Granny (Irene Ryan) - Granny's Mini Skirt

 

Granny played byIrene Ryan from the TV show Bevely Hillbillies released this record in 1968, this record has been mentioned as one of the worst records of all time!

Granny's Mini-Skirt by Irene Ryan

Squareabouts - Phrase Craze

 

Much to my suprise this record is on YouTube, the Squareabouts released 8 records in the USA, this was the 4th release and the only one with a German release.

The Squareabouts - Phrase Craze

Dave Dee, Beaky, Mitch & Titch - Mrs Thursday

 

Released 1968, the 'B'side of  'Last Night In Soho' apart from the title has no connection with the Kathleen Harrison record of two years earlier. 

mrs thursday - YouTube

Kathleen Harrison - Mrs. Thursday

Kathleen Harrison  23 February 1892 – 7 December,  1995 an English actress who appeared in many films and TV programs such as The Huggets, Mrs Dilber in the 1951 version of Scrooge and the 1966-67 TV series Mrs Thursday where a cleaner inherits a 10 million pound fortune and a controlling interest in a major company.

The theme music to the 1966 TV series Mrs Thursday was released as a single. 

Kathleen Harrison - Mrs Thursday / Call Round Any Old Tme (1966)

I had a visit to Epsom during the week and for a change I visited the Charity shops I brought about 20+ records.

Here are a few of the records.

I have no idea about this record, I suspect it is a German release, with dance instructions included.

Peter Cook & Dudley Moore a 1965 EP, this was at the back of the box.

Kenneth McKeller a 1966 release, songs for the Eurovision Song Contest. The UK finished 9th with the song, A Man Without Love.

Nat King Cole singing in Spanish no release date on this record.

Unusal for this Armrican record it has the year of release on the label, this record was not part of the recent purchases, it was part of a batch of about 100 I got last year, Iam picking up another batch early in Feburary.

Musketeer Gripweed & The Third Troop - How I Won The War

 

I was outbid on this 1967 release more than once, I then discovered the track is on a LP, as luck would have it, I found a copy of the LP on eBay listed at £1, I put my bid in and much to my surprise I won the LP at my initial bid, the LP has been re-issued as a CD however this track is missing from the CD as they did not have the rights to use it.

In the film John Lennon plays the character of Musketeer Gripweed, he does not appear on the record, the record was possibly released to cash in on John Lennon's fame.

How I Won The War - United Artists : UP 1196 DJ (45s)

Wendy Richard & Diana Berry - Keep 'Em Looking Around

 

Wendy Richard had appeaed on Mike Saerne's1962 #1 record 'Come Oustaside'.

Wendy Richard And Diana Berry - Keep 'Em Looking Around

Wendy Burton - 17 Million Bicycles

 

 

Released 1962, The only record from Wendy Burton.

Seventeen Million Bicycles

Caroline Binkley - I Want A Baby Brother For Christmas

 

Wishing every one a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Caroline Binkley - I Want A Baby Brother For Christmas

Released 1965 only in the USA,  this was re-released as the 'B' side of 'Mr Pilot' a promotional only record in 1966. 

This record according to the cover notes was the Christmas record of 1965 challenging Denise Regan - Hole In My Socking for the accolade, in the event of things this record is the more common of the two.

1965 Carolyn Binkley - I Want A Baby Brother For Christmas

Caroline Binkley - All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

Released 1965 the 'B' side of the first of 3 released for Caroline Binkley, though the 3rd release was a DJ only record. I have to confess that I have all 3 of Caroline Binkley's records.

 Carolyn Binkley - All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

Denise Regan - Hole In The Stocking

 

Denise Regan - Hole In The Stocking 

Released 1965, I like the line in the sleeve notes 'And her Hole In The Stocking' will become a Christmas standard for years to come. This record only turns up as Promotional Copies, was it ever released to the public, it's not going to be a Christmas Standard if nobody can buy the record.

The track has not been posted on You Tube, and remains a Christmas Obscurity.

 

Jerry Pate - Twelve Days Of Christmas

 

A Track from A Dysfunctional Family Chrustmas.

This is the only track I have by Jerry Pate, did he record any other songs, there is little or no infornation about him.

A Poor Boy's Twelve Days Of Christmas - Jerry Pate

Becky Lee Beck - I Want A Beatle For Christmas

 

A 1964 release, ten years earlier there was a song 'I Want Eddie Fisher For Christmas', it was recorded by a number of Artists.

I WANT A BEATLE FOR CHRISTMAS - BECKY LEE BECK.wmv

Stereo 

I WANT A BEATLE FOR CHRISTMAS BECKY LEE BECK DES

More Vagarants and Blocked Drains

 In one building we would get complaints that when the weather got hot the building smelt like a Gents Urinal, much time, effort & money was spent trying to find the source of the problem, was there damage to the stack pipes or a break between the toilets to the stack, no problem could be found that would cause the smell. Out the back of the building was an underground electrical sub station, by the entrance door was a recess and a drain, the drain was blocked and there was what we thought was water possibly 6-8 ins deep, it was not our building or responsibility, the local vagrants were using the stairs down to the entrance as a urinal, meaning it was not water but urine, it was also  discovered that the air intake for the air conditioning was in the electrical sub station, the electricity board got the drain unblocked, the problem disappear, the management liked to do frequent reorganisations, knowledge about buildings was not passed on and lost.

At some point the company decided to replace the roller towels with green paper towels to save money, the roller towels were removed and money was saved on that budget, the number of blocked toilets and stacks increased, one green paper towel could hold back a whole stack, once the held back sewerage got to a certain level it would find the path of least resistance, in this case the 1st floor ladies toilet and then flow down the main staircase, resulting in a big clean up, this was a fairly common occurrence, the building was being transferred to another division within the company who had their own facilities, the building a typical 1960's office and did not have the best natural light, they had chosen dark grey furniture, it made the floors look dark and dingy, before we had moved the last of our people out, we got a blocked stack, sewerage coming out the first floor ladies toilet and running down the stairs, we put into practice the by now well tried clean up procedure, there facilities said to me you must promises me this will never happen again, I said I can only promise it will not happen again if your staff do not flush the green paper hand towels down the toilets, they never did move in as the group was disbanded shortly afterwards.

The change to paper towels may have saved money on one budget, but increased the costs on another, in the end it cost far more than was saved.

The building was on the site of the Holborn Empire, there was a preservation order on the site, the building had to be in the footprint of the Holborn Empire.

In another building (now demolished) there would be flooding in one of the Gents Toilets after it had rained, specialists were brought in various coloured dyes were put on the roof to see if the water was coming in from a leak in the roof, they could not find the source of the water, it remained an unsolved problem, the staff were moved out and the building was closed, during the soft strip it was found the the urinals in that toilet had never been connected to the main stack and had been draining into the area the stack ran down, the building was about 60 years old and this problem had been there since Day1.

The building had won a number of Architectural Awards when it was built, I was based there after my Facilities days and was looking at the chimney, on each floor it had a platform around the chimney these were close fitting to the chimney, there was no drainage provided from the platforms, the rain water had no way of escape and puddled there.

The Fans - I Want A Beatle For Christmas

 

A 1964 release , trying to cash in on the popularity of the Beatles? The only record about the Beatles to chart in the UK  if I recall is the 1963 release of 'Dora Bryan - All I Want For Christmas Is A Beatle' it made No. 20 in the UK Charts.

The Fans I Want A Beatle For Christmas

Gorman Sisters - Daddy Is My Santa Claus

Released December1958, This was the lastof 4 records from the Gorman Sisters, was their first attempt aimed at the Evangelical market and a year later the General market?

The Gorman Sisters - Daddy Is My Santa Claus

 

Gorman Sisters - Jesus Is My Santa Claus.

 

Released November1957, the picture sleeve promoted this as the 'Most Popular Christmas Song Of All Time', the first time I heard this reord was when I played it to transfer it to a digital format, I can think of many other records that are much better known than this record.

The Gorman Sisters - Jesus Is My Santa Claus

The Little Sisters - Are My Ears On Straight

 

Relesed 1959, the first of three releases by The Little Sisters, only their third single ' Goin' To Boston' had a UK release. 

 I do not have a copy of the 1964 Jennie Bradley Australian release.

The Little Sisters - Are My Ears On Straight (1959)

Gayla Peevey - Are My Ears On Straight

 

This was also recorded by 'The Little Sisters' in 1959, and an Australian Relase by 'Jenie Bradley' in 1964.

Are My Ears On Straight

Gayla Peevey - I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

Issued in 1953, in the UK this record was issued on the Phillips Label as a 78 the Phillips Label at that time were not producing 45's in the UK.

Gayla Peevey - I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (Hippo the Hero) (Audio)

Doris Slater Martin - I Got The Chicken Pox For Christmas

 

First released in 1957, the record was also available as a 78rpm disc, I have it on a 45, the record is part of an activity pack, with actions for children to do during the song, a lot of the records have become separated from the activity packs, when I first posted this record it was still available to buy.

The only recording I could find is taken from a 78.

Doris Stalter Martin - I Got the Chicken Pox for Christmas