Music for Mentalists - your reviews wanted for the Gotcha Conga

When an album badges and brands itself as Music for Mentalists - you know you'll be stepping a toe into a moral minefield of musical doings. Piley and I were first given the nudge on this one from Dan (the Bacon Man). It's an album co-compiled by Nick Saloman of  The Bevis Frond  gathering together a black museum of oddities and curios from middling slebs: Reginald Bosanquet, Jim Bowen David Carradine -  unknown but bizzaro bods Linda Jarman, Martin Harvey, Mavin James. And John Collier's Saturday Night Suit.

How did the project happen? Nick Saloman: The comp was mostly the work of my mate Mick Dillingham who is a longtime collector of what he calls 'qual-crap'. 'Gotcha' is one of his discoveries. A rather disturbing song.

Based on John Fowles The Collector, a key piece in the collection is Gotcha by Michael 'Boon' Elphick - where he outranks (in all senses) Pepe le Pew in pursuit of an unseen offstage beauty.  It's an oily uncomfortable spurt of queasy listening, brimming with 80s bleeptronica and breathy threats 'look out for me I'm behind that tree'. But still, something we pitched in to Tuesday's Podrophenia playlist (and it's second appearance too)

Following some sparky banter on the message boards - Podrophonic regular Marmite Boy nipped off to Amazon to review the 7" edition of Gotcha - and was soon followed by a Flash Mob of Podrophenia reviewers - which we've now christened the Gotch Conga

Should you fancy lending an ear to the cold-dread horror of Gotcha - dig in below. Better yet we'd love to see your critical scribblings on it written and recorded here.. at the Amazon Gotcha Conga

Michael Elphick - Gotcha



Nick/Bevis made a previous appearance on the blog last year with a stomping selection here

Funky Friday - International Grill

I'm afraid I can't stretch to the belt-busting treat of a Wimpy International Grill (you've got love 'em for still hanging on in there with the 'Wimpy Bender' haven't you), but can serve you up a platter of refried favourites and vintage hits spiced with an international twist

From Bolivia...
Grupo 606 - Rompe,cruza O Ayúdame (Break On Through)



From Singapore
Sakura and The Quests - Stupid Cupid



And two tunes suggested by Sour Crout from The Word blogs, via a thread offering the original French lanuage version of Denis (Sylvie), Elbow reworked by The Big Ghana Band and Benny translating Ca Plane Pour Moi into Bin Wieder Frei (although I've a spark of an idea for a future Benny blog-bit)

From Mexico
Los Matematicos - Me Atrapaste (You Really Got Me)



From the Czech Republic
Kubišová Marta - Cervánky (It's Not Unusual)



Another from The Word blogs,where David Rothon uncovered this nugget 'Czech it out'


Now then, Brown Derby desert anyone?

Surprisingly Disco

Osmo-disco

A tune that was this close to a spot in the last Podrophenia, comes from The Osmonds of all people, popping off a prime slice of discolicous doo-dah. Released in 1979 it sits alongside other light entertainers from this year (Johnny Mathis, Cliff, Barbara Streisand) who got on the good foot and boogied aboard the disco bandgwagon - PS - it's produced by Maurice Gibb

The Osmonds - I,I,I



And while we're thumbing through the section marked 'Unlikely Disco Biscuits' how about this from 77 - Cat Stevens dropping, beats, bleeps and barks in what's generally regarded as the earliest example of an electro track..

The Girl With The Stars In Her Eyes & The Man Who Fell To Earth

Stardate 1968 - Ken Pitt, David Bowie's manager of the time, had become aware of sizeable hit 'Comme d'Habitude' doing brisk business in France. Anticipating that an English language version could provide Bowie with a much needed breakthrough, got him to refit the lyrics and demo the song.However Pitt had been pipped to the rights by Paul Anka who had recently rescripted for the song for Sinatra as 'My Way'.

Bowie's recording titled 'Even A Fool Learns To Love' remains unreleased, although some years later Bowie responsed to the incident by writing his own 'My Way' inspired torch tune - 'Life On Mars'.

Given this then, it's not too much of a stretch to see how the song became a cover in the Streisand songbook - where she pretty much sticks to the script, but on the moments she does wander off on a warble (2:20 onwards) - it works.

Barbra Streisand - Life On Mars




If you were wondering where's Captain Kirk (geddit) during Friday's post - he's here, public speaking Pulp's anthem for the average into a pulse-pumping peasant's revolt.

William Shatner - Common People


PS this could be Call Me A Philistine Part 2 - as I prefer Bill's version to the Pulp original

Funky Friday - Warp Factor Funk Mr Sulu

I am very tempted with new Star Trek film. But I'm not a Trekkie. Alright I had a mad buzz for the show when the BBC aired their five year mission of interplanetery hullabaloos during the seventies (or repeated them during school holidays) even going so far as tucking my school trousers into zip-up boots trying to replicate that 'Enterprise' look - but I loved all things space-shaped back then.

And some supplementary material may have been collected while sprouting from tot-to-teen - Annuals (73-78), fold-out poster mag's, Letraset Action Transfers,View Master reels, an Airfix-style model, and Mego action figures (Kirk and Scotty) - but I'm over it now. See!

*Remembers he has the communicator tone for txt messages on his phone - reacts with this style of a face then faints..*

The Geoff Love Orchestra - Star Trek
Scanners indicate an easy-listening orchestra giving the opening theme a disco dressage


Nichelle Nichols - Feeling Good
Proto-blue toother, Uhuru takes almost one full minute to get up to soul speed, but it's well worth the wait


Leonard Nimoy - The Ballad Of Bilbo Baggins
Bones to Bridge. Jim, that song of Spock's isn't actually as excruciating as we'd expected - although the video could cause some sort of a reaction I guess

*Cue offstage screams of 'Cap'n,I canna take any more '*



Kirk to Enterprise. Beam down The Beasties Boys...



Communicator Beeps



PS did you know Chekov's hairstyle was based on a Beatle cut