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As the title indicates, there’s nothing on Lost & Found that’s very well known. In fact, the whole 50s revival thing is even further underground than the latest dubstep club in Croydon. I overheard DJ Andy Smith recently discussing what’s hot on the dancefloor, almost in whispered tones he said, “It’s the 50s rockabilly stuff that’s getting the biggest reaction on a Saturday.”

Saturday nights are when Smith and Darge get out the original R&B, northern soul,rockabilly and ska tunes at Madam Jo Jo’s at their Lost & Found club night.

So Darge has extended his rare funk and northern soul collection and just to show its global appeal, BBE have called on Cut Chemist, the former Jurassic 5 turntablist and member of the Keepintime / Brasilintime project and revered crate diggin’ mate of DJ Shadow and Carlos Niño. If Darge is funk, soul ‘n’ jazz, how did they get to pick Chemist?

How do you compare the 2 discs? Do you need to? Well the only names I instantaneously recognised of the 37 tracks were Chuck Berry (‘Too Much Monkey Business’) on CD1 and the legendary Link Wray and his Ray Men (‘Run Chicken Run’) on the other.

Many years ago bouncers kicked me out of a Chuck Berry gig (but not before I saw the mans’ legendary duck walk) but for me, the trouble with this rebel music has always been that it’s what my parents’ generation grew up with. Now a generation has skipped, it’s not all about Elvis impersonators and the quality of these tracks exceed the Pulp Fiction Soundtrack culture so much so that they can live again on the retro-dancefloor.

Perhaps I should have listened a bit harder to Lewis Durham’s 78rpm record show on Bestival Radio last year. Lewis, then 15 years old and the middle sibling of the group Daisy, Kitty & Lewis, clearly has no problems being in a rockin’ combo with his Mum and Dad. Their two sets were one of the highlights of Larmer Tree the other week and they do a very commendable version of opener of second CD, Jesse Powell’s ‘The Walkin’ Blues’, they one that goes “Walk Right In, Walk Right Out”.

Cut Chemist’s CD probably has more twangy country rockin’ tracks than Darge’s but Keb stole it with a fine version of ‘Fever’ by Carlos & The Bandidos (what a great name for a band) and the equivalent of VTQ’s ‘The Phantom’ (in terms of speed that is) with ‘Stampede’ by The Scarlets. Very much in the John Peel stamp of approval territory here.

This collection is all about the vibe, to steal Kitty’s line about a crowd at one of their gigs, “They couldn’t stop themselves from dancing. Whatever the crowd, they always seem to like it.” And there is something wrong with you if the slappin’ bass on Wayne Walker’s ‘All I Can Do Is Cry’ don’t get you on your feet a dancin’.

Well done to Keb, Cut and BBE for finding these rockabilly & jump blues. A compilation thankfully unmixed, scratched or distorted in anyway, just pure rock ‘n’ roll hot dog boogie! All I need now is a bootlace tie, a good time woman [I hope your wife isn’t reading this, Ed] and I’m ready to roll.

Stop Press: Rumour has it, Keb and Paul Weller are working on a follow up focusing of Lost & Found 40’s & 50’s soul!

Hectic Mix nominations: ‘I Got A Secret’, ‘Stampede’, ‘The Walkin’ Blues’, ‘Run Chicken Run’, ‘Love Me’, ‘All I Can Do Is Cry’, ‘Hot Dog’, ‘Good Time Woman’ and many more.

Reviewed: Various — Lost & Found: Rockabilly & Jump Blues — Keb Darge and Cut Chemist (BBE) Cat. No. BBECD086 Release date: 24th September 2007
Tracklisting CD1 :
01. Buddy Griffin and his Orchestra (1957) — I Got a Secret (I ain’t gonna keep)
02. Big “T” Tyler — Sadie Green
03. Rudy Greene — Juicy Fruit
04. Omar & the Stringpoppers — My Baby Don’t Breathe
05. Chuck Berry — Too Much Monkey Business
06. Lou Millet — Shorty the Barber
07. Carlos & The Bandidos — Fever
08. The Scarlets — Stampede
09. Ray Harris — Come On Little Mama (Alternate Take)
10. Dale Vaughn — How Can You Be Mean To Me
11. Willie & the stringpoppers — Oh Baby Babe
12. Corky Jones — Hot Dog
13. High Noon — Don’t have a heart left to break
14. Moonlighters — Broken Heart
15. The Imps — That’ll Get It
16. Jack Rabbit Slim — Long time dead
17. Ronnie Hayward — You Hound Ya Lie
18. Mark Lee Allen & The Driver Brothers — Oil Field Is Burning

Tracklisting CD2 :
01. Jesse Powell Orchestra — The Walkin’ Blues (Walk Right In, Walk Right Out)
02. Little Junior’s Blue Flames — Feeling Good
03. McKinley Mitchell — Rock Everybody Rock
04. John Fred & The Playboys — Boogie Children
05. Arsen Roulette — Lovin’ On My Mind
06. Link Wray and his Wray Men — Run Chicken Run
07. The Phantom — Love Me
08. Johnny Clark The Four Playboys — Jungle Stomp
09. The Recalls — Nobody’s Guy
10. Ric Cartey — Scratching on my screen
11. Johnny Burnette — Rock Billy Boogie
12. Kick ‘Em Jenny — Stressed Up
13. The Night Raiders — Cottonpickin’
14. Junior Dean and the Avalons — Chick Chick
15. Johnny Powers with the Band of Stan Getz & Tom Cats — Long Blond Hair, Red Rose Lips
16. Wayne Walker — All I Can Do Is Cry
17. Charlie Feathers — Bottle to the Baby
18. Flea Bops: Ronnie, Preston, Wendy and Lance — Good Time Woman
19. The Planet Rockers — Batteroo

Links:
www.myspace.com/bbemusic
www.myspace.com/kebdarge
www.cutchemist.com
www.myspace.com/cutchemist
Lost & Found, Madame Jo HO’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE: 9pm-2am Free before 11pm www.locked-in.co.uk “Every Saturday Lost & Found celebrates music with an attitude — sounds that defied hype, image and over-production with resident DJ’s Keb Darge and Andy Smith”.
Real Music For Real People- BBE Residents, Market Place, W1W 8AH www.market-place-london.com “Every Tuesday London based BBE Records (now 10 years strong) with an extended family of DJ’s, producers and artists bringing you a collage of musical treats from the past, present and future BBE catalogue”.
KITTY DAISY & LEWIS www.myspace.com/kittydaisylewis
“Between them, the trio play guitar, piano, banjo, lapsteel guitar, harmonica, double bass, ukulele, trombone and accordion, swapping instruments between songs at their super-energetic live shows”.
www.bestival.net/html
www.linkwraylegend.com