Sarah Vaughan - "September Song"
The sound of leaves turning slowly gold and that beautiful, awful feeling that age is creeping on and nothing
can be spring again. Sigh. It's very very romantic in a down kind of way.What a voice.
The Pretty Things - “Talking About the Good Times”
Fades in where “Strawberry Fields” fades out, the clattering rolling drums, the droney Indian thingey, colliding twangerous guitars. Almost textbook old school psychedelia. From the same band who brought you the epitome of snarling punk, “Rosalyn.”
The Savoy Havana Band - “Masculine Women and Feminine Men”
Infectiously syncopated tiger-by-the-tail of a track. All about the gender confusion between the boys and girls of the 20s. The same arguments surfaced again in the 60s. "Girls were girls and boys were boys when I was a tot, nowadays we don’t know who is who or who’s got what’s what."
Patto - “Air Raid Shelter”
How to tear up a guitar in a totally non-corny, non-clichéd way. Ollie Halsall was the best guitarist England ever produced. Fact. Taught me all I know about busting musical rules.
Third Ear Band - “Fire”
From the Elements album. If you built a pyre and threw 1,000 plague victims on it, this is what you should have on your ipod as you stoke. Demonic, lascivious, cleansing. The sound of mediaeval hell. Sexy with it.
Syd Barrett - “Octopus”
A ride around inside the frightened kid mind of a troubled troubadour. Disconnected musically and lyrically, a nevertheless thrilling nightmare spree from which we can walk away shaking, but unfortunately poor Syd couldn't. An enormous, naive talent, the Alfred Wallis of the underground scene.
Pharoah Sanders - “The Creator Has a Master Plan”
32 minutes and 45 seconds of, well, frankly, loopy out-there jazz, complete with druggy lounge repetitive vocals. Very odd, very loveable, very Pharoah. I first heard this in my teens and came out like I did no doubt because of it. Singalong now...
Bee Gees - “Jumbo”
Infectious nursery rhyme from the nearest contenders to the Beatle crown, that is until they discovered DISCO. This song has a buoyancy and helium lightness all its own. Their early career was pretty faultless, here is a primary coloured slice of it.
Nellie McKay - “I Wanna get Married”
Goofus girl with piano from the Big Apple who appeals to me. Tori Amos drunk on a surfeit of lemonade. This song is however a more smoochy affair that resonated deep inside me, for reasons I won’t go into. Cried like a baby when I first heard it.
Anthony Newley - “That Noise”
This is the man David Bowie wishes he was, the vocal mannerisms, the subject matter, the show biz-ness. Check out David’s early career and you'll hear what I mean. Tony wrestles with an irritating sound loop and comically loses the day. Love it. Novelty records RULE.
The She Beats - “Music Knows”
So my daughter Holly starts writing songs, with no help from old dad, and look what falls out. Where do I spit, it’s great pop. My first 300 songs were dogshit, her first few are golden. Bah!
Napoleon XIIV - “They’re Coming to Take Me Away Ha Ha”
I'm on a novelty song roll now. This scared the shirt off of me as a kid. Real fever dream soundtrack and bi-polar bop all wrapped up in one straight jacket. Minimal head hurt rock. The B side is even odder. It’s just the A side played backwards. Put it on a juke box and watch the place empty in record time.
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Andy Partridge's' Fuzzy Warbles Box Set is available now on Ape House Records.
http://www.ape.uk.net
Buy Album from CD Universe
