Linda Rich There's More to Living Than I Know So Far Inter-Varsity Records 1969

Linda Rich There's More to Living Than I Know So Far Inter-Varsity Records 1969 CAT #LPS-03498

The cover for Linda Rich's 'There's More to Living Than I Know So Far' catches your eye with it's 60's pop-art lettering and simplicity. You turn it over, and in the upper right there's a picture of Linda Rich and she looks motherly, old even. Then you read through the back notes and it's all about Jesus and religion, now she looks like a grandma in the photo.

If you search the LP online, though, you'll find that it's sold often as "folk-psych" as well as with the Christian abbreviation, Xian. Once you listen to it, the "folk psych" thing is just hype, it's folk, but as psych as the weakest Moody Blues song. It's certainly religious, but you can figure out why there's a demand for the LP. It's well-done femme folk from the late 60's. Linda Rich's back photo must just be a bad angle, because her voice doesn't sound like an older woman, she sounds youthful. The album is Linda Rich, her guitar, and backing musicians that do their best to bring about a hippie-inspired dream session. If you can get past all the Jesus, it's a pretty solid LP. The reissue label Numero Group even featured the track "Sunlight Shadow" on a recent compilation.

The back cover gives some clues to Linda Rich, she played around colleges for Christian youth groups throughout the Midwest and apparently an awful lot in Colorado. She was from Augusta, Kansas, which is a small town about 30 minutes East of Wichita. Other than that, she did another obscure LP and it appears she was a recent college grad or current student at the time of this release in 1969.

Sunlight, Shadow

Rodney Lay Coffeyville at 100 B/W The Ballad of Dalton Raid Layork Publishing 1969

Rodney Lay Coffeyville at 100 B/W The Ballad of the Dalton Raid Layork Publishing 1969 CAT# CS 196

This is an odd 7” celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of the founding of Coffeyville, KS. Which, despite Coffeyville’s near nowhere status, has a fairly substantial history…whether a souvenir 7” was needed is up for debate, but there are some interesting stories to tell.

Rodney Lay, a Coffeyville native, attempts to tell a few of those stories. Lay was Coffeyville native who became a regional hit as a DJ. That led him to a tour with the famed Wanda Jackson in the 60’s. He also landed a small role in the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid which starred Kris Kristofferson. From there, he began working as the band director for country artist, Roy Clark, and fronting his own band. He did help to pen a few country tunes scattered throughout the Nashville scene and score some minor hits of his own throughout the 80s.

His tribute to Coffeyville is a bit amateur, though. “Coffeyville at 100,” could have talked about the town’s rich history, but rather, it’s just Lay rattling off what happened at the centennial celebration week. The flip side, “The Ballad of the Dalton Raid”, is cowboy-style, story song singing the history of how the Dalton’s were stopped in Coffeyville by the authorities. The same story is discussed in an Eagles song, “Doolin’ Dalton.” No matter what song you select, great story with legend advising it wasn't just the authorities that stopped the Daltons, but the settlers of Coffeyville took the matter into their own hands, laying 4 of the Dalton’s down, but miraculously, with  23 gunshot wounds, Emmett Dalton survived and was charged for his crimes.

Ballad of the Dalton Raid

Brewer and Shipley Weeds Kama Sutra 1969

Brewer and Shipley Weeds Kama Sutra 1969 CAT# KSBS 2016

Man, if there's anything writing a blog about random ass music can teach you, it's don't sleep on anything. Outside of the one hit, I never bothered to listen to Brewer & Shipley. But, these Kansas City transplants did some solid work. Surrounded themselves with great talent and wrote some pretty great folk rock.

Weeds isn't a masterpiece, but it's probably more overlooked than it should be. Their tunes are clever and smart. The first track mentions how you get stoned and listen to Music From the Big Pink by the Band. There's a clever cover of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", albeit a bit too expected for the type of sound these guys were laying down. They're apparently huge stoners and it shows in their albums as they weren't afraid to experiment with their sound. It's also apparent as members of the Grateful Dead appear on the album as well as the likes of Mike Bloomfield.

Overall, it's quality stoner, country-rock. In the ballpark with Grateful Dead albums like Workingman's and American Beauty. Promise you, none of the 10 minute drum solos, those two Dead albums are pretty low-key affairs.

Lady Like You

Garry Mac and the Mac Truque Truqued Up Alive in Concert Capitol 1969

Garry Mac and the Mac Truque Truqued Up Alive in Concert Capitol 1969 CAT# ST 275

This album is an interesting Kansas City nugget.  Five white Kansas City teens cranking out sweaty, blue-eyed soul and funk.  And when I say funk, I'm serious, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, they dug a lot deeper than Motown.  The band played around locally in clubs and venues, obviously banging out numerous soul sides with enough energy to gain the attention of the majors.  Capitol's signing of the band was an obvious response to the popularity of acts like Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and other sweaty frat rockers.  If there's a good comparison for Garry Mac, it is Mitch Ryder.  That said, the Mac Truque is made to sound like the Detroit Wheels-lite.

The album claims to be "live", but it's pretty apparent upon listening there's quite a few edits.  There's some clear "crowd" applause placement, but overall, the actual tunes do sound live due to the rawness of them.  The backside claims that the band were all multi-instrumentalist, changing from brass, to guitars throughout the show.  Problem with the "live" aspect is that there'd have to be more guys on the stage at certain points in the album.  It was a definite album gimmick (also, likely cost effective for Capitol) and it didn't appear to benefit this KC band, the rawness of it may have been lost on the mainstream and the crowd applause throughout wasn't going to help get radio play.

What Capitol should have done is take these kids down to Nashville and blast out these covers with some pros.  Could have sounded raw and slick simultaneously, then the band could have performed live, switching all their instruments as their gimmick.  I mean it wasn't like the Detroit Wheels were the only players on those Mitch Ryder albums, Capital could have made this band but clearly failed.

Of course, this was 1969 and maybe Capitol gave up long before releasing the album.  Sweaty, white-guy, soul work outs had run their course by 1969 and perhaps Capitol sat on the band too long after signing them.  I'm just picturing an A&R guy finally going to a record executive and saying, "Hey, man, what are we doing with the Mac Truque."  To which the exec. said, "Hmmm, forgot about them.  That music is 'out'.  Tell you what, take some live recordings, get them to a producer, put in some over-dubs and crowd effects and see what happens.  I don't want to put a bunch of money into it, if it hits it hits, otherwise send them packing."  Well, obviously, it never hit or went anywhere and Garry Mac faded into relative obscurity.

Thus, it's now regulated to a Kansas City nugget.  A few collectors out there are interested in this type of thing for sure, but outside of that, pretty obscure.  The band's highlights are their workouts of James Brown covers.  If there's a white guy who can screech like Brown but still come off blue-eyed, it's Garry Mac...weird right?  They blast through "Cold Sweat," "I Got the Feelin", and "Licking Stick".  Another definite highlight is Isaac Hayes' "I Want to Thank You."  Granted, these are odd covers for a group of white guys to be doing...but, they are able to pull it off without any sort of disaster.

The band, or members, or at least Garry Mac are still performing as a high dollar wedding act.  Apparently putting out an album for Capitol in the late-60's still holds some weight in the wedding circuit.  They gained an additonal 5 minutes of fame when they were booked to play a wedding in Omaha, NE for Warren Buffet's granddaughter.  That's a pretty big ticket, but it's newsworthy because Bono (yes, that Bono) joined the band to sing "Stand By Me."  The story goes that right after the performance, Bono disappeared and never offered to chat or sign anything for the band.  That final part of the story is because Bono is a huge dickhead, but whatever, I'm sure the band members would keep it classy and never say such a thing.

Honky Tonk
Bono and the Wedding Band

Center North Music Department Century Records 1969

Center North Music Department Century Records 1969

I got too many of these types of LPs...a while back, DJ Shadow did some cool stuff with high school and college band/vocal LPs like this, so I started picking them up when I saw them thinking I'd strike gold.

For the most part, they are all typically the same.  Loads of crap that no one needs to hear with moments of brilliance here and there.  Most of them feature insanely Christian Gospell songs.  Which, I'm not saying is bad, but, it's just amusing that in the 60's and 70's it was expected to sing overtly religious songs in school.  Today, if a music teacher even attempts it, things go South fast and before you know it, Fox News is doing story on your school.

Center North is a Kansas City, Missouri High School.  The first side is vocal, religious and pretty boring.  The Association's "Windy" is pleasant, but meh.  The B-Side is far better, but still, meh.  They run through another version of "Windy", the Beatles' "Yesterday", and the "Mission Impossible Theme" is neat, so the fact that the kids were allowed to do some pop hits makes it kind of fun.  However, it isn't professional and the amateur aspect of the players doesn't make this time any more endearing, I bet the parents loved the LP, though.

Mystic Number National Bank Self Titled Command/ABC/Probe 1969

Mystic Number National Bank Self Titled Command/ABC/Probe 1969 CAT# CPLPS 4501

Oddly obscure Kansas City heavy psych band.  Very blues based, riding in on the style of Cream, with tons of pedals and effects to make up for the fact that they didn't feature the same level of talent.  Apparently, outside of some super obscure local 7"s, this is the entire output of the band.

Kind of head stractcher.  The whole package is strange.  It was put out by ABC's Command label which was mainly an output label for Enoch Light and released tons of easy listening and lounge albums throughout the 60's.  The label was heavily focused on recording techniques which might explain a the absurd amount of studio effects used on this album.  They weren't really known to release rock records.  They were also thrown on ABC's Probe label, which was focused on International success and progressive groups.  The gatefold LP also has a die-cut feature in which you can open up the vault to see the band.  Overall, it just seems like a lot of money to dump into a debut LP.

The inner gatefold does have some liner notes written by John Arnoldy of the band.  He says what everyone knows about the Kansas City area growing up, "Childhood was boring."  But, there's a brief KC history of the band, some members joined the army and others attended the Kansas City Art Institute until the band was signed and tried out San Francisco.  But, outside of that, there's not a lot of info out there on this band.

The album isn't bad.  It isn't great either.  Between 1969 and say, 1971, there was a ton of bands doing this sound.  The LP hasn't gone unnoticed, there was a German reissue done and people champion some of the tunes that are into obscure heavy blues rock from this era.  However, the production isn't as raw and threw in some horn arrangements as likely bid for radio play.  It doesn't blow you away with heavy psych sounds.  There is a few tunes though that are worth checking out, namely "Beautician Blues."  Apparently the lead singer, Glenn Walters stuck around in San Fran, gigged in some other bands and made a career singing for commercials and movie soundtracks.

Blues So Bad & Beautician Blues

The Seminary Four with Paul Orjala Songs From Your Seminary 1968(?)

The Seminary Four with Paul Orjala Songs From Your Seminary 1968(?) CAT# SI-289

Yeah, so this was in a box of records I purchased.  It's pretty awful.  It's an album put out by the Nazarene Theological Seminary of Kansas City.  It features the "Seminary Four" and the seminary's musical director on piano for accompaniment, that's it.  Four really white dudes, who are kind of good singers, doing old spirituals.  It's as white as you can imagine.

Just makes me question what was the purpose of this?  The title indicates it's "Songs From Your Seminary," so was it provided to those studying at the seminary?  Did they have to purchase it with their books?  Why did they need a record to learn the songs?  Couldn't the music director, Paul Orjala, have taught them as part of his job?  Just confusing and weird...and bad, really bad.

Marva Whitney Live and Lowdown at the Apollo King 1969

Marva Whitney Live and Lowdown at the Apollo King 1969 KS 1079

I never thought I'd own an original copy of this LP.  In fact, the reissue of this LP was on the short list to be purchased.  Nevertheless, I stumbled across an original copy with a beat up cover (but, hey, the vinyl is in VG+ condition).  Since I've spent a number of post gushing about Kansas City Soul Sister #1, Marva Whiteny, I thought I'd discuss the epic dig that brought this album to me.

First, I don't really eat lunch, I spend my lunch hour at thrift stores looking through LPs and various other things.  I don't have much of a disposable income so I rarely venture into anything other than thrift stores, but about a week ago I happened upon Vintage Stock on Shawnee Mission Parkway in Shawnee, KS.  If you haven't been to a Vintage Stock, it's not a great place to look for records, they are primarily focused on video games and DVDs.  Each store has a rack of used LPs, they don't give people much for the used albums and I don't think that people with a pile of old LPs would even know the stores existed and buy LPs.  I've found great stuff at their stores, usually because they had no idea what they were selling.  However, they don't grade LPs and usually over price albums by well known groups.

Anyway, the only reason I walked into the store was because I had to go to the nearby grocery store to buy some bagels for my kids' lunches.  I ventured in due to the proximity and looked at the 100 or so albums and was surprised to see an impressive Alice Cooper and Frank Zappa selection.  The Cooper was all the early stuff, you know, Alice Cooper when it was still a band with a singer named Vincent Furnier, and the Zappa was a virtually every Mother's album with the exception of the first.  They were all marked $6.99 and all the covers were beat to hell.  Had they been in good shape or just a $1, I may have rounded out my early Cooper catalog and may have picked up some Zappa despite that I'm not really a fan.  But, I left the store without making a purchase.

My dad however is a huge Zappa fan.  Or least he is right now.  I gave him a record player a year or ago and since then, he's been buying all sorts of albums.  Zappa is his current obsession.  So I called him on the way to the grocery store and said he needed to check out all this Zappa.  He asked, "What albums are there?"  I said, "I told you, everything but the first Mother's LP, I'm not kidding, it's pretty incredible that someone sold it all to Vintage Stock."  He said he'd check it out.

That was on a Wednesday and by the weekend my dad still hadn't checked the store out.  I don't know why but I kept bugging him about it.  I think I just wanted someone else to discuss the strangeness of a video game store bringing in a large Zappa collection, even with conditions issues, I thought it strange that someone would have took it there for trade-in or cash.

By Sunday, I had kind of gave up on my dad going.  However, I was cruising on Shawnee Mission Parkway with my youngest son hitting up my favorite thrift store and thought about it again.  I texted my dad, who surprisingly called me right away.  Immediately he started telling me how weird it was and asked if I had seen the stuff behind the counter.  I had not.  I asked what was behind the counter and my dad began to tell me a bunch of high priced reggae albums and jazz.  He also explained that the guy working there had made the purchase when a guy came in with a box of records and asked for a $100 even.  When the kid saw the Frank Zappa, he agreed and paid the guy what he wanted.

I hung up the phone and thought I should go check out the stuff behind the counter.  Again, I really don't have a disposable income for records, so chances are no purchase would be made as most behind the counter records at Vintage Stock are at least $20.  Since I was close, I went.  The records were still up on the counter and not back in the case from when my dad had been there and started looking through them.  $200 valued Big Youth reggae album, $100 to $200 valued Alice Coltrane and John Coltrane albums, Cro-Mags on ESP, and some other assorted rarities all for between $20 and $40.  This was interesting, but most of the covers were pretty tore up and there wasn't anything I had to have.  Further, due to condition and prices, there wasn't anything I would have felt comfortable trying to flip on eBay.

While I was there, I decided to look over the rack a second time.  I had thought it'd be the same stuff I saw the last time.  This is when shit got weird.  I started looking through the rack and freaking out.  Meters' albums for $10, more rare reggae for $10, free jazz, obscure jazz rock, there was no way one person should have owned this many rare records and treated them so poorly, the covers were tore up, but fuck, at these prices it was well worth it to pick up.  As I was putting together a pile, I texted an old friend, "Call me."  I continued looking and started seeing even better prices on more insanely rare albums.  Called my friend and got no answer.  Continued amassing a large pile of records to look through and check condition when I came across an original copy of Mara Whitney's Live and Lowdown at the Apollo.  Out loud, in front of my two year old son, a lady looking at clearance DVDS, and the store employees I loudly said, "Holy shit!"  Then I apologized and mumbled, "I really need this album, sorry."  $4.99 they had it priced, $4.99!  For an album that in VG shape you're going to spend over a $100 for the original item, this was a steal despite cover condition..

Carefully, I inspected the LP and it was so clean, just a few scuff marks from storage, nothing deep, nothing that would affect playback.  I carefully put the album on top of my pile and took a quick a photo, I sent this photo to my friend that I had been trying to reach.  After the photo sent, he called immediately.

I was stuttering I was so excited about all this when I said to him, "Dude, you need to get to KC, this is absurd."
"Where are you?" he replied.
"Vintage Stock on, on, on.  Uh.  You know, that place I hit up on lunch, Shawnee Mission."
"Oh, yeah, I'm actually in KC, what's there."
"That Marva Whitney album I sent you.  Rare reggae, Augustus Pablo, Jazz, Alice Coltran, John Coltrane, it's just stupid."
"Okay," he said.
"Dude, I think I could spend like $200 and be happy about it."  I said.
"Alright, I might go up there."

We hung up and continued the dig.  After finding this Marva Whitney LP, I wasn't too concerned about a whole lot, if I only walked away with just this, it'd still be an epic trip.  I gathered everything up and immediately started dropping out anything over $5.  I got some rare jazz-rock, funk type stuff I'd be happy with at reasonable prices.  Then grabbed every .99 album realizing that it had to be worth it just based on the collection I was looking at.  Tossing back the Meters, a King Tubby album, and the Augustus Pablo hurt quite a bit, but believe me, I'm perfectly happy with stack of albums I did buy for $20.

I got out of the store, put my kid in his car seat and lit a cigarette up outside the car (it was that intense) and called the old man.

"Dad, seriously, what did you get?  That was insane, that stuff was not out there when I told you to check it out."
"Uh, a few Zappa albums and some James Brown."
"You missed Marva Whitney, the stuff there was insane, you should have took some flyers on a few, you wouldn't have been upset.  That collection should not be there."

Finished that conversation and then my friend called me.

"Did you go?"  I asked.
"Well, what did you find?"  He asked.
I went through some of the titles and he said, "Okay, I'm going."  Later, I got a text from him saying simply, "Thanks."

Since then, a few others have been.  All of them asking whoever sent them, "How could you pass on this?!"  And each of us saying, "I had to stop at some point, I could have spent hundreds of dollars on rare albums with bad covers, but I had to cut it off at some point.  Don't worry about me I got good stuff."  We've even had debates on how such an amazing collection, with such amazing taste, ended up at a store that focuses on video games.  The best we have come up with was they were from someone's estate who passed or a storage locker buy out.  Just absurd to see and will likely be the most epic dig of 2014.

Marva's rendition of a classic, "Respect"

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

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

University of Kansas Band I'm A Jayhawk Audio House 1969

University of Kansas Band "I'm A Jayhawk" Audio House 1969 (?) CAT# AHS5470

Pretty much exactly what it says, KU Band doing some songs with the addition of the KU choir.  People around here try and get at least $20 out of this (or the Mizzou or K-State counterparts), but you can find it relatively cheap.  I'm sure if you found it out of state, the right person might give it to you free.

It's fun and all, but it's band music.  The KU Band does the fight song, some other stuff, throws in Home on the Range for state pride, but I wouldn't recommend it for the tunes.

It is cool for the label.  The Audio House label was a local label out of Lawrence, KS.  Founded in 1963, they used to exclusively release stuff like this.  You can find a bunch of high school choir albums around town.  Coincidentally, they also recorded the Count Basie KC Jazz LP I last talked about.  Now-a-days, they provide lightening and stuff for events.  I think the recording days to the extent they used to do this are long gone, but they'll still put you on CD if you are so inclined.

Audio House