Penfro Sounds

Paul McCartney Hope Of Deliverance Parlophone CDRS 6330 (1992) This was Paul McCartney's 47th single released 28th December 1992. It entered the UK charts at #30 on 3rd Jan 1993 and peaked at #18. The single attracted luke warm reviews from the music press with Randy Clark from Cash Box writing "... is certainly not representative of the more brilliant musical work Paul has done over his 30-plus year career, although it's refreshing that he continues to enjoy the process. The intended inspiration of this track offers no solutions to the darkness that surrounds us, but it could be comforting for some to know Mr. Happy McMoneybags can still write a positive little pop song about anything." As was common at the time, the single was released in a variety of formats in this case 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, CD single and cassette single. The title track of this release later appeared on the 1993 album Off The Ground.   Track 3 & 4 only were issued on this CD single r...

Conor Oberst Hundreds Of Ways / Fast Friends Nonesuch 542125-7 (2014) Conor Oberst is perhaps best know for his output as Bright Eyes however he has played in several bands of note such as Monsters Of Folk, The Faint & Desaparecidos as well as releasing solo work.  He was one of the founding members of Saddle Creek Records along with his brother Justin. This particular 45 was released for Record Store day on 19th April 2014. A interesting snippet is that the Nonesuch label was originally started in 1964 as a budget classical music label but has developed over the years into releasing a wide variety of music genres.  The biggest change to its output started in the mid 80s under the leadership of Robert Hurwitz. The label is currently run by David Bither. FLAC

The Untamed So Long / Just Wait Decca F 12045 (1964) Born in 1945, in the west London district of Hammersmith, Lindsay Muir and family moved to the seaside town of Worthing in West Sussex in the mid-1950’s where Lindsay (vocals/guitar) performed his first gig in 1956 at the age of eleven. Duncan Pratt soon joined him on rhythm guitar while Nick Hallam played drums. Numerous drummers went through the ranks of the group, until Roger Dunbar was added as a member after answering an advertisement in a local newspaper. Graham Smith, who used the stage name of Graham Stewart, was recruited to play rhythm guitar, with Duncan deciding the group should be called The Untamed Four. In February 1964, the group won a South Coast beat contest at the Pier Pavilion in Worthing, with local rivals The Tremors placing second. Later in 1964 the group decided to turn professional, but Graham Smith quit as he didn’t want to play full time and guitarist Tony Everett replaced him.  At this point the band s...

 The Ivy League Funny How Love Can Be / Lonely Room Piccadilly 7N 35222 (1965) A fairly unaspiring 60s pop band that was formed in 1964 by John Carter, Ken Lewis and Perry Ford, all three previous session singers. Their debut single, "What More Do You Want" generated little interest but this 45, their second release, made the Top 10 here in the UK. Further hits followed, including "That's Why I'm Crying" and UK #3 "Tossing and Turning". Carter and Lewis left the band in 1966 however Perry remained with the group until 1975. Even after Perry's departure the band kept going with changing line-ups until 2017 when they performed their last show at a Pontins holiday resort in Pakefield UK. FLAC

Brenda Lee Brenda Lee's Tribute To Al Jolson EP Brunswick OE 9499 (1963) By 1963 Brenda was already a seasoned singer having first entered the UK charts in 1956 when aged only 12. This EP released just after her 19th birthday is Brenda's take on 4 classic Al Jolson songs.  Songs made famous by Jolson have for over a century been covered by many artists including the Everly Brothers, Frank Sinatra, ABBA and Aretha Franklin to name just a few. Although it was during the early 1960s that she had the most successful stage of her career, she continued recording well into the 1990s. In 2023 she celebrated the 65th anniversary of the release of her "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree".  It reached that year the US #1 spot making her at the time being 78, the oldest artist to have reached the top of the US charts. Although classed by many as a general pop singer, in 2023 Rolling Stone magazine ranked her at number 161 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. FLAC

Lloyd, Dice And Mum  Trial Of Pama Dice / Jughead Returns Vers I (Nyah Shuffle) Joe Records JRS 5 (1970) A fairly obscure reggae release from 1970. Lloyd, Dice and Mum was Pama Dice aka Baba Dise, The Scorchers and Dice The Boss, Mum was also known as Girlie who was also known Ad Claudette and Rude Girl. The 45 is very much a Prince Buster clone but the version on the flip is excellent. FLAC

Paul McCartney C'mon People / Deliverance Parlophone CDR 6338 (1993) Taken from the album Off The Ground, this was Paul's 48th single release. There were two CD singles released, this version has previously exclusive "Deliverance" mixes by Steve Anderson. Not as successful as some of his previous releases, this single hit #41 in the UK charts.  The video was directed by ex-10cc member Kevin Godley. FLAC

Warren Smith Rock & Roll Ruby / I'd Rather Be Safe Than Sorry Sun Golden Treasure Series SUN 6 (1974) Recorded on February 5th 1956 at the legendary Sun Studios with Sam Philips, this was Warren Smith's first 45. The song is credited to Johnny Cash however it was actually written by George Jones and sold to Johnny Cash for $40. At this time of it's recording Sam Phillips was not 100% convinced of rock'n'roll's popularity so he played if safe by releasing a country crooner on the flip. By May 1956 this 45 reached #1 on the local Memphis pop chart and actually outsold the first Sun releases by Elvis, Johnny Cash & Carl Perkins. This 45 is a reissue from 1974, part of the Golden Treasure Series. Born in 1932, Warren died of a heart attack in 1980 aged only 47. His great contribution to rockabilly music has been recognized by his induction to the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame. FLAC

The Tourists So Good To Be Back Home Again / Circular Fever Logo TOUR 1 (1979) This 1970s New Wave band is best known as the starting point of Dave Stewart & Annie Lennox who went on to international success as the Eurythmics. The trio Catch was formed in 1976 by Dave with Peet Coombes and Annie.  One unsuccessful single was released on the Logo label.  The band  expanded with a drummer (Jim Toomey) and an extra guitarist (Eddie Chinn) and at that point they renamed themselves The Tourists. The band released several albums and 45s with several UK chart entries including this 45 which peaked at #8 in 1980. The band split late 1980 and Coombes and Chin formed a band called Acid Drops.  Lennox and Stewart,  who had been a couple, decided to continue working together as a new partnership called the Eurythmics. FLAC   

The Raconteurs Many Shades Of Black XL Records XLS 385 (2008) One of the many projects that Jack White has been involved in, the band formed in Detroit during 2005.   The band consists of Jack White (vocals, guitar), Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar), Jack Lawrence (bass guitar), and Patrick Keeler (drums). Lawrence and Keeler were originally members of The Greenhornes.  If you didn't already know a raconteur is someone who tells funny or interesting stories. This track, written by Benson & White, first appeared on The Raconteurs' second album  Consolers of the Lonely .   The 45 features on the flip a version with lead vocals being undertaken by Adele.  That version appeared on the deluxe edition of Adele's album " 19" .  There were many reports of the possibility of more work between Adele and Jack White for her album " 21 " however planned collaborations were never finished with both artists moving on to other projects. The 45 sleeve depi...

First Aid Kit Universal Soldier Third Man Records TMR 074 (2011) First Aid Kit are a Swedish folk duo comprising of the sisters  Johanna and Klara Söderberg. Born in Enskede, their father was at one time a member of the Swedish pop group Lolita Pop. With influences such as Bright Eyes, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris the duo started as buskers in the Stockholm metro before beginning to write their own material. The bands debut release was the Drunken Trees EP in 2008. In 2011, 2 days after playing a gig in Nashville, the duo was contacted by Jack White asking them to visit his Third Man Studios. The result was this 45, produced by Jack, containing cover versions of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier" and Mel London's and Tampa Red's "It Hurts Me Too". FLAC

Delta 5 Anticipation / You Rough Trade RT 041 (1980) Delta 5 were a girl dominated band from Leeds formed in the late 70s as part of the punk rock scene.   This single was their second release on the Rough Trade label.  Having released three 45s they left Rough Trade and were signed with Pre (an offshoot of Chrysalis) . The band did not enjoy any real commercial success in their lifetime and they disbanded during 1981.  Their music has since gained a posthumous fan base internationally having been used in the a few TV soundtracks and as an Apple commercial. FLAC

Sarah Vaughan What Do You See In Her? / Jump For Joy Roulette SSR-33-8046 Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) was an American Jazz singer and pianist. First performing in an Amateur Night contest at the legendary Apollo Theatre in 1942 she in her career sang with the best, Billy Eckstine, Earl Hines, Count Basie and George Shearing to name just a few as well as a vast career by herself. This single (which plays at 33⅓ rpm) was a special promotional issue intended for use in jukeboxes.  The tracks are taken from the album "The Divine One" .  The album was issued on 5 singles, delivered in a printed brown paper bag with jukebox strips and a miniature copy of the album's artwork. The track "Jump For Joy" was originally performed as the title song in a 1941 African American musical revue by Duke Ellington which opened at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles.  The revue ran for 9 weeks with a total of 122 performances.  The show was considered outspoken with many song lyrics high...

The Hurriganes Get On / Kenny At The Corner Sonet SON 2112 (1977) Very much Finlands answer to Dr Feelgood and Dave Edmunds this rocking band were formed in Helsinki in the early 70s. The band's output consisted largely of revved-up cover versions of well-known 1950s rock 'n' roll songs, in addition to their own original material. The bands commercial high point was the release of the album Roadrunner in 1974 on which this single appeared. The Hurriganes (spelling is correct) were considered to be the first Finnish band to achieve commercial success overseas.  As stated by Andy McCoy (guitarist with Hanoi Rocks) ".... the 1970s and 1980s had only two real Finnish rock bands: Hurriganes and Hanoi Rocks." FLAC

The Five Keys That's Alright / Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind Capitol 45-CL 14639 (1956) The Five Keys originated from Newport News in Virginia.  Starting in the early 1940s as a four piece group called the Sentimental Four they were two sets of brothers, Rudy West and Bernie West, & Ripley Ingram and Raphael Ingram.   Raphael left the group around 1949 and Maryland Pierce and Thomas 'Dickie' Threatt joined and at that point the group was renamed.  By the time this single was released Dickie Smith had left the group and was replaced by Ramon Loper. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002 along with The Marcels, The Harptones, The Shirelles and ABBA plus another 7 groups. FLAC

Tori Amos In The Springtime Of His Voodoo Atlantic 0-85475 (1996) The original track was a harpsicord driven song that appeared on the album Boys From Pele .  This here is  remixed house versions by Vinny Vero & Steve Donato. As written by Larry Flick for Billboard magazine;  "Who'da thunk that Amos would become the belle of clubland? She has accomplished this feat thanks to several crafty 12-inchers that have placed her amid state-of-the-floor grooves. No doubt, her hot streak will continue with this sprawling and spacious post-production, which sews her vamps into a quickly shifting arrangement that mines electro-trance and deep-house ground. Remixers Vinny Vero and Stephen Donato had a field day with this tune, dissecting the melody and rebuilding it with a seemingly bottomless bag of sound effects and percussion rolls. Perfectly designed to give peak-hour club journeys a trippy, otherworldly feel."  The video below is yet another remix version of the son...