An odd Lp from 1971 featuring Freddie Garrity of Freddie and the Dreamers fame in the soundtrack to a TV musical written by Mike Hazlewood. Released on the CBS label.
Apparently a spin-off from a Southern Television series for children called Little Big Time. All the tapes were wiped to make room for more important stuff or just to save money. So many programmes met the same fate back in the 60's and 70's.
Wikipedia says of Freddie Garrity -
"Born in Manchester, in the early years of the band, Garrity’s official birth-date was given as 14 November 1940 to make him appear younger and, therefore, more appealing to the youth market who bought the majority of records sold in the UK.
Garrity’s trademark was his habit of leaping up and down during performances. This, combined with his almost skeletal appearance and horn-rimmed glasses (without lenses), made him an eccentric figure in the UK pop scene of the early 1960s. He worked as a milkman before forming the group in 1959.
Freddie and the Dreamers disbanded in the late 1960s and between 1971 and 1973 Garrity and former bandmate Peter Birrell appeared in the ITV children’s television show Little Big Time. Garrity also made an appearance on the Granada Television production The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club in early 1974. Garrity also appeared in an episode of Heartbeat as a DJ, who played a Freddie and the Dreamers record, "I'm Telling You Now".
After his television career ended, Garrity formed a new version of Freddie and the Dreamers and toured regularly for the next two decades, but no further records or chart success came their way. He continued to perform until 2001, when he was diagnosed with emphysema after collapsing during a flight, thus forcing him into retirement.
With his health in decline, Garrity settled in Newcastle-under-Lyme. He was married three times and had one child in his first marriage named Jackie and three children in his second marriage named Nicola, Danielle, and Matthew. Freddie Garrity died at Bangor in North Wales, at the age of 69, after being taken ill while on holiday."
Freddie Garrity - I Want To Go To The Overworld
Philip Kay - Clockwork & Music
David King - The Clockwork King's Key
Freddie Garrity - You're Oliver The Clock
G. Haberfeld & B. Butler - The Undercog's Sad Song
Freddie Garrity - How To Get In When You're Out
Debbie Bowen - You Are A Most Perculier Buoy
Graham Haberfeld - Don't Underestimate The Undercog
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2 comments:
I had this LP way back when, also the original story LP also called 'Oliver in the Overworld' (Regal/ Starline SRS5019). Sadly I never saw any of Little Big Time, and it's a great shame that no tapes exist (apart from apparently parts of the very last one were found at Bob Monkhouse's place after he died).
I have recently acquired a copy of the original story disc again, and it's a wonder to listen to.
If you are willing to let go of your copy of this album, I would be interested to hear from you :-)
ATB, DSP
I like this funny stuff. It would be really neat if the youth of this new century would only strive to be in the overworld.
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