Way out West

The pick of this weekend's car boot sale finds has to be Way Out West by the magnificent Mae West, which was released on the Stateside label in the UK in 1966. Outrageously camp and over the top, Mae moans and mumbles her way through such classics as Treat Her Right, When a man loves a woman, Shakin' All Over, N-n-nervous, Twist and Shout and Boom boom. With a fairly solid backing band behind her she brings her own unique mixture of double entendre and sheer outrageousness to the album. Well worth a listen, especially if you, like me, are a fan.

The best (in fact the only) 45 I picked up this weekend was Johnny Cash's Down the Street to 301 on London. Not his best Sun recording, but good all the same. I also found some collectable Lee Perry originals by the Upsetters and others on Trojan, plus an early Gregory Isaacs LP and a Lee Perry album entitled Roast Fish Collie Weed and Corn Bread on a Jamaican label which was apparently rejected by Island at the time. So, despite the rain, not a bad weekend, boot sale wise.

Talking of the rain, I'm glad I wasn't at Glastonbury. But I would have loved to have seen John Fogerty, who really rocked. His set was shown on BBC Four last night. Absolutely brilliant. What did I do before I got satellite TV?