Raoul Meynard - Continental Visa Renewed

A delightful and carefree outing from Raoul Meynard dating all the way back to 1959 ( A year notable for, amongst other things, being the year when Mr Snookles arrived on the planet.
"It's a small furry creature" the doctors told a proud Mama Snookles)

However, I digress. Raoul's orchestra is reinforced with zimbalons, zithers and mandolins, along with the ubiquitous French accordion to give that essential Gallic atmosphere.

Premiere Classe.

01 - Mam'selle
02 - Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo
03 - Meet Mister Callaghan
04 - Intermezzo
05 - Two Guitars
06 - C'est Si Bon
07 - The Maxixe
08 - Golden Earrings
09 - Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
10 - When A Gypsy Makes His Violin Cry
11 - Play Gypsy, Dance Gypsies
12 - Lisbon Antigua

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Raoul Meynard - Continental Visa Renewed

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Raoul Meynard - Continental Visa Renewed

Mr Snookles

Ruth Wallis - Naughty Naughty

Ruth Wallis (5 January 1920 – 22 December 2007) was a novelty cabaret singer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Wallis began her career singing jazz and cabaret standards, but gained fame in the 1940s and 1950s for her risqué, satirical songs, rife with double entendre that she wrote herself. She did have a mainstream hit with "Dear Mr. Godfrey," a song about his public firing of Julius La Rosa.

She sang with a studio orchestra and often took on an accent for songs about characters from other countries. Her music was occasionally featured on the Doctor Demento show in the 1970s.

She started singing in lounges and cocktail bars, where she met her husband Hy Pastman. Eventually it became clear that her novelty songs, which relied mostly upon double entendres, were the most popular. These songs discussed a number of topics that were taboo in fifties America, such as homosexuality and infidelity. For this reason, her songs were banned from Boston radio stations. She often had difficulty securing distribution for her works, so she started her own record label, Wallis Original Recordings. When she arrived in Australia for a tour customs agents seized her records. Rather than ruin her career, this only brought out crowds.

Wallis retired in the 1970s to spend more time with her husband and two children, but continued to work on material for Broadway shows. Some of her most famous songs were collected and turned into a theater production called BOOBS! The Musical: The World According to Ruth Wallis. BOOBS! opened at the Triad Theater in New York City on May 19, 2003; by closing date it had played nearly 300 performances. It has had subsequent runs in New Orleans and Wichita.

In March 2007 Wallis was honored by the National Archives of Australia. Memorabilia of hers was included in 'Memory of a Nation', a permanent exhibition opening in Canberra. (Thanks once again Wikipedia)

01 - Queer Things
02 - Johnny Had A Yoyo
03 - Hawaiian Lei Song
04 - Sweater Girl
05 - Man Mink Million
06 - The Bells Song
07 - Brandy In Me Tea
08 - Chile Was Hot
09 - First Time Starter
10 - Jamaica Rum
11 - Large Size Mama
12 - Long Playing Daddy

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Ruth Wallis - Naughty Naughty

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Ruth Wallis - Naughty Naughty

Mr Snookles

Werner Muller - Budenzauber

Good morning.

As we reflect upon our previous evening's postings, we cannot help noticing the quality of the prose in the comments added to each post changing as the evening progressed.... I'm sure T.S. Elliott used a similar martini-fueled method to achieve his finest efforts. Oh well - you need to let your fur down once in a while.

Still, in the sober light of dawn I notice that a couple of albums intended to be upped last night never made it because of our inability to perform any action except closing our eyes and laying in a prone position after 11pm. So, here's Werner in his earlier Shlager-Schlock phase dishing out the sunshine pop for your next party. Swill your steins and sing along to Downtown and Pretty Woman...and don't forget to wear that coloured sweater that Auntie Mabel knitted for you in 1972...

01 - America
02 - Medley
03 - Hello Dolly
04 - Downtown
05 - Schon, Schon
06 - Humbta Tatera
07 - Budenzauber
08 - Memphis Tennessee
09 - Teenagers Ragtime
10 - Spanish Harlem
11 - Whistle Stop
12 - Guitar On The Rocks
13 - Pretty Woman
14 - Schaffe, Schaffe, Hausie Baue

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Werner Muller - Budenzauber

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Werner Muller - Budenzauber

Mr Snookles and Shadrac Blintz

Klaus Wunderlich - Hammond Sensation

O Klaus: you happy high-priest of the Hammond.
O Klaus: before the prog-beard years took you away from The Lounge.
O Klaus: Your Hits agogo, Your manuals akimbo.
O Klaus: Can't take my ears off of you.
You're just too good to be....true.

Klaus Wunderlich - Hammond Sensation

01 - Lara's Theme
02 - Matchmaker
03 - Love Is Blue
04 - Up, Up And Away
05 - Honey
06 - Mas Que Nada
07 - Highway-Speed
08 - Strangers In The Night
09 - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
10 - The Impossible Dream
11 - What The World Needs Now
12 - Born Free

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Klaus Wunderlich - Hammond Sensation
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Klaus Wunderlich - Hammond Sensation

Shad's n Snooks ('n geese better scurry)

Wilbur Kentwell - Organ Contrasts

Meanwhile, Australian organ maestro, Wilbur Kentwell was brewing his next multi-manual-masterpiece "Organ Contrasts".

Becoming famous, momentarily, in the 60s as 'the poet of the Wurlitzer', Wilb's is here actually laying down his chops upon the Conn Theatre Organ.

Swoon to the compelling swells as Wilbur executes such classics as 'The Nun's Chorus' from, er, Casanova (First Nun "Ohhh, what was it like for you?" Second Nun "Ohhh, what was it like for you?" etc. etc.) and 'Stranglers in the Night'; not to mention 'Goodnight Sweetheart' and 'Consider Yourself'.

While the Hammond is the lounge organ du jour for the discerning listener, The Conn Theatre Organ with its many timbres ranging from bell-like chimes to church-organ bellows is a worthy addition to any lounge-lover's keyboard palette.

I might also mention that this album was washed twice (and scrubbed with Shadrac's toothbrush Hem Hem) and played repeatedly to dislodge the gunk as it was in a sorry state when it first arrived at Mr Snookles Aural Goodness Extraction Factory.

So you'd better damn well appreciate it.....

01 - A World Of Our Own
02 - Love Is Blue
03 - Jeannine I Dream Of Lilac Time
04 - I Left My Heart in San Fransisco
05 - The Nun's Chorus (From 'Casanova')
06 - The Sound Of Music
07 - Strangers In The Night
08 - My Kind Of Girl
09 - Goodnight Sweetheart
10 - Consider Yourself

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Mr Snookles and Shadrac Blintz.

Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent - The Two Of Us

F.A.B. Damned FAB!!!
Tony and Jackie; at it like knives....
For all you Hatchlings it just doesn't get more NOW than this.

Whilst looking like a couple of newly-weds waiting for an appointment outside the bank manager's office, Tony & Jackie show why they are the inscrutable groove gurus.

This LP is smooth, damned smooth. Yet its edge cuts like a knife through fudge, soft fudge.
Obvious highlights are the hip-swingin' "I Must Know"(Are YOU the kind of lady I wanna spend my life with? mmm, you betcha, Tony!) and the groovy Route 66. Hip-as-f*@k-acid-flashback casualties will be grooning to the sitarbeat-meets-the-Byrds-at-Granny-Takes-a-Trip "Morning Dew".
Then there's the big band pops of the ultra cool "The Joker" (which astute Aussie's will recognise from Kath & Kim TV Series).

Finally, the familiarity of "The Two us". It became a number one record in Australia and still is as far as Mr snookles and I are concerned.

01 - I Must Know
02 - Play It Again
03 - Don't Stop Now
04 - Morning Dew
05 - Work Song
06 - Thank You For Loving Me
07 - Route 66
08 - Living It up Again
09 - The Fool On The Hill
10 - The Joker
11 - Country Girl and City Man
12 - The Two Of us

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Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent - The Two Of Us

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Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent - The Two Of Us

Shadrac Blintz avec M. le Snookles

Shirley Watts - Steel Guitar And Accordians

Recorded in Adelaide, South Australia, this is another of those obscurities that the internet was made for sharing. Who was Shirley Watts? Judging from the cover, this looks like a family affair, Mum's playing an accordion, and the kids are playing accordion and percussion accompaniment.

I must admit I am fascinated by this album - who was this Adelaide housewife who loved exotica so much she bought herself a pedal-steel guitar to play songs from an island on the other side of the world, got the family to be her band, and then went out and recorded an album at a local recording studio?

After lounging in obscurity in the back-rooms of a Wollongong op-shop for 30 years, this album now finds its rightful place on the global stage. Good onya Shirl for following your dreams - I hope you're still playing your pedal-steel guitar wherever you are now...

The music itself is of course somewhat homespun in it's sound, showing the hallmarks of a home studio recording. The accordions are too loud and have a thin reedy sound completely unsuited to the songs. Shirley shows a good stylistic understanding of the genre. Her accordionists are functional rather than virtuosic, and plod through the songs. The kids playing percussion are unlikely to set your next party aflame... Who cares - you get an hour of Shirley playing the music she loves, and thats what counts.

01 - Pagan Love Song
02 - Hawaiian War Chant
03 - Sweet Leilani
04 - To You Sweetheart Aloha
05 - Aloha-Oe
06 - Lovely Hula Hands
07 - It Happened In Kaloha
08 - Tangerine
09 - Coconut Grove
10 - Red Sails In The Sunset
11 - Hawaii Tattoo
12 - Harbour Lights
13 - Hawaiian Wedding Song
14 - Drifting and Dreaming
15 - Pearly Shells
16 - Sleep Walk
17 - Steel Guitar Rag
18 - Slicin' Sand
19 - Rock A Hula Baby
20 - Island Of Love
21 - Hawaiian Sunset
22 - Beach Boy Blues
23 - Blue Hawaii
24 - Happy Hawaii

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Shirley Watts - Steel Guitar And Accordians

Mr Snookles

David Carroll - Percussion in Hi Fi

This is a nice companion post to the earlier 'Dancing 30's in Percussion'. Pure card-carrying Space-Age Pop. Shadrac says...

From the look and sound this is the mono version of the album put up by Liquorice Pizza a while ago. A comment in LP's post states "The mono version of this LP is not just a different mix -- it's actually different takes of each track! I am VERY familiar with the version of "Chimes Of Swing" on the mono LP (for reasons which I won't go into here) and was blown out of my chair to hear a completely different solo and end tag on your needle-drop of the stereo LP"

So here is the other version of the LP.

Musically it's a journey through wacky exotica/space-age bachelor-pad style percussion. A veritable raft of xylophones, vibes, crazy bongos maracas etc along with some neat guitar playing, and possibly the only blues solo ever recorded on tubular bells...

01 - Hell's Bells
02 - Bali Hai
03 - The Chimes of Swing
04 - Maleguena
05 - Discussion in Percussion
06 - Controversy
07 - The Cricket
08 - Jungle Drums
09 - The Pyrenees
10 - Madrid
11 - Bullfight
12 - Finale Flamenco

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Shadrac Blintz

Bruton Music Library - Country & Western Themes

The Blintz Blitz continues;

Country and Western isn't a style one immediately thinks of with so called 'Library Music' but here are some tasteful and laid back C&W flavoured grooves featuring some smooth pedal (or is it lap?) steel guitar playing and the fiddle of Don Harper.

From the Bruton Library, the cover is rather stained with age but the vinyl is almost pristine.


01 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Goonsville
02 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Easy days and Mellow Nights
03 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Velvet Smooth
04 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Ridin' High and Handsome
05 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Old Joe Clark
06 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Soft Touch
07 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Anna Maria
08 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Claudia's Theme
09 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Countryville
10 - Glen Sutton; Norris Wilson - Sassy
11 - Don Harper - Back on the Range
12 - Don Harper - Back in the Hills
13 - Don Harper - Lonely Town
14 - Don Harper - Hoe Y'all Down
15 - Denny Wright - Lazy Guitar
16 - Denny Wright - Guitar Mad
17 - Denny Wright - Guitar Melodie

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Bruton Music Library - Country & Western Themes

Shadrac Blintz

p.s. A special hi to The Big Cheeze - Owing to an unfortunate oversight "The Cheeze Factory" was left of our list of Tasty Music Sites To Visit. Rest assured the underling responsible for this travesty has been soundly flogged, and ordered to listen to the South Australian Police Band play "The Hustle" for the next three days....

If you enjoyed the Mrs Miller post you should;
a) Seek professional help immediately
b) Visit The Cheeze Factory, the motherlode for all things cheezy...

Mrs Miller - Mrs Miller's Greatest Hits

The name is Blintz!, Shadrac Blintz.

Mr Snookles has invited me to Third Island to share some scintillating tidbits of cultural detritus I have stumbled upon in my travels to boot sales, op-shops and trash-n-treasure stalls.

As old Snooko has hinted, my musical taste, while steeped in the magnificent tasteful martini-soaked era of easy listening and lounge, stretches the envelope, somewhat, to include gems of the utterly tasteless, the long forgotten and sundry Difficult Listenings.

I adore LPs that are incomprehensibly uncool and even appallingly bad (see the majestic Kiama Girls Choir, Jamie Redfern etc) and one such is Mrs. Miller’s Greatest Hits

Where does one start with Mrs Miller?

www.mrsmillersworld.com has this to say

“In April 1966, under the roar of Vietnam and a raging counter-culture, emerged a singer like no other. Off-pitch and off-tempo, a 59 year-old grandmother would perform rock standards such as "Hard Days Night", "Downtown", and "These Boots and Made for Walking" in a bizarre operatic style. Often considered the worst pop star of all time, she rode the line between farce and reality, as the reputable Capitol Records promoted the so-called "new sound" without cracking a smile. Her name was Elva Connes Miller, but on stage she was known simply as Mrs. Miller.”

If you’re not prepared for the moment when she starts to, for want of a better word, “sing” the timeless classic Downtown, then take care not to inhale your margarita.

Actually this copy belongs to our friend Ivanskipoo and, as you can see, the cling-wrap was still on it I thought it prudent to leave it on. As an extra bonus, the inner sleeve is a genuine classic 1966 Capitol Records advert.

Normally I’d say “download and enjoy” but in this case, perhaps “download and endure” is more appropriate.

01 - Downtown
02 - The Shadow Of Your Smile
03 - Hard Days Night
04 - Dear Heart
05 - Chim Chiminee
06 - These Boots Are Made For Walking
07 - Lover's Concerto
08 - Let's Hang On
09 - Catch A Falling
10 - Gonna Be Like That
11 - My Love

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Mrs Miller - Mrs Miller's Greatest Hits

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Shadrac Blintz

Ted Sommer and Bill Lavorgna - Dancing 30's In Percussion

Who says you can't teach an old blog new tricks? Third Island has had a much needed overhaul. The link list on the right is now a list of Groovy Blog Sites You Should Visit, rather than a list of Mostly Defunct Sites That I Wish Were Still Going But Aren't. Also added is the List Of Artists - a quick overview of who has music here at Third Island.

Much of the credit for this new lease of life must go to the hidden partner in this outfit - the indefatigable Shadrac Blintz. He has supplied a collection of must-have vinyl rips that are ready to go. For the uninitiated Shadrac is in many ways the spiritual child of the original XYZ Cosmonaut and his brand of British cultural driftwood from the 60's and 70's. Indeed XYZ's post of Dad's Army stalwart Clive Dunn's spin off album "Permission to Sing, Sir" remains one of the most treasured items in my collection. The double entendre of the classic "Polishing My Rifle And Thinking Of You" simply cuts to the bones of the British psyche. Some of Shadrac's tastes are extreme (As you will find in the coming weeks) , some of it reflects his English folk roots (the man is a lapsed Morris dancer), but it's all plain fabulous and well worth a listen.

Shadrac has more strings to his bow, however, than simple Harvester of Pommy culture, and in this post his gives us some of the finest Space-Age-Pop you could ever wish to hear. Music Of The 30's, featuring Ted Sommer on the Lowrey Organ & Bill Lavorgna on percussion, is a delight from the first mallet glissandi to the final muted trumpet riffs. Moody, sultry, cool and swinging, with hints of exotica in the percussion and a sophisticated swing band accompaniment to give it that essential groove, it is simply a must have.

So what are you waiting for?

01 - I Could Write A Book
02 - There's A Small Hotel
03 - What Is There To Say
05 - Every Thing I've Got
05 - The Lady Is A Tramp
06 - My Gal Sal
07 - I Didn't Know What Time It Was
08 - People Will Say We're In Love
09 - Where Or When

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Ted Sommer and Bill Lavorgna - Dancing 30's In Percussion

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Ted Sommer and Bill Lavorgna - Dancing 30's In Percussion

Shadrac Blintz via Mr Snookles

Tony Hatch - Mr & Mrs Music

More specialness from Shadrac, this time the 'British Burt Bacharach' - Tony Hatch. Here's what Shadders has to say...

Mmmm!

Tony Hatch, English composer, songwriter, pianist, music arranger, and producer.

Composed zillions of classic 60’s hits like "Downtown" (memorably covered by Gameskeeper Willy of the Simpsons “Doontoon..”), "Don’t Sleep in the Subway" (excellent advice, Tony) and oodles of memorable TV themes from "Crossroads" to "Emmerdale Farm" and of course "Neighbours".

The version of Downtown on this album is a swingin’ big band arrangement sung by Tony’s uvver ‘alf, the ever lovely Jackie Trent. In fact none of the hits contained herein are the original versions, but are none the less genuine Tony Hatch arrangements.

Pure class.

01 - The Two of Us
02 - The Fool on the Hill
03 - Beautiful in the Rain
04 - Who am I
05 - A Man and a Woman
06 - Live for Love
07 - Make it Easy on Yourself
08 - Memories of Summer
09 - Who Can I Turn To
10 - Play it Again
11 - Little Green Apples
12 - Got to Get Him into My Life
13 - Norwegian Wood
14 - Downtown
15 - Love is Blue
16 - Thankyou for Loving Me
17 - Joanna
18 - Call Me
19 - There's a Boat Leavin Soon
20 - Up Up and Away

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Tony Hatch - Mr & Mrs Music

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Tony Hatch - Mr & Mrs Music

Shadrac Blintz

Jamie Redfern - Sitting On Top Of The World

More cultural detritus for Aussies only... Who could forget the piping treble of Jamie Redfern, doyen of 'Young Talent Time' and darling of the Gladioli set? Championed by Liberace, he was Australia's answer to Donny Osmond. Alas, his star fell as quickly as it rose, and he vanished into the mists of cultural obscurity.

01 - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
02 - Rainbow On A River
03 - It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
04 - Impossible Dream
05 - Once every Year
06 - We'll Meet Again
07 - I'm Sitting On Top Of The World
08 - Til' there Was You
09 - If I Ruled The World
10 - Waltzing Matilda
11 - Yours
12 - From The Time You Say Goodbye

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Jamie Redfern - Sitting On Top Of The World

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Jamie Redfern - Sitting On Top Of The World

Shadrack and Snookles

Mike Sammes Singers - Finian's Rainbow

Just when I thought I was done posting for the evening, Shadders has twisted my arm and convinced me that this is the Mike Sammes album that you must own. It is somewhat different to the usual ultra-smooth vocal stylings one has come to expect from MSS, however, with a couple of listenings (and a couple of margaritas) I have come round to the opinion that it does have a certain "je na se qua". Shadders has this to say...

This took a while for me to get into not being familiar with 'Finian's Rainbow'. Somehow I had it mixed up with Brigadoon...

Of course the performances by MSS's are spot on, some of the arrangements reflect slightly the groovier aspects of the 60's

Blase Machin has this to say "...Walt Disney's famous conductor (Salvadore "Tutti") Camarata directs the Mike Sammes Singers in an enchanting album of one of America's brightest, wittiest and most cheerful musicals."

For me one of the highlights is the easy-bossa arrangement of 'Old Devil Moon'.

You know you want it....

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Shadders and Snookles

The Kiama Girls Choir - Kiama

OK, the night is progressing, the margaritas are flowing and it's time for another Shadrac special. More music you won't find anywhere else... In his own words;

For me THIS is what the internet and the blogiverse was invented for.
The passing on of Pure Schlock.
From the Oily 70's, though obviously rooted (for want of a better word) in the 50's, this little gem of queasy tonality and frightful gold and silver lurex has been in my collection for over 20 years waiting; biding it's time for the day that it could blossom forth in all it's digitalised horror and infect the world.

The first song really sets it up. Understand, you will be singing the refrain 'Kiama Kiama Kiama.." for the rest your life.
Kiama, for those who possibly don't know, is a small seaside town on the southcoast of the Illawarra region of NSW Oztraya. (Google-map it) It has a fairly so-so blowhole, some shops and a jazz festival. Oh, and a trainline runs through it.

Take it away, Dina...

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Mr Snookles and Shadrac Blintz

South Australian Police Band - The Beat Goes On

Hi folks. About eighteen months ago I downloaded my first album (An XYZ Cosomonaut post, I believe (bless him)) . Not long thereafter I decided to start a blog of my own so I could contibute some music of my own to the community of generous souls who had opened my eyes to a whole new vista of previously unknown music.

Sadly, I don't have the time to blog and share as much music these days. Perhaps one day I will find some more time to share some of my collection of daggy but cherished records with you all. Today, however I have something you won't find anywhere else, and to tell you about it I have my friend and co-conspirator Mr Shadrac Blintz, long-time friend (25 yrs) and witty enough to be Oscar Wilde's speech writer. Take away Shadrac...

Proceeding as I was in a south easterly direction along the Oodnadatta Highway, my auditory senses were somewhat accosted by the solid funkified sounds eminating evidently from a place of rehearsal.
Upon further inspection it became evident the music was by none other than the South Australian Policeperson's Band. Yo.
I suddenly taken with the desire to get down with my bad self, your honour, and commenced to strut my funkystuff, sho'nuff.

So If it so pleases the court, your honour, may I posit the following questions of the jury:

Who's the White musical director
That's a sex machine to all the chicks?
Ernest H. Alderslade!
You're damn right

Who're the cats that won't cop out
When there's danger all about
The South Australian Police Band
Right on

And now you too can disturb the peace, with this superlative collection of Policeband Band pop hits of the 70's.
The Playing is uniformly excellent, the uniforms are excellently playful and the excellence is playfully uniform.
Play LOUD, bro.

01 - Pathfinder's March
02 - Scott Joplin On The March
03 - Feelings
04 - March From 'A Little Suite'
05 - Montego Bay
06 - Shaft
07 - The Hustle
08 - Cortege Du Sardar
09 - Bossa Blue
10 - Deutshmaster-Regimenys-Marsch
11 - The Way We Were
12 - Sempre Fidelis (Washington Post March)

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South Australian Police Band - The Beat Goes On

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South Australian Police Band - The Beat Goes On

Mr Snookles and Shadrac Blintz