Welcome to the RPM Record Club Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 2nd September 2022. And due to circumstances, this is the order in which this week's sound selections arrived and therefore got posted...so there. Over to...

Philip -

"Greetings and good health to all. A couple of numbers from new albums this week, then a record that I believe was RCA's biggest selling single up to the time of its' release in 1983 (according to some source I once read but now have forgotten)."

Alan -

"Some 'good time' (well, sort of!!!) music this week."

Laugh Laugh by Beau Brummels (from 'Autumn in San Francisco' compilation LP released 1985. Edsel label) - "Probably viewed nowadays as Lovin' Spoonful influenced, the band were actually one of the instigators of what became known as the 'San Francisco Sound' alongside The Charlatans, the Grateful Dead, We Five, Moby Grape and others who all originally based their music on a mixture of bluegrass, folk and blues. Formed in 1964 by Sal Valentino, the band were quickly signed by Tom Donahue's Autumn label and thrust into the studio with the labels newest DJ and record producer Sylvester Stewart and were rewarded in January 1965 with a number 15 hit with 'Laugh Laugh'. There were obvious comparisons with '64/65' era Beatles, indeed it's rumoured that the band's name was chosen simply so their LP's would be directly behind the Fab Four's in the record racks, but this has since been disclaimed by Valentino who insists he didn't even know how to spell 'Beau....' at the time! Donahue believes that, if distribution of the disc had been picked up by a major label, the band would have achieved a number one and, in fact, it almost achieved that over the border in Canada, peaking at number two. There were a further three top fifty charters, all composed by lead guitarist Ron Elliott but his ongoing health problems, coupled with Autumns lack of major finance began to impact both the label and the band, despite the Brummels appearing in the 'Wild Wild Winter' movie and an episode of the Flintstones (as the Beau Brummelstones) but, despite the excellence of tracks such as 'Gentle Wandering' Ways' and, especially, 'I grow old', the bands singles and first two albums failed to consolidate their position. In early 1966, just as the band were recording their third LP the Autumn label was purchased outright by Warners, but, unfortunately for the Brummel's, not the publishing rights to their material. Warners insisted the band scrap the LP and record a full album of cover versions which consequently lost the band their core audience just as SF bands were beginning to break through nationally. After this debacle the band did record a further two critically acclaimed albums ('Triangle' and 'Bradley's Barn') but confidence and interest was waning and they broke up in October 1968, although there have been several (long term) reformations since then."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAeVOoTXt8o

Cellophane Woman by Sopwith Camel (from 'Frantic Desolation' compilation LP released 1986. Edsel label) - "Another SF group, formed 1965, who had a couple of singles hit the charts ('Hello Hello' and 'Postcard from Jamaica' in early 1967) who did have associations with the Lovin' Spoonful as they both used the same producer, Erik Jacobsen. Their time as an active unit, however, was short lived as they were unable to sustain momentum as the music scene became more radical and they had ceased to function by late 1967. Their eponymous debut LP has since been reissued on a couple of occasions, including this excellent Edsel release, and the title track ('Frantic Desolation') has achieved some recognition by the critic Jon Savage who included it in his listing 'The Psychedelic 100' which was later included in the book 'I Want to Take You Higher: The Psychedelic Era 1965–1969' published by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in 1997. There was a reformation in 1971 and in 1974, the band recorded the improbably titled ' The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon' which was described as "a jazzy John Sebastian who's into Eastern culture and vaudeville. This is pleasant, unambitious hippie groove music for a lazy, sunny afternoon. If you're in that mood, it will take you to a warm, fuzzy place." by Allmusic whilst, in 2014, The Guardian said, "What never fails to amaze me about this record is how it sounds like it was recorded about a week ago... Taking in elements of FM schmaltz, prog-rock, jazz, showtunes, Krautrock and Indian classical music, this is an album that overflows with ideas, but never overwhelms.""

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7lcmgwqr04

Four in the Morning by The Youngbloods (from 'The Youngbloods' LP released December 1966. RCA Victor label. This from US 1971 reissue) - "Very much a 'Hey Joe' rewrite but, on the plus side, there is a fine Byrdsian guitar break towards the end courtesy of guitarist Jerry Corbitt. The song was composed by George Remailly who would go on to record his version with the 'sunshine pop' supergroup The Sunshine Company in 1967, but band leader Jesse Colin Young had recorded an acoustic version as early as 1964 The Youngblood debut album relies heavily on cover versions of 'blooze' songs already familiar thanks to such groups as the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Taj Mahal, Fleetwood Mac and many others and, to be honest, the band don't add a lot to those versions. Also among the covers is the Chet Powers hippie anthem 'Get Together', originally released in 1963 by The Folkswingers and also covered by Jefferson Airplane on their debut album '.... Takes Off' in 1966. The Youngbloods released the track as a single in early 1967 and were rewarded with a number 62 placing and that would have seemed the end but the song was picked up by several Companies and used in TV advertising which led to it's rerelease in 1969 when it achieved number 5, selling over a million copies. There are a couple of JCY compositions on the album, including the fine, cello enhanced 'Fooling Around (The Waltz) and there's also a fiery version of Fred Neils 'The other side of this life' but, on the whole, the album could be seen as fairly lightweight, in a Spoonful kinda way, compared to some of the other releases in late 1966."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4aqQ7Lv2hg

Tony -

"Here are my choices for the week prompted by the sad news regarding the death of Jerry Allison a founding member of Buddy Holly's backing band The Crickets. He co-wrote "That'll Be The Day" with Holly, his girlfriend (later his wife) Peggy Sue Gerron provided the inspiration for "Peggy Sue" and he provided some inspired drumming on hits like "Peggy Sue", "Well, All Right" and "Everyday". I am grateful to have seen him kicking off "The Strat Pack" with the Crickets, Albert Lee and Brian May when they played Peggy Sue, Maybe Baby, I Fought the Law (a Sonny Curtis penned song), Oh Boy and That'll Be The Day. The lines got blurred as to who was credited with various songs for contractual reasons but Jerry was on all of 'em. I've picked 4 tracks, claiming a bonus go if possible Tim (Hey, why not? Alan's already claimed his, Tim.) - they didn't drag out the length of singles in those days!

Best wishes to everyone."

John -

"Hi RPMers, Here are three tracks I've listened to in the past seven days..."

Piers -

"I suppose a brief explanation of my standards post of last week is in order? It wasn't quite completely off the wall as I really have been listening to a lot of late 20s 30s & early 40s music for a while. As you are probably aware by now I have a fondness for the 'Pop' songs of the depression era and in the last couple of weeks, (in fact since that hot spell) I have been trying out a few great songs on the unexpecting public… I guess that it started with ‘We’re Having A Heat Wave!’ And progressed through my Hoagy Carmichael repertoire to Busby Berkley and ‘We’re in the Money’, from Gold Diggers of 1933. Recently I have taken a crack at Hard Hearted Hannah’ Shakin' The Blues Away', 'Alabamy Bound' and Shuffle on to Buffalo', I had to dedicate ‘Blue Skies’ to Boris Johnson’s announced intension to attempt a Berlusconi style run back to PM in the next Election… I have also been playing a lot of Fats Waller lately at sing arounds and open mics. Everything from 'I cant give you anything but love' and Ain't Misbehavin’ To ‘Your Feets Too Big’ and Hold ‘Tight (I want some sea food mama)’.

Looking around at the typical hair colour (or lack of) in the folk clubs I attend, I was even thinking of trying that age appropriate classic by Al Jolson 'Waitin for the Robrrt E. Lee' as it contains those immortal lines, "keep on shuffling along, Join that shuffling throng..." But even I knew that was a step too far.... And now it has got me into trouble… I have been asked to sing a duet with a proper singer on, 'A foggy day in London Town’ tomorrow at the two day Mini Festival, this weekend in The Kings Head in Elmham…. And that will mean actually singing the tune and staying in the same key, rather than my usual rough approximation! But I think I might be able get away with it if I 'll Throw in Leon Redbone's 'So Relax' Just to get people in the mood? Wish me luck folks."

Jayne -

"Thank you RPM colleagues far and near for your contributions. Here are my selections for this week."

Dave -

"Hi RPMers, hope you all are well. Enjoying your picks. Here’s 3 tunes I have enjoyed this week."

Nina -

"Hi folks...Hope you're all well. Had a splendid time at All Points East. An urban festival is a different but no less enjoyable experience. Sound & lighting were off the scale & great atmosphere.

Here's my choices; 2 from A.P.E. & 1 from Dalla who I saw at Penlee open air theatre this week."

Tim -

"This week's three nuggets that especially glittered in my ears..."

'Til Next Time...