Family

Artist: Family

LP: Bandstand

Song: "Broken Nose"
[ listen ]

I found  this beat-up copy of Family's 1972 "Bandstand" LP for a dollar in the "as is" bins at Everyday Music a few months ago. Formed in Leicester, England in 1966, the group went through numerous lineup changes before calling it quits and disbanding in 1973. Known for their wild on-stage antics and the unusual vocals of Roger Chapman (an "electric goat," someone said), Family had a string of hit albums in the UK, but they never quite caught on here in the USA. "Bandstand," the group's sixth studio album, which you can read about here, is formed in the shape of an old Bush TV22 television set, with a photo of the group featured on the screen. You can see the insides of the TV when you lift the front cover, and the back of the record looks like the back of the TV. You can read all about Family and navigate the many changes that took place in the group on their Wikipedia page here, and find more information, photos, and other neat things on the group's unofficial website here.

[ Family — 1972 ]

Michael Quatro

Artist: Michael Quatro

LP: Bottom Line

Song: "Midnite Train"
[ listen ]

Called "The Bach of Rock" by The St. Louis Globe, "A modern-day Beethoven" by The New York Times, and "Chopin with guts" by The Pittsburgh Press, sexy rocker and keyboard virtuoso Michael Quatro can trace his influences back to some of the very best musicians in history. Born of Italian and Hungarian descent, Michael is an avid sportsman (hockey, football, go-kart racing, badminton), he's worked with a host of famous musicians (George Clinton, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop), he's Suzi Quatro's brother, and he's an uncle to Sherilyn Fenn! Quatro's "Bottom Line" LP was released in 1981, though I don't actually have the entire record, only a 2-track promo 12" single packed inside the LP sleeve. I'm guessing "Bottom Line" probably refers to the posterior tan lines exhibited by the lovely young lady on the cover, as seen in the photos below—the ones where Michael's got a roll of quarters and a cue ball in his pants). You can read more about Michael Quatro here and here, and the pictures and lyrics from the album are included below.

Olatunji and His Drums of Passion

Artist: Olatunji and His Drums of Passion

LP: High Life!

Song: "Ojo Davis"
[ listen ]

This wonderful 1963 Babatunde Olatunji LP is one of the things I found at Waterloo Records when I was down in Austin, TX back in October. With the release of his "Drums of Passion" album for Columbia Records four years earlier, Olatunji had provided many Americans with their very first exposure to African music. You can read about the life and career of this talented Nigerian percussionist here and here, and I'll be posting the extensive "High Life!" liner notes when I've got more time.

[ Babatunde Olatunji: April 7, 1927 — April 6, 2003 ]

The Originals

Artist: The Originals

LP: Game Called Love

Song: "Supernatural Voodoo Woman (Pt. 1)"
[ listen ]

This groovy song from Motown band The Originals is evidently featured in the 1974 film SUGAR HILL (not to be confused with this movie from the 1990s) so guess what I'll be renting from Scarecrow Video this weekend. The song was produced by Nick Zesses and Dino Fekaris, who you can learn about here, and if Nick and Dino are reading this, your friend Marcus Terry has been trying to reach you. Please write to his daughter Terri (Terri Terry?) at rock_n_roll_luver*at*sbcglobal.net. You can read more about The Originals and see their discography on Wikipedia here.

Eavesdroppings

Overheard when: 8:05pm on Saturday, June 4, 2011
Overheard where: on sidewalk just south of the Peter Kirk Pool at 340 Kirkland Avenue in Kirkland, WA [map]
Overheard who: one normal, boring-looking white guy in his early-to-mid 20s, talking to his similar-looking buddy as they walked up the sidewalk and past my parked car's open curbside window. The guy's voice trailed off as they continued up the sidewalk and out of earshot.
Overheard what: "She's the hottest chick by general standards. But the hottest chick, in my opinion, the hottest chick is..."

King Richard's Fluegel Knights

Artist: King Richard's Fluegel Knights

LP: Something Super!

Song: "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf"
[ listen ]

Here's some lively "sheer adult enjoyment" for a warm and sunny Friday morning in Seattle. There's no release date listed on this record, but judging by some of the songs (1964's "Goin' Out of My Head," 1966's "Georgy Girl") and by that wacky thing on King Richard's face, I'd say this LP probably came out sometime between 1966 and 1968. You can find a review on the AllMusic website here that knocks "Something Super!" down a few notches to something "superfluous, but not bad!"

Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Their Family

Artist: Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Their Family

LP: Jesus Loves Me
Song: "The Lord Is Counting on You (The Sunday School Song)"
[ listen ]

Song: "Jesus Loves Me"
[ listen ]

There are usually lots of old religious records to be found in the bins of any thrift store, and the GoodWill I went to after church last Sunday was no exception. The best of the bunch was this 1960 album from Roy "King of the Cowboys" Rogers, his wife Dale "Queen of the West" Evans, and their five children. Decades before big-name celebrities like Madonna and Angelina Jolie caused a media frenzy by snatching exotic children from impoverished countries to accessorize their glamorous lifestyles, western screen and music stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evans had quietly been adding a "mixed assortment" of kids from various ethnic backgrounds to their lovin' little musical family. And even sweeter is the fact that they didn't screen the kids first to make sure they could actually carry a tune. Though it was Roy's 3rd marriage and Dale's 4th, their union in 1947 lasted 51 years, which just goes to show... something, I'm not sure what. You can read about the life and career of Roy Rogers here, of Dale Evans here, and LP liner notes and a video clip from a 1944 film are included below.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on YouTube:

[ "Lights of Old Santa Fe" ]

[ Roy Rogers: November 5, 1911 — July 6, 1998 ]

[ Dale Evans: October 31, 1912 — February 7, 2001 ]