Merry Christmas!

Hi-Fi Holidays: The Christmas Song

Nat King Cole - "The Christmas Song" (1963) - Capitol Records

Hello Friends,

Its Christmas Eve.  The shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, the punch bowl is brimming and the Christmas Eve Paella is nearly done.  Best of all, we've got an undisputed classic on the turntable tonight.

Nat King Cole would release his first and only Christmas LP in 1960 (entitled, The Magic of Christmas).  In 1963, Capitol Records would re-release this LP with a different cover and the updated version of the title track.

With his smoother-than-silk voice, Nat sings the definitive version of Mel Torme's classic, "The Christmas Song" aka "Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire".   Nothing sets the mood for a romantic Christmas Eve dinner party quite like this recording, friends.  



In addition to "The Christmas Song", Old King Cole sings classics like "Deck the Halls", "Adeste Fideles", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "I Saw Three Ships", "O Holy Night", "Joy to the World", "O Tannebaum" (sung in its original German!), "Silent Night" and the lesser-known, "A Cradle in Bethlehem" & "Caroling, Caroling". 

The music on the record is conducted and arranged by Ralph Carmichael and features the usual lush and warm orchestrations that permeated Capitol releases of this era.  

By 1965, Nat King Cole would be dead from lung cancer leaving behind a legacy of some pretty great jazz-inspired popular music. Not only would this record become THE top-selling Christmas album of the 1960's, but it would become one of the most beloved records of Cole's career.

Merry Christmas everybody!

RATING: 4.5 feasts of the seven fishes out of 5

Hi-Fi Holidays: Belafonte!

Harry Belafonte - "To Wish You A Merry Christmas" (1962) - RCA Victor

Hello Friends,

Originally released by RCA records in 1958 and then re-issued with Harry's incredibly photogenic face gracing the cover along with a slightly different B-Side in 1962, this album was a staple in homes of many a baby boomer.

There's gospel ("A Star in the East", "The Son of Mary") , calypso ("Mary's Boy Child"), folk ("Jehova The Lord Will Provide"), jazz ("Where the Little Jesus Sleeps"), and even a hint of country (the Johnny Cash-penned, "The Gifts They Gave").  What a talent this Belafonte cat is!  Pretty much the only stinker on the album is "The Twelve Days of Christmas" because that song sucks anyways.

The arrangements are, for the most part, quiet and reserved, the star of the record being Belafonte's familiar baritone.  Listening to this on vinyl, where you can really hear the quiver and intricacies of Belafonte's voice, is pretty much the only way to listen to this album! 

Again, not the best record for your Space Age Holiday soiree, but a perfect record to put when you come home from one.  Tired and buzzed, enjoying one last nightcap in the basking glow of your Christmas tree.

RATING: 4 in thy dark streets shineth out of 5

Hi-Fi Holidays: Pretty Paper

Willie Nelson - "Pretty Paper" (1979) - Columbia

Howdy Partners,

Smoke some if you got some because tonight we've got some Willie Nelson on the Christmas turntable.  Slick Willie really ended the 1970's in style with this festive LP featuring the likes of Booker T. Jones serving as producer and keyboard player; ex-Burrito Brother, Chris Ethridge on bass; longtime drummer, Paul English; and harmonica-player extraordinaire, Mickey Raphael, playing that "cuts through a fog"-style of harp.  (Its pretty much a reunion of the musicians and lineup used on the incredible, Stardust.)

Willie was at his peak in the late 70's in both creativity and record sales.  Interesting choice to close out this decade with an album of (mostly) traditional Christmas tunes, but all the selections here are performed in WIllie's inimitable style.  There's only a handful of artists that can perform songs like "Rudolph" or "Frosty" with no tongue-in-cheekiness and with the utmost sincerity.  

And speaking of sincerity...

Sixteen years prior to the release of this record, Willie wrote the song "Pretty Paper" which became a hit for fellow Texan, Roy Orbison, in 1963.  Inspired by a homeless veteran on a busy sidewalk during the holidays, the song is vintage Nelson.  Easy to hum along to, but heartbreaking nonetheless.      

RATING: 4.5 pretty pencils to write I love you out of 5

Hi-Fi Holidays: The New Possibility

John Fahey - "The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album" (1968) - Takoma Records

Hello Friends,

We've got a little bit of a unique one on the Holiday Turntable tonight: a solo guitar instrumental album by American folk artist John Fahey.   Minimalist to be sure, Fahey's style combines avant-garde arrangements with a traditional country-blues style of steel string guitar picking.  The resulting music has a way of sounding both old and new at the same time. (Fahey's style was termed "American Primitivism" in the late 50's.  Besides Fahey, the most famous proponent of this style is guitarist Leo Kottke.)

The bottom line is if you enjoy well-played Christmas music on an acoustic guitar this record is a must listen.  (Also, we can't be positive, but this might be the first acoustic guitar Christmas album ever.  Couldn't find any examples of this style of music before 1968!)   

Released on Fahey's own label, Takoma Records, it remains the best-selling release of his 40 year recording career.  Its really good from start to finish with the triumvirate of Side One's "Auld Lang Syne", "The Bells of St Marys" and "Good King Wenceslas" being the record's high point!

RATING: 4.5 gathering winter fuels out of 5




is known as American Primitivism.  

This is another 

Hi-Fi Holidays: Christmas with Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins - "Christmas with Chet Atkins" (1961) - RCA Victor

Hello Friends,

Its snowing out and we've got a real gem on the Christmas turntable tonight courtesy of the Country Gentleman himself, Mr. Chet Atkins.

This record is definitely one of our favorites!  Laidback and atmospheric like colorful Christmas lights reflecting off a freshly laid snowdrift at sundown. 

Released in 1961, and produced by Atkins himself, the arrangements are spare and crisp. Not a note is wasted.  Accompaniments are provided mostly by the background vocals of the Anita Kerr singers. The star of the record, of course, is Chet's six-string. Similar to our previous record, Sinatra's A Jolly Christmas, Side One features more popular carols with Atkins playing the electric guitar playing while Side Two takes a more traditional approach with Atkins going unplugged.  

The entire record is great with "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" being particularly good!  His take on "Silver Bells", however, is nothing short of stunning.

(A side note: If you've heard this album before on the Razor & Tie CD release from 1997, you haven't heard this album!  Listen to this on record!  You won't be sorry!)

The snow is still falling outside, there's no cars on the road; inside its warm, the tree is lit and we're pretty lit ourselves!  We're going to flip this record once more and probably pass out on the couch!  To the Holidays!

RATING: 5 rye manhattans in a snowstorm out of 5  

Hi-Fi Holidays: A Jolly Christmas

Frank Sinatra - "A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra" (1957) - Capitol Records

Hello Friends,

We're kicking off our Holiday festivities tonight with some Ol' Blue Eyes on the turntable. 

Incidentally, we're also celebrating the Chairman on the Board's birthday today (December 12th)-- he would have been 98!

A Jolly Christmas is Sinatra's second holiday album and first holiday record for Capitol. With the chorus and orchestra arranged and conducted by frequent Sinatra collaborator, Gordon Jenkins, the record tows the line between the jazzy-sentimentality of Sinatra's earlier records and the light-hearted corniness of some his late 50's, early 60's recordings. 

Its a record of two sides.  Side One being the "fun" side with secular classics like "Jingle Bells", "The Christmas Song", "Mistletoe & Holly", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "The Christmas Waltz" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".

Side Two is the more religious side with carols like "Silent Night" & "Adeste Fideles".

Both sides are good, but be forewarned merrymakers, this is not exactly a swinging Christmas record. The songs and arrangements are excellent, but the tone is mellow and contemplative.  Tiki T. and I are enjoying this one admiring our newly decorated tree while enjoying a glass bottle of wine or two!

Frank Sinatra - The Christmas Waltz

Happy Birthday you big goomba! 

RATING: 4.5 oh by gosh by gollies out of 5

Hi-Fi Holidays at Vinyl in the Valley!

Hello Friends,

Its the Holidays on Vinyl in the Valley again and we're getting ready to listen to some vintage vinyl while celebrating a pretty cool Yule. 

So light the candles, fill that punch bowl and tinsel that tree because we have some real festive goodies cued up on the turntable!

God Bless us!  Everyone!

Movie Night: A Mighty Wind (2003)

Hello Friends,

Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night again on Vinyl in the Valley!

Tonight we're watching the 2003 film, A Mighty Wind.

Directed by Christopher Guest, A Mighty Wind is filmed in the same mockumentary-style as his previous classics, This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman & Best In Show and stars many of the same familar faces including Michael Mckean, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Harry Shearer, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley, Jr and the always adorable, Parker Posey! 

A Mighty Wind "documents" the events leading up to a big revivalist folk concert featuring fictional groups that resemble 60's folk acts like The Kingston Trio, The Weavers, Peter, Paul & Mary, etc.  Eugene Levy is a real highlight as Mitch Cohen (one half of the fictional folk duo, Mitch & Mickey) as is the always awesome (and sometimes inappropriate), Fred Willard ("Wha Happen?") 

If there's one complaint about the movie is that it falls a little flat in comparison to Guest's earlier films but, in fairness, Spinal Tap, Guffman & Best in Show are pretty much perfect films so its a little unfair to compare this movie to those classics! Still, A Mighty Wind is funnier that 90% of the comedies released theatrically anyways. 

One song from the movie, "A Kiss At the End of the Rainbow" was even nominated for an Oscar and lost to some shitty new age song from The Lord of the Rings called "Into the West".  Try tapping your toes to that crap, kids!

Good movie!  Fun music!  We give two enthusiastic cocktail glasses up! 

We'll see you next time, friends, until then the Tiki Bar is closed*.  

(* not really)

There's Something in the (Fresh) Air

The Baja Marimba Band - "Fresh Air" (1969) - A & M Records

Hello Friends,

These zany cats are back for their Ninth record!  Can you believe it?  Originally a side project (and novelty act) of Herb Alpert's percussionist, Julius Wechter, The Baja Marimba Band survived the 60's and were still going (somewhat) strong 9 albums in!

Slightly more relaxed and less manic than some of their previous records, the highlights being their take on the Mexican Ranchera song, "Cielito Lindo" (aka the Frito Bandito's theme song); Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave"; the haunting takes on "Eleanor Rigby" and "The Windmills of Your Mind" (aka the theme song from the movie, The Thomas Crown Affair); the dueling marimbas in "I'll Marimba You"; and what is arguably the album's best track, "Madagascar".

As an added bonus, the album also feature Julius Wechter's singing debut on the Loesser & Styne song, "I Don't Wanna Walk Without You."  Stick to your day job Jules!

Besides the clever title and funny mustaches another running joke on these records is how there always seems to be someone pissing in the background on the album cover!  Keepin' it classy!  

Maybe that's where The Who got the idea for the Who's Next cover art?!?

RATING: 3.5 windmills of your cabezas out of 5 

Dreams of Love, Hungarian Rhapsodies and Dancing with the Devil!

Franz Liszt - "Liebestraum: Favorite Melodies of Liszt" - 1965 - Columbia Records

Hello Friends,

We're classing things up tonight at the tiki bar!  This record features the magic fingers of French classical pianist, Philippe Entremont, and features some selected works of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.  So break out the Bulls Blood, because we've got bad case of Lisztomania tonight!

Excellent record for a stormy November evening.  Just a man and his piano playing the 'greatest hits' of the world's first rock star.

Side One
1. Liebestraum (Notturno no. 3)
2. Concert Etude No. 3 in F minor
3. Consolation No. 3
4. Mephisto Waltz

Side Two
1. Concert Etude No. 3 in D-Flat Major
2. Valse Oubliee
3. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 ("Rakoczy March")
4. Canzonetta Del Salvator Rosa 
5. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Mephisto Waltz is the album's highlight.  Ten minutes of frantic piano playing that's supposed to be about Faust & Mephisto, the devil himself, passing by a village tavern during a wedding.  Mephisto grabs a fiddle from one of the local musicians and starts playing this intoxicating melody that causes the Faust to grab and dance wildly with some local tramp.  They dance seductively into the night and eventually disappear out of the tavern and into the woods where sinful acts will no doubt follow!   (Editor's Note: Coincidentally, this is how Tiki T. and I met!)   

Plus, speaking of hotties, who doesn't love a sexy brunette looking over her shoulder while in a fainting chair? Too bad she's dressed like a Mennonite!

RATING: 4.5 servings of chicken paprikash out of 5

Hawaiian Holiday with Johnny Pineapple

Johnny Pineapple & His Orchestra - "Hawaiian Holiday" (1965) - Pickwick

Aloha Friends,

No one gets a party started quite like Johnny Pineapple.  Actually, before we got this LP we never heard of the guy, but boy are we impressed!  This guy is like the Duke Ellington of Luau Music!

From what we can delineate ascertain, Johnny Pineapple was born David Haonohi on the isle of Hawaii.  He became an expert steel guitar player which eventually landed him gigs at New York's Stork Club and the Polynesian Room of Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel.

Now we have dozens of generic-sounding Hawaiian Holiday-type LPs.  All are fun, to an extent, but most are not very good or very memorable.  This one is different. Expert arrangements that are big on atmosphere and big on ethereal-sounding steel guitar, with subtle flourishes of acoustic guitar, percussion and Ellington-style pianos gently wading in the background.  Check out "The Pretty Mermaid of the Southeastern Sea"...

or the sublime, "Paradise Isle".

This album is the soundtrack to a perfect Hawaiian Sunset: after a long day of luau's, scuba diving and drinking out of pineapples, you pass out on the beach with the salty ocean air kissing your sun-drenched skin and hear the gentle and soothing notes of Johnny Pineapple's band. 

Plus check out those pearly white smiles on the album cover!  Johnny Pineapple must have a heck of a dental plan, kids!

Thanks for the record Marilyn!

RATING: 4.5 Pretty Mermaids of the Southeastern Seas out of 5

Movie Night: Not Fade Away (2012)

Hello Friends,

Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night again on Vinyl in the Valley!

Tonight we're watching the feature directorial debut of David ("The Sopranos") Chase. 

Not Fade Away is a great little film about a group of friends who form a local band called The Twylight Zones.  The film traces their rise from the basement and garages of suburban New Jersey to (spoiler alert!) pretty much nowhere.  Good young cast featuring John Magaro as Douglas, the band's drummer-turned-frontman; Jack Huston as Eugene, Douglas's friend and former lead singer; Bella Heathcote as Douglas's wide-eyed muse; and Tony Soprano himself, the late-great James Gandolfini, as Douglas's father-- a tough, stubborn, Eisenhower Era, blue collar type who is out of step with the changing times and who cannot quite see eye-to-eye with his long-haired, rocking & rolling son.

Kudos to David Chase, who probably has earned enough Hollywood clout that he could have captained almost any project that he wanted.  Instead of choosing some flavor-of-the-week comic book movie or a potential blockbuster, he chose to write and direct this "small" and very personal slice-of-life story.

The fact that James Gandolfini tragically passed away this past summer also adds a level of poignancy to the film!  Sad to see him go!  Hope he's somewhere by a pool filled with ducks! 

Great movie!  Great music!  We give two enthusiastic cocktail glasses up! 

We'll see you next time, friends, until then the Tiki Bar is closed*.  

(* not really)

You're Dirty Sweet and You're My Girl

T. Rex - "Electric Warrior" (1971) - Reprise Records

Hello Friends,

Sorry its been a while but we're getting back to the business of pouring cocktails and listening to records after a brief and unplanned hiatus. (Editors note: No bars can hold us!)

We're celebrating our return in style with T. Rex's seminal 1971 LP, Electric Warrior.

Their sixth album (and second under the abbreviated "T. Rex" moniker) this is the record that really gave glam rock its start.  By 1971 elfin singer, guitarist & songwriter Marc Bolan (along with percussionist Mickey Finn and producer Tony Visconti) abandoned their mostly acoustic, folkie approach for a fuller, more electric and hard rocking sound. 

The songs are all pretty much simple blues songs enhanced by Bolan's quivering vocals, his Chuck Berry-on-steroids style of guitar playing and Tony Visconti's glossy but balanced production.  Mickey Finn's manic-sounding bongos are present throughout as are the background vocal talents of Flo & Eddie (The Turtles) and the sax playing of King Crimson founding-member, Ian McDonald.  Even a young Rick Wakeman gets in on the fun when he lends his keyboard talents to the hit single, "Bang A Gong (Get In On)"-- a gig he took because he was desperate for rent money at the time!

Bolan's lyrics here aren't as "English" as they have been in the past (I'm looking at you, "Ride a White Swan") and are instead about getting it on, banging gongs, crooning beneath bebop moons, cosmic dancing, electric witches, hubcap diamond star halos and generally being an all around jeepster for your love!   

Girl, I'm just a vampire for your love / I'm gonna suck you!

Electric Warrior is a classic from start to finish.  From its iconic cover to the 11 mini-masterpieces contained within its grooves, this record and its follow-up, 1972's The Slider, capture Marc Bolan's band at its absolute peak.  It would introduce the band to American audiences with the hit, "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" but in the UK, Electric Warrior would reach Number 1 and Bolan would be elevated to rock god status.  Bolan would influence a generation of glittery, pan-sexual, cross-dressing, vampy glam rockers including Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Elton John and later Jeff Lynne of ELO as well as a bunch of young punks who sat in their dark corners and sneered.

RATING: 5 planet queens perchance to dream she used my head like an exploder out of 5

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Here's "Secular Haze" by Ghost BC (2013)...

RIP Lou Reed

Holy Shit!  Lou Reed died yesterday and its still setting in.

71 years old.  Probably shouldn't have made it to 40 but still, he was an original, a true pioneer.

If the first Velvet Underground was all he ever did, he'd still be a legend.

Our rock stars are getting old kids!  

We're going to be listening to a lot of the Velvets this week.  Also, some of those great 70's LPs like "Transformer", "Sally Can't Dance", "Berlin" and "Coney Island Baby." 

And we won't forget about his 1989 masterpiece, "New York".

We'll take a pass on listening to "Metal Machine Music" but appreciate it for what it was/is.

And we'll try to forget all together about his 2011 collaboration with Metallica, "Lulu".

The Morning After

J. Geils Band - "The Morning After" (1971) - Atlantic Records

Hello Friends,

Its Worcester's best bar band, The J. Geils Band, back with their second LP and because of the implied sleaziness of the album's title, we couldn't wait to get this one on the turntable.

We were NOT disappointed!

Good old fashioned, upbeat blues rock that sounds as good today as it did upon its release in 1971 featuring lead vocals by Peter Wolf, some fantastic blues harp by Magic Dick and some fine lead guitar by J. Geils himself.  (Yes kids, unlike Jethro Tull or Pink Floyd, J. Geils was actually a guys name in the band!) 

Side A is home to "I Don't Need You No More", live-staple instrumenal "Whammer Jammer", "So Sharp", "The Usual Place" and "Gotta Have Your Love".

Side B gives us the frantic single, "Looking for A Love", "Gonna Find Me a New Love", "Cry One More Time" (which Gram Parson's covered on his seminal 1973 LP, GP), "Floyd's Hotel" and "It Ain't What You Do (It's How You Do It)".

    

The album's cover photo of the band was literally taken the morning after a wild night of partying at an L.A. hotel!  

Just living the rock & roll lifestyle here on Vinyl in the Valley!

RATING: 4.5 Magic Dicks out of 5

The Rum Diaries: Coruba Jamaican Rum

Hello friends,

Going back and forth from the tiki bar to the turntable all night long really makes you work up a mean, mean thirst!  

Tonight we're taking a break from record reviews and instead we're focusing our attention on one of the world's most delicious (and misunderstood) libations-- RUM.

Described by Marco Polo in the 14th Century as "very good wine made of sugar", the history of rum is as interesting and complex as the drink itself.  The story of Rum is the story of slavery, of pirates, of Navies, of the New World, of exploration, colonization, capitalism, rebellion and of course, hot, drunk college girls on Spring Break!  

YO HO HO, indeed!

CORUBA JAMAICA RUM

Distiller: The Rum Company
Country: Kingston, Jamaica

Cost: $21.00
Proof: 80
Size: 1 liter

Description: Dark Jamaican Rum made from Molasses.

Ned Tugent says: "Very sweet. Too sweet on its own. Tastes almost as if someone's adding caramel syrup right to the bottle! Also, kind of caustic. Good for mixing! Grade: C"

Tiki T says: "Smelling notes: maraschino cherries, vanilla bean and a touch of chlorine.  Very boozy. Caustic on the finish. Grade: C+"

Racist?

Decent, not great Jamaican Rum.  With the help of some fresh limes and blended bananas it would make a good daiquiri.  Would also probably do well in a Planter's Punch.  There's no shortage of good rum coming out of Jamaica and this one is a decent mixer but nothing to write home about! 

Happy Fall!

Fall Fantasy with Donna Loren

 

Prog Rock Saturday: Aqualung

Jethro Tull - "Aqualung" (1971) - Chrysalis

Hello Friends,

The wind is picking up, the nights are growing long and there's a chill in the air; another Summer has drawn to a close and with it, our final Prog Rock Saturday!

We're going out with a classic tonight... Jethro Tull's fourth (and best) album, 1971's Aqualung.

Aqualung is the record the record that really put Jethro Tull on the map.  Songs like "Aqualung", "Cross-Eyed Mary", "Hymn 43" and "Locomotive Breath" became classic rock radio staples as well as fixtures in Tull's live shows.

Following a loose concept, the album touches on some pretty lofty (and pretty non-proggy) themes of homelessness, despair, teenage angst, religious hypocrisy and the role of god in modern England.  There's some pretty great guitar riffs throughout (courtesy of Martin Barre)-- including one of rock & roll's most famous opening riff's on the title song-- but there's also a fair amount of folk guitar and flute-playing which lends an Olde English, Renaissance Faire feel to the record.

(Legend has it that the song/concept/character of "Aqualung" was inspired by some startling photos that frontman Ian Anderson's wife, Jennie Franks, took of homeless men living along the Thames!)

Side One (labelled as "Aqualung" on the record) starts with the hard rocking one-two punch of the aforementioned "Aqualung" and "Cross-Eyed Mary".   Two classics.  Then there's three acoustic songs in a row-- "Cheap Date Return", "Mother Goose" & "Wond'ring Aloud"-- which feature Anderson in full minstrel mode.  The side ends with the terribly under-appreciated, "Up To Me".  Take you to the cinema, And leave you in a Wimpy Bar...

Side Two (labelled "My God") begins with "My God"-- another song which builds on the theme of religious hypocrisy with lyrics about "the bloody Church of England", "plastic crucifixes" and "the God of nothing".  Anderson's distinctive vocals coupled with the way the song slowly builds it reminds us a little of early Black Sabbath (if early Black Sabbath had a flute player!)

"Hymn 43" absolutely rocks while the acoustic "Slipstream" is once again a return to the Renaissance Faire sound.  The bluesy, "Locomotive Breath" is one of the band's most famous achievements about a loser ("an all time loser") whose wife is having an affair with his best friend and decides to end his life by... stealing a train?!?!  

The album closes with the terrific ballad, "Wind Up", which ties up all the themes of religion, god, hypocrisy, etc. with lamenting lines like, "You had the whole damn thing all wrong... he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays".  Great ending to a great album! 

Jethro Tull were in a different class than the other major players in 1970's prog-rock often sounding more like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin than Yes, ELP or King Crimson.  We like to think of them more as a blues band that did some weird things rather than a collection of musical aficionados who step over each other to show how proficient they are in their playing skills.  Its heady without being math-y.  Complex without being overwhelming. And to their credit they also seemed to have a sense of humor about things-- including themselves...

Now bring on the fall!

RATING: 5 salvations a la mode and cups of tea out of 5

Pebbles volume 2

Pebbles, volume 2 (1979) - BFD Records 

Hello Friends,

Tiki T. and I have recently started collecting the Pebbles LP series courtesy of the BFD & AIP Record labels.  Awesome compilation records, first released in the late 70's, subtitled as "Artyfacts from the First Punk Era".  

They're a good companion to the more popular NUGGETS series-- records filled with 2 or 3 minute punk masterpieces mostly from the years of 1966 thru 1969.  Bands consisting of pimply-faced kids in basements and garages scattered throughout the country.  Some bands (and band members) would go on to bigger and better things, but most would only end up playing local teen centers, VFW Halls, dive bars and local college radio stations.  Only a few would be fortunate enough to open for a touring national act like Herman's Hermits, The Jefferson Airplane or The Animals.  A handful would be fortunate to record a 7" or two and then call it a day fading off into rock & roll obscurity.  

One-Hit and No-Hit Wonders. Footnotes in the Rock & Roll History Books.

Some of the greatest rock and roll songs ever written may have only been heard by a handful of ears. These records provide a time capsule into an honest and less-cynical past.  Behind every band, there's a story; some are triumphant; some are tragic; many are uneventful... but who doesn't love a good rock & roll story?    

Tonight we've got the second Pebbles LP on the turntable.  Sixteen more tracks (plus one fun bonus track!) that are pure garage rock gems!   

Side One
1. "Makin' Deals" - The Satans.  WOW!  What a great song to start things off!  A 1966 fuzz-fueled rocker about selling your soul to the devil and told from the point of view of Satan himself!   It bears more than just a passing resemblance to the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" (released in 1968!) It even contains the repeated line, "Can you guess my name?"  Is it possible that Mick Jagger would have heard this song while touring the States in '66 or '67?  Maybe Keith Richards picked up the record in a West Coast record store and played it on the tour bus!  One never knows! The Satans hail from Fullerton, California.

2. "99th Floor" - The Moving Sidewalks. Have you ever wondered what guitarist Billy Gibbons was up to before he formed ZZ Top?  Well the answer, kids, is shredding guitar in the Texas psych-blues band, The Moving Sidewalks.  A Houston-based band that would gain a lot of local recognition touring the area with Roky Erickson and The Thirteenth Floor Elevators.  Great song!   

3. "Feathered Fish" - The Sons of Adam.  And we're three for three with great songs! This band started out in Baltimore, MD (where they were called Fender IV) but relocated to sunny, Southern California where they would frequently play clubs along the Sunset Strip and eventually be produced (and renamed) by Kim Fowley.  Guitarist & singer Randy Holden would later form The Other Half and join Blue Cheer. If you think this song sounds a little like the band Love, extra points for you!  It was written by Arthur Lee!

(Bonus Track) "Vox Wah-Wah Pedal Commercial" - The Electric Prunes.  Fun little nugget with the Electric Prunes shilling the Vox Wah-Wah pedal! 

4. "You Rub Me The Wrong Way" - The Road.  Not much is known about this band of Ohio teens (also sometimes known as The Hard Road) except for the fact they knew how to play their Fuzz!

5. "So What!!" - The Lyrics.  Great bluesy garage tune (with some killer harmonica) from Cardiff, California band.

6. "Lost Innocence" - The Buddhas.  Next we head North to Bakersfield for this fun, psychedelic garage tune.

7. "Bad Girl" - Zakary Thaks.  Good British Invasion rockin' blues tune from Corpus Christi garage band.  This single gained some national attention and the band even got to open for The Yardbirds (their heroes), The Jefferson Airplane and fellow-Texans, The 13th Floor Elevators!

8. "Green Fuz" - Randy Alvey & The Green Fuz.  What a lo-fi treat courtesy of this teenaged Texas quintet.   I'm sure most listeners in 1968 would have criticized this track as being poorly recorded, but its muddled, crude and raw sound predates the Punk movement of the late 70's and the indie DIY movement of the early 90's.  Primarily a covers band playing around the dance halls in and around the Dallas/Ft Worth area, The Green Fuz would, unfortunately, only record this one single (b/w their song, "There is a Land").  The Cramps would cover this little nugget on their 1981 record, Psychedelic Jungle.     

Side Two
1. "Go Ahead" - The Squires.  This B-side to the amazing, "Going All The Way" (from Pebbles Volume 1) is heavy on the Byrd's influence.  Nice song, not nearly as amazing as its A-side, however.

2. "I Can Only Give You Everything" - The Little Boy Blues.  Bunch of college kids from University of Chicago covering Them.  What they lack in blue-eyed soul, they make up for in fuzz!  (You might recognize that opening guitar riff, Beck sampled the Them version of this song for his song, "Devil's Haircut".)

3. "She's Gone" - The Dovers. Great, catchy, jangle pop song from Santa Barbara, CA garage rock band who despite recording a number of late 60's gems, never had any national exposure and only released 4 singles in 1965/1966.   

4. "I Must Run" - Phil & The Frantics.  If the Stones, um, borrowed some inspiration from The Satans for "Sympathy for the Devil" then Phoenix, Arizona's Phil & The Frantics probably owe some royalties to The Zombies for their song "I Must Run" which seems to be heavily inspired by the Zombie's 1965 B-Side, "I Must Move". No matter, The Zombies will be remembered as one of the architects of the British Invasion, while Phil & The Frantics probably played some pretty cool pool parties back in the day!  This track was produced by Waylon Jennings.

5. "What Am I Going To Do" - The Dovers. The B-side to "She's Gone".  More great harmonies and jangly guitars! 

6. "It's Cold Outside" - The Choir.  Amazing Brit-influenced pop song by The Pride of Cleveland, Ohio, The Choir.  The Choir started out in various garages around Cleveland in 1964 as The Mods.  After taking Cleveland by storm, the boys went up to Chicago to record some song and changed their name to The Choir.   In 1966, "It's Cold Outside" was released as a single on the Canadian-American label but it was re-released by Roulette Records in the Spring of '67 and actually charted (at number 68) on the Billboard Charts. The Choir would go through several lineup changes and would eventually disband in 1969. Some of the members of The Choir would recruit fellow Clevelander, Eric Carmen, and form the power pop band, The Raspberries, in 1970.  Our pick for best on the record!  

7. "Wine Wine Wine" - Bobby Fuller.  With a title like that, this could be Tiki T's theme song!  Great Texas Rockabilly by that Bobby Fuller ("I Fought the Law") who would die under incredibly mysterious circumstances less than 2 years later!

8. "I'm A Man" - The Litter.  Minneapolis, Minnesota's The Litter kicked things off for us on Volume 1 with the great "Action Woman".  Now they're back to close things out on Volume 2 with their version of the Bo Diddley classic, "I'm A Man" and boy do they bring it! Clocking in at 4 and a half-minutes, the entire second half of this song is a strange, feedback-fueled psychedelic frenzy.  Its tough to say, but their version gives the more famous, Yardbirds' version, a run for its money!   

RATING: 4.5 Things in my pocket keep a lot of folks alive out of 5

Pull The Trigger of My Love Gun

KISS - "Love Gun" (1977) - Casablanca

Hello Friends,

You better be locked & loaded because we've got the Love Gun out tonight!  

Love Gun is an important album in the KISS canon because it would be the last to feature all four original members playing on all of the songs.  Its their sixth studio album and its followed up by a live album (Alive II), the four KISS solo albums and 1979's Dynasty which would feature drummer Anton Fig, instead of Peter Criss, playing drums on most of the tracks!  

It also important because its the first KISS record to feature a song with Ace Frehley on lead vocals!  And its about time!

Things get kicked off with the great, Paul Stanley-penned "I Stole Your Love" (which also became the opening song on the Love Gun tour!)   Never to be undone, Gene Simmons follows up with the super creepy, "Christine Sixteen" with lyrics like, "She's been around / But she's young and clean / I've got to have her / Can't live with her" it reads likes a pedophile's journal entry!

Gene's "Got Love for Sale" follows featuring yet another great Frehley solo.  

And speaking of Ace, "Shock Me" is Frehley's song which recounts an incident on the Rock and Roll Over tour in which he was electrocuted before taking the stage.  Its not the first song he wrote for the band, but its the first one that he wrote and sang lead on. Arguably, the album's best!  

Side One is rounded out by "Tomorrow & Tonight", a Paul Stanley song that seems a bit similar to the earlier hit, "Rock And Roll All Nite".

Side Two begins with the incredible, hard-rocking anthem, "Love Gun"-- a staple at KISS live shows ever since! 

Side Two also gives us two more sleazy Simmons' rockers, "Plaster Caster"-- an ode to famed groupie Cynthia Plaster Caster who became famous for making plaster molds of rock stars' penises(!)-- and the scary-sounding, "Almost Human".  Peter Criss contributes the song, "Hooligan", which is just eh.

The album ends with an unfortunate cover of the Phil Spector/Crystals song, "Then He Kissed Me" which of course is changed to "The She Kissed Me".  No Homos here!  Good grief!   

Despite the lackluster conclusion, Love Gun is another KISS Classic! 

Great cover art by Connecticut's own Ken Kelly, who previously did the album artwork for 1976's Destroyer.

RATING: 4.5 tokens of my love for her collection out of 5