by the way, it does actually start as you hear it - that's not my 7 year old daughter cutting it in.



James Asher 'Flash Man' (1984 Bruton Music L.P. track)

Hip Hop & Rappin' In The House

Remember Hip-House? Of course you do. It was damn near impossible to avoid during the late 80's. Every Euro-pop producer and their crackhead daughter were giving it a go, a lot of them achieving chart success with some of the worst songs ever recorded. But as any Hip-Hop collector will know, most of their favourite artists also jumped on the Hip-House bandwagon, be it with the compulsory 'last track on the album' or B-side remixes. And I'm not talking about those shitty CJ Wackintosh mixes, I'm talking Marley Marl, Ced-Gee, Erick & Parrish, 45 King, productions. Obviously with the visible chart success dollars signs were flashing, and they all cashed in. Now I don't mind some of the old Chicago and Detroit House music, and obviously I love my Hip-Hop, but not together. Leave that to Rob-N-Raz or Bettie Boo.

Anyway, last November I put this mix together for a spoof radio show I was meant to be doing with a local stand up comedian. Two half hour segments - Hip-House and Rap Ballads. For one reason or another nothing came of it, so I thought I may as well put it up on here. If Shortcut can get away with a New Jack Swing mix, then f*ck it.


Mr Krum "Hip-Hop and Rappin' In The House"

E.P.M.D. 'It's Time 2 Party' (1989 Fresh Records L.P. track)
Side F-X 'Rock The House' (1990 Nastymix L.P. track)
Dismasters 'Scrum - And Then Some' (1989 Urban Rock 12")
Ultramagnetic MC's 'Travelling At The Speed Of Thought (Hip-House Club Mix)' (1989 Next Plateau 12")
Jaz 'Let's Play House' (1989 EMI L.P. track)
MC Lyte & King Of Chill 'Lyte As A Rock (House Mix)' (1988 First Priority Music 12")
L.L. Cool J 'Mama Said Knock You Out (Hot Mix)' (1991 Def Jam 12")
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock 'Get On The Dance Floor' (1988 Profile 12")
Jungle Brothers 'I'll House You' (1988 Idlers 12")
Craig G 'Turn This House Into A Home' (1989 Atlantic 12")
Slick Rick 'Slick Rick - The Ruler' (1991 Def Jam L.P. track)
Chill Rob G 'Make It' (1989 Wild Pitch L.P. track)
Tuff Crew 'What You Don't House' (1989 Soo Deff Recordings 12")

Who Is Barnsley Bill?

Well, Barnsley Bill, could be the man responsible for the first ever British Rap record! This 1981 12" single 'Freewheeling Rap', as far as I know, pre-dates any other U.K. 'Rap' record released, and what's more, this is his second outing on vinyl. Although I don't actually own it (I'd love to at least hear it), 'Barnsley Rap' features the catalogue number - NAG X 121, and so, more than likely, came before this release - possibly in 1980. Signed to the obscure independent label, 'Mother-In-Law-Records', Bill took a stand against the common mimicking of his U.S. counterparts, choosing to deliver hard raps in his native Northern accent. In fact, Bill is so 'hard', he can "fold a newspaper", "drive 75,000 miles a year" and even "eat THREE Weetabix"!!! Produced by Ronnie Bossanova, and backed by The Daves International who supply the heavy funk riff, (borrowed from Banbarra's classic 'Shack Up') Bill delivers potent rhymes with an intricate flow that obviously influenced the likes of future Rap heroes, the G.O.D. Rakim-Allah, Nas, and Ghostface Killah, etc...

As the label states - "If It Ain't 'Mother-In-Law' It Ain't Worth A Stiff". And that's word to big bird!


Barnsley Bill 'Freewheeling Rap' (1981 'Mother-In-Law-Records' U.K. 12")