Creedence Clearwater Revival “Bad Moon Rising” b/w “Lodi”

45 rpm 7″, Fantasy, 1983

Yeah, yeah, obviously these tunes ain’t from 1983 … but just as obviously, this physical record ain’t from 1969, either. And I probably bought it in 1985 or ’86 either way. I know I bought it at Tommy Edwards Record Heaven, because the proprietress was a huge country music fan, and commended me for choosing “Lodi.” Of course, at the time I was buying it for “Bad Moon Rising,” even if I’m not entirely sure WHY I was buying it at all. I mean, it’s on Chronicle, which I had on cassette tape. (Both are, in fact!) I’ve mentioned my singles-buying problem, though.

Creedence Clearwater Revival “Willy and the Poor Boys”

12″ LP, Fantasy, 1969

“Down on the Corner” was the first CCR tune I really got into, believe it or not. I wanna say this resulted from a day I spent making a “tape” from a middle-school classmate’s father’s old 45s in 1985 or thereabouts, but this may not be true. (Man, was that a collection! “I’m Walkin'” by Fats Domino, “Goody Goody” by Frankie Lymon/the Teenagers, “Rebel-Rouser” by Duane Eddy … and “Kookie, Kookie,” daddy-o.) Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna play “Fortunate Son” and “Effigy” and … hey, if I didn’t tell the special prosecutor, why the hell am I telling youse?

Creedence Clearwater Revival “Bayou Country”

12″ LP, Fantasy, 1969

Fun fact: when I was young, I avoided listening to this band because their name made me think they were, like, bluegrass church music or something. (And the name “John Fogerty” connoted some boring old-timey traditionalist.) Eventually, I dropped the needle on this Full Radial Stereo artifact that belonged to my departed dad (another reason I’d eschewed it) and, well … it is not an exaggeration to say the guitar tone and playing on “Good Golly Miss Molly” changed the way I heard and thought about rock music. Keep On Chooglin’ in the free world, J.C, you magnificent bastard.

Batman “Robin Meets Man-Bat”

45 rpm 7″, Power Records, 1976

This nifty item – the “record” part of a “Book & Record” set (The Action “Comes Alive” As You Read!!) sadly lacking its literary partner lo these many years – used to frighten me quite a bit when I was very small and wasn’t all that keen on scary stuff. (Ironically enough, given the other blahg for which I toil.) It was produced by Peter Pan Records of New Jersey’s wonderfully named Synthetic Plastics Company. Other titles my brother ‘n’ I had include “The Mxyztplk-Up Menace,” “The Incredible Hulk At Bay!” and a Flash/Aquaman split whose contents I barely remember.

Burning Sensations

12″ Mini LP, Capitol, 1983

Back in the heady days of MV3 – this was before cable was available everywhere – the video for the lead track here, “Belly of the Whale,” got a lot of play. One fateful day many years later, I picked this record up and recognized that title – which I had completely forgotten had ever existed – so I bought it. I couldn’t tell you what the other three songs sound like, which may be an indicator of why you’ve never heard of this band, though they’re also responsible for the version of “Pablo Picasso” on the Repo Man soundtrack.

Branch Manager

12″ LP, Dischord, 1995

Does ANYBODY remember this band. DID anyone know about them in the first place. Friendly fellas, the kinda guys you sometimes met back then that reminded you why the “scene” was supposed to exist in the first place.

Hahahahahahaha, what’re you even TALKING about, gramps.

They had T-shirts bearing the legend “Thank you for not killing us.” Released a 2nd album and then disappeared for over 20 years.

YES, we’re still listening. Tell us more about “records,” granddad.

BowWowWow “I Want Candy”

12″ LP,  RCA, 1982

In fourth or fifth grade, whenever it was that I bought this – when nobody else knew what the hell I was talking about – I thought it was an actual LP, being unaware of the music-biz machinations concerning US releases vis-à-vis UK releases and so forth. So how would I have known this was the Last of the Mohicans EP, a single’s A-side, another single’s B-side, and four cuts from See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! Whatever its provenance, it remains a great listen if you’re in the mood.

Black Sabbath “Sabbath bloody Sabbath”

12″ LP, Warner Bros., 1974

Consisting of what may be prime Sabbath’s most entertaining set of song titles – YOU try to top “Looking for Today,” pal – this disc is also the last good one the original quartet would make, although I guess some people accept Sabotage. Only the title track and “Killing Yourself to Live” remain classic-rock standards, but that shouldn’t sway anybody’s opinion. The price sticker on the jacket reads $   .50, which means this artifact came from the incredible emporium known solely as “Records.” Oh, so many West Side favorites, gone forever.

Big Drag

45 rpm 7″, SleepKing, 1994

The sticker sez I bought this at “Repo Records,” which was somewhere in the Philadelphia area, and that checks out, as I do recall buying random seven-inch records there. No idea why I chose this one – it’s possible the Freddy Cannon cover (“Tallahassee Lassie”) was involved – but it was a good call, because song 2 on the “big side,” “Someday,” is terrific. Leader Milton plays a Mosrite guitar, the insert asserts, and I know they’ve got an LP, too. Anyone ever seen one?

Big Black “The Hammer Party”

12″ LP, Homestead, 1986

It’s kinda weird to listen to these early Steve Albini recordings and contemplate the fact that he became a noted audio engineer, or that his name would become semi-synonymous with harsh, punishing sounds. They do, however, shine some light on why in his time as a ‘zine writer he shat all over his then-contempo Chicago homebruh Al Jourgensen, because these trax lay a template for a lot of what Al’s later “industrial” music would assimilate while at the time he was still a dancefloor poseur poof. Homestead: The Sound of the Eighties!