R.E.M.! - I Don't Know / Linda. 1974 USA

Another complete unknown and no idea where it's from. I bet the band didn't realize they owned one of the most popular monikers of the 80s! The exclamation mark distinguishes it a little bit. In this case, it's an acronym for the band members Roberts, Eaton, and McCurdy. The music has an odd piano, synthesizer thing going on. It's mostly pop rock. The A side recalls Gary Wright somewhat. B) side is a silly pop ditty with some decent guitar though. Strange 45. I'd for sure keep it if I found it, but I wouldn't pay more than a buck for it.

I didn't capture the image of the label and now I can't find it. Not even in Discogs. On Dreamer Records.

2.5 / 2.5

8/2/24 

Grey Controversy - Now is the Time / Blues in G. 1969 USA-Connecticut

From New London. A side is a slow rock harmonic tune driven by organ and bass. Somewhat like Procol Harum. At 5:40, a long track for the singles market. And they stretched it well past its shelf life. B side is organ / guitar based 12 bar blues. Largely unknown. Not in RYM, so I'll rate this 2.5 stars here.

2.5 / 2.5

8/2/24

Lance-Horizon - Rage / I Don't Like It. 1979 USA-North Carolina

From Chapel Hill. This 45 was released initially with the artist name as Lance, and later copies appended Horizon. A) side has a hard edged AOR bent to it. Love the guitar tone here. One can hear the Hendrix ghost of 'All Around the Watchtower' for sure, not a common sound for 1979. Though I suppose Frank Marino can be spotted here too. B) side is more radio friendly, though the guitar soloing is still excellent. Vocals kinda blow in that indie rock monotone way. 

4.0 / 3.0

8/2/24

Poor Richard - Good Time Music / Eyes. 197? USA-Los Angeles

From Los Angeles. Starts off as you might expect in a boogie rock state, with some fine organ. The B) side is more introspective, still in pop rock mode with dominant vocals, piano, and organ. Doesn't appear to be related to any of the other Poor Richard's out there. 

2.5 / 2.5

8/2/24

American Soul Train - Can You Dig It / Tennessee Waltz. 1968 USA-Louisiana

A) side is horn driven funky soul with period lyrics. B) side is a slow dancer with gospel like crooning. Picks up nicely at the end with a faster beat and horns. Apparently the band name is a nom de plume for The Boogie Kings.

Used to own. Found at a local estate sale.

7/14/24

The Rubber Band - Bubble Tree / Agnes Ries. 1967 USA-California

I'll get to the group's details below. For the music, this is the kind of garage folks are turning every stone over for. Side A has a dreamy melodic structure. The B side has a folky underpinning, with a punk attitude, and an excellent guitar solo. 

We do know from a YouTube comment from the band member's sister some details: It was recorded in Los Angeles in 1967. The group were from Bishop, California, which is way out in the eastern part of the state near Nevada.

Ownership: SP: 1967 Harlow. Obtained from a local shop for a $1 weeee (2024). 

We'll start with the rarity - it has never sold on Discogs, and the one and only copy that sold on ebay was 11 years ago for $350. You can only guess what it would go for now in a Carolina Soul auction. According to Discogs, the label has 6 releases (probably more) every one of them obscure.

Now we'll talk about the mistakes. The label shows The Bubber Bands on one side and The Rubber Bands on the other. My copy - and the submitter to Discogs copy (shown here) - has the final "S" rubbed out on each side. Above sister stated they were called The Rubber Band. What a mess.

7/14/24 (first listen / review / new entry)

The Rondeus - Anymore / Day Tripper - 1966 USA-West Virginia

The Rondeaus (misspelled on the label) were from the coal mining region around Beckley, West Virginia. 'Anymore' starts off like The Beatles' 'Day Tripper' (hold that thought) before launching into a more original tune. Of course it's very much influenced by the Fab Four in addition to The Rolling Stones at this stage. Features a nice jangly guitar solo. The B side is, in fact, the Beatles song. A very lethargic rendition I might add. Also features a cool lightly amplified solo. This is low budget garage at its finest.

Ownership: SP: 1966 Magna. Dollar find at a local estate sale (2024).

Some parallels here with the The Rubber Band I just featured. Like with that 45, they misspelled the group name. And it's rare as heck. Never sold on Discogs and the last ebay sale was back in 2013 (like The Rubber Band) for $280. It'll be more now :-)

7/14/24 (first listen / review / new entry)

Shelton Kilby and Counterpoint - Fire and Rain / Colour of a Man. 197? USA

Early 70s styled hippy harmony kind of pop. Think the classic Coca Cola ad. Everything else Kilby has released goes for coin, but this one stays stubbornly cheap. Haven't heard the others, maybe they're way better musically. I doubt it, this one just got lost in the shuffle. Besides it's a nice piece of music even if it isn't really in vogue.

Own. Found at a local antique mall

7/13/24

3.5

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