NOVELTIES

Some odd novelty songs.

The Goons with Unchained melody. It is incredible that the 3 main stars of this program all went on to fame in different areas. Peter Sellers a superb mimic and actor probably achieved the most world wide fame. He should have got an Oscar for his portrayal of Chancy Gardner in Being There.

Sir Circumference - Neddy Seagoon - the great Sir Harry Secombe went on to a comedy and a light opera singing career and the tortured Spike Milligan was simply a comic genius.

Pity being an American and missing out on the Goon Show. Then again they probably wouldn't have understood the humour.

In the 1950's thanks to The Goon Show we were introduced to a new style of humour and characters such as Ned Seagoon, Eccles, Bluebottle, Major Bloodnok, Minnie Bannister, Henry Crun, Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty amongst many. The humour has stood the test of time as I can listen today, over 50 years later, and still enjoy the humour.

There are thousands of great lines - I remember the interchange between Eccles and Moriarty. Moriarty threatens Eccles who tells him him "I warn you - I was trained in karate by the great Bert"

A scuffle takes place and Moriaarty smashes Eccles into the ground.

Eccles 'Wait till I get hold of that twit Bert'

(You had to be there!!)

Wally Stott did the music and later had a sex change operation and became Angela Morley!!

Answer songs came into favour after Damita Joe's I'm Saving the Last dance for you and here we have Dodie Stevens with Yes I'm lonesome tonight from 1961 and Florraine Darling - As Long As The Roses Are Red (Roses Are Red).

The Railway runs through the middle of the House by Gene Zimmerman. This was not the original hit - I think that was Vaughan Munroe.

An unusual version for the UK market only was Playmates - Beep Beep (Bubble Car Version) as the BBC wouldn't allow of course any mention of advertising (isn't that great). Again not a model that would be known to Americans not to be beholden in any way to advertisers.

The we have the Taylor Sisters singing Japanese Click go the shears.

All odd - all here.

IN LIEU WE HAVE LU AND LOU

Today we have a couple of lu-lu's - 

Bob Luman - Lets think about living  and The Great Snowman (more from the pen of the great John D Loudermilk). Sadly Bob died young at 41.

And from the Italian Lou, famous for a number of novelty songs - Lou Monte (1917-1989) sings Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey and Lazy Mary. 

No Vocals

Just instrumental/orchestral music here.

Two from British TV programmes about the police.

One, Theme from Z Cars by Johnny Keating & his Orchestra and the other still British but about a Dutch cop - Theme from Vandervalk. Who does this I don't know. Plus The Virtues with the updated version of Guitar Boogie Shuffle (originally done by Arthur Smith.)

A B C D

A

Alvin Stardust - My coo ca choo

B

Brook Brothers - Warpaint

C

Carl Mann - Don't let the stars get in your eyes

D

Dave Burgess - Everlovin' 

Listen 

THE GREAT UNKNOWNS

Here are some largely unknown singers with one who is really unknown

Unknown singer with Little boy lost - a true story written in song by a Australian Radio 2UE DJ Tony Withers and recorded by Johnny Ashcroft.
Crescendos - Oh Julie
Thomas Wayne - This Time - original song sung by Troy Shondell
Joe Valino - Garden of Eden
Dick Lory - Wild Blooded Woman (AKA Dick Glasser) - Dick sang one of my all time favourites Handsome Guy

JOYFUL

Col Joye - probably Australia's first real singing star that had a long career in the business with Johnny O'Keefe dying young.

We have here some songs and including some different versions of the same song from the brilliant Col Joye -

Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye - an updated version from the original

Oh Yeah Uh Uh - one version updated and another with an intro explaining how they used a typewriter (remember those) as a musical instrument. As an aside in Dean Martin's version of Houston the 'ding' sound at the start is the tap on a coke bottle. Did you know Houston was the first word relayed from the moon 'Houston the Eagle has landed'. You do now!!

Fraulein - sung live - Rock and rolling Clementine - Livin' Doll

Superb stuff from when music was music. The NZ version of Bye Bye Baby was sung by Vince Callagher (I am pretty certain that is the correct surname). Sadly, I am unable to get the song today as I have lost the original 45 somewhere in all my shifts.Vince also had a marvellous hit with Mr Rainbow Man - also a 45 that I have lost.

FOREIGN AND OVER SEAS

TELSTAR - CONNECTING PEOPLE OVER SEAS

Foreign - Dutch/Indonesian the Blue Diamonds with Hello Mary Lou & Ramona.

French/Canadian - Lucille Starr with The French song. I had never heard the song, which was a hit around the mid 60's, until a few years ago and then managed to get a copy.

English/German - Leroy van Dye with Geh Nicht Vorbei which translates into his big hit of Walk on by. An interesting version starting in English then moving to German.

And over seas - Telstar was the first (1962) intercontinental communications satellite linking the Old World, Europe, to the New, North America over seas, the Atlantic.

Here we have the above as well as vocal versions of Telstar by Margie Singleton (who called her same tune song Magic Star) and Bobby Rydell who used the correct name as well as the Tornados with the original instrumental version.

I see that the music video of Telstar on YouTube was directed by Alan Smithee. This is the name used in the credits of a film by a Director when they wanted to disassociate themselves from the released production.