E digs!

[sermad]

Yep tomorrow Im hitting the entire E postcode in London! Its fookin massive and if anyone is in an 'E' area then drop me a pm - would be good to meet new people. Basically I'll be hitting every charity in the area to see whats out there in the proper ghetto.

Cheers to the guys on the walthamstow tips - they are scribbled down in the my black book.

Lets hope I dont get to smashed tonite so I oversleep...like that hasn't happened before  

oh and can anyone explain something...my local oxfam is shut for a massive complete refit. Will it open as one of these pseudo-vinyl emporium things?

[Rich Hero]

No. It'll be a bookstore.



Happy hunting Serms! (In fact, everyone - keep 'em, peeled).

[mundayschild]

come south of the river mate, then you'll be in my fookin' crib,
lemme know if yer thinkin' along those lines an mebbe' hook summat up, after all i owe you'se a beer!

[theeman]

mundays - you're south o' t'river? south east? keep out o' my fookin' charidees ya ponce!

[mundayschild]

Theeman, i challenge you to a fight wi' fookin' val doonican record covers, we take turns lobbin' 'em at each other 'an the first one to get hit on the conk, is thereby fookin' banned from enterin' any charidee south of Wandsworth.
come on mate bring it on. heh heh

[dr kraken]

Hey Sermad,

How did this go?

I decided to run a parallel experiment, and while you were diggin’ the ghetto, I headed out to the ‘burbs for comparison… three commuter-belt towns in Hertfordshire were given a proper going-over. The day started well when I stepped off the train and found myself in a little market. I had just gone through three arid boxes when the stallholder brought a fourth from the van … “Gangster Movie Vibrations” and a couple of drum albums … “Quid each mate, I thought they’d go fast”. The rest of the day didn’t live up to that initial promise, but I found enough of the VV favourites to suggest that nobody had scoured the palace for cheese funk in the recent past. In fact most of what I picked up were doubles for trade (anyone?) and I ended up leaving plenty of goodies behind because I already have them (numerous copies of Tom Jones At Ceaser’s Palace, & The Carpenter’s Ticket To Ride, the Easy Listening & Nice & Easy comps … plus the comp with Andre Brasseur’s “Holiday”). The conservative tastes of the area were much in evidence, so it was strictly 70’s budget label easy. Anyway, this is my haul:


John Barry The Black Hole (I think this is all straight orchestral stuff Â… probably should have left it)
Brownhill Stamp Duty Fill My Boots (speculative 29p buy yields godawful Quo-style boogie, hits the out-box after two bars)
Carlini's World Of Strings Million Seller Hits of '69 (I will approach with caution later)
Kenny Clare & Ronnie Stephenson Drum Spectacular
Roger Coulam Hammond Stereo Sounds To Spoil You (trade)
Roberto Delgado Fiesta (Haven't dipped into this Circle Of Sound offering yet)
The Detroit Sounds Introducing (trade)
Duane Eddy The Greatest Hits Of (to make up 3 for a pound)
Frank Ifield She taught me how to yodel (45) (A present for Happy Monster Â… you were serious about the yodelling weren't you )
The Keating Sound Straight Ahead (early work from Keating, but not lacking in bombast)
The King's Singers ST (Lovely George Martin produced album with groovy take on Labi's "Watch Me" plus "Ask Yourself Why" Â… trade)
The King's Singers Keep On Changing (Life On Mars)
Gladys Knight & The Pips 2nd Anniversary (nice groove & break on Money Â… but it turned out I already had a copy, so trade)
Francis Lai Bilitis (okay, I already have a trade copy, but this being the German edition, it has twice as much smut on the cover for 30p Â… trade)
Geoff Love Your Top TV Themes
Henty Mancini Sample Mancini (Came across loads of theseÂ… it's okay for Senor Peter Gunn & A Shot In The Dark)
Sandy Nelson The Very Best Of
Peter Nero Plays a salute to Herb Alpert & TJB (This was a mistakeÂ… want Paul Nero not Peter Nero)
Los Norte Americanos Tijuana Beatles (Another Tij' Beatles album!!! With Get Back on it!!! And a track called Tijuana Soul!!! Â… but itÂ’s not as good as the Torero Brass one)
Tony Osbourne Great TV Themes (a big band take on "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" anyone?)
Alan Parsons Project I Robot (Â… hmm Â… this was recommended to me by an ELP fan Â…)
Quiller Quiller (45)
Buddy Rich & Gene Krupa Drum Battle
Edmundo Ros The Latin World Of (Vol 2) (2 tracks from Hair gets a Latin kicking)
John Schroeder Dance Party Vibrations (urgh Â… what a disappointmentÂ… Schroeder does James Last)
John Schroeder Gangster Movie Vibrations (That's more like it&#33
The Tequila Brass Tamla meets Tijuana (trade)
The Torero Band Lennon & McCartney Tijuana Style (common as muck but classic, trade if anyone is lacking)
Unknown Grammy Awards 1972 (Shaft, Ode To Billy Joe, Light My Fire, Mr Big Stuff, Joy To The World Â… all crap)
Unknown Non-Stop Disco Party Vol 1 (hot hits type affair with Superstition)
Unknown Non Stop Rock 'n' Soul Discotheque (More Hot Hits style shenanigans with Dance To The Music)
VA Golden Hour Presents A Stereo Showcase (Clean replacement for my dodgy copy)
Kai Warner This Is (erm Â… it has God Only Knows on it Â… God only knows why I bought it)
Tammy Wynette Stand By Your Man (45) Â… (IÂ’m not going to try to explain this)

[dr kraken]

Also, if it stops raining tomorrow I'm going to check out a possible venue for your proposed sunday social dig ... maybe I'll even drag my sorry ass down to Brillo and spill the beans.

[happy monster]

Cheers Dr K i'll risk the Ifield yodelling 7" should be a laugh, i'll try that grammy awards shaft if you don't want it.

H.M.

[bongolia]

sounds like a good haul.

not so good here - first purchase of the day was Keith Mansfield 'All You Need Is' in one of the Seven Sisters Road Charities (your patch&#33, but the rest of the day didn't maintain that standard...

went up to Walthamstow and hit the High St charities and a market stall before bumping into Streethawk Sermad. then down to Leyton and Leytonstone. not been back there since i lived there back in 96/97, and i'm sure there used to be more charity shops.

anyway:
Phil Tate and the Windjammerss - All the nice girls...
-easy jazz, nice version of Sunny

Mark Wirtz - Latin a go-go
- Vic Flick, Jim Sullivan, Madeleine Bell, good 60s versions of 'Watermelon Man' and 'Coming Home Baby'. seems Mark Wirtz had a 70s career as a big producer

James Last a-gogo
-the one with lurid pink cover and 'Caravan'

Super Guitar of Lightning Red (spare)

Rasa - Everything you see is me
-another one of those Hare Krishna albums, this one's like
sub-Stevie Wonder (Jamiroquai?)

Roger Coulam - Hammond Stereo Sounds
- my first! (after just getting one on Ebay - always the way...)

The Muppet Show 2

2 Factory Records comps, with ACR - Shack Up, etc

John Williams - Cavatina

Peter Appleyard - Per-cus-sive Jazz (spare)
- the cool 'Doctored for Stereo Sound' syringe cover (actually everything in the series had the same cover, but this is the most common)

Massive Attack - Blue Lines

V/A - Total Sound Studio 2 sampler with 2 decent Enoch Light tracks (spare)

Peters and Lee with the 'Coming Home Baby' - minting up my copy, so now have a spare in unlikely event someone needs it

James Last - non stop dancing 18 - hmmm

and a couple of US lounge finds:

Lenny Dee - Movin On
-mint US copy, my first Lenny Dee

Robert Maxwell - Shangri-La
-mint US copy, my first Robert Maxwell

also a good helping of sounds effects, train sounds, stereo test records, classical, etc, and a couple of Happy Hammond stinkers - don't think i'll be buying these again. Lennon and McCartney and Pop Country (later has nice 'Little Green Apples' but that's it)

also passed on the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band 'Shaft' baton - recommended it to someone (a possible Vulture? didn't think so, because he missed the Roger Coulam...)

so not amazing, but nice to wander around London and better than the usual very slim pickings of late

wonder what Sermad got now up in Wanstead and Woodford...

[happy monster]

what's the score with the peters and lee track, seems an unusual choice for a vulture?

[sermad]

Yesteday was brilliant! I really hit some freaky places and I got tonnes of stuff - nothing incredible but bloody solid vv type gear.

First went back to tottenham - Nothing in there. The 500 records haven't arrived in that one yet...

Lets see then went to Chingford. Loads here all crap except one place which had a MASSIVE rack. All the stuff was minty!

Then went Higham park. One brilliant place - 4 for a quid! My kind of charity.

Then went to walthamstow where I stumbled a certain bongolia in a waltham forest charity!! The lucky bugger had got the keith mansfield 'all you need is' that day and my friendly advice that it was crap and he needed to trade it with me fell on deaf ears

Anyway walthamstow was totally dry and fookin rammed so I had a look at the map and then went to the salvation army shop. It actually shuts at 1pm on a saturday so I'll have to see that next week. Then I realised I had missed south woodford so I went back on myself to go there. Im so glad I did! There were about 5 charities on one street.

Walked into the first one and there were 3 hardcore records tucked away inbetween all the crap! One is worth loads so I was dead happy.

Then I tried to find my way to leyton and leytonstone but somehow I got lost and ended up in Walthamstow again! Doh. Well my motto is 'never go back the way you came' and AGAIN this simple rule netted the most amazing discovery. I was riding down a random street and I saw this shopping arcade with a record shop in it. Well this arcade had FOUR record shops.

First thing I saw was about 3000 records in one big rack and plain as day was minty Geoff Love 'Big Terror'! Went to the guy and I gave him a quid and he said 'You know its 10 for a quid not one' bloooooody hell. He said he was shutting in 15 minutes so I went hell for leather pulling out EVERYTHING. Im going back next week to check the other few thousand records I didnt have a chance to check!

All from 10p to £1 - Total spent £25.

Geoff Love - Big Terror Movie Themes (MFP) (Double) - Now wham bars are out of my league this is the best 10p Ive ever spent. The '3 Days of the Condor' cover is the don.

Captain Noah - Holy Moses (Argo) (Double) - Where is the break on this! Its sposed to be a cracker - my 2nd copy too! doh.

Stereo Sound Stage (Philips) - Chaquito's Hawaii 5-0 and Shaft are pretty good. The Bandit is the mental.

Pick Of The Pops vol 7 (Deacon) - I bought this for chirpy chirpy cheep cheep and true to form it has a bit of a weak break on the intro. The total surprise was 'Get down and get with it'. Wtf!!! Is that glam rock god noddy holder covering a Little Richard song?? You have never heard anything like this!

Focus On Phase 4 (Decca) (Double) - The Avengers theme is always a pleasure.

Hammond Vol 1 (Play Records) - I only bought this because the amazingly named 'Knut Knutsen' arrange it! If you require a very average hammond cover of the 'look of love' then its worth the 10p. Otherwise its cack.

Norrie Paramour - Music From The Big Screen (Contour) - Only bought because it was arranged by 'Sir' Nick Ingman. Its all very lush and orchestral - Im a sucker for 'Windmills of your mind' and they turn out a nice folky greek stylee version. 10p tops!

Ray McVay - Come Dancing To The Pops (Contour) - Fug knows why I bought this....anyway I stupidly didnt check the vinyl and its the pop carwash disco class 'Use it up don't wear it out'....arrrrghghgh.

Denny Wright - Non Stop Pepsi Party (MFP) (Double) - Genius product placement soul thing going on here! As rightly stated on this very site - 'Shout about Pepsi' is a stupidly funky slice of hammond, fuzzy guitars, horny horns and terrible pepsi soul vocals. Love the cheesy segue into Tequila!

A to Z of easy listening (Polydor) (Double) - The Augusto Alguero and ultimate spinach track are cool. The rest is not!

Total Sound (Studio 2) (Double) - A few nice tracks on this sampler. My cherie Amour and Bond St by Enoch Light are very grooovy.

Ray Davis & Button Down Brass - 16 Startracks (Philips) - Never seen this one before so I thought I would chance it. 'Green Grow the rushes-o' has about 5 seconds of brilliance and then it descends into shite. It has a REALLY familar bass groove that I know has been sampled. 'Aint no mountain high enough' is pretty good! Hooving great big hammond on this - it gets funky and cooks right as it fades out...nooooooooo. 'La bamba' is the killer! Super fast, super brassy! Has someone going bezerk on hammond and fuzz guitar. I crap you not. Again gets tasty as it fades...

The Disciples - Jesus Christ Superstar (Contour) - Yep I pick up another JCS! 'Whats the buzz?' is nearly always the funky track and this is no exception. Very soul funky - This is a nice dancefloor track and the vocals are not too bad - Shame the hammond on it is buried in the mix.

Jesus Christ Superstar (MFP) - And another!! 'Whats the buzz? this time doesn't deliver the goods. But the 'Superstar' track doesn deliver a kind of nice version. That chorus kills me though.

Jesus Christ Superstar (Hallmark) (Double) - Gave a lowdown on this last week. I rate it.

Jack Hawkins - Favourite TV Themes (Windmill) - Pretty average Shaft and Hawaii 5-0.

This is Stereo (Polydor) - Total crap!

Up Cherry Street (Deacon) - More crap!

Stereo Special (Stereo Gold) - (Double) - I couldnt remember if this was good...and it isnt. More crap.

Impact (MFP) - More crap.

Ray Conniff - His... (CBS) - Aiiieeeeeeeeee.

Ray Conniff - Honey (CBS) - Really bad.

Arthur Fielder - Embraceable You (RCA) - Noooooooooooo.

Robert Delgado - The Peanut Vendor (Polydor) - Super easy mexican covers. Not my bag.

Easy Listening (Polydor) - er....why!

David Rose - Portrait (Circle Of Sound) - Bought for the COS discog. This is super easy love type affairs.

Ultimate Stereo Presentation (Studio2) - Another Studio2 sampler - The one with the lush Brian Bennett 'Witchita lineman' track.

Impulsion (Circle Of Sound) - Another for the COS discog and another COS sampler! Never seen this one before. Nothing good on it.

Petes & Lee - Favourites (Philips) (Double) - Thanks to Bongolia for the tip on this one. 'Comin Home Baby' is a really nice groovy cut. See this everywhere and never knew!

Jack Parnell - TV Times TV Themes (Sounds Superb) - The Persuaders theme is nice. Rest is pish.

Bert Wheedon - Guitar Greats (Chevron) - Bought for the apache cover and in true form it is total pish. Loads of hank marvin stylee axe murdering. If you like that song used in Pulp Fiction then you'll like this.

Klaus Wunderlich - Hammond For Lovers (Royal Sound) - Two sides of medley hammond. Needle dropping didnt impress. Avoid!

Ray Martin - Favourite TV Themes (Decca) - The tv theme to wheelbase (??) nets the best cover. Groovy piano romp with a great hoofing car vrrrrrrrrrom through it. I like this.

Norrie Paramour - Law Beat (Contour) - Ironside is good.

Pete Thomas Presents (Polydor) - Fookin barmy covers from the German genius! Delilah gets put through the moog mangler and so do many others. They really are terrible! Fittie on the front cover though!

Luis Alberto - Tropical Carnival (Contour) - Very dry latin

Berry Lipman - La Parranda Party (BASF) - Ooooompah loooompa latin!! What were they thinking!

Blues N' Brass (Turnover) - Lots of big brassy blues peppered with Blackpool stylee organ! Some of it is rocking though - Peppersteak and Streamboat Blues being quite cool.

Top Of The Pops Vol 49 (Hallmark) - So bad its not funny.

Kenny Salmon - Sounds Organized (Decca) - Mr Salmon can be a bit of a library whizz so I picked it up on the strength of that. Lots of Blackpool organ chugging...not great.

Thrill To The Sound Of Super Stereo (CBS) - Mongo Santamaria's 'Louie Louie' is rather sassy.

Sounds Of Brass - Tijuana Brass (MFP) - I couldnt find the goodness on this...

Klaus Wunderlich - Latin Festival (Telefunken) - I just couldnt resist buying this! Yes it is god damn awful! Lots of cha cha cha but played with mr wunderlichs off the kitsch ometer organ! The mas que nada is off the hook!

Los Tropicales - Rhythms Of Rio (Gold Star) - Had to buy it as it said Pete Moore arranged it. Lots of straight jazz crossed with latin. Not for me.

Bobby Astor - Latin American Hammond (oryx) - So utterly terrible its untrue.

Manix - Head in the clouds (Reinforced) (Double)- MASSIVE TOOOOOOOON. Anything on reinforced has a good chance of being expensive but I already know this great hardcore track. Very good!

Manix - Feel Real Good (Reinforced) - Funk me another hardcore classic. Dont know how sought after this is but I certainly remember it on my bro's tapes. On the flip is 'super dope mix' which funky as hell slow jungle/breakbeat - no cheese in sight and I would play this out no problem today.

Manix - Let the music move ya (Reinforced) - The weakest of the 3 but its hardcore by numbers - cheesy piano etc etc

Rediffusion Stereo Sampler (Rediffusion) (Double) - Well worth getting for 'sort of soul'. Great track.

Climax (Studio2) - Another Studio2 sampler! The harry roche 'Hawaii 5-0' is a good take on the parpy original! You also get the Harray Stoneham super cheesy 'Aquarius' cover. Did harry stoneham do a full hair lp??

Harry Stoneham - Very Best Of (Studio2) - Loads of naff themes murdered by harry! 'Wade In the Water' actually is very good! Great funky big band, cookin' hammond and fuzzy geeetar. go harry!! This is a harry original right?

World Movie & TV Hits (Readers Digest) - Bought for the Girl From uncle cover. This is pretty boring.

101 Strings - Golden hour of TV Themes (Golden Hour) - Standard versions of the kojak, shaft and hawaii 5-0. Ironside is slightly better.

Big Jim 'H' - Dance Party Hammond Hits (Stereo Gold Award) - Ive been after this for aaaages and now Im so happy! Jungle Fever is brilliant - Heavy hammond, heavy drums and a very dirty sounding lady moaning over the top. This was on that Andy Votel mix and I never even knew it! Awesome.

Sounds Like Soul (Fontana) - I bought this to try and cure my aversion to soul music but no I hate it a million times more now. Sickly syrupy 'Nowhere to run', 'Son of a preacher man' etc etc My kind of hell on earth. Want this bongolia?!?!?

Robert Delgado - Fiesta (Circle Of Sound) - Bought this for the COS discog and not for the fact it has a fit filthy looking wet girl on the front cover. Lots of very average latin.

Norrie Paramour - Lets Dance Together (Contour) - No lets not dance together! Not my thing at all and only bought because Nick Ingman arranged it (for research purposes of course).

Klaus Wunderlich - Mr Hammond Gag (Telefunken) - Another telefunken and another steaming turd.

Jack Jones - All To Yourself (RCA) (Double) - Common as muck and the 'spinning wheel' aint half bad.

Burt Kaempfert - The Most Beautiful Girl (Circle Of Sound) - Another for the COS discog...anyone notice how many I picked up today!! Where are the decent ones!

Golden Hammond Organ Favourites (Note Emi) - Harry and chums murder more songs. Terrible.

Danny Hodgson - Non Stop Hammond Hits (Contour) - Really very nasty.

Non Stop Latin Party (Philips) - The Aquarius is really nice in a big band latin jazz stylee. The Troubleshooters (Mogul Theme) has the Alan Tew Latin Sound under the credits! Very strange. Its the Hanged Man theme tune played in a latin stylee! I really really crap you not!

[LDJB]

Serms - bit of a mixed bag there mate.

Quote[/b] ]Impulsion (Circle Of Sound) - Another for the COS discog and another COS sampler! Never seen this one before. Nothing good on it.

Have another listen to the mighty "Theme One" by Sir George Martin - it's a re-recording but it's still some tune! The OG is on "British Maid" which is a fave of mine.

Quote[/b] ]Captain Noah - Holy Moses (Argo) (Double) - Where is the break on this! Its sposed to be a cracker - my 2nd copy too! doh.

I'ts at the top of the second ot third track on side two - v nice too.

Quote[/b] ]Harry Stoneham - Very Best Of (Studio2) - Loads of naff themes murdered by harry! 'Wade In the Water' actually is very good! Great funky big band, cookin' hammond and fuzzy geeetar. go harry!! This is a harry original right?

Nah mate - I think it's a very old traditional tune - been done by every one from Ramsey Lewis, Marlene Shaw and Harvey Mandel to Rock Worshop - I think Harry's version must be from "I feel Good I Feel Funky" which you never find anymore.

Quote[/b] ]'La bamba' is the killer! Super fast, super brassy! Has someone going bezerk on hammond and fuzz guitar. I crap you not. Again gets tasty as it fades...

Is this the one which was comped on "In FLight Entertainment" - if so it's a cracker (could be "Tequila tho' and I'm too lazy to go and check).

I found a load of old tosh this weekend but I'd advise you all to keep 'em peeled for Roger Williams - "Love Story" some tasty easy funk on there!

[dr kraken]

Quote[/b] (bongolia @ 26 July 2003,20:51)]- first purchase of the day was Keith Mansfield 'All You Need Is' in one of the Seven Sisters Road Charities (your patch)

d'oh!

Still, congratulations to both Bongolia & Sermad on some tasty pieces.

I think this goes to show that the good stuff does show up, even in the smoke ... it's just that a lot of areas are regularly swept by fellow diggers or dealers, so nothing stays long and it's the luck of the draw whether you get there first (though, I am sure there are strategies to make sure you are more likely to be there first) ... I have been there first on enough occassions to make it worthwhile, and this happens even in Camden!

On the other hand, there are areas both in London and especially beyond where there is no local interest (I heard the phrase "Not much call for records these days" twice yesterday, and one of my enquiries was met with a blank stare) and things will sit in the crates until a lucky digger comes along.

[dr kraken]

(excuse the multiple posts, I'm just wondering if I get promoted at 50)

... and in an echo of Sermad's Geoff Love experience, there was a chap at my local booter this moring with a 20p minty Purple Fox at the front of his crate being utterly ignored by everyone (including the chap who advised me to treat myself to record with "light dixieland accompaniment&quot ...

... and when some Glaswegian schemie dived into the back of a box I was rummaging through, sticking his fag in my face* he was after some accordian-and-pipes extravaganza to remind him of the auld country, and left the copy of "Freewheelers" for me

(* to be fair, when I complained about the fag and he demanded "so whit d'ya want me t'de boot it??" he did act on my suggestion that he could just take it away from my face)

[dr kraken]

do I get promoted then???