Various Artists The Best of Twin Lakes '72 Vermillion Enterprises 1972

Various Artists The Best of Twin Lakes '72 Vermillion Enterprises 1972 CAT #VES-4004A

There's an intro to this record, a female voice over that advises how cool the Twin Lakes Night Club as it features artists such as Anybody's Guess, Sidra and the Performers, the Chadons, and the Music Tree, it leads you to believe that the Twin Lakes Night Club in Wichita, Kansas had more to offer, but, judging by this album, that was it. Those are the only four performers on the compilation.

Lounge records from the 70's can be pretty entertaining, but this ins't offering anything that really jumps out. Occasionally the lounge bands cover a psych track that goes crazy or is just amazing in it's amateurishness. Or, you get a huge drum break that kids like to sample. This LP doesn't have either of those things.

It's still "groovy" to hit on the feel of 1972, like swinging bachelor type stuff. A vibe probably better suited for 1969, but things take a while to get to Wichita, KS. Sidra and the Performers are mildly psychedelic. The band Anybody's Guess does things rather lo-fi and is fairly groovy on their tracks, putting their version of Mel Tillis' "Ruby" on a mixtape or CD wouldn't be out of the question. The rest is mostly miss, nothing unbearable mind you, but no real standouts...The Chadons actually border on awful.

The Exceptions Simply Us Private Unknown Year

The Exceptions Simply Us Private Unknown Year CAT# NR5232

Guessing by the sepia toned cover this came out in the late-70's, the sounds are about right.  There's an absurd amount of similar private albums nationwide for this type of thing.  Regionally successful bar bands, that were proficient players who just never found a specific style.  Regardless, they'd put out a collection of original material for fans and hoping someone would take notice.  The Exceptions fit this bill and hailed from Topeka, Kansas.

Virtually no one noticed.  These 70's variety private albums all seem to suffer from the same thing; no focus.  Sure, there are moments of cool guitar riffs, promises of some of some drum breaks, but it's mixed throughout and moves away too quickly.  Between wishy-washy piano-laced ballads, the Exceptions occasionally find a sun-laced 70's vibe with some bottom to it, but it stays really pop-based and never gets dirty.  There's also some out-place prog-influenced keyboards throughout, but again, it's just thrown in and doesn't ever find it's place.

The band has another release which still occasionally grabs a fair amount on eBay and such.  This one, not so much.  The band apparently still plays in Topeka as a variety review band, makes sense.  They are proficient enough to tackle all genres, just couldn't find one of their own based on this LP.

A Much Older Version of the Exceptions

The Boos Brothers Not Since I Found You Quantum Records 1976

The Boos Brothers Not Since I Found You Quantum Records 1976 CAT #LRS05002A

This is pretty awful.  The Boos Brothers are four Kansas City brothers and "their superb drummer, Paul Walter," (the blond kid on the cover).  It's amateur hour and when they take on a Don Boos original; oh, fuck!  Talk about some sappy, teenage, crap.  Judging by the cover, Don Boos is the oldest of the brothers and he had to be penning these tunes to get laid in high school.  I mean this is 1976 and he's crooning in an off key voice like a lounge version of Paul Anka (they cover his tune, "My Way").  It's like the kid only had his parents easy listening albums to draw inspiration from (I mean they do a "Glenn Miller Medley", really, what teenager was into Glenn Miller, ever?).  Either way, I hope his sad bastard music got him the girl, maybe they got married, the album would totally be worth it if that were the case.

When the Boos take on some covers, there are some inspired, but terribly off-key moments.  I can only

assume the reason for the amateur style of play is because the kids were doing it themselves.  The cover would make you think vocal act, but the backing musicians are so terrible, the only explanation is that the organ, guitar, and bass are being played by the Boos (and their superb drummer, Paul Walter).  The first song, a cover of "I Can Sing/I Can Dance," has this moment when they kick the keyboard setting from organ to space age laser sounds and it just goes off.  There's no way any hired hand, wedding band player, came up with that moment of pure insanity, that's just a kid thinking he struck gold (and in a way, he did, it's the best moment of the album).

Blog Post featuring another take and some tracks, read the blog, it's great.

Brent Steeper Audience Brent Streeper Productions

Brent Steeper Audience Brent Streeper Productions 1980 CAT#38376

First, this guy isn't a Kansas City, guy.  He's from Oklahoma Montana.  The production and recording were all done in Kansas City and I picked it up thinking it was completely local.  When I discovered it wasn't, I tried to pawn it off on eBay, it was sealed and is private press, so I figured why not.  I had a reasonable price on it, left it up for 60 days.  No one so much as sniffed at the thing and I finally gave up.

Thought I'd make the best of it and talk about it here.  Streeper did surround himself with Kansas City guys that showed up a lot in local music in the late 70's and 80's.  Namely Ron Ubel, who did a lot of engineering work around town.

I'm not sure why the LP exists, though.  It's a private press through and through, doesn't even attempt to hide it and make up a fake label name.  It had to cost a good amount of change to put it out, pay the production team, rent the studio, but, I don' think the artwork set him back much.  That is a hefty investment for a piano lounge set of all cover tunes.  But, for all I know, the guy could have been a huge draw back home in Oklahoma Montana and sold out of the few hundred that were pressed.

The music isn't cheese ball lounge like it appears to be, it's literally just Streeper singing and playing piano.  Everything sounds fine, in fact it sounds live and Streeper's Facebook page confirms he just sat down and played live in studio.  That's tough to do; props to that.  But still, it's just a guy rattling off pop covers on a piano.  He's no Billy Joel, because Billy Joel wrote songs.  He also does stuff like "The Rose", that's just something dudes don't need to touch.

Streeper Doing Sinatra Modern Day
A Facebook Page for this album

Kay Dennis S/T Pearce Records 1969

Kay Dennis S/T Pearce Records 1969 CAT #H-1118

This is cute.  It's Kansas City lounge from the late 60's, so it is mixed with moments of Playboy jazz, rock, and to an extent, psych.  The cover is incredibly stylistic for Kansas City, the mod art is well done, the colors pop, it looks amazing.  It was recorded in the Cavern Studios outside of Kansas City which was an actual underground cave.  It was a large, natural, open studio so everything recorded there sounds live.  The recording is top notch, the players are capable and play well together, overall, it's a surprisingly well done package.

The LP itself has developed a collector's market around it.  It's been discovered in two scenes, beat junkies and people exploring the world of private press LPS.  There are some pretty absurd drum breaks, a goofy outro on a 7 minute rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire," Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" has some jazzy breaks that would make a good samples, and there is a huge dance floor scorcher on Burt Bacharach's "Walk On By".  The Private Press guys are always stoked on quality and the LP does have that.  Most covers on the LP are enjoyable due to the players.  Kay Dennis' vocals are unique.  She's got a very childish tone and recalls 1950's white, female jazz vocalists, it's very endearing.  However, it should be noted that these Private Press guys might be disappointed to find out Pearce Records was a small, regional label that released other Kansas City artists.

However, despite all these attributes, it's still a lounge album and there's a reason Kay Dennis wasn't performing far outside of Kansas City.  Every song is a cover and doesn't stray far from the originals.   The rarity of the LP and it's good moments cloud the vision of collectors.  You can read the reviews of the LP online and most will praise it's attributes, but if you get past the highlights, there's no reason for a 7 minute rendition of "Light My Fire". The hit versions of songs like "What the World Needs Now," was all anybody ever needed.  And, nobody in the history of music ever needed lounge act version of the "Impossible Dream."

Sunny

Dan Sturdevant Band Tyrannosaurus Rex B/W Ol' Man River Private Press Release 1979

Dan Sturdevant Band Tyrannosaurus Rex B/W Ol' Man River Private Press Release 1979 No Cat #


I'm not sure why this exists?  The lyrics to Tyrannosaurus Rex seem to be a shot at dependency on oil.  It was put out in 1979, the U.S. Gas Crisis was several years before this was released, so that's not the answer.  You can try the lyrics, but they are as cryptic as a 14 year old girl on Facebook.  There's also a possible explanation on the back side following the lyrics stating; "Of course, Tyrannosaurus Rex's remains make up a very small part of the biomass in creating oil--and who knows if, in the apparently natural evolutionary design, man will be superceded by "three legged creatures"?"  What?  What the fuck is Dan Strurdevant referring to?


Regardless, it's local.  Recorded in KCMO.  It's awful.  Kind of lounge-y, but not over the top enough.  It seems as if everybody was trying really hard to create a fun, laugh along song.  Problem, the song is awful and it's not funny.  The B-Side is a cover of Ol' Man River.  It's awful, too.  You figure it's because how do you follow such a killer A-Side, right?  More likely, the guy just thought his idea had to see the light of day, he didn't have any other songs to offer but had to get the one he did out there as soon as possible.

***Afterthought, did some research, Mr. Sturdevant, does a lounge act in KC and still pens some tunes from time to time.

Lounge
Eh, a Christmas song about KC

The Coctails Here Now Today Hi-Ball 1991

 The Coctails Here Now Today Hi-Ball 1991 Cat # RLP 12-312

The second self released Coctails LP isn't as fun as the first.  The back cover in all it's cheesy late 50's goodness reads that this is the Chicago Coctails, dudes from KC, MO now in Chicago.  Reviews and history present this LP as material recorded while the band was still students at the Kansas City Art Institute.

Listening to it, it's pretty obvious it's from the same era as the first LP if not the same sessions.  The back liner indicate the same in that they used the same 2 track recorder.  But yeah, this is the Chicago Coctails.  The guys that are on the verge of inventing Lounge-core.  To mention again, the Hi-Ball stuff

isn't the same as the later day uber-hip Coctails, it's a low key jazz affair.

What I think these tracks represent are the Kansas City stuff not originally intended for release.  I'm assuming once in Chicago and playing shows, demand for LPS grew.  They likely threw this LP together with stuff already recorded just to have something new at shows to sell.  Lots of ideas rather than fleshed out tunes.  A couple tunes under 2 minutes.  A lot of developed structures that you can tell are missing the lyrics due to the vocal qualities of the arrangements.

It's still a fun LP.  And, far more rooted in jazz than the previous effort.  Just has a rushed, unfinished feel throughout.