Albums

I have to say, I’ve never seen The Golgis live, but judging from the eleven tracks on their new cd An Assortion of Selectments, it must surely be an entertaining experience.  A whole host of characters and information unfold to the listener, from Telepathic Tina (who works in Tesco’s) to Roy the Whippet Man.  Observation and fun is clearly what makes the Golgis tick and I found myself consulting Google to find out more about Leyat (track 2) which is a complete sung history of  French car manufacturer Marcel Leyat in the 1920s who invented a propeller-driven car, and the Ballad of D.B. Cooper (track 3), an American skyjacker who hijacked a Boeing 727 in US airspace in 1971, demanded a $200,000 ransom and parachuted to freedom out  of the plane, never to be caught! My favourite song has to be Ken (the conscientious refuse collector) (track 5) which is reminiscent of Ray Davies in his Arthur period with its lyrical observation and Kinks-like wistfulness, although Mike (track 6) – the bizarrely true story of a 1930s chicken who survived for two years with no head and became a U.S. sideshow attraction – is a lot of fun too in a Chas and Dave style with a wonderful chicken-squawk solo, and latterly, I also find myself humming ‘Roy, Roy, Roy, Roy, the whippet man’ at quiet moments.  Wayne (a humourous song about people with that name) (track 9) has to be heard, if only for the extraordinary teapot and hosepipe solos (which do make one wonder what the band had been getting up to, to even contemplate using these as musical instruments!) but I understand that The Golgis encourage participation at live gigs, especially for singing along on the audience favourite, the sea creature Hagfish (track 10) which has another very strange instrumental solo  – maybe played on an actual Hagfish, who knows?! Southwick Bullet (track 4) is a girlfriend eulogy (‘doing good, making things right in the neighbourhood’) and the final track 11 Viv’s Song ends the album on a reflective note about writing and creativity.

All in all, a great assortment of songs variously written by Tony Whiting and Ade Fettuccini with strong vocals and musicianship from all involved, including Nigel Sharp on drums, and Wolfington Stanley on various implements and percussion. Having listened to the album a number of times now, I would warmly suggest you go to a Golgis gig to experience a true Asssortion of Selectments, but just a word of warning if you live in West Sussex.  Take care next time you’re in Worthing if you see a musician-type observing you and hastily making notes.  You might end up as one of the characters on the next Golgis album!

Shirlie Roden
www.shirlieroden.com