Along The Trainline..

This year's theme for Ironfest was 'Time Travel', and arriving in Lithgow as I have for the past 12 years for this year's event can sometimes be a flashback to another era - where opshops flourished and prices remained below secondhand charges. Having began a lot of my collecting while living in the Blue Mountains during the mid 80's I always journey out to these parts with some expectation that things will be better than in the city on these fronts.. sometimes there are disappointments.. and sometimes the travelling can be worth it.
This time out (apart from an excellent time had at Ironfest over two days) Lithgow, Springwood and Blaxland all gave up some treasures to be sure, mainly in the vinyl department.

On the way up Kaspar and I alighted at Springwood on Fri afternoon to once again confirm that it still only has one opshop. Usually not that productive like it had been in the dim past, but two Scheherazade  additions, a sweet Kaempfert coverpic and an oddball  Scripture in Song with promises to tell us what God says about bad language, witchcraft, temptation amongst other important subjects.

While waiting two and a half hours for the next train to continue on to Lithgow we ambled around, settlling for pie and sausage rolls at the only cafe that wasn't supplying gourmet p&s with salad for $6.50 each. Plus the friendly chinaman supplied tomato sauce in a squeezy for free.. now that's country service. While still ambling around we also found a secondhand bookshop that had the best Michael Moorcock pile I've ever seen on display..

although I didn't buy any..

After a weekend filled with explosive Napoleonics, radiationed steam punks & earth shattering victorian steamrollers, I sent the family home on Sunday afternoon. With a free Monday to casually make my way back to the big burg I firstly hankered down Main Street to The Family Store which gave forth a 'black suit' Spiderman tshirt ($2.50).

Not being too disheartened, I continued down to Vinnies in what is now a 2 opshop town. This presented yet another two Scheherazade LPs ($1 each), and a magnificent foldout Top of The Pops '71($2), along with a handful of Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars and VHS' of Star Wars I & II for Kaspar.

A quick step next door to the Hearts For Animals found me hurriedly skimming thru a vast vinyl stack at the back (finding a sweet narrated Alice in Wonderland) and a couple of more Hot wheels - all for 50c - does it get any better??

from top - yellow car unknown

Ballistic - Hot Wheels -2001

'47 Chevy Fleetlore - Hot Wheels - date unknown

unknown - Hot Wheels - 1989

Jeep Grand Cherokee - Matchbox - 1999

Jet Threat - Hot Wheels - 2008

Love this Jet Car

B35? - Hot Wheels - 1994

Well yeah, it did that day.. 

Along with some cheap (at 20c each the best I come across in many a year) discs, The Cancer opshop in Blaxland, my next port of call, served up a fine selection. This included an antiquated Pirates of Penzance, a sultry Songs and Moods for people Alone Together, a Classic Goon Show and a vibrant covered Peter & the Wolf. I also was willing to part $5 for a fantastic covered (and great sounding) BBC Radiophonic Workshop of Doctor Who The Music, as he was a central theme of this year's Ironfest. Also scored a knitted Egyptian queen wall hanging ($5) for Madame Beth to use in an upcoming Egyptian display at the library.

Under the impression that there were three opshops in Blaxland (alas only 2) I quickly made way down to the Vinnies, which held many a secret stash in it's basement of black gold at $1 each. These included two more Peter & the Wolfs (I see a post developing), The Moog Strikes Bach, Walt Disney's Stories of H. C. Anderson, Hymns by Tennessee Ernie Ford and a corker of a record - It's Cool In The Furnace II - just got to find the first volume to make life complete...

The train was incoming and I ran out of time to photograph the front of the stores, alas.

Here is the full details of platters obtained in this jaunt..

Scheherazade - The Paris Conservatoire Orchestra - World record Club - date unknown

Scheherazade - Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic 

Music For Pleasure - date unknown

Scheherazade - Vienna State Opera Orchestra - Calendar - date unknown

Scheherazade - London Symphony Orchestra - Victrola - 1962?

The Best of Top of the Pops '71 - Not Original Artists - Hallmark - 1971

Songs and Moods For People Alone Together - Pietro Delmont Orchestra - Rainbow - date unknown

Alice In Wonderland - Joan Greenwood & Stanley Holloway etc - Caedmon - date unknown

Doctor Who The Music - The BBC Radiophonic Workshop - BBC Records - 1983

The Moog Strikes Bach -  Hans Wurman/Sonart Productions - RCA - 1969

The Pirates of Penzance (2nd of 2set) - The D'oyly Carte Opera Company - Decca - date unknown

A New Sound Conquers the World - Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra - Polydor - post 1961

Tennessee Ernie Ford: Hymns - Capital - date unknown

It's Cool In The Furnace II - L. Mayfield & G. Hawthorne - Word Records - 1984

Sing a Song of Scripture - Various Artists - Scripture in Song - date unknown 

(missing 9 feet long wall poster, alas)

Walt Disney presents The Stories of Hans Christian Anderson - Camarata - Disneyland - 1965

Peter And The Wolf - Sir Ralph Richardson/London Symphony Orchestra - Decca - date unknown

Peter And The Wolf - Paul Daneman/The Little Symphony of London - MFP - 1969

A Musical Story of Peter And The Wolf - Peter Pan Symphony Orchestra - ALF - date unknown

Goon Show Classics Vol 7 - P. Sellers, S. Milligan, H. Secombe - BBC Records - 1980

Down amongst the Duckbills..

Sauntered down on a Sunday mission with the family to The Rock N Roll And Alternative Markets held at the Manning Bar, Sydney Uni today. Enjoyed going to it in the past at its old location at The Jets Club, Tempe but today was a first at this newer (and closer) haunt.
Ran into some old friends and past work colleagues now following their artistic bent (let's hear it for Shelley & Jay at Grimm Noir). And good to see ya Trev and your lovely lady, and Liz.
Madame B & Kaspar enjoyed the fine dance floor in the bar, both cutting the rug nicely...

Downstairs I wasn't really thinking of any purchases until I stumbled over a stash of boxes selling good stuff at $2, and as marked.

This now completes my Tranmetropolitan series (#2, $10), Astro City series (#3, $2) and Warlock and The Infinity Watch series (#39, $2). Also couldn't pass up on a couple of Fantastic Four sideline series fillers at $2 each.
Was going to leave it there, but a $2 Top Condition sign at a nearby LP stand had me digging for my life and coming up with those wonders of past loungeroom enjoyments...

So, with a $3 addition later it resulted in a decent Sunday well spent...

Bold 'n Blue - The Versatile Mr. Noel McKay - Calendar - 1967?

Mike Batt's The Hunting of The Snark - Various incl Roger Daltry and Captain Sensible, and

Chris Spedding - Adventure Records - 1986 (great Patrick Woodroffe cover)

Hawaiian Fire - Tau Moe's Original Hawaiians - Viking - 1963

 Omnibust - Spike Joness ...and the band that plays for FUN - London - date unknown

Heading West on a Salty Breeze

Today we continue on our trans Pacific expedition after our previous trek thru Hawaii.
Not seen since the valiant efforts of Thor Heyerdahl, we follow in the path of ancient seafarers all the way to the Isles of The Long White Cloud, taking in the local flavours as we jump from island to island paradise.
To start with we look at Polynesia in a general tourist-type manner, then move onto a more detailed survey of prominent ocean volcanic peaks...

Adventures in Paradise Vol 4 - Various Artists - Universal Record Club - date unknown

Adventures in Paradise Vol 2 - Various Artists - Universal Record Club - date unknown

The Beat of Polynesia - Peter Posa and the Islanders - Axis - date unknown

Polynesian Percussion - George  Cates - Dot Records - date unknown

Polynesian Percussion Studio Set-up

World of the South Pacific - Field recordings - World Record Club - post 1972

Sweet Sounds of the South Pacific - St. Josephs' Maori Girls Choir of New Zealand

Viking Records - date unknown

Inside spread

Cinerama South Seas Adventure - Alex North - AF Records - date unknown

Sounds of the South Seas - Eddie Bush - Salem Records - date unknown

South Sea Island Magic - Various Artists - Reader's Digest - date unknown

Musical Cruise... Hawaii To Hongkong - The Royal Polynesian Island Orchestra

Family Records - date unknown

Down where the Trade winds blow - Various Artists - Summit - date unknown

Groupe Folklorique Fetia - Various Artists - Playa Sound - 1981

First off we look at the glory of Tahiti

Tihati's South Seas Spectacular - Various Artists 

Private recording/Don Over Records - date unknown

Bienvenue a Tahiti - Musiques at Chants Folkloriques de Tahiti

TTA/Glory - date unknown

Mariterangi - Tahiti Orchestra & Entertainers/Eddie Lund - Tahiti Records - date unknown

Maitai - Various Artists - Playa Sound - 1979

Little Brown Gal - Toti's Tahitians - Viking - date unknown

Meet me in Tahiti! - Eddie Lund and His Tahitians - Viking - date unknown

Wild, Wild, Tahiti - The Papeete Players - Viking - date unknown

Then continuing onto Samoa..

Samoan Song And Rhythm - Western Samoa Teachers Training College

Hibiscus Records - date unknown

Let Me Hear You Whisper - The Samoan Surf Riders - Viking - date unknown

Then a quick jump to The Solomon Islands..

Betikama Bamboo - The Betikama Adventist High School - W&G - date unknown

Fiji is next on the cruise..

Bula - Various Artists - Tapa Records - date unknown

Finally we arrive at New Zealand, and indulge me as we take a quick (very) historical tour up to what passes as modern music which we may never forget..

Maori Songs of Enchantment - St. Joseph's Maori Girl's College Choir

Viking - date unknown

Howard Morrison Spectacular - RCA - 1982

Shaun at Wairakei - Shaun Johnson - Private recording - date unknown

This concludes our Polynesian passage.. please mind the step when alighting the boat..

Hawaiian Postscript

As a tale end here's a massive six disc Reader's Digest collection (it's Pleasure Programmed), for a balmy night next to the record machine..

Hawaiian Paradise - Various Artists - Readers Digest - date unknown

Aloha Hawaii Pt 7 - Going Native

It can be hard cavorting across lonely stretches of pristine sand, even under moonlight.. One must stop and reflect on where this seven part paradisian adventure has led us to.. Where all great exotic travels must lead to.. Naked under distant vistas.. I'm sure we've all been there... enjoy..

Lure of Paradise - Andre Kostelanetz - Coronet - date unknown

Hugo Winterhalter Goes.... Hawaiian - RCA - 1962

Hawaiian Paradise Vol 1 - The Islanders & The Waikiki 12

Boulevard - 1971

Hammond In Hawaii - Wout Steenhais, Leon Young & The Kontikis

Columbia - date unknown

Hawaii - Johnny Pineapple and his Islanders - Audio Fidelity - 1959

Sea Breeze - Various Artists - Viking Records - date unknown

On the Beach at Waikiki - Big Ben Hawaiian Band - Columbia - 1969

..whew... getting all hot and bothered in my cargo shorts.. might have to submit to that native rhythm and run alfresco along the cove of Kalua with the Hawaiian War Chant echoing thru the Coconut forests. I'm sure if I concentrate on The Pagan Love Song then Sweet Leilani will make her way from The Moon of Manakoora and with her Loverly Hula Hands make Aloha Oe all night long...

For the moment, here ends this Pacific interlude - but don't fret for too long as I will soon continue the Antipedeon voyage, crossing into Polynesian shores..