Xmas 2011 Secret Santa

**Kaituna95** · 23-12-2011, 05:19 PM

I received my package a couple of days ago and sorely wanted to leave it until the Big Man had been on Christmas Eve but unfortunately my family unit are staying with my mother this year (following the loss of my dad a few months ago) and she doesn’t do music unless it’s an “artist” at their social club so will have no access to the turntable after this evening and so....

I was like a small boy tearing at the tape on the package hoping inside lay The Millennium Falcon.
And so I reveal the gifts bestowed upon me

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Inspired by Folkishienne’s Folk & Singer Songwriter chart a few years back I opened my ears to the folk world and so straight away on went the Andy Irvine & Paul Brady.

Guitars, mandolins, bouzouki, fiddles, bodhran and hurdy-gurdy’s sound just the ticket for a cold wintery day.
If I wasn’t driving later then a larger snifter of Niepoort Ruby Dum would accompany this oh so well on such a windy evening.

Opening track Plains Of Kildare sets out at a nice rhythm and tempo for the rest of side 1 which culminates in the standout track of the album for me because you can literally feel the passion - Arthur McBride.

Onto side 2 and I’m loving Autumn Gold and Streets Of Derry which is as you would expect for this album a more traditional version than the Trees version I’m used to but that’s no bad thing.

All in all it reminds me of a blustery Christmas / New Year I once spent in a cottage in Inch, County Kerry watching the waves roll in onto the beach, listening to some traditional music I had picked up in Killarney and trying some of the black stuff. Very good memories.

And so onto the second selection – Sweet Smoke – Just A Poke
Flipping over onto the rear cover of this and then consulting the centre labels I get a bit worried.
1 track per side….
16 minutes each….
Instruments listing sax, bass drums, percussion…
Am I about to be lead into some mad Jazz world I know nothing off?

But I am not to be worried. Baby Night starts of with a nice mellow flute intro before kicking up a groove about 6 minutes in to some lovely guitar work before heading into a Doors ‘Soft Parade’ inspired section for a good few minutes before returning back to that flute to take us home.

On the flip side Silly Sally it takes a bit to get going into some funky wah guitar melting into a suitably groovy bass lines then we arrive at drum solo including full use of every percussion instrument ever made or sounds like they tripped into a Gamelan mid song before eventually winding down to a ‘lets have a group jump for the last note’ moment.

Side 1 is the winner but over all I likes it!

Thank you Secret Santa
This is far better than The Millennium Falcon

**Sie-Fly** · 23-12-2011, 05:48 PM

Sweet Smoke - love it !
it should be a high priced rarity - it ain't [which is a good thing]
All the very best to you and sorry to hear about your Dad.

**ashra** · 25-12-2011, 08:52 AM

I'm floored by the generosity of my secret Santa. Totally salivating at the thought of listening to all these amazing looking records.

Trouble is I'm going to be spending the morning fiddling with wires trying to reactivate my dad's elderly Dynatron (lights are on but nobody's home)

Thanks a million to my secret Santa, photos and reviews to follow in the week!

**Y1000** · 25-12-2011, 10:44 AM

Wow, really cant believe what I have opened, pictures and full write up later thank you very much. speechless really.

**Sie Vulture** · 25-12-2011, 11:15 AM

Thanks to my Secret Santa too - that Ska compilation is ACE..!

**d7bohs** · 25-12-2011, 11:42 AM

fantastic stuff.....

I'd never even heard of this lot, and it's blowing me away:

And I had heard of this, and it's as good as I thought it would be....

More comment later, but thanks a million!

Already I know it's the best present I'm going to get

**eine** · 26-12-2011, 11:09 AM

Happy Christmas one and all and special thanks to vinylism for organising this and Secret Santa for soundtracking my day, check this out:

**Sie-Fly** · 26-12-2011, 12:03 PM

Great stuff - a few Crackers there [pardon the pun]

**medlar** · 26-12-2011, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by eine

Happy Christmas one and all and special thanks to vinylism for organising this and Secret Santa for soundtracking my day, check this out:

I spy the Salsoul Orchestra "Christmas Jollies" lp

Looks like this swap was good fun, next year I'm in

**eine** · 27-12-2011, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by medlar

I spy the Salsoul Orchestra "Christmas Jollies" lp

Good eyes!! Let's have a bit of that pa-rap-ar-rom-pom!

**eric-adams** · 27-12-2011, 01:34 PM

this is what santa brought for me

**vinylism** · 29-12-2011, 09:27 AM

cool, some great looking stuff there, i knew the generousity of this forum would make it fun!

would obviously be nice (and good manners) if everyone involved could post up a quick pic / comment on the package they got, so i'm looking forward to seeing what else people got..

**lewistown64** · 29-12-2011, 03:15 PM

This is what Santa brought for me

Please

B-Music Weekend Breaks 2

Kroh (nice artwork on your album, I read the postcards inside and put two and two together)

a very, very big thank you

by the way if you don't like the things I sent pm me and i'll send a new year package

it is worrying that someone may not like what you send them, being santa must be crap

and my thanks also to vinylism for organising this

**Willy-Fogg** · 29-12-2011, 05:14 PM

Here's what I got.

Both were new to me and I particularly like both sides of the Afu-ra 12". Premo rarely fails.

There does seem to be some real variety in what people sent or received and I reckon it'll take this year for the standard to be set in terms of quantity/quality of records to swap.

WF

**vinylism** · 02-01-2012, 07:20 PM

here's what i got

nice looking bit of post-punk (i presume - not yet had time to listen). new to me, and any record with a credit for tape manipulation is cool by me.

cheers!

**Dr Rubberfunk** · 04-01-2012, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by Sie Vulture

Thanks to my Secret Santa too - that Ska compilation is ACE..!

Excellent

Santa does seem to have great taste - 3 LPs and 2 sevens that I didn't have - and most generous!

**J.R** · 04-01-2012, 06:04 PM

I received this tasty bird. Thank you santa!

**Y1000** · 05-01-2012, 11:04 AM

This is my amazing haul. Santa really is a cool muthafunka! I got great soul and jazz with the inclusion of a home grown hip hop track. The music in this package was easily my best Xmas gift and I thank you Santa.

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**Plain A5 Refill Pad** · 06-01-2012, 01:25 PM

I Got Five Singles
Dee Dee Gartrell/ little royal / myra cormier . roger scaling / 3 days of the condor
Thanks Santa

**vinylism** · 06-01-2012, 01:32 PM

just had a note from someone to say they're late sending out their xmas gifts, so i'm guessing there may be more to land yet.

if there's anyone who participated and doesn't receive anything at all by say, end of january, please pm me and i'll follow it up

**Expiry2011** · 07-01-2012, 07:59 PM

Santa came a little late to my part of west London but I have to say I am VERY pleased he made the effort
A stack of jazzy goodness, none of which I have

Haven't had a chance to listen to anything yet but it all looks good and interesting - the Polish one has the look of a bit of a headstretcher - but then aren't they all

Also very intrigued by the single which if you can't see is by The Maskman and the Agents
How did Santa know I love Yusef?,
And I'd guess the Red Arrows get funky at some stage

Will get a chance later to play these but for now its a big thank you to Santa

**BoneyVotel** · 08-01-2012, 03:57 PM

Oooooooh, Santa was super nice to me

Thank you oh bearded one.............

A Bollywood starter that's great, really solid listen and clean to boot. He's got some know how that Santa

SomePolish jaz / jazz funk that I've seen, but never heard - nice record, love it

Another great jazz banger that I've never heard of, it's cool

And if that wasn't enough, a Kraftwerk 45 that I spun on NYE....

Santa rock's, many thanks St. Nick x

**ashra** · 15-01-2012, 01:58 PM

WOW! A bit late reporting on these, been up to my neck with work and putting up shelves at home to house the turntable (still waiting for paint to dry). Am in the office on my own today so it's the perfect time to check them out.

Just listened to the Robert Viger and it's right up my street, great 'background music', absorbing but not too distracting, going to get a lot of plays I think!

Can't wait to work through the rest this afternoon, thanks a 1,000,000 to my super generous Secret Santa. The little pink squares are handy 'listening notes' by the way if any of you were wondering!

Edit:

Listened to Jimmy Webb 10-15 times in the last couple of days, so many great tracks - helps that it starts off with the killer Sleepin In The Daytime but it's really varied lush singer songwriter type stuff. The trackJerusalem (Part 3 in 'Music For An Unmade Movie In Three Parts!) is particularly lovely.

Gave Forest Swords quite a few listens on Sunday / Monday too - hard to describe with reference to other music (especially if you're as out of touch as me!) but very rich and chewy. Reminded me in a kind of way of Glissandro 70 (check me out namedropping 'recent' records)

I gave Aerial FX a quick blast on Sunday but it's a bit 'complicated' to have on while concentrating on work - i'm going to listen to it properly when i've got a less mentally demanding job to do (cutting pictures out or something).

Once again huge thanks to my Secret Santa - I urge other members of the board to get involved next year!

**emperor tomato ketchup** · 24-01-2012, 04:09 PM

Having been away over xmas and for a few weeks into the new year I haven't done anything as prosaic as play the records I got. Also as they are 45s they are less photogenic than lps. So this is my reason for not having made any acknowledgement so far, for which I apologise. They look like they should sound good though.