Wednesday, April 25, 2007

I've Got a Gal



The Experimenters I've Got a Gal Pt 1 & 2 45 (Back Room, 196???)

Creating a comedy discography is probably one hell of a task. Trying to document every Black comedy records is impossible. So many of them were cut with little information on the label and in small quantities. This is especially true of "blue records," that is disks with dirty jokes on them. A good example is this 45 by The Experimenters. There is no song credit, no publishing info, no address for the record label, and no date. Good luck trying to get info on this pup.

So how did those who wanted dirty joke or songs know to buy this record? It certainly wasn't reviewed anywhere and never was played on the air. They had to walk into a record store or go to a newstand or even an adult book store to score these records. In a record store, often such records were kept behind the counter, only taken out for the special customer. In this case, the names of the label and the band were hints enough that this was filth.

The record starts out with a blues backing and the MC/singer telling racy one liners about nursery rhyme characters, a standard of 20th Century Black ghetto humor. The nasty Jack & Jill riffs give way to a dirty take on Little Red Riding Hood, and then, I assume to keep the vice squad away, the record ends in a song.

I've Got a Gal Pt 1
I've Got a Gal Pt 2

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Juri Gagarin in Space




Juri Gagarin in Space 7" (MEN, 1961)

Happy Cosmonaut Day! Forty-six years ago today, Yuri Gagarin of the USSR became the first man in space and the first person to orbit the Earth! What better way to celebrate Gargarin's achievement than listening to a Soviet record commemorating Yuri's historic journey. Listen and you will hear a Soviet announcer tell us of Yuri's great deed and how the Soviet system made it possible and then hear Gagarin speaking from space! I am not going to give you a run down of Yuri's history as others have done it better than I can.

Enjoy!

Juri Gagarin in Space Pt 1
Juri Gagarin in Space Pt 2

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 1922 - 2007


Kurt Vonnegut died on Wednesday. A little something here.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Buffoon in Asia Minor




Bill Martin Buffoon in Asia Minor: Concerto for Head Phones and Contra LP
(Warner Brothers, 1970)

This wonderfully surreal piece of sketch comedy came from a pal of Michael Nesmith, Harry Nilsson, and Ringo Starr. Known mostly as William E. Martin, Bill wrote songs for the Monkees, penned a few tunes with Nilsson, and then turned out this album. A commercial flop (every copy I've seen has a cut corner), Martin's stream of conscious pieces have more than a hint of psychedeilia in them. That the kids didn't pick up on this says more for their lack of adventure than the quality of the record. Still, I am puzzles as to why a record with a sleeve warning of "WARNING: THIS IS NOT A TOY!, It is the culmination of four and one half billion years of evolutionary development on this planet and with proper care will make more than adequate frisbee for years to come. WARNING: THIS IS NOT AN Enchilada" didn't become a best seller.

After Buffoon stiffed, Martin's career took the path of writing (Elephant Parts, Harry & the Hendersons, 3rd Rock from the Sun, etc.), acting (Hey, Hey We're the Monkees, An Evening with Sir William Martin), and doing cartoon voices (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, GoBots, etc.).

Flash Flood, Chapter 1

In Which Senator Phoghorne Repudiates The Charges Against Him
Sand, Blasted, Chapter 1
El Repugno
The Whole Enchilada Marches Off

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Bumpo the Ballerina

My latest post on 365 Redux.