D-Sides, Orphans, and Oddities

Pere Ubu - Road To Utah (2014)

Pere Ubu - Folly Of Youth (1995)

Pere Ubu - Rhapsody In Pink (1980)

Pere Ubu - Rhapsody In Pink (1989)

Fonzie With "Thumbs Up" Action TV Commercial (1976)

R.B. Zipper - Cruisin' With The Fonz (1976) Bruce Wooley, who co-wrote this shit, also co-wrote "Video Killed The Radio Star". 

Leather Tuscadero (Suzi Quattro) - Do The Fonzie (1978)

Unknown - Fonzie Impressionist Track (Aaay, Cool, Nerd, Sit On It) (1976)

Frank Lydon - Fonzie Meets Kotter's Sweathogs (At The School Dance) (1976) The best part is when "Fonzie" says "Ayyyy....SHUT UP." And the background music sounds a little like early 70s-style instrumental Zappa. 

The Heyettes - The Fonz Song (1976)

The Globetrotters - Meadowlark (1970) 

The Globetrotters - Bouncin' All Over The World (1970) Written by Sedaka-Greenfield, the team that penned all those 60s hits.  

The Globetrotters - Cheer Me Up (1970)

The Globetrotters - Globetrottin' (1970)

Syreeta - I'm Goin' Left (1974) 

Syreeta - Spinnin' and Spinnin' (1974)

Elvis Presley - The Power Of My Love (1969)

Richard and Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (1974)

Richard Dawson - Apples and Oranges (1969?) 

Rotary Connection - Didn't Want To Have To Do It (1968)

Scott Walker - Joanna (1969)

Screaming Lord Sutch - Flashing Light (1970)

Sha Na Na - Canadian Money (1971) 

Sha Na Na - Only One Song (1972)

The Archies - A Summer Prayer For Peace (1969) 

The Brady Kids - Drummer Man (1972)

Carpenters - Your Wonderful Parade (1969) 

The Collage - She's Just Laughing At Me (1968)

The Cars were successful for the same reason Aerosmith, Nirvana, and Abba were successful. Good, solid, knowledgeable talent at the soundboard. Pure and simple.

Gilbert Neal - The New America (2013)

Gilbert Neal - Epiphany (2013)

Gilbert Neal - Let's Get The Band Back Together (2013)

Gilbert Neal - She Is The Reason (2013)

Gilbert Neal - Water (2013)

Gilbert Neal and Ken Ray Wilemon - My Cecile (2019)

Gilbert Neal - Jamie Day (2013)

Gilbert Neal - She's That Way (2013)

Gilbert Neal - Forgive Yourself (2013)

Gilbert Neal - Everything's A Steal (2013)

Gilbert Neal - Remember Me That Way (2013)

I don't want much. I just want a little bit. Written by Rosco N. Gordon III in 1959. 

"Just a Little Bit" was developed when Gordon was touring with West Coast blues artist Jimmy McCracklin. According to Gordon, McCracklin started to write the song and agreed that Gordon could finish it, with both of them sharing the credit. Gordon later presented a demo version to Ralph Bass at King Records, who was reportedly uninterested in the song. Gordon then approached Calvin Carter at Vee-Jay Records, who agreed to record it.

Meanwhile, Federal Records, a King Records subsidiary, released a version of "Just a Little Bit" by R&B singer Tiny Topsy (1959 Federal 45-12357), with songwriting credit given to Ralph Bass and several others unknown to Gordon. The Tiny Topsy song, featuring a pop-style arrangement with background singers and flute, did not reach the record charts.

 

Elvis Presley (1973)

Animals (1977)

Freddie King (1973)

Jerry Lee Lewis (1973)

Etta James (1968)

Dave Berry (1964)

Liverpool Five (1966)

Gene Simmons (1964)  

Magic Sam Blues Band (1969)

Mitch Ryder and the The Detroit Wheels (1966)

Rory Gallagher (1975)

Rosco Gordon (1959) The original. I find this version has a swing to it that the others don't possess. As if they took the part that didn't swing and emphasized THAT because it was just easier. 

Roy Head (1965)

Slade (1974) I like Slade, but this is the worst version here. 

The Undertakers (1964) 

Them (1965) Also a pretty bad version. 

Tiny Topsy (1959)

 Note the additional composers. 

Tony Worsley and the Blue Jays (1965)

Homer & Jethro - Gonna Send 'Em Home (1964) Nobody sent anybody home. 

Janis Joplin - Half Moon (1969) Written by John and Joanna Hall. How exciting it must have been!

John Hall - Voyagers (1978) With James Taylor and Carly Simon on backing vocals. With all that star power, how could this fail? Didn't even reach the top 200. 

John Hall - Nu Toone (1970) 

John Hall Band - Crazy (1982) 

Kangaroo - I Never Tell Me Twice (1968) John Hall's band before Orleans. 

La Bionda - I Wanna Be Your Lover (1980) JUST TAKE MY MONEY!!!

Orleans - Please Be There (1973)

John Hall - Power (1979) More Carly and JT. No sales, but it must have been nice to have your song sung at the No Nukes thingie. 

Stevie Wonder - As (1976)

Genesis - Behind The Lines/Duchess (1980) I distinctly remember the Duke tour booklet saying to "expect some surprises". Selling out was a surprise, I admit.

People made a good living pretending to be more famous artists.

Andy Williams - Get Together (1969)  Crazy, sitar-laden version by one of my favorite singers. Performed with Loadstone. This brass-centric band formed in Las Vegas, NV. Backing Bobby Darin at the time. he went on his hiatus to find himself, leaving them looking for a gig. The band worked a club in Vegas called 'The Pussycat A Go Go' where Andy Williams used to hang out. He signed the band to his label, Barnaby Records, because of the big following the band attracted to its live performances. Andy also got Dave Grusin to produce the album as well as play piano on one track, Dayshine. The album was recorded in a two week period in the Summer of 1969 and other than record promotion concerts and a few club gigs in L.A., the band never toured.

Your Navy Presents: Carpenters - Get Together (1969) As listeners to this show will know, the original version, less polished, was sung by Richard. 

Della Reese - Get Together (1970)

Dino Valenti - Let's Get Together (1964) 

The Dave Clark Five - Everybody Get Together (1970)

Anne Murray - Get Together (1970)

Hamilton Camp - Get Together (1964)

The Association - Let's Get Together (1970)

Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys - Let's Get Together (1968)

We Five - Let's Get Together (1965)

Lobo - Let's Get Together (1974)

George Hamilton and Skeeter Davis - Let's Get Together (1970)

Smith - Let's Get Together (1970) 

The Staple Singers - Let's Get Together (1968)

Phil Manzanera - Flight 19 (1977)

David Essex - On And On (1973)

Eddie Simpson - Big Black Funky Slave (1972)

Carl Douglas - Gambin' Man (1974)

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds - Annabella (1971) 

James Brown - It's A New Day (1970)

Gilbert Neal - Where Are You (2020) Remix

 

Then I left the studio.

Very famous A-sides in bold. 

 

The First Class - Both Sides of the Story (1974) Beach Baby 

Nick Lowe - Endless Grey Ribbon (1979) Cruel To Be Kind 

Jigsaw - Brand New Love Affair (1975) Sky High 

The Archies - Melody Hill (1968) Sugar Sugar

Norman Greenbaum - Milk Cow (1969) Spirit In The Sky

Pilot - Just Let Me Be (1974) Magic

Ram Jam - I Should Have Known (1977) Black Betty 

Alicia Bridges - Self-Applause (1978) I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round) 

 Ace - Sniffin' About (1974) How Long

 

Starland Vocal Band - Starland (1976) Afternoon Delight 

Steam - The Magic In You (1970) Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

The Sugarhill Gang - Apache (1981) Rapper's Delight

GLS United - Rapper's Deutsch (1981)

T Rex - Raw Ramp (1971) Bang A Gong 

Terry Jacks - Put The Bone In (1974) Seasons In The Sun 

The Knack - Let Me Out (1979) My Sharona

Vicki Lawrence - Dime a Dance (1973) The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia

John Fred And His Playboy Band - When The Lights Go Out (1967) Lucy In Disguise (With Glasses)

Wild Cherry - The Lady Wants Your Money (1976) Play That Funky Music

Zager & Evans - Little Kids (1969) In The Year 2525

The Five Stairsteps - Dear Prudence (1970) O-o-h Child 

The Five Stairsteps had previous peripheral success recording in Chicago with Curtis Mayfield; when Mayfield's workload precluded his continuing to work with the group they were reassigned to Stan Vincent, an in-house producer for Buddah Records, who had recently scored a Top Ten hit with the Lou Christie single "I'm Gonna Make You Mine". The Five Stairsteps' debut collaboration with Vincent was originally formatted with the group's rendition of "Dear Prudence" as the A-side with Vincent's original composition "O-o-h Child" as B-side. However, "O-o-h Child" broke out in the key markets of Philadelphia and Detroit to rise as high as #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1970. 

The Spiral Staircase - Broken-Hearted Man (1969) More Today Than Yesterday 

Clint Holmes - There's No Future In My Future (1972) Playground In My Mind 

Pratt & McClain - Cruisin' With The Fonz/Tonight We're Gonna Fall In Love (1976) Happy Days Theme

David Essex - On and On (1973) Rock On

 

Then I sneak out of the studio.

The offshoots of Parliament/Funkadelic were pretty wild in their own right. Having said that, I am amazed he held so many irons in the fire for as long as he did....cocaine is a hell of a drug.

A mixed bag of interesting curios from the 60's and 70's.

Listen to what Men At Work's massive hit sounded like before it was tailored to the US market, and given a nightly promotion on MTV.