The Squire Presents

I was trawling through the soundtrack section of my record collection when I came across a selection of Muppet Show LPs, so I decided to give them a play. 

The Muppet Show dates to the mid 1970s, but their origin dates back to 1955 when a puppeteer called Jim Henson created a character he called Kermit the Frog. Henson also coined the term Muppet as a portmanteau of marionette and puppet. As the cast of muppet characters increased, so did their exposure. They appeared on shows such as ‘Sam & Friends’, ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ and most famously, ‘Sesame Street’. Henson was keen to develop his own show and a couple of pilots were produced for the ABC Network, but neither was picked up. 

However, someone in the UK was watching. That person was Lew Grade. He had had experience of producing puppet shows for TV in the form of ‘Thunderbirds’ and ‘Captain Scarlet’. The show ran from 1976 to 1981 and consisted of 120 episodes. It can best be described as a variety show as it included sketches, musical numbers and running gags. It was also famous for the guest stars who took part. Names such as Steve Martin, Christopher Reeve, Vincent Price, Elton John, Leo Sayer and Alice Cooper all signed on to take part in this unique show.  

So back to the records. After a quick spin, it made me realise what a wide musical pallet they had introduced me to. There was folk, rock, pop, music hall, blue grass, light opera, jazz, novelty and even a song featured in an Italian modo movie. The people who put together The Muppet Show must have been well versed in the music of the 19th as well as early to mid 20th Century. This got me thinking. What about the original versions of those records. 

What I have tried to do on this compilation is to include the oldest recorded version of each song where possible spread over four sides of a vinyl record. 

Disc 1

1. You Are My Sunshine – Pine Ridge Boys
2. Lydia, The Tattooed Lady – Groucho Marx
3. Mississippi Mud/I Left My Sugar – Paul Whiteman’s Rhythm Boys
4. Blue Skies – Al Jolson
5. Mad About The Boy – Phyllis Robins with Jack Hylton & His Orchestra
6. Baby Feet – Jan Garber & His Orchestra
7. Who – George Olsen
8. A Foggy Day – Fred Astaire

Side 2

1. Happy Feet – Paul Whiteman Orchestra with The Rhythm Boys
2. Sixty Seconds Got Together – The Mills Brothers
3. On A Tree By The River, A Little Tom-Tit – The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company
4. Pennsylvania 6-5000 – Glenn Miller
5. I’m Five – Danny Kaye
6. Pachalafaka – Irving Taylor (Vocal by Earl Brown)
7. Cuanto Le Gusta – Carmen Miranda & Andrews Sisters
8. The Gypsys Violin – Abe Burrows
9. It Was a Very Good Year – The Kingston Trio

Side 3

1. There’s A New Sound – Tony Burrell
2. Mr Bass Man – Johnny Cymbal
3. Do Wah Diddy Diddy – The Exciters
4. Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear – Alan Price Set
5. I’m In Love With A Big Blue Frog – Peter, Paul & Mary
6. For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield
7. Dog Walk – Paul Tracey
8. Just One Person (From Snoopy, The Musical) – Ensemble Cast
9. What now My Love – Jane Morgan
10. When – Abe Burrows

Disc 4

1. Macho Man (Single Version) – The Village People
2. Coconut – Harry Nilsson
3. New York State Of Mind – Billy Joel
4. Mah Nà Mah Nà (Single Version) – Piero Umiliani
5. Time In A Bottle – Jim Croce
6. The Wishing Song – Paul Tracey
7. Garden Song – David Mallett

Just to finish off, the albums I have in my collection and were the basis for this compilation were ‘The Muppet Show’ (1977), ‘The Muppet Show 2’ (1978) and ‘Jim Henson’s Muppet Show Music Album’ (1979). I also have an EP of music hall songs and ‘A Christmas Together’ which The Muppets produced along with John Denver. However, neither the EP or the Christmas album got much of an airing but the other three albums did. All the music comes from the first four season of the show.

Disney bought the Henson Company and so I thought it was appropriate to have this LP appear on Walt Disney Records.

In April of 2015 (or around that time anyway), something popped up on one my socials about a subscription service where, for £20 a month each subscriber would receive a box of five brand new 7” inch singles. Well, in June of that year, the first of those singles boxes dropped through my letter box and for the next six years, a new box would be on the door matt waiting for me. 

This would continue until 2021 when supply chain issues, Brexit and Covid made producing those box sets became increasingly difficult for the company to produce so they decided to stop production. So, in the 76 boxes that did come out and the 400 plus artists that featured on there, a lot of excellent music was produced by bands that I may never had heard of otherwise. 

To celebrate the ten years since the foundation of Flying Vinyl, I have deiced to produce a series of sample records. Unlike the samplers I made for Blood Records, there is no way I could feature every artist that featured on this singles, so I had a couple of criteria. One was that the song has not already featured on the podcasts I made celebrating the label. I only did the first two years so that would not be too difficult. The second was that the songs had to be available on Spotify so the artist would hopefully earn some money from this, however pitiful the royalty rate is. 

What was interesting was finding that even though these songs are available on that streaming service, some of them are not available in the same version as on the single. What would be interesting to know if these versions were only available on the Flying Vinyl singles? As there was so many good records, I have followed the Blood Records Sampler template and made this a double album. 

Side A

1. Misty Maker Stomp – Jouris
2. Saviour – Groves
3. Made Of Concrete – Cagoule
4. Something In The Water – The Amazons
5. Fly – Meadowlark

Side B

1. Eureka Moment – The Big Moon
2. Shaking Hands – B.Miles
3. All My Love – Trudy & The Romance
4. Shalala – Moses Gunn Collective
5. Ladybird – Beach Baby
6. World’s Too Fast – The Jar Family

Side C

1. Father Of The Universe – Venice Trip
2. Joy In A Small Wage – Asylums
3. Dove In Your Mouth – Eaves
4. Voices – The Belligerents
5. Go – Pleasure Beach

Side D 

1. Hold Me Closer – Lanka
2. Booored – Magic Potion
3. Time Won’t Leave – The Temperance Movement
4. Water’s Fall – Oh So Quiet
5. Oslo – Holy Esque

The front cover is based on the logo that Flying Records had when they first launched. 

For those of a certain vintage, like myself, Marty Wilde was Kim Wilde’s dad. Marty, along with his son Ricky were the songwriting team behind most (if not all) of Kim’s early hits, including the classic ‘Kids In America’. What I didn’t realise until much later was that Marty had been a performer in his own right and was one of the first British rock ’n’ rollers along with Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. Performing with his backing band the Wildcats, Wilde had a number of hits in the late 50s and early 60s as well as being a regular performer on early British music shows, 6.5 Special, Oh Boy! and Boy Meets Girl. His marriage to Vernon Girl Joyce Baker lead to a decline in his popularity as a teen idol but Wilde was not finished with the music business. 

He appeared in a West End production of the musical ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ as well as becoming a noted songwriter. This included penning such tunes aa ‘Jesamine’ for The Casuals, ‘I’m A Tiger’ for Lulu and ‘Ice In The Sun’ for Status Quo. However, Wilde also continued to perform and throughout the late 60s and 70 he released a number of singles under pseudonyms. What this compilation does is collect all of those singles together and present them in chronological order. 

Side A

1. Abagevenney – Shannon (1968)
2. Alice In Blue – Shannon (1968)
3. Jesamine – Shannon (1969)
4. Lullaby – Shannon (1969)
5. When You Wish Upon A Star – The Scrumpy N Dumpy (1972)
6. The Scrumpy N Dumpy Boogaloo – The Scrumpy N Dumpy (1972)
7. Caterpillar – Cold Fly (1973)
8. Yesterday Started For Judy – Cold Fly (1973)

Side B

1. Rock & Roll Crazy – Zappo (1973)
2. Right On! – Zappo (1973)
3. 20 Fantastic Bands – The Dazzling All Night Rock Band (1973)
4. 20 Fantastic Bands (Continued) – The Dazzling All Night Rock Band (1973)
5. Shang-a-Lang Song – Ruby Pearl and The Dreamboats (1974)
6. Will You Stop That – Ruby Pearl and The Dreamboats (1974)
7. Come Back & Love Me – Shannon (1975)
8. She’s A High Flyer – Shannon (1975)

The front cover of the LP is adapted from the picture sleeve of the ‘Rock & Roll Crazy’ single that was released under the name of Zappo. A good deal of the these records came out on the Magnet label that was bought up by Warner Brothers. That is why that companies logo is on the front cover. 

As a bonus, here is a mini album with all of the songs that Marty Wilde recorded under the name of ‘The Wilde Three’. These recordings came out on two singles and featured not only Wilde, but his wife and a pre-Moody Blues Justin Hayward. Side A contains these singles whereas the B-Side contains demos/alternative versions of songs that the group did not release at the time. 

Side A

1. Since You’ve Gone – The Wilde Three (1965)
2. Just As Long – The Wilde Three (1965)
3. I Cried – The Wilde Three (1965)

Side B

1. Well Who’s That  – The Wilde Three (1965)
2. Since You’ve Gone (Alternative Take) (1965)
3. Just As Long (Alternative Take) (1965)
4. I Just Wanna Dance (Demo) (1965)

There aren’t that many pictures out there of this group, but this is one of the better ones and is made to look like a Decca EP sleeve from the 60s. 

In May 1985, Dire Straits released their fifth album, ‘Brothers In Arms’. This was the first album to sell more than one million units on the relatively new format of the Compact Disc. It was one of, if not the first album where the music was recorded with the CD in mind as some of the songs needed to be edited down to fit on the LP format. It was also the first album to be certified ten-times platinum in the UK and non times platinum in the US. Worldwide, it has sold over 30 million copies. 

Considering this is such a monumental album and 2025 is quite a big anniversary for it, what has been officially released is, to my mind very disappointing. What we got was the original album (CD mix) and a a previously unreleased concert. All well and good but where are the B-sides, demos, single mixes, LP edits?

I decided that this was to right time to put together a compilation of all of those tracks, but not just from ‘Brothers In Arms’, but from the bands entire career. This is because, for whatever reason, the band themselves (or most probably songwriter, singer and lead guitar player Mark Knopfler) are just not interested in delving into the archives and including this material. 

Apart from the disappointing set for ‘Brothers In Arms’, none of the other Dire Straits albums have received the deluxe treatment. Archive releases have been few and far between. The only major one I can think of was the ‘Honky Tony Demos’ from Record Store Day in 2015. The only other band from that era that has pretty much avoided the deluxe edition box sets is The Police, even though they did get around the doing exactly that for their last studio album, ‘Synchronicity’. 

Disc 1

1. Sultans Of Swing – Demo (The Honky Tonk Demos)
2. Down To The Waterline – Demo (The Honky Tonk Demos)
3. Water Of Love – Demo (The Honky Tonk Demos)
4. Wild West End – Demo (The Honky Tonk Demos)
5. Sultans Of Swing – Single A-Side Version
6. East Bound Train – Single B-Side
7. Where Do You Think You’re Going – Alt. Mix (Money For Nothing)
8. Skateaway – Single A-Side Edit
9. Tunnel Of Love Pt. 1 – Single A-Side
10. Tunnel Of Love Pt. 2 – Single B-Side
11. Private Investigations – Single A-Side Edit
12. Industrial Disease – Promo Stereo Single Edit
13. Twisting By The Pool – ExtendedancEPlay
14. Badges, Posters, Stickers & T-Shirts – ExtendedancEPlay
15. Two Young Lovers  – ExtendedancEPlay

Disc 2

1. If I Had You – ExtendedancEPlay
2. Love Over Gold – Live (Single A-Side)
3. Portobello Belle – Live (Money For Nothing)
4. Telegraph Road – Live Remix (Money For Nothing)
5. So Far Away – LP Version
6. Money For Nothing – LP Version
7. Your Latest Trick – LP Version
8. Why Worry – LP Version
9. Brothers In Arms – Single A-Side Edit
10. Money For Nothing – Long Edit
11. Why Worry – Instrumental Segment (Single B-Side)
12. Money For Nothing – Signal A-Side Edit 

Disc 3

1. Twisting By The Pool – Remix (Money For Nothing)
2. I Think I Love You Too Much – Live (Knebworth – The Album)
3. Calling Elvis – Radio Edit
4. Millionaire Blues – Single B-Side
5. Heavy Fuel – Extended Mix
6. Kingdom Come – Single B-Side
7. Your Latest Trick – Live (Encores EP)
8. The Bug – Live (Encores EP)
9. Solid Rock – Live (Encores EP)
10. Local Hero Wild Theme – Live (Encores EP)
11. Industrial Disease – Promo Mono Single Edit
12. Money For Nothing – 12” Edit
13. Brothers In Arms – Edit

Joy Division were formed by school friends, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook after both of them had attended a Sex Pistols concert in Manchester, mid 1976. Ian Curtis joined soon afterwards as their vocalist, with the line up completed by the addition of dummer Stephen Morris. They initially called themselves Warsaw, inspired by the song ‘Warszawa’, a David Bowie’s instrumental from his ‘Low’ album. This name did not last very long as they did not want to be confused with a London band going by the name Warsaw Pakt. The name they chose to use instead was Joy Division. It was the taken from a novel called ‘House of Dolls’ and referred to the sexual slavery wing of a Nazi Concentration Camp. Nothing too controversial there then. 

Early recordings were very much in the punk vein and the band managed to create enough of a buzz that they were approached by RCA to record a cover of N. F. Porter’s song ‘Keep On Keeping On’. The band were not too keen on the idea, preferring to record their own material. Matters came to a head and the band asked to be released from their contract. Not standing still, the band recorded and self-released their ‘An Ideal For Living’ EP. The EP featured a drawing of a Hitler Youth member on the cover. This and their name did make people wonder what their political allegiances were.

The band were signed to the newly formed, and soon to be iconic Factory Records. With gigs outside of Manchester and sessions for the legendary John Peel, the band were starting to get noticed but there was trouble on the horizon. Ian Curtis started to have epileptic seizures and the band realised that if they were to continue, this would be something they would need to work with. 

Work they did, and their first album, ‘Unknown Pleasures’ was recorded in April of 1979. The band began a gruelling tour schedule which caused Curtis’ epilepsy to get worse. He started to have seizures on stage, which some members of the audience thought was part of the act. Curtis was also a married man with a young child, but had started a relationship a journalist which put his marriage under strain. This, his epilepsy and a tour to the USA seems to have too much of strain of Curtis’ mental health. On the eve of the tour, he took his own life. 

For a band that lasted for only four years, Joy Divisions’ fans have been well served with compilations and reissues down the years. However, their rather excellent ‘Heart and Soul’ box set from 1997 had number of emissions from it. Originally, this project was designed to put together what was left off of that box set as a bonus disc, but there was too much outstanding material. I then got a bit carried away and thought it would be good to include all of the available live material. In the end, I rejigged the ‘Heart and Soul’ box set and it has turned into pretty much everything that I could lay my hands on it has become an 11 disc set.  As far as I can tell, this would be a comprehensive set, even though I am sure that I have missed a song here and there. 

Disc 1

1. Disorder – Unknown Pleasures
2. Day Of The Lords – Unknown Pleasures
3. Candidate – Unknown Pleasures
4. Insight – Unknown Pleasures
5. New Dawn Fades – Unknown Pleasures
6. She’s Lost Control – Unknown Pleasures
7. Shadowplay – Unknown Pleasures
8. Wilderness – Unknown Pleasures
9. Interzone – Unknown Pleasures
10. I Remember Nothing – Unknown Pleasures
11. Warsaw – An Ideal For Living EP
12. No Love Lost – An Ideal For Living EP
13. Leaders Of Men – An Ideal For Living EP
14. Failures – An Ideal For Living EP
15. At A Later Date (Live) – Short Circuit: Live At The Electric Circus
16. Transmission – Single A Side
17. Novelty – Single B Side
18. Digital – A Factory Sample 
19. Glass – A Factory Sample
20. Auto Suggestion – Earcom 2: Contradiction
21. From Safety To Where…? – Earcom 2: Contradiction

Disc 2

1. Atrocity Exhibition – Closer
2. Isolation – Closer
3. Passover – Closer
4. Colony – Closer
5. A Means To An End – Closer
6. Heart & Soul – Closer
7. Twenty Four Hours – Closer
8. The Eternal – Closer
9. Decades – Closer
10. Atmosphere (Licht Und Blindheit) – Single A Side
11. Dead Souls – Single B Side
12. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Single A Side
13. These Days – Single B Side
14. Komakino – Single A Side
15. Incubation – Single B Side
16. As You Said – Single B Side
17. She’s Lost Control (12” Version) – Single A Side

Disc 3

1. Inside The Line – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
2. Gutz – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
3. At A Later Date – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
4. The Kill – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
5. You’re No Good To Me – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
6. The Drawback – RCA LP Sessions
7. Leaders Of Men – RCA LP Sessions
8. They Walked In Line – RCA LP Sessions
9. Failures – RCA LP Sessions
10. Novelty – RCA LP Sessions
11. No Love Lost – RCA LP Sessions
12. Transmission – RCA LP Sessions
13. Living In The Ice Age – RCA LP Sessions
14. Interzone – RCA LP Sessions
15. Warsaw – RCA LP Sessions
16. Shadowplay – RCA LP Sessions
17. Exercise One – Unknown Pleasures Sessions
18. The Only Mistake – Unknown Pleasures Sessions
19. Walked In Line – Unknown Pleasures Sessions
20. The Kill – Unknown Pleasures Sessions
21. Something Must Break – Transmission Single Session
22. Ice Age – Licht Und Blindheit Sessions
23. Sound Of Music – Love Will Tear Us Apart Session
24. Ceremony – Demo
25. In A Lonely Place (Detail) – Rehearsal
26. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Pennine Studios Version

Disc 4

1. Exercise One – BBC Session
2. Insight – BBC Session
3. She’s Lost Control – BBC Session
4. Transmission – BBC Session
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart – BBC Session
6. Twenty Four Hours – BBC Session
7. Colony – BBC Session
8. Sound Of Music – BBC Session
9. These Days – Piccadilly Radio Session
10. Candidate – Piccadilly Radio Session
11. The Only Mistake – Piccadilly Radio Session
12. Chance (Atmosphere) – Piccadilly Radio Session
13. Transmission – Something Else TV Show
14. She’s Lost Control – Something Else TV Show
15. Insight – Eden Studios Demo
16. Glass – Eden Studios Demo
17. Transmission – Eden Studios Demo
18. Ice Age – Eden Studios Demo
19. Walked In Line (Re-Mix) – Still
20. Something Must Break – Central Sound Studios Version
21. Ian Curtis & Stephen Morris Interview – Richard Skinner Radio One

Disc 5

The studio cuts from the RCA sessions are added here because the mixes used on the ‘Warsaw’ album released by MPG Records in 1994. These songs were also released in 1997 on the ‘Heart and Soul’ box set, but the mixes sound slightly different so they were included here form completeness. 

1. Dead Souls – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
2. The Only Mistake – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
3. Insight – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
4. Candidate – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
5. Wilderness – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
6. She’s Lost Control – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
7. Shadowplay – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
8. Disorder – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
9. Interzone – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
10. Atrocity Exhibition – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
11. Novelty – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
12. Transmission – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
13. I Remember Nothing – Live at The Winter Gardens, Bournemouth 2nd November 1979
14. Colony – Live at The Winter Gardens, Bournemouth 2nd November 1979
15. These Days – Live at The Winter Gardens, Bournemouth 2nd November 1979
16. The Drawback (Alt Mix) – RCA LP Sessions
17. Interzone (Alt Mix) – RCA LP Sessions
18. Shadowplay (Alt Mix) – RCA LP Sessions
19. As You Said (Alt Mix) – Komakino Single Session

Disc 6 – Live at Les Bains Douches, 18th December 1979

1. Disorder
2. Love Will Tears Us Apart
3. Insight
4. Shadowplay
5. Transmission
6. Day Of The Lords
7. Twenty Four Hours
8. These Days
9. A Means To An End
10. Passover
11. New Dawn Fades
12. Atrocity Exhibition
13. Digital
14. Dead Souls
15. Auto Suggestion
16. Atmosphere

Disc 7 – Live at the University Of London Union 8th February 1980

1. Dead Souls
2. Glass
3. A Means To An End
4. Twenty Four Hours
5. Passover
6. Insight
7. Colony
8. These Days
9. Love Will Tear Us Apart
10. Isolation
11. The Eternal
12. Digital

Disc 8 – Live at High Wycombe Hall 20th February 1980

1. Isolation – Sound Check
2. The Eternal – Sound Check
3. Ice Age – Sound Check
4. Disorder – Sound Check
5. The Sound Of Music – Sound Check
6. A Means To An End – Sound Check
7. The Sound Of Music
8. A Means To An End
9. Colony
10. Twenty Four Hours
11. Isolation
12. Love Will Tear Us Apart
13. Disorder
14. Atrocity Exhibition

Disc 9 – Live Preston 28th February 1980

1. Incubation 
2. Wilderness
3. Twenty Four Hours 
4. The Eternal 
5. Heart & Soul
6. Shadowplay
7. Transmission
8. Disorder 
9. Warsaw 
10. Colony
11. Interzone

Disc 10

1. The Eternal – Live Lyceum Ballroom, London 29th February 1980
2. Heart & Soul – Live Lyceum Ballroom, London 29th February 1980
3. Isolation – Live Lyceum Ballroom, London 29th February 1980
4. She’s Lost Control – Live Lyceum Ballroom, London 29th February 1980
5. The Sound Of Music – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
6. Wilderness – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
7. Colony – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
8. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
9. A Means To An End – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
10. Transmission – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
11. Dead Souls – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
12. Sister Ray – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980

Disc 11 – Live at The High Hall Birmingham University 2nd May 1980

1. Ceremony
2. Shadowplay
3. A Means To An End
4. Passover
5. New Dawn Fades
6. Twenty Four Hours
7. Transmission
8. Disorder
9. Isolation
10. Decades
11. Digital

A lot has been written about ‘The Beatles’ or ‘The White Album’ as it is more commonly known. The only double album released during the band’s lifetime, it has become notorious in some circles for having the worst Beatles track ever released on it (‘Revolution #9’), some filler that should have remained firmly in the archives (‘Wild Honey Pie’), and ‘Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da’. This is most probably the most Marmite song in the bands catalogue, as it was not a favourite of the other Beatles, but it was a number 1 hit in the UK for the band Marmalade. 

In the past, I had a go at making this a single LP but there was plenty of songs left over that were of high quality that it would have been a shame to lose them. However, there was, in my opinion, only enough quality material for three sides of really good music. A few weeks back, I was on Youtube and the algorithm threw up an intreating mash up of Jackie Lomax’s ‘Sour Milk Sea’ backing track with George Harrison’s vocals from the demo played on top. With three of the four Beatles on this (only Lennon was not involved), could this now be included? 

Well, I thought so, so I looked to rejig the tracks to include this as well as another Harrison song, ‘Not Guilty’. This song took 102 takes to get right, and was a strong contender for inclusion but with its thinly vailed barbs at Lennon and McCartney, it was felt that airing their dirty washing in public was not the done thing. I have also included the ‘Let It Be….Naked’ version of ‘Across The Universe. Though it was not recorded for the “:White Album’, it was in the can and does not sound out of place, especially with this sparce arrangement. The introduction to Ringo’s song’ Don’t Pass Me By’ has been reinstated, having been first revealed to the world as the opening song on the ‘Anthology 3’ LP. 

Overall, this is still not a perfect album but I would say that these additions make it much  better one. 

Side 1

1. Back In The U.S.S.R.
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
4. Sour Milk Sea
5. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
7. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Side B

1. Martha My Dear
2. I’m So Tired
3. Blackbird
4. Piggies
5. Rocky Racoon
6. Don’t Pass Me By
7. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road
8. I Will
9. Julia

Side C

1. Birthday
2. Yer Blues
3. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me & Monkey
4. Sexy Sadie
5. Helter Skelter
6. Long, Long, Long
7. Across The Universe

Side D

1. Revolution 1
2. Mother Nature’s Son
3. Not Guilty
4. Honey Pie
5. Savoy Truffle
6. Cry Baby Cry
7. Good Night

The cover was adapted from an image taken and adapted from https://beatlesandrutles.blogspot.com/2020/09/beatles-fantasy-albums.html. I added a picture of The Beatles to the centre which means that they would now have an image on the band on all of the LPs they released during their lifetime. The original cover of ‘The Beatles’ was the only one not to have any image of the band on it all.  

The Young Ones is one of the greatest situation comedies ever produced, even though it was not a conventional sit com. It was offbeat, anarchic, surreal and as far as my younger self was concerned, absolutely brilliant. 

Broadcast between 1982 and 1984 on the BBC, the premise was simple. Four students all at the same University (called Scumbag College) share a house but as far as the individuals are concerned, they have little in common. These were Vyvyan, medical student and borderline psychopath. Rick, left leaning attention seeking radical who is shown leaving the sociology department in the credits. Neil, a hippy who cooks everyone else’s meals but is bullied by the rest of the house and then there is Mike. He might not be a student because in the opening credits of the first series, he is seen giving a member of the University staff some cash in what looks like a bribe. At no point at they actually shown being in lectures or rarely leaving the house. There was also fifth member of the house hold who would appear in the background, never interacting with the others or even saying anything. No one is quite sure who the person playing this role actually was. It just seemed like a good idea to have a figure in the background that no one talked about or have an explanation as to why they were there. 

The series also featured Alexi Sayle in several supporting roles as well as numerous guests who would go on to great success themselves. These included Huge Laurie, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Paul Merton. The show was also able to acquire a higher budget by coming under the heading of a variety show. To achieve this, there was a music guest in each show except one. In that one, there was a lion tamer. 

The show was also full of incidental music. Some of this composed and recorded by Peter Brewis, who had performed with the band Magnet, who appeared in the original Wicker Man film in 1973. There also lots of music used the background including well established songs, obscure tracks and library music.

The first part of this post is what a soundtrack LP could have been like if it had been released in the early 1980s when the show was originally broadcast. This would have included most of the songs performed by the bands that appeared in each episode. As this imagined record would have been released by try BBC’s own in house record label, they would not have used the recordings made for the show. Some of the bands had actually performed live. 

The compiler, I suspect would have used the original recordings made by each artist. I believe that the BBC would have edited out the introduction to this recording of Dr Marten’s Boots so as to get rid of the profanity. The version of House of Fun by Madness used in the show was the single version. That person has an abrupt piano chord ending, unlike the LP version which fades out.

Some recordings would not make the cut, as these seemed to have been recorded for the show and not available anywhere else. The most prominent was a cover of Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues by Ken Bishop’s Nice Twelve. This was included in the second episode of the second series but this was a band made up of Chris Difford (Squeeze), Jools Holland (Squeeze), Martin Dobson (session player), Peter Brewis (music director of the show), Rowland Rivron (comedian/musician), Simon Brint (comedian/musician) and Stewart Copeland (The Police) which was recorded especially for the show and has never been officially released. 

The second was included in series one, episode two and was called ‘Coo Coo Daddy Long Legs’. It was performed by Ronnie Golden, once of The Fabulous Poodles dressed to look like Buddy Holly, hanging upside down and still in a parachute. The last was another by Alexei Sayle. It was also in series two,, episode two and was called ‘Stupid Noises’. 

Side 1 (Series 1)

1. Eleven Plus Eleven – Nine Below Zero
2. Dr Marten’s Boots – Radical Posture
3. House of Fun (Single Mix) – Madness
4. Jackie Wilson Said – Dexy Midnight Runners
5. You’re Not My Climate – Rip, Rig & Panic

Side 2 (series 2)

1. Ace Of Spades – Motörhead
2. Nasty – The Damned
3. Moonlight Romance – Amazulu
4. Our House – Madness
5. Body Talk – John Otway

If there was a deluxe edition of the compilation for the CD era, the second disc would include songs that were used in the Young Ones TV Show has background music. I imagine that this would been a niche release on the always reliable Cherry Red Records.

1. Rock Around The Clock – Bill Haley & the Comets
2. Travelin’ Light – Cliff Richard
3. Skin Tight – Paul Keogh (Bruton Music – Library Piece)
4. Souq –  Ali Ishfahan And George Farid (Library music)
5. I’m Bustin’ My Rocks (Working On The Chain Gang) – Roy C
6. Fire – The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
7. Bermuda Triangle – Barry Manilow
8. Flash Barrier – John Hawksworth (Library Music) 
9. The Teddy Bear’s Picnic – Henry Hall
10. Les Patineurs Valse (The Skater’s Waltz) Op. 183 – Emile Waldteufel
11. Good Day Sunshine – The Beatles
12. I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent  – Frankie Lemon & The Teenagers
13. Bluebird – Alan Hawkshaw (Library Music)
14. Cinderella Rockafella – Alan Moorhouse & His Bond Street Brigade
15. You’ll Always Find Me I The Kitchen At Parties – Joan Lewie
16. Ain’t Nothin’ But A House Party – The Paper Dolls 
17. The Things That Dreams Are Made Of – The Human League
18. It’s My Party – Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin
19. Mama Told Me (Not To Come) – Three Dog Night
20. The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) – Tight Fit 
21. The Day The Rains Came – Helen Shapiro
22. Move It (1958 Version) – Cliff Richard & The Drifters
23. At The Sign of there Swinging Cymbal – Brass Incorporated 
24. Electric Gypsies – Steve Hillage
25. Comedy Cues (Comic) – Dave Richmond (Library music)
26. Twist & Shout – Brian Poole & The Tremeloes
27. Funky Feeling – Miki Antony
28. The Good Life Theme – Burt Rhodes
29. Chase Sequence – Don Banks

Not all of the music would be included due to limitations on the CD and these are listed below. 

Morning Has Broken – John Gregory

Inferno Galop – Jacques Offenbach

All I Have To Do Is Dream – Unknown (From 20 Golden Hits of the 50s LP)

Introit Puer Natus Est – Gregorian Chant Vol III No 1 – Unknown

Greensleeves – Jack Shaindlin

If you wish to read more about the music contained in the show, check out the following links. 

The Young Ones Music Guide: Series One

The Young Ones Music Guide: Series Two

Eleven months from the release of their debut album, The Cure put out a follow up in the form of ‘Seventeen Seconds’. This album would be very different in tone from ‘Three Imaginary Boys’ and there was also be a new line up . Gone was bass player Michael Dempsey as he had not liked the direction in which band leader and main songwriter, Robert Smith was taking with the material he was writing. Smith wanted the sound of the band to become more minimal. Dempsey liked more ornate bass lines and these did not fit in with Smith’s vision. After hearing the demos for the next album, Dempsey left the band. His place was taken by two members of the Magazine Spies. These were Mattheiu Hartley on keyboards and Simon Gallup on bass. 

This line up would last less than a year and ‘Seventeen Seconds’ is the only artefact from this period in the bands history. I must say that this is my favourite Cure album. It included ‘A Forest’, their first single to break into the UK singles charts top 40. It still sounds great to me to this day.  This is also the second Cure album where I have tried to expand upon what had already been released when this album was given the Deluxe Edition treatment back in 2005.   

Following the template I set last year with ‘Three Imaginary Boys’, Disc 1 includes the original album as well as the A and B-Sides to the singles released during this time. This includes the Cult Hero side project which was recorded ahead of the ‘Seventeen Seconds’ album as a way of seeing about the musical compatibility of Gallup and Hartley. There is also a Peel Session from 1980 as well as some alternative studio mixes and home demos. 

Disc 1

1. A Reflection – Seventeen Seconds Album
2. Play For Today – Seventeen Seconds Album
3. Secrets – Seventeen Seconds Album
4. In Your House – Seventeen Seconds Album
5. Three – Seventeen Seconds Album
6. The Final Sound – Seventeen Seconds Album
7. A Forest – Seventeen Seconds Album
8. M – Seventeen Seconds Album
9. At Night – Seventeen Seconds Album
10. Seventeen Seconds – Seventeen Seconds Album
11. A Forest (7’ Single Mix) – Single A-side
12. Another Journey By Train – Single B-side (A Forest)
13. I’m A Cult Hero – Single A-side (Cult Heroes Single)
14. I Dig You – Single B-side (Cult Heroes Single)
15. A Forest – Peel Session 03/03/1980
16. Seventeen Seconds – Peel Session 03/03/1980
17. Play For Today – Peel Session 03/03/1980
18. M – Peel Session 03/03/1980
19. Secrets – Home Demo
20. Another Journey By Train – Home Demo
21. Three – Alternative Studio Mix
22. Another Journey By Train (AKA 44F) – Instrumental Home Demo     

Disc 2 is a completely live affair. There seem to be a dearth of studio material at this point in the bands history. This might be down to the fact that ‘Seventeen Seconds’ was recorded on a minimal budget and there might not have been the time or the material for additional recordings. I have tried to mix this as though it was one gig even though the material comes from three. The Cult Heroes were seen as the warm up act, but did include members of The Cure backing up Horley postman, Frank Bell. The remainder of the material is mostly taken from a show that ended up being bootlegged as the ’Fading Roots’ LP. Two live tracks have also been taken for the 2006 ‘Seventeen Seconds’ Deluxe Edition. 

Disc 2

1. I Dig You (Cult Heroes) – Live London ??/03/1980
2. I’m A Cult Hero (Cult Heroes) – Live London ??/03/1980
3. Seventeen Seconds – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
4. The Final Sound – Live Paris ??/06/1980
5. A Reflection – Live Paris ??/06/1980
6. Play For Today – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
7. Three Imaginary Boys – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
8. Fire In Cairo – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
9. In Your House – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
10. 10:15 Saturday Night – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
11. At Night – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
12. M – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
13. Accuracy – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
14. Boys Don’t Cry – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
15. Plastic Passion – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
16. Jumping Somebody Else’s Train – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
17. Another Journey By Train – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
18. Grinding Halt – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
19. A Forest – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
20. Three – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
21. Killing An Arab – Live Sydney 09/08/1980
22. A Forest – Standing On A Beach Version

Disc 2 is full of live songs except for the last song which is an unique version of ‘A Forest’ which was released on the single compilation, ‘Standing On A Beach’.

The front cover is the same as the one used on the 2005 Deluxe Edition reissue of the album. 

Back in 2013, Columbia Records released a Box Set called ‘Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Collection Vol.1’. The box contained thirty five studio albums and six live LP’s. it also contained a unique collection of songs called ‘Side Tracks’ which contained previous released material that was not included on any of the standard studio or live records. With a total playing time pushing 35 hours, you would think that it would be the final word in completeness and I was actually amazed that it contained the 1973 outtakes LP, ‘Dylan’ which has pretty much been ignored since it slipped out. 

As is the way of these things, it was not complete. Not only did it not contain any of the albums in their mono mixes as these had actually seen the light of day three years earlier. Even though that mono compilation only contained the albums and none of the stand alone singles Dylan released during that period, the 2013 box also did not include some songs that had slipped out as singles A or B sides, on soundtracks albums etc. 

Even though some of these songs have made it out of the archive since then, some of them are still waiting for a re-release. For this years Record Store fantasy release, I have compiled a set of those missing songs from the 2013 Box Set onto one LP. I wanted to keep these songs in the order in which they were released, but that would have meant not only that one side was four minutes longer than the other, but if this had been released, that longer side would have been pushing 28 minutes which would not have made for a good listening experience. 

I also like to throw in a bonus single with my fantasy Record Store Day releases, but with this one, I had enough material for an E.P. This was because even though the scope of the Box Set only goes up to 2013, the artwork I have chosen for this compilation goes up to 2020, so I wanted to see if there were any single releases in those seven years that would be appropriate and there was. There is a live recording released in 2013. It was recorded when Dylan played live at The Gaslight Cafe in 1962, but strangely was not released when that gig finally received an official release. There is also a cover of The Beatles ‘Things We Said Today’ which comes from ‘The Art of McCartney’ tribute album. That was released as a download single as well. To finish off are two remixes of ‘Masters Of War’ were released in 2019 as a download so it would be good to have these on a physical release. 

Side A

1. Corrina, Corrina (1962 Mono Single B-Side)
2. Just Like Tom Thumb Blues (1966 Live Single B-Side)
3. Spanish Is  Allowing Tongue (1970 Single B-Side)
4. George Jackson (1971 Big Band Version Single A-Side)
5. Rita Mae (1976 Single B-Side)
6. Angel Flying Close To The Ground (1983 Single B-Side)

Side B

1. If You Gotta Go, Go Now (1967 Single A-Side)
2. Trouble in Mind (1979 Single B-Side)
3. Let It Be Me (1981 Single B-Side)
4. Band Of The Hand (1986 Single A-Side)
5. Shelter From The Storm (1996 Jerry Maguire OST)
6. Most Likely You Go Your Way & I’ll Go Mine (2007 Mark Ronson Remix On Line Single)

Bonus E.P.

Side A

1. Motherless Children (1962 Live Download Only)
2. Things We Said Today (2017 Download Single)

Side B

1. Masters Of War (2019 Download Single The Avener Rework)
2. Masters Of War (2019 Download Single SherGun Remix)

The cover was adapted from user Kıvılcım Er on the www.behance.net website.

The Umbrella Academy TV series is based upon a comic books detailing the lives of a functional family of superheroes. The background to this is that in the mid 20th Century, forty three babies are born to mothers who shows no signs of pregnancy just before the births. Seven of these children are adopted by the mysterious entrepreneur, Sir Reginald Hargreeves who moulds them into a superhero team known as the Umbrella Academy. The comics books were developed into a TV series by Netflix and ran for four series between 2019 and 2024.

I really enjoyed the music choices from each series, and I thought it would be interesting to curate a vinyl box set of tracks from each series. Each is a double album except the set for Season 2, as there was enough songs in there for a triple. Each comes with series specific artwork and as this is a vinyl set, if it were to ever see the light of day, it would no doubt retail for a stupid amount of money. 

Side 1

1. Istanbul (not Constantinople) – They Might Be Giants 
2. Barracuda – Heart
3. Memory Bound – Don McGinnis
4. Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
5. Sinner Man – Nina Simone

Side 2

1. Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows – Lesley Gore
2. Picture Book – The Kinks
3. Saturday Night – Bay City Rollers
4. I Think We’re Alone Now – Tiffany
5. (Feels Like) Heaven – Fiction Factory
6. Mary – Big Thief
7. The Walker – Fitz & The Tantrums

Side 3

1. Blood Like Lemonade (Radio Edit) – Morcheeba
2. Lost Women – The Yardbirds
3. They Call Me A Fool – Damon
4. Soul Kitchen – The Doors
5. Never Tear Us Apart – Paloma Faith
6. This Year’s Love – David Gray
7. Good Too Shoes – Adam Ant

Side 4

1. We’re Through – The Hollies
2. I’ll Make it Easy – The Incredibles
3. Shingling – Tom Swoon
4. In the Heat Of The Moment – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
5. Exit Music (For A Film) – Radiohead
6. Mad About You – Hooverphonic
7. All Die Young – Smith Westerns

Side 1

1. Bad Guy – The Interrupters
2. In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company -The Dead South
3. You Only Want Me When You’re Lonely – Jim Boyd
4. Who’s That Knocking – A Look At Yesterday
5. Love Is Blue – Marty Robbins
6. Comin’ Home Baby – Mel Torme
7. Beyond The Sea – Bobby Darin
8. Be Thankful You’re You – Fern Jones

Side 2

1. Sunny – Boney M
2. Twistin’ The Night Away – Sam Cooke
3. Hold On, I’m Comin’ – Sam & Dave
4. Unwind Yourself – Marva Whitney
5. Wicked Game (Radio Edit) – Parra For Cuba (feat. Anna Naklab)
6. Crazy – Daniela Andrade
7. MIrage – Chilo Escobedo

Side 3

1. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo (The Magic Song) – Perry Como
2. I Was Made For Lovin’ You – KISS
3. Dancing With Myself – Billy Idol
4. Golden Brown – The Stranglers
5. I Wonder What The Future Holds – Glen Snow
6. Right Back Where We Started From – Maxine Nightingale

Side 4

1. Rocket Fuel – DJ Shadow (feat. De La Soul)
2. Won’t Be Long – Aretha Franklin
3. Polk Salad Annie – Tony Joe White
4. Higher – Reem
5. I’ll Never Do You Wrong – Joe Tex
6. Here Comes The End – Gerard Way (feat. Judith Hill)

Side 5

1. I’m A Man – The Spencer Davis Group
2. He Can’t Love You – 4 Holidays
3. Everyday (Backstreet’s Back) (Extended Version) – Backstreet Boys
4. Sisters Of Pearl – Baio
5. Pepper – Butthole Surfers

Side 6

1. No More – Tara George 
2. Gone Off That Brown – Peleboy
3. Renegade – Styx
4. The Order Of Death – Public Image Limited
5. My Way – Frank Sinatra

Side 1

1. The Oogum Boogum Song – Brenton Wood
2. Another One Bites The Dust – Queen
3. My Silver Lining – First Aid Kit
4. Friday I’m In Love – The Cure
5. The Passenger – Iggy Pop
6. Sometimes – Gerry Cinnamon
7. We’ll Get Through – The Slugs

Side 2

1. Do You Believe In Magic – The Lovin’ Spoonful
2. Quando Quando Quando – Engelbert Humperdinck
3. Bruttosozialprodukt – Geier Sturzflug
4. Into My Soul – Gabin & Dee Dee Bridgewater
5. BItter Taste – Billy Idol
6. (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
7. Lets Go On A Hayride – The McSharry Sisters

Side 3

1. Short Change Hero – The Heavy
2. No More Heroes – The Stranglers
3. Let’s Be Badder – Lucern Raze (Feat. Cherry Pickles)
4. It’s A Cryn’ Shame – Gentlemen
5. Ride Wit Me – Nelly (& City Spud)
6. Come In, Mr Lonely – Jerry Dyke
7. It’s A Crying’ Shame – The Upsouth Twisters

Side 4

1. Footloose – Kenny Loggins
2. Teenage Dream – The Rescues
3. What Makes You A Man – The Ninth Wave
4. Lady In Red – Chris de Burgh
5. Higher In Love – Lilly & Steve Winwood
6. House Of The Rising Sun – Jeremy Renner
7. I Gotta Cry – Sonny Golden Boy Williamson

Side 1

1. Boom Swagger Boom – The Murder City Devils
2. Facing You – Ernie Powell
3. Ain’t That A Shame – Fats Domino
4. Money (That’s What I Want) – Barrett Strong
5. The Bad Touch – Bloodhound Gang
6. End Of The Line (from ‘The Blob’) – Ralph Carmichael

Side 2

1. Jump Into The Fire (Single Version) – Harry Nilsson
2. Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves – Cher
3. Map Of The Problematic – Muse
4. This Must be The Place (Maine Melody) – Talking Heads

Side 3

1. Powered Up – Cobra Man
2. Ahead By A Century – The Tragically Hip
3. Secret Agent Man (Live At The Whiskey A Go-Go, 1966) – Johnny Rivers
4. Dead To The World – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
5. I Think We’re Alone Now – Tommy James & the Shondells

Side 4

1. Witch Stomp – Guantanamo Baywatch
2. Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
3. Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
4. Winter Wonderland – Lost Cat
5. Shchedryk (Carol Of The Bells) – Bel Canto Choir Vilnius
6. Baby Shark – Pinking