Hidden gem: The Exciting Sounds of Tomorrow - Pete Moore Orchestra (Fontana)

Many reading this blog will, I'm sure, have got behind the 'Cage against the machine' campaign to get John Cage's silent suite 4.33 to Christmas number one. As well as sticking it to the (white teethed) man this exercise has given the opportunity to reflect on the joy of space in sound. In a world where we are all increasingly busy, music which enables us to take time out and relax can be a treat indeed.

In the 1960's and early 1970's the desire for a non-challenging sound providing lifestyle accompliment manifested itself in the genre known as easy listening. Bacharach and David led the way and many others soon followed. Small orchestras (often linked to TV or film theme work) would produce whole albums of covers of the day and their own original material. Many sound very twee nowadays and fully justify ending up in charity shops but one are two are gems indeed. Alan Tew produced a number of excellent recordings (most notably covers of the Pink Panther and Pentangle's Night Flight) and Daley Wilson, Geoff Love and James Last also made some recordings of note. Another record worth hunting down is the Exciting Sounds of Tomorrow by the Pete Moore Orchestra.

Moore was a British arranger who worked with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Ted Heath among others and wrote string arrangements for London Weekend Television. He will be forever remembered for writing Asteroid, known to millions as the Pearl and Dean music ('Papah papah papa pa papapapah...')

If you are looking for hi-tempo then this album isn't the place. This is simply a record of smooth sounds of the day played really well. Jimmy Webb's all time classic Witicha Lineman kicks things off, its synthesized horns creating a sense of haunting nostalgia. The Beatle's Fool on the Hill soon follows - almost unrecognisable at first before a flute picks out the melody. A couple of Henry Mancini covers feature before Sinatra's It was a very good year. The real highlight of side one though is Windmills of my Mind. This track breaks out of mid pace and is played out as an up tempo bossa nova. Somehow this works and a song which I've generally always passed over is re-invented as a dancefloor monster.

Side two kicks off with Green Onions, less funky than the original and slowed down to give it a slightly regal feel,it's a good version. The funky vibe is maintained with Catwalk and Take 8 (both Moore original compositions) before the album signs off with a cover of You've made me so very happy. Unlike most albums of this type, this is an album you can happily sit and listen to from star to finish without it beginning to grate. Its also not impossible to track down so if you see it, snap it up!

Hidden Gem: Voodoo Party - James Last (1972)

James Last reminds me of my nan. We would visit her bungalow in the Forest of Dean and there was a formica sideboard with an old style record player on it. The small collection of vinyl LPs underneath were wholly unexciting – Mantiovani, Your 100 best Tunes and James Last. Born in 1929, Last has released over 190 albums in his career and has sold over 100 million albums so its no surprise that there are a few kicking around in the homes of pensioners up and down the country.

It caused me much bemusement therefore to discover that for some of the most committed vinyl diggers out there Last is a cause celebre. There are actually a number of Last tracks that feature funky breakbeats and, given the tendency of 70’s easy listening acts to do cover versions of the hits of the day there are a surprising number of Last tracks worthy of a second listen. Having said that, one needs to proceed with immense caution. I have been as guilty as many of randomly buying Last albums for up to £2 only to discover some of the most cloying dross ever committed to wax.

Amongst the recordings which are worth hearing are Beat In Sweet which features a number of counterculture hits of the day including Mr Tambourine Man, I got you Babe and a very passable Like a Rolling Stone. Another is his frankly superb version of Hawkwind’s Silver Machine – a version of which is provided on Youtube below.

There is little doubting the holy grail though. Voodoo Party was released on Polydor in 1972 and is a surprisingly coherent album. It features various covers including Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues and Sly Stone’s Sing a Simple song which lend it a certain funky respectability from the outset but as a whole the album is remarkably consistent and even the Last compositions add to an excellent listen.

The LP is loosely based on the concept of voodoo rhythms and as such features many bongos, congas and rattles which add to the grooviness and the whole thing sounds like it was recorded in an early 70’s drug haze (although I suspect it wasn’t). The references to ‘negros’ and the ‘coloured population’ in the sleeve notes betray the years that have passed since it was released but the tunes contained within sound amazingly similar to some of the more esoteric recordings of recent years.

Opening track Se a Cabo (a track imortalised on Carlos Santana’s classic Abraxas) sets the tone – driving funk underpinned with heavy bongo and guitar. It ends with a far out synth which mixes immediately into Sing a Simple Song which, like many of the covers on display, is celebratory in feel. Following track Jin-go-lo-ba meanwhile is typical of a number of latin tracks on the album (Heyah Masse Ga, U-Humbah) which use bongo rhythms to create a tribal feel but it is fourth track Mamy Blue where things get really interesting. This track takes the tempo right down to leave you with a gospelly track which wouldn’t be entirely out of place on a psych folk album! It really is a beautiful track and you would be staggered to know it is by James Last if you didn’t already know. Mr Giant Man, the track at the end of side 1 would also fit nicely on an early 70’s folk album – it is comical in style with an absurd lyric ‘Hi Ho, I’m the king of giant land, Ho ho, come along, we’ll have some fun’ – the ensemble vocal remind me of the Polyphonic Spree or perhaps the Flaming Lips. By the end of the first side you could be forgiven for feeling a little bewildered with the variety of styles on display and yet somehow it all hangs together – the bongo being used to join the tracks into one ongoing narrative.

Everybody’s Everything is a pretty straight psychedelic soul number at the beginning of side two. Following are two covers - Sly’s Everyday People and Marvin’s Inner City Blues, both of which feature ensemble vocals and heavy bongo percussion but stay faithful to the originals. Babalu is possibly the weakest track overall – the trumpet takes it slightly too far into easy cheesy territory but its not terribly bad. Final track Voodoo Lady’s Love rounds things off nicely though. Its anthemic in feel and features a crazy synth build halfway through.
The whole album is really good fun – its perfect for a mellow house party/dinner party where the guests want something familiar to hang on to but is weird enough to keep the musos happy. The good news is that it can be picked up fairly cheaply – expect to pay between £5 and £8 – although I must admit I’ve never seen it lurking in the charity shops as various web forums have picked up on this one some time ago.

James Last is unlikely to be regarded as one of the great musical innovators (nor should he) but Voodoo Party is proof that we all have one great album inside us...