Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Chesterfield Kings - Barbara Ann 7"

A year or two ago I saw The Chesterfield Kings opening for The New York Dolls. They were good enough for me to pick up this recor when I saw it. They put on a very Stonesy show which fit in well with the evening. David Johansen was basically doing his best Jagger impression the whole night. It should be noted here, though, that the real reason I went to the show was to see the Supersuckers and to be brutally honest, they stole the show. If you ever have the chance to catch the them do yourself a favor and do so. They will rock your socks off. If you have a chance to see them do one of their country sets you should definitely jump at the chance. Anyways enough about The Supersuckers. The Chesterfield Kings are very much like The New York Dolls in concert. They've been around since the late 70's coming out of that sort of New York punk scene. With that said this record is nothing like that. When I bought this I was thinking I was going to get some sort of re-invention of these Beach Boys songs. What I got, however, were two faithful respectful renditions of the songs. They pretty much sound like they were recorded back in the 60's and have all the fun and flavor of the originals. I like them. Hope you do too.
Enjoy!
01 Barbara Ann.m4a
02 Girl Don't Tell Me.m4a

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Redux - Jacky Ward & Reba McEntire - Three Sheets To The Wind/I'd Really Love To See You Tonight 7" (redux 10.27.08)

If you asked me to name or identify a single Reba McEntire song I'm afraid I couldn't do so (except these two songs). That's a sad state of affairs given the fact that she is one of the biggest and most successful recording artists ever.

I can tell you that essentially that her success started with this release. Allmusic had this to say.

"Two and a half years into her recording career, with very little to show for it, McEntire was paired with labelmate Jacky Ward for the two-sided single "Three Sheets in the Wind"/"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" (the B-side a cover of the pop hit by England Dan & John Ford Coley), which reached number 20 in July 1978."

"Three Sheets In The Wind" is a catchy old country number treading familiar ground, drinking and sad stories. The title is was attracted me to buying this in the first place. I have a soft spot for songs about drinking and country songs about drinking many times rank on the top of my list. There's just something about the genre that really lends itself to the subject.

Even though i bought the record in hopes that "Three Sheets In The Wind" would be good, what I found was that I really loved the B-Side "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight". I didn't know the title, but once I heard the song I was like, "I know that song". It's really a nice pop song. And this treatment is definitely more pop than country.

Both of these songs have shown me a glimpse into Reba's appeal. I'm sure I'll check out more of her work in the future based on just these two songs. Maybe you will too.

Enjoy!

01 Three Sheets In The Wind.m4a
02 I'd Really Love To See You Tonight.m4a

FYI this is a repost of this entry after being taken down because someone complained about copyright infringement. There of course wasn't any infringement on this page because this page only contained links to other pages and no actual material that could be considered copyrighted except for maybe my words. So to hopefully avoid any confusion for whoever complain the above links have been disabled. (10.27.08)

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Thee Stash - Should I Suck Or Should I Blow 7"


Thee Stash is one of Billy Childish's many projects. I think maybe there is this 7" and perhaps another and that is it. If you're not up on who Billy Childish is you have a lot of reading to do. I didn't know who he was until a few years ago and I felt like I had been living in a closet for not knowing someone who is so prolific. But then again he's prolific in a DYI underground sort of way. He also has a about a gazillion different projects and so it is hard to keep track.

As you might think from the artwork the songs are basically Clash songs with new lyrics. They're fun and have plenty of punk attitude.

Enjoy!

01 Should I Suck Or Should I Blow.mp3
02 We're Selling Jeans For The U.S.A..mp3

Monday, January 28, 2008

Jerry Reed - Patches/Stray Dogs and Stray Women 7" - 1981

This one goes out for all the people my age who grew up on "Smokey and The Bandit" and "Scooby-Doo". You may relate to my love o Jerry Reed. Now I'm not any sort of authority on his work, but he does hold a special place in my heart because if the strong influence and memories of "Smokey And The Bandit" and "Scooby-Doo". Both of which Jerry played keys rolls.

Such a strong impression Jerry made on me as a little kid that even when I was trying to be a cool kid growing up who would have nothing to do with country I still would sing along to "Pretty Mary Sunlight" and "East Bound and Down". And now as an adult I am trying to pass on some of his legacy. A few years ago I picked up Jerry's "Eastbound and Down" album that come out with "Smokey And The Bandit". That title track became a a bit of a tradition during out family road trips. If you haven't tried it, it is the perfect song to play as you are pulling onto the expressway on ramp. It really gets the blood pumping and gets you excited to head out on a long trip.

Then there was "Pretty Mary Sunlite" which he sang on the "Phantom Of the Country Music Hall" on "The New Scooby-Doo Movies". The early days "Scooby-Doo" featured a lot of great little pop tunes. Davy Jones was a guest as many will remember and there were also some bubble gum pop songs by some generic Archie-type band during that first or second year. Well among those songs was "Pretty Mary Sunlite" and many years later I was happy to find the song on Cartoon Networks "Scooby-Doo Snack Tracks" CD, which I discovered while writing this must be out of print and is quite expensive on Amazon. It now gets frequent play on the Ipod. It is catchy as all get out and simple as hell.

Anyways, neither of those songs are here. Maybe I'll post them in the future. Today's selection is from the early 80's, 1981 to be exact. Again I new nothing about either of these songs when I bought the record. I saw Jerry Reed and figured it was worth the 50 cents. Well, "Patches" is great. It's one of those great country "story" songs about a guy named "Patches" who grew up in Alabama who is told by his dad on his dying bed that at the age or 13 the family is relying on him to hold everything together. At its heart the song has a lot of emotion, but at the same time the chorus has a funky/rocky groove to it.

The second song is a classic honky tonk about a man who is a "fool for stray dogs and stray women." It's nice enough and has a traditional country flavor to it.

Enjoy!

01 Patches.m4a
02 Stray Dogs And Stray Women.m4a

Bonus tracks
East Bound And Down
Pretty Mary Sunlite

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Horst Jankowski - Simpel Gimpel 7"

Who the heck was Horst Jankowski? I have no idea. I can tell you that he recorded one weird number with "Simpel Gimpel". For the most part if is just a happy-go-lucky instrumental, but there are these crazy vocal singing "oohs", "Ahs" "doots" etc. At one moment the song seems really serious and then these vocals will come in and undercut everything. I can't help but laugh. The last couple vocalizations of "uh huh" and "mm hmm" (I think that's is how to spell such a thing) are a perfect punchline to this nonsense song.

"Charming Vienna" is nothing special. It's neither here nor there.

The record is pretty beat up and scratchy, but I think that is okay because I don't know how or where else you'll be able to listen to this.


Enjoy!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

AC/DC - Girls Got Rhythm 7" EP - 1979

I don't think there is anything new I can say about this band or these songs that hasn't been said or written somewhere else. Sure this blog is about sharing new music, but it is also about sharing good music, so while you can find these songs on CD and many of you already own these songs I thought I'd share my rips from this 1979 EP. I figure people might also like to see the artwork as well. The B-Side songs are live. I think they are from "If You Want Blood You've Got It", but I haven't done the comparison yet to confirm that. Maybe someone out there can chime in with a confirmation.

Enjoy!

01 Girls Got Rhythm.m4a
02 If You Want Blood (You've Got It).m4a
03 Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be.m4a
04 Rock 'N' Roll Damnation.m4a

Or the whole thing here.

Friday, January 25, 2008

John Anderson - Eye Of A Hurricane/Chicken Truck 7" - 1985

Again I cop to my ignorance right up front. I don't know much about country music. I'm still a rather new student to the whole genre. So when I saw this 45, the name John Anderson didn't mean a thing to me. I've since discovered he is a well respected very successful country artist. What I did see was that there was a song call "Chicken Truck". "Chicken Truck", how could I go wrong. Either the song was going to be a great little country number or the song was going to be so cheesy and lame that it would be great. The moment I saw it my mind started imagining what kind of CB radio "Convoy" derivative could be held in the grooves of this record. What I found wasn't really that. Sure it has it's roots in th trucking and CB craze of the 70's but the song is more of a straight ahead honky-tonk cooker. It has a great beat, some fine guitar work and is simply a fine country song. Now for some that is enough to just skip this entry all together. I get it. Country is definitely not for everyone. Ten years ago I wouldn't have given it a chance either.

The song is from John Anderson's second album and reached the top ten on the country Billboard charts. For more history on John Anderson read up on Allmusic.com here and here.

"Eye Of A Hurricaine" is from the mid 80's and seems to be courting pop music more than country. It's an okay song, and is the reason for this record. I'm pretty sure that it was the single off the "Eye Of A Hurricaine" Record and "Chicken Truck" was added as a B-side because it was one of his hits. I could be wrong, but whatever the story the highlight to me is "Chicken Truck"

So put on some cowboy boots, fire up the big rig and crank up your radio to a little John Anderson.

Enjoy!

01 Eye Of A Hurricaine.m4a
02 Chicken Truck.m4a

Both songs here.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Harry Breuer And His Quintet - Mallet Magic 1957

Back in the 90's I was one of the horde of people who got sucked into the whole lounge music craze. I bought at least 10 of the Ultra-Lounge CD's from Capitol records as well as some other compilations featuring words like "cocktail" or "bachelor pad". It was like discovering a whole new world of music. And by that I really mean a whole new world because much of the music sounded like it was from a different planet. Sometimes it was space age themed, but other times the music was so happy and gleeful that it just didn't seem to relate to any world I knew growing up. Well eventually I played those CD's to death and like a lot of things I moved on. But then I got into buying records. At first I looked for albums by artists that I knew from those CD's or for album covers I found entertaining. Then I realized that there must be more music out there than what I had sampled on those CD's so I began rolling the dice and buying records by artists and orchestras I didn't know at all. And what I discovered was that putting those compilations together must have been very hard and yet very rewarding because there was a lot of junk recorded. Pretty much nothing has changed in the record business. But that makes finding the gems all that more rewarding. You really get a great feeling of discovery and you want to just share it with anyone who will listen.

Well, today's record is one of those cases. I didn't know anything about the orchestra, but from the moment the needle hit the vinyl I began falling in love with the record. As you would think with a title like "Mallet Magic" it feature a lot of xylophone. It also lives up to the title in that it does have a magical quality. The happy spirit of the music is infectious. Like much of the other lounge music that I love it has an other worldly quality. Here in the 21st century it is hard to imagine music that is so optimistic and happy. It's almost as if it were made by happy little elves.

The playing if of course amazing. I wish I could see the actual playing of the instruments.

Another texture that was popular at the time and I simply love is the organ that underlies a lot of the orchestrations. I think that also adds to the outerspace quality. I know that may sound weird and it may not even be an accurate way to describe it, but it's all I can come up with.

I won't take up space walking you through the songs. I think it best to leave that surprise up to you as you listen.

Enjoy!

01 Mosquitos' Parade March.m4a
02 Flapperette.m4a
03 Bumble Bee Bolero.m4a
04 Chinese Doll.m4a
05 Chiapanecas.m4a
06 Maxixe Mambo.m4a
07 Samba Macabre.m4a
08 Maple Leaf Jump.m4a
09 Tulip Polka.m4a
10 Buffoon.m4a
11 Glockenspiel Gavotte.m4a
12 La Rosita.m4a

Or the whole thing here.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Betty And Charles - Somebody's Foolin'/Can't Find Love 7"

I don't know anything about Betty and Charles other than I like this record. I've done some basic internet searching and only found that there are some Malaco records compilations that have some of their songs. When I listen to the first song "Somebody's Been Foolin'" I think this is what a single should sound like. Catchy, full of energy and completely stands on it's on. It's the kind of song where all you need it this one song and your good. The lyrics are also kind of funny. To me it sounds like they were some kind of couple where it seemed like everyone was trying to hit on them and come between them. Maybe I'm not hearing things right, but you be the judge.
The second song "Can't Find Love" is a great soul side. When you think of soul this is the exact kind of song you should be thinking of. It is great because of the male and female vocals it covers what male soul should be as well as female soul. There is not a single insincere note in the whole song. They both just give it all they got. And the give an take between the two just cuts to you to the core.
So have a listen to this long forgotten gem.
Enjoy!
01 Somebody's Foolin' (Where We've Been Roostin').m4a
02 Can't Find Love.m4a

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Lazy Cowgirls - Loretta/Hybrid Moments 7" 1989

This record makes me realize that I need to get me some more Lazy Cowgirls. I only have two records and a few songs I've downloaded off the net and all of them are good. This record, though is amazing. Sure it's covers and doesn't quite represent them in their purest form, but it shows how much they rock.

The selections are "Loretta" which is a Nervous Eaters cover. I'll be honest here. I don't know anything about the Nervous Eaters other than what I just read on Allmusic.com. I'm going to keep an eye out for them and try and hear what they are like. The second selection in "Hybrid Moments" from the Misfits, one of my favorite Misfits songs and the main reason I purchased this baby. The Lazy Cowgirls do the song right. I can even understand the lyrics. So get ready to rock your socks off.

Monday, January 21, 2008

The Mono Men - Hexed 7" - 1995

I'll be honest, I'm new to The Mono Men. I think I had come across their name in reading and such, but I had never head them. Then one day I was in a record store that had a couple of their record. The record store also was great because it had a turntable where you could sample the records before purchasing. Well, like I said I kind of knew the name and so I pulled a few of their records on my initial rummaging through the record boxes.
Well, each one I spun was pretty great, so ended up buying two Mono Men 7"'s and one 7" comp. with The Mono Men on the A-side.

I'm sharing this one from 1995 first because I think it is the best on and second because it has the best cover. It's hard to beat a cover with a girl dressed in a devil costume. I might have bought the record just for the cover had I not been able to listen to the songs.
The songs are great. "Hexed" blazes and oozes with Rock N Roll swagger from the very first note to the last. It also has a nice tie in to Halloween and will certainly be making an appearance on my Halloween Mix this year.

"Skin and Bones '65" is also pretty strong. It doesn't tear the place down like "Hexed", but it has a nice raw Stonesy garage feel to it that will keep you humming along. So if yesterday's post (Pat Boone) didn't do it for you and put you to sleep, this should wake you right up.

Enjoy!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Pat Boone - Yes Indeed! - LP (1958)

I know what you're thinking, "Pat Boone? Are you serious?" YES I'M SERIOUS. Now I know the name alone conjures up images of this bland white bread singer who destroyed popular songs and all of that may be true, but not on this record. Hard to believe isn't it. I know I wouldn't have believed it if someone just told me that, but the proof is in the music.

I don't know much of Pat's work, but my guess is that this is was his best record. Old Allmusic.com claims as much. So why all the praise? There are a couple great things going on on this record. #1 Pat. He swings. I mean he really swings. #2. The band. I think it could be argued that the real star of the album is the band behind Pat. I don't think he could swing or sound like he's swinging without this amazing band and the orchestrations behind him.

So what are the highlights? Well, to be perfectly honest here, every song, but if I had to pick something I'd lean toward the gospel numbers "Yes Indeed!" and "Lonesome Road". Something interesting happens when Pat's ultra smooth "Bing Crosby-esque" voice takes on these soulful gospel numbers. On paper it sounds like it should be a train wreck, but the end results is something completely unique and enjoyable. Perhaps these songs work because I believe Pat really believes and feels these songs and so he brings all of his soul to them.

Another one I love is "They Can't Take That Away From Me". This is one of the examples where I think the orchestration and the band steal the show. Sure Pat does a good job on vox, but the band stands out. It is ever changing and surprising you. Near the opening there is a great little big with an electric guitar and then you never really hear it again. It comes in, provides a nice little flavor and then steps back. That sort of thing happens throughout the song, never repeating itself.

"My Baby Just Cares For Me" is also fun. It has this great bit toward the end where Pat has fun with the lyrics. He sings about his baby not caring for Bing, Perry Como, Sinatra, Ricky Nelson. I think this adds a nice personal touch and it makes me smile.

And probably swingingest number on the whole thing is "American Beauty Rose". It also has some back up singers which come in as another pleasant surprise. The great thing is that when you listen to the album from start to finish you get to this song and you think you know what you're going to get. You have settled in to listening to Pat and band and then these other singers come in. I remember just smiling when I first heard them, thinking this album is just never going to just settle for okay. It is going to keep every song interesting and new. So don't jump ahead to this song. Listen to it in context of the whole album and see if you have the same experience.

So I've rambled enough about this album today. Now it's your turn to listen.

Enjoy!


Saturday, January 19, 2008

Helen O'Connell - Here's Helen LP

I knew nothing about Helen O'Connell when I bought this record. All I knew is what I read on the back of the jacket. By the way I miss all the great marketing ploys that were in the liner notes on the backs of records back in the day. Anyways this tells the story of a mother and daughter seeing Helen on her TV show and then mother playing some old Helen O'Connell records for her daughter. Of course the daughter loves what she hears. It's funny that this whole dialgogue is put on the record to sell the idea that a whole new generation of kids can discover Helen like their parents. What I got out of it was there was some singer named Helen O'Connell that had some kind of Hollywood chat show in the 60's who sang for some pretty good bands in the 40's or 50's and I never heard of here. So I gave up the buck and bought the record. I love when those gambles pay off. Helen really swings and the band behind her is top notch. Right out of the gate the record kicks into high gear with "Who Cares". Short, sweet and enough punch to knock you on your butt.

Another big highlight for me is "Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)". I liked this song to begin with and after hearing this I think I prefer this version to any other I've ever heard. It is one hell of a A-Side closer.

Track 8 "Just You Just Me" also really cooks. The band is on fire and she really sounds beautiful. I love the bouncing base line underneath everything. It really gets the toe a tappin'.

The funny thing about listening to the record is that it kinda makes me feel a little sad because it is so good and because she and the record are forgotten. Since she only released a couple records and had a slight comeback in the 60's with some long forgotten TV show, no one is talking about her today. But that is kind of the point of this blog. Hopefully someone else can discover Helen like I did.

Enjoy!

01 Who Cares.m4a
02 I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me.m4a
03 Bye Bye Blues.m4a
04 Blue An Broken Heart.m4a
05 Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night In The Week).m4a
06 I've Got A Feelin' You're Foolin'.m4a
07 You Showed Me The Way.m4a
08 Just You Just Me.m4a
09 I Cried For You.m4a
10 Miss You.m4a

Here's Helen.zip

Friday, January 18, 2008

Homer & Jethro - You Smell Like Turtles 7"

I don't know about you, but when I'm looking through a bin or records and I see a 45 with a song entitled "You Smell Like Turtles" you have to buy the record. Such was the story with this record. This was part of that big country records purchase I wrote about before and quickly because one of the favorites from that haul.

I first digitized this song some years ago when my son was younger and he and his friends thought it was hilarious. To be honest Homer & Jethro aren't exactly the most mature performers. This song introduced me to Homer and Jethro and since then I've picked up quite a few of their records. "Cornfucious Say" from 1964 features some particularly politically incorrect images and songs. That for sure will make an appearance here in the future.

Anyways "You Smell Like Turtles" is a fun song. It has silly lyrics that kids will like. The B-Side "Daddy Played First Base" is pretty good. It's about a family playing baseball together. I like the nod to Johnny Cash with the Chorus:

Daddy played first base
Mommy played second
Brother and Sister were the catcher and the pitcher
Shortstop was a good old boy names Sue

So if you like going to the Golden Horseshoe at Disneyland and catching Bill Bill and the Hillbillies, I think you'll enjoy the comedy stylings of Homer and Jethro. Here's little video of Bill Hill as a bonus.


Enjoy!

01 You Smell Like Turtles.mp3
02 Daddy Played First Base.mp3

Or both together here.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Lenny & Squiggy - Lenny & The Squigtones - 1980

Let's be honest, this posting is purely a record geek post. Sure the music and comedy is okay here, but the main reason for posting this record is because Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) from Spinal Tap plays guitar, clarinet and adds some background vocals. How awesomely geeky is that. Check out the photo from the inner record sleeve.

I first read about this record around a year ago and I quickly jumped onto the internet and onto some file sharing networks looking for the record, but I couldn't find it. So when I stumbled across the record I bought it without hesitation.

The songs are funny and the banter in between has a few chuckles. I don't know that you'll put this one on repeat, but it's worth at least one listen. You may however want to download the image of Nigel to use as your desktop image.

For more info read here.

Enjoy!

01 Vamp On.m4a
02 Night After Night.m4a
03 Creature Without A Head (Intro).m4a
04 Creature Without A Head.m4a
05 King Of The Cars.m4a
06 Squiggy's Wedding Day (Intro).m4a
07 Squiggy's Wedding Day.m4a
08 Love Is A Terrible Thing.m4a
09 Babyland (For Eva Squigmann).m4a
10 (If Only I Had Listened To) Mama.m4a
11 So's Your Old Testament.m4a
12 Sister-In-Law.m4a
13 Honor Farm.m4a
14 Starcrossed.m4a
15 Only Women Cry.m4a
16 Foreign Legion Of Love.m4a
17 Vamp Off.m4a

Here's the whole record split into two Zip files.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Mad Daddy's - Cat Scratch Fever! 7" - 1990

Today's little ditty comes from the Mad Daddy's circa 1990. As I was listening to this on my i-pod on my way to work this morning I paid a little more attention to the lyrics than probably I ever had before. It's funny how when a song gets covered a few things run through your head. Sometimes when someone covers a song by a band that you may not have recognized before you think how did I miss this song or maybe I should re-listen to the original. Sometimes I think to myself why did they choose this obscure cut to cover. What did this song mean to the band. This is not one of those cases. Cat Scratch Fever was a huge hit for the motor city madman and the reasons for covering it are obvious. The song rocks and the band obviously thought so too and so they covered it. But that brings me to this mornings experience. Because the song is familiar, yet new I listened a little more closely than usual and found myself asking "what the hell are they singing about?" I've always had it in the back of my mind that Cat Scratch Fever was sex, but maybe I haven't been listening closely enough all these years. It sounds to me like the song is about VD and old Ted loves spreading it around. That's not so nice, Ted. Maybe I'm just reading into it too much. Have a read and a listen and judge for yourself.

"Cat Scratch Fever"
Lyrics
Well I don't know where they come from
But they sure do come
I hope they comin' for me
And I don't know how they do it
But they sure do it good
I hope they doin' it for free

They give me cat scratch fever
Cat scratch fever

The first time that I got it
I was just ten years old
I got it from some kitty next foor
I went and see the Dr. and
He gave me the cure
I think I got it some more

They give me cat scratch fever
Cat scratch fever

It's nothin dangerous
I feel no pain
I've got to ch-ch-change
You know you got it when you're going insane
It makes a grown man cryin' cryin'
Won't you make my bed

I make the pussy purr with
The stroke of my hand
They know they gettin' it from me
They know just where to go
When they need their lovin man
They know I do it for free

They give me cat scratch fever
Cat scratch fever


The B-Side "Yeah" in many respects is better than the Ted Nugent cover. The song reminds me of a cross between "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" by Concrete Blonde and "She's My Witch" by The Monsters. It has a driving rhythm that just sounds like a wolf on the prowl. Anyways, it is a nice companion to Cat Scratch Fever.

01 Cat Scratch Fever.m4a
02 Yeah.m4a

Enjoy!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Benny Goodman - Swing Into Spring

So the one and only reason for this post is track 5 "Perfidia". Sure the other tracks on the record are fine songs as well, but there is something about that "Perfidia" that I can't get enough.

In prepping for this entry I read the liner notes a little closer. The smooth as butter vocal is a woman named Helen Forrest. I'm sure some Jazz aficionado could write a history on her, but me, I'm not so well read. I have no idea who she is at this stage in my life. The other thing about the song is that Count Basie is on the piano. That's right Count Basie. Need I say more.

The other thing I love about this song and you'll notice that quite of few of the songs follow this structure, but I love the long instrumental intro. Just when you think this is just a lovely instrumental that can't get any better, this amazing vocal comes in.

From what I've researched this record was released to coincide with some "Swing Into Spring" TV show in 1959. You'll notice that the record was released exclusively to Texaco customers. I'm guessing that Texaco also sponsored that show. So the album is really just a compilation of previously released material. And in my opinion it is some fantastic material. I'm sure you can find all of these songs on CD's somewhere, but here you'll get my crackling and popping vinyl rips. I think it adds a little to the nostalgia.