Last Weekend's Vinyl Roundup!

Got so many good things last week in Ladson, I won't list them all, just a few highlights....

1. Hank Ballard & The Midnighters - Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go b/w If You'd Forgive Me, King 5400, 1960. When I saw this original blue-label King release in a factory sleeve, looking so clean, I had to take a listen. I was surprised to find that this is a song I'd first heard from the Chocolate Watchband-- one of the tracks they recorded with the "other" vocalist, a black studio guy brought in by Cobb to fill in. The version wasn't great but the song was so memorable it has stuck in my head ever since. This song has sort of a gospel feel to it, it begs for handclaps, and Ballard's high vocal really does it. A real winner!

2. The Family - Nation Time b/w Family Affair, North Bay 302, 1973(?). When my dealer pulled this one out (which was situated in a group of dub reggae 45's from Jamaica he came across!) I was immediately interested... One side is a instrumental cover of the Sly & The Family Stone song. Apparently this the MFSB band of Philly Soul/Gamble & Huff notoriety, click here for fully story: Family?

3. The Olympics - Mash them Taters b/w The Stomp, Arvee 5044, 1960(?). This is a rather typical "dance-craze" song, the dance being the Mashed Potato (of course!) -- this was an LA group and pretty good considering most regard them as novelty one-hit-wonders...

4. Jerry Lee Lewis - Sweet Little Sixteen b/w How's My Ex Treating You, Sun 379, 1962. It's very difficult NOT to buy original Sun records. This was easy because it was in terrific condition and it's the Chuck Berry classic!

5. Fats Domino - Blue Monday b/w What's the Reason I'm Not Pleasing You, Imperial 5417, 1955. It's not in perfect condition, but the a-side is my favorite Fats track. It's short but sweet and has great lines including the best summing-up of a hangover I've ever heard: "Sunday morning my head is bad/but it's worth it, for the times that I've had" -- plus the piano, central to all his records. A true New Orleans legend, he lost everything he had in Hurricane Katrina (all his awards, some damaged and some robbed from his home) -- what a shame. (pic at left gold record award for Blue Monday)

that's all for now, more soon...

ARCHIMEDES' PAD - PSYCH MIX / FEB-06

Archimedes' Pad - Psych Mix -- February '06
total runtime: 64:19

1. The Pentangle - Light Flight, Basket of Light (1969 UK) -- A great song from a great record, I've been listening to this one for 2 years or so now. Bert Jansch & John Renbourn were in this group, which features some amazing acoustic guitar playing and flawed/brilliant vocals. Style-wise, it's kind of medieval meets acoustic jazz. The bass-work is crazy and there's a psych edge to some songs like this one.

2. Gasoleene - Postcards from Wonderland, Polaroidd Dream (1997 Portugal) -- The lead track off their only full-length album, this is a totally unknown masterpiece of 90's indie rock, sort of Flaming Lips but rockier and with Dinosaur, Jr.-style solos. The outro is very Sonic Youth/Yo La Tengo also. (included not just because I know these guys!)

3. The Millenium - Prelude / To Claudia on Thursday, Begin (1968 US) -- Another lead track (a classic mixtape trick), the production on this folk/rock with harmonies from late 60's West Coast producer Curt Boettcher (and Gary Usher?) is HUGE. The transition between these first two tracks only should be oscar-winning but the various effects and the clean-ness of the sound is so far ahead of its time it should be a LEGEND.

4. White Noise - Here Come The Fleas, An Electric Storm (1969 UK) -- Keeping the psych momentum going, this early example of tape manipulation is a classic of far out "sample-psych". One of the few tracks I've heard where varispeed (sped-up) vocals actually work! Funny and interesting, a rare feat!

5. Silver Apples - Program, S/T (1967 US) -- Here's an even earlier example of proto-synth rock. This was put together with home-made analogue synthesizers by a duo in New York in the 60's. This track is the highlight of their total output (about 2 1/2 LPs worth) due to the use of a FM radio tuning between stations as "live" sampling technique. Apparently they used to ask audience members to give them their favorite stations during performances and they would tune between the stations, mixing the live broadcasts with the synths and drums. The drums are the unspoken heroes though, incredibly melodic and metronomic.

6. Omega Redstar - Rettenettes, ? (1969 Turkey) -- What a great psych/pop/rock tune, totally danceable. With an unbeatable sitar lead and Beatles-like drum-fills (with the guitar striking on each drum beat, a typical early Beatles trick), who cares what they're singing about? Got this off a Electric Psychedelic Sitar Headswirlers comp, but I think it was actually a pop single in Turkey back in '69-- maybe even a hit (we can hope!)

7. The Freak Scene - A Million Grains of Sand, Psychedelic Psoul (1967 US) -- I've come around to liking this studio-only (fake) psych group's only record. Good stereo and good effects, despite running with all the typical psych cliches...

8. Can - Future Days, Future Days (1974 Germany/UK) -- Crossfaded with the last one (finally a fade out I can use!) -- this one fades in for like 3 minutes. The first time I heard it I thought it was ridiculous trash and now I worship at the communal altar to CAN, the German art/prog/psych-rock band. This is from the last LP to feature originally-Japanese singer Damo Suzuki, whose lyrical scat in English is amazing and clearly inspired Mark E. Smith of the Fall (just to start!). This track has rhythm and a nagging melody/chorus (Can hallmarks) plus it's got this slightly South American drum thing going on. Musos refers to this as part of the "ethno-forgery" series and I think it's an appropriate term. Germans gone Brazilian!

9. Marlena Shaw - Liberation Conversation, The Spice of Life (1969 US) -- It's fun sometimes to jerk the listener out of his trance. This one should do it and start a whole new trip. How is this funk/soul track from Cadet/Chess psych? It's in the wah-wah guitar & echo effects on the scat vocals. This track is pure brilliance and should make anyone jump up and down.

10. Outlaw Blues Band - Deep Gully, Breakin' Through (1969 US) -- Following up on psych/soul, this is one hell of an instrumental from a super-rare LP (which I don't own due to poverty). It has been sampled like crazy for hip-hop, including by Cypress Hill. Super funky and trippy. Blues with horns and effects.

11. Fifty Foot Hose - If Not This Time, Cauldron (1968 US) -- More proto-synth stuff. The album as a whole is a bit of a disappointment, but this track and a couple of others (the perfectly-title Bad Trip comes to mind!) are worth it. This one has one of those melody lines that repeat and are totally mysterious in idea, conception, etc. What is this about?! Track also ends with the sound of footsteps and a door opening, great for mixtapes!

12. Truth - Archimedes' Pad, ? (1969 UK) -- This one is really long (9:19 !) but is one hell of a sitar instrumental track. That sounds boring at first, but there is something in the minimalism and repeated quirks of this track that make it the perfection meditation/zoning out music. I have done both of the latter to this track many times and really been transported elsewhere. Which makes it all the stranger that this is actually made by former members of Them, Van Morrison's group of "Route 66" fame! It only got released for the first time in 1995, what a crime. Must get my hands on the whole thing sometime, I got this off another Electric Psych. Sitars comp...

13. the Appletree Theatre - What a Way To Go, Playback (1968 US) -- I actually got this on 7" in Brooklyn. For $1 ! It looks and plays great, too. The craziest thing about the single is that it's actually in stereo, which is super-unusual for 1968 (perhaps not for Verve Forecast). What a great stereo track it is-- double-tracked vocals and ethereal harmonies makes this a sort of Beatles meets early Pink Floyd floater. Sad and sweet, it's a great ender-type song. (The flip is a great instro with backwards stuff in it too-- proves the dollar bin is ALWAYS worth a look!)

14. Olivia Tremor Control - Hideaway, EP/12" single (1998 US) -- I downloaded it back in college (like 6 years ago!) and only 2 or 3 years ago got around to hearing it. This is a Elephant Six-related group (like the Apples in Stereo, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc) and one of the best. Other tracks of theirs are more noise/Revolution No 9-type deals, but this is very Beach Boys-ey in its harmonies and the effects and orchestration are terrific. It ends with the sound of someone slurping something up, which makes it a great finish.

Mixtape Philosophies....

I'm finally beginning to live up to the many empty promises of mixtapes I've made over the past weeks/months/years (you know who you are!) ...

I've just completed my second mixtape in 3 weeks so I guess that's a good thing. This one is pretty much a psychedelic mix (what I do best, I think) for a local music-nerd friend... and it's pretty good ifidosaysomeself.

I try to crossfade tracks when possible to give it a produced feel and I always NORMALIZE the audio at the very least. This makes the volume track to track virtually the same, so you're not always reaching to turn the volume up or down with each new track.

Because of my ancient PC equipment (Yes I have yet to touch even a P3), I use old (and hacked) programs including CoolEdit Pro 2.0 (this is to delete leading or trailing silence, fade in/out, edit...) and Audiograbber (this has the best normalization routine I've met so far-- Nero's normalization option is not very good at all and actually may screw up the equalization of the tracks. Beware!

My mix philosophy is generally to have no or almost no silence between tracks unless the preceding track was so weird you actually need a second to catch your breath. This makes it "flow". If I can crossfade stuff, I do. It makes it sound "live". Or at least in my dreams it does. Sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly cheeky (lame) I add samples of speeches, TV themes, noise, etc. President Bush (I/"Senior"/"41")'s speeches are a favorite. Particularly "1000 Points of Light" or the Iraq Invasion speeches. They all sound so ominous! Current Bush's speeches never sound ominous, just... inept. Plus Michael Moore has sampled his stuff so often it's gone stale. I should start sampling Gerald Ford. That would be FRESH.

As to title of the mix, it should come from one of the songs or a song lyric. I don't just pull it out of thin air. :) The image is even lazier-- just put in the title of the mix into google image search and see what comes up. Worked perfectly for my latest (see next post)....

so to those people who I have promised mixes.... watch out! here it comes!

LPs for Mixtapes...

OK, there aren't really "mixtapes" anymore. But it sounds much better than "MixCD". Maybe MixDisc?

I buy cheap LPs for mix fodder. Instrumental sections, nonsense spoken word, whatever. Many of these records feature ATROCIOUS, boring, or music that is just WRONG. All of which can make it perfect for a good mix. To segue, say, Gene Autry to Ministry. or maybe not...!

This past week I snagged a couple in downtown Charleston for $1 each. Very worth it.

1. John Renbourn - The Lady and the Unicorn (1970, Reprise) -- a great British folk guitarist who I knew from Pentangle's Basket of Light album, this one is more classical in approach but features some sitar and stuff.







2. Tasavallan Presidentti - Milky Way Moses (1974, Sonet) -- Finnish Prog! Now that's something I don't normally buy. But it seemed to have at least a good instro on it. Apparently the record has some value ($20) ... and this copy is in great shape. It's got a neat cover too. (note: pic of band eating rat resized for technical reasons!)

The Blues, Bashed ...

I've been to 3 shows so far of the local blues festival ...
(http://www.bluesbash.com/)

Friday Night-- Big Ron Hunter (N.Carolina), Nappy Brown (NC/Chicago) band: King Bees (NC)

Good opening night at Cumberland's on King Street in Charleston. Nappy Brown recorded as far back as the 50's in Chicago. The highlight was actually Big Ron Hunter (an unknown!) from NC who sings a sort of blues-soul and is best at solo acoustic blues-- his voice approaching Bobby Womack at times. Nappy Brown came alive for a rendition of his old hit "Lemon Squeezin' Daddy" - ("Let me squeeze your lemons baby/You can't squeeze them yo'self!") -- looked a bit like Rufus Thomas and sort of did the funky chicken. But mostly he was overshadowed by the backup band, who were disappointing. (Nappy pic at left)

Saturday Night-- SuperChikan & His Fighting Cocks (Clarksdale, Mississippi)

This guy released one record on Fat Possum in '97, which was a good indicator of the quality of this act. This band was tight as it gets, no mistakes and song-to-song-to-song, rockin' blues (no slow numbers), all good-time music. The band is all chicks, including his daughter on drums and they are excellent. He had a homemade "bantar" -- a banjo with a guitar neck which he ran through a pedal (wah-wah?) to give it a sort of Bo Diddley sound. The song selection wasn't too adventurous but the band is terrific.

Tuesday Night-- Carey Bell (Chicago) Band: King Bees (again!)

Carey Bell is known as a classic harmonica player and played on records with: Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, etc. He still has it and you could see it occasionally, particularly on the slow songs when he would also let out a smoky croon (sort of like Bobby Bland). Unfortunately once again he was overshadowed by the good-but-not-great backup band. They all know how to play but can't seem to play together very well, which is surprising given that they've played together for years!

(http://kingbees.home.mindspring.com/)

Looking forward to Friday's show of Wanda Johnson ("soul singer") hmm...

Jonesin' for Plastic - Ladson Vinyl!

Another great weekend of vinyl out in Ladson, SC. I was inspired by recent blues concerts to go out and beef up my blues singles collection. It's actually a nice genre to collect, 50's and 60's blues works so well on 45 and isn't really an LP kind of thing.
Here's a selection:

1. Little Junior Parker - Next Time You See Me b/w My Dolly Bee, Duke 164, 1957. Duke is a collectible, although not generally incredibly valuable label with a lot of blues. This one is fairly early and definitely has a more 50's sound. The b-side actually sounds big band-ish. Nice copy and a great set of tunes! Apparently Parker was from Clarksdale, Mississippi (a pretty bluesy place!) and recorded for Sun as well. Duke was a Texas label and Parker toured the blues circuit with Bobby Bland (also a Duke guy) extensively in the 60's.

2. Little Junior Parker - Mary Jo b/w Annie Get Your Yo-Yo, Duke 345, 1961. Here's another one from the LJP on Duke! This one's not in as good condition, but Duke seems to be one of those labels with heavier press vinyl so it still plays OK. The B-Side is a more danceable r'n'b number. This guy had a velvet voice and quite a range!

3. Little Johnny Taylor - Part Time Love b/w Somewhere Down The Line, Galaxy 722, 1963. There seems to be a lot of blues singers who are "Little" ! Is this false modesty or what? This one is from '63 and has a more rhythm & blues sound to it. Apparently he was a Gospel singer and switched over in the late 50's. This one was his biggest hit. (picture at left)

4. Lee Rogers - I Want You To Have Everything b/w Our Love Is More, D-Town 1035, 1964. This one is interesting-- Kind of Detroit Soul / Rhythm & Blues from '64, this guy was backed by Motown session guys on occasion and even recorded in Memphis with Willie Mitchell at some point.

5. Mary Wells - Ain't It The Truth b/w Stop Takin' Me For Granted, 20th Century 544, 1965. This of course is the Mary Wells of the Supremes, here out on her own (and away from friend-turned-foe Diana Ross). Many say, and I would agree, that Mary's is the superior talent, and this single does nothing to disprove that! The B-Side has a smooth spoken intro that sizzles. What a great tune.

6. William Bell - Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday b/w I Ain't Got No Girl, Stax 237, 1967. One of my favorite Stax singers, Bell is mostly known for ballads but this midtempo number is great too. It's on that old Stax label that actually shows the STACKs of records!

7. Joe Simon - Looking Back b/w Standing In The Safety Zone, SoundStage7 2622, 1966? One of the singers most closely associated with "country soul", his voice is just great although I think the other one I have (from 73 on the Spring label) is superior.

8. Realistics - How Can I Forget You b/w You're My Sweet (Chocolate Drops), Brunswick 5597, 1973. A drippy 70's soul tune. I'm a sucker for this stuff. Kind of like the Delfonics.

9. Sam The Sham - Wooly Bully b/w Ain't Gonna Move, MGM ?, 1964. Just to replace one I gave away. 'Nuff said!

I also got some LPs this weekend... more on that later!

Tuesday Night's DJ set @ Upper Deck Tavern, Charleston, SC

I returned to the the Upper Deck in Charleston to DJ (to an uninterested group of 20 people or so) this past Tuesday. It was actually one of my better nights, as I was able to play some stuff I had never DJed before (including stuff I bought recently)

Some items I managed to slap on: Eddy Giles - I Got The Blues (see last week's Ladson post!) -- nice way to start it up, pretty mellow and terrific guitar. Then I put on my Bo Diddley 45. Pretty scratchy! Thankfully I had Freddie King's Me and My Guitar queued up-- it's a terrific 70's blues/party tune with standout guitar. Very happy I got this record. Following that was an instro, Instant Whip, a b-side of a late 60's Tremeloes (UK)single. It's very blues-rock, has maracas and pounding drums. It's a bit overlong but next time I will fade it out. Funny to think of these guys (British Invasion popsters/later UK Cabaret act) doing something this "heavy" !

At this point I segued towards rockier territory- Count Five's Psychotic Reaction (treble WAY down) and the Hardtimes' Fortune Teller (sounded great as expected), the Kinks' I'm Not Like Everybody Else. Also some Creedence. Creedence is no-fail (dj wuss) material in South Carolina (probably all over the South!)

From there I went on into my Soul thing... I'll just mention a few highlights: the Sweet Inspirations' Don't Fight It (Atlantic 7") is great. Apparently it topped out at #90 on the Hot 100 in April of '68. Too bad. The group featured Cissy Houston, a gospel singer better known as Whitney's mother...

Also Wilson Pickett's International Playboy (which I think is from 1967, despite the a-side being from 1970) -- this is a great "Ramblin' Man" sort of tune. Also Mitch Ryder's Sock It To Me, which suffered from the left/right MONO speaker. It's from '67/8 and needs real stereo to work. What else? The Brothers Johnson' The Devil. 1976 (?) Funk. Kind of druggy, slow, but a good lead for the next DJ who was spinning Hip Hop (of course).

All this is leading towards a more interesting and fuller set at Voodoo next month of course!

SATURDAY IN LADSON!

Another successful trip to Ladson's Flea Market!

Today's purchases (7 singles and 1 LP):

1. Jimmy Smith - The Fantastic... Up Front 121, 196?. Don't know the year, this is a compilation on a budget label, but it's stereo and features the master of the Hammond's early 60's stuff.

2. Hardtimes - Fortune Teller b/w Goodby, World Pacific 'Audition Record', 1967. Great garage beat version of the famous A-Side tune. Not the best version maybe, but solid. B-Side has Beatles-ish harmonies and a fuzz solo. Very nice and this record is definitely a VG++, gloss and everything. Best buy of the day.

3. Freddie King - Lowdown in Lodi b/w Me and My Guitar, Shelter 7320, 1972. A-Side is a cover of the CCR tune, with Freddie's great blues guitar all over it. Kind of a shuffle, great 70's blues rock! Produced by Leon Russell.

4. Wilson Pickett - Engine Number 9 b/w International Playboy, Atlantic 2765, 1970. A-Side hit #3 on the R&B chart (aka the Black Music Chart) It's kind of Hard Soul with Psych-ey guitar sounds. Both sides are supremely danceable. Pickett could hardly miss from '64-72 !

5. Eddy Giles - Losin' Boy b/w I Got The Blues, Murco 1031, 1961. Very impressive early 60's electric blues from Shreveport, Louisiana.

6. Count Five - Psychotic Reaction b/w They're Gonna Get You, Double Shot 104, 1966. Simply one of the best singles of all time. The intro, the lyrics, the fuzz, the attitude. It's a VG- copy, but like I said, I can't turn this kind of stuff down if it's relatively cheap!!!

7. Buddies - The Beatle b/w Pulsebeat, Swan 4170, 1964. Likewise, it is hard for me to turn down original Swan vinyl! The name suggests a Beatles cash-in, but the track in question is actually a pretty unusual instro with a Bo Diddley beat, guitar, horns and keyboards. VERY DJable. B-Side is very surfy, nice but my copy is a bit too worn to DJ I think.

8. Les Cooper and His Soul Rockers - Wahoo b/w Skatin' With Bill, Samar 114, 1966. Pretty obscure instro sounds here. Record Label is from Rochester, NY. Kind of like Roy Head & The Traits but instrumental, it has its roots in Soul, although it features a prominent guitar solo and honkin' sax. Definitely Danceable!

Not bad for $18.50...

THRIFT STORE SAFARI!

Today I visited 4 Thrift stores in and around North Charleston to check out local goodies rotting away out the of the public gaze...

My general feelings about the quality of vinyl in thrift stores:
1. Most records at thrift stores are totally worthless/uninteresting.
2. Most interesting records at thrift stores are badly damaged or missing the cover/sleeve.
3. It is easier to find LPs than singles at Thrift Stores.
4. Best Thrift Store Charities/Chains in my experience: 1. Salvation Army. 2. Children's Cancer Society (or something like that)
5. Mitch Miller must have been a multi-millionaire!!!
6. Most commonly overheard conversation in the parish hall of Southern white churches during the 70's: "Hey! Let's record an LP! Wouldn't that be... SWELL?!"

First thrift store: Salvation Army, 4248 Dorchester Road.
By far the best I visited on my safari. This store doesn't have much in the way of clothes but there were at least 300 LPs. And they're only 25 cents! There were a ton of great Soul LPs but in terrible condition without the sleeves-- Aretha, Supremes, even the Chambers Brothers' Time Has Come album. Sad. I did pick up the Ventures' Horse Power, a 1968 effort that includes renditions of Jumpin' Jack Flash and The Horse (Cliff Noble). Also some Enoch Light-produced albums on Command records from the early 60's (Piano, light jazz, etc). Enoch Light was a "stereo test" kind of guy and eventually became known (and collectable) for his Quadraphonic records in the 70's. No 45s at this store. Also picked up a record of banjo music and a "moods for moderns" accordion LP. Nice sleeves anyway.

Second thrift store: Carter Family Thrift Store, 2104-C Reynolds Avenue.
This thrift store has no records. Lots of furniture!

Third thrift store: L&W Thrift Store, 4226 Rivers Avenue.
It has changed its name and sells antiques. No records.

Fourth thrift store: Community Thrift store, 5300 Rivers Avenue.
This has long been my favorite thrift store for all sorts of items. A sign inside boasts 2,500 new items added daily. Not sure if that's right but they certainly do bring in new stuff here all the time. Not too many records seem to show up here but I have gotten many interesting things here over the years. 45s are 45 cents or 25 cents. LPs are $1. Best thing I picked up was probably an Arif Mardin single on Atlantic. Theme from Rosemary's Baby. I can work it into a lounge set. Also The Devil Went Down to Georgia. But it was a bit too scratched.

Fifth thrift store: Goodwill Thrift store, 8550 Rivers Avenue.
Goodwill has the most thrift stores in this area (and I think also in the US) which is OK although their prices are a bit higher. I didn't get much of interest although I picked up a K-Tel "Mindbenders" budget compilation from 1976. It has some good standard stuff like Kiss' Rock'n'Roll All Nite, Low Rider by War, even the Ohio Players. K-Tel was a cheapo record label that reissued stuff (mainly). This is one of those "Stereo" (also compatible with Mono) records. Judging by the number of cuts on the record (22) I think this means MONO (it takes up less space on the record). Ha! There were some other interesting things there including a bunch of 12" singles (a lot of early 80's Funk...) also some Sugarhill (old school) rap records...

Next Thrift Safaris will include West of the Ashley and Mt. Pleasant.

Tomorrow is LADSON day. Psyched!

DJ Night @ Voodoo, Charleston, SC

Local bar Voodoo (at the corner of Savannah Hwy & Magnolia Road in Charleston/WestAshley) has an "open tables" DJ night every Thursday. 8pm-closing (2am).

I paid a visit last night and was pretty impressed. As opposed to the Upper Deck Tavern, where i've DJed a few times before (on Tuesday nights) the predominant music is... eclectica! The first DJ I heard was playing 70's Rock, 80's Pop, and 60's Soul, plus some strange indie records thrown in the middle. There was no beat-matching or "mixing". In fact, it was kind of how I DJ. I spoke to the local honcho, Derek, and I'll be DJing March 2!

Vinyl Purchases 29 January 2006 !

By way of introduction, I buy many records locally at a wonderful place called LADSON. There is a large flea market in this town to the north of Charleston, SC, easily reachable by Interstate 26.

There is a large record booth in the C wing (C ? or B? can't remember) with many thousands of LPs and singles, the latter of which I have been going through one by one for weeks now.

As I saving money for the moment, I only made 3 small purchases:

1. (Diana Ross &) The Supremes - Love Child b/w Will This Be The Day. Motown M-1135, 1968. A Solid VG and it plays VG+. Never heard or owned this one before. It's kind of funky and reflects that sea change that was going on post-'67 at Motown, when they were trying to update the Motown Sound. Produced by "THE CLAN". This sounds rather ominous! The A-Side was co-written by Northern Soul legend RD Taylor... This was also during the time of the fast rise of Ms. Ross's ego (hence the namecheck) ... Soon she would be on her own... (bad move!) Very DJable!

2. Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly b/w Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey! Specialty 624, 1958. VG-/G+. It plays OK and it was pretty cheap. Who can resist original classics like this?! His real name was Penniman and he gets writing credit on the b-side. DJable? check.

3. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley b/w I'm a Man. Checker 814, 1955. G. One of the best singles of 1955, or of any year! It's not in great shape but I'm a Man is playable. The noise works with this very bluesy tune. I can't turn down original Chess stuff like this if it's cheap. Even if it is rough!

Vvvvvvvelcome to my blokkkkkk....

Welcome to my blog of music and specifically vinyl!!!

This blog's purpose is to waste time (daylight hours) through a dissection of all things vinyl related (records that is!).

I have almost completed a complete inventory of my record collection and it will follow shortly. I have approximately 500 7" 45rpm singles and about 75 LPs. Most of these records are from 1960-1972, but there are some as old as 1950 and as new as 2005. By genre the largest number of records falls into the category of soul, or rhythm & blues, or black music if you like. Next to that there is a large number of 60's rock records. But my collection also includes jazz, country, instrumental records, spoken word, blues and more.

Please feel free to post your wisdom, witty retorts, or nonsensical ramblings here. As long as it has something to do with vinyl!

cheers!