GZD Volume 4: Quintessentially British by valis

valis

Member Since: 12/28/2001

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Submit Date: 7/25/2006
Format: CD
Category: Theme

GZD Volume 4: Quintessentially British


Artist	Song
The Who	Happy Jack (Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B)

The Kinks	David Watts (Something Else By The Kinks)

The Smoke	Sydney Gill (High In A Room: Disc 1)

The Attack*	Mr. Pinnodmy's Dilemma (The Five Day Week Straw People)

The Glass Menagerie*	Frederick Jordan (Holy Hot Smoke And Sassafras: Psychedelic Pstones Volume 1)

The Fox	Mr. Blank (For Fox Sakes)

Turquoise*	Tales Of Flossie Fillet (Rubble Volume 6: The Clouds Have Groovy Faces)

The Small Faces	Happiness Stan (The Darlings Of Wapping Wharf Launderette.2)

Argosy	Mr. Boyd (Rubble Vol. 20: Thrice Upon A Time (Nothing Is Real))

Cuppat	Miss Pinkerton (The Great British Psyechedelic Trip - 1965 - 1970 - Vol. 1)

The Beatles	Taxman (Revolver)

Kaleidoscope (UK)*	The Murder Of Lewis Tollani (Tangerine Dream)

Tomorrow*	The Incredible Journey Of Timothy Chase (Tomorrow)

Rupert's People	Reflections Of Charles Brown (Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond, Vol. 2)

The Mirage	Ebeneezer Beaver (You Can't Be Serious)

Crocheted Doughnut Ring*	Azalea & Rhododendren (Two Little Ladies) (Tektites - Vol I)

Pink Floyd*	Arnold Layne (Early Singles)

The World Of Oz	The Muffin Man (The World Of Oz)

Lyons & Malone	Dr. Gentle (Rubble Vol. 18: Rainbow Thyme Wynders)

Focal Point*	Sycamore Sid (First Bite Of The Apple)

The Empty Vessels*	Low Toby (Incredible Sound Show Stories #16 [Second Glance Through The Looking Glass] - LP)

23rd Turnoff	Michaelangelo (Rubble Vol. 12: Staircase To Nowhere)

John's Children	Arthur Green (Complete)

Three To One	See Emily Play (Pebbles Collection)

Act	The Remedies Of Doctor Brohnicoy (A Trip In A Painted World)

The Zombies	Rose for Emily (Odessey & Oracle Remaster)

Comment:

"That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of our time." -John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
In Galactic Zoo Dossier, #6, Summer 2005, appeared a one-page presentation entitled "Quintessentially British", subtitled "The Top Ten U.K. Character Songs." Those tracks-denoted by an * above, are described as "a very British creation," "usually a social observation, fairytale, or just a very colorful psychedelic vision."
We asked "what makes it "a very British creation"?" Here's our answer:
Its roots are in the rich tradition of British Music Hall.
British Music Hall's advent can be traced back to the Theatre Act of 1843, where the law licensed only those places which would be run as theatres, effectively taking the taverns out of the business of providing variety acts. (Where it had done so since medieval times.) Coinciding with the Industrial Revolution of the mid-19th century, the Music Hall provided the new urban working class an outlet for cheap entertainment. (As well as meals and drink. And drink.)
By 1875 there were over 300 music halls in London & environs, with hundreds more scattered across the British Isles.
Soon enough the popularity of the Music Hall ranged across the strata of the class-conscious Isle. The performers themselves tended to "prefer songs with simple repetitive refrains that were easy for audiences to remember and sing along with". 1
One of the most popular performers of all time, Harry Champion, (born Wm. Crump, 1866), who began onstage at age 15 and continued to work well into the `30s was well-known for the following:
I'm 'Enery the Eighth I am,
'Enery the Eighth I am, I am.
I got married to the widow next door -
She's been married seven times before.
Ev'ry one was a 'Enery
She wouldn't 'ave a Willie or a Sam.
I'm her eighth old man named 'Enery -
'Enery the Eighth I am!

"Music hall performers found their comedy in the kind of characters and situations that audiences encountered as part of their everyday lives." 2
With the advent of sound in motion pictures came the decline in popularity of the music hall as diversion, although several were still in action after the Second World War. The proof of the success and tradition is in the fact some of the most enduring songs are still sung.
The psychedelic bands of the 60s merely took a page from a very successful formula. Some of the bands utilizing this approach were certainly more adept-and successful, than others of their peers, but the tracks we've included are certainly in the same mold and are "of their time" when a new and exciting music was being heard. Enjoy!
1 - John Kenrick, A History of The Musical The British Music Hall
2 - ibid.
(A big thank you to the article's author, Eric Colin, for inspiration, and Gerry McDonald with a mighty assist on some of the harder-to-find tracks!)
the Musicgnome & valis

Feedback:

French Connection
Date: 7/25/2006

Pip Pip old boy, jolly good show.

sammyg123
Date: 7/25/2006

Fine work valis. Some fine Brit acts you've put on display here. Love the Attack, Ruperts People & Zombies tracks...

Mark Petruccelli
Date: 7/25/2006

Brilliant! Eccentricity personified, well mixed and described.

Barrydali
Date: 7/25/2006

Really intriguing stuff old chap.

sr71
Date: 7/25/2006

'ello Mate! 'ere's 'oping me cawpee of thees luverly comes wif all they color artwork. ta for now - me earl grey needs freshened oop, eh?

sr71
Date: 7/25/2006

aye, doan ya lissen ta thayt poonter. 'e's ay poof and ay twat. eef 'e 'ad any sense 'e'd be pootin' dayn a pint noot saym roobish tay. - the evil scotsman

Andych
Date: 7/25/2006

I rather think you've hit the nail firmly and squarely on the old noggin with that assortment of fine tunes. Splendid work, Mr Valis, truly splendid

Nest of Vipers
Date: 7/25/2006

Nice theme within a theme.

Jenergy
Date: 7/25/2006

By George, I do believe he's got it! Ta everso, old chap, for synthesising this fine mixture.

joey de vivre
Date: 7/25/2006

Enery the Eighth is dead, long live Enery the Eighth . . . Characteristically brilliant, V & M!
Children of the music hall naming that tune, spot on!
(If it's not too hot to burn CD's where you all are, I sure would crave to trade something for this - )

Jeb Nagel1
Date: 7/25/2006

As a dedicated anglophile, this is right up my alley..........did not know you had such an appreciation, Valis?
Would love to hear it!

Orchid
Date: 7/25/2006

Very well put together, Valis & Musicgnome. With footnotes and everything! I'm impressed. I've always wanted to live during the days of music halls and dancehalls (to almost quote Wang Chung). And how interesting that Henry VIII appears in one form or another on two mixes in a row.

Jim K.
Date: 7/25/2006

Splendid! It was a combination of British Music Hall and Circus performances that ended up influencing American vaudeville, which then crossed back over the ocean again ("For the Benefit of Mr. Kite). All of this is an oft overlooked root of the music/theatrical performances that peaked in 1970's rock and roll psychedelia!
All in all, a beautiful show for the common man. A wonderful creation guys!

bufo alvarius
Date: 7/25/2006

Can't say I know too much outside of the more well-known picks, but that's usually the case with either of you two gents. Always leads to a fine adventure and exploration of new sounds, which is what it's all about, really. Very cool.

deja_vu_all_over_again
Date: 7/25/2006

Is it me or is this site getting a bit... good

kwan_dk
Date: 7/25/2006

I love it - and nice cover. It's a shame though you didn't find a place for an Idle Race track.

Mixxer
Date: 7/25/2006

Bring back the music hall era!

Saaf
Date: 7/25/2006

I saw that article too & was surprised at how many I didn't know.

McDonald12
Date: 7/25/2006

A quite splendid mix. Wonderful liner notes and a spiffingly top notch collection of tunes. I say, I say, my dog's got no nose.....how does he smell then?....terrible! (In the stylee of arthur Askey)

Moe
Date: 7/25/2006

Splendid indeed -- one for the music hall of fame. Great cover too. Hope to hear this one day -- not sure how I ever made it this far without ever hearing Crocheted Doughnut Ring.

GambleOn
Date: 7/26/2006

Bloody excellent. Valis and the gnome? What else could you expect but excellence?

p the swede
Date: 7/26/2006

classic stuff

Dead Man
Date: 7/26/2006

Very cool, valis & musicgnome. And John Stuart Mill kicks ass!

lo-fi jr.
Date: 7/26/2006

Fab tribute! Seems like every UK band of this era had one 'shag time' track on each LP. I usually skipped over them, but now I'm curious about how many I could listen to in a row.

bluecats50
Date: 7/26/2006

thumbs up valis...i wonder how many cd.s one could make of brit.60's music using surnames..ilike the thread of names here..dickens and mer vyn peake would be proud. eccentricity is worn well on the isle.

Salman1
Date: 7/28/2006

If that disc was nothing but that closer I'd be in love with it. The rest is just gravy! Awesome disc here.

Thomas_Mohr
Date: 7/29/2006

Stupendously great. And great-looking as well. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up (one for each)!!

gobi
Date: 7/29/2006

Splendid. I had forgotten about some of this and some I've not heard of. Interesting that (presumably) on US compilations, you have Kaleidoscope (UK) where I just know Kaleidoscope (like the English Beat, I guess). Funny to be sitting in the desert looking at pics of my home town, with English music discussed and presented by Americans.

Top job.

G-Sphere
Date: 8/3/2006

Wow, overlooked this one. This is really a wonderful mix. Informative notes too. Coincidently, I've been listening to the Pretty Things' album S.F. Sorrow a lot lately which of course was the 1968 rock opera about the British Everyman of the title. While more psychedelic than music hall it would make a nice follow up listen to this great mix.

Eric Schmuckler
Date: 8/14/2006

i remember a time when 'music hall' was a fightin' words insult in rock. thanx to valis for showing it as an honored root of psychedelia (but where's l.s. bumble bee by cooke & moore?) and now may i please have my copy val?

Eric Colin
Date: 8/25/2006

I'm glad to see that my article was appreciated and inspiring.
Thanks
Eric Colin Reidelberger

jonpoi
Date: 9/5/2006

Look at you......what a package.