So, Room 237 was something… and so was its soundtrack. Composed and created by Jonathan Snipes & William Hutson, this ominous and eerie soundscape is perfect, no… PERFECT blanket noise for that special evening when the boring normality of the everyday meets the heightened expectations of the ethereally abnormal. Essentially, a bullshit way of saying that this soundtrack is meant to unease your tensions, while drawing you in for the big score, like a discounted (free toppings) soft serve. Is this something you could rock every Tuesday on your way to the telecine studio, well, no, but it’s certainly something worth having at the ready if and when the peculiar strikes.
Tag Archives: vinyl
Provocative See-Thru
Squeeze’s first album is a fantastic, British firework of pop explosion. Here, it’s presented in fire-red vinyl, with the sticker promoting the classic, Take Me, I’m Yours. I can offer nothing more than this printed, advertisement, and an early morning photo of said fire-red record. If you don’t know Squeeze, you don’t know. 
Off With Their Heads!
As the long-told, infrequently-forgotten story goes, the sunshine-happy-give-us-your-money band featured on the back cover of Dead Kennedy’s debut, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables was used without the band’s consent, and resulted in a threatened lawsuit causing variations of the Bay area’s backside cover art. LA-based Sounds of Sunshine (aforementioned sunshine-happy-give-us-your-money band), wasn’t quite satisfied with their work-around beheading, and the Dead Kennedy’s were forced to come up with a new back cover concept altogether (replaced the sunshine-happy-give-us-your-money band sans heads with four vintage living room-dwellers sitting under a framed Alternative Tentacles logo… subsequent lawsuit forthcoming).
If any morals are to be learned from this tug-and-pull fiasco, they are forever silenced by the timeless music contained within.
Drawings: Raymond Pettibon
I broke the mold of tradition yesterday and removed the shrink wrap that bound my copy of Double Nickels on the Dime, the Minutemen’s timeless magnum opus. It has become habit for me to neatly slice the plastic along the sleeve opening, preserving the virgin cover, back, and in this case, gatefold center.
I’d never owned Double Nickels in any format until I found this reissue, so I was more than amazed when I released the fruits of this gatefold for the very first time. Aside from the usual credits and a collage of action band shots are seven drawing by Raymond Pettibon I’d never seen before. Famous first throughout the Southern California early punk scene, then the world over, Mr. Pettibon’s art ranges from morally exposing to minimalist shock, which, after reading this again, does absolutely no justice to either the style of his characters, or the weight of his foreboding, and ominous messages. His often humorous take on the vulgar details of moral principles (many struggle their whole lives to ignore) raise a sense of loaded guilt that makes you want to go out and punch an elected official in the face, but you know… in a good way.
Your Faith Has Been Bootlegged
Percy Faith is, in fact, NOT a dirty-nosed socialite unwilling to show her teeth when faking a smile, but instead, a master of mood music essentials. A Canadian who reigned throughout the 50s and 60s, Mr. Faith recorded into the mid-70s until his untimely death of cancer in 1976. This, a Taiwanese bootleg record on Taiwanese colored vinyl, serves as a subtle homage to a favored orchestral composer.
Dance ‘Till You Can’t Dance ‘Till You Can’t Dance No More
There is absolutely no shame in erupting into a volcanic burst of pure, adolescent excitement every once in a while. My most recent enthusiastic explosion was upon discovering this single by the illustrious (yet short lived) electro-pop outfit, C&C Music Factory. Their unforgettable, 1990 effort, Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) was a personal turning point for me, as this was one of the first two compact discs I’d ever owned.
Graduating to the new, crisp sound would come back to haunt me, however, as my instinctive decisions were something I’ve never been able to shake off. Had I known my compulsive hobby would have turned out the way it has, I may have reconsidered my first “official” music choices. I’ve since, over the years, learned to own these erroneous decisions, and am slowly approaching the level of embracement. Now, if I can only find Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, recapturing my tweens would be all but complete.
Jaws Day 2014
Today, July 3rd (or yesterday, for those keeping track), is / was Jaws Day… the annual domestic celebration of all things Jaws related. Apart from the soundtrack looping throughout the restroom, the LP was prominently displayed for all to see, and a respective shot of tequila was downed for every death eloquently showcased from this monumental masterpiece.
This is, and will continue to be an annual tradition… July 3rd, will (eventually) be known as, the Day of Jaws!
Will You Remember or Will You Forget
Adjusted for inflation, this 1916, 78rpm 10”, with the then retail value of $1, would yield a cool $21.09 today. It’s comforting to comprehend that this same 78rpm 10”, 1) still functions, 2) still sounds amazing, and 3) was acquired for the same retail price in 2014 that it sold for in 1916. Yes, I paid $1 for this record, and yes, I’m currently on a 78 kick. 98 year old records make me happy.
A Halfhearted (Politician’s) Promise for Tomorrow
Just like how function trumps fashion, so too shall quality (eventually) trump quantity here at The Prudent Groove. For too long I’ve been lacksadaisically (it’s a word… I think) thumbing my procrastination button and parading through an inferior product (since day one). So, as a mission statement (if only to myself), I, out-of-turnly proclaim, that tomorrow’s focus will showcase a much more thought out analysis (read: sarcastic observation).
What you see here (obviously), is an 8-track cassette of Led Zeppelin’s fourth album. Acquired today for a cool $1.99, this lil’ jammer will squat within the vacant garage currently residing in our living room in the shape of an empty (wood-paneled) 8-track player. Gone (and thoroughly missed), is my red cassette copy of Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., and in its place, and abridged version of Zeppelin’s most commercially proclaimed outing.
“Do you own an 8-track player?’ – Record story Guy
“Have you read The Groove?” – Me (to myself, and several hours later)
Sunday… Lazy Folks
So, all I can offer this fine evening is the most recent addition to the discogs.com labyrinth. John Peterson Presents Western Moods… an album, rich and ripe of tomfoolery, a topic, clearly, with which I will tackle at a later time.
Enjoy your Sunday evenings, buckaroos!
This is… in Stereo
I was able to find a stereo copy of This is Tim Hardin today at a thrifty little (unorganized) shop down in Long Beach. Already having been the owner of the original mono version, I couldn’t turn my back on this artificial (only because it was electronically re-recorded to simulate STEREO) stereo version for a cool $6. Possibly the best record I’ve ever laid ears on, I managed to acquire both copies the guy had (stereo for me, mono for a fellow Hardin-admiring buddy).
I am currently in possession of three This is Tim Hardin albums, and something tells me, it’s not enough.
“Are you ready to check out? You want both copies?!” – Guy
“Yes, guy! I have cash… why do you question the willing?” – Me, in my head
Beats, a Birthday, and a Boat
Combining a portable turntable, the annual spinning of the Earth revolving around the Sun, and luxuries of 1930’s, high-class travel, yields a few, important last-minute notions: 1) None of us, especially me, are getting any younger and, 2) Holding a record over an open porthole is, I guess, something I thought I’d never do.
If there is a will, there is a time for anything.
Op Klompen
I can’t say I’ve ever owned a pair of clogs, or op klompen, but I doubt I could rock the boisterous, and seemingly uncomfortable, style quite like the German King, James Last. Acquired maybe 8 or so years ago, I’d just gotten around to listening to the fascinating record the other day, and let me start by saying it wasn’t at all what I’d expected. I’d half expected some cartoon clown banging a trash can, a screaming eel tap dancing atop a tin roof, or some other such sort of unthinkable nonsense, but what I got was a lighthearted, easy listening, and slightly somber, orchestral odyssey through various, and at times very similar, instrumental interpretations celebrating the clog.
Now that I know this title’s meaning, I’ll have to go back and try and detect any actual musical use of the clog, but as it stands, Op Klompen exists as one of those albums with a necessary cover, which far outreaches the music within.
Big Band Sounds
There’s nothing small about the Big Band Sounds of Earle Spencer and Other Great Bands, mischievously offered by Golden Tone Hi-Fidelity Records. Delight in the bewitching atmosphere of Lisbon Antigua, or romanticize about a much more celebratory time with an instrumental version of Auld Lang Syne (preferably, NOT out of tune), or even snuggle up close to an intimate loved one while toe-tapping to Bolero in Boogie. Whatever your poison, Big Band Sounds blows the cure, in harmonious, brass-bellied rhythm.
Pickin’ N’ Puttin’
Chip Williams is known the world over for many dominant characteristics, but none beat his vivid-sport-coat-wearing, six-string-pickin’, chip-shot-masterin’ exploits quite like this 9-track opus, Pickin’ N’ Puttin’.
Forget for a moment that Al Gore engineered this magnificent heirloom (and he actually did… just probably not the Al Gore you’re thinking of), and forget for yet, another moment, if you can, that people actually used to dress like this… bright red-orange (Crayon) slacks, with a swooping comb over, a fiendish grin, and an 11 o’clock tee time. Throw in the trusty, rural-music-maker, and, well, sir, you’ve got yourself the makings for a pickin’ good time.
Send For Free Catalog From Crescendo Records
The GNP is alive and well, and seemingly held-up on Sunset Blvd, at the nat’l headquarters in Hollywood, CA under the guise of Crescendo Records.
Formed in 1954, this design-conscious label was home to many a sci-fi adventurer’s audible ecstasy. With such heavy-hitters as Godzilla, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Forbidden Planet, those in the know, know this label’s credence.
A (Short) Evening with Belafonte
Derived from the LP of the same name, this 4-track EP 7″ is perfect for those hurried evenings when a little romantic nudge is required, but the depth of a fully hammered out album is the LAST thing on your mind. As far as I’m concerned, any Belafonte is better than no Belafonte, and after a quick, 2-track flip, your planned, erotic evening will be swiftly underway, thanks to the nimble, intoxicating seduction of this unforgettable evening, with Belafonte.
In a Relaxation Como
Relax… you’ve earned it. But even if you haven’t, disguise your bourbon in a dainty tea cup, bathe yourself in the lavish frills of your favorite evening gown, close your rose-markered book and enjoy the provocative exclamations of the one, the only, Perry Como.
Better make it quick, as this is just a violent tease of Como-inspired relaxation. With only four tracks, your momentary break from the chaotic endeavors of everyday life will swiftly blow away, like the cool, lamenting breeze from the relaxation King, Mr. Perry Como.
French, Level One
Learn to speak fluid French the laborious way with this 14x 7″ collection from 1961 by Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. Housed inside a tenacious and stable cardboard box, these flip-tastic records are guaranteed to survive for legions of future French-lovers eager to learn an outdated approach to a beautiful, and alluring language.
Offered on only 28 sides, French Level One will have you screaming, “Mon amour pour les retournements de dossiers ne connaît pas de limites” until you lose your voice.
Man, Thank Decca for World Saving Ninjas
Man, thank Decca Records for their lifelong, globally-conscious contribution to the safety of all of us, and let’s, universally, thank them for enlisting a giant, intergalactic ninja that unrelentingly keeps our planet safe from outside planet handlers. A New World of Sound equates to a New World of Ninja Protection. Thank you, Decca Records!
The Prudent Groove 