“Music to Sell the Real Thing By … and Other Hits from Ken-L Foods!”     A 1961 “industrial” record put out by advertising agency giant J. Walter Thompson for the K-L Ration dog food manufacturer to get their sales force pumped up to sell, sell, sell.     Here are original songs written to inspire company tail draggers and motivate those who made their living one can of dog food at a time.     Promotional tools and brand prosthelytizing to a bouncy beat.

This is FALSE ADVERTISING.   After listening to this, there’s very little bounce here or any music at all!   The hushed, sexy female voice (“Miss Monologue”?) with her sexual innuendo and double-entendres is very strange in counterpoint to the all-business marketing exec trying to get his dry message across.     (Her: “You’re a big boy now” – Him: “A figure of speech honey”)   This is just terrible.   Like eating dog food!

(52 votes, average: 3.52 out of 5)

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“Let’s Get It On”   Marvin Gaye   Tamla Records   (1973)   “Keep Gettin’ It On,” “Come Get To This,” “Distant Lover,” “Please Stay,” “If I Should Die Tonight,” “Just To Keep You Satisfied,” and “You Sure Love to Ball”.

(50 votes, average: 3.44 out of 5)

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“Learning About Health and Safety”     UltraSound       This kind of takes the fun out of getting a record and listening.

(55 votes, average: 3.25 out of 5)

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Jim Flora cover for Columbia Masterworks   Richard Strauss by Eugene Ormandy, Conductor and The Philadelphia Orchestra

(57 votes, average: 3.37 out of 5)

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Cri-Cri the Cricket

(44 votes, average: 2.70 out of 5)

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“Mosaico al ROJO VIVO!”   (Red Hot!)   Anibal Velasquez y su Conjunto   FM Records

(73 votes, average: 3.79 out of 5)

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“Fiesta en el Batey”   Angel Luis Garcia “El Profesor Que Canta”     Flor-Mex

(61 votes, average: 3.57 out of 5)

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“Scrambler”   World Pacific Records   (1964)   The Sandells first LP (The same group that scored the movie “Endless Summer”)

(56 votes, average: 3.04 out of 5)

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“A Touch of Music, A Touch of Francoise Hardy”   Vogue Records   (France)   (1969)   Random note:   Hardy is mentioned in Bob Dylan’s poem “Some Other Kinds of Songs” on the back of the album “Another Side of Bob Dylan”   Excerpted here:

for françoise hardy
at the seine’s edge
a giant shadow
of notre dame
seeks t’ grab my foot
sorbonne students
whirl by on thin bicycles
swirlin’ lifelike colors of leather spin

Here’s a story of Dylan’s encounter with Francois Hardy

Here’s an early song from this beautiful French singer in English: “Ton Meilleur Ami”

(46 votes, average: 3.78 out of 5)

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Abbey Road   The Beatles Apple Records (1969)   One of the most iconic, celebrated and imitated LP covers ever.   The Beatles final studio recording.   Here’s a good one:

Another still from the shoot (above) and Steve just added this outtake (below) of the guys walking the other way (and note Paul’s sandals):

(69 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5)

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