Caretaker - Rampage / Sin Trips. 1981 USA-Illinois

From Zion, Illinois (on the shores of Lake Michigan bordering Wisconsin). Pretty cool phased riffing opener. Goes into a more straightforward early metal styled track. Still like the phasing throughout. Four minute song that is two minutes longer than it needs to be. B) side catches Judas Priest in their British Steel stride. Nice guitar soloing on this one, and I like the hyperactive drumming as if there's no tomorrow (there probably wasn't). Pretty good rendition of the style I'd submit. 

4/15/24

3.0 / 3.5

Flyte - Movin' Faster / Don't You. 1983 USA-Michigan

From the Christian southern Michigan town of Hillsdale. This isn't that haha. Starts off in cock rock mode with light metal riffing and doesn't really develop. B) Tells us they "like to rock". No way, really? Boogie metal I guess. This song is really dumb. 

4/15/24

2.0 / 1.5

Estelle Levitt – All I Dream / I Like the Way it Feels. 1968 USA

One of those accidental singles that catches the ear of the psych funk crowd. There's a mild groove to this, but the strings and pop crooning give it away that Levitt is seeking fame and fortune. I like her voice, airy and sweet. RYM has it as psychedelic folk, sure I'll bite. But it's not any of the above really. The way the compositions develop, I'd bet they came from the Brill Building factory.

4/3/24

Round Trip Ticket – Super-Fli / Captain Purple Rides Again. 197? USA

No time, no place. Pure 70s fonky complete with deep narration in the Isaac Hayes tradition. "Can you dig it?" Almost exploitive really. B) side is far more interesting, with fine wah-wah and cranky organ. This one has a much better groove to it and is instrumental with wordless vocals. Seems to be the perfect funky rhythm track to any number of soundtracks of the early 70s.

4/3/24

Fried Chicken – Funky D.J. / Juke Box. 1976 USA-Louisiana

From Baton Rouge. A) is slow groove funk at its most pure and simple. Nice clavinet with declarative harmony vocals. B) adds horns while maintaining the funk. You can guess how this sounds without hearing a note.

4/3/24

Sterling Cooke – Don't Need You Anymore / Tomorrow Never Knows. 1982 USA-Pennsylvania

From northeastern Pennsylvania. File Sterling Koch (real name) next to Uli Jon Roth as guys who had no intention of letting Hendrix's legacy become forgotten. A) side sounds like the first Electric Sun album, which gets you a gold star in my book. B) side obliterates the Beatles tune with more of that Hendrix goodness. Completely out of time coming around in the early 80s like this. Great two sider.

This would be the debut recording for Koch, and it looks like he went on to form The Sterling Cooke Force and released two albums* and one more single. He then recording under just the name Sterling Cooke and released two cassettes. Guessing they're shred, based on this 2009 RYM review comment from the same single above: "A few years later, Sterling would be aping Joe Satriani while playing in a hair-metal band with people half his age. Now he plays born-again blues on a lap steel, according to his MySpace page."

*- I since purchased both - the first is fantastic like this single, the second is hair metal and not so good.

4/1/24