Legendary!

WARNING!

Some of the images below are graphic, telling the story, with pictures, of a burn victim.

In the vinyl collecting community, there are many albums considered to have the "worst" covers or content. Today's album is usually in those lists for various reasons, but I would not put it there myself. Yes, it's unusual, but it is what it is because it's necessary and unashamed.

It's one I've wanted for a long time...

It is indeed legendary...

Ladies and germs, I present to you...

Yes, I finally got me a copy of "Happy Again." :) I've posted a Merrill Womach album before (here), but now I have the most famous one of them all, and I'll take you on a little tour of it.

Inside, we have a very informative gatefold, introducing us to Merrill and his ordeals. Let's take a closer look...

As I said, it's pretty graphic at times, but also very interesting. He really took things in stride.

A couple more scenes from the movie. which you can watch below.

And here's the video for "Happy Again" on its own:

Again, not really my style of music necessarily, but there's no denying the power of his voice!

Any requests?

Maybe there's a certain album, genre, whatever you'd like to see featured, or featured more often. I have normal, mainstream albums too. If there's something you'd like to see in more detail, let me know and maybe I'll be able to provide more info. This could include re-scans of old posts as well. (The Karlins are due for a re-scan for sure! Just have to find the album first...)

Attack of the Gwyneth Paltrow Clone

See what you think...

When I first saw this album a couple of years ago, I thought 'wow, she reminds me so much of Gwyneth Paltrow!' Tall, slim build, long blonde hair, nice wide smile...

Then not too long ago, I saw this one...

I had no memory of who the first album was by, but I instantly recognized the woman and thought maybe this was a picture from the session just used on some other compilation. (I've seen that before)

Seriously...

Fasten your safety belts!

I dunno why I said that.

Anyway, I know I haven't been posting a lot lately, but today, I took tons of pictures in preparation for a new wave of posts. Looking forward to preparing them for y'alls! ;)

Pinky and Perky

Her are Pinky and Perky, from the BBC children's show of the same name. Not sure what they mean by 'between these and the original sounds.' Perhaps their songs were re-recorded for the album and they're cheekily acknowledging it? (or they're saying that Pinky and Perky are not the original performers of "Yellow Submarine" and such)

Let's take a look at that sticker near the top.

W.H. Smith? Someone must've brought this 'across the pond,' as the kids say. To make sure, I'll consult the assistant.

10 cents too much!

I guess I should start out by stating that I only got this as a sort of time capsule thing. I thought 'this is too weird/dumb not to grab!' It's probably the most controversial album I have, just because of the cover image. Nowadays, you'd [hopefully] only see blackface for comedic purposes, like some character on a sitcom accidentally gets something on their face that makes it look like blackface, and it's 'oh, you...' *cue laugh track* Anyway...

Not sure where the 10 cent sticker would've been from. Flea market? Anyway, I found this (and a few others similar to it, possibly the same artists) at the local Salvation Army, no doubt from one person's collection.

I think it's the same guys on the other minstrel albums. Definitely some cringe-worthy titles there, mixed in with some great ones. ("Beautiful Dreamer" is especially nice)

Unsurprisingly, as seen in the bottom left corner, this 1961 album is from England. (it says An Oriole of England Recording) While the Civil Rights movement was going strong in America, the BBC series The Black & White Minstrel Show was going strong in the UK, lasting until 1978! :o The first time I saw performers in blackface, or at least really took notice and understood the controversy, was on All in the Family, where Archie blacked up for a show with his Army buddies, much to Edith's dismay. (first time ever was probably seeing clips of Al Jolson)

More info on the history of minstrel shows here. 

Standard cheesecakery, plus a bonus

Yep, another nice cover from one of the kings of cheesecakery, Klaus Wunderlich. No complaints. I think this may be the first Wunderlich album I've posted, but I can't remember. I have more!

The sticker on the shrink wrap (can't remember if it was sealed or just slit at the end) is the interesting part...

Just thought it was neat, and slightly weird, including the Doughter part. Father-Mother? Hmm... :p