The new car boot season has started - at last! it feels like months
since I was able to get down on my knees and scrabble about in mucky
boxes under tables in wet fields or litter strewn car parks but now I can
finally do it again, oh joy! Mind you the Northamptonshire boots are yet
to really kick off, that will hopefully be when it stops bloody raining.
We may be in one of the dryest counties in middle England but it seems the
rain has come down on the last few Friday nights to put the kibosh on early
Saturday morning starts, tsk typical. So fingers x for the coming season and
I don’t mind if it rains as long as it’s on a Tuesday around teatime, thanks God.







CENTURY 21 : Marina Speaks

This was one of two Century 21 EP’s I picked up last weekend, the first
of which features Marina, the mysterious beauty from 60’s TV show Stingray
The big thing about Marina was that she never spoke, so imagine the
excitement and incredible anticipation to finally be able to hear her speak!
Well, i’m sorry to disappoint you but she spends most of side one nodding,
I assume she’s nodding as she doesn’t open her mouth to say actual words.
However on side 2 she narrates her own story of why she was cursed to
remain dumb struck thanks to the evil Titan, but I could swear her voice
is the same as Atlanta’s and Lady Penelope’s and Sylvia Anderson’s…
Century 21 Records ~ 1965

                                                                                                                               

CENTURY 21 : Lady Penelope & Other TV Themes

Well talk of the she-devil, here she is on an EP featuring her favourite TV
themes along with some help from her trusty chauffeur Noel Gallagher sorry
I mean Parker, who even gets to sing on one track. I was quite disappointed
in the very poor version of the Bewitched theme, which is slowed down to a
lounge muzak version and the sleeve itself has a small tear on the front but
otherwise this is a keeper even if there are still another 36 in the set to collect.
Century 21 Records ~ 1966

RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE : Govinda

This single was released in 1970 on The Beatles own Apple label and was the
complete fault of hippy George who produced it and probably hand-clapped
along to it on side 2 too. This was the less sucessful follow up to their Top 20
smash hit Hare Krishna Mantra and I find it kinda scary to think that there was
an entire album of this stuff released too though I have never picked up a copy. Radha Krishna Temple was the home to the Society for Krishna Consciousness which is still open most days in sunny Watford.
Apple Records ~ 1971

PHIL TATE & THE WINDJAMMERS : All The Nice Girls

This easy listening instrumental album has not only a fine sleeve with
some lovely bikini clad lasses on it it also features a sweet version of
the classic tune Sunny which makes it worth tracking down for that alone.
All the other tracks on it are named after girls names like Delilah and
Michelle and of course who could forget Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
I think she must be sitting second from the left.
Plexium Records ~ 1971

MOLLY MOLLOY : Rock Dance

What a great find this was as I would have bought it for the sleeve alone,
but it has some really sweet funky breaks and beats. It’s all instrumental
and would have been used as backing music for teaching dance in schools
and although it’s titled Rock Dance on the cover it really is anything but,
which I suppose is a blessing as it’s much better than I hoped it might be.
An instructional booklet is enclosed with exercises for the Intermediate dancer,
this album turned out to be my best find of the last few weeks.
Check the title track Rock Dance
Gamba Educational Records ~ 1970’s

MYSTERY ACETATE : ???

I was a tiny bit excited by this when I discovered it squashed between
a couple of Suzi Quatro albums although I should have known it wouldn’t
actually be by her. Quite who it is exactly is still a mystery to me even
after giving it a spin however, it turns out to be fairground organ music!
bummer… For a few moments before the needle hit the grooves it could
have been some long-lost Psych classic or a Folk oddity, instead it’s just
rubbish, nice sleeve though.
City Of London ~ 1960’s

I am still out and about at the weekends but mostly on Sundays for
now as the Saturday boots are non-existant until it warms up a bit.
I’ve also been concentrating on picking up just singles too as they are
easier to scan and I am building up a post of albums only, to come soon
whooo hoo! Until then here are some of my nicest vinyl finds since Christmas.

MALCOLM STEWART : Let’s Play A Game EP

Well this single ticked a lot of boxes for me when I first found it lying
unloved at the bottom of a box of albums, Folk, yes! EP, yes! 1960’s,
perhaps.. (it doesn’t say) cheap, yes! But is it any good? erm no, not
really as it’s all a bit too Christian for my liking, I suppose the fact it was
on Grail Records was a bit of a giveaway but at least it was only 25p and
I may get a £1 for it one day, if i’m lucky.
Grail Records ~ 1960’s

DICK JAMES : Sing A Song Of Beatles

This was one of the many cash-in records released in the Beatles wake,
this one is by the music publisher who founded Northern Songs who
published all those early Beatles hits. Dick James managed to secure the
incredible deal whereby the Fabs royalties were split 50% to him, 20% to John,
20% to Paul and 10% to manager Brian Epstein. Of course he did very well out
of it, even releasing an album of Beatles songs from which this EP is taken,
and who would ever try to pull such a cheeky stunt in this day and age?
Parlophone ~ 1964

VARIOUS ARTISTS : The Sounds Of Bristol

This is a lovely record and quite long too, as it’s like a mini-album
playing at 33rpm. The narrator even say’s “ooh arr” in a dodgy accent
every so often. On side 2 the narration veers close to a Little Britain
sketch as he describes Bristol ladies as ‘sloppy’ and impersonates them
in a “yes, I am a laydee” via “the only gay in the village” stylee, hilarious!
Saydisc ~ 1973

MADY MESPLE & DANIELLE MILLER : Flower Duet

Although this famous tune goes back to 1883 this French opera singer
recorded the version we’re familiar with in 1971. As well as being used to
advertise British Airways like it is on this release, it was also used to great
effect in David Bowie’s middling vampire movie The Hunger in 1983.
I’m always pleased to find another advertising record I don’t already have
though, so despite the fact I may never play this copy it does have a quite
nice gatefold sleeve. If you think you may not know this tune then listen to
this and be prepared to go, ooh yeah!
EMI ~ 1985

SAMANTHA JONES : Ford Leads The Way/Go Ahead

An unusual promotional single from 1967 by Samantha Jones
who was one of the original Vernons Girls, a group of girl singers
formed by the Vernon football pools company in the 1950’s.
She sings Ford Leads The Way in praise of the crazy horses but
it’s the B side Go Ahead which the really groovy tune here just a
shame it didn’t come in the original picture sleeve but a great tune.
Ford Records ~ 1968

STOLLER’S TEAM : Sapporo/Mean

When I think of the Winter Olympics I remember that downhill sk-ing theme
Pop Looks Bach by Sam Fonteyn, this however is not that stirring tune.
It tries hard to convey the excitement and thrills of a snowy sports festival
but falls way too short, even with actual ski-ing sounds mixed in the music.
It’s the B side who is the winner here, with it’s heavy Afro vibes and funky beat.
Decca Records ~ 1972

The British Olympic Supporters : Bronze, Silver & Gold

Also from released to promote the 1972 Olympics was this 7” single
Bronze, Silver & Gold which is a brass-backed march and very ho-hum.
The B side is a trumpet-led instrumental titled Chin Up which kinda gave
the impression that we were never really gonna win all that much anyway
so keep on smiling and hey, chin up!
Bumble Records ~ 1972

PETER BLEGVAD : Alcohol

I couldn’t resist this single which I paid the seller £2 for as it was originally
recorded as a demo for the Slapp Happy/Henry Cow album Desperate Straights
in 1974 by Peter Blegvad and Anthony Moore. The B side of this one-sided disc
has grapes etched around it and came with a dire warning on it’s inner sleeve
and was also a tricky disc to take a photo of - check out the video
Recommended Records ~ 1981

Despite the cold and grim mornings there are still plenty of hardy
souls out there in the fields and car parks of Northampton at 7am
on a Sunday morning! I may not be brave enough to stand around
for a few hours behind a trestle table myself but I am still to be found
on my knees digging away in search of vinyl treasures.
These past few weeks have been kind to me as I have dug up s’more
lovely singles as well as several flexi-discs, most of which I post on my
Facebook page. This is the pick of the vinyl including this first one which
I never even knew existed until I came across it in a box of old reggae singles.






ADAM ‘BATMAN’ WEST : Batman & Robin

I always assumed everybody knew who Adam West is but it seems
powers at EMI thought it best to add Batman to his name just in case
some folks had forgotten who was that masked man. This single was
released around the time of the TV series re-runs at teatime and was
unfortunately another one of those dodgy spoken word discs that seemed
to clog up the charts in the mid 70’s. This one never even tickled the lower
reaches of the charts but holy smokes Robin it is a demo!
Target Records ~ 1976

GEORGIE FAME : The Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde

Not a particularly scarce record but a nice demo of a single that was a #1 hit
for R&B singer Georgie Fame in 1967. His rarest record is the single that came
a few years later titled Entertaining Mr Sloan from the black comedy film of the
same name. That 7” worth at least £75 and rarely comes up for sale on eBay.
CBS ~ 1967

John & Joan Shakespeare : Number One Theme

This great single turns out to be pretty rare but it was the picture sleeve
that first caught my eye, funny that. The tune was specially composed by
the husband and wife duo as a commercial for long defunct BEA Airways.
The B side Fade Out was the title music for the Stanley Baker film of the
same name and both sides were arranged by none other than Quincy Jones.
Decca ~ 1969

GANGSTER : Build On Our Dreams

This charity single was released in 1988 to raise money for a new
scanner for Huntingdon Hospital and was released appropriately
enough on Hospital Records. The rear of the sleeve features the
group were superimposed on a photo of a brain scan and could be
bought for the minimum donation of only one pound.
Medical Records ~ 1988

FAMILY : Strange Band EP

I have most of the Family albums (arf) but this single was new to me and
what a great sleeve! It is a 3 track EP which features new versions of 2 of
their tunes including a reworking of one of their finest songs, Weaver’s Answer
which was also the first track on the album Family Entertainment. I used to
have the original huge poster that came free with that album hanging up in
my bedroom, yes I am that old/sad…
Reprise ~ 1970

THE LATCHKEY CHILDREN : The Latchkey Children

Maybe I was too busy out causing mischief or more likely watching something
else entirely but I don’t recall ever seeing this TV show. With a bit of research
(I Googled it) I discovered the show put an unusual comical slant on the problem
of children left to fend for themselves after school as their parents were at work.
The show only lasted one series but this single has managed to survive 30 years.
Virgin Records ~ 1980

CLIVE ALLAN ORCHESTRA : Various Hits

These 3 x 6 track EPs were all nestled together, unloved in a box of old
Top of The Pops albums and were released around the same time as those
dodgy compilations were first issued. Bringing together hits of the time on
a budget priced 7” these 3 each have the same artwork in different shades
of groovy colours. The Clive Allan Orchestra and Singers were the guilty ones
behind the covers and they really did hit their stride with that green one!
Avenue Records ~ 1969

CLIVE ALLAN ORCHESTRA : Various Hits

A year earlier and on the similar Disc-A-Fran budget label came
this equally grim cover versions EP by the same guilty party as the
ones above. The rear of the sleeve with its sulky as opposed to sultry
model states that the label is actually proud to bring you these faithful
reproductions of great hits - each month! meaning there are more of these
frankly awful singles out there, somewhere, hiding in a box near you…
Disc-A-Fran Records ~ 1968

The booting year is certainly winding down now with only a few more
of the big regular events to go and I am soon gonna be wondering what
to do with my Sunday mornings. I’ve discovered a few nice singles in
the last few weeks however, nothing especially rare but sweet enough
to squirrel away. I also plan on selling a load of old albums at the end
of the month, so if your at Sixfields Stadium in Northampton on the
last Sunday in October keep a look out for the tall guy with the fedora!

SOUND EFFECTS : Space Ship/Ghosts

I was chuffed to bits when I found this single even though I already have
several albums of sound effects, from earthquakes to farts. Its a pity it didn’t
come in a picture sleeve and the electronically created ghosts are as unghostly
as they could possibly be, yet there is a naive charm about them I like.
Shame there is no credit as to who created them but I’d like to think they
might be early Delia Derbyshire experiments.
HMV ~ 1960’s

THE CIMEX INVASION : Top Secret

This is a bizarre promotion record for Cimex Industrial which was released
to encourage businesses to buy their cleaning machine products. It has
some excellent Radiophonic Workshop style electronics floating over the
voice of a salesman warning you that the “The Cimex are coming, Cimex
are invading the earth with the most powerful cleaners the world has seen”
we have certainly been warned! The A side urges you to play it first yet it’s
B side asks you not to play it at all, but thats because it is just a single tone
all the way through…
Private Pressing ~ 1960’s

THE SESSION : Bridge Over Troubled Water

This is an incredibly sad record which was released to raise money for
families of the Hungerford tragedy in 1987 when lone gunman Michael Ryan
went on a rampage around the streets of Hungerford killing 16 people.
The Session consists of several pop stars of the time including Sinitta,
Imagination and err, Marti Webb. I was living in Australia at the time of
this release so when I came across it recently I had been blissfully unaware
of it’s existence up until the moment I found it hidden in a box of NOW albums.
The B side is an equally miserable song titled I’m Crying.
PRT ~ 1987

SPIKE MILLIGAN : The Wormwood Scrubs Tango

I was not familiar this typically silly single featuring Spike doing his old
Goonish voice over an orchestra but it’s the B side which totally loses it
and jumps off the deep end into utter silliness, titled The Little Grey Hole
In My Vest it is just totally crackers, which for Spike Milligan is really saying
something! This 7” was originally released  in the early 60’s but for some reason
re-issued in 1974 maybe to tie in with his TV show Q5 or Q6 at the time?!
BBC Records ~ 1974

JULIE & GORDON : Gordon’s Not A Moron / J-J-Julie (Yippee Yula)

I was lucky to pick up an original Rabid Records first pressing of the classic
Jilted John by Jilted John single recently so imagine my suprise when I came
across these 2 ‘response records’ last weekend! The chorus of Jilted John was
of course “Gordon is a moron” yet JJ’s creator Graham Fellows had no hand in
creating either of these singles.
Pogo Records ~ 1978/9

This has proved to be another fruitful month for singles, I did pick
up a few albums however, the nicest of which was a Psych-Punk
compilation called Mayhem & Psychosis which is pretty, pretty good.
I came across a box of Tom Jones albums and tucked in at the back
were the top three singles below, the first of which I was quite excited
about at first until I noticed a missing letter in his christian name, still
it was a curio I was happy to give a home to.

ANTONY HOPKINS : Talking About Mozart

Yes, that is Antony Hopkins not Sir Anthony Hopkins, I do have a single
by Sir Anthony somewhere called Distant Star but this is a different kettle
of fish altogether. This chap simply talks you through Mozart’s Symphony
No. 41 in C and err, thats it! Quite who this record was aimed at is anyones
guess but the narrator obviously knows his stuff as he also wrote a book
called yes, you’ve guessed it Talking About Symphonies.
Jupiter Records ~ 1961

YEHUDI MENUHIN : What Is Music?

This excellent and very educational record I assume was originally meant
to be played in schools to help teach kids about the different sounds and
styles of music from Beethoven, lions, Indian Sitars, African drums to an
erupting volcano - they’re all here! Sir Menuhin’s vocal delivery is a bit dry but
I am sure it would still have sounded quite interesting even if you were sitting
cross-legged on a gym floor or relaxing in your front room on headphones.
BPC Records ~ 1969

VANESSA REDGRAVE : Hanging On A Tree

She is perhaps better known as an actress rather than a folk singer yet the
folk label Topic bravely decided to give her a shot at warbling along with
Bill Daley on guitar and Jim Bray on double bass to a couple of tunes in 1964.
I’d imagine a whole album was unlikely to ever happen so the only recorded
proof that Vanessa could hold a tune together is on this one-off single.
Topic Records ~ 1964

BILL WYMAN : (Si Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star

This is perhaps the ex Rolling Stones bass players finest solo moment,
I heard it in a club recently and it still sounds great. This copy I picked
up is nice for a couple of other reasons, firstly it’s a promo which would
be cool in it’s own right, but what gives this copy extra wow factor is
that the B side is signed by none other than ex-Radio 1 DJ Mike Read.
I can only assume this was some (unwanted) competition prize, perhaps
on a Radio 1 Roadshow or maybe someone has forged his autograph and
it’s a fake!? come to think of it, that has got be highly unlikely!
A&M ~ 1981

THE ONLY ONES : Another Girl, Another Planet

I think I must have several other copies of this brilliant song in various formats,
the original studio album it came on, the great That Summer soundtrack, a CD
and a battered copy of the 7” itself but this is the first time I have come across
one in it’s original picture sleeve. Designed by Rocking Russian who were also
responsible for other sleeves from Siouxsie & The Banshees and UB40 to
Teardrop Explodes and Kool & The Gang .
CBS ~ 1978

BINKY BAKER & PIT ORCHESTRA : Toe Knee Black Burn

This Stiff curio (BUY 41) originally came in a picture sleeve but I prefer this
standard company sleeve to be honest. The song is a pretty straight forward
run through of the words Toe, Knee, Black and Burn and variations like Burn,
Black, Knee, Toe, etc. The pictures on the label explain more but I just wish
I could work out who it is he’s meant to be singing about…
Stiff Records ~ 1978

ROADRUNNER AKA CHRIS ROBERTS BAND : C.B. Independence

Not exactly a catchy name for a band and a pretty awful art sleeve too but
this song in praise of the Citizen’s Band Radio craze is a snapshot of a time
long, long ago when we used to talk to each other before the internet!
This country tinged tune features the great B.J. Cole on twangy steel
guitar but no, that is not the Motorhead song of the same name on the flip,
they mean something else entirely, mind you could that be the Brian Clough
who did the sleeve.
Cavalcade Records ~ 1980