The is a must for hard core collectors, however, the fact that in all Casablanca's great wisdom have chosen to release the A-side as separate tracks and to top it off the 2 tracks combined are shorter than the original disco classic medley.

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Don't be fooled by appearances here...

...Looks like a pretty standard 80s bimb-exploitation disc, like many a young poplet of the time might be coerced / "nudged" into producing - on the face of it, the pictures look like those "Top Of The Pops" albums which have become now, strangely collectible....

... but actually, once you play this disc, there are more than a couple of surprises in store...

...Firstly, not knowing what this was, and only buying because:

a) it was cheap,

and:

b) it was a picture disc (I'm strangely ompelled to buy them if I see them, no matter what it might be),

...I had no idea it was a very famous version of a very famous song, which has quite a history in and of itself: Iko Iko (Wikipedia)>

"Oooh... I know that one!" :)

And so, also realising that this was not some (to me) obscure German starlet, but a Scottish pop star of some little renown, I also, through listening to these other tracks here, realised she has actually a fair talent for writing songs too!

... But this leads to the major surpise:

This disc sounds incredible!

My innate distrust of any vinyl other than straight up black vinyl has been blown out of the water by this...

(Usually, I don't buy coloured vinyl of pic discs for sound quality - "If it ain't black, it stays in the rack!" :)

... Albeit the songs themselves won't reinvent the wheel, with what they are, the production team has made them sound amazing... This is seriously good production and pressing, proper audiophile stuff!

Just goes to show, it's worth taking a punt every now and then.

(Makes up for all the times I've got burned buying an unknown disc on spec :)

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

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Although the sleeve or label doesn't say, this is the 7.33 extended remix of I Hear Talk, taking nearly 4 minutes to get to the main part of the song. A great remix of one of their best songs. The hit that got away. This remix turned up on their greatest hits in 2003.

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Extended for dancing, apparently only in Australia. About one minute of simple monotonous instrumental beat is repeated, plus some of the vocal arrangement. For listening it is nothing to be sought after. Note that the 'Who's Happy Now" LP does not contain this long version.

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From memory these songs are demo quality studio recordings. Apparently the Stones had to cut a single in order to fulfill their Decca contract. So the Stones recorded these two numbers with lyrics that were so obscene they could never be played on radio or even released at the time. "Schoolboy Blues" later became more famously/infamously known as "Cocksucker Blues". "Andrew's Blues" is a lewd swipe Loog Oldham and Sir Edward Lewis, the then head of Decca. The song was recorded in 1964 with a drunk Gene Pitney guesting on vocals and the equally drunk Stones providing the music. Neither song is particularly great but they do have novelty value and are schoolboy risque by modern standards.
So an interesting listen but not much replay value. File with the Troggs Tapes.

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Inspired by Shakespeare's: Hamlet...

Ms Kylie Mini-gogue here regales us with the inner turmoil and frustration of the Erstwhile Hamlet's unrequited love Ophelia.

Indeed, contrary to the prevarications and legendary ambivalence which thwarts the object of her affection (Titular Mr Sir Denmark Esquire)... in her imagination, there is no complication...

... they walk together hand in hand.

A palpable sense of outwardly unspoken beseeching and urgency propels the music of the opening verses as Kylie/Ophelia makes her case to the dithering Dane...

"I'm Dreaming"

Says she.

"You fell in love with me.... like I'm in Love with you"

To Quoth.

...Until, at last, her consternation doth conclude thus:

"But dreaming's all I do..."

Prefiguring the approaching choral alleviation of her now growing unheeded obsession...

- yet -

"... If only they'd come true!"

Before interjecting an unexpected dose of perspective:

"I should be so lucky!"

Stoic.

"Lucky..."

Less so.

"Lucky....."

We begin to doubt her "Stoicism"

"Lucky........"

This is beginning to get awkward now.

"...I should be so lucky in love!"

Yikes. Verily.

We then return to the mire of obsessiveness and dark sticky goo building in Kylie's soul

(Sat switching light on and off.... thy bunny in the pot, etc.)

An unsettling impression which the several repetitions of this formula of alternating Obsession and apparent, if temporary, stoicism does nothing to dispel.

Hamlet too is back and forth, back and forth (moody sod), as OpheKyllie watches on... maybe they are not so different after all. eh?!!

Cast yerself in the river if I'm wrong!

A masterpiece.

That we should see the like of this pop-tastic interpretation of a timeless literary classic again, is less certain.... Indeed:

We should all be so lucky.... lucky.... lucky... lucky.

:)

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Love Won't Be Denied (Instrumental)
[YouTube Video]
.....I finally found my copy of this 12" imported into UK by myself in 1978/1979, and lo and behold, a kind soul on youtube posted this, so get an earful, with a lot going on.......
Drums, syndrums, emulator, compressor, bongos, fat bass, electric guitar, Yamaha DX-7, ARP et cetera, and some heavy duty panning going on left to right channel and back.....
Wow the whole thing is totally mental!!
The UK did not get this B-side instrumental version sadly, but I put a few about.

In the last few seconds of the disc, the 5-note figure from "Close Encounters of The Third Kind" is played - nice touch.......

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Windswept is a fabulous song from the 1985 album "Boys & Girls". The other songs here are from the 1977 "Bride Stripped Bare" sessions and should never have been released but the song Windswept is so good it is still worth tracking this one down.

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"Ghetto Child" is the first song written by acclaimed singer, A'mari; at the time she wrote the song, she was only 10: http://amari.band

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This was a very signifcant and important and very sad release from "London"

Polygram had bought out the rappidly fading Decca Record Company just weeks before it's previous owner and master Sir Edward Lewis died in his bed in his home in Chelsea across the river and oposite his beloved Decca House on the Albert Enbankment. Polygram had sadly been pressing Decca's product for quite sometime,

This release represents the final genuine original UK London imprint title and shares it's UK parentage and legacy with Decca Records and all things London right from 1948 and that shared USA and UK 10" shellac title from of all people Universal Pictures. Now as UMG and owners of Polygram and the world! the rather late in proceedings vinyl launch day for the Decca Record Co, The stereo records launch day for Decca Records in 1959 specally including 4 exclusive stereo titles on the London imprint. The end of Decca's tri-centres, the end of shellacs, right they way through. This was Polygrams final original London imprint title a very reflective take on an icon the silver tops.

The sleeve was the same as previous Polygram London 12" title cheap and rather shabby a buck standard Polygram white thin card 12" die-cut (what is a centre holed??? the record?) The same white 12" die-cut sleeves used to house all those Polygram pressed label blanks over printed in blacks with an animated 1 and 2 as pairs.

These die-cuts just over printed with red ink with the scripted london logo. (these being the 2nd "Generic" die-cut London sleeves).

The pressing also shared the london past of those titles that came out as the labels changed from silver on black scripted logo to the equally revered and loved silver tops" of having a second label, just as the change from all black and text to the silver tops was dramatic and really classic so the new Polygram London label would be, (nothing could ever be as dull as Decca's 1967 boxed logos!

Not only was the label striking and a really excellent take on what the London brand was and incorporating Decca's FFRR ear logo trade mark, the London logo now re encased in the 1950's retail record shop advertising and promotional sign boards that utalised a take on a coffin shape box . and the FFRR roundal at the top centre, all sent on top of a maroon coloured inverted triangle, with the whole design set on top of three horizontal silver grey bars. They indeed looked stunning and look fantastic revolving at 45rpm on a turntable.

Effort was also put in to the matching generic die-cut sleeves using the maroon and grey and large London coffin boxed logo at the bottom with a large weged box with an animated12" in white text., a blank white 2" band across the top for over printing of artist and titles and mixes. Polygram also did a 7" generic die-cut of this sleeve.both in the maroon and grey and as a very touching acknoledgement and reminder of vinyl day for London in 1954 with a sea-green over the silver grey. (Sea Green was the base colour of the first London 45 sleeves, the sea reverence clearly to the Atlantic and USA.

The only really tradgic part of Polygram's relaunch of London and the new LON and LONX for 12"s and the final few HL+ releases as this one was that ALL the 7" pressings were IEP's (Integral Embossed & Painted) paited with silver paint. Luckly there were to my knowledge NO Polygram IEP 12" pressings from the mainland plants shipped and sold in the UK I have yet to see one.

To ANY London lover collector BOTH this retired label pressing and the new design are essential, only bother with the 7" if you are a compleatist.


The representation of the silver tops made an actual and very welcome re-appearence on the 12" Sugarbabes release AND wonderfuly the promo pressing was a 7" only, however the real absoilute gem of this project was that it was not only a silver top label but also dinked with a cutting head leaving a legendary and iconic Decca Record Company UK 3pin tri-centre. The commercial 12" could have, but did not carry a printed representation of a Tri.


This was the second "take" that HB had done to "Le's Start the Dance" the 1st version also came out via Polygram but on the Mercury imprint of Phonogram. HB in all did 3 "takes" on his very very catchy 4 bar melody. The various elements and vocals and raps do vairy between the 3 productions. stand out call for me is " Bohannon! Make It Funky!! which this pounding chugging ditty is.

Roll back the carpet and start the dance!



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The paper label pressings were the on;y UK run done by Polygram.

The demand for the record was such that Chrysalis ordered a futher run, all that Polygram did as Chrysalis' manufacturers at that time was send the metal to a available free press on the mainland either Holland Germany or France and France got the job.

The vile and revolting I.E.P. (Integral Embossed and painted, unpainted pressing are naturally just the colour of the vinyl used which across the board was agreed and standardised as carbon black, unless a colour was ordered, technically and actually carbon black is a colour.

Virgin and unaltered vinyl pelllits are clear, which means all the clear vinyl records released and made are not very special or expensive editions as to the public they are insinuated, but in reality are pressd from the cheapest form of PVC pellets, un-coloured!

The automated IEP pressings that Polygram thrust upon us progressed in Germany, France and Holland to cover 12" labels for LP's and Singles. Luckily Walthamstow was not tooled up for 12" IEPs just the even more revolting and lack lustre 7s.

What a choice of paint colours they had: Polydor Mud-brown, Philips/Fontana/MGM blue, Avco/Charisma pink Spring green Stax yellow Mercury biege and the across the board utiltarian Silver. If vats of the colours ran low our out then there were any of the other colours to use!

This rather revolting metalic sea-blue was quite a unique colour to the mainland plants.

Polygrams Custom orders and manufactured only labels could select any of the exciting range of coloured paints Polygram used:-

Chrysalis when first moving to Polygram used the Green then went to the Philips/Fontana Blue.

Arista when moving to Polygram also used the wonderful Philips/Fontana/MGM blue
as did their contract pressings for WEA and Pye. Pye also was asigned the Polydor Mud-brown red as was some of RCA's.

Note that the 12" IEP's using the fantastic metallic silver came out reverse rolled/painted ie. the replacement label area is black only the embossed text and logos are silver.

The saddest part of these IEP pressings was when EMI replaced their 7" presses in early 1980s to the fully automated (injection mould) IEPs as singles were no longer cost effecttive and the IEPs were so much cheaper to operate. (Thank goodness a couple of the original 7" presses were kept for various promo and limited edition paper label runs for both their own product and contracted product were paper labels were specific.

There are very very few Polygram manufactured 12" pressings that were only automated IEP pressings contracted out of the UK. The one that springs to mind is Level 42 "Starchild" on Polydor If there was not a 300 copy blank label run done (using Polygram's standard white blank labels with just a large black text 1 and 2 on each pair to differentiate the sides then the only runs of this title for the UK market came from Polygram France pressed as 12" IEPs using the standard Polydor mud-brown-red paint.
(Thank heavens for the USA 12" promo and commercial pressings with their superior and excellent paper labels).

Chrysalis finally took it on the chin with Polygram due to the bombardment of complaints and switchboard calls regarding the 7" IEPs pressed for Two Tone titles using the silver paint, the fans only wanted the black and white paper labels. Chrysalis taking on board buyers complaints etc and much lost sales because of IEP's in the racks, went back to EMI for paper labels and dinked 4pin OC 45's. The paint on IEPs can be removed/rubbed off very easily.

Not sure if the poor Blondie IEP 12" and 7" will ever be collectable OR of any value over the paper label equivilents.

On the sonic side the pressings are naturally faultless, 100% centred on the stampers with no "swing" and well masterd and cut.

When you look at these automated pressings and feel the bile swelling up, just remind yourself of what the USA buyers had to suffer in the 60's with Amy, Marla and Bell titles!!



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