John The Postman is still above God
John The Postman
Overground Records
Maybe each country has their own eccentric heroes. People who release records but don’t really seem to have a grasp on musical timing or tone in their voice. That becomes let of the allure. There is a sensitivity to it all and maybe even a cliff edge close by that we want to make sure they don’t fall off.
In Ireland we had Aidan Walsh. In Manchester there was Jonathon Ormrod, otherwise known as John The Postman. John was at pretty much every punk gig in Manchester in the late 70s. Initially when a band would finish he would grab the microphone and sing his own takes in whatever songs took his fancy. This led to gigs being offered to him and a band being out together. Only punk rock would allow for such a free flowing mess.
2 albums were released before the comedic value fell by the wayside. 5 years after his sad death in 2015 Overground Records have released what would (and still is I suppose) the third album. This was recorded in 1980 and Was scheduled for an earlier release but for John’s untimely death. It’s a basic journey through r and b riffs by people who took nothing too serious.
I wasn’t at any of the Manchester gigs but could imagine John on stage standing manically while singing cover versions like No Fun or Louie Louie. Essential for anyone with a decent record collection but not something you will be listening to on a weekly basis
