Little Box Of Horrors - The Singles

This time last year my other half undertook the unhappy and somewhat daunting task of clearing his late parents' house, and one day he came home with a 1970s Philips portable record player and a small box of assorted singles.

There was no mains lead for the player, so I bought some batteries for it, but although there were signs of life, it produced no sound.  Mr B took it to a local chap to be fixed, and when we had heard nothing for a few weeks I promptly forgot about it.  About six months later I remembered and called the guy, to be told, "Oh yes, it's all ready, you can come and collect it today if you like".  He'd got it working again, cleaned it up and even found a suitable mains lead, all for 25 quid.

Philips portable player, now in full working condition.  The stylus flips
over to a needle for playing 78s.

A couple of weeks ago I began delving into the box of 45s.  I listened to them all - indeed I listened the heck out of them, even the b-sides - and can report that it's largely an horrific collection of Benny Hill, Perry Como and the Singing Nun, but there are a few gems too.

The box contained 22 singles/EPs in all, several unsleeved or in paper bags.

Lets have a look at some of the best, as well as some of the, shall we say, more interesting ones.

The Tornados - Telstar b/w Jungle Fever (1962)

The Tornados' rhythm guitarist was George
Bellamy, father of Muse's Matt.

Written and produced by trailblazing pop experimentalist Joe Meek, Telstar was his most successful production, selling 5 million copies worldwide.  Named after the telecommunications satellite, this space-age instrumental opens with a fluttering noise meant to sound like radio interference.  An ascending electronic fanfare leads into an eerie melody line played on a Clavioline keyboard by session musician Geoff Goddard.  This part was overdubbed after the main recording session, as the Tordados had to hot-foot it from London back to Great Yarmouth where they were appearing in a series of shows. Geoff also provided the vocal "ahh-ahh"s, which along with the twangy guitar break and galloping beat make the whole thing sound like the soundtrack for an off-kilter Western.

The excellent B-side Jungle Fever was recorded during the same hurried session as Telstar, and is full of animal sound effects, plus some more muffled vocalisations from good sport Goddard.

Renée & Renato - Save Your Love b/w Love Is Not The Reason (1982)

Renato Pagliari trained in his home country of Italy as a professional waiter, and used his vocal talents to attract customers by bursting into song, ensuring that he was always in demand in the restaurant trade (it would have made me run in the opposite direction).  After moving to the UK he entered the TV talent show New Faces in 1975, where he was spotted by songwriter Johnny Edward, who felt sure that Renato's operatic tenor would be perfect for a ballad he'd written called Save Your Love.  After several business-related setbacks, in 1982 female singer Hilary Lester joined Renato as "Renée" to record it, and this shmaltzy, overblown monstrosity reached the top of the charts in December, remaining there for four weeks over Christmas.  "Renée" didn't appear in the music video as by this time she'd already joined another group, so a model acted as a stand-in.

The duo were contracted for two more singles, both of which flopped.  Luckily they weren't in the box of singles or I'd have been obliged to listen to them both; frankly, having to hear Save Your Love was trial enough, and the less said about its b-side the better.

The Shadows - Wonderful Land of The Shadows EP (1962)

This sadly rather trashed EP dates from the 18-month period when the group's line-up consisted of Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Warren Bennett and Brian Locking, and is a great little collection of the Shad's trademark instrumental surf-rock.  It was obviously well loved and much played as it now couldn't be graded higher than FAB (Frisbee At Best).  It's certainly one of the better records in the box, which makes its poor condition rather ironic next to the almost mint Renée & Renato disc.

Track list:

A1. Wonderful Land

A2. Midnight

B1. Stars Fell On Stockton

B2. 36-24-36

Stars Fell On Stockton was written by Bennett, who'd just replaced Tony Meehan on drums, and the single release of Wonderful Land with 'Stars...' on the flip was a UK no.1, where it remained for eight weeks; longer than any other single of the entire 1960s.  36-24-36 was originally the b-side of Kon-Tiki, which had topped the charts in 1961. The EP peaked at no. 6.

The Barron Knights - Call Up The Groups (Medley) (1964)

The Barron Knights began life as a straight pop group, even playing in Hamburg during the early sixties, as was the trend.  Skilled mimics, they eventually turned their hand to novelty records when hordes of screaming girls failed to materialise.  Call Up The Groups (split into two parts over the disc) was their breakthrough record and is a comic medley where bands of the day sing about various aspects of military conscription (which had been abolished 4 years previously). So among others, we get the Rolling Stones complaining that they don't want to get their hair cut and join the Navy, and the Searchers singing about "hutments and tinware" to the tune of Needles & Pins.

It's not that bad, but unfortunately its no.3 placing in the UK charts only encouraged them, and the Knights went on in this vein for the rest of their career, inflicting "hilarious" parody songs such as Live In Trouble and The Topical Song on the great British public, until they finally gave it a bloody rest in the early '80s.


ABBA - Fernando b/w Hey, Hey Helen (1976)

Fernando is famously ABBA's best-selling single of all.  In the year of its release alone it sold 6 million copies worldwide, and total physical sales are estimated at an astonishing 10 million.  It was originally recorded in Swedish and with very different lyrics, by Ann Frid for her solo album "Frid ensam" (Frida Alone) the year before.

It was the foursome's first single not to appear on an album, and came in the the middle of a run of three consecutive no.1s for the group, between Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia.  The b-side Hey, Hey Helen is a cheery-sounding glam rocker on the rather less cheery subject of divorce and single motherhood.  So, a perfect ABBA song then.


The New Seekers - I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony) b/w Boom Town (1971)

Someone had put it in a red
Columbia sleeve, which made
my brain itch a bit.

This song is so unbearably sappy that the first time I played it I couldn't get to the end.  Steeling myself a week later I managed a whole play, and immediately decided that no further listening was necessary.

I was stunned to learn that it was a re-worked version of the "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" TV ad song - I'd always assumed that it was the other way around!  The New Seekers hurtled to no.1 in the UK with this drippy cringe-along MOR dross, and refused to budge for a month.  The song holds the no.17 position in the list of the 30 bestselling singles of the 1970s, and another song of theirs, You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me, is in this top 30 too, at no. 27. It too was in the box, but thankfully I've blanked that one out now.

The New Seekers were ridiculously (and inexplicably) successful, being chosen to represent the UK in the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest and scoring a dozen top 40 singles here. There's nowt so queer as folk.


Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright) b/w Purple Rain Drops (1965)

1965's Uptight was a breakthrough for Stevie as a songwriter, being his first co-write to breach the US top 20, peaking at no.3 on the Billboard chart.  It's a classic Motown 45; busy and dense with that relentless pounding beat, red-hot horn section, thunking bass, chiming guitar and cooing female bvs.

Berry Gordy was keen for his company's records to sound good on a car radio, and the Motown Sound was designed to cut through traffic noise and poor reception.  No wonder it sounds so flippin' great on the portable's single speaker, even though this particular copy, like nearly all the best records in the box, is a conservative PWC (Played With Chisel).


Leo Sayer - When I Need You b/w I Think We Fell In Love Too Fast (1976)

The unspeakably awful yet totally earwormy When I Need You is from little Leo's Endless Flight album, a charity shop and car boot perennial.  The single went Gold in both the US and UK, topping the charts in both territories and staying at no.1 over here for three no doubt interminable weeks for young Top Of The Pops viewers.  It's since been covered by such alternative icons as Julio Iglesias, Celine Dion and Cliff Richard, which doesn't really bear thinking about.

The b-side, I Think We Fell In Love Too Fast, is about a high school romance, and is a decent enough little pop song with the sort of '70s studio sheen and mildly funky edge that would appeal to fans of Steely Dan.


Connie Francis - Who's Sorry Now b/w You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love) (1957)

This absolutely belting country song by Italian-American pop singer Connie Francis is the oldest single in the box by a full five years.  Connie's first ten releases flopped, with only one piercing the US top 100 (and only just - it stalled at no.99!).  Who's Sorry Now was recorded at the end of what was to be her final session at MGM before she left, as they'd decided not to renew her contract.

She didn't want to cover this 1920s popular ballad, but lost the battle of wills with her father, and a good job too.  The single was released in November '57 and an appearance on American Bandstand gave it an enormous boost, helping it to sell over a million copies by the summer.  It had reached no.1 in the UK by April, and although it remains her biggest hit Connie went on to have a further eight top 40 records before the decade's end.  Her life and career were a bit of a rollercoaster from then; I highly recommend you read her fascinating, often heartbreaking Wiki bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connie_Francis


Clinton Ford - Why Don't Women Like Me b/w Dandy (1966)

Former Butlins Redcoat Clinton Ford (real name Ian Harrison) had his biggest success in 1962 with a song called Fanlight Fanny (yikes).  This cover of George Formby's Why Don't Women Like Me four years later didn't chart at all here, although it reached no.2 in Australia, making me wonder how on earth Mr. B's mum and dad ended up with a copy.  Still, it's a pleasant enough novelty song, with poor old Clinton looking around him and seeing no end of cauliflower-eared ugly mugs with fit birds on their arm, and wondering what exactly it is he's doing wrong.

The flip is a cover of the Kinks' Dandy (more famously covered by Herman's Hermits), with Clinton's club-singer style suiting this music hall-influenced song rather well.


I've made a playlist of all of these songs for your listening pleasure*, except for Renée and Renato, who sadly aren't on Spotify (I think they're holding out for the physical/download market - won't be long now!).  Oh, and the New Seeker's b-side Boom Town isn't there either, but if you're desperate to hear it I'm sure it's on Youtube.  I hope you've enjoyed this look through the Little Box of Horrors - The Singles.  There was one other interesting music-related object in the box, but you've probably had enough for now, so it'll do for another time.

*or y'know, something

2014 Catch-Up Part 1

It's been a fruitful year on the car boot front and although I've been busy tweeting about my finds and using them to make Cloudcasts, the majority have yet to make the pages of this blog.  I intend to remedy this with a short series of catch-up posts where I'll run through the records from the main part of the season, taking us up to the 31st of August.  So, to Part 1....

When I go car-booting I take a few 50ps and £1 coins, and if I have any more spare cash, an emergency fiver or two.  Way back in June I faced an emergency in the shape of The Doors:

The Doors - Morrison Hotel (1970) [£5]

Their fifth LP, Morrison Hotel is a corker of an album with a bluesy sound that would be taken further with 1971's LA Woman, their final record with Jim before his death.  The way that the ominous Peace Frog segues into the haunting Blue Sunday is my favourite part of a phenomenal piece of work.  This copy is a UK repress, although I can't find a matching photo of the label on Discogs, i.e. with an asterisk after K 42080 A/B on the label:

Side A is called "Hard Rock Cafe", while Side B is
"Morrison Hotel".

I'm guessing it's an 80s repress, but if you can help out any info would be great.  Anyway, a top album in spanking condition constitutes an emergency in my book, so I snapped it up with no hesitation, and thank goodness, as it's one of my favourite finds of the year.


Quite a bit cheaper at 50p was Megachic: The Best Of Chic:

Megachic: The Best Of Chic (1990)

This compilation contains their first seven singles from debut album Chic through to Good Times from 1979's Risqué (some 7" edits, some long album versions) plus the UK-charting non-album single Megachic Medley from 1990.  This latter one was the reason I bought this compilation as I already have the rest on their original LPs.  It was produced and mixed by club DJ and remixer Bert Bevans, and although it has a ropey start, after the first couple of minutes this 7.30min track finds its groove and develops a very pleasant Pet Shop Boys-y vibe that's worth 50p of anybody's money.


Two further emergency fivers were spent during the summer, this time on a couple of Rolling Stones records.  Firstly, their 1964 self-titled debut album:

The Rolling Stones (1964)

Tell Me (You're Coming Back) is the sole Jagger/Richards composition here among a cracking set of R'n'B covers, including a nicely grubby version of Rufus Thomas' Walking The Dog.  This copy is of the boxed, red (mono) label variety, dating it from later than autumn 1969 when Decca introduced the silver box around their logo.  The record itself is in pretty good condition, although the laminate on the cover is a bit crinkly.

The other £5 got me a copy of their 1967 release Between The Buttons:

The Rolling Stones - Between The Buttons (1967)

This is my favourite of the two albums, although it's in slightly less good condition with a couple of skips at the beginning of Cool, Calm & Collected.  Luckily my favourite song, the whimsical LSD-alluding Something Happened To Me Yesterday is unaffected.  This copy has a red unboxed Decca logo on the label, matrix numbers XARL-7644-5A/7645-5A, which in better condition would be worth considerably more than a fiver.  Despite the condition it still sounds great, and is an album I'd probably not have bothered with and therefore missed out on if I hadn't found it at a car boot sale.


In my opinion Hotter Than July was Stevie Wonder's last great album; his 19th overall and the one that topped off his incredible run in the 1970s (Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants notwithstanding!).  Although I already have it on CD I was unable to resist a vinyl copy for just 50p a few months ago:

Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July (1980)

It spawned four UK top ten singles, including the fabulous tribute to Bob Marley Master Blaster (Jammin') and another tribute, this time of course to Martin Luther King Jr. in Happy Birthday as part of of Wonder's successful campaign to make King's birthday a national holiday in the US.  Other favourite tracks of mine are Ain't Gonna Stand For It and the ballad Lately - apparently covered by S Club 7!  I might have to check that one out.  Or not.

Quite a poignant record, this next one.  If you've read this blog before you might know that I'm fond of Teddy Pendergrass; both the artist and the man.  I bought This One's For You for £1 back in August:

Teddy Pendergrass - This One's For You (1982)

This, his sixth solo album, was released not long after the car accident that left him paralysed from the chest down for the rest of his life.  The material had been recorded before the accident; this album and the follow-up Heaven Only Knows completed his contract with Philadelphia International Records.  He finally began to record again for Asylum Records, releasing Love Language in 1984.

This One's For You is his usual winning mix of funky pop and soul balladry, with that rich, sexy voice that saw him eventually eclispe his former group Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.  There's a message from Teddy to his fans on the rear of the sleeve, which would have been written during the time of his hospital treatment and gruelling rehabilitation:

"To all my fans, to everyone who wrote, called or asked about me:
I appreciate your prayers and thoughts, however transmitted to me.  It gave me strength when I needed it, and I will always be grateful.  Soon I'll be able to see you in person, until then...this one's for you!
                               Love, Teddy."

Martha Reeves & the Vandellas had 26 hit singles between 1963 and 72.  Refreshingly, just two of them appear on this Music For Pleasure collection (with 1966's What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love? being a US-only single) that I bought for £1:

Martha Reeves & the Vandellas - Dancing In The Street (1973)

Instead it collects together album tracks and b-sides; those gems you're unlikely to hear on the radio, such as the terrific One Way Out which was on the flip of US-only hit Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone, and the buoyant Happiness Is Guaranteed from 1966 album "Watchout!"

Motown was fond of making the most of their best songs, so many were recorded by more than one artist.  There are two covers here; the Holland-Dozier-Holland-penned Mickey's Monkey was previously a hit for The Miracles in '63 before the girls recorded it for their 1965 album Dance Party.  Their version of Marvin Gaye's Hitch Hike is interesting, as Gaye's '62 original actually featured Martha & the Vandellas on backing vocals and the ladies' own recording uses these same vocals as well as the original backing track, with added percussion and harmony vocals.  Typical Motown recycling!

It's definitely a compilation worth picking up if you come across it - there's not a duff track to be found and it's great to hear those lesser-known songs which are just as good as the big hits and have stood the test of time better by not being overplayed.


There are still a lot of records from the summer months to catch up on - hopefully Part 2 will be along soon.  Until then, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @VinylCarBooty (click the follow button at the top of this page) and hear me present some of my boot sale finds at http://www.mixcloud.com/CarBootVinylDiaries/

Winner of 3rd Super Summer Giveaway!

As I predicted, this was was the most popular Giveaway of all.  Last night a name was drawn from the hat and the winner of a boot-sale copy of Stevie Wonder's fantastic Innervisions album is Paul O'Farrell.

I'll be in touch via Twitter Paul, so you can claim your prize!

Super Summer Giveaway - final part!

This summer Car Boot Vinyl Diaries has already given away a classic pop album and a wonderful rock LP.  In the third and final part of the Super Summer Giveaway you now have the opportunity to win a timeless soul record.

From his run of 1970s classics (Music of My Mind up to Songs in the Key of Life), at no. 24 in Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time, I give you the outstanding Innervisions...

Stevie Wonder - Innervisons (1973)

The record is in excellent car-boot condition with no pops, sticks or skips and is a must for any collection.

To enter simply fill in the contact form at the top-right of the page with your name/pseudonym, email address and the words 'Stevie rules' in the message field, and click 'Send'.  The draw will take place at 9pm on Sunday 3rd of August and I can only post to a UK address.

Good luck!

The CBVD Cloudcast has landed!

The first ever episode of the Car Boot Vinyl Diaries Cloudcast has now been uploaded to the Mixcloud page.  Here you can stream nearly an hour of me playing some of my boot sale and charity shop finds, strictly on vinyl and complete with crackles!

Follow the link below to go to the page, where you can find the track-listing as well as listen, or simply use the widget:

Car Boot Vinyl Diaries Episode 1 by Car Boot Vinyl Diaries on Mixcloud

Nobody's Children

During Ceausescu's rule of Romania, attempts to boost the country's population included a ban on abortion and contraception.  This led to thousands of unwanted children being abandoned by their parents.  With their already pitiful resources orphanages were unable to cope and the result was an unimaginable toll on the physical and mental health of a huge number of Romanian children.

At the end of 1989 Ceausescu and his wife were executed after the government was overthrown. The wider world became aware of the terrible conditions in these hundreds of orphanages and the suffering that was taking place.

Many charities were spurred into action and many new charities formed.


George Harrison's wife Olivia founded the Romanian Angel Appeal (RAA) along with the other Beatle wives Linda McCartney, Barbara Bach and Yoko Ono.  Together with a raft of friends and contacts they organised a fundraising album called Nobody's Child in 1990, a copy of which I found at one of yesterday's car boot sales for £1:

Nobody's Child - Romanian Angel Appeal (1990)

It consists of fourteen songs "donated" by an array of musicians including Elton John, the Traveling Wilburys, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and the Bee Gees, but the crowning glory of the album must surely be the epic "Civil War" by Guns 'n' Roses.  I was in high school at this time and thoroughly obsessed with G'n'R.  I remember that this song was also used as the b-side to the single "You Could Be Mine", which I still have somewhere on cassingle!

The RAA Foundation was registered in Romania in 1991 and continues it's work with vulnerable children to this day.  Since a secondhand purchase of the LP wasn't really in keeping with the original spirit of the album I donated £10 to UNICEF, one of the RAA Foundation's partners/sponsors.  You can too here.  Here's "Civil War".

Blow By Blow

Former Yardbird Jeff Beck released his seventh album (and first under just his own name), Blow By Blow, in 1975.  I picked up a copy at a car boot sale just before Christmas for £3:

Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow (1975)

His first instrumental release, it's an energetic jazz fusion album featuring contributions from Stevie Wonder and long-time collaborator Max Middleton, as well as a reworking of Lennon and McCartney's "She's A Woman".  Wonder plays clavinet on his song "Thelonius" and George Martin produced the album as a whole.

Top tracks (Spotify):  Jeff Beck – You Know What I Mean

                                         Jeff Beck – She's A Woman

                                         Jeff Beck – Scatterbrain

Blow By Blow reached no.4 on the US Billboard album chart.

This album was among the last of the car boot vinyl I picked up in 2011, on a very chilly Sunday a week before Christmas.  The boot sales I went to during the autumn and winter threw up a pretty good selection of vinyl and I'm looking forward to getting back out there in the spring and trawling through some more boxes of dusty old records!  Here's a selection from the last few months:

                                 

 Roll on springtime!

Knocks Me Off My Feet

Songs In The Key Of Life was Stevie Wonder's 13th studio album and the fourth and last of those from his so-called 70s "classic" period which began in 1972 with Talking Book.  A few weeks ago I found a copy for 50p at a boot sale:

Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life (1976)

The album boasts 21 songs over a double LP and a 7-inch four-song EP.  The EP was missing but the huge lyric book was present and everything was in excellent condition. 

Wonder does indeed cover a vast array of life's issues including religion, politics, love, birth, death, racism and poverty.  Much has been written about this sprawling critical and commercial gigantic success.  Here's the original Rolling Stone magazine review from 1976:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/songs-in-the-key-of-life-19761216

It spawned several successful singles and went straight in at no.1 on the US Billboard album chart.  It reached no.2 in the UK and is listed as no.56 in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.

It's difficult to pick out favourite tracks, as the overall quality is so high, but here are a couple of zingers, followed by the link to the whole album on our good friend Spotify.



 

Spotify:  Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life

Probably the best 50p's worth of tunes I've ever bought.

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)