NEWS ARCHIVES May 2010  | Back to Archives Index  | Back to Latest News Page

NEWENT ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY
Celebrating their 70th birthday in 2010


A SELL-OUT crowd packed into Newent Memorial Hall to hear the first-ever orchestral re-working of Joe Meek's classic pop song Telstar.

Newent Orchestra's rendition of Telstar Revisited, written by conductor Bill Anderton, was the highlight to the town's first Music Heritage Day.

The event, which included exhibitions and a film screening, celebrated Newent's two famous musical sons Joe Meek and composer Rutland Boughton.

Bill Anderton said the event had been a huge success.

He said: "It went very well and exceeded our expectations. We are now planning to broaden the event out so Newent's musical heritage is celebrated as part of the town's heritage." Joe Meek's niece Sandra attended the event and Bill said he was delighted with the audience's response to Telstar Revisited.

he said: "The reaction was fantastic. In the last 18 months we have tried to vary our programme and people's reaction has been positive."

The above report is from www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/forestofdean/.../article.html

Newent Music Heritage Exhibition:
at Newent Library from 1 - 22 May;

The exhibitions will include photos, press cuttings, memorabilia, music scores and books, archive material and information about our local music heritage.  They will be focused around composer, Rutland Boughton, record producer, Joe Meek and, of course, our orchestra.  Entry at all venues is free.

OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY WILLIAM HILL PARTY ELECTION RESULTS 2010

 
 
John Cartwright (Croydon Central) 192 (0.4%)
Colin Dale (Buckingham) 856 (1.8%)
Alan Powell (Ludlow) 179 (0.4%)
Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope (Witney) 234 (0.4%)
Crucial Chris (Barking) 82 (0.2%)
Tony Davies (Blackpool North) 198 (0.5%)
George Ridgeon (Tewkesbury) 319 (0.6%)
Martin Hogbin (Surrey East) 422 (0.8%)
Mark Beech (Cardiff Central) 142 (0.4%)
Napoleon Dynamite (Old Bexley & Sidcup) 155 (0.3%)
R.U. Seerius (Derbyshire Mid) 219 (0.5%)
Ken Hanks (Cheltenham) 493 (0.9%)
Monkey The Drummer (Kingston & Surbiton) 247 (0.4%)
Top Cat Owen (Wokingham) 329 (0.6%)
Flying Brick (Derbuyshire Dales) 228 (0.5%)
Chinners (Esher & Walton) 341 (0.6%)
Mike Young (Sittingbourne & Sheppey) 319 (0.7%)
Norman Davidson (Faversham & Mid Kent) 398 (0.9%)
Lord Toby Jug (Huntingdon) (548 (1.0%)
Matt Fensome (Milton Keynes North) 157 (0.3%)
Lord Offa (Brecon & Radnor) 210 (0.5%)
Roger Monksummers (Dorset North) 218 (0.4%)
Knigel Knapp (Hackney North & Stoke Newington) 182 (0.4%)
Sam Thing (Amber Valley) 265 (0.6%)
Baron Von Thunderclap (Mid Sussex) 259 (0.5%)
Eddie 'Elvis' Vee (York) 154 (0.3%)
Mark 'Zammo' Adshead (Sheffield Hallam against Nick Clegg) 164 (0.3%)

NEW CD RELEASE FEATURING RARE MEEK ENGINEERED AND PRODUCED TRACKS

TWO TIMING BABY - EMBER SIXTIES POP VOLUME 2 (DUE OUT 7th MAY)




(In 1960 Jeffrey Kruger launched Ember Records as an independent, one of very few in the UK, where the majors held sway. Straight away, the label set about trying to break into the charts with many fine pop releases. The Ember Sixties Pop series will collate the best of those records. Two Timing Baby is the second instalment, picking up the story from where Say When: Ember Sixties Pop Volume 1 (FVCD044) left off.

Carter, Lewis & The Southerners’ first Ember single Two Timing Baby / Will It Happen To Me features Joe Meek engineering, Geoff Goddard on piano, Albert Lee on guitar, Chas Hodges on bass and Bobby Graham on drums. The Meek connection continues with Mark Douglas’ only single: Joe produced It Matters Not / Upside Down and Tornado Clem Cattini confirms he drums on both tracks.

American songwriters Buddy Kaye and Phil Springer penned many hits, including The Next Time for Cliff Richard. They brought several songs to Ember and Grant Tracy was the adaptable vocalist on The Great Matchmaker / The Tears Came Rolling Down and the follow-up flip Taming Tigers. Other beneficiaries of the prolific Kaye and Springer were Johnny Carson (Are You Anyone’s Girl / Teenage Bachelor and, again, The Tears Came Rolling Down) and Sandra Gale (Hello Heartache / If She’s Right For You) who had been girl singer with the Ray Ellington Quartet, joining Ember when Ellington did.

Kruger chose the songs for Lita Roza’s single with the aim of moving her sound towards pop and rock ‘n’ roll, and she turns in fine performances on Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean) / (He’s My) Dreamboat, aided by a driving band led by Tony Crombie. Brooklyn-born Kerry Adams recorded her single in New York, conducted by future soul giant Jerry Ragovoy. The Dale Sisters’ cute harmonies are evident on their second Ember single, Road To Love / Secrets. Tommy Sanderson’s second Ember 45 combined trad-jazz Ding Dong Rag with groovy Piano A Go Go, which would have made a great theme for a TV detective show.

Many of these original singles are highly collectable (mint copies of Mark Douglas are valued at GBP75, Carter, Lewis & The Southerners at GBP50 and Lita Roza at GBP30). Subsequent volumes will carry the story through to the end of the sixties, with further sought after tracks included. The series is complemented by compilations devoted to beat and rock from the Ember vaults. Recordings are mastered from tape, where available, and booklets illustrated with sleeve and label shots.

Track listing:
1. Carter, Lewis & The Southerners - Two Timing Baby, 2. Carter, Lewis & The Southerners - Will It Happen To Me, 3. Mark Douglas - It Matters Not, 4. Mark Douglas - Upside Down, 5. Grant Tracy - The Great Matchmaker, 6. Grant Tracy - The Tears Came Rolling Down, 7. Lita Roza - Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean), 8. Lita Roza - (He's My) Dreamboat, 9. Johnny Carson - Are You Anyone's Girl, 10. Johnny Carson - Teenage Bachelor, 11. Grant Tracy - The Painted Smile, 12. Grant Tracy - Taming Tigers, 13. Sandra Gale - Hello Heartbreak, 14. Sandra Gale - If She's Right For You, 15. Johnny Carson - One Track Mind, 16. Johnny Carson - The Tears Came Rolling Down, 17. Kerry Adams - Lonely Christmas, 18. Kerry Adams - Every Boy Like Me, 19. The Dale Sisters - Road To Love, 20. The Dale Sisters - Secrets, 21. Tommy Sanderson & The Sandmen - Ding Dong Rag, 22. Tommy Sanderson & The Sandmen - Piano A Go Go)

U.K FANTASTIC VOYAGE

The cd is available at £8 plus postage from Bim Bam Records at www.bim-bam.com  - please mention you saw it advertised here

JOHN LEYTON

John's April/May Newsletter now posted on his