Had today’s uplifting tune actually contained the word ‘summer’ in its title as opposed to in the name of the super-group (and I use the term advisedly and correctly), then it would undoubtedly have made it on to the mix I recently prepared for JC’s place.
But it doesn’t, so it didn’t.
However, this record – where the mighty Ted Chippington, The Nightingales and We’ve Got a Fuzzbox and We’re Gonna Use It! (before they became just Fuzzbox and started having actual hits) unite, Avengers-style – remains a favourite which cannot help but leave me in a better mood than I was before it started playing:
I mentioned last weekend that I’d watched and enjoyed the documentary on The Nightingales, King Rocker, which aired on the Sky Arts channel last weekend.
I can’t pretend that I was particularly familiar with their musical output before watching the doc, and must admit I was drawn to watch it because of the involvement of comedian Stewart Lee. In fact, the only record I knew of by The Nightingales was their involvement in this, the rather wonderful collaboration with label-mates We’ve Got A Fuzzbox And We’re Gonna Use It and Ted Chippington under the name The Vindaloo Summer Special, and even then they were the one act of the three I knew nothing about.
Now, I can’t pretend I came away from watching with a sudden burning desire to buy all of The Nightingales records – as you’ll have seen from that clip, they’re not to everyone’s taste – but I would recommend that you check out the documentary: it’s very detailed, passionate, and inspiring, and more often than that, it’s very very funny.
There is one song from the doc which I’ve dug out, this one from their 2015 release Mind Over Matter, which appears at the end of the film:
And I’m not sure that, strictly speaking, this qualifies as a summer record.
But, since part of the name of the act includes the word “Summer”, I’m posting it. The thread’s called “That Summer Feeling” for a reason. My rules. Moan and I’m taking my ball home.
I first stumbled across this record back when The Chart Show was still on Channel 4 on a Friday evening. I was aware of the female part of the three acts involved, through their “Rules and Regulations” 12″ which I’ve mentioned before, my brother and I both having purchased copies of it, in all its one-side-music-the-other-side-etched-caricature-of-the-band glory.
It took me a looooooonnnnnnnnnnngggggg time to track down a copy of this record. In fact, it was a good 15 – 20 years later that I finally stumbled upon it in Kelly’s Records, the second-hand record stall in Cardiff’s indoor market.
It was also, I think, my first introduction to the deadpan brilliance that is Ted Chippington, of whom I’ve also banged on about quite a bit here before, so I’ll spare you this time.
A History of Dubious Taste 