“Gudbuy T’ Jane” (Contour 2870 198) 1972

Since I took early retirement a couple of years ago I spend a lot of time searching for cheap records in charity shops. I don’t mind taking a chance and spending a couple of quid on an album. It’s still quite a buzz finding vinyl junk.

I’ve decided to begin a new series on my blog where I’ll focus on a track from a budget label release, remaster a FLAC directly from the record, create a YouTube video and investigate / research the performer and album under the spotlight.

My new series will be called “Budget Label Curios.”

Who knows what I’ll uncover, the music may be delightful to your ears or it could make you want to bang your head against the nearest brick wall to make the pain go away.

The LP “16 Great Hits ’72” cost £2, at a local charity shop in Birtley. Most of the material on it is slushy ballads and middle-of-the-road pop numbers. It appears that this special kind of pop slush is all that 1972 had to offer.

“16 Great Hits ’72” was the end of year collection by the compilation series “16 Chart Hits” so they were really having to scrape the barrel this time around.

I remember 1972 being a good year for me because Leeds Utd won the F.A. Cup, Subbuteo was starting to be King in our house, I spent many hours catching sticklebacks down the local beck and I was becoming a bit obsessed with birds and bird nesting.

“Mouldy Old Dough” almost got selection status for the LP but in the end I simply had to go for “Gudbuy T’ Jane,” the only rocker on a rather disappointing record.

Without the shrill shouty-heed vocals of Noddy Holder there is no Slade so it’s good to know that the unknown Contour label session singer spent a week gorging on Cup-A-Soup’s to perfect the Noddy battle cry.

The original Slade “Gudbuy T’ Jane” single was released during November 1972 on Polydor and reached number 2 in the British charts.