I actually went to the Salvation Army store today in hopes of buying a button-down shirt I’d seen there last week… but the shirt was gone.
There were, however, many surprises in the record bins. It looked like someone’s entire collection of late ’60s/early ’70s stuff had been donated. There was some Rod McKuen, some Billy Vaughn, various folk LPs, and a nice early press of Dave Brubeck Quartet ‘Time Out’…cool titles, all around.
Of course, I ended up leaving with the most intriguing and unusual titles I found. Here’s the goods:
Billy Edd Wheeler ‘Memories of America’ These purist, Americana folk records can often be bland; this one caught me with the odd extra ‘d’ in his name…and the fact that there’s a song called “Hot Dog Heart”. Not clear in the liner notes how many of the tunes are traditional, but there’s other winners on here such as “Coal Tattoo” and “After Taxes” (which just sounds chilling). And I always enjoy finding old records with the cellophane still intact & an ancient price sticker.
Bobby Hammack Quintet ‘Solid! South Pacific’ I almost passed this one by, since the cover art looks like any of the countless “value” records that tried to swiftly cash in on the popularity of whichever Broadway musical was making rounds in those years. But “Quintet” to me says ‘jazz’ – and this was a must-have when i read the back. Alongside traditional jazz combo players, some cat named Jerry Friedman plays “vibes, marimba, timpani, timbales and assorted gadgets”. I couldn’t fashion a guess as to what sort of “gadgets” worked into the Rogers & Hammerstein formula – so I bought it.
Have Fun With Walter Solek This was clearly the find of the day: an Adrien Brody-looking polka band leader in clown garb playing a trombone, with such amazing song titles as “Planty Fun”, “Dubble Bubble”, and “I Give It To You Wholesale”. No liner notes on this one, just listings of other Dana Records releases. The label of the LP indicates it’s a ‘VOCAL’ record. I can’t wait.
Percussion Polka I had blogged earlier about finding a ‘Polkas for Strings’ LP jacket that sadly did not contain the actual record. My heartbreak is over: this one promises to be even weirder – especially with the Tangerine Dream-esque cover art (yes, those are cymbals on that chick’s face). Liner notes mostly cover the history of the polka, but this one has a track called “Monopol Polka” which makes me think of Interpol…so I expect great things.
John Jacob Niles ‘I Wonder As I Wander’ The guy is clutching some wacky Chapman Stick-type upright on the cover – but the selling point is when he says “The nature of my voice has had much to do with the material of my performances…I did not live in the lower registers…this led me to compose a melodic line involving the highest notes in my range”. This guy’s a real piece of work: his version of “Black Is The Color of My True Love’s Hair” promises a modal re-write (!) since he thought “the tune was downright terrible”.
Mike Nicols & Elaine May ‘Improvisations to Music’ I discovered this duo not too long ago: they are an artful and rather sophisticated improv comedy act that obviously resonated with thoughtful audiences in the late ’60s (heck, Ben Gazzara is mentioned in the notes as a contemporary of Nichols). Their other stuff is scenario-based performance art; this “musical” thing should be a pip. Note to self: must do a blogpost with my ‘Best Of’ Nichols & May.
The Pete Jolly Trio ‘Sweet September’ Another case of me buying EVERY obscure or unfamiliar old jazz record I encounter: not to mention that I adore smaller ensembles, especially trios. Pete is a skilled hand at the ivories, clear and confident phrasing – with many unexpected drum solos scattered throughout the unconventional arrangements, while still sounding “mainstream”. It’s also on the äva Records label, which I don’t believe I’ve run into before.
Lastly, I found this wicked ‘Polish to English’ Language Record that is clearly an imported specialty item that was STILL SEALED! Upon opening this sticker-festooned treasure, I discovered an assortment of awesome vintage inserts including a catalog of Stella Records LPs and 8 Tracks, an extended list of Polish to English word translations, and some business cards/flyers for polka acts on the label. This Easter holiday, I will be visiting with some relatives who grew up around Polish speaking family – I intend to learn some key phrases this weekend, and try them out over dinner : )
I don’t expect that I’ll ever tire of record shopping. Vinyl rules.
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