Blue Rondo a la Turk - Chewing the Fat

What if Pigbag had been led by Desi Arnaz, and he sang in English? That's what Chris Sullivan's band Blue Rondo a la Turk sounded like. With a postpunk take on Latin rhythms, a full horn section (see here for the complete band lineup), and vintage zoot-suit fashions, Blue Rondo in 1982 prefigured the swing craze that would reach full force over a decade later. (Oddly, they did not sound anything like Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk.") Sullivan was quite the dandy; see this profile of him in which he details his fashion history, and even takes credit for starting the New Romantic fashion movement. To be fair, he is also a skilful songwriter, singer, and a painter as well: he painted the album cover art. Chewing the Fat, released in 1982, is full of infectious Latin grooves and more straightforward pop fare. High points include a fantastic cover of Luther Ingram's "I Spy for the FBI" and the originals "Klacto Vee Sedstein" (a single) and "They Really Don't;" even a bit of Spandau Ballet shows through in the guitar intro to the single "The Heavens are Crying." The UK and German releases of the album differ slightly: the German version includes the 1981 single "Me and Mr Sanchez," while the UK version replaces that with its B-side, "Sarava." I have the UK version, so that's what I've presented here, but I also have the 45 so I've added "Me and Mr Sanchez" at the end. The full track list is:

01 Change
02 I Spy for the FBI
03 Coco
04 The Heavens Are Crying
05 The Method
06 They Really Don't
07 Sarava
08 Klacto Vee Sedstein
09 Carioca
10 Me and Mr Sanchez

I found a Blue Rondo TV performance clip (of "Carioca:) on YouTube: just to the left of Chris Sullivan (your left, his right) in the center ring is Christos Tolero, who as far as I can figure was the Paul Rutherford of the group, with his trademark Mephistophelean mustache and goatee:

Get the Chewing the Fat vinyl rip here or here.

Pigbag live

Pigbag (full band history here) was a fantastic melting pot of rock, funk, jazz, and Latin styles; unfortunately they were only together for three years, 1980-83. After the breakup, Y Records released this album of odds and ends, containing seven live tracks from five shows and a remix of "Jump the Line." Most notable are the live versions of "Sunny Day" and "Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag," and a cover of the Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong classic "Smiling Faces (Sometimes)" which did not appear on any of Pigbag's studio albums. The full track listing is:

A1 Shack of Scraps Live - Berlin Latin Quarter - 5th April 1983
A2 Smiling Faces Live - Berlin Latin Quarter - 5th April 1983
A3 Sunny Day Live - Birmingham Locarno - 17th March 1982
A4 Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag Live - Hammersmith Palais - 16th March 1982
B1 Jump The Line Remix - Jacobs Studio - December 1982
B2 Global Terrain Live - Berlin Latin Quarter - 5th April 1983
B3 End of Ubud Live - Munich Alabama Hall - 6th April 1983
B4 Can't See for Looking Live - Tokyo Sun Plaza - July 1982

Get the vinyl rip here or here.

Vital Excursions - Give!

From the "If you like Pigbag" department, here is the only album by Vital Excursions, Give! (1982). Vital Excursions was led by saxophonist/flautist Tony Wrafter, and had a Pigbag-style lineup of:

• Voice: Angela Stewart
• Kit: Dan Sheals
• Bass: Moen Parera
• Viola: Sara Sarahandi
• Bass Violin (isn't that a cello?): Pete Brandt
• Piano: Fiona Fleck
• Congas: Steve Lewis
• Trombone: John Fairbrother
• Percussion: Paul (Nellie) Hooper

There is a real, albeit circuitous, relationship to Pigbag as well: Wrafter had been a member of Maximum Joy, which included former members of The Pop Group (John Waddington and Dan Catsis), while Pigbag also included a former Pop Group member (Simon Underwood). Wrafter and Catsis were also both members of the Glaxo Babies, as was fellow Maximum Joy member Charlie Llewellin. Clear as mud. Give! is sometimes listed as a mini-LP because it contains just six songs. It's actually a full-length album, though, because the track that takes up all of side two, "Going to the Give", is over eighteen minutes long. It combines rock and Eastern musical styles, prefiguring Eric Random's Ishmael LP which came out three years later. The five songs on side one sound like Pigbag for the most part, with the exception of the mellow jazz "In the Swim." So if you like Pigbag, get the Vital Excursions vinyl rip here or here.