This Old Record Is Quite Good

Lee 'Scratch' Perry: Roast Duck (C&N, 1965)
Now, I'm not an expert on these matters, but when the lady at the start of this record groans and says, "Uummmm, hungry now", I'm not entirely convinced she's talking about food. The singer sort of confirms this suspicion of mine by revealing that when he tried to deliver said item he was told, "The front door locked, I have to enter from the back," now, this might all be a figment of my imagination, but I can't help shaking the feeling there's a subtext here that's just within our grasp...

More Adventures Of Young Lee Perry here.

Basement Crates: 27, 28 & 29

Lynn Hope: Blue Moon (Premium, 1951)
How can you not love a sax player from Alabama whose shtick involved wearing a turban? Hope was a huge RnB star of the 50s whose records were much loved and sought after - and played to death - by the Jamaican sound system DJs of the time. No one covering Blue Moon is looking to change the world, but you might find yourself feeling a little better about almost everything by just exposing yourself to this very lovely record (that I found in a bag this afternoon while tidying my basement office).


David Axelrod: The Sign (Part. 1) (Capitol, 1970)
Oh, I know, Axelrod is the record snob's crazy-man of choice and here I am posting some old nonsense from 37 years ago. But, but, this is really, really good. Jazz, soul, RnB, funk have all been stirred in while Ax smokes filterless gaspers and expects just a little bit more magic from the string section. And Earth Rot may just have been the first LP to have concerned itself with the environment. And stuff. Found this in a bag that had some old tax returns in it. Tidying up rules, innit?


The Techniques: Queen Majesty (Treasure Isle, 1967)
Great picture, eh? If you can find a better one of The Techniques then, y'know, let me know. Anyway, I found this in a huge polystyrene box marked Silvana's CDs which seemed odd as she's never shown much interest in late 60s ska to my knowledge. Having said that, it was under a load of old magazines that I might have dumped there without knowing what I was doing. You know how it is. Anyway, this is a truly wonderful record, joyful, questing and tinged with sadness. What more could any of us ask for?