Here’s a group we could stand to bail out, the Beacon of Hope Chapel Singers from the Kansas State Penitentiary. What’s it like to be a creative person in prison? Imagine every interaction you have with the outside public mediated in some way: two-way glass, mail inspections, phone calls monitored. And if you are so lucky as to be released you are dumped out in the world wearing ill-fitting clothes, holding bus fare with no where to go. When do we talk about what its like to be in prison?
I don’t know who the Beacon of Hope Singers are, the record doesn’t have their names on it. Someone had the courtesy to write “Recorded November 1971″ on the cover, and without that the record would remain undated as well as anonymous. In addition to a 20 (?) person choir, there is a small band composed of drums, guitar and bass. This recording can be classified as amateur at best but the songs still sound amazing. This track gave me chills.
First off, don’t get fooled by the country theme on the cover here. This record is about as western as the high noon shoot out at Six Flags. And every bit as gay.
“Place this record on the turntable, lie back in your favorite chair, put your feet up and find a new way to relaxation while Reveen tells you how to release each muscle from its tension.”
Reveen was a popular Canadian stage performer in the 80′s and 90′s. I think he is pretty well known up North, but I had never heard of him when I picked this record up. Unfortunately (fortunately??) this record is in horrible condition, but I wanted to make sure you could hear his creepy Canadian voice say say possibly the creepiest thing I have ever heard.
Lets take a trip up north, all the way to little Barrhead, Albaerta. We are listening to the 7th and 8th grade concert and stage bands with John Leonard directing. The track picks are pretty tame, except for the awesome version of “Son of a Preacher Man.” Why they picked this song, I have no idea. Surely they could not have predicted Quentin Tarantino picking the same song 16 years later for a pivotal scene in the movie Pulp Fiction. (The scene where Vincent Vega is waiting fro Mia to come down and she is talking to him over the intercom.) And you know what? Maybe old Quentin should have used the Barrhead Bands version instead, because it really is quite awesome. Hang in there for the hand claps. (The MPM loves hand claps!)
Another funny thing about this record is the choice of cover art. It seems that Fantasy Sound was getting a lot of use out of this water cashing on the rocks shot. From the Candian blog Five Bucks on By-Tor we can see a reuse of the same photo for another school band.
Brave Combo is the best band in America, and that is an undisputed fact. That’s why I don’t have to wait for Polka month (October) to post about the the 2 time Grammy award winning Polka band from Denton, Texas. If you find yourself anywhere between Dallas and St. Louis during the months of October/November, it is likely that Brave Combo will be playing within driving distance, and I recommend, nay, compel, you to seek them out. You will not be disappointed.
Let’s start with the track “Skin” that came out on the Duplex Planet flexi. Duplex Planet was a zine that compiled weird and funny things said by old people in a retirement home. The lyrics were written by a kooky old guy, the music is all Brave Combo.
“The skin could be reminiscent of Harry Truman
animals covered with fur, humans generally hair”
The first time I met Carl Finch, the awesome singer from Brave Combo, was at Soulard Oktoberst in St. Louis. I told him that I had lived in Denton, and seen them a million times. He asked where I had lived in Denton, and I told him on Hickory, in the shack next to the old gas station where Joe Normile hangs out. Well, wouldn’t you know, he had lived in one of Joe’s other shacks, and we had a nice laugh about good old Joe Normile. Brave Combo has a headquarters on the square in Denton, in the window in a big sign that says “PEACE THROUGH POLKA.”
Josh bought me this record in Nashville, and I totally love it. Thanks, Josh! Its really funny and from what I can tell, Freeze a Yankee made it to the top of the Dallas radio charts for a few weeks. It’s definitely centered on the energy crisis on the 1970s but I think it is surprisingly relevant today as well. Side One is “A Texas Solution to the Energy Crisis – Freeze A Yankee”
“Freeze A Yankee,
drive 75 and freeze them alive
Freeze a Yankee,
Let your thermostat rise and give them a surprise.
Cram them Yankee’s in little bitty cars
While we drive around in limousines.
There ain’t nothing in the world any more fun,
Then pumpin’ gas in those big Machines.
Us Texan’s love our Cadillac’s,
Big Continental’s and Pontiac’s.
We’re gonna keep all the gas we can make
And let them Yankee’s shiver and shake.”
Side 2 is “A Tribute to the Trinity, or Muddy Buddy, or Oozin’ Down the River.” Anyone in Dallas can tell you that the Trinity STINKS, on a good day it smells like a fart and on a bad day it smells like 10,000 rotting corpses.
“There’s lot’s of things in Texas
That we all hold quite dear
The Alamo and cowboys
And rivers swift and clear
South Texas has the Rio Grande
The Neches and Pedernales
But we wonder why the good Lord put
The Trinity in Dallas”
Another great find from the Lawrence antique mall. Connie and Ed are two crazy kids who love each other and love country music. Maybe not the best looking, or the best singers, but they wanted to make a record and gosh darn it, they did. Who am I to judge? Actually, there is real gold on this one, especially from Ed on his song “World of Dreams.”
This is one record out of a set of two that were distributed to potential students of the United Electronics Institute. From what I can tell, this was a predecessor of Devry or ITT and specialized in providing training for “Careers of the Future!” Set on top of a repeating patriotic tune, we learn that students graduating from UEI can make up to $269 a WEEK! And even have jobs working with television broadcasting or in space! There is a roll call of companies that graduates have gone on to work for, and the narrator gets really excited towards the end. Side two describes the program in greater detail with such selling points as “a program presented in logical order” with 1,900 hours of practical instruction. I don’t want to give away all the good parts. This record is a gem.
(Sorry for poor sound on this one, its an oldie.)
STAYED TUNED FOR YOUR FUTURE IN ELECTRONICS PART 2!!
Darlene Randel came to Nashville on a Monday and was in the studio cutting her first record that same week. Thats what the record cover says anyway. The design is so completely generic (a straw cowboy hat on the cover and a head shot on the back) that it leads you to believe that “Starway Records” was cutting a lot of peoples first Nashville records. Or maybe not, I can’t find any info on this singer or the label.
It took patience to get through the first two songs. Both were down tempo love songs. Plenty of slide guitar and piano twinkles. The absolute slooooooowness of songs is kind of a theme of this record. Its excruciating to listen to but oddly sort of compelling. After a while the songs take on kind of a country-dirge sound in their unrelenting lack of energy. Track 3 spiced it up with a white bread take on a “Blue Spanish Eyes,” which again is played so slowly that ends up sounding like a kind of b-movie horror sequence soundtrack.
“Please, please dont cry.
This is adios, not good-bye.”
The last two tracks on side one are covers, and both are absolutely terrible.
Side two is what really shoots Darlene Randel into the bizarre record hall of fame. Its obvious that they are reaching towards that country-rock Roger McGuinn style (Baby Please Don’t take that Plane). But its still too slow and comes off sounding like a bad interpretation. On track two we are treated to Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” as played by a malfunctioning animatronic Chucky Cheese band. On track 3 she yodels (Oke Doke Yodel). Track 4 is a duet with an uncredited male parter on a rollicking ode to getting fucked up on moonshine “Homebrew.” Its the best song on the record.
“you can drink it from a jar,
you can burn it in your car
and it your tractor too.”
The record ends with a real downer of a tune called “There goes my everything” which is about as pitiful as it sounds. I had to wonder if she could already see this record in the dollar bin at the downtown Lawrence antique mall when she recorded this 30 (or so) years ago.
My record is signed by Darlene. Its says:
“Keep America Singing Country Music All Over the World
Especially for Gilbert and Loraine
Thanks for Inspiring the Music World around US.
As Ever,
Darlene”
Meet Martha Wash and Izdore Armstead. They are best known for their hit single “Its Raining Men” but before their launch to fame they were the Two Tons. This is their second album, a mix of adult R&B, disco and gospel tinged ballads. Its on the latter that this record excels. The song “I’ve got to make it on my own” is buried on the b-side but stands out for use of pedal steel (by Ray Gantek) and inspiring lyrics:
“So many say I’m wasting time
Just remember that this time is mine
And I’ll be doing the best I can
And in my heart I know my life will show
I’ve been my own woman.”
After Two Tons split up in the late 80′s. Izdore (on the left) moved to Germany where she briefly formed a band with her daughter.
Martha Wash (on the right) continued to sing, contributing to hit R&B and dance singles. One of these was the 1991 single Gonna Make You Sweat by C+C Music Factory. She was the person singing “Everybody dance now!” The record label did not credit her for her vocals on that track because they found her appearance unmarketable. Martha successfully sued to receive proper credit.
The 1980 album “Backatcha” by Two Tons has never been digitally released. (Three of the eight tracks were released on a compiation record.) Martha Wash has a remarkable and and impressive voice that has been compared to Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin. She is still touring as a solo artist.
