The Head Ballet Podcast
Paul Abbott
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast! This podcast is the place to come to hear guests discuss with me, Paul Abbott, their favourite novelty songs - the funny, the weird, the daft and the outright baffling tunes that have been skipping and dancing around in their heads for years. Everybody loves something that could be considered novel, so why not celebrate it? Importantly, it also seeks to try and stretch the definition of novelty to encompass all manner of recordings. This could include TV Themes, songs about unusual subject matter, deliberately comic or comedy recordings, ‘outsider’ music and much more. There are only two criteria: that the song choice has been released as a single or E.P. (in any territory) and that they can justify their view of the choice as ‘novel’.
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Top 10 The Head Ballet Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Head Ballet Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Head Ballet Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Head Ballet Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Freya Jarman on Eurovision
The Head Ballet Podcast
06/29/20 • 42 min
Welcome to the Head Ballet Podcast! In this episode, Dr Freya Jarman brings along Netta's 2018 Eurovision winning song, Toy. We discuss Eurovision history, the politics of hosting, some classic Eurovision winners and losers, cultural appropriation and more besides. If you enjoy this, please share, review & rate.
Intro to The Head Ballet Podcast
The Head Ballet Podcast
06/02/20 • 5 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet Podcast. This podcast is the place to come to hear guests discuss with me, Paul Abbott, their favourite novelty songs - the funny, the weird, the daft and the outright baffling tunes that have been skipping and dancing around in their heads for years. Everybody loves something that could be considered novel, so why not celebrate it?
Tim Worthington on Bernard Cribbins
The Head Ballet Podcast
07/19/20 • 39 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast! Paul Abbott invites guests to discuss their favourite novelty songs. Host of the Looks Unfamiliar podcast, Tim Worthington, stretches our show's format to near breaking point by selecting a single from the actor/singer/storyteller Bernard Cribbins which didn't technically get released - Ringing On The Engine Bell.
James Errington on Charles Penrose
The Head Ballet Podcast
08/30/20 • 43 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast! Paul Abbott invites guests to discuss their favourite novelty songs. In this episode James Errington from the Centuries of Sound podcast brings along one of the most famous novelty songs of all time - Charles Penrose's The Laughing Policeman. We explore the legacy and impact of this well-known number and we travel further back in time to work out its origins than you might expect!
Laura Grimshaw on Neil Innes and The Bonzo Dog Band
The Head Ballet Podcast
06/10/21 • 59 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast. Paul Abbott invites guests to discuss their favourite novelty songs. This episode marks one year of The Head Ballet's existence and what better way to celebrate than by exploring the band who gave the show its name and one member of that group in particular - the much loved and much missed Neil Innes. Joining Paul to talk about Neil and the Bonzos is Laura Grimshaw - producer for Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra and presenter/producer of Podcast Radio Hour. Laura oversaw all of the recent Bonzos related documentaries for the BBC and you can listen to Anarchy Must Be Organised here. Thanks to everyone who has been involved with the show and everyone who has listened and said nice things. Reviews and ratings still very much appreciated. Find us on Twitter, Instagram or at gmail.com using the username HeadBalletPod.
Paul Putner on Johnny Japes and his Jesticles
The Head Ballet Podcast
11/27/20 • 51 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast! Paul Abbott invites guests to discuss their favourite novelty songs. For this, the season one finale, actor Paul Putner has come along and brought the very first single released by Viz magazine on their Fulchester Records label - it's Bags of Fun With Buster. Paul tells us all about who Johnny Japes and his Jesticles really are and we discuss other Viz spin-offs, other puerile records and shares some insights from the creators of this magnificent 7" of silliness.The podcast will return in 2021, but keep your eyes on the feed for some Christmas treats. Thanks for listening.
Ian Scanlon on Martians
The Head Ballet Podcast
04/21/21 • 58 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast. Paul Abbott invites guests to discuss their favourite novelty songs. Along for a nightmare-inducing ride into the world of Science Fiction prog epics is musician Ian Scanlon, of the band Model Village (whose new record World of Carp is available here). Ian has brought along the 1978 hit single for Jeff Wayne, featuring Justin Heyward on vocals, Forever Autumn and we talk all about the mental scars it and the album Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds (JWMVOTWOTW!) left on an generation of kids. Please do take the time to share, rate and review this podcast wherever you can to help us reach more listeners. Thanks for listening.
Jake Ward on The Mummy
The Head Ballet Podcast
10/29/20 • 36 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast! Paul Abbott invites guests to discuss their favourite novelty songs. First up in our brace of Hallowe'en episodes is Jake Ward with Bob McFadden and Dor's 1959 song, The Mummy. Released on Brunswick in the US and on Coral in the UK, this record sees voice-actor McFadden team up with poet and songwriter Rod McKuen to produce something completely baffling, but very entertaining. No beatniks were harmed in the making of this record.
Tim Worthington on Daleks
The Head Ballet Podcast
12/15/20 • 40 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast! Paul Abbott invites guests to discuss their favourite novelty songs. Returning to the show, laden down with a bag full of SkaroTM Brand Plum Pudding, is Tim Worthington who is transporting us in his own personal TARDIS back to December of 1964 so we can get together and twist along to The Go-Go's novelty Christmas offering, I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek. Along the way we'll find out about the writer/producer Les Vandyke, the Oriole record label and investigate a seasonal snippet from the Radiophonic Workshop. Find all of Tim's podcasts and books via his website, www.timworthington.org.
Rob Charnock on Grandstand
The Head Ballet Podcast
06/19/20 • 45 min
Welcome to The Head Ballet podcast! Paul Abbott invites guests to discuss their favourite novelty songs. Rob Charnock joins us to discuss the theme to Grandstand (1976) and George Harrison's Faster (1979) as well as ten other very silly records that helped to inspire this show.
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Head Ballet Podcast have?
The Head Ballet Podcast currently has 27 episodes available.
What topics does The Head Ballet Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Music, Music History and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on The Head Ballet Podcast?
The episode title 'Freya Jarman on Eurovision' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Head Ballet Podcast?
The average episode length on The Head Ballet Podcast is 42 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Head Ballet Podcast released?
Episodes of The Head Ballet Podcast are typically released every 11 days, 1 hour.
When was the first episode of The Head Ballet Podcast?
The first episode of The Head Ballet Podcast was released on Jun 2, 2020.
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