21st Century Sound Movement S/T Gear Fab Records 1968/2012

21st Century Sound Movement S/T Gear Fab Records 1968/2012 CAT# GF262A

This is a bootleg of a mega-rare Kansas City garage record. The original 1968 album was put out by these Kansas City kids when they booked time with Damon Records and paid for some albums to be pressed. Damon Records was a custom label, which would mean the group likely only bought 50 to 100 copies and who knows if they got them all sleeved, they likely used many of them as demo to provide to booking agents and labels.

The label, Gear Fab Records, stated no one had a clue who these kids were, but since 2012 when this was released, they've been featured on a number of high-profile Numero Group comps. Members of the group played around in this band and others, the 21st Century Sound Movement also release a couple 45s if memory serves, one of which is tacked onto this bootleg.

The bootleg is true to the original as far as the packaging, the photo is the same, the non-descriptive backside that doesn't list members, even the label smacked on the colored vinyl is authentic to the original.

The photo is interesting, the statues are actually part of the William Volker Fountain in Kansas City that you can see in Brush Creek. They moved it in the 1990's from Theis Park, which as you can see in the photo, is in front of the Nelson Atkins. Today, the Atkins is thought of as the place with the shuttle cocks out front, but at one time, it had the Volker Fountain featured in the band's photo.

In terms of gargae rock, The 21st Century Sound Movement are pretty good. Which translates to an acquired taste in everybody's else's world. They are little weak on their pop-psych, vocals aren't great and they sound wimpy, but when they break out the guitars, it's a fuzzed out trip. Their heavy versions of "The House on of the Rising Sun" and Hendrix's "Fire" are pretty fun. There's a 7 minute cover of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which in all it's amateurishness, is another highlight. The album was all covers apparently and the only original featured here on the bootleg was on the band's 45. Overall, the rarity, as with loads of garage rock, makes the band better than they actually were. There's solid moments, but its not like we're talking about the long lost 13th Floor Elevators here, were talking about some KC kids that bashed out some interesting covers.

The Original LP

Col. Saunders All Star Hotlick Amipholean Conservatory Stationary Marching Band The Levee Presents RIM Music 1967

Col. Saunders All Star Hotlick Amipholean Conservatory Stationary Marching Band The Levee Presents RIM Music 1968 CAT# 1001A

Kansas City's The Levee is still around, going strong and featuring live music. The bar opened in 1965 and apparently, in the early days was popular enough to feature this house band and put out an album 1968. Or maybe the band just played there occasionally and wanted to put this out on their own. Either way, the 1968 date is questionable, from the album appearance, Col. Saunders All Star Hotlick band is a bunch of jokesters. The back liner notes are attributed to the Billy Shears, as in the "One and only..." The name and the idea of a stationary marching band, all jokes. Also questionable is the photo which shows a menu featuring a pitcher of beer costing $1.75, which would seem more 1970's.

However, a couple of the players were releasing music in the late 1960's, it's documented that George Winn the tuba player released a 7" in the mid-60's, so maybe the date isn't that off. The All Star Hotlick band would have been rather hip for 1968. You'd costumes and jazz wouldn't be cool, but it became an vogue thing in the 1970's to dress in attire and do an old-time style show. This KC group of players had a pretty hip idea for the late-60's. In fact, they're so hip, they put a jab in at white English blues players with a one minute yelp of screaming, "Blues get off my face!" So yeah, these guys were hipsters, too cool for even the cool English stuff.

The music is interesting, it's an updated take on dixieland jazz, done up to sing-a-long within a smokey bar. The banjo player and vocalist, Bobby Schad, has the affliction of the old time down pat. The band never leaves character and there are genuine highlights despite that no one needs another version of "The Lonely Bull" that was made famous by Herb Albert. The tune, "Georgy Girl," is pleasant, upbeat and worth a couple spins, the rockus intro of "Robert E. Lee (Down on the Levee)" gets your attention. "Dixie Yankee Doodle" is actually a rendtion of "Dixieland," which isn't needed, but it's easy to forget as Northern of a city Kansas City can be, it's still in the 'Southern' state of Missouri, but the song does actually morph into it's namesake which is fun. Finally, the band does "Havah Nagilah", which if you're Jewish is pretty great and if you're not Jewish, you probably heard it and like it.

Marilyn Maye The Happiest Sound in Town RCA/Victor 1968

Marilyn Maye The Happiest Sound in Town RCA/Victor 1968 CAT# LSP-4054

Found this at a garage sale down the street.  Boxes of easy listening and Christmas records.  There may have been a few Beatles LPs before I got there, there probably was a few things like Gerry and the Pacemakers, but overall, there was nothing cool.  There was this, though.  Not considered a cool record to anyone, but seeing how she's local, it was my lone purchase.

Should be easy to buy a record for a dollar at a garage sale, but, no.  You have to talk about why you are purchasing the record, and field the question, "Do you still have a record player?"  Or, "What do you do with all these old records?"  Since Marilyn Maye is from KC and proud about it, this purchase took a considerable amount of time.

First the homeowner selling the record got excited and stated, "Oh, Marilyn Maye, I know her!"  That was genuinely interesting so I replied thinking there was maybe a family relation.  No, instead I got, "Well, she's local, I don't know her, but..."  Oh good, you don't know her, can I have my change, now?  "But, my brother's girlfriend used to have a brother that dated her years ago.  She's still around though, we always go see her perform at the community college."  Wow, terribly interesting, but, to her benefit, she was right, Marilyn Maye does perform at the Johnson County Community College from time to time...she should kept the record and asked her to sign at the next one she went to.

The album is enjoyable.  It does get over-the-top Hollywood at times, but the bulk of the first side and some of the second are based in a much more traditional vocal jazz approach.  Plus, she puts a ton of pzazz in her rendition of the classic tune, "Kansas City."

Danny Cox Sunny Pioneer 1968

Danny Cox Sunny Pioneer 1968 CAT# W4RM-4559

Danny Cox was originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, but moved to Kansas City a year before recording this album for local coffee shop owner and manager, Stanley Plesser.  Years before, Cox released an album entitled At the Seven Cities.  That collection of tunes and shows what interested Plesser and ultimately got Cox to move to Kansas City.

Plesser is best known in Kansas City for managing the career of Brewer & Shipley.  Like Brewer & Shipely, he convinced Cox to make KC his home, to which he still remains.  Plesser is an interesting KC figure as he ran a coffee shop called, the Vanguard Coffee House, and was able to successfully manage touring acts from here in the heartland.  He was obviously very focused on the folk sound happening in the late 60s and early 70s, it's what you find on this LP.  He even gets credited as the albums producer and the album is on his label.

It's a promising album and begs the question why Cox couldn't find huge success with his soulful renditions of folk songs and originals.  He's got this amazing baritone with huge range and again, it's folk orientated, but with a ton a soul.  The song selection is fantastic to boot, Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" is pretty spectacular.  There's a an "everybody's doing it" Beatles cover, I guess by default.  But, Cox also takes on Dylan and Joni Mitchell.  Shel Silverstein's, "Hey Nellie Nellie," seems a bit odd, but it's obvious Cox and Plesser were hip dudes at the time and Silverstein is only weird if the only reference you have is children's poetry.

The production lacks a little focus, probably not Plesser's forte, but again, it's strange this version of Cox didn't catch on.  Years later, he found moderate success going full-on soul.  Instead of folk with soul tendencies, his major label albums were soul with folk tendencies (but, in their own regard, also worth seeking out).

Danny Cox Recent Live Performance

Charlie Parker S/T Archive of Folk Music Jazz Series (Everest) 1968

Charlie Parker S/T Archive of Folk Music Jazz Series (Everest) 1968 FS-214

Another yard sale budget Charlie Parker compilation find.  It'd be cool if I had some original issues, but I don't have that kind of money or patience.

This features a great selection of tunes, some of which were recorded live.  But, it all sounds like crap.  The company that put this out, Everest, did tons of these types of releases.  All of which nail down on some great tracks, but none of which sound that good.  They first centered around releasing folk, like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, but found jazz as another quick avenue for releases.  The jazz LPs get the "Jazz Series" tag.

Again, great track selections, however, most of the releases are culled from 78 RPM discs.  Not the original tapes, but the actual beat to hell 78 RPM disc that were taped, then pressed onto vinyl.  You get the crackle found on the source along with creepy ambient noise.  As stated, some tracks used here are old live recordings.  For Charlie, they just threw on recordings you can find elsewhere in better fidelity.  Further, Everest "re-channeled" everything for Stereo, which usually doesn't help anyone.  So, if you can deal with that, purchase the crap out of all these releases for a dollar.  Another issue I have with these, nothing is said about where they got these tracks from?  Outside of a "Statement of Purpose" on the back cover that explains to you it'll sound like shit, they don't notify you who played on the tunes or the original 78 disc...that's some crap archiving if you ask me.

Biggest problem I've always had though, is not the label itself, it's if you see the comps at an antique mall or a store where vinyl is not primary, the store or dealer thinks they've got something special and throw a $10 price tag on it.  There's a Volume II for Charlie Parker I've spotted a number of times, never once have I seen it a price I'd feel comfortable with.

Move

Val Stöecklein Grey Life Dot 1968

Val Stöecklein Grey Life Dot 1968 Cat#DLP 25904

I haven't talked about the Blue Things, yet.  And, I probably should prior to talking about this release.  But, I just picked it up today in a trade and wanted to get it out there.

Val Stöecklein cut this record after leaving the Blue Things.  It was supposed to be a smash, a sure thing.  If you've heard the Blue Things, you'd understand why, Byrds-esque folk rock with that country tinge you can only find in Kansas and here's the guy from that band, the songwriter.  Despite a booked tour and money behind this LP, Val refused to promote it.  Needless to say, it flopped.  Now, it is a record of debate; compared either to Skip Spence's cult favorite album, Oar or just another MOR folk album from the 60s.

Truthfully, I tend to fall towards the MOR folk.  It's pleasant at times, but it's not drug riddled and strange like a Syd Barrett or the Skip Spence album.  The second side does contain some haunting tracks that stand apart from the rest.  It just doesn't hold together well and falls apart as an album.  It seems as if Val was being pushed to move in directions he didn't want to go.  Thus the reason he never wished to promote it--probably never felt like his.

Say It's Not Over