Record Store Day Haul

This was another year where I saw the first list and said I didn't need anything.  As more titles emerged, my want list expanded.  Unfortunately, Record Store Day happened on the weekend of my corporate retreat in New Orleans.

My daughter stepped in to save the day.  A few months ago, I gave her a Technics SL-D2 cobbled together from a few old ones that fell into disrepair.  I couldn't have a kid of mine get a Crossley.

She came down to housesit while my wife and I went to The Big Easy.   She took my list and compiled a list of her own.

So I ended up with this:

I went out shopping a bit in New Orleans and got a few more titles.  The Ramones box is for her as it's a title she couldn't snag in LA.  If she managed to snag it, I would hold onto this.

On Sunday, one store was still giving away the canvas bags - which were already selling on eBay for about $15

Have You Ever Dreamed of A Fat Elvis Impersonator in a Reggae Band Doing Led Zeppelin Covers?

Well, there actually was such a thing.

Dread Zeppelin - The Immigrant Song b/w Hey, Hey What Can I Do? (Birdcage 1989)

And they chose as their first single an A and B side combo that was one of the few singles Led Zeppelin ever released - and the only one to include a non-LP B side.

It came is a very DIY punk wrap around sleeve in plastic.

On red vinyl with a label that aped the Atlantic label at the time.

I saw them once at the dear departed Palomino club in North Hollywood.  It's a latino banquet hall now.  Book your next Quinciano there.

Not Quite a Holy Grail (but i've been looking for this 45 for quite a while in the stacks and stacks of 45's i go through on a regular basis)

In 1974, The Faces attempted to make a new album to follow 'Ooh La La.'    They booked some studio time and set off to work.  The sessions didn't go so well.  My personal speculation points to Rod Stewart's ego as the problem.

The sessions produced one final single for the band.  Billed as Faces/Rod Stewart.

Faces/Rod Stewart  - You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (even take the dog for a walk, mend a fuse, fold away the ironing board or any other domestic short comings)   b/w As Long as You Tell Him  (Warner Brothers 1974)

Yes, that title is a mouthful.

The A side is a slightly danceable groove number.  This single marks the only studio recorded appearance of Tetsu Yamauchi - the bass player who replaced Ronnie Lane as The Faces were Falling apart.

The B side is a slow burner soul number

Although I probably would have preferred a big hole American version, I haven't seen one in all the times I dig through the singles bin.  I snapped up this UK version when I saw it.  

I really hate the Warner Brothers 'trees' label during this period.

Do the Slauson!

I came across this in my recent record store outing in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA as the Downtown Renaissance people market it).  My office is currently in the area and a record store is just a subway stop away.

Anyway, I grew up in Whittier, CA.  Whittier is the east end of Slauson Avenue.  Slauson winds its way from Whittier to near the Los Angeles Airport (LAX).   It's most known for the 'Slauson Cutoff' as a shortcut to the airport from Hollywood and Downtown.

So how could I resist.....

The Romancers - Do The Slauson (Del-Fi 1963)

What I bought as a curio turned out to be a pretty bitchen instrumental album.  Lead guitar and dirty sax combo The Romancers were one of the first bands to emerge from the East Los Angeles Latino scene.

Released on Del-Fi.  A local label that tapped into the local car/surf scene.

I Finally Found It - My Holy Grail - Fun and Care of a Gerbil

I purchased my original at long departed and sorely missed Pic'n Save.  Pic 'n Save was basically a store that took on products that wouldn't sell anywhere else.   Every so often they had records.

For 15 cents (I know because the others I have in the series still have the price tag) I picked up pet care records.

But there was one in series that was a bit special.  It made the rounds at parties.  It was absolutely hilarious.  I no longer had it.  It must have been left at someone's house after another gut busting listen.   I still have two others in the series, but none were as good as this one.....

But today I found it at my local vinyl emporium.  It, of course, drew discussion from the friendly clerks.  I explained that I had a copy long ago and was thrilled to have a copy again.  We put it on in the store.  Comedy ensued and we were in agreement it was still comedy gold.

It's hard to think of a gerbil without thinking of Richard Gere.  This is one of the ironies that makes this record such a classic.  In actuality, a gerbil is a relative of the hamster that likes to burrow
and gnaw on wood.  They are illegal to own in California.

Have a listen

Lennon/Ono Imagine/Fly

In the early post Beatle days, John Lennon and Yoko Ono released their albums in pairs.  I've already made reference to the two Plastic Ono Band albums which were two albums by the same artist (Plastic Ono Band).  One was called John Lennon and the other Yoko Ono.

Check out a post about that one here:

http://vinylstatistics.blogspot.com/2015/05/john-lennon-plastic-ono-band-vs-yoko.html

We all know (or at least should know) this one:

John Lennon - Imagine (Apple 1971)

Fewer folks are aware of Yoko Ono's companion album

Yoko Ono - Fly (Apple 1971)

Yoko's contribution is a mighty fine double album.     Similarities on the front cover include a slightly masked face and identical font.

The back features another glossy photo, same font, same logo and no credits.  Each includes a quote from the other...

Lennon's from Ono:  'Imagine the clouds dripping.  Dig a hole in your garden to put them in'  Yoko'63

Ono's quote from Lennon - an homage to the silly tag line for the film 'Love Story'

"Love means having to say you're sorry every five minutes"  John '71

Label wise, each comes with a white apple and photo of the artist.

I got my copy of Imagine when it came out.  It's still in great shape.   Played it once while a friend was over who commented 'I didn't know they released this on CD.'   I still have the poster, but the postcard has gone away.

The Ono album is a stunner.   The track Mind Train came on in rotation on my iPod while I was on the subway.  I had to play it twice.  It's like EDM prior to the genre even a gleam in some techie's garage.   Awesome relentless beat.  Have a listen.

The Surfaris

The Surfaris were a bunch of high school kids from Glendora, CA.   Closer to the Inland Empire than the beach.  Nevertheless, they released arguably the most definitive surf instrumental  - Wipe Out.

The single starts out with a board break, a laugh and someone saying 'wipe out.'   To those of you unfamiliar with Southern California surf slang, a 'wipe out' is basically falling off your surfboard and becoming a victim of the waves.

I never knew much about these guys - or even what they looked like - until I came across this record.

The Surfaris Play Wipe Out, Point Panic, Waikiki Run, Surfer Joe  (Decca 1963)

They never really did much else.   Surf instrumentals became the domain of The Ventures and Dick Dale.

There was a bit of confusion on what this album is actually called.  The spine simply says The Surfaris.  The cover says The Surfaris Play Wipe Out, Point Panic, Waikiki Run, Surfer Joe.

The label calls the record simply Play by The Safaris.

Swinging Blue Jeans

When The Beatles hit it big, just about any band from Liverpool got signed.  One of these was The Swinging Blue Jeans.

This is their only LP released in the USA

The Swinging Blue Jeans  - Hippy Hippy Shake (Imperial 1964)

Their biggest hit - Hippy Hippy Shake  - was a cover of Chan Romero's hit from 1959.   The Beatles had already included it in their early club sets and performed it on the BBC.   It's an irresistible rocker that's hard to screw up.  The song has that 'you can't sit down' feeling and the Swinging Blue Jeans do it justice.     

But let's talk about the cover.

There is a story (or two) here.

My first thought was that the guys got their pants wet, hung them up to dry and are hiding pants-less behind a pole.

Then I thought maybe they just decided to take their pants off and hide behind the pole for a lark.  Granny strolling through the park - surprise!

Or maybe they spotted four guys at the swimmin' hole and are waiting for the right moment to steal their pants.

The remainder of the record consists of filler.  Some if it rocks, some of it just lies there like blue jeans in the laundry pile.

Have a listen to the Hippy Hippy Shake

Company Sleeves

Many 45's did not come with picture sleeves.  Instead, most record labels had company sleeves.   On 45's that came with picture sleeves, these often replaced the sleeve when the initial run - and chart potential - was depleted.

Care and feeding of 45's among teenagers in the '60's was not common thing.  Sleeves were often tossed.   45's were stacked on record changers.  As a result, several were out of their sleeves at the same time.  This led to the records and sleeves being mismatched.  

I've tried my best to reunite them in my collection.  When buying a big box of 45's, the sleeves are more often than not mismatched - if they exist at all.

I use this site to get the most accurate era appropriate matches:

http://www.bigboppa.co.uk/45-sleeves/