Happy Vinyl Record Day - Take 2

Hello, everyone and a "Happy Vinyl Record Day" from the other half of this blog. Gee, is it here already? Well, for me, every day is Vinyl Record Day. There's hardly a day that goes by where I'm not playing a few of my 45s. Unfortunately, my regular turntable decided to go on me so I've been having to use my Numark record player, which I normally use for digging. It may not be much, but it's better than nothing. Anything to get my 45 fix, if you know what I mean?

Last year, I wrote about what the 45 meant to me with my piece "The Call of the 45." What else can I say after that? Things haven't changed since I wrote that piece and I'm still in there digging and collecting. I have stacks of 45s all over my desk to prove it. So, I thought I'd go ahead and tell you a little about some of the records I've been getting lately. Alas, unlike Todd, I have no way to put sound files on my computer so you'll have to use your imagination. So here we go:

The Fame Gang: Grits 'n' Gravy (Fame) - I don't know for sure if this was the studio band for Fame Records or not. In fact, I don't know anything about this one. All I know is that it's a real funky hip-shaker that starts off with a solid groove and doesn't let up until the finish. I've been finding a lot of soul and funk lately, as it seems to be the easiest to find. This one is definitely right up there with the best of them.

The BBC: Upside Down (Mega) - Todd may have blogged this one before, but a repeat never hurt anybody. I'm told that this is actually Bill Black's Combo made to sound hipper, but whatever the case, this one's another keeper with loud, funky guitar and blasting sax. The beat has this jerky feel that's a little weird, but this thing still has a lot of firepower behind it.

Phil Flowers and the Flower Shop: Like A Rolling Stone (A&M) - Here we have the Bob Dylan classic as a soul stomper. It's missing one of the verses (or maybe it was edited out, I don't know), but it's got a vocal delivery that seems to cross Otis Redding with Billy Stewart. The lead vocalist shouts and screams as the band cooks alongside him. This was co-arranged and conducted by Tony Camillo, who, in 1975, would later be a one hit wonder as Tony Camillo's Bazuka with a song called "Dyn-o-mite."

Ace Cannon: "Drunk" and "Soul For Sale" (both Hi) - These two come from a man who had a minor hit with a song called "Tuff." What I've usually heard from this man is mostly mellow sax stuff, but these two both have a hard, funky edge to them that makes them really stand out. "Soul For Sale" is a cookin' instrumental, while on "Drunk," Mr. Cannon sings in a raw, gruff voice about the pleasures of being in an inebriated condition.

Henry Moore: "Rock Junction"/"Spongie" (King) - The label says that Mr. Moore conducted the featured orchestra with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, so that's ample reason to check this out. As expected, both sides are snappy instrumentals that feature a lot of blasting sax. Both sides chug along at a breakneck pace and both are worth a spin or two.

The Turnarounds: "Soul Walk" (Tangerine) - I don't know anything about this group, but I love this record. This is as stompin' a soul dance cut as you can get and that's all I need to say about it.

Like Todd, I too have a lot of fun discovering things I've never heard before. That's what keeps this hobby going. No matter how many things you've heard, there's always something cool that you haven't encountered before. The best thing about it is when you can find them cheap. That's something that may be harder and harder to do especially with most of the good ones being snapped up by collectors with high prices on their minds. But the rewards are more than worth it when that cool 45 you just snapped up only cost you a couple of bucks or less. I've done more than my share of finding cheapies and paying collector scum prices and I will no doubt continue to do so, as there's still much gold to be mined.

Happy Vinyl Record Day everyone! Let's all get out there and crack open your favorite records and play them good and loud to your heart's content. That's what this day celebrates after all.

Oh, and here's an address for you to find other Vinyl Record Day posts:

jabartlett.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/vinyl-record-rundown-2008

There are many fine reads to be had, all of which reflect the passion of all record nuts. So, please, check 'em all out. I don't know how to link, so you'll have to type it in. Or, there IS a link for "The Hits Just Keep On Comin',"the blog that's sponsoring the whole shebang on the right of this blog (in the blog list section) so hit that and it'll take you there, too. Whatever you do, give the blogswarm a little support, if you'd be so kind. Thank you and enjoy the spinnin'.