Weird In Warsaw

We interrupt our scheduled programming to bring you something truly weird and wonderful.

I was browsing through the Twinkle Brothers albums in eMusic last night, as you do, when I came across one called "Twinkle Inna Polish Stylee", credited to Higher Heights. I was powerless to resist clicking on to find out more. And I am very glad I did.

Higher Heights was a collaboration between Norman Grant and Dub Judah of the Twinkle Brothers and three Polish folk musicians from the Trebania family. The recordings were made in 1991 and, as far as I can work out, are all traditional Polish folk tunes that have been twinklified. And, as unlikely as it seems, it works really well.

Most of the English lyrics seem to concern an outlaw called Johnny who has either come out of hiding and is on his way to his home village to see family and friends, is enjoying the company of family and friends in his home village, or has recently been killed having foolishly decided to come out of hiding to go to his home village to see family and friends. Whether this is a reflection on the paucity of Polish story-telling or some obsession of Mr Grant's I cannot tell you.

"Going To The Village (Krzesany Po Dwa)" - Higher Heights

"Who Killed (Zabili Janicka w Segedynie)" - Higher Heights

To save Mister F the trouble of writing, we will not be using this as an excuse to show the clip of this year's Polish Eurovision entry. If it's a pair of tits you are after, you are out of luck. Obviously.