Borriquito, bluff package

[Fritz The Cat]

Air Mail was an alias for several German Rock and Pop Bands on low budget label Europa. They had to produce so-called "vocal productions" for the benefit of Mr. Miller for some bucks. These tracks were spread onto various LP editions with popular topics. The rock music aficionado didn't buy these poor non-originals.
Ordinary European holidaymakers liked this silly summer-hit "Borriquito" from Spain. They also loved that dumb chart hit "Mamy Blue". As they had no more money left after summer holiday in Teneriffa or Rimini, they grabbed this cheap one. Later they noticed: oh no, this is not the same recording as we used to dance to in Mallorca. It's a bluff package. As consequence, these neglected LPs soon vent into secondhand shops, where they stayed for many decades.Nobody liked them.
Most of the songs on these "cheapo" LPs were early exercises done by German "beat" bands or "Krautrock" groups. The funny thing: these early recordings show their versatility.
Air mail is a mixture of tracks by "Petards", "Asterix", Carsten Bohn alias Bert Brac, "Lucifer's Friend", "German Bonds" et al.
So let's skip 3 needless tracks and listen to a pretty "Lucifer's Friend" ballad "All night long" A6, sung by John Lawton. John Lawton also contributes vocals to "Carry me Back" B3. Listen to "Twelve months and a day" B6 by "Asterix" (pre-"Lucifer's Friend"). "Lady Ann" B5 is typical early "Lucifer's Friend"-style as presented on their first 1970 album. Remember the tragedy: John Lawton had to earn his bread for many years as a member of those silly "Les Humphries singers", who produced the preferred popular music for the common German listener. Horror!

[Fritz The Cat]

Tell about bluff packages in rock, jazz and pop!

[Fritz The Cat]

The content is not according to the promise. Also England had it's bluff package budget LP products. Especially in Pye Records Studios London many vocal productions were recorded between 1967 and 1972. Many (later) famous musicians made their bread in their early career. Often, for eye-popping cover art, the pictures of the original musicians were also shameless rip off. No Chuck Berry stuff here as supposed. Admittedly, the musicians did a good job and the Pye Studios technique was on top then. Listen to this well-made version of "What'd i say" B6. So at least we enjoy the perfect dynamics and wonder: who contributed these respectable vocals?

[Fritz The Cat]

Super Ventures LP. Super psychedelic cover art. Super psychedelic songs. No psychedelic sounds at all.

[Fritz The Cat]

Another Mr. Miller bluff package from Hamburg, full of surprises. None of these songs is a soundtrack original. In fact, it's Hammond driven early "Krautrock"!
5 tracks by "Electric Food" alias "Asterix" alias "German Bonds" (= pre-"Lucifer's Friend" minus John Lawton)
4 tracks by "The Tonics" alias "Ten o'Clock Bubblegum Train" alias "The Automatic Blues Inc".
1 track by "The Petards"
1 track "John Deen And The Trakk"
1 track by "The Black Kids"

[Fritz The Cat]

What a swizz! Sloppy vocal production. John Hamilton doesn't exist. It's not a band, it's an orchestra. Beatle or Beatles-Hits? It won't be suitable for teens. It's a German low budget production by Les Humphries Singers and James Last. The front cover painting makes me wonder, who is the musician on the right? Looks like Phil Spector, Stan Webb or Les Humphries? Only 3 original members of The Beatles? Mr. Miller didn't care, because he had to catch the money and run...

[Fritz The Cat]

Every time we try to dance to this "LP for dancers", my wife says she would rather wash the dishes in the kitchen. (???!) She is right. It's definitively not the kind of music you may dance to. Especially the drum solo by Pete York in "Alec in Transitland" A3 and the rhythm changes in "Sanity Inspector" A4 or the psychedelic "Time Seller" B4 are a creative challenge for body and mind.
In fact it's a fascinating piece of great pop music from a period of transition after the quitting of Stevie Winwood in 1967.
It's a very positive bluff package! I love such kind of bluff! Alright, my wife says has finished her work in the kitchen. So, let's try another LP to dance to. What about Pink Floyds "Atom Heart Mother"? Tomorrow i will wash the dish.
Spencer Davis died on October 19th 2020. RIP

[Fritz The Cat]

On this one we discover many John Lawton vocal-gymnastic exercises. He remembers well having backed countless Lucifer's Friend studio sessions in Hamburg after he had immigrated from England in 1969. But he can't remember the songs and recordings in detail nor the projects or a rock band called "Air Mail". The musicians had to abandon their copyrights for some bucks. The composer of the Lucifer's Friend songs probably was Peter Hesslein alias A. Gilbert. Nobody knows as David L. Miller died in 1985. Listen to "Somehow, somewhere".
Also David Byron contributed hundreds of lost songs to vocal productions. Look here: http://abominogjnr.blogspot.com/

[Fritz The Cat]

Mr Pickwick is the cheeky brother of Mr. Miller. A beautiful rock-opera mishandled by synthesizers. Tony Rivers is Tommy. He was a very busy vocalist for budget vocal productions.

[Kay Pirinha]

Re Beatle-Hits for Teens: The man on the left is also suspect. Who can doubtlessly identify him? The man on the right looks like Ronnie Wood, me thinks .

@ FrtztheCat: You appear to own a considerable collection of low-budget records, don't you? Where are they from?

Best regards!

[Fritz The Cat]

Re Beatle-Hits for Teens: The man on the left is also suspect. Who can doubtlessly identify him? The man on the right looks like Ronnie Wood, me thinks .

@ FrtztheCat: You appear to own a considerable collection of low-budget records, don't you? Where are they from?

Best regards!

Look only for those cheap vocal productions before 1971! On flea markets and in second hand vinyl shops you sometimes may also find them today. I collect these cheapo records since 20 years, also from flea markets around of the region of the Bodensee, in Konstanz, Freiburg, Austria and so on. It seems, that nobody wants to grab them but me. Especially Marble Arch and Somerset records from Pye studios in the end of the 60s are very interesting. The studio conditions there were legendary and nearly perfect for all those rookies then. Who are the singers, this is the question. As example, I have found more than 100 vocal productions of David Byron of Uriah Heep. As example for his abilities: he was the only one who was able to cope with the voices of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. His voice was very multifaceted and characteristic. Look here:http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...l=1#post386030
I have shown here about 10 of those LPs in January 2016.
Perhaps you may know this one: http://www.travellersintime.com/Byron/Avenue.html

[Kay Pirinha]

I fully second your opinion that DB was a very gifted singer, almost in the range of Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury. Anyway, that high-pitched vocal part in July Morning wasn't sung by him, but by Ken Hensley, then the keyboardist with Uriah Heep.

Best regards!

[Fritz The Cat]

"Made in Germany" means: the photos for artwork were made by German WDR-TV. In fact this album was recorded at live concerts in London, Miami and Tampa.
Impudent, cheat!
But admitted, it's not a bad one at all considering that fine live guitar work by Randy California and superb recording dynamics.

[Kay Pirinha]

The Spirit Rockpalast gig from March 1978, where the cover photos supposedly were shot, is available at YT. Note Dickey Betts jamming with them at the very last piece.

Best regards!

[Fritz The Cat]

Too much (silly) talking. Don't listen to "Walk on the wild side" D1 because it's a cheat. Lou Reed just talked and talked and talked. It's a walk on the sluggish side. German Kunstkopfstereo technology "Binaural Sound Recording" would have been a chance to create something unique. Missed opportunity. That's why it is definitively a bluff package and an annoying hype.