Fun With Scratchy Records Two

It's been a while since I have posted some old time scratched up relics from the past so I thought I'd share two examples of some of my overplayed and now retired grooves.  They got craters in them groove and one is cracked.

Don Hollinger-Cruel World (Atco 45-6492) 1967

Hardly anything shows up on the internet about  Delton (Don) Hollinger and so far nobody has put up this little funky R and B number, however the plug side  Until I Find You can be found on you tube.  I don't believe there's has been a stock copy of Atco 6492 only promo copies have been found from time to time and very pricey too on EBAY.  (further researched showed that somebody on EBAY had a stock copy of said song).  I'm not sure paying 40 dollars for a new copy warrants the situation to replace my old VG- G+ version, it still plays but I compare it to driving down a gravel road with bumps along the way.  Hollinger was a journeyman soul singer, he came from Georgia and had a much more grittier and growling vocal than Otis Redding or Bobby "blue" Bland. And since before the internet made things easier to research, and since there's not much about Hollinger and this forgotten soul classic, I'm guessing that the sessions sound like they came from Florida  at Criteria Studios, or perhaps a lesser known studio in Atlanta. You might call it a live in the studio recording with no overdubs.  It turned out to be the only single that he would record for Atco.  He would continue to write music for others and record off and on till his passing in 1991.  The best writeup comes from this site: http://www.sirshambling.com/artists_2012/H/don_hollinger/

This single I got came from a Drive In on some promotion night in 1968, we were at an old now forgotten drive in in Waterloo and we won a batch of records, which I thought was a big deal but most of them were DJ promos of bands and artists nobody gave much thought about.  Somewhere in that stack of 45s, I recall most of them were blah, there was an Anita Bryant 45, Joe South And The Believers A Fool In Love and Cruel World/Until I Find You.  Being a 7 year old brat, these records were subjects of frisbee flying or trying to reproduce our own label.  Since they were black and white, why not take some magic markers and add color?  Didn't look so good on the other side of the 45 but Cruel World was left alone.   Had I known that trying to find a replacement copy would mean taking out a second mortgage on the house, I would have treated this record much more better.

And guess what. Cruel World is now on You Tube. Somebody remembered! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWsSvo6jLIk

Bobby Brant-Piano Nellie  (East West 45-EW 124) 1958

The East West Story (1957-1958) simplified: 

Atlantic had three divisions of varying degree for their record roster.  Of course the big one was Atlantic, which at that time was for R and B and Doo Wop groups, Atco was more of a rock and roll label even back in the 1950s, that's where Bobby Darin started after being on Decca and of course later on Vanilla Fudge, Cream and Sonny And Cher would be on Atco. Which leaves us East West, better known as the one off label for also-rans or licensed from minor labels.  David Gates (Bread)  released Swinging Baby Doll (EW 123-1958) a rockabilly number that's like Bobby Darin with more a guitar sound, Charles Brown recorded When Did You Leave Heaven (EW 106 1957) in typical Brown fashion but the Dick Jacobs inspired arrangements date this badly.  Jay Holliday Wang Dang Doo (EW 102) is fairly tough rockabilly until the cornball vocal chorus derails the whole thing.  Al Henderson Ding Dong Dandy (EW 113) gives visions of something that Bobby Rydell would get away with, with higher chart placings.  The only artist that got any chart position in the East West era (circa 1957-58) would be the Kingsmen (part of Bill Haley and The Comets fame) and their number 35  Week End (EW 115) in 1958.  Their followup Cat Walk (EW 120) didn't chart.

The strange aura of East West can be attributed to the different types of oddball music, Daddy Lolo (oriental rock and roll) by Ganim's Asia Minors (EW 109) would have sounded out of place even on AM radio in 1957,  The Tracey Twins' out of tune Heartbreak Hill (EW 108) The Glowtones period piece doo wop The Girl I Love (EW 101) and some attempts to cash in on the teen beat also came up with minimal results (Tony Castle, Burt Taylor).  But by 1959 Atlantic closed up East West and it remained closed until 1990 when they restarted the label and it did have much more success with the likes of AC DC, Pantera and En Vogue on the roster.

Although The Kingsmen' Week End was perhaps the better known rocking song, the toughest rocking single came from Bobby Nelson Poe, aka The Poe Kat aka Bobby Blant. Recording for Jim Lowe's White Rock label, Piano Nellie got picked up for distribution via East West EW 124.  Brant's Rhythm Rockers actually was the first rock and roll band backing up Wanda Jackson (Let's Have A Party) and Piano Nellie features the piano work of Big Al Downing, one of rock's most unknown players but had a style all his own.  After this single, Poe would focus his energies on management, getting a number 33 hit with She's The One by The Chartbusters (Mutual 502).  Poe would also would think up of something called the Pop Music Survey which basically is survey and consulting radio stations on upcoming hit singles.  Something that would backfire years later with the overplayed format surveys that radio stations haven't changed in 3 decades. Poe passed away in 2011.  http://poekat.blogspot.com/

If you followed this blog (and some folks do), you will note the importance of Piano Nellie.  My copy has seen better days and eventually I did replace this record with a much more playable reissue of the White Rock single that I got overseas via EBAY.  There's a hairline crack on this record and sad to say a victim of a five year doing abuse to this record.   Since I have not seen any pictures of the East West 45 of Piano Nellie, I decided to offer the services of my reference copy.  This record was included in a box of ten singles that was bought for a dollar at either an old Wells store or K mart.  Again, most of the other records were as good and were used for frisbees and I can name some of other 45s from this batch.  Ben E King's Let The Water Run Down (Atco 6415) was another song that I played till the grooves wrote off, great Bo Diddley riff, that 45 got replaced from a trip to St. Louis,  Ray Agee  Open Up Your Heart/The Gamble (Shirley 123631), The Spectors Three I Know Why (3 Trey T-102) and The Drifters He's Just A Playboy (Atlantic 2253) were also part of this collection. There was a Carla Thomas Stax single in there too but I didn't much care for that one.  You may have noticed that most if not all of these labels were part of the Atlantic Records distribution which might explain why all of these were in these cheapo cheapo box sets that sold for two dollars at the local department store.  The version of The Gamble off you Tube sounds like my old record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFWfzCtchec

Nevertheless Piano Nellie is quintessential rockabilly with Downing's piano driving the beat.  Gives me visions of The Blasters and perhaps if the Blasters would have heard this with Gene Taylor  perhaps they might have taken a crack at this song.  I can see Phil Alvin singing to this.  Of course, had we taken care of our records better than what we did 50 years back we can still listen to them today rather than leaving them as ref copies.  It's better to get the White Rock reissue, cheaper to than the East West copies which sell for at least 50 to 90 dollars in VG shape or better. 

Come to think of it, this is Al Downing's baby.  Bobby Brant just adds a bit of singing to sweeten the pot. Plus the band cooks too.  This is rock and roll. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3TUtJutp-4



The original fun with scratchy records can be found over here at this link:  Updates is that I found links that actually do have The Train by Ray Charles and The Cabin Crew so you can actually hear the songs: http://rscrabb.blogspot.com/2013/01/fun-with-scratchy-records.html

P.S.
I noticed that these scans of my scratchy 45s were found on a 45 cat website.  The person who lifted these photos is Jente Jan De long who made the wry observation that the record was in a late 1980s record jacket.   Not exactly Einstein, the sleeve was mid 80s but in usual R S Crabb, fashion, I added the later sleeves for shits and giggles.  You can find my scans of those records at 45 cat.   Thanks for keeping the scans alive, I may leave these prized singles for you in my will. 

Playlist: Shakin All Over

August is almost over, doesn't seem to be much of a summer.  We had big plans for everything, till a tornado and basement water changed all that.  I missed out on Hairball coming back here this weekend but next week is New Bo Arts festival, and I'll be spending Sunday down there (weather permitting of course).  If you're there Saturday Night you can catch 4 time Iowa Rock and Roll inductee Bob Dorr and the Blue Band from 7 to 9 or you can go into Parlor City and catch Mark Avery Band.


Sunday brings folk rock legend Jim Post and actor musician Ronny Cox at CSPS that night for 18 dollars.  Plus the usual starving artists displaying their arts and crafts and a couple street musicians. http://www.newboartsfest.com/

This Thursday, Boston comes to town with Starship opening up.  Not going to be the same Boston since Brad Delp ended his life in 2007 but Tom Scholtz is keeping the band going.  In concert Tom is actually using a real drumset, not like the Casio ones he had on the last flop album.



So far this summer one 90 degree day was recorded and that was Sunday the fourth time in 20 years that we got one 90 degree day, 1993, 2004 and 2007 were the other years.  So much for global warming.



The VMAs were on Sunday Night.  Big news was Suge Knight getting shot at six times at a after party and hit about three times but he should survive that.  Meanwhile Nicki No Talent farts on stage and they call it a wardrobe malfunction.  On a related note, see The Blue Band with Bob Dorr this Saturday night at New Bo.



Passings: Ralph Morman lead singer on the first Joe Perry Project album Let The Music Do The Talking and later Savoy Brown's Rock And Roll Warriors of a long illness.  He was 65.  He had more of a Rod Stewart type of vocals rather than Steven Tyler's, it did provide a nice counterpoint to Perry's vocals on the first JPP album.  Morman would leave and go on to Savoy Brown for two undistinguished albums, one of them was Rock And Roll Warriors to which outside of Nobody's Perfect the rest of the album was ho hum.  Had a new band going till the drummer was snatched away by Ozzy Osbourne and Ralph disappeared into a regular life.

After 36 years, Neil Young is divorcing his wife Pegi.  I always thought that next to Paul and Linda that this would be the forever marriages but I guess nobody stays in love anymore.  Sad to see this.  Of course Pegi is seeking child support, I think Neil can afford it.

After two albums  The Royal Southern Brotherhood (even second tier all star bands tend to lose members) are losing a band member.  Mike Zito is returning back to full time duties to his band and production duties (he produced Samantha Fish's last album), but RSB is getting a major upgrade in Bart Walker replacing Zito. It's a good fit, Walker also records for Ruf Records and his last album Waiting On Daylight was one of the best albums of 2013.  They'll be fine.


Burning Man, the big shindig out in California was going on and basically it's hard to get a ticket to even get in.  But things were shaking a bit more out there, due to an 6.1 earthquake out in Napa Valley. Too much rain delayed things on Monday too. But it will still go on once things dry out and the roads are decent enough to drive on.  In the meantime, a return back to Davenport to pick up what's left of the big finds I came to find that most of the 45s were picked up by other bargain hunters, thank our lucky stars we made it out there last week.  I'll doubt that I'll ever get that lucky again finding dime records.  Outside of a few curios and pop ones nobody gives a shit about,  I did find four Cds at the pawnshop for three bucks, most notably Rolling Stones Some Girls for a whole quarter, replacing my ruin copy due to the floods of June.  CO OP Records closed up their Davenport location and now has the Moline one, which they're barely holding on.  Goodwill in Moline, moved further down the road, the old location is a Sears (big deal).  And FYE is a thing of the past at the Mall.

Quad Cities minor league baseball team might not be in the playoffs, so I figured one last game at the Stadium by the river would be a nice way to end the day.   Very sparse crowd for QC standards but they seem to have the CR Kernels number this year by hitting two HRs in a 3-2 come from behind victory.  The Kernels are backing their way into the playoffs, they're in, but The River Bandits have a 8-3 record this year and when I watch both teams are 4-1 in QC favor.  A J Reed hit the tying HR which, once again was hit in my area and I could have a baseball to take home, but let somebody else get it.  James Ramsey hit the winning HR over the foul pole. While CR starter Steven Gonsalves struck out 10 River Bandits, The Kernels stuck out a league record 18 times, including a very generous one to end the game, but the nadir was them leaving 14 Kernels on base.  Quad Cities is still 2  games behind Wisconsin in the playoffs with six games left to play, but they have won 5 of their last 6 games. Anything is possible.  As always, watching the game from the brim (i.e. left center wall) is fun but really could have done without the customary brat with a baseball given to him via the bullpen and saying "want my baseball? can't have it".  And wished his damn parents would have just used birth control 9 months before it being born.

Reviews:

Jimmy Smith-Standards (Blue Note)

With Kenny Burrell on guitar, these two duet through 12 sleepy jazz numbers that are perfect for driving home after a disappointing bargain hunt. Only time they kick it up a notch is on Bye Bye Blackbird. Not bad but the sameness of the songs and moods tend to put me asleep, even if I'm racing the 12:15 Union Pacific to get across the tracks before it passes on by.  I didn't make it.
Grade B

Ace Frehley-Space Invader (E One)

Something about the RnRHOF induction ceremony rubbed Ace the wrong way and determined to do something about it, Ace may have come up with his best album since the 1978 solo project that trumped the rest of the KISS guys album that year.  But the funny thing is how uncanny and how close Ace comes to sounding a lot like Gene Simmons down to the growl and goofy lyrics of such notables as Gimme A Feeling (radio edit) or What A Girl Wants or the title track itself.   But I think Ace succeeds in making a actual KISS like record but a KISS record had Ace wrote the songs and not Gene and Paul.  There's enough guitar riffs and leads that makes this a better record than the last KISS record.  Plus this does sound like this would have been the worthy followup of 35 years ago right down to the edits that fade out the song and not make it drone on forever.  Even at 54 minutes, Space Invader doesn't feel like a chore to listen through, even the instrumental Starship sounds just fine.  That said, Space Invader is rock and roll we remember quite well and even Ace throws a bit of New York Dolls for shits and giggles.  Nothing wrong with albums with mindless lyrics as long the music is shooting straight.  The last album KISS Sonic Boom whopped his ass.  This time out, Ace wins the showdown.
Grade B+

The Funk Brothers Live In Orlando 2005 (Eagle)

They powered the Motown hits back in the 60s and 70s before Barry Gordy decided to move it all to LA and leave his Detroit sound behind.  Standing In The Shadows Of Motown was a nice honor movie which got the remaining Funk Brothers alive to do a live show at Universal Theme Park in 2005.  And this CD comes across like a cheap tribute show, although Bob Babbitt, Uriel Jones and Eddie Willis is in fine form and the assorted musicians can do a good Motown groove.  Too bad they ended up with piss poor female singers that come across more like Whitney Houston than Gladys Knight or Diana Ross.  Whoever is screaming on Neither One Of Us like a American Idol reject makes this unlistenable but it could be either Donna Curtin or Marcia Ware.  And they both stink.  Delbert Nelson comes in for male singer relief but the whole thing comes off as something that would play at a casino or theme park.  Give the band an A for effort, but the divas get a F and the whole thing winds up as a C album, graded favorably for historic value. But if you want the real thing, Motown still has the Funk Brothers best of in print.  Go with that.




Playlist:

Good Thing-Fine Young Cannibals (The Raw & The Cooked)
Dirty Love-Divinyls (Temperamental)
California Gold-Dada (Dada)
The Joker-Ace Frehley (Space Invader)
Back Street Girl-Bobby Darin (Inside Out)
Teach Each Other-Twins (Tomboys On Parade)
Glass-Incubus (S.C.I.E.N.C.E)
Open Country Joy-Mahavishnu Orchestra (Birds Of Fire)
Respectable-The Rolling Stones (Some Girls)
High-Jimmy's Chicken Shack (Pushing The Salamania Envelope)

Singles Going Steady 18-The Best Record Finds Ever

When I first started doing the Singles Going Steady Series, it was to document some of the finds of that time.  50 years onward, I never get tired of searching for 45s, in this day and age they're a bit more scratchy and harder to find if you're looking for VG+ or better.  It helps when they have the record sleeve on, but even some records with sleeves on have looked like they been played to death.  Which is the intent don't you think?  I know my mom in her days would spend plenty of money for certain singles and perhaps that rubbed off on me.  One day I remember playing Medicine Man over and over and my mom said isn't there something else you want to listen to, you got all these records, won't you play something other than that song.  Which set the wheels in motion for me; I can't do hearing the same song twice or three times if I'm forced to listen to shit Corporate radio at work.  And I continue to find the obscure.

Most of the bargain hunts are hit and miss.  Sometimes I'll get lucky and find a batch of 45s, without sleeves but still in fairly good shape so I'll pick them up.  I'll listen to just about anything, and it shows, Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport by Pedophile Rolf Harris,  old folk singers and folk bands of the 60s, at that moment teen idols such as the good (Johnny Tillotson, Brian Hyland) and some not so great (Paul Anka, Ronnie Dove)  But I always like finding the obscure folks of the 60s and sometimes it pays off.  And I do hope to find a decent copy of Pinocchio And The Puppets' obscure Mercury single Fusion sometime soon.  That's Mercury single 72659 BTW. http://www.45cat.com/record/72659

This week I've been taking time off from work, so I thought a trip to Davenport would be nice to get away from it all.  Big cities seem to have better selections; I know Ragged Records have a quaint little 45 section, and I was drooling at the bit to get Frijid Pink-God Gave Me You/Drivin' Blues (Parrot 45-340) but I know Bob would quote at least 6 dollars for it, it's a mint DJ copy.  But since I bought a couple of albums there, I decided to keep the finances in check and see what the As Is store had in store.  The Salvation Army in Davenport/Moline has always had some choice 45s over the years and when I saw about a couple storage boxes full of records, I had some hope of finding something of value.  The clerk there, a nice middle age guy said he'd give me a good deal  ten cents a record.   And by golly he did.  Most of these 45s are from the 1964-1966 time period.

The 45s found this time out may just well be the best finds in a long time, maybe all time.  Although the records were sleeveless, the majority of them looked to be in very good shape, not perfect mind you since there were some surface scratches and fingerprints but none of the craters scratches that most records I've seen elsewhere.    Some of the scratches are wider than the Mississippi River itself, to which I had to pass on such scratched up chestnuts like Eight Days On The Road by Aretha Franklin or Born To Be Wild by Wilson Pickett.   And there some colored 45 vinyl by certain Columbia Records artists, there was a couple from Tony Bennett, Andy Williams had two or three and there was a Bob Dylan 45 red vinyl.....

Really!  I heard the rumors out there that Bob had a couple of them on red vinyl but never seen anything up till I laid my eyes on Subterranean Homesick Blues red vinyl promo (Columbia 4-43242). Worth 250 dollars, maybe more in mint condition, this copy I consider to be VG plus and even those sell for at least 100 dollars on EBAY on a good day.  Perhaps the donator didn't know what he had in the collection or maybe somebody was cleaning out a box of unwanted records but never in my life and time would I find something like this for ten cents at an As Is store.  First thing I did was of course, picked it up and then found a record sleeve to protect it from further scratches.  One time, somebody did have Corinna Corinna on 45 at a junk store but whoever had it didn't take any care of it, since it was cracked and the label faded off, not worthy of a reference copy.  But this 45 of SHB had no viable scratches and it plays nice.  That would be one of a few more finds.

The second newsworthy 45 is Buddy Holly of course.  Even in thrift stores it fairly easy to come across Oh Boy or That'll Be The Day (I found that one a few months back) but the later stuff that came out after Holly passed away is much trickier to acquire.  One record I had in the want list was Slippin And Slidin (Coral 62448) and I bid on a couple of them on EBAY only to get outbidded at the last minute.  I did a double take when I seen a promo copy of this song (B side What To Do) and this record looked nice despite naked without a sleeve.   One of a few things that Buddy recorded alone before he took on a ill fated trip to Iowa, it seems like The Fireballs were the ones that were doing the overdubbing in the studio.  Slippin' is the most blues sounding that Buddy Holly would ever do and there's spare accomplishment from The Fireballs.  Which is fine.  Nevertheless, the song didn't chart although I recall seeing this on a long forgotten 60s compilation.  What To Do (The Fireballs overdub single version) did make it to Buddy Holly Gold.

3.  Shake/A Change Is Gonna Come-Sam Cooke (RCA Victor 47-8486)  Another promo copy of value, I was more familiar with the Otis Redding live version years ago.  Of course radio don't play either Otis or Sam's version of Shake (they rather stick with the usual overplayed You Send Me, Twisting The Night Away).  B side is perhaps Sam's best song ever Change Is Going To Come to which Otis Redding covered as well too.  Shake topped out at number 7, Change went to number 31.  And oldies radio still won't play neither.  Grave injustice. Side note: not every 45 I found was worth taking home.  The CR Salvation Army had a 45 of Pete Klint Quintet's version of Shake (Mercury 72709) but the record had a crack in it.  Unplayable.

4.  Don't Let The Whole World Know/You're My Girl-The Everly Brothers (Warner Bros. 5600)  Phil and Don did write some dark stuff in their career,  Since You Broke My Heart is one of them, but perhaps this is one of my all time favorites from them, although I discovered this, not from the radio but from the 2 CD Anthology that Warner Brothers put out in the early 1990s.  By the mid 60s, the hits dried up, but that didn't mean that the boys weren't trying.  The British Invasion didn't help things either.  The first record with a major scratch, You're My Girl I won't be able to play much without changing the needle but Don't Let...is in fine shape.  And a better song.

5.  Love Is All I'm Asking-Sinx Mitchell (Hickory 45-1241)  This is where the lesser known take over.  Read your history and you'll come to find that Mitchell is actually Earl Sinks, the guy who replaced Buddy Holly in The Crickets, Earl is the guy singing on I Fought The Law, but he had a falling out with The Crickets and left.  Recorded for Dot, Warner Brothers and Hickory before changing his name to Earl Richards and having a journeyman career with singles for United Artists and his own Ace Of Hearts label.  Somewhat more pop sounding than The Crickets although Mitchell has the drummer doing the Peggy Sue beat. Not a bad idea but the song isn't that memorable.

6.  Strange I Know-The Marvellettes (Tamla T-54072)  No shortage of Motown singles found although a couple of them were so scratched up, I passed on.  The beloved Marvellettes to me were the best female singers to come from Motown, although none would capture Barry Gordy's fancy than Miss Diana Ross and The Supremes, which they got first class treatment.  One of the things that jump out at you on this 45 mix is how up front Benny Benjamin's snare drum is as he does his trademark rolls on a slower number that only made it up to number 49 on the charts in 1962.  This song would be part of the album The Marvelous Marvellettes which got released on CD in the 90s.  On the infamous circle world label, to which if you watch it spin enough on the record player can hypotise you if you're not careful.

7.  I Want You To Be My Boy-The Exciters (Roulette R-4591)  Arrangements that could have been stolen from Motown this forgotten little gem only managed to squeak in at number 98 before falling off the charts and sometimes that's the greatest injustice.  To have a catchy song not making a bigger impact on chart action.  They are  forever known for Tell Him, done for United Artists but this was a one off single for Roulette and produced by Hugo/Luigi, (Sam Cooke, Mexican Jumping Beans).  This three girl, one guy group has one of the finest power vocalist in Brenda Reid who would later married Herbert Rooney (later separated) and their son Mark, you would know by his producer's name of L A Reid.  The Exciters would move over to Bang  for a number 58 chart placement of Little Bit Of Soap. Further research showed another Roulette single There They Go (R-4632) produced by Bert Berns, that didn't chart either.  They later recorded for RCA (try to find their lost classic Caviar and Chitlins LP), Today Records and 20th Century Fox


8.  (Baby) You Don't Have To Tell Me-The Walker Brothers (Smash S-2068)  Interesting history of this band, they were American but moved over to England and was better received over there in the mid 60s.  Scott Engel (Walker) was a lot like Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, a flair of combining Phil Spector production and arrangements into over the top balladry that seemed to work well for the Righteous Brothers. They had their biggest hit with the number 13 The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore but this followup didn't even dent the top 100.  Somebody in Davenport must have liked this band, this is the second 45 that I have found from them down there, (the first My Ship Is Comin In).  John Walker passed away in 2011. Gary and Scott Walker continue to make albums and tour in their own solo way.

9.  Boys And Girls-Migil 5  (Hickory 45-1292)  If you were from the UK in the 60s and had any songs to sing or play you could get a record contract or have a label sign you up.  Basically from the UK and recorded for Pye over there (Mercury, Cameo  and Hickory licensed a couple of their singles, best known Mockingbird Hill, interesting for a ska beat done by white guys from Britain)  I'm guessing this was the plug side, which was better suited for BBC radio with the Brit pop sound here.  B side is interesting take of Your Cheatin' Heart, done by white guys doing Ray Charles' arrangements and comes up somewhat more blues than country.  A curio from the past.

10.  Shout (Part 1 and 2)-Joey Dee And The Starlighters (Roulette R-4416) The twisting craze did put out some crazy music back then and some of it was first rate butt shaking twist and shouting.  Joe Dee was trying to make money off this too, Peppermint Twist went all the way to number 1, this went to number 6 and usually copies of this and Peppermint Twist have been worn to the nubs. Although members of The Young Rascals would join the band, logical thinking that the lineup was David Brigati (brother to The Rascals' Eddie), Carlton Lattimore on organ, Sam Taylor on Guitar and Willie Davis on drums. Kind of a sloppy version to the Isley Brothers, it's amazing how high this did chart.  For fun and giggles, check out side 2 to which Roulette adds an extra fadeout 30 seconds into the song.  Somebody did a hack job on the editing.

And there we have it.  The best of the stack of 45s found at an as is store.  It was actually a good day for me.  Although the rest of the thrift stores had nothing special or the records were too far gone, the finds here prove to be one of the best bargain hunts ever.   Maybe next week I'll try to convince Bob Herrington to part some of those DJ promo 45 without me taking a second mortgage on the house.  And maybe try to a few more past histories of the forgotten 45s, to something we call Singles Going Steady here at Record World.

And God bless that Salvation Army cashier for giving me a wonderful deal too.  All pictures are from the Davenport finds.  Some pictures had to be replaced due to ongoing Google issues but all are from the R Smith Preservation Forty Five Society. 

BTW I did get Frijid Pink's God Gave Me You   Here tis, (From Ragged Records)

Radio Wasteland: The Sixx Sense

I don't listen to radio unless I'm held hostage working in another department and somebody has to have the radio on.  FM radio is all the same, overplayed crap in various formats.  Here the choices are, Bro Country (KHACK, KISS OFF 96.5) Autotuned Top Forty Crap (99.7, Z102.9) Death metal "real rock" (KRNA, KFMW) and classic rock (The Fox, 105.7) and KDAT (even more shitter pop rock). At work nobody wants to listen to KCCK, the jazz station nor the Christian Rock Dump 101.9 The Light or whatever it's called.  In the land that was created by the radio killer Telecomm 1996 Act, forever changing and killing new music and building up Clear Channel and more so in this neck of the woods Cumulus buying the mom and pop stations and turning them all into Corporate Clones of popluar music.  It used to be that going to a big city meant listening to something new and exciting, not anymore.

FM radio in my youth is a thing of the past.  But a long time ago, when they had singles out as promo copies (You remember promo 45's do you Bob Lefsetz before spotify took hold of your dick and never let go and you continue to sing the praises of them) that radio stations would actually play more obscure bands.  I have fond and vivid memories of 1980 to which The Clash, Tom Petty, Alan Clarke, Off Broadway USA, The Romantics, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones lived in harmony, back when KRNA did play new albums at 11 (so did KFMH).  We were treated with hearing The Roadie Soundtrack, laughed when KRNA got a warped copy of Badfinger Say No More and couldn't play it, and bought the likes of Lonnie Mack, and Jason And The Scorchers after hearing them.  That was before Clear Channel and Cumulus with their consumer research numbers and bullshit turned radio into Same as It ever was.

I wrote 10 years ago about the sorry state of radio and how it sucked then.  But now the sad reality is that radio sucks even more now.  Satellite Radio is not much better, they have a different playlist of the same old same old as well.  Bruce Springsteen is even more live and well on all of them and Deep Tracks may just get over themselves and rename it The Pink Floyd Channel.  But then again, if you can afford paying 19.95 per month (plus the usual tacked on fees) you can have some variety then the lack-lusting and the overplayed classic rock of FM radio.  In day and age, FM radio is cookie cutter pipped in big name DJs having their own shows and then playing the usual crap again.

I'm not a Motley Crue fan, never was although I got dragged to their concert and having Vince Neil rupturing my eardrum in a overloud show.  However the FOX has Nikki Sixx and the Sixth sense show that comes on at 7.  Nikki has lived a charmed life, scoring and banging just about every porn star and actresses out in Hollywood and almost ODed on drugs twice and survived it all.  I missed out when Kerri Kasem was his co host (she moved on to other things and had to deal with the antics of Jean Kasem in the final days of Kasey Kasem's life) and is replaced by Jenn Marino.  Since I was a captured audience in Packaging and it was either Sixth Sense radio or KRNA basically chose the former.  But it's kinda like asking for water and getting a choice of bleach or vinegar instead.  You chose the less tasteless.

From the naive it seems there's two versions of Sixth Sense Radio; the more logical format is the hard rock and metal pop of today's music.  Through some distribution via Best Buy, Sixth Sense promotes some new artists, bands like Mastodon or Winery Dogs get touted on some rock radio stations, where on THE FOX it's the tired classic rock classics.  I just cannot see Nikki Sixx having U2 or Crosby, Stills And Nash or The Police in his collection.  After all didn't Motley Crue thought The Police sucked?  Wasn't The Crue into KISS or New York Dolls?  Maybe they don't know the latter band but surely they took their act from KISS.  In terms of syndicated radio, it seems that Sixx phones in his comments and recollections of groupie conquest since he didn't even mention the names of the bands.  That seems to be Jenn's job, which seems to be recorded as well.  That said, Sixth sense radio does somewhat gets us through the mundane at work and the chemistry between Jenn and Nikki works as well.  But I believe his shows works a lot better in the hard rock of today format rather than tired old Classic Rock where we get to hear 40 year old songs like Dream On play three times in a eight hour time span.  Half the fun is taking bets to see what Back In Black album song from AC DC gets played to, or Nirvana Nevermind.  I doubt if Nikki has any control of what is played, some intern at The FOX or Cumulus Corporation is probably pulling out Metallica Enter Sandman or Man In The Box from Alice In Chains as they count down to 19 minutes after the hour to which we're treated to a minute of Sixx musings before going into commercials about cheap Viagra, or the 16th time of hearing the I Heart Concert Sold Out show but you can enter and win by texting the keyword of the day.

Certainly there's better rock stars making better shows on their own but most of them are on Sirius Radio. Tom Petty and Steve Earle has some great shows that should be on FM radio but since they go into the more obscure and even include (GASP) Rhythm and Blues and country, that don't fit the format at THE FOX, so it's Sixth Sense radio.  I am more inclined to at least Sixx hawk his wares for his SIXX AM band than Sweet Child O Mine for the 15th time this week.  According to research though, people just want to hear the same 200 songs every day (bullshit) and so here's Dream On once again.

There's more to life and to Aerosmith than just Dream On or Sweet Emotion, or Metallica getting all the metal play and none for Anthrax   Why The Clash Rock The Cabash gets played and I Fought The Law doesn't.  And Tom Petty can rely on a check for airplay on Refugee but classic rock radio refuses to play his new effort.  Like the rant I wrote 10 years ago, Radio seems to have a stop off point after 1991.  Grunge is dead but you wouldn't notice it by hearing KRNA and the stale sounds of Man In The Box or Candlebox.  Corporate Radio has no interest of seeking out the lesser knowns, The Mudhoneys, Melvins, Jesus Lizard but rather would have you only listen to the predicable. The Stone Temple Pilots, The Pearl Jams, and of course Nevermind.   Or for older rock, Back in Black or The Wall.  Pink Floyd in, Porcupine Tree out when it comes to Cumulus Corporate Playlistings.

If given a choice at work, I'd rather have the radio off so we are not subjected to the same old overplayed shit of songs that I used to like but now if I never hear them again it wouldn't break my heart.  In Nikki Sixx' case, his Sixth Sense show kinda is like winning the lottery for him and having him flaunt the riches in your face.  The first to let you know he got more nookie than you ever did, did and survived drugs and has a show that syndicated across Corporate land  that lets you know that he still gets more nookie than you.

And then tortures you with Dream On again.

http://www.sixxsense.com/main.html

More Record Porn (not safe for work sweetheart) : http://www.transversealchemy.com/2011/01/hi-fidelity-girls-and-their-vinyl.html?zx=647f1ed26906550c

Playlist: Robin Williams Gone Away

Henry Stone.  Do you know Henry Stone?  You probably do.  In 1972 he started up TK Records in Miami and had a hand in the careers of George McCrae and KC And The Sunshine Band.  He goes back as far as producing some early 50s sides for John Lee Hooker and a young Ray Charles and a later album That's Where It's At for Stax Records in the late 60s.  Stone was also behind the scenes at King Records getting hits from Otis Williams And The Charms (Heart Of Stone) and James Brown (Please Please Please). TK Records went bankrupt in 1981 but Stone would return a few years later under the moniker of Two Live Jews, a parody of Two Live Crew and made a couple albums with his son Joseph.  Stone lived to be 93.

Paul Revere, the legendary 76 year old leader of The Raiders has decided to retire from touring but will stay on as Executive Producer.  His son will take over.  They'll be known as Paul Revere's Raiders. Health issues are forcing the beloved leader to retire.

That didn't take long.  Three weeks after release of Morrissey's latest effort World Peace Ain't None Of Your Business, Harvest/Universal dropped him.  The Harvest records we all know and love from the old days are no longer, it's just another faceless satellite label from the non caring Universal Family. Morrissey used to have his own label called Attack but now that Sanctuary is no longer viable (they too got bought out by...wait for it...you guessed it...Universal Music) he took his chances on a upstart label with ties from the past but is not what it used to be. Told ya so M dude.

The Record Review Consortium has been busy lately.  We take a look at two more obscure bands of the 90s, one country, one alternative. The Remingtons and The Buck Pets.  Cuz somebody's gotta do it right? The continuation of thinning the CD shelf went on this week, as I took about 30 more to Half Priced Bookstore to free up shelf space, the most notable ones: Neil Young Letter From Home and Pharrell Williams' GIRL   Over the past six months about 500 CDs have been either donated or traded in for cash. Most of the CDs donated were from forgotten artists and bands of the 90s and 00s I found for a couple dollars or less.  Sometimes you have to downsize.

David Allen and Bob Weir have been under the weather to the point that they have canceled summer tours with their bands: Gong wth Allen and Weir's Ratdog and The Other Ones. And 19 years ago we lost Jerry Garcia.

Why Radio Sucks: Fewer owners, fewer choices, it's all the same on the FM Dial http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/why-cleveland-radio-sucks-the-true-story-behind-877-cleveland-sound-and-the-future-of-radio-innovation/Content?oid=3777832

Reviews:

Bryan Ferry-Olympia (Virgin)

I'm sorry to say this but the Bryan Ferry fan in me for the past thirty years has been too disappointed in his post Manifesto Roxy Music/solo albums that I  no longer care. He's been getting further and further into new age and disco wankerness that Olympia his 2010 effort is his worst album of a career that has been coming down. The best thing about this album: the cover art.  Bryan still manages to get some super looking models to pose for album covers. It starts out fairly good with You Can Dance and Alphaville comes close.  But way too often the sonic landscaping of the songs, get ruined by Ferry's tossed off vocal, which used to be biting and sarcastic, this time out  he sounds like a modern day Perry Como, a hushed voice comatose while in the background some woman singer coos and groans (shut up already) that is on the worst song BF Bass (ode to olympia). On Ferry's better albums, they fade the song out to keep interest up.  This time around most of songs go on forever and don't lead anywhere.  There really should be a law against the don't yell at me women singers.  A wide array of musicians familiar help out (David Gilmour, Phil, Eno  and Andrew from Roxy Music, steller musicians Neil Hubbard Andy Wilmark), but the performances while workmanlike, never catch on fire most of the time.  And on the last track Tender Is The Night, Ferry sounds like he's going night night and feels like he is falling asleep before your very ears.  You might notice that...if you haven't fallen asleep listening to this.  Ferry's (and Roxy Music) worst album.

Grade C

Good Morning Vietnam Soundtrack (A&M)

No matter how hard it is to understand the loss of Robin Williams what should be more important is to know that his legacy will live on in the movies that he made in his storied career.  Since I didn't have any of his comedy albums, the next thing would be to revisit this soundtrack to the 1988 movie that was somewhat about Adrian Cronauer and being a DJ overseas but was never like the character that Williams played in the movie. Of course Williams's DJ bits are the highlights of the movie and more funnier if you watch the movie rather then on the LP, but they still hold up.  For a soundtrack album, it's really not bad, somewhat along the lines of The Big Chill with less Motown (despite two tracks from Martha Reeves and the Vandallas and the beloved Marvellettes) or had A&M thought more of it, a American Graffiti for the Vietnam era. It certainly gave new meaning to James Brown I Got You (i feel good) but any compilation that features Five O Clock World, Baby Please Don't Go, Game Of Love and the Riverias California Sun gets big points for the lesser known.  It also gave Louis Armstrong another shot at the charts with What A Wonderful World which closes the record, but given the ending of Williams' life it also gives a more moody and sad close as well.  Which is not intentional. It makes me sad to listening to that and thinking of Robin's last moments here on Earth.  And better to remember the good times while he was here.

Grade B+

And you want more reviews: Bill Kopp's got them! He takes on Focus, Wishbone Ash and Marshall Crenshaw to name a few.  http://blog.musoscribe.com/?p=6164


This week's playlist:

20th Century Man-The Kinks (Live From The Road)
You Can Dance-Bryan Ferry (Olympia)
It Mek-Desmond Dekker And The Ace (Uni Single 55130)
Daisy Star-David Dundas (Chrysalis Single CHS-2142)
Master Pretender-First Aid Kit (Stay Gold)
Morning Song-Compost (Compost)
Four Minutes To Twelve-The Fugs (Belle Of Avenue A)
I Can't Get Next To You-Al Green (Al Green Gets Next To You)
Song For Louise Post-The Buck Pets (The Buck Pets)
Young Man Blues-The Who (Odds And Sods)

Matchbox 20......Never my kind of band although Bob Lefsetz thought enough of their music to include a primer about them and then mentioned how far down they went.  To which Paul Docette and Rob Thomas took exception.  Rob Thomas nails Lefsetz a new asshole on this reply:  http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2014/08/11/rob-thomas-responds/

Finally, the shock of the week.  Robin Williams dead at 63.  Perhaps the most funniest comedian of my lifetime, Robin would have been a joy to talk with and everytime you seen him on TV he was whacked out with comedy.  The movies he made: Aladdin, the early 90s Disney movie to which Williams' voice over of the genie was the price of admission.  Of course he goes all the way back to Mork And Mindy and then he moved into movies and TV.  Mrs Doubtfire, Patch Adams, Good Will Hunting, even Popeye. Or the creepy One Hour Photo.  Or the HBO Comic Relief.  Like the rest of y'all I feel shock about Robin's depression finally getting the best of him.  Throughout the laughter came real tears  and somehow the pain he could never get over.  Like Robin, I too suffer from depression and I have good days and I have bad days and some days I rather not try and even the dark days of maybe ending it all.  But I continue to keep going through the depression and combating it the best way that I can, by Blogging here or bargain hunting there.  I don't do prescription drugs for depression, tried a couple of them, (Paxil anybody?) and they only worse the situation at hand.   So I do the best I can in this life by not taking depression drugs, and I pray that it never gets as bad as sticking a hose from the tailpipe in the car and starting it up.  That said, we'll never know what went on in the mind of Robin those final hours when it seem all hope was gone.   And now he is too.
http://www.sunnyskyz.com/happy-videos/1033/The-Most-Beautiful-Tribute-To-Robin-Williams-And-It-s-Just-A-Minute-Long#PwpecSKvBptzBJuZ.01

Forgotten Bands Of The 90s-Possum Dixon

There are many stories of bands having a good following and getting noticed enough to be taken up by a major label and then being taken advantaged of.  It's a long list and you can add Possum Dixon to this.

Their unique kind of no wave new wave music of the early 90s come from a wide array of influences from Talking Heads to the Violet Femmes to even Weezer, who's first album had the same sound style of the first Possum Dixon album.  Quirky is the best way to describe it.  The first album contained their one big hit Watch The Girl Destroy Me but once again, their indifferent record label Interscope didn't even bother to issue a second single from their album.  Nerves in my ears should have been the second single issued.  Most of the album is alt rock done fairly well, they even dab into No Wave with John Struck Lucy which could play as a Suicide (the band) tribute.  But as for myself I enjoy the more hooky numbers (Regina, Pharmaceutical Itch)

Nevertheless this band got doomed by Interscope even more so on Star Maps, an album that took three years to complete to which at that time all momentum from Watch The Girl Destroy Me was gone.  A more darker album than the S/T  Rob Zabrecky's wife who suffered from depression killed herself as well.  As an album the songs were better heard in that context, none of the songs were deemed single worthy for the radio but my faves remain Crashing Your Party and Go West. The almost 8 minute long Apartment Song plays intense but never really breaks out of that slow beat crawl, like a killer awaiting for a victim but never goin through the deed.  Even with major label indifference, the 75,000 sales sold of the first album, the band never broke past 5,000 on the second and it bombed.

A change in producers and sound brought Possum Dixon into total confusion with New Sheets in 1998. Ric Ocasek (The Cars) came in to produce and updated the sound.  Problem was the new sound got the band to sound like The Cars.  Holding was picked for a single and although it got some airplay on the underground radio station it didn't hit the charts.  Myself I think it was a slight improvement over Star Maps but since New Sheets was being compared too much to The Cars and not toward the Violet Femmes, the band had enough of major label incompetence and they called it a day a month after the release of New Sheets.  Rob Zabrecky has gone on to a acting career and being a magician  Celso Chavez passed away in 2012.

Like their alt rock compares The Buck Pets, Possum Dixon could have been big had their record label promoted them better.  But in the end, Weezer got the recognition, And The Possum guys ended up being another footnote in the history of alt rock.

The history of what could have been.

Grades:

Possum Dixon (Interscope 1993) B+
Star Maps (Interscope 1996) B
New Sheets (Interscope 1998) B 

Hit Single-Serpentine By Kings Of The Sun

By Clifford Hoad (leader of the new Kings Of The Sun)

 

The Serpentine song RIFF came about very early when we living in a flat on the harbour at RoseBay. We were writing everything on acoustic, everything started sounding the same. We were in the hallway full of echo. Jeff says " we'll never be able to write anything bluesy like ZZTOP & I said Bullshit, you want bluesy ??? I'll give you fuckin bluesy, how bout this riff " ! pulling it out of the sky like magic. Jeff immediately got what came out of my mouth onto guitar then down on tape and the rest is our rock n roll history. Even Billy Gibbons from ZZTOP loves this riff ! The anger & frustration in which it was written had made it so tough !!! Thats it...........

SERPENTINE - "Don't go near the water, the water can only kill. Some say she's the devil's daughter, if the swamp don't get ya, then the serpentine will". OUCH , youv'e got to give it 5 stars for sheer imagination. The Kings of the Sun bit of voodoo magic that captured hearts everywhere. This clip was way down deep in the misty South Louisanna Delta. Check out the 68 Roadrunner band car with foxtail. Now jump 20yrs ahead, late 1998, outside the seedy bar, with all kinds of broken dreams inside, bikers, drunks, risque women, Jack Daniels and Rock N Roll. Being no strangers to any of above, remember KOTS cut their teeth on the wild streets and bars of KINGS CROSS, Sydney, Australia. This band can bring any venue to life!!! and a very live performance indeed.

With an Eddie Kramer recording and a Dave Thoener of Van Halen fame mixing this one at the record plant in a very swampy no thrills approach. Love it. love it, I never get sick of watching this clip or hearing the song. Billy Gibbons from ZZTOP loves this tune. Thankyou Billy.

Our first album KINGS OF THE SUN was recorded in up state New York with Eddie Kramer at the wheel, he was full of life, seen at that time to be old hat. Jeff and I wanted that classic rock sound from the late 60's early 70's . This was done in Beartracks and Bearsville Studio's owned by Jannis Joplin and Bob Dylan's manager Albert Grossman up in Woodstock. So the album is full of that Woodstock magic, that fills the surrounding hills. Eddie Kramer would try and talk us into buying Ferraris if the album went gold. It was a stand in joke in between takes, the session was full of ping pong, chinese food, plenty of laughter and Eddie's obsession with the album going GOLD, it by rights , should of. Thanks everyone for buying the album and loving it!

Snare drum sounds are a tricky business - Especially with the 80's soundscapes Many a potentially good song were slaughtered by over innovative 80's sound engineers... Luckily, that wasn't the case with any of our 3 KOTS albums - They're timeless feelgood machines! and what a fight it was to keep em like that. With the big brass and producers telling us in the 80's, that if we didn't bump up our sound we would sound old fashioned, which is what we wanted to sound, classic analogue valve recordings. Natural sound. It certainly was worth the fight!

KOTS FANS, thanks for your wonderful words, its great to know that people are still out there playing our music. The web has been a godsend for people to hear music that they unjustly couldn't get to. Now thanks to you guy's & gals, its all out there to be enjoyed, discovered and shared. Our music is world class, it will just take a while for people to catch up. Great music lives forever, it doesn't go away. KINGS OF THE SUN FOREVER , Cliff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyEwj4ErNhI

Playlist: Talking To The Stars

An unreal week of events.  Plus a couple of musicians from my favorite bands stopping by and talking to me.  Which is why I'm  a big fan of their music and bands.  When they stop by and leave a message it makes me a even bigger fan.  Check the mailbag down the blog ;) 


A funny thing has happened along the way last month, we exceeded over 2400 views and four days were over 100.  Best showing that we have since December of last year.  Don't know what it is or if the Xolodremont dudes are actually helping the cause.  I call bullshit myself.  Besides you can't get rid of me.  I keep returning.  And of course who do read these blogs, although I think that 2400 number is a bit inflated, I'm sure it's more like 240 readers.  Thanks for reading, it gives me some incentive to continue to keep this music/record review/lifestyle blog going.  Can't understand some of the blogs being read, Dennis Farina has been dead for over a year and that blog was the most viewed of last month.  What the fuck?!  In the meantime I'll be working on some new things, another ICON band to talk about, forgotten bands, territorial bitchings, whoever dies etc etc etc. Maybe more Ivy Doomkitty pics and a top ten from her if she success in getting a few more referring sites talking about her.  And who in the hell is Madison Ivy?  Her name popped up about four times in the referring sites keyword.  I sure don't get many for rock bands and musicians but porn stars seem to be pop up more often.  This is Record World.....HELLO. However inflated ratings do help the ego here, the Swinging Steaks blog logged over 65 views so far, if it translated to record sales for this band they'd be as famous as Moe.

 

Somebody took notice and the Swinging Steaks themselves have provided a direct link from their site about my piece on them.  As always anything to get the word out about bands that I love to hear that everybody else forgot about.  Thanks for the shout out Steaks!  http://www.swingingsteaks.com/

I know you're sick of hearing the antics of Teddy The Peddy Nugent still trying to promote his latest album which isn't bad but he continues to run his month more times than not. Dig the latest Ted Vs the Left installment here: http://www.forwardprogressives.com/coward-ted-nugent-called-me-lying-punk-embarrassed-trying-prove/

Who's buying up all the records in the world you ask?  Perhaps this guy. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/magazine/the-brazilian-bus-magnate-whos-buying-up-all-the-worlds-vinyl-records.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1

It's August, we went from 13 inches of rain for June to less than half of that.  After the July 5th 3 inch rainfall, we managed to eek out an inch and a quarter for the rest of the month.  I'm happy but I'm sure we'll return to a more wetter pattern than last month.  Monsoon season down in Arizona has been like June in Iowa.  Plenty of floods, heavy rains and dust storms to the point that winds blew over a couple trailers in the Buckeye trailer court area.  In the meantime, Zia Records has moved their Chandler location over to Alma School/Eliot Street, which used to be a mile from where I used to live at with my Aunt Sarge before she threw me out.  I hope to return back there before I'm dead to check out that new place, the new Tempe Zia's and their bargain store on University Avenue, where I spent many a time and trying to dodge the pan handlers out there.

A few festivals remain before school is back in session.  Our wonderful town Springville is having Springville Days this weekend which Saturday Night somebody secured enough money to get Little Texas to come down here to play.  About 20 years ago, they were playing out at Jones County Fair and the ex wanted me to get tickets to go see them play but I never did get around buying them. Jake McVey opens up.  Friday Night is the truck and tractor pull, that will be a sellout.  If that fails, there's always Karaoke by Good Times if Little Texas doesn't do the trick.  I've never been much of a fan of them.

August 5th is 1998 all over again at the Geese Droppings Amphitheater (I.E. McGrath Amphitheater) with Spacehog, Soul Asylum, Everclear and Eve 6 being the bands of note.  Never been a Everclear fan, nor Spacehog but Soul Asylum's last album was pretty good and Eve 6 well, I managed to still have all their albums including their last album Speak In Code. Since it falls on a Tuesday, I'll have to pass on that.

Another reason why Bro Country sucks: http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/from-checklist-to-bro-country-the-subversion-of-country-music

Reviews:



Spanky And Our Gang-The Complete Mercury Singles Collection (Real Gone)
Ronnie Dove-The Complete Chart Hits 1964-1969 (Real Gone)

Let it to the folks at Real Gone to compile the lesser known.  Ronnie Dove recorded for Diamond Records and had a impressive streak of chart hits although he hit the top twenty the highest chart position for him was a number 14 offerning for Right Or Wrong and One Kiss For All Time Sake.  Upon hearing them almost 50 years later, they sound like a dated time piece of the early 60s.  Early listening pop that borders on lite country as his cover of I Don't Really Want To Know sounds like.  But to these ears he falls in the Pat Boone/Frankie Laine territory of crossover MOR pop.

Spanky And Our Gang will always have a soft spot in my heart for Lazy Day, the sweet sounding summertime hit that sums up the summer of love in the way that it should have been.  Universal has slipped in and out some best ofs over the years and most have been problematic (The 20th Century Masters managed to chop off one song off the late 90s Very Best Of Spanky & Our Gang).  They were a very good singles band we finally get to hear the original Sunday Morning including the oddball ending which sounded better on a 45.  Also for the first time we get to hear their cover of And Your Bird Can Sing, which doesn't sound any ordinary as The Association covering One Too Many Mornings, but not as good as the original songwriters. (Beatles, Dylan).  But it does has its own charm.  Two things did the band in, one was the 1969 PSA announcement known as Give A Damn which really riled up the conservatives at that time and managed to savatage it from top ten status, but losing Malcolm Hale, the spirit behind the band from CO2 poisoning was the end.  I still find their last album, Anything You Choose/Without Rhyme Or Reason to be a guilty pleasure as the songs blended into another via Tony Clarke/Moody Blues, Lefty Baker and Kenny Hodges wrote nice songs but without Hale's interesting vocals and arrangements they lacked the top forty magic of Like To Get To Know You or Lazy Day.  On Complete Mercury Singles you're treated to two versions of Echoes Of My Mind (Everybody's Talking), one with the sounds of the sea (B side to Sunday Morning) and one without, which like Lazy Day has Not Necesserity (I know, can't fucking spell it) Byrd Avenue which sounds like Segrio Mendes and Brazil 66 on Prozac. But unlike the so called best of  we have the return of Three Ways From Tomorrow, one of their better b sides and songs.  In this day and age I wouldn't call Spanky And Our Gang essential, but growing up I loved most of their songs and Give A Damn too.  And the mono sound might put a lot of folk off too.  But for nostalgic and historic value, The Complete Mercury Singles shows that Spanky And Our Gang deserves their spot for AM radio ear candy.

Grades:
Ronnie Dove Complete Chart Years: B-
Spanky And Our Gang-Complete Mercury Singles: B+

Inxs-Kick (Rhino)

INXS has always been a band that to me, was a product of the 80s and even more so a dance band masquerading as a rock band.  They were also a great singles band, but made spotty albums. Kick is considered to be their best but I tend to disagree with that.  I always enjoyed Sabooh Sababad (whatever it was called too lazy to look the record up) and the Kick followup X more so than Kick itself.  At times they could equal anything on radio with the dance club favorite New Sensation or the disco hopping Devil Inside.but God this record is so damn erratic.  Need You Tonight is a fine standalone track in itself but Meditate is boring as hell.  Granted Chris Thomas took Never Tear Us Apart up a notch by adding strings and moodiness but anything after that is stale dance rock or even more stale Rolling Stones, including album closer Tiny Daggers.  The bonus tracks are outtakes and Move On would have given Kick a slight kick in the pants, but there's a reason why Jesus Was A Man and The Trap were left off, the former goes on too long and the latter lacks melody.  But the hits makes this album but you can do better by buying the best of. You get more.

Grade B-




Mailbag:

From Clifford Hoad (Kings Of The Sun)  Writing about Full Frontal Attack the album.  He was very kind enough to respond.

 Here ya go Rodney Smith, I'll never forget being back stage at Sydney entertainment centre, we had just got off the plane from L.A. that afternoon and were invited to see the AEROSMITH show. STEVE TYLER had a copy of Full Frontal Attack on his then modern cd pod playing "Drop The Gun", he had an equalizer on it that could turn the vocal down so he could sing along. He told me he used to be a drummer and asked about the drum fill that I played in "Drop The Gun" where I use the cowbell and where I put that cowbell. He told me , it was the funkiest drum fill he'd ever heard, and said "where's your head at man, how did you beam that one down haha !!!, I said "its all Gene Krupa's fault". I noticed he was wearing black nail polish and chrome. Really charming guy, full of energy, true Rockstar. You've gotta be around people like that, just to learn how its done, like a mechanic or a doctor. This was the true school of rock !
 
One of the greatest heavy rock songs ever, self proclaimed! Jeff and I peaked with this song, has all the elements, great riff, fantastic lyrics and a tick tock feel that is typically Australian Rock. This song was done in a aircraft hanger down in the L.A. jungle. Can anyone see our giant banner behind us ?
 
Jeff got some tips from Bruce Willis in his hair raising flee from the bullets, however he did jump 20 feet into cardboard boxes, yes girls , he does all his own stunt work and kissing scenes. At the end, after he stands on my bass drum, a bone of contention by the way, RCA Records at the time bought me another bass drum just so he could do it, how's that for backing your artists, only in the USA. At the end, its Jimmy Cagney all the way, "Look at me Ma, I'm on top of the world" finally plummeting onto the boot of a 69 Dodge Charger which they also paid for, just for the prop. Jeff and I gave it to one of the camera dolly assistants who worked just as hard as us from 6am to 9pm . 27 takes near killed me, I'd never want to be a movie star, no wonder they all flip out.
 
Our 2nd album KINGS OF THE SUN, "Full Frontal Attack", your hearing Hendrix's Electric Lady Land studios mix. An underground river runs under the studio giving it, its echoee watery sound. Micheal Chapman was there when we were doing the mixing, our producer, Englishman Bill Wittman, and he were playing the tracks back so loud that Jeff or I couldn't stay in the room, Madness but thats the result, an incredible sound. I hope this puts some light on the subject. Thanks everyone for buying the album and loving it!

From Jamie Walker (singer songwriter of the Swinging Steaks) on the Forgotten Bands Of The 90s-The Swinging Steaks Blog.

Rodney;

We appreciate your good taste!

Seriously, it's nice to have some new material to point people towards and yours is very complimentary. We thank you.
.

We also hope you have checked out Live in '93, the most recent CD releases in 2011

Look for future shows in 2015.

All The Best,

Jamie Walker

Playlist:

Never In My Life-Mountain (Climbing!)
Electric Funeral-Black Sabbath (Paranoid)
Like A Sunday In Salem-Gene Cotton (Save The Dancer)
Games-Redeye (Super Hits Of The 70s-Have A Nice Day Volume 5)
It's Only Money (Part 1 and 2)-Argent (Encore)
Can't Go Down-Jesse Valenzuela (Tunes Young People Will Enjoy)
New Sensation-Inxs (Kick)
Workin' Cheap-Waylon Jennings (The Eagle)
Never Stop Believing-Christopher Cross (Back Of My Mind)
Open Up Your Door-The Romantics (In Heat)



Iowa State Fair Line Up Of Bands:

Aug 8: Happy Together Tour: Flo And Eddie of The Turtles, Gary US Bonds, Gary Lewis, Mitch Ryder, Chuck Negron of 3 Dog Night Fame.

Aug 9: Goo Goo Dolls, Plain White T's, Daughtery

Aug 10: Duck Dynasty Dudes

Aug 12: Florida Georgia Line/Colt Ford (SOLD OUT-imagine that)

Aug 14: Jake Owen, Eli Young Band, Cadillac Three

Aug 15: Chevelle/Halestorm

Aug 16: Lady Antebellum, Billy Currington

Aug 17, Foreigner and Styx  

Aug. 7: Newsboys with Matthew West, 8 p.m., contemporary Christian; $30
Aug. 8: Happy Together Tour: The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie; Chuck Negron formerly of Three Dog Night; Gary U.S. Bonds; Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels; Gary Lewis & The Playboys, 8 p.m., classic rock; $25
Aug. 9: Goo Goo Dolls and Daughtry with Plain White T's; 8 p.m. $39
Aug. 10: Winged Sprint Cars: 10:30 a.m. hot laps; 11 a.m. races; $15 adults, $5 ages 6 to 11, free ages 5 and under
Aug. 10: The Stars of A & E's "Duck Dynasty" in A Conversation with the Robertsons: Willie, Korie and Si, 8 p.m., $32
Aug. 11: Deery Brothers Summer Series classes: Late Models, IMCA Sport Mods, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Hobby Stocks and Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks; 5:30 p.m. hot laps, 6 p.m. races, $17 adults, $5 children ages 6 to 11, free for ages 5 and under
Aug. 12: Florida Georgia Line with Colt Ford, 8 p.m., $40 SOLD OUT
Aug. 13: Grand Outlaw National Tractor and Truck Pull, 2 p.m., $20 adults, $10 ages 6 to 11, free ages 5 and under.
Aug. 14: Jake Owen & Eli Young Band with The Cadillac Three, 7 p.m., country, $40
Aug. 15: Chevelle and Halestorm with Savile Row, 8 p.m., hard rock, $35
Aug. 16: Demolition Derby: modified weld, stock weld and compact weld; Figure Eight: front wheel drive and rear wheel drive, 11:30 a.m., $15 adults, $5 ages 6 to 11, free ages 5 and under
Aug. 16: Lady Antebellum with Billy Currington and Kelsey K, 8 p.m., country, $49
Aug. 17: Foreigner and Styx, 8 p.m., rock, $39
- See more at: http://www.hooplanow.com/find-fun-at-the-fair-aug-7-to-17-20140805#sthash.YoXzAq9P.dpuf