Author – cracker

Rhythm Section – Nice N Easy

Truth be told, I purchased this cassette a couple years ago on the promise of one measly songtitle “Pimpers Paradise” hoping for G-Funk or something. Now that I look at the other song-titles, it should have been pretty obvious to me that this was 80s (90s?!) Reggae or Soca, and quite likely deep doo doo. […]

Shelly Dane: Sage & Satin

I’ve been meaning to post Shelly for a while now. I don’t know what the story on this dude is aside from the fact that there is a sick “cat on piano” photo of this “composer” on the back and he gives a shout out to L. RON, whom he bears a striking resemblance to.

Muruga: Little Nada Drummer Boy

With just 2 days to go until Xmas, I almost missed my window of opportunity for 2009. I like to imagine legions of fans depending upon me to post my yearly slice of ridiculous exploito holiday trash. Believe it or not, I hate Xmas music. And yet, somehow it keeps making its way into my […]

Stepping Tones – I Want To Dance Like Michael Jackson

If I was more organized, I would’ve had this up months ago, you know, when he died. I can only hope it breathes new life into Michael’s storied legacy which doesn’t seem to be losing much relevance thanks to an uninterrupted media blitz. I do find it interesting that, had I posted this back when […]

Happy Rappin’ Christmas

I have been freaking out the last couple weeks trying to find this, er, “gem” in time to post for Xmas. I tore through box after box, knowing that I’d set it aside just for this occasion, but it was nowhere to be found! I gave up a few days ago. Of course, today I […]

Berry & Coates Friendship Ensemble – Our Kwanzaa Song

If you are like me, you have always had some vague notion of what Kwanzaa is. I always understood it as an 80’s creation, mainly as a non-Christian non-Capitalist multi-cultural holiday alternative to Christmas. Something defined by what it IS NOT rather than by what it IS. You get me? Well thanks to this little […]

Peabody College and Vanderbilt University – The Contemporary College Wind Ensemble

This was one of the first school band records I ever bought. I’d heard *of* Vanderbilt University, but never realized it was in Nashville. Hmm, Nashville… strange then to find this tantalizing blurb on the back: “This album is a new departure in wind ensemble programming. Leading Nashville composers and arrangers have bridged many musical […]

Flash Beverage: Train

In today’s parallel universe Lemmy fronts a Southern Rock band. I don’t know if FLASH BEVERAGE ever heard, let alone heard of, MOTORHEAD back in 1980, but I have my doubts. I prefer to think that playing Hard Rock whilst blind drunk on grain alcohol has a universal sound. The key is hitting the blitz-ing […]

Bob Reidenbach – Come Touch The Air Softly

As interest continues to surge in the softer sounds of yesteryear, it is apparent that a Soft Renaissance is upon us. This is no secret to deep diggers around the globe: rival collectors are frantically scouring the earth, scrambling to Out-Soft each other with unheard obscurities of extreme gentleness. Every now and then, the collecting […]

Mark Biddelman – Shiru Ladonai Shir Chadash

I am hardly an expert on the subject, but I have seen my fair share of Jewish religious records in the field. More often than not they are Cantor Recitations or Childrens camp songs. Less often I will stumble onto an acoustic folk album. Rarely do I stumble upon Folk-Rock with a bonafide drummer, let […]

Toby and Barb – Father Knows Best

OK folks. I admit it. I am a full fledged record hoarder. I am a good year into full on gluttony. Like daily thrift store visits, hours and hours in stores/dollar bins, weekends of garage/estate sales, ebay, craigslist, you name it. It is not easy with a wife and friends and neighbors. It is embarrassing […]

Lefon Andrews – Friendship With

This is another inexplicable find from my favorite neighborhood thrift store (SEE ALSO: Joseph – Merry Christmas to You). I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, but I was stirred to action when I learned that said thrift store closed forever this past weekend. I am sad. Seriously, that store was like a […]

Deborah E. Lillygren – Someday

Where do I start? OK, I paid $1.99 for this. I don’t know if it was the gold flourishes, the old-timey lettering…maybe it was the Corporate Seal of Approval from T.D.A. Incorporated Missouri… What is important is that I bought it, and now I am sharing it with you. The inside of the gate-fold, which […]

Joseph – Merry Christmas To You

Joseph and I were first united in July of this year at the Salvation Army. Usually I steer clear of Christmas related titles, especially in the middle of summer, but there was something slightly endearing about the cover and synthesizer was listed on the back so I gave it a go. Ever since I have […]

Los Grillos – Mi Destino Es Como El Viento

The sheer amount of non-(North) American records located in the greater Los Angeles area is mind boggling to say the least. One week I’ll come across a grip of Eastern European prog/folk records, the next week some Calypso 78s…just this past week I found a handful of Aboriginal field recordings and a stack of 20 […]

Don Data and The Rez-Tones

Has anyone seen my beeper? Welcome to the final frontier. Most lazy diggers wouldn’t have even spotted this in the bins: it is a 6″ flexi disc attached to a 6″ square 2-panel folder. To listen, you just turn it inside out and drop it on the record player.