Monday, April 05, 2010

Ivy Pete & His Limbomaniacs


An LP on the Somerset label from the late 50's when "limbo" was a big dance craze. This is a weak kind of blue-eyed calypso that was made for tourists and for playing at parties. Great kitsch sleeve though which is the only reason I bought it.
The sleeve notes don't tell us much about Ivy pete and his band but says- " Authorities say all you need for a limbo party is three poles ( two upright and one across - see sleeve ) and a group of people with strong backs "bent" on having a ball with "Ivy" Pete and the gang. We recommend you don't try the flame bit on the pole.... this is for real experts or drunks that live near the firehouse."


Ivy Pete - Jamaica Farewell

Ivy Pete - Little Brown Skin Girl

Ivy Pete - Sly Mongoose

Ivy Pete - I Adore Her

2 comments:

KL from NYC said...

This LP is very rare in the U.S.
You'll find the cover included in one of the Incredibly Strange Music volumes.
The founder of Somerset (who's infamous for inventing The 101 Strings) is at Space Age Pop here:
http://spaceagepop.com/millerdl.htm
And you'll find more about the label under 101 Strings at the same website.
Early Somerset LPs had name-brand session people like Alvino Rey playing all different kinds of music, so you'll never know who Ivy Pete actually is unless someone gives an interview (like when Dick Hyman revealed that he was the organ player on the Hartz Mountain canary records sold at Woolworth's in the late '50s! Who would have known that).

Wastedpapiers said...

Thanks for the info. KL - much appreciated.