2013 Secret Santa Thank You Thread

[reza]

Well I genuinely dont know from which santa this wonderful selection came from but many many thanks for your Christmas generosity !!

Exactly the sort of stuff I would pick up myself if I came across them and a couple, the Manu Dibango and Batucada, which is a total hardcore killer and the first one to hit the turntable, that I have been after for a while







I hope everyone else is as pleased as me with their present

[Boi Bach o Bethel]

A big thankyou for the Lps that arrived as part of the Secret Santa . A real mix of styles and genre's , have to say there was something on all of them that I liked.

Here's the Run Down.

James Newton Paeso Del Mar INDIA NAVIGATION 1978
Beastie Boy hating jazz flautist debut as leader is a great freeform album, some parts remind me of the Watership Down Soundtrack and loads of echoed flute and spacey arrangements

Maggie's Trio Wizard 1977
Blighty private supper jazz stuff that is a mixed bag , but does have numerous drum solo's by Norm Emberson

Billy Strange 12 String Guitar GNP Crescendo (UK VOCATION PRESS)
All about Stranger in Town, Doom volk instrumental

Petula Clark 71 pye
Johnny Harris production, World Song is ace, so much going on in it

Shelleyan Orphan Rough Trade
two strong B sides, THEME is a blinder of Spoken words and ethereal sounds

Father Herrera trio ESP JAZZ GOES TO CHURCH
XIAN JAZZ FLUTE JAZZ WITH STRONG BASS.


MANY THANKS

[RobLilley]

I would like to thank Mr Yorkshire Claus for the wonderful Selection of Christmas Albums. I have never heard so many variations of Silent night and White Christmas. Also a Lenny the Lion single I have been looking for a while. A merry thank you

[emperor tomato ketchup]

If I wasn't so hung over I might try and assemble photos of the interesting looking package of lps that slipped under the door. Interesting that one I mentioned not having in this thread was in there:
http://www.verygoodplus.co.uk/showth...ght=Uk+country
Effective use of search function yields results I think.
And for the record I agree with Fuz's assessement of the best track.
Thanks Annual Gift Man.

[pitch]

I think my reputation for liking any old 80s pop might have led to the thinking behind this selection:

Firstly - I rather like the 'Fingertips' library - some nice funky and atmospheric stuff from 1980. This kind of sound:
Graham Lane

'Top of the Pops 1984' is basically far too accurate copies of Wham and FGTH tracks, amongst others - the best thing being the spoken word intro to Two Tribes - terrible impression of the original coming across as a nerdy accountant! A bit scratched up but I can at least enjoy the timeless prime of Sam Fox on the cover.

'Slave To The Rhythm' 12" picture disc - can't go wrong with a bit of Grace Jones - and this is a good version! Pity the sleeve is the wrong one.

'St Elmo's Fire' is a bombastic example of US soft rock soundtrack. What more can I say. A charity staple for those curious to discover more.

A 'KPM' too. One of the Archive Series - Light Atmospheres - "capturing the mood of newsreels and light entertainment from the 1940s and 1950s." Certainly has a unique slot in my library album collection. Not a musical genre I have explored, and might leave it a while - this is enough for now.

So - thank you Secret Santa, for an interesting selection!

[mr sayers]

I've got that 'Finger tips' somewhere, one of the first libraries I bought, it's got a great Dusty fingersesque track on it.

[pencilface]

Not enough photos in the thread! Let's see what you've received!

I got back from visiting family today to a few red PO slips, hoping one will be a sneaky secret santa. Pics to follow if so...

[admcc77]

Not enough photos in the thread! Let's see what you've received!

I got back from visiting family today to a few red PO slips, hoping one will be a sneaky secret santa. Pics to follow if so...

Santa sent me some lovely records. Just need to pass the baby long enough to photograph and write up (I think I am getting some free time tomorrow!)

They provided the perfect soundtrack to Christmas morning, so thanks Santa

[alanmck]

couldn't believe the weight of the secret santa pack that arrived last week, was really struck by the generosity.

sadly, the vynils are more plentiful than time currently allows for listening, but i'm addressing that in the coming days.

will photo and report back soon, please don't mistake my tardiness for lack of gratitude.

thank you Santa, whoever you were / are.

[Expiry2011]

I've only just got home after some Christmas related family visiting so I haven't had a chance to listen to my gifts from Santa but something tells me I have something good ahead of me
Thanks to the round jolly beared guy
Will be more specific in the New Year

[emperor tomato ketchup]

Perhaps related to my recent computer problems the pic I took is corrupted.

[pencilface]

Big thanks to my secret santa - very happy with this stack of highly daft Euro synth/pop/whathaveyous…



B-sides of PROFIL, SUZY ANDREWS and RIVA-SOUND being the ones that have caught my ear most so far - will listen a few more times.
Great fun. CHEERS!

[Little Jimmy Oddman]

I like the Benny's German Ca Plane Pour Moi from that picture...

[Melter]

Big thanks and wishing my Secret Santa a nice bundle of good record karma this year.

I got...



Luis Aviles - Take A Trip Pussycat. New one on me with some great latin beats. Not a complete album but the first four tracks are great.
Luis Aviles - Pussycat
Atmosfear - En Trance. A bit of jazz funk from 81 although that's not what I was expecting when I saw the cover (must be a thread for the forum there with covers that completely mismatch the music!).
Atmosfear - Duende
Iron Butterfly - In A Gadda Da Vida. My first copy of this. Great album.
Mama Cass - Dream A Little Dream. Was hoping for more from this but doesn't really hit the spot.
Allman Brothers - At Fillmore East. Sorry secret santa but this sits at the dull end of the blues spectrum.
Matthews Southern Comfort - Later That Same Year. First time I've heard this album too. It's a bit patchy but along with Woodstock quite like a few tracks on here. I'm getting elements of Caravan in a couple of them which can't be a bad thing.
Matthews Southern Comfort - Sylvie

Made Xmas day even more enjoyable and I'd recommend others to get involved next year.

[eine]

When I arrived at my parents for Christmas there were few presents around the tree. Part of this was down to my family absorbing the zeitgeist and cutting back on spending their funds on ostentatious, flashy things (no Zoids or Michael Jackson gift sets for me this time around). Yet we are also old now: which does not mean we want for less delight but rather our passions are growing too peculiar to predict. I can hear my mother asking my father, 'What would make my little eine smile?' and my father answering, 'He is no longer little, but a grown man, in the prime of his life, who chooses to spend it renting a bungalow alone and filling it with records and books instead of wives and children. His inclinations are incomprehensible to me. He shall have a hot meal from us and that is all.' And so our family focused instead on spending quality time around a table discussing our hopes, dreams and ambitions for each other over the coming year.

So, when I finally limped back to the North and keyed in the precious code to my not-so gainful employer's post room, it was with great delight that I espied this awesome ideogram waiting for me:



None of my colleagues would ever have dared breaking the parcel's seal under such a watchful glare. Reverently, I retreated to a corner of the building I knew I would not be disturbed in and cut the tape with a pickle-smeared knife. Many of the records contained within were unknown to me. Would I like them? The art work suggested yes. And Santa had thoughtfully scribed some post-it notes to guide my listening. Excited, I parcelled them back up again and worked on and on until the hour came when I stood up, left the building and headed straight back to the record player.



Brian Brain - Unexpected Noises LP. 1980 solo LP from PiL drummer Martin Atkins. Santa knows. A record I will be returning to again - post-punk drums and synth that seems, on first listen, consistent throughout. Would not sound out of place on the now mysterious Tsundoku's swap CD (incidentally, worth googling Tsundoku).

Top of the Pops Vol. 74. As pointed out, the one with Death Disco on it! I almost bought this for my high/low mix but didn't because I thought it would be cheating. And now I have it! Excellent. I particularly like how the majority of the record is screwed apart from this one track, as if the original owner didn't bother playing it. The Top of the Poppers give Lydon a run for his money:

Astral Sounds – Sound Waves Part 1. Very kind Santa, very kind! The future in 1981 had loud drums and sharp, quick synths. I like the slower tracks better, but the whole sound gives me quite a kick. Thanks.



Michael Garrison – Eclipse. Never heard of him but seems to have released a lot. Wasn't sure on a skip through, but now, sitting back and listening to the whole thing, very warm deep synths with ace vocals and nice, consistent bass sounds. I am sure this would sound unelievable at 16 RPM...



The Moonrakers Showband – The Parrot Collection Vol.1. What is this strange, amateurish private press? Possibly my favourite record from Santa's sack - not so much for the foregrounded take on Pick Up The Pieces, but for the other run throughs of such delights as Night Fever, Mama Mia and a lovely synthy Rockford Files. Can't find any YouTube, but here is a video of Son of Stan with his legendary unique parrot collection:

Zodiac – Music In The Universe. The only record here that has previously passed through my collection. Soviet synth - not as good as their first one I think, but a cracking sleeve that supplies all you need to contemplate the Russian cosmic sublime.



Computer Jay – Distance / Epiphany. An almost contemporary 10" single. More Santa Synth, an American artist? Whatever it is, crisp, rolling chiptune sounds. The B-Side is really good, but all too short:

Alan Haven – Rice-Paper Mountain / Nevah. Cool company sleeve. Just when I thought I'd purged the last Alan Haven record collection from my collection... but actualy both sides of this are pretty interesting moogy, mood pieces. I didn't know he released this sort of thing.



AND FINALLY... The Rippers - Rape. Credited to a certain J.King. Just look at that sleeve.... Erm, thank you. Audio here!

It's a great swap this Secret Santa thing, I'm really pleased. Bit late but merry Xmas, Happy New Year all, thanks to Adrian for organising it and to Santa, who knows me better than my parents.