OBNOXIOUSLY CENSORED "Rajah of Astrakhan" - Mighty Absalom

What the fuck?

Anyone buying a dirty record is not going to be offended by dirty language! That's the point of getting the god damned fucking record! Jesus Shit!

My guess is just before "The Mighty Absalom Sings Bathroom Ballads" was released, some frightened bunny at the record label thought, "It's got obscene words on it. A record store owner could be arrested. WE could be arrested!" The songs could've been re-recorded (perhaps in the style of Rambling Syd Rampo, who used nonsense verbs like "wurdling"). Instead, a sound engineer inserted loud BEEEEEEPS over every bad word.

Sung to the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," the choice sample from the album is "Rajah of Astrakhan." It's just a typical "bawdy" song but instead of hearing something about titties, you might get tinnitis. Weirdly, over in the U.S., Ed McCurdy and Oscar Brand released many similar albums, sans censorship.

Fortunately for Mighty Absalom, after breaking in the easy way, via smut, he was able to work his way upward. At this point he considers this 1965 effort, done when he was 25, a forgettable debut, and his website discography declares, "you don't want this one!"

In 1968, now billed simply as Mike Absalom, he released the quirky album "Save The Last Gherkin for Me." He started and ended the 70's with more oddities, including "Hector & Other Peccadillos" and "The Great Grombolian Connection." He recalls, "I played the Royal Albert Hall, appeared on "The Old Grey Whistle Test"…the 1970s were an all night party that spilled over into the days. Afterwards I spent a lot of time on mountaintops ironing out the hangover. I passed the next quarter of a century in Canada. In tune with the solid decorum of that country, I calmed down and became a pillar of the local community. During those years, I made my living as broadcaster, children’s entertainer, puppeteer, harpist, fiddler and Celtic bandleader. I also wrote newspaper articles, did performance poetry and toured North and South America as the male member of an all girl harp group. For a while, I resided in Paraguay where I studied harp and got up to no good, which, after Canada, was certainly worth it. I was dysfunctional and quite happy with the world and myself…I crossed back home over the Atlantic…Now I paint."

For much more, check out the MikeAbsalom dot.com. To hear the evils of censorship, rather than the delights of the flesh...

Sapristi! Download the Mighty Absalom's heavily censored... RAJAH OF ASTRAKHAN