Chik-A-Boom

MEN FROM S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

2006-08-16T02:22:00.000+10:00

Awesome news. The freaky groovy Swiss fellas will release their 3rd album in October on HammondBeat. Check the dope cover artwork. Investigate more on their website.

• MP3: MEN FROM S.P.E.C.T.R.E. - The Luck of Teela Brown. 128kbps

STEREOSCOPE JERK EXPLOSION

2006-08-14T13:53:00.000+10:00

Incredible 60s styled freakbeat outfit from France. Off the hook. Just bought one of their singles off eBay while looking through the sellers list. Then googled their name & found their myspace site here. Just listen to Sitaramania & become a convert. Has a bit of a 'Lonely People' vibe, but check those drums!!! I hijacked the audio into an MP3 for you.

•MP3: STEREOSCOPE JERK EXPLOSION - Sitarmania.

Poulpe Octopus Extremus Delectus

2006-07-18T12:43:00.000+10:00

Awesome gallery of octopus themed pulp cover artwork over here at Poulpe Pulps.

Perez Prado Orchestra - "La Llorona"

2006-07-15T16:00:00.000+10:00

Crazy surreal fruitcake antics from the Cuban Mambo king. Video looks late 50s.

Some Velvet Morning

2006-07-13T16:15:00.000+10:00

This clip for Nancy & Lee's classic tune comes from Ms.Sinatra's most excellent high-camp television special from 1967, "Movin' With Nancy". Worth seeking out on dvd (get it here)

MORRICONE YOUTH

2006-07-09T18:20:00.000+10:00

Originally only a live band that played homage to some cult films of yesteryear. Started by some soundtrack collectors & now ending up as a recording band. They have released their debut album with only original tracks & not a recreation in sight. The album Silenzio Violento is pretty solid. It'd have to be after so many years getting the feel & atmosphere right of perfoming gems such as Theme from Mothra, Deadlock, Space 1999. Arabesque, Six Million Dollar Man, 10th Victim, The Liquidator, Mannix, Enter the Dragon, Bullit, etc...

Lead singer Drieky Caprice definitely has that worldess vocal thing going on. Came out last October, but I only manged to get the album recently from Amazon.

• Morricone Youth Website
• Myspace

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls DVD

2006-07-06T21:37:00.000+10:00

The ultimate DVD release came out on June 13th 2006. And its a killer edition. The print is the best i've seen & it's a joy to experience. Get a room full of friends & watch, cause it's a hoot. The opinions on the film are divided, but many like myself reckon it's easily Russ Meyer's most ambitious film & if anything, it cannot be accused of being boring. It may be a chaotically arranged shambles at time, but underneath it all, it has layers upon layers & subtext within its technicolour pandemonium.

• DVD Times review
• Beyond the Valley of the Dolls Website

Camera Obscura - Lloyd I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken

2006-07-06T21:30:00.000+10:00

Great track from the Glasgow based group. Retro inspired video.

LANCE LINK presents CHIK A BOOM VOL 5

2006-07-06T17:29:00.000+10:00

Volume 5 of Chik A Boom as promised....tracklisting/back cover to follow.

Download: Chik A Boom Vol.5 (60Mins/81MG/192kbps)

Lance Link presents CHIK A BOOM VOL 4

2006-07-04T21:37:00.000+10:00

More dip for your hip.
This one's got it all - including one of my all time faves "The Champ" by The Mohawks. Excellent.

Download: Chik A Boom Vol 4 (81MG/192kbps)

Les Roar

2006-07-04T09:49:00.000+10:00

As if having her hit single "Lovin' You" butchered by 9 year old Georgia Brown wasn't bad enough (scroll down) now poor old Minnie Ripperton gets attacked by a lion (!), while Sammy Davis Jr and Richard Pryor look on at the footage in horror/bemusement. You gotta hand it to Minnie though, she's one cool customer.

Lance Link presents CHIK A BOOM VOL3

2006-07-03T22:08:00.000+10:00

OK, so we might not have had the party, but that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy the music, right? Here is a series of mixes of tunes that you may have heard at our party (and possibly in nights to come). Stay tuned in the following week for more mixes from myself, Idiot Proof, Soup & Frenzie. Here's the third volume of our Chik A Boom series. Enjoy.

Download: Chik A Boom VOL 3 (81.3MG/192kbps)

Tragedy: Chik A Boom Cancelled

2006-06-30T20:45:00.000+10:00

It is with a heavy heart that we must apologise for the cancellation of our first party tonight in Surry Hills. We are still trying to contact as many people as we can on the phone and on the radio etc. (it's only an hour or so since we went to the venue and were told the bad news by the proprioter). Suffice to say, it was completely out of our hands and we want to apologise to anyone who travelled to Surry Hills to join the fun that never happened.

Saturday: After attempting to phone as many people as possible as well as announcing our cancellation last night on FBi, 2SER and Triple J, we realise that not everyone would have been informed of the party's cancellation. We know that many of you left your homes in good faith and got cabs or public transport to Surry Hills only to discover that there was no event.

We were as shocked as you would have no doubt been, when we turned up with a load of tunes and dvd's to play only to be notified by the kindhearted manager that he had recieved an injunction only half an hour earlier to cease the event or face legal action.

For any inconvienience caused to you or any of your friends, we can only offer our sincerest apologies and hope that when we relocate in the future that you all will still support us again and come along. This massive disappointment is nothing we could have avoided, as it was neither the fault of the venue or ourselves and was a council matter that went beyond the control of all involved. Again we are sorry, and hope to see you all soon.

Please feel free to leave any feedback here and we will get back to you.

yours sincerely,
The Chik A Boom Crew.

Space 1999: A Lifestyle

2006-06-30T13:41:00.000+10:00

Inspired (nay, obsessed) by the TV show Space:1999 and a visit to the 1967 Expo World Fair, this huge fan of molded plastic and retro futuristic design has made a dream come true by designing this beautiful living space.

Hey Ya...It's Peanuts

2006-06-26T17:09:00.000+10:00

Lovin' You

2006-06-26T14:05:00.000+10:00

Kids, clowns, untuned guitar, funny voice.....Run away! Run away!

Hawaiian Airline Posters

2006-06-22T10:51:00.000+10:00

Ahhh, Hawaii. When I was a kid the island seemed full of promises and exotic delights. Hula girls, Mai Tai's by the cabbanna, surfing and volcanoes. What a paradise! The 2006 reality is probably a little different, but for now, let's revisit those 50's/60's and 70's dreams with this collection of retro Airline posters and assorted paraphenalia from Hawaiian Days.

CHIK-A-BOOM! The Event!

2006-06-09T13:16:00.000+10:00

Hey, hey! Its all happening with the very first evening of Chick-A-Boom!
We initially created this blog to coincide with the parties, and evening numero uno is upon us. Featuring top shelf selectors, glamour pusses, crazy rare vfilm footage and tasty free nosh courtesy of concierge Con, via the restaraunt downstairs (for those who get there early).

It promises to be a great night and of course, we will be posting photos and a review of the debut event right here. So come on down and join in the fun. Supported by Darlinghurst Pop Art Gallery supreme - Outre.

Lance Link presents: BUT I WAS COOL

2006-05-18T12:09:00.001+10:00

Here's the second Beatnik themed set from me. This time 'round, it's the songs that exploited the beatnik movement and poked fun at the second wave of "drop outs" with their contrived berets, bongo's and bad poetry crossing over into mainstream popular culture. In other words, a whole lotta hipster fun! - Lance Link

Download: But I Was Cool 83MG/60.05mins/192 kbps

Lance Link presents A Beatnik I Was

2006-05-15T00:00:00.000+10:00

Here's a one hour mix of beatnik jazz and poetry i put together today. Brew yourself a strong coffe, grab some Satre, and enjoy....

Download: A Beatnik I Was 65mins 89MG/192kbps

Awesome Italian 45s Gallery

2006-05-12T11:53:00.000+10:00

Musicaememoria has a great selection of crazy 60's Italian 45 sleeves. I have some of these at home (not the ones pictured here) and they really do have a unique look to them. Might have been the colours and the printing techniques, along with the stylish/kooked graphics. Whatever it is, they look great as this gallery will attest!

Joe Bataan - Call My Name

2006-05-08T21:24:00.000+10:00

Released via the Spanish label VampiSoul for the European Market & via Eighteenth St Lounge in the USA with a digital downlaod only release where it comes with 5 extra remixes.

"East Harlem's godfather of Latin soul, Joe Bataan, is back with his first album in over 20 years! Recorded last year in New York City's Daptone Sound Studios, "Call My Name" fuses the unmistakable dusty groove of vintage funk and soul with contemporary production style and bombast. ESL Music proudly presents this digital only release featuring instant classics alongside dancefloor remixes from a bevy of current breakbeat-funk heavyweights. The smooth soul of title track "Call My Name" is reworked into a high-octane percussion session by The Voodoo Trombone Quartet, while the anthemic "Chick-a-Boom" undergoes a gymnastic electro-breakbeat makeover by Chris Joss, and Ursula 1000 adds even more spice to the hot barrio rhythms of "Chevere Que Chevere."" - www.eslmusic.com

Track Title
1. Call My Name
2. Chick-a-Boom
3. I'm The Fool (Parts 1&2)
4. Cycles Of You
5. Secret Girl, My Superfraud
6. Ernestine
7. Chevere Que Chevere
8. Keep The Change
9. Call My Name (VTQ Remix)
10. Chick-a-Boom(Chris Joss Remix)
11. I'm the Fool (Fort Knox Five Remix)
12. Ernestine(Lemon Remix)
13. Chevere Que Chevere (Urusla 1000 Remix)

Animal vs Buddy Rich - Beat It!

2006-04-24T19:02:00.000+10:00

VASHTI BUNYAN - Interview

2006-04-19T21:04:00.000+10:00

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of interviewing the charming Vashti Bunyan, a wonderous folk singer from the UK whose musical rediscovery makes for a great tale, as you can read here. The interview was conducted for the Cyclic Defrost magazine & site.

Lance Link's Back from the brink.

2006-04-19T18:26:00.000+10:00

That chimpanzee Lance Link has been let out of his cage for another attempt at a mix with all hairy arms a' blazin'. It's another blinding selection of some never heard before tunes fueled by a few banana shaked beverages I'm sure. A definite download for those who want to hear a more 'esoteric' set of 60s/70s sunshiney pysch exotica flavoured goodness. You won't be hearing these on the radio anytime soon.

• Download here: Lancelot Link's Back from the Brink 84MBs

Lance Link’s Autumn Rinky Dink

2006-04-13T16:23:00.000+10:00

Brandon’s Rusty Organ – RED & THE EYESIGHTS
How To Cook Macaroni & Cheese – NAKATSUKA TAKESHI
Search For Nirvana – GABOR SZABO
Candy Coloured Dragon – BOBBY JAMESON
Mais Cedo Ou Mais Tarde – OSMAR MILITO
Cigarette – ETERNITY’S CHILDREN
Movements Reprise – JOHNNY HARRIS
Webeganhearingthings – HE DID GLASS MUSIC
Twisted Nerve (Vocal Version) – BERNARD HERRMAN
Bayu Bayu – AQUARIANS
Across 110th Street (demo version) – BOBBY WOMACK
Split Personality – JIM NOIR
A New Place To Live – A NEW PLACE TO LIVE
Magico Incontro – ENNIO MORRICONE
To Pegasus With Love – PHILWITT & PEGASUS
The Visit (She Was Here) – THE CYRKLE
Neville Thumbcatch – PETER WYNGARDE
California Montage – DAVE GRUSIN
Indecise – CORALIE CLEMENT
Our Prayer – THE BEACH BOYS
My Autumn’s Done Come – LEE HAZLEWOOD

Click to enlarge downloadable cover.

• Download here: Lance Link’s Autumn Rinky Dink 82MBs/60mins/192kbps

NINO FERRER. The French/Italian James Brown

2006-04-08T19:40:00.000+10:00

Another one of those European singers with a crazy history. The son of an Italian mother & a French father he was born Augustino Ferrari in Genoa & the family moved to New Caledonia for a few years, but unfortunately they went back to Europe just after the 2nd world war had broken out in 1939. His death in 1998 was also quite impressive. He met a rather peculiar end by his own hands when he walked to a nearby cornfield & shot himself through the heart a month after his mother had died. He was 64. This was a rather dramatic & very cinematic departure from a career that had him earn the title of the European James Brown. With album titles like Je Veux Erte Noir (I Want to Be Black) & him covering a few James Brown songs like It's A Man''s World it was a justifiable comparison, even though he sounded like a much goofier & very white version at times. He studied Ethnology & Archaeology in his youth, learnt to played several instruments, worked with Manu Dibango, Nancy Holloway, had a relationship with Bridget Bardot, was living in a castle & had a variety show on Italian TV in the early 70s... So the dude had a colourful history & would make a great film if someone ever decided to make one. Alas, he never quite had the cult status of Mr Gainsbourg, probably because he lacked the suaveness & bravado of that particular gallic gentleman.

He was also one of the stars of the rarely seen 1970 Saint Tropez filmed Un été sauvage (A Savage Summer) from director Marcel Camus. Soundtrack was a free jazz score by Marion Brown. Seriously overdue for a DVD release. He featured in a few other films, but it wasn't really his thing, he did go on to host an Italian variety show in the early 70s.

more to come...

• Expanded biography.
• A website dedication. In French.

It's Friday & Everything's Archie

2006-04-07T15:22:00.000+10:00

Fickle Fashions

2006-04-06T13:54:00.000+10:00

"Little Bobby was grateful for the onset of spring. The daffodils were in bloom, strawberries were coming into season and soon he would no longer have to endure his regular beatings from the Mittens Of Fury gang."

Love it! Mary and Kimberley are two girls running a site called Threadbared, combining a fondness for vintage sewing patterns and a need to be bitchy, mean & cruel by placing captions to bad fashions across the ages as seen here.
Nice one.

Joyride - An Auto Theft

2006-04-04T22:04:00.000+10:00

"Classy" 70's educational scare flick starring two hapless teens stealin' a car and getting into trouble - big trouble.

Transportation Futuristics gallery.

2006-04-04T01:25:00.000+10:00

Visionary Designs in Transportation Engineering: An amazing online exhibition of yesteryears version of the way we might have travelled. The site was made in conjunction for an exhibition for Berkley university a few years ago. It's an excellent collection of advertisments, illustrations & raw sketches for many machines that never proceeded past the conceptual stages.

Check it out here.

"This exhibit examines some of the efforts to address transportation needs in ways that didn’t quite get off the ground literally or figuratively. Are the designers simply ahead of their time? Are the failures attributable to an infrastructure that never anticipated such a development? Was there ultimately no way to make the new idea work financially?"

Mod Mum - Doin' It For The Kids

2006-04-03T13:45:00.000+10:00

It's always great to discover a like minded soul on line, so i was smilin' when I peeped this great site put together by a lady called Mod Mum who lists her interests as mod, modern, futuristic + space-age design, technology, music, books, blogs + adventures. She has a lot of excellent links to open door after door into the worlds of yesterday and tommorrow within the internet vortex! Nice one, Mum!

Movie Title Screen Library

2006-04-03T12:58:00.000+10:00

Here's a unique catalog of movies...specifically, screen captures of movie title screens! Some absolute classics in here including some work by Saul Bass for Hitchcock and many more, from the 1920's up to the present day. Some of the simplest ones are the best.
Jump right in...select the first letter to go to that letter's index page.
Taken from the good folks at Shill Pages (a must for the fans of films of the golden ages)

RADIO BASTET: Belly Dance music.

2006-04-01T15:58:00.000+11:00

Radio Bastet has been online for a few years now & I give it up to its creator Marissa & her dedication to unearthing secondhand LPs of Belly Dance music. She's currently up to her 70th program & its a great way to hear this type of music that is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. There's always eBay, but Marissa's show allows you to hear the tracks instead of just looking at the exotic covers thinking about taking a gamble. The shows are MP3 streaming files & while there's an excellent cover gallery you can peruse while listening.

"Marhaba (Welcome)! Remember those old LP's in your parents' record collection - the ones promising "exotic adventures in far-off lands" and featuring sexy harem girls in skimpy costumes entertaining smiling, hooka-smoking sultans? Perhaps you were never able to get past those harem girls... If not, you may be surprised to learn that you missed out on some pretty great music! Of course, if you did get around to actually listening to the records, you already know how great it is! The late 1950's through the mid-1970's were the heyday of popular recordings of Middle Eastern/Oriental dance (that's "belly dance") music."

Also on LiveJournal, Tribe & recently added to Myspace.

Ed Sullivan's Rock n Roll Classics DVD Box Set (Rhino)

2006-03-30T17:01:00.000+11:00

Ed Sullivan, the master of US variety and entertainment had his fair share of stellar performers grace his stage over the years, and this comprehensive DVD box set pays testament to 144 tunes that are a treat for fans of the age. In particular, a lot of the groups beloved here at Chik-A-Boom are represented in all their glory.
Sonny & Cher, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Dino, Desi & Billy, The Association, Lou Rawls, The Mamas & The Papas, Johnny Rivers, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Beach Boys, Spanky & Our Gang, Brooklyn Bridge, The 5th Dimension, The Carpenters, Jay & The Techniques, as well as a bunch o' Motown and some funky offerings from Sly Stone and James Brown. On with the shooo!

Available here from the good folk at Rhino.

The MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E

2006-03-30T01:56:00.000+11:00

The Sunshine World Of Anna Chambers

2006-03-29T14:08:00.000+11:00

Anna Chambers has a great line in retro styled illustrations of the cute n kooked variety that will brighten up any day. Peep her website here.

ThWAAk! It's the Batman "fight sounds" gallery!

2006-03-29T13:49:00.000+11:00

Here's a fun gallery page of all the Blam! Thwaak! Zowee! Swish! onomatopeyas that occured whenever Batman and Robin tangled toe toe to with their arch enemies. See how many ridiculous sounds you can spot (!Ox?-eth!! being a favourite of mine). Taken from the wonderous Spanish (?) site Batmania.

Yo Yo A Go Go Icons #1 - RUBE GOLDBERG

2006-03-27T21:24:00.000+11:00

I just saw the 2003 made Honda car commercial, aka The Cog, again on the telly & I am still amazed at the genius behind it & so I thought I should mention the man Rube Goldberg. Most people aren't too familiar with his name, but might be with his style of inventions. Everyone knows the game Mousetrap. Okay, it wasn't a Goldberg invention, but instead it was created by Marvin Glass in 1963 for the Ideal Toy Corp, but it adhered to the Goldberg principle. It would have to be the most relatable item that would connect the Honda ad & the game with Mr Goldberg's ideas. Here's a website dedicated to him. And a book as well. This cartoonist with a gift for the absurd died in 1970, but his ideas are still employed at schools by teachers who get science students to understand engineering & complex machinery in an amusing way. Schools in the USA compete nationwide everywhere with these crazy inventions.

"Rube's drawings depict absurdly-connected machines functioning in extremely complex and roundabout ways to produce a simple end result; because of this RUBE GOLDBERG has become associated with any convoluted system of achieving a basic task."

Paul Revere & the Raiders 'Stepping Out'. 1965

2006-03-27T00:48:00.000+11:00

You know we love this stuff. Paul Revere & The Raiders perform their hit single "Steppin' Out" on the Hullabaloo television show on November 29, 1965. Michael Landon hosts, while the studio is chockas with go-go dancers.

The series was available on 3 DVD sets & if its of the quality that was displayed in the video above, then it looks like a worthy purchase. Unfortunately you might only find it on eBay, because the original released copies of 6 years ago seem to be only available on Amazon from re-sellers at $100US. Shucks! I wanna see more of the Hullabaloo dancers.

HERSK

2006-03-26T19:47:00.001+11:00

Check out some of his retro inspired artwork. They have a definite modern twist, with perhaps the above piece Liquid Swords, being named after GZA's album. More visuals here.

Rock Flowers - The Story

2006-03-26T13:25:00.000+11:00

I noticed that my man idiotproof had posted up the Rock Dolls ad from YouTube, so I thought i'd shed a bit of light on their history. This info I've garnished from the the Rock Flowers article by Lisa Sutton from the bubblegum bible "Bubblegum Music Is The Naked Truth" edited by Kim Cooper & David Smay.

Rock Flower dolls were six inch high fashion dolls introduced by Mattel in 1970. Each colourfully dressed figure came with a seven inch record abd a spindle used to attach the doll to a record player (!), so it would flail about while the turntable spun. Originally there were 3 dolls, Lilac, Heather & Rosemary. They were later joined by Iris and Doug (Doug???). Each doll had their own personalised song on the A-Side, while the beach side of each disc contained the Rock Flower theme song, "Sweet Times".

The songs the "group" performed on the 7" singles were produced by Wes Farrell (the dude behind the Partridge Family) and penned by Toni Wine (formerly of the Archies) and Brill Building honeys, Ellie Greenwhich and Carol Bayer. In fact, the same studio muso's who created the Partridge tracks would lay down the Rock Flowers tunes in down time between sessions for the popular TV show.

The two albums recorded in 1971 and 1972 were recorded by the world famous "Wrecking Crew" (with Hal Blaine and the players that backed the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra and...well, just about everyone). The albums were "Rock Flowers" and "Naturally". Their sound was reminiscent of a female Jackson Five/5th Dimension soul groove with a bubblegum pop edge. The real life stand ins for the dolls were found for the album covers, but strangely no mention of the actual dolls that spawned the records could be found anywhere on the sleeve! Nor was there mention of Mattel or the names of any of the vocalists singing the songs. there was however, a fanclub adress. Perhaps strangest of all was the lack of inclusion of any of the songs that came with the actual dolls, therefore destroying any idea of cross promotion! Crazy!

Neither the dolls nor the records took off in any major way, and they are now only a hazy memory to anyone who caught the ads on saturday morning TV. Until now, that is....see below for a rare glimpse at The Rock Flowers.

Rock Flowers doll commercial. 1971.

2006-03-26T03:14:00.000+11:00

Wow! It even comes with a record... Awesome!
And yes, that is Kasey Kasem's voice.

Excellent late 50s Album Cover gallery.

2006-03-25T17:59:00.000+11:00

Some of the artwork/photography displayed on these covers are absolutely beautiful & exquisitely designed. In fact there were too many to just choose just one to feature, so I've added a special bonus cover to the right. Ha! A lot will be familiar to those who delve into this music, but for those who know nothing, have a geek. Sure most of the music is lightweight piano music, but the likes of Baxter, Esquivel, Ferrante & Teicher, Denny are all represented among the 141 covers.

Check 'em out here.

Canadian emcee Josh Martinez used the Jonah James cover for his 'Buck Up Princess' album.

70's signage comes to life

2006-03-24T06:27:00.000+11:00

This song and clip is taken from the popular US kids show The Electric Company. It's such a simple, effective idea and essential for fans of retro fonts and signage.

Cardboard records

2006-03-24T03:30:00.000+11:00

Crazy as it sounds, they existed & they really did work. Read up on them here.
If you can't get enough & want to be freaked out some more, try this kooky site. You'll spend a couple of hours going through his archives.

Himitsu Sentai Goranger. 1975

2006-03-24T02:36:00.000+11:00

Just listen to the theme music from Michiaki Watanabe. Awesome cheeseball Streets of San Francisco style TV funk. Secret Task Force Goranger was Toei Studio's 1st Sentai TV show that aired from 1975-77. Wanna know what they looked like.

This is Skateboard Music compilation.

2006-03-24T01:38:00.000+11:00

I remember in the 70s, before the main feature played in the cinema, they'd always show short films. The ones I recall better than others were the Frisbee championship type & the skateboarding ones. So when this compilation came out late last year, on CD & double gatefold vinyl via the German label Diggler, it reminded me of a style of music that has totally dissapeared. It also shows how extreme the soundtrack to skateboarding has changed in the last 30 odd years. Your contemporary skater would piss his pants listening to this stuff. It was a time & it was definitely a place. A very Californian sound circa 1975. Have a listen at Movie Grooves. It even has its own dedicated website.

Sydney band Youth Group recently did an brilliant cover version of the early 80s track Forever Young by Alphaville (it was in Napolean Dynamite). It's an impressive cover version that is leagues ahead of the original. While the Alphaville's version was classic new romantic, Youth Group having given it a dreamy sunshine pop sound. Apparently some popular teen drama on US TV has been using it for awhile now. So why have I provided you with this information? Becasue the videoclip has some excellent archival footage of Aussie skateboarders from the 70s & is worth a viewing. Watch it here.

BB & Sacha Distel (Prod. Serge Gainsbourg) - La Bise Aux Hippies

2006-03-23T22:43:00.000+11:00

Oh, yeeeeaaahhh.

Serge gets lairy with Whitney

2006-03-23T22:40:00.000+11:00

Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited - Various (Barclay, 2006)

2006-03-23T21:30:00.000+11:00

I heard this brand new compilation of reinterpretations/covers of some of Serge G's well known and not so well known tunes for the first time today. As with any of these tribute affairs, the results are patchy at times, but several of the worshipers here do rise to the occasion with very tasteful takes on the great man's melodies.

Among the better tunes are Michael Stipe (!) performing "L'Hotel" with some great sparse instrumentation and an understated vocal delivery, Portishead with a menacing guitar and a solid beat on "Requiem for Anna", Cat Power and Karen Elson giving "J'Tieme" a breathy workout. Marianne Faithful almost steals the show backed by Sly and Robbie on her version of one of Gainsbourg's JA sojourns "Lola R. For Ever", and finally, Gonzales, Feist and Dani give a fresh feel to "Boomerang 2005".

Others on the compilation include Franz Ferdinand & Jane Birkin, Jarvis Cocker & Kid Loco, Faultine, Brian Molko & Françoise Hardy, Tricky, Marc Almond,Placebo, The Rakes, The Kills and Carla Bruni. Unfortunately, several of these tracks lack something in the translation, but overall it's worth a look in, if only for the tracks I mentioned above, which are pretty damn good. Another bonus is hearing Serge's lyrics deleivered in their english translation, which serves to highlight his witty way with words - saucy!

PLUS...Just saw this review on a French site, looks great...Gainsbourg in concert, reggae-style
Re-release of the album Live au Palace 1979

www.scopia.new.fr

2006-03-23T17:37:00.000+11:00

I love it when searching the Net for something in particular & then accidently stumbling onto a site that is, well, just like us. Kinda sorta... bits of it anyway. It comes highly recommended by us so go have a peeky boo at Scopia.

Oh, but its all in French so all you non-Francophiles can just look at the record covers.

Kitsch * Futuriste * Groovy
Pop * Psychédélique
Synthétique * Retro * Culte
Avant-gardiste Ringard
Jazzy * Cinématique

Go Go film tribute # 1

2006-03-23T15:20:00.000+11:00

AMOR A RITMO DE GO-GO. 1966.
Directed by Miguel M. Delgado.
This well Mexican rock & roll film is regarded as one of the best in the teen genre.
Available on DVD-R from The Video Beat & Los Rockin Devils.
View a preview of the film here. Downloadable 4.6MBs Quicktime movie file.

CORALIE CLEMENT - Bye Bye Beaute

2006-03-23T14:14:00.000+11:00

Here's one for fans of 60's folk, the VU, Astrud Gilberto and the Ye Ye French girl sound. This is Coralie's second release and it's quite the sassy item from the land of the long bread stick. Assisted by her multi-talented muso/producer brother, "Bye Bye Beaute" whispers and rocks gently utilising modern production techniques along with warm analogue sounds to bring one of the nicest releases of the past few years. Play it for the shy girl in the front row.

Visit Coralie's official website.
Buy her albums here .

Bon Apetite!

CHIK-A-BOOM'S IN LOVE WITH #5 - Jane Seymour

2006-03-23T06:58:00.000+11:00

Car chase from BULLITT. 1969

2006-03-23T02:28:00.000+11:00

One of the all-time greatest car chases put on film. Steve McQueen in a Mustang 1968 GT. A great article on the chase here. The video is full screen & about 8 mins long.

The Green Machine. 1976. Marx Toys

2006-03-23T02:10:00.000+11:00

Can you believe this? 30 years later & they've remade the classic 70s toy. The one that children were literally green with envy everytime they saw another kid with one. Me included. I can still remember the commercial on TV as clear as day. Sadly my parents reneged on a deal & bought me a block of Das instead. It still looks pretty damn nice. The design started out in 1969 as the Big Wheel & then culminated into the Green Machine after a rival company developed the Hot Cycle.

FROGS. 1972

2006-03-23T00:58:00.000+11:00

Fantastic poster artwork. Boring as batshit film. Well, that's what I remember.

The 70s were rife with animals & insects gone mad films. ie: The Swarm, Empire of the Ants, Food of the Gods, Giant Spider Invasion, Piranha, Squirm, Night of the Lepus, Grizzly, etc... If they made 'em, I watched them. Ha! The director George McGowan mostly worked in televison. Which would explain why it was so dull. What were good actors like Sam Elliot & Adam Roarke (I feel an Adam Roarke post coming on soon) doing in this one? One of legendary exotica composer Les Baxter's early forays into synthesised soundtracks. Mostly blips & blurps imitating swampy sounds. Apparently the DVD version looks 100% better than the video & TV prints we've endured. Maybe I oughta take another look. In saying that, the new DVD cover looks pretty shithouse. Have a gander. Original artwork always kicks arse over clean stupid photo montage shit they do.

Les Surfs - The Youngest Ye Ye Family

2006-03-22T22:04:00.000+11:00

I have had to translate the translation of this story, hopefully it reads ok (Oof!)...

Les Surfs were four brothers and two sisters, the eldest of the Rabaraona family of twelve children, born in Madagascar.

The group, known initially under the name of Rabaraona Brothers and Sisters, gained First Prize at an amatuer song contest organized by the national station "Tananarive", by interpreting two hits of the well known US vocal group the Platters, "Only You" and "The Great Pretender".

Following this success, the group, now going under the name The Beryls, made several rounds through Madagascar with the popular Malagasy singer Henry Ratsimbazafy and the CCC Guitars. They recorded their first 45 accompanied by De Commarmond from the afore mentionedTananarive

At the request of the French government, the six brothers and sisters were selected to represent Madagascar with the inauguration of a chain of television stations in Paris (Door of Versailles) in September 1963. With their first appearance, they immediately conquered the French public. Record label Festival, with the assistance of the motor mouthed organizer of Radio Madagascar, Jean-Louis Rafidy, who accompanied them during their stay in Paris, landed them their first European contract and became their manager. The group was then baptized Surfings (Les Surf).

Their first album was released in December 1963 during their first round to France with Sheila and Frank Alamo. Their song "My Baby", remained for three months at the top of the charts in France, Spain and in Mexico (Spanish version). In 1964, after their shows at the Olympia in Paris , Surfings were heralded as "the revelation of the year" in France.

During the following years, Surfings made several tours to France, Spain, Italy (including four participations in the International Festival of the Song Italian of San Rémo), Switzerland (three festivals of Montreux), but also in several French-speaking countries and of Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, etc...), Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Algeria, Zaire, etc... Their success caught the world's attention because the group had managed to cause so much interest and passion wherever they went.

They took part in many television appearances and showcases with large artists of world repute like Jacques Brel, Enrico Macias, Alain Barière, Petula Clark, Tom Jones, the Supremes, Betty Grable, Oscar Peterson, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, etc... Not only did Surfings record all their songs in French, Italian, Spanish, English and German, but they also seemed to appeal to ye ye music fans of all ages.

The press, the radio and television covered their career with interest, and Surfings remained, during their existence, among the best selling groups in the world. During their career, they made an appearance in two films: Seek The Idol with Charles Aznavour, Johnny Halliday and Sylvie Vartan, and Last Tiercé with Dario Moreno and Odile Versois. Several heads of State came to attend their premieres.

In 1971, after a lengthy tour to Guadeloupe, Martinique and in Quebec, Surfings separated amicably to take time to reflect on a wonderous career in pop.

The Real Reason For The Bananna Shortage

2006-03-22T22:00:00.000+11:00

Jasper Johns

2006-03-22T21:35:00.000+11:00

The pop art pal of dancer Merce Cunningham, composer John Cage and fellow artist Robert Rauschenburg (who he worked along side as a Tiffiny's window dresser), Jasper Johns was a painter dealing with the process of looking at the absurd of the everyday within his paintings and making use of maps, numbers and flags.

I remember chosing one of his works using flags as a subject matter in a year 10 art class where we were asked to replicate an artwork of our choice. I was drawn to his bold, sometimes rough strokes and great use of colour.

He also used everyday objects in his early sculptute works and that crossed over into his painting and later, his printmaking. Teaming up with the writer Samuel Beckett in the 70's, his works displayed an abstration and overlapping of the written word, based on Beckett's texts.

If you've got some silly money to throw around, why not go here and purchase one of his originals for a cool $40,000US.

CHIK A BOOM'S IN LOVE WITH #04 - Jane Birkin

2006-03-22T20:14:00.000+11:00

Let's All Boogaloo!

2006-03-22T19:54:00.000+11:00

The Boogaloo or Shing-A-Ling was a 1960's dance craze which caught on with the public thru American Bandstand and gained momentum in the late 1960s. It was considered a Latin dance because of it's Mambo patterns, but was used in the Blues and Rock and Roll as well. The Boogaloo replaced the popular Latin Pachanga dance in popularity.

The dance basically involved simple jerky movements with your feet, hips and body. Anybody could do it! (The Americanised version, that is.)

Early Boogaloo used a twelve-step sequence that was later sped up into a thirty-step sequence. The most common musical feature was a mid-tempo, looping melody that doubled as the anchoring rhythm, often played on piano or by the horn section. The presence of vocals, especially a catchy, anthematic chorus, was another distinguishing feature, especially in comparison to more instrumental dances like the mambo, guajira and guaracha. Ray Baretto, Eddie Palmieri, Joe Bataan, Joe Cuba, Johnny Colon, Ricardo Ray, King Nando, Joey Pastrana, the Lebron Brothers, the Hi-Latins, Pete Terrace and Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers were all heroes of the boogaloo.

You can read more at this great resource, salsacrazy.com

There's Gonna Be A Gumfight!

2006-03-22T19:50:00.000+11:00

Flotter Osten - Alte DDR-Werbespots.

2006-03-22T19:20:00.000+11:00

Awesome footage of late 50s/early 60s motor travel in Germany. Ripped from a 1990 made/1992 released German VHS tape.
I did find some info, but its on a German P2P site that also looks to have some other interesting vids. Look here. I just can't register to check them out.

Be warned it's 38 mins in length, so best to use a video download program & then watch.

ROMANTICA's La Nuit de Romantica DVD.

2006-03-22T15:01:00.000+11:00

Record label associated Readymade Magazine No 2 contained a DVD which featured the strippers Romantica. They've now released it as a separate DVD & as you can see, they favour the 60s imagery quite a bit. Directed and music selected by Konishi Yasuharu.
Readymade International RMDV-001

You can get it from Japan HMV.

More information at International Readymade.

BLACK TIGHT KILLERS. 1966. Japan

2006-03-22T14:02:00.000+11:00

aka Ore ni sawaru to abunaize.
Directed by: Yasuharu Hasebe
Starring: Akira Kobayashi, Chieko Matsubara, Akeme Kita, Mieko Nishio, Bokuzen Hidari.
Soundtrack by: Naozumi Yamamoto
DVD release date: Aug 2000
Based on original novel by: Michio Tsuzuki.
87 mins.
Nikkatsu Studios

It was about 6 years ago when someone decided to start releasing all the previously unavailable Japanese films from the 60s/70s onto DVD. This film was in the 1st crop & was also my first purchase. They were films I had read about, but were impossible to view in this country. SBS TV played a few, but nothing quite like what is now currently available. So having previously lived off Sonny Chiba & samurai films, I'm now an ardent Suzuki, Fukasaku & Hasebe fan.

Kobayashi plays a combat photographer who has to rescue his airline stewardess girlfriend (Matsubara) from a wierd team of American mobsters & Japanese Yakuza. Luckily he is helped by some mysterious looking go go girls who appear on the scene, using vinyl 45s & bubblegum as weapons, everytime he is in distress.

post in progress

French version of the 1967 Spiderman cartoon theme.

2006-03-22T02:37:00.000+11:00

What a trip!
Though I don't think singing 'L' Araignée, l'araignée, il peut faire celui qu'une l'araignée puisse', sounds as cool as 'Spiderman, spiderman, he can do whatever a Spider can'.

If that wasn't enough for you, don't forget Spider-Man - The '67 Collection (6 Volume Animated Set) (1967). Includes 52 episodes. 1114 mins. Full colour. Watch Spidey swing past the same building 20,000 times & listen to J.Jonah Jameson grumble at the end of each episode.

Fork out the coin for it at Amazon.

YO YO'S IN LOVE WITH #03 - Ann Margret

2006-03-22T01:24:00.000+11:00

Hideous Homes of the 7os.

2006-03-22T01:08:00.000+11:00

All contained within the 176 pages of James Lileks Interior Desecrations : Hideous Homes from the Horrible '70s. Saw this once a few years ago & have regretted not picking it up. Funny thing is, I so wish my parents had bad taste back then, but they were never really hipster groover types who would make such bold mistakes with their furnishings & such.

Its only a click away from Amazon. Published by Crown.

FOXY BROWN title sequence.

2006-03-22T00:16:00.000+11:00

Maurice Binder inspired credit sequence from one of Pam Grier's best films. Willie Hutch sings the awesome theme song, while a dancing & shaking Pam assaults your visual cortex amongst an epileptic inducing siezure of swirling candy colours. The 1974 released Foxy Brown is definitely one of the director Jack Hill's finer moments & Miss Grier can still be seen on Showtime's lesbian drama The L Word.

Retro acquisitions for your home.

2006-03-22T00:09:00.000+11:00

Furnish your house with loads of funky looking pieces via the Seattle, Washington based store Planetoranj.

CHIK A BOOM'S IN LOVE WITH #02 - Raquel Welch

2006-03-21T22:08:00.000+11:00

How Fruity!

2006-03-21T13:43:00.000+11:00

Blaze said he thought this site was lookin' appropriately fruity, so I thought I'd take it to the next level and showcase the amazingly realistic illustration work of Ben Garvie and his world of fruit, hotdogs, ice cream and toys. Try to resist licking yer monitor....

COSBY KIDS ILLUSTRATION COMP WINNERS

2006-03-21T13:35:00.000+11:00

Check out these competition entries for an illustration competition held over at Sacks 10 where the entrants were asked to draw the gang from Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids! Some real nice work on some of 'em.

The ultimate THUNDERBALL shrine.

2006-03-21T02:19:00.000+11:00

Of course Sean Connery was the best Bond. No arguments here. Though I can say that the choice of Daniel Craig has me captivated. For I think he's exactly what the series needs. A Bond with more balls & less smugness. Lets hope it gets as gritty as it was back in the 60s. Alas the look of those days are far gone, so we just have to make do with what exists from that period.

Alan Gilbert's incredible website dedicated to just one of the Bond films is one of the cleanest & well thought out designs on the internet. It's been online for almost 6 years & has amassed an extraordinary amount of material for your perusal. Appropriately he's named it Obsessional and after you have had a scout around, you'll most likely concur. The information is staggering, but what I truly admire is the great lengths he has gone to in scanning images for the site. It truly is mind boggling & very completist. Even if you aren't into the Bond films, it's worth it just for the artwork & design that was associated with that period & specifically the spy genre.

THE FACE OF JESUS IN MY SOUP

2006-03-20T22:22:00.000+11:00

OK, I know I'm going a bit nuts with the YouTube madness, but, c'mon - it's too good not to take a look. Besides, why not let the good folk here at Chik A Boom do all the late night trawling, so you don't have to - now get back to work you slacker!

This is so golden - footage taked from library stock footage of bad drivers set to a very funky little number - enjoy!

LOVE - My Little Red Book

2006-03-20T21:56:00.000+11:00

Arthur Lee and his band of misfits tear up the Bacharach/David tune originally penned for the soundtrack to the film "What's Mew Pussycat" where it was performed by UK R&B/Beatboomers Manfred Mann. Apparently, Bacharach hated Love's version, but I reckon it's outstanding. Check out Arthur in his famous diamond shaped shades (word had it that you couldn't actually see through them, they just made the world look even more fractured and trippy!)

THE CATTANOOGA CATS - Know Where It's At

2006-03-20T20:50:00.000+11:00

The Cattanooga Cats were a Hanna-Barbera creation consisting of Scoots, Country, Groove & Kitty Jo. Four Southern feline hipsters on the road peddling their groovy gum tunes and getting into wacky adventures wherever they roamed. The songs they played were written and performed by 17 year old Michael Lloyd, a member of the mighty West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band and produced by the famous Mike Curb, the man who kicked all those "dangerous" psychedelic bands such as the Velvet Underground off the MGM label when he took it over in his mid 20's in favour of "family" oriented groups such as the Osmonds and the Cowsills (Curb also formed the Mike Curb Congregation, a group akin to the Ray Conniff Singers).

The Cattanooga's ran for a relatively short time on TV, but managed to unleash a slab of subliminal songwriting subversity onto the kids via tunes such as "My Birthday Suit" and this snappy little number, "Mother May I".
The Cat's opening theme song was accompanied by animation master Iwao Takamoto's strobing op art images.

The show also introduced three regular cartoon segments: It's The Wolf (featuring the voice of Paul Lynde as Mildew Wolf), Autocat & Motormouse (see more pics at The Motormouse Page in Portuguese), and Around The World In 79 Days. This was also one of the last HB shows to feature "talking animals" (in the Huck/Yogi tradition) before HB launched into creating dozens of Scooby Doo-inspired Mystery cartoons like The Funky Phantom, The Amazing Chan Clan, Goober And The Ghost Chasers, and many others. Motormouse recieved his own show for one season in September 1970 on ABC Saturday Mornings.

Can we get a DVD release please?

2006-03-20T19:24:00.000+11:00

The PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH. 1970.
Directed by: Chuck Jones, Abe Levitow & Dave Monahan (live action sequences).
Starring: Butch Patrick & the voice of Mel Blanc
Soundtrack: Dean Elliot.
Based on the Novel by: Norton Juster.
MGM STUDIOS

Plot: The Phantom Tollbooth tells the story of a bored boy named Milo who drives through a magic tollbooth into the Kingdom of Wisdom. The rulers of the kingdom's two major cities, Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, are engaged in an endless quarrel about whether words or numbers are superior. Milo discovers that harmony can only be restored if he rescues the twin princesses of sweet Rhyme and pure Reason. His pun-rich travels include trips to Conclusions (you jump there, of course) and the silence-filled Valley of Sound, culminating in an attempt to rescue the princesses, who are guarded by horrible beasts like the Gross Exaggeration and the Threadbare Excuse.

Okay, so the author called the film 'drivel' when it came out, but all I can recall is that it was freaky looking, educational & wondrous children's film. Even the songs have still resonated. Especially teh one set in the 'doldrums'. Mind you, it must be over 30 years since I last saw it & time can make terrible things seem so much better through a hazy memory. Warner own the rights via the MGM connection & are rumoured to make it as a live action film one day. Technology is now here to make it possible, but I reckon they'd go with CGI instead. Do try & find the book, for it has that Dr Seuss type quality in that it's quite cryptic in its language, yet simplistic in its delivery.

The book was written in Brooklyn, NY in 1961 & adapted into a feature film by Warner brothers main animator, the late Chuck Jones. Milo, as played by Butch Patrick (Freddie on The Munsters TV show) appears briefly in the flesh before transforming into an animated version once he enters through the tollbooth that is plonked in his loungeroom. The live action sequences bookend the film & from memory we don't get to see any other real live himans in the film. For some reason I recall a goldfish. Classic animation voices or comedic actors like Daws Butler, Hans Conreid & the legendary June Foray also provide the voices.

It's probably not as good as I remember, but surely its better then half the 'drivel they release on DVD. It is due for a remake... Mr Tim Burton perhaps?

NIZA - Por las tardes

2006-03-20T03:40:00.000+11:00

My favourite duo on the Spanish label Elefant. And I like a heck of a lot on that label. I adore the singer Sylvia (she has a touch of the Amelie look) & I love this song from their only real album, the 2002 released Canciones de Temporada. It's a gentle combination of 60s French chick stylee & with a twist of Brazilian bossa nova. Seriously, if you don't fall in love with her after watching & listening to it, well I just don't know if we could be friends...

It's 100% perfect sunshine pop for today's world. Brilliant stuff.
Sucks that they broke up in 2005.

EERO SAARINEN was incredible.

2006-03-20T02:56:00.000+11:00

I'm sure Thievery Corporation think the same. Especially after appropriating his Tulip chair for their Eighteenth St Lounge label iconography. It has become a symbol for its time, yet still remains as enigmatic in todays space. I could go on & on about all the amazing looking buildings that he created, but my admiration towards this Finnish artist wrapped inside an architect is endless. Why don't people create such magnificent looking structures these days? I know nothing about architecture per se, but when I found out the TWA Terminal at JFK airport in NY had been designed by him I was enthralled. You can see some beautiful shots of the terminal here. It's been closed since 2001 after the demise of the airline & will re-open in 2008. Thankfully Spielberg utilised it in his film Catch Me If You Can while it was closed in 2003. Eero's legacy continues with an ongoing archival project & a documentary film for PBS all to be realised by the end of this year.

There have been a few books on his exquistely architecture, but looks like Taschen have done it again with thier new publication Saarinen.

Australian breakfast cereal toys from the 1970s.

2006-03-20T00:47:00.000+11:00

Barry Divola's book is now out of print from Allen & Unwin.
So best to run around to all the ABC shops to obtain a copy of this humourus look at the world of cereal toy collectors & the like while copies might be lying hidden on the shelves.

You can actually purchase the same toys as depicted on the books cover from this Aussie dude.

ULTRAMAN JACK theme song.

2006-03-19T22:59:00.000+11:00

One of my favourite songs from the 40 year strong Japanese series.
Kaette Kita Urutoraman (The Ultraman Who Returned). This theme song is by composer Fuyuki Toru for Eiji Tsuburaya's 4th Ultraman TV series Kaetekita Ultraman (Return of Ultraman). Originally aired 4/2/1971 - 3/31/1972 with 51 episodes.

Chik A Boom's Musical Gifts To You!

2006-03-19T22:37:00.001+11:00

Stay tuned for exclusive mix sets for your downloading pleasure appearing here in the next few days from several of our gang. Featuring delectible crossings of the musical boundaries we all know and love so well here at Yo-Yo A Go-Go, the first cab off the rank is Lancelot Link's "Autumn Rinky Dink" compendium which includes cuts from Lee Hazlewood, Jim Noir, Eternity's Children, Bernard Hermann and many more.

All mixes will include full colour cd cover art for you to print and assemble to make your very own collectible, Yo-Yo approved, shiny silver disc of fun!
Click image below to enlarge & download to print for CD cover.

CHIK A BOOM's IN LOVE WITH #01 - BARBARA EDEN

2006-03-19T22:12:00.000+11:00

Italy's STUDIODAVOLI

2006-03-19T16:40:00.000+11:00

This quartet have the 60s space age pop sound running through their veins, though in a much more contemporary style akin to a mix between groups like Cinammon, Stereolab & The Cardigans. It's the combination of English written songs, a spacey electronic overlay with traditional instruments combined with hooky riffs that keep them fresh & outside of the genre in which they most likely get their influences from. Retro influenced, but modern sounding. Being Italian it would only be natural & appropriate that they could pull of this type of sound & the visually convincing aesthetics of these combinations.

Thier 2nd album Decibles for Dummies will be out soon via Record Kicks.
More info available on the Studiodavoli website.

Lamberto Bava's videoclip homage to Danger Diabolik.

2006-03-19T01:25:00.000+11:00

Yes, I admit I am a fully fledged unabashed card carrying member of the 'I Love Danger Diabolik Club'. And truth be told, I was a fan from an early age, for I managed to catch it on Channel 9 in the late 70s when it last aired on TV sometime after midnight. Then I bought the laserdisc version in the mid-90s & had the Mu Meson fellas in Sydney copy it onto video for me from the 2nd disc I bought for their archives, for I knew they were massive fans as well.

Anyways, above is the original director son's shortened version of his dad's cult film Diabolik for Italian pop/rock group Tiromancino's 2004 released song Amore Impossibile. John Phillip Law even cameos as a security guard in the clip. Ex-Bold & the Beautiful star Daniel McVicar plays Diabolik, while Italian actress Claudia Gerini takes over the role of Eva Kent, originally played by the delectable Marissa Mel. Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf) was rumoured to be interested in making a new version of the film, though less Bava's version & more based on the original comic, which is still in print in Italy. If you don't believe me then look here. I'm fine with that & would prefer a European tackle the idea than anyone else. Strangely enough Gans is supposedly filming another Euro comic book adaptation. This time the medievel Rahan with Mark Dacascos. Who incidentally was his choice for his version of Diabolik.

Ever since I heard the news that Ennio Morricone's score was damaged in a fire to never be released I've been distraught. The CD versions that are available are sourced from the film print complete with dialogue & are unfulfilling due to the crappy sound. The only original item that exists is the theme song Deep Down as sung by Christy. It was released as a 7" single & is available on a few Morricone compilations like Canto Morricone. I just figured that I'd never ever get it because the other Diabolik nutjobs would always out bid me on eBay if it ever did pop up, so i've never looked for it online.

THE SUGAR BEARS - Wake Up & Dance!

2006-03-19T00:42:00.000+11:00

The Sugar Bears were a prefab cartoon bubblegum band that appealed to the kids and infiltrated their hearts, minds and even mouths via this cereal box record that you could cut out of the back of the pack when you finished eating and slap on the stereo. Chew and groove! Interestingly, most of the tunes from their album "Presenting the Sugar Bears" (Big Tree BTS-2009 1972) were penned by a young Kim Karnes who later had a huge hit with "Bette Davis Eyes".

EMIN A Go Go

2006-03-19T00:32:00.000+11:00

Try as hard as I may, I couldn't find any background info on this go-go booted trio featuring UK's enfant terrible Tracey Emin (that's her in the center). Any enlightening comments would be appreciated.

KAZUSHIGE SUGANO

2006-03-19T00:05:00.000+11:00

Artist Kazushige Sugano has a definate touch of the R.Crumbs about him in his sketches of musicians and exotic odballs (which is never a bad thing). He held an exhibition in London accompanied by a soft rock soundtrack a la Spanky & Our Gang and Mama Cass.

Sample a large load of his wonderous works at his website gallery here.

ASHA BHOSLE - Karle pyar karle. 1969

2006-03-18T19:10:00.000+11:00

From the well regarded Bollywood classic Talash. Directed by O.P. Ralhan, while the Soundtrack was by S.D Burman's (yes, R.D's dad). Though that is actress Helen Jairag lip synching to Bhosle's vocals. The DVD release is available from many companies, as is the norm with Indian films.

Can we get a DVD release please?

2006-03-18T17:33:00.000+11:00

The POWER. 1967.
Directed by: Byron Haskin
Starring: George Hamilton, Suzanne Pleshette, Richard Carlson, Yvonne De Carlo.
Soundtrack: Miklós Rózsa.
Based on the Novel by: Frank M. Robinson.
MGM STUDIOS

Plot: Seven scientists at a space research center conduct a group experiment in psychokinesis. But this reveals that one of their number is a mental superman who has vast psychic powers. But as soon as this is discovered, the mystery superman starts using their powers to kill off all the other scientists in order to hide their existence. Forced to go on the run, one of the scientists, Jim Tanner, tries to follow a series of clues and discover the supermind's identity before he becomes the next victim.

Where is this film..? Look at the freakin' poster. If it's even a 10th as good as it implies, then it should be at least half decent. Apparently it is a damn good film directed in a Hitchcockian style by the maker of the brilliant The Naked Jungle (the Chuck Heston flick set in South America where he battles an oncoming army of red ants on his plantation). Like that film, The Power is also a George Pal production. Yes, he of Puppetoons fame & the original Time Machine, Brothers Grimm, Tom Thumb films. In memorium we should have a celebratory release.

William Tuttle did the make-up, cowboy lensman Ellsworth Fredericks was the D.O.P, Policewoman TV show's Earl Holliman (Policewoman) is in it, refined English actor Michael Rennie as well, tough guy character actor Aldo Ray & even Famous Monsters magazine legend Forry Ackerman had a cameo. For hecks sake. Its got 'em all in it. Whats the problem? Who's holding out? Give me their name & number & I'll sort it out.

Unauthorised versions of the soundtrack have appeared on vinyl & CD before, but the magazine Film Score Monthly offically released 30 mins of it in 2005 as a 2 in 1 deal with Russell Garcia's Atlantis.

Some TIKI madness..

2006-03-18T15:59:00.000+11:00

Published 3 times a year by Nick Camera in San Diego is Tiki Magazine. Celebrating Polynesian & Hawaiian & pop culture. You can subscribe on the website via Paypal.

Another publication, Tiki News are having their 6th Tiki Oasis party & just by the artwork alone I'd want to be there. I wish the image was of a higher res, becasue i'm getting a kick out of looking at it.

The excellent retro styled artwork was designed by this dude at Derek Art.

CANNONBALL JANE

2006-03-17T23:15:00.000+11:00

Music schoolteacher by day, sampling wizard by night.

This is how it should be done. Making music for the fun of it & having the results be obsiquily innocent & delisciously enignmatic. I like her own musical description: "SASSY HIP-HOP SAMPLING GIRL GROUP POP!" Nice one.

Check for more of Jane on her website here.

My word, is that her on MySpace.

post in progress

DIABOLIK poster from Japan.

2006-03-17T17:13:00.000+11:00

Click on image to enlarge.

Incredible looking Japanese poster for Mario Bava's classic 60s pop art criminal flick, Diabolik. You'll probably see a lot of posts up here on this film and related Euro superhero/spy flicks from the same era..

WAX TAILOR samples Doris Day.

2006-03-17T16:40:00.000+11:00

Check him out here.

Work in progress... Check back later.

CHEZ LE COIFFEUR EP. France. 2006

2006-03-16T22:20:00.000+11:00

The Parisian based label Stereo Fiction serves up Boutique Chic: Cez Le Coiffeur as the 1st vinyl EP from a forthcoming CD album compilation. The debut release is thematically dedicated to... Hairdressers of the 50s. Musically it's more house oriented, but it's still pretty kooky & reminds me of early Dimitri From Paris, when he was getting all fruity.

I look forward to the other themes. Like Lawnmowers, Milk Bars, Space Exploration, Rollerskating, geez I dunno, whatever they were thinking about in the 50s. Okay, whos going to do a track about teh Cold War? Yeah, I'd like to hear a dark, moody track with a crunchy break taken from a John Barry soundtrack for that one.

Track listing
- Chris Joss - Brilliantine A Gogo
- Minimatic - La Raie O Milieu (Centre Parting)
- Le Grand David - Bigoudis Party (Hair-Curlers Party)
- Georges Deligny - Panique au Salon (Panic at the Salon)

For a perm & colouring, go here to the Boutique Chic.

WILLIE DYNAMITE. 1974.

2006-03-16T20:09:00.000+11:00

Directed by: Gilbert Moses
Starring: Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands,
Thalmus Rasula, Joyce Walker.
Soundtrack by: J.J. Johnson
Original release date: 01/01/1974
105 mins

This was the first blaxploitation soundtrack that I bought back in the mid 80s, yet remained one of the last of the films for me to actually see. I relented many years ago when a pan & scan version came my way because I figured that it would have to get a DVD release in due time.

It's different from most blaxploitation films, even though visually it looks like it would be a straight action flick, it has a deeper story that carries the film past its unfairly placed b-grade category. Willie (Roscoe Orman) is pure Americana. He's a pimp & a capitalist who is always trying to profit on his bevy of beauties, unfortunately for him the local pimp union wants to get in on some of his action, while the cops just want to bring him down. Meanwhile an old flame from years gone by has returned, but as a social worker who wants the girls to change their ways & to also save Willie from a self-destructive & morally bankrupt path. Race is never a factor in the film & there is no element of kill whitey. It's more or less a character study on a flamboyant personality from an era when pimpology was looked on as a cool thing. Though the fact that Three 6 Mafia's song about a pimp won the best song award at The 2006 Oscars seems too imply that we might still be glamourising a calling that is fraught with conflicting qualities. Its a great film & rises well above its perceived status.

Yes, for you astute viewers that is Gordon of Sesame Street as Willie the pimp. It definitely threw me for a curve. The only actor of note who went onto bigger things was the engagingly named Thalmus Rasulala. You'll spot him in other blaxplo type of films such as Cool Breeze, Blacula, Friday Foster, Bucktown, Mr Ricco & the more gentle Cornbread Earl & Me. Loads of TV shows, but probably well know for playing Kunta Kinta's father in the classic mini-series Roots. One of his last roles was in New Jack City as the Police Commissioner. He died of a heart attack the same year.

The excellent cinematography, filmed on location in Manhattan, was due to to late Frank Stanley. A onetime D.O.P. on a few Clint Eastwood films, including Magnum Force & Thunderbolt & Lightfoot.

Jazz trombonist & composer J.J. Johnson provided the score, (which includes the b-boy favourite Willie's Chase). He also was one of the guest composers on the 70s Buck Rogers TV show, but then so was Les Baxter. Johnson committed suicide via a gunshot to the head in 2001 from not wanting to deal with the prostate cancer that was ruining his life.

Released by MCA/Universal Ent.
• Available here at Amazon.
• A list of other films at Sticking It To the Man.
• And here at the never updated Blaxploitation.

Jim Noir - Crown Prince of All Pops' Yesterdays Tomorrow

2006-03-16T17:10:00.000+11:00

Jim Noir is a 23 year old Mancunian bedroom boffin who creates mini Spector/Wilson/Bacharach styled symphonies of irreverant pocket pop masterpieces at his home studio. This guy has a gift for melody and grin inducing lyrics that is sorely missing from a lot of today's hipper than thou sheened products often spat out by the music machine that is modern music.

A self confessed lazy bastard, who requires his manager to phone him in order to get out bed before midday, Noir (real name Alan Roberts) has just released his debut album "Tower Of Love" on the My Dad record label. Containing new tunes as well as several taken from his previous 2 eps, this is an album to both impress current friends with and perhaps to gain new ones wherever you play it. Cinematic, pastoral, humourous, heartfelt and crafted with the right amount of pathos, but without irony, "Tower Of Love" will be one to watch for on the personal charts of anybody who really knows and loves music this year. Genius!

Listen/Download Jim Noir - "My Patch"
Listen/Download Jim Noir - "The Only Way"
Listen/Download Jim Noir - "Eany Meany" (Real Audio)
Listen/Download Jim Noir - "A Quiet Man" (Real Audio)