Penfro Sounds

U Thant A'r Cenhedloedd Unedig Plop Plops / Hyfryd / Clustiau Alex Pop Positif THANT 001 (1987) Let's start with the name;  U Thant A'r Cenhedloedd Unedig is Welsh for U Thant and The United Nations.  The band, also known as just U Thant, was formed in the early 80s at Cardiff's first Welsh High School.  They were named after the former UN Secretary General U Thant as, at the time they started, the United Nations was being studied as part of the O Level History course.  For the record (pardon the pun) U Thant was the first non-Scandinavian to hold the Secretary General position holding the office for a record 10 years and one month between 1961 and 1971. All three tracks are sung in Welsh and their titles translate as Plop Plops / Lovely / Alex's Ears. FLAC

Norb Kamin Nite Rider / Pick n' Shuffle Mean Mountain Music MM-1421 (1981) Norb Kamin (1930-2017) was born in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was chiefly a guitar instructor who in his time taught 1000's of students.  He also played guitar in several bands including a 5 year stint with The Tommy Sheridan Band.  In 1959 he released on Erro Records, a small Milwaukee label,    his only 45 . The original single featured both tracks here however in 1959 Pick n' Shuffle was chosen as the A side as it was suggested it was more suitable for radio play.  The original single was produced in a run of 1000 copies. This copy is a 1981 re-issue on the Mean Mountain Music label, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based rock & roots reissue label and record shop owned and operated by Mike Muskovitz. Norb wrote Nite Rider after hearing Link Wray's Rumble stating "This is my answer to Rumble".  The name of the track was meant to conjure up a horseman riding through the mists...

Margo Price You Told Me With Your Eyes / Gotta Travel On Third Man Records TMR 433 ( 2017) Margo Price (born  1983 in Aledo, Illinois)  is an American country music singer based in Nashville. She was the first country artists signed to Jack White's Third Man Records and her debut album "Midwest Farmer's Daughter" (recorded at the legendary Sun Studio) was released in March 2017. The Third Man Records Blue Room sessions are live sessions recorded (believe it or not) in the Third Man Records Blue Room in Nashville. Performances are recorded direct to acetate which is then used to produce the vinyl master that makes the singles. as far as I am aware this is the only venue worldwide where this can happen.  The two tracks released on this single were recorded on 16th Jan 2017 and  released on blue vinyl in March 2017. FLAC

The Barry Gray Orchestra Thunderbirds / Parker-Well Done! Pye 7N 17016 (1966) Thunderbirds is a 60s British science fiction series created by Gerry (1929-2012) and Sylvia Anderson (1927-2016). Personally I was never a big fan of the Thunderbirds as I was a bit young when they started and by the time I got into TV, cartoons (especially American TV imports) had overtaken string puppets.  Notwithstanding that I think that this theme tune is superb, composed by Barry Gray (1908-1984) and performed by his orchestra.   Barry is best known for his work with Gerry and Sylvia starting in 1956 with The Adventures Of Twizzle.  He scored most of their projects throughout the 60s including Torchy The Battery Boy, Joe 90, Stingray and Fireball XL5.   FLAC

The 4 O'Briens Sunflower Eyes / Francois Philips BF 1803 (1969) An obscure demo 45 that I have in my collection.  Very little shows on the web regarding the group and they do not seem to have released anything else. The credits on the A side (Manston/Gellar) are in-fact Marty Wilde & Ronnie Scott.  They also wrote the B side. Both sides are produced by Marty Wilde. Please comment if you know any more on this group. FLAC

In 2019 as a Christmas treat, the wonderful Fruits De Mer record label released a 7" lathe cut EP (limited to 60 copies).  The record featured a few of the classic British comedy greats namely:  Leslie Phillips (1924-2022) Terry Thomas (1911-1990) Stanley Unwin (1911-2002) Sid James (1913-1976) Liz Frazer (1930-2018) Nothing truly outstanding, just pure nostalgia bringing back memories of Ealing Studios, black and white movies, Carry On, St. Trinians and other gems from my youth. Track listing:  S ide one Leslie Phillips ‘The Disc’ (1959) Terry Thomas ‘Send For Me’ (1961) Side two Stanley Unwin ‘Goldilocks’ (1962) Sid James & Liz Fraser ‘Double Bunk’ (1961) FLAC

Marion Ryan  (4 February 1931 – 15 January 1999)  was a popular British singer in the 50s & 60s, once called "the Marilyn Monroe of popular song".  Most of her output is referred to as run of the mill pop but the "A" side of a 1968 release, although not experiencing any chart success at the time, found acceptance during the 1970s on the Northern Soul dance scene. The flip is one of her many standard pop ballads, sung well, but nothing special. Philips BF 1721 FLAC