Today's Vinyl Spin - SHNAZZ on LP in 2021

 

I Want To Jump on Your Bones

#TBT Thursday - Today's Vinyl Spin - SHNAZZ - "I Think We're Alone Now" - they were a local band that was on the verge of a national breakout. The cover of the old Tommy James & the Shondells hit got a bunch of radio airplay in 1980. The album had a bunch of party rockin' songs including "Bad Boys", "I Want to Jump on Your Bones", "Can You Still Come Back" and the instrumental, "Pignose Under Glass". The record was never issued in a digital format. It came out in a standard LP and cassette. "I Think We're Alone Now" b/w "Bad Boys" was also issued as a single 45, which I also have in my collection.

The members of Shnazz included  Fritz "The Fritz" Hasenpusch on vocals/harmonica, Frank Kam on guitar/vocals, Roger Holland on bass/vocals, Art Galvan on drums, vocals, percussion, and Vernon Sakata on guitar, vocals.

I was lucky enough to see them perform for free at King's Alley in Waikiki back in either 1980 or 1981. I read years ago that around 1981 they were signed to a major record label and were supposed to release a follow-up to this record. It never happened.

Here is a clip of them doing "I Want to Jump on Your Bones" and "I Think We're Alone Now."

Today's Vinyl Spin: MUSIC POWER 22 Original Hits 22 Original Stars & Artists!

 #TBT Throwback Thursday

(cue screaming DJ and music):

K-Tel presents MUSIC POWER - 22 ORIGINAL HITS 22 ORIGINAL ARTISTS

The latest hits from 1974 and earlier are on this wonderful single record LP including "Smoking in the Boys Room" by Brownsville Station, "Rockin Roll Baby" by The Stylistics and "Keeper of the Castle" by The Four Tops.

Who can forget the wonderful hits "Oh Girl" by The Chi-Lites, "Pretty Lady" by Lighthouse or the always classic "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray?

These songs and many more are on this obsolete K-Tel collection of unforgettable hits and vinyl obscurities, yours to find at your nearest thrift shop or used record store if you're lucky!

Remember all the grooves are squeezed close together with many of the tracks severely edited for time constraints of the vinyl record format.

Hunt for your own copy of MUSIC POWER online or in your city or town today! ONLY FROM K-TEL.

See photos for complete track list. (fade music out)

Disclaimer: No Ginsu knives available with this offer.

Editor's Note: I bought this record album for only a dollar at our local thrift shop. I always wanted to own at least one K-Tel album, despite the dubious song edits and lousy sound.

52 Years Ago: July 20, 1969 - Apollo 11 Moon Landing - Historic Record

Today's Vinyl Spin: No Music Just Talk - Relive History

July 20, 1969 - Record Album - "One Small Step"
Narrated by Dr. Wernher von Braun and Chet Huntley

This post is about a record that has no music.

Where were you on July 20, 1969? I along with millions of other people were glued to our TV set watching astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin become the first two people to step on the surface of the moon. The Apollo 11 mission successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to fulfill President John F. Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the surface of the moon and returning him safely back to Earth. While Armstrong and Aldrin spent several hours on the moon, command module pilot Michael Collins orbited overhead and was there when the lunar module rejoined the Apollo spacecraft to make the safe journey home.

This record issued by RCA Red Seal in 1969 features the narration and commentary by NBC's Chet Huntley and Dr. Werhner von Braun, rocket scientist for NASA on every major phase of the Apollo 11 moon mission. The record also features the recorded voices of the astronauts as they commented on their historic journey including the famous "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" comment. Cool stuff if you remember it all from 1969.

There would be five more successful manned moon landings through the Apollo program that lasted until 1972. After that, no other human far has stepped on the moon.

Apollo 11 brought great pride to the United States at a time when we needed more patriotism and unity to come together as a country amid much turmoil that surrounded the year.
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The record is in playable condition. I run it through every few years.

Listen to the record at the link below:

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Today's Vinyl Spin: Blood Sweat & Tears

 Enter Blood Sweat & Tears (2nd album)

Several years ago I picked up this album by Blood Sweat & Tears. It is the second album by the brassy rock band with a serious mix of jazz thrown in. I consider Blood Sweat & Tears as the second most popular brass accented rock band only to Chicago (earlier knwon as Chicago Transit Authority). This album was released in December 1968 and became a best selling album in 1969 topping the Billboard Top 200 album charts.

At that time Blood Sweat & Tears consisted of the following members:

David Clayton Thomas - Lead vocals

Steve Katz - vocals, guitar

Jim Felder - bass

Dick Halligan - organ, piano, flute, trombone, vocals

Fred Lipsius - piano, alto saxophone

Lew Soloff - trumpet, flugelhorn

Chuck Winfield - trumpet, flugelhorn

Alan Rubin - trumpet on "Spinning Wheel"

Jerry Hyman - trumpet, recorder

Bobby Colomby - drums, percussion, vocals

Several tracks became top 40 hits in 1969 and 1970. From the track list below, their peak chart positions on the Billboard Hot 100 are indicated in parenthesis. Those three hits are my favorites from the album in addition to "More and More".

Side A

1. Variations on a Theme

2. Smiling Phases

3. Sometimes in Winter

4. More and More

5. And When I Die (2)

6. God Bless the Child

Side B

7. Spinning Wheel (2 - Hot 100 1 - AC)

8. You've Made Me So Very Happy (2)

9. Blues – Part II - Interpolating "Sunshine of Your Love", "Spoonful" and "Somethin' Goin' On"

10. Variations on a Theme

The vinyl record itself is in good, playable condition and features the red Columbia eyeball logo theme. The record jacket is in fair condition and features a gatefold that is not shown in this post.

Blood Sweat & Tears have a long history of album releases, concert shows, and membership changes. In fact over the years, the membership in the band has changed more than 150 times. You can look it up in Wikipedia.

If you ever have a chance to pick up this album, get it whether it be on LP, CD or a stream.

Audio: Spinning Wheel (1969 single)
Audio: You Made Me So Very Happy (1969)

Audio: And When I Die (1969 single)

Today's Vinyl Re-Spin: Fleetwood Mac's 1975 Album

Today's Vinyl Spin goes back to the very successful Fleetwood Mac line-up of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckinghman, John McVie, Christine McVie and Mick Fleetwood. Fleetwood Mac is the first album to feature the then new line-up of the group.

Fleetwood Mac enjoyed moderate success as a blues band and a mainstream rock group with numerous membership changes. In 1974 after former lead singer and guitarist Bob Welch left the group, the duo of Buckingham-Nicks were recruited to take his place. The two new members proved to be the best thing that happened to Fleetwood Mac in terms of a new music direction and commercial success.

The band paved its way to becoming a major concert draw with Stevie, Lindsey and Christine showcasing various songs while McVie and Fleetwood provided a solid foundation. It is one of the few bands that I personally saw in concert not once, but twice.

Their debut album Fleetwood Mac with the new line-up slowly crawled to the #1 position on the charts by 1976 while its singles garnered more and more radio airplay. These included "Over My Head", "Rhiannon," "Say You Love Me," and "Blue Letter". "Landslide" also became a hit after Fleetwood Mac recorded it again for their 1997 live album, The Dance.

I was first introduced to this album by an old college friend back in the day. I always knew of Fleetwood Mac but never paid much attention to them. I had only one track of theirs in my record collection which was "Stop Messin' Around" that appeared on a compilation LP. I later liked the song "Hypnotized" after hearing it on the radio. Was not enough for me to buy their records at the time (I was a starving high school student when this stuff first came out)....

Over the years I have owned 2 vinyl copies of Fleetwood Mac as well as 2 CDs of this. Made at least two cassette tapes off the vinyl and later the CD for portability before the digital age.

Fleetwood Mac is definitely one of my favorite albums of all time by them. It's an enjoyable, refreshing listen whenever I give it a spin.

The back cover of Fleetwood Mac with track list, group members Nicks, Fleetwood, McVie, Buckingham and McVie.

Fleetwood Mac would be the last of their albums to show up on the Reprise label.

Track List

Side 1

1. Monday Morning
2. Warm Ways
3. Blue Letter
4. Rhiannon
5. Over My Head
6. Crystal

Side 2

1. Say You Love Me
2. Landslide
3. World Turning
4. Sugar Daddy
5. I'm So Afraid

"Rhiannon" was one of 4 singles released from the album. All 4 singles have different mixes from the versions on the album. When Fleetwood Mac was issued in a special edition CD in 2004, the single tracks were included as bonus material. Nice move on Warner / Reprise's part.

"Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac....

Today's Vinyl Spin - "Carney" by Leon Russell

On the turntable today: Leon Russell's Carney - Shelter Records, 1972. This is a great album featuring the tracks "Tightrope", "Out in the Woods," "Roller Derby," and the original version of "This Masquerade" which became a hit later for George Benson. Strangest track? "Acid Annapolis". Russell must have been on something!

This is an enjoyable, casual period piece to listen to if you just want some music to kick back to with a carnival like twang.

Track List

Side 1:

1. Tight Rope – 2:59
2. Out in the Woods – 3:35
3. Me and Baby Jane – 3:52
4. Manhattan Island Serenade – 3:25
5. Cajun Love Song – 3:08
6. Roller Derby – 2:22

Side 2:

7. Carney – :47
8. Acid Annapolis – 2:47
9. If the Shoe Fits – 2:21
10. My Cricket – 2:55
11. This Masquerade – 4:22
12. Magic Mirror – 4:56

Gotta love the logotype that appears throughout the package of this LP. Side 1 features a lavender label while the label on Side 2 is green.

The back cover has no track list but a picture of Leon sitting in front of a camper trailer attached to a vintage Rolls Royce. Nice.

"Tightrope" on  YouTube: