[78-L] A "Goons" 78...?!

[David Lennick]

agp wrote:
> At 03:36 03/10/2009, DL wrote:
>> Interesting, in that THE GOONS as such were recording for Decca in 
>> 1956-57 but
>> the various members were recording for other labels. I've had these two sides
>> on lp (Dark Side Of The Goon) for years but never seen the original 
>> labels and
>> didn't know about the "Goons Disc" designation.
> 
> I don't know exactly how or why the Goons migrated from Decca to 
> Parlophone (and then eventually to BBC Records for programme 
> compilations), but one can only imagine that the solo efforts of 
> Peter Sellers and his relationship with George Martin had a lot to do 
> with it. Perhaps this would be one of the grey-area releases where 
> negociations where underway to move to the EMI family, and they 
> couldn't credit the record the 'The Goons' as such. Legally though 
> the designation GOON DISC (note that GOON is singular) could be used 
> to sway the audience in as much as only one Goon was credited even 
> though all were present and uncredited. I could also be speaking rubbish!
> 
> The Goons last charted in the UK singles chart in September 1956 with 
> Bloodnock's Rock n Roll Call b/w The Ying Tong Song on Decca F.10780 
> and made it number 3. Actually, I fib a little there as a 45 rpm 
> reissue in 1973  charted at #9 in July (Decca F.13414) with The Ying 
> Tong Song on the top side.
> 
> I put the count at 4 discs (singles) on Decca and 1 on Parlophone.
> 
> T
> 

There's also a much later Decca 45 in 1979, containing Rhymes and The Raspberry 
Song. Spike Milligan made a few more sides for Parlophone under his own name, 
Harry Secombe recorded separately for HMV and Philips, and Peter Sellers began 
recording with George Martin in 1958.

dl