F is for Faithfull (Marianne That Is)

Marianne Faithful.  Originally spotted in the early '60's at a party by Andrew Loog Oldham (The Rolling Stones' Manager) who approached her asking if she could sing.  What followed were several records of the sweet beautiful young woman sweetly singing standards and sweet songs.   She had a few hits in the UK, most notably the Jagger/Richard composition As Tears Go By.

As the years went on, she became Mick Jagger's girlfriend.  She was present at the notorious bust at Keith Richard's house where she was the naked girl in the bearskin rug.   There are also rumors of un ladylike behavior with a Mars Bar......

The years went on and she got heavily into drugs.  She wrote Sister Morphine for The Stones (only recently getting a writing credit on the reissue).

She broke up with Jagger and disappeared from the public eye.  As she revealed in her memoir 'Faithfull', she got into heroin and lived 'on a wall.'  The future was not looking bright for Marianne.

Appearances were rare,  With the notable exception of an appearance with David Bowie dressed as a nun on the 1980 Floor Show in 1973, we didn't hear from her.

Then she reappeared in 1979 with Broken English

Her voice on this record is totally wrecked from years of cigarettes, whiskey and opiates,  The result is a euro disco/new wave work with stunning vocals.  The  rasp, the cracking and the seeming struggle to get a sound out only enhances the material

The lyrics are autobiographical, and she's a bit bitter.  She had a hard life,

Marianne is still around.  She collaborated with Angelo Badalamenti (of David Lynch fame), She took a stab at acting (playing Marie Antionette's mother is Sophia Coppola's successful attempt to make the French Revolution boring), She appeared on Saturday Night Live with Metallica.

Shiny Things 1968

In 1968, shiny was a thing.  These two record covers were printed on foil paper.

Cream - Wheels of Fire (Atco 1968)

The double album released in 1968.  One record studio, the other live.  For years I had a late 80's pressing on RSO.   I found this one at a thrift store in Atwater Village.   It's got the original foil cover and has the purple and gold Atco label.   It's got a bit of surface noise, but it is pressed LOUD.  It runs laps around the cheap '80's repress.

The Monkees - Head (Colgems 1968)

This is the soundtrack to the film of the same name.  The Monkees TV show had ended.  The band locked themselves in a hotel room with Jack Nicholson and lots of recreational libations.  The result was the screenplay for the movie.  The soundtrack album, which is produced by Jack Nicholson, is pretty far out.

E is for Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Since I'm going through the alphabet on this silly game of mine, The day I arrive at E I hear that Keith Emerson died.

                                                 Every day a little sadder
                                                     A little madder
                                               Someone get me a ladder

I used a ladder - well a step stool at least - to get up to where the E's are filed.

ELP was one of the first bands I ever saw live. February 10th, 1974,  Anaheim Convention Center.  Across the street from Disneyland.  I sat in the Loge, Section 3 Row G Seat 6.

At the time they were touring Brain Salad Surgery.  So record wise I'll present the tie in single.

Brain Salad Surgery b/w Still... You Turn Me On  (Manticore 1974)

This is a promo only single released to coincide with the album.  The A side is not included in that collection.  I guess it was designed to get radio play and create awareness that an album of the same name existed.

The image on the picture sleeve was done by HR Giger, a Dutch artist who later went on to design Alien.


It was released on ELP's vanity label, Manticore.

As a side note on this band.   In 1972, they recorded Pictures at an Exhibition.  This was a classical piece with added lyrics here and there.  The cover featured blank picture frames.

For a while in the early '80's, this record was a mainstay of the used record bins.  ELP was victim of the prog backlash at the time brought on by the rise of punk and new wave.   Many of these records were 'enhanced' by the previous owner with their own artwork in the blank frames.   I once thought it would be cool to collect these as outsider art.   When I finally got around to carrying out my plan, I couldn't find any altered ones.  I'm still on the lookout.

The Who Hits 50. Farewell to the Who....

In anticipation of seeing The Who this time around, I showed a recent setlist to my 15 year old.  I'm very proud to say she knew all but two songs.  The two she didn't know were from Face Dances and It's Hard.   This led to a hankering to pull It's Hard from the shelf.  Since I had a habit of throwing timely newspaper ads and such into LPs, It just so happened I had a concert ad for The Who's Farewell Tour - FROM 1982!

They've been back many times since.  It was general admission,  I was there,  The Clash opened - one of their last gigs with Mick Jones.


Not the first, but a very early tour linked to corporate sponsorship.

Between Schlitz and The Who - one of these companies is out of business.  I'm scheduled to see The Who this week at The Staples Center in Los Angeles.

D is for Joey Dee and the Starlighters

Yet another album from a one hit wonder that milked it for all it was worth.

Purchased for 99 cents at The Great Escape in Nashville, TN.

The Polka Padre

Picked this up at a thrift store in Yucca Valley, CA.

As with most releases of this type, I have more questions than answers.

1. Who bought this originally and why?
2. Why is he wearing hard dress shoes in the woods?
3. Who funded it?
4. Was this guy someone who played real gigs or just church socials?

If you have any questions or answers to the above, please enlighten me.

Roxy Music B-Sides - Part 2

Here we go with part 2 of Roxy Music singles.

After the hiatus which began in 1976, Roxy Music reconvened for part 2 of their career in 1979.  The band continued the tradition of releasing singles with non - LP B-sides.  This time 'round we got picture sleeves as well.

First release was Manifesto from which our first single was pulled.

Trash 2 (B-Side of Trash)

With cover art that mimicked the LP cover, mannequins were now featured instead of cheesecake models.  The A side is an uptempo number pulled from the LP.  The B-Side is a slow dreamlike version of the same song.

A year later, Roxy Music released Flesh + Blood.

Pulled from that album we get the following:

South Downs (B-Side of Oh-Yeah)

South Down is just Bryan Ferry doodling on a synthesizer.  Boring as all hell.  Only for completists (like me).

Manifesto (demo) (B-Side of Over You)

Next up we get a little oddity.  The label is blank.  At first I thought this was a misprint of some kind, but now I see they're all like this.    The B Side is a demo version of Manifesto performed with a drum machine.  Sounds a bit like a Prince outtake.

And yet another one pulled from Flesh + Blood.

Lover (B-Side of Same Old Scene)

B Side is a typical Ferry song for the the time.  Very reminiscent of their next album Avalon

In 1980, John Lennon was murdered.  Roxy Music was one of the first out of the box with a tribute by recording Jealous Guy.  A one-off single was released.

Jealous Guy b/w To Turn You On.

In 1982, Roxy Music released their final LP, Avalon.  The sound is now dreamlike and mellow.   Gone are the rough edges.  This would turn out to be their biggest selling record.

It also spawned a few singles with B-Sides.

Always Unknowing (B-Side of Avalon)

Next up  - two more 45's with B-Sides pulled from the LP, but shown here for their picture sleeves.

C is for Camper Van Beethoven

The best thing ever to come out of Redlands, California.   Redlands is situated in the Inland Empire of  Southern California.  Right next to San Bernardino and Riverside.  The 909.   Not the cultural hub of the Southland by any means, but the region is notable as the first place The Rolling Stones ever played in the USA.   The venue, The Swing Auditorium, met its demise when a plane crashed into it many years later.

Redlands is the home of the University of Redlands, a small liberal arts school.  Rather than become a stereotype for letters to Penthouse, our heroes started a band,

Later they went on to the University of California at Santa Cruz, then known as the UC Hippie School.  There they expanded the line up and took their name an identifying tag on some furniture in the dorm.  College 5 B Dorm had CVB stenciled on the furniture.  Naturally this stood for Camper Van Beethoven,

This is their first album Telephone Free Landslide Victory

The album contains their first 'hit'  Take the Skinheads Bowling.  A cover of Black Flag's Wasted.   Their sound is a combination of punk, jazz and world music.   Many of the instrumentals sound like their titles - combining two or more styles in the same track.   Border Ska (mariachi ska music) and Balaika Gap (a kind of Russian surf music track) are some prime examples,

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Today everybody's Mexican.   Have a margarita while you go on a Mexican Trip

Prince - Purple Rain - The Big One

Nothing really rare or exciting here, just the most successful record of Prince's career.

I usually don't show stuff this common, but I'm going to show it anyway in all it's original packaging glory.

Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain (Warner Brothers 1984)

This is the one that allowed Prince crossover to the rock audience.  I had been a fan prior to this practically wearing out 1999, Controversy and Dirty Mind.   I was shocked one afternoon to hear the lead off single on Los Angeles' KMET rock radio.   Perhaps it was the rockin' lead guitar that starts it off or the picture sleeve where he looks like Jimi Hendrix.

My copy still has the shrink wrap and original sticker (both promotional and price).  I bought it at a Music Plus.  Either San Gabriel or Whittier.

The inner sleeve.....

And a custom label.

And a full color poster.

And as was my habit at the time, a concert ad for the tour.   I went on February 18th.  Sat in section 5, Row 13, Seat 14.  Prince took a bath on stage.  Wendy and Lisa prepared it for him.