…it’s a lot of fun if you’re prepared to listen to impersonations of early motor car sounds…
Sprigs of Time – 78s From the EMI Archive
(Honest Jon’s Records) www.www.konkurrent.nl
Mein Gott what have we here? This is about as left-field as any hipster should be going. Strange sounds is one thing, but strange sounds from the EMI 78 rpm archive? Well… it’s a lot of fun if you’re prepared to listen to impersonations of early motor car sounds (Vengopal Chari’s Different Kinds of Motor Car Noises) or early stabs at “World Music” recordings, (Ochieng Wa Odiaga’s brilliant Umbok or the utterly strange Imperial Palace Band’s Seigaiha).
Actually there’s some classic stuff on here that you really can’t afford to be without. Cliff Edwards brilliant Rag Time lament I Ain’t Got Nobody and Sam Mayo’s classic whinge Things are Worse in Russia are just fabulous glimpses of an age long gone. And there’s always room for a bit of calypso; Mighty Sparrow’s The Queen’s Canary is worth the price alone. Brilliant.
Words: Richard Foster