Recommendations - FEBRUARY 2004

HERE I AM - BENNY FROM CROSSROADS

Believe it or not I was dead chuffed to find this. At that massive and quite revolting record fair at Wembley. I went there with Fraser, we got up really early and fuck that, I'm not going to bother again. But later on in the day, when all around me were peddling useless and very expensive LPs I dug this out. It was in a shoe box under a stall. Wonderfully stuck in time this is a 'killer' single, all sad and thick, just like Benny. He even sings this song as Benny, with an all too brief monlogue in the middle. In fact he's "waiting at the crossroads of his life, hoping that someday he'll meet a wife". Well dream on you idiot. I tend to play this back to back with the theme from Cell Block H. But not in public quite yet.

NOWHERE TO GO - DIZZY REECE

"Blimey" I said as the bloke at Spitalfields record fayre held this up for me. Never seen it before and never likely to see it again I said to meself, so I had to buy it. From 1957 this is possibly the rarest UK soundtrack, only pressed as an EP. It's on that jazz label Tempo and is quite super. Very strange use of cowbells which I like, and it's also worth noting that the fat one they call Tubby Hayes is also blowing off on this. This probably explains why it's so damn rare. Musically it's dark and quite tense, which I also enjoy a lot. Killer noirish sleeve too.

POOH BEAR - RUMBLY IN MY TUMBLY

Most record buyers in London are aware that Reckless Records have bought the entire archive of BBC singles. Fat chance of anyone getting anything half decent before the staff, however this one, in the useless box for 50p was worth it for me. We all love Pooh. I really love him when he (or rather Sterling Holloway) is singing, and this song is the greatest by far. Grammatically incorrect and irresistably sweet, this is my top single at the moment. One day I might, just might grow up.

REG TILSLEY - THE TROLL

I have a bit of a thing for 10Ó library records at the moment. This is just one of the current crop. I think it goes quite well with "The Gonk" from the last lost, and when I was working at Portobello Antiques Market, Gonks and Trolls were normally displayed next to each other. Many different dealers have many different theories about these little creatures, but as far as I'm concerned, Trolls come from Eastern Europe. In the woods there somewhere, and Gonks come from Fairgrounds. Anyway, kooky mechanical oddiity this with great instrumention. Played a lot. The cover is also insane.

POURQUOI L'AMERIQUE - EDDIE HARRIS

This is a great records. I like Eddie Harris, he plays the electric sax. Everyone loves his version of "Listen Here". This is a soundtrack he made in about 1969 for a French film. The soundtrack was only issued in France. I bought it in France and even managed to haggle in French. It's quite strange in production terms, first because of Eddie's electric sax, then with either some delay or a period reverb /echo on all the other instruments involved which makes it all a bit drunk and a bit trippy. It has its blue moments too and I think it's totally underrated for what it is. This is currently a cheap record. Please find one somewhere and then you can agree with me about how great it is.

THE MUSICAL SIDE OF BRUCE - BRUCE FORSYTH

His new TV series / gameshow is worse than dreadful. However in his day no one could touch Brucey on the telly. I loved Play Your Cards Right, but maybe that was just the "dolly dealers" who kept we watching. A mate of mine once shagged one of them - he picked her up at Stringfellows and gave her £50. This is a great LP for two reasons. Firstly it has dreadful drawings of Brucey front and back. Secondly it has a funky track called "Lucretia MacEvil" which is well worth a listen.

DUMBO - FRANK CHURCHILL AND FRIENDS

Look Out, Look Out, it's a Walt Disney Record. And blimey, it's the second one on this list. Well I love the film for it's almost agelessness, and I love the songs and music for all the right reasons. Pink Elephants on Parade, Casey Junior and more besides. Oh yes, I might have written about this recording already, but I don't care because it's still an essential record and is constantly at my turntable side and has been for some while now.

MOONSCAPE - MICHAEL GARRICK TRIO

The obsession with all things Garrick continues. This one has a serindipidus reason for being here. I got an email just before Christmas from a distributor who sells copies of Quantum on CD in his shoppe. He was ordering more. He also had this record for sale on behalf of a friend. He did some searching on the internet for Mr Garrick and stumbled across the trunk site, and these very pages. He put two and two together and offered me this record. I bit his hand off. This is the rarest of all the Garrick records. It's a privately pressed 6 track recording (only 100 made), with a mistake on the label saying 45rpm, when it should say 33. It's from 1964, and it represents the beginnings of 'the new thing', or rather free jazz in the UK. However, it's not free in that horrid crazy way, this is gentle, pensive and clever. I have been bowled over by the beauty of this little thing, and have been forced to CDR it because it's really too valuable to play all the time and I was playing it all the time. There's this big jazz dealer who rings me every week now trying to get if from me for one of his "clients". You wouldn't believe the money involved here. It's only a record. Great cover though, I love the moon.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF NOWHERE

Funny little CD this. Basically it's a Dr researching the human mind and its responses. As a result of some hard work and a little jiggery pokery he has recorded the sound your brain makes when under stress, when fond memories are triggered and more. There is lots of silence on this CD and then some insane unpredictable noises. And it's great to fall asleep too if you know what I mean. Google the title and you'll find out more, or search: morrisoto@yahoo.com

WHAT CAN I DO - GORDON SNELL AND FRIENDS

A strange BBC record and just one of the many strange BBC records with lots of funny bits on. Very useful for broadcasting. Especially the weird game of I spy that is track three side two.

DEREK'S HOMEMADE REGGAE CD

Derek is not a keen record buyer, In fact I'd say he rarely even goes anywhere near a record shop. But on his travels when he does find records they tend to be reggae. He made me a CD for Christmas and I still listen. If you ask me this is what making compilations is all about - it's just the music he likes without all the pretentions of someone who really "knows" or buys music. Top stuff.

SATURDAY NIGHT FIELDLER - ARTHUR FIEDLER

We've all left Arthur Fiedler LPs in charity shops, but don't leave this one if you ever see it. Up there with Sesame Street Fever, this is the pensioners disco LP. I mean just look at that cover. Look at the way they've trussed him up in that cheap suit and just quickly turned up the trousers for him. Good classical disco as you'd expect from Mr Fielder. Look out for his classical version of Ma Na Ma Nah on a different LP.

THE GLORY STOMPERS - DAVEY ALLEN ETC

Always had a soft spot for biker movie music, this is one of the more elusive titles, and if you ask me one of the better, weirder ones. Bonkers drums, weirdy bits, more weirdy bits and the film was co-produced by Casey Kasem, the voice of Shaggy in Scooby Doo. There's also a track on this one called "mouth" which is not only a great name for a track but it's also a fine chunk of disturbing easy. Someone told me recently that many of the Davey Allen records were coming out again. I hope so, for Davey's sake as I don't think he got a bean for all the record that must have sold with his name on it.