Alongside the Beatles, Stones and the Who, British 1960s music contains a number of curios. A number of groups were adopting a similar theme to their music. This was a sort of 1920s style, mixed with trad jazz, a student revue and the Goons. This CD brings together a number of artists that could be categorised as such as fills an important gap. The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band are certainly the best known of these. The longevity of their career enabled them to evolve their music as Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall evolved into strong songwriters. Incidentally, Innes provides the sleeve notes for this release. On this album there is an overview of the Bonzo's career with a few later tracks, though not the hit I'm the Urban Spaceman, added to the band's early singles. These early singles are very much in the 1920s/comedy style. On Her Doorstep Last Night is previously unissued and is in a similar style to the early single I'm Going To Give a Watermelon to My Girl Tonight. These early singles are also available on the Bonzo's 3-CD boxed set Cornology.

The Alberts are probably the artists that are most inclined towards humour. "Professor" Bruce Lacey and the band are responsible to the CD's title that comes from the end of their opening song Morse Code Melody - "it may be rubbish but, by jingo, it's English rubbish." The tracks included from the Alberts tread a similar path. Bruce Lacey was an inventor of novelty robots, a skill that does not come across on CD.

The Temperance Seven tend more towards the straightforward music angle. You're Driving Me Crazy is their best-known song. Other tracks by the band include the standard Pasadena.

Two of the Goons are included on the CD. Spike Milligan joins the Alberts for You Gotta Go Oow while Peter Sellers teams up the Temperance Seven for Ukelele Lady.

This is quite unlike any other album that has been reviewed for Making Time and is an absolute treasure.

Release Date: 1999

Hux Records HUX015

Essential Tracks:

• Morse Code Melody
• You're Driving Me Crazy
• My Brother Makes the Noises for the Talkies

Track Listing: