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Rotatey Diskers with Unwin (LP - Pye Records, NPL 18062. Originally released 1961)

This is Stanley's first and, in his own judgement, best LP. The first side is taken up with five tracks of Stan's solo musings that more than likely came from the impromptu dialogues he did with F R Buckley in his early radio days.

But it's the second side which really gets into gear. Recorded live at London's Astor Club, Stan delivers his takes on popular and classical music and then takes a wide range of questions from 'Gentlemen of the Press', answering each in turn spontaneously and completely off the cuff. The audience are clearly loving every minute of it and if you ever doubted that Stan could deliver this stuff on tap and without a script, then just take a listen to track 3 (you can download an mp3 snippet on the Audio page).

Pye 'Rotatey' front	back

Since it originally came out, this album has also been re-released twice, with another two releases on CD. Here are the different versions.

The first vinyl re-release was on Marble Arch Records (MAL 837):

Marble Arch  'Rotatey' front	back

..followed by another much later (judging by the cover photo) on the Flash Backs label (FBLP 8101):

Flash Backs  'Rotatey' front	back

I'm not exactly sure when these two came out as the only dates on the labels refer to the original 1961 copyright.

In 1997, Sequel Records, a division of Castle Records, released the first CD version (NEBCD934) with four pages of sleeve notes by BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Spencer Leigh:

Sequel 'Rotatey'

...and this was followed in 2002 by the release of the Sanctuary Records/Castle Pie re-release (PIESD289) which reverted back to the original Pye sleeve and is the version that's currently available. From all good record stores. top

Sanctuary 'Rotatey'

Goldyloppers and the Three Bearloaders (7" single - Pye Golden Guinea, GGE.0088-4. Originally released as part of a double LP and double 7" EP set, 1961)

Stanley's first outing on 7" single format is part of a real curio which was very much 'of its time'. It's one of four records in 'The Golden Guinea Family Album' which consists of a double LP set in a gatefold sleeve on the inside of which are two 7" sleeves pasted on to hold a couple of 45rpm EPs. The two LPs are titled 'For Mother - her own 12" LP' and 'For Father - his own 12" LP'. The two EPs are titled ' 'For the Teenager - a 7" EP' and 'For Junior - a 7" EP'. Yes. Quite.

Good old Mum - sorry, Mother - gets 'Romantic Memories' and 'Music to Lighten Her Day' (the 'Can-Can' Theme and 'Tit-Willow' amongst others. Honest) because she obviously hasn't got anything better to do. Meanwhile Father who is, after all, doing all the hard work, gets 'Let's Really Dance' by the Statler Dance Orchestra who, we learn, were 'Poll Winners' in 1940. No idea which poll, or why they still feel the need to mention it 20 years later.

The 'lucky' teenagers get...er...Kenny Ball's Jazzmen doing...er...'My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean', 'Little Brown Jug' and a selection of Napalm Death covers. But don't fret, because following up the rear on disc four 'for Junior' is our mate Stan with three tracks from Rotatey: 'Goldyloppers', 'Pidey Pipeload' and 'Jack'.

7" 'Goldiloppers'	EP cover from inside the gatefold sleeve

This crops up on eBay every now and then in a plain single sleeve, but it's worth holding out for the full double album if you can find it. top

Goldilocks (7" single - Pye Records, 7N.15436. Originally released 1962)

Stanley's first proper 45rpm single was a different take on the 'Goldyloppers' track off Rotatey. This one had a jazz quartet backing which suits his delivery nicely. It was backed with another arrangement based on a fairy tale - this time 'The Saucy Apprentice'. Not sure how it sold, but it doesn't appear to ever have troubled the Top 40 according to the Guinness Book of Hit Singles.

You can hear an mp3 of Goldilocks by clicking here. top
 

7" 'Goldilocks'

The World of Stanley Unwin (LP - Masquerade Records, MQ 2004. Originally released 1967)

This album has more or less disappeared completely off the radar and was the last solo album Stanley recorded. It's performed in front of what sounds like about a dozen people, with some odd and slightly distracting sound effects thrown in every now and then.

Stanley wasn't particularly happy with this one because being a bit of a sound perfectionist, he wasn't taken with the overall audioquality. Sounds all right to me, but you do wish that there were a few more tracks where he interacts with people as this is where his Unwinese comes into its own.

'World of...' front

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