Whistling Jack Smith

I have tracked down a few references to 'Around the World' with Whislting Jack Smith, on GEMM, but all a bit pricey, and old old vinyl - which I am after of course.

I sort of hoped I could go into HMW and find WJS in the 'Easy Listening' section (not an area you will normally find me in!)

Still, I will start looking in the charity shops (BigH47 = are you listening?)

DS

ITC - Outkast = Speakerboxxxxxx

Is this the geezer wot did 'I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman'?

I seem to remember my father having it on a 7 inch single - might even have been the B side?

J.N.

Indeed it is - This was his one hit record.

Most searches in E-Bay etc turn up this track on one hit wonder compilations.

I am looking for the 'Around the World with Whistling Jack Smith' album.

No luck yet in the charity shops. I have seen it on Vinylnet, so I might have to go for that.

DS

OTD - Prong - Third from the Sun

Hey man, if you find a copy, will you let me know?

I had the 7" as a kid, and played it to death - I don't know why, but it's kind of great!

I'd love to get hold of a playable version again.

Likewise, if I see one, I'll PM you!

Bubble & Others

I trawled around the second hand shops in Berwick Street today, no joy on the WJS front.

The nearest thing was 'Whispering Jack Smith' CDs is the 'Easy Listening' section in HMV, an area previously not one of my normal resting places. It looked like a selection of 1920's crooner ballads, definitely not my cup of tea.

I wonder, was 'Whistling' a pun on 'Whispering'? Seems a bit of a co-incidence?

DS

ITC - V/A - Trancemaster 2006

Still no luck finding a copy, even though I have visited the cheesiest record shops I don't normally go in.

Found one on an internet, seller e-mailed to say he hadn't actually got it !?!

BUT! I have found an MP3 of it (Bubble, P.T. me)

I have got the wife and the father-in-law whistling it now, it is a major earworm.

Still looking for a vinyl copy!

BTW - What brought all this on was hearing it on the A.A. Insurance TV advert.

DS

ITC - Various Artists - Kris Needs Must

David a couple on GEMM. I'll keep an eye out for you.
Any idea what the cover looks like?

Howard

Big,

I ordered the cheaper one on GEMM, and the seller responded that it was not in stock, so I have ordered the more expensive one.

I wait and see!

From memory (35+ years ago) The cover was mainly red, with a central white section, with a picture of the man who pretended to be WJS in the publicity photos.

DS

OTR -Today

Got a copy of "Around The World With..."

Original groovy cover (David, don't rain on my parade, of course that's the real WJS!) and vinyl in very good nick.

The choice of songs, it has to be said, is fairly dreadful. Scotland the Brave, Waltzing Matilda, The Happy Wanderer - all whistle-tastically produced. Kaiser Bill is by far my favourite, but sadly the B side from the single ('The British Grin and Bear') is not present on the album.

Still it's fun to have.

I may, at some stage, get around to putting it on CD. If anyone is desperate for a copy, PM me and I can post you one. Not that I'm advocating copyright fraud, here, folks...

'Kaiser Bill's Batman' would make an excellent ring-tone....

Bubble,

I am greenish with envy!

I have a copy on it's way to me from Aural Ecstasy, a snip at £20.57!

If only it had appeared down the Charadee shops at 50p.

I don't suppose you snaffled the one from the British Vinyl Network at £10.00 did you?



DS

ITC - Air Liquide - Red

No, mine came in a random act of God to Spitalfields Market, which is round the corner from where I work. Rather cheaper than your copy, sorry, but no doubt yours will be mintier.

So there are other WJS-lovers out there...

I hadn't given any thought to the Kaiser Bill track for, what, about 15 years? Within a space of days everyone's found the record! I'm getting a bit of a Twilight Zone vibe; might try playing it backwards to check for hidden messages...

Bubble,

This is the power of advertising to get inside your head.

The usual trouble is, everybody goes - oh yeah, great tune! and completely forgets the company or product being advertised.

A test: Who is featuring "Swingin' Safari" by Bert Kaempfert on their adverts .

This is one of my all time favourites, right up thier with Mantovani's 'Charmaine'

DS

ITC - Mantovani = Charmaine

It's great that people forget the product and get excited by the music. The artists get revenge on the admen after all.

I almost never watch TV, so have missed the revival of these easy-listening gems on ads...but I do have a copy of the Swingin' Safari album on tape somewhere. Also came across a 45 of The Floral Dance the other day. Must get the Mantovani track, then my music to dust the house to will be complete.

Do you think we should start a new thread along the lines of embarrassing treasures from the back of our music collections?

I've got it!

Sorry folks, I was wrong about the cover, it is in fact a picture on the man pretending to be WJS holding a globe in his arms, on a green white background. My memory must be playing tricks on me.

I am whistling Tom Hark as I type.

DS

OTD - "Tom Hark" from Around the World with Whistling Jack Smith by Whistling Jack Smith

Is that the original Tom Hark? I knew The Pirhanas song was a cover version but I never knew where the original came from.

Did you ever see them? I used to go quite regularly to the Alhambra in Brighton where they played before they became 'popstars'.

Seagull,

Tom Hark is credited to "Bopape", and is associated with South Africa, so I don't think the writing team of Greenway / Cooke behind WJS were the originators of this classic.

I never got to see the Pirhanas (or there again I might have seen them as a support act somewhere) Got some of the records buried away though.

DS

ITC - Merzbow - Ikebana