Creedence Picture Sleeves

I love 45's and am a sucker for picture sleeves.  If I see them in decent condition, I'll pounce.   I recently took a drive from Los Angeles to Oakland to attend the Burger Boogaloo with my daughter Toby Ventura.

I stopped at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo and scored these picture sleeves from Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Travellin' Band b/w Who'll Stop the Rain (Fantasy 1970)

A Little Richard styled rocker backed with a thinly veiled political tune.   I once saw Bruce Springsteen open with the B Side at a rain drenched outdoor show in New Jersey.

Lookin' Out My Back Door b/w Long As I Can See the Light (Fantasy 1970)

Fortunate Son b/w Down on the Corner (Fantasy 1970)

Sweet Hitch Hiker b/w Door to Door (Fantasy 1971)

Tensions within the band over John Fogerty's dominance as a singer/songwriter forced participation on vocals and songwriting to other band members.  The result was the disastrous LP Mardi Gras.  The single (of course) was a Fogerty Tune as the A side.

Clash Singles Part 4 - Combat Rock

At the end of 1982, The Clash release the album that pushed them into the mainstream.   Combat Rock came out just before the band began to implode. Before the record was released, they sacked their drummer and toured without him.  At the conclusion of that tour, they sacked Mick Jones - who co wrote all their songs.    The end was near. 

Know Your Rights b/w First Night Back in London (CBS 1982)

The lead off single and lead off track from the album.

And the single came with a sticker.  I'm glad I wasn't compelled to stick it on anything.

Rock the Casbah b/w Long Time Jerk (CBS 1982)

The second single and probably the biggest hit of The Clash's career.

This one also came with a sticker

DEVO MERCH

DEVO (short for De-Evolution) pulled itself together by a bunch of art students from Ohio.  Their milieu included film, video, costuming and a satirical message.  Mankind is devolving due to mass stupidity and consumerism.

With the release of their third album, DEVO fully embraced band merchandising and took it to a comical nth degree.    

DEVO - Freedom of Choice (Warner Brothers 1980)

The inner sleeve was an ad for merchandise.  They even took credit cards.

The band is still around.  I saw them at the Burger Boogaloo in Oakland this summer (2018).   Their message is still clear - in fact they put forth our president as proof that de evolution is real.

The Clash Singles Part 3 - Sandinista and New York

Cut to 1981.  The Clash are releasing new material at a breakneck pace.  Around this time, the band wanted to release one single per month.   The record company put the kabash on that.   They followed up their double album, London Calling, from the year before with the TRIPLE album Sandinista!

And still, there were non LP B-sides.

The Call Up b/w Stop the World (CBS 1981)

The A Side an anti draft tune from the album.  The B Side an anti-nuke tune.

Hitsville U.K. b/w Radio One (CBS 1981)

Second single from Sandinista!  The A side a duet with Mick Jones and his girlfried Ellen Foley about the joys of Motown in the UK.   The B Side a reggae 'toast' by Mikey Dread.

The Magnificent Seven b/w The Magnificent Dance  (CBS 1981)

Pulled from Sandinista!, this track showcases the band's fascination with New York street music.   The B side is a dub version.

This is Radio Clash b/s Radio Clash (CBS 1982)

This single, which is heavily influenced by New York street beats, fills the gap between records

Iggy Pop Lust for Life

In the mid seventies, Iggy Pop and David Bowie fled to Berlin to excise themselves from the drug culture in Los Angeles.  Both had serious problems at the time with cocaine (Bowie) and heroin (Iggy).   While in Berlin, the pair sobered up and churned out several records.  This one is the second Iggy Pop title from that period.   

What emerged is one of the most life affirming records about overcoming addiction ever made.

Iggy Pop - Lust For Life  (RCA 1977)

And that cover!  Iggy's face shows a bit of wear and tear, but his happiness shines through.  It's a bit out or character and unsettling to see him smiling so big.  This is like a rock and roll Mona Lisa.  Hard to look away.

This records begins with the title track featuring the coolest drum sound ever pressed onto vinyl.  The CD reissue doesn't do it justice.  It must be heard on vinyl.

The aforementioned title track is from the point of view of a happily sober person resisting the enablers that surround him.  So infectious is the joy in this track, it was used for a cruise line advertisement.  They tended to focus on the 'Lust for Life' chorus.  They cut it off after the line 'Here comes Johnny Yen again.'  I expect to hear it followed by 'With the liquor and drugs and the sex machine.  He's gonna do another striptease.'    Probably would attract the wrong crowd to the ship.

Side one ends with a beautiful duet between Iggy and Bowie about nursing someone through a drug withdrawal on 'Tonight'.  Bowie later recorded it as duet with Tina Turner.

Bowie plays keyboards.  Bass and Drums by Soupy Sales' sons Tony and Hunt.   Get this one on vinyl. 

Clash Singles Part 2 - Trying to Crack America

The second phase of The Clash's career.   Breaking (somewhat) in America.

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais b/s The Prisoner (CBS 1978)

The A Side a reggae tune, the B side a classic rocker.  The band is beginning to branch out a bit.

The cover came in several different colors.  I got a yellow one.

Next Up

Tommy Gun b/w 1-2 Crush On You  (CBS 1978)

The fist single culled from the Give 'em Enough Rope LP. Produced by Columbia arena rock producer Sandy Perlman in attempt to sound like what Columbia thought the kids would dig.

English Civil War b/w Pressure Drop (CBS 1978)

The second single pulled from Give 'em Enough Rope.  The B-side is a reggae cover delivered in Clash fashion.

The band wasn't all that happy with the direction the album seemed to be taking them.  So they fired their manager and tried to go conquer America on their own terms.  The stop gap in early 1979 was this EP

The Cost of Living EP  (CBS 1979)

Tracks include:  I Fought the Law, Groovy Times, Gates of the West, Capital Radio

A nice transition.  I Fought the Law became a minor hit for the band, thus forcing Columbia's hand at issuing their first album in the USA.  Columbia had rejected it as too lo-fi.  Subsequently it became the largest selling import album in the country.

The finger over the bar code makes me laugh every time.

Now we get to the real breakthrough - the London Calling LP.

London Calling b/w Armagideon Time (CBS 1979)

Mick Jones was a huge Mott the Hoople fan.  When it came time to get a producer, they enlisted Guy Stevens who produced Mott's early albums.    The title track was the first single.



Train in Vain b/w Bankrobber/Rockers Galore (CBS 1980)

Originally a hidden track at the end of side 4, it became a hit for the band.  No UK release for the single, only this Dutch one that plays at 33.

Ned Kelly

The soundtrack to Ned Kelly, where Mick Jagger played the Australian outlaw.  It was not a hit.  Then girlfriend Marianne Faithful was set to co-star, but in typical Marianne fashion, she OD'd and spent time in an Australian hospital instead.

Original Soundtrack - Ned Kelly (United Artists 1970)

Mick contributes one song to the soundtrack.   The Wild Colonial Boy.  Not his finest hour. 

According to legend, Mick spent the time in Australia waiting for Marianne's replacement and tending to her in hospital.   Brown Sugar and Wild Horses were supposedly written during this time.

Put the Bone In

Quite possibly the worst B-Side ever.  To me the A Side is pretty annoying as well.

Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun b/w Put the Bone In (Bell 1974)

Sorry if you have an earworm.

I will spare you the audio of the B-Side.   Below are the lyrics.

Put the bone in she asked him at the store
Because my doggie's been hit by a car
And I do want to bring him home something
Put the bone in, she begged him once more.

The meat from the pork is sweet.
Give the bone from the pork meat to me.
Put the bone in she begged in as she paced around the floor
Put the bone in she yelled out once more.

Put the bone in she asked him at the store.
‘Cause my doggie's been hit by a car.
And I do want to bring him home something.
Put the bone in she begged him once more.

Why would she want the butcher to put the bone in when her dog is dead?  Why would she be begging and yelling about wanting someone to put the bone in?  Certainly not for the dog because raw pork can be dangerous.   Could she be? Does she want?   Oh, I get it.