ABC — How To Be A Zillionaire!

• Artist: ABC
• Title: How To Be A Zillionaire!
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 ? — I don’t know, girl keeps going to bed early.
• Keeper: Yes

OK, back to the full LPs for another round. Starting again with ABC, the greatest pop band of all time. No, I’m not kidding. I’m posting this from Hampton, VA while we’re visiting with family. (Don’t rob my house!) But of course I did in fact spin it, while we were packing to leave this morning… With ten million other freaks trying to get outta DC, in the rain, at the start of spring break. Ugh.

“How To Be A Zillionaire!” is their third album and I have to admit I don’t know it as well as the first two. And certainly not as well as Mary. What would she have to say about it? She’d probably say the title track is her favorite and that she also really likes “Be Near Me.” But since she keeps falling out early we may never know.

Various: Nirvana, Helios Creed, Yeast, Coffin Break — Teriyaki Asthma

Various: Nirvana, Helios Creed, Yeast, Coffin Break -- Teriyaki Asthma

• Artist: Various: Nirvana, Helios Creed, Yeast, Coffin Break
• Title: Teriyaki Asthma
• Year: 1989
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1989 – Got it for myself at our store RIP Records in Norfolk, VA.
• Keeper: Maybe

This is a 7 inch compilation from C/Z Records. “Teriyaki Asthma” contains four songs by Seattle area artists, but I don’t think it was nearly as popular, or written about, as another C/Z compilation called “Deep Six.” The latter came out a couple years earlier, was a full LP, and had songs from Soundgarden and other notable area bands.

The Nirvana track is pre-Grohl and it’s more punked out than most Nirvana fans would be used to. Helios Creed’s cut is a virtually instrumental, acidic, lead guitar noodlefest, that gets boring before it’s over. The song by Yeast is just silly. And Coffin Break contribute a solid rocker that is by far the most interesting piece here.

Dwight Yoakam — Always Late With Your Kisses

Dwight Yoakam -- Always Late With Your Kisses

• Artist: Dwight Yoakam
• Title: Always Late With Your Kisses
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1987 – Probably from Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

The sleeve on this says 1988, but the labels on the record say 1987. Maybe because the single came out a little later. I like Dwight Yoakam, and I’ve already logged the LP that includes both sides of this 45, “Always Late With Your Kisses” and “1000 Miles.” These are good songs, but not my favorites from “Hillbilly Deluxe.” For the most part I’m an LP guy, and I usually only buy singles that have something I can’t get anywhere else. This one belongs to Mary. I recently read an article that the market has shifted back to singles. I know I’m old and all, but I just can’t get excited by the thought of buying singles to download. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

XTC — Generals And Majors

XTC -- Generals And Majors

• Artist: XTC
• Title: Generals And Majors
• Year: 1980
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 ? Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

I have Loverboy’s “Turn Me Loose” stuck in my head. That’s just weird. Anyhow, XTC… “Generals And Majors” is a great pop song and I’ve always liked it even though I’m not the biggest XTC fan. This package is another handsome twin 7 inch gatefold that also includes “Don’t Lose Your Temper”, “Smokeless Zone”, and my second favorite here “The Somnambulist.” What’d you call me?!? That last song is interesting and unexpected, minimalist and ethereal with some throbbing bass thing, or whatever. Dig it.

“So, Why, Don’t, You, Turn-Me-Loose… Turn-Me-Loose…”

Wall of Voodoo — Mexican Radio

Wall of Voodoo -- Mexican Radio

• Artist: Wall of Voodoo
• Title: Mexican Radio
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 ? – Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA?
• Keeper: Maybe

Stan Ridgway, the singer of Wall of Voodoo, sounds like he is talking more than singing. And I guess I didn’t listen carefully enough because I don’t know what he’s talking about. Maybe it’s interesting. “Mexican Radio” sounds interesting, whatever it’s about. The flipside “Call of The West” just sounds quirky, which is not interesting, to me, today.

Van Halen — Pretty Woman

Van Halen -- Pretty Woman

• Artist: Van Halen
• Title: Pretty Woman
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: We’re not sure.
• Acquired: We’re not sure.
• Keeper: Yes

Ah, Van Halen, one of the few mega rock bands with enough guts to record covers and actually put them on their proper albums. Most bands tend relegate covers to b-sides or other oddball releases. Van Halen on the other hand celebrated the covers, with complete respect for the songs and the original artists, and put them out front so folks could hear these tunes again. When their version of Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” came out I remember my friend Bennie, hardcore VH fan, thinking it was goofy, but I thought they rocked it solid. OK, the flipside cover of “Happy Trails” is a little goofy.

Big Wheel Chair

I made this at least ten years ago, maybe 15. I had those four heavy duty casters laying around for a while just begging to be put on a piece of furniture. Each wheel is rated to hold 1500 lbs, and there are grease fittings on the axles and the caster bearings. I paid something like $5 each for them at a salvage store. New they cost a few hundred dollars each. I’m heavy duty, but these rollers are way heavy duty. The chair is of course silly, but still funny to me. Stainless steel 11 gauge seat and back, gun blued cold rolled half inch steel bar, and quarter inch steel plate make this rig quite heavy. At least it’s on wheels!

U-Men — Solid Action

U-Men -- Solid Action

I’m not the only guy who likes the U-Men. I can see from my Google Analytics account that, on a pretty regular basis, people end up at this site by searching for the band. Hard to believe that ImHeavyDuty.com is the first link when you search for “U-Men Step On A Bug” on Google.

From the homemade look of the packaging you would think that the U-Men are some typical punk/hardcore band. (I swear that it looks like someone touched up the cover of my record with a Sharpie; it bled through. Were they making these one-at-a-time?) But this is an edgy, arty, and just plain noisy single. I’ll stick with the lazy Birthday Party comparison. Although Mary thinks it sounds more like Primus. What!? Anyhow, I doubt “Solid Action” or the flipside “Dig It A Hole” will get your foot tapping, but at least it’s interesting.

A little more info at Wikipedia.

Tad / Pussy Galore — Damaged I / Damaged II

• Artist: Tad / Pussy Galore
• Title: Damaged I / Damaged II
• Year: 1989
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1989 – Bought it for myself at our store RIP Records in Norfolk, VA.
• Keeper: Maybe

This is a combo 7 inch with Tad on one side and Pussy Galore on the other. I suppose I could’ve filed it under P, or Various, but I have it under T just because. In our actual record collection that is. Both songs are Black Flag covers, “Damaged I” and “Damaged II”, which were both on Black Flag’s break-out album uh… “Damaged.”

I guess that original record made a big impact on folks for trendy indie artists to be recording covers from it only eight years later, in 1989. Another 16 or so years later and that seems a little strange. I bought the original Black Flag “Damaged” album in 1981. I loved it then as an angsty teenager, but it’s not the kind of thing you want to play often. Same goes for this 45. It’s kind of fun to have two cultish bands doing covers of a cultish band on a 45, limited edition of 2500, but I doubt I’ll ever play it again. And in the late 1980s no record label was cooler than Sub Pop. So cool in fact that even though my brother and I owned a record store we had to get this one just like everyone else, by joining the Sub Pop Singles Club.

Sade – Hang On To Your Love

• Artist: Sade
• Title: Hang On To Your Love
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: I have no idea.
• Keeper: Yes

I have to admit that a lot of Sade’s music sounds the same to me, but I love “Hang On To Your Love.” The flipside, “Cherry Pie” is solid, but not as interesting. This woman sings like she looks. Perfect background music to play at your day spa, restaurant or other frou frou retail establishment.