LP - Steve Race - Dance To The TV Themes WRC

LP - Steve Race - Dance To The TV Themes WRC

One of the many albums ive recently aquired after downloading the album from other Blogs. (more of which later)

Wow a fantastic album with a host of British "jazz" alumni Including Johnny Scott, Tubby Haynes, Terry Walsh, Frank Clarke and more! Ive included a photo of the back cover so you can read the notes. Nice!

01 - Maigeret
02 - Corronatrion Street
03 - Naked City
04 - Startime (sunday night at the London Paladium)
05 - Z Cars
06 - Man Of The World
07 - Perry Mason
08 - Here And Now
09 Willow Waltz (world of Tim Frazer)
10 - Route 66
11 - Stranger on the Shore
12 - Dr Kildare

an FCM production
Produced By Cyril Ornadel - he composed the TV theme "Sapphire and Steel" amongst many many others
and wrote Portrait of My Love for Mat Munro (who incidentally was billed as "Ray Cathode" on Peter sellers first proper 'LP "Songs For Swinging Sellers") and he wrote Mr Secombe's perennial "If I Ruled The World" Hmmm I'll shut up now..


Anyway its a really stellar album as far as TV Theme albums go,

Now this might sound strange but im a terrible "Writer" and reviewer. So if anyone has any thoughts about this album and indeed any of the posts sofar please let me know! Ill add em here with full credits, Ta







I originally Downloaded this album as a mp3 from a mono pressing. (of course this aint mono folks!)
Like a lot of the other blogs out there hosting a myriad of forgotten albums, the quality of the rip and restoration left a lot to be desired, poor transfer (ceramic cart with plastic tonearm by the sounds of most of em) poor restoration, you know when the piano takes on a "honky-tonk" sound that means a over the top use of Noise Reduction. Great "holes" due to overuse of automatic de-clickers. And worse of all crappy Pre-Amps!
"jumps" and after extensive "restoration" lots of noise left!

Now after hearing a few thousand (while out walking to keep fit last year) of these Blog type LP to mp3's the thought struck me to do the same. but try to preserve as much "musical" content of the disc, if not,
Don't rip and present it.
If the album is a bit "worn" or badly scratched, get another. not many people "get" that simple premise and the internet is filled with poor transfers masquerading as the "real thing". When it only costs a few $ to buy another copy on Ebay and you like it, Buy it!

And don't get me started on Plastic "turntables" which rip to mp3! Indeed...
As for 78's Thats another story, I rip what I get (not many) and haven't bought any from ebay due to the high cost of older discs. But would love to rip some more, Any Offers?
Some of my albums (LP's) Ive presented here cost me pennies, I mean the Bond album cost all of 25 cents.


Rapidshare Link

LP - Steve Race - Dance To The TV Themes WRC


Oh after a couple of years stuffing around with many forms of ilumination so i could get nice clean cover and label shots ( I tried in vain with flatbed scanners) Ive finaly found the "perfect" set up.
It may sound Primitive (remember this is a brownpaper and string operation!) but two "work lights" the kind painters use when painting houses, they are 500 watt jobs and after a couple of mins "placing them" create results like the shots in this post and the last one!

Geoff Love - Big Bond Move Themes MFP 1975

Geoff Love - Big Bond Move Themes

Stock Standard Bond tunes LP from Geoff Love, who at the time was releasing a slew of "themed" discs over at MFP (Music For Pleasure) Some of them not bad (and may get a airings here!)

Its very well recorded with a fresh bright sound which shows our yonger readers that cheap records didn't mean poor sound (a misconception ive heard a lot recently) Not bad arrangements apart from the titletrack.

A couple of "mis blown" trumpets now and again dampen the otherwise sterling performance.



The disc itself had the usual crackle for a "played a bit" disc. The restoration cleaned up all (bar one or two) minor clicks and sounds very very good. A little too good!!.. Could be my new LP Cart as well.
The best Shure cart M97xE is now used for LP's and its a world of difference. The cart is not to overly bright, has no discernible peaks and is very "listenable", compared to previous cart which became "grating" to my ears after an hour or so.


Zip File with Album and all Artwork ....MP3
Rapidshare
Geoff Love - Big Bond Move Themes MFP 1975


My Fav Bond Cover Album is one of the first blog posts I made.

Eric Winstone Plays Bond 1972 Avenue Ill repost it. with the "missing tracks" I found on a later cassette release.

James Wright - Top TV Themes 1962 EMBASSY

Brit TV themes from the early 60's!

Im a bit of a collector of 50's-70's British TV, And when i was a kid (5 yo) I found this disc amoungst the 45's my parents had and played it to death. Only recently have I located a "fresh copy" of this very disc.
The Aussie pressing was on W&G Records while the original UK Pressing was on the woolworths own label Embassy, Who more the most part recorded "covers" and issued them on cheap discs. A noble industry and Embassy produced some very fine re-recordings (if i was richer Id start collectiing are preseriving thise discs here!)
It was only after hearing a BBC Radio Documentry about "Embassy" that I tracked down this recording..
The dicsc used in the new BBC Doco was very very poorly restored/transferd. I wrote to the BBC about this and offered my services for free but got no reply. This after writting to several BBC Departments and the producers of the series (which still airs). after hearing another show on the 'Archive Hour"

Now the recording itself. I was very lucky to obtain Three copies of the disc and each had its own problems.
From the three pressings ive cobbeled together a complete set.
to preserve the ambience of the recordings ive not used that much noise reduction.. any more and it adversly efects the life of the recordings. There's a little distortion which was evident on all 3 pressings.

now onto the music

Zcars - A fine version of the theme, for years I thought it was the Johnny Keating Pye recording untill i obtained a disc that was audible! (my old 45 was beyond playback) Ive seen quite a few Zcars epps of late.

Dr Kildare - pretty much the same as the "telle" vesrion with all those Mantovani type strings.

Maigret - Ive heard a few of these recently and this one is by far the best. Ive only seen the one epp of this production anyone have any more?

Coronation Street - Although a "sopie" which i have no interest in for some reason I adore the theme. perhaps its the Northern bluesy jazzy feel of it but it just "fits". out of all the various versions of this theme Ive collected again this one takes the cake, partly due to the walking bass line and the harmonies of trumpet and clarinet.

Ill prsent some more rare Brit TV theme Discs soon. up next a 1963 disc by Steve Race, Tubby Haynes, Johnny Scott. "Dance To The TV Themes" Its taken a few years to find a clean Stereo Pressing!



A Zip file containing the EP and scans

James Wright - Top TV Themes




If anyone has any other embassy titles please don't hesitate to email me.

Oscar Rabin - Honeysuckle Rose REGAL ZONOPHONE

while browsing my Rapidshare upload list Ive seen quite a few 78's ive not uploded yet. And because of the last post here's a "straight" reading of Honeysuckle Rose My Oscar Rabin.

In good condition!

No Label photo im afraid



Oscar Rabin - Honeysuckle Rose GOOD
Oscar Rabin - Honeysuckle Rose TMNR
Oscar Rabin - Honeysuckle Rose FAKE STEREO

Benny Goodman - Honeysuckle Rose (Waller) COL WCO26290

Here's a benny Goodman Track ive not posted yet.
Not much i can say about Honeysuckle Rose thats mpot already been written, Of course written by Fats Waller!!


Okish Columbia pressing, Poor "refrance" label pic!


What do you think?


Benny Goodman - Honeysuckle Rose GOOD
Benny Goodman - Honeysuckle Rose TMNR
Benny Goodman - Honeysuckle Rose FAKE STEREO


I hate to bring it up but if anyone feels the need to donate Via Paypal you can do on the left, It enables me to add to this online collection! Its no fun Unemployed and not on beifits. I just hope I can make your lives a little brighter with some of my "tinkering" Let me know how you liked em too please!

Vdisc 831

Another Vdisc!

Like most of the 30 odd Vdiscs I have most are in a Pitfull state (the only reason i came by them) but underneath all the many many expolsive clicks and pops lies a fidelity not heard in any commecial disc of the time. Not only that but many of the VDisc "sides" were new recordings or at the very least taken from AFRS airchecks.

The Harry James side is the one I want to focus on here as it contains some rather bopish arrangements from Mr James. The other side although good shows what the makeup of a typical Disc was.

Now What was a Vdisc? for those not in the know, A VDisc was a 12 inch Vinyl 78 pressed with the usual Standard (wide) grooves that 78's have, They were made to be issued to the troops during ww2. They were sent the the many troop camps, ships, and anywere armed men would be. The discs diddet get into the hands of ordinay soldiers during the war but they would be sent to the Camp,Ship Etc and be used over the PA or in-house "radio" network. after the war all the discs were Recalled and destroyed, but some guys "lifted" discs and took em home. which is how they exist today!
The condition of this platter is appalling, many large scratches, a cascade of crakle and in some parts "holes" wher someone had dropped a heavy steel needle pickup into the grooves. As I said before Ive not found a "clen" vdisc yet, But one day I hope to transfer some "good" ones.

Are Vdiscs worth all the effort in locating and transfering?
Yes! we have to remember for the most part America had a recording ban on (from mid 42-44) so any music from that period is "rare" . Most of the Big Bands and recording outfits had got Bolder and . umm its hard to put into words but Swingier!

If you know of anyone with any VDiscs and would like to get em professionally transferred and restored let me know.. I just want to her the tracks!! Im not a collector, just a big band buff




Side 1
Dick Farney - You Do GOOD
Dick Farney - You Do TMNR
Dick Farney - You Do FAKE STEREO
Frank Sinatra - One For My Baby GOOD
Frank Sinatra - One For My Baby TMNR
Frank Sinatra - One For My Baby FAKE STEREO


Side 2

Harry James - Vine Street Boogie GOOD
Harry James - Vine Street Boogie TMNR
Harry James - Vine Street Boogie FAKE STEREO
Harry James - Pagan Love Song GOOD
Harry James - Pagan Love Song TMNR
Harry James - Pagan Love Song FAKE STEREO

Fats Waller - Scram

Another Fats title for your delctaion.

Sorry about the absence of tracks for a while, Ive been busy with some work! yes work, real paid employment!.
Ok it was for a call centure but it was nice being able to "live" for a while rather than just to "exist"

Ive not found any more 78's in my travels (still have a few hundred to post here already worked on)

Not many people leaving notes of thanks (or of hate!) and I can see (from, rapidshare logs) that 10000's of people have downloaded tracks! So some observations would be nice. At least I could see that posting tracks is appreciated.

Well enough of that and lets get down to the track

Fats Waller - Scram. A nice Regal Zonophone Pressing showing some wear and tear. Although visualy perfect, Which is the great curse in collecting these things, looks arnt everything.


Fats Waller - Scram GOOD
Fats Waller - Scram TMNR
Fats Waller - Scram FAKE STEREO