Sheila + Paul (2025)
An Aural Postcard with Sheila and Paul.
“What we gonna sing, then—what we gonna sing?”
I came across this auto recording from the 1970s by a nervous, giggling couple, having a chat and singing the hits of the day. It was recorded in a Calibre Auto Recording booth. From the late 50s to the early 70s, these booths could be found at popular holiday or daytripper destinations; seaside arcades, railway stations, funfairs, and Pontins and Butlins resorts. They were coin-operated, and for half-a-crown (2s 6d) you could make your own unique 45rpm disc. Like a photo booth, people of all ages used them individually, in couples, or with as many of their friends and family as they could cram inside. The recording is one sided (without a B side) so there were no second chances.
Used by wannabe pop stars, those with letters of love, even proposals, thousands of these one-of-a-kind records were made, and some survive today hidden in record collections or donated to charity shops. Many of these moments in time must be packed away in people’s lofts, long forgotten.
This record has got to have been recorded by Sheila and Paul, as the names on the sellotaped sticker read. It starts with Sheila asking, “What are we gonna sing?”, which Paul echoes. We hear a short rendition of the music hall song ‘I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside’, and then a wobbly duet of ‘Under a Wanderin’ Star’ (1970, Lee Marvin).
Amidst nervous giggling, they segue into Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1967 hit ‘Release Me’. As Sheila sings, Paul can be heard making kissing sounds in the background. After a quick burst of Brotherhood of Man’s ‘United We Stand’, Paul says, “I don’t know what to sing, I can’t!” before launching into ‘Love Is All Around’ (1967, Troggs). After a minute and a half, the recording cuts out.
Given the song choices, the recording must have been made in 1970 or later. Before this technology, the only way to capture this kind of memory was by taking a photograph or asking to use your parents’ reel-to-reel tape recorder.
Hear the recording:
Photograph 1: British Automatic Company recording booth, Waterloo Station, 1967.
Photographs 2, 3, 4: Sheila and Paul’s auto-recording, Calibre, c. 1970
