The new Ugly Things has a long article on Norton Records with sidebars of folks naming their favorite releases. I have somewhat mixed feelings about Norton, as their celebration of all things daddy-o and the overuse of words like 'wild' and 'wacky' and 'crazy' can wear you down. Plus, too many average rockabilly players get too many raves. That said, when I actually looked through their releases, I realized how many I had and how many I loved. They also do first-class packaging with some of the most beautiful covers and arguably the finest liner notes out there. Here are a few of my favorites.
Fort Worth Teen Scene- three full cds of mostly excellent 60s garage, with many of these tunes being nastier than your standard variety beat run through. All three are recommended.
Bobby Fuller- El Paso Recordings, Parts 1-3- this guy is the perfect link between Sun and the Beatles, and even if nobody solves the mystery of his murder (legend has it they poured gasoline down his gullet), so many songs keep getting unburied. He is so much more than "I Fought the Law," which isn't close to his best.
Gino Washington- Love Bandit & Out of this World- these are two of my all-time bestest soul releases, reminding you how much exuberance the older singers brought to the party. Fantastic tunes delivered with great enthusiasm in a spirit of fun, and we're a long way from Marvin Gaye.
The Mighty Hannibal- Hannibalism- he's right up there with Gino in the soul pantheon, but he has his somber moments, even crooning an anti-war number. Every time I pull this out I'm surprised by how good it is.
King Coleman- It's Dance Time- everybody, including your three-year old, is gonna get off the couch for this one, as this remains one of the best times on vinyl. Offbeat R&B that's just a hoot.
Friday at the Hideout- this collection from Detroit's Hideout, a weekend teen hangout for the likes of Bob Seger and his friends, is shockingly good. The tunes stand out from the endless pack of 60s comps for their diversity and quality, and it's a good time to boot.
Charlie Feathers- Uh Huh Honey- this guy has just a bit of swamp in his rockabilly thing, and the songs are just more distinctive than many of the releases from that time. His country stuff is also the shit.
Stud Cole- Burn Baby Burn- one of the genuinely weird discoveries from a near-Elvis impersonator who brings the spookiest double-tracking vocals to his bluesy uncategorizable numbers. That's him pictured above, and I can't recommend this enough if you haven't heard anything fresh for awhile.
Flat Duo Jets- Safari, Introducing, Red Tango, Wild Blue Yonder- my love for all things Dexter knows no bounds, and you can't go wrong with any of these.
Andre Williams- Greasy, Bait and Switch- not much left to say about this guy, but these records do hold up, even if B&S is uneven.
Hasil Adkins- The Wild Man- this has always been my favorite from him, even though most folks dig Out to Hunch. His version of "Matchbox" wins the prize, and that's a long list of contenders.
The Sonics- duh
The Sonics- duh
2 comments:
I haven't read the article yet, but am really looking forward to it. The label is pretty much in a class of its own...and shockingly 99% of their releases are still in print. That's a truly difficult feat. Also.........THE REAL KIDS, LINK WRAY, KING USZNIEWICZ & HIS USZNIEWICZTONES, THE DICTATORS, SUN RA, FLAMIN' GROOVIES and far too many other outstanding bands'n'records.
yea, it is an amazing label lovingly handled for all these years. It's a pleasure just to hold some of their records in your hands. Plus, they're still ten bucks. How do they do that? I think I just forgot how many of their records I owned and how high a batting average they had. I could still go for a little less beat writing, but that's a quibble.
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