junk shop juke box

Washington square

2012-01-29T10:25:00.000-06:00

There's gotta be a Washington Square in just about every major American city out there. It's a pretty common name. This theme song could be for any of them... Hell, let's just say it's for all of them. I dedicate this one to you, dear reader/listener, wherever you live.

Enjoy!

get it

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we'll take our last walk tonight

2012-01-27T10:47:00.000-06:00

I came across this one (among others) in the 25 cent bins of my local used record shop. When i was paying for everything, the clerk spotted it and said "You found this in there?! The S.D.Q. on Tribe records?! That's a real score, i didn't know we had this... Etc." I said "Yeah, I know, right... Etc."

I'm a fan of the forgotten flip sides of the hits. So this is what we have for your listening pleasure today. The other side of S.D.Q's 'She's about a mover.'

Enjoy!

get it

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Panic Button

2012-01-26T10:12:00.000-06:00

Don't panic ladies and gentlemen, it's only rock and roll.

get it
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Needle in a haystack

2012-01-25T08:34:00.000-06:00

Look no further ladies.
That much fabled 'Needle in a haystack' is right here...

What did i say now!?

get it

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Happy Jose

2012-01-24T11:11:00.000-06:00

What the hell is this friggin guy so happy about?!

get it
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Pipeline

2012-01-23T11:22:00.001-06:00

Did you know that the original version of Pipeline was recorded in the late television host, Morton Downey Jr's garage? True Story...
Not a bad sound on this one. For a group of pro session players, 'The Music City Five' actually did a pretty good job nailing the lo-fi, garage rock (literally) sound of the Chantays.

Enjoy!

get it

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Mean woolly willie

2012-01-22T10:26:00.000-06:00

You better believe what i say

get it

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Dark part of my mind

2012-01-21T09:32:00.000-06:00

Here's the wild flip side of Crazy Elephant's catchy as all get-out hit 'Gimmie gimmie good lovin.' (If you haven't heard it in a while, Check it out.) Considering the free and easy good time feel of that one, this tune is extremely dark and gloomy in contrast. A real yin and yang record. Who knew?

It sounds a little like it could have been a leftover from the Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends album. (Which, if you dug this song at all, and don't already have, you should seek out immediately. You can thank me later.)

Dig that wild guitar.

get it

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Go 'head on

2012-01-20T09:52:00.001-06:00

Well- Go ON dammit!

get going

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Leave me be

2012-01-19T09:59:00.000-06:00

My world's dropped from under me.

get it

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Astronaut Polka

2012-01-17T09:16:00.000-06:00

I got mine yesterday, that's why i walk this way.

get yours today

For more Astronaut music and sounds from the vast Junk shop juke box archives, follow this link or this one.

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Flying Saucer

2012-01-16T11:06:00.000-06:00

I couldn't have written a better explanation for this record, so i hosed this bit from a website i found called The Horror Hop:

Dickie Goodman, a college dropout, and Bill Buchanan, an aspiring music publisher, using techniques that dated back to the golden age of radio, created a splash with a new kind of record, the "Break-in." Break-ins used pre-recorded songs at various points during the record. Buchanan and Goodman employed major hits of 1955-56 to create "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 and 2)," a reinterpretation of Orson Welles' radio program "The War of the Worlds." This new version of the story of flying saucers invading earth was far more funny than frightening. Audiences agreed, and sales of the record soared to #3 on the Billboard charts.

With limited resources and, perhaps, limited inclination, Buchanan and Goodman did not seek permission for the songs they used. With the success of "Flying Saucer" generating increased sales for all the songs used within, none of the artists chose to sue. A few music publishers did, however, leading the duo to create another break-in--again without permission--"Buchanan and Goodman on Trial."

For several years, Buchanan and Goodman continued making break-in and novelty records, sometimes together, sometimes apart. After parting ways permanently, Dickie Goodman continued making break-in records with varying degrees of success until his suicide in 1989. Bill Buchanan died of cancer in 1996.

Part one

Part two

Get it part one

Get it part two

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Martian Melodies

2012-01-15T11:06:00.000-06:00

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the Martian band with Martian Melodies.

get it

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Cool it in outer space

2012-01-14T11:31:00.000-06:00

While we're on the theme, let's roll with it.

Steer clear of the earth my son, stay away from that horrible place, if you can't find anywhere better to go, just cool it in outer space.

cool it

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The Astronaut part two

2012-01-13T09:54:00.000-06:00

And now... The exciting conclusion.

get it part two

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The Astronaut

2012-01-12T10:59:00.000-06:00

This here is only the first half...
Be sure and tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

get it part one

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It's the real thing

2012-01-11T12:09:00.002-06:00

Discovering records like this is what makes it all worthwhile. I found it interesting that Part 1 was the instrumental track, and Part 2 was the vocal track. At first i thought the labels might have been accidentally switched during the manufacturing process, but upon closer examination, they actually say instrumental for part one, and vocal for part 2. This is the way they wanted it to be...

I did a little investigative research on the ole interwebs and found a page on The Carolina Soul website, which is where the following text was stolen from, it also explains the side 1 & 2 switch up:

Perhaps the closest thing to an anthem that the people of Greensboro had in the early ‘70s was “The Real Thing,” by the Electric Express. A demo version of “The Real Thing” made its Triad debut on WQMG’s “Make It, Break It,” a call-in show where listeners determined the fate of any given record. “The station lit up that night!” recalled Hudson during a recent interview. The quartet pooled their weekend wages, and headed to local funk foundry Crescent City Sound Studios, enlisting local tastemaker and radio jock Wayman “Slack” Johnson as producer.

Although Hudson had written a set of socially conscious lyrics while serving in Vietnam, label owner Walter Grady thought “The Real Thing” may perform better as an instrumental, banishing Hudson’s political prose to the single’s B-side. “The Real Thing” would soon get picked up for distribution by Atlantic, selling over 800,000 copies. The two songs serve two entirely different purposes, and although history has favored the instrumental version, you can decide for yourself which is the realest.

One thing i personally couldn't help but hearing in the instrumental version is the similarity of the lazy meandering saxophone solo at the end to the sax solo at the end of the 'Stones 'Can't you hear me knocking.' Their Sticky Fingers album had just been released in April of 1971, and this ones from '71 as well. I don't know much, but it seems to me like the sax player was probably digging on his brand new Stones 8-track in the car on his way to the studio that day... Pay attention toward the end, at about the three minute mark he straight-up rips off one of Bobby Keys' licks. It's great.

I put Part 2 first and the instrumental Part 1 second, because i personally like the vocal version more. You, however, have the choice to listen to them in whatever order you prefer. I'd definitely recommend them both...
Enjoy!

Part 2

Part 1

part two

part one

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Alligator Boogaloo

2012-01-10T10:19:00.000-06:00

Some stuff i find is pretty obscure and out there, and some would have been pretty mainstream back in it's day but is largely forgotten today. I may not know much, and i aint no Jazz enthusiast. I tend to just find what i find, and if i like it i share it here. I do know this much however- When you spot a title called "Alligator Boogaloo" in a markdown (25 cents to 10 cent) bin, you grab it. Don't know the artist, but i know the Blue Note label, and even though i'm not crazy about Jazz music, it's called Alligator Boogaloo, people. There was no way i could pass on this one.
I actually really dig this jam. Hope you do too.

Enjoy!

get it

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Happy Birthday Elvis!

2012-01-08T12:35:00.001-06:00

We wish you were here.

get it
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Update: The morning after.

This is what i did last night in honor of the king's birthday. Night of a thousand Elvises, or Elvii, as it were. They had a cake and everything...
Good times.

Broken hearted sad and blue

2012-01-06T11:07:00.000-06:00

As i said in a recent post, i recently picked up a bunch more of these "Hit" Records, and even though i like to think i have a fairly decent knowledge of mediocre pop music of the 1960s, a few of the titles stumped even me. Now i know the reason why. I didn;t know them, because they were actual original compositions... I had no idea. I thought this label only released cover versions, or 'Sound alikes' as they were called.

You really do learn something new every day. Now i'm even more obsessed than i was before with finding more titles on this label.

Here's a J. Norris original, as performed by Ed Hardin. Kind of an odd concept- The tale of a fellow who runs around on his lady, and then he feels upset about doing so... It's the flip side of Ed's take on 'Oh Pretty Woman.' And hey, while it's no Roy Orbison, it's not the worst thing i've ever spent a minute and fifty eight seconds of my life listening to...

Enjoy!

get it
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Time Bomb

2012-01-05T10:42:00.000-06:00

The latest in my never ending series of records with red center labels.
It's a Morty Craft production.

Enjoy!

get it
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Watch the one that brings the bad news

2012-01-04T13:35:00.000-06:00

Lawd lawd.. How nasty can yeh git...

watch it

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Red Rubber Ball

2012-01-03T07:56:00.000-06:00

Here's one you don't hear on the oldies station nearly enough these days. At least not where i live anyway...

The lyrics have an added personal significance for me on this fine sunny morning.
The first day of the rest of my life...

Enjoy!

get it
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Down in the dumps

2012-01-02T11:54:00.001-06:00

It's a pretty upbeat song considering the title.

Enjoy!

get it

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My new years wish for you

2011-12-31T14:27:00.000-06:00

Happy new year!
Here's the flip side of that awful Christmas message one i posted a week ago. Sorry about all the noise, 25 cent piece of crap... I actually think i paid way too much for it...

Have fun.

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Globetrottin

2011-12-30T10:34:00.000-06:00

Well, it's no Sweet Georgia Brown, but it's still a pretty righteous jam.

I don't know a whole lot about the Tornadoes, they must have released a whole LP of this stuff back in the day... Even if they didn't, my ears tell me that this one was recorded at the same time as their smash runaway hit "Telstar." You got Joe Meek, who's credited as songwriter, behind the board pressing buttons and twiddling the knobs while the tape was rolling on this number too.

Dig it.

get it

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did you ever have to make up your mind

2011-12-29T13:06:00.001-06:00

"Hit" records was a label in the sixties who specialized in releasing half-assed covers of popular songs of the day, aimed at the music buyer on a budget (or the young music lover's thrifty and/or square parents, who didn't know any better.) These records went for like 30 cents, where as an actual Lovin' Spoonful single probably would have ran upwards of a whole dollar at the time. So it is what it is. Nowadays, you and me know it as what you'd call 'a cheap knockoff.' This one's actually a not a half bad version though. Considering the source material.

I recently found 7 or 8 more of these, most songs i know the original versions of, and two that stumped even me... Now i'm obsessed with everything on this label.

Enjoy!

get it

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Sweetmeat Slide

2011-12-28T12:30:00.000-06:00

So- It's the Sweetmeat slide yer lookin for eh..?
I get Sweetmeat yeah, you know that i doooooooooo.......

get it

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Mope-itty Mope Stomp

2011-12-27T12:31:00.000-06:00

As i said in my last post i just picked up a shitload of cheapo 45s and transferred over 100 sides this weekend, so i'm back in business.
I used to run my real turntable/receiver directly into my computer using Final Vinyl, and the recordings sounded pretty decent. Now i'm using my old portable Ion usb job, and the results are a little, well, not so much. But these transfers will have to do...
I'll spare you my sob story, but it's all i've got to work with at the moment, and will be for the forseeable future... So if it's super high fidelity you are looking for, you're in the wrong place. If it's lousy recordings of obscure, unusual, and/or largely forgotten 45s personally rescued from the trash by yours truly, then stay tuned, because i got a heap of new sounds coming your way.

Let's get it going with the old Mope-itty Mope Stomp!

get it

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Jesus come help me

2011-12-25T15:42:00.000-06:00

My Christmas gift to myself this year was the thrill of wasting a few hours flipping through crate after crate of dusty old 45s at my new favorite record shop. (See what i did there) I picked up over a hundred scratchy old 25-centers for my (and your) listening enjoyment. I don't really have the bread to spare for such frivolous purchases right now, but what the hell- It's Christmas fer crissakes! Nobody else was gonna buy them for me...

Hot off the turntable- I just spun this one and thought it would also make a good holiday post...

Jesus, come help me.

get it

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Dear Mr Jesus

2011-12-25T10:09:00.000-06:00

Here's one for the man. The myth. The legend...
The reason for the season.
In my 25+ years of collecting, this has got to be the most horrible record i've ever heard. Ever.

Hope yours is a good one.

Dear Mr Jesus

...and- The flip side: Love Sharon

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I like christmas

2011-12-24T17:37:00.000-06:00

That's not a statement, it's just the title of the stupid record. I fucking hate Christmas. Especially this year.
Christ, the fact that shit like this even exists is half the reason why... Bet you can't even make it through the whole three minutes it's so bad.

Bah humbug!

Now this, this is more like it.

get it

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Whole lotta love

2011-12-21T14:42:00.000-06:00

What can i say, these Dread Zeppelin records still crack me up after all these years. "Featuring the Memphis Hornies, and the Michael Jordanaires." Come on people now. This stuff is comedic genius.
Good times. Good. Times.
When you're done here, check out the FLIP SIDE too, it's a real hoot.

Whole lotta love

get it

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Jumping Bean

2011-12-16T18:05:00.000-06:00

Words are not necessary.

Enjoy!

get it
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I can't control myself

2011-12-13T00:22:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, a fella just can't control himself... It's not a bad thing.

get it

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Stronger than dirt

2011-12-07T22:06:00.000-06:00

The Mummies were one of, if not thee, greatest punk rock bands in the history of recorded sound. Way back when, this was the very first record of theirs i ever heard.

Sorry about the shitty low-res scans. This is just how i did them when i first started converting records, and never re scanned it (and never will.) Don't like it? Too bad. You get what you pay for.

Stronger Than Dirt.
Enjoy!

get it

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Journey to the center of the mind

2011-12-02T09:42:00.000-06:00

Here's one we've all heard before. A little 'Sweaty' Teddy Nugent to start the day off right. Why the hell not...

come along
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Feelin so good

2011-11-28T09:13:00.000-06:00

The title of this one says it all. The actual lyrics..? Who the hell knows what these drug addled hippies were trying to say. The flip side is more of the same, only with a flute...

Enjoy!

feel it
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Harry the hairy ape

2011-11-26T11:23:00.000-06:00

What a dumb song... But what can i say- i love this stuff.
Ole Ray has done it again...

get it

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Spread it on thick

2011-11-23T13:45:00.000-06:00

Last night i watched this flick called "It's a bikini world" Really awful low budget beach movie from 1967, but i figured what the hell... 1960s chicks in bikinis with a cool soundtrack?! There are worse ways a fella could spend an hour and a half of his life... So i cracked a cold one and fired it up.

The kids in the movie went to this nightclub where live bands played. Bobby 'Boris' Pickett was one of the actors, and the music acts included were The Castaways, (I always asumed it was a woman who sang the 'Liar liar- pants on fire' bit. Nope, it's the regular lead singer.) The Toys, The Animals, and this one by The Gentrys. You can find all the music clips from it on YouTube.

Spread it on thick!

spread it

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Carry me back

2011-11-21T23:00:00.000-06:00

I don't even have the words to describe how awesome this one is...

Enjoy!

get back

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Big Bad City

2011-11-20T12:26:00.000-06:00

I already posted this one like a year and a half ago, but sometimes you just gotta hear a song again for the very first time.
That sometime would be now.

This one is the flip-side of the AM gold hit 'Take A Letter Maria.' Just one of many reasons you should always check out the b-sides of the big hits... You never know what's hiding under there.

Enjoy!

get it

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She's a must to avoid

2011-11-15T00:23:00.000-06:00

A complete impossibility. Take it from me.

avoid it
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I needed you

2011-11-09T13:37:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure what "Emo" music is exactly because i'm not an angst-ridden teenager, and i don't dig on modern sounds all that much, but if you want to talk about the definition of the word "emotional"- Christ, this one damn near brings a tear to my eye every time i spin it. The singer is practically bawling. This one was straight from the heart for sure. It's got to be one of the saddest god damn songs i own...
I'm sure he got over it though. Eventually i will too.

need it

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My baby don't care

2011-11-08T10:52:00.000-06:00

True story, this one.

get it

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Save Me

2011-11-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

Tell it like it is brother!

save it

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The Monster

2011-10-31T15:05:00.000-05:00

I already posted this one in January, but seeing as how it's Halloween and all i figured i'd throw it out there again. No crime in that. It fits the theme after all.

Here's a little monster music for you.
Enjoy!

get it

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I'm Blue

2011-10-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

Shoo be do, shoo be do, shoo be do be do be do

shoo be doo
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On the Alamo

2011-10-22T18:51:00.000-05:00

Man, i really couldn't care less about World Series baseball this year, I hate it when that happens. I did a post for St Louis, i might as well do one for Texas too. It's only fair. All in the name of good sportsmanship...

This is a pretty odd record, but fun-odd, and i really dig the spooky old organ sound. It's a stretch, i know, but it's also about Texas. Hey- whaddayou want for nothing? It's the best i could do on short notice.
Go sports! May the best team win.

Enjoy!

"There's no basement at the Alamo!"

Talkin Baseball

2011-10-18T18:42:00.000-05:00

Well, i was hoping for a Brewers/Tigers world series, but it didn't work out that way, did it. Baseball can be a crazy game sometimes, you never know what's going to happen. So its the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers in the final contest, two teams that i couldn't care less about. Ah well...

Since i don't have any records about Texas baseball, hows about one for St Louis. Talkin Baseball truly is a brilliant concept. Allow me to explain: Mr. Cashman wrote the original Talkin Baseball in 1981 as an homage to the all time greats of the game. Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, guys like that. In the following years he recorded individual versions for several, if not all, of baseballs major league teams where he mentions specific players, etc. How cool is that, right? Cool in theory, absolutely horrible in execution...

The song sucks.

I never thought i would bother sharing it here, because it's so bad. Not bad-good either, i like bad-good. This is just plain bad. It's a shame that such a great idea was wasted like this...

Anyway- here it is. The Cardinals version of Talkin Baseball.
Enjoy?

get it

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I love rock and roll

2011-10-14T10:28:00.000-05:00

Posts are going to be scarce for the next several weeks. I'll get to the internets and the blog when i can, but it just aint on the top of my priority list at the moment. Don't worry though, i'm not dead or anything, i just have more important shit to worry about for the next little-while.

Two sides that need to be heard back-to-back. Here's Joe Piscopo (what the hell ever happened to Joe Piscopo anyway? The guy just disappeared) doing his best Sinatra from back in the classic SNL days. 1982 to be exact. "The first rehearsal" dare i say, is even better than the finished product. When he says the 'This one's by The Foreigners' line, it gets me every time... And the 'Bruce Spring-stine' bit- fuhgetabotit.

"I do not love rock and roll. OK, i like some Beatle tunes..."

Enjoy! And i'll be back when i can.

The first rehearsal

I love rock and roll

get it: first

get it: rock and roll

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Thr Red Rooster

2011-10-12T10:57:00.000-05:00

Here's a classic blues standard that needs no introduction. I don't care who's performing it, i've never heard a version of this one that i didn't like, and this here is no exception. Also, give it up for that organ player too, whoever he is... Amazing stuff.

He don't want no hen in the barnyard layin eggs for nobody else!

get it

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chittlins

2011-10-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of both sides of this little record, other than the fact that it's a smokin mid-60s electric blues instrumental, it's by a guy i don't know a whole lot about. The beauty of collecting random ass 45s is that sometimes you actually end up with really cool stuff like this.
Gus Jenkins- Who knew?
Enjoy!

Dig this one? Check out the A Side. It's got words.

get it

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Aspen Colorado

2011-10-08T10:29:00.000-05:00

Pack your bags, we're hittin the road and headed to Aspen Colorado. But travel light, because from the sounds of it we won't be staying very long.

It's not the best song in the world, it sure as hell aint no Polk Salad Annie that's for sure, guess that's why they stuck it on the b-side... But it has been a while since i posted a tune on the whole "Going Places" theme that i like to do from time to time. So here you go.

Enjoy!

get going
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I had it made

2011-10-07T07:34:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the Detroit Tigers for beating the stupid Yankees in the division series last night.
Stupid Yankees.
Me, i'm hoping for a Tigers/Brewers world series, then i really don't care who wins the whole thing. I just think it would make for an exciting match up. Good quality baseball. We'll see what happens.

Here's a little ditty by a guy from Detroit, and his band the Detroit Wheels.
Enjoy!

get it
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The man with the cigar

2011-10-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

I'm sick of being hassled by the man!

stick it to the man
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Robbin the cradle

2011-10-04T07:38:00.000-05:00

(From various sources)

Tony Bellus is a vocalist and musician whose best known song is the Robbin' The Cradle, a self-composed ballad he recorded in Chicago in 1959.

The recording of Robbin' The Cradle contained a number of styles and musical combinations. It combined an Italian pop singer playing an accordion, being backed with a country/rockabilly band augmented with a background Latino vocal group. Rumor has it that this song may have been inspired by the news from just months before in 1958 when rockabilly star Jerry Lee Lewis shocked the music world by marrying his 13-year old cousin Myrna. The song stayed in the top 40 for 26 weeks in 1959.

Attempts at follow-ups were hampered when the original National Recording Corporation went bankrupt in 1961. This and a stint in the Army took the momentum from Bellus' career. Many critics claim that Bellus was a one shot artist who never recorded anything else that was a hit...
But man, what a hit it was.

Bellus now resides in Florida with his wife Tammy, also a songwriter.

Enjoy this forgotten gem!

get some

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Creepin, crawlin, cryin

2011-10-03T09:40:00.000-05:00

I'll come-a ridin, walkin, creepin, crawlin, jumpin, skippin, fallin...
and-a trippin.

Enjoy!

get it

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Dungaree doll / Rock-a-beatin boogie

2011-10-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

I like this little 4 song ep because the makers had the good sense to put the two rockers on one side, and the two slow-jams on the other. This makes perfect sense to me. The listener knows exactly what he's getting himself into. No surprises here. As anyone who's visited before knows, i'll always take the rocker over the ballad, so that's what we got for your listening enjoyment today. The rockers- All two of em! I have no idea who the performers are, and to be honest i don't really care. Let's just enjoy a little Dungaree doll/Rock a beatin boogie, back to back, the way they were meant to be heard.

Enjoy!

let's boogie

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B.F.D.R.F Blues

2011-10-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

This ones for 'Firedome.'
Absolutely right- This tune is a real gas! Thanks for reminding me, it's been a while since the last time i spun it.

Anyone know what the titles acronym stands for? If so, speak up...

Enjoy!

get it

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Early in the morning

2011-09-29T08:35:00.000-05:00

Here's one i picked up at a church garage sale a few weeks back. I found a stack of about 60 45s and had just started looking through them when the guy said "You can take them all for a dollar."
Sold.
When i got them home and inspected my purchase a little bit closer, i'd say it was about a three way tie between absolute crap that i will never listen to, things that i already had or that were damaged, and songs that were actually pretty cool that i was glad to hear again or excited to find out what they were. The stack of 'keepers' is 27 deep, so i'd say it was a dollar well spent...

Here's one that i wanted to find out what it was. And while it's not the most exciting tune i've ever heard, it makes sense to me at this very moment... Why the hell am i up converting 45s at 8 o'clock in the AM? No real reason. Because i'm up i guess...

Enjoy!

get up
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Goodbye

2011-09-28T11:32:00.000-05:00

I try to shy away from the hits here at the Junk Shop Juke Box, but sometimes the hit is the only way to get the point across, and say what you wanna say. And hey- hit or not, it's a great friggin song... With that said, today is the last day of White Sox baseball. Goodbye.
Ahh well, off to the ballpark.

na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye.
Enjoy!

Go Red Sox!

get it
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Pretty Flamingo

2011-09-27T07:59:00.000-05:00

The more of their records i find, the more i'm diggin Manfred Mann. I found their first LP in a reject bin a while back and spent a quarter on it, but it skips like a well tossed flat rock over still water. So i pretty much got waht i paid for... Too bad too because it seems like a great record.

Anyway, here's one that doesn't skip... Not to be confused with the John Waters flick of a similar title.

Enjoy!

get it

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Bongo Party

2011-09-26T07:53:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a minute and a half is all it takes.
You wanna hear the flip side? Follow the LINK.

Enjoy!

get it
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hot rod high

2011-09-24T12:24:00.000-05:00

God damn kids these days!
What with all those fast cars and their loud rock and/or roll music...

Bah!

little bastards!

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Money means so much to me!

2011-09-22T09:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all the generous folks who donated money to the annual Junk Shop Juke Box pledge drive. Extra special thanks to Andy, who when he saw that i was still 12 bucks shy of my 20 dollar goal, went ahead and picked up the rest of the tab. Good people that one, good people i tell you. If you ever have the pleasure of meeting him in person give him a smoke and buy him a beer. He deserves it.

With that said, here's a little obscure punk rock ditty with lyrics to fit the occasion. I had forgotten all about this record until i went digging through the boxes looking for something unusual to post as a 'thank you' song for all the donations i recieved. I spotted the title, and that was that. Decision made. It's been well over a decade since the last time i gave this one a whirl, and now i remember why, but i'm glad in still have it- It is what it is... Normally i'm against splitting up tracks on punk 7" eps, i've always thought that they were meant to be heard a side at a time regardless of how many songs there are, but in this case i made an exception. The rest of this record pretty much sounds like this anyway, you aint missing much. A 1:48 sample is good enough...

Who were the Hugh Beaumont Experience you might be wondering? Beats the shit outta me. I bought this in 1991-92 or so, when i was still a dumb kid who was wowed by obscure punk 45s on colored vinyl. Now that we live in the modern intergoogle age, all i found was THIS. Looks like they were from Texas, but you'd never know it from the singer's half-assed Johnny Rotten impersonation... The records a re-issue and the sleeve gives a Connecticut address, but after consulting the all knowing interwebs, the label discography says they (the label) were also outta Texas- And it seems pretty legit... Hmmm...
Who knows. Punk rock can be a mysterious thing sometimes, and sometimes it's just best to keep it that way...

Thanks again to everyone who donated. You guys are the greatest.
This one's for you.
Enjoy!

get it

And hey, just because the pledge drive is officially over it doesn't mean that donations aren't appreciated any old time for any old reason. Just sayin is all.
Thanks again fellas!
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Rock around mother goose

2011-09-21T10:26:00.000-05:00

That's right folks, it's pledge drive time, and i'm still $12 dollars short of my ultimate $20 goal. (read the whole shpiel HERE.) Luckily, there's still plenty of time, and here's how YOU, generous interweb user, can help. Simply click the Pay Pal button in the upper right corner of this page and donate a dollar or two to this worthy cause. What i'm asking is not for personal gain or profit, it is to renew my DivShare membership for another year. Consider donating a dollar while you enjoy toady's selection.

This record is pretty much the most obnoxious thing that i own. I have screaming death metal, wild punk rock, GG Allin records, etc... This one wins the prize for most annoying and offensive (in my personal collection) if you want my opinion... How something like this even exists at all blows my feeble mind. The best part is that the flip side is even worse... If i don't reach my $12 goal soon, i'll play that one too. You were warned.

Anyway- Keep those donations coming, and enjoy (?) the music!

rock around

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Where am i in your heart?

2011-09-20T07:58:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gents, it's that time of year again. Late September is a special time here at Junk Shop Juke Box headquarters... That's right folks, it's time for my second annual Pledge Drive.

I'm not asking for much here folks, no siree, i'm not asking all you generous folks out there in the wild world of webs to buy me new records or anything (although that would be pretty boss.) All i'm asking is for the meager sum of twenty dollars, and here's how YOU can help. See that little Pay Pal button up there in the right hand corner of the page? I'm asking YOU, dear reader/listener/downloader to consider sending a dollar or two my way. One measley buck. What i am asking is not for personal gain, it is simply to purchase a one year DivShare account (my current one year subscription will expire in about a weeks time.) The price- a mere $20.00. If get 20 people to donate one dollar each, together we'll keep this thing alive for yet another go-round.

I know you're out there people. I have 76 official, and who knows how many anonymous followers. The blog gets between 250/300 hits in a 24 hour period, and on average about half of the folks who listen to the songs actually download them... So there are a lot of people out there enjoying my half-assed record collection for nothing. All i need from you is a buck or two to keep the hits coming. Like Meathead's wife once said- "...for the price of a cup of coffee..."

This same DivShare account also stores the songs that appear in my Little Golden Records blog, which if you haven't already, you ought to check out. It's selections from my collection of vintage children's records.

When i reach my $20.00 goal i'll do a post thanking all the generous folks who donated, and call the whole thing off. I'm not a greedy man, i'm not out to make a profit here, a mere $20.00 is all i need. And YOU, dear reader, can help by donating a dollar or two to this worthy cause.

Thank you in advance for your support.
As always, Enjoy the music!

Where am i in your heart?

Get this one HERE.
And if you dig this tune at all, you have got to check out the FLIP SIDE. It's one of the finest hillbilly murder/suicide ballads in the history of recorded sound.
You're welcome.

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Troglodyte

2011-09-19T07:39:00.000-05:00

Man, i don't care how many times i've listened to this record before, it still manages to crack my ass up.
Enjoy!

She said "I'll sock it to ya daddy." Right On!

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reelin and a rockin

2011-09-16T07:53:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest lowdown, we're gonna have a rock and rollin ho-down. Country hipsters gotta deal, and they call it rock and reel, can't you see up paintin up the town...

This ones kind of noisy, but it's still a pretty great tune.
Enjoy!

get it?

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The girls all right with me

2011-09-15T12:08:00.000-05:00

Here's one for my old lady on our fourth wedding anniversary.

Enjoy!

get it

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Dance with the guitar man

2011-09-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody, if you like rock and roll, you're gonna like the guitar man because he plays it with a lot of soul... And it'll make you dance.
Here he comes now!

dance!

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What's it gonna be?

2011-09-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

Well... What's it gonna be?

make a choice

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2011-09-11T12:52:00.000-05:00

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September 11th.

There's nothing that i can say that hasn't already been said.

Let's just enjoy a super obscure song about New York.

Here's where it came from.

I don't know if the links are still active, but if they are, you can get a whole lot more of this noise HERE.

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Bounty Hunter

2011-09-09T08:40:00.000-05:00

It's killing me that i can't think of the other tune that uses this riff. It's an old surf rock song, and it's not exactly the same but it's really really close. In the other version the bass and wailing saxophone come in right after the first go-round. I'm guessing that this version came first, then was recycled. Anyone who digs these kind of 60s guitar instrumentals will recognize the riff right away. It's making me nuts that i can't think of it! I want to say that it's a Link Wray song but the other ones a rip-off and not a straight cover, and since they are both instrumentals the titles don't mean anything anyway....

Anyone?
Help a brother out and comment if you know the other song.

Enjoy!

get it
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Satisfied

2011-09-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

Satisfied. Why yes, yes i am thank you very much.
Far as i can tell, this one's from Crow's not-so-successful sophomore release 'Crow by Crow.' But i've never heard anything by the band other than the two 45s i own, so just i have to trust what ye olde internette tells me. Read some more about the band HERE.

Me- I'm a big fan of this brand of Midwest one-hit-wonder, early 70s long-haired shit-kicker, Hammond organ driven heavy rock and roll. So this one's right up my alley.
Hope you dig it too.

Enjoy!

get it

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Soul Finger

2011-09-06T11:08:00.000-05:00

A record like this needs no introduction. Just listen, and enjoy.

get down
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Seven day weekend

2011-09-04T12:26:00.000-05:00

If the last two days of my life were representative of what my seven day weekend would be like, i'd probably be dead by the end of it. I wonder if old Gary did a tune called Five Day Hangover? That would be more fitting for how i'm feeling right now.
Ahh well. You gotta power through it... Off to the Flea Market.

Enjoy!

get it

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All of the time

2011-09-02T08:26:00.000-05:00

Hows about the flip side of Dave Clark and the Five's Glad all over... It's not a bad little ditty if you ask me. And dig that guitar/bass 'solo' in the middle there. Wild man. Those kids were wild i tell you.

Enjoy!

get it

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The Hip Judge

2011-09-01T07:51:00.000-05:00

I posted the flip side of this one last November. It's pretty much the same schtick. (Hear it HERE) In an attempt to ride the coattails of the 1968 smash runaway hit 'Here comes the judge,' this single was issued, probably that same year, but it wasn't quite as successful... Either way, it's still fun. Maybe even more fun than Here comes the judge because it's been largely forgotten over the years, and (i'm no expert here) but it probably hasn't been re-issued in a more modern (digital) form lately either.
It is what it is.

Enjoy!

get hip

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Huntington Flats

2011-08-31T09:36:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of the flip sides. Sometimes you get burned, but sometimes you uncover a real gem like this one. I knew that i recognized the title on the other side, Popsicles and Icicles, but at the time i was stumped as to what song it actually was... Once i noticed Kim Fowley's name listed as producer, it was a no brainer. Buy this record. So i did. Once i gave it a whirl i knew it as that old song that i hadn't heard in who-knows how long. Hell, for the price i paid for it i'da bought the damn thing for the cool label graphics alone regardless if i "knew" the tune or not. Turns out it's actually a great pair... One's a mid-sixties pop masterpiece and one's, well, the instrumental flip side.

Enjoy!

get it

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Back to school

2011-08-30T11:29:00.000-05:00

It just occurred to me that it's that time of year again.
Here's one for the kids.

Enjoy!

get back

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Tour-telvis: A bad trip

2011-08-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

Elvis week is over, but i'm a slouch and i forget things easily. It happens. Whaddya want fer nuthin?!... Anyway, here's another Dread Zeppelin number for your listening dis-pleasure. (Hear a different one HERE.)
This odd little psychedelic freak-out is the flip side of their take on the mighty Zep's Whole lotta love. I've always thought this tune was a lot of fun. Still gets a chuckle out of me to this very day...

Enjoy!

get it

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Mr Jaws

2011-08-26T10:27:00.001-05:00

There are only so many summer weekends left, why not hit the beach one last time before it gets too cool outside. Get in one last dip in the ocean, soak up some rays, check out the pretty girls.... But just be careful- Chief Brody might not be there to save your ass this time...

Chomp!

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Nickel and a nail

2011-08-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

I don't claim to know a whole lot, and i don't know how long the Back Beat label was operational, but after finding this one and hearing several others, i'm starting to think that they never released any bad music. It's just one man's opinion. Have a listen for yourself, and you be the judge.

I also don't know much about O.V. Wright, just that he died way too young and still had plenty of singing left in him when he went. Well, at least he gave us what he had when he had it... And here's one of those fine selections.

Enjoy!

get it

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Stay

2011-08-24T11:22:00.000-05:00

The flip side of a wonderfully awful cover record i had the pleasure of finding late last winter. The other side is a truly rotten rendition of the Fab Four's 'Twist and shout." CHECK IT OUT. But don't say i didn't warn you- It's baaad...

"Hit" records was a label in the sixties who specialized in releasing half-assed covers of popular songs of the day, aimed at the music buyer on a budget (or the young music lover's thrifty and/or square parents, who didn't know any better.) These records went for like 30 cents, where as an actual Frankie Valli single probably would have ran upwards of a whole dollar at the time. So it is what it is. You and me, we know it as what you'd call: 'a cheap knockoff.' This one's actually a pretty decent version though...

Enjoy!

get it

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Whatcha gonna do?

2011-08-22T07:43:00.000-05:00

Another selection from the one hit wonder British invasion-era act best known to us Americans for their version of 'Tobacco Road.' Why they called themselves The Nashville Teens will go down as one of the great mysteries in rock and roll. They weren't from anywhere near Nashville, or even America for that matter, and they were grown men...
I guess we'll never know.
When i found this one recently i was hoping it was going to be a cover version of the Manfred Mann tune of the same name (LINK.) When i found that one i was hoping it was going to be a cover of the Small Faces tune of a similar title. Nope, three totally different numbers. But it's cool, i don't mind...

It's too bad that the flip side of this record is such a dud, because this one absolutely stomps.
Dig it.

do it
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Southtown USA

2011-08-19T08:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't featured one with the "Going Places" theme that i've done so irregularly in the past. What say we take a trip to Southtown USA, shall we?

A bit of forgotten 60s girl group pop, with a wailing dixieland horn section... What a cool record! I bought this one a long time ago and remember not really liking it when i first played it, but when i put it on again the other day i absolutely fell in love with it. I don't know anything about the group, but it doesn't matter... Just listen to em sing about it.

It's The Dixiebelles featuring 'Cornbread and Jerry.' Come on people. How could you not love this..?

get it

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Sha La La

2011-08-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

I'm assuming this song was intended to be the hit, and the flip side was, well, the other song. If you ask me they are both pretty amazing. After you dig this one, go check out the link, you'll be glad you did.

Enjoy!

sha la la

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Elvis week

2011-08-16T07:22:00.000-05:00

I know it's not his birthday, it;s his death-day, but who can resist a goof-ball tribute record in honor of the king regardless of the occasion. I found this one this winter (post Jan 8th) and have been waiting, patiently waiting oh waiting, for this fine summer day to arrive to share it... Finally, that day is among us.

Happy Elvis week!

elvis

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White Sox Gettin Down

2011-08-14T11:45:00.000-05:00

Church garage sales are great places to find unusual records. As soon as i walked through the door i saw the books, and i knew the records couldn't be too far off. Sure enough, there they were. I started flipping through a stack of 45s when one of the folks running the show came up and said: You collect 45s eh- have you ever heard this old White Sox record? Then he went and fetched a grocery bag FULL of these. There must have been a hundred of them! He said they were donated by someone who got them as leftovers from a promo the team did in 1985, and had been sitting on them ever since.

He sold me the stack of random records for a dollar because he "just wanted to get rid of them." Standard oldies station stuff- Three Dog Night, The Box Tops, etc... Then he threw in about a dozen of the Sox records and told me to "pass them out to my friends." So i ended up tossing him a fin for the lot. I looked around for a bit longer and found an antique camera for a buck, said thanks again and took off.

When i got home i told the wife about my find, and she immediately said: "You have to go back and get the rest." One of the many reasons i love this woman. Back at the garage sale I offered the guy ten bucks for the bag, then realized that i only had seven. He didn't even care, he was just happy to see them go. He said that everything was donated, so it's 100 percent profit for the church. Now, i'm not a religious man, but i do like to think that i did a good deed by taking all of these records off of their hands for them. It's the little things, and i'm just glad i could help.

I got to looking for information out on the interwebs and it looks like the singer was in the White Sox minor league system in the 60s, but never played in the bigs. Info about this record is in short supply. In fact, i found absolutely nothing at all... It's a forgotten artifact.

The wife is friends with a few folks in the Sox front offices, so we're going to see if any of them remember it, and probably give a few copies back to the team.

Enjoy!

get it

Any White Sox fans (or anyone) need a copy of this? Shoot me a message, I got about a hundred to spare. I like to trade- Specifically for another record featuring an ex (or then current) sports personality. Talk to me here.
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Road Runner

2011-08-13T12:16:00.000-05:00

I'm a Road Runner baby!

meep meep!

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Legend of the ghost stage

2011-08-11T07:22:00.000-05:00

Finding shit like this is what makes collecting random old 45s such a fun hobby. The stage driver's 'Hiyah!' and whip sound effects make this some of the finest two minutes of sound i've come across in a good long while. I just don't even know what else to say about it...

Enjoy!

the legend

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Indian Girl

2011-08-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

My new neighborhood is pretty swell. Good resturants, cool bars, a 10 minute walk from the ball park... And the icing on the cake is that i'm within sneezing distance of this dingy old funky little used record store called "Let's Boogie records and tapes". Yes tapes. Just like everything else in the place, the sign is old too. After living here for more than a week now, i finally went in there the other day, met the owner (nice guy- been there 35 years), and picked up a few dusty old 45s. I could spend days in the place shooting the shit with the owner and rummaging through the random-ass stacks of who-knows-what. If i could get that guy to give me a job, i'd be absolutely living the dream...

The flip side of the doo-wop slow-dance standard "There's a moon out tonight" is actually quite the rocker, and as anyone who's visited before knows- I'll take the rocker over the ballad any day of the week. And if it's got a title and/or lyrical content that might be considered slightly offensive by today's overly P.C. standards but was acceptable 50 years ago- even better.

I didn't bother to clean this one, not even the spit and t-shirt method, i just threw it on the turntable with decades worth of crud crusted in the grooves, so it's pretty noisy.
Enjoy!

get it
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Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mithchell, and Dean

2011-08-09T10:42:00.000-05:00

I enjoy a good satire record when it can be used to commemorate the anniversary of a significant event. Like, say, the Watergate scandal and the events that led to Nixon's resignation on August 9th, 1974. I'm not much of a political history buff, especially stuff that happened when i was still having bath-time in the kitchen sink... I do enjoy a good satire record either way, and this one is educational even. Would i be thinking about the Watergate scandal and/or America's 37th president if it weren't for this particular record? I'm going to just go ahead and say 'No' on that one. So here it is, nearly 40 years later and i'm learning... From a corny old novelty 45...

I did a little interwebbing to try and learn a little more and found this little fun factoid: The record is credited to "The Creep" Which was- The Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP, or sometimes pejoratively referred to as CREEP.)
Clever.
From 1973, I'm guessing that this came out shortly after the scandal broke (obviously), but before any serious legal action was taken, there's no mention of specific sentencing or Nixon's resignation in the lyrics. But what do i know, i still couldn't walk or talk when this all went down.

Here's your history lesson for today.
Enjoy the Creep!

get it
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Welfare Cadillac

2011-08-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

Get in and strap on your safety belt, we're going for a sunday drive in the old Welfare Cadillac.

git it
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Desperate Dan

2011-08-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

Cruising the blog-o-nets this morning and found myself on The worlds worst records reading about and/or listening to some truly awful music, and saw that he just posted the other side of this one. I thought to myself, i thought, Self- i have that record too, i'm going to post the flip side...
So here i am.

This is the follow up to the band's #1 hit in England, Mouldy Old Dough. I believe they were both released in 1972. See the post i did on that one HERE for the full story. That song was (still is, and probably always will be) the only UK #1 single to feature a mother and her son on the recording. That's frontman Rob Woodward's mum Hilda on the olde-timey sounding piano.

Sorry about the lame-o label scan, it's how i did them a year and a half ago and i never re-did this one. I also have the picture sleeve too, but don't have a scan of it at all. It's the "music" that really matters anyway....

Enjoy!

get it
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That little girl of mine

2011-08-04T09:14:00.000-05:00

Bobby Powell was a gospel singer who made some R&B records in the 60s & 70s which were mostly released on small Louisiana labels like this one. He returned to singing gospel music in the 80s and beyond. Other than that, i don't know much else about the man. I can tell you this however- the FLIP SIDE of this record is a pretty righteous version of C.C. Rider. You really ought to check that one out...

In my half-assed googlenet searches I also learned that this record is either from 1963 or 1965, depending on which website(s) you choose to believe. So basically, i learned nothing. Either way it's a keeper.
Sending this one out to my old lady.

Enjoy!

get it
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I'll keep searching

2011-08-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

When you move it's like all your stuff was thrown into a blender, mixed up, and dumped into a new set of four walls. I'm not an organized packer either, i tend to just throw whatever is near me into a box, tape it up, and move on...
I know everythings here somewhere, and yet i can't find anything-
but i'll keep searching...

get it
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Them Changes

2011-08-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

This song is a good example of the exception to the rule. The rule being that the original version of a song is usually better than later recorded versions. In this particular case i prefer the second, more polished recording. Buddy wrote this one for Jimi Hendrix's Band of gypsies album, and it's brilliant. Pure Hendrix. But you can tell that this was the vision he had in mind for the song all along. It was re-recorded and released in 1971 and comes from Buddy's third solo release and first after Jimi's death.

Enjoy!

change
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