Occasional Albums Thing 014 - Various Artists “Instro Hipsters A Go-Go” 1&2

Two volumes of weirdy instrumentals collected together on the handy LP format. Both of these albums are of “questionable provenance”. The “Instro Hipsters” series runs to five volumes on CD, all good there. But Discogs lists “Instro Hipsters A Go-Go” as an Unofficial (i.e. bootleg) release so I can only presume they feel the same about “Instro Hipsters A Go-Go 2”. Whatever, these two double LP’s are close companions of the “The In-Kraut” series and some of the weirder corners of Decca’s catalogue. As much as I like the music contained within, the stories around some of the tracks and the musicians that made them are entertainment in their own right.

In the middle of Side 2 of the first volume you will find “Zoom, Widge And Wag” by Bobbie Graham. Bobbie (or more commonly Bobby) was a Canadian drummer and Producer who contributed  to more than 15,000 recordings, “Downtown” by Petula Clark amongst them, and he worked with the likes of The Animals, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones. This was (again) the B-side to his take on Louis Bellson’s “Skin Deep” (it’s awful) but the clue is in the writing credit for the B-side, (Graham/Page). Both sides of this record feature ace session guitarist Jimmy Page who I believe went on to greater things? Bobbie rumbles away on the drums throughout over horns and Hammond organ and eventually Mr Page supplies a twangy guitar solo to send us to the close.

Jimmy Nicol was another drummer, one who had subbed for Ringo (when he had tonsilitis) in The Beatles for 8 gigs in Europe and Australia in June 1964. His 1964 single “Husky” didn’t pick up any extra sales by association and really sounds like it belongs on those “In-Kraut” records, it just sounds very odd and, well, European.

Gary Blake, aka Alyn Ainsworth, was an arranger and conductor who, under his Ainsworth name, conducted a number of UK Eurovision Song Contest entries including Brotherhood of Man’s “Save Your Kisses For Me”. His contribution here is “Look Out Now” released by Columbia in 1966 and if you, as a kid, ever watched the Pink Panther cartoons you’d know this piece immediately.

Arzachel had originally been known as Uriel but changed their name to Egg when their guitarist, one Steve Hillage, left the band. Egg had just signed an exclusive deal with Decca Records when they were offered the chance to make an album by independent Evolution Records. So back came Hillage, they changed their name to Arzachel and made their sole album of Psychedelic Prog from whence sallies the (I would imagine) most out of place “Soul Thing (Queen Street Gang Theme)” or just “Queen Street Gang” as it appears at the end of side 4 of Vol. 1. Again it’s a tune you would know, I don’t know where from but you’d know it.

On Volume 2 you will find The Salon Band, about whom I know nothing other than their track “Disco 2” appeared on the soundtrack of British film “Groupie Girl”, written by former groupie Suzanne Mercer. Just imagine the scene, a 60’s basement club, guys in suits and pastel coloured, paisley kneckerchiefs, girls in mini dresses with long dangling belts, necklaces and go-go boots all dancing groovily. Now hear the music playing in your head, it’s “Disco 2”.

Reg Guest was a Brummie pianist, arranger and musical director who fronted the Reg Guest Syndicate, Reg Guest & His Orchestra and was a member of John Keating & His Orchestra who recorded the original theme tune to Z-Cars which I believe Everton FC still run out to on match days. Here Reg’s Syndicate deliver “Underworld”. it’s like “Green Onions” played by fuzz guitars and and a horn section, marvellous.

Both volumes of “Instro-Hipsters” are choc full of weird and wonderful oddities like these I’ve told you about. I got quite into DJ’ing some of this weirdness for a while…

Gary Blake “Look Out Now” - https://youtu.be/TdNVqqAL28w?si=bdTrlLGoGptFNqNt