Thursday 27 May 2010
Unleash This Man-Malcolm Roberts-A Genius In Chains
Wednesday 5 May 2010
BACKWARDS MESSAGES, HORNY HOUSEWIVES AND BIRO
OF DIRTY WEEKENDS AND MYSTICAL UNIONS
I had never heard of them, I was intrigued that the album had to be played at the usual single spinning setting of 45rpm, I had never heard of Special Delivery Records and was also strangely moved by the thought that if my cousin Olly Pearson and I had made the record we used to fantasize about cutting when we were wide eyed, guitar strumming, harmony hurling teens, the cover would have probably looked a bit like this one (cheap, slightly awkward and totally Everly Brothers obsessed.) All of these things and more, conspired to make me take the platter to the nonchalant, nail painting girl behind the charity shoppe counter and part with the paltry £1.99.
I get back home, I slip unnoticed into the listening cave. I look at the back of the record sleeve. I recognize the producer's name. The older you get, the more stuff lingers on your neurological hard-drive. The Panic Brothers are produced here by Clive Gregson, he sounded familiar, hailing back to my days as a folk club kid, sitting with my uncle and his musician friends, usually in Hitchin Folk Club, Hertfordshire. I'm sure I'd seen Clive do his thing down there on more than one occasion. The record collectors' world truly is the smallest of worlds (and it spins and spins and spins.)
BIVOUAC Think Everly Brothers singing “Lucille” yet belting their lungs out about the negative aspects of cramped living accommodation. I was primed to mock it, but the enthusiasm and clever machine gun lyric spitting of the pair makes for an invigorating album opener. Ace twangy Duane Eddy style guitar, and vibrant rockabilly backing.
I Made A Mess Of A Dirty Weekend What a title, what a song.
When you mess up a dirty weekend.”
From the repo man.”
A more direct, less tongue- in- cheek approach here, all well played and performed. Fine folkie fiddle from Ed Korolyk, and more of that lovely twangy guitar from Clive Gregson. Nothing mind boggling though.
Almost As Blue As Hank Williams A pastiche cod country weepy, and to my mind the only weak moment on side 1. I can imagine it raising loads of laughter in some humour starved singer songwriter night, but not one that I’ll listen to for kicks again. Well sung, and well crafted however, as is pretty much everything on this forgotten long player.
Side 2:
The Panic Brothers were Reg Meuross and Richard Morton
Details:
Artist: The Panic Brothers
Album: In The Red
Label: Special Delivery SPM 1003
Year: 1987
Sunday 11 April 2010
It's All Greek To Me
Friday 26 March 2010
Funky Camp makes Randy Quakers
Thursday 21 January 2010
Nice One Ronnie
In the days before my wife and I took a running jump onto the property ladder, and promptly hung on for dear life, we were insanely lucky to spend 5 years residing in Hampstead, London, literally seconds from the beautiful Hampstead Heath. Occasionally I would spy a very dapper gentleman strolling around this delicatessen dotted district, and was reliably informed by the local gossip that it was none other than singer Ronnie Carroll. The name didn't register, until I came upon this record a few weeks ago, in one of my regular charity shop rummages and at last I became acquainted with the stylish and eclectic talents of the man himself.