Carol Sloane - Music / Stay. 1965 USA

Not the type of 45 you'd think was in demand, but it is. File Sloane with other breathy females of the era like Julie London and Helen Merrill. Noted on Discogs as Soul, but it belongs to Vocal Jazz for sure. I'm not telling... Well apparently this is what they mean by "popcorn". Who knew?

Used to own. Found at a thrift shop in Woodland Park.

7/13/24

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

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