Benjamin Judge's judgements

Despite the evidence of the photo, it isn’t all Jim Reeves records in charity shops. It is mostly Jim Reeves records, but not entirely Jim Reeves albums. There is Cliff Richard too, and Shirley Basset, and, very very occasionally, gold. Here’s what I found after trawling through 393 charity shops in a year.

5 albums by people I already knew about

Kate Bush – The Dreaming

Remember last week, when I said there was a good Oxfam record shop in Stockbridge? Well, look what I found there. You don’t need me to tell you about The Dreaming. We all know The Dreaming.

The Go-Go’s  – Talk Show

The Go-Go’s were a bit of a blind spot for me recently, which is odd because they are very much my sort of thing. Classic pop, mate. World class.

The Isley Brothers – Live It Up

Look at those outfits. In 1974 The Isley Brothers were not fucking around. Great album.

The Roches – Nurds

I found this in the Brian House shop in St Anne’s that I mentioned last week. It really is a very good shop.

Gino Soccio – Outline

I have a Mr Dan Pedley to thank for this one. He recommended this album to me while I was running The Best Music Recommender In The World, you know, during lockdown. I think it was possibly in Canada Week. Canada week or disco week. It is top tier disco. You’re either going to like that sort of thing or you aren’t. I very much do.

6 albums by people that were new to me

Jimmy Owens – No Escaping It!!!

It is rare to find good jazz in charity shops. It’s mostly cheap compilations or French guys doing jazz versions of Bach. This really goes, though. Nice.

Sadistic Mika Band – 黒船/Black Ship

I just liked the cover. Boy did I get lucky with this one. Sadistic Mika Band were a Japanese rock band, led by a husband and wife, who were really into David Bowie and prog rock. Needless to say, this album is flipping great.

Toronto – Lookin’ for Trouble

It was almost inevitable that after watching Peacemaker I would gravitate to anything even slightly metal. Strictly speaking, Toronto are 70s hard rock, not hair metal, but it has that heart-on-your-sleeve larger-than-life feel that is so in right now.

Κώστας Χατζής – O Κώστας Χατζής Τραγουδά Κώστα Χατζή

No idea what he’s singing about, but he has a lovely voice and a sound that is vaguely in the Jacques Brel, Leonard Cohen sort of ballpark. I looked him up and I think most of his songs are about peace. Sounds good to me, Kostas.

Various – This is Soca/This is Soca 2

I knew a few people off this album but hadn’t heard them since I used to record songs off the radio during Andy Kershaw’s Radio 1 show in the 1990s. They were even better than I remembered.

5 Christmas albums

Faith – Christmas Faith

I have developed something of a soft spot for ropey Christian albums from the 1970s. My favourites are the ones that accidentally sound like lost no wave classics but even when they are just a collection of hymns or carols, there is something about their absolute sincerity that I can’t resist. Faith are no The Christian Astronauts or anything, but they have a spirited goofiness that I appreciate.

Crystal Gayle – A Crystal Christmas

I’m not sure how big Tom Waits’ collection of Christmas albums is, but I reckon he’s got at least this one and Bette Midler’s Cool Yule. Probably a Louis Armstrong one too. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Various – A Saddleworth Christmas

Oddly, I found this collection of songs by various brass bands and choir groups from the Saddleworth area in a charity shop in Berwick-upon-Tweed. I felt it was my duty to bring it back to the Greater Manchester fold. As usual with these things, a couple of blokes reading poems in regional dialect break up the flow awkwardly, but considering a large quantity of the album is produced by school children playing brass instruments it is a surprisingly pleasant listen. The sleeve notes are mostly concerned with regret about selling a collection of bells to a church in the Midlands. Merry Christmas, Everybody!

The Temptations – Give Love At Christmas

This one is a genuine banger.

Tammy Wynette – Christmas with Tammy Wynette

Tammy plays it pretty straight on this album but unlike, say, Kenny Rogers on his Christmas album, she doesn’t get maudlin and ruin the festive season. Sometimes you forget what a voice Tammy Wynette had. So good.