hello, I hope all is well. I have had news today that the long awaited Trunk album is finally shipping and will be in on Tuesday. That's next Tuesday. I'm now taking orders so I cna ship them the second they arrive.

The album is "Music For Children", the late 50s recordings based on Carl Orff's teaching methods. It features children from the Italia Conte School (where stars like Anthony Newley went) and the Children's Percussion Ensemble singing, chanting, playing glockenspiels and bashing drums. The music is spooky, very beautiful, charming and disturbing in equal measures, with songs like "Tommy's Fallen In The Pond" telling us that Tommy is not only splashing about, but willl be getting "a thrashing" when he returns home. Nice. There are classic nursery rhymes, street cries, speech exercises (such as the Trees And Flowers cue featured on Refined Lard) and many instrumentals that are just heavenly. And for Wicker Man fans there is a most excellent version of Sumer is Icumen In.  

The CD has 84 tracks from the original two rare LPs that were issued in the 1950s. The LP is a distillation of those, with I believe 45 tracks in all. Both releases have comprehensive sleevenotes and histories, and the LP is also the first Trunk record in a gatefold sleeve.

For mailing list members the LP is £10 inc postage (in the UK) and the CD is £5 inc postage. If you would like one, the other or both here is what you have to do:

1) decide what you want, and find the correct combination of £10 and £5 notes.

2) get yourself a piece of paper, about A4 size, on which you must write your name, address, what you'd like (ie an LP, or CD etc).

3) on the same piece of paper please then draw a picture of something from a nursery rhyme; Little Bo Peep, Three Blind Mice, or even Tommy drowning in the pond. There are all sorts of things you could do. It really doesn't matter how quick, bad or good this drawing is, just have a go. There is a prize awarded for the best one. If you want to see some of the drawings sent in for the Daphne Oram / Tom Dissevelt release, they are here.

4) Then wrap your money in the paper, put it in an envelope and please send to the name and new address below:

Chris Chris The Sparrow's Son

State 51

17 Hereford Street

London

E2 6EX

And if you are abroad and want and LP or CD, please drop me an email and we'll sort something out.

Thanks for listening. There will also be another #50pFriday email tomorrow. How very exciting.

I'm now off to march all the way up a hill. Well Notting Hill. Looking for records.

Jonny Trunk