Vinyl-O-Matic

By Will McCollumSociety & Culture Arts Music Personal Journals Music History

Vinyl-O-Matic episodes

April 05, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: A-Sides beginning with the letter N.
Dolly Parton [00:23]
a side: "9 to 5"
b side: "Sing for the Common Man"
RCA Records PB-12133 1980
What a way indeed. Dolly was only the second woman to top both the Country and Hot 100 charts, the first being Jeannie C Riley with Harper Valley PTA.
Cliff Jackson and the Naturals [06:56]
a side: "Nine Below Zero"
b side: "Up the Wall"
Midnight Sun MS-2

The Sonny Boy Williamson classic.
? and the Mysterians [12:22]
a side: "96 Tears"
b side: "Midnight Hour"
Cameo Records C-428 1966
Damn fine stuff. too many tear drops, not enough Vox Continental.
Nena [17:31]
a side: "99 Luftaballons"
b side: "99 Red Balloons"
Epic Records 34-04108 1983
In case you're wondering, the German lyrics are better.
Badfinger [26:13]
a side: "No Matter What"
b side: "Carry On Till Tomorrow"
Apple Records 1822 1970
Some great stereo guitars going on here, plus some great Leslie/Rotovibe stuff. And the b-side is the theme song from the film The Magic Christian. Evidentally there is a Def Leppard cover of "No Matter What", but you'll have to go find that yourself.
Bazan and Deerhoof [33:07]
a side: "No One Asked Bazan to Dance"
b side: "Gas and Matches"
Polyvinyl Records PRC9132 2012
A pretty wonderful appropriation of Deerhoof by Dave Bazan on the a-side. Lovely translucent blue vinyl.
FIDLAR [40:01]
a side: "No Waves"
b side: "No Ass"
MOM + POP MP054 2012
Don't we all want a perfect left and a sunset shore.
Whitey on the Moon UK [43:47]
a side: "noam chomsky spring break/forty dollar rug"
b side: "flippin' bump with goldie/sailing by night"
Isota Records sody013 2002
Gettin trippy with Whitey, which would eventually become Department of Eagles.
Music behing the DJ: "Match Game Theme"
58 min
March 29, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: A-Sides beginning with the letter M, and some that begin with the letter N.
Darlene McCrea [00:31]
a side: "My Heart's Not in It"
b side: "Don't Worry Baby"
Tower Records 104 1964
Phew... quite the classic. Former member of The Cookies, and Ray Charles Raelettes.
Love [05:51]
a side: "My Little Red Book"
b side: "A Message to Pretty"
Elektra Records EK-45603 1966
A fine stripped down version of Burt Bacharach's tune. And supposedly influenced the Syd Barrett's riff in "Interstellar Overdrive". And that b-side is clearly Byrdsian.
Betty LaVette [12:26]
a side: "My Man - He's a Lovin' Man"
b side: "Shut Your Mouth"
Atlantic Records 45-2160 1962
16 year old Betty LaVette telling us about her man. And hoo boy do I love the flipside.
The Knack [17:45]
a side: "My Sharona"
b side: "Let Me Out"
Capitol Records 4731

Woo! Again, a killer flipside. The sleeve for this single features the titular Sharona.
The Lovin' Cohens [25:05]
a side: "Noshille Katz"
b side: "Shoilly Klein"
MGM Records K13700 1967
From the mind of NYC songwriter Bobby Weinstien, in homage of John Sebastian's ode to the studio musicians of Music City "Nashville Cats".
Gary US Bonds [30:08]
a side: "New Orleans"
b side: "Please Forgive Me"
Legrand Records KB-484 1960
The original breakout single from Mr. Bonds.
Fluke Starbucker [36:05]
a side: "New Parade/Carwash"
b side: "Cumulous to Nebulous"
Isota Records sody003 2002
A Gagon family outing from the early aughties.
The Strangeloves [46:43]
a side: "Night Time"
b side: "Rhythm of Love"
Bang Records B-514 1965
From the songwriting trio that brough you "I Want Candy". And covered by J Geils on their Love Stinks album.
Music behind the DJ: "The Look of Love" by Christopher Scott.
57 min
March 22, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: Even more A-Sides beginning with the letter M.
Bobby (Boris) Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers [00:22]
a side: "Monster Mash"
b side: "Monsters' Mash Party"
Garpax Records GP-44167 1962
Indeed, the greatest pop song ever recorded. I think I'm going to name my next adventuring party The Crypt Kicker Five.
Buck Owens [06:20]
a side: "(It's a) Monster's Holiday"
b side: "Great Expectations"
Capitol Records 3907 1974
Yup, that's a Buck Owens song, sure as stakin. Wait, sexy sensations?! Yikes! Welcome to the 70s I guess.
Derrick Morgan a side: "Moon Hop" [12:03]
Reggaites b side: "Harris Wheel" [15:18]
Crab Records CRAB 32 1969
Love this a-side to the moon and back.
Charlie Rich [17:48]
a side: "The Most Beautiful Girl"
b side: "I Feel Like Going Home"
Epic Records 5-11040 1973
Ah the rich vocal stylings the Silver Fox, Charlie Rich. Some exemplary countrypolitan.
Palace Songs [26:01]
a side: "The Mountain"
b side: "(End of) Travelling"
Palace Records PR3 1995
Landscape as metaphor?
The Byrds [32:01]
a side: "Mr. Spaceman"
b side: "What's Happening?!?!"
Columbia Records 4-43766 1966
And thus Space Rock was born. Or wait, was it Country Rock?
Millie Small [37:34]
a side: "My Boy Lollipop"
b side: "Sweet William"
Smash Records S-1411 1970 (1964)
The single that helped launch Island Records.
The Angels [41:21]
a side: "My Boyfriend's Back"
b side: "Now"
Smash Records S-1834 1963
Wait, is the flipside a comedy track?
Music Behind the DJ: "The Mexican Shuffle" by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass.
56 min
March 15, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: More A-Sides beginning with the letter M.
David Bowie [mm:ss]
a side: "Modern Love (Studio)"
b side: "Modern Love (Live)"
EMI America B-8177 1983
Almost like a promo single, but this style is studio on the a-side and live on the b-side. Listening to the studio version, I never realized how kind a lame those synth stabs in the verse are. Anywho the live side was recorded on the Serious Moonlight tour on it's stop in Montreal.
Larry Bright [mm:ss]
a side: "Mojo Workout"
b side: "I'll Change My Ways"
Tide 45-T-006 1960
Your keto's got nothin' on my mojo. Also, if anyone has a copy of Bobby Long & the Satellites "Mo Jo Workout" that's VG or better, feel free to send me a copy ;)
The Flying Lizards [mm:ss]
a side: "Money"
b side: "Money B"
Virgin Records VA 67003 1979
Prexactly. The mighty fine new wave version of the Berry Goldie hit. And getting all dubby on the b-side.
Bay City Rollers [mm:ss]
a side: "Money Honey"
b side: "Maryanne"
Arista Records AS 170 1976
Very riffy single from the tartan patterned lads. Speaking of riffs, how about the Brian May-esque riff on the flipside?
The Rebbels [mm:ss]
a side: "Monkey Monkey"
b side: "Come Back"
Bellaphon 1030 1966
Fun for the whole family! A fun single from Germany.
Dave and Ansil Collins [mm:ss]
a side: "Monkey Spanner"
b side: "Double Barrel"
Big Tree Records BT-10526 1970*
The nutsiest sound around. A reissue from Atlantic Oldies.
Major Lance [mm:ss]
a side: "The Monkey Time"
b side: "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um"
Epic Records 15-2221 1963/1972
Whoops, flipped that one around, but you know where my priorities are. Mighty fine Curtis Mayfield tune. Fun fact: The current mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms is the daughter of Major Lance and Sylvia Robinson.
The Chimptations [mm:ss]
a side: "Monkeyshines"
b side: "I Go Ape"
Ramo Records RAMO 105 2014
WFMU's master of monkey mayhem Dave the Spazz brings us this smash hit with Neil Sedaka b-side. I do indeed go ape for this single.
Music Behind the DJ: "Planet of the Apes (Main Title)" by Jerry Goldsmith.
56 min
March 08, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: A-Sides beginning with the letter M.
Three Dog Night [00:46]
a side: "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)"
b side: "Rock & Roll Widow"
Dunhill ABC Records 45-D-4239 1970
A legendary Randy Newman song, first recorded by Eric Burdon but made famous by these three dogs.
Burning Curtains a side: "Mannequin Lullaby" [06:39]
Happiness b side: "Knowm" [10:08]
Partisan Records PTSN1016-7 2015
Catchy grooves on the a-side from San Francisco's Burning Curtains and the b-side from Rhode Island's own Happiness.
Deerhoof [14:13]
a side: "Matchbook Seeks Maniac (Dedication Mix)"
b side: "Makko Shobu"
Kill Rock Stars KRS 491 2007
Fantastic picture disc single from their 2007 album Friend Opportunity, featuring artwork by David Shrigley. This was from the post-Chris Cohen pre-Ed Rodriguez era when they played as a trio.
Chuck Berry [19:43]
a side: "Maybellene"
b side: "Wee Wee Hours
Chess Records 1604 1955
The rock and roll classic. Evidently the flipside "Wee Wee Hours" was on the audition tape that Chuck Berry sent to Leonard Chess that got him his contract.
Mick Jagger [26:20]
a side: "Memo from Turner"
b side: "Natural Magic"
Decca Records F 13067 1970
Single from Mr. Jagger recorded for "Performance" featuring some hot hot slide guitar from Ry Cooder. It also features Gene Parsons (of all people) on drums and oh hey... Randy Newman on piano.
The Dynamics [32:11]
a side: "Misery"
b side: "I'm the Man"
Big Top Records 45-3161 1963
Super fine r&b number for Detroit's The Dynamics. This would re-interpreted by The Who (or High Numbers if you prefer) as "Zoot Suit".
Stereolab [38:16]
a side: "Miss Modular"
b side: "Allures"
Duophonic Records D-UHF-D016s
A moog-y masterpiece from Stereolab's 1997 album Dots and Loops.
John Phillips [45:59]
a side: "Mississippi"
b side: "April Anne"
Dunhill Records 45-D-4236 1970
The single from John, the Wolf King of LA, a fine stomper and steel-y country rock ballad.
Music Behind the DJ: "Breezin'" by George Benson.
58 min
March 01, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: A-Sides beginning with the letter L, and some that begin with the letter M.
Jason Traeger/DRAGONANGEL dream research labs [00:32]
a side: "Love, Love and Love"
b side: "We Can't Avoid Dying"
Kill Rock Stars KRS 333 1999
Pretty awesome release the Kill Rock Stars 7" singles club Mailorder Freaks.
Reverb Motherf***ers [05:30]
a side: "L.S.D. 25"
b side: "L.S.D. 25"
Vital Music 1991
NYC noise rockers I used to see perform quite a bit at various East Village venues. Oddly enough I found this single a few weeks ago at The Last Record Store, all the way out here in Santa Rosa, California.
Waylon Jennings [14:44]
a side: "Lukenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)"
b side: "Belle of the Ball"
RCA Records GB-11757 1977
Big hit for Waylon, and guest vox by Willie of course. Evidently Waylon was not really a fan of the song but saw the hit potential.
Madonna [21:25]
a side: "Lucky Star"
b side: "I Know It"
Sire Records 7-29177 1983
My second favorite Madonna single, and actually a pretty solid b-side. This was the 4th of the 5 singles that were released from her debut album, and her best performing on the US Hot 100 (although both Holiday and Lucky Star made it to the number 1 position on the US Dance chart).
Killdozer [30:20]
a side: "Lupus"
b side: "Nasty"
Touch and Go Records T&G#44 1989
An a-side disguised as a book report, and a b-side disguised as a Janet Jackson song.
Steppenwolf [37:46]
a side: "Magic Carpet Ride"
b side: "Sookie Sookie"
Dunhill ABC Records D-4161 1968
I'm just going to come out and say it... the single version of this song is better than the album version of this song.
Neko Case with The Sadies a side: "Make Your Bed" [44:37]
The Sadies b side: "Gunspeak/Little Sadie" [48:19]
Bloodshot Records BS 030 1998
Fine singles from the beginning of Neko Case's Chicago tenure.
Hüsker Dü [51:13]
a side: "Makes No Sense At All"
b side: "Love Is All Around"
SST Records SST 051 1985
You know what? We are going to make it afterall.
Music Behind the DJ: "Love Is All Around" by Sonny Curtis-esque.
58 min
February 23, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: Yet still even more A-Sides beginning with the letter L.
Shangri-Las [00:36]
a side: "Long Live Our Love"
b side: "Sophisticated Boom Boom"
Red Bird Records RB 10-048 1966
Hot hot b-side, which is also the name of an excellent show on WFMU.
Mercy [05:36]
a side: "Love (Can Make You Happy)"
b side: "Fire Ball"
Sundi Records SR-6811 1969
Bang, another killer b-side. And a perfectly fine a-side, but not quite as thrilling.
Sheila E [12:18]
a side: "A Love Bizarre"
b side: "A Love Bizarre, Part II"
Paisley Park DXX 1137V1S 1985
So nice, you have to continue it on to the next side. And that's quite some guitar playing from His Purpleness.
John Holt a side: "A Love I Can Feel" [19:54]
Hugh Black b side: "Long Liver Man" [22:24]
Coxsone Records 1970
Two fine tracks that sound great together.
Gary Wright [26:15]
a side: "Love Is Alive"
b side: "Much Higher"
Warner Bros. Records WBS 8143 1975
Ah, pure AOR gold.
Barbara Acklin [32:47]
a side: "Love Makes a Woman"
b side: "Come and See Me Baby"
Brunswick Records 55379 1968
Some mighty fine r&b from the woman who would also go on to lead the Chi-Lites.
Otis Redding [39:03]
a side: "Love Man"
b side: "Can't Turn You Loose"
ATCO Records 45-6677 1969
A fine posthumous single by Otis Redding, with a live rendition of his signature song on the b-side.
Little Sonny [44:54]
a side: "Love Shock"
b side: "I'll Love You Baby (Until the Day I Die)"
Excello Records 45-2209 1962
Super hot blues shot from this protégé of Sonny Boy Williamson.
"Diamonds Are Forever" by John Barry.
57 min
February 18, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: Still more A-Sides beginning with the letter L.
Sonny & Cher [00:28]
a side: "Little Man"
b side: "Monday"
ATCO Records 45-6440 1966
Big hit for them in Europe, not so much in the US.
Clarence Henry [06:42]
b side: "Little Suzy"
a side: "You Only Hurt the Ones You Love"
Argo U-10760 1961
Whoops. Your Old Pal Will got the sides flipped again. Probably because the b-side, "Little Suzy", is a pretty awesome track. The actual a-side is a pretty solid take on the standard made classic by The Mills Brothers.
The Sweet [12:16]
a side: "Little Willy"
b side: "Man from Mecca"
Bell Records 45,251 1972
One of the gold standard by which glam rock singles are judged. Still shimmers.
Future Twin [18:16]
a side: "Lockits"
b side: "Badseed"
2012
Heck yeah. Badass motorbike ladies. What more could you want from an a-side?
Talk Normal [25:07]
a side: "Lone General"
b side: "Hurricane"
M'Ladys Records M'LR 029 2011
Super rad release from Sarah Register and Andrya Ambro aka Talk Normal. The sleeve artwork is taken from a painting by Kim Gordon. Super powerful duo to see live.
The Shades of Blue [34:34]
a side: "Lonely Summer"
b side: "With This Ring"
Impact Records IMPACT 1014 1966
Some blue eyed soul from Detroit performing a pretty catchy Edwin Starr number. And heck, the b-side is not too bad either considering the saccharine topic.
Ricky Nelson [40:20]
a side: "Lonesome Town"
b side: "I Got a Feeling"
Imperial Records X5545 1958
The classic young Ricky Nelson single, accompanied by The Jordanaires.
Nadja [44:39]
a side: "Long Dark Twenties"
Anthem Records
Hoo yeah. The excellent duo Nadja bringing us their cover of a song from The Kids in the Hall film Brain Candy. A fine aural confection.
"Gomez" by Vic Mizzy.
55 min
February 12, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: More A-Sides beginning with the letter L.
Paleophone [mm:ss]
a side: "Like Stars"
b side: "All I Ever"
Cock of the Walk COTW01 2012
Some local tunes, including a b-side that references a band that I know well.
Sebadoh [mm:ss]
a side: "Limelight"
b side: "Dialogue"
Joyful Noise Records JNR171 2015
Didn't we all hate high school? A little something for adolescents of all ages out there in listener land.
The Monkees [mm:ss]
a side: "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"
b side: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere"
Colgems 66-1004 1967
Yup. Super catchy Neil Diamond tune on the a-side, and an even catchier b-side written by Michael Nesmith. If you poke around enough you can find a version of "Girl I Knew Somewhere" with Michael singing instead of Mickey which I really really like. For those of you who are interested in that sort of thing, check out Michael Nesmith's recent autobiography "Infinite Tuesday".
The Music Explosion [mm:ss]
a side: "Little Bit O'Soul"
b side: "I See the Light"
Laurie Records LR 3380 1967
Reached the #2 slot on the Hot 100 but was unable to dislodge The Association's "Windy" from #1. Mansfield Ohio's own.
Palace Music [mm:ss]
a side: "Little Blue Eyes"
b side: "The Spider's Dude Is Often There"
Drag City Records DC91 1996
A fine little single, perhaps my favorite of the Palace incarnations.
Syndicate of Sound [mm:ss]
a side: "Little Girl"
b side: "You"
Bell Records 640 1966
San Jose's own Syndicate of Sound bringing us a well played Nuggets classic, and a very groovy b-side. I'll be honest and say that I think the first time I heard this tune was via the Divinyls 1988 rendition with the noun change.
Pete Townshend [mm:ss]
a side: "A Little Is Enough (stereo)"
b side: "A Little Is Enough (mono)"
ATCO Records 7312 1980
Indeed, the New Wave-esque pop single from his 1980 album Empty Glass. Not only does this promo single have a stereo and a mono side, but the stereo side label is blue and the mono side is white.
Fleetwood Mac [mm:ss]
a side: "Little Lies"
b side: "Little Lies"
Warner Bros. Records 7-28291 1987
A fine little Christine McVie number from their 1987 Tango in the Night album. Indicative of the time, there is actually a Jelly Bean Benitez remix of this on the 12" release of this same single.
Music behind the DJ: "Baby Elephant Walk" by Les Brown and His Orchestra.
53 min
February 01, 2019 45s and Other Revolutions: A-Sides beginning with the letter L, continued.
PJ Harvey [00:22]
a side: "The Letter"
b side: "Bows and Arrows"
Island Records IS 861 2004
The first single from her 2004 album "Uh Huh Her", and a fine selection at that. Simlar to her 4-track Demos release, she plays all albums except the final mix drums. And she was the engineer, mixer and producer. What's not to love?
The Castaways [07:29]
a side: "Liar, Liar"
b side: "Sam"
Soma Record Co. 1433 1965
Another classic Nugget. Falsetto raving from Minneapolis' own The Castaways. If you're curious, check out their appearance in "It's a Bikini World". I dig the b-side too!
Gene Pitney [12:48]
a side: "Liberty Vallance"
b side: "Take It Like a Man"
Musicor MU 1020 1962
Classic theme from a classic Western, though it doesn't appear in the film. If you're a fan of Westerns, I can highly recommend The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (with all of its modern flaws). Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The b-side is an interestingly titled number written by Lieber and Stoller.
Dick & Dee Dee [18:08]
a side: "Life's Just a Play"
b side: "All I Want"
Liberty Records 55478 1962
The a-side is a bit meh, but the b-side! A mighty fine tune from Dee Dee Sperling and the improbably named Dick St. John.
Joe Walsh [22:01]
a side: "Life's Been Good"
b side: "Theme from Boat Weirdos"
Asylum Records E-45493 1978
Ah yes, the rock and roll lifestyle. Reached all the way up to #12 on Billboard's Hot 100. Fun fact for you audio enthusiasts: Joe Walsh's publishing company is called Wow and Flutter.
Los Campesinos! [33:02]
a side: "Light Leaves, Dark Sees"
aa: side: "Four Seasons"
Heat Rash HR #1 2011
The first of their self-released zine Heat Rash series, from Winter 2011. So nice.
The Capsules [39:36]
a side: "Light the Path"
b side: "It Hangs Over Me"
Isota Records sody008 2003
A lovely transluscent orange vinyl release for Isota Records' singles club. Some fine swirling post-punk.
Nadja [48:51]
a side: "Like a Hand on Your Brain/I Don't Mind If Your Hands Are Cold/Corrupting Host to Appease the Parasite"
b side: "Freedom from Death Machines/Caught/The Smell of Bastards"
Broken Spine Records BSP007 2014
Entitled "Tangled", that is a collection of the shortest songs you are likely to ever hear from Nadja. And yes, still super amazing and sublime.
Music behind the DJ: "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'as performed by Les Brown and His Orchestra.
1 hr 2 min

About Vinyl-O-Matic

From the publisher's feed

Your Old Pal Will takes you on a journey through the peaks and valleys of all recordings vinyl. A through Z, organized alphabetically by artist/compilation title, irregardless of genre. Maybe it’s by title. Maybe it’s by album. Who knows what path we take next. New episode every Wednesday.

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