Singles Going Steady-Madison Picks And B Sides

Madison last week was the WNBR, but as well plenty of new 45s were found at various locations. The best picks came from the new location of Mad City Music Exchange which moved from Williamson Street and further up north, not too far from Sugar Shack Records. 

In essence, this may have been some of the best finds since the Great Davenport Buddy Holly/Bob Dylan finds of a couple years ago.  Although I had to pass on the In The Court Of The Crimson King and Would You Go All The Way For The USA by Zappa on Bizarre, I think I found better finds at a much cheaper price.  On the other side of things I have expanded my Paul Anka collection by about 5 records, which might be 4 too many for those who like their rock and roll.  Comparing Lonely Boy from the ABC to the RCA remake, the RCA has it's a more mature charm but Paul had a bigger hit when he recorded for ABC Paramount.  Round here I keep a more open mind than the average record collector.  The biggest Hoot and Holler 45 was Crow's Something In Your Blood and of course I could have gotten a copy off EBAY but for two dollars at Mad City Music X, it was about 6 dollars cheaper.  A few other oddities popped up as well.  I also did score a few singles two weeks ago at a garage sale and yet to post them.  But this SGS segment features sorely on the Mad City 45's 

1)  Something In Your Blood-Crow (Amaret 45-1338)  1971

Their major hits were in 1970 and 1971 Evil Woman the best known and highest charting and Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock And Roll. Although Something In Your Blood didn't chart here, it showed some regional top 30 chart action, the folks at WIRL playing it a few times during my summer stay with my grandparents in Illinois in 1971.  It came from the movie HUD but this song has never appeared on any Crow album or Best ofs.  Dave Wagner played this during a concert back in the 80s when Crow toured with Jan And Dean but for whatever reason this never made any best ofs. A shame actually. Dave Wagner still tours under the Crow name. 

2)   Wild Thing-Senator Bobby (The Hardly Worth It Players featuring Bill Minkin) Parkway P-127

# 20  1967

Parodies of Senators back in the 60s was commonplace, especially if you were a Kennedy and on this Bill Minkin appears as Senator Bobby and even the songwriter Chip Taylor managed to produced this side as well the B side to which Everett McKinley gets parodied.  In the end Senator Bobby won out, it's a bit more funnier than the McKinley parody.  But then again I suppose you can live without it too. 

3)    Everybody-Tommy Roe (ABC Paramount 45-10478)  #3 1963

Felton Jarvis got more rock and rockabilly out of Roe than Steve Barri ever did.  In fact, Barri basically steered Roe into bubblegum territory, more so than usual but even in early 60s AM radio Everybody sounded tailored made for the radio, although I could have done without the soprano woman at the end.  Roe was inspired to redo Everybody in a different set of tempo and words as a followup, known as Come On, which made number 36 in early 1964, including soprano singer at the end of that song as well.  You hardly hear Come On anywhere anymore.

4)   Daddy I Know-Dr West Medicine Show And Junk Band (Norman Greenbaum) 

(Gregar 71-0100)  1970

Greenbaum had a major hit with Spirit In The Sky to which a former label decided to release some of the early stuff to cash in on the success of said song but the A Side Gondoliers, Shakespeares,  Overseers, Playboys And Bums was interesting only for the title.  In fact Daddy I Know would have been the better pick, since the folks at Varese Vintage put this song before the A side on Greenbaum's best of.   With Dr West Medicine Show, Greenbaum wrote off the wall ditties (The Eggplant That Ate Chicago, Weird) and RCA was interested to issue Daddy I Know and Gondoliers as a single but it failed to do much of anything.  In theory, Spirit In The Sky was the ultimate one hit wonder for Norman, he did managed to place two more singles in the top 100 but nobody ever plays them either.   Or Daddy I Know for that matter.

5)   Stand Up-Underworld (Sire/WB  7-22852)  #67 1989

Later on, they were techno wizards but in the late 80s they tried for a alt rock sound with real drums, and while critical praise was few and far between I tend to like Change The Weather, their album with Stand Up on it more than the Under The Radar, their first album.  KFMW had this song in regular rotation but the comparisons to other techno bands (Depeche Mode, New Order) rendered Underworld to be second tier new wave.  Underworld later would ditch the drums for a more militant dance sound but I have yet to hear those albums.  And it's not high on my list of things to listen to so that will have to wait.

6)   Waitin' On You-Dave Mason (Blue Thumb 7122)  1970

       Walk To The Point-Dave Mason & Cass Elliot (ABC/Dunhill D-4271)  1969

It's weird to ever think that the late great Mama Cass Elliot did worked with Dave Mason on a album but it mostly her singing background to Mason's song, to which Walk To The Point is more Mason than Mama Cass Elliot.  I've never seen the Dunhill single before and for two dollars it was worth picking up I think.  Walk To The Point did managed to make it to a one  of the quick buck Dave Mason Blue Thumb Best of's after Columbia threw more money his way, but the A side Too Much Truth, Too Much Love is ho hum.  Waitin' On You was the lead off track from Alone Together and it's one of the more tougher rocking numbers Mason has ever come up with.  I was surprised it was released as a single in the first place.

7)   Who Do You Love-Juicy Lucy  (Atco 45-6751)  1970

I came across this song via the Bronze overview A Quiet Night In.... to which Gerry Bron, who formed Bronze Records produced and Atlantic acquired the master to issue on Atco.  It did some FM airplay, but it had more to do with Ronnie Hawkins rather than Bo Diddley.  Juicy Lucy did record a few albums but mostly they were a bit too British for the American public to get behind with.  

8)  Jewel Eyed Judy/Station Man-Fleetwood Mac  (Reprise 0984) 1970

Danny Kirwan could write some great songs (Bare Trees, Child Of Mine) but Jewel Eyed Judy wasn't one of his better numbers.  Station Man was much better and was a FM album cut in the early 70s.  The 45 version of Station Man edits out the 45 second fade in but for the most part it still clocks at 5:49.  Plus that 45 is fairly hard to find.  Not as 50 dollars hard to find as Tell Me You Love Me by Frank Zappa/Mothers but for four dollars a worthy addition to my collection.

9)   Red Eye Blues-Redeye  (Pentagram PE-206)  #78 1971

This placed on the regional top 30 after the success of their other hit Games, and although I had a copy of this, mine disappeared over the years and I couldn't locate another copy till Mad City Music X had this for three dollars.  I think I liked the B side The Making Of A Hero better though.

10)   Hide Nor Hair- #20

        At The Club- #44   Ray Charles (ABC Paramount 45-10314)  1962

It seems back in the early 60s  Brother Ray could have both sides of his 45s make the top 50 but with the exception of Hit The Road Jack and couple others, you would never know he had many more hits that charted.  Ray's ABC Paramount singles have been sighted more often on occasion but this single would be one of the his last attempts for straight R and B before updating country music to his own style, which a lot do sound dated from all the strings arrangements. Both songs were written by the late great Percy Mayfield to which Ray continue to tap Percy for new songs and even recorded Percy for his own Tangerine label in the 60s.  Steve Hoffman used both songs on the original Dunhill CD Ray Charles Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2  and later Concord Music would render those albums useless by putting the complete ABC Paramount Singles a few years ago.   I haven't played that collection all that much but I'm glad I have it just in case.