February 19, 2017 Yes!…Oh No.

Bobby Darin, Twist With Bobby Darin, Atco 33-138, 1961

Josh White, The Josh White Stories, ABC Paramount ABC-124, 1956

Bobby Darin released a ton of albums, and they’re all great.  There’s just hard to find in great shape.  So I didn’t think twice about picking this one up for $2, I just added this to my pile and kept on flipping thought the bins.  A month later, I was in the mood to twist (not really, but, memo to all aspiring bands out there, don’t ever name your album after a dance craze) and I got this record out.

This is sort of a compilation album, with a mix of old hits, new hits and Darin originals.  I’m not sure if it ever got a CD release, although it is available on iTunes.  Albums of this era rarely had a cohesive theme beyond what the title implied.  Still, Bobby Darin is one of my favorite singers, and I was really looking forward to this record.

So imagine my surprise/disappointment/curiosity/acceptance when I pulled out this record.  The Josh White Stories is among the least twistable records imaginable, beginning with the nearly five minute version of The Boll Weevil Song.  My bad for breaking my Rule Number One: always look at the record you’re about to buy before you buy it!  It just so happens that The Josh White Stories is a really amazing record by an incredible performer that I had never heard of.  So it’s really a win win for me.  I’m now a Josh White fan too.

Today’s Summary:
Cost: $2, $394 Remaining

July 1, 2016 Lyndon In The Sky

Earle Doud & Alen Robin, Lyndon Johnson’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Atco SD33-230, 1967

It’s a new month, and with a national holiday coming up, I thought I’d try a new theme week.  I’ve found a few cheap records with a definite political theme to them, and I’ll be featuring them this week.  Up first, it’s all the way with LBJ, and a record that is mildly interesting of a listen or two.

It’s a simple set up, you take stock interviews from big time political people out of context, and write silly interview questions around them and you have comedy gold.   Add a laugh track and you’re all set!

It wasn’t until I heard the Ronald Reagan bit that I caught on to the joke, his unmistakeable voice was the first one I really knew.  Next up was then Senator Robert Kennedy, which is why this record probably didn’t have a long shelf life.  Still, in this election year, it’s sort of interesting to hear about the initial election woes from the very contentious election of 1968.

It also came with a cool Atco sleeve that I’d never seen before.  So I got a few laughs and a cool inner sleeve for less than a cup of coffee.

Today’s Summary:

Cost: $2, $945 Remaining

June 15, 2016 New Routes To Goodwill

Lulu, New Routes, Atco SD33-310, 1970

I really almost didn’t buy this record.  Lulu is close to one hit wonder status in the US, and this record came out three years after the hit.  The bottom seam is shot, and the record didn’t appear to be in great shape.  But as a blog writer, I was looking for a great example of ring wear to highlight for my reader(s), and this record has some of the most perfect ring wear I’ve ever seen!  So, yes fan(s), when you lay albums flat on their back instead of standing them up on their sides, the weight of the upper records presses their round shape into the covers of the lower records.  Usually the artwork presents a perfect circle from forming, but here, even the slightly raised center label ring was pressed into this cover!  I therefore present perfect ring wear for your enjoyment.

I didn’t expect much, but I LOVED THIS RECORD!  I grabbed it in haste, so I missed the back’s liner notes telling me that not only was this the same Lulu who sang “To Sir With Love”-Duh!- but that it was recorded at the same Muscle Shoals record studio that turned out some of America’s best records of the late 1960-70s-Whoa!  Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Lynyrd Skynyrd all made their hits there using the same backing band as Lulu did.  A guy named Dwayne Allman was the guitar player.

Arco is short for Atlantc Record Company, and the label was founded for records recorded for Atlantic that strayed from the R&B and Jazz that the parent company released. In the 1950s, the label you were on reflected the kind of act you were.  Bobby Darin was Atco’s first major star, while Ray Charles released records on Atlantic.  The back liner notes add that Lulu had just become Mrs. Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, Atco’s leading act of 1969.  Perhaps getting signed to the label was no coincidence.

The album contains songs that went on to become hits for others, namely Mr. Bojangles, and Feelin’ Alright, and there are two pretty cool Gibb Brothers originals included.

True to my suspicions, the record was in bad shape.  But at $1, I’m not really upset financially, and I’ll begin a search for a nicer copy online or at a shop.  This is a record I plan to really listen to.  I look forward to putting it one and having people say they really like it but have no idea who it’s by.

It came with a nice period sleeve from Warner Brothers too.  I had no idea they had Don Rickles and Van Dyke Parks signed to them at the same time!  Still, this sleeve will probably end up one a later Perer, Paul & Mary record…

Today’s Summary:

Cost $1, $974 Remaining