Penfro Sounds

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Summertime / Girl's Ain't Nothing But Trouble Jive JIVE 279 (1991) As I randomly pull music from my collection I come across a lot of 80s/90s hip hop of which a lot have not aged well.  One example is the flip side of this 45 which, although fun, shows it's age.  The title track however is to me a timeless gem. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince are Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff) and the "A" list actor Will Smith (aka The Fresh Prince). The duo first met in 1985 at a house party and soon decided to join forces.  Having been signed by a Philadelphia label Word Records in 1986 they released their debut single (the flip side of this 45) which featured a sample of "I Dream OF Jeannie" The duo picked up considerable airtime on MTV during the late 80s early 90s and off the back of this Will Smith stared in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air which ran from 1990-96.  The duo also achieved much success including 4 Grammy aw...

Lily Allen Gangsters / Blank Expression 2Hyphy LILY 1 (2008) Lily Allen, born Lily Rose Beatrice Allen on 2 May 1985 is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her musical career started around 2001 however it wasn't until 2005 when she was signed to Regal Recordings and began publishing her songs on the Myspace social networking that she began to get noticed. Such was the popularity of her postings on the internet she began getting airplay on BBC Radio 1. In 2006 her debut single " Smile " was released and hit the UK singles #1 spot and her debut album reached #2. In 2007 she appeared at Glastonbury Festival, firstly on the Park Stage as a replacement for MIA who had cancelled due to illness and then following day on the (main) Pyramid Stage, appearing dressed in a ball gown, trainers and a hoodie with a can of cider in her hand declaring she was "fucking shitting herself..."    She may well have been but all the musical press reviews at the time state she ...

Stanley Clarke More Hot Fun / Slow Dance Epic S EPC 6353 (1978) Stanley Clarke is a musician who revolutionized the role of the bass guitar, elevating it from a background rhythm instrument to a prominent solo voice. Born in Philadelphia in 1951 he attended Settlement Music School and later attended the Philadelphia Musical Academy. From an early age he wished to play in a symphony orchestra howver a jazz gig at the age of 15 with saxophonist Byard Lancaster convinced him to change direction. Having then played with prominent jazz artists like Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, and Stan Getz, his career reached a major turning point in the early 1970s when he co-founded the groundbreaking jazz fusion band Return to Forever with keyboardist Chick Corea. Individually Clarke transformed the bass into a front-stage melodic lead instrument. Having signed as a solo artist with Nemperor Records, he released his landmark solo album, "School Days"   in 1976; its title ...

Electric Six Danger! High Voltage XL Records XLS 151CD (2002) Electric Six is an American band formed in Detroit in 1996. Originally called The Wildbunch they changed their name due to pressure from the UK collective known as The Wild Bunch. The band composed of lead singer Dick Valentine (Tyler Spencer), drummer M. (Cory Martin), lead guitarist The Rock and Roll Indian (Anthony Selph), rhythm guitarist Surge Joebot (Joe Frezza), and bassist Disco (Steve Nawara, formerly of the Detroit Cobras). They were very much a part of the Detroit scene that produced among others The White Stripes. The band had a temporary split at the end of the 90s but reformed to record and release this track. This track, recorded in 2001 was released in the UK in 2003 and proved to be a hit. The song was rumoured to feature The White Stripes frontman Jack White as the unidentified second vocalist although it was officially credited as someone named John S O'Leary. Although this was presented as fact in mul...

The Beatles Compact 7 EP Apple AP-4113 (1971) This Japanese EP was originally released in 1967 on the Odeon label. My copy is the 1971 re-issue on the Apple label. All four tracks originally appeared on the 1965 "Help!" album. This 33⅓ rpm EP is part of a series of EPs released in Japan during the 1960s under the "Compact 7" banner. The "Help!" album was the band's fifth studio album and the soundtrack to their second movie.  It also was the fifth time that Ringo's vocals were used for a released track, in this case "Act Naturally" . "Act Naturally" was a cover of the Johnny Russell song that was originally recorded by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos.  Buck's version reached #1 on the US Country charts in 1963. FLAC

Ronnie Spector & The E Street Band Say Goodbye To Hollywood / Baby Please Don't Go Epic S EPC 5185 (1977) During 1977 Bruce Springsteen was engaged in a dispute with his former manager Mike Appel and was for some time legally prevented from recording new material. That meant the members of his band were also unable to work, and Bruce was running low on cash to pay them. Some of the E Street Band had decided that they were going to leave the band and take up session work to pay their bills.   Cleveland International Records executive Steve Popovich suggested working with Ronnie Spector, who had just started singing again after several years of retirement. When Ronnie agreed to record a cover version with the E Street Band she helped ensure that the band could stay together As said by Stevie Van Zandt, the band's guitarist and also the producer of this song: "We all fell in love with that voice, that combination of innocence and a little bit of sensuality and sexuality....