Found this for $1 at a spot in Ohio and took a chance on it. Weird poppy psych from 1974, sounds much more like something that would’ve come out 6-8 years earlier, but at the same time I can hear a slight Hawkwind/krautrock influence also. And the horns in the middle, what’s up with that??? [...]
This compilation came together in Canton, Michigan in 1986. The idea was to “heighten awareness of the ‘abilities’ of seniors and handicappers” (yes “abilities” was written in quotes) by pairing up senior citizens and disabled people with (washed up at this point) Michigan musicians. Highlights include a guitar-heavy version of “The Little Drummer Boy” featuring [...]
This heavy little 45 comes from the great state of Ohio, I have to assume it dates from the early ’70s based on the sound and the lyrical content of the b-side. All I know about Captain Foam is that the guy was billed as a one man band, I guess he played live with [...]
Great early ’80s reggae LP on the Jah Life label. Backed by the Roots Radics and mixed at King Tubby’s, engineered by Scientist and Jammy. Listen
I picked this up on the cheap for “I’ll Come Running”, which was recently comped on the Rhino “Girl Groups” boxset. Why it was included I have no idea, as it’s not a “girl group” at all, but I digress. It turns out the real keeper here is Lulu’s completely unhinged, Wanda-Jackson-on-speed-and-3-lines-of-coke / Johnny Rotten-10-years-earlier [...]
Nicodemus is an outsider biker folk fella from Michigan. This album was recorded “live” in 1977, complete with fake applause track. Total “smoking a jay around the campfire” jams. Amazingly the guy actually has a pretty good voice. He repressed 500 copies of the LP a few years ago, it can still be found for [...]
Orquesta Riverside has been a staple of Cuban music since the 1930s. This undated Areito album appears to be from the late ’60s/early ’70s, and contains some monster Latin funk tunes. Listen
Privately pressed 45 from Belgium, a bit of an “Electric Warrior” influence on the b-side. I don’t know any details but maybe someone out there does? “Teach Me How” [Audio clip: view full post to listen] “Lonely Man” [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
This private press gem originated in Michigan in 1984. Unfortunately the cover is the best part of the package. The music is really really bad 1980s synth pop/new wave stuff, with lyrics that seem to be deep but don’t actually say anything. If you’ve ever seen the British TV show The Office, the “Free Love [...]
This Ohio band existed in various incarnations throughout the late 60s/early 70s, and released a handful of singles. The a-side here is a Beatles cover, quite reminiscent of Vanilla Fudge’s ominous version of “Eleanor Rigby”. The b-side is a more uptempo original. More info about the group can be found at: http://www.buckeyebeat.com/velvetcrest.html “Things We Said [...]