Track Selection: Don’t Fall Off The Bridge
Tony Coe (as,fl,ts), Tubby Hayes (ts,vib,fl), Paul Gonsalves, Ronnie Scott (ts), Jackie Sharpe (bs), Ray Nance (tp,vln,voc), Terry Shannon (p), John Lamb (b), Ronnie Stephenson (d). Recorded February 15th 1965, Lansdowne Studios, London W11.
Music:
Tubby Hayes!! Paul Gonsalves!! Yeah!!! Tubb-ulocity! Gonsalv-alistic! Listen!
The Paul Gonsalves All Stars on this occasion are not Gonsalves Ellington mates, but a roster of british musicians who could be described better as the Tubby Hayes All Stars. (I think the selection track title Don’t Fall Off The Bridge is a musicians in-joke)
Vinyl: World Record Club T631,
Never subsequently released on CD, the only way to own it is vinyl. this LP looks like an EMI pressing on behalf of World Record Club.
WRC was started in the 1950s as a mail order record label releasing various styles of music including modern jazz, under licence.The label was taken over by EMI in 1965, which would explain the EMI pressing – run-out machine stamp characters which follow the curve of the record: EMI Hayes – Middlesex..
Mail order Book Clubs and Record Clubs were a feature of Sixties culture. You were enticed to join by three months membership subscription-free, and then you agreed to take at least one book/ record from the selection offered by the club each month. I can well remember as a teenager being a member of a Science Fiction Book Club . It was really exciting to get special hard back book club editions at a huge discount, fresh adventures every month, Asimov, Bradbury, Vonnegut, all the great Sci Fi writers of the Fifties and Sixties. I guess this was a musical equivalent. Nowadays the only world record club is eBay.
To judge by prices, WRC are not valued highly except where they have unique exceptional recordings. This, and a Zoot Sims in London are two that come to mind. The recording and pressing is top class, not to be confused with budget labels.
Collectors Corner
Source: eBay
Sellers Description:
AN EXCEPTIONAL COPY OF THIS SCARCE AND NEVER RE-ISSUED CLASSIC TUBBY HAYES LP THE CONDITION IS: RECORD: (E) THERE IS A FAINT HAIRLINE ACROSS THE FIRST TRACK ON SIDE ONE WHICH JUST RUNS INTO THE START OF TRACK 2. THIS IS NOT FEELABLE BUT PRODUCES JUST 3 OR 4 VERY LIGHT POPS. THERE IS A FEELABLE MARK ON TRACK 2 ON SIDE ONE WHICH AGAIN PRODUCES 3 OR 4 VERY LIGHT CLICKS. SIDE 2 IS CLEAN SLEEVE: (E) THE FRONT IS VERY CLEAN AND BRIGHT WHITE LAMINATE COVERED. NO LAMINATE LIFTING OR OTHER DAMAGE. THERE IS A TINY BIT OF CORNER WEAR AND MINOR GRUBBINESS TO THE OPENING EDGE THE UNLAMINATED BACK IS VERY CLEAN WITH NO WRITING ETC. THE FLIPBACKS ARE INTACT AND TIGHT WITH NO DAMAGE OR LAMINATE LIFT. THERE IS ONE FOXING MARK NEAR THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER AND JUST A HINT OF RINGWEAR IN ONE PLACE. A VERY TINY AMOUNT OF CORNER WEAR BOTH LABELS ARE CLEAN WITH NO WRITING AND JUST A TRACE OF SPINDLE WEAR ALL-IN-ALL, THIS IS A SUPERB COPY WITH GREAT UNDISTORTED SOUND
What else can I say?
LondonJazzCollector 
Your recent (ish) post regarding the Tubby Fontana box set inspired me. As a result, I now have beautiful original copies of “Mexican Green” and “Change Of Setting.” I can’t thank you enough for exposing me to this artist who was a complete unknown to me before.
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Recorded February 15th 1965 at Lansdonwe Studios in London. Produced by Jack Sharpe (PG’s London “connection”….ahem!). Don’t Fall Off The Bridge refers to the middle passage of the tune (or bridge) which in this case is modal (such erudition!). Tubby’s Theme is actually the Hayes composition Soft and Supple. And by the way, we now think it’s Tony Crombie playing piano on his composition Child of Fancy…..
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Somehow I knew I could count on you to fill in the blanks, Simon.I doubt many others could, thanks.
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Thanks! This album is, I think, a far better record than the earlier PG/Tubbs collaboration “Just Friends”, on which Tubbs role was more cameo than equal. And PG obviously had his work cut out with the queue of British tenor players lining up on Don’t Fall Off The Bridge. (BTW, Coe also plays a tenor solo on Min and Madge Blues, though the sleeve notes don’t note this).
Sadly, this album was due for reissue by Vocalion last year but (yet again) they couldn’t find a master tape. Plus ca change.
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One other way to own it is on reel-to-reel tape as it was issued in that format…which occasionally comes up in auctions. Great if you have the hardware!!!
Thelonious
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One of my regular shops in London gets in jazz classics on tape, apparently created tape to tape from original master tapes.Asking about £200 a time, claim its the best sound imaginable. I believe it, but need to factor in divorce proceedings as I have reached the limit of hifi eqipment in the living room, my better half regularly tells me. I have too many records and the hifi is too big. Add a reel to reel tape machine and l… “The only option is we move to a bigger house”. Makes the tape kind of expensive.
Now if anyone has a wife that is more hifi tolerant and is up for a trade, mine is a strong VG +
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