Rolf Harris – “The Best of Rolf Harris”

The Sleeve:

The Liner/Sleeve Notes:
“I first became a fan of Rolf Harris long before I knew he was a singer. At the time Rolf was appearing regularly on a children’s T.V. programme. Because of my small child I was forced to watch. I never regretted it. Splashing paint and chat about the studio in vast quantities, he came literally into my living room. Not as a shadow on the screen but as a person. How few of us have this ability!
 Rolf has a fantastic knack of deflating a pompous or at least important occasion. Not for him the tinsel glamour of The Talk of the Town. Within five minutes Rolf had turned that establishment with its supposedly sophisticated cynical audience into a party. Suddenly The Talk of the Town was transformed into one vast NAAFI by this man who is so professional he still appears to be an amateur. Hobbling across the stage with his hysterically funny “Jake The Peg”, wobbling his wobble board, dangling his didgeridoo, everything seems as if he is making it up as he goes along. He probably is. And what could be more professional than that? 
 Rolf Harris also possesses the power of communication on record. Whether it be a fun record, a narrative or just a solid ballad, Rolf is right there with you.
 Why do I have to tell you this? You’ve already bought the record. You’re amongst the converted. But maybe you’ve never met Rolf personally. I have. And I will probably embarrass him by telling you, he is warm, wonderful humanitarian with a fantastic zest for living. The perfect neighbour. The kind of bloke you’d like your daughter to marry. And there’s the problem, girls. He’s already hitched. Still, nobody’s perfect.
 Pete Murray”

Personal Review:
Basically, with all that has happened recently in the news revolving around Rolf, I find it is only fitting to include this review. I’ve never heard of Rolf Harris before, and had purchased this album for the fact there is a kangaroo on the cover. After that the news started, and voila! Here we are.

So, the album opens with a song titled “Two Little Boys” – and well, I’m not sure how to take this, it’s really obnoxious. It’s really upbeat sounding, and wow, it’s basically a song about two kids who play with their toys, and then they go to war. Oh, one of the boys gets shot in the war. The one line, “Do you think I’d leave you dying? There is room on my horse for two.” – okay. So next up comes “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” – and well, this is super Australian music. But this song is actually not too bad, I kind of actually like this song. After that comes the song “Hurry Home” – which is a slower song, I still can’t get over Rolf’s Australian accent, he definitely has a really weird one. Next up comes “Big Dog” – which is just overly creepy, I’m not even sure how to describe this. He’s basically panting and singing about a dog chasing him – these songs are really, really weird. After that comes the song “Bluer than Blue” – which is another slower song, it’s alright – not overly bad, I find it’s more of his novelty music and music for kids that is over the top creepy. Next up comes “Carra Barra Wirra Canna” – which is exceptionally slow, and nothing overly special. The A-Side ends with the song “The Court of King Caractacus” – which is an extremely repetitive – and annoying. There isn’t much to be super impressed with on this side of the records.

The B-Side begins with the song “Jake the Peg” – I’m not even sure what it means, considering it says “there’s Jake the Peg – with his extra leg” – does that mean he has an actual third leg, or is it a subtle penis joke? Next up comes “Fijian Girl” – and hey, it starts slow, but it gets a little better as the song progresses. Then after that comes the song “I Know A Man” which kind of has that 60’s rock pop sound, it’s also not overly bad, just… Rolf wants to shoot the man he knows dead for his money. Then comes the song “Nick Teen and Al K. Hall” (Nicotine and Alcohol) – apparently Rolf never gambled or did anything bad, until he met his “two good amigos, Nick Teen and Al K. Hall” – well, is this a song that is pro smoking and drinking? Then comes the song “I’ve Lost My Mummy” – which is basically Rolf shouting the title of the song over and over, how is any of this even considered music? Then comes the song “Sun Arise” it’s not entirely bad, but just very repetitive again, a lot of the songs on this album kind of follow the same pattern, and are overly repetitive. The album ends with the song “If I Were a Rich Man” – and yea it is nothing special, and boring. So hey. This album wasn’t overly special.

In the end, I leave you with this very unfortunate Rolf Harris spoof.

Interesting Facts:
None.

Track Listing:
A1 – Two Little Boys
A2 – Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport
A3 – Hurry Home
A4 – Big Dog
A5 – Bluer Than Blue
A6 – Carra Barra Wirra Canna
A7 – The Court of King Caractacus

B1 – Jake the Peg
B2 – Fijian Girl
B3 – I Know A Man
B4 – Nick Teen and Al K. Hall
B5 – I’ve Lost My Mummy
B6 – Sun Arise
B7 – If I Were a Rich Man

Label:
Starline

Catalog Number:
SRS 5020

Studio Musicians & Other Album Credits:
Front Sleeve Photography – Vincent Serventy

Other Albums I Own by Rolf Harris:
None.

Released:
1970

Related Vinyls:

Ben the Singing Dog – “This is My Life” Christopher Cross – “Christopher Cross” J.P.N. and the Vitamen – “Do the Jog” Dave – “À L’Olympia”