My Grandad's Stash

Music, for my grandfather, was not a priority. I know this, because I have listened to all his records. For the most part, these constituted such charity shop staples as military bands, easy listening muzak, the odd ballet, maybe a musical, and a bunch of ‘stereo samplers’, which broadly defy any kind of classification. Which isn’t to say he wasn’t discerning; after all, he didn’t own any Singalongamax.

He did, however, dig Klaus ‘Mr Hammond’ Wunderlich. We’ve talked about him before, so my précis will be swift: Klaus began learning the piano at the age of seven, and in 1955, at the age of 24, he started on the Hammond, and in due course patriotically changed to the German-made Wersi Organ. Prove me wrong.

My granddad also liked a bit of Waikiki groove, as represented here by Basil Henriques and the Waikiki Islanders. Henriques is untrained with respect to formal tuition, but according to his biography, was born with music in his soul. He started playing guitar at eleven, and took up Hawaiian guitar at twelve. His first pedal guitar was a six-string Gibson four-pedal Electraharp, and he formed the Waikiki Islanders when he was only sixteen. From 1966 to 1968, the group was resident at the Castaways nightclub in Birmingham. He then toured the US forces bases of Europe with his own show, which included dancers and a knife throwing/fire dancer from Samoa. As a musician, he has performed with artistes such as Foster and Allen, backing the likes of Gilbert O'Sullivan, Tom Jones, Slim Whitman, and Tammy Wynette (who always asked for him for her Irish tours). However, none could match the prodigious talent of the knife throwing/fire dancing Samoan.

Finally, my grandfather was also fond of a nice bit of Bacharach, preferably watered down to remove the vocals and any extraneous soul. The Sunset Festival Orchestra represents the cream of his collection, although his Bacharach does bossa album also retains a certain charm. But what can I say about The Sunset Festival Orchestra? Not much really – they represent one of the largely unmapped areas of the interweb, along with chive eating monkey bankers. I know that they released a further LP, 'Non Stop Carole King', but beyond that I draw a blank.

Klaus Wunderlich
St Louis Blues March
Tuxedo junction
Summertime
Besame mucho
Tico tico
Petite fleur
Brazil medley
Can’t take my eyes off you
Don’t let me be misunderstood/Yes sir I can boogie
Dancing queen/ I love to love
Basil Henriques & The Waikiki Islanders
Strangers in the night
Somewhere my love
Moon river
The shadow of your smile
Sunset Festival Orchestra
Non-stop Bacharach
Part 1: Do you know the way to San José/(There’s) Always something there to remind me/I say a little prayer/A house is not a home/Alfie/(They long to be) Close to you/This guy’s in love with you/Trains, boats and planes
Part 2: Raindrops keep falling on my head/I’ll never fall in love again/What the world needs now is love/Anyone who had a heart/Wives and lovers/Make it easy on yourself/Walk on by/The look of love