Listen to bits of ‘Voices In Harmony’ (KPM 1125, UK, 1973).

Yes, more from the dirty box of slightly soiled KPM library records that came my way a month or so ago. This is the album immediately before the KPM release featured in my last post, and the chaps down in Denmark St, London, WC2 were obviously going through a bit of a lovely-girls-singing-lovely-tunes phase at the time. So yes, another large helping of dreamy wordless voices dominate the fifteen tunes found here, composed by well known library favourites Keith Mansfield and John Cameron.

The soundclip contains just three tunes from the LP, and I have omitted perhaps the most well known title simply because it can be heard on youtube. So, if you want to go weak at the knees and marvel at the sublime beauty of ‘Half Forgotten Daydreams’ by John Cameron, then visit the post above this one. The kind up-loader has even slipped in a few minutes of the 1968 film ‘Duffy’ to accompany the music, which works remarkably well.

Listen to tunes from ‘Summer Songbirds’ (KPM 1126, 1973, UK).

I was fortunate enough recently to find myself in front of a box of around twenty KPM Library records. This is fortunate indeed, as one only usually comes across these LPs in the realms of the online sales lists or auctions. They also happened to be mostly very good; a small collection, mercifully free from Scottish reels, ragtime piano, nationalistic themes from around the world and novelty comedy pieces. The man selling them came complete with a greengrocer’s demeanor, a fine set of butcher’s fingers and a desire to pile it high and sell it cheap (well, not that cheap, but hey, record dealers aren’t stupid).

On ‘Summer Songbirds’ we get to spend a side each with Tony Kinsey and Pete Winslow, during which we enjoy ‘warm vocals in harmony’ and ‘solo girl voice features’. I for one can listen to almost limitless amounts of ‘la la la lee’, ‘do do do dooo do do dooo’, ‘li li li lee lee li li’, ‘die dee die shoo dup ‘n’ day’, especially if it is pleasantly accompanied by swinging bossa and samba played by top London session musicians in shirt sleeves and pressed flannel trousers.

And hey, what a perfect soundtrack to what appears to be a glimmer of summer finally gracing the UK. Quick! Grab your sunniest records, get outside and have a scat picnic before the return of graphite skies and several months of on/off precipitation.