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

Rapunzel - Mornin' Sunrise / The Riddler/Changes. 1973 USA-Massachusetts

From a commune in western Massachusetts. A solid hard rock riff opens A), nice organ and a good mid song solo. Pretty rockin' stuff here, in the early Grand Funk Railroad tradition. B) side picks up perfectly with a faster riff, and some 60's Batman-era Riddler vocal hysteria. This jams hard - more mid to late 70s sounding. Excellent two sider.

Lots of strangeness as for the release itself. There are four pressings (maybe more) - three on the Corn label, one on Nork. The three on Corn each have a different catalog number and one is from the UK. More data here about the artist and label. 

4.0 / 4.0

3/31/24

Wayne Hurst – Galaxies Of Love / Back Again. 1974 USA-North Carolina

From the Chapel Hill area. A delicious sounding hard guitar riff opens the A) side. Nice mid song break with a good solo. Only drawback is it fades out too soon! B) side recalls Lynyrd Skynyrd in song format. 'Sweet Home Alabama' comes to mind here. Southern rock at its most basic but with a nice solo. 'Galaxies of Love' sounds a few years ahead of its time, and 'Back Again' a few years before haha.

3/31/24

Iron Tongue - (Ride on Down to the) San Antonio Line / It Could Have Been a Real Love. 1976 USA-Chicago

Cool name for a band. Looks like a modern heavy group from Arkansas nabbed it as well. Guessing these guys are from the Chicago area because of the label base. Guitar tone is almost psych, but ultimately this is bar room dancin' hard rock n' roll music. Fist pump your Old Style bottle while trying to two step at the same time. B side is remarkably similar, though bordering novelty territory.

2.5 / 2.5

3/31/24

The Rodeo – Millie The Pro / Felicia-Jo. 197? Louisiana

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Likely from 1971 or 72. A side has a blues rock sound that recalls Creedence Clearwater Revival. B) is much better only due to the presence of fuzz guitar. Still sounds like Fogerty singing though. 

2/28/24

Badapple - Campfire Tire / Raving Beauty. 197? Louisiana

Apparently from Louisiana though distributed out of Nashville. A) side is standard rural pop, not to my taste. B) is much more interesting. Strong lead guitar melodies and solos with some studio effects applied to the vocals. Cool track and out of the norm. 

2/28/24

The Challengers - Moon, Send My Baby / Dream. 1971 USA-North Carolina

From eastern North Carolina. What a strange opening to a 45. Vocalist croons "Let's go to the moon" followed by a bluesy guitar solo. Eventually it rips into a fast soul like dancer. It's kind of a mess, but intriguing all the same. B) side sounds like a rip of The Everly Brothers. Dream, dream, dream. 

2/23/24

Rhonghei - Long Time Gone / Assassination. 1970 USA-California

Another southern Californian group (Rosamund). Fits loosely in the psych funk soul camp. B) side features some fine fuzz. A) has a deep groove with bluesy guitar. Not bad all. 

3.5 / 3.5

2/23/24

Golgatha - Dies Irae / Children's Game. 1972 Germany

An anomaly for the great experimental Krautrock Ohr label, as Golgatha are primarily a hard rock group, similar to how fellow labelmates Pilz got its start. 'Dies Irae' uses the familiar monkish chant combined with narration and horns. B) is more committed to the horn rock genre, recalling countrymen Round House, Emergency, and For Example. Nice Terry Kath styled guitar as well. A very good representation of the style.

2/14/24

The Nurks - Another Rainbow / When You Can. 1968 USA-South Carolina

From Anderson, South Carolina (I was just there last year in fact). Opens with a haunting organ until we get into the familiar garage beat. Nice melodic vocals. This track has been anthologized. B) side adds in a bit of sax. The Nurks have a nice touch of harmony. Not bad at all.

2/13/24

3.5 / 3.0 

The Movement – Combination of the Two / Riding on a Sunday. 1969 USA-Buffalo

Custom pressing from Buffalo, New York.  Psych collector's dream opening with wild fuzz soloing. Roughhewn vocals follow, while the rhythm guitar rips away. Nice heavy solo towards the end. Hyperactive drumming too. B) gets right to business with a Steppenwolf styled hard rocker. Both sides exist on compilations.

7/15/20 (first listen); 2/13/24 (review / new entry)

Accents - Friendly Stranger / People are Funny. 1969 USA-Rhode Island

From Providence, Rhode Island. A) side kicks out the jams with some fine rhythm guitar and muted fuzz. B) side has more of a pop psych slant, but isn't unpleasant. Accents also featured a Hammond, which is a nice change of pace. 

2/13/24

The Chylds - No More Tears / Grey Days. 1968 USA-Ohio

From Canton, Ohio. Above average soulful hard rocking psych. What separates this from the normal 60s psych 45 is the use of Hammond organ. Much more common to hear a Vox or Lowery or any other cheaper variety. B) side offers a slight tilt eastward adding a bit of exoticism. A very good two sider and surprisingly not comped.

12/24/20 (first listen); 2/13/24 (review / new entry)

Sangre Mexicana - Good Cause / Need a Mama. 1970 USA-Texas

Interesting one here. From Laredo, Texas, Mexican Blood released seven singles and three LPs throughout the 70s. Their primary stock in trade was Tejano, ranchera, cumbia, balada, that kind of thing. This appears to be their debut recording and is nothing of the sort. Hard psych fuzz blaster, completely the opposite of how they made a living apparently. Both tracks are great (4.0). A side was comped by Germany's World in Sound many years ago. I wonder what the story behind this 45 was.

2/13/24

Idlewilde South - Feel It / Pedro's Bar & Grill. 1980 USA-South Carolina

From the hinterlands of South Carolina. A) side is FM friendly bar n' roll. B) side features an opening cool hard rock riff that reminds me of Blackfoot when they catch a groove. Actually the whole song reminds me of Blackfoot.

1/23/24

Doug Mays & The Sticky Kids - Raining in My Heart / Part Time Lover. 1981 USA-Mississippi

From Biloxi. About as bad as you would expect. A) side is straight up early 80s dummy hard rock. B) side is worse with a bluesy angle that makes you want to forget the decade altogether. 

2.5 / 2.0

1/23/24

Wilderness II - Strange Kind of Woman / In Medley. 1972 USA-Oklahoma

From Tulsa. Both tracks are badly produced Deep Purple covers. B) side is 'Lazy' with some extending jamming. 

2.5 / 2.5

1/23/24

The Innkeepers II - Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show / Cryin's Not My Style. USA-Pennsyvlania

Complete unknown here. If I owned this it would go straight into my Unknown Vinyl Records blog. Label is from northeast Pennsylvania. A) side is a cover of Neil Diamond. Though advertised as psych, this is gather 'round the campfire singalong-and-clap music. Other side isn't that much better, but has a better chord progression and no handclaps. 

I didn't get the label image and it isn't showing anywhere at the moment, including popsike.

2 / 2

1/23/24

The Cardboard Box - Come on Baby / Carol. 1969 USA-Pennsylvania

From Pottstown. A side starts off with a bit of distortion and moves into uptempo garage territory, with an almost funky beat. Good fuzz solo near the two minute mark. 'Carol' is a sleepy ballad. A side has been comped, so it's become sought after. 

1/23/24