Birds on 45 (pt.3)

Another entry in our series celebrating 7 inch pop records with a bird cover stars. This one’s a bit special and features a guest review by Ben from Stereo Sanctity.

Sweet People - Et les Oiseaux Chantaient (Polydor Records, 1978)

It’s not often you see a Cirl Bunting in the UK these days (unless you’re lucky enough to live in Devon) but it’s probably even more unusual to find one in the basement of a second hand record store in South London. However that, I think, is what we have here; the dark ‘chin’ and bold, striped head pattern suggest a male Cirl Bunting in breeding plumage. In bird terms you wouldn't find a Cirl Bunting languishing in a dusty bargain bin, they'd be on ebay attracting a bidding war. They are a rare and cherished british bird.

Ok, this one is only gracing a record sleeve but it’s a curious and oddly brilliant record at that. I have no idea who the mysterious ‘Sweet People’ were but given the title of the single (which, unless my understanding of GCSE-level French is wrong, translates as ‘and the birds sing’) we can assume they were plying their trade across the channel. Whoever they were, they were onto a good thing, as Ben explains...

"I’m no expert on vintage easy listening music, but in purely practical terms this gem of a charity shop disc gets my vote as the ‘best easy listening record ever’. I wish I had a USB turntable so that we could share it with you.

One side is accompanied by bird song (Cuckoo and House Sparrow – ed), whilst the other is built around the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Each track consists of a few simple, pleasing musical phrases, which are established at the outset and repeated continuously with only slight developments and changes in instrumentation along the way. The ‘Ocean side’ features some marvellously subtle, miraculously un-irritating harmonica playing, a strummy guitar sound and a distantly evocative melody, all faintly reminiscent of something off Neil Young’s ‘Harvest’, perhaps? The ‘Bird side’ is a touch more jazzy, in a hazy sort of way, gentle electric organ tones perhaps seeking communication with our avian friends.

Both sides boast a rich, deep, relaxing mixture of tones, tailor-made by experts to make human ears happy. An archetypal senile old grandmother could nod her head along with this, and remark how nice and relaxing it is. And no archetypal sneering punk-ass record nerds would dare to tell her otherwise, because SHE IS RIGHT. It is very nice and relaxing, and that’s all there is to it.

Remarkably, the instrument tones and other sounds on this record sound equally natural whether played at 33 or 45 rpm, and the overall pace and feeling of the compositions doesn’t seem to change much either way. Given the choice, I’d probably play it at 33 so that it’s a bit longer and more tripped out, but granny may prefer to stick to 45, as the label recommends."    

It is no exaggeration to say that 10p has never been better spent.