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.

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

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. Thrift shop find from a month ago (2024).

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.

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

Chance - Harbor Nights / Magic Eyes. 1978 USA-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. From an estate sale in Castle Rock (2019).

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. From a local seller (2019). This seller had befriended me at the first Colorado Springs Record show and asked if I would be interested in buying some items from his collection. I said sure, and this ended up being the pick of the litter.

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. From a local collector's garage sale for $1 (2020). He had no idea what is was.

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)