T.M.L. - Should Have Done Better / Can’t Take It No More. USA ~ Chicago, Illinois

A) side is a moderately paced driving song with a scratchy sound and a nice fuzz break. Chorus is overlong. B) side is more moody. Organ is a distinguishing feature. Seems the latter track is going to break out into a proggy bit but always holds back. Sort of like Procol Harum I suppose.

3.0 / 3.0

4/20/25 (review)

Amber Band - Keep It Burning / I'm So Confused. 1980 USA ~ San Diego, California

A) side has a hard driving riff though the song is 70s classic rock in construct. I liked the B) side better which contains soft flute and more than a nod to fellow Californians Ambrosia. Nice piece of yacht rock.

3/3.5

4/11/25 

The Fabulous Raindrops - People Need A Beat / El Putty. USA ~ Denver, Colorado

Now this is something special. I bought a milk crate full of 45s for $5 last weekend from an old Hispanic lady. I took them home and sorted through them. Most in bad condition and about 98% of them were donated to a thrift shop and a few found their way to my $2 show bin. There were two gems in there: The Mod Squad and... by far and away the big one: The Fabulous Raindrops. This was the heavy hitter. And hyper rare. That's how 45 buys go. 200 nickel records and one $500+ treasure.

The labels aren't very telling. One side says "Soul" the other "Ranchera". Do you know what Ranchera is? Think Mexican country music. The label, from the Denver industrial suburb of Commerce City, specialized in Latin music. Hence the style typed on each side. That's just what Latin labels do. If one was to just hear the Ranchera side first, you'd already be in for a surprise. It's instrumental and barely Mexican in construct. 

It's the A) side that is a... banger. And a half (I'm such a hipster now). It's as if someone made it recently as the perfect example of late 60s (or early 70s - who knows?) heavy psychedelic funk. So much phased acid guitar and heavy beats. Separated perfectly for those who love to sample. And what a groove the organ sets. It's not Soul as you would typically associate the term with. And I don't think the label had any idea what they were putting out. With names like Spike and Ricky Martinez, it's interesting that the music sounds more like a private Detroit or Philly ghetto release.

Seeing some dates of 1966 thrown around. No chance. Way too psychedelic for that. I'd go '67 but probably later than that.

Brilliant I tell ya. It's on YouTube so check it out. You can also hear this track on Gear Fab's Psychedelic States: Colorado in the 60s. 

Own.

4/4/25 (new entry)

The Mods - Dry My Eyes / Rosalie. 1967 USA ~ Lincoln, Nebraska

Excellent blue eyed soul that yields to early funk. Good horn charts, solid melodies, high energy, and makes you want to hop around. Great organ too.

The song 'Dry My Eyes' was written by a well known band called The Fabulous Flippers, a group from Genius Hans' favorite town of Hays, Kansas. And the single was released on Fona. There are allegations that The Mods were a pseudonym for The Fabulous Flippers. However it's documented they were "The Modds" and were from Lincoln, Nebraska. They are in the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame in fact. So they grabbed the tune from their label mates is all there is to the story.

Own.

3.5 / 3.5

4/4/25 (new entry)

The Mod Squad - Charge / Mod Squad You All. 1970 USA

This is my kind of funk. Tight, heavy sound, great horn charts, nice vocals. Excellent bottom end. No ripping solos but otherwise a good seat jammer that will have you movin and groovin.

Not sure where they're from. Recorded in Los Angeles and no doubt influenced by the show. Especially brother Linc.

Own.

4/4/25 (new entry)

The TKO's – Dancing With My Baby / Getting Into Something. 1966 USA

I believe this is what they call "a dancer". All instrumental soul funk with wonderful fuzzy organ and jazz tone guitar. The flip side is more Latin influenced. 1966 is the year everything began to turn, and this is another one of those transitional 45s.

Own.

3.5 / 3.0

4/1/25 (new entry)

The Dan Terry Thing ‎– Big Daddy / Funin'. 1968 USA

Of late I've had an interest in big band jazz rock. The Dan Terry Thing is an excellent example of that sound. The stage band charts are excellent and energetic though the soloing is odd. Seems like a kazoo (!?) at times. Were that fuzz guitar instead, this 45 would be a $500+ rarity. You can hear some Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich in these grooves.

I have the SP here, not sure I'm going to keep it. Will hold onto for a bit.

4/1/25 (new entry)

Headwinds - Warrior Song / Just To Be With You. 1977 USA ~ Los Angeles, California

I can't remember how I first heard about Headwinds, but the 45 found its way onto my want list eventually. The music here is a commercially oriented progressive rock. Somewhat like same era Yes and Starcastle. And the B) side leans towards Styx even. The synthesizer work in particular is very much from the prog school. Nice saxophone, acoustic guitar, and harmony vocals. It's not rhythmically complex, so this for fans of lush "symphonic", though it would have been better served had it featured mellotron. Headwinds aren't for underground fans looking for psych excursions. Given that this is a custom pressing, I'll presume the band had no real intention of getting radio airplay. Rather they were documenting their efforts to that point in time. One wonders if they have more material sitting in a vault somewhere.

After some research I found 'Warrior Song' on YouTube posted by keyboardist Mark Poynter (going by Eric). It's a longer take. So there may be more after all.

Further research teaches us that Headwinds were from Pasadena and often played with Van Halen. Now isn't that interesting? Especially back then when Mammoth / VH were at their heaviest. After breaking up in 1980, two of the members (guitarist Michael Britton and keyboardist Poynter) joined forces with Tommy Lee (yes, pre-Motley Crue) to form a hard rock band called Dealer (there is an archival CDr demo of their recordings). Later, guitarist Michael Britton went onto to form Romeo then his namesake Britton, who managed to put out three albums. Later Britton found Woodbury Boys in Salt Lake City and that seems to be the end of the line from a recording perspective.

You would never know that Headwinds housed heavy metal / hard rockers in their midst as they didn't display that angst on this 45.

Own.

3/28/25 (new entry)

The Pop Workshop - Fairyland / When My Little Girl Is Happy. 1968 England

A) side is fairly typical harpsichord driven popsike. B) side is better with jangly guitars and a more thoughtful melody sequence.

Own.

3/28/25

Orchid - Go Big Red / Act Naturally. 1973 USA ~ Wisconsin

Orchid were high school kids from Edgerton, Wisconsin between Madison and Janesville. 'Go Big Red' has become noteworthy due to its appearance on one of the many Bonehead comps out there. To me 'Go Big Red' means the University of Nebraska, but it turns out to be both a high school anthem as well as a tribute to the University of Wisconsin's hockey team. What makes the track great are the freaky guitar solos, though the song is lacking. The B) side is more of a country rocker. 

3/2/25

Harpy - Backseat Love / Mr. Jimmy. 1975 USA ~ Syracuse, New York

Harpy were from Syracuse, New York and this is their only known recorded work. Their music could best be described as AM radio rock of the mid 70s. Something akin to Three Dog Night. There is an excellent synthesizer break on the A) side making it more interesting than usual. This track was featured on a local Syracuse 2xLP comp in 1976.

3/2/25

Cherry People – Sea And Me / Come on Over. 1971 USA ~ Washington, D.C.

At one point I had Cherry People's first single from 1968 and my notes there stated: "Saccharine pop for the psych era. Safe for the whole family. "As seen in Better Homes and Gardens" one can predict. 'Imagination' has some trippy effects, so not too bad on the whole. But this is miles away from the best groups of the genre such as The Free Design. Not keeping."

'Sea and Me' is an interesting shift of sound from this DC based band. Here they are peddling early 70s styled North American hard rock. Nice guitar work though the tune lacks any kind of memorable melodies. Still it would be interesting to hear a whole album of music like this.

3/2/25

Young Presidents - Mac-10 Morning / Not In Love. 1987 USA ~ Monterey, California

Average anthem hard rock with a slight metal tone. The wildcard here is the use of harmonica, not an instrument we typically here in music such as this. One presumes they used a lot of hairspray, but the vintage photos show them looking more like Huey Lewis and the News. Some older clips show saxophone as well, so it appears they really weren't metal at all. Band is still active as I enter this post.

3/2/25

The Red Barons - Bomb Out Of Your Mind / You Do. 1971 USA ~ New York ~ Pennsylvania

Both sides are consistent folk rock jangly pop styled. Led by a one Cheryl Barnes, her vocals recall a bit of Janis Joplin and Canned Haat. Or even Jean Ritchie. There's some old organ in play. The music sounds more like 1967 than '71. It appears the band were from the New York / Pennsylvania border, and there's some Appalachia in here too.

3/2/25

The Fun Band - Welcome To The Circle / It's Good. 1968 USA ~ Connecticut

One of those under the radar singles you'd think would be more well known and sought after. First side is high energy fuzzy funk, and you long for the guitarist to rip a solo. The b) side is even better, focusing primarily on Hammond with some horns and fuzz in the background. This one let's loose on the organ, and even features a couple of proggy breaks. Who were these guys anyway? And why isn't anyone into them? It's got the right sound. You can pick this 45 up dirt cheap online.

Own. My copy is the other promo but there's not a good photo of it on Discogs.

2/24/25 (review)

Energy - Nowhere to Hide / Fight For Your Freedom. 1983 England

Though labeled as part of the NWOBHM scene, you'll be looking for the data on supporting the metal claim. More like a punky hard rock, though the B) side does feature some thoughtful instrumental work.

Found this for a buck at a local vintage shop. Tempting to keep this because I'm a fan of the movement. But this one is just too blase for me. It does not appear that the album listed ever came out.

2/2/25

Cheyenne - Heart Throb Girl / Bad Taste of Love. USA

Complete unknown here. It would be tempting to say they're from Wyoming but probably not. The A) side is bordering hard rock, more like 70s classic rock with a late night bar aura. The guitar solo is interesting, a bit more notes per second than usual, making me think this might be from the 80s. The B) side is straight up AOR music with even a hint of synthesizer, adding more credence to the 80s claim. Not very interesting musically but worth documenting for the historical record.

2.5 / 2.0

1/9/25 (first listen / review)

Hatterfox – Lonely Tonight / Holdin' On. 1981 USA-Alabama

From Hunstville, Hatterfox played a mix of hard rock and AOR. This 45 is their debut, a year before their sole LP. Neither of these tracks made it to the album.  After hearing this 45, I'd submit the album is probably worth giving a listen. Despite the origin of the group, Hatterfox are not Southern rock in the slightest. They have their eye on the national charts, and the music plays to that. They have some talent, but neither song has a memorable hook. The vocalist isn't very dynamic. Decent dual guitar work. Overall it sounds more like something from a few years earlier, but now with synth pop in the limelight, bands like Hatterfox needed to slick it up a bit. And it's nowhere near heavy enough to be an underground hard rock classic. Yea it's just too 70s for the 80s I'm afraid.

3/3

1/9/25 (first listen / review)

Bonfire - Contrast / Circle. 1975 Netherlands

Both of these tracks are on the LP. However they are distilled here, and is a different mix (if not different recording). The concentrate versions of both of these songs is just as enjoyable as the fleshed out instrumentals.

Own via the Pseudonym CD reissue.

1994 (first listen); 1/25/25 (review / new entry)

Vimana - Zebra / Masquerade. 1977 Brazil

If you arrived at Vimana's sole release with the idea that you were going to hear prog rock, then I think 'Zebra' will have you scratching your head. It's mostly a funk / disco hybrid, common for the 1977 era, though it does sport fine keyboard and guitar solos with some nice percussion sprinkled in. 'Masquerade' is, of course, the overt progressive rock track here. A real beauty, calling on the softer side of classic Yes, with a Mediterranean flair similar to the French and Spanish bands of the time. Some fine bass and flute propel the track to great heights. I can't think of another Brazilian band doing this kind of music in the late 70s.

2/23/20 (first listen / review); 1/21/25 (new entry)

Leong Lau - Late Night Flyer / One Dimensional Man. 1977 Australia

If you're already familiar with the album Dragon Man, then you know what to expect here. Psychedelic funk of the highest order, though in compact single form.

I almost let this get away. They are bonus tracks on the Strawberry Rain CD reissue, but are hidden (I was going to keep the LP reissue instead). Discogs didn't mention them (I just corrected the entry), only RYM did but without a track history. But I couldn't figure out why it said bonus tracks. Further investigation turns out it was my entry (I stopped contributing releases to RYM years ago, so this may have been one of my last ones). So I saved myself. lol.

Own as noted above.

3/1/14 (first listen); 1/18/25 (review / new entry)

Rapscallion - Rain And Shine / Just A Rapscallion. 1979 USA-Cleveland

Rapscallion were one of many great AOR / hard rock bands hailing from Cleveland, a mecca for the blue collar muscular sound. The A) side mixes some heavy riffing with acoustic guitars and harmony vocals. It's way too raw to make inroads into the corporate FM sound, but the attempt is admirable. B) side has a Rush meets Styx vibe. Features a killer guitar mid song break. These guys had the right sound at the right time, but didn't catch the break. Pity that.

1/9/25

Tail Gunner – Sassy / Ten Years. 1980 USA-Baltimore

Tail Gunner is a great example of the American hard rock sound from the late 70s going into 1980. A full album (which apparently was planned) would have been a revelation. Neither of these two tracks exceed two and a half minutes, but they do pack a few ideas into each. Which tells me an album would have fallen into the sophisticated hard rock category. 'Ten Years' eerily sounds like the great Micah, especially the way the vocals are handled. Keyboards are a nice touch. The YouTube video confirms these guys have the "look" to go with the chops.

3.5 / 3.5

1/9/25

Haz - My True Love (You Are To Me) / Prelude to Paradise. 1983 USA ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

Cool find here. The A) side is whiny soul balladry and is not for me. It's the B) side that you're after (presuming you're not into whiny soul balladry that is...). Interesting mix of synthesizer driven boogie funk, late era disco, and jazz fusion. Plenty of saxophone, a little flute, and some tight horn charts. A wonderful groove throughout. Mainly instrumental with whispered vocals. Closes with sounds of the ocean.

I found this among a large drop of both soul and country (?!) 45s that obviously came from a radio station (that would be a weird playlist format). This was the only private obscurity in the batch, at least that I found (it's very possible I wasn't first). As you can see, it doesn't have any info on the label.

According to Discogs it comes with a picture sleeve, though this copy didn't have it. The Discogs entry doesn't show the back which might contain information (though it could be blank too). The band is led by Al Hazard (hence the name Haz) though nothing reliable turned up for him. The pic sleeve lists the two singers from the A) side. A little sleuthing shows that Heidie White performed on an album from Denver. Lyndon Copeland, on the other hand, has a biography and guess what? He's from here in Colorado Springs! Which explains why this station probably had the 45 in their possession. Some influencer put it up on YouTube which has lead to it having huge demand. I'm keeping it though.

Own. 

1/4/25 (new entry)

Spontaneous Generation - Purple, Purple / I'll Hold Out My Hand. 1971 USA-North Carolina

The A) side is somewhat famous for being seriously expensive as well as a killer cut. Spontaneous Generation's sound is from a couple of years earlier with fuzz guitar, organ, and punky Van Morrison styled vocals. I thought I had this track on one of the compilations I own, but nope it really hasn't been as anthologized as much as you might think.

The B) side is the hedge. There's a reason why no one has taken the time to record this for all to hear. Essentially a folk rock tune with trumpet (lol, anathema to underground psych collectors) and harmony pop vocals. If you want more than one side, it ain't here.

I do really enjoy 'Purple, Purple', but it's not a 5 star monster in my book. 4 stars on the nose. The other is 2 at best.

11/12/20 (first listen); 1/2/25 (review / new entry)

The Changing Image – Awakening Dream / The Happy Girl. 1969 USA-Miami

There's a bit of budget behind this title, as there's some orchestra backing the sunshine happy vocals. If you're a fan of The Association's style of pop psych, then these titles are worth seeking out. Pleasant but unnecessary in my world.

3 / 3

1/2/25

The Mousetrap – Spinning Wheel / Rhymetyme. USA-Miami

Label is from Miami, so just a guess that's where these guys are from. A) side is a cover of the famous track by Blood Sweat and Tears, done funky psych. It's not overtly psych though, just a bit electrified. B) is more original and features some nice organ and guitar soloing, though again closer to the jazz school than rock. Soulful vocals.

I was going through some old notes, and this was the second time for me to hear this. Not sure of the date but probably 2020 - 2021.

3 / 3.5

1/2/25

Amon Düül – Eternal Flow / Paramechanical World. 1970 Germany

Two low key psychedelic mumblers from the only coherent era of the commune Amon Duul - professional spin offs not counting of course. Post rock 25 years before anyone knew the term. Wood taverns, wood floors, and a lot of incense. Yeaaa.

Own via the CD reissue.

1996 (first listen); 9/22/17 (review); 1/2/25 (new entry)

Chance - Harbor Nights / Magic Eyes. 1978 USA ~ Pueblo, Colorado

Solid AOR music from down south in Pueblo.

Full history of the band here

I got into a bit of a dispute on Discogs when another owner insisted this was psych garage and removed AOR. I had to disagree on that one, and put back AOR, though left their interpretation out of respect of other's opinions. That person also added 'Magic Eyes' to YouTube, so you can hear for yourself. But there's no way this is psych ;-)

 

Own. From a local garage sale (2019). I consider this the first 45 obscurity I found in the wilds where the music was agreeable too (i.e. not country). I didn't really know what I was doing yet, and bought all of the 45s for a $1 each (there were about 150 titles). Fortunately there were a few that were worth much more than that and I made a healthy profit. Last year I finally ditched the rest in a bulk auction, and I think they went for something like 30 cents each. Haha - I should have cherry picked. But that's how you learn!

2019 (first listen); 3/27/20 (review); 1/1/25 (update)

Bill Stein - Where To Go, What To Do? / Come To Me. USA

Eclectic 45, but has elements of hard rock, psych, AOR, and prog. And how about that label name?

Own. 

I found two copies and we sold one of them. I suspect it may have been released in Colorado. 

9/12/19 (first listen); 3/27/20 (review); 1/1/25 (new entry)

Darkstar - I Wanna Be The One / T.T.H. (Tryin' Too Hard). 1982 USA

Upon finding this, I had hoped to find a heavy metal or hard rock 45, especially with a name like Darkstar. But it's power pop all the way. Cannot find anything about this artist or label.

Own.

11/14/19 (first listen); 3/27/20 (review); 10/8/21 (update); 1/1/25 (new entry)

West (West The Band) - Ghost Riders / Turkey Necks. 1980 USA-Wyoming

Best I can tell is that West started out as a hard rock band and evolved into a more typical country rock / pop group. They started in Powell, Wyoming which is way up north toward the Montana border. Eventually they moved to Cody, which is famous for its rodeo scene. And it's closer to Yellowstone / Jackson Hole, where I'm sure there were plenty of gigs to be had as well.

 'Ghost Riders' is indeed the known late 1940's track that was made most famous by The Outlaws in 1980. Interesting then, to find out this was copyrighted and published in 1977. But it may have been recorded in 1980 (probably was). Interesting in that it is also a wicked hard rock version of the song. Is this where The Outlaws got the idea? The 'Turkey Necks' side is more typical country rock/pop and is copyrighted 1980.  According to the back sleeve, these two tracks were recorded in San Diego. San Diego? That's a long way from home and couldn't have been cheap.

Own. Estate sale find (2020).

3/28/20 (first listen / review / new entry)

Just say weeeeeeeeeeee.

Babydoll and the New Surfettes - When We Said Goodbye / You Haven't Done Nothing. USA-Hawaii

It's always great to find a 45 no one knows about, but it's even better when it's in the Soul genre! The b side features a nice bass riff too.

There have been a couple of ebay auctions that settled nicely. One described the 45 as thus: "Private pressing of an extremely rare and seldom seen HAWAII female SOUL record. Side one is a pleasing soul ballad, the flip side is Stevie Wonder’s SOUL classic."

Own. 

6/22/20 (first listen); 3/21/22 (review); 1/1/25 (new entry)

Mark Vieau - Blind Love / Say a Prayer. 1993 USA-Texas

Picked this one up because it's from our old stomping grounds south of DFW, and this is a complete unknown! Whitney, Texas is not the place you'd expect to find a hip label, yet they had dozens of similar releases in the late 80s and early 90s. This is a very professional recording, not the usual private press fodder. Music can best be described as hair metal meets pop rock. A little later than what I normally collect, but this one is a cool little oddity.

Own. Online acquisition (2021).

5/2/21 (first listen); 2/5/22 (review); 1/1/25 (new entry)

Arnie & Chisé Trio ‎- Three Cherries / Bumming Around. 1966 USA / Japan

Three Cherries is a novelty song where Chise opens in English with her heavy Japanese accent, and then proceeds to make a silly song in Japanese. Bumming Around is rockabilly and is arguably Arnie's contribution. They have an album that is also highly sought after. Super cool 45.

Own. 

Added handwritten note below. Click on the photo to hi-res.

10/12/21 (first listen / review); 1/1/25 (new entry)

Lightkraft - Now Or Never / Take Me. 1984 USA ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

I never really wrote a review, but I described the genres as thus: A-side = Modern Soul Boogie sound; B-side = AOR / New Wave sound.

We eventually learned that the band is local to us here in Colorado Springs! Released in the spring of 1984 in fact. Elk Bugles says the band were from Indiana and Minnesota. But there was another poster in her collection that showed the band playing here. 

Even though it doesn't appear Tiny Barge was a performer on the 45, his name is listed as the publisher. Here's a page for him, as he's still performing it appears.

Sadly we found lead singer Ric Wright's obituary.

Own. Missing pic sleeve.

After updating the Discogs entry, I received three unsolicited - and generous - offers for it, which tells me there's a huge market for this. I usually keep rare items like this and the music is good for the collection.

7/18/22 (first listen / review); 1/1/25 (new entry)

Charles J. Foley (Charlie) - Witches Ogres and Mint / Overture (To the Sabbath). 1974 USA-Nebraska

Wow - this one is completely extinct from the modern historical record. Nowhere to be found - at all! And it's good folk too - a bit of Dylan and some dark themes. I would expect this to be a big hitter if it ever gets discovered.

Own. Found at a record store in Denver (2022).

7/27/22 (first listen / review); 1/1/25 (new entry)