Saturday, April 30, 2011

Frankie Baldo & The Noveltones - Strange Guitar


Hand Claps, Drums & um, "Strange Guitar"... Not really all that strange, just a bit o' reverb & tremolo but it adds a nice flavor to this groovy little surf type instrumental from the 60's.

Frankie Baldo & The Noveltones - Strange Guitar

Friday, April 29, 2011

Chuck And Chuckles - Bury The Hatchet


Bury the hatchet, RIGHT IN YOUR HEAD!!!

Gary Paxton and Skip Battin recorded some material for the Shad label in 1957. Not sure what to call themselves they changed their name for every release. One of these releases named the artists as CHUCK & THE CHUCKLES...

Chuck And Chuckles - Bury The Hatchet

Streetwalkers - Red Card - (A Few Tracks)




A minor curiosity here because Streetwalkers featured ex-Family members Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney and future/current Iron Maiden Drummer Nicko McBain, this was The Streetwalkers one and only UK hit LP, charting at No. 16 in the summer of '76.

Pretty standard stuff. A few "rockers" but nothing special. Pretty typical of that year (1976) when most of the heavy rockers were all going for a more polished sound. Sounds a BIT like some later era Nazareth or some shit... A bargain bin purchase only... Unless you are down w/ mediocre mid 70's rock....

There is an uptempo cover of Otis Blackwells

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVuVEC2TCAQ

I also include the back photo of the band with Nico in it because he is such a handsome man....

Streetwalkers - Run For Cover

Streetwalkers -Daddy Rolling Stone

Streetwalkers- Crazy Charade

Streetwalkers - shotgun Messiah

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Dewey Martin and Medicine Ball - There Must Be A Reason


I'll be honest. when i bought this 45 i had no idea who Dewey Martin was. I mean, I'm old but not old enough to remember who the drummer from Buffalo Springfield was. (Sorry Dewey)

This is a rocking little number with some gritty vox & lots of piano & horns. but don't let the piano & horns scare you away becuase there is some cool guitar wankery to save the day!!!

So anyway, this cat went from rock legend to car mechanic...

what i also love about this 45 is that it was produced by "Toxey French" with horns arranged by Jim "Horn"....

Toxey French??? WTF?? Porn name or what? and what a coincidence about the HORNS huh...???

Rock & Roll is so silly...

Ok, i'll shut up now.

The below is all lifted from Dewy's Wiki....

Dewey Martin (September 30, 1940 – January 31, 2009[1]) was a Canadian rock drummer, best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield.

Martin became the last member to join the legendary group at its founding. Along with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, he was one of only three musicians to stay with the group from its inception in April 1966 to its disbandment on May 5, 1968. During his time with the group, Martin also did session work for The Monkees.
In concert, he sang covers of Wilson Pickett's In The Midnight Hour and Richie Furay's "Nobody's Fool" and "Good Time Boy". The latter appeared on the band's second album, Buffalo Springfield Again. He also sang Neil Young's "Mr Soul" as the introduction to Young's "Broken Arrow" on the same album and backing vocals on the band's biggest hit, "For What It's Worth".

When the original band broke up Martin formed a new version in September 1968. Dubbed "New Buffalo Springfield", the line up comprised guitarists Dave Price (Davy Jones' stand-in in The Monkees) and Gary Rowles (son of jazz pianist Jimmy Rowles); bass player Bob Apperson; drummer Don Poncher; and horn player Jim Price, who later became a top session musician for The Rolling Stones and Joe Cocker among others.
The new band toured extensively and appeared at the highly publicised "Holiday Rock Festival" in San Francisco on December 25–26 but soon fell foul of Stephen Stills and Neil Young who took legal action to prevent Martin from using the band's name.
In February 1969, Martin and Dave Price formed a second version of New Buffalo Springfield with guitarist Bob "BJ" Jones and bass player Randy Fuller, brother of Bobby Fuller. The band did some tentative recordings with producer Tom Dowd overseeing but they were scrapped.
The second line up was expanded with another guitarist Joey Newman in June 1969 but two months later, Martin was fired and the remaining members carried on as Blue Mountain Eagle.

In September 1969, Martin signed a solo deal with Uni Records and recorded a cover of the country favourite, "Jambalaya" with session ace James Burton on guitar. It was released as a single with Martin's own composition "Ala-Bam" on the b-side.
He then briefly worked on some new material with guitarist John Noreen from the folk-rock group, Rose Garden but by December the pair had split.
Martin next put together a new group called Medicine Ball, which featured mainstays, guitarist Billy Darnell and pianist Pete Bradstreet, who later recorded with the band Electric Range. The band also featured at various times, guitarists Bob Stamps and Randy Fuller, and bass players Terry Gregg, Harvey Kagan and Steve Lefever. An album, "Dewey Martin's Medicine Ball", was released in August 1970 and featured steel guitarist Buddy Emmons and former Buffalo Springfield bass player Bruce Palmer.
In late 1970, Martin and Darnell formed a new version of Medicine Ball with pianist Charles Lamont and bass player Tom Leavey and made some tentative recordings which were subsequently scrapped.
Martin then recorded five tracks with Elvis Presley's band for RCA. Two of the songs – a cover of Alan O'Day's "Caress Me Pretty Music" and a cover of Joe Cocker and Chris Stainton's "There Must Be A Reason" were put out as a single in early 1971. After producing an album for Truk in 1971, Martin retired from the music industry to become a car mechanic.


Dewey Martin and Medicine Ball - There Must Be A Reason

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Nilsson - Harry LP - (Selected Tracks)





This is the best 25 cents i've spent in a long time. I am mesmerized by "morning glory story" and "i guess the lord must be in New York City".... I've posted some Harry Nilsson already a way way back... You can find that post HERE:

My Dad was a fan and i remember him trying to turn me on to him when i was a young buck, but at that time it was all metal and punk and i just didn't get it then... He did however turn me on to Blue Cheer! So thanks Dad!!!

BTW - I put these songs in the order i wanted them and for the record, if you didn't know, mother nature's son is a Beatles tune from the White Album.

The album has a few "blemishes" but for 25 cents i won't complian, and you can either listen or not so don't you either. IMHO its an amazing bunch of tunes, snap, crackle and pop or not...

Nilsson - Morning Glory Story

Nilsson – I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City

Nilsson – Rainmaker

Nilsson – Puppy Song

Nilsson – Simon Smith and teh Amazing Dancing Bear

Nilsson – Mother Nature's Son


edit: for Mr. Anonymous , here is Mr. Bojangles from the Harry LP.

Nilsson – Mr. Bojangles

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Third Rail - The Shape Of Things To Come



"Shape of Things to Come" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, most famously performed by Max Frost and the Troopers on their 1968 album Shape of Things to Come. The song was also released without vocals by Davie Allan and the Arrows. The song was a mere 1 minute 55 seconds in length.
Others who have performed the song include Slade, Vacuum, Aorta, Third Rail, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Pointed Sticks, The Ramones, the Fuzztones, The Urinals, The Diodes, Mod Fun and Marshmallow Overcoat. More recently, the song has been released by Toxic Reasons and Janelle MonĂ¡e.

The Third Rail was an American pop/rock group made up of studio musicians briefly popular in the 1960s.
The group had three members: Arthur Resnick, Kris Resnick (Artie's wife), and Joey Levine. Artie had spent years writing Brill Building pop sings, including "Under the Boardwalk" by The Drifters and "Good Lovin' by The Rascals. Levine had played in local bands in New York City and was still in his teens when the group first recorded together. They only did one live show together, in Cincinnati, though they recorded several singles and a full-length album. In 1967, their single "Run Run Run" reached #53 on the Billboard Hot 100, and that same year the LP Id Music was released on Epic Records.
The last single released under the name Third Rail was issued in 1968, after which Levine went on to sing the tune "Yummy Yummy Yummy" for the Ohio Express. All three members later went on to work as songwriters for Kasenetz & Katz.

The Third Rail - The Shape Of Things To Come

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Cher - Needles and Pins - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)



I'm posting this up for a couple of reasons. First on my previous post by Wynona Carr i had not realized that both tracks were penned by none other than Sonny Bono, who had his hand in both of these tracks as well.

Also while i can honestly say that as a kid i did watch the Sonny & Cher show i am not a huge fan. I did have a thing for Cher as a kid though. So that leads me to my next reason for posting. the funny thing about this 45 is that have actually heard cover songs of this before i ever heard these originals. i first heard the Ramones doing needles and pins way back when and i also heard Terry Reid's version of Bang Bang long before i heard this 45. No big deal. i just ran across this while digging in some of my stuff and just thought it would be cool to put it up because of my recent failure to give Mr. Bono proper credit. I guess he was a pretty good song writter but just not a good skier... RIP Mr. Bono.

As for the Ramones, well they are the Ramones! and i guess Terry Reid is most famous for NOT taking the lead singer job of Jimmy Page's New Yardbirds. The new Yardbirds soon after became Led Zeppelin.

How's that for shoulda, coulda, didn't... The rest is as they say HISTORY...


Cher - Needles and Pins

Cher - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

Saturday, April 23, 2011

The Unknowns - Peith's Song


The Unknowns are so unknown that i don't even know who they are.... ok, that is a lie. I didn't look very hard.... but what i did find was that Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay ( On the A side) & Keith Allison all from Paul Revere and the Raiders had something to do with this record. And that the title ‘Peith’s Song’ should possibly be "Keith's Song" since his name is on the writing credits... Anyway this is a cool little rockin' instrumental w/ some cool guitar work from 1966..

The Unknowns - Peith's Song

Friday, April 22, 2011

Eddie Platt - Tequila - Popcorn




This shit is kind of hokey but it has a certain charm. A wacky cover of the Champs Tequilla and a goofy high energy Popcorn with a nice little guitar break.

Eddie Platt (b. Eddie Platakis, Dec. 8, 1921, Cleveland, Ohio; d. Oct. 3, 2010, Akron, Ohio) was an American saxophonist.
Platakis was raised in Rossford, Ohio. He began playing in a band there at age 16 and used the stage name Platt starting in high school (including at his graduation). He played gigs in Rossford and Cleveland until World War II, when he served in the Army and Air Force. After the war he played in strip clubs with the Johnny Pecon Band.
In 1957, he began playing the Hotel Manger in Cleveland, a gig he would keep until 1967. While there, he recorded his first single for Epic Records, "Rock 'Em" b/w "Chinese Lullaby". His next single was a cover of The Champs' song "Tequila", which climbed to #20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. He also covered The Pets' hit "Chua-Hua-Hua", which in the 1990s was featured on the soundtrack to The Iron Giant.
Following the success of "Tequila", Platt appeared on Perry Como and Dick Clark's television shows, performing live where most acts lip synched. He remained in Cleveland to play shows but backed national acts when they toured there, including Pat Boone, Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, The Everly Brothers, and The Brothers Four. He self-released a vinyl LP, Dance One, selling about 3,500 copies. The tune "Festival" from the album is the theme song of the Ohio All Nations Festival.
Platt died in Akron, Ohio, on October 3, 2010.

Eddie Platt - Tequila

Eddie Platt - Popcorn

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Wynona Carr - Touch And Go - The Things You Do To Me



I'm done talking, so today you just get a good R&B rocker and more of a ballad type from 1959 by Wynona Carr on the great Speacialty label.

Read more about Wynona at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Wynona Carr - Touch And Go
Wynona Carr - The Things You Do To Me

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Bill Haley - Real Rock Drive & Ray Smith - That's All Right - Rockin' Little Angel




I got these 45's with the same records as the ones from yesterday's post. If you read that then you get it. Sure these things are beat to hell but it's the music, not perfect labels i am after. I actually got shit in my comments about a label that was ugly once... if these labels turn you off then go take your elitist musical ass some place else.

The Ray Smith 45 a payed i buck for and even with its ugly labels worth every penny. Real good Elvis influenced rockabilly stuff from 1959 or 1960?

the Bill Haley i payed a few dollars more for this but it is from 1952 and pretty rare i guess. It is pretty hard to find early Bill Haley stuff on Essex. I have a bunch of his Decca 45's but only a few on Essex so i bought it. Man, was this cat ahead of the game... 1952!

Anyway, i'm throwing these up to further a few of my points from yesterday.... Enjoy the music and never mind the beat up labels.

As for Mr. Haley, I'm sure most are familiar w/ him, no?

And as for Mr. Ray Smith, well, he killed himself in 1979....

Have a nice day!

Bill Haley - Real Rock Drive

Ray Smith- That's All Right

Ray Smith - Rockin' Little Angel

Monday, April 18, 2011

The Harp-Tones - Sunday Kind Of Love & The G-Cleffs - Ka-Ding Dong & A small story: (Does anyone really care obout this stuff anymore?)





Most record guys are dicks: This is NOT one of them....


I just picked these 2 records up yesterday @ the local flea market. I bought them off of a guy i have been buying records off of for a few years now. Nothing major, but i always buy a few cheap 45's off him. These were only a few bucks each as most of his records are. He is a nice guy. A little older and is always jamming oldies out of a boom box in the back of his van. We always talk a little bit about this and that and of course records & music, but yesterday was a bit different. He was talking about how he was thankful the weather is getting nicer and he was thinking of moving his operation. (he sells at different markets around town) And we got the talking about "The Spot". Now the spot is a place i have been buying records at for a lot longer than most and i used to go every weekend without fail for years and years. But the spot isn't the same since "Old Man Mike" died. I talked about Old Man Mike a way back and how i have been buying records off him since the 80's. Well since his passing there has been a whole lot of crazy shit that has gone on with his record collection and his family and people getting at his records and what not but that is a different story... SO ANYWAY... I knew that he knew old man Mike but did not know if they were friends or not. You see there is A LOT of competition in the world of record collecting and selling. Most of these old cats that sell out at the markets make their living off of doing this shit so its a dog eat dog world in the land of flea market record buying and selling. And most of the guys would stab their own Mother in the back to get at a box of records FIRST! But this guys isn't like that at all, he is mellow and i have always liked him, after all we both have the same first name, but once we got talking about Mike and i found out he had nothing but nice things to say about the old man and he was telling stories about how Mike helped him out of a few tight spots my affection for the guy grew even more. So after an hour or so of telling some stories about the record folks we like and dislike i paid my small few for a few moldy old records and went home thinking about Mike and all the other record freaks and all unscrupulous shit that goes on out there amongst these assholes and thought what a waste of time. I collect records for the fun of it and because i love music. I don't make money doing this, i SPEND money. And then i thought to myself, man, you sure do have a lot of records. And who gives a shit. I mean does anyone really care about two 45's from 1956 in this day and age? and why all the hub bub? People treat these records like objects and lose sight of the real reason that they even exist, to be listened too! I guess for some people this is business and i know i am a small fish in a big pond when it comes to records but i have a fairly large collection but i am a bottom feeder. I don't have deep pockets. But i have some decent stuff most of which i have come across by hours and hours of digging and hitting thrift stores & markets at 6 AM. i just hope that when i croak my family can make a few bucks off my vinyl and keep the asshole record collectors away from my shit!

So anyway, here are 2 records you may or may not give a rats ass about. In the big scheme of things this shit matters not, but enjoy anyway... ( or not)

oh, and if you see "Tommy" above, buy something off him and tell him the devil sent ya....


The Harp-Tones - Sunday Kind Of Love

The G-Cleffs - Ka-Ding Dong

Friday, April 15, 2011

Johnny Otis - Willie Did The Cha Cha


Great Johnny Otis cut from 1958.

He did the Rock and Roll Cha Cha Cha!

here is his wiki:

Johnny Otis (born John Alexander Veliotes; December 28, 1921, Vallejo, California) is an American blues and rhythm and blues pianist, composer, vibraphonist, drummer, singer, bandleader and impresario.

Otis, the son of Alex J. Veliotes, a grocery store owner and his wife, the former Irene Kiskakes, is the child of Greek immigrants.
He is the older brother of Nicholas Veliotes, former U.S. Ambassador to Jordan (1978–1981) and to Egypt (1984–1986).
Otis is well-known for his choice to live his professional and personal life as a member of the African-American community. He has written, "As a kid I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black."

He is the father of musician Shuggie Otis.

After playing in a variety of swing orchestras, including Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders,he founded his own band in 1945 and had one of the most enduring hits of the big band era, "Harlem Nocturne". This band played with Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown. In 1947, he and Bardu Ali opened the Barrelhouse Club in the Watts district of Los Angeles. He reduced the size of his band and hired singers Mel Walker, Little Esther Phillips and the Robins (who later became the Coasters). He discovered the teenaged Phillips when she won one of the Barrelhouse Club's talent shows. With this band, which toured extensively throughout the United States as the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, he had a long string of rhythm and blues hits through 1950.
In the late 1940s, he discovered Big Jay McNeely, who then performed on his "Barrelhouse Stomp". In the 1950s he discovered Etta James, for whom he produced her first hit, "Roll With Me, Henry", (also known as "The Wallflower"). Otis produced the original recording of "Hound Dog" written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller with vocal by Big Mama Thornton, and was given a writing credit on all six of the 1953 releases of the song. As an artist and repertory man for King Records he also discovered Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, and Little Willie John, among others. He also became an influential disk jockey in Los Angeles.
He continued to perform, and in April 1958, he recorded his best-known recording "Willie and the Hand Jive", which relates to hand and arm motions in time with the music, called the hand jive. This recording went on to be a huge hit in the summer of 1958, peaking at #9 on the U.S. Pop chart, and becoming Otis' only Top 10 single. His most famous composition is "Every Beat of My Heart", first recorded by The Royals in the 1952 but which became a huge hit for Gladys Knight and the Pips. In 1969 he recorded an album of sexually explicit material under the name Snatch and the Poontangs. In 1970 he played at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival with Little Esther Phillips and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. Otis continued performing through the 1990s and headlined the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1990 and 2000, although because of his many other interests he went through long periods where he did not perform.
He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a Non-Performer for his work as a songwriter and producer with Elvis Presley.

Frank Zappa has cited Otis as the inspiration for his distinctive trademark facial hair, stating in an interview conducted by Simpsons creator Matt Groening and Guitar Player magazine editor Don Menn, "It looked good on Johnny Otis, so I grew it.

Johnny Otis - Willie Did The Cha Cha

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Devi's Music Year In Review: In Pictures...

A FEW pics showing a FEW of the things I've been up to since the new year...