I admit I don't go to many record sales from people. But something grabbed my attention with a yard sign showing that somebody had a big record sale. This looked serious, the guy had a throwaway recording of Buzz Buzz Buzz by The Hollywood Flames on Ebb. I was about a half a block away from Uncle Ike's Music but decided maybe I should scope this place out. Well, to make a long story short it took me five miles away from Asbury, more closer to Centrialia, but it was inside an barn garage, and with the wind blowing in, it was a chilly day to spend shivering in a hour and half of going through about 10 boxes of 45s. But I did managed to get a few eye openers.
The first thing I noticed that this guy had a bunch of Apple 45s, a lot of Beatles stuff for sale reasonably priced. Nothing more than 3 dollars. I know the Old Hippie (now retired from Moondog Music) took an Apple 45 that I wanted but exchanged me California Sun by The Riverias for Junior's Farm. To which I did find at least three copies of said song available.
So anyway, I have to admit this private has some great 45s, that took me back to my early years of life and managed to find a couple that were part of my mom's collection. I'll never get all of them back but rest assured that I have gotten about 90 percent of the collection back.
1) Stranger From Durango-Richie Allen (podolor) (Imperial X5683) 1960 #90
Richard Podolor is best known for producing Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf but back around the late 50s and early 60s, he was helping Sandy Nelson (Let There Be Drums, Teen Beat) but his heart was into the twanging guitars such as Duane Eddy. He recorded for Radio, Era and made a revisit of his only top 100 single for Tower Records but most of his recordings were singles for Imperial Records. Fun stuff but you'll never hear it played on the radio.
2) Rock Island Line-The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group (London 45-1650) 1956 #8
Skiffle music was the punk rock of the 1950s and basically homemade instruments and cardboard boxes served as wonderful noisemakers. Donegan was quite popular in the UK, not so much in the US tho' he did score a number 8 record on London Records, home of Stanley Black and Montovani. Lonnie did incorporate folk songs and put them under his name, but this song is better known as a Ledbelly song. As with B side John Henry.
3) She Knows-Bobby Darin (Atlantic 45-2433) 1967
Bobby Darin at Atlantic phase 2 was Bobby getting into the folk rock music scene tho' b side Talk To The Animals he returns back to swinging jazz. She Knows didn't chart, it was written by the Bonner/Gordon songwriters that gave us Happy Together, She's My Girl from The Turtles and a few others. In some ways, this does seem to be stale attempt to rewrite Happy Together. Darin does give his all, but the results simply weren't of a memorable song.
4) Okefenokee/Kookie Kat-Freddy Cannon (Swan 4038OK) 1959 #43
Life as a child was full of Freddy Cannon songs. Okefenokee was a top ten best seller on the regional markets but not so much on the Billboard, peaking at number 43. Kookie Hat has The Chipmunks adding backing vocals and goofy fun. Well, not the David Seville Chipmunks but Bob Crewe having fun with slowed down voices. I still love this forgotten piece of history that should have made it on a Freddy Cannon best of.
5) Black Slacks-Joe Bennett And The Sparkletones (ABC Paramount 45-9837) 1957 #17
Funny thing about rockabilly music is that they kept it simple and fun. Yeah the B B B B B B Black Slacks lead off track doesn't take much thought to sing, but I can't do the B B B B B myself and mindless fun is a hell of a lot better than Radiohead anyday. And I suppose it shows my age to enjoy such rockabilly nonsense of Black Slacks. I think my mom had this in her record collection years ago. And I did find a decent copy for a dollar too.
6) Guitar Boogie Shuffle-The Virtues (Hunt H-324) 1959 #5
Another interesting record my mom had was this instrumental by The Virtues, a garage rock guitar band, who's other hit was (guess) Guitar Boogie Shuffle Twist. They sure love Arthur "Guitar" Smith for sure. B side was Guitars In Orbit. They also loved The Ventures, tho' Walk Don't Run didn't come out till a year later.
7) Stick Shift-Duals (Sue 745) 1961 #25
Could black people make cool surf and turf songs? Yeah, they did. Henry Ballinger was the main writer of this song. Originally on Star Revue, Sue Records picked this up for distribution, that label was specialized in R and B and jazz and home to Ike And Tina Turner and Jimmy McGriff. Collectibles later reissued the Duals' sole album and it remains a guilty pleasure. The followup, Cha Cha Guitars failed to dent the charts. One final single, The Big Race (Infinity INX-032) is a rare single that collectors are on the lookout for. The Big Race can be on You Tube, which has more in common with The Trashmen, vocals by Ronnie Bennett. B side Oozy Groove can be found on You Tube as well. The Ventures did record their own version of Stick Shift, but the Duals win flat out with their more rougher and rowdier version. The Star Revue version of Stick Shift is different than the Sue version.
8) Long Green-The Fireballs (Atco 45-6681) 1968 #73 1969
The last charting single, The Fireball's Atco career was more folk rock driven than the surf rockers they did for Top Rank, or the Dot pop single of Sugar Shack, but they had grit in their music with Bottle Of Wine and the original take on Say I Am (What I Am) which Tommy James had the bigger hit. Think Long Green as Louie Louie with different words.
9) I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me-James Brown (King 45-6144) 1967 #28
James Brown could find a groove with any band he picked up, and on this steamy soul cooker, Soul Brother number 1 got a decent white band laying it down, (Tim Drummond is playing bass and Bill Bowman is playing drums) Some copies of this song as a two part 45. And others had the B side There Was A Time that charted at number 36 in 1968. I rarely see any James Brown 45s while out looking for 45s, but this estate sale had a few others. Funky tough, I defy anybody to keep that beat for 7:22.
10) Ain't Too Proud To Beg-The Rolling Stones (Rolling Stones RS-19302) 1974 #17
The Stones could do good Motown and I still enjoy this version, classic rock radio doesn't play this as much, which is fine by me. Somehow the B side Dance Little Sister would find a spot on the Made In The Shade best of, but Ain't Too Proud To Beg is rarely seen on a best of.
11) Junior's Farm-Wings (Apple 1875) #5 1974
Paul McCartney is better known for Silly Love Songs but once in a while he can come up with a rocking number such as this single release and of course Helen Wheels and Rock Show. B side Sally G (#17) is a country hoot. But Junior's Farm is one of the toughest rockers Macca ever came up with.
12) I Call My Baby STP-The Del-Vetts (Dunwich D-142) 1966
The find of the trip. The Del Vetts were like Paul Revere and The Raiders, they could do corny car songs and they can rock out (Last Time Around). The double entre of STP is there, but at that time, it was a promotion for a gunky oil formula that was supposed to get more miles out of your car but in the process gum up at the same time. For the ones whose minds are stuck in the gutter, you could call it Super Tight Pussy (STP get it?!) and for all intent purposes, it's about the guy's car. Or is it?
13) Clancy (Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing)-fever tree (Uni 55172) 1969
One of these bands that I never gotten into. They had a minor hit with San Francisco Girls (#91 1968) but this Buffalo Springfield remake got little airplay. Not a great song by any means but at least Buffalo Springfield's version is more memorable.
14) Rockin' My Life Away-Jerry Lee Lewis (Elektra E-46050) 1979
Jerry Lee Lewis would have loved to been known as the King Of Rock N Roll and had he not married his 13 year old cousin he might have had that come true, tho' Little Richard and Elvis would concur. He did make a nice living on the country charts but somehow rock radio ignored him after 1973. Which is a shame of course. This song George Thorogood would get FM airplay but this would have fitted in nicely on rock radio, if rock radio had a open mind. In his 80s, Jerry Lee doesn't tour very often but he's in the company of great musicians when he does. Kenny Aoronoff has been drumming for the Killer this year. If you're going rock, get yourself a rock drummer. Jerry Lee still means business, even though his classic music is years behind him. But at least he's still alive.
