Sounds of the Hall in roughly 33 1/3 minutes!
This is the first in a series of spotlights on forgotten independent record labels. For absolutely no reason, I’m picking Kapp records as my introductory label.
For years my brother (aka The Professor) has been bugging me to write about great American independent record labels from the ’80s. I say why not start in ’50s and work my way down. Who cares if these labels were cool or not. I’m sure there are some good stories to tell. To be sure, putting a book together would be a daunting task for this amateur word butcher. Still I can dream that one day Random House will dump a big advance on my lap and I can hang up the mop once and for all.
In the meantime consider these spotlight episodes as seeds tossed into a field that may yield a bountiful harvest…I’m just not exactly sure what I’m planting.
[Note: You can add Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your iTunes by clicking here. The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player.]
My apologies for the late posting. It was a very busy weekend at Chez Mod. I know there’s at least 1 other thread in the queue. Let’s give ourselves some time to dig into this episode, then we’ll have new content when the sun is up on Monday. Thanks!
I’m listening now, cliff. That Ronnie Dio song is cool!
“Little Black Egg” is so characteristic of a core musical style of that ’60s that, for my ears, can’t be beat by most other core musical styles of other eras. Is it because my ears first came of age during the time of these songs, or am I actually wired to favor that sort of sound?
“Joey Ferrari” is ahead of its time, somehow reminding me of something Sweet might do in the mid-’70s. I don’t think I remember hearing Good Rats songs like that in the collection of a guy named Stuart who we were friends with in high school. They were a cult favorite among a certain strain of record nerd in the mid-’70s. I thought I remembered hearing songs by them that sounded more like sub-Springsteen/Southside Johnny. Who knows, it’s been so long since I’ve heard them. That song also reminded of some songs from the first album by Fountains of Wayne.
Great episode. I was unaware of this label – or had no associations with it. Interesting to hear a certain New York/North Jersey rock style that seemed to develop from this base. I don’t know if that’s actually the case or not, but that’s what I’m hearing. The records you played mostly spanned a certain line of East Coast garage rock to hard rock to proto-punk, sounds that were pretty close to home for me growing up in the ’70s.
Playlist:
Tidal Wave – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
Smiling By Day (Crying By Night) – Ronnie Dio
I Just Won’t Be That Way – The Critters
Little Black Egg – The Nightcrawlers
Everything You Do – The Searchers
Court of Love – The Unifics
Whirlybird – Silver Apples
Viva Tirado – El Chicano
Joey Ferrari – The Good Rats
Hot as a Docker’s Armpit – Budgie
Cliff’s notes:
*For the record, Dick Dale never released anything on Kapp.
*Ronnie Dio born Ronald Padavona
*I’ve always found The Searchers under appreciated.
I keep telling myself to play less and less garage rock but I gravitate back to the sound every episode. It’s not a conscious thing.
The Ronnie Dio song is an anomaly in that the rest of his output at this time is really schmaltzy. This is the most decent song I could find.
When I heard The Good Rats it sounded like the proto-Detroit sound of the Iggy and Alice Cooper or early Steppenwolf.
Glad you are enjoying it. The Budgie song is totally ridiculous.
The label theme made a great glue to an eclectic mix. The El Chicano song is one of my faves. The Dio song sounded like The Creation.
Also, I had the hots for Pamela Sue Martin in The Poseidon Adventure, so thanks for that.