"I'd buy that for a dollar!" Great purchases for a buck or less

$1 each vinyl, Breakaway today (it's close to home, and next to a coffee shop I sometimes get work done at, so I keep going back):

Regina Belle - All By Myself (Columbia 1987)
Flash Cadillac And the Continental Kids -- Sons Of The Beaches (Private Stock 1975)
James Blood Ulmer - Freelancing (Columbia 1981)

And oh yeah, I also bought a Keith Whitley best-of CD for $1 at a garage sale a couple weeks ago, but haven't gotten to it yet.

Caterwaul - Pin & Web

Love this, just dug it out of the stacks for a spin a couple weeks ago.

First Pretty Things LP
Sandie Shaw -Me
Ike and Tina Turner Show Live!

All a euro

Dollar Cds from Movie Exchange clearance bin:

James - Laid
The Cars - Candy-O
Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw & The Cooked
Joe Ely - Twistin' In The Wind
Madeline Peyroux - Careless Love
Divine Styler - Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light
Junior Varsity - Bam Bam Bam!
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
Ian McLagan & The Bump Band - Rise & Shine
The Gun Club - Fire of Love
Spin Doctors - Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Tinted Windows - s/t
Percy Mayfield - Specialty Profiles (w/bonus label sampler)

Some of this I wouldn't have paid any more for (hello spin docs). I also got what's Up, Tiger lily? on dvd for 2 bucks and the The Isleys - Live on cd for 3. I think The Gun Club album covers the lot though--an old price tag on it says 15 used, so bless you impatient clerk who reduced it.

I just watched Tiger Lily over the weekend for the first time in ages. It seemed way funnier/better when I was a teenager.

$1 yard sale joy:
Allman Brothers--Fillmore East, pink Capricorn label
Betty Davis--S/T
Uriah Heep--S/T
Neil Young--On the Beach-old pressing, "wallpaper" inside the sleeve
Jimmy Giuffre 3--7 Pieces
Art Blakey--Live Messengers 2LP Blue Note Jazz Classic Series thing
Roy Buchanan--Second Album
Barry Manilow--Sealed Greatest Hits Double Picture Disc?!

All in fantastic shape

$1 yard sale sorrow:
Ornette Coleman--Town Hall 1962 on ESP--not a mark on the ultra-heavy vinyl platter, but it's warped :(

$1 each, Pirahna Records, Round Rock TX today

Addrisi Brothers - s/t (Buddah 1977 -- supposedly country-disco, I read someplace)
The Babys - s/t (Chrysalis 1977)
Hurby's Machine - The House That Rap Built (Sound Check/Next Plateau 1987 - w/ a Salt N Pepa "Push It" remix and lots of other productions from them by lesser known acts. Looks a little scratchy, but I took a chance)
The Jags - Evening Standards (Island 1980 - with all-time early-Costello Xerox almost-hit "Back Of My Hand")
Loose Ends - A Little Space (MCA 1983 - w/ "Hangin' On A String")
Mazz - Standing Ovation (It's A Killer) (Cara 1984 - San Antonio indie label border music; pretty sure he/they were a big deal in that world, plus it has a "Disco Medley")
Bobby Naranjo Y Direccion - Put Me In Jail (Hacienda 1984 - Corpus Christi indie label border music; never heard of them before but the album title and cover photo makes me think they might be tough guys)
John Parr - s/t (Atlantic 1984 - w/ Billy Squier Xerox hit "Naughty Naughty")
Rosetta Stone - s/t (Private Stock 1978 - (Bay City Rollers types maybe?? w/ Kinks and Cream covers)
Space - Magic Fly (United Artists 1977 -- already had a copy; figured it might be profitable to get another one)
Rachel Sweet - Blame It On Love (Columbia 1982)
Pat Travers - Putting It Straight (Polydor 1977)

Passed up the second Widowmaker LP from 1977 because their debut didn't kill me; the Jigsaw LP with "Sky High" on it (think I maybe bought it before and didn't like it?), some late-period Little Anthony & the Imperials LP; sundry other things. (Also passed up cassettes by Chris Rea, Snap, Alexander O'Neal, etc., that I would've bought if they'd been selling for 50 cents instead of $1)

Also picked up five 1967-1970 copies of Look magazine in great shape at a garage sale for $1 total (20 cents each), including ones with Diana Ross and Joan Baez on the cover, one where Jim Bouton talks about Ball Four, and ones featuring the cover headlines "The Hippies: A Look writer who joined them reports on their wild, weird ways" and "How Can You Tell If Your Child Is Taking Drugs?"

paul stookey solo record
a hot tuna LP (second one i think? forget the name)
and a late richard thompson lp

"The Hippies: A Look writer who joined them reports on their wild, weird ways"

Haha, I REMEMBER this issue as a kid!

I paid 20p for a copy of Human League's "Dare", and 10p for a 7" single of Sheila & B. Devotion (i.e. Chic) doing 'Spacer', both awesome.

25 cents each (4 for $1), Antones's tonight

babys - union jack (chrysalis 1980)
the cars - shake it up (elektra 1981)
climax blues band - sense of direction (sire 1974)
climax blues band - fm/live (sire 1973 - double LP)
ry cooder - bop till you drop (warner bros 1980)
fm - city of fear (passport 1980 -- produced by larry fast; synth-rock trio??)
grand funk railroad - on time (capitol 1969)
grand funk railroad - closer to home (capitol 1970)
grand funk railroad - shinin' on (capitol 1974)
grin - grin (spindizzy 1971)
john hiatt - riding with the king (geffen 1983)
jigsaw - jigsaw (chelsea 1974 - w/ 'sky high')
rickie lee jones - pirates (warner bros. 1981)
steve khan - arrows (columbia 1979)
steve khan - the blue man (columbia 1978)
let's active - cypress (i.r.s. 1984)
maze - featuring frankie beverly (capitol 1977)
maze - joy and pain (capitol 1980)
eddie money - life for the taking (columbia 1978 - promo label copy)
eddie money - eddie money (columbia 1977)
jerffrey osbourne - emotional (a&m 1986)
robert palmer - some people can do what they like (island 1976)
robert palmer - double fun (island 1978)
tanita tikaram - ancient heart (reprise 1988)
pat travers band - heat in the street (polydor 1978)
johnny winter - still alive and well (columbia 1973)
wishbone ash - locked in (atlantic 1976)

>>babys - union jack (chrysalis 1980)

Union Jack is really pretty good if you understand the Brit class thing and the 'ello, 'ello, 'ello bit. Google it.

climax blues band - sense of direction (sire 1974)
Title cut is good but the rest is muzak.

>>climax blues band - fm/live (sire 1973 - double LP)

hard rock, their best ... I am constant, you make me sick, all the time in the world

>>grand funk railroad - on time (capitol 1969)
>>grand funk railroad - closer to home (capitol 1970)
>>grand funk railroad - shinin' on (capitol 1974)

hmmmm, i'm your captain I can do without ... dig the hard left/right stereo pan of
On Times

>>pat travers band - heat in the street (polydor 1978)

first side almost totally ruling, second side -- nah.

>>johnny winter - still alive and well (columbia 1973)

title cut is great, too much seconal, too

>>wishbone ash - locked in (atlantic 1976)

will bore you shitless

>>The Babys - s/t (Chrysalis 1977)

Their best album. Bob Ezrin, who hated them and they hated him. Closest to Free they did, which was the early idea. Version of "I Love How You Love Me" either annoying or great, depending on your experience at high school dances.

>>Pat Travers - Putting It Straight (Polydor 1977)

Awesome collisional hard rock. Funky, pointedly skewers punk, which he knew something of since Topper Headon drummed for him. My favorite Pat Travers LP.

All CDs at either Goodwill or a local bookstore:

The Chills - "Kaleidoscope World"
Cocteau Twins - "Blue Bell Knoll"
Lightning Bolt - "Wonderful Rainbow"
Celebration - "Celebration"
Trans Am - "Surrender to the Night"
Trans Am - "The Surveillance"
Yume Bitsu - "Giant Surface Music Falling to Earth Like Jewels"
Pretty Girls Make Graves - "The New Romance"
Eric Copeland - "Hermaphrodite"

Average $1 each (i.e., all $1 except for six 3-for-$1 soul LPs that are all really scratchy* and one rap 12" I convinced a dealer to toss in for free**, which combined sort of make up for the $5 entry fee), Austin Record Convention, today:

The Beat Farmers - Tales Of The New West (Rhino 1985)
Cameo - Secret Omen (Chocolate City 1979)
Cameo - Cameosis (Chocolate City 1980 - made Barry Michael Cooper's Pazz & Jop ballot that year)
Andre Cymone - A.C. (Columbia 1985)
The Dingoes - Five Times The Sun (A&M 1977 -- Aussies, I guess; could suck but plenty of '70s Aussies didn't)
Doug & The Slugs - Wrap It! (RCA 1981 -- Never even considered buying anything by them before but I liked the LP cover and funny liner notes)
Family - Bandstand (United Artists 1972 -- supposed to be of their better ones, I think; also, complicated die-cut cover and sleeve!)
Glass Harp - Synergy (MCA 1971 -- Scott could tell me if this is one of their good ones; passed on the 1980 Resurrection Band LP I saw though.)
Robert Gordon w/ Link Wray - Fresh Fish Special (Private Stock 1978 - bought this for Link not Robert, but have nothing against him really)
Grave Digger - Heavy Metal Breakdown (Megaforce 1984 -- Martin Popoff gave it a 9 out of 10; I still might hate it though)
Grin/Nis Lofgren - 1+1 (Spindizzy 1971 -- their best sez Xgau)
Happy The Man - Crafty Hands (Arista 1978 -- made Jon Pareles's Pazz & Jop ballot that year, and he was Super Art-Rock Guy in those days)
Nona Hendryx - The Art Of Defense (RCA 1984 - w/ Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Eddie Martinez, Daniel Ponce, Afrika Bambaataa, etc.)
Millie Jackson - Feelin' Bitchy* (Polydor 1977 - w/ hit Merle Haggard cover "If You're Not Back In Love By Monday")
Willie Hutch - The Mark Of The Beast* (Motown 1974 - cover looks demonic)
King Oliver's Jazz Band 1923 - The Jazz Makers (Swaggie ??? -- Australian compilation, think I have an Armstrong/Hot Five one in the same series)
Lakeside - Rough Riders* (Solar 1979 - badass black cowboy posse gatefold)
Tom Lehrer - Songs By Tom Lehrer (Lehrer 10-inch EP ??? -- an old price sticker on cover says "39.99+TX" and "List $100" but it was in the dollar bin, and it's slightly split at the bottom, and the dealer saw what I was paying for, so who knows)
Little Milton - Playing For Keeps (Malaco 1984)
D.J. Rogers - It's Good To Be Alive* (RCA 1975)
Ron And The D.C. Crew - "Ronnie's Rapp"** (Profile 12-inch single 1986 -- hoping this is a Ronald Reagan parody; there's even a "Kissinger Dub" version!)
Rough Trade - For Those Who Think Young (Boardwalk 1982 - past their prime, I think, but I own nothing else by them; hopefully still good)
SAHB (Without Alex) - Fourplay (Mountain 1977 -- see below; here, Alex is actually bound on gagged in the picture on the back cover)
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Vambo Rools: Big Hits And Close Shaves (Vertigo c. 1975??)
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Live (Atlantic 1975)
Joe Simon - Today* (Spring 1976)
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (Columbia 1973 -- bizarrely, did not own this til now)
Tommy Tucker - Mother Tucker (Red Lightnin' ??? - 16-song U.K.comp, recording dates range from his great and only hit "Hi Heel Sneakers" in 1962 to 1976)
Betty Wright - Live* (TK/Alston 1978)
(Various) - Maiden Australia (A&M 1983 - w/ Skyhooks, Split Enz, Mental As Anything, Hunters & Collectors, Jo Jo Zep, plus seven bands I never heard of)

Hey, I was at Toronto's big twice-yearly show today. I'm real picky about shape. These were all $2:

Bryan Ferry -- Let's Stick Together
Poco -- A Good Feelin' to Know
Joe Simon -- Drowning in the Sea of Love
Harry Chapin -- Anthology (almost bought Heads & Tales, which I already have, for the gatefold)
Dave Edmunds -- Tracks on Wax
Grace Jones -- Nightclubbing
Linda Ronstadt -- Greatest Hits Volume Two (and Volume One--oops, already had it)
Randy Newman -- Land of Dreams

3 for $10:

Des O'Connor -- Careless Hands
Des O'Connor -- I Pretend
Brook Benton -- shady looking two-record compilation on Springboard

Best of all was this guy with sealed DVDs for $5:

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls (three copies: one for me, two for gifts)
The Dick Cavett Show: John & Yoko Collection
The Night James Brown Saved Boston
This Is Tom Jones, Vols. 1 & 2 (Time-Life collections of clips from his show, 3 discs each)

Throw in $5 admission, a great day.

$1 each today, Pirahna's, Round Rock (owner says he rotated all dollar-bin stock after the Austin record fair)

Alcatraz - No Parole From Rock 'N' Roll (Roshire 1983. Promising song titles: "General Hospital," "Bigfoot," "Hiroshima Mon Amour," "Kree Aakoorie," "Jet to Jet," "To Yung To Die, Too Drunk To Live." Popoff 10 out of 10)
Belmonts - Cheek To Cheek (Strawberry 1976 -- sans Dion; some of same songs as Cigars Acapella Candy; wasn't even aware this existed)
Dr. John - Featuring The Night Trippers (Springboard ??? -- looks very Gris-Gris voodoo style; a cheapo semi-legal outtake comp or something?)
Moxy - Under The Lights (Mercury 1978 - Popoff didn't like this one)
Ohio Express - Ohio Express (Buddah 1968 -- with "Yummy Yummy Yummy" & "Down At Lulu's"; my older brother Louie used to have a copy of this)
Status Quo - Just For The Record (PYE 1980, sealed - U.K. and/or Spain comp of early tracks, apparently; no idea whether I should unseal it.)
The Swingin' Medallions - Sun Sand And Sea (4Sale 1981 -- compilation? re-recordings? not sure. has "Double Shot Of My Baby's Love," one of my favorite singles ever. Autographed on cover by keyboardist/songwriter John McElrath. Don't think I've ever even seen an album by them before.)

Oops, actually, Alcatraz spelled "Young" correctly (unfortunately.)

And pretty sure Rough Trade didn't actually have a "prime" -- was somehow getting them confused with fellow Canadians Teenage Head (who they probably have nothing in common with) when I bought an LP by them last week.

Also, the Robert Gordon/Link Wray LP I bought last week was pretty bad.

re Status Quo, sez these are the tunes:

In My Chair
Something's Going On In My Head
Umleitung
Railroad
Lakky Lady
Nanana
Mean Girl
Someone's Learning
Gotta Go Home
Spinning Wheel Blues
Down The Dustpipe
Gerdundula

=======

Which tells me unseal it and give listen. Looks like a comp combing tracks Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon and Dog of Two Head, the first two albums where they went to the denim and boogie. "Gerdundula," "Railroad," "Something Going On In My Head," "In My Chair," and "Umlietung." "Down the Dustpipe" was the first big hit from the style.

Family - Bandstand (United Artists 1972 -- supposed to be of their better ones, I think; also, complicated die-cut cover and sleeve!)

You're not going to like this anymore than you 'liked' Streetwalkers.

$1 each, Breakaway today. (Mid '70s pre-Ramones/Fonzie-era leather-jacket-rock concept buy):

Brownsville Station School Punks (Big Tree 1974 -- a couple years ahead of their time obviously)
Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids Rock & Roll Forever (Epic 1975 double-LP; a sort of repackage that apparently includes their Kim Fowley-produced '72 debut LP, which I've never heard but everybody seems to say is a rocker, and "two additional sides of stolid remakes," according to the Rolling Stone Record Guide. The later album I bought by them earlier this year was a bore, but I have higher hopes for at least Disc One of this.)

A few weeks ago the local library was selling off ex-catalogue CDs for 50c ea.

The Fall - Totale's Turns
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Juana Molina - Un Dia
Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 Months...

$1 each, Breakaway today:

DB Cooper Buy American (Warner Bros. 1980)
Eruption Featuring Precious Wilson (Ariola 1978)
Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly Golden Time Of Day (Capitol 1978)
Plastic Ono Band Live Peace In Toronto 1969 (Apple 1969 -- guess I just missed owning this.)
Private Lines Trouble In School (Passport 1980)

Just picked up the Sex Pistols DVD, "There's Always Be an England" for a dollar. It's not very good. But for a buck, it's a good deal.

Eruption Featuring Precious Wilson (Ariola 1978)

funny, i just bought this when i was down in Austin at Half-Price Books and had half a notion that you had sold it, Chuck. think when i play it out i'll screw down their "Can't Stand The Rain" cover.

$1 each

mouthus - follow this house
neon neon - stainless style
phantomsmasher - s/t
spiritualized - the abbey road ep
oval - ovalcommers
polvo - exploded drawing
loretta lynn - van lear rose

$2 each

deftones - s/t
nirvana - hormoaning ep
melvins - houdini (strangely enough, i've bought 20+ melvins albums and am just now getting around to houdini...)
r. kelly - untitled
loren mazzacane connors + david gray - this past spring
godflesh - hymns
black sabbath - we sold our soul for rock 'n' roll
the birthday party - drunk on the pope's blood

$3 each

ellen allien - fabric 34
swans - die tur ist zu
saint vitus - born too late

$2 for Godflesh, Melvins and $3 for Saint Vitus?? I want to shop there!

almost didnt post it here b/c it's not $1 each but hey, good deal's a good deal

also, i hear it's the worst godflesh album? who knows. i like all the others, this is my completist purchase, the last one....

50 cents each ($13 total), End Of An Ear, South Austin today. (Thought they were $1 each when I took them up to the counter, so the sale was a good surprise; probably would've also picked up assorted Gentle Giant/Focus/Scorpions/Lizzy Borden/Dire Straits/Cat Mother LPs if I'd known while browsing, but it's probably just as well I didn't):

American Breed American Breed (Acta 1967) -- bi-racial Chicago frat-rockers, before their big hit "Bend Me Shape Me," but apparently "Step Out Of Your Mind" was a smaller one. Plus they cover lots of wild fast r&b and soul dancefloor classics, looks like, and surround themselves with friends dressed racistly as Native Americans on the cover.
Adrian Belew "Big Electric Cat"/"The Lone Rhinoceros" (Island 10-inch single 1982) 10-inch fetish purchase; maybe I'll even like one of the songs a little, who knows.
Bittersweet Alley Some Like It Hot (Track EP 1985, sealed.) Suburban Detroit cheeseball hockey-hair wannabee rock. These guys used to get local AOR play there; no idea if they were any good.
Gary U.S. Bonds The Best Of: From The Original Session Tapes (MCA 1984) 10 songs; bet the Bruce connection caused the reissue.
Book Of Lies Cryptic Memo (Fever EP 1984) Never heard of this before, but it looks cool. Co-ed trio. Pretty sure Fever put out some other good punky/new-wavey local Chicago stuff back then.
Capital City Rockets Capital City Rockets (Elekra 1973) Allegedly proto-punky Midwesterners. Look like smartass tough guys in sports uniforms, a good sign. Pretty sure Rick Johnson liked them and Martin Popoff didn't.
Crabby Appleton Rotten To The Core (Elektra 1971) Lacks their '70s "Go Back" hit.
Fireballet Two, Too... (Passport 1976) Either Scott recommended this on ILX once or he just made fun of the five pirouetting guys wearing tutus on the cover, I'm not sure which.
The Frost Frost Music (Vanguard 1969) Hard-rocking Detroit also-rans w/ Dick Wagner guitaring and yelling.
Hello People Bricks (ABC 1975) Fully expect to hate this, but I never owned an actual mime-rock album before.
Human Sexual Response Fig. 14 (Eat 1980) Boston geek-wavers, w/ "What Does Sex Mean To Me," "Jackie Onassis," other college radio classics you're probably too young to remember.
Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society Barbecue Dog (Antilles 1983) One of his louder ones, iirc, w/ Vernon Reid on guitar.
Original Mirrors Original Mirrors (Arista 1980) Super new wavey instant-cutout cover art; used to see this in stores all the time, and had no idea what it was. Just looked it up - Deaf School spinoff apparently, with one song produced by Bill Nelson.
The Kids Anvil Chorus (Atco 1975) Never heard of, but back cover photos look sufficiently guttersnipe for 1975, plus they do songs called "On The Street," "The Cops Are Coming," and "The Turk (An'Wot'E Smokes)," cool. Not in Popoff or Jasper/Oliver, though.
Pet Hate Bad Publicity (Heavy Metal Records 1984) Cover looks more punk than metal, despite (Wolverhampton UK-based) label, though LPs on their disheveled hotel room floor by Angel, Kiss, and Japan could swing either way. Again, never heard of 'em. Popoff gives it just 4 out of 10, but calls them NWOBHM and compares them to Hanoi Rocks, which makes sense.
Lloyd Price The Rock'n'Roll Magic Of (Candlelight Music double-LP 1978) Just four songs per side, but lots of hits.
The Romantics In Heat (Nemperor 1983) w/ "Talking In Your Sleep," "One In A Million," "Shake A Tail Feather"
Romeo Void Never Say Never (415/Columbia EP 1981) w/ famous title cut
Bob Seger System Mongrel (Capitol 1970) Was just kicking myself on a different thread a few months ago for getting rid of my copy; now I can stop kicking. Condition looks good, too!
Skin Yard Skin Yard (C/Z 1986) Seattle art-grunge, half-decade pre-teen-spirit. On greyish-white vinyl! I actually reviewed this when it came out, too.
Spliff 8555 International Version (CBS Schallplatten 1985) Used to see their records in Mainz/Frankfurt/Bad Kreuznach record stores all the time in the early '80s. Otherwise, I am clueless.
Rick Springfield Comic Book Heroes (Columbia 1973) Lacks his 1972 "Speak To The Sky" hit.
Thunderclaop Newman Hollywood Dream (Track 1970) With "Something In The Air." Somebody said once in Trouser Press that they were the best one-album band ever except maybe X-Ray Spex, but I don't know. Definitely look like beatniks though.
Uzi Sleep Asylum (Homestead 1986 EP) Already have the 1993 CD reissue on Matador, but I'd rather have the original.
Vanderberg Vandenberg (Atco 1982) A Popoff 10-out-of-10 that I will always probably confuse with Vanderhoof.
(Various) W4 Homegrown (W4 c. 1978) Total Holy Grail, and I didn't even know it, because I hadn't thought about it for over three decades. W4 is Detroit AOR station WWWW; this has legendary local wannabees and never-weres Buzztones, Toby Redd, Wolfticket, etc, plus the Rockets doing "Lookin For Love," the Romantics in one of their first on-record appearances doing "Tell It To Carrie" (their first local hit), plus a bunch of other bands I don't recall but might remember their songs, which WWWW probably all played.

Uh, Spliff LP is actually 1982 (the year I got to Germany), not 1985 (and not that anybody cares.)

I love Bricks! It's great.

the kids is the heavy metal kids. their second album.

Cool! I had no idea.

hope you like the thunderclap newman album. i've always really liked it a lot.

i never really liked the 60's hello people stuff. but bricks, i dunno, i just dig it a lot. i don't think a lot of people do. todd rundgren produced it. they brought out his weirdness. in a good way.

That Rick Springfield album is amazing, btw, and for the most part far, far better than Speak To The Sky. Last 3 tracks are nearly perfect. Best thing he ever did, as far as I know.

FWIW, weird Comic Book Heroes related rarity on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy6JUWZmK8s

The Frost Frost Music (Vanguard 1969) Hard-rocking Detroit also-rans w/ Dick Wagner guitaring and yelling.

Dang, never even seen a copy of this in the flesh. Lucky man.

Labradford - Mi Media Naranja
Global Communications - 76:14
Vladislav Delay - Multila
Ice - Bad Blood

guess i should check out global communications, considering how much i love the other stuff you've listed

"Either Scott recommended this on ILX once or he just made fun of the five pirouetting guys wearing tutus on the cover, I'm not sure which."

i like it! i played it a lot this year. i like it a lot more than their more famous night on bald mountain album or whatever.

there are a couple of cool guitar tracks i like on that rick springfield album, but the whole album doesn't do much for me. i wanted to love it cuzza the cover and the theme and all that.

i really really like that romeo void EP too. they are too underrated/underplayed as far as i'm concerned. people know the two big songs, but they had lots of great stuff. they should be bigger in neo-post-punk circles.

and everything by human sexual response is worth owning!

and as far as crabby appleton go i actually prefer the two post-crabby albums that singer michael fennelly put out after crabby bit the dust. lane changer and stranger's bed. if you see those for a buck get them. really good hard rock/rock/pop stuff. fennelly worked with curt boettcher and was a part of Millennium. (the fennelly albums are kinda slept on. they are medium-hard to find. they didn't sell at all. ebay probably has cheap copies.)

capitol put out latter-day (late-70's and maybe even early 80's) vinyl reissues of mongrel and ramblin' gamblin' after bob hit it big, so you can find really clean copies if you are lucky. i'm sure there were night moves fans who bought them in a seger-loving frenzy and then didn't play them much. even the later pressings ended up going in the cut-out bins.

Just played Human Sexual Response -- They strike me as pretty awful, as a hint of pale and emaciated indie nerd-dom that's about one-tenth as clever as it thinks it is to come, but I kind of enjoyed it despite itself. A few songs definitely sounded familiar, 30 years later. Four different singers, apparently. There's one guy whose voice reminds me of...Tom Verlaine? Peter Hammil? Peter Gabriel? Somebody. Liked the Hello People album, which was more rock than I expected, way more than HSR, though. Adrian Belew 10-inch was just an excuse to make guitar noises. He makes better noises in his cat song, but I like that his rhino song is about an endangered species.

And oh yeah, turns out that Kids LP (which I haven't played yet) is in both Popoff's and Jasper/Oliver's books, filed under H instead of K. They both like it a lot, seem to consider it the Heavy Metal Kids' peak. Popoff calls it the most ferocious glam rock record ever, or something like that. So I guess I got a good deal.

Playing the Romeo Void EP next. Christgau said when it came out that nobody would ever remember the other three cuts besides the hit. Betting he was right.

Catalog # on the copy of Mongrel I got is ST-499, which oddly isn't listed among the five vinyl versions on discogs. But they do list a 1977 reissue as SM-499. So I was thinking that maybe that's a typo. But if you google ST-499, you get a few sites claiming that's the original 1970 pressing; not sure what's right.

i prefer in a roman mood by human sexual response cuz its got land of the glass pinecones on it which i love, but i like fig. 14 as well. they were nerds but i always thought they were charming nerds. as far as boston nerds go scruffy the cat were a more dire harbinger of things to come.