It was very nice to be asked to do a vinyl mix by author, traveler, record hunter and all round good guy Sanjiv Ahluwalia, head guy at The Secret List. A series of well crafted and beautifully designed books giving an essential guide that opens the lid on those lesser known record shops, the little hidden gems in the city of the title. Coming across like a vinyl version of Alan Whicker, Sanjiv gives you tips on quaint places to eat, drink and somewhere to relax, whilst looking through your recently purchased musical delights. Choice images of stunning architecture and of course pictures of piles, shelves and boxes of the black stuff, gorgeous honest vinyl.
It’s an exciting challenge to be compiling a mix for this project which I take on enthusiastically. Being somewhat obsessed, I tend to picture tracks in my head before I make my compilation. I always try to keep to my initial tunes and not to add any more.
My record collection covers many genres throughout my 30 plus years of collecting and I tend to spend months being crazy about one sound and build up my collection that way. My main passion is Reggae Dub and Soul but filtered throughout is Jazz, Folk, Samba, Disco, Electronica, Nu Jazz and all the sub genres like Digital Dub, Street Soul, Broken Beat etc. My collection may seem quite small compared to some people monster hoards but it does take up three walls of one room and consists of around 7000 records with a few big boxes of seven inches thrown in. Still I have time to fill up the fourth wall over time, who needs windows anyway……
The tunes I’ve selected will hopefully show a little of that The Secret List spirit and what can be found by digging in those “secret record shops,” those lovely warm and cosy places filled with boxes of 12″ black discs which give you so much pleasure as well as bad knees, an achy back and an empty black void in your wallet.
In the description below next to the track I have added where the record was purchased. Most are local but some are in London. Some record shops are still there, some have unfortunately fallen, but never forgotten.
Hope you enjoy the mix and be sure to pop on by The Secret List on either its website or The Secret List Facebook page and say hello to Sanjiv Ahluwalia
Happy digging
Mike Mongos
The Secret List – Mix
André Ceccarelli – Forget It – Inner City Records [Ceccarelli]
A firing jazz rock track from French drummer André Ceccarelli. Featuring the superb jazz folk vocals of Chantal Alexandre. The lp is a mix of jazz rock and fusion. This record was picked from Reckless Records Berwick Street Soho in the early 90’s. A time when you went in there and pretty much gambled on tens of lp’s, returning home to feel that addictive buzz of flicking through your finds.
Roger Bunn – Road To The Sun – Major Minor [Piece Of Mind]
I love this album so much. British acid folk jazz and rock plus a cockney comedy number to boot. Road To The Sun has been a track i’ve dropped into mixes many times over the years but I’m sure it never gets noticed. I think it’s an exceptional piece of music. A friend had this first but I was lucky to find a copy a year later around 1988. Found it in a 50p box in Big Brother Records, Ashley Road, Poole. Super rare but this has a big chunk out of the sleeve artwork, like a dog has taken a bite out of it. I don’t care though as it’s such a journey of an LP and one of my treasures.
Jan Akkerman & Kaz Lux – Guardian Angel – Atlantic [Eli]
Dutch guitarist Jan and singer Kaz join forces for this funky jazz tune with wonderful arrangements, very similar in style and production as Jan Akkerman’s epic Streetwalker tune . I’m not a total fan of Kaz’s vocal style as it’s too loud for me but it works pretty well on this tune and I also love the track Naked Actress… This was purchased in Rotterdam whilst visiting family. Holland has a Queen’s Day city wide flea market once a year and outside Demonfuzz Record Store on Nieuwe Binnenweg 86 they had a stall selling off tons of bargain vinyl at the grand cost of 1 euro.
Ferris Wheel – Song For Alice – Uni Records [Ferris Wheel]
An interesting shift changing tune from this British rock and folk band which goes in and out of different styles in only two odd minutes. Why did I buy this record? Turn it round to see the back cover and you see the angel beauty that is Linda Lewis. Wispy hippy folk, fairy tale ode and ending with a slight northern soul tinge. This was purchased at Snoopy’s Records, Ashley Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth.
Kalapana – All I Want – Abattoir Records [Kalapana]
This group out of Hawaii is a pop rock jazz band with a lot of soul. On investigating I read that they supported the mighty Earth Wind and Fire on tour. This band is pretty unknown but surprisingly they have a massive back catalogue of albums. This track is from their debut recording and is actually my friends Jamie’s record who lent it to me a few years back and I still have it. Keep meaning to pick up a copy. He got this from the now defunct but awesome record shop called Avid Records which was in the Triangle part of town of Bournemouth.
Wah Wah Watson – Bubbles – CBS [Elementary]
Always loved seeing the wonderful name of Wah Wah Watson appear on the line up of different records through-out buying records. The session guitarist seemed to pop up on so much and he’s still playing! “Elementary” though was his only LP as leader and with that cheesy name and cover picture I’m not surprised. Hehe only joking. It’s a pretty good lp but hidden on there is a short alternative cut of the Herbie Hancock’s Manchild tune Bubbles. With Herbie and Bennie Maupin on the jam too. This was picked up for a pound from a stall in a vintage retro market hall called Molly’s Den, Francis Ave, Bournemouth.
Earl Rodney – Juck Juck – Antillana [Friends & Countrymen]
This is a gem of an album and would you believe I was a little disappointed it with when I got home and played it! Stay with me, I was just starting to get into reggae at the time around 1987 and saw this for the grand sum of £2 and put it straight into my to buy pile. Stuck it on the deck when I returned home and my face dropped, it wasn’t reggae. A little deflated it got put in the collection and it wasn’t till a few years later I dug it back out and felt my shame but also joy at how amazing the music was on this raw and funky record out of Barbados. It’s pretty sort after nowadays. The tune Peace Pipe is most excellent too. Check out the lavish artwork by Anthony Timothy. Record shop in question was Big Brother Records, Ashley Road, Poole again.
Kain – Black Satin Amazon Fire Engine Cry Baby – Juggernaut Records [The Blue Guerrilla]
I picked this album up in 2013 from that big massive record shop in the sky Discogs. That wonderful place where so many pusher men and ladies get together to tempted you with their wares. It really does have the best title ever Black Satin Amazon Fire Engine Cry Baby they really don’t come much better than that hey? Poet and playwright Gylan Kain delivers this dark and twisting story which would sit very nicely next to your The last Poets records especially as he was one of the founding members. From the cover and the label you would really think this was rare as a rasta riding a unicorn but it’s very reasonable. Original Hip Hop and Rap from 1970.
Rupert Holmes – Brass Knuckles – Epic [Rupert Holmes]
Barry Manilow on crack? This could be. Not sure what you would class this as? Easy listening gangster? It’s a whole lot of fun. With a brilliant groove and vibe to it and a story to follow. Never knew till writing this that Mr Holmes is actually originally from Cheshire in the UK. This was a local charity shop find.
Charles Bernstein – Erotica – MCA Records [Gator OST]
Deep slow and low down funky swamp soundtrack starring the human mustache, Burt Reynolds. It’s actually a really lp from conductor Charles Bernstein who did soundtracks for films like, Mr Majestyk and A Nightmare On Elm Street. Check Laying The Trap on Gator too as that is funky as hell but I’ve put that on a mix before and thought I’d go for this one instead. I picked this up in Comix Books on Queens Road Bournemouth. A shop that has been there forever and filled with millions of all kinds of memorabilia.
Geoffrey Stoner – Bend Your Head Low – Ovation Records [Watch Out]
Killer tune hidden away on this album with the super artwork. The actual LP isn’t that great apart Bend Your Head Low if I remember rightly. We used the cover image for a Jazz Funk night we did in Bournemouth in 1988 at a place called Hartleys. You can see the flyer here. I picked this up in Boiler Room Records when they first opened at the indoor market which was halfway down the high street in Poole. They later moved to the old town high street where they are still going strong. I love popping in there everytime I pass through town and normally come away with something.
Joao Donato – A Ra – Odeon EMI [Quem É Quem]
Oh my I love this guys music. Such a vibe to his sound. Pretty much smile music. Have to say I haven’t a clue what he’s singing about and it all could be doom and gloom and destruction but I know it can’t be really with those good grooves and head nodding good rhythms. I picked this up at a stall on Portobello Road Market. It was around 1994 when all the Brazilian records were being re-released and flooding into London. This guy had a box of goodies all priced at £5 and I remember also picking up Joao Bosco‘s debut record at the same time.
Michael Longo – Ocean Of His Might – Groove Merchant [900 Shares Of The Blues]
This has to be a quintessential record hasn’t it? Just a perfect recording of funky jazz. Really impossible to pick a favourite to put on here. I was going to go for the modal jazz of “Summers Gone” but felt like “Ocean” fitted better. Now this album was a real early part of my life, I got it from my first girlfriends Dad when I was 15. He sold it to me for a pound when I said I appreciated jazz. I also got Larry Willis – Inner Crisis too. What a way to start a record collection. I might not miss the ex but I wish I could of chatted more to the Dad teehee.
UPP – It’s A Mystery – Epic [UPP]
British Jazz Rock and elements of Funk Fusion from this British band produced by Jeff Beck. I picked this tune just by the simple fact it’s amazing. I love the groove, the vocals and the whole funky style in which the love song is composed. The whole record is filled with little samples to be used, drum breaks, quirky synth breaks and original sounds. This record was picked up in Boiler Room Records, High Street, Old Town, Poole for about £7. I need to pick up their 2nd LP “This Way”.
Eberhard Weber Colours – Seriously Deep (2nd half) – ECM Records [Silent Feet]
So much good music comes out the ECM label and this record is no different. German bassist Eberhard Weber and his trio of musicians create a blissful array of sound but I have to admit to cutting this one down in size. At 18 minutes long it is perfect placed on the deck to immerse yourself in sound but for this mix I recorded the second half of the epic tune. This was a little treasure I picked up in a local charity shop.
Hubert Eaves – Call to Awareness – Inner City Records [Esoteric Funk]
Every good record has a place in your heart and this one is buried in there deep. You can read all about my love and this records journey on a past post I did here Hubert Eaves The Journey.
I remember buying it for £2.50 but I must of blanked out from all the spontaneous orgasms I had as I can’t picture where I was. I’m pretty sure it was Big Brother Records though.
General Strike – Interplanetary Dub – Staubgold [Danger In Paradise]
Original released as a cassette tape in 1984 but never released on vinyl. This is a musical curiosity of greatness out of the UK which I was very happy to see transferred to vinyl by the German label Staubgold (which is now based in France). Just to make it even more worldwide connected I purchased it from Switzerland through Discogs. Duo Steve Beresford and David Toop play around with different styles of experimental electronic music hitting Jazz, Dub and fusing the essence of Sun Ra.
Alpha – Somewhere Not Here – Melankolic, Virgin [Come From Heaven]
Soul crushing music full stop….. Really hard choice with which “Some” to go for. It’s a battle of raw emotion from two different takes on the melody. You get the male version soul smashing pained vocals from Martin Barnard on Sometime Later or the female jab to ribs, uppercut to the soul to rip the last remaining piece left by the vocals of Wendy Stubbs on the track I choose to finish my mix off Somewhere Not Here. Both tunes, well the whole blooming recording and their 2nd LP “The Impossible Thrill”, hit you over the head deep with strings and musical melancholy. Essential music. This double piece of vinyl was picked up in the legendary Honest Jon’s Records on Portobello Road in Ladbroke Grove, London.
Big thanks to Sanjiv for asking me to do this mix for his outstanding book series The Secret List. It was a real pleasure to do and a right trip back down memory lane.
Other related links to The Secret List are his following sites
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