Rock

TWIST! “Explosivos Vol. IV.” A compilation from Mexico (I think) with bands like: “Los Electronicos”, “Los Crazy Boys”, “Los Locos Del Ritmo” in addition to Bill Haley Y Sus Cometas! A beautiful golden glow to this one.

The hits of the Rolling Stones. Performed by Rockery this is a mockery on the Windmill budget label.

The Shakers “Break It All” on Audio Fidelity Records. (1965)

“It’s often difficult to remember just how all-encompassing the Beatles influence was. How the release of the film “A Hard Days Night” instantly revolutionized teenagers and their bands all over the world. Stories of groups like the Byrds emerging from the movie theater with new found direction are well known, and the impact of the British Invasion on other parts of the world (Europe, Japan, Australia) is fairly well established, as well.

But South America is different. One would be hard-pressed to name a band of international fame that sprouted from the original Beatles seed. Unless, of course, you happen to have a copy (original or much bootlegged) of The Shakers 1966 US LP release, “Break It All,” or by some quirk picked up one of their original LPs from EMI Argentina, or the early 90s CD collection from EMI Brazil. All rather obscure on US soil.

The Los Shakers debut LP, each a letter-perfect homage to the sound of a Hard Days Night, Beatles For Sale, and Help. Particularly impressive is that while the heart and soul of these songs are derivative of Liverpool pop, the overall effect is a unique group sound. These songs don’t sound like the Beatles - they sound like Los Shakers, and in turn, Los Shakers sound like a band who studied the Beatles records very, very carefully.” - Amazon

What a pin-up beauty!  This came in from Lp cover lover Ulf Gustafsson.

Elvis for Everyone!  Including Ann Margret and Nipper.

Van Morrison and THEM. “Again”. On Decca UK. For Tim B.

Van Morrison and THEM.  Decca UK.

The Angels “My Boyfriend’s Back”  Smash Records (1963)  Check out the girl’s swinging, hand-clapping appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Sounds live and really goood.

Ronnie Hawkins Roulette Records (1959) With the Hawks (aka The Band). Featuring “Forty Days” (a re-working of Chuck Berry’s “30 Days”) and “Mary Lou” among others!

“I’m Going To Tell You A Story About Mary Lou
I Mean The Kind Of A Woman Who Makes A Fool Of You
She Makes A Young Man Groan And An Old Man Pain
The Way She Took My Money Was A Crying Shame

(Mary Lou, Mary Lou) She Took My Diamond Ring
(Mary Lou, Mary Lou) She Took My Watch And Chain
(Mary Lou) She Took The Keys To My Cadillac Car
Jumped In My Kitty And She Drove A-Far”

The Band’s debut album. “Music From Big Pink. Read Al Koopers review from Rolling Stone in 1968 here. Bob Dylan’s naive art graces the cover and indicates the unpretentious and back-to-roots approach of the music within. A watershed release and a kind of response to the studio wizardry of “Sgt. Pepper” the year before. Big Pink landed at the height of psychedelia and brought an earthiness to the scene; changing the course of music and influencing many including Eric Clapton (who cites it as his reason for leaving Cream).

The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) “Chantilly Lace” Mercury Records (1958)

With the success of “Chantilly Lace,” Richardson joined Buddy Holly and The Crickets, Richie Valens and Dion & The Belmonts for a “Winter Dance Party” tour. On February 2, 1959, Buddy Holly chartered a small plane to take him and his new Crickets band (Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings) to Fargo, North Dakota. Richardson came down with the flu and didn’t feel comfortable on the bus, so Jennings gave his plane seat to Richardson. Valens had never flown on a small plane and requested Allsup’s seat. They flipped a coin, and Valens won the toss.

In the early morning of February 3, 1959, in Clear Lake, Iowa, the small four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza took off from the Mason City airport during a blinding snow storm and crashed into Albert Juhl’s corn field several miles after takeoff at 1:05 a.m. Richardson was in the seat that Waylon Jennings was supposed to have occupied. The crash killed Holly, Valens, Richardson and the 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson. In his 1971 hit song “American Pie” Don McLean referred to this event as “The Day the Music Died”.

ELVIS - NBC - TV SPECIAL (LP) (US) RCA LPM 4088 Released: December 1968

Steppenwolf’s second record.  1968.  Includes “Magic Carpet Ride”.

Dobie Gray “Sings For “In” Crowders that ‘Go Go’”

I first heard the Barbarians and their song “Moulty” in college when I picked up a copy of “Nuggets,” the double-record, sixties garage band compilation by Lenny Kaye. I bought that in Kenmore Square at a used record store called…Nuggets. The song tells the dramatic story of how the band’s drummer, Victor “Moulty” Moulton, lost his left hand in an accident. That song is not on this lp, but is on the CD reissue as a bonus track. Here’s a story of how The Band, (the Hawks in 1966), ended up playing on “Moulty”. The “hit” here is “Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl” (another track from the Nuggets set).

The Turtles! Golden Hits. White Whale Records. This one was in heavy rotation in my room circa 1970. Perfect AM radio pop that, when I hear it today, still brings back those feelings of buying and playing my first records. Lead singers, Flo and Eddie, (named after a stint with Frank Zappa and the Mothers), went on to record together and sing back-up throughout the seventies and eighties. They also hosted a KROQ radio program in LA in the nineties.

“The Jean-Clarke Mammorial (sic) Sonic Barbecue.” This was the first bootleg that I ever bought. And it’s a good one! Below is the back cover with Brian, Keith and Mick living up to their bad boy reputation and no doubt commenting on the West German tour dates recorded here (though Brian was long gone and Mick Taylor was in).

Frat rockers The Swingin’ Medallions and their frat party fave “Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)”.  Springsteen used to drop this into his encore medley at live shows.  Nice slacks guys.

Thanks Uncle Gil!

Bob Kuban and In-Men “Look Out For The Cheater”