Hoots mon

Subject: Hoots mon + meaning of first phrase
From: Leadbelly
Date: 06 Jun 09 - 03:17 PM

Here comes an urgent question more than 50 years after Lord Rockingham's XI reached top postion of british charts with this curious song.
Which is the english meaning of the following phrase?: "Hoots mon it's a bracht bricht moonlit nicht".

Thanks a lot,

Manfred

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: GUEST,kenny
Date: 06 Jun 09 - 03:23 PM

"My goodness - what a lovely moonlight night" - an' it's no' "bracht", it's "braw".

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Jack Campin
Date: 06 Jun 09 - 03:33 PM

They were alluding to this:

Harry Lauder: A Wee Deoch an Doris

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Bernard
Date: 06 Jun 09 - 04:00 PM

Cherry Wainer on the Hammond orgasm (oops!!)... drool!! Brings back memories! I was 10...

I still have copies of the single on both 78 rpm and 45 rpm!! 2 minutes 15 seconds, typical of the 1950s.

Anyone want an MP3?

Any road up, I thought it was 'Hoots mon, it's a braw, brecht moonlecht necht'... and 'Hoots mon, there's a moose loose aboot this hoose!'

The tune was a rocked up '100 pipers'... may I recommend you listen to the Red Hot Chilli Pipers?! I jib at using the invective 'awesome', but perhaps it fits on this occasion!

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Leadbelly
Date: 06 Jun 09 - 04:13 PM

Many thanks to Kenny, Jack and Bernard for explanation and sharing memories concerning this title.
Wasn't there a minor follow up hit called "Zig Zag..." or something like this by this group?

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Bernard
Date: 06 Jun 09 - 04:16 PM

Don't remember that, but they did do 'Fried Onions'!!

Oh, and (be still my beating heart!) it seems Cherry is still around - or she was a year ago!

Information, anyone?

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Joe_F
Date: 06 Jun 09 - 09:02 PM

Note that Mr Lauder, very sensibly, splits the difference & makes it "a braw brecht moonlicht nicht".

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: greg stephens
Date: 06 Jun 09 - 09:04 PM

I don't remember a follow-up called Zig Zag, though maybe there was. You aren't perhaps thinking of "Tom Hark", by Elias and the Zig Zag Jive Flutes? That was a kwela(S African) novelty penny whistle hit about that time.

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Leadbelly
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 02:41 AM

Thanks, Greg, for correction. Indeed, my memory did not serves me well. With "Tom Hark" Elias and his group made top-ten entry, but has nothing to do with Lord Rockingham's XI.

Getting old...

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: BobKnight
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 05:55 AM

Harry Lauder may have pronounced it "brecht," but it's definitly "bricht." Just the Scots form of "bright."

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 09:51 AM

Lord Rockingham's XI were a group of musicians put together to play as the heavily sax laden resident band on 'Oh Boy!'. Jack Good had created this TV rock and roll show shortly after being dismissed by the BBC. Although Good had produced the very successful 'Six-5 Special' for the Beeb, he was deemed to be too reckless for Auntie and given his marching orders. Unfortunately for the BBC he was not unemployed for long and ITV were then able to host one of the UK's definitive TV popular music programmes.

Lord Rockingham's XI actually had 13 musicians in all if you included bandleader Harry Robinson and lady organist Cherry Wainer. Well known jazz 'buff' Benny Green played alto saxophone with the band, but was so embarrassed by it that he often played in sunglasses to hide the fact. Although most people identified scotsman Harry Robinson as Lord Rockingham, this wasn't the case according to Jack Good. After achieving fame with their single 'Hoots Mon' and wanting to go 'on the road', there was considerable argument about who had rights to the name Lord Rockingham, and lawyers had to be brought in to settle the dispute! Although Good had created the name as a play on words 'rocking 'em', there really had been a real Lord Rockingham in times past.

Just Google Cherry Wainer for loads more info, orYouTube to see her in action, brilliant

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Leadbelly
Date: 07 Jun 09 - 03:00 PM

wilbyhillbilly, thanks for these additional information about this group!
In the meantime I found out that the minor follow up hit was "Wee Tom" reaching rank 16 in the hitparade.

Thanks to all!

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: bubblyrat
Date: 08 Jun 09 - 04:36 AM

I believe "bricht" and "nicht" both make an appearance in "The Bonny Ship The Diamond", if that would help to resolve the spelling problem ??

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 08 Jun 09 - 06:02 AM

...and Red Price , ubiquitous tenor player of the era was on lead tenor sax.

RtS

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 08 Jun 09 - 06:04 AM

This from an old thread:
Subject: RE: NON-Music: Mouse in the House Louse?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler - PM
Date: 26 Mar 01 - 08:16 AM

Just in case anyone was wondering who the rest of the Lord Rockingham's XI were on the Hoot's Mon track(don't seem to be 11, just as the Temperance Seven were rarely fewer than nine!):
Vocal, leader, conductor: Harry Robinson
Saxes: Red Price (lead tenor);Benny Green;Cyril Reubens
Organ:Cherry Wainer
Guitars: Bernie Taylor and Kenny Packwood
Double-bass:Ronnie Black
Drums:Reg Weller.
RtS (still playing with the National Sound Archive catalogue! [that's http://www.cadensa.bl.uk))

RtS

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Bernard
Date: 11 Jun 09 - 07:51 AM

The pronunciation, and therefore spelling, would vary according to region, methinks. There's no such thing as 'correct'!!

I've heard 'bright' pronounced 'brecht' more often than 'bricht', which fits in with the Glaswegian twang. Billy Connolly, for example.

Thinking back, Cherry Wainer was probably the main influence on me taking up the organ, though I went in the ecclesiastical direction!

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: BobKnight
Date: 11 Jun 09 - 08:33 AM

It depends on how you pronounce the "i" really. Here in the N.E. of Scotland it's completely different sound from the Central Belt.

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: GUEST,Allan
Date: 11 Jun 09 - 10:54 AM

"Harry Lauder may have pronounced it brecht but it is definitely bricht, the Scots form of bright"

There is no written standard as such so both 'brecht' and 'bricht' are correct. Actually in the Borders it would be pronouned more like "bright" itself with just a slight 'ch' sound if any at all. It is just a matter of what type of Scots accent it is.

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 11 Jun 09 - 08:26 PM

What about the famous Scottish frontiersman? Hawkeye the noo...

I'll get me kilt.

DeG

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Leadfingers
Date: 11 Jun 09 - 09:14 PM

Some people improve with age -- Try it Dave !   LOL

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Jun 09 - 09:47 AM

Short e's and short i's tend to switch places among English speakers around the world. I remember hearing the Battlefield singing 'hell' for 'hill' and 'stell' for 'still.'

I have a relative from Tennessee, where they say 'stickpin' and 'inkpin' so you'll know what kind of 'pin' is wanted.

And 'English' and 'England' really ought to be spelled 'Inglish' and 'Ingland' to be phonetic.

As for the song, it wouldn't surprise me if the very same Scottish speaker said 'bricht' one day and 'brecht' another day.

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Bernard
Date: 12 Jun 09 - 06:48 PM

The quickest way to ascertain whether someone is from Oz or is a kiwi is to give them a piece of paper with 'dead rat' written on it, and ask them to read it. The kiwi will say 'did rit'!

Just thought I'd mention it!

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Little Robyn
Date: 12 Jun 09 - 09:30 PM

No, no, kiwis from my part of New Zild say dead rat, Ozzies would say deed reat!
Robyn

Subject: RE: Hoots mon/Temperance Seven
From: GUEST,shakey
Date: 15 Jul 11 - 11:58 AM

The Temperance seven were so called because there were nine of them (one over the eight!).

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: gnu
Date: 15 Jul 11 - 02:09 PM

I thought there was at least 14.

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 15 Jul 11 - 05:27 PM

BRECHT: German playwright! (No in ma Scots dictionary nor the online yin!)
               "equally correct" c'moan!!
BRICHT: bright - aye tae that!

Mebbe depends hoo ye heared it.

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Smokey.
Date: 15 Jul 11 - 10:19 PM

The Bonzo's version, for your entertainment and delight.

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 16 Jul 11 - 05:22 AM

Pure dead BRULLIANT! (Aye that was a U as in that white drink, MULK)

Noo, here's Lord Rockingham's X1: dodgy accent but still BRICHT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wioh5qUj7fM

Subject: RE: Hoots mon
From: Hamish
Date: 16 Jul 11 - 07:23 AM

Hoots, toots!