Evil Woman

When i was a kid i had Black Sabbath's first album on cassette, and it had their version of 'Evil Woman' on it. Of course, i don't have it anymore it was over 25 years ago, but i wish i did because i'd like to know what the hell import version of the album i had exactly... Anyway, nobody respects cassettes- they never did, especially not 10 year old metal head kids, they lay waste to everything in their paths... Eventually the tape disappeared. When i replaced it on vinyl the song Evil Woman was gone!
What the hell?!
I didn't understand why, i was just a stupid kid. All i knew was that my new copy of one of my favorite rock albums was missing a song!

I have always loved that album, and i always will, but since i heard it first with the extra song attached, it always seems like it's incomplete when i hear it now.
I got over it, but i never forgot the song.
Turns out it was a b-side of a single or something, only available on imports?
Either way, i still don't own the Sabbath version.

Fast forward about 20 years ,it's 2002 or so, and i'm sitting in some trendy-ass hipster bar in Los Angeles (Hey- gimmie a break, my band was on tour.) We were killing an afternoon with a few adult beverages, and there was a DJ playing vinyl. We stuck around because he was actually spinning some pretty righteous tunes. We were paying our bar tab and getting ready to step out, and all of a sudden i heard this:



I couldn't believe my ears. Who is this?! Is this the cover, or was Black Sabbath's version a cover of this?!? Here i am, Mr. Rock and roll know-it-all, and i was stumped. My bandmates were more interested in smoking cigarettes outside than hearing another tired old rock song, but i couldn't leave until it was over. I told them i'd catch up in a minute. I had to know.
I asked the DJ what it was that i was hearing. He told me that the band was called Crow, and showed me the LP cover. I told him that he had just made my visit to rotten horrible Los Angeles all worthwhile.
And he did.
Thank you unknown DJ. Thank you very much.

As soon as i got home i started looking for anything by Crow. It took me a while to find it, but i finally got my hands on my very own copy of Evil Woman. Which, at some point someone paid a meager five cents for (see the label scan) sadly, i forked over $2.95 more for it than that. But worth every penny...
I've still never heard that LP. It's one of many on the mental wish-list.

I don't know if Crow was a Chicago group or what, but that Ides Of March, Chicago (the band) horn section makes me wanna say that they were...
But what do i know...

Here's the flip side, which is an equally good jam.
"Gonna leave a mark"


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You Dig?

The B-side of his 'Secret Agent Man' single.

Push play on the machine...




This tune is a nice long player, so while you listen, lets take a jaunt through my little sliver of the blogosphere...
Trust me on this one-

Now read this for a little background.
(It'll open in a new window so's not to disturb the music.)

Now that you got a little background, Check This Out.

WARNING! Adult Content!

Over the past few days, i've been scanning, scanning, and scanning some more. Over 200 pages worth of vintage 1960's smut. I didn't know what else to do with this stuff, so i figured i'd share.

Tell your friends.
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Zombies!

A lesser heard number from the Zombies. The B-side of the "She's not there" single.

From 1964 -
"You make me feel so good."


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I Can't Turn You Loose

I have a few Chambers Brothers CDs, but this is the only one i have on actual old fashioned vinyl.

The Brothers' version of Otis' I Can't Turn You Loose.



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2+2=?

Here's proof that everyone gets it right at least once.
The Eagles have Hotel California (A guilty pleasure), The Police have Roxanne, The Greatful Dead have a handful of listenable songs. I could go on...But i won't.
Everyone gets it right at least once. This is Bob Seger's.

From what i'm told, the first couple Bob Seger albums are as good as this. The only one i know is his 1969 debut, and i haven't listened to it since i can't remember when. I just have a copy of it, but for as long as i've known better, i've been on the look-out for his first three on vinyl. I haven't been actively searching, but i haven't seen a copy of 'Ramblin Gamblin Man' in years. I just read on his wikipedia page that they are "currently unavailable in any format." In other words, a used vinyl copy is the only way to hear these albums.

One of the greatest anti-war protest records - ever, by a guy who ended up becoming a total pussy.
Dig that FUZZZZZ guitar.

2+2=?





I found this photo whilst cruising the interwebs. Supposedly it's the Bob Seger System from way back when, but who knows... Either way, it's some bad-asses kicking out the jams back when rock was king. Check out that friggin drumset! Take that Bonham!
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If i didn't care

I found a stack of oldies 45s at my local junk shop last week. They are all 1980s re-issues on that real cheapo thin vinyl that you can almost see through. Nothing collectable or unusual, but for 20 cents a pop i couldn't resist picking up a few songs that i didn't already have.

I'm a big fan of Redd Foxx, therefore i think that Sanford And Son is one of the greatest television shows to ever grace the small screen. So when i found the Ink Spots "If I Didn't Care" (Fred G Sanford's favorite song) i had to have it. To be honest, i was more familiar with Fred G's renditions than i was with the actual song, but i gotta say, hearing it again for the first time, it's a pretty decent old tune...
Enjoy.



Here's a clip of Fred G doing his best rendition.

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Lucille's Granny

Here's a deuce from B.B. King. Instrumental-jam b sides of a couple of early 70's singles. I never really gave a lot of thought as to who was in the backing band on these tracks until deciding to post them here now, so i got to googling, and was amazed at what i learned...

Turns out that Joe Walsh plays on "Lucille's Granny" from 1972. During the sessions for 'BB King in London', the 1971 album from which "Alexis' Boogie" is from, the personnel is a who's- who of British rock royalty. Some of the players on the album include: Alexis Korner, Ringo Starr, Peter Green, Bobby Keys, Steve Mariott (And all of Humble Pie) and Steve Winwood- To name a few.

I haven't heard it before, i gotta pick up that record.

Lucille's Granny


Alexis' Boogie


The 8X10 is from my personal collection. Autographed by the man himself.
It's not dated, but judging by his approximate age in the photo, i'd say it's from the late 70's. Who knows- i found it in someones trash. Can you believe that?! In someones trash! A vintage autographed photo of
B B-freaking-King!
It's amazing what some folks throw away...
At least it's safe with someone who appreciates it now.


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The Ballad Of Billy Brown

I was cruising ebay about a week ago looking for something totally unrelated, and i stumbled upon this gem. I'm a sucker for crummy celebrity records, so naturally a Morton Downy Jr record would have been right up my alley anyway. The reason that i absolutely had to have this song because i have a good friend back east in Boston named Billy Brown... And Morton Downey Jr singing about him..?! Well, i just couldn't resist.

After shipping, it set me back like seven bucks- But hey, my friends are worth it.





This one's for The Captain.
"The Ballad Of Billy Brown"



Here's a link to the music page of Mort's official website. It's a quick read full of some cool trivia about MDJ's early music career. I'll bet you didn't know that "Pipeline" (Yes that Pipeline) was recorded in his garage in 1963...
True story. Go check it out.
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Dinner With Drac

Maybe i should have saved this one for Halloween...

I think i've actually owned this record since i was a little kid. It's been a part of my collection for just about as long as i can remember. I have no idea where it came from, it's just one of those things that's always been there. Far as i can tell, it's from the late 70's. My mother probably bought it for me at K-Mart or some random place.

Here's a great rock and roll instrumental called "Elbow Twist." I have no idea who it is, the sleeves on these kiddie records don't give a whole lot of information.
Tell you what though, that guy really wants us to twist.



The other songs are: Witch Doctor, Dinner With Drac, and another rockin instro called All Choked Up.
If anyone needs it, all four tracks and scans can be downloaded HERE.
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Rubber Biscuit

Here's one for the Record Collector. Follow that link and you'll understand why...


The Blues Brothers - Rubber Biscuit.

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Circle Jerks

This one brought me back...
In my younger days, i snapped up punk 45s like they were going out of style. I didn't realize it at the time, but they actually were going out of style. Even though it seems to be making a comeback in recent years, for a while there it seemed like vinyl was going to go the way of the 8-track tape.

Here's one from the vaults. I haven't spun this record in who knows how long. It's been at least a decade. It's a live bootleg, and i picked it up because i wanted to hear The Jerks' version of CCR's 'Fortunate Son.' A song that i always knew would translate into a punk rock anthem. I don't know anything about when or where this record is from. Bootleg city. The only information on the sleeve other than the song titles is "Made in Germany." My guess- Mid 1990's, taken from a German performance.
Judging by the picture of the moshing dude's choice of head wear, and the whole red theme, around Christmas time?

The sound quality is about what is to be expected. It's noisy but not bad. It's probably taken from a sound board tape. During some of the tracks you can hear the levels of guitars, etc fading up and down.

Enjoy.


Side one:
Fortunate Son
When The Shit Hits The Fan
Deny Everything



Side two:
Making The Bomb
Nervous Breakdown




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Status Quo

My copy is a little noisy, but what are you gonna do-
This record still blows my mind every time i put it on.

Every time i talk about what kind of music i'm into with my family, sooner or later someones bound to say something like: "I used to love that song" or: "I saw that band in concert when i was a teenager in 1970", or any number of things like that that make me think i got a bum deal being born in 1973, and growing up in the horrible 1980's....
I know for a fact that this one was one of my aunt Carol's favorites, so this one's for her.

Pictures Of Matchstick Men



Here's a fun fact about the Status Quo that i sort-of knew, but wasn't exactly sure of the details or the numbers, so i looked it up:
Even though they only had the one hit in the United States, the Status Quo have had over 60 chart hits in the UK, more than any other rock group in history.
22 of these have reached the UK Top Ten.
More than The Beatles... Michael Jackson... Elvis...
It's a fact.
Who knew?
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The purple people eater meets the witch doctor

You've heard about the purple people eater.
You've heard about the witch doctor.
Here's the tale of the meeting between the two giants, with all the hilarity and hijinks that ensued.


These old goof-ball songs with that chipmunk voice friggin slay me. Every time i hear it, it sets me to giggling like a 14 year old who just smoked his first joint, i just can't help myself.

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How records Are Made

Check this out. A demonstration on how records are made.



I found it HERE. There are also some really wild pictures on this site of the grooves in vinyl records taken with a high powered microscope.

And if you are on the Facebooks, check out this group i found called The art of the 45 rpm label. No sounds, just scans of cool labels.

Time Machine

I just converted a heap of vinyl today. I've got a shitload of rock stuff like this one by Grand Funk Railroad. I also ripped some more oldies type stuff, some weirdo novelty records, some obscure BB King B-sides, and a couple of old hardcore/punk rock e.p.'s.

Stay tuned. There's plenty more where this came from.


I don't care who knows it. I friggin love Grand Funk Railroad.
All of that fun lovin', shit kickin', pill poppin', womanizin' cock rock from the early 70's is great and GFR were one of the finest American bands (pun intended) out of all of em.
This has nothing to do with Homer Simpson, Grand Funk Railroad is no laughing matter.

The Cool thing about these two songs back to back on a 45, is that they also appear one after another on the LP 'On Time' from which they came. (Yes, i have listened to the full-length more times than... A lot anyway.)

Here are two of the baddest cuts from the GFR's debut.
I think its from 1969.

Time Machine


High On A Horse




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Barefootin

This record makes me happy.



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Commercials

I have an external hard drive full of MP3s that i don't actually own in a physical format which i was going through last night, looking for a Blue Oyster Cult album (that, turns out wasn't even in there.)
Every time i plug the thing in, it's like going into a tiny record store, where everything is what i want to hear, its all free, and i usually find something that i haven't listened to in a long time.

While i was looking in the drive i came across a couple of files that i had forgotten about. Four CDs worth of vintage radio commercials from the 60s and 70s. I don't know who compiled it, but it's a pretty varied collection. I downloaded it about two years ago, and never really listened to a whole lot of it. There are jingles featuring music stars of the era, ads for concerts and records, public service announcements, spots for cheesy movies, etc. There are over a hundred of them.

It's like the stuff you hear on WFMU between songs, but in one handy, easy to use format. I think i'm going to put together my own mix so i have an excuse to put a few of these to good use. I'm still working on a theme for it...
When i get it together, i'll put up a link.


Here are a few highlights.

Neil Diamond hawking Coca Cola


"Stronger than dirt."


The Guess Who - Honda Motorcycles


Scum Of The Earth.




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Merlin Olsen

I like to keep it current.

Football legend turned TV actor Merlin Olsen passed away today at the age of 69. He had been suffering from mesothelioma, a type of cancer.


The other day one of my blogger friends over at the Collector's Treasure Vault posted this record just by chance. (He puts up tons of great music- follow that link to check out his page.)
I didn't think he'd mind if i re-posted his post, so i lifted his MP3s to pass along, but re-wrote everything else.


The record was a goof-ball one off, sung by the 1965 LA Rams defensive line, then known as "The Fearsome Foursome."
They were Rosey Grier, Merlin Olsen, David “Deacon” Jones and Lamar Lundy.

(Merlin's the white guy)

The mid 60's were a little bit before my time, and to be honest, i'm not much of a football fan anyway. More of a Baseball man myself... I do, however, remember him from his appearances in Little House On The Prairie. (Worst. Show. Ever.) But i'll tell you what- i do enjoy me a good novelty record when i hear one, and this here is one of the sillier i've heard in a while.

Who knows who sang lead on these, Merlin's in there somewhere at least...

"Stranded in the jungle"


"Fly in the buttermilk"





And once again, go hit up the Record Collector.
We have him and his fine blog to thank for today's tunes. If you like what you hear here, you'll dig what he's got going over there even more.
(Thanks Al!)
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Trashmen

Here's a deuce by the Trashmen that aren't Surfin Bird, even though one of them is pretty damn close.

Bird dance beat


A bone

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You Gotta Wash Your Ass

This ones by request. About a week ago a friend of mine sent me a message on the facebooks. It was a picture of this album cover, and all it said was "You should find this" or something. I was like- Find it? I already own that shit. So i dug it out ,dusted it off, and gave it a spin.
A great request. This record is hilarious. Lotsa laughs i tell ya...

I have like five or six others, eventually i'll transfer all of them, but for now- You Gotta Wash your Ass!

This one's for you T-Bone!

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It's a bit scratchy, and there are a few skips (None too bad, You don't miss anything.)
Here's the whole record. Each side clocks in at about 20 minutes.
Get It Here.
Enjoy
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Popeye the hitch hiker

Hows about a little Chubby Checker?
For no other reason than the fact that Chubby Checker is the man, because i own it, and i needed something to do.

I'm over here in my Archie Bunker chair with the good headphones strapped on, typing away, while my wife is over there on the sofa watching Lost. I'm sure it's a fine program and everything, but i'm sorry, i just don't get it. I don't care to. To me it's boresville.

So it's a bunch of pre-digitized, scratchy old 45's for this guy.
Could be worse.

Usually before i do a post, i'll google up the name of the artist to see if i can find a little factoid or something to share about them. It's good for everybody- I learn something, and i get to pass along my findings to you, the reader... In Chubby's case, i didn't turn up much that any self-respecting rock and roll fan hasn't already read about him.
Here's a handy link to his Wikipedia page anyway.
It's an informative read. I particularly like the part about how Dick Clark's wife and his boss at the grocery store where he worked were responsible for the name "Chubby Checker."

One thing i did turn up on my interweb searches was some schmuck trying to hawk a copy of this same record on Ebay. He's asking $15 plus $4 shipping.
$19 bucks for this record!?!
Don't get me wrong, these are great songs and all, but Nine- Teen- Dollars?
I paid 50,maybe 75 cents for this copy. Sure, it was over ten years ago, but still...
Fuckin Ebay. He'll probably get the money too.


I was gonna do the flip side of this one too because i'm seriously diggin on Chubby C right now, but i figure everyone's heard the Limbo Rock enough times, so i skipped it.

From 1962
The #10 hit "Popeye the hitch hiker"


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Slop

Well, the Olympics might be over, but that don't mean that i don't still have Olympics fever.
Look out- The stuff is contagious!

Slop it UP.



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