Useless musical fact that sticks in your brain...

[Danny-Boy]

Jonathan King was the chap who heralded the career of Genesis, producing them and publishing the songs on their first album (at least).
Dodgy character, and probably best left in the band's obscure history.
Such strange people are found throughout music though, with Phil Spector and Joe Meek also worthy of mention.
Meek, a gay man in the early 60's, was prolific with the music scene back then, issuing loads of singles on a variety of lables. The Tornados and Honeycombs got him his biggest hits I believe. Tom Jones first got records recorded and released with Meek. He rented a multi-story flat, and apparently used the bathroom for recording the singers while the band played in the living room! He eventually got in an altercation with his landlady over the rent and shot her dead, before taking his own life.

Yes well-documented that Meek recorded Telstar "by the Tornados" alone in his flat!

The Honeycombs were the first male group to feature a girl in the line-up, on drums.

 

[Danny-Boy]

One interesting phenomena of the 1960's was the "joke" record, often based on events.

I've already mentioned "Christine" by Miss X in 1963 on the back of (ooh Mrs!) the Profumo affair, but in 1966 - I think- there were a succession of highly-publicised prison escapes, including the spy George Blake and others - was one of the Train Robbers one?

This spawned at least two comedy pop records, one of which was

"Over the Wall We Go" with the opening lyrics:

Over the Wall We Go, All Coppers are 'Nanas,
Over the Wall We Go, Leave 'Em a Note saying Happy New Year"...

The other was called "Cell 109" or some number like that, I'm sure it ended in nine for rhiming purposes. It wasn't much, but had a funny ending, when someone read out the list of prison escapes for a week in the form of the football results:

eg Wandsworth 1 Pentonville 2. I completely forget the actual "scores" except there was a 2-2 draw!

Neither of these records hit the Top 40 so I have absolutely no idea who made them. Any answers out there?

 

[Trufflehound]

"Over the Wall We Go" with the opening lyrics:

Over the Wall We Go, All Coppers are 'Nanas,
Over the Wall We Go, Leave 'Em a Note saying Happy New Year"...

Was written by David Bowie - not one of his finest efforts, but a step up on Laughing Gnome I guess.

And performed by Paul Nicholas (of Jesus Christ Superstar, Dancing with the Captain, and BBC's Just Good Friends fame), under the pseudonym Oscar.

Bowie later recorded his own version (also not a hit).

 

[NMH]

Was written by David3 Bowie - not one of his finest efforts, but a step up on Laughing Gnome I guess.

And performed by Paul Nicholas (of Jesus Christ Superstar, Dancing with the Captain, and BBC's Just Good Friends fame), under the pseudonym Oscar.

Bowie later recorded his own version (also not a hit).

'Oscar' is indeed aka Paul Nicholas, and I think his dad was a producer.
Beusalinck appeared to be the family name.
Oscar was recording on the Reaction lable, which was created by Robert Stigwood for The WHO so they could get away from Shel Talmy and Brunswick Records - and Oscar subsequently recorded a WHO track that was NOT issued by them; "Join My Gang". As a Townshend demo, it cropped up on bootlegs, along with such as 'Early Morning Cold Taxi' and some tracks which eventually surfaced on 'Odds and Sods'.
The most collectible Oscar 45 seems to be 'At The Club', a bit of a Mod-Beat track that's ....not all that good really (imo).
'Over The Wall' has been rumoured to feature Bowie on backing vocals.
He also wrote another gem around that time called "Silver Tree-Top School For Boys", which was issued by The Slender Plenty (the better version) and The Beatstalkers - the latter is another DB is purported to sing back-up on.
Such appearances and the uniqueness of not having been recorded by the writers. Springsteen of course, was another recorded writer, among others.

'Reaction Records' also featured Cream, and The Birds (Ronnie Wood's early Mod group, before he joined The Creation)

 

[FamilyGuy]

I bought an album called Fruit Salad at Sussex Unversity Falmer shop in 1974. It was a brilliant 12 or 14 track Various Artists compilation by Warner Bros including Alice Cooper, Little Feat etc ...
NEVER seen the album since ... ever!!?
Was it a limited edition or something

It was "a sampler" - as was "Gutbucket" and (I think) "Nice enough to eat" - quite popular in about 1969/70

 

[FamilyGuy]

I'm in that 2%, used to be able to sing that song:

Its Good News Week,
Someone's dropped a bomb somewhere,
Contaminating atmosphere
And darkening the sky...

I didn't Wiki it honest.

Old Jonathan King got about then, did he ever get over-friendly with the Brylcreem Boys..maybe that explains why no one ever heard of them again.

.

I recently found a copy of this single in my old 7" stack - quite a shock!

 

[Danny-Boy]

Another frequent occurrance in the 1960's was "the Cover" i.e. the same tune sung by more than one artist or group.

One that always sticks in my mind is that classic "Hi Ho Silver Lining" which if you asked most fans, they would say was recorded by Jeff Beck, as indeed it was.

But simultaneously another version was released by a group called "The Attack". No idea though who they comprised, anyone know? And what happened to them?

At the time I preferred their version to Jeff's.

 

[Danny-Boy]

I recently found a copy of this single in my old 7" stack - quite a shock!

Collector's item? I'd give you a quid for it, or a dodgy dollar coin....

 

[Danny-Boy]

Another sad fact was the last song recorded by Otis Redding before he died in a plane crash on December 10th 1967. Redding recorded the song with Steve Cropper on November 22nd.

At the end of the record Redding whistles the tune. This was unrehearsed but was left on the recording, possibly the last music he ever recorded. A very melancholic song, which got to Number 1 after his death.

RIP Otis.

 

[Danny-Boy]

The tune was of course "Dock of the Bay". Otis wrote it to begin with whilst living in a boathouse, and claimed it was influenced by the Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper" album.

 

[life on mars 73]

Another odd thing - an old Duran Duran track "The Reflex" was on the radio the other day, and about half way through, there are a couple of weird noises that can only be described as great big farts !

Anyone know anything about this ? I mean, it's so obvious, they can't have left them on there by mistake, particularly as DD were probabaly the world's biggest pop band at the time.

 

[Garage_Doors]

The band now known as the Sex Pistols were originally called "The Swankers" with Wally Nightingale on vocals, all prior to Mr Rotten joining.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

On most of the published copies of Mozart's Requiem ( Watkins Shaw etc) on the score for La Crimosa, there is a cross written against the last note he ever wrote before dying. ( sometimes shown in the eight bar)

 

[SussexHoop]

Leo Sayer refernces Worthing in his hit "Moonlighting", when he talks about the Mexican disco, and the van parked just off Montague Street.

I remember seeing a young Leo Sayer performing with his band Patches at Worthing Collge back in 71 or 72. His talent stood out a mile. A couple of years later a mate of mine went over to audition for Leo's new band, when Adam Faith was managing him, Didn't get the gig, sadly....

Lived on a houseboat in Shoreham?

Went to St Peter's primary school I believe.

 

[NMH]

Another frequent occurrance in the 1960's was "the Cover" i.e. the same tune sung by more than one artist or group.

One that always sticks in my mind is that classic "Hi Ho Silver Lining" which if you asked most fans, they would say was recorded by Jeff Beck, as indeed it was.

But simultaneously another version was released by a group called "The Attack". No idea though who they comprised, anyone know? And what happened to them?

At the time I preferred their version to Jeff's.

a GREAT band that cut about 5 singles, the guitarist John Cann went on to join Andromeda, and then Atomic Rooster.
They were recording 'HHSL' when Beck was in the same studio, apparently - and when they issued the single they found Beck's copy came out in the same week!
Naturally they were not too happy.
Here's one example of their talent;

[yt]0qXM4CwN6no[/yt]

 

[Danny-Boy]

Listening to "Gold" this morning, for the umpteenth time they played "Give me Just a Little More time" by Chairmen of the Board, and for the umpteeenth time I made sure that I replicated General Johnson's "Brrrp" noise right towards the end of the record.

Why do I bother? And why did he make it anyway?Is it a bird or a cricket he's imitating?

Or was, the guy passed away on October 13th, sadly.

Just heard Kylie Minogue's version on the radio over the Easter weekend, she copies the "Brrrrp" but does it twice!

 

[Norman Potting]

Just heard Kylie Minogue's version on the radio over the Easter weekend, she copies the "Brrrrp" but does it twice!

Great song. In the spirit of music trivia I discovered the other day that the trumpet solo on Elvis Costello's "Shipbuilding" was played by Chet Baker.

 

[bhaexpress]

Of the three members of ZZ Top only the drummer, Frank Beard, has no beard. Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill both grew beards while the band was on hiatus oblivious to each others growth.

 

[bhaexpress]

The late Robert Palmer, ex of Vinegar Joe (who also included Elkie Brooks in their ranks) was backed by Little Feat on his début album, Sneakin' Sally through the alley.

 

[Easy 10]

Another odd thing - an old Duran Duran track "The Reflex" was on the radio the other day, and about half way through, there are a couple of weird noises that can only be described as great big farts !

Anyone know anything about this ? I mean, it's so obvious, they can't have left them on there by mistake, particularly as DD were probabaly the world's biggest pop band at the time.

I think you mean the bit where he goes

"Whyiyiyiya-w-w-whyiyiyiya (WWWWWHHUUUUU)"
"Whyiyiyiya-w-w-whyiyiyiya (WWWWWHHOOOOR)"
"Whyiyiyiya don't you use it ?"

Sounds to me like they just slowed the sample down on the "WH" bit in "WHY" for some reason. I don't think its an inserted fart sound, but it does sound a bit WEIRD