D-Sides, Orphans, and Oddities
Episodes
Saturday Nov 13, 2021
Some Great Songs From Past D-Sides Episodes!
Saturday Nov 13, 2021
Saturday Nov 13, 2021
Stevie Wonder - Light My Fire (1970) Listen to that bass player.
Syreeta Wright - Spinnin' and Spinnin' (1974) No one was EVER as hot as Stevie in the '70s, and the album this came from proves that even occupied with his own music, he can lovingly produce one of the best female-sung records of the '70s. I love this factoid from Wikipedia:
Three artists who performed on this album (Stevie Wonder, Deniece Williams, Michael Sembello) would all have Billboard number one songs ("I Just Called to Say I Love You", "Let's Hear It for the Boy", and "Maniac", respectively) within a year of each other, a decade after this album's release. Another artist on this album, Ollie Brown of Ollie & Jerry, would have a Billboard top ten single, "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us", in the same one-year period.
The song "Come And Get This Stuff" was originally intended for Rufus, but lead singer Chaka Khan refused to do the song. Instead, Stevie wrote "Tell Me Something Good" for them which appeared on their album Rags to Rufus.
There's no word to describe how good he was in this five-year period.
This song made it to #49 in the UK, and never a peep in the US, which is a shame.
Gentle Giant - Weekend Cowboy (1970) I love their sound on these early demos. Less prog than they would become, a sort of The Band meets Harry Chapin. Through the filter of England, of course.
Godley and Creme - Random Brainwaves/I Pity Inanimate Objects (1979) When Gary Storm played this on Buffalo's WIZR 107.7, I had never heard anything like it. I still love what they did with the backing vocals.
Jimmy "Bo" Horne - Dance Across The Floor (1978)
Lawrence Hilton Jacobs - Larry's Theme (1978) He was Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington on Welcome Back, Kotter and Michael Jackson's father Joe on The Jacksons: An American Dream ("Get the switch!") but I actually find his albums in the late '70s very listenable, especially this. So much shit came out from TV stars around that era. Scott Baio was the worst.
Les Humphries Singers - Mexico (1972) Included here because doing this show helped me discover them. My one-man raison d'être is to make you a believer! It's not that good. Just a strange pre-sampling curio.
Nino Tempo and April Stevens - Love Story (1972) From Buffalo, NY! Their biggest hit was "Deep Purple" from 1963. They were siblings. God, she was beautiful. Her first record came out in 1950 (!) but her biggest solo hit was "Teach Me, Tiger" from 1960. She reprised this in 1965, but this was virtually the same recording, with dialog implying that she had kidnapped one of The Beatles in order to seduce him. Just wow. I love it.
Men At Work - Down Under (original, non-hit version) (1980)
A brief retelling of The Greg Ham Story. Don't Do Drugs.
Mudcrutch - Don't Do Me Like That (original, non-hit version) (1974) The almost note-for-note prototype for the Tom Petty hit a few years later.
The Osmonds - War in Heaven (1973)
Sammy Davis Jr. - John Shaft (1972) Ok, ok. Shaft. Ok! Shut up and let me finish my dinner.
Sha Na Na PSA (1972)
Pink Floyd - Scream Thy Last Scream (1967) I was surprised to learn that Nick Mason sang this.
Bee Gees - Lovers (1976) This is a very strange and wonderful album track from a band on its....third ascension?
Sensational Alex Harvey Band - The Dolphins (1979) I love this song as much as any I have ever played on D-Sides. I never would have heard it if not for this show.
The Langley Schools Music Project - The Long and Winding Road (1977) You should read about this. I think I read about this in RE/Search magazine.
The Residents - Give it To Someone Else (1980) Every song on The Commercial Album is about 60 seconds long. There are 20 per side.
Wild Cherry - Baby Don't You Know (1977) A wonderful, horrible attempt to recapture the lightning of the last single, "Play That Funky Music". THIS is how you follow up a fluke hit:
One more timeWell we play that funky musicAnd we were looking so good yeahElectrified funky feelingWas coming down like I thought it wouldSo we went out on the road yeahTry to get ourselves aheadAnd on the way I was surprised to discoverThat all those funky peopleHad been misled, they were shouting outBlack? NO! White? Right!, Oh what a sight!I really didn't know the suckers was whiteBaby don't you know, Baby don't you knowBaby don't you know, Baby don't you knowThat the honkey's got soulBaby don't you know, Baby don't you knowBaby don't you know, Baby don't you knowThat the honkey's got soul
Roger Nichols and Small Circle of Friends - Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1968) So beautiful, especially the "Middle 8". Just amazing harmonies.
The Free Design - Day Breaks (2001) This will be my funeral song. I don't WANT a funeral. Just a little party for people to remember funny stories about me. In life, very few people are still in touch with me in an earnest sense. People have come and gone and sometimes I look around and wonder if someone should have bought me a ball gag long ago. Still, even after all the mistakes I have made in my life and my dealings with people I have lost, I know deep down that some people will be genuinely touched by the fact that we met and decided to be in each other's lives for as long as we had. If you listen to this song and put yourself in that place, celebrate the people who DID choose to be with you, no matter WHAT you said. Everyone is broken. Everyone. You're not alone.
Co-written by my friend Bruce Dedrick.
The Free Design - Friendly Man (1971)
Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol (1972) This song is being used for a commercial in the US. I like to think it's because of me.
The Beatles - Revolution (Take...Your Knickers Off!) (1968)
Saturday Oct 09, 2021
Hodge Podge of Rarities
Saturday Oct 09, 2021
Saturday Oct 09, 2021
Gaylord & Holiday - Dixie (1977) A remnant from the Amherst Records Story show.
Santiago - Nice And Slow (1976) A remnant from the Amherst Records Story show.
Bobby Hatfield - Messin' In Muscle Shoals (1971) One half of the Righteous Brothers records some forgettable pseudo-Americana, but you can't take the pure show-biz mawkishness out of the delivery.
Bruce Haack & Miss Nelson – (Excerpt from) Dance, Sing, And Listen Again & Again! (1963) Included here because this was an early attempt to use synthesizers for more than burps and squeaks. A children's album that's pretty strange but not bad.
Charles Dodge – (Excerpt from) Synthesized Voices (1976) Liner notes: "A1 and B realized at the Columbia University Center of Computing Activities and the Nevis LaboratoriesA2 realized at the Bell Telephone Laboratories"
Pretty strange synthesized vocal music.
Cradle - Man Is A Man (1970) The Quatro sisters record a kind of Moody Blues meets Blue Cheer hybrid of prog. Suzi Quatro quit to become a solo star (mostly in England) and as Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days. Patti Quatro appeared on Fanny's Rock and Roll Survivors album. The single from that album was a cover of "I've Had It", which I remember them performing on American Bandstand, but it didn't help. I still felt kinda funny watching them.
Don Powell - Black Man (1972)
Tronquista - Hoffa's Blues (1966) Rare 1966 blues release by an anonymous R&B / blues singer in a tribute to Teamster’s President Jimmy Hoffa who was very popular with African-Americans for his stand on equal rights. It was pressed in 1966 for the Teamster’s convention in Miami and was available only at this event. The name Tronquista is the name used for the Teamsters union in Puerto Rico so this may be a clue to the identity of the artist and suggests it was privately pressed in the Miami area rather than union headquarters in Detroit.
John Strand - Remembering Laci (2003)
From WFMU:
"Remembering Laci" was written and performed by John F. Strand, a guard at Tracy, California's Deuel Vocational Institution.
Here's the Wikipedia article.
Lila - Step Into Time (1978)
Liner notes:
Dear Friend,
We are happy you are listening to our songs of the Mother. This album was inspired by the ideals of Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) and his wife Sarada Devi (1853-1920), great devotees of the mother, who dedicated their lives to loving tolerance and appreciation between devotees of all religions and all paths. "All the main religions and spiritual paths are true", Ramakrishna said, after practicing 80 of them one by one. "God is Form and Formless Mother, and Father, Son, Friend, Beloved. He is available in whatever way the individual heart yearns for him". We hope our songs help you in your own way. We bow to your soul and individuality.
Everyday day at noon, we pray for a new world of Love and Harmony. Join with us if you would like.
Lila
Lou Christie - Mickey's Monkey (1969) You know I am a big fan (for various reasons) of Lou Christie's Buddah Records period. From the late '60s to the early '70s, he made some pretty odd recordings, but he also made the wonderful Paint America Love. This was the album before that.
The Mam'selles - Oye Coma Va (1969)
Voodou Juju - The VooDou Ju Ju Obsession Part 1 (1969)
Richard O'Brien - Shock Treatment (1981) You kids love that Rocky Horror Picture Show. But you might not know is that there was a sequel. It was called Shock Treatment. It was not very good. And it went virtually unnoticed. In fact, it only showed at midnight movies (as did the Rocky Horror zeitgeist in time). But without the electric Tim Curry on screen, it was just another "let's make a move, guys!" dynamic. I saw RHPS once and I felt horribly embarrassed. And it takes a lot to embarrass a man who mixed plaids with stripes. I cannot imagine this. This version of the theme song is not on the OST, as it is slightly more radio-friendly (in its time) than the cast version.
Bobby Pickett and Peter Ferrara - Star Drek (1976) Yeah, the same Bobby Pickett that had a big hit with "Monster Mash". That one oddball hit kept him in cheap capes and attempts at all sorts of permutations, including comedy and disco.
Stephen Kalinich - If You Knew (1969) In 1969, he recorded his only album, A World of Peace Must Come, with production by Brian Wilson. It was unreleased until 2008. The Beach Boys appear on some of the tracks from the album. While under contract as an artist signed to the Beach Boys' Brother Records, Kalinich co-wrote several songs released by the group including "All I Want to Do", "Be Still", "Little Bird", as well as "A Time to Live in Dreams" with Dennis Wilson. Many Beach Boys completists are unaware of their collaborations with Kalinich and Charles Lloyd. These people are idiots.
Stephen Kalinich - The Magic Hand (1969)
Stop Smoking...Stop Over-Eating With Reveen (1978) Excerpt from this nutty record out of Canada. Peter Reveen quickly gained fame across North America with his stage shows.AKA Reveen The Impossibilist.
Supernatural Family Band - Thank You (Falettenme) (1976) "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" was a 1969 hit for Sly and the Family Stone. This is a crazy cover with young girls offering up the least soulful interpretation since Ann Margret. But somehow all the craziness works for me. I don't know. The tuba? The harmonica?
The Average Disco Band - I Want You (She So Heavy) (1976) A remnant from the Amherst Records Story show. Listen closely and you can hear a swarthy male voice intone "J'taime". Maybe some Serge Gainsbourg floating around? This song bears almost no resemblance to the Beatles version.
The B.C. & M. Choir - Stealing In The Name Of The Lord (1969) "B.C.& M." stands for "Baptist, Catholic & Methodist Choir."
The Eric Burdon Band - City Boy (1975)
The Mighty M.C.'s - Drugs, Don't Get Involved (1986)
The Minute Men - Please Keep The Beatles In England (1964)
The United States of America - Osamu's Birthday (1968) To be rerecorded by Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies the following year. In THAT version, the vocals were recorded phonetically with backward backing, then reversed. Interesting, but she was no Dorothy Moskowitz.
Bruce Haack & Miss Nelson – (Excerpt from) Dance, Sing, And Listen Again & Again!
Bill Niles and His GoodTime Band - Bric-a-Brac Man (1967)
Bill Spiller - Hot Pants Girls (1971)
Byron MacGregor - How Good You Have It In America (1974)
Carol Channing & Jimmy C. Newman - Lousiana Cajun Rock Band (1978)
Senator Sam Ervin - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1974)
Stop Smoking With Reveen Excerpt (LP)
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Sunflower Radio Promo (1970)
The Beach Boys - Slip On Thru (Instrumental backing and backing vocals ) (1970)
The Beach Boys - Forever (1970)
The Beach Boys - Til I Die (vocals only) (1971)
The Beach Boys - Add Some Music To Your Day (1970)
The Beach Boys - Seasons In The Sun (1971) Originally titled "Le Moribund" ("The Dying Person"), it was a huge hit for Terry Jacks in 1973, who had previously been part of a husband-wife band called The Poppy Family. The Poppy Family had a sitar player in the band. Four people. One was a sitar player. ANYHOO, Jacks tried repeating his luck by recording another Brel song, "Ne Me Quitte Pas", as "If You Go Away", but as the French say, "La foudre ne frappe jamais deux fois."
Wikipedia: The first version of the song was recorded by Jacques Brel, who also wrote it in a brothel in Tangiers. Sung in a marching tempo, it tells of a man dying of a broken heart and shows him saying his last farewells to his close friend Emile, a priest friend, an acquaintance named Antoine, and his wife who has cheated on him numerous times with Antoine. Despite knowing of Antoine being his wife's lover, he wishes no ill upon him but tells him to take care of his wife. The American poet Rod McKuen translated the lyrics to English. In 1964, the Kingston Trio first recorded an English version of "Seasons in the Sun", which was later heard by Terry Jacks and became the basis for his rendition.
Jacks rewrote the lyrics, although he is uncredited for it. He justifies the rewriting by stating that he deemed the original version and its translations to be "too macabre". The inspiration for the rewritten lyrics was a close friend of his who was suffering from acute leukemia and died four months later. The Terry Jacks rendition, which was later dedicated to the friend, has the dying man giving his last words to his loved ones with whom he shared his life, much like the original. However, unlike the Jacques Brel version, the man does not die broken-hearted but instead, acknowledges the rights and wrongs of his actions in life as he passes away peacefully.
In the rewritten version, the man first addresses his close friend, whom he had known since childhood, and reminisces the happy times they had such as playing and studying together ("climbed hills and trees", "learned of love and ABC's"), and friendships with others ("skinned our hearts and skinned our knees"). He then addresses his father, who tried to give him a good upbringing and exert a positive influence on his undisciplined life ("I was the black sheep of the family", "You tried to teach me right from wrong", "wonder how I got along") which included overindulgence, vices, and revelry ("too much wine and too much song"). The man finally addresses "Michelle", possibly his daughter or niece, and stating how she lifted his spirit up in times of despair. Before he dies in peace, the man reminds all three that he will always be alive in their hearts and will be present in spirit when they see people or visit places; pretty girls (old and new friends) for the close friend, young children playing for the father, and flower fields for Michelle.
This version is actually produced for The Beach Boys BY Jacks. He produced this one song and they gave him the heave-ho. Maybe he said, "I'll produce, but there's this song I wrote called 'Put The Bone In' which you might like." The ticket back to Vancouver was on its way.
Allan Sherman - Pop Hates The Beatles (1964)
The Average Disco Band - Eleanor Rigby (1977) Coming soon, my Amherst Records show!
The Average Disco Band - Help (1977)
Avon "Elusive" Salesperson Ad (1969)
Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around The Clock (1974) Live from the Hammersmith Palais in London.
Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around The Clock (1979) Amsterdam, Netherlands. Notable as having Chico Ryan from Sha Na Na on rhythm guitar. To me, I guess.
Bill Haley - Rock Around The Clock (1968 vocals, accompaniment overdubbed horribly by a bunch of anonymous guys.)
Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around The Clock (1968) Philips Studio, Stockholm, Sweden, before an audience invited to a session by Sonnet Records.
Boiling Point - Let's Get Funktified (1978)
? - Dedicated To The ATA (197?) Off the album CB Truckin': 20 Gigantic Hits
Elton John - She Sold Me Magic (1970)
Erwin Bouterse and His Rhythm Cosmos - Disco Party (1979)
Freddy Cannon - Red Valley (1971) Featuring Wadsworth Mansion, which had a catchy as hell hit the previous year with "Sweet Mary". One album and zap.
Invader - Disco Soodara-bushi (1979)
Joe Thomas - Tongue Twisters (1983) Known as "The Ebony Godfather".
The Jules Blattner Group - 2001: A Soul Odyssey (1969) I played their song "Call Me Man".
Winterspring - No One (1970)
Bill and Lisa - Koobamanah (1973)
From the back cover: "Music today is so open to style and expression that we enjoy the challenge of always presenting a wide variety of songs to reach as many people as possible. They have been entertaining alternately between the Montauk Golf & Racquet Club and Gurney's Inn for the past three years. Off-season, Bill and Lisa perform on cruise ships, including trips to the South Pacific and the Orient."
Kool and the Gang - Raw Hamburger (1969) Formed by Robert "Kool" Bell, his brother Ronald Bell and a bunch of their New Jersey teenage friends in the mid-60s (then called the Jazziacs), Kool & the Gang played traditional jazz in regional venues for several years, slowly morphing their style to incorporate emerging funk sounds of Sly and the Family Stone and James Brown. They were signed by the De-Lite label in the early '70s and gathered a small but loyal national following (in particular for their 1971 release Live at the Sex Machine). The group's fortunes exploded in 1974 with Wild and Peaceful, an infectiously raw album that spawned three smash hits, "Funky Stuff," "Hollywood Swinging," and "Jungle Boogie," all featuring great instrumentation and lyrics virtually shouted by the group. However, as quickly as they rode to fame, Kool & the Gang faded, their rough sound appearing out of place against the slick, dance-oriented sounds that began to dominate popular radio in the late '70s. And then they broke up, never to be heard from again.
Kool and the Gang - Country Junkie (1972)
Looking Glass - Sweet Something (1973)
Monday Sep 27, 2021
Monday Sep 27, 2021
Born in North Carolina, Ray Denson started to dance professionally in 1951, taking on the professional name of Billy Lamont. His singing career started in 1956.
"(Zap! Pow!) Do the Batman" was recorded for Atlantic in January 1966 with Gate Wesley and his band, one of the first Batman records. "Communications Is Where It's At, Parts 1 & 2" was credited to Billy the Baron & His Smokin Challangers (sic), released in 1976. Probably Lamont's final release was the 12-inch maxi-single "The Man With the Master Plan"/"The Cowboy" (credited to Billy Lamont & the Unn Band), issued in 1980.
Billy Lamont died on June 3, 2012, aged 82.
Billy The Baron & His Smokin Challengers - Communications Is Where It's At (1975)
Billy Baron and the Umm Band - The Man With The Master Plan (1980)
Gate Wesley & Band - (Zap! Pow!) Do The Batman (1966) Billy LaMont on lead vocals
Freddie Cannon - She’s A Mean Rebel Rouser (1983) On Amherst Records! Notice the label reads, "From The LP 'Rock Attack'" which never came out. Oh, Lenny...I played this side because the credited writer Frederick A. Picariello is Freddie Cannon's real name. He wrote this. Old rocker to the bone. In his discography, his name is spelled "Freddy" AND "Freddie".
Side 2 of the 1966 Musicor Label All-Star (?) Album "The Gene Pitney Show"!
Gene Pitney - There's No Living
The Critters - I'm Gonna Give
The Bitter End Singers - I'm On The Run
Teddy and the Pandas - (Bye, Bye) Out The Window
Steve Rossi - My Alphabet of Tears
Marie Knight - Cry Me A River
Selections from the 1973 album, "Carnival", by The Les Humphries Singers.
Dixie
Something I Saw
Uniform
Carnival
Me - Scare Us (2012)
The first try was so successful, we need to do it again.
Percy Faith - A Summer Place '76 (Original release in 1959) In 1960, the original Percy Faith version (from the movie of the same name) reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks, a record at that time.
Gene Vincent - Be-Bop-A-Lula '69 (1956) Produced by Kim Fowley, the remake eliminates the swing in favor of a straight 4/4. The original reached #7.
Charlie Daniels Band - Uneasy Rider 88' (1973) The original reached #9. Charlie Daniels had played on records by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and co-wrote the Elvis song, "It Hurts Me." And apparently, he felt the need to retro-fit his big hit to denounce gays instead of hippies. His biggest hit was "The Devil Went Down To Georgia."
Bobby Hebb - Sunny '76 (1966)
The Residents - Santa Dog '78 (1972)
The Moonglows - Sincerely '72 (1954)
Sœur Sourire (The Singing Nun) - Dominique '82 (1963) Belgian singer (born Jeannine Deckers) in 1933. Later she became a nun (Sister Luc-Gabrielle) and recorded 'Dominique' in 1963. The song was an international hit and even reached #1 on the Billboard chart after it was released in the USA with the artist name 'The Singing Nun'. The Singing Nun also achieved the remarkable feat — the first in American chart history — of a simultaneous No. 1 single and No. 1 album, both of which sold over a million copies.
She committed suicide on March 31, 1985. Deckers and her companion Annie Berchet were found dead in a flat at Waure near Brussels. Both had taken an overdose of barbiturates. The tragedy happened after the Belgian authorities demanded the tax from the monies earned during her fleeting 15 minutes of fame. The convent took a large share of the royalties from her success, as did her record company.
This apparently left the former nun in such a state of depression that she took her own life. In a joint suicide note, Deckers wrote: “We are going together to meet God our Father. He alone can save us from this financial disaster.”
I told you. Religion ruins everything.
Michael Rabon & The Five Americans - I See The Light '69 (1965) John Durrill was the keyboardist and wrote "Dark Lady" for Cher.
Louis Jordan - Caledonia '56 (1945)
Johnny Kidd & The Pirates - Shakin' All Over '65 (1960)
Legendary Stardust Cowboy - Paralyzed '80 (1968)
Andre Williams - Bacon Fat '86 (1956)
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
My Vinyl Collection Keeps Getting Bigger and Worse.
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Allen & Rossi - Sway (1976) POACA will recall Marty Allen's ubiquitous presence on 70s talk shows and game shows. Whether they like it or not. Naw, he was funny! More Allen and Rossi vinyl to come!
From Both Sides Now, a wonderful resource for people wanting to know the stories behind the labels: The Calla label started in 1965 as an independent New York label, owned by Nathan (Nate) McCalla. Calla hit big with J.J. Jackson's "But It's Alright" in 1966, a song recorded in England with British musicians backing Jackson, and then turned this 45 hit into an LP of the same name. Calla licensed the rights to J.J. Jackson's material to Warner Brothers sometime later, and the same song re-charted in 1969 on WB. Other artists on the label included The Sandpebbles, Jean Wells, Billy Mitchell, and Betty LaVette, Rudy Love, and The Persuaders.Early singles and possibly the first album were distributed by Cameo-Parkway, but Cameo-Parkway soon ran into problems staying in business. With Cameo-Parkway on the rocks, McCalla decided to do his own distribution. McCalla was a friend of Morris Levy and was part of the Roulette Records group of labels, but operated independently as far as distribution. This worked well until 1972 when the material seemed to dry up.Calla was all but inactive for the 1972-1975 years. But in 1976, Calla issued a handful of albums distributed by a company called Shakat Records. The albums that sold well were shifted to CBS for distribution later that same year, and CBS eventually reissued several of the Calla albums on Epic, with a small Calla logo.Calla shut its doors in 1977 when Nate McCalla decided to go on an extended stay outside the United States. When he returned in 1980, he was soon murdered. Like many record company execs, Nate McCalla was less of a studio man and more of an office man, one who knew what he liked, signing a wide variety of musical genres to his label. He leaves a relatively small but quite interesting musical legacy.
Dennis Parker - New York By Night (1979) 12" Mix.
Dennis Parker - Like An Eagle (1979) 12" Mix"
Look at this guy. Just look at him. Sweat. Muscle. Mmmm. I think I'm gay now. Actually, he did straight porn AND gay, and he hooked up with Jacques Morali, and then made this album. I actually like it. As disco goes, it's in the hands of the master. And so was Dennis, for a while.
Side One of "The Gene Pitney Show" (1966): This is a fake live album, with Joe O'Brien as emcee. The album features several Musicor acts of the time, many of whom never had an LP release, meaning that this album is the only place to find some of these songs in stereo. I believe this album was meant as a ploy to get more exposure to other Musicor acts by having their biggest star (Pitney) "appear" with the others in concert. However, as stated earlier, this is a fake live album, and a poorly done one. Crowd noises are added in at seemingly random points in the songs, some of the sound effects weren't properly cued up so you can hear the FX record gain speed. On top of this, Joe O'Brien randomly starts speaking at random points on some tracks. If it weren't for the hard-to-find songs (in stereo or mono) this would be just a waste of vinyl.
Gene Pitney - Backstage
The Critters - Georgianna
The Bitter End Singers - Let Me In or Keep me Out
Teddy and the Pandas - Once Upon A Time
The Platters - I Love You 1,000 Times
Danny and Diego - Glitter and Gold
Tony Bruno - This Time You're Right (1974)
Tony Bruno - Love Was Born Today (1974)
I'm glad I bought this little-known soundtrack to a little-known movie with songs by a little-known singer that I love (Tony Bruno).
Elliot Lurie - Rich Girl (1976)
Elliot Lurie - Disco (1975) I have raised 3 children, done thousands of gigs, won Musician of the Year in High School, etc., but NOTHING gives me more pleasure than doing my imitation of Elliot Lurie.
Therapy - Fantasia on Eleanor Rigby (1975) Sleeve notes: "This album, our third, is a selection of material which can be heard at a typical Therapy performance."
I'm the Greatest - David Hentschel (1975) Phil Collins on drums.
Selections from Side One of Les Humphries Singers' "Carnival" album (1973) WHICH I OWN!!:
Kentucky Dew
Do-Da
Lonely Kind of Man
Square Dance
Les Humphries was not a bad songwriter at all. Somewhat derivative in places, but mostly inoffensive pop in the vein of Gilbert O'Sullivan or a young Elton John after a night out.
Os Mutantes - Panis et Circenses (1970) English version. Translates to "Bread and Circuses".
Os Mutantes - I Feel A Little Spaced (1970) English version of "Ando Meio Desligado". These are not bad. I think the songs are so good and the performances so sincere and unaffected that they transcend our clunky lexicon. They must have done this to expand their audience in the USA. It didn't work but I'm glad they released this at all.
Bobby Lee Trammell - You Mostest Girl (1958) Our favorite guy, Bobby Lee Trammell, records an almost note-for-note copy of Elvis' "You're So Square (Baby I Don't Care)".
J.D. Drews - Don't Want Nobody (1980) Jürgen Drews from the aforementioned LHS tries to break into the American market by anglicizing his name and adopting all the quirky affect of a real-live New Wave singer with somewhat staid results. This song was written by P Delph and D Edwards. I can't see that they wrote anything else. The Brecker Brothers, Jan Akkerman, and Joe Chemay.
Pete Sacco - Pennsylvania (197?) Lou Christie's brother recorded this on the Lightning Label.
Wednesday Feb 17, 2021
D-Sides Diary: "The Spectrum Of Music Level 6" Unboxing!
Wednesday Feb 17, 2021
Wednesday Feb 17, 2021
Click this to watch my unboxing at WHUP Studio!
This is the unboxing of The Spectrum Of Music Level 6, released in 1974. I bought it because I had not heard the song "Fender Bender" in mumblemumble years, but a nice discogs.com fellow told me of the thing being sold on Ebay.
I think Miss Nixon, our music teacher, had a defective turntable because whenever she would break one of these albums out, it always sounded like a group of very sad, sick children. But THIS, played on a magnificent WHUP turntable, sounds like your normal chorus of children.
Friday Aug 21, 2020
Gilbert Neal's Vinyl Collection! Mmm....it's so pure.
Friday Aug 21, 2020
Friday Aug 21, 2020
Donny Most - I Only Want What's Mine (1980) With Linda Purl as "Lorree". She played Pam Beesly's mother in The Office. The one Michael Scott dated until he found out she was too old.
Freddy Cannon - Suzanne Somers (1981) The sounds like a fake crowd. Man, Freddy Cannon tried EVERYTHING.
Denny Greene - Love Party (1976) I picked out the nuttiest title from Sha Na Na man Denny Greene's one solo album. Spot on. Immaculately produced dross to my ears.
Freddy and Connie Cannon - Blankcheck Market (1981) B-side of "Suzanne Somers". Nothing gets wasted on VINYL NIGHT!! More fake audience hilarity.
Chuck Barris - Too Rich (1969) Here's Chuck Barris's Wikipedia thingie. Too rich an American tale to do justice here. Suffice to say he hosted a show called The Gong Show, a crazy continuum of the Arthur Godfrey Show in that you had a chance, before a nation-wide audience, to be a star (or, TGS, a notorious failure). But your goal was always fame. Barris claimed, until the day he died, to be a CIA assassin.
Chuck Barris - I Know a Child (1969) B-Side of "Too Rich". Nowhere near as good.
Denny Greene - Great Escape (1976) This is different from the 12" single (which is a little different than the LP version). A little less processed, and the bass is nowhere near as prominent.
Citizen - I Am A Citizen (1980) I forget how I found out about Citizen, but I'm glad I did, sorta. I would love to talk to Donn Marier to see what the original plan was. Who decided on the shoulder pads? What was it like recording that video? Did you have any success? The main thing I got from listening to this album was that someone in his band was an amazing guitarist. Donn Marier's website is dead. But here's the video.
Freddy Cannon - Sugar (1976) ANYTHING!!!! Including Disco.
Freddy Cannon - Sugar (inst.) (1976) The b-side.
Citizen - Advertising (Rock Rock)! (1980) No, Wall Street!! You will not take me into your consumer-driven clutches.
Scott Simon - Think About Me (1980) Another Sha Na Na guy puts out an inoffensive record. This one is more reminiscent of the original group. Fun in places, competent. Not great.
Lou Christie - Wood Child (1971) To me, a great record that very few people know.
Hard to find a copy that isn't a cut-out. That means that the record company sends them as wholesale to retailers as non-returnable items, meaning that the store cannot send them back to the distributor for a refund; the reason for the cut or hole in the packaging is to mark the item as non-returnable. The marking also serves to prevent the retailer from selling the discounted item at full price.
All the albums that I have accrued lately are actually cut-outs. The music is the same. The vinyl is the same. It's just a way of preventing them from being perpetually returned by retailers.
That gal is Twyla Herbert, LC's songwriting partner.
J Jocko - That's The Song (1975) The best of the three solo SNN albums during my recent spree. Co-produced by my personal friend Elliot Randall. Slick, pretty fun, and one gets the impression J Jocko doesn't care what anyone thinks.
Lou Christie - Waco (1971)
J Jocko - Lip Service (1975)
Lou Christie - Lighthouse (1971)
J Jocko - Tomorrow’s Rising (1975)
Lou Christie - Paint America Love (1971)
The Guess Who - Country Disco (1981) This HAS TO be a contract fulfillment record. Remember those AM hits? "American Woman"? "These Eyes? "It's Clap For The Wolfman"? Only the bass player remains.
Screamin' Scott Simon - I Ain't Got a Home (1980)