Yet another record I bought on a trip back home visiting family. My mom lived in Beaumont for a few years… I can absolutely say without a doubt that if you’re ever faced with moving there, DON’T. It is the very definition of a hellhole. Anyhow, even hellholes like Beaumont, California have records… such as […]
A decidely uninspiring high school showcase record from the late sixties/early seventies. This record was pressed by the Universal Audio Corporation, 2541 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, Minn. 55404. It features the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Mixed Chorus, Owl Singers & Combined Chorus & band. The two best cuts are the Jazz Ensemble’s out of tune & […]
OK, I was just telling a friend that I was going to stop reviewing crappy records on the site… and I genuinely mean it… so help me god I do. Then I log in tonight and see all the dumb shit I have cued up. They’ve been sitting here for months – a small voice […]
The mind that conceived of kids doing a cover of “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” should be cryogenically frozen for posterity. Check out the great pictures of the band on the back…
File under: High School Band Monsters. Totally random pull out of a grip of school band records at a thrift shop a while back. Never turn your back on kids playing Don Ellis.
Pretty unique education themed jazz lp from the bay area. It appears that Soundpiper was a private label run my a husband and wife team named Piper, and based on the back notes there were a small handful of releases. While this one in particular is not completely earth-shattering, it does contain one of the […]
With all the spin-off merchandise that comes with the success of a major motion picture, there’s bound to be some schlocky knockoff, and this is one of the weirdest ones I’ve ever seen. The title song, “E.T., I Love You“, one of two listenable and entertaining tracks on this record, was actually written by Buckner […]
The moment I saw the trippy psych/kiddie album cover, I knew I had to buy this record, and I’m sure glad I did. The Wombles are an H.R. Pufnstuf meets The Muppets children’s television and book series from the UK with a mission: they’re all about picking up litter. I had some high hopes for […]
Local NorCal High School jazz lp. Half of this is pretty standard school kid cheese. IE: horrible selection of covers (the Flinstones theme) sloppily executed – but without the reckless abandon that would make it interesting. The second side it better. An original side-long jazz suite with tinges of exotica. Based on the short clip […]
Way in the future, 1985, these 2 kids are the first to fly solo to the moon. Loads of fun science facts and cheesy effects, girls don’t care much for engineering in the future, where scientists sound like cheap impersonations of Bela & Boris. More fun on side two, tame library versions of soul and […]
From Louisiana, this mid-80’s recording by the very active performing group (there live appearance schedule on the back proove they may be the hardest working mentally handicapped band ever) has something for everyone. Rock, pop, disco, r&b, country & of course, zydeco. While i find the title track awesome, those that have listened rave about […]
I really try to avoid using the word ‘haunting’ when describing music. Alas, there is nothing else I can use to describe this one-tracker campfire folk record recorded in Edmonton, Alberta by some high-school kids from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The song Poet, which features flute, guitar and piano has put me in a curious state of […]
Ultrasound Records made this lp in the mid 70’s devoted to teaching vowel sounds to children. An artifact of the era that would have most likely stayed buried in the graveyard of kitsch had it not become known for the funky breakz of the long E song. But aside from all of that, this is […]
This excellent robot cover houses a record that is a fake soundtrack to a non-existant animation film about the space adventurs of the robots Apogee and Perigee and their android dog, creations of the mad professor Persec, and their fight against a totalitarian society. Almost all tunes are anoying to a point that they are […]
***NOTE: The Chandra EP has been reissued on my new Cantor Records imprint. It is vinyl and digital ONLY and can be purchased through Other Music or my web-site (www.cantorrecords.com). The package includes 4 unreleased tracks recorded with the Chandra Dimension as well as a 32-page booklet! *** I have to thank Waxidermy for this […]
Here’s a recording of an 11th annual concert hosted by the Hollywood Bowl to showcase teenage musicians and singers. The participants are either independent or associated with high schools. There’s your standard horn heavy stage band numbers from Montebello, Dorsey and Pico Rivera High Schools, as well as contributions from folk duos, such as Two […]
Simply put; this is one of the most amazing and entertaining records I’ve ever heard. It’s a truly fascinating slice of life that does not cease to astonish upon repeated listens, and makes one wish that more things like this had been preserved for the ages. The songs, anecdotes, and a capella gang wars of […]
“I hear you still buy records, what kind of music do you like?” “Well, lately I’ve been listening to this odd electro-medieval-kiddie record.” ” Oh . . . silly me, I still haven’t said hi to the host yet. Nice to meet you.” Listen
Possibly the most f*cked up album I own. Listen, but don’t say I didn’t warn ‘ya! This little girl is totally demonic.
I will buy just about any record of kids singing/playing pop songs that I know and like – so, needless to say, I end up buying a lot records like this one. Most of the time they are just totally unremarkable. I won’t say horrible because truly horrible music is as hard to come by […]
When I Met You is a live recording of an original musical written by students at Avalon Juniour High (Edmonton, Alberta). I bought it because I know some people who went to this school and knew they would get a kick out of it. The majority of the album is exactly what I expected; a […]
I’m not going to go into the differences between the cultures of Japan and the United States, specifically in the realm of education, but suffice it to say that they’re different. Very different. The Yamaha Music Education System exists to create accomplished musicians at a young age and bring out the full potential of musical […]
I grew up near Anaheim, CA, which is where Hope High the school for developmentally disable kids that spawned the Hi Hopes is. So, I’m sorta partial to them even though their records are not very good. Well, I mean they are “good” for records of music made by, to use the liner notes’ not […]
Extraordinary, unusual, original …
For the most part this is an average to below average youth choir/band lp. However, there is a flash of brilliance in their version of “Summer Breeze” – which is absolutely delightful! Reminds me of something off one of those Langley School lp’s. I’d like to tell you more about this record, but liner notes […]