Tiny rant, big score

So, the local Sally Ann threw away hundreds of records to make room in there...then doubled the price of the remaining ones. Huh?! You don't move merchandise that way, you silly thrift store! :p

At least they're still the cheapest vinyl around. They were 25¢ each, but are now 50¢ each or 3 for $1.00.

My best haul there was around 55 albums for $5.00. Some HUGE private collection came in (2,000+, I would say), including a lot of stuff that was used at a radio station and they just wanted to get rid of stuff. I showed up late and they were like 'ehh, whatever. Five bucks.' Got a few for free when I saw more outside, too.

Update, Dec. 9, 2017: Yeah, they've been $1 each for a while now, so I'm way choosier than I used to be. :/ The thrift store down the street still charges 5 for $1, but their selection is usually smaller and annoyingly displayed. Still, awesome pricing!

Is it really him?

THE Tim Curry?

 Why, yes, it is!

 Apparently, this was Tim's second album. "The LP was more rock-oriented than Read My Lips and mostly featured original songs rather than cover versions. The record included Curry's only US charting songs: "I Do the Rock" and "Paradise Garage".

Here are links to videos for "I Do the Rock" and "Paradise Garage"

Not my thing, but I'm sure it's someone's! ;)

Guess what genre they are...

Go on, guess....

 Yep, polka! Just kidding. It's psychedelic pop rock. ;) Their first single was "It's a Happening Thing". This album, their first of three, is from 1967 and featured James Burton and Glen Campbell as studio musicians. Not too shabby! More info on the group here.

Check out "It's a Happening Thing" here:

Dig that fuzz!

Prototype for success...

...that didn't really come. But man, they sure deserved it! Great album!

 

Mine doesn't have a sleeve with it, but fortunately, the album wasn't damaged with all those holes in the back. :p

They were a six piece band from Alberta and this was their only album, released in 1983. It's quality synth rock and pop. Apparently, guitarist Dan Lowe headed the project. He invented the major innovation of Q-Sound. Vocals are performed by Doug Riley, who sounds excellent.

Jerry Adolphe - drums, percussion

Dan Lowe - guitar

Ted Alexander - keyboards, vocals

Doug Riley - lead vocals

Brian Island - bass, vocals

Brad Steckel - guitar, bass, vocals

Check out their fun song about the video game/arcade craze called "Video Kids":

Also, check out this blog post from Raised on Canadian Radio, which was a help.

No, the other Robert Johnson...

I'm pretty sure this guy didn't sell his soul to the devil. May have helped his career, though. Haha. ;)

 

According to his wiki page, this is the only album he released (in 1978, though an album of demos was later released in 1980) "Close Personal Friend" was finally released on CD for the 30th anniversary.

Not only did he make some catchy pop rock tunes, he was also a fashionable guy, in a temporal vortex, bobby soxer sort of way...

Here's the track "Wish Upon a Star", which showcases the album's high energy and his guitar skill:

 Fun stuff!

Timely reminders!

First, a slight repost from the lower left corner of the back cover of Nightwing's "Black Summer":

How would one illustrate a torrent with crossbones? ;) Anyway, I think that would make a great avatar!

Speaking of borderline* obsolescence, here's part of the back cover of The Best of Django Reinhardt, Vol. 2:

 I can attest to their statement that it still sounds fine and dandy!

*I'm sure there are still two or three people out there that copy borrowed vinyl onto cassette tapes. ;)

How do you...

...type, NO, I mean play guitar!...with boxing gloves on?

 

Here's the cover:

Kinda reminds me of Van Halen's cover for "1984" in that it's something else a baby shouldn't do. :p

Dave Mason is an English musician and singer who played with the band Traffic on and off and also had ties to Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Fleetwood Mac.

According to wikipedia, "Old Crest on a New Wave (1980) is the ninth studio album by the English musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Dave Mason. The album includes a duet with Michael Jackson, "Save Me", which peaked at #71 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #70 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs."

Track listing:

1. "Paralyzed"

2. "You're a Friend of Mine"

3. "I'm Missing You"

4. "Talk to Me"

5. "Save Me (duet with Michael Jackson)"

6. "Life is a Ladder"

7. "Tryin' to Get Back to You"

8. "Get it Right"

9. "Old Crest on a New Wave"

Listen to the excellent "Save Me" here:

The master of fashion, Nick Lowe!

Here's a fun one! :)

 

Lots of cool outfits and guitars. I especially like that Rickenbacker bass on the lower right.

Here's the best outfit of all, though, found on the back cover:

 

I always loved The Riddler's suit as opposed to the spandex thingy. This isn't an exact replica or anything, but still very cool! Would've been even nicer with the hat.

This album was originally entitled "Jesus of Cool" in the UK, but was [understandably] renamed for the North American market. The track listing was also different. More info here.

Anyway, it doesn't appear on this particular album, but here's a great Nick Lowe hit, "Cruel To Be Kind".

More info on Nick himself here. (his middle name is Drain?!)

Bobby Gimby When?

Bobby Gimby Now!

 

Bobby Gimby Who? :p

Turns out he was a big deal, actually! More info on him here.

Typical classics played on brass and such. A fun little slice of Canadiana.

Update, Dec. 9, 2017: Had to update because the picture was originally stored on Photobucket, so nowadays, I'd say Canadianity rather than Canadiana, bahds!

Ask your mother...

...or possibly your grandmother what it was like when Leif ruled the teen mags. :p

 

Why don't kids dress like that now? Actually, they only dressed like that on album covers back then, so...

Lots of covers, lots of teeth. ;)

Kids like this were the Justin Biebers of their day, yet didn't have such outright hatred directed at them. I'm sure that's partially because there was no internet to spread that hatred. (plus, society was better overall back then) I'm no Bieber fan, but I realize that he's a FLASH IN THE PAN and don't understand the need to spend half the day cursing him out on internet forums he'll never see anyway. No need to angry up the blood like that. *shaking fist at internet morons* Besides, I'd rather spend my time complaining about all the [usually questionable] revisions made to the original Star Wars trilogy. ;)

Anyway, more info on Leif here.

K-tel's Nutty Numbers

Yes, from the legendary K-tel!*

This is the first request I've gotten. Someone found a post of mine at a forum saying I had picked this up and they asked if I could add it here. Happy to oblige! I had this one as a kid and to find it again 25+ years later was neat. I think kids would still love it. :)

 

The Squirls, huh? I guess The Chipmunks wanted too much. ;)

 Again with The Squirls...

HERE is the post by a blogger called 'rainswept' that prompted my post.

*If you haven't seen it yet, be sure and catch the excellent documentary "As Seen on TV: The K-Tel Story".

The original, non-Batman-related Nightwing

Heh heh. Anyway, as much as I love to find goofy stuff, I also run across interesting albums like this:

 

I was hoping it was hard rock and it is. Oh, is it ever! Excellent album. It reminds me of UFO, especially with their hotshot guitarist Alec Johnson, and that's a very good thing. Bridging the gap between early hard rock and NWOBHM.

You can tell they mean business. Check out their singer/bassist Gordon Rowley:

 

I think he just came down from the mountains to get supplies.

Here's an interesting warning/fact/suggestion/whateveryouwannacallit from the bottom left of the back cover:

 

How do you illustrate P2P transfers with crossbones? :p

Check out the excellent opening track, "Overnight Sensation" here.

More info on the band here.

Please leave a comment on the following...

Howdy! I'm trying to figure out how the "following" system works. Does anyone get notifications of new posts? Do you need to be a "follower" in order to be notified?

Please let me know how you guys are seeing my new posts, even if you just happen to stumble upon them somehow or find it by searching for a specific term or something. Would be nice to know that some people are looking at my new posts regularly. For a long time, I would think 'is this worth doing?'

Thanks! :)

Déjà Vu

First I saw this one:

Then, minutes later in the same bin, I saw this one:

Can't help but think of one of my favorite Monty Python skits; "It's the Mind"

Can't help but think of one of my favorite Monty Python skits; "It's the Mind"

Can't help but think of one of my favorite Monty Python skits; "It's the Mind"

No, the other Wonder Woman...

If they were going for a funky cover, they certainly achieved it! Reminds me of Parliament/Funkadelic/Bootsy Collins/whathaveyou. It is pure disco, however.

 Pretty nasty weapon for what appears to be a superheroine. :p

Nice gatefold inside:

 I think Deb from Napoleon Dynamite took that picture in her studio. :)

Here's a sample from the album. I can't find much more than that, but I'll keep looking...

Mr. Dressup

A legend of Canadian television, Ernie Coombs, a.k.a. Mr. Dressup, along with the little boy Casey and his dog, Finnegan.

 

He was a contemporary of Fred Rogers and they actually worked together for a time. I'd watch Mr. Rogers on occasion, but Mr. Dressup was a daily show for me. What I really looked forward to were the segments where he would draw (I drew a LOT back then, and I don't remember Fred doing that) and take different costumes out of the Tickle Trunk. Even though they were both kids' shows, I always felt that Mr. Dressup was a little more grown up than Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, possibly because I only saw Rogers more later on.

Anyway, two great shows that cannot—and will not ever—be duplicated...

More info on Ernie here and on Fred here.

GREAT band...

 ...TERRIBLE cover!

Guys, what were you thinking?! That cover looks WAY too disco for a prog rock band. Come on! Your core audience couldn't care less about beefcakiness. Not surprisingly, it's not exactly one of their better selling albums. :p

Anyway, more info on them here and here.

Well, sorta punk...

 Just like every character had a disco album at one time, lots had punk albums too.

Here are the tracks they cover, as written on the back:

Side One:

Let's Go - R. Ocasek

Good Girls Don't - D. Fieger

How Do I Make You - B. Feinberg

Refugee - T. Petty / M. Campbell

Frustrated - D. Fieger / B. Averre

Side Two:

Call Me - D. Harry / G. Moroder

You May Be Right - B. Joel

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - F. Mercury

My Sharona - D. Fieger / B. Averre

Yyyyyyyyeaaaaah... Lots of punks there, especially Billy Joel, Freddie Mercury and Tom Petty. :p

More info here, including the fact that it went GOLD!

I just bet...

...that the '20 Dance Favourites' are just variations on Bird Dance. Haha.*

 

According to wiki, "In 1982, polka-loving cover band "The Emeralds", from Edmonton Alberta Canada, recorded a polka-inspired version of the song, released by K-Tel records. The album "Bird Dance" went double-platinum in Canada, and gold in Australia. The song also contributed to the success of multiple gold albums for the Emeralds in 1983 and 1984. The song went on to further fame when it was used in two movies: Sam Raimi's cult classic Crime Wave, and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius."

*Yeah, I guess that's a giveaway that I haven't listened to it yet. ;) But come on, can you blame me?

Oh, Albert...

You too?

 Yeah, seems like every one and every thing had a disco album in the late 70s. The thing is, though, they're more amusing now than they were then.

More info on the show here.

Update, Dec. 9, 2017: Had to update the picture because it was hosted at Photobucket (bleh), and nowadays, the album has added meaning that it didn't in 2011. :/ (but I'm not taking it down just because Cosby is an idiot)

Think again, Eric...

Canadian children's entertainer Eric Nagler has an album...

...that contains the word 'orgy' in it...

 I know that doesn't have to mean what we would automatically think of upon seeing it, but come on! Surely another word would've sufficed, Eric. :p

Seriously, though, he is an excellent entertainer. Saw him on The Elephant Show many, many times growing up. I loved his homemade instruments, especially the sewerphone.

More info on Eric here.

Waiting for the sequel...

 ..."Songs I Hate to Sing". :D

More info on Slim here.

Click here to see Andy Kaufman do his excellent cover of Slim's "Rose Marie."

Eww, disco!

Fun, weird cover, though. Hey, baby, watch out for that giant man looming over the mountains!

 Cute baby. I kinda doubt it's him as a child, though. I've looked at other albums of his and they're pretty standard mugshots.

Fun fact (from wiki): Bohannon is a devout Christian and dedicated his album "Dance Your Ass Off" to "God and His Son, Jesus Christ". The album also included a disclaimer that "The word 'ass' is not used here in the sense of profanity." No? Then what, it's about a donkey? :p

More info on Bohannon here.

The Pits of Despair

 

Interesting little harem going on here.

 Let's take a closer look...

 Yowza! Someone get that woman a razor! :p

More info on Lord Creator here.

Annie galore!

 

The musical. (duh)

 The movie. (duh again)

I saw the play at Moncton High School several years ago. They did a great job! I still dig the movie, too. :)

More info on Little Orphan Annie here.

Dr. Seuss times two!

 A different story on each side. :)

More info on Dr. Seuss here.

Aww, Mr. Hooper...

You can tell that it's an old album when he's on the cover.

I was only 5 when he died and I don't remember that time too well, but I never forgot the character. Some good info on Mr. Hooper (Will Lee) here.

My name is Otto, and I love to get...

 Classic comedy rock album. Their biggest hit was 1982's "Metal Head", which I heard many years ago (1994-ish) and thought was pretty funny. Catchy, too! See it here. "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard" was another fun hit. (here)

Check out their official site here!

'That's how I play'

...is what the guy at the pawn shop I bought this at said when he saw Donnie in his underwear. Haha.

 Seriously, though, nice guitar! Goes well with the yellow suit. Heh.

More info on Donnie here.

Because it was the thing to do!

 Yes, everyone with a modicum of fame had a record in the 80's, including TV star Adrian Zmed, most famous for his roles in T.J. Hooker, Grease and Grease-related...things.

More info on Adrian here and here.

Brought to you by the letter 'R'

 'R' as in Radio Shack. :) Thought this was a pretty neat piece of a bygone era. I'm sure 99.9% of [ex-]Radio Shack employees (they are now known as 'The Source by Circuit City' in Canada now) have no clue this even exists! Dig that great old sound equipment.

Click here to see a great old video of them doing the song "Summertime."

Update, Dec. 9, 2017: You will see absolutely no Circuit City branding at The Source now. I had forgotten about that!

Finally!

 Andraé Crouch! It's about time! ;)

He has had an impressive career! More info on Andraé here.

Girl power!

 I love finding albums made by families and their friends, especially knowing that they are most likely very limited edition. Doesn't make them worth more in most cases (they're worth whatever you paid), but kinda neat knowing hardly anyone has it nowadays. They often have a certain amount of religiousness to them, but that's ok. I mostly buy them for the covers.

P.S. I am updating the picture today (Dec. 9, 2017), as the old one was on Photobucket...*groan*...and now realize how off I was in my 'limited edition' comment, especially being reminded below of how big some of these people were at one time. I can look back on it and laugh, especially understanding the situation FAR better now, having been collecting records for several years now.