365 Days #288 - Sheena Scott (mp3s)

I love Sheena Scott. I first discovered her via her 1971 single 'My Sugar Daddy', which I rescued from a sea of mud on a rainy day at a car boot sale, attracted by her suggestive pose on the cover and her bold signature where she has signed the sleeve.

'My Sugar Daddy' proved to be a cheeky slice of burlesque fun, enhanced by Marilyn Monroe-esque squeels of delight (from her not me, I'm not quite that excited!). Since then I looked out for other Sheena records and have so far found the original Belgian single of My Sugar Daddy (where it goes under the Dutch title Kijk In Mijn Ogen, which translates as Look In My Eyes) and no less than three albums.

MP3:
Sheena Scott - 2nd Album
01 My Sugar Daddy (2:24)
02 Somebody Else Just Like You (2:14)
03 Leaving Me (3:33)
04 Please Come Back (3:07)
05 Distant Shore (2:23)
06 A Lovely Bunch Of Cocoanuts (2:05)
07 Free As A Bird (3:14)
08 You Made Me Love You (2:26)
09 Napoli (3:52)
10 Old Harry (2:13)
11 Shamrock (2:52)
12 Hey Ya Ho (3:02)
Belgian single
13 Kijk In Mijn Ogen (2:23)
From 1970 album 'Sheena Scott'
14 Casatchok (2:49)
From 1976 album 'Love Me Tonight'
15 Yodelay (2:26)

Sheena was born in Scotland in the 1940s and worked as a children's nurse but gave it up in 1968 to become a singer when she relocated to Belgium. By 1973 she was in house hostess at the Flemish Inn Tavern, Ostend where holidaymakers could enjoy a meal, a beer and a few of Sheena's saucy singalong songs. Only they're not all saucy, some are charming ballads and some are just downright odd. These include I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Cocoanuts where Sheena's in full Shani Wallis-in-Oliver 'Cock-er-ney' mode and the slightly bonkers Hey-Ya-Ho which features the all time classic lines: 'We do the doo-be-doo, we do the kanagaroo' and 'Get your knees in the air, Mother Brown doesn't care'. (I have a mental image of people on the dance floor at The Flemish Inn all falling flat on their tushes with both knees in the air!). Many of the the songs seem to have been specially written for the album. Please Come Back features a nice haunting organ intro and part of Shamrock reminds me of one of those pieces of Chappell Library music used in the last episode of the cult 1960s show The Prisoner (September Ballad).

Most of her records were recorded for the Antwerp-based Baltik label. I love their art department's mad use of graphics and typography. The Belgian version of My Sugar Daddy boasts a beautiful kitsch sleeve with Sheena's disembodied head used as a graphic 'bouncing ball' device. Nice.

My copy of Sheena's second album is signed and dedicated to 'Pearl and Maurice' (although Sheena has mistakenly written 'Paul and Maurice' and the owner, presumably a disgruntled Pearl, has corrected it in blue marker pen to stop people from thinking that she and her husband were a gay couple). The album was clearly purchased at one of Sheena's music nights at The Flemish Innn because inside is a programme of the show. This too has been signed and reveals that Sheena's band at the time were called The Roof Toppers. The evening's entertainment included dancing, singing, special guests and audience participation. Photos show the crowd were encoraged to do a conga-style dance during some of the uptempo numbers (the 'Kangaroo' or the 'Doo-be-doo' perhaps?). There was also a chance to become a 'Knight of The Flemish Inn' where you had to drink a gallon pot of beer and wear a special medal presented by Sheena. After all that beer you should have been given one of her kidneys!

Also you can purchase the wonderfully-named 'Glory Pots' (basically large drinking glasses) to keep as a souvenir of your visit and, best of all, there's an invitation to become a member of the Sheena Scott Fan Club for the meagre sum of 45 pence. Intrigingly the programme also reveals that the Inn boasts an 'exhibition of paper mache heads by Rik Versonnen'. The mind boggles as to what these looked liked!

How I wish I could have witnessed one of those mad nights in The Flemish Inn back in the 70s. If anyone went along to one (or became a member of the SS fan club) I would love to hear about it. But at least we have the records to remind us. So here for your enjoyment is the entire second album (which duplicates a lot of the songs from her debut album, but is altogether better), plus the Belgian single Kijk In Mijn Ogen, and one track each from the other two albums, Casatchok (from 1970) and Yodelay (from 1976).

- Contributed by: David Noades

Images: Cover (Album 2), Cover (Single), Cover (Single), Program 1, Program 2, Program 3

Sheena Scott - Album 2
Media: Album
Label: Baltik
Catalogue: LP712
Year: 1973
Credits: Produced by Roland Verleyen

Sheena Scott - My Sugar Daddy / Free As A Bird (#1 and #7 - released also as a single)
Media: Single
Label: Baltik
Catalogue: 6830
Year: 1973

Sheena Scott - Kijk In Mijn Ogen / Napoli
Media: Single
Label: Baltik
Catalogue: 6821
Year: 1973

Comments

[Scott Anger]

same person?

[David Noades]

Thanks for the suggestion Scott but I've checked and it's not the same Sheena Scott. If you're out there Sheena, we'd love to hear from you.

[Nick May]

I first met Sheena Scott in Ostend in 1978 when I was taken to her show by Flemish entertainer Pete Monty. She was great. I have to admit that some of your juicy details have faded from memory!

I was working as a pianist on the Russian cruise ship Alexandr Pushkin, and she did the winter season in 1979. I was the musical director and accompanist for her shows, and she was highly professional, as well as going down a storm with the passengers (mainly German and some Dutch).

I know she continued working on the same ship longer than I did, but since then I've lost touch. It was great to listen to her tracks again!

[David Noades]

Hi Nick. Great to hear that you worked with Sheena Scott in the late 1970s. She clearly moved on from the Flemish Inn to cruise ships, or pehaps she did both depending on the season. Did she continue to release records which she sold at her gigs? Is the ship Alexandr Pushkin still in operation today?

[Nick May]

Hi David. I do remember her selling copies of her album (possibly yours?) on board. I also remember her singing Casatchok, which is a Russian folksong.

I think she did her Ostend gig during the summer, cruising in the winter. As for the Alexandr Pushkin, it was eventually sold, and now sails under the name Marco Polo.

[anne earlie]

my friend and i worked in the george v hotel in ostend and also helped in the flemish inn in the summer of 1972 we got to know sheena fairly well and found her show
very entertaining she was quite an under rated singer the leader of the band in 1972 was eddy dorsan or dorsey. my friend and i re visited ostend and the flemish inn in 1991 sheena was still there and remembered us both dont know where she is now would love to find out i still have shamrock lp and goodbye thats life single anne and angela from glasgow

[David Noades]

Hi Anne and Angela, thanks for letting us know about your time in Belgium meeting Sheena. She was from Scotland aswell, did she still have a Scots accent?

sheena is alive and well and still living in ostend

[David Noades]

If the last poster knows how to get in touch with Sheena in Ostend by e-mail, please let me know. I am contactable at [email protected] Thank you

[Eddie Styles]

Any chance you will post the additional Sheena Scott tracks? The ones here are great - I'd love to hear her other songs/versions...

[anne earlie]

hi david just came back to your site tonight to answer your question yes sheena did still have a scottish accent albeit more refined than ours sheena being from lanark, us from glasgow.we also met her mother and other members of her family obviously their accents were broader. was surprised to hear sheena was still in ostrnd, but there again roland her husband was belgian. would also like to contact sheena again if anyone has an e mail address for her i would appreciate it thanks

[anne]

sheena was still at the flemish inn at the george v hotel as we went back to ostend in 1991 and met up with her lost track after that . the hotel has been sold and although it,s still there sheena and roland don,t own it. heard sheena was working on the cruise ships don,t know if that,s the case now

[ian worthington]

Great site David. I was talking to a new colleague of mine who is from Glasgow and we were talking about the old stars. I used to have the occasional drink with Ruby Murray when I was working in Torquay Devon. I mentioned Sheena but he at 52 its a bit out of his era. But I was there at the Flemish Inn in 1972 on a school holiday trip to Belgium (Cultural education !!!) I was 14. During the show she eyeballed me at out table and she kept giving me the eye. I was a red haired fresh faced young thing then. Then came the crunch she asked one of the waiters to escort me up on stage and we ended up singing a very funny version of "You made me love you" together as a duet both of us alternating the lyrics. During the song she mauled me about forcing my face between her breasts as she sang her line allowing me out to draw breath and sing the next line. Big breaths to say the least!!! ending the song in a very loud and raucous fashion. It was hilarious. I remember the guys in the band were in stitches. I left the stage with my shirt undone and collar round my shoulders to laud rapturous applause with a bright red face and my teachers were giving me a standing ovation as I returned exhausted to the table and we got those big pots of beer on the house. A great unforgettable night out. Good to hear she is still performing.

[ketels daniel]

hallo. ben ketels daniel heb nog een mooie foto van sheena scott geflankeerd tussen mijn overleden vriend en mij met een grote pot bier in ons handen (man ,was dat een mooi kind)in de hooizolder Oostende vlaanderenstraat in 1971 denk ik

[Maggie]

Hi, I worked the George V bar when Sheena and Roland owned it - waiting for the onslaught of customers to descend to the bar when the Flemish Inn finished for the night. I helped renovate the hotel in the winter of 92/3, pulling out the old kitchen, painting and decorating and taking off the tiles out the old bathrooms in preparation for their re-tiling - great fun. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that the hotel was to be sold to a Belgian couple, Philip and his wife and Sheena and Roland were sorely missed. The place was never the same. Sheena was a great friend and I kept in touch with her when I returned to England. Unfortunately I've now lost contact and it would be great to know that she was still going strong, also sorry to say that Roland died.

I did a painting of Sheena for her last show which I presented to her on stage in the Flemish Inn. She was (still is hopefully) a lovely lady, and good friend and brilliant entertainer.

[Peter]

Hey great post !!! it was a pleasure reading your post !!! i will keep visiting it now . http://www.glasstileselect.com/

[Henk Jansen]

I was a young lad of 16 when I was with my uncle and aunt made ​​a cruise from Rotterdam to the Canary Islands on the MS Black Prince, the Norwegian Olsen Lines. There was Sheena leading lady, and she was fantastic as a singer and as a person.
I hope she still sings.