PHIL TATE AND HIS ORCHESTRA, Countdown, 1959
Posted: May 31, 2014 Filed under: 50s, England, Instrumental Records, Rock´n´Roll Records Leave a comment
Another Oriole 45 and it´s a rocker for a change. Somebody already posted Countdown on Youtube, but to my knowledge it´s not commercially available anywhere. There are a few nice comments about how Phil Tate and his orchestra were regulars at the Streatham Locarno in south-east London.
Considering that Countdown was made by a regular big band for stuffy dance schools to teach teenagers how to dance the Jive, it´s pretty rockin´, in a Joe Meek kind of way.
PHIL TATE AND HIS ORCHESTRA, Countdown, 1959
Released in the “Strict Tempo Dance Series”: Tempo as laid down by the Official Board of Ballroom Dancing!
This is a Samba!
PHIL TATE AND HIS ORCHESTRA, Green Turtle, 1959
MARTIN SLAVIN AND HIS GANG, Charleston Crazy, 1961
Posted: May 29, 2014 Filed under: 60s, England 2 Comments
Martin Mordecai Slavin (1922-1988) was one of Britain’s top vibraphone players and a prolific session musician. He moved to Vancouver, Canada in 1966 and later settled in Hollywood. In the mid-80s he returned to the UK and played occasional freelance dates, until he was killed in a road accident.
More 1960s charleston tunes by Martin Slavin and his Gang (of studio musicians, I´d guess) on the British Oriole label. While the majority of Martin Slavin´s work was serious, I doubt that this particular record was supposed to be taken serious.
From a musical point, these songs are not Jazz and are not Rock´n´Roll. They were meant to be entertaining and funny and I feel that more than 50 years later they are still funny.
I love this record.
MARTIN SLAVIN AND HIS GANG, Charleston Crazy, 1961
MARTIN SLAVIN AND HIS GANG, Do The Charleston Baby, 1961
THE DING DOO DATTLERS, Modern Shave Charleston
Posted: May 28, 2014 Filed under: 60s, Jazz Records, Promotional Records, Switzerland 1 Comment
A while back, Dropbox temporarily blocked my files because of too much traffic, but now everything is working again. So here´s a new post….
Hazy Osterwald, the undisputed King of Swiss pop and jazz music, died in 2012 at the age of 90. Without ever trying very hard, even I have collected a bunch of his records. This promotional record, made for a brand of men’s safety razors, has never been reissued.
For obvious reasons….
THE DING DOO DATTLERS, Modern Shave Charleston
THE DING DOO ]DATTLERS, Chicochino Cha-Cha-Cha
STUDIENPLATTE JAZZ, Blues und Improvisation, 1961
Posted: May 15, 2014 Filed under: 60s, Germany, Jazz Records Leave a comment
This record was meant for private education at home and was part of a 12-piece box set that was issued by Opera-Europäischer Phonoclub record club in the early 1960s. The majority of the set is about classical music, but there´s one 45 about early electronic music, one about gospel and only this one about jazz.
This is an early German example of academic re-evaluation of what was formerly considered low, vulgar, popular culture. I think, as comprehensible and well meaning it might have been to turn pop culture it into an academic discipline, it has always led to lessen its impact.
Even though not intended, at least in this case we were left with a pretty funny record:
Analyse: Prof. Paul Douliez, Dr. Karl Richter
Sprecher: Wolfgang Wendt
Tontechnik: Kurt Rapp
„Ist der Jazz Massenhysterie? Suggestion? Oder Entfesselung der unterdrückten Individualität? Musik der Freiheit oder der Disziplin? Gehört er zur Etikette der Snobs, oder bedeutet er harmloses Verspieltsein der Fans? In jedem Fall, was der Jazz zu geben vermag, geschieht spontan aus einer magischen Verbindung der Instrumente, ihrer Spieler und Hörer. Ob Ekstatik… oder intellektuelle Abstraktion,… diese Musik ist ein Kennzeichen unserer Zeit.“
STUDIENPLATTE JAZZ, Blues und Improvisation, Seite 1
STUDIENPLATTE JAZZ, Blues und Improvisation, Seite2
I also found another version Opera issued with grey labels:
DE TIENERS, De tiener-band
Posted: May 11, 2014 Filed under: 60s, Holland, Jazz Records 2 Comments
Jazz was still very much part of popular music in the 1960s, so even records for children contained jazz. Or at least music that was supposed to sound like jazz.
De tiener-band, “the teenager-band”, is actually a children´s choir led by Paula van Alphen, backed by Harry Bannink´s orchestra.
“Come and grab your mom´s washboard and join the teenager-band!”…
Unfortunately it is not noted who did the drawings for the sleeve and the booklet, there is however a small illegible signature on the front, that reads like Fj. Wijnen:
Because it fits the theme, here´s the story of jazz told for children from the German children´s book Das Karussell from 1966. Again, the drawings are not credited.
CORRY BROKKEN EN DE HI-FIVE, BP Super Mix Song
Posted: May 10, 2014 Filed under: 60s, Flexible Records, Holland, Promotional Records Leave a comment
In 1957 Dutch singer Corry Brokken won the second European Song Contest, the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Europénne. While she is mostly known for her smooth pop ballads, her career got started when she recorded the swingin´ Auto-Scooter´s-Boogie with Albert Van Hoogten´s small indie Ronnex in 1955. Now Ronnex was a hip label, from putting out Bill Haley´s pre-rock´n´roll sides, to Jack Hammer´s crazy twists, to the fuzzed-out beat of the Shake Spears. In the mid-1950s Albert sent his brother, Rene Jan van Hoogten, to the United States to set up a label there. Rene later changed his name to Ray Maxwell, started Moonglow Records, recorded a bunch of very cool rockin´records and eventually discovered the Righteous Brothers.
To celebrate tonight´s 59th annual Eurovision Song Contest, here´s a one-sided flexible 45, recorded by Corry Brokken and her Hi-Fives for BP in the early 1960s
“Hey, sweetie!”
“Hey, sweetie!”
“Hey, sweetie!”
LEO MARTIN´S ORCHESTRA, Cleopatra, 1959
Posted: May 7, 2014 Filed under: 50s, Belgium, Rock´n´Roll Records Leave a comment
Leo Martin (1924 – 1993) was a Flemish comedian and musician, most famous for being one part of the comic duo Gaston & Leo.
In the late 50s Leo also recorded some rock´n´roll songs. Strangely this one about Cleopatra, sung together with actress Chris Sent (1922-1989), is neither in Flemish or French but German.
LEO MARTIN´S ORCHESTRA, Cleopatra, 1959
Now on the flip they don´t even sing in a real language. Or is it?
LEO MARTIN´S ORCHESTRA, Ou-A-Dou-Wa, 1959
And then communication deteriorates even further…
Leo Martin in a short wordless sketch from the 1980s:
WIM EN ZIJN KRAFTIES, Kom Uit Je Bed, 1960
Posted: May 5, 2014 Filed under: 60s, Belgium, Rock´n´Roll Records 3 Comments
This Belgian 45 is centered around Kom van dat dak af, the first and most famous Dutch rock´n´roll HIT song, written and recorded by Peter Koelewijn en zijn Rockets in 1959. If you do not know the original version I urge you to go find it. It´s one of my favorite European rock´n´roll songs. By the way, just want to point out that the Twist and Frit´blog still offers a lot of thorough information, very nice record sleeves and even some cool tunes of Belgian guitar groups of the 1960s.
When it came to real rock´n´roll screaming, none of the European rock´n´rollers came close to the likes of Little Richard in the 1950s. Except maybe the ones who just tried to parody rock´n´roll, like Wim and his Krafties, who recorded for the cheapo label Kraftone. Kraftone, a division of the Kraft cheese company, operated from 1960 to 1963 and was a typical variety label.
Anyway, both songs on this 45 are hilarious! The anonymous vocalist can´t sing and he doesn´t even try. He simply shouts at the top of his lungs in a wild approximation of rock´n´roll!!!
Now get outta your bed!
WIM EN ZIJN KRAFTIES, Kom Uit Je Bed
And get off the roof!
Neh, neh, neh, neh, neh, neh, kom van dat dak af
‘K waarschuw niet meer
WIM EN ZIJN KRAFTIES, Kom van dat dak af
Just because this sleeveless 45 doesn´t offer much visual stimulation I add this totally unrelated comic strip from 1964. It is also from Belgium though! And it is from my collection and drawn by my favorite Belgium cartoonist Marc Sleen.
I think the story pretty much explains itself…
About me:
My name is Andreas Michalke. I´m a cartoonist from Berlin, Germany and I like collecting records. Most of the records I find in thrift stores or at flea markets here in Berlin. I like a lot of music but I thought I`d focus on odd German records. Preferably with cartoon covers.
All my scans are high-resolution. If you double-click on them they will get much bigger.
Berlin Beatet Bestes 
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