SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Climb Aboard My Roundabout! The British Toytown Sound 1967-1974, 3CD Box Set

CLIMB ABOARD MY ROUNDABOUT The British Toytown Sounds 1967-1974    (3CD set) 

I have been eagerly awaiting this release. For a lifelong lover of psychedelia this is like unwrapping a highly anticipated present on Christmas morning. Grapefruit Records & head honcho David Wells have come up with another 24carat compilation in their ever expanding excellent catalogue. Climb Aboard My Roundabout invites you to get onboard with 87 tracks spread over 3 CD’s, running to over 4 hours, of the sub genre of British psychedelia that over the years has become known as ‘Toytown’. I have to say straight away that that’s not the name I personally have used over the years to describe this collection of examples of wonderful British eccentricity, but I’m happy to run with it, if that is what the aforementioned David Wells assures me is what collectors refer to this wonderful world as. So, for the uninitiated what is ‘Toytown’ sounds? Probably the most famous &  best known example that most people would know is Keith West’s ‘Excerpt from a Teenage Opera’ (or ‘Grocer Jack’) if you prefer, included here closing CD1. A deceptively whimsical tale of an old grocer in a very British town failing to deliver his goods on his round. The record has all the ingredients that make up a ‘Toytown’ track, it conjures up images of childhood, uses children’s voices liberally, contains sweeping orchestration & generally transports you to a wondrous other world full of cosy imagery, but within this world reminiscent of Trumpton, Camberwick Green etc there sometimes lies a darker heart. Let’s not forget that ‘Grocer Jack’ had a fatal heart attack! The whole genre really got off to a start when The Beatles released their double ‘A’ side single ‘Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny lane’ back in February 1967. The two songs both delved back into John & Paul’s collective, if different, memories of childhood & set the template for the 100’s that would follow in their wake. A whole phalanx of writers & artistes turned to the works of the likes of Edward Lear & probably most notably Lewis Caroll whose adventures of Alice in Wonderland has been plundered as the inspiration for many a ‘Toytown’ tune. I had my own flirtation with this world when my close friends in Ruperts People wrote & recorded ‘Prologue to a Magic World’ built around Alice back in 1967. The artistes that make up the majority of the records featured in this compilation will most likely be largely unknown to those not already steeped in late 60’s esoterica. But that’s not to say every artist is obscure. The compilation gets off in fine style with Jeff Lynne’s early band The Idle Race with what was nearly a hit ‘The Skeleton & The Roundabout’ featured here in it’s rarer mono mix which has a different ending with additional vocals. It has an irresistible catchy chorus. childlike bewitching lyrics all set to a mildly lysergic acid influenced musicality. And that description really sums up the basis of ‘Toytown’ songs for me. I unfortunately don’t have the space to give you a blow by blow description of every track, however, if you go to CD 1 track 12 ‘Peter’s Birthday’ by The World of Oz & listen to that followed by the next 3 tracks ‘Ha! Ha! Said the Clown’ in it’s original demo form written & performed by Tony Hazzard (a big hit for Manfred Mann) ‘Sad Simon Lives Again’ Tim Andrews & lastly ‘Uncle Joe The Ice Cream Man’ The Mindbenders. Those 4 songs grouped together encompass & demonstrate perfectly all the best qualities of the genre, the prolific use of whimsical orchestration, nonsensical, yet hugely entertaining lyrics, incredibly ‘hooky’ melodies & just a whole other-worldly atmosphere. Scattered throughout the compilation there are names you will recognise, like the aforementioned Keith West & The Idle Race plus The Herd, Consortium, David Bowie, Jigsaw, Spencer Davis, Nirvana etc but in all likelihood not with the tracks you are probably most familiar with. However, this is where the listener is hugely rewarded with golden nuggets that in a lot of cases have been lost, or indeed never heard, in the mists of time. Some tracks bring back instant memories for me,  for example i remember laughing myself silly when first listening to The Bonzo Dog Do Dah Bands album ‘Gorilla’ all those years ago represented here by one of it’s best tracks the gloriously silly ‘The Equestrian Statue’. In addition there is a plethora of rare and un-released material just waiting to be discovered across the 3 CD’s. I hope this has given you just enough of a flavour of all the candyfloss delights this compilation has to offer any music lover with even just a passing interest in this wonderful 1960’s world of dreams inhabited by fairies, wizards & all manner of fantasies. It’s the aural equivalent of getting out a long discarded Enid Blyton book & reading it accompanied by lashings of ginger beer! & returning to your childhood. Fanciful? yes, but so much to enjoy. Once again i commend Grapefruit Records for their attention to detail, from the sturdy clamshell box to the excellent & as ever, very informative accompanying 48 page fully illustrated booklet. Pull up a mushroom to sit on, make yourself comfortable, settle down with a hookah (herbal naturally) & enjoy!

Fore more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time…..stay safe & well…..Colin

 

Claire Lonsdale… Right up my street, and I think Colin, you and I were discussing the Idle Race a few months ago. I loved Climb Aboard My Roundabout. X

Colin Bell… Claire, I do believe we were, you’d certainly enjoy this compilation i know

Reid McDuffie… These Cherry Red compilations are bloody marvellous

Mick O’Dowd… Wow from what you have written a fantastic compilation. Excert from was the only decent track on the Teenage Opera album but what a track. Always loved Idle Race. Fave Bonzos was probaby Canyons of Your Mind or maybe Jollity Farm or the brilliant Intros and Outros. Great looking album!

Alan Esdaile… Great review Colin. Agree with you Mick on Bonzos Canyons.

Alan Wood… Indeed an early Xmas present for me, grocer jack in my top 15 and saw The Herd on the old Pier

 

Hastings College Of Art foundation course – 1978/1979

supplied by Rose Watling.  photo © Dave Trodd 

Rose Watling… Hastings College Of Art foundation course at the Brassey Institute.

Matt Thomas… What a fantastic picture

John Gale… Heather McCartney front row far right,,, Nick Howe top row far left John Curtess 2nd row 2nd from the right (I think)

Alan Esdaile… Rose Watling second in front row and Rose said , one of the Chapman brothers is at the back.

Willie Wicking… was at primary school with Rose & knew her brothers well Ian

Toby Johnson… If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed over the decades, it’s how weird art students are

Markos Eva… Wow. Can’t be Rod Harman at the back in the middle can it??

Martin Richer… Dinos ?

Nick Tutt… Dinos. Jake would have been too young then

Rose Watling… Yes it’s definitely Dinos Chapman in the picture, also Rod Harman at the back. Just below Dinos is Rosemary ?, then below her is Liz ?, to the right of Liz is Claudine – our life model, and next to her is Judith ? – sorry I can’t remember anyone’s surnames. Fourth from right, second row (with his hand on his head) is Gavin Upstill.

Lisa Jensen… Tony Collie standing far left – white shirt?

Deborah Wilson… What a fab photo … I was doing a secretarial course at Archery road at this time but used to hang out with the art students in the Fiesta cafe

Jean Lofts…  is that a young Jeb on Rods right? Must have passed you in Fiesta cafe Debs

Ivan Bailey… Wow I love this photo, above Heather McCartney is Tyrone Dawson and I’m on the right of Rod Harman and that is defo Dinos Chapman. Did Tony Collie take the photo as I don’t see him?

Yetty Yusuf… I’m keen to speak to anyone who went to the art school at the Brassey for an art exhibition. The exhibition is taking place in Hastings next year and I’m looking for former students at Hastings School of Art at the Brassey building.

I will not talk in class…

image source unknown

Pete Prescott… I had to do this a few times. I had to do this a few times. I had to do the A few times

Graham Matthews… Me too.

SindySnap… strap 3 pens together for a speedier completion

Mike Guy… SindySnap, me too, 3 different colours just for a bit of fun. This was one from our English (& form teacher in 1963) “Work hard work is a blessing to the soul and character of the man that works. No man is more to be pitied than he who has nothing to do.”

Karen Sweatman… I used to sellotape about 4 pens together too do 4 lines at once!

Chris Wood… me too

Angela Frances Gardner… The best punishment we had was to copy a couple of pages out of the General Knowledge magazines. We always picked the most gruesome!

Gaynor Lewry… Wore out several pencils doing them !!

Andy Pocock… Too early for that, a visit to the headmaster’s study was the usual result

Miriam Moffat-Bailey… Yes remember this well

Andy Pocock… Why is the ‘n’ in ‘not’ small and the one in ‘in’ capital?

Colin Norton… Andy, that would get you another hundred lines!

John Mcewen… Normally just got a slap from the teacher.

Sandy Max… Oh yes……..and our headmaster’s other favourite was copying out passages of the Bible……the most boring ones!

Chris Meachen… We were made to write essays on bizarre subjects..

David Wilkinson… Grammatically incorrect. Repeat the punishment.

Marilyn Spence… Me

Mick O’Dowd… I used a ruler for all the i’s!

Mike Rawlinson… Yes

Charlie Ball… Me

Dawn Mann… Oh yes and at home haha! X

Pat Clarke… I did I did

Louise Allen… Wendy Clark …. I think we wrote a few miles of those

Noreen Plested… Me also

Danielle Reed… Me on. Loads of occasions

Glo Macari… Oh Yes

Wendy Weaver… Many times.

Maria Macari… yeah…they got you to write it in detention even if you were there for something else!

Ralph Town… I was forced to write out hymn number one in the songs of praise hymn book when at the Elphinstone School. It went….For thy mercy and thy grace, faithful thru another year, hear our song of thankfulness, Father and Redeemer, hear. Now, considering I last wrote that first verse out when I was 10 and I’m now 62, you get some idea of how many times I did it. My greatest achievement in mainstream education, I fear.

Hayley OBrien… Yes I did