Penfro Sounds

The Vernons Girls We Love The Beatles (Beatlemania) / Hey Lover Boy Decca F 11807 (1964) Formed in the 1950s at the Vernons football pools company in Liverpool, the group started out as large musical ensemble of female singers eventually reducing to a group of 16. Originally billed as The Voices Of Vernons the group first appeared on UK TV in 1957.  During 1958 & 1959 they regularly appeared on the Oh Boy! TV show singing with the house band as well as releasing several 45s on the Parlophone label. In 1961 the band downsized to five members and then reduced to three singers. In  1962 the group was signed to Decca records where they released a further handful of 45s.  This 45, released in January 1964 was one of their last releases.  The song obviously was cashing in on the mega hype surrounding the Fab Four.  The Vernons Girls also released a Beatles tribute album which became the first of its type to chart in the US.   Another UK group called The ...

Jack White Taking Me Back / Taking Me Back (Gently) Third Man Records TMR 748 (2021) As mentioned in a previous post, Third Man Records run a "Vault" subscription service where you are sent vinyl and other goodies on a quarterly basis. This 45 is one of those, issued as part of the Vault's 50th issue.  It was stated by Thirds Man Records  "This black vinyl 7'' single will be the earliest physical release of "Taking Me Back", (and) is automatically included in the package to every subscriber to 50, and will not be made available to the general public in the future." This limited issue has made the 45 highly collectable with copies being sold with premium price tags.  There was also a limited run of 100 45s being pressed in Tri-colour vinyl, these versions being even harder to obtain. The A side is taken from the album "Fear Of The Dawn" and the flip is an acoustic, country spin on the same track taken from the album "Entering He...

Flaming Emeralds Have Some Everybody  Grapevine GRP 104 (1978) The Flaming Emeralds were an underground 1970s and early 1980s soul/funk group based out of Detroit, Michigan. Though they never achieved mainstream national fame like Motown acts, they hold a revered place among Northern Soul and Modern Soul record collectors. The group's line-up featured vocalists and musicians including Gerald Ervin, Kenny Goodman, Al Martin, Glynis Martin, Rory Johnson, and Chris Knight. Members of the band routinely served as backing singers, touring band members, and studio musicians for both The Detroit Emeralds and their sibling group The Floaters. When The Detroit Emeralds began splintering in the mid-1970s, group member James Mitchell and writer/arranger Marvin Willis began working with and producing outside Detroit talent. Mitchell helped younger local talent grow, intentionally channelling the "Emeralds" name and signature Detroit soul sound into the next generation.  Mitchell and ...

Dublin Corporation Melting Pot / Rollin' Common Franklin QC 643 (1970) The Dublin Corporation started life as a popular Irish showband called The Pacific Showband.  During the mid 60s they released 45s under their original name however in 1969 they undertook the first of several tours of Canada.  In the early 70s they moved to Canada permanently and changed the band's name to the Dublin Corporation. Under their new name they released a few 45s and an album that had Canadian chart success. This 45 is a cover of the Roger Cook/Roger Greenaway track that was first recorded by the British band Blue Mink.  Whilst the song was a UK Top 5 hit for Blue Mink (and a Canadian hit for Dublin Corporation) the song has not weathered the changes in time, today it is banned by many UK radio stations due to its offensive/racist language such as the phrases "curly Latin kinkies", "mixed with yellow Chinkies" and "little bitty bit of Red Indian boy".  Under the direc...

Medicine Head (And The) Pictures In The Sky / Natural Sight Dandelion DAN 7003 (1971) Medicine Head were a British blues rock band basically consisting of John Fidler and Peter Hope-Evans.  At various times the band involved other musicians but for most of their career they were a duo. Having met whilst at school the pair began performing on an occasional basis around the Birmingham area.  They were seen by the DJ John Peel at the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton in 1969 and he was impressed enough to share their music with John Lennon, Eric Clapton & Pete Townshend. At Lennon's insistence, Peel signed the band to his own label "Dandelion Records" releasing their first 45 in November 1969.  Having recorded their debut album in a two hour session the band began touring with John Peel and gathered a cult following. Their second album was recorded and released in 1971.  Titled "Heavy On The Drum" , the album was produced by former Yardbirds vocalist Keith Relf. ...

Jack White III Live At Ford Field (12" EP) Third Man Records TMR 1163 (2026) On a quarterly basis Third Man Records, the label owned by Jack White, releases a Vault package which consists of recordings normally not available commercially.  The July 2026 drop consisted of a triple album featuring a 2006 The White Stripes concert recorded in Tasmania.  In addition to the album this 12" one sided EP was included. On the 27th November 2025 Jack played the halftime show for the NFL Detroit Lions 2025 Thanksgiving game.  The opening number was " That's How I'm Feeling " followed by biggest surprise of the show when Jack was joined by fellow Detroit star Eminem to perform a mash up of the songs " Hello Operator / 'Till I Collapse ".  The final rousing number was " Seven Nation Army " complete with dancing cheerleaders. FLAC