What was the Great British record buying public thinking (in 1975 and 1976)

[TrevorR]

The recent resurrection of the Covers thread got my mind thinking…

 

I recall, back in the mid 70s being given a novelty 7 inch single which used little snippets of hit songs in between narration to tell a “funny” story to “comedic” effect (I use “funny” and “comedic” in their loosest possible meanings). It’s been bugging me what it was for weeks now as the single uses three snippets from “The Boys Are Back In Town” - hence the connection as Lizzy are one of my favourite bands and “The Boys Are Back…” is one of my favourite Lizzy songs.  Finally worked it out… “Bionic Santa” by club DJ Chris Hill.

 

This is probably the strangest (and most excruciatingly awful) musical compilation you’re going to see/hear in a long time. It’s been bugging me what it was but now, listening back to“Bionic Santa” I’m unsure if I’d have been better off not working it out. A listen confirms that this is probably one of the worst records ever - matched only by its predecessor from the previous year “Renta Santa”. Bear in mind these two singles actually made it to No 10 on the UK singles charts in 1975 and 1976!  What were we thinking, especially as back then you needed to shift serious units to hit the top 10! Especially in the Christmas period!

 

Enjoy! …which is unlikely if you actually listen to it!

 

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by TrevorR

[TrevorR]

Mind you, it does have the upside (or rather B side) that it’s about the one song I’ve ever played to my older brother which genuinely scandalised him (until the last 20 seconds of the song, that is…).

 

 

[TrevorR]

Actually, this reminds me of another comedy single I was given about the same time which I do recall quite fondly, both A-side and B-side. By no means comedy genius but a darned sight better than Bionic Santa!

 

I guess comedy singles were a big thing in the mid 70s, thinking back on it… what with the Python albums, the Barron Knights and The Grumbleweeds, songs like The Streak, Convoy, Convoy GB etc etc… I did enjoy these two…

 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by TrevorR

[drTStingray]

You are right that comedy singles were a thing back then eg Funky Moped (Jasper Carrott).

 

Also the Ying Tong song by the Goons made the charts in the mid 70s (I particularly remember this as an elderly work colleague who was noted for (with unintentional comic effect) misquoting and mis-stating phrases and words (even to the general public!!), referred to it as Piddle Hi Ho!!! (The actual phrase being Iddle I Po)!! This was one of my introductions as a new and very young starter to work in a U.K. local authority!! 
 

This wasn’t restricted to the 70s - In the 60s we had the Baron Knights performing compilations of contemporary hits with altered comedy lyrics. 

Edited April 20, 2022 by drTStingray

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

@TrevorR - agreed. Bionic Santa is awful. I also have a soft spot for King of The Cops. I'm sure I still have that 7" somewhere.

[tauzero]

2 hours ago, drTStingray said:

You are right that comedy singles were a thing back then eg Funky Moped (Jasper Carrott).

 

Also the Ying Tong song by the Goons made the charts in the mid 70s (I particularly remember this as an elderly work colleague who was noted for (with unintentional comic effect) misquoting and mis-stating phrases and words (even to the general public!!), referred to it as Piddle Hi Ho!!! (The actual phrase being Iddle I Po)!! This was one of my introductions as a new and very young starter to work in a U.K. local authority!! 
 

This wasn’t restricted to the 70s - In the 60s we had the Baron Knights performing compilations of contemporary hits with altered comedy lyrics. 

 

And in the 1950s we had the Ying Tong Song (number 3 in the charts in 1956).

[zbd1960]

1960s - Bernard Cribbins and a hole in the ground of some sort?

[Velarian]

Another 70s classic - The Streak. 

 

”Don’t look Ethel” 😂

[Bunion]

Benny hill had a bash too with Ernie (the fastest milkman in the west) 

[MrCrane]

7 hours ago, drTStingray said:

You are right that comedy singles were a thing back then eg Funky Moped (Jasper Carrott).

If I recall correctly, most people bought that for the B-side which featured his Magic Roundabout routine

[Old Man Riva]

1 hour ago, Bunion said:

Benny hill had a bash too with Ernie (the fastest milkman in the west) 

To this day, one of the few tracks I can recite (completely and accurately!) the lyrics to. High art, me!

 

Re. The 70s. Not forgetting Monty Python’s The Lumberjack Song, and a number of Goodies singles.

 

Amongst my dad’s 78s collection were a couple of Stan Freberg pieces I listened to and loved as a kid - St George & the Dragonet, and Little Blue Riding Hood. Felt quite the young hipster! 

[Woodinblack]

I had that single, bought new. But I was a child it wasn't my fault.

 

4 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

Amongst my dad’s 78s collection were a couple of Stan Freberg pieces I listened to and loved as a kid - St George & the Dragonet, and Little Blue Riding Hood. Felt quite the young hipster! 

 

My dad had the 70s to St George and the Dragonet and little blue riding hood. Only the colour was changed to prevent an investigation!

[Old Man Riva]

19 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I had that single, bought new. But I was a child it wasn't my fault.

 

 

My dad had the 70s to St George and the Dragonet and little blue riding hood. Only the colour was changed to prevent an investigation!

Indeed!
 

“Just the facts, ma’am. Just the facts…”! 

[ezbass]

2 hours ago, MrCrane said:

If I recall correctly, most people bought that for the B-side which featured his Magic Roundabout routine

Indeed. I saw Jasper live in the ‘70s, he was hilarious and, IIRC, he confirmed this was was the reason for the release.

 

Now that the 7” is pretty much dead and buried, does anyone bother with  novelty releases? The novelty stuff that got into the top 10 is not something the UK should be proud of: Grandad; Grandma We Love You; Shaddupayourface; Ernie; My Dingaling; etc.

[Old Man Riva]

10 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Indeed. I saw Jasper live in the ‘70s, he was hilarious and, IIRC, he confirmed this was was the reason for the release.

 

Now that the 7” is pretty much dead and buried, does anyone bother with  novelty releases? The novelty stuff that got into the top 10 is not something the UK should be proud of: Grandad; Grandma We Love You; Shaddupayourface; Ernie; My Dingaling; etc.

I implore you to look into your heart and remove Ernie from that list.

 

A simple (milk) man digs deep into his soul and wonderfully and poetically finds a way to tell of his love of and devotion to another, whilst battling a ne’er do well (with only one sordid thing on his mind, btw). He follows his heart with catastrophic and heart-wrenching consequences culminating in his own demise, and this doesn’t move you?!

 

“Was that the trees a-rustling, or the hinges of the gate,

or Ernie’s ghostly gold tops a-rattling in their crate?

They won’t forget Ernie (Ernie)…”

 

And neither should you, my friend. Neither should you…

 

(My Ding-a-Ling, on the other hand…)

 

 

 

 

[NancyJohnson]

If nothing, we British used to be suckers for a novelty single.  Clive Dunn, St Winifreds, Blobby.

 

I have a single at home that I bought in Spain when I was about ten, called 'Couac Couac' (or 'Quack-Quack')...I found this photo off eBay.  It was everywhere when we were on holiday there, I'm amazed it never charted here.  Awful.  1/10.

 

 

 

[Misdee]

Oh, how I remember some of these records! Just another reminder to me of what the reality of life was really like for most people in the 1970s. A lot of people found these records genuinely hilarious at the time, but just remember what we were watching on television ect. It was a much less sophisticated time with much less choice than we have subsequently become accustomed to. Nowadays we see Radio 1 in the 70s for the  for the sinister  grooming ring that it was, but in those days they reigned supreme in dictating public taste.

 

There was just as much crap music back then as any time before or since. We only remember the good stuff, that's for sure.

 

To put these records in context you would have to spend an evening watching '70s television. That would be a sobering prospect. Of course it wasn't all bad, but it was mainly bad. 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Misdee

[police squad]

12 hours ago, TrevorR said:

The recent resurrection of the Covers thread got my mind thinking…

 

I recall, back in the mid 70s being given a novelty 7 inch single which used little snippets of hit songs in between narration to tell a “funny” story to “comedic” effect (I use “funny” and “comedic” in their loosest possible meanings). It’s been bugging me what it was for weeks now as the single uses three snippets from “The Boys Are Back In Town” - hence the connection as Lizzy are one of my favourite bands and “The Boys Are Back…” is one of my favourite Lizzy songs.  Finally worked it out… “Bionic Santa” by club DJ Chris Hill.

 

This is probably the strangest (and most excruciatingly awful) musical compilation you’re going to see/hear in a long time. It’s been bugging me what it was but now, listening back to“Bionic Santa” I’m unsure if I’d have been better off not working it out. A listen confirms that this is probably one of the worst records ever - matched only by its predecessor from the previous year “Renta Santa”. Bear in mind these two singles actually made it to No 10 on the UK singles charts in 1975 and 1976!  What were we thinking, especially as back then you needed to shift serious units to hit the top 10! Especially in the Christmas period!

 

Enjoy! …which is unlikely if you actually listen to it!

 

 

sorry but I bought this. I was only 7

 

[police squad]

12 hours ago, TrevorR said:

Actually, this reminds me of another comedy single I was given about the same time which I do recall quite fondly, both A-side and B-side. By no means comedy genius but a darned sight better than Bionic Santa!

 

I guess comedy singles were a big thing in the mid 70s, thinking back on it… what with the Python albums, the Barron Knights and The Grumbleweeds, songs like The Streak, Convoy, Convoy GB etc etc… I did enjoy these two…

 

 

 

and i have this too!!

[fretmeister]

 

 

 

[police squad]

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

Indeed. I saw Jasper live in the ‘70s, he was hilarious and, IIRC, he confirmed this was was the reason for the release.

 

Now that the 7” is pretty much dead and buried, does anyone bother with  novelty releases? The novelty stuff that got into the top 10 is not something the UK should be proud of: Grandad; Grandma We Love You; Shaddupayourface; Ernie; My Dingaling; etc.

My 80s duo actually do 'Shaddupayourface'. We introduce is as the song that stopped Vienna reaching number 1. 

My mum is actually Italian and I was on my way to school one day and Terry Wogan played this. I thought my dad was going to die laughing because my mum did say 'Shaddupayourface'

😁

[Rich]

11 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I also have a soft spot for King of The Cops. I'm sure I still have that 7" somewhere.

Me too, I really liked it. Thanks for the link, it was nice to hear it again! 

 

4 hours ago, MrCrane said:

If I recall correctly, most people bought that for the B-side which featured his Magic Roundabout routine

"Let's face it, Noddy's the biggest ram round here and he reckons he's scored."

Edited April 21, 2022 by Rich

[Rich]

57 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

“Was that the trees a-rustling, or the hinges of the gate,

or Ernie’s ghostly gold tops a-rattling in their crate?

They won’t forget Hernie (Ernie)…”

 

FTFY

[NancyJohnson]

Novelty singles aside, back when all this was fields I remember as a kid hearing two singles that were distinctly Sweet-sounding and it was a delight to rediscover these a year or two ago.

 

If you're a fan of Sweet F4nny Adams/Desolation Boulevard era Sweet, check out 'Good Time F4nny' by Angel (not the Punky Meadows Angel) on Spotify and Interplanetary Twist by Screemer; the latter was on Spotify, but disappeared, then came up on a podcast of some kind.  Screemer were fronted by Zaine Griff, who seemed to be somewhere on pretty much every gig I went to in the mid-80s.

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, Old Man Riva said:

I implore you to look into your heart and remove Ernie from that list.

 

A simple (milk) man digs deep into his soul and wonderfully and poetically finds a way to tell of his love of and devotion to another, whilst battling a ne’er do well (with only one sordid thing on his mind, btw). He follows his heart with catastrophic and heart-wrenching consequences culminating in his own demise, and this doesn’t move you?!

 

“Was that the trees a-rustling, or the hinges of the gate,

or Ernie’s ghostly gold tops a-rattling in their crate?

They won’t forget Ernie (Ernie)…”

 

And neither should you, my friend. Neither should you…

 

(My Ding-a-Ling, on the other hand…)

 

 

 

 

The line that sticks with me is, “Then a stale pork pie, hit him in the eye and Ernie bit the dust; poor Ernie.”