Mrs. Miller Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits Capitol 1966

Mrs. Miller Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits Capitol 1966 CAT# T2494

I've been gifting this album to friends for several years now.  It's pretty hilarious.  It's an oddity, it's obscure, and again, it's hilarious.  How and why Capitol Records, the same label that released the Beatles, decided to put this out is somewhat of a mystery.  She's a middle aged housewife that was an Opera buff, she had taken singing lessons in the past and studied music in college, but regardless, she is an awful singer.  Despite that, she put out some self financed singles and was discovered by a Capital producer and signed.

They put this out as her debut and titled the collection of covers 'Greatest Hits.'  The players behind her are solid Capitol studio musicians and it's clear, money went into the LP.  However, producer Lex De Azevedo, the same that discovered her, took the worst vocal tracks.  The first song, "Downtown", Mrs. Miller doesn't even make it through the whole song without falling apart.  The album continues in much the same fashion, solid backing tracks, horrible vocal takes by an awful singer.

The copy pictured here was just recently gifted to a friend (don't worry, I still have my own).  After looking the album over, my friend asked me, "She's local, huh?"  I replied, "I don't think so."  He sent me the Wikipedia link and Holy Crap!  She has local ties.  She was born in Joplin, Missouri which is over 2 hours South of Kansas City and doesn't fit the goal of this blog.  However, it also indicates she grew up in both Kansas and Missouri as a child.  So, I guess she counts.  There are several other LPS and singles out there, most of which are pretty hard to locate.  After this album, the novelty of her terrible singing and humble looks had wore off.

Mrs. Miller - Downtown

James Brown Maybe I'll Understand/I Love You King

James Brown Maybe I'll Understand/I Love You King CAT # K-12594

The sickness continues.  Just picked this up, because it fits the rules of my 7" collection in my warped, vinyl damaged mind.

It's obviously good, it's James Brown.  He didn't start to suck until the 80's and even then, he didn't suck as bad as other hanger-ons.

Here's Kansas City nugget, for you.  At Mr. Brown's funeral, Kansas City, KS born and raised singer, Marva Whitney was invited to be a singer.  Like Brown, she recorded for King.  More on her later, though.

Lazy Obsession Moniker Records 2013

Lazy Obsession Moniker Records 2013 (CD released previous year) CAT #MNKK-015

Yeah, first, I'm not hip anymore and can't keep up with the new sounds in KC and Lawrence.  However, there's a guy I bumped into on the internet via Instagram that is.  He runs the blog Riot on the Plaza , doesn't write in it much anymore, but he should, he's far more up to date on newer artists than me.  You'd think I'd have met the guy locally at shows and such, but again, I'm not hip, my belly is getting fat, and my kids tire me out.  Check out his site and tell him to write more, there's a ton of stuff coming out lately and I need a good filter.

So, Lazy is cool.  KC finally has a No Wave band.  Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I'll say No Wave without the jazz influences.  They switch between guy and girl vocals and you definitely hear a Brian Eno infliction in singer Brock Potuck's delivery.  The band is also chaotic and jumpy, taking a heavy bottom and sending squalling guitars and vocals over the top.  Those two aspects lead me to the No Wave comparison.  But, I'm a pretentious old hipster and hear Sonic Youth in everything new, so take that for what's it worth.  The band is also very much on the punk rock side of things.  I can't really pigeonhole them to that genre either, though.  Too smart.  Although, they certainly have a lo-fi aesthetic and charm.

Overall, there are several great tunes here.  It plays fast at 45 RPM on 12" wax, so props for looking out for the audiophiles out there.  Based on the new locals I'm picking up here and there, part of me wishes I still had the energy to get out there to clubs and check things out more often.

Party City
Childhood Wonder (seriously, sounds like Eno singing early Poster Children, anybody with me on that?)

James Brown Mother Popcorn Parts 1 & 2 King 1969

James Brown Mother Popcorn Parts 1 & 2 King 1969 CAT # 45-6245

Record collecting is a strange hobby.  It becomes addictive because it's so easy to do..  It's so easy that most collectors begin to overwhelm themselves in the amount of vinyl they pick up.  This is especially true when you're new to the hobby.  You just start buying stuff at places like Goodwill for a dollar just because it looks interesting or you've heard of the band (never mind liking the music) just as a way to continue and grow the collection.

For me, this was especially true of 45s.  The things are cheap and easy to find.  In any pile that you find at a thrift store or a garage sale, you're bound to find some gems.  I bought the crap out of them throughout college and beyond.  In fact, I was buying boxes full without ever looking at them first.  I mean, how could you resist a plastic bag full of 50 of them at a thrift store for a couple bucks?

First problem with this method is that you end up with a lot of crap.  Second problem is that these things were played a lot.  In jukeboxes, on crappy turntables, on radio stations, when you buy a 7" from the 60's there is a really good chance it will sound like shit and completely defeat the purpose of listening to music on vinyl.  Yet another problem is that there is nothing you can do with the loads of crap you have outside of just giving it away.  If it's beat up, common, or by an artist no one cares about, no one will buy it off you.  You're stuck with it until you find a way to sell in bulk at a garage sale or on Craigslist for a super cheap price, but, that also creates a problem because who wants to feel they're ripping the next guy off, right?  If you can't do that, they all go back to a thrift store or sit in your home collecting dust.

Much of my 45 collection gotten to the collecting dust point.  I had nowhere to put all these records and there was no need to own them.  So, I made a conscious decision to dump the 45 collection.  I mean, at this point I'm pretty grown up, I have a wife and kids.  I no longer had the energy to get up off my ass every 3 minutes to flip a side, so focusing on LPs made perfect sense.  I began selling the good stuff on eBay, made a bunch of money, bought LPS with money earned.  Then, I took the good stuff with minor condition issues and posted on Craigslist, "Will trade 45s for LPS."  That worked out okay, got a few bites and thinned the collection out a little more.  The decent stuff went to stores for trade value I used to buy more LPS.

At this point came regret.  I sold and traded some really cool stuff.  The amazing LPS I picked up along the way didn't seem so amazing anymore.  I'd also held onto some stuff that was still important to me, mostly the local stuff from bands I knew in my douche bag hipster days.  I knew I was never going to have it in me to sell off the first Get Up Kids 7", so a compromise was made to thin out the collection.  The only 7"s I would hold onto would be local.  Problem solved, right?  I got rid of everything but some R.E.M. 45s (couldn't do it, like that band too much) and retained locals.  The idea was, 7" collection is done, it's complete, not buying anymore.

Well, fuck if I don't buy the shit out of local 7"s.  I mean, once I gave myself an excuse.  However, I am more focused right now on scoring 45s than I was before, so that helps keep things in check.  That is until I read a quote James Brown, Godfather of Soul, in which he stated that he lived in Kansas City for a year while his father worked in Olathe, Kansas.  Apparently, he lived on Harrison Street in KCMO when he was between the ages of 14 and 15.  So, of course, the first James Brown 45 I see after reading that quote; I bought.

I've convinced myself that because James Brown lived in Kansas City for small amount of time it fits my collection.  I mean, I'm making fun of myself for doing it, that's how absurd record collecting can be.  I'm not buying James Brown because he's a local artist.  I'm just buying James Brown 45s because he's awesome and I want to own more vinyl.

Mother Popcorn

The Get Up Kids Eudora Vagrant/Heroes & Villains 2001

The Get Up Kids Eudora Vagrant/Heroes & Villains 2001 CAT #VR357/HV010

For those not local, the album's namesake is an actual Kansas town that lies between Kansas City and Lawrence, Kansas.  It's where Red House Recording studios is located.  During the peak of the Get Up Kids popularity, the band purchased the local studio and turned it into one of the finest studios in the Midwest.  They saved it, proving once again to all naysayers, they always supported their local community and scene.

Personally, I love the compilation, can't say the same for Eudora the town as it's boring and nothing spectacular.  There is the old tale about how a Shawnee Indian named Pelathe attempted to warn Lawrence, Kansas about the infamous 1863 attack on Lawrence by Quantrill and his Raiders.  The legend goes that Pelathe overheard of the attack in Kansas City, Missouri the day before.  Quantrill was in route to Lawrence, so Pelathe would need to arrive in Lawrence before dawn.  He mounted the fastest horse he could find and began the ride.  Nearing Lawrence, the horse had run hard and by most estimates near 40 miles, the horse was staggering.  Pelathe allowed the horse to catch his breath, but knowing he could save innocent lives, he cut the horse in the leg and emptied gunpowder into the wound in attempts to spur the horse further.  The horse was able to make it a few more miles, but collapsed shortly after.  People from Eudora will tell you that Pelathe's horse died in their town.  Of course, every neighboring town to Lawrence lays the same claim.

So yeah, good story, but back to the comp.  I love these types of rarities collections, all the hard to find 7"s and one off comp appearances are presented and while not a retrospective of a band, you hear what the band actually sounded like.  The band's not so shining moments, the cover songs, and the moments of brilliance.  The proper albums by bands are generally a focused effort to impress you, these types of releases are just a collection of songs detailing a career.

I remember when the original stuff came out.  When Ryan Pope told me they were covering "Beer for Breakfast" by the Replacements I literally yelled at him and asked, "What the hell is wrong with you guys?  That song was a Replacements throw away that just showed up on stupid Best Of comps to make you giggle, why didn't you cover something good?"  The Pixies cover of  "Alec Eiffel" they did and played for days straight.  When they said they were covering a shitty Motley Crue song, I rolled my eyes, but still enjoyed the cover.  Then there's the stuff I missed; the amazingly good Cure cover and the horrible rendition of "Suffragette City" by Bowie.

The band has always been just some guys from the Kansas City area.  They weren't elitists, they were literally just some kids that discovered Fugazi, Superchunk, and Pavement in high school and made a band of it.  This collection showcases that aspect of their career and sound.

Alec Eiffel
Newfound Mass (2000)
Close to Me

Mike O' Roark and the Free Born Men How Do You Like It So Far? Big K Records

Mike O' Roark and the Free Born Men How Do You Like It So Far? Big K Records NO YEAR LISTED CAT# BK-11873

This LP was put out by Big K Records in Kansas City.  The label is a bit of unknown, likely due to the fact that there isn't as big of an interest in obscure country as there is rock n' roll, but they put out a bunch of vinyl regionally in their day.  The label focused on rural sounds in the Kansas and Missouri area and was located in Kansas City, Missouri.

This LP was typical of the label's releases.  Focused around traditional country and bluegrass.  During a time when Nashville was focusing on Countrypolitain, there were labels like Big K trying to provide people the traditional stuff.  All the players are native to the Kansas City area according to the back sleeve and even features a 15 year old on the stand up bass, Mitch O'Roark, who is obviously the band leader's younger brother.

The concern I always have for regional country is the fact that it was regional to Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma; y'know the middle states, which means a lot of this stuff can tend to be drenched in Jesus and influenced by the Ozark and Branson scenes.  Good news about this LP is it suffers only slightly from the Ozark scene.  None of that hillbilly Ozark Mountain crap though, there's no fiddle (well, truth be told, one song features it), but no spoons or washboards, just stringed instruments.  Also, there's no religion which is always a huge plus in my book (not that I mind the occasional gospel tune, but, when they start with their originals on the subject, fuck, I don't have time for that).

Overall, I'm not enough of bluegrass, old-time expert to know if this a long lost gem.  What I can say with authority is that it's rooted in traditional bluegrass and old-time music.  No original tunes by Mr. O'Roark, but he's credited for the arrangements.  It is an interesting Kansas City nugget for sure.  Also, "the Free Born Men" is clearly a reference to being from Kansas and not Missouri, right?  Points for that.

Radkey Spirals B/W N.I.G.G.A. (Not Okay) 7" Replay 2013

Radkey Spirals B/W N.I.G.G.A. (Not Okay) 7" Replay Records 2013 CAT # 007

I'm desperately trying to find things to dislike about this group.  I can't.  It's really fucking good.  Further, this 7" is put out by a bar, so can't hate on that either.

The song "Spirals" is fast, loud, it's even snotty and has a pubescent attitude.  The flip side has been discussed already.  Plus, the artwork is rad.

I don't get it, but I don't really have to, they're good.  They have a new 12" out that I haven't picked up yet.  Maybe, the kids trip up there, but I doubt it.  I still don't get all these indie releases from a band that books tours overseas.  Granted, it's fairly easy to self release now-a-days and major labels are clearly a thing of the past.  Just makes you think someone is behind this band doing the big moves and priming this band to explode nationally.

SPIRALS