Gary S. Paxton

As promised, here's one of my occasional posts. This one is dedicated to the memory of Gary S. Paxton, who will forever be terminally weird but goodly right.

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Jerry Riopelle

Pretty amazing record from virtually unknown singer/songwriter/arranger.

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Witness

The key to life
Or so I've found
Is being wide awake and at the ready
Pulling your head
Out of your ass
So your vision's clear
And your hands are steady
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The 18th Century Concepts

Looking for this band's other album, "Off On a 20th Century Cycle." C'mon, someone out there has this.

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Stark & McBrien

A re-up for Monkeeboy. Half of this duo, Rod McBrien, was involved in the Children of Prague album below, as well as Salt Water Taffy, the Trade Winds, the Critters, and Tommy James.

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T.G. Sheppard

Fine country record from singer who was signed with Melodyland (later Hitsville) Records, a short-lived country label owned by Motown Records.

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Sound of Summer Showers

By request, here's a re-up of a sunshine-y comp from Japan, this one featuring artists from the Dunhill label.

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The Electric Junkyard

From Allmusic: The Electric Junkyard shows up occasionally in Moog sections but is not an electronic album. Instead, electrified horns and recording techniques ("nine months alone were spent experimenting") are supposed to justify the name and concept. But the result is an album of fun but standard blues-based dirges, items a Lalo Schifrin or Les Baxter might have written for the jukebox scene in a biker movie. There are interesting touches, such as female laughter; arranger Frank Hunter had arranged abstract female vocals in an exotica album a decade earlier (as had Les Baxter). Fans of progressive 1960s rock looking for new kicks could do much worse, but it would be no surprise to learn that the Electric Junkyard sold in the dozens.

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The Devil You Know

And the bleached sun it does not flatter
All them babies getting fatter
And the moms and the dads
They waltz around grotesque
As they dance this strange burlesque
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Hair

You might get the impression from the cover art and song titles that this is some sort of lost pysch record. But you'd be wrong. This being Design Records, what you get is something that sounds like a lounge act performing, with varying degrees of ineptitude, a few hits of the day along with what I'm guessing are originals (penned by who? Who knows.). Another stone classic.

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Danny Bonaduce

Although what passes for singing on this is not as wretched as, say, Rodney Allen Rippy's own Bell disk, Danny's no David Cassidy. I guess all you needed to get a record deal back then was a popular TV series, and MGM Records likely figured some young fan would be suckered into buying this. Featuring such sessioners as Ben Benay, this might qualify as a guilty pleasure. But I dare you to get through it more than once.

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Rig

This nice little country-rock record goes out to monkeeboy.

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Libby Titus

Been reading the book "Small Town Talk," which tells the tales of the many colorful and, at times, tragic figures who populated the town of Woodstock while svengali Albert Grossman held court. Libby Titus was one. Here is her rare, first record on a Capitol imprint.

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Bo Grumpus

Simply lovely record featuring Eddie Mottau (see below) as well as others who became known on the Woodstock scene.

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Heart

Twelve instrumentals aimed at the heart.
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The Young and the Restless

With thanks yet again to Derrick Bostrom, here's the Pickwick soundtrack to "The Young and the Restless."

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Sounds of Sunshine

With thanks again to Derrick Bostrom, here's "Nadia's Theme" by the Sounds of Sunshine.

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The Square Root of Zero

No doubt you've been waiting for this one.

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Eddie Mottau

Boston-born session guitarist best known for supporting Noel Paul Stookey, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and David Peel.

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What a Way to Go!

I saw you fall into a black hole
When I reached out to you
You let go
After such a long trip
You simply lost your grip
And now I can't find you
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The Glories

Super-rare girl group sounds featuring big-voiced singer Frankie Gearing.

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Jesse Frederick

Some '70s singer/songwriter stuff, with Todd Rundgren at the knobs.

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Ben Benay

By request, here's a re-up.

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Rain

Soft and crunchy at the same time.

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Catch 22

By request, here's a re-up of a rough but rockin' live document of a mystery L.A. band. Just who were they and where are they now?

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... and here is their four-song EP.

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Some of Our Best Friends Are

By request, here's a re-up of this rare Warner Bros. compilation.

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Red Sky

Yet another highly collectable album on the Guinness tax scam label.

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Tribe

What was Pickwick on about when they made this record? "Let's pick some songs from the tail end of the Beatles career and then grab a few from their first solo releases!" I can see why they'd choose Paul's "Maybe I'm Amazed" and George's "My Sweet Lord," but what were they thinking when they recorded John's "Mother" and Yoko's "Why"? (Um, she wasn't a member of the Fab Four, remember?) A very cool, very strange album.

Speaking of Pickwick, would anyone have "Sounds Like Stevie Wonder Vol. II" by the Motor City Rollers? If so, please put a link in the comments.

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Mas Que Nada

Ueber-rare import comp of great A&M bossa tunes. Hopefully this will bring a little sweetness as we mourn the passing of Prince.

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Priscilla Paris

Priscilla's third, self-penned solo album.

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Incidentally Yours

In celebration of Record Store Day, I'm releasing an album of new songs. You'd do Ol' Mondo a solid if you'd head over to his Bandcamp page (link below), download the record and make a contribution (any decent amount). Proceeds will go toward putting food on my table and buying exploito records to be posted here. Peace, y'all.

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Wind

Featuring a pre-Dawn Tony Orlando on a bubblegum tip.

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H.B. Barnum

Fresh vinyl rip (pops and all) of this nifty vocal record by H.B. Barnum, who sounds at times a bit like Nat "King" Cole. Produced by David Axelrod, natch.

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Introducing

Gentle, well-written and -performed '70s folky record.

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Juarez

Unclassifiable (in a good way) record that features such Wrecking Crew folks as Joe Osborne, Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel as well as James Burton.

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The Man With the Glass Head

The infection was spread so easily
From one clammy hand to the next
It'd gone viral all around the world
Just like some scandalous text
And we were astonished and we were amazed
And we were perplexed
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Sweet Rush

A decent Guinness tax-scam record featuring two different bands, or so I've read. Incidentally, for all of those of you out there requesting re-ups, please make a contribution either by clicking on DONATE or by filling in something from my wish list. Thanks!

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Morty Lewis

With great thanks to Edfray, here's a snazzy, jazzy little record from the Design label. Password for this is: notveryprettymusic

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Pat Boone

Pat Boone, you say? Well, this one features songs by Fred Neil, John Stewart and Tim Buckley and was produced by Jerry Yester and Zal Yanovsky of the Lovin' Spoonful.

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The Nirvana Sitar & String Group

A little something to feed your head.

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Mercy

The quality of mercy is not strained
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath
It is twice blest
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes

Features the hit single "Snow Day."

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This Is Buddah!

Yet another Buddah comp.

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Lou Rawls

A deliciously hard-to-find record by Mr. Silk and Soul.

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Buddah's Pop Explosion

More Buddah goodness.

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Dan Terry

And now for something completely different, here are some well performed tracks in a big band style.

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Follow Me

By request, here's a re-up the surf soundtrack, "Follow Me," which features songs by Dino, Desi and Billy as well as lush orchestral passages from composer Stu Phillips.

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Elkin Fowler

Elkin "Bubba" Fowler was involved with the Avant-Garde, a psychedelic pop group he formed with Chuck Woolery, who went on to host the dating show "The Love Connection." The Avante-Garde had chart success with the 1968 hit "Naturally Stoned." In 1969, Fowler teamed up with Bob Dylan's producer Bob Johnston for "… And Then Came Bubba," an album of rock, blues, folk and orchestrated pop that, thanks to Johnston’s production, comes off sounding like Dylan on several of the tracks. The Dylan connection was further evident in Fowler's involvement as a back-up musician on subsequent records by Dylan and Leonard Cohen.

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Crashing

He was saving his best lines for last
Just like money in the bank
He stood before us in his Sunday best
And said, I have you to thank
We took pictures
Of the people taking pictures
And posted them on the internet
And we believed like we always believed
But mostly we were all wet

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Farquarhr

From Allmusic: Farquahr were mainstays on the Boston and New Haven folk scene in the 1960s and '70s; blending humor with music, they cut an album for Verve in 1968 as the Fabulous Farquahr, and shortened the name to Farquahr when they recorded their second (and last) album for Elektra in 1970.

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