Eighties pop 45s

One of my lovely big sisters popped round this week with a couple of 7 inch singles for me.  She'd found them in a charity shop for 25p each:

Culture Club - Karma Chameleon b/w That's The Way (1983)

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Electricity b/w Almost (1980)

I was nine years old in 1983 and still remember Karma Chameleon being an absolutely massive single.  It spent six weeks at number one and was the biggest selling single of that year.

In contrast, OMD's Electricity was recorded/mixed and released as a single three times between 1979 and 1980, finally reaching it's highest position of no.99!  Goodness knows why; it's one of my favourites and went down a storm with fans when I saw them on tour last November.

Here they are on Spotify:  Culture Club – Karma Chameleon

                                         Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Electricity

Georgia on my mind

I only had time for a quick visit to a small local sale on Sunday.  I've often left here empty handed but I came away with a Ray Charles greatest hits LP this time:

Ray Charles - Greatest Hits (1962)

It cost £2 and I'd grade the condition as excellent.  Spotify links:

Ray Charles – Unchain My Heart                    Ray Charles – Georgia On My Mind

On a non- vinyl note but music related nonetheless, I found a brilliant pair of mains-powered laptop speakers for just £2:

I've been looking out for a decent sized pair of these for ages.  Even the best music sounds rubbish coming out of a laptop, so this means I can listen to streamed music without resorting to headphones.  Like the guy run over by a train, I'm chuffed to bits.

Black & white music

Continuing from Monday's post, I got two more LPs last Sunday.  One is XTC's debut album White Music (£1).  This new wave band from the UK recorded 14 albums between 1978 and 2000 and by all accounts evolved greatly over this long period, producing a varied body of work, none of which I had previously heard except the 1979 single 'Making Plans For Nigel'.

XTC - White Music (1978)

 

 

White Music is an energetic album featuring glitchy, sharp guitar and "steam piano and clapped out organs" (sleeve notes). The jerky, punk-pop songs include a cover of  'All Along The Watchtower' but most are written by vocalist Andy Partridge.  Two of my faves are:

Spotify: XTC – Into The Atom Age                        XTC – Neon Shuffle


Lastly, again for £1 was Stevie Wonder's Talking Book (1972).  It's largely ageed that Stevie produced his greatest and most ground-breaking albums in the 1970s, others including the stunning Innervisions and the huge Songs In The Key Of Life.

Stevie Wonder- Talking Book (1972)

Spotify: Stevie Wonder – Maybe Your Baby

Stevie Wonder – I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)

Rain, what rain?

I rolled up early at my local fortnightly car boot sale yesterday only to be greeted by a sign reading "cancelled - too wet" and an empty field bathed in glorious sunshine.  Either the organiser hadn't seen the forecast for a dry morning or was referring to the state of the ground, which may well have been pretty soggy from Saturday's downpour.  Anyway, we set off up the coast to another boot sale and I got this first for just 50p:

Flanders & Swann - At The Drop Of A Hat (1957)

Michael Flanders and Donald Swann wrote and performed brilliantly comic songs in the 50s and 60s.  The comedy duo Armstrong & Miller do a loving pastiche of them in their TV sketch show (see youtube) with the same level of charm and wit but much ruder! 

This live performance was recorded in 1957 at the Fortune Theatre, London to an enthusiastic audience.  Songs include 'A Gnu', 'The Reluctant Cannibal' and my favourite, 'Design For Living' which is laugh-out-loud and still holds true today.

Spotify link:  Flanders & Swann – Design For Living

Next I got History - America's Greatest Hits for £1:

History - America's Greatest Hits (1975)

This American Folk Rock band had their biggest hit with the Neil Young-apeing 'Horse With No Name' but there is much more to them than this radio favourite.  Here are two of my faves:

America – Sister Golden Hair                            America – Daisy Jane

I got two more albums yesterday; I'll post them later in the week when I've had a chance to listen to them.

Reggae Reggae Reggae!

This cost me 50p from a charity shop earlier in the week:

Various - Reggae Reggae Reggae (1987)

It's an 80's-released compilation of mainly late-60's popular reggae and ska, including tracks from The Maytals, The Upsetters, Desmond Dekker, The Ethiopians and Andy Capp.  It's ideal summer soundtrack music; what a pity the current weather doesn't match!

Spotify link: Desmond Dekker – 0.0.7 (Shanty Town)

I just hope Sunday morning stays dry or I'll have nothing to post about if the car boot sale is rained off - fingers crossed!





All Hail The Queen

I went a bit further up the coast yesterday for a large-ish boot sale and got two late 80's hip-hop albums, the first being Queen Latifah's debut LP All Hail The Queen.

Queen Latifah - All Hail The Queen (1989)

It's laid back, intelligent hip-hop, sometimes termed 'conscious rap', similar artists being De La Soul and Monie Love.  In fact both acts guest on here, standout track 'Ladies First' featuring Love.  The album is a patchy affair, but has enough high points to make it a bargain at £1.  Spotify link for track 'Wrath Of My Madness', which is also great:

Queen Latifah – Wrath Of My Madness

Next was The Fats Boys' Krush On You, an early greatest hits double LP compilation.

The Fat Boys - Krush On You (1988)

It's a lot of fun to listen to, although some of the beatboxing strays into Rolf Harris territory on occasion.  For just £1 for a double album though it's a bargain, particularly for standout tracks 'Jailhouse Rap' and 'Can You Feel It?'.  I love the sleeve, covered in images of junk food.  It's not surprising that one member died of a heart attack aged just 28.  The inside of the gatefold is equally calorific:

Yum.



Spotify link: Fat Boys – Can You Feel It

Talkin' Turkey

I got two albums from 1977 this week from a charity shop, both on United Artists Records, for 50p each in excellent condition:

George Hatcher Band - Talkin' Turkey (1977)

The George Hatcher Band's Talkin' Turkey is American Southern Rock, with really soulful vocals and plenty of steel pedal, the latter courtesy of John McFee, here credited as John McSteel!  Huey Lewis provides harmonica under the credit Huey Harp.

The second is Lavender Hill Mob's eponymous debut album:

Lavender Hill Mob (1977)

I'd describe it as 70's rock/pop with a distinctive English sound, despite the fact that the band all hail from Montreal.

This came from eBay today (£3.74), bought last week on a recommendation:

Imagination - Night Dubbing (1983)

It's a dub remix of their 1982 album 'In The Heat Of The Night' which by chance I found in Oxfam last weekend (£3.99).

Imagination - In The Heat Of The Night (1982)

Night Dubbing is a reworking in the vein of Martin Rushent's Love & Dancing, the dub remix of The Human League's 'Dare', released under the name League Unlimited Orchestra in 1982. 

Like Love & Dancing, Night Dubbing contains lots of chopped vocal samples, electronic wizardry and enough bass to lend it plenty of groove.  Here's a Spotify link to a choice cut:

Imagination – Just An Illusion - Dub Remix

Not a bad week I'd say.