Last Friday's post about the music of Guyana kicked off with a track from "Fighting For Survival", the 1981 album by the Yoruba Singers. I mentioned in passing that their 1974 debut album "Ojnga's Own" was also available on Bandcamp.
While "Ojinga's Own" is not quite as splendid as "Fighting For Survival" - the band's sound had not yet incorporated some of the influences that made the latter so special - it is still a very enjoyable record with an agreeably funky rumble throughout. Here are a couple of prime cuts.
Normally when I announce the Pun Fun winner I do so with great fanfare - their name in lights, celebratory music, that sort of thing. But I don't think it is appropriate this time for reasons that will become apparent when you see the Top 5.
Trumpet Up - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (Ernie)
How Can You Mend A Broken Harp - Al Green (Alyson)
Timpani, I'm Not Your Daddy - Kid Creole & The Coconuts (Rol)
Hanging On The Xylophone – Blondie (The Swede)
Cello I Love You - The Doors (George)
You will probably be yelling "fix!" and demanding that some independent election observers are brought in to verify the results, and I don't blame you. I thought I might be in with a chance of a Top 5 finish but there is no way I should be beating, for example, Alyson's brilliant harp pun or The Swede, whose pun was so good that three different people tried to submit it. What we have is further proof - not that it was needed - that democracy is a flawed process.
My magnanimous congratulations to the rest of the Top 5 and a special mention to Mark whose REM pun narrowly missed out and might have been there if it hadn't been for a split in the bassoon vote. Many thanks to everyone else who took part and better luck next time.
We will be back with Pun Fun 4 in about four weeks. Until then here are a couple of the songs that made it all possible.
And so we trundle on. This time out we are in Guyana, which perches proudly at the top of South America and invites you to admire its rain forests and biodiversity, its healthy oil fuelled economy and its many fine cricketers. Anything but Jonestown.
Like several recent posts in the series it was already going to be tricky to track down enough music for Guyana. Matters were made worse when notorious expansionist Charity Chic parked his tanks on my lawn in much the same way as Mr Plump did in Guyana's western neighbour (although to be fair to CC he didn't break into my house and kidnap me).
There is some overlap between the artists featured in the two posts, which is either a sign of shared impeccable taste or limited supply (or both). But unlike CC I have decided to exclude artists born in Guyana who left as children and whose whole careers were in the UK or US. So its goodbye to the likes of Eddy Grant, R.B. Greaves, Ram John Holder and Mad Professor.
I nearly accidently broke my own rule by including Colle Kharis in the Mandatory American Reggae spot and it was only when I was researching the post that I discovered his family moved to the US in 1990. It is a bit tough on Mr Kharis so I may feature him in his own right in the future. In the meantime check out his "Caribbean Bloodline".
On to the official entries. We will start proceedings with an excellent album that has featured here before - "Fighting For Survival" by Yoruba Singers. The band were formed in Georgetown in 1971 and despite their name had no direct links from Nigeria, home of the Yoruba people, but identified with the area from which so many of the African diaspora in Guyana were originally descended.
Their sound was a mix of local folk music, Afrobeat, reggae and lots more besides. "Fighting For Survival" which came out in 1981 is their career highlight - I could have picked pretty much any track from that album - but their 1974 debur "Ojinga's Own" is worth checking out as well.
If that description of the Yoruba Singers' sound prompted you to wonder what the folk music of Guyana sounds like, wonder no more. The Young Ones of Guyana are here to demonstrate with this traditional number which can be found on their 1970 album "On Tour".
While a significant number of Guyanese are of African descent, they are not the largest ethnic group in the country. Descendants of indentured labourers from India account for about 45% of the population compared to 35% Afro-Guyanese (the others are indigenous or of mixed heritage).
There have been clashes between the two main ethnic groups over the years, inevitably stirred up by politicians. One such incident back in the 1960s was reported on by Nesbit Chhangur, who for reasons best known to himself chose it set it to the tune of "Devil Woman" by Marty Robbins.
Staying in the 1960s for a moment, Guyana's greatest calypsonian King Fighter was at the peak of his powers having relocated to Trinidad in the late 1950s to do battle with the best in the business. This particular track comes from a compilation on Soul Jazz records called "Calypso: Musical Poetry In The Caribbean 1955-69", but there is much more from Fighter on the misleadingly titled "Trinidad Calypso Devil".
The modern equivalent of calypso is of course soca and there is plenty of that in Guyana as Adrian Dutchin demonstrates. Those of you who follow Selector Andre on Instagram will know that Mr Dutchin is riding high at the top of the charts right now with "Born And Grow" but we've picked an oldie but goodie for you. It dates from 2011 and can be found on a compilation called "Dis Soca Baddy".
Understandably the Indo-Guyanese didn't want to be left in the kitchen at the soca party so they got together with the large Indian diaspora in Trinidad to develop a style called "chutney". Charity Chic went big on chutney when he was in Guyana but I don't have his robust constitution so I'm restricting myself to this track by Terry Gajraj. It is pleases your palate you can find more on "Chutney Rhythms Vol. 1".
Speaking of Charity Chic, the last two acts both featured in his tribute to the music of Guyana. Eddie Hooper was a stalwart of the scene in the 1970s and 1980s who blended disco, calypso and reggae into a style that he called "loopie" (although I'm not sure anyone else did to be honest). This track dates from 1987 and can be found on "This Is Eddie Hooper", a compilation of some of his best work. Lyrically it has echoes of King Fighter.
Finally in the MAR spot we have Natural Black. Having been blessed with the birth name Mortimer Softley he foolishly abandoned it for his rather generic pseudonym. There is nothing generic about his music however, he has been producing high grade reggae for over twenty years now. We present the title track of his 2018 album "Eyes A Look" for your delectation and delight today.
If all of that has left you thinking Guyana might be worth visiting, let Karissia Couchman and friends provide you with more information about what you can expect if you do go.
Rol over at My Top Ten is responsible for two of my favourite recurring blog series - 'Saturday Snapshots', where you pit your wits against his fiendish clues to work out the connection, and 'Namesakes' on Tuesdays.
As the title suggests, in 'Namesakes' Rol tracks down clips of different acts with the same name. Its such a simple idea it makes you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself (ahem).
By way of a tribute this post features namesakes called Lambchop, but unlike Rol I don't have the patience to track down loads of them so you are just getting two.
Voting is now open for Pun Fun 3. Readers were challenged to insert a musical instrument related pun into a popular song title.
And what a musical melange they have come up with between them. The list of instruments reads like the sleeve notes for a dreadful 1970s jazz fusion album or a one-off collaboration between the Mahavishnu, Penguin Cafe and Electric Light Orchestras.
Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry and a very warm welcome to Mark who has been a member of the voting panel previously but has joined the ranks of competitors for the first time.
I mentioned last time out that if the number of entries increased I might ask you all to select your top five rather than just your top three as has been the case to date so you can spread the love a bit wider. Let's give that a go. If it leaves you paralysed by indecision we can go back to the top three next time.
Voting is open to all readers not just those of you who entered. Let me know your top five in order of preference. I'll award 7 points for your first choice, 5 for second and then 3, 2 and 1 for the rest.
You can either submit your votes in the comments section below or by email to leggies27@hotmail.co.uk if you would rather preserve the sanctity of the secret ballot.
The deadline is next Sunday (25 January) and we will announce the results a week today.
Here are the contenders, listed alphabetically by artist.
While My Sitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles
Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into Keytar - Billy Ocean
Hanging On The Xylophone - Blondie
Cello I Love You - The Doors
Trumpet Up - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Return to Fender - Elvis Presley
Rowche Drum Bell - The Fall
How Can You Mend A Broken Harp - Al Green
That Drummer Feeling - Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
Whistle Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
Timpani, I'm Not Your Daddy - Kid Creole & The Coconuts
Mindless Violins - Newtown Neurotics
Man on Bassoon - REM
Get Hofner My Cloud - The Rolling Stones
Not Too Bassoon - Throwing Muses
Maybe when this is all over we can keep the band together and take the show on the road.
Before we get into today's post, a quick reminder for anyone planning to submit an entry for Pun Fun 3 who has not yet done so. The deadline is this Sunday (18 January). All the details are in last Monday's post.
We now return to our scheduled programme.
This blog turns 17 tomorrow. I didn't want to wait until then to mention it as it would just disappear beneath Rol's Saturday Snapshots, Charity Chic's Saturday Shuffle, Swiss Adam's Oblique Saturdays etc. I need a bit of attention on my blog birthday and this is the only hope of getting any.
Here are some more 17ers with a song whose message is sadly at least as relevant today as when it was first recorded 45 years ago (and one that hopefully would have warned Liesl off Rolf had it been around back in 1938).
Confession time. While Ernie Goggins is of course my real name I have invented a nom de plume which I use on things like passports and legal documents in order to avoid being harassed by obsessive fans while I go about my day to day life.
Inevitably there are other people with same name. One released a few unsuccessful singles in the 1970s, one is currently a breakout star in American college football and another one sells used trucks in south-east England.
It is the latter who inspired this post. That and finding a compilation CD of the great Cuban stalwarts Los Van Van in a local charity shop at the weekend. The CD is called "La Colección Cubana" and dates from 1998. These tracks were originally released in 1984 and 1986 respectively.
Links stay up for a month or so. If you are an artist or copyright holder and want me to remove the link, or if you want to get in touch for any other reason, e-mail me on leggies27@hotmail.co.uk.
