Americanized Italian greatness

Admittedly, this is not the most eye-catching of covers, but there was something about it, including that strange title...

The Italian names, combined with the descriptions of their apparently lavish setups and weird story, made me think maybe it's different, but still wasn't sure.

I decided to look this up one day (still hadn't listened at that point), and it turns out this was an old Italian prog-rock outfit! And man they were good! They were originally called Il Rovescio Della Medaglia (the reverse/other side of the coin) and had released a couple more before this, also good. Someone decided this would go over well in North America (I'm not so sure it did), so the songs were remixed and reordered, and the lyrics were re-sung in English. This was released a couple of years after the original recording.

Here's "Il Suono Del Silenzio" from the original Contaminazione release, which is a good overview of their style.

TV candy?

I'll get to the title reference very shortly, after just saying that After Eight is delicious! And the ice cream? The BEST mint chip I've had. Not trying to sound like a shill, but it's true! ;)

Ah yes, After Eight...Television? What? :p Did this ever actually happen, or is it just code for 'playing After Eight ads during your shows'?

Found him at the Mega Lo Mart!

Actually, it was a Salvation Army thrift store. ;)

As a big fan of King of the Hill, I just had to get this! (wouldn't have otherwise, to be honest)

Wouldn't it be cool if Vanderhart was the previous owner's first name?

I think Vadala has that 'can we stop smiling now?' look on his face.

Here's the big hit title track, "Feels So Good", and check out the included lyrics below from the record sleeve so you can sing along!

Shangri-Ooo-La-La!

Nice orchids! Oh, and the woman, too. ;)

Right in the bread basket!

Fighting crime with a smile on your face. 

Did that guy just leap 30 feet away from the boat or what? Why isn't he wearing shoes?

Harmonicas as weapons

When I saw this cover, I instantly dug it, though I had no idea at the time who Lee Oskar was or what he played. Things started falling into place shortly enough.

I did see this and kinda thought 'what is he packing?!'

The back cover is awesome too, and shows that Lee Oskar (each a different link) is a harmonica player! And now I know what he was packing in that belt. ;)

Here's the opening/title track, a nice feel-good song:

Roy Clark gets animated!

Well, I guess this is sort of stationary animation...

Really fun one here that could almost be mistaken for a children's album. Certainly shows the fun he puts into his work.

Roy looks animated here, too. :)