Acker bilk

[Jim Cassius]

I'm reading a pretty, erm, fab book called 'Fab! The Anatomy of A Phenomenon' at the moment. It was published in 1965 and was written by Peter Leslie, the guy who did Lonnie Donegan and Acker Bilk's PR. Both the dustjacket and the text mentions another 'satirical' book he wrote called 'The Book Of Bilk', containing press releases he wrote for Acker. It sounds funny. Anyone seen it/read it/got a copy?

[peretti]

from: http://www.trashfiction.co.uk/bilk.html


It can have escaped None but the meanest of Intelligences that, in the World of Entertainment today, the onomatopaeic West Country Name of Mr Acker Bilk has become emblazoned across the Pinnacle of Achievement.
With the gentlemanly Members of his jazz Ensemble, he has scaled those glittering Heights whereon dwell the Giant Success, and his Handmaiden, the Lady Fame. Indeed, so high a Place in the publick Esteem do Mr Bilk and his Myrmidons hold, that not only their Performances upon the Concert Platform, but also the very Trivia which make up their private Lives, become a Subject for general Comment and Remark.
Less well known - in fact so little known that they are bruited about only in the innermost Circles of Mr Bilk's own close Acquaintance - are the Details of our Hero's peerless Ancestry. Yet, from Ackermemnon to Ackawatha, from King Ackered the Unsteady to John Osbilk, the Ackery Young Man, his splendid Progenitors stride across the Pages of History to proclaim in Letters of Fire his matchless Pedigree. It would seem, therefore, a Matter almost of Publick Duty to place before the Enquiring so much of this deathless Material as may fittingly be recalled, and to complement this, where possible, with Reproductions of the Statues, Paintings, Reliefs, Engravings, Daguerrotypes and even Photographs which commemorate these Men and Women.
This, the Authors, to the best of their Ability, have done; Mr Gwynn-Jones with his photographic Apparatus, Mr Leslie with Notebook and Pencil, these Two have journeyed to many distant Lands to garner the Seeds of Knowledge whose Fruits this fascinating Volume reveals.
'Makes most open fun of tradition, of pompousness and history, while simultaneously implying the moral certainties of an older, stabler, epoch.' - Francis Newton in The New Statesman
'A huge success ...' - Daily Mirror

[Mark the Res]

Quick Acker Bilk tip for the unconverted - we're all agreed that Acker's completely and 100% kak - right? Wrong!!! Look out for his version of Joe Harriott & John Maher's 'Acker-Raga' (geddit...??) from their tasty Eastern-joint 'Indo-Jazz Fusions 1' LP - you'll find it on at least two, maybe 3 different Acker LPs - well worth 49p of anybody's hard-earned IMHO...

Say nowt - that's my motto!!

Mark the Res

[Jim Cassius]

Yeah, I'd heard about that before and always have a check of tracklistings for it. As of yet not found one...

[Mark the Res]

Harder, harder - must look harder...

Mark the Res  

[Rich Hero]

Mr. Acker Bilk 'Great Portfolio of Songs' (Studio 2 Stereo, 1968) is one. I don't have it but Formigo charted it a while back.  

[Jim Cassius]

Most of the charities round me have the later, cheapo stuff of his. It's only a matter of time though!

[son of stan]

Oh great.

So now I have to start looking at the back of Acker Bilk LPs....As well.

Its bad enough having to check every one of Nana Mosukouri's billion releases for a tune that never seems to be on any of them.

Next you'll be teling me that Kenny Ball got funky....

[LDJB]

There's actually another one - it's an early 70's LP called 'Mama Told Me' or something (I'll check when I get home) but it's got one track that's kind of MPS funky - no honestly! Took me a while to find but it's worth hunting down.

[Rich Hero]

Quote[/b] (son of stan @ Oct. 12 2004,16:38)]Its bad enough having to check every one of Nana Mosukouri's billion releases for a tune that never seems to be on any of them.

There simply *has* to be a funky Nana Mouskouri track - just look at her arrangers (Alain Gourageur, er... etc.).

[Jim Cassius]

I'm going to be inviting anger if I ask 'what Mouskori track'? I picked up a Peters & Lee track ('She's About A Mover&#39 that had been mentioned round these parts the other day and wasn't all that impressed...

[Rich Hero]

I like 'She's About A Mover' but I think their 'Coming Home Baby' is actually pretty good.

[Jim Cassius]

Yeah, I've seen that one mentioned as well...and seen it out in the wild but resisted cos my girlfriend was there asking why I was buying a whole album for one song.

Money Saving Tip Number One:

[Rich Hero]

Quote[/b] (Jim Cassius @ Oct. 12 2004,17:58)]Yeah, I've seen that one mentioned as well...and seen it out in the wild but resisted cos my girlfriend was there asking why I was buying a whole album for one song.

50 whole pence for one song! She's a thrifty lady and no mistake.

[theeman]

Quote[/b] (LDJB @ Oct. 12 2004,16:38)]There's actually another one - it's an early 70's LP called 'Mama Told Me' or something (I'll check when I get home) but it's got one track that's kind of MPS funky - no honestly! Took me a while to find but it's worth hunting down.

seconded. there are two half-decent funky jazz rock tracks on it (luckily they kept acker's clarinet down in the mix...)