thriftcrawler 07/17/05

07/17/05

4 LPs, 1 EP, 28 45s

Here's what I picked up on a rainy Sunday at the Jefferson Highway Flea Market. LPs were $1.00 each, 45s were 50 cents.

                33 1/3 RPM

01. Rick Wakeman - Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record (A&M - 1977)
Six tracks from the Yes synthesizer virtuoso dealing with themes of crime and punishment. A little cheezy, but very listenable.

02. Meco - Moondancer (Casablanca - 1979)
I'll let the coke-addled brainchild of this novelty disco record, Meco Monardo, try to explain it (from the back cover):

"One night I dreamt that I was at a disco. What was so unusual about the dream was that the disco was on the Moon, and among the regular clientele were many Creatures of the Night. I asked the Intergalactic Council to teleport me there to see if such a place existed. Sure enough, there it was; just as I imagined it would be! I couldn't believe it! Down in a huge gorge, stretching for miles was the disco: MOONDANCER. Dancing the endless night away were all the creatures I had dreamed of. I asked Casablanca Records to allow me to record my impressions of that night."

And wouldn't you know it? The musical impressions of his drug-fueled hallucinations sound just like all the other disco crap that was being released in 1979! The cover art's pretty cool, though.

03. DNA - Party Tested (Boardwalk - 1983)
Not to be confused with the late 70s no-wave band of the same name, this is flagrantly shitty party-metal with gobs of lame synths from Rick Derringer and some other bozos.

04. Too Much Joy - Besides EP (Giant - 1991)
Lame comedy rock from a band who's biggest achievement was being sued by Bozo the Clown. And losing. You may remember their college radio almost-hit "Crush Story" from the early 90s. I got this because it was on purple vinyl. I'm gay like that.

05. Bernadette Peters - Now Playing (MCA - 1981)
The Allmusic Guide doesn't have any detailed information on this record, but lists it as "adult contemporary" and "soft rock", so I'm not gonna bother. Besides, as you might have guessed by now, I only bought this for the art. On the cover we have another delicious Alberto Vargas girl (with Peters' face in the mirror), and on the back we have this:



I can't tell if this is a very photorealistic painting or a combination of photograph and painting (Vargas is given credit for the front cover art, but no credit is listed for the back cover), but it's pretty damn hot either way. So was Bernadette, back in the day.

45 RPM

01. Gary Numan - Cars b/w Metal (Atco - 1979)
Both of these songs and the album they're from (The Pleasure Principle) are deserved classics.

02. Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night b/w Money Honey (Flashback - 1976)
I like "Saturday Night" and I like the Flashback Records label design.

03. Cliff Nobles - Love Is All Right b/w The Horse (Phil-L.A. of Soul - c.1968)
I bought this because the Phil-L.A. label design features a fish skeleton.

04. The Chakachas - Jungle Fever b/w Cha Ka Cha (Polydor - c.1972)
The oft-sampled "Jungle Fever" features orgasmic moans, a woman having an orgasm (in Spanish), one of the funkiest two-note guitar riffs ever, and is a bona-fide funk classic. Really good stuff. WTIX actually played this the other night.

05. The Marmalade - Reflections of My Life b/w Rollin' My Thing (London - 1969)
Beatles-esque blue-eyed soul. Bought it for the title of the b-side.

06. The Delfonics - Somebody Loves You b/w Ready or Not Here I Come (Philly Groove - early 70s)
The Delfonics are best known for "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time?" These two songs aren't as good as that one, but they're okay... I GUESS.

07. Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots - Disco Duck (Part 1) b/w Barely White (That'll Get It Baby) (RSO - 1977)
The a-side is infamous novelty disco (this shit sold over 6 million copies) from now-famous DJ Dees. The b-side is a pitiful parody of Barry White (get it?) soul.

08. David Allan Coe - Longhaired Redneck stereo/mono (Columbia - c.1976)
Not quite sure why I bought this 45 from cult figure in "renegade" country circles and washed-up racist douchebag Coe. It has "SPECIAL RUSH RESERVICE" stamped on it, so I'm guessing there was a demand for this thing at some point in time?

09. M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up the Volume b/w Anitina (4th & B'Way - 1987)
Me and every kid my age loved this song. I remember going into a music store in the mall with my mom and asking for this, only to be told that it wasn't out yet. My dreams were crushed and surely my nascent music-buying impulse was stunted. Turns out 500 copies were originally sent to influential DJs only; the actual single showed up in stores a few months later. Well who's laughing now, fuckers?

10. Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World b/w Pharaohs (Mercury - 1985)
Good song. Reminds me of my childhood.

11. Meco - Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band b/w Funk (Millennium - 1977)
More goofy novelty disco from Meco Monardo. These two songs are from the album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk.

12. Chubby Checker - Twist b/w Toot (Parkway - 1960)
The label design is so old and quaint I just couldn't pass it up. Plus, this record is a big part of rock 'n roll history. I like to imagine that this particular single was once owned by some cute girl with a ponytail and poodle skirt named "Suzie". Her and her flat-topped boyfriend "Johnny" would "twist the night away" to this little slab of vinyl and end the evening by drag-racing against "Snake" around Dead Man's Curve where all involved would end up horribly mutilated and/or dead in a flaming heap of metal at the bottom of a cliff. Such is the tragic fable of The Twist.

13. The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee b/w I Haven't Got the Nerve (Smash - 1967)
Baroque pop akin to early Bee Gees or the Beatles' more orchestrated material. Not bad, but not great.

14. Jerry McCain - Welfare Cadilac [sic] Blues b/w Funky Down Easy (Royal American - 1970)
Bumpin' early funk. If you like James Brown, you'll like this.

15. The Bee Gees - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart b/w Country Woman (Atco - 1971)
I'm sure you all know the a-side. Sad, pretty song. The b-side is mad cheezy, but still very listenable - like most of the Bee Gee's cheeze output.

16. Frankie Ford - I Can't Face Tomorrow b/w Half A Crown (Doubloon - 1967)
Gretna Louisiana native who scored his biggest hit with "Sea Cruise" in 1959. I picked this up because it was on an old New Orleans label (Doubloon) and because the cover lists Allen Toussaint - famed New Orleans R&B producer - as the arranger. My perusal of hip-hop "crate digging" sites has taught me to pick up anything with Toussaint's name on it, but sadly this shit isn't funky at all.

17. WAR - Slippin' Into Darkness b/w Nappy Head (United Artists - 1971)
Laid-back funk from the band best known for "Why Can't We Be Friends?", "Low Rider", and, well... "Slippin' Into Darkness". Sweet track. "Nappy Head" isn't bad either.

18. B.B. King - Ghetto Woman b/w The Seven Minutes (ABC - 1971)
I've never really been too into King, but he is undeniably a huge part of the history of blues and rock music. Unfortunately, these songs are both kinda slow and boring. King can currently be seen on TV shilling for some diabetes testing device.

19. Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Love Land b/w Sorry Charlie (Warner Bros. - c.1969)
This is the sound of soul music morphing into funk. Good stuff. By the way, "Love Land" is from the album "In the Jungle, Babe" - a record which surely must have influenced a young Axl Rose.

20. ? & the Mysterians - 96 Tears b/w Midnight Hour (Cameo - 1966)
Garage rock classics! Fun fact: "96 Tears" was originally known as "Too Many Teardrops", then "69 Tears".

21. Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale b/w Lime Street Blues (Deram - 1967)
Awesome, awesome song from this often overlooked band. Check out their second album, 1968's Shine On Brightly for some emotional, intelligent, sometimes funny and always beautiful songs from Gary Brooker and the gang.

22. Laid Back - White Horse b/w So Wie So (Sire - 1983)
"White Horse" is an underground electro-funk workout that urges you not to ride the white horse, but to instead ride the white pony. I love love LOVE this song! Unfortunately, this is an edited mix that only lasts for 3:52. The b-side, "So Wie So", is gay and terrible. These guys are from Denmark and who gives a shit.

23. The Dixie Cups - Iko Iko b/w The Trade Winds - New York's a Lonely Town (Goldisc - 1979)
You know the one. "My grandma and your grandma sittin' by the fire..." and all that. A favorite of mine for a long time now, "Iko Iko" features awesome handclaps-and-beating-various-things-such-as-wooden-blocks-and-silverware percussion, a minimal but effective bassline, and nearly incomprehensible lyrics about setting flags on fire. Originally released by the New Orleans-based trio in 1965. The Trade Winds song is a shameless yet enjoyable Beach Boys rip-off about a surfer guy forced to move to New York - where he's horrified to discover there's no surfing. Also released in 1965, this isn't a rip-off because of the story - it's just that they sound exactly like the Beach Boys.

24. The DeFranco Family featuring Tony DeFranco - Write Me a Letter stereo b/w mono (20th Century - 1974)
I bought this for the goofy picture sleeve, which I will now show you:



The only thing I know about the DeFranco Family is that Steven Wright announced their song "Heartbeat (It's a Love Beat)" on K-BILLY's Super Sounds of the Seventies radio show in Reservoir Dogs.

25. Ruby and the Romantics - Our Day Will Come b/w Moonlight and Music (Kapp - 1963)
R and the Rs are pretty much only remembered for this, their hit single. Elegant soul.

26. The Soul Children - Hearsay b/w Don't Take Away My Sunshine (Stax - 1972)
Upbeat, gospel-influenced soul. Decent.

27. Young MC - Bust a Move b/w Got More Rhymes (Delicious Vinyl - 1989)
As with some of the other singles I picked up today, "Bust a Move" was a childhood favorite.

28. Toni Basil - Mickey b/w Thief On the Loose (Chrysalis - 1981)
Everyone likes this song. I'm no exception.

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           © 2005 seawall

01.	Rick Wakeman - Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record (A&M - 1977) Six tracks from the Yes synthesizer virtuoso dealing with themes of crime and punishment. A little cheezy, but very listenable.
02.	Meco - Moondancer (Casablanca - 1979) I'll let the coke-addled brainchild of this novelty disco record, Meco Monardo, try to explain it (from the back cover): "One night I dreamt that I was at a disco. What was so unusual about the dream was that the disco was on the Moon, and among the regular clientele were many Creatures of the Night. I asked the Intergalactic Council to teleport me there to see if such a place existed. Sure enough, there it was; just as I imagined it would be! I couldn't believe it! Down in a huge gorge, stretching for miles was the disco: MOONDANCER. Dancing the endless night away were all the creatures I had dreamed of. I asked Casablanca Records to allow me to record my impressions of that night." And wouldn't you know it? The musical impressions of his drug-fueled hallucinations sound just like all the other disco crap that was being released in 1979! The cover art's pretty cool, though.
03.	DNA - Party Tested (Boardwalk - 1983) Not to be confused with the late 70s no-wave band of the same name, this is flagrantly shitty party-metal with gobs of lame synths from Rick Derringer and some other bozos.
04.	Too Much Joy - Besides EP (Giant - 1991) Lame comedy rock from a band who's biggest achievement was being sued by Bozo the Clown. And losing. You may remember their college radio almost-hit "Crush Story" from the early 90s. I got this because it was on purple vinyl. I'm gay like that.
05.	Bernadette Peters - Now Playing (MCA - 1981) The Allmusic Guide doesn't have any detailed information on this record, but lists it as "adult contemporary" and "soft rock", so I'm not gonna bother. Besides, as you might have guessed by now, I only bought this for the art. On the cover we have another delicious Alberto Vargas girl (with Peters' face in the mirror), and on the back we have this: I can't tell if this is a very photorealistic painting or a combination of photograph and painting (Vargas is given credit for the front cover art, but no credit is listed for the back cover), but it's pretty damn hot either way. So was Bernadette, back in the day.

01.	Gary Numan - Cars b/w Metal (Atco - 1979) Both of these songs and the album they're from (The Pleasure Principle) are deserved classics.
02.	Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night b/w Money Honey (Flashback - 1976) I like "Saturday Night" and I like the Flashback Records label design.
03.	Cliff Nobles - Love Is All Right b/w The Horse (Phil-L.A. of Soul - c.1968) I bought this because the Phil-L.A. label design features a fish skeleton.
04.	The Chakachas - Jungle Fever b/w Cha Ka Cha (Polydor - c.1972) The oft-sampled "Jungle Fever" features orgasmic moans, a woman having an orgasm (in Spanish), one of the funkiest two-note guitar riffs ever, and is a bona-fide funk classic. Really good stuff. WTIX actually played this the other night.
05.	The Marmalade - Reflections of My Life b/w Rollin' My Thing (London - 1969) Beatles-esque blue-eyed soul. Bought it for the title of the b-side.
06.	The Delfonics - Somebody Loves You b/w Ready or Not Here I Come (Philly Groove - early 70s) The Delfonics are best known for "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time?" These two songs aren't as good as that one, but they're okay... I GUESS.
07.	Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots - Disco Duck (Part 1) b/w Barely White (That'll Get It Baby) (RSO - 1977) The a-side is infamous novelty disco (this shit sold over 6 million copies) from now-famous DJ Dees. The b-side is a pitiful parody of Barry White (get it?) soul.
08.	David Allan Coe - Longhaired Redneck stereo/mono (Columbia - c.1976) Not quite sure why I bought this 45 from cult figure in "renegade" country circles and washed-up racist douchebag Coe. It has "SPECIAL RUSH RESERVICE" stamped on it, so I'm guessing there was a demand for this thing at some point in time?
09.	M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up the Volume b/w Anitina (4th & B'Way - 1987) Me and every kid my age loved this song. I remember going into a music store in the mall with my mom and asking for this, only to be told that it wasn't out yet. My dreams were crushed and surely my nascent music-buying impulse was stunted. Turns out 500 copies were originally sent to influential DJs only; the actual single showed up in stores a few months later. Well who's laughing now, fuckers?
10.	Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World b/w Pharaohs (Mercury - 1985) Good song. Reminds me of my childhood.
11.	Meco - Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band b/w Funk (Millennium - 1977) More goofy novelty disco from Meco Monardo. These two songs are from the album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk.
12.	Chubby Checker - Twist b/w Toot (Parkway - 1960) The label design is so old and quaint I just couldn't pass it up. Plus, this record is a big part of rock 'n roll history. I like to imagine that this particular single was once owned by some cute girl with a ponytail and poodle skirt named "Suzie". Her and her flat-topped boyfriend "Johnny" would "twist the night away" to this little slab of vinyl and end the evening by drag-racing against "Snake" around Dead Man's Curve where all involved would end up horribly mutilated and/or dead in a flaming heap of metal at the bottom of a cliff. Such is the tragic fable of The Twist.
13.	The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee b/w I Haven't Got the Nerve (Smash - 1967) Baroque pop akin to early Bee Gees or the Beatles' more orchestrated material. Not bad, but not great.
14.	Jerry McCain - Welfare Cadilac [sic] Blues b/w Funky Down Easy (Royal American - 1970) Bumpin' early funk. If you like James Brown, you'll like this.
15.	The Bee Gees - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart b/w Country Woman (Atco - 1971) I'm sure you all know the a-side. Sad, pretty song. The b-side is mad cheezy, but still very listenable - like most of the Bee Gee's cheeze output.
16.	Frankie Ford - I Can't Face Tomorrow b/w Half A Crown (Doubloon - 1967) Gretna Louisiana native who scored his biggest hit with "Sea Cruise" in 1959. I picked this up because it was on an old New Orleans label (Doubloon) and because the cover lists Allen Toussaint - famed New Orleans R&B producer - as the arranger. My perusal of hip-hop "crate digging" sites has taught me to pick up anything with Toussaint's name on it, but sadly this shit isn't funky at all.
17.	WAR - Slippin' Into Darkness b/w Nappy Head (United Artists - 1971) Laid-back funk from the band best known for "Why Can't We Be Friends?", "Low Rider", and, well... "Slippin' Into Darkness". Sweet track. "Nappy Head" isn't bad either.
18.	B.B. King - Ghetto Woman b/w The Seven Minutes (ABC - 1971) I've never really been too into King, but he is undeniably a huge part of the history of blues and rock music. Unfortunately, these songs are both kinda slow and boring. King can currently be seen on TV shilling for some diabetes testing device.
19.	Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Love Land b/w Sorry Charlie (Warner Bros. - c.1969) This is the sound of soul music morphing into funk. Good stuff. By the way, "Love Land" is from the album "In the Jungle, Babe" - a record which surely must have influenced a young Axl Rose.
20.	? & the Mysterians - 96 Tears b/w Midnight Hour (Cameo - 1966) Garage rock classics! Fun fact: "96 Tears" was originally known as "Too Many Teardrops", then "69 Tears".
21.	Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale b/w Lime Street Blues (Deram - 1967) Awesome, awesome song from this often overlooked band. Check out their second album, 1968's Shine On Brightly for some emotional, intelligent, sometimes funny and always beautiful songs from Gary Brooker and the gang.
22.	Laid Back - White Horse b/w So Wie So (Sire - 1983) "White Horse" is an underground electro-funk workout that urges you not to ride the white horse, but to instead ride the white pony. I love love LOVE this song! Unfortunately, this is an edited mix that only lasts for 3:52. The b-side, "So Wie So", is gay and terrible. These guys are from Denmark and who gives a shit.
23.	The Dixie Cups - Iko Iko b/w The Trade Winds - New York's a Lonely Town (Goldisc - 1979) You know the one. "My grandma and your grandma sittin' by the fire..." and all that. A favorite of mine for a long time now, "Iko Iko" features awesome handclaps-and-beating-various-things-such-as-wooden-blocks-and-silverware percussion, a minimal but effective bassline, and nearly incomprehensible lyrics about setting flags on fire. Originally released by the New Orleans-based trio in 1965. The Trade Winds song is a shameless yet enjoyable Beach Boys rip-off about a surfer guy forced to move to New York - where he's horrified to discover there's no surfing. Also released in 1965, this isn't a rip-off because of the story - it's just that they sound exactly like the Beach Boys.
24.	The DeFranco Family featuring Tony DeFranco - Write Me a Letter stereo b/w mono (20th Century - 1974) I bought this for the goofy picture sleeve, which I will now show you: The only thing I know about the DeFranco Family is that Steven Wright announced their song "Heartbeat (It's a Love Beat)" on K-BILLY's Super Sounds of the Seventies radio show in Reservoir Dogs.
25.	Ruby and the Romantics - Our Day Will Come b/w Moonlight and Music (Kapp - 1963) R and the Rs are pretty much only remembered for this, their hit single. Elegant soul.
26.	The Soul Children - Hearsay b/w Don't Take Away My Sunshine (Stax - 1972) Upbeat, gospel-influenced soul. Decent.
27.	Young MC - Bust a Move b/w Got More Rhymes (Delicious Vinyl - 1989) As with some of the other singles I picked up today, "Bust a Move" was a childhood favorite.
28.	Toni Basil - Mickey b/w Thief On the Loose (Chrysalis - 1981) Everyone likes this song. I'm no exception.