Label / Cat. No: Ebony Records – ERC1
First Released: 1978

What The Album Blurb Says…

Carl Gibson, being of Cherokee Indian descent, is one of the most fiercely independent men I know, (this being a typical Indian trait). He created this record almost entirely alone and unaided. It has been my privilege to witness a great talent at work. His “Sessions” in the studio would make good writing for a “Best Seller” alone. His moods during the recording, the anguish when he fell short of his aims, his great elation when “things” went right. He is voted by Opinion Poll as one of the World’s leading “Country Fingerstyle Guitarists”, to me, after watching him, this is an understatement!!! His Vocal Range is second to none. To see him “LIVE” is sensational, but it’s impossible to appreciate his great talent by just one or even two performances. He created this Album with just his voice, one electric guitar, one acoustic guitar, bass and a tambourine, and his deep determination to ‘achieve’. Well, he certainly has achieved, in this case, a more beautiful portrayal of Vocal and Instrumental talent than I’ve ever heard in this field before. His outstanding arrangements of ‘Ghost Riders’ and ‘Skip-a-Rope” are, I’m sure, going to be among the biggest hits in the field of Country, since they were first written two decades ago. I may add at this stage, that he puts great store by his choice of sound engineer Des Bennett, the only other person to work with Carl on the Album. He acknowledges Des to be certainly one of the best in Britain today…

Carl has just one particular life-long friend who has recently become his co-producer and adviser, Jeff Purnell. In General Production, Research, Publicity Promotions and the fiercely competitive field of Marketing, Jeff has no equal! He handles all of these with a quiet but extremely powerful driving force, as well as being an influence on Carl, which proves a steadying effect. Every decade carries a provincial “Star Maker”. I believe Jeff Purnell to be in this category.

“Chapter One” can only pave the way to Chapter Two, Chapter Th…..

WATCH FOR THEM….

PATTI NOBLE

What I Say

I would have thought it a pretty basic requirement that the person writing your sleeve notes should probably like you. It can only help to sell your record if you get a kind word or two extolling your virtues, and saying what a great singer / musician / human being you are. At first glance, it seems that Patti Noble is doing a fantastic job at selling Carl Gibson – if you take the gushing prose at face value, you’d think that here was a talent unparalleled in the Country Music field, that Patti had discovered a new Dylan or McCartney.

But look a bit closer. He’s described variously as ‘fiercely independent’ (read: stubborn, awkward and impossible to work with), has only one life-long friend (is anti-social), and needs a ’steadying effect’ (is difficult to manage). Underneath the high praise, I think that Patti’s had just about all she can of Carl’s artistic temperament, and this is her chance to let the world know what he’s really like. She’d have been more honest if she’d just scrawled ‘I think this man is an absolute shit’ across the back of the album.

Oh well, I can’t vouch for his character, but I hardly think it’s surprising that a Cherokee might harbour a tendency towards fierce independence. You can hardly blame them.

Of course, talk about Native American musicians, and thoughts turn immediately to Jimmy Carl Black. What do you mean who? Jimmy Carl Black was a member of Frank Zappa’s original ‘Mother’s of Invention’ which in my eyes elevates him to hero status without question. Oops – I’ve given to much away. Anyway, my mate Shaun, through a series of ‘too complicated to go into now circumstances’ once let Jimmy sleep in his bed. Jimmy duly thanked Shaun by autographing his toilet door. When Shaun then moved house from Haringey to Lewes, the door moved with them. Some poor sod bought a nice house in London without a toilet door all because of Frank Zappa’s drummer.

Well, it’s not much of an anecdote, but at least it’s 100% true. And besides, it’s curious to notice that Carl and Jimmy share a moustache. Well, I don’t mean they have one between them, but they both wear the same style. I am ignorant of Indian ways, so I can’t venture an opinion as to whether it’s part of their cultural heritage, but personally I think it’s probably just a coincidence.

Anyway, back to the album. I think it was a brave assertion of Patti Noble’s that this ‘Chapter One’ would pave the way for future Chapters. I have to say, I’ve scoured the internet, and I can’t find any mention of Carl, let alone of Chapter’s Two, Three or beyond. I assume it’s safe to say that this was pretty much it, and that it failed to live up to the high ambitions that Carl held. It also strikes me that this being record catalog number ERC1 that this was probably something of a vanity project, and that Ebony Records didn’t survive (in this incarnation at least) very much after this album was released.

I mean, Carl has an OK voice – he can hold a tune which is more than I can. He seems to have quite a range, demonstrated in ‘Ghost Riders’ and ‘Rose Marie’ where the high notes are frankly scary. His guitar picking is fine. What more can I say? It’s fine.

But this album doesn’t make any kind of statement. It’s a competent musician playing it safe with a pile of standards. There’s no individuality, nothing to make this stand out against the other countless covers of ‘Ruby’ (Don’t Take Your Love To Town) or ‘Rose Marie’. I’m not searching for endless novelty, and there’s no point in change for the sake of it, but I think it goes some way to explaining why Carl Gibson isn’t remembered as an outstanding international artist. There is no character or personality in this album. It’s just those same old songs. Again.

If there is anything that marks this album out, it’s that Carl has a tendency to sound anguished. Yes, he does anguished very well. The cries of ‘Johnny , remember me’ closing the song of the same name takes that 60s schlock to a whole new level. But this anguish is best demonstrated on ‘Scarborough Fair’, my favourite track from this album. The ‘remember me to one who lives there’ no longer sounds like a request to send your best wishes, but an animal response to being forgotten by your true love. It actually made me stop in my tracks and listen, which was a nice contrast to the rest of the album.

If only he hadn’t followed it by an overly jangly and jolly version of ‘Ring of Fire’. The fool.

No Carl Gibson, I’m afraid, so here’s the original JCB instead…

Tracks

Side 1

1. Ghost Riders
2. Okie From Muskogee
3. Fight’n Side Of Me
4. Scarborough Fair
5. Ring Of Fire
6. Johnny Remember Me
7. Bobbie Magee

Side 2

1. Skip-a-Rope
2. There’ll Never Be
3. Rose Marie
4. Ruby
5. Lonesome Me
6. Spanish Eyes
7. Phoenix Arizona

Final score:

3 out of 10, (2 points for Scarborough Fair, 1 for Johnny Remember Me)

Label / Cat. No: Hallmark CHM 624
First Released: 1969

What The Album Blurb Says…

For those of you who are as yet unacquainted with the happy looking gentleman on the right, permit us to introduce you to Mr. Bob Blaine

Early biographical details can be found on the sleeve of his previous album ‘BOB BLAINE SINGS COUNTRY MUSIC FOR BEDTIME’ – Hallmark HM. 581. Suffice it therefore for us to say that he hails from Liverpool, has had years of experience with many name bands, and, as you will discover, he is a very fine singer.

Bob is considered by many people in the music business to be a walking encyclopeadia on standard songs and for this album he has personally selected the best, and most romantic of the songs of the Islands and just for good measure has thrown in three brand new ones that he wrote himself, including the title song ‘HAWAIIAN HONEYMOON.’

So if you want to escape the weather, the tax man, or anything else that bothers you, may we suggest you get the album, go home, slice a pineapple, light a sunlamp, turn on the record player, sit in your favourite chair, play the record, close your eyes and you’re off to Hawaii – Bon Voyage.

DON TODD

What I Say

Last time I admitted my ignorance regarding national musical exports, I managed to (quite understandably) ruffle a few Canadian feathers. As I pointed out at the time, any nation that gives us Celine Dion should surely face international sanctions. Anyway, I confess an equal lack of knowledge on the musical history of Hawaii, and shan’t compound my ignorance with ill-informed commentary…..

Oh, who am I kidding. That’s my stock-in-trade – ill informed opinion based on incomplete facts and minimal research. So, what do I know about Hawaiian music? Well, there’s the Ukelele, which isn’t what George Formby played (that was a hybrid between a ukelele and a banjo, and was quite seriously known as a banjolele. See, I do know some things….) Beyond that, I get stuck, although I did like that Israel Kamakawiwo’ole song they used in that advert.

And, er…. that’s about it I think. Except to say, I really don’t think that what we’re presented here bears much relation to real Hawaiian music. Not least because it’s been recorded by some Scouser who’s probably never been further west than Llandudno. To my uneducated ears, it sounds like a series of slow tempo Country Music songs with a bit of ukelele and slide guitar stuck in the mix for good measure. I’m prepared to accept that this might be the genuine Hawaiian sound, but I seriously doubt it.

The songs really do all sound the same – same tempo, same arrangements, more or less the same melody, with just a couple of exceptions. “Black Is The Colour Of My True Loves Hair”, despite sounding like a Donovan lyric is quite a dark, moody piece, clearly showing the harder side of our Scally Bob.

The second slightly odd song on an album called Hawaiian Honeymoon is ‘Flower of Tahiti’. I had to go and check on Google Earth, but I’m right. Tahiti really isn’t anywhere near Hawaii. But hey, those South Sea Islands are all the same, aren’t they….?

In 1969 Merseyside, Hawaii, and indeed Tahiti, must’ve seemed endlessly exotic, and they were therefore prepared to accept any old tat with a Hawaiian tag just to get themselves a taste of the islands. But knowledge of other cultures was a little more…. basic than perhaps it is today (anybody for My Boomerang Won’t Come Back? Anybody….). I’m sure the English record buying public were prepared to believe that this light country froth really was the sound of the islands.

And clearly Hawaii is synonymous with romance, lust and dusky maidens if the cover’s anything to go buy. Despite the title track being about the romance and special nature of taking your new bride to Hawaii, the cover depicts a new bride in a revealing negligee, clutching a book called ‘Honeymoon Hints’, looking shocked because her husband has lured four Hawaiian beauties to the boudoir using only his Ronco Slide Guitar. Looking shocked and mildly put out is probably the best reaction he could have hoped for – I’m pretty sure if I’d lured four dusky maidens to the bedchamber on my honeymoon I wouldn’t be a father of three now…

All in all this is a bit of a wallpaper album. It’s so gentle it just washes over you so that you almost don’t notice, like a warm breeze in Waikiki. Not that I’ve been to Waikiki, but I have been to Llandudno.

Finally, there’s not much out there about ol’ Bob Blaine. In fact I could find nothing, which is strange considering how he’d worked with many ‘name bands’. I do wonder why, if they’re so famous, why didn’t they tell us exactly who Bob had been working with. However, in my trawl of the internet (or quick search for those of you who prefer accuracy), I found out that you almost certainly don’t want to go and Google “Bob Blaine” +singer, and look at the top result. That’s not our Bob Blaine, and that’s definitely not Hawaii, no sir. Seriously NSFW.

And this is how to do it right:-

And this is a bit of banjolele for you good people.

Tracks

Side 1

1. Hawaiian Honeymoon
2. Hawaiian Wedding Song
3. Song Of The Islands
4. South Sea Island Magic
5. Blue Shadows And White Gardenias
6. Beautiful Dreamer

Side 2

1. Aloha Oe
2. Hawaiian Memories
3. Moon Of Manakoora
4. Black Is The Colour Of My True Love’s Hair
5. Flower Of Tahiti

Final score:

5.5 out of 10

Label / Cat. No: Cambrian MCT 219
First Released: 1972

What The Album Blurb Says…

Maralene Powell made her first record as a solo artiste. Her second recording was in comapny with Gareth Edwards who for a brief moment exchanged the rugby field for the sound studio.

In this, her first album, Maralene presents a collection of songs which are as varied in subject as they are melodic in nature.

Family music at the fireside has been usurped in past decades by radio and television, but these technical wonders are now commonplace and making one’s own music is becoming a rediscovered pleasure. This is indeed a talented family for in this record Maralene is joined by her brother and sister, Aubrey and Denise and her brother in law – John. The quiet mid Wales valley of Pantydwr must often echo to their songs.

“Amazing Grace” cannot be too frequently recorded for each singer brings something new to the listener. The Gentlemen Songsters who join Maralene in this version with such effect are too well known to need introduction. “Morning has Broken” is an old melody which lingers in the mind long after the echoes have died away.

This is a collection of ballads and folk songs, some old and some new. “Love is Teasing” is from the distant past while “Deportee” underlines how cheaply human life is sometimes held in the modern world.

Together they are a collection without a theme – unless what ordinary people feel and experience is thematic. Maralene is already well known on record and in concert, but this is the first recording of the Four P’s and it must widen even further their circle of admirers.

What I Say

In light of the fact that the Taffs had a lucky victory on Saturday, I thought it only right we should look at one of their countryfolk for today’s outing. And so we have the lovely Maralene Powell, a farmer’s daughter from Pantydwr in Radnorshire. I’m not sure Radnorshire even exists any more, though there is a pub just a stone’s throw from here called the Radnorshire Arms. See, a little background colour for you there.

Although it’s ostensibly a Maralene album, the full title is Just For You – Maralene Powell and the Four P’s sing a selection of folk and country songs for your pleasure. And I thought Script For A Jester’s Tear was enough of a mouthful. These ‘Four P’s’ confuse me though. There’s a picture of them on the front, matching Salmon pink tops, flares armed and dangerous, and rolling Welsh landscape behind. And I think Maralene is one of the Four Ps. It certainly looks like her, and the sleeve notes refer to how Maralene is “joined by her brother and sister, Aubrey and Denise and her brother in law – John”. That makes three other people, Maralene being the fourth. So why is it Maralene AND the Four Ps. Surely it’s either ‘The Four Ps’ or ‘Maralene and the Three Ps’. Surely Maralene is being counted twice. I shouldn’t let it bother me, but this is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me awake at night.

I’ve just noticed that on the back of the album it says it’s called ‘Maralene Powell with the Four “P’s” and the Gentlemen Songsters present a selection of Folk and Country songs for your pleasure.. Seems like everybody’s getting in on the credits. Good job they didn’t put that on the cover of the album, or there wouldn’t have been enough room for that lovely picture of Maralene looking foxy.

The songs are a bit of an odd mix. Understandably, given the nature of the Welsh, there are a few religious songs on here – ‘Tramp On The Street’ stood out for likening the treatment of Jesus to the death of an unloved Tramp. On The Street. A strange comparison to make, but at least I remembered it! Amazing Grace is handled well, and the Male Voice Choir, sorry, the ‘Gentlemen Songsters’ make sure you know this is a Welsh record. But the version of Morning Has Broken struck me as a little… off. The pianist and the guitarist seemed hesitant, and not quite sure when to come in to best compliment the vocals. It leads me to believe (though I may be completely wrong) that the song was recorded ‘live’ in the studio.

I do have a few concerns though with the choice of songs. We have an album created by someone with great potential and a good voice, but the songs just don’t seem to do Maralene justice.

Firstly, there is a tendency on this side of the Atlantic to believe that Country songs hold some meaning for us. They don’t. Really. It’s nice to listen to, and I’ve learned over the last few years to love Country music, but there is something so very wrong about a singer from North Wales telling me about her Louisiana home, and how the cotton crop has done this year. I’m not saying you have to stick to what you know and sing about daffodils and leeks, but there is only a certain degree of credulity I can muster, and it stops short of believing you’re a prairie flower.

What causes me more of a worry are the two songs that start side two – ‘Love Is Teasing’ and ‘I Will Never Marry’ – they both carry the same message, which is that men are feckless bastards who will get what they want from you, then cast you aside. You can’t trust them, so don’t waste your time on them. I shant comment further, only to suggest that maybe Maralene had one or two boyfriend issues at the time….? Mere speculation….

We also have a rendition of ‘Nobody’s Child’, a song last seen on Tony Best – By Request, and of such awful sludgy sentimentality that it makes me nauseous just to think about it. It’s a song about how the narrator goes to an orphanage and finds a blind boy who nobody wants (because he’s blind, obviously), and how said blind orphan believes he’d be better off dead because at least in Heaven he’d be able to see. This really is the most unpleasant song I think I’ve heard since No Charge. Yes, it’s really that bad.

The record is released on Cambrian Recordings, a label I hadn’t come across at all before, and one that has a strong Welsh pedigree, boasting Max Boyce and Mary Hopkin as signed artists.

Maralene’s voice is rather lovely. It has that pure, clean tone that was so favoured in folk circles in the 60s and 70s. That may however have been her downfall in that while the voice is technically good, it doesn’t ( to my ears at least) stand out above the other recording artists of the time. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it – in fact, there’s a lot to commend it, but it lacks that distinctive edge that could elevate it into wider public recognition.

Equally, the album doesn’t have a focus – had it been an album of religious songs or an album of standards, it might have fared better, but it seems to lack identity as one or the other, and so ends up a bit of a hodge podge. That’s not to say I won’t be listening to it again. But you can be sure I’ll be skipping Nobody’s sodding Child.

Tracks

Side 1

(This is, by the way, the first album that I have ever seen that listed it’s tracks a, b, c.)

(a) Amazing Grace
(b) Morning Has Broken
(c) See That Little Boy
(d) Deportee
(e) There But For Fortune
(f) Tramp On The Street

Side 2

(a) Love Is Teasing
(b) I Never Will Marry
(c) Nine Hundred Miles
(d) Country Girl
(e) Cotton Fields
(f) Nobody’s Child

Final score:

6.75 out of 10

Label / Cat. No: Stereo Gold Award MER408
First Released: 1976

What The Album Blurb Says…

The truck driving man is about as individual and as special a breed of man as you’re ever likely to meet. He’s a man used to long silences broken only by the soft hum of wheels that burn up the miles between lonely townships. He has his own set of driving rules, his own language and his own songs. They’re songs that truly reflect the nomadic life that he leads and the situations that lie around each bend in the road, songs with titles like “Soft Shoulders and Dangerous Curves”, “Burning Rubber” and “Bumper to Bumper”. The truck driving man may sing, hum or whistle them as he drives along that long black ribbon of tarmac towards his destination. Now you can share these songs of the road, as Big Dave and the Tennessee Tailgaters play and sing the tunes that have their own special message for each truck driving man… wherever he may be.

What I Say

I’m really sorry to have to tell you this, but I’m as sure as I can be that this album is a cheap and nasty record cynically trying to cash in on the 1970’s trucker / Convoy fad. Yes, shocking I know, but I’m willing to bet there there is no such person as ‘BIG DAVE’, let alone the Tennessee Tailgaters.

Let’s look at the evidence shall we? Firstly, there’s the fact that BIG DAVE isn’t being used to push this album. The biggest text on the album sleeve is ‘Truck Driving Man’. Poor BIG DAVE is relegated to a small corner of the tarmac, and his Tennessee Tailgaters get an even smaller point size. If you go looking for BIG DAVE on the internet (along with the TTs, of course), the only reference you’ll find is to this album. Hmmmm…. sounds mighty fishy to me.

Secondly, Big Dave manages to sound like a very convincing woman on ‘Soft Shoulders and Dangerous Curves’, probably because it is sung by a woman. So unless BIG DAVE is either a) an hermaphrodite with an ability to switch voices at will, b) a very good impressionist or c) has an incredible range, then I don’t think he alone tackles the vocals. Fair enough, it may be one of his Tennessee Tailgaters, but as there are sadly very few details on the record sleeve, it’s hard to tell.

But the most damning evidence for how nastily this album has been thrown together to hang on to the ‘Convoy’ fad of ‘76 is all connected to that particular song.

Exhibit A – the big splash across the young ladies nether regions saying ‘including CONVOY’. Clearly the makers of this album are using that song as the attention grabber. After all, why else paste those words across her mimsy. However….. there is a further implication by placing the splash there. It’s suggesting censorship, that the young lady leaning suggestively on the cab of the truck may be showing more than she should.

But look! Thanks to the internet, I found a copy of the original, American version of this album, and LOOK! No splash, no ‘including CONVOY’, and no flesh needing to be censored….

Exhibit B – some simple maths. On the front cover it lists 7 songs, and says ‘& 4 Others’

By my reckoning that makes 11 songs. But look at the track listing…. six songs on each side. That always made 12 when I was at school, which means they’ve stuck an extra song on there. I’m betting it’s Convoy.

Exhibit C – The vocalist on CONVOY does not sound at all like BIG DAVE. In fact, he sounds completely different to BIG DAVE, to the degree whereby I would argue with some confidence that it’s not BIG DAVE at all, but some completely other person.

Exhibit D – The credits on the album label are all intact for every other song. Every single one. Except Convoy. Why would that be, unless it was a last minute addition to the album.

Now, I may be going out on a limb here, but I reckon that this album, originally released in America, had a version of Convoy stuck on for the British market becuase the timing meant that Convoy was fresh in the mind of the British music buyer, and this was a dirty, nasty, cynical way of selling their grubby little record. BIG DAVE? Big FRAUD, I say.

Which means I haven’t spoken about the music (mostly Country with a couple of Bluegrass instrumentals), the inability for the culture to translate (American Knights of the Road on the wide open plains vs. a bloke from Dudley in overalls sitting on the A14 to catch the night ferry to Zeebrugge) or how this music is inappropriate (instrumentals telling of the life of the truck drivin’ man? How does that work. Oh, and that ‘Diesel Smoke Sally’ seems to be about a woman who’ll sleep with any trucker who passes through her cafe. Charming).

But you don’t need to know about all that, when it’s all been built on such flimsy foundations. You know, I never thought I’d have to turn detective, but I’m glad that I’ve saved you from this charlatan. You may thank me at your leisure.

Tracks

Side 1

1. Truck Driving Man
2. Gimme Forty Acres
3. Soft Shoulders and Dangerous Curves
4. Burnin’ Rubber
5. King Of The Road
6. T-Town Tailgaitin’

Side 2

1. Convoy
2. Six Days On The Road
3. Giddy Up-Go
4. Diesel Smoke Sally
5. Bumper To Bumper
6. Girl On The Billboard

Final score:

1 out of 10

On Tuesday 4th December 2007, ventured into new territory. In an exciting development, the chance acquisition of an album to review for this journal has led me to meet the man who recorded it, and have a fantastic night out.

Ladies and Gentlemen, together for one night only, and Tony Best.

(I’m the one on the left, by the way….)

Allow me to explain. As you will no doubt recall, I was delighted to find that Tony Best was a local artist, based in a neighbouring county. When reviewing albums, I like to do a bit of online research to try and place the artists in context. I knew nothing of Tony when I bought the album, but very quickly discovered that he runs Tony Best Leisure, an organisation dedicated to bringing people and country music together.

I also discovered on his site that he runs and hosts the ‘Lazyacre Country Music Club’, which meets every Monday in the Lord Hill Hotel, Shrewsbury. I know the place well, having had more than one work meeting there. The calendar of events told me that there were two Christmas events coming up on the 3rd and 4th December. And that Tony would be compere.

This was all I needed, and I resolved to go. I phoned the number on the site to order tickets, and left a message. I was called back within the hour, by Tony himself. The man on the front of that album was on the phone. To me! I managed to order 3 tickets (as I was taking two friends along on this quest), and was about to complete the transaction when Tony asked me how I had come across the Lazyacre Club.

Well. I had to tell the truth didn’t I? So I explained about this journal, and the rationale behind it, and that I would like to come and meet him, get a photo of him, me and the album, and post my thoughts here.

The speed with which he then finished the conversation and put the phone down made me realise just how much of a stalker I must have sounded. So it was with some trepidation that last night I made the trip up to Shrewsbury to meet the man in question.

Walking in to the venue, everyone was greeted by Tony on the door. Obviously he’s aged a bit since the album that I’d got – after all, that was 28 years ago, but this was definitely our man.

I wasn’t going to launch straight into my schtick straight away – after all, this was a man with a show to do, and I didn’t want to scare the living bejaysus out of him before having to entertain. But on collecting our tickets, he had clearly remembered my name, and asked me to explain the backstory again. He was clearly interested, amused, self-deprecating and very, very charming. We met his wife, Jean who is also very involved in the club, and when we tried to pay for the tickets, Tony insisted that it would be his treat. A very kind gesture, and one that was much appreciated.

I have to admit that we were amongst the youngest people there, and I’m no spring chicken myself. But Lazyacre Country Music Club has been going for 30 years. These people have grown up with the club, and there was clearly a real community there. They have notable members, in-jokes, and a distinct sense of humour. People have been coming back year after year after year because they are being entertained. And what more could you ask for.

The evening was clearly a club night – in addition to the musical acts, there was a raffle, the club sweepstake, and notices and announcements, all done seamlessly by Tony who seemed to know everybody there. I don’t know how many members there are in the club (at least 259, because member 259 won the sweepstake), but he certainly seemed to know them all.

To kick the night off, we had Country Company, a husband and wife vocal harmony pairing, described on their leaflets as ‘Wales’ Premier Country Music Duo’. They certainly knew their audience, played to their strengths, and were thoroughly enjoyed.

But after their set came the main attraction as far as we were concerned. Tony himself came out and did about an hour’s set. This is an increasingly rare occurrence as he is now retired and infrequently performs. Had we gone at almost any other time in the year, we wouldn’t have heard him sing. How lucky are we?! So we had a set of just Tony and his accordion doing a number of standards, mixing it with a fair few jokes, banter, and a bit of audience participation.

Clearly these are Tony’s people. He knows who they are, he knows what they want, and he delivers it by the bucketful. The audience were onside from the word go, and lapped up every morsel he fed them.

The biggest surprise of the evening for me is that unlike on ‘Tony Best – By Request’ where his voice sounds at times hesitant, almost nervous, last night there were no such signs. His voice was loud, clear, confident but still in that unexpectedly high register with the clarity of tone (if you’ll pardon the pun…)

After Tony’s set, Country Company came back for a second round, and did a number of standards and more Christmassy type tunes, and then they were joined by Tony, and the three of them finished off the evening. Full audience participation was required for a raucous version of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ which nearly fell apart a number of times.

And then it was over. On the way out I found Tony to ask if he would mind if we took the photograph. We got the snap, had a chat and just as we were about to leave, he presented me with a copy of one of his CDs – A Golden Hour of Tony Best. I had arrived there because of his debut album, and left with his most recent. It seemed a fitting way to end the evening.

And, do you know what? I had a fantastic evening. Despite being a relative Country novice, despite being in a room with strangers much older than me. Despite not knowing most of the songs or any of the in-jokes, I, we, all had a really enjoyable time. Last Sunday I went to see a band I’ve been following for 24 years, had clear, high expectations and was disappointed at the end of the evening. Last night I went to a Country Music evening on a whim, based on some foolish idea to follow up one of the albums on this site. I had no expectations, and was thoroughly entertained.

And Tony himself, who could so easily have been dismissive of some bloke off of the internet who wanted to meet him because he’d picked up an album second hand was instead warm, funny, interested, and above all generous. And if you ever find yourself in Shrewsbury on a Monday night with nothing to do, you could do a lot worse for yourselves than head down to the Lazyacre Country Music club.

Normal programming will resume next week!

Label / Cat. No: Karma Records KZ1002LS
First Released: 1979

What The Album Blurb Says…

Here, at last, is the long awaited first album by Shropshire’s ‘Mr Entertainment’ Tony Best – and if you are reading this wondering whether or not to buy one, read no more. Buy it now! You won’t be disappointed.

Including as it does 14 of the songs for which he gets the most requests, all the songs are favourites ranging from old country music standards to recent chart hits for Larry Gatlin and Kenny Rogers. Add a few of Don Williams’ most popular songs, a couple of the best loved country gospel numbers and a fine version of the Bee Gees’ hit ‘Words’, and you have the recipe for a great album that will be eagerly snapped up by Tony Best’s many fans.

And you can count me as one of his biggest fans. Like many professional acts who travel all over Britain singing country music, I first met Tony when we appeared together a few years ago at a show in the small Shropshire village of Minsterley. I took an immediate liking to the warm, friendly personality of the man described as “22 stones of entertainment” – and what better description!

He was born in South Wales, entered the Forces straight from school, and served in the R.A.F. for twelve years, during which time he entertained in such places as Germany, Cyprus, Aden and the Persian Gulf. On leaving the service, Tony spent some time playing in groups, appearing in many different parts of the country. But it is since he came to live in the thriving Shropshire town of Shrewsbury that he has established himself as one of the most talented all-round entertainers in the business.

As a comedian, he will soon have you rocking with laughter – he was recently voted the winner of an award as ‘Comedian of the Year’ by Staffordshire and Cheshire Clubland; an excellent compere for any kind of show with the ability to get an audience with him from the first minute he walks on stage; a talented musician, usually playing accordion to back his own fine singing voice, and the versatility to entertain any type of audience, from a chidren’s party to a rugby club stag night.

This then is a brief look at the big man with the big talent, who is destined to be one of the big names in all-round entertainment, Tony Best. I am proud to have been asked by Tony to write these few words, and proud to know him as a friend.

Good Luck in everything you do, Tony, and here’s to continued success.

Tony Goodacre

What I Say

Oh what a fantastic find this is for so many reasons. I’ve mentioned before that I have a strict rule when choosing albums for review, and that is that I go by cover alone. I don’t allow anything to get in the way of that snap decision, not even reading the sleeve notes. So imagine my excitement when I found I’d got an album by a local artist, Shropshire being only 7 miles from my front door.

I can’t think of any other famous people from Shropshire except Percy Thrower, so history wasn’t really on Tony’s side in terms of heritage. After all, I’ve been to Minsterley village hall, and it’s really not the most auspicious of venues in which to be discovered.

The cover shows our Tony in a leather bomber jacket, looking for all the world like Arthur Scargill’s cheeky younger brother, his warm, avuncular face oozing reassurance. This is a man you can trust to deliver the goods. On the back of the album we get a full body shot of Tony standing next to an ornamental chair – relaxed pose, one hand on the back of the chair, the other tucked into his trouser pocket. His blue suit is buttoned up, but the lack of tie shows his devil-may-care attitude. The album is also autographed to ‘June & Jim’, who have clearly treasured this album since 1979, as it’s in mint condition.

My favourite aspect of this album is that the title and artist rhyme – Tony Best – By Request. I think that albums would be a lot more interesting in general if artists took more effort to rhyme their name with the album title. Who wouldn’t want to buy ‘On The Cover of Vogue’ by Kylie Minogue? Or ‘Playing With Dave In The Park’ by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. At the very least, you now have a game to while away long hours with the family over Christmas. Consider that my gift to you. You’re welcome.

I have doubts as to whether anyone would bill themselves these days as ’22 Stones of Entertainment’. It probably contravenes some kind of hate crime law, but this album hails from less enlightened times, and Tony’s size defines the man. Which makes it all the more surprising to find that he has quite a high register, coping admirably with the Bee Gees classic ‘Words’, and hitting a worryingly high final note on ‘I Don’t Want To Cry’.

Tony’s strengths are without doubt the country tunes. This whole work is dripping in country, whereby even the more rockin’ numbers have the benefit of steel guitars draped all over them (played, I might add, by the gloriously named ‘Slim Pickens’). This is a man who takes his Country Music seriously – and boy does he take it seriously (but of that more later….) His voice isn’t as bombastic as you might expect, though clearly a history of working the clubs comes through in some of the dramatics that his vocal melodies display. There’s a fragility in most of the songs here, but give him a standard like ‘The Old Rugged Cross’, and he turns in a polished and professional performance.

What we have here is a product of its times. It’s country music in the traditional mould. It’s not going to break down any barriers. But if you like your Country Music sung by a Welshman in Shropshire with a mid-Atlantic twang, then Tony really is your Best option.

Sorry.

Tracks

Side 1

1. San Antonio Rose
2. You’re My Best Friend
3. Words
4. One Day At A Time
5. I Don’t Want To Cry
6. Turn Out The Light (Love Me Tonight)
7. The Old Rugged Cross

Side 2

1. Love – Or Something Like It
2. A Legend In My Time
3. Today I Started Loving You Again
4. Crazy
5. Some Broken Hearts Never Mend
6. Nobody’s Child
7. China Doll

Final score:

8.75 out of 10

Label / Cat. No: Hallmark Records HMA 230
First Released: Sometime After 1963

What The Album Blurb Says…

Comfortable. At first glance it doesn’t seem the ideal word to sum up the sound of Miki and Griff, but listen a little closer to the kind of songs that they sing to the way in which they’re presented and you may, after all, find it a rather apt appraisal.

They’re comfortable because everything that they do vocally is easy on the ear and has a warm and friendly approach, rather like the greeting of an old and much loved friend. It’s an approach that this two-some have found success with ever since they teamed up and began delighting stage and television audiences. And in the late 1950’s they began to find recording success, notably with “Little Bitty Tear” which, despite the formidable competition offered by Burl Ives, gave the couple a solid chart hit.

This collection of songs encompasses titles that Miki and Griff fans know and love. “Vaya Con Dios” “Can’t stop loving you” “Tennessee Waltz” and “Hold back tomorrow” are the sorty of songs we expect Miki and Griff to sing and because they perform them so delightfully and with their own natural charm, listening is, well… comfortable?

What I Say

I had no idea that there was an English country movement in the late 50s. However, I should have guessed – growing up in Suffolk in the 70s, where the populace was 20 years behind the times, the proliferation of Country bands (I’m told I mustn’t call it Country & Western) should have been a giveaway.

I’d also never heard of Miki and Griff, but the album cover just oozed drew me in. The slightly older lady with pearl necklace (ooer missus) and very 50s dress sitting on a mock stile while a slightly leering gentleman in acryclic cardigan and a side parting you could use as a set square leans in in a vaguely threatening way is classic charity shop record cover. There’s even the kind of toy cat that causes nightmares in over-sensitive children lurking between the happy couple.

The music? Well, the music is incidental – I could look at these two all day, but the assessment of ‘comfortable’ is one I’d go along with. If only because all the tunes seem vaguely familiar. The title track, which opens the album, is just a distillation of every country-lite tune you’ve ever heard. The steel guitar is understated, and you can just feel the guitarist wanted to break out and wail all over it. Rockin’ Alone tells a sad story of geriatric abuse, and in what was obviously a more innocent time, Griff (and I am assuming Griff is the male in this partnership) says he knows of some teenagers who would love to have an old lady like this to look after, as if she were their own granny. These days the teens would nick her pension to spend on cider. Probably. Yes, yes, I know there are some perfectly lovely teenagers out there, before anyone starts complaining. Which is unlikely, really, seeing as nobody reads this yet. Or possibly ever….

Anyway, yes, so the tunes continue. Vaya Con Dios…. well, it probably sounded exotic in 1962. I don’t speak Spanish, so for all I know it could mean “take twice daily with food”. I don’t remember what ‘I can’t stop loving you’ was like, and ‘The Tears Break Out On Me’ is a maudlin tale, comparing crying to some kind of nasty rash. What where they thinking.

I have to admit that my mind wandered by the time I got to Side 2, mainly because it was all so samey. There were moments where you could just tell that Miki & Griff wanted to rock out a little more, let rip, scare the older generation. This is evident by the Chas & Dave style chorus in Crystal Chandeliers. But thankfully they managed to just about keep a lid on things, and their light country stylings won out.

So in short, probably what you expect from the cover. Inoffensive British take on American country music. Comfortable? Like a pair of tweed slippers. But perhaps ‘Predictable’ is a better word for it.

Tracks

Side 1

A Little Bitty Tear
Rockin’ Alone (In An Old Rocking Chair)
Vaya Con Dios
I Can’t Stop Loving You
The Tears Break Out On Me

Side 2

Tennessee Waltz
Crystal Chandelier
Hold Back Tomorrow
I Want To Stay Here
Have I Stayed Away Too Long

Final Score

6 out of 10