March 2016 Finds

[Skip]

I'm not sure I have the history on this site to allow me to START a finds thread but it is March after all and I've had a pretty astonishing lunchtime of charity shopping. Things looked good from the start when I walked into Oxfam as they were putting the records out but my hopes were dashed by the sight of the ubiquitous No Parlez on top of the pile and similar chuff beneath. I left and decided to poke my head into the next shop up which had yielded nothing in months. The record crate, previously so picked over that it was pretty much empty - was now brimming. From what I pulled it must have been restocked this morning.

I'll start with this - Swingle 2, No Time To Talk. This has survived all the picking over and I'd passed over it before. It was a bit of a feeding frenzy though so this finally made the net.


The first thing I saw was a small collection of Kate Bush records. I brought a few home and left a few - The Red Shoes, The Dreaming and Lionheart came home, a few 12"s stayed behind. This bootleg made the cut though:


Next up, Sara Cox played BB King on the Radio 2 breakfast show on Monday (I can't stand Chris Evans but I like Sara Cox) so this seemed like serendipity. I've never been too fussed about electric blues but this has got that lovely Muscle Shoals Ry Cooder gospel choir thing going on:

And this was sitting next to it:

Next one I picked up was more of charity shop staple but Trunk's Britxotica has made me want to explore it's world a little, so Ted Heath:

Little did I know I'd stumbled on a vein of jazz and struck gold. First this World Record Club Nat King Cole LP. I know it's been suggested here before, there should really be a book of WRC sleeve designs:

Then this Count Basie - I know the sleeve from somewhere but not sure why:

and I couldn't leave this behind:

Gerry Mulligan!

Jazz at Toad Hall!



And this is brilliant:

I don't know much more of Xavier Cugat than the name but I have high hopes:

The jazz vein exhausted I then found this..

Then this

Then THIS!


A pretty storming lunchtime. Don't think I've ever hit so much gold at once. But the story's not finished. I passed one more shop on the way back to work and decided to poke my head in. I confess I normally ignore the 7"s but today of all days I'd have a look. I found this on blue vinyl.

To be honest I should have packed in work and spent the afternoon touring the charity shops of every town in a forty mile radius. The force was with me. I'm pleased enough

[candiman]

Great haul Skip.

My impromptu dip into a charity shop this lunchhour was less successful, but I can say I am motorbikin' into March.

[jay]

Nice haul skip sir.

[amidar]

Yep good going skip, I've been buying a lot of Ted Heath the last year or so and that looks quite a rare and early one to me. It's his 60s ones I'm finding most agreeable. I thought about buying the 'Bitoxica' comp but I've been quite enjoying discovering this stuff myself. The Ted Heath band were the real deal especially in the 60s when I think he started to experiment a lot. Plus talk about tight!

[bennyboy]

Very good work, Skip. Don't think I've ever had a situation of pulling out great LP's one after the other, noice.

[Skip]

Yep the Ted Heath is very tight. It sits neatly with the Duke Ellingtons which are both magical sets. You'll notice Mr Johnny Hawksworth on bass at the Ted Heath concert. Britxotica or not it's one of my golden rules to always buy records with his name on.

I've passed on a lot of Count Basie in my time but my instinct served me well here. He's at his peak on both LPs.

I needle dropped the Swingle II after an evening of great jazz, there's a 10cc medley which is definitely something to hear. Very odd.

Xavier Cugat is great. full on latin swing with tracks like Msirlou and Tequila interspersed with Martin Denny-esqe exotica.

Candiman - what did Murray Walker sound like in 1963? Was he all posh like?

[bongolia]

I've neglected Ted Heath a bit. I think the fact that he was on Phase 4 meant I wanted to find the funky easy numbers and he only has a couple of those. Got rid of some of his stuff after only a cursory listen. Found "Olde Englyshe" the other day though (only the Jasmine 80s reissue) which is all jazzed up folk songs.

That Soul of Jazz Percussion looks good. Budget cover design confusingly makes it look like a comp

[Turboellis]

17 LPs in one swoop?!?!? Very nice.

[Sonovox]

Jazz at Toad Hall!

Nice pile o' finds there!

Jazz At Toad Hall is one of those records I always have at the back of my mind - 'wouldn't it be cool if there was a copy of X in this next pile' - pleased to see someone grab it in the wild! Great cover on it.

[LDJB]

I think that the first stirring of spring have made the charity shops put out fresh stock as a similar thing happened to me in the last couple of days. Stocks refreshed in previously stagnant pools netted me this lot.

An bunch of listening, moving and dancing in an obscure Scottish Borders charity shop - they had a bunch of Disney / Kids soundtracks too - I’m guessing a school /drama teacher has just taken a thud dump. I’ve had most of the Vera Gray related releases before but the Sound Images double LP is bonkers! Electronic noises for days - quite avant as a listen but I don’t think any of this lot will be staying - PM me if you wanna trade.



I nipped out yesterday lunchtime to get some poo bags for the dog and returned with these. I left behind a James Royal LP on Carnaby as it was £20 but I was tempted as it’s usually a dependable label - it was called ‘One Way’ or something - should I be rushing back for it?



Also a shop had a load of Indian classical / sitar LPs in…and I mean loads…and all minty. I left behind a lot of Ravi Shankar and such like raga solo things. First thing I spotted was the Jazz Raga - right at the front of the pile - £2! It looks like it’s never been played, it’s the same age as me and in much better condition! Nice to get a minty Richie Havens too. I grabbed the more ‘westernised’ stuff but it’s not my cup of tea so again if there’s anything you like the look of PM me.

The Crickets, Big O and Juniper Green were from another shop - nothing too exciting there but couldn’t leave for a quid.

You may have spotted some hot banjo breakz action too - this was picked up for the Fuzmeister.

[Skip]

Those Indian flavoured LPs look wonderful. I'll confess that until fairly recently the only place sitar music would transport me to was my local curry house but once you start to connect with it properly, it's transcendent,

In other news I just paid a return visit to the same charity shop as yesterday thinking how new stuff coming out can be a process as often as it is an event. I was not mistaken. I returned to a whole new crate and the manager in the very act of pricing up. A diggers dream. I was late back from lunch by an hour. Not exactly sure what I have yet (mysterious) but definitely one or two possibly interesting finds. Nothing like yesterday's vinylgasm though. I'll report back this evening.

[amidar]

You defo struck gold, right place right time, wtf is that 'toad hall record' all about?

Yeah Johnny cut his teeth with the Ted Heath band like so many others. There was a documentary about big bands on BBC last year hosted by that 'Strictly' guy 'Len Goodman' but dont let that put you off it was a really interesting watch with lots of 'Ted Heath' related stuff.

I always see that 'Atomic Basie' record about, think its been repressed a bunch of times might be wrong anyway yours looks like a first and who gives away a shrink wrapped 'wish you were here' madness I tell you!

Oh and more great finds from LDGB shaping up to be a good month of vinyl porn. That 'Sharan Rani' sarod record has raised my interest. I have that odd greek record on EMI I must give it a listen again. Oh and Mr massive hands 'Richie Havens' on sitar that has to be good and those 'listen, move and dance' records never seen them before particularly the spacey one!

OOOOOFFFFssssssss all round!

Yep the Ted Heath is very tight. It sits neatly with the Duke Ellingtons which are both magical sets. You'll notice Mr Johnny Hawksworth on bass at the Ted Heath concert. Britxotica or not it's one of my golden rules to always buy records with his name on.

I've passed on a lot of Count Basie in my time but my instinct served me well here. He's at his peak on both LPs.

I needle dropped the Swingle II after an evening of great jazz, there's a 10cc medley which is definitely something to hear. Very odd.

Xavier Cugat is great. full on latin swing with tracks like Msirlou and Tequila interspersed with Martin Denny-esqe exotica.

Candiman - what did Murray Walker sound like in 1963? Was he all posh like?

[Skip]

Despite potential lunchtime excitement today's mini haul was the wet patch to yesterdays explosion if you will.

I'd got myself worked up by the potential in a pair of one sided test pressings but they're nothing too exciting, one is half of Johnny Rivers' Blue Suede Shoes LP. It's the side with Willie and the Hand Jive on though so that's alright. The other is half of a 1972 Monty Python album. I don't think I'm going to be paying the mortgage off just yet.

So in the end I came away with a couple of Fontana Specials - Sounds Like Soul and We Got Soul neither of which I have and the 7" of Man of the World by Fleetwood Mac

This seems to be the find of the day


getting some Popsike and discogs love. It's not a genre I'm familiar with so I'll leave it to the popsike ebay description:

Extremely obscure release from Joe (Jo) Clack, the leader of indie/twee UK band The Sullivans, out of Harlow, Essex. Here, he teams up with sometime partner Paul Howard on four gorgeous songs. This is on the tiny indie label Davy Lamp, which also released the Not Just Mandela compilation, also featuring tracks by The Sullivans and Paul Howard. Paul Howard's voice is incredible here, reminiscent of Morrissey at times, and the melancholy songs and sparse arrangements are terrific.

It was a lucky catch since I put it back before my spidey senses drew me back to it.

[candiman]

Candiman - what did Murray Walker sound like in 1963? Was he all posh like?

Unmistakably Murray and not a bit posh. But I think you would have to be a committed biker to enjoy this album (no surprise there). "Just listen to his Yamaha...". I thought the Greeves sounded a bit parpy.

It has prompted me to read his wiki entry. This - 1963 - would have been one of the first TT's he commentated on alone after the death of his father.

Also I didn't know this:
"Walker created the slogan "Trill makes budgies bounce with health" - a famous advertising slogan for bird seed in the 1960s as well as the slogan "Opal Fruits, made to make your mouth water".

[treeboy]

Despite potential lunchtime excitement today's mini haul was the wet patch to yesterdays explosion if you will.

I'd got myself worked up by the potential in a pair of one sided test pressings but they're nothing too exciting, one is half of Johnny Rivers' Blue Suede Shoes LP. It's the side with Willie and the Hand Jive on though so that's alright. The other is half of a 1972 Monty Python album. I don't think I'm going to be paying the mortgage off just yet.

So in the end I came away with a couple of Fontana Specials - Sounds Like Soul and We Got Soul neither of which I have and the 7" of Man of the World by Fleetwood Mac

This seems to be the find of the day


getting some Popsike and discogs love. It's not a genre I'm familiar with so I'll leave it to the popsike ebay description:

Extremely obscure release from Joe (Jo) Clack, the leader of indie/twee UK band The Sullivans, out of Harlow, Essex. Here, he teams up with sometime partner Paul Howard on four gorgeous songs. This is on the tiny indie label Davy Lamp, which also released the Not Just Mandela compilation, also featuring tracks by The Sullivans and Paul Howard. Paul Howard's voice is incredible here, reminiscent of Morrissey at times, and the melancholy songs and sparse arrangements are terrific.

It was a lucky catch since I put it back before my spidey senses drew me back to it.

They still play at The Small Copper in Harlow for free on Sunday afternoons. Joe Clack goes by the monicker Mandolin Joe nowadays! One of my mates goes along. Never were my cup of tea really, so I haven't been.