Children's Poetry, Spoken Word, Nursery Rhymes & Folk Tales LPs

Over the years I have acquired.....and lost a number of LPs that have contained some very interesting Children's Poetry, Spoken Word, Nursery Rhymes/Folk Tales and general strangeness. Here is a selection of some of my favs.Voices was on the Argo label and was part of a series of 6 volumes of sound music and speech, released in association with Penguin Education. I found one of my copies lurking about in a shop in Lynton. The Searching Years on Abbey was another interesting car boot find. The album consists of Childrens Poetry, Spoken Word, Orchestral and Organ pieces. All intros on The Searching Years are by Robert Gittings
Music for Children by Carl Orff was originally released in 1958 and re-released by Trunk Records. The copy I have is a 1958 version, which I found in the back of a box in a charity shop.

 

The Wonderful World of Quentin Smirhes

 I first became aware of Quentin's surreal and wonderful work via Jim Jupp at Ghostbox Records. Jim sent me a link to two of Quentin's Youtube Videos (Bird Box Orchestra and Picture Box extended ending) I became quite obsessed with watching these (last time I got like this was when I kept watching Salad Fingers)  I should point out that Quentin is the creation of writer, film-maker and performer Sean Reynard. Tap his name into Google and you get this wonderful description. Quentin Smirhes, created by writer and film maker Sean Reynard is the febrile re-imagining of children's school TV from the seventies cupboard. It's like 'Vision On' directed by Jan Svankmajer. Bob Fischer had a very in depth and lovely interview with Sean Reynard for his excellent Haunted Generation site.
For all Quentin's wonderful videos go here 
You can purchase Quentin some Luncheon Meat here.

Test Transmission Archive Reel 43

 

Its Feb so time for the 1st Test Transmission Archive Reel of 2021. This time round we have music from Mount Vernon Arts Lab, Sandra Kerr & John Faulkner, The Beutify Junkyards, Field Lines Cartographer, Wolfen, Brian Prothero, Wings, The Damned, Twelve Hour Foundation, Simon Heartfield, A Certain Ratio, The Precisions and Something from The Why Don't You. Loads of other Oddities and such lurking about in there as well. So sit back put your feet up (or maybe not...you just might want to have a dance) Until next time. Keep safe and please look after yourself.

Fantom Book Titles

Very interested to find out recently from the rather wonderful A Year in the Country that Fantom Publishing had been very busy reissuing some novelisations of ’70s children’s television dramas.
These are The Children of the Stones, King of the Castle, Sky, Raven and Moon Stallion. They also have the follow up to Children of the Stones, Return to the Stones (1st published Nov 2012) set 25 years after the events at Milbury, Matt returns to visit his Father who now lives in the Manor House...and all is not well.

Teletopics 1966

From Practical Television

11 short excerpts from Sad Old Tatty Bunting (Feb 2022 Castles in Space)

Keith Seatman · Sad Old Tatty Bunting Excerpts

Here are 11 short excerpts from my new album Sad Old Tatty Bunting. Due for release Feb 2022 on the wonderful Castles in Space. Track 7 Jumpy's Playroom* co-written with Jim Jupp (Belbury Poly, Ghost Box Records) who also produced the track and supplied some lovely synths. Track 11 Burial at Bevill’s Leam** Co-written with Douglas E Powell who also narrates the strange tale of the Burial at Bevill’s Leam (featuring some extrame left and right panning) This Record is intended for use only on special stereophonic reproducers. Stereo Sound, however, is reproduced only when stereo equipment is used. Listening in mono could result in the loss of instrumentation and/or voice. The tracks are 1 A Swish of the Curtain 2 The Grand Alchemists Parade 3 Mrs Lawes & the Late Mr Pomfrey 4 The Gnome Zone 5 Sad Old Tatty Bunting 6 Tread Carefully and Say Goodbye 7 Jumpy's Playroom* 8 In The Fields Round the Back 9 Farthing’s Chase 10 Building a Hole with a Saw and a Bowl 11 Burial at Bevill’s Leam** All instruments Keith Seatman, with: * Jim Jupp - Synths ** Douglas E Powell - Voice All tracks produced by Keith Seatman and Jack Packer, except: *Produced by Jim Jupp All Tracks written by Keith Seatman, except: *Seatman and Jupp **Seatman and Powell Copyright Control Keith Seatman 2021

Garden of Earthly Delights mix Friday 13th November

Here is my set/mix list from the recent Garden of Earthly Delights Show. Broadcast on CRMK Radio on Friday 13th November. A bit thank you to Shane for asking me to do another mix.

1 The Double Deckers - Theme from Double Deckers
2 Gary War - Highspeed Drift
3 Ivor Cutler - Darkness & The Path
4 Drew Mulholland - The Black Beacon
5 Ewen MacColl & Peggy Seeger - I Got Me Tight Black Jeans
6 Gary Bellington - Back In London (Sept Ballad)
7 Aphrodite's Child - The 4 Hoursemen
8 Blanck Mass - Chernobol
9 Monkees - Star Collector
10 Concretism - Dick and Stewart Opening Titles
11 Vashti Bunyan -  Diamond Day
12 Cate le Bon - Wild
13 Concretism - Dick and Stewart- Green Fields
14 Stranglers - Yellowcake UF6
15 Dynatones - The Fife Piper
16 Bellprover - I'd Like to Lodge a Complaint
17 Sonic Boom - I Can See Light Bend
18 Sly and the Family Stone - I Want To Take You Higher
19 William D Drake - Homesweet Homestead Hideaway

Test Transmission Archive Reel 42

 

After a bit of a break here we have another Test Transmission Archive Reel. Lots of electronic goodies and oddities for you this time. Roger Limb, Cerrone, Prince Rama, Simple Minds, Belbury Poly, Pjcat, Pierre Arvay, Klaus Wunderlich, John Foxx, Pink Floyd, Devine and loads more. As I always say (most of the time) not sure when the next one will be??? so until then please keep safe.

 

It’s Not What It Seems

 

 

It’s Not What It Seems is a CD compilation of tracks inspired by the post-punk / DIY / cassette scene which flourished in the early 80s. Featuring Belbury Poly, Pye Corner Audio, Keith Seatman, Scanner, Lagowski, Sculpture, Renaldo and The Loaf, Graham Dunning and Si Heartfield and others! Each artist operates under a secret disguise for this release and only The Burning Trestle knows for sure who did what!

Out on Bandcamp Friday 6th November and available for pre-order now!

http//theburningtrestle.bandcamp.com/album/its-not-what-it-seems.

The Quietened Dream Palace, A Year in The Country Pre-Order

Preorder 3rd November 2020. Released 17th November 2020.
Will be available at our Artifacts Shop and Bandcamp page.

The Quietened Dream Palace is an exploration of closed down cinemas, including those which have been abandoned, become derelict, reopened as something new or demolished and there is little or no trace of any more.

Features music and accompanying text on the tracks by: Grey Frequency, Field Lines Cartographer, Keith Seatman, Pulselovers, Sproatly Smith, The Howling (Robin The Fog of Howlround and Ken Hollings), Folclore Impressionista, Listening Center, The Séance, Widow’s Weeds, Handspan, The Heartwood Institute, A Year In The Country and Vic Mars.

The Odeon/Salon Cinema Southsea
My track on The Quietened Dream Palace "Saturday Matinee" was inspired by the
very noisy and chaotic Saturday mornings I spent there. 

Photos from Cinema Treasures

Six Twenty Negative. The Twelve Hour Foundation

The Twelve Hour Foundation return to Castles in Space with their first new LP for two years. A beautiful album "drawing on abstract childhood emotions and their associated memories".

  Bristol's Twelve Hour Foundation return to Castles in Space with their first new LP since 2018's long sold out "tree little mile egg book...and other non sequiturs". Their blend of musique concrète, treated field recordings, library music, early electronic pop and the Radiophonic work of John Baker and Paddy Kingsland has never sounded better.

Out on Castles in Space November 20th

I love what Jez and Polly produce as The Twelve Hour Foundation, I also had the pleasure of meeting them both at The Deleware Road Festival Salisbury Plain in 2019. I watched their set and was absolutly blown away. Six Twenty Negative is another superb collection of fantastic Pop tunes created using vintage analogue synthesizers house hold objects. I 100% gaurentee that your foot will be tapping all the way through this album (plus a little bit of dancing round the house, I always do)

 

 

Photoplay Devil Movies

Photoplay Film Monthly was the Empire Magazine of its day. In the 1970s we would have Photoplay delivered to our house every month. Of the 100s of issues of Photoplay my Father had, this edition, with features on The Exorcist and Zardoz is the only copy I have managed to save. Every now and then Photoplay would publish special editions. When it was announced that Photoplay would be publishing a Devil Movies Special Edition I tore along to Smiths and parted with 50p. 

Inside this special edition apart from the obvious films (Exorcist, Omen, Exorcist 2 Heretic, Rosemary's Baby) there are some interesting others. The Sentinal, Ruby, Suspira, The Devil Rides Out, Race with The Devil, Eye of the Devil (David Niven, David Hemmings, Donald Pleasence, Deborah Kerr, Sharon Tate) and Burnt Offerings (Oliver Reed Karen Black, Bette Davis) 

Now there was no way that I could see any of these films as I was quite young and could only just get into see a film under the old A classification which I think was the equivalent of a PG today. So for a few years this Devil Movies magazine was the closest I got to any of these films. To this day I have still not seen Burnt Offerings which in fact was released as an AA. Maybe one day.

The Sonik Youth Club, Braunton, Devon

 Way back in Feb 2020 myself and Jim Jupp were invited to play a DJ set at The Sonik Youth Club in Braunton North Devon. Unfortunatly we all went into lockdown, and with no chance of us playing this set live we were asked by Doug to do a mix for  The Sonik Youth Club on Mixcloud. Hopefully when all this is over a swift journey to Braunton might just happen...but until then put your feet up and enjoy all the The Sonik Youth Club mixes here
And now some words from and about The Sonik Youth Club.
The Sonik Youth Clubis a collection of DJ's and music enthusiasts coming together to play live DJ sets in amazing spaces. No genres, only interesting and diverse music performed by and for free thinking people. The first Sonik Youth Club was a live event at Saunton Road Studios, Braunton, Devon, 29th Feb 2020 and featured 3 live DJ sets from Doug Powell, Buko and Si Gracia. Saunton Road Studios is a great little venue, it’s not only a recording studio but it doubles up as a live venue and bar with great local beer, ideal for a small gathering of 50 or so. Perfect for the Sonik Youth Club. I’ve always wanted to put on a night were anyone could come and play anything they wanted to, not necessarily DJ’s and not a typical dance night and not even in a club setting, just a cool place where folks could listen to music that they are not usually exposed to. The first night was a great success with the promise of something a bit different from the usual night out at local pub. Buko opened the evening with a set of Psych, 60’s garage and Experimental Electronica. Doug Powell’s set was a wide-ranging mix of 60’s French Pop, Psych, Folk and Electronica. Si Gracia ending the evening with his trademark set of Jazz, Funk and House. Soon after we all went into lockdown, so Doug had to move the Sonik Youth Club online to Mixcloud. It was a shame not to able to carry on with the live events. Doug told us, but this opened up an opportunity for us to be heard worldwide and to get submissions for DJ sets and mixtapes from across the globe. We are currently up to 9 mixes and have loads more waiting in the wings to be posted. Mixes still currently available;
Sonik Youth Club 1, Doug Powell DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 2, Doug Powell DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 3, Lee Ackland DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 4, Jay’s Chaos Indie Classics Mix Tape
Sonik Youth Club 5, Russ Never Sleeps Mix Tape
Sonik Youth Club 6, Alan Cook DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 7, Stribbs DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 8, Jez Stevens DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 9, Keith Seatman & Jim Jupp DJ Mix

Tim Smith and Cardiacs

On July 21st 2020 Tim Smith (Cardiacs) sadly passed away. I have been listening to a lot of
Cardiacs over the last week or so, and thinking quite a bit about how and when
I finally really got into them. The first time I heard Cardiacs I was round a friends house, to be blunt I hated them, I had never heard anything I had hated so much in my life...they were annoying me so much. This supprised a few people as they really thought I would like them given some of the other things that I listened to (Devo, Swell Maps, Wire, Psych, Prog) It was pointed out to me that someone I knew had worked on Cardiacs Seaside Treats Video (this did not cut much ice with me) Sometime later I heard Cardiacs again and was midly irritated...but strangely not as irritated. Time went on and I would occasionally hear them being played round at friends flats.  Then something strange happened, one day I found myself humming a tune, which I could not place and it would not go away. I suddenly realised it was in fact Cardiacs Is This the Life.

I really could not get the song out of my head. Not long after this I had the chance of going to see Cardiacs live. After much foot dragging I agreed to go. When we got there I could not believe how packed the venue was. The Band came on stage and did nothing...there was a bit of heckling and Tim Smith told them all to shut up, but then kept on saying it. At one point he seemed to punch/slap himself on the face, and still nothing happened. There was only minor lighting on stage and the band seemed to be dressed in tatty old prom suits or the sort of uniform worn by
a brass band which was covered in dust. The audience were getting more vocal and the tension was rising, but still nothing happened then...the band played, the whole crowd started to dance, jump up and down and at certain point almost every one would sing and raise their arms in the air. The song was Big Ship and it was at that moment that every bulb in my head went on and exploded at the same time. It was fantastic, how could I have not liked this band? even the song which annoyed me a year or so before was amazing (R.E.S) I left the show a changed man. I spent the next few months catching up with all I could Cardiacs related. I realise now that liking Cardiacs might not always be an instant thing for everyone, but when it does finally hit you its like opening a treasure chest of musical wonder. I had the pleasure of meeting Tim Smith on two occasions (Cardiacs and Levitation) I was at the time working at a music venue and helped Tim and the band with their equipment. I informed Tim that I was due to go home for a few hrs but had decided to stay on so I could meet the band and maybe have a chat. Tim was charming, polite, funny and lovely, he answered all my daft questions and more, we discussed music and bands and the music business. Because of Tim Smith and Cardiacs I started to listen to William D Drake, North Sea Radio Orchestra, Kavus Torabi.  Big Ship, Dirty Boy, Nurses whispering verses, watching Maresnest, Seaside Treats, Jim Plugs his bass in for 10 mins,  all this has given me so much Joy. Thank you Mr Smith for creating a truly wonderful and inspiring sound. Tim Smith RIP.

Cardiacs Bandcamp 

Cardiacs

Test Transmission Archive Reel 41

Its time again for another TT archive reel. Was not expecting to do another for a while, but seemed to have a lot more time on my hands recently (new album is coming along as well) This time round from Castles in Space we have Clocolan and Dalham. From Buried Treasure Records Zyklus and Yuri Morozov. Not only but also The Glove, Bloom de Wilde, Dudley Moore, The Shaggs, Laurie Johnson, King Tubby, Stavely Makepiece, Ice T, Fad Gadget, Mr Fox, Bruce Haack, Paul Williams, Steamhammer, The United States of America, Planet Jazz, Cal Tjader and Shirley Ellis. Quite a lot there to keep you going through the last of the summer. Do not know when the next one will be. So until then Play nicely, be good and please look after yourselfs .

The Spectral Fields Wyrd Kalendar Mix

My conection with A Year in The Country happened in 2016 when Stephen Prince asked me to contribute to The A Year in The Country CD Release: Fractures. To date I have now contributed 7 tracks to Stephen Prince's superb A Year in The Country CD releases and have always enjoyed visiting and having a good rummage through A Year in The Country. A few years back I bought a copy of Stephen's Wandering Through Spectral Fields book. It is something which I find myself constantly returning to, and I always seem to find something new everytime I pick the book up.

I only bought the CD Gather in the Mushrooms:
The British Acid Folk Underground 1968-1974 because of chapter 2 page 24.
“A new book caught my eye recently – the title A Year In The Country: Wandering Through Spectral Fields, that goes in search of the darker, eerier side of the bucolic countryside dream by looking at films of a certain genre, books, TV series, music; it is great to have this fascinating subject explored so thoroughly and brought together under one title.”
Verity Sharp, Late Junction, BBC Radio 3

Over the last few years Chris Lambert (Black Meadow, Wyrd Kalender)
has put together a massive 4 part audio accompaniment to Stephen's book. Each installment comes in at 2 hrs or just under. The mixes very skilfully follow and link to all
52 chapters in the book.

All Wyrd Kalender Mixes here
But before you do listen, visit A Year in The Country first. It is th best place to start. 

Chapters 1-13

Chapters 14-26

Chapters 27-39
Chapters 40-52

The Final Spectral Fields Wyrd Kalendar Mix – An Aural Appendix to Accompany “Journeys in Otherly Pastoralism, The Further Reaches of Folk and the Parallel Worlds of Hauntology” 
 

test Transmission Archive Reel 40

Having had a bit more time available than I originally thought, here is Test Transmission Archive Reel 40. All sorts of nonsense and jollyness on this one. Something cheery to get your feet tapping and body jumping around. This time we have The Goodies, Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, Hawkwind, CCS, Kenny Everet & Mike Vickers, Rah Band, Loose Capacitor, Bernard Cribbins, Renaldo and the Loaf, Monty Python, John Kongos, Cult Figures, Perrey and Kingsley and loads more + all sorts of oddness inbetween. Now its time for me to go back to working on the next Album. So until then...

The Isolation Tapes & Castles in Space

The Isolation Tapes Cassette and Bonus Downloads
The Isolation Tapes Compact Disc

CiS062//The Isolation Tapes:
Castles in Space
Castles in Space brings you a stunning collection of new music recorded in isolation during the COVID19 lockdown//Released 29th May 2020//

On April 3rd 2020, two weeks into the UK's total coronavirus lockdown and in an attempt to find something positive as a break from ping-ponging between high anxiety and frustrated bemusement, I sent out the call for submissions for a new compilation of music,

A total of 62 tracks across CD//Cassette//Download selected from more than
250 submissions. 

The Isolation Tapes project is sold in support of the magnificent Cavell Nurses' Trust.
A wonderful organisation which helps nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, both working and retired, when they’re suffering personal or financial hardship. This is often due to illness, disability, older age, domestic abuse and the impact of coronavirus.

It is sincerely hoped that you will find much to enjoy in The Isolation Tapes. It was both an absolute joy and an arduous headache to put together (in a good way). The final edit was extremely difficult and there is certainly enough stuff in the can for further releases if these volumes find some appreciation.

As ever, thanks for listening.
Stay safe and well.
Colin Morrison
Castles in Space. May 21st 2020 

releases May 29, 2020

Profits from this album will go to support Cavell Nurses’ Trust
(registered charity no. 1160148 and SC041453).
Cavell Nurses’ Trust proudly give money and support to nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants in hardship whether they are working or retired.
If you are a healthcare professional experiencing personal or financial hardship, please contact them today at: www.cavellnursestrust.org / 01527 595999. 

My track (Top Hat Disco) on the CD  came from a late night conversation that my Wife and I were having after she had come in late after her shift. We were discussing how a year ago that very evening we were at a 50th Birthday Party at The Carlton Club Whalley Range Manchester. It was a fantastic party in a lovely old building/Hall. Everyone was dancing, the music was 70s disco, punk, Northern soul, rockerbilly Psych, 80s…everything.
We discussed how one year on it is now so different, how could we have ever imagined we would be in this situation. We then discussed school discos and cheesy clubs from the late 70s and early 80s,unemployment was high but we did not care, life revolved around records and going out on a Friday or Saturday night, then...no money until your next dole came through (I cheated I was a cleaner at the uni and claimed dole) I was 16 with money. Shouting over the music in the clubs my friends and I were going to do so much…change the world.
My optimism for the future is still there in Top Hat Disco.
The sample in the middle is from my bedroom in 1979. My mates and I were recording ourselves talking and messing about, a friend said or did something and another replied “Thats bleeding disgusting that is, thats sick, if the Kendals saw that they wouldn’t know were to turn” I have no idea who the Kendals were.

Readers Digest Tea and The Clash

Some years ago I was at my Daughter's School summer fate. As I was browsing through some old books I noticed sandwiched between A Bill Bryson and a pop up Tweenies book was A large black book. This book was called Folklore Myths and Legends of Britain......Published by The Readers Digest in 1973
The reason this book stopped me in my tracks was because I had not seen a copy  of this book for decades. The last time I saw a copy  of this book was in the summer of 1977 on a shelf round my friends house. My friend and I noticed this book one dull day in our 6 week summer break. We were both bored and could not find anything to do...until by chance
we came across Folklore myths and Legends of Britain.
As we started flicking through the book our interest grew and the boredom factor diminished. We decided It was time to make a cup of tea have a sneaky Cigarette and put the 1st Clash album on and......read. By the time the tea had been drunk and the Clash had long since had their Career Opportunities and been in Garageland. We knew about The Haunted Fens, The Haunted Moors, The meaning of some sea Shanties, The Ghost Ships of Goodwin Sands, The Old man of Storr, The Rollright Stones, customs and curses, Smugglers and Highwaymen and women. We could not get enough of these old tales and legends. More tea was made The Stranglers entertained us musically and we read more and more. One night over the summer The film Witchfinder General was on TV. We both watched it. When my friend and I met up the next day we looked up Mathew Hopkins in the book. There he was... page 248. There was no mention in our book about Hopkins being hacked to death by Ian Ogilvy. In fact according to the book Hopkins more than likely died of TB. As the summer holiday drifted on we revisited the book many more times. Deciding that we should go and visit as many of these places and investigate as many of these strange things as possible. Alas we never really visited any of the places we had read about. Traveling from one end of the country in search of Ghosts weird things and all sorts of oddness was not really possible on about 50p a week pocket money. So by early Sept as the school term loomed nearer and nearer the book was put back on the shelf and for some reason we never really looked at it again. So by  just seeing this book at the school fate all those memories from that long lost summer came flooding back. I picked the book up and asked how much????? 
"50p" was the reply
50p for 552 pages of Folklore Myths and legends of Britain and some amazing memories. Now I know that you can find copies of this book on ebay and Amazon...but of course they are not on there for 50p. Well I parted with 50p and went home. Made a cup of Coffee put the Clash on and started to read.