Usual things going on, KCRG bitching and moaning of no rain for most of the month and then get hit with a fucking monsoon that knocked power out here. This is why I never pray for rain anymore, nobody on that station remembers 2008, I'm one of those folk that would die of thirst out in the desert and not asking for water. The ground here got scorched and I didn't have to mow it most of the month, of course with the inch and half of it last couple days may have to mow the place after all.
Carol, who came into town for Irishfest but somehow we didn't meet up (probably of her going to O'malleys at the time I was up there) mentioned that Jerry Scott the former owner of Relics has a junk shop where the old music rental place used to be. Something called Things and More Things And Then Some or something other to that effect. The old Relics I used to be a permanent fixture at from 1990 to 1997 when Best Buy bought up the place and then tore it down for parking space. Carol mentioned that the old Relic dude has bought the space next door to the Cellar Door, another junk shop that has former Rock n Bach employee Jim Kibler working there and she mentioned something bout expecting perhaps a revival of Relics in some capacity.
All fine and good I think since this town is in need of a good record store since you have to go to either Iowa City, Dubuque or Davenport to get one close by. But the sad part is that it's not 1992, nobody is flocking to music stores for the latest CD, they're downloading and the vinyl market although coming back from the dead is nowhere near what it used to be when we had 9 music stores in the neighborhood. CDs Plus found out the hard way you cannot charge 8 dollars for a used cd anymore or 5.99 for the lesser known. And CD's Plus only stay around the second time around for 4 months in the old CD Warehouse location. The old head shops that I used to frequent in my high school years, had a decent selection of vinyl of bands that Target or Marion TV wouldn't touch. In order to survive in a dying field of recorded physical stortage, you have to have a backup plan which is why Moondog Music or Record Collector have survived over the years. Moondog Music remains what Relics used to be and the old hippie is surviving quite well. 20 years ago Jerry had three locations in the area, two in town and one in Anamosa. And the end of Relics Phase One ended in a cloud of mystery and hard feelings before Marcus Draves took it over and did the best he could for the six years, with the end coming in 2003. For the CD market, we have the pawnshop and Half Priced Books and whatever that can be found at Goodwill or The Salvation Army (Stuff Etc just haven't much in years and what they do have is junk). I don't doubt Jerry, he had the best record store in town in the time they were up and running but it's a new era and you can't sell 8 dollar used cds like you once did. That's why Half Priced Books has a big turnover in the 2 dollar section, when something don't sell at 5.99 or 7.99 they get dumped in the bargain bins. And why HP Books is always busy. People come from miles around to shop there and move on to the ones in Madison and Des Moines (and I thought I was the only one that did that). Told Carol, I'll do my best to promote whatever Jerry does and reconnect with the old Relic himself when I get to see him.
In my rant and rave on the previous blog, I forgot to mention and give kudos. If Tommy Lee is the anti rock star, we have Willie Nelson being the diplomat, the musician that will give the time of day to you and even do a meet and greet. All month I have been singing the praises of Los Lobos and their Iowa City showcase but I have to give a big shout out to Enrique 'Bugs' Gonzalez for being one of all time best people to meet. I have never met a more gracious and appreciating guy that spends time talking with people after a show. He may be the new guy in Los Lobos but he has played along side of some of the best known Latin and Spanish artists (Gloria Trevi-The Mexican Madonna anybody). Very appreciate of the folk to come up to talk to him, hell he'll even let ya take a picture or two of himself with you too. https://twitter.com/EnriqueBugs
The Happy Together Tour featuring The Turtles Flo and Eddie is only 25 bucks at the state fair the most expensive is Miranda Lambert at 48 dollars which won't be cost effective for me to go see her. Too much but I'm sure the Turtles would be much more fun and more penny wise shall we say. I managed to find a copy of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels (Ryko/MGM) although it was pricy 20 dollars I had to hear this. And it turns out the second cd with the opera is so sick you have to hear it to believe it. It's highly doubtful to see this in print, Rykodisc had a hell of a time even trying to get it out when they had the rights but they did a fine job putting up a very lengthy book and even a small poster of the movie 200 Motels. For the cheap music collector, you'll be happy to know that Fleetwood Mac's 1975 breakthrough album is now at 4.99 at your local Best Buy.
Finally, I finally found a better copy of Chuck Murphy's One Beer/2D Girl In A 3D Town to finally replace that old record that I found by the side of the road that got ran over 50 times. It sounds better without those scratches and to hear 2D Girl all the way through was a revelation. Interesting concept of pairing up Murphy's honky tonk Moon Mullican type of boogie with Pee Wee Ervin's Dixieland Band on that side but One Beer is dixieland New Orleans style, may not work in theory but I love that song anyway. Nevertheless it turned out to be Chuck's last Coral release before moving over to Columbia for a more straightlined early rockabilly. I guess I'm not the only one that cares about Chuck Murphy. Here's a link to somebody that also thought it would be worthy to keep his memory going. http://countrydiscography.blogspot.com/2010/03/chuck-murphy.html
CHUCK MURPHY SINGLES
Bama (1950)
300 Boogie Jackson / Woman Is The Strangest Thing - 06-50 (ad. 04-51,reissued on Coral 9-64096 in 1951)
301 Blue Ribbon Boogie / They Raided The Joint - 02-51 (reissued on Coral 9-64090 in 1951)
302 Baby Please Be Mine / It's Coming Back – ca 51
Coral (1951-53)
9-64082 My Bucket’s Been Fixed / Honky Tonk Blues - 03-51
9-64101 A Thousand Times / The Honeymoon Is Over - 51
9-60584 Lay Somethin’ On The Bar / Waitin‘ For My Baby - 51
9-60674 Clickity Mc Clackity / Nosey Joe - ca 03-52
9-60800 Who Drank My Beer (While I Was In The Rear?) / Oceana Roll - 52
9-60933 Buckin‘ The Dice / I’d Like To Break Your Neck - 52
9-61014 One Beer / A 2-D Gal In A 3-D Town - 53
9-61785 Lay Something On The Bar (Besides Your Elbow) / Who Drank My Beer? (While I Was In The Rear) - 57 (reissue)
Columbia (1954)
4-21258 Hocus Pocus / Hard Headed - 06-54
4-21305 *09-10-1954 Chuck Murphy Rhythm Hall / Riding The Sunshine Special - 10-54 (rev. Oct. 9)
4-21322 Let's Have An Old Fashioned Christmas / Santa Plays The Trombone - 11-54
4-21376 I'm Gonna Run Not Walk / The Friday Night Free For All - 02-55
MGM (1955)
K 12140 I've Been Floating Down The Old Green River / Dallas Blues - 12-55
