April Finds at Half Price Books

CD

The American Breed-Bend Me Shape Me

Carlene Carter-I Fell In Love

Los Lonely Boys-Sacred

Weather Report-Mysterious Traveler 

Bob Dylan-Blonde On Blonde 

45's

Half Breed-Cher (MCA-40102) #1 1973

Misery-Soul Asylum (Columbia 77959)  #20 1995

Burning Heart-Vandenberg (Atco  7-99947)  #39 1982

Stepping Out On You-Jimmie Skinner (Mercury 70792)  1956

Every spring, there's a record sale on 29th street in Marion.  To which the guy puts out a very interesting collection and lots of records.  I'm not sure if he used to have a record store or perhaps, is a picker at the thrift stores in town.  I went there in 2017 and found a few off the wall 45s and made off a haul.  Perhaps he knows me too well as a record collector or hoarder.  He had some great behind the counter 45s but he said they were not for sale and steered me toward the big box of 500 records he was selling for 50 dollars or ten cents a record.  No cherry picking.  To which I took a peak, turned up my nose and went on my merry way to Goodwill to pick up a couple of CDs.

The 45s found were from Half Price Books, the Marion location that doesn't showcase museum records.  My thought is this....I'll be happy to find and acquire single records when I see them and if they are in good shape.  Buying in balk doesn't benefit me, it takes up space of unwanted 45s and I will donate them to St. Vinnies or Goodwill.  500 records for 50 dollars might be a good day if you throw in something of value, perhaps I should have stacked the Lavern Baker 45 I was looking at and then try to get away with that. Outside of So You Wanna Be A Rock And Roll Star, I wasn't impressed with what I seen, too much pop, too much hack country and way too many records that have seen better days.  You can't bullshit a record collector.   I'll support whatever record sales that I seen around town, I'm sure I'll be back in another four years, but I don't think 45s sell as well as albums.  I would have made another buying exception for We Ain't Got Nothing Yet from Blues Magoos.  But in the end, it's your inventory and my money, and my money still spends good elsewhere.  

I don't see a lot of 45s in the 1990s, a very rare and usually they are jukebox copies.  Which explains why I found Soul Asylum's Misery which made number 20 on the charts in 95 but you never hear it on the radio.  I love the hook Frustrated Incorporated as the tag line.  I had Grave Dancer's Union a couple times on CD but never thought it was worth keeping around.  Probably why I never bothered to get the follow up Let Your Dim Light Shine.  B side is a punk rock raver but I can't read the title (Hope) . A cover of the Descendants song.  It made the Japan edition of the album.  I had Burning Heart as a single years ago, and it is one of the best hard rock ballads of the 80s.  Not sure if Razor N Tie stuck it on one of those metal ballads they were famous for at that time.   B side Burning For You was a passable hard rocker.

In this day and age of cancel culture, you don't hear Cher's Half Breed on the radio anymore but it is one of her better numbers during the early 70s with Snuff Garrett producing.  Stepping Out On You is Jimmie's first Mercury single and is 100 percent pure hillbilly. The Billboard review gave it a B plus.  I'm a sucker for this type of country western.  Record shows its age but plays pretty good.

A shame I couldn't get Tweedle Dee. 

Still, if I can't get the seller to open up his 45's vault, I know there's other places to keep me going with cheap music. 

I managed to score season 5 1 and 2 of Perry Mason  for binge watching, and somebody donated some rock CDs over at the Goodwill.  I did held myself away from picking up Skynyrd's Inners' but the temptation was too strong not to pick up Blonde On Blonde for the third time.   I had issues with Dylan's singing style on this album, but the songs are top rate.  The Best Of American Breed is compared with The Buckingham in horn driven pop, but Bend Me Shape Me is their calling card.  Did you know that Ready Willing and Able was used for a Partridge Wieners radio spot?  If you had the Oh Yeah, best of Dunwich Records Volume 1 album on Sundazed, you would know that, and if you do, you'll have a hell of a ear worm too. It's hard to believe this band would eventually morph into Rufus with Chuka Kahn later on.  

I tend to think I Fell In Love was Carlene's best album, at 38 minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome and Carter along with the doomed Howie Epstein managed to balance her Rockpile rockabilly and Carter Family country.  Anything with Albert Lee on guitar is worth hearing.  I still think it's better than Little Love Letters simply of the fact it keeps Carter in check.  Which means her last Giant effort Little Acts Of Treason is next on the list to review, but Hindsight 20/20 is the best overview, despite the overabundance of ballads.  Easy From Now On is a underrated classic that does end I Fell In Love and H 20/20 on a grand note.

Los Lonely Boys' Sacred was the followup to their break out debut.  They loved Stevie Ray Vaughn and Santana and it shows.  Willie Nelson appears on Outlaws.  The preaching gets a little tiring after a while and maybe the Garza brothers didn't have staying power but this album has moments of pleasurable listening.   

Weather Report has always been a band that has frustrated me on record.  The classic lineup of Joe Zunwail, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius and Peter Erkstine made it clear that they were a better band live than in the studio.  This 1974 effort  has Alphonso Johnson playing bass rather than Jaco and Zunwail dominates the album with free form new age space jazz.  The mix is weird sounding and Scarlet Woman is quite mysterious.  Heavy Weather may be the next Weather Report LP to check out if and when I get in the mood but this is the album, thanks to Alphonso Johnson that shows that the fretless bass made this band sound quite unique.  

Scotch Grove Flea Market Finds

(TP Dickens took this photo on a sunny day, which wasn't the case for me today, this was the entrance to a couple of the places open for the flea market) 

I have not done many flea markets all that much.   But Scotch Grove has one every year this time and I figured I'd go and see what they have.  It was a crappy day to be out, it rained all day and some of the vendors were in open aired barns that made the bargain hunt that much fun and dirty too.  But in the end, I was quite surprised of what I find.  More dusty and scratchy records.

Toys-Eileen Barton  (Coral 9-61057)  #21 1953

Wayward Of The Wagons-Bill Hayes (ABC Paramount 9785)  #33 1957

I Found Love-Jackie Wilson with Linda Hopkins (Brunswick 55224)  #93 1962

Got A Date With An Angel-Billy Williams (Coral 61886)  #78 1957

I'm Sorry I Made You Cry-Connie Francis (MGM 13647)  #36 1958

Yes, Tonight Josephine-Johnny Ray (Columbia 4-40893) #12 1957

From A Jack To A King-Ned Miller (Fabor 114) #6 1962

Sukiyaki-Kyu Sakamoto (Capitol 4945)  #1 1963

Ridin' The Wind-The Tornadoes (RGM/London 9581) #63 1963

Hit Record-Brook Benton (Mercury 71962)  #45 1962

A Million Miles From Nowhere-Brook Benton (Vik 4X-311)  #82 1958

What Did I Do-Rink Harden (Jubilee 9-1001)  1961

From Me To You-Del Shannon (Big Top 3152)  #77 1963

You're The Reason-Hank Locklin (RCA 47-7921) #107 pop  #14 country 1961

One Of The Lonely-Dorsey Burnette (Reprise R-20,208)  1963

Exodus-Al Martino (Capitol 4710)  1962

Evil On Your Mind-Jan Howard (Decca 31933)  #5 Country 1966

Anyway You Want It-The Bugs (Hit 161) 1964

The Crusher-The Novas (Parrot 45005) #88 1965

Long Lonesome Highway-Michael Parks (MGM 14104)  #20 1970

LP

Sweet Pea/Hooray For Hazel  Tommy Roe

CD

Billion Dollar Babies-Alice Cooper

We are back to the era of Dick Jacobs and Don Costa arranged production from the likes of Billy Williams and Jackie Wilson and Bill Hayes.  Jack Plies arranged the Eileen Barton song Toys, which is the same balladry like Margaret Whiting did on Capitol.  In the 45's  finding anything Jackie Wilson are rare such as this forgotten gem I found Love, somehow Jackie has managed to raise above the very dated Jacob arrangement.  At least Johnnie Ray has Ray Corniff helping him out, Yes Tonight Josephine sounds more suited for Guy Mitchell but Ray makes it rock in his own way.  No Wedding Today is another Ray classic, tho this record needs a good cleaning. 

If there's anything that is a one hit wonder it would be Mike Parks' Long Lonesome Highway from the old Then Came Bronson TV show.  I'm surprised oldies radio doesn't play this song, but then again they don't play most of the songs you see here, even the number 1 Sukiyaki is not heard.  Charts really mean nothing. Exodus is Al Martino singing to words to the theme, however Capitol went with Love, Where Are You Now, which only made it to 119 on the charts in 1962. The guy could go all over the place with his vocals, thankfully he got better control with it with later songs like Spanish Eyes.  I bought this just to hear his take on Exodus.

On the honky tonk side of things we have the obscure and mysterious Rink Harden with What Did I Do, a underrated country number that would make George Jones proud.  B side A Man Needs A Woman owes to the RCA sound part Don Gibson part Roger Miller.  Harden moved to United Artists and even Spur Records via Country N Western Hits. Hank Locklin's You're The Reason one of the more sought after 45s for me.  Jan Howard had her biggest hit with Evil On Your Mind, a shame she never really had more hits, whatever she made I always liked.   The Dorsey Burnette song is arranged by Jack Nitzche and co written by Jimmy Bowen who was going from performer to producer and later MCA Records head huncho (Nashville).  B side Where's The Girl? is a ill suited ballad.  Bowen produced this but he would produce Dean Martin's Reprise albums as well.  I really don't pay that much attention to Connie Francis, but I do dig her Lipstick On Your Collar, I'm Sorry I Made You Cry is quite coy, B side Lock Up Your Heart, showed she must have listened to Patsy Cline, if you can believe that.

Brook Benton has two different singles, A Million Miles From Nowhere is more uptempo than I expect from Brook but I like it all the same. B side Devoted is the Brook we know, slowed down R and B.  There's a certain cool to Benton's delivery on Thanks To The Fool, to which Shelby Singleton produced and gave it a Nashville feel.  Hit Single wasn't the big hit single but again I like Brook when he's up with the beat, Malcom Dobbs does overdo things on the arrangements. 

Some rock n roll was found.  The Tornadoes, Riding The Wind didn't fare as well as Tel Star but it's a beautiful instrument filled with a few of Joe Meek's recording methods and probably the use of a loo for the sound effects. B side The Breeze And I is more of classic Joe Meek recordings.  Even a scratched up record reveals a warm and loving beauty of the guitars.  Joe Meek may have his flaws but when he was on, he was one of the best.  Del Shannon's From Me To You is classic, and the first artist to embrace The Beatles. The Bugs version of Anyway You Want It is one of the Hit Records of the early 60s, to which Nashville session people would cover the hits from others.  Nowadays people don't give these artists any attentions but the performers and engineers who recorded the songs took careful consideration of the recordings to make it worthy your 39 cents to pay for the cheaper covers.  B side Sidewalk Surfin' is done by The Jalopy Five, who was prominent in other covers, namely a insane cover of Paint It Black.  In these days and times, the lawyers would forbid people to cover the Beatles, Stones or D C 5 but if you come across any, they were worth hearing.  SPV issued a best of Spar Records but not surprisingly the Beatles, Stones and DC5 tracks are missing.   The Crusher is super fun, very garage rock and very punkish. Take 7 is surf music Brook Hoover should learn for his band The Surf Zombies. It's records like these that make the bargain hunts fun.  You never know what you're going to find. 

Most records played fairly well despite the dust and barn smell.  The Sweet Pea Tommy Roe album is in mono which gives a different sound on Hooray For Hazel or Sweet Pea but Tommy covers Under My Thumb with power pop ease, stays faithful to Where Were You When I Needed You and gets a bit more crazier with Wild Thing.  Somewhat of a Greatest Hits, this does have Sheila and Everybody on side 2.  Tommy Roe remains one of my favorite stars of the 60s.  Who will buy?  Me me me, shut up and take my money. 

Madison Singles 2021 Part 2

As we left the last blog it was 1963 and The Springfields' Silver Threads And Golden Needles was the last single to be documented.  Over the weekend, Bob Dorr and his Backtracks played Turn On Your Love Light from The Human Beinz which prompted me to stop the car on 151 just about and went home later and donated 125 dollars to the IPR fund drive for this year.  I hoped to win one of the 45 record storage case with 35 of Bob's choice records but alas, that didn't happen.  The hope was that when Bob played Waubeek in the future, he'd personally would drop one of them off for me.

The Madison record stores have a better turnover ratio than Moondog Music, which had nothing for me and spared my girlfriend about an hour and half of her being bored.  But if a woman loves you for who you are and your hobby of record hoarding, then she's a keeper correct?  She won't get off that easy if and when Madison comes back on the horizon.  Didn't I say this was the final bargain hunt in Madison?  Does anybody really believe that?   It may be a while if the road goes that way again.   

I did find a couple of Goodwill 45s on Tuesday and they will be included into this collection.  But I will not reveal those to you, you'll have to figure them out. LOL

1)   Shake And Fingerpop-Jr Walker And The All Stars (Collectibles COL-407)  #29 1965

       Roadrunner  #20  1966

Collectibles and their back to back Motown Hit Series, I thought this had Shot Gun but it was Road Runner instead, which is better, tho the A side was Shake And Fingerpop, which rocked a bit harder than Shot Gun.  I should contact Oldies dot com if they still have the Port A Case that holds 50 45's for 9.50 plus 4.50 shipping and handling.  I may have to buy in bulk.

2)   Glad All Over-Dave Clark Five (Epic 5-9656)  #6  1964

3)   Anyway You Want It-Dave Clark Five (Epic 5-9739)  #14 1964

For a record collector, it's impossible to find a decent copy of Dave Clark Five's 45's;  all that I have seen have been scratched up to the point that the grooves were gone.  For the first time ever in the Singles Going Steady series that I managed to find not one, but two decent sounding DC5 singles with original sleeves, basically Glad All Over had the original sleeve.  Two of the most harder rocking singles ever, I bypassed Bits And Pieces, don't ask why.  It looked a bit more played, tho it wasn't too scratched up.  You know the story of Dave Clark, boss of the DC5 and hoarder of the masters of the DC5 and total dick. In 1964, Dave Clark rivaled The Beatles in US popularity.  And they could rock with The Beatles on some of the recordings, Anyway You Want It could be the start of punk rock or perhaps hard rock, tho we can't consider Dave Clark Five a punk band.  Adrian Kerridge recorded the DC5 hits, and shared production with head huncho Clark, thus Adrian Clark as producers.  Did Clark record his own drum work on these songs, or was that handed over to super session drummer Bobby Graham.  I wouldn't doubt that Graham played on all of the DC5 hits but also for the Kinks, Animals and about 100 other UK bands.  Glad All Over is the best of the call and response of DC5.  Bonus points for the B side I Know You, which never made any of the best of Dave Clark Five albums but it is one of my favorite songs.  Anyway You Want It, is driven by Graham's drumming and Kerriage's echo mix.  Kerriage was perfect for the DC5 sound.  B side Crying Over You, is one of those sappy ballads that I could care less about, but Shawn, the original owner of this 45, liked it better, it's too scratchy for me to play but Anyway You Want It plays like mint.  Which is surprising coming from a 57 year old recording.

4)    Dottie I Like It-Tommy Roe (ABC  11039)  #114 1968

It's interesting to hear Tommy going from a Buddy Holly beat and laced it with bubblegum pop, shades of Sheila, but pointing to the direction that Roe who get a hit with Dizzy when Steve Barri took over production from Butch Parker.  B side Soft Words is power pop before the term was invented and I thought that was the hit single.  I don't recall hearing Dottie I Like It on the radio.  I think the folks at Real Gone Music should consider doing a collection of Tommy's ABC Paramount singles.  But I doubt they'll listen to me.

5)   Shame Shame-The Magic Lanterns (Atlantic 45-2560)  #29 1968

Trivia:  The Magic Lanterns Shame Shame album came after the first Led Zeppelin album, the LZ album was Atlantic SD 8216, Shame Shame SD 8217.  When Collectibles reissued the album on CD, somebody put down that Ozzy Osbourne was in the band.  Buyer Beware, it was Mike "Oz" Osbourne and not John Michael Osbourne of Black Sabbath.  Turns out the the Collectible's album was a truncated version of the Shame Shame album.  However, John Paul Jones (yes of Led Zeppelin) arranged Shame Shame.  And some of the Magic Lanterns guys partake in another band called The Family Dogg, that had John Bonham played drums on a couple tracks rumor has it.  All from the mind of Steve Rowland, who later produced Jerry Lee Lewis 1973 The Session album with plenty of guest stars.  Later Albert Hammond, joined the band to record One Night Stand, a minor hit for Big Tree.  Later on, their final minor hit, Country Woman was the first record issued via The Famous Charisma label, home of Genesis and Monty Python so to speak.  B side Baby I Gotta Go Now, was left off the Collectibles compilation.  I remember seeing the Atlantic album in the dollar bin at Kresge years ago and never thought about buying it.  In terms of theory, the Collectibles is the overview of most of their singles and better known stuff.   Despite what they tell you.  The Oz in this band is not the Ozzy that we all know and love.  Mark Marymount got that wrong.

6)   I Got The Fever-Bill Anderson (Decca 31999)  1966  #1 Country  

Bill Anderson wrote great songs for everybody but he also had hits of his own as well.  Such as this top tempo country rocker, courtesy of Owen Bradley and the Bradley's Barn group.  Bill could also write some of the more creepier dark side of life songs such as B side The First Mrs. Jones to which the subject at hand is a stalker that offs his first wife and promises his second wife she will be next if she don't treat him right.  Porter Wagoner would cover it to a even more creepy effect.  Both are highly recommended for the demented.

7)   What Ain't To Be, Just Might Happen-Porter Wagoner (RCA 74-0648)  1972  #8 Country

Speaking of Porter, the last top ten single of Porter's Career.  While the 60s moved on, Porter's music became more and more stripped down. Bob Ferguson produced most of Porter's music at this time. More of a straight forward number than the darker stuff Porter is better known for.  This was his second single off What Ain't Used To Be, the first was The Rubber Room, the most insane number ever committed to record from Porter.  Here's hoping I can score a copy of that single soon.   B side is the Dolly Parton written Little Bird. 

8)   Louisiana-Mike Kennedy (Michael Kogel)  (ABC 11309)  #62 1972

The lead singer from Los Bravos (Black Is Black) made this one off hit for ABC, which did make the KLWW top 30 in 1972 (but not KCRG, which is why KLWW was more cool back then).  One of three singles issued by ABC, this was the one that charted.  Steve Barri tried his hand on the next two but failed to generate any chart action. Later redid Black Is Black for BMG RCA Germany in 1989.  Import only.

9)   Woodstock-Matthews Southern Comfort (Decca 32774)  #23 1971

Ian Matthews of Fairport Convention fame, decided to go country/southern rock with Southern Comfort that made two albums for Decca and perhaps the most mellow version of Woodstock ever.  Richard Thompson was part of the first Southern Comfort album (issued on UNI to which I have never seen) but I think the band that did Woodstock was much different.  Matthews loved the US singer songwriters, especially Joni Mitchell, when Fairport got too British for him, he left. Sounds very close to Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band 

10)  Convention  72-The Delegates (Mainstream MRL-5525)  #8 1972

Cut in singles were the novelty records of the times.  Back when you can get away with it and before lawyers closed down the copyrights (normally the big acts) you have silly questions responded by a song snippet.  Dicky Goodman made a living off this, The Delagates had a big hit with a spoof on the 1972 elections but I could never find a decent copy.  One side plays good, the other not so much, but it's a one sided single anyway.  Cut in records, they don't make them no more, nobody can't afford the license fees.

11)   Always Thinkin' Of You Darling-The Siegel-Schwall Band (Wooden Nickel  73-104)  1972

A FM classic back in the days of 1972, Siegel-Schwall was more blues than rock, but this has a bit of boogie in this song.  A lot of folk consider their Wooden Nickel albums to be their best but from what I have heard, I kinda got bored by them.  This song does rock.  A keeper, B side Sleepy Hollow was another deep cut classic that nobody plays anymore.

12)   I Tip My Hat-Bulldog (MCA  40050)  1973

Dino Danelli and Gene Cornish move on from the Rascals to this short lived band with Billy Hoctor being the lead vocalist, Eric Thorngren would later become producer to Talking Heads and Peter Wolf and others.  Hoctor's vocals are like Roger Chapman of Family, not for everybody and Bulldog never took off after having a minor hit with No.   Dino and Gene would form Fotomaker, which might be the most overrated power pop band ever, making three albums for Atlantic that you're free to listen on your own.

13)   Holding On To Yesterday-Ambrosia (20th Century TC-2207)  #17 1975

Later became soft rock when they moved to Warner Music in 1978, Ambrosia's first album was on the prog side of Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons, tho in 1975 fashion, 20th Century gave us a edited version of this single.  Followup single Nice Nice Very Nice is a Beaker Street fave, tho it limped to number 63. Eventually, Warner Music did reissue the first two Ambrosia albums on CD in the 1990s.  I liked this song since it sounded like the Guess Who, David Pack sounded a bit like Burton Cummings.  Ambrosia later reinvented themselves as light rock in the late 70s before returning to the sound of the first album with Road Island, a record that made a bee line to the cutouts.  Worth seeking out.

14)   Daddy Rollin' In Your Arms-Dion (Laurie LR-3464)  1968

B Side to the number 4 Abraham Martin and John, It's the best blues song that Dion ever did.  This is where Dion reinvents himself to the blues, before going folk and then gospel and then back to the blues again, where he continues to play off and on.  Next to Jerry lee Lewis, the last man standing.

15)  California Dreaming-America (American International  AI-700)  #56 1979

An America song that charted that I never heard before.  American International was famous for Vincent Price movies and Motorcycle Gang pictures, their records history was very spotty. The Buddy Holly Story was farmed out to Epic Records in 1978 and California Dreaming was on a Casablanca spin off label and then AIP disappeared, Orion (later MGM) reissued the movies but I've never seen this as a single.  Of course The Beach Boys did their own version of Cal Dreaming for the Made In The USA best of.  Rhino did tack on California Dreamin on a America best of overview.

16)  Fadin' In Fadin' Out-Tommy Overstreet (ABC AB-12408)  1978  #11 Country

Tommy's last top twenty single, it also ends the Best Of Tommy Overstreet that Varese Sandabunde issued back in the late 1990s and I think we sent Cary Mansfield a note about the best singles that T.O. had for ABC Dot.  By then ABC eliminated Dot Records and most of the artists went to ABC.  Tommy's album Better Me was pretty good and Fadin' In was my favorite song off that album.  Only took me 42 years to find the single and it was a jukebox copy, tho not played to death.  Tommy would later move over to Elektra for a few more top 50 charting singles.

17)  Mister DJ-T G Sheppard  (Curb/Warner WBS-8490)  1977 #13 Country

To me, Sheppard made his best music for Hitsville, Motown's country label and after his number 20 chart placing Lovin' On, T G moved over to Warner Music via Mike Curb.  The first release was this mushy song complete with an over singing woman in the background.  B Side Easy To Love would be more soft porn country crapola that begs for donating back to Goodwill.   Never mind.

18)  Baby, I'll Give It To You-Seals and Croft (Warner Music WBS 8277)  #58 1976

After the surprise hit Get Closer, they decided to try their luck again with Carolyn Willis for this Bee Gees sounding knockoff that wasn't that impressive and fared poorly on the charts.  I don't think Q 103 played it much.  B side was a live version of Advance Guards, which put them back into a folk rock mood.   Hell of a lot better than the so called failed hit single.

19)   The Circle Is Small-Gordon Lightfoot (Warner Music WBS-8518)  #33 1978

A remake from his United Artists years, I never heard this one on the radio.  But I did hear Daylight Katy, tho that one didn't chart.  Sweet Genevieve the B side could have been a hit too. I always love Gordon Lightfoot's music later in life.  Wounded Bird did issue all of Gordon's Warner/Reprise albums but most have now fallen out of print.  Probably available through Rhino's Streaming outlets. My copy has a drill hole in it, a rare cut out 45 so to speak.

20)   Expect No Mercy-Nazareth (A&M 2130)  1979

The last album with Manny Charleton, Nazareth had the classic Hair Of The Dog and the number 8 Love Hurts.  Never a critics band (RNRHOF jackass Jann Wenner hated them) they carved out a nice career on A&M.  Loved Loud N Proud and Hair Of The Dog, and could tolerate Close Enough For Rock and Roll and the Hot Tracks best of, but  I never paid attention to their No mean City and Expect No Mercy albums. B side Whatever You Want Babe is a nice Stones knockoff. Charlton would leave and Zal Cleminson (Sensational Alex Harvey Band) replaced him, which made me buy the next album Malice In Wonderland.  Had the number 88 hit Holiday but with Jeff Baxter producing, he turned them into yacht rock.  It would be two years before John Punter and Cleminson's replacement Billy Rankin returned them back into a harder rock sound.

21)  Everything From Jesus To Jack Daniels-Tom T Hall (Mercury 812 835-7)  1983 #42 Country

After being on RCA from 1977 to 1982, Tom returned back to Mercury and returned to a bluegrass sound, with Chet Atkins producing this off the wall single. Tom can write and sing a song when he wanted to, but he also can get mushy (I Love, I Care and PS I Love You, his last top ten single in 1984). This song was Tom trying to figure out why anybody wanted to vote for Ronald Reagan.  Which is why I still love Tom T Hall. 

22)  Strangers-Stephen Stills (Atlantic 7-89633) #61 1984

Not one of Stills better songs, in fact it was very subpar.  Stephen managed to coax Jimmy Page to play on a couple songs and he might be on this track. Very dated 80s production and the album Right By You was terrible.  The B side No Hiding Place, has Chris Hillman helping out and returning Stills to the sound of Manassas, the country rock band Hillman formed with Stills in 1972. Alas, there's a nasty scratch through the record that makes it unplayable it seems.

23)   Burn Me Down-Marty Stuart (MCA  S7-64253)  1991  #7 Country

Marty Stuart is keeping country alive by keeping it country.  His MCA years, showed a bit of rockabilly to go with his country, in fact I think he's more rockabilly than country anyway. A fun song and perhaps I will be on the lookout for Marty's MCA album to familiar myself with his music.

24)  Hitchin' A Ride-Vanity Fare (Page One 21029)  #5 1970

I'm sure I posted this song on a different Singles Going Steady blog but couldn't find it and so I decided to end this at a even dozen times two.  Vanity Fare was up and coming in 1970 and after this song, disappeared.  When I got the record the first time, it sounded scratchy, so I donated it back to St Vinnies in Madison.  And then Mad City Music X had this version which wasn't too scratchy sounding.  I have no idea why they decided to edit this to two and half minutes rather than the full 3 10.  It's not like Atlantic trying to pare Roundabout down to 3 27 from 8 minutes.  With the right edit, you can turn a jam into a 3 minute song as I Know I'm Losing You from Rare Earth did.  At the same time you can butcher a song like Epic did with Redbone's Maggie. Sweet Mary from Wadworth Mansion also got chopped down by 20 seconds if you bought the single, which pissed me off till I found the full version of that song.  That said, Hitchin' A Ride still remains one of those sunshine pop songs that when you hear it on the radio, it makes you smile and sing along, even on KDAT. or Satellite Radio.

I don't think I'm the only person out there that will go into a record store and come out with about 50 45s from the past at Mad City Music X or St. Vinnies.  There will always be pickers out there looking for that lost Beatles classic or those simply looking for scratchy ones to make pop art from.  In my case, these are the connection back to the past, back to the days of innocence and going to Grandma's to play those old box of records that kept me occupied.  It's rare to find not one but two Dave Clark Five 45s that still got the grooves in place.   It's interesting to find country 45s that dad used to have and sing along with at parties with friends that had too much to drink and did a bit of hanky panky on the side. 

It's nice to find the 45s that I originally had that got played to death, or ended up being thrown across the room for amusement.  It was great to find Mike Kennedy's Louisiana or Car Trouble by the Eligbles.  And replace worn out copies of It's Late or Hello Mary Lou. 

Madison didn't disappoint when it came to picking 45s from the past.  Going through so many boxes of the quarter records was like stepping back in time and going to Woolworth's to see what they had for 3 for a dollar finds.  Probably, the only highlife of growing up in this old world. 

PS) other singles

The Ballad Of Wyatt Earp-Ralph Young (Decca 9-29693)  1955

B side Bring Me A Bluebird.  With the Ray Charles Singers (no relation to you know who) and Jack Pleis doing the Mitch Miller happy pop arrangement.  

The Story Of Bobby Lee Trent-Burl Ives (Decca 31811)  1965

Ives's country period with Owen Bradley producing.

And you can never have enuff copies of Topsy Part 2 from Cozy Cole. 

The Madison Singles Collection Part 1

If You have read this far, you have have known that Madison was a couple weeks ago and I ended up finding a lot of classic 45s from St Vinnies/Mad City Music X.  Going to Madison to both stores after six or seven months away ensured there would be a bit of turnover and what didn't sell in the museum section would be in the quarters bin (all 10 boxes of quarter records) and I would be there till closing  which always came too soon.   Some records that i did buy were replacements for the ones that I had in my collection years ago and were too scratchy or bought at thrift stores in hopes of cleaning them up and making them sound well.  Sometimes that didn't happen.   I posted the 10 replacement songs on the Madison finds blog, just to get them out of the way.  I do find some sort of listening entertainment with Paul Anka and Lonely Boy.  And I can always count on somebody getting rid of Grandma's collection when I head to the mad city.  

Ricky Nelson was a big part of my mom's 45 collection and she had good taste in teen idols, tho people would question Frankie Avalon or Fabian or Paul Anka.  Some singles from the original box of 45s I will not buy,  I never cared for the Chantels Maybe, and A Boy Witout a Gril from Avalon was too cheesy. The Happy Reindeer from Dancer, Prancer and Nervous (Capitol 4300) I did find a decent copy but I misplaced it and didn't have the time to search for it, tho I find a couple others that I did put back and then found again.    Mad City did have a record player for me to review questionable songs, and a Margie Rayburn song got put back along with The Three Chuckles on X Records.  As for Ricky Nelson,  I think I found 20 of his Imperial/Decca/Verve/Capitol singles (no Epic ones tho) so if anybody made out for the singles going steady series, Ricky wins going away, Bobby Darin in a far second and Paul Anka 3rd.  The kindness of strangers donating their collection for me to pick up and give them a good home till I'm gone.  Then somebody will pick up when I left off.

The first batch of the 45s, deal with the 50s and 60s.  the second will pick up the 70s and beyond.  As I get older I tend not to really comment on the finds, just group them all together and take a listen and comment.  It does seem like my attention span gets less n less with each posting.  But like most collectors, I do like to toot my own horn about finding those bargains.

1)    Drifting And Dreaming-The Mulcays (Coral 9-61221)  1953

My fascination with old Coral recordings is like the ABC Paramount, I get sucked in by the label and how it looks.  Coral had the best with  Chuck Murphy Buddy Holly, The Rock And Roll Trio and Tommy Duncan, at worst, the dated arrangements of  Dick Jacobs and Jack Plies.  Cliff Stoddard also make me smile with his Don't Put A Tax On The Beautiful Girls. Or the mysterious Georgie Auld and Harlem Nocturne.  The Mulcays was a husband/wife harmonica duo that recorded for many labels of the 50s and 60s, like the Harmonicats.  At that time, who ever could thought that you can form a band with harmonicas only?  The Mulcays recorded for Dot, GNP Crescendo, Essex, Cardinal, MGM and Coral to name a few.  Drifting And Dreaming has been a standard for many band (Grady Martin and The Slewfoot Five had a version) but I have to say, this is a very haunting number.  Electric harmonicas?  What a concept.  B side is their take on Caravan which was the reason why I bought this in the first place. But turns out Drifting And Dreaming was the better of the two sides.  The record despite no sleeve played fairly good.

2)   Morgen-Ivo Robie (Laurie LR-3033)  #13 1959

In the big box of 45s, there were no shortage of oddball music, The Little Train was one of them, Morgen was another one.  Ivo was of Croatian fame and this version he worked with Burt Krampert, (the guy that produced the Beatles Decca sessions and later had Red Roses For A Blue Lady for a hit).

The term meaning "tomorrow" was one of those 45s me and my brother would use as a frisbee. B side Ay Ay Ay Paloma stinks and reminds me of the Frido Bandito commercial of the mid 60s.  I have no use to seek out the number 58 charting Happy Muledeer.  Morgen has grown on me tho.

3)  Car Trouble-The Eligibles (Capitol F-4203)  #107 1959

I remember this song from the Surf and Drag CD comps that Capitol put out in the 1990s. They were more related to the Four Preps than The Coasters.   Produced by Ken Nelson who best known for helping shaping the Bakersfield Sound with Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.  This record is highly sought out by collectors it seems.  This one came from the library of WTAH, which also had Bobby Darin's Bill Bailey as a record too.  B side I Wrote A Song sucks.

4)  Walking Alone-The Diamonds (Mercury 71366 X45)  #29 1958

To me, The Diamonds were the greatest cover band of black R and B songs, most of what they did were top notch and even did better than the originals, tho Little Darlin' was done as a fluke.  Originally done by the Solitaires  (Old Town 1034, later reissued at Argo 5316 to try to get some chart action after The Diamonds got a top 30 hit with this song.... neither the Old Town nor Argo charted)  It's hard to better of the two, David Somerville really paid close attention to how the song went.  Perhaps I should have picked up that Old Town label retrospective that Moondog Music had when me and Julie went to DBQ, the Solitaires are worth hearing.  As well as the Diamonds which Mercury did issue a best of, before Universal bought out Polygram and deleted just about everything from the 50s and 60s. 

5)   Tragedy-Thomas Wayne (Fernwood 45-109)  #5 1959

Produced by the one and only Scotty Moore (Elvis), this has made the Time Life One Hit Wonders 2 CD set.  I'm guessing it's Scotty playing guitar to this song. One of teen songs of tragedy like Tell Laura That I Love Her or Teen Angel.  For 2 minutes and five seconds it's a short song.  B side Saturday Date is thirty seconds shorter and I have to hear it twice just to hear what I missed the first time.  On the second time, it's fun but forgettable

6)  Percolator-Billy Joe And The Checkmates (Dore 620)  #10 1962

A top ten hit during the twist craze but I never heard this original till much later.  Hot Butter did a cover in 1972 after their number 9 hit Popcorn, their version scraped the KCRG Super 30 but not the Billboard charts. Billy Joe did release many more singles for Dore up to 1973, but only Percolator made the charts.  B side Round And Round And Round And Round is more background noise for you twisters out there.

7)   This Should Go On Forever-Rod Bernard (Argo 5327)  #20 1959  

Originally on Jin Records, when Leonard Chess picked this up for distribution for Argo but somehow JD Miller kept the publishing rights from Chess.  A rare occasion.  It's mostly rockabilly swamp rock but some reviewer called it "chanted with soul" whatever that might be.  When Sugarhill reissued New Orleans R and B, this song was on it, whereas the Chess Rockabillies had the b side Pardon Mr. Gordon which seems to be more memorable and more fun than This Should Go On Forever.   One more single for Argo, and Rod moved over to Mercury and other labels before returning back to Jin.

8)  Silver Dollar-Barry Darvell  (Atlantic 2128)  1961

Teen idol pop somewhat akin to Bobby Darin but Barry Darvell only recorded two singles for Atlantic at that time, but the unmistakable sax of King Curtis can be heard.  B side Lost Love is more Bobby Vee than Darin.  I usually have decent luck finding ole Atlantic singles but the Madison I only found three of them.  Only the unknown Darvell is from the early 60s.

9)   Somebody Touched Me-Buddy Knox (Roulette R-4082)  #22 1958

Basically Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen used the Rhythm Orchids for their rockabilly sides, and I haven't heard this song till this week.  I'd say it's quality rockabilly as well as C'mon Baby the B side that I thought was the A side but that wasn't the cause.  Somebody Touched Me owes lot to Stranded In The Jungle and Bo Diddley however it was written by Arment Ertaguen, who you know was the guy that was Atlantic Records.  C'mon Baby, is Buddy Holly fun.

10)   Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On-Johnny Tillotson  (Cadence 1424)  #17 1962

        

It Keeps Right On A Hurtin is the greatest RCA country album ever made on another label.  Credit Archie Bleyer for spending no expense for getting the the best country artist for Johnny.  Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On updated Hank Locklin's song but with Johnny doing the vocals, B side What'll I Do is my fave track off the album, taking a Irving Berlin number and turning it into country. What'll I Do charted at #106 on the pop charts.  A shame it didn't do better.

11)   Susie Darlin-Robin Luke (Dot 45-15781)  #5 1958

I bought a copy in Waterloo but it was too far scratchy that I donated it elsewhere.   Luke's only top five hit, part Fleetwoods, part Gene Vincent and part Buddy Holly.  Somehow this influenced Jeremy Spencer during the Kiln House sessions, tho his version didn't get recorded.   B side Living's Loving You is blues rockabilly.

12)  Snap Your Fingers-Joe Henderson (Robb 45-1072)  #8 1962

Henderson's big hit and what he could do best is take Brook Benton's phasing and turn it into a sexy country R and B romp.  Don Gibson had a minor hit with this in the 1970s but the original cannot be beat.  The best song that Brook Benton didn't sing. Written by Grady Martin and Alex Zanetis.  B side If You See Me Cry is ho hum country.

13)  California Sun-Joe Jones (Roulette R-4344)  #89 1961

You Talk Too Much was a big hit, number 3 in 1960, however this single only slithered up to number 89 in 1961.  One of those songs that you could do the twist to.  However the better version was done by the Riverias    And of course, The Ramones.  

14)   There's Nothing I Can Say-Rick Nelson (Decca 31656)  #47  1964

With Beatlemania coming across the pond and Dave Clark Five and Herman Hermits and the Rolling Stones the teen idols of the 50s and early 60s were falling by the wayside.  So we get this sappy ballad. B side Lonely Corner is much much better, to which maybe Rick was listening to the Beatles at that time. Betcha the Wrecking Crew was playing on this record.

15)   Silver Threads And Golden Needles-The Springfields (Phillips 40038)  #20 1962

For the folk revival that was happening in 1962 or 63, we have this offering from a band led by eternally sweet vocals of Dusty Springfield.  Linda Ronstadt had a decent chart placing of this song.  In terms of theory tho, this song did make the way of the sound of the Byrds with the jangly guitar, which might have inspired  Jim McGuinn   to pick a 12 string Rickenbacker.   But then again, I like to imagine that he actually did after hearing this song.  B side Aunt Rhody goes back to the skiffle era.  

Part 2 of the Madison Singles Collection will continue later in the month. 

Dubuque Bargain Hunting Finds.

What was found.

Bo Deans-Joe Dirt Car

Carlene Carter-Little Love Letters

Rolling Stones-A Bigger Bang

White Stripes-Get Thee Behind Me Satan

Steve Earle-JT

Paul Stanley-Soul Station

Satan Get Back-Brother Claude Ely

Shrek Soundtrack

Margaret Whiting-Capitol Years

Dan Tyneski-Wheels

Kasey Chambers-Barricades and Brickwalls 

Julie has never been with me when I went out to go looking for music in the years that we been together. In the spring/summertime she is outside in her garden.  I told her of what to expect.  Expect a long time of me going through the 45's and CD section at the local Goodwill and whatever Moondog Music has for music.   I know the last thing she really don't need and especially on her birthday is to waste away the hours watching her man bore her to death about some scratched up 45 that she never heard about or forgotten.  So I needed to make it her day as well, so we decided to go up to the National Mississippi River Museum n Aquarium on the riverfront so she can check out the otters and stingrays and other fish and animals of the area.  And she enjoyed that time and loved the paddlefish and stingrays.  Franklin, came along for the ride.  I was somewhat worried that he wouldn't like the hour long trek to DBQ and back but he handled it well.  With him being 12 years old, he couldn't do the river walk but he did mark his spot on the bushes by the Diamond Jo Casino. 

Julie didn't have to suffer much through the 45s, Moondog Music didn't have any new 45s coming in, so I did pick up some new stuff from Paul Stanley and Steve Earle (no Too Much Joy however).  I think we spent about a half hour in Moondog, then off to Goodwill to which they had over 1,000 cds (8 Hootie and the blowfish Cracked Rear View for sale)  and found the BoDeans live album that Tommy Bruner talked about being their best.  This copy was a bit played, the Rolling Stones and White Stripes are repeat buys. The Brother Claude Ely is interesting for his version of Ain't No Grave to which my band covered on last year's album.  While Julie was buying some yard art, I sneaked over to Stuff Etc to see what they had and I was in and out in five mintes.   Julie was spared of going to St. Vinnies and Uncle Ike's Music was closed when we got done at the Museum.  For a birthday girl, she was a bit grumpy about getting up early but she had a good time.  And on the way home Bob Dorr played some classic stuff from his Backtracks songs and while he said all that who donated will get get a chance to win a collection of 45s, a stack of 3 record holders with cool 45s.  To which Turn On Your Love Light by the Human Beinz was played to which I almost stopped the car in traffic in amazement.   Afterwhich, I promised to donate to Iowa Public Radio.  After a 12 hour nap after dropping Julie and Franklin off and heading home myself, I opened up the pocket book and donated to the cause.

After all, I think it was worth 125 pledge to get a Backtracks shirt and to hear Turn On Your Love Light.