Phil Spector, Mark Keds

 Death never takes a day off.  People die before being born again, or so it seems.  Here's a tale of two people, connected by music and redeemed by death.

Phil Spector, with his back to mono wall of sound is well known.  Beginning with the Teddy Bears' To Know Is To Love Him, the b side Don't You Worry My Little Pet, showed what Phil could do with a simple song, he added tons of backing vocals to make the song one of the first songs that I have connected in my life.  The Do Woppa Wanna over the female vocals, this wasn't your throwaway song and it would figured into the production of Spector's hits later on. 

Spector was a producer as well, producing Johnny Nash' World Of Tears for ABC Paramount, The Spectors Three I Know Why for 3 Trey but also Spanish Harlem by Ben E King for Atlantic and a few others before starting up Phillies with Lester Sill.  The Wall of Sound was born from the Ronettes with Be My Baby, and Spector using the finest musicians in LA known as the Wrecking Crew.  An Orchestra within the studio and just about any instrument that Phil could use all the way down to the caskenets (sic). Spector could arrange the hell out of a song and make it sound for the ages.  Best producer ever in the era of mono recordings.

Nevertheless, he viewed himself as a genius and he could be ruthless.  John Lennon called him the best producer ever, but Spector didn't do The Beatles any favors by adding way too much Orchestra on The Long And Winding Road, to which Paul McCartney revisited that album by editing out Spector's over the top arrangements for Let It Be Naked.  Spector hooked up with Leonard Cohen for 1977's Death Of A Ladies Man, an album that Cohen hated so much, he never bothered to used those songs for his live performances (note: Cohen did sing Memories but he called that album Grotesque .   Spector went all the way out to make Ike and Tina Turner's River Deep Mountain High into an album for the ages and when it bombed, Spector was never quite the same.  Perhaps the strangest album was him producing End Of The Century for the Ramones.  Contrary to rumor Spector never did hold the Ramones as hostage as any time to complete the record.

His weird behavior got the best of him and he could never finish an album.  Starsailor made him co producer but he only produced two songs from the Silence Is Easy album.   When he shot Lana Clarkson, he went to jail for her murder in 2009 and would remain in jail, till COVID took him out Saturday.  He was 81.

In my view, Phil Spector is the best producer due to the hits of the 60s and his profound influence on Brian Wilson.    He may have been in complete control of the artist, but he knew what sound to get, plus with a great array of L A musicians, he was mostly hands off to them.  Tho Leonard Cohen hated the album he was working with Spector, Death Of A Ladies Man is still a listenable record, likewise End Of The Century.  Spector may have missed the mark on the Cohen, Ramones albums but you might want to take a listen to Yoko Ono's Season Of Glass to which he worked on.  He did make Yoko sound fairly good.

Mark Myers (Keds) was the singer for Senseless Things, a 1990s UK band that made three albums, the best was The First Of Too Many, a CD that I found for a dollar twenty five at Only Deals.  Part shoe gaze and part UK oddity (like Ned's Atomic Dustbin) both NAD and ST shared Jessica Corcoran as producer.  The First Of Too Many was all over the place and at 16 songs may have gone on a bit too long, but Senseless Things had some decent background singer.  They had a minor hit with Best Friend and Got It At The Delmar could have fit in on alternative radio back in 1991.  The followup record Empire Of The Senseless tried to rock harder and didn't convince anybody and Sony UK gave Senseless Things the heave ho.    Mark Keds passed on January 10 at age 50 from an undisclosed causes.   He may have overdosed.   Below a great tribute to Mark from this link. 

https://wildeyemusic.wordpress.com/2021/01/12/mark-keds-rip/?fbclid=IwAR0o0ymcPgTp7wTGt3FCaUz7_II__68nUnQvRiTO7rrJ7RgG1ETYJZuU06E

Ben Harding (From Facebook)

Dear Friends,

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we have to tell you that, sadly, Mark - our singer, friend and main songwriter - is no longer with us. We understand that he passed away at his home during the early hours of this morning. As yet, the cause of death is unconfirmed.

It’s no secret that he had struggled on and off with drug abuse and a pretty chaotic lifestyle for a long while, and his health suffered substantially over the years due to this. While this had sometimes created friction within the on-off workings of Senseless Things and his other projects, we choose to remember the friend, the brother and the talent we’ve lost today.

Mark was truly passionate about his musical calling and he used it with a fierce determination - from establishing a way of touring and playing gigs - one where nobody felt excluded - to including explicit, outspoken political content in our songs (and insisting on releasing them, even at the cost of commercial suicide and record company dismay).

His greatest talent, though, was in exploring the everyday fucked-upness and absolute, unbounded joy of one-to-one relationships; of love, lust, loss, anger, grief and the ecstasy of the ordinary. That particular talent remained undimmed.

He was a remarkably prolific songwriter - and remained so through every incarnation - with an amazing ear for melody, churning out punk-pop hit-after-hit at his peak. Senseless Things would frequently work up three new songs per rehearsal and chuck them into the next gig, usually the following night. He carried that talent on through Jolt, the Lams, Trip Fontaine and, most recently, Deadcuts - all of whom will be feeling his loss at least as keenly as we do now.

Mark, particularly as a young man, had a virulent thirst and passion for culture and knowledge. He devoured books, film and other people’s music and passed them on to us and others, and referenced so much of it in his own work. It was Mark who took charge of our fan communications in the early years, spending days and days writing to people and organising gigs (and places to crash afterwards), making friends for life in the process.

He was beloved across the country, from Inverness to Plymouth, from Ipswich to Aberystwyth, and across the world, from Tokyo to California. It’s his passion and lust for life that will stick with us, and we’re truly thankful (we know Mark was, too) that we all got to do it properly one last time at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in 2017.

We love you, Mark. It seems cliched to say ‘gone too soon’, but damn, it’s true. He was only 50. It’s no fucking age to die. Our love and thoughts go out to his friends, his family, his loved ones and the ones who loved him.

We’ll be in touch with any further information/details as and when we receive it.

Mark Keds / Myers / Hammerton - Rest In Peace. Burn Bright, Ponyboy.

Love Ben, Cass and Morgan x

Also, Don Miller, vocalist for the Vogues passed away on Jan 10,2021 from natural causes. He was 80.  The Vogues are best known for Five O Clock World and the lush harmonies of Turn Around Look At Me, and Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye.

Waterloo-Independence Finds

 What was found 1/12/2021

The Riverside Records Story

K T Oslin-Greatest Hits: Songs From An Aging Sex Bomb

Elvis Presley-Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite 

Duke Ellington's Greatest Hits

A Créole Christmas 

Wicked Swing

The Blues Brothers-Definitive Collection

Monty Python Instant Record Collection

Ahmad Jarmel- Ahmad's Blues

Four Trombones-The Debut Recordings

They Sang Praises 

Martha Reeves/Vandellas-Ultimate Collection

The first fifteen days in January and I already found about 25 cds and box sets.  Funny how we can never have enough time to find the time to listen to what I have, I need to find more.  And I know someday soon my car is going to rebel against me and my bargain hunting ways of places an hour away.  And usually Waterloo ranks up there with the most disappointing, tho I do think the last couple times I got lucky.  

With St Vinnies a memory, Goodwill and Money and More are the two places i frequent.  And then Independence, which Goodwill store has a big surprising bunch of decent CDs and Lps.  For 45's, nothing was found, the Crossroads Goodwill is always a bust and the University Goodwill, they moved the CDs over to the other side of the building.  The Grateful Dead's Terrapin Station was the only thing that looked interesting but I didn't pick it up.  The Indee Goodwill had a sealed copy of Interstate Gospel from the Pistol Annies but I didn't care for it when I first bought it and then donated it.  But I have noticed a lot more jazz CDs have been popping up, to which Ahmad Jarmal is always welcomed and the Four Trombones on Debut would be a interesting listen as well.  But I sat there and debated if the Pistol Annies should be bought again, the Goodwill guy informed me that they close at 7 and he was gracious enough for me to have an extra ten minutes.  The tip off should have been them turning the radio off at 6:50, but of course they had the insufferable KDAT on (even up there, they listen to that shit station) and somebody at KDAT knows that I'm a hostage when I go into these places.  They had to play that fucking A Ha Take on Me song.  Corporate radio sucks.

Since the passing of K T Oslin, I decided that I needed to get her album to see what the fuss was about.  I wasn't that big of a fan when her songs made country radio in the 1980s, namely Hold Me, or 80s Ladies. And to be honest, she was more MOR soft rock than country, plus having Glen Ballard's name on the production, that didn't get her into my good graces either.  The record gets better, when K T goes uptempo like Hey Bobby or You Can't Do That.  Like Restless Heart's Greatest Hits, it gets you a good example of how she sings, if Restless Heart was watered down Pure Prairie League, KT is more like Phoebe Snow or, to a lesser extent, Melissa Manchester.   Like Restless Heart, I may forget about it and file it away before donating it back to Goodwill, or I may revisit it again.

Money N More, the Pawnshop of choice, somebody bought in two tubs of like new and sealed CDs of varying degree and for a quarter a piece, the worth of the trip in itself, but finding the 4 CD boxset Riverside Records Story, part of a series of boxsets that Fantasy put out in the 1990s to take advantage of the CD era, that was in full swing back then.  Box sets are too expensive, too exhausting and are certified dust collectors, but I somehow managed to acquire some of the box sets that Fantasy put out, most of them from FYE as cutouts, the Prestige, Debut and Specialty sets full of forgotten faves but the Riverside box set was a luxury, to which I couldn't pass up.  A sealed copy that cost a dollar.  In this day and age while collectors have abandoned their CD collections in favor of going back to vinyl, the CD finds have been beyond belief.   Most of the sealed stuff were BMG and Columbia House copies, I tend to shy away from them, except if they're off an album that is hard to find.  The Motown Story, was a 2 CD BMG product but I already had that one, and the Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley Chess best ofs, were Columbia House product.  The last two I already had.  They had plenty of Hawaiian music, a lot of opera or new age crapola Pure Moods volumes 1 through 3, and plenty of gospel numbers, to which They Sang Praises is a gospel compilation from the Gospel Spirit series from Columbia, and plenty of big band music too, Wicked Swing was the one I picked.  And, wouldn't you know it, another Ken Burns Jazz condensed version from the 5 CD box set, that I found at Stuff Etc last week and played most of that album on the way to and back from Waterloo.  Wasn't much for rock, I did find the 1973 Hawaii show to compliment the alternative version of outtakes that I found last year.  In fact another Elvis comp, Elvis By The Presleys was found close by last week as well, plus the High Fidelity DVD. I could probably live without that comp but since it was only 2 dollars, I figure if nothing else I can always put it in my mom's collection next time I visit her.  A Creole Christmas (Epic 1990) updates the New Orleans sound for the digital age (electric drums? Not exactly creole like) and by the numbers remakes of the Christmas Classics. Luther Kent's Came Upon A Midnight Clear put me to sleep. Only Frankie Ford and Allen Toussaint and Dr John added enough effort to their songs to make me at least listen to this one more time before Santa comes.  

Upon listening to the Elvis In Hawaii, it's Elvis live 1973, for better or worse.  Elvis goes through his rock and roll song in Ramones like time, (under two minutes tho he goes all out on Big Hunk O Love). The grandiose over the top versions of My Way and of course American Trilogy shows his pompous sides and it's debatable if the lineup of James Burton and Ronnie Tutt and the rest were better than the Scotty, Bill, DJ band.  Elvis at this point went all out all the time and probably put off more rock and rollers with the OTT TCB band.  I certainly doubt had Elvis lived on, he would return to his rock n roll roots, he would have stayed Vegas anyway.  Elvis the balladeer, pop act never did much for me and his Little Richard covers, were no match for Mr. Penniman, who may have been the REAL THING.  Till Elvis's 1977 passing I kept interest just to see where his rock and roll may live.  His last album Moody Blue was a mess with his Kung Fu pucking around on Little Darlin and other live versions of that hodge podge album.  He could rock Let Me Be There tho.  Aloha from Hawaii, tends to disappoint rather than thrill me, but once THE KING got to rock out, then I paid attention.

Los Jinites is gone, replaced by Mr. Pete's Mexican Grill in downtown Independence.  They didn't serve the bean dip that Los Jinites was good for and the salsa was a bit runny, but the waitress was kind and the encheladitas (sic) meal was edible.  Not much of a crowd tho, it was quite dead on a Monday Night. But it didn't give me Montezuma's Revenge. 

Sylvain Sylvain

Sylvain Sylvain Mizrahi

Rest In Peace

February 14, 1951 ~ January 13, 2021

As most of you know, Sylvain battled cancer for the past two and 1/2 years. Though he fought it valiantly, yesterday he passed away from this disease. While we grieve his loss, we know that he is finally at peace and out of pain. Please crank up his music, light a candle, say a prayer and let’s send this beautiful doll on his way.

Please read this letter written for Syl by Lenny Kaye

SYL: An Appreciation

Lenny Kaye

Sylvain Sylvain, the heart and soul of the New York Dolls, bearer of the Teenage News, passed into his next astral incarnation on Wednesday, January 13, 2021.

Syl loved rock and roll.   His onstage joy, his radiant smile as he chopped at his guitar, revealed the sense of wonder he must have felt at the age of 10, emigrating from his native Cairo with his family in 1961, the ship pulling into New York Harbor and seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time.

It was he who looked across Lexington Ave. and saw the sign for the New York Doll hospital.   Syl and a high school friend, Billy Murcia, were in the rag trade then, the aptly named Truth and Soul, handknit sweaters with a side of rockattitude.  Hooking up with another classmate, John Genzale, and then, as bands will, Arthur Kane, and David Johansen, and Jerry Nolan, they became a quasar in the rock firmament; embodying trash, glam, garage-to-punk, the ambisexual affirmation of music played louder.

His role in the band was as lynchpin, keeping the revolving satellites of his bandmates in precision.  Though he tried valiantly to keep the band going, in the end the Dolls’ moral fable overwhelmed them, not before seeding an influence that would engender many rock generations yet to come.

The New York Dolls heralded the future, made it easy to dance to.  From the time I first saw their poster appear on the wall of Village Oldies in 1972, advertising a residency at the Mercer Hotel up the street, throughout their meteoric ascent and shooting star flame-out, the New York Dolls were the heated core of this music we hail, the band that makes you want to form a band.

Syl never stopped.   In his solo lifeline, he was welcomed all over the world, from England to Japan, but most of all the rock dens of New York City, which is where I caught up with him a couple of years ago at the Bowery Electric.  Still Syl.  His corkscrew curls, tireless bounce, exulting in living his dream, asking the crowd to sing along, and so we will. His twin names, mirrored, becomes us.

Thank you Sylvain x 2, for your heart, belief, and the way you whacked that E chord.  Sleep Baby Doll

.(taken from Sylvain FB Page)

Sylvain Sylvain was the heart and soul of the New York Dolls, the connection between that and the best of David JoHansen's solo albums.  He made a solo album that I bought and will have to hear again.

Upon tonight, I managed to watch a You Tube movie about the reunion of the NY Dolls in 2004, which focused on Arthur (killer) Kane, the bass player who turned to the Mormon Religion to set himself straight around 1989.  Kane was the bad ass bass player, along with the Heroin addicts and doomed rockers Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, the Original Toxic Twins.   The movie is called New York Doll and it shows Kane reuniting the the remaining NY Dolls, egged on by Morrissey, who is credited for getting them back together.  After the 2004 London show, Kane, got leukemia and passed away 22 days later.  Kane talked about reconciling with the band.  The first person to hug him was Sylvain Sylvain.  New York Doll is a must watch.

It took me a good thirty years to reconnect with the NY Dolls music.  And of course, the first two NY Dolls albums are their legacy.  The only band compared would be Aerosmith, but Aerosmith was polish rock and roll compared to the Dolls, The Dolls was a trainwreck in the making.  But the Dolls unknowingly started up the punk rock revolution in the UK.    

With the success of the 2004 reunion, Johansen and Sylvan, with help with Sami Jaffi, former bass player for Hanoi Rocks taking over for Kane, made a surprising good One Day It Will Please Us To Even Remember This (which disappeared after it's release, being on Roadrunner instead of Morrissey's Attack Records one reason why it failed) and follow up Cuz I Sez so, had decent moments but it turned out to be NY Dolls all grown up, with Todd Rundgren producing this, his first time since the debut.  Once Jaffi left, their last album Dancing Backward In High Heels was garbage.  If they were the Rolling Stones, this was their Bridges To Babylon. 

But Sylvain was a remarkable person.  The best David Johansen albums has Sylvan playing.  Alas, he had been fighting against cancer since April 2019 and it finally claimed him on Thursday Jan 14.  He was 69.  

Singles Going Steady 70-The Finding Of Motown Record 1052

 A new year begins.  Alas, 2021 already claimed a few people, namely Floyd Little, famed Denver Broncos RB and Carma Lou Beck, former owner of Carma Lou's House Of Music in Cedar Rapids, who passed away on Jan 4 from a long illness.  That same day, my Dad celebrated his 82nd birthday.  To which he got a card and a bag of Kit Kats.  Life and death.  And it will be that way in 2021.  

But in this life, the music and bargain hunts continue.  Starting with going through Iowa City/Coralville and Half Price Books in Marion   I found a some leftover 45s from the Coralville Goodwill, a couple from Shops By The Wapsi and my sweetheart taking a chance of a record that I have been looking for but didn't think I could find, Eddie Holland's Leaving Here (Motown 1052).  To be honest, I could have gotten the single any time on Ebay, but I haven't done EBAY in over 10 years.  It is tempting to bid once again, only to be disappointed by the last minute bidder who jacks the price up automatically. To which I have said hell with that and them and go take chances at the junk stores in the state or Madison.  I certainly didn't expect my girlfriend to buy it via Ebay for like 8.97 plus 12 dollars shipping and handling.  But she aimed to please.  So I complimented her on her judgement and took it home to play.

If it was up to me, I would have passed.  But then again, the label looked to seen better days.  To my surprise, outside of a scratch in the first few bars, the record played clean.  I do have this on the 25 Hard To Find Motown Hits Volume 3 and Holland's It Moves Me, to which Ace Music issued years ago, but hearing this on vinyl is a delight.  Motown is supposed to be played on scratchy records.  That's why we seldom see any Motown records that haven't been played to death.  Still, Leaving Here might be the fastest Motown song ever, even Eddie Holland said the song went too fast.  But The Who and Motorhead took notice.  

For the most part,  Leaving Here is the best of the batch of songs found, tho War (Edwin Starr), the other Motown hit comes close.   When I revisited the Coralville Goodwill, two months after finding a whole batch of ole 45s, only 3 that I left behind, I did buy.  Shops On The Wapsi had a few, and Half Price Books had a couple of novelty songs.  Nothing to write home about I suppose but I hope the next finds will be a bit more rewarding.   It's a new year, let's go looking.

(photo from The Crabb Music Emporium-Leaving Here on the box) 

1)   Leaving Here-Eddie Holland (Motown 1052)  #76  1963

Motown soul but it has roots in the beginnings of Brit rock and roll.  I don't think I had this as a 45 growing up, tho I remember we had a Motown single but thought it was the Supremes that did that song.  If I did have it back then I would have remembered it.   Holland is part of the Holland/Dozier/Holland production team that worked wonders for The Supremes, The Four Tops and many others, but Eddie defer the production to Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier and even they can't believe how fast this song goes.  B side Brenda is okay but the tempo is night and day.  B side is more rougher than Leaving Here, however, there's not a pop or scratch at the end of Leaving Here.  I'll hang on to this, till I can find another copy. 

2)   War-Edwin Starr (Gordy G-7101)  #2  1970

From the mind of Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, War is an very angry soul song about the evils of war, but Whifield's arrangements are quite complicated from a percussionist point of view.  Just like the bass to The Temptations' Papa Was A Rolling Stone, which either Bob Babbit or James Jamerson can repeat that riff for 12 and a half minutes.   War was so successful that Strong/Whitfield came up with Stop The War Now, which borrows more from Sly and the Family Stone, and not as good.  B side He Who Picks A Rose returns us back to the Motown beat of the late 60s   The Motown Memories has both War/Stop The War Now.  The Gordy single is used for the M.M. issue.

3)   Volare-Bobby Rydell (Cameo C-179)    #4 1960

Most known as the fart song from Hollywood Knights, (Newbomb Turk had the right idea).  It's easy to rip one after Bobby sings out VOLARIE (Blappppp) Oh Whoa whoa (Blappp), you get the picture.  I remember laughing my butt off when I saw that at the drive in years ago and it still brings a smile to my face when I hear it.   Rydell was one of the more mocked teen idols of the 60's like labelmate Fabian or Frankie Avalon and the smugness might have been Bobby's undoing.  My mom did have a Bobby Rydell's Greatest Hits (and I'm surprised the old man didn't use it as a frisbee),  I did like Wild One and the forgotten b side You'll Never Tame Me, which Elvis wouldn't be caught dead covering it, but I liked it fine.   Volare is silly finger popping fun, but don't play it in front of a rock n roll crowd.  B side I'd Do It Again, co written by Clint Ballad Jr. and Fred Tobias (the guy behind Born Too Late by the Poni Tails and The Keymen's Miss You), typical teen pap. 

4)   How High The Moon-Les Paul/Mary Ford (Capitol F-1451)  1951

Les probably didn't know it, but he sowed the seeds of what would be rock and roll but at that time it was more jazz. Fellow record collectors say that the reissue of How High The Moon backed with Josephine (F1675) came out in 1953, to which we'll take their word that it was the Starline series. B side to the 1451 single is Walkin and Whistling Blues, a Les Paul guitar showcase.

5)   Cowboy Boots-Dave Dudley (Golden Ring  GR-3030)  1963

Interesting note:  Dave recorded for Golden Wing, till Mercury Records caught wind of the Golden Wing name (they had a side label Wing) and threatened to sue, so the name was changed to Golden Ring.  Which would be Dave's last single before he moved over to (where else?) Mercury Records.  Makes you wonder if they would have put Dave on Wing if they known the irony.   Cowboy Boots does have the same guitar riff leading off like it did on Six Days On The Road.   Dave recorded for King/Starday for a time before moving over some small Minnesota labels.   B side Think I'll cheat a little tonight is nothing to write home about.  One of three leftovers from Coralville that nobody wanted. Recording is so so.

6)   Feel So Fine-Johnny Preston (Mercury 71651-X45)  #14 1960

A tale of two Lees. Feel So Fine written by Leonard Lee and recorded by Shirley And Lee and the b side I'm Starting To Go Steady by Roye Lee, a country songwriter.   Feel So Fine was published by Big Bopper Music as well. Feel So Fine is not what I would expect from Johnny Preston who is best known for Running Bear (which J P Richardson did write and produce),   B side I'm Starting To Go Steady is better suited for Bobby Rydell.

7)   Big Chair-Billy Storm (Columbia 4-41431)   1959

I think we had a Billy Storm single in the big box of Grandma Ambrose's records and I'm guessing this one might have been the song, or perhaps his I've Come Of Age, his only top 30 single. Billy had a hell of a voice, he can sing angelic one minute and then down right low vocal as evidenced by Big Chair.  Has that wonderful Columbia echo that makes these songs sound better.

8)   Hambone-Phil Harris (RCA 47-4584)  1952

With the Bell Sisters, this is a goofy song tho I'm familiar with Tennessee Ernie Ford's version and Red Saunders' version with The Hambone Kids.  Bell Sisters did record 11 sides for RCA in the 50s but of the three Hambone songs out there, this one was the silliest.  B side Mama's On The Warpath is more fun I think.  And very risqué for 1952.

9)   Bring Back The Thrill-Don Cherry (Decca 9-27484)  1951

In the style of the crooners like Frankie, Deano and Al Martino, Cherry did wonders with the #4 Band Of Gold for Ray Conniff and Columbia but I don't dig this mellowness of this song.  Not my kind of music.  Neither is the B side. 

10)  I'm Available-Margie Rayburn (Liberty F-55102)  #9  1957

The surprise of these 45's is how mellow and swinging this song is.  I'm thinking this song managed to score on the country charts as well.  One of those 45's that Half Price Books had that nobody wanted.  Kinda like the Volare single for Mr. Swing Rydell.  B side If You Where was written by Ross Bagdorgian or David Seville as he's better known.  Passable.

11)  If You Love Me (let me know)-Olivia Newton-John (MCA 40209)  #5 1974

The second song that Mike Sammes that sang the bass part that help ONJ find her way back to the top 5, tho Let Me Be There was fun.  Both songs still written by the same person (John Rostill) and both songs did tickle the country charts as well.  Of course, all good things come to an end, Olivia would go muzak lush on us with the odious I Honestly Love You and the slightly less annoying Please Mister Please.   I never really thought much of Olivia's music, but I guess the past has brought back some decent memories of her music.  I think this was one of Irene Leeson's favorite songs. 

This week's finds on CDs.

Neil Diamond All Time Greatest Hits (Capitol)

Otis Redding/Carla Thomas: The King And Queen 

Roy Acuff-American Music Legends (Cracker Barrel) 

Sons Of The Pioneers-RCA Collection

Hank Snow-RCA Collection

Fats Domino-All Time Greatest Hits (Curb)

The Kingston Trio-Stay Awhile

David Cassidy/Partridge Family-Definite Collection

Sgt Barry Sadler-Ballad Of The Green Berets 

At this rate, if I keep finding 8 cds per week, I'll have 416 in the collection.  The Otis and Carla CD will complete my Otis Redding album collection.   Tracy Deaton is responsible for me getting The Partridge Family best of.  The Sgt Barry Sadler and Kingston Trio CDs are oddities, at one time, Collector's Choice issued all of their Captiol albums but the Decca records were thrown out on the Folk Era label, who got me to add a few Chat Mitchell Trio CDs to the collection.   I have found a couple of the CCM/Capitol reissues at the Coralville Goodwill.  The Barry Sadler CD has been reissued via Real Gone Music; Gordon Anderson did oversee the reissues at CCM and done a great job reissuing over there.  At Real Gone, he's more selective and the titles go out of print more often than not, but usually anything from RGM or CCM is worth picking up.  Pawn Plus in Iowa City had the Roy Acuff/Sons Of The Pioneers/Hank Snow for fifty cents each.  I really didn't need the Neil Diamond or Fats Domino, but I don't have a single cd of Fats' greatest hits and tho' it's on the dreaded Curb label, they are the Imperial recordings. Mike Curb is a total douchenozzle, so the only you should buy a Curb album is to find it at the junk shoppe.   I do need to cut back on my bargain excursions, I still have yet to get to Kiss Revenge and Music From The Elder, from when I bought them at the Shops By The Wapsi Antique Mall.   Nevertheless, I do believe that 21 will be a good year for more bargains.