Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends — the Thrifty Music show, that is! And why exactly does this show never end? Because people will never — repeat, never — stop throwing perfectly good music away. Well, society’s loss is our gain here at RTH, and it’s my job to scour the junk stores and thrift shops to catalog all the cool stuff that folks are tossing in the bin.
This week’s Thrifty Music sampler comes to you from Nashville, Tennessee, where I had the dubious pleasure of spending around 14 hours a few days ago. While on my whirlwind visit, I stopped by my fave thrift store on the outskirts of town, and — lo and behold — somebody had finally lost patience with the vinyl medium and dumped their entire collection of 45 RPM records. In this rather sizable pile, I managed to find a few oddities and nostalgic boomerangs that I thought worthy of sharing. So, onwards!
First up: “Dream Queen” by Rusty & Doug — as in Rusty and Doug Kershaw. I just love this number — a perfect stew of ’50s doo-wop, cajun abandon, and Everly Brothers polish. The number one find of the day, for sure. Dig that doo-wop backup vocal in the chorus!
Next: “Muleskinner Blues” by The Fendermen. Wow — what a wonderfully weird record! Before any Townsman goes conjuring up some romanticized, obscurantist fantasy about two barefoot hillbillies in overalls, a-stompin’ their feet and smokin’ corncob pipes, while waving jugs of “X X X” moonshine over their heads — the Fendermen were actually a couple of teenagers in Wisconsin who had a freak hit with this song back in the early ’60s. But, “authentic” or no, it still kicks major ass, sez I.
Track 3: “I Know I Should” by The Sophomores. I knew it would finally happen — I’d find a dusty old 45 out there about which the Internet seems to know nothing. This one has really grown on me — maybe it has something to do with the weird, circular chord pattern in the verses. Plus, every now and then, everybody needs a solid dose of Vox organ. Enjoy!
Next: “You, I” by The Rugbys. Okay, I admit, this is only a slightly-better-than-mediocre, vaguely psychedelic rave-up by a Grade Z Blue Cheer wannabe, but I felt I had to share. Why? Because The Rugbys are still out there, mining whatever brand recognition they ever had, as a somewhat pathetic cover band in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. See their set list here. Stranger yet is the fact that The Rugbys make no mention of their brief 1960s flirtation with rock stardom — nor do they play this song (which evidently grazed the Top 40) in their current set!
Last up: “Five O’Clock World” by The Vogues. I love it when this happens — I grab a 25-cent slice of vinyl, knowing nothing about what I’ve spent my money on, get it home, and… hey! This was one of my favorite songs when I was a kid! And come on, did the ’60s get any better than those vocals in the chorus there — you know, the “la-da-da-dee-dees” and “hep! hep!”s? No, they didn’t. Thank you, ThriftSmart in Franklin, Tennessee, for bringing back some fine childhood memories, just when I needed them!
As always, experiencing the Thrifty Music feature comes at a price — namely, that you should feel obligated to answer at least one of the following questions, which sprang to my mind when enjoying the preceding tracks:
1. Other than the Davies brothers, tell us something about your favorite sibling rock and rollers. Do you think their chromosomal similarities have anything to do with why their music thrills you so?
2. Note that “Muleskinner Blues” by The Fendermen predates Rock’s recent flirtation with bassless music — hell, they don’t even have a drummer! Question, then: has the bassless combo finally reached the stage of unfashionableness, and — for extra credit — will all those “bands” start adding lower register instrumentation to get hip again?
3. What’s your fave odd time signature pop/rock number?
4. Are The Rugbys to be pitied or praised for their recent musical career choices? Is it better to fade away into over-glorified rock obscurity, or keep trying to make a modest living playing weddings and block parties?
5. Give us a pop song from your childhood that warms the cockles of your cockles.
Great tracks, Hrrundi! Thanks.
1. Not pop or rock, but the Boswell sisters rock my world, and stopped recording years before I was born. Their siblingness adds, I’m sure, to their weird tightness of phrasing. In that vein also, the Mills Brothers (not later schmaltz, but earlier when there were still four of them.) In rock, the Everlys do it for me. I guess we’ll always have Hanson!
2. I admire the urge to be template free in instrumentation, but people seem to do just what they would do if there *were* a bass player present. Duh. I am a huge fan of bassoons, tubas, basses, nass clarinets, all the lowest instruments, where you can actually hear the harmonics and the rasps, so I’m biased. The Crunge is a good one, and Zappa’s elegiac instrumental “Watermelon In Easter Hay” in 9/4 is an old favorite (it was the closing credits number in Y Tu Mama Tambien.) Yes’ “the Fish” used to pleasantly confuse me as a youngster.
4. Always keep playing! The question is how do you do it? I would rather see a band playing block parties than doing stadium tours (you know who you are!) That’s the most admirable thing about Foghat, IMO. They started in bars, and ended in bars, touring heavily all the while. In the middle, there were stadiums, but it was all good, as far as they were concerned.
5. I just downloaded 2 hits from my wee youth. “I Dig Rock and Roll Music” by Peter Paul and Mary. I cop to thinking that was cool as all get out when I was 7. And “Java” by Al Hirt. My brother and I used to rock the hell out to that one!
Once again, Townsman Hrrundi, you have saved us – what – $1.25! But these tracks are worht at least 3 times that much. Seriously, thanks, and as always I encourage the RTH community to pay this feature heed.
To answer your questions…
I definitely think chromosomal similarities play a huge role in a number of sibling acts. Although not brothers, the first 2 Roches albums always work for me in that way. The Everly Brothers can’t be beat! I don’t know if the Ashton brothers’ success on drums and guitar on those first 2 Stooges albums can be attributed to this as well, but if getting brothers to play together leads to this, I’ll continue to jam music down my boys’ throats. The Beach Boys have brothers and cousins at work. The list goes on.
The age of fantastic bass parts in rock ‘n roll is LONG GONE. You can thank Peter Hook and all the candy-ass, trebly, indie-rock bassists who’ve followed in his wake. Maybe it’s better that younger bands are taking a break from the instrument. Let’s hope some other low-register instrument catches on and younger musicians learn how to make it work to serve the bottom end.
General Slocum mentioned “The Crunge” – always a cool one. I like the way “Good Morning” rocks out 4-on-the-floor style using a 5/4 beat.
Keep on doing what you’re doing. Quitters are losers and losers never win.
“Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “If I Had a Hammer” are two early childhood songs that still make me sense the concepts of longing and justice, respectively, as if for the first time. That songs “Daddy’s Home to Stay” is another one that works that way. Not sure if that’s exactly what you were looking for, but that’s what you’re getting.
Mr. Mod wrote:
“Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “If I Had a Hammer” are two early childhood songs that still make me sense the concepts of longing and justice, respectively, as if for the first time. That songs “Daddy’s Home to Stay” is another one that works that way. Not sure if that’s exactly what you were looking for, but that’s what you’re getting.
I say:
That’s *exactly* what I’m looking for! I remember when I was a kid, there were certain songs that made me want to spread my arms wide and just run into the wind, smiling and singing along at the top of my voice. The first time I felt thus inspired, it was downright magical; I still remember it. And I’m still thankful that I can get goosebumps, and stomp on the accelerator when the right tune comes on the iPod, singing along as I go. I drive a convertible when the weather is nice, and have been known to extend my arms upwards in a combo rollercoaster/praise the Lord move when the music has really gotten to me. The chorus to this “Five O’Clock World” number still has this effect, I’m discovering.
Glad to know we’re talking the same language. This may confirm my thoughts for our next poll. Townspeople will have to choose their answers candidly, though. We’ll see how they handle the challenge. Stay tuned.
Don’t equate Hook with the indie-rock crowd. They’re not Peter Hook imitators; they’re root-note plodders, as typified by the unforgivable Redd Kross bassist who bass-by-default-ed through Dancing Queen, the original bass part of which was quite nice.
Agreed. I hope all who feel this way extend the same courtesy to REO Speedwagon on their Wal-Mart tour. It’s easy to play when the car takes you to the stage, you play to thousands of people who aren’t shoppping for tube socks and the girls backstage are younger than 50 and aren’t wearing blue aprons.
Rick, I should make this clear: I like Hook’s bass playing, but I think his style opened the door for poor bass players who would never learn contrapuntal approaches, walking parts, etc. Hook plays almost nothing but melodic eighth notes. It works for Joy Division and New Order, but there’s more to the bottom end than that.
The Rugbys’ setlist reminds me of the fantasy band talent pool list. Great trax. ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’ still reminds me of prepubescent summers at the pool.
1. What Mr. Mod said: The Roches
2. My guess is they’ll overcompensate, thus two bass player bands will be hip.
3. Elvis Costello, “Green Shirt”
4. Keep on truckin’, I suppose
5. “Mrs. Robinson”
Thanks for the cool Rusty & Doug track. Neil Young fans, especially those that have read Shakey, may remember that Rusty turns up on Neil recordings during the On the Beach era. He was apparently a real wild man, a good musician but just as welcome for his joie de vivre, not to mention his ‘honey slides,’ some kind of edible marijuana concoction.
I actually remember that Rugbys track. Maybe it was played more regionally. Hattiesburg is only about an hour from me.
I can’t say that I remember the Fendermen. But I wonder if there were any other musicians from the upper Midwest who took inspiration from Woody Guthrie and helped translate the folk boom into rock & roll.
Honey slides!!!
What’s funny about Muleskinner Blues is that it sounds to me exactly like hrrundi’s details about how it was really made–a couple of teenagers screwing around. So the answer to the question about bassless music is that it seems one of the most obvious gimmicks out there, and so (on and off) people are going to mess around with it, since it’s too obvious a joke to miss. So my bet is it goes in cycles, like gimmicks do: bassless/return to lower register instrumentation/bassless, etc. I’m wondering if there’s a gimmick in rock and roll that’s NEVER returned again–anybody know?
Great question. So far, I’m only thinking of gimmicks that should never be brought back into vogue.
1. The Reid brothers were the nucleus of the Jesus & Mary Chain. Eventually antagonism between them broke up the band. Sound familiar? I think I read that they were reuniting, though.
There’s also the Aluminum Group, two gay brothers from Chicago who play very breezy, post-rockish pop songs. They’ve had records produced by O’Rourke and McEntire. They seem a lot more in sync than the Reid brothers, but in this case only one of them sings.
Don’t forget the Allman Brothers, whose legacy survived the death of the main brother.
2. I doubt that the current crop of bassless groups will start adding bassists.
3. How about that middle section of She Said, She Said?
4. Actually I’m not convinced that any of the members of the group that played on the song posted today are in the current Hattiesburg group. I also doubt that they make a living at playing weddings and block parties. Supplementing their income is more likely.
5. The Honeycombs’ Have I the Right.
Big Steve answered:
3. How about that middle section of She Said, She Said?
I ask:
Have we really travelled so far that 3/4 is considered an odd time signature?
Hrrundi asked:
Isn’t 3/4 an odd number? You asked for odd time signatures. It might have been different had BigSteve suggested a 6/8 song.
And yes, we have traveled so far. Name the last pop hit in 3/4 time.
Mr. Mod responded (literaly):
Isn’t 3/4 an odd number? You asked for odd time signatures. It might have been different had BigSteve suggested a 6/8 song.
And yes, we have traveled so far. Name the last pop hit in 3/4 time.
Jolie Blon? I don’t know. That’s what I’m saying. Back in the middle ages, virtually all duple meter songs broke down at least into triplets, but by far the majority of music was in 3/4. And 3/4 stayed pretty neck and neck with 2 or 4 until the 19th century at least. Most folk-based music kept waltz time as a staple until at least the thirties. A couple of years back, I was playing bass with Philly’s She-Haw, which was a lot of fun. One night I realized that, out of our 45 minute set, only three tunes weren’t in 3! I thought it was great, and looked forward to bringing back the waltz! Anyhow, I wasn’t so much asking, as lamenting.
You don’t think it’s odd to plop 9 (or 10 is it?) bars of 3/4 in the middle of a 4/4 song?
This discussion is giving me manic depression. It’s a frustrated mess.
Thanks Hrrundi! I love this post – Dream Queen is my favourite song of the bunch;) I love how I can’t understand the chorus and it’s something like “bamatomaoomatoomatomayou’re my dream queen” great – try singing that five times fast! And the chorus sticks in your head too!
1. Jake and Elwood Blues make me wanna steal a police car and drive across the state line!
2. If anything the bassless combo is more in fashion now with alternative rock. But I must admit that I prefer a combo with some fine bass added, myself;)
3. Hmmm – I’ll have to get back to you on the odd-time signature. For the life of me I can’t think of anything right now that really pops out but Scream Team by Deerhoof.
http://www.myspace.com/carrotssticks
4. Sure – I’m glad The Rugby’s are still playing, incidentally, what came first – their logo, or the Ruby Tuesdays one? 😉 I’m kidding. It’s kind of sad that they have no originals on there, but hey – maybe the people attending these parties are better for it? That’s quite a list of songs they have. The breakdown on that song was pretty good, but the lyrics – ugh, PU. It’s all in good fun. Good for them! Whoever said it looked like RTH’s Fantasy Band list, good one! It does!
5. Warming the cockles of the cockles? Not necessarily, but good times with my siblings here: The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun” scratched to all hell we listened to it so much, my brothers and I were also amused endlessly by Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” and Steam’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” We listened to those over and over again and laughed at the cover of the Steam one which is a buncha guys basically dressed in towels. I’m sure you know the one. “Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag” by James Brown also brought us celebrated joy even when it wasn’t Christmas!