The Soundr Hour - Yacht 2 Trot: wherein we take a second cruise around the smooth lagoons of Yacht Rock - from Rupert Holmes (not *that* track) to Robert Palmer, from Pablo Cruise to Captain and Tennille (not *that* track) - from obscure Dutch B-sides to Stevie Wonder's studio boffin with a scattering of 'surprisingly yacht' finds along the way. Pipe yourself aboard below shipmates
Bag a bargain - the latest Podrophenia is up for download.
A charity shop special - loaded with upcycled songs: a medley that hops from Georgie Fame to Led Zep, Anthony Newley's version of Goldfinger, the funkiest fizzy-pop song ever, Mud getting on the good foot (rather than the Tiger Foot) and a track from the fifth most expensive record sold on Discogs (value is no indicator of quality)...
All here and all free..
Suggested by David Wright - the theme for this evening's Tuesday night shindig is Charity Shop Classics. Theme tunes, Studio 2 Stereo albums, Herb Alpert and Hallmark
TOTP make-overs are all appearing on the Radio Podrophenia playlist...live from 9. It won't be a complete cheese board, we're also donating Big Beat, Beatles covers and Shirley Bassey belting out the funk.
Along with some natter and banter on best/worst buys, and an eye-spy guide to charity shop
stock - books: James Bond, Jaws, Blue Peter annuals. Records: MFP, The World of
comps...gadgets: sketch-a-graph'.
If you're an Apple or Android user, you can now lend a digital ear to Chance Radio via the TuneIn app. And if you missed it or fancy a re-run of last week's charabanc around the musical song map you can climb aboard below
This is my opener for tonight, following a Bassey related rarity from Piley
Hold onto your Santa hats pop-pickers as Terry of the spectacular TOTP The Definitive Website , delivers a hamper of Hallmark's holiday hits. Vol 42 listed today, was my very first TOTP album - even now seeing the cover, takes me back to sitting in mum and dad's rocking chair, eating endless helpings of marmite on toast by our 3 bar electric fire, which incidentally, caught the cat's tail aflame once. But that's another tale for another time (come on, it is Panto season)...so for now it's over to Terry and his grotto of goodies...
One of the most astute marketing decisions in pop was taken by the tiny Hallmark label in 1968, when they launched their “Top of the Pops” albums – a series of LPs packed with cheaply made, but passable cover versions of current pop hits. The masterstroke was realising the BBC had failed to trademark the title – and so by purloining it, Hallmark could cash in on unwitting punters thinking they were getting the real soundtrack to the TV programme. Come Christmas, untold numbers of unsuspecting parents and grandparents must have found these LPs in the shops and picked them up at seemingly bargain prices for the kids.
It’s Christmas Day, 1971, and on this morning, the new national album charts are published. And at number 13, it’s “Top of the Pops volume 20” [one of my favourite covers - Mond]outselling current classics by Carol King, Rod Stewart and James Taylor, among others. That same Christmas morning, “Hot Hits 8” was at a lofty number 2, while “Pye Chartbusters 2” was also in the top 30 – proof that Christmas was the ideal time for budget albums like these to fly off the shelves. And so it seems appropriate at this time of year to pay tribute to the “Top of the Pops” phenomenon, by rounding up some of their finest seasonal offerings – cover versions all, but which perfectly capture the moment......
We start our review with something of a Christmas pudding from our Elton. In his prime and scoring top 10 hits for fun, it was a major eyebrow-raiser when the custom-made “Step Into Christmas” struggled to a Scrooge-like 24 on the singles charts. “Top of the Pops” captured a version for volume 35, Elton himself no stranger to the budget covers scene of course, having recorded a good number of vocals for LPs such as this before he was famous. (In fact he can be heard singing on “Top of the Pops” volume 5, but that’s another story.) This rendition doesn’t sound too much like Elton, but to be fair, sounds every bit a Christmas hit.
One of the strangest pop phenomena of the 1970s (and that’s saying something!) was that of the Wombles. This bizarre novelty act, brainchild of Mike Batt, somehow managed to rack up four top 10 hits in 1974 alone, the best of the lot, “Wombling Merry Christmas” which was held off the top of the hit parade only by Mud’s rival offering, “Lonely This Christmas”. The Poppers plumped for the Wombles and covered them in style; in this instance, it hardly mattered that this was not the original version. Rumour has it the Wombles didn’t play on their own singles anyway… It’s easy to dismiss this track as just kids’ stuff, but use your imagination. Change the words “Wombling Merry Christmas” for “rollicking Merry Christmas” and you have a hit which could give Wizzard’s concurrent Xmas anthem a run for its money.
In the years before Simon Cowell got to decide what would be Christmas number 1 sometime over the summer, the coveted top slot was much more of a lottery than today. It is a curious fact that until 1973, only one Christmas song managed it – “Mary’s Boy Child” by Harry Belafonte, way back in December 1957. All that changed in the 70s, with Christmas-themed number 1s becoming the norm on the 25th, and “Top of the Pops” couldn’t have been better timed to celebrate the fact. Come 1978, it was a return to Christmas of yore, with “Mary’s Boy Child” top of the Christmas tree once again, courtesy of a dramatically updated version by Boney M. “Top of the Pops” do their best with this awkward fusion of seasonal worship and hedonist discotheque, as heard on volume 77, but it was never going to be an easy job. For some reason they released it a year late, in December 1979. Work that one out?!
Back in the early 1970s, when John Lennon really believed he could change the world for the better, he set about creating what he reckoned would replace “White Christmas” as the definitive seasonal song. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” may not have quite managed that, but one wonders if Macca was just a tad jealous anyway? No sooner had Wings flown the nest than Sir Paul rushed out his first solo offering in almost a decade. “Wonderful Christmastime” is pure McCartney, bouncy, catchy, commercial and completely bereft of substance. “Top of the Pops” couldn’t resist a crack at Macca’s hit single, which can be heard on the same volume 77 with “Mary’s Boy Child”.
Fast forward one year, and Christmas will never be the same for Beatles fans. Lennon’s murder in early December cast a shadow over the festive season, the pop charts of Christmas 1980 commemorating his passing with a slew of his singles piling up in the top end of the listings. “Happy Xmas” was among them, appropriately entering the charts in Christmas week, but too late for the December “Top of the Pops” (and completely unsuitable for the January LP). Christmas number 1 that year was Lennon’s would-be comeback single, “(Just Like) Starting Over”, redolent of its time and place, and worthy of another listen through the Poppers’ prism. (Was it really thirty years ago?)
We open our last “Top of the Pops” present, as the LP series was itself coming to a conclusion, in 1981. Number 1 on Christmas day are the distinctly uncelebratory Human League, but we have our eternal saviour at number 2, in the form of Clifford Richard. For a month, his schmaltzy “Daddy’s Home” was poised to capture top spot, but somehow never did, divine intervention apparently not forthcoming. Perfect for a festive “Top of the Pops” album, this lullaby track sees out our Yuletide survey with all the ghastly bad taste we associate with the season, and indeed with Cliff. Merry Christmas – and go easy on the cheese.
Top of the Pips - the infamous nipples edition (Vol 16)
If there's one format that's a precision indicator of 70s pop culture fashions and flavours, it's those bumper bundles of refitted hits at budget prices - Hallmarks' Top of the Pops albums. Omnipresent and affordable, new and updated editons of TOTP repopulated the record racks of Woolworths, Boots and sometimes supermarkets with an industrial efficiency and unrelenting refresh rate of 'every six to eight weeks' according to volume 60's sleeve blurb from ..
It's too easy to raise a purist eyebrow over these popular compilations. Dig about the genre and you'll find it's not all charity shop fodder, some highly prized items are buried in the back catalogue: the 'nipples' cover of Vol 16 , the bondage gatefold (Best of 71) - and the golden nugget I've spent too long scouring cyberspace for - Volume 60, with a playlist pulling together I Feel Love, Oh Lori and Pretty Vacant.
From what was a mostly cottage industry of session musicians and production anono-bods, moments of glowing self-sufficient invention and thrifty studio trickery can be found. Take Bohemian Rap (or Bo Rap to give it's full title) as Ben Soundhog says....
The version of Bohemian Rhapsody is bordering on genius, considering it was done in about a day rather than the seventy million years the original took.
An online goldmine and encyclopedia of all that is TOTP (and TOTP related) is available here at the wonderful - Top of the Pops: The Definitive Website. Did you know TOTP series ran until 1985, that Larry Adler and Tina Charles appear on some editions? That two volumes topped the charts, Find out which models make multiple cover appearances, thumb through a breakdown of acts, tracks, sleeve notes and international variations.
If you have any interest in 70s retro-ology, spin over and browse away - I guarantee TOTP - TDW will be right up your Hit Parade...
PS - wonder if there were ever any outtakes that never made the final edit, perhaps it's time for TOTP expanded or deluxe editions?
Well that's almost it from me for this decade..Happy Christmas, Feliz Navidad and Mele Kaliki Maka to everyone who's chipped in with contributions, comments, recommendations or link ups. And a discreet nod to those stealthy footed silent types who read but never write..
I say almost, as I'll be back on the 31st. Having been asked to do the tunes for a New Year's shinding, I've rattled up a roll call of 'bangers', 'bankers' and rootin' tootin' tunes - running to a total four CDs worth. Tune in New Year's Eve and you can grab the full set for a limited period only...
So that'll be me blogging off, logging off and leaving you with two tunes used in the last poddy - The Ventures (soundtracked our cracker test) and Big Tiny Little (the piano madness used to close the 'cast). So until then, have yourselves a swinging little Christmas playmates and go easy on the scoops and stodge.. Big Tiny Little - Tiny's Christmas Medley
If you haven't checked it out yet, you must get your snow-boots over to Fades In Slowly, where Adam has created a 'bloggers of the world unite' selection box in the style of Peely's festive 50 with between tune links from St John of Peel...
Matt from Worksopp wrote in last week - asking do I have 'Joe Loss's version of 'Shot In The Dark'? Yes Matt, I do. It's on the Mondo iBlock, and now on the blog..
'A Shot In The Dark' is Henry Mancini's theme from the second Pink Panther film, although it's perhaps better known as a musical motif used during the Inspector sequences of the Pink Panther cartoon show. Joe Loss's take is a big-band, twang-o-ramic swinger starring a guitar-a-go-go freak out from legendary sixties session man Big Jim Sullivan(Tom Jones's guitarist and aka Lord Sitar)
And as a bonus here's Hugo Montenegro's version of Our Man Flint, a versh that almost made the recent the 'Spy' post, but was pipped by Herbie Mann's flutey tootings..
Remember the 1972 smasher 'Popcorn' by Hot Butter - a track that galloped along at the speed of the space race, sounding like Donna Summer on Skylab, Cosmonaut pop and the future unfolding around your very ears.
Well, did you know it was actually a cover? A cover of a track already three years old, and taken from Gershon Kingsley's 1969 album 'Music To Moog By'...
Never one to miss a contemporary pop-trick (like the local Marching Militaire, or Brass Band that screech out refits of cinematic hits) Herp Alpert, had himself a wallop at Popcorn
Goodbye to bubbling, fat analogue sounds, sine waves and Moogadoodledoo . Hello to the soothing muted toot of the Tijuana Brass, the tropical lapping of steel drums and the soft plod of xylophonic pop...
Both varieties are below - so, why not try a taste test and see which you flavour you favour...
Better know as 'Grotbags' from the Rod Hull and Emu show.
Carol was something of a cabaret legend before crossing over to TV, working with stars like Max Wall, Arthur Askey, Morecambe & Wise, Ella Fitzgerald and Tommy Cooper - there's an cabtastic interview with her here - on the Licorice Soul website. I first picked up on this tune via the mighty Licorice Soul Working Mans Soul album, a cracking comp' of classic cabaret turns.
Axe Victim says 1973 is the summer of summers. But for me, the top pop year will always be 1977. It's an overlooked classic - and the year sound and vision went Concorde shaped and Skylab sounding - Bowie released 'Low', 'Heroes' (and clonked out 'Lust For Life' and 'Idiot' as hobby projects), Giorgio and Donna gave us deep space disco, there's Space - 'Magic Fly', Meco - 'Star Wars' and JMJ 'Oxygene' - see what I mean? And then you've got Close Encounters, 'Calling Occupants', Bond's Lotus Esprit, Saturday Night Fever, Star Wars, Punk wars, the deaths of Marc Bolan and Elvis - you just don't get designs, dynamics and dramatics like that in many other years.
My personal obsessions during the summer of 77 were...
Sharks (I saw Jaws 5 times). Skateboards (Fibreflex boards and Kryptonic wheels were the kiddies, Skudas were cool and affordable, but Surf Flyers? That's a no-no ) Starsky and Hutch. Admiral football togs.(the Coventry kit being my fave) Lord Anthony clobber (but never had a Parka) Dayvilles Ice Cream Parlours(32 flavours) Krazy Comic
And as I started to make the move from pick 'n' mix singles to adult size albums the record I wanted, really wanted - and got for Christmas was K-Tel's blistering 'Disco Fever'. You can enjoy the full track list here, and for MOR eye popping madness have peep at the cozy cardie coloured charts from 31 years ago - both of which are almost entirely untroubled by any punky doings.
Elvis 'Way Down' ( Alt take with added piano at the coda)
If you fancy a few more sounds from the summer of 77 hop on over to...
Track Lister for Giorgio Moroder - 'From Here To Eternity' (single version) Davey H for Donna Summer - 'I Feel Love' (12" version)
My selection for Book Of The year 1977 - Man Eating Sharks Always wanted one of these G and S Fibreflex boards (and a trip to Skate City or the South Bank), but never managed to get either.
1977 may have been the big bang/year zero of Punk, but while the world crash, burned and turned dayglo, the UK singles and album charts stayed strictly beige, and a gallery of beards and Bri-Nylon, not bondage and black leather. It may have been anarchy and white riots in the city, but the real sound of the suburbs was glam girls with Farah flicks in disco dresses and bouffant chaps in cheesecloth and satin.
I've read far too many books on the UK Punk scene - three on the bounce so far this year, but none of then have the same snap, sparkle, spit and polish as Barry Cain's 77 Sulphate Strip, which has gone straight in at number 1 in my 'pile high club' of rock reads.
Taking a year (1977) in the life of a Record Mirror's initially reluctant'Punk' reporter, 77 Sulphate Strip scrapbooks the combustion and contrast of Seditionaries Punk and 'Sing Something Simple' style Pop by prologuing each chapter with the best selling singles and albums for that month (there's hardly a spikey top in sight) followed by reviews and interviews from Barry Cain's original Record Mirror features on the Pistols, The Stranglers, The Heartbreakers, The Jam, The Damned and Demis Roussos while threading in offstage stories and anecdotes of scams, schemes, scary Dutch hells angels, dodgy raffles, girl chasing, globe trotting and living at home with mum and dad. I can't recommend it enough. It is simply, one the finest pieces of music writing ever published.
I was too young for Punk in 1977 and could only afford Pop at pocket money prices - so why buy just one real deal single, when you can have a full albums worth of soft focus sound-alikes?
Like these taken from 'The Best Of Top Of The Pops 77' I Feel Love
It's guest blogger time again - and today it's the turn of Piley from Start The Revolution Without Me who's testing the cleverness of your clogs by dishing up three mystery chunks of cheese and asking - can you unmask the artists? ....
Before I start, I'd just like to say a big thank you to Planet Mondo for asking me to be guest blogger this week, a great honour, especially on the now legendary Funky Friday…
Although my main music obsessions have always been on an indy/punky kinda vibe, I've always had a soft spot for a bit of the ‘ol easy listening. This is due in no small part to the kind of stuff my parents used to play ‘when I were a lad’.
So back in the early to mid-90s, I was delighted when the 'cheesy listening' phenomenon hit the clubs, and it always brought a smile to my face to see the uber-cool Britpop kids grooving on down to the likes of Alan Hawkshaw, Tony Hatch, Bert Kaempfert and The Button Down Brass (featuring of course, the funky trumpet of Ray Davies). Yet when some of these kids wandered off to the DJ booth to find out what they'd just been dancing to, you could see the disappointment in their faces, which is a shame, coz a quality tune is a quality tune right?
So, with the above in mind, I've selected three tracks from the Piley vaults -- all lovingly brought into the 21st century from my vinyl originals. However, I'm not telling you who these tracks are by… not yet anyway!
For the moment, just enjoy these three cool nuggets - and see if you can guess who the artists are. (Mondo’ll give you the answers in a few days time.
Amazingly pop pickers, this trio of mystery artists has been unmasked in one day (see the comments for the scores on the doors) - so here is the gallery of groovers..
In the meantime, if these tracks have given you the buzz to hear some classic lounge-i-fied cover versions, why not pop over to my place, where 'CHEESE' is very much on the menu this week -- and I've just served up three very big MP3 slices of the stuff!
How badly do I want of these T Shirts? Enough to spend more hours than I really should scanning and scouring eBay for variations on the “Admiral ringer tee shirt” theme. I’d have to favour the sky blue flavour out of the three though.
And how about a manbag to go with it? - Perfect
So get your ringers on, have a quick freshen up with this - then it’s off here to shake a leg to tunes like…
I'm a bugger for a bargain. Always have been. Piley, Marmite and I were regular rummagers at the charity shops digging for winners and hoping to find some spectacular long lost nugget or buried treasure. None of us bagged any real bargains' (apart from Piley's signed cabaret band albums), and typically these 'digs' were a sift through the same ol' smoke stained charity chaff....
Books - 'Jaws', the Sixties and Seventies editions of the 'James Bond' paperbacks.
Vinyl - variations on the following - The Tijuana Brass, Hammond Dance Party and 'Geoff Love plays TV Themes'.
But one album had such outstanding saturation that it was often possible to find multiple copies in the racks. 'Impact' was the champ of charity shop albums. And what a cracker, recorded at Studio 2 Abbey Road, and loaded with cream of cheesy listening including...
I may upload some more of these tunes later, but if your in the mood for more retromania, why not tune in to Channel Mondo for a Public Information Film screening.
For the moment here's the full track list for 'Impact'
01 - David Rose - The Stripper 02 - Norrie Paramor - Soul Coaxing 03 - Acker Bilk - Stranger On The Shore 04 - Pepe Jaramillo - Sucu Sucu 05 - Franck Pourcel - Love Is Blue 06 - Ron Goodwin - Legend Of The Glass Mountain 07 - Joe Loss - Wheels 08 - Norman Newell - Live For Life 09 - Basil Henriques - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You 10 - Ralph Dollimore - The Fool On The Hill 11 - Manuel And The Music Of The Mountains - A Man And A Woman 12 - Jack Emblow - Ritual Fire Dance
View from our upstairs window last Friday..
Remember the 1972 smasher 'Popcorn' by Hot Butter - a track that galloped along at the speed of the space race, sounding like Donna Summer on Skylab, Cosmonaut pop and the future unfolding around your very ears.
Two Current Affairs shows, two themes tunes - but, do you know which is what?
So, the musical mysteron was .....Carol Lee Scott 
* 'Celebrate Summer' - Marc Bolan
Always wanted one of these G and S Fibreflex boards (and a trip to Skate City or the South Bank), but never managed to get either.
Not me in the picture BTW
It's guest blogger time again - and today it's the turn of Piley from Start The Revolution Without Me who's
'I'm Coming Home Baby' - Peters and Lee
'The Party' - Henry Mancini
'Happy Brasilia' - James Last
How badly do I want of these T Shirts? Enough to spend more hours than I really should scanning and scouring eBay for variations on the “Admiral ringer tee shirt” theme. I’d have to favour the sky blue flavour out of the three though.
