Nico Carstens and His Orchestra

Artist: Nico Carstens and His Orchestra

LP: Authentic South African Boeremusiek

Song: "So-Lank As Die Rietjie In Die Water Le"
("As Long As There's Water In the Deep Blue Sea")

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Song: "Zulu Warrior"

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I don't know about you, but nothing grates on my nerves more than the sound of inauthentic South African Boeremusiek. So you can imagine my delight upon finding this 1957 Nico Carstens LP that features the real thing. Nico, who was born to Dutch parents in Cape Town, South Africa, was only thirteen years old when he started winning accordion competitions mere months after receiving his first instrument. A few years later he began writing the first of many songs that incorporate the wide variety of cultures that are found in his home country. This Capitol release features instrumental tracks as well as songs with vocals, so I've posted one of each. That's 32-year-old Jimmy Rayson's hearty voice you hear on "Zulu Warrior." Read more about Nico Carstens here and in the liner notes below, and see the crazy list of LPs (74 of them!) Carstens made for Columbia Records on his discography page here.

[ Nico Carstens, dressed accordiongly ]

Carl Jularbo

Artist: Carl Jularbo

LP: Carl Jularbo

Song: "Lycklige Henriks Polka"

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This weekend I was poking around in the "International—Other" section of my record collection and found some interesting stuff to post for the coming few days. This spirited 1974 Carl Jularbo compliation LP was evidently previously owned by an Elli DeLong, who at one time lived in south Seattle near the southern tip of Lake Washington and who had simply marvelous taste in music. According to Carl Jularbo's Wikipedia page here, he of the piercing blue eyes and tasteful moustache was the most famous Swedish accordionist of his time—and he never even learned to read music! You can visit the English-language webpage for the Carl Jularbo museum here, and if you stop by in person, you can enjoy some home-baked bread in the museum cafe! And while you're enjoying home-baked bread in the museum cafe, you can ask your server to translate the Swedish-language liner notes that I've included below.

 [ Carl Jularbo: June 6, 1893 — February 13, 1966 ]

Luv'

Artist: Luv'

LP: 7" single

Song: "Trojan Horse"

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Have you ever wondered what Bananarama would sound like if they'd made disco in the Scottish Highlands? On the one hand I'm amazed and a little annoyed that I'd never heard of this lovely Dutch trio before finding this catchy 1978 single at Som Records in Washington, DC last month. But on the other hand, I'm probably only now finally mature enough to handle knowing about them while still maintaining my dignity. If I'd seen Luv's televised performance of "Trojan Horse" when I was ten, I'd have been prancing around the playground singing "1-2-3-4-5, you say I'll be your wife!" while mimicking the group's dance moves—thereby thrusting myself even further down the rungs of Robertson Elementary's popularity ladder. Knowing about Wonder Woman, Charlie's Angels, and ABBA at that tender young age was making life difficult enough. You can read about Luv' on Wikipedia here.

Luv' on YouTube:

[ "Trojan Horse" ]

Gregory's Pecs

Hey Gregory here, 6'1", 190lbs, 37yo looking to date. want to meet for coffee?

side one:
01. Spellbound - Esquivel and His Orchestra
02. Trains and Boats and Planes - Dinah Shore
03. Sound of the Sand - David Thomas & The Pedestrians
04. Slowtime -The Wolfgang Press
05. New York, New York - Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
06. I've Forgotten Your Face - Eolika
07. Señorita Boo Bam - Neal Hefti, His Orchestra and Chorus
08. Heute Nacht - Peter Maffay
09. All I Need Is Everything - Aztec Camera
10. Te Hiti Raa Mahana (The Rising Sun) - Gaston Guilbert, feat. Charlie Mauu, Morito Taaroa, Eugene, Loma, Maeva, Bimbo, Lafine, Leonard, Félicie, Diana
11. Rainy April Morning - Brian Hyland
12. Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts - Brandon Flowers

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side two:
01. Angel of the Morning - Percy Faith, His Orchestra and Chorus
02. Radiation Level - Sun
03. Loves Me Like a Rock - The Dixie Hummingbirds
04. Todo Sin Ca. - Raul Vidauri
05. Canción Para un Marino - Tormenta
06. Run Away - The Revival Hour
07. If I Had a Talking Picture - Sylvia Syms
08. My Plants Are Dead - Blonde Redhead
09. Lunette - Les Baxter and His Orchestra w/ Vocal Group
10. Cottun - Mahjongg
11. The Eagle Laughs At You - Jackie Lomax
12. Number 33 Pickwick Lane - The Magic Fingers of Merlin and His Trio
13. La Donna Riccia - Tutto Modugno
14. The Little Theatre - Carlo Savina and His Orchestra
15. No Shoestrings on Louise - Elton John
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Honor Blackman

Artist: Honor Blackman

LP: Everything I've Got

Song: "C'est Drole"

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This 1964 record from sultry blonde Bond girl Honor "Pussy Galore" Blackman is one of the neat things I found in Another Part of the Forest while visiting Cincinnati, Ohio last summer. Sadly, this LP is indeed Everything She's Got, since she never released another. You can read about Honor Blackman and see a list of movies and TV shows she's been in here, visit her official website here, and I've included the liner notes and photo from the back of the LP below.

Peter Sarstedt

Artist: Peter Sarstedt

LP: As Though It Were a Movie

Song: "As Though It Were a Movie"

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The 2011 Oscar Nominations have been announced! Along with some good films like THE TREE OF LIFE, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, and MONEYBALL, the Academy continued its trend of voting itself into irrelevance in the minds of anyone who actually still takes movies seriously by littering their list of Best Picture contenders with irritating, contrived melodrama (EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE), heavy-handed Spielbergian schmaltz (WAR HORSE), and simple-minded drivel (THE DESCENDANTS and THE HELP) that purports to address important social and political issues, but ends up pandering to the lowest common denominator at the multiplex instead. Meanwhile, Oscar voters once again ignored some of the year's most satisfying, challenging, and intelligent films—like 50/50, MELANCHOLIA, BEGINNERS, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, and DRIVE to name a few, and a couple of Werner Herzog documentaries to name a few more. Both HUGO and THE ARTIST are smart, enjoyable films that reach back to the motion picture industry's early days to relay stories that prove once and for all that movies are indeed as important to human life as water and air. This message resonates especially well with voting members of the Motion Picture Academy, and both films were amply rewarded by landing atop the Oscar heap with a total of 21 nominations between them. You can find a complete list of the 2011 Oscar nominations here. Anyway, in honor of this momentous day, I've posted something from a 1969 cinema-themed Peter Sarstedt LP that I picked up in Washington, DC a few months ago. The inside record sleeve features lots of people dressed up like famous Hollywood celebrities, so I've thrown together a little trivia exercise to see if you actually know your movie stars as well as you think you do. Good luck!

[ Can you spot the REAL Jimmy Stewart? ]

[ Which of these women is Marlene Dietrich? ]

[ "The Little Tramp" vs. a regular tramp. Can you tell the difference? ]

[ Will the real Jean Harlow please stand up? ]

[ Who can identify the REAL Walter Huston? ]

[ Which of these men is only pretending to be Lionel Barrymore? ]

[ Can you tell which of these beauties is NOT Lee Remick? ]

[ One of these hunks isn't really Joe Dallesandro...but which one? ]

[ Can you spot the REAL Edward Andrews? ]

[ Which of these men is comedian Bob Hope? ]

[ Peter Sarstedt sitting amongst the stars. ]

Wilkins

Artist: Wilkins

LP: Wilkins

Song: "Bella Sin Alma"

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Song: "No, No Le Digas Siempre No"

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This self-titled 1975 LP by Puerto Rican superstar Wilkins (aka. Wilkins Vélez, aka. German Wilkins Vélez) is the other of the two records I found at the Sunday outdoor flea market in Columbus, Ohio during my road trip last summer. I just recently discovered that Wilkins' "Bella Sin Alma" is actually a Spanish-language version of "I Was Waiting For You," one of my favorite songs on this Richard Cocciante album. You can listen to Richard's version on this mix tape I put together a few years ago. Anyway, back to Wilkins: Click here to read more about the handsome Latin cantador con un afro mágico de la luz, and visit the official Wilkins website here, where you can read his extended biography, find his full discography, and buy some of his wine.

The Thrasher Brothers

Artist: The Thrasher Brothers

LP: Those Singing Americans...Sing On!

Song: "Eastern Gate"

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I know I should be counting my blessings and that I shalt not envy and all that, but I have to admit I kinda' wish I'd found this Thrasher Brothers record at the thrift store instead. But I guess at least my record's prettier. You can read about Jim, Buddy, and Joe Thrasher on their Alabama Music Hall of Fame page here—they were inducted in 2005—where you'll see a list of country stars The Thrashers have toured with and find out what popular '80s TV show they performed the theme song for.

[ The Thrasher Brothers ]

The Frontiersmen

Artist: The Frontiersmen

LP: Country Jamboree

Song: "The Baby on the Doorstep"

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In this old-time country ballad from The Frontiersmen, what begins as the story of an extremely lucky day for a lonely and unfulfilled childless couple quickly evolves into a riveting courtroom drama! Additional thrills in the form of wagon-train races can be found between the pockets and lapels of the matching crimson blazers worn by Hi (?), Wayne, and Hal on the cover of their "Country Jamboree" LP. Get your own copy of the record here or here, pay four times more for a factory-sealed copy with an alternate cover featuring a wagon wheel, guitar, and lovely country lass here, or buy this terrific album in digital form on iTunes here.

[ Hi, Wayne, and Hal = The Frontiersmen ]

Edo Lubich

Artist: Edo Lubich

LP: At the Backstage Club — His Songs and His Guitar

Song: "Quisas, Quisas, Quisas"

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The popular classic "Quisas, Quisas, Quisas (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps)" is given the Lubich touch by talented Yugoslavian singer, guitarist, entertainer, and restaurant manager Edo Lubich. Though he became a tamburas at a young age after receiving his first birsenica, Edo has a good friend's suicide to thank for getting his international music career off the ground and shooting him to stardom. Before offing himself, Edo's friend, who was also a regular patron at a Belgrade cafe where Edo regularly performed, made his last request: He wanted Lubich to perform at his funeral. The news of the request made headlines and the rest, as they say, is history—a history that includes Edo being voted 3rd most popular man in Yugoslavia in 1936, being the first-ever Yugoslavian person on TV, and getting to perform throughout all of Europe and the USA! A connoisseur of good food, Edo eventually found himself living in Phoenix, Arizona where he managed The Backstage Club, which offered fine dining (see the postcard below that I just paid $3.50 for on eBay) as well as entertainment by Lubich himself. He also evidently recorded at least one album with Yadran Records, a local label. According to his Tamburitza Hall of Fame biography here, Lubich later lived in Century City, California, where he owned and operated a pair of restaurants—named "La Place" and "Edo's Other Place"—which he sold in 1978 when he retired to Palm Springs. You can find more info about Edo Lubich in the LP liner notes below.

[ Edo Lubich: May 7, 1912 — March 15, 1993 ]