Jimi Hendrix "Valleys Of Neptune" Released Early?

I was at Walmart and saw the new Jimi Hendrix CD today, March 5.

I was saying to my wife, "I thought this was supposed to come out on March 9." But there it was on the shelf, several of them. So I figured it must have come out on March 2.

I bought one and came home to see when the release date was supposed to be, since I could've sworn it was March 9. And indeed, that's what the internet sites all say.

Meaning that I, apparently, for once in my life, got something early. What a big coup, huh? It probably sounds the same this week as it would next week.

What I was actually more concerned with was that I thought some of them were going to be numbered, like the CD single was, but these didn't appear to have any number. Still, who cares? The numbers never do me any good anyway.

I'm listening to it on my little computer speakers. Sounds fine.

In case you don't know, Jimi Hendrix was a well known rock guitarist from some years back. Initially he had quite a bit of success, then died and refused to release his last album for another 40 years. In eternity, it seems, he's got all the time in the world.

Frank Sinatra - Cycles

A few days ago I got a Frank Sinatra LP at the thrift store, which was "The World We Knew."

I went back today. They had the same records, but instead of being in a convenient box for browsing, they had them stacked up on top of one another. Making them impossible to look at in a decent way. Still, I pulled some out and got a few, including another Frank LP, this one called "Cycles."

It's in decent shape, the record. The cover, like the other one, has a big cataloging sticker on it, this one Number 340! So, someone kept track of their records that way ... or more likely they were part of a radio station's library.

When I got home I looked up "Cycles" on All Music and was disappointed to see this is supposed to be Frank's "weakest" album, a big 1½ stars. But that didn't discourage me, since I'm not personally as finicky as professional record reviewers. And I'm more likely to like it than some of these expert personages.

And that's the way it turned out. I think it's delightful. I'm not put off in the slightest, nor do I think the arrangements are boring, all that. It's good. What? It's really good.

The cover has an emotional kind of picture of Frank. It's a strange picture, since it was obviously from the same roll of film as the picture on the back of "The World We Knew." Same stuff setting around. But it seems to fit in with the record.

The pictures on the back of the cover are interesting in a different way. One is Frank with Tiny Tim! How classic! The other is Frank with George Harrison and Patti. It's hard to recognize George in the picture, but the liner notes fill in the ID. The liner notes, by the way, are more extensive, smaller print. I haven't read them entirely.

I like the album. Even "Little Green Apples," which is not always my favorite song in the world. Frank always sounds great.

Lennart Sandbergh

This is the only JPG of this album on the internet insofar as I know. I've searched for it a few times and didn't come up with anything. I came up with another LP he made but I don't see any pictures of this one.

This one is not as good as it should be. I have a hard time taking pictures of LP covers and getting them square. They're usually at a little angle or crooked or something and I have to trim them to make a square. So it's missing some red, and it's a little crooked.

But it's still good enough.

This seems like an interesting album. I've heard it. It's very straightforward. No big production values. A man of devotion and his lute.

Lennart, according to other information on the internet, was the Rev. J. Lennart Sandbergh. He played this instrument, the ten-stringed lute, and according to the album cover, he was the country's only touring lute player.

The other info I got on the internet is this. He was born March 24, 1911 and died April 22, 1985. He was born in Holmsund, Sweden, and died in a nursing home in Rockford, Illinois. He was ordained in 1932. Some of this information is from "The Alliance Witness," which is online, dated July 31, 1985. Check cmalliance.org

The Alliance is a missionary denomination, and he began service with them in 1962, serving as an evangelist and song leader in camps and missionary conferences until he retired in 1978. He was closely associated with the Salvation Army as well.

He was survived in 1985 by his wife Karin and two children.

The record is on Christian Faith Recordings label. Catalog number LS-1239.

Side One: Beautiful Home; Devotion (Lute Solo); Cling to the Rock; Meditation (Lute Solo); Nearing the Shore; Nearer My God to Thee (Accordion Solo).

Side Two: Hallelujah, I Have Found Him; While the Spirit Passes By; If You Know the Lord; Forgive Me Lord; It May Be Today; In Times Like These.

The Notes:

Singing and Playing by Lennart Sandbergh

Formerly One of the Renowned Northlanders of Sweden

Internationally Known Tenor Soloist

Artist on Lute, Accordion, and Piano

16 Years Pastoral Experience

Meet LENNART SANDBERGH, the musician, and two things strike you. The first is an interesting Swedish background which manifests itself in his somewhat unique musical presentation. The second is his specialty instrument, the sweet-sounding, ten-stringed lute, which dates back to Bible days.

In his native Sweden, Lennart Sandbergh is an ordained minister. His 16 years as a pastor were spent with the Salvation Army and were followed by four years of musical tours sponsored by the Swedish government. His rich tenor voice and his adeptness on the lute, piano, and accordion quickly won the hearts of his countrymen. He has performed in England, Norway, Finland, Canada, Cuba, and in the Bahamas.

In the United States, Lennart Sandbergh together with Ake Forsberg formed the now renowned Northlanders of Sweden. Around four years, the inspirational music of this consecrated vocal-instrumental duo won praise at conferences, camps, and churches all over the country.

Now Lennart Sandbergh is on his own, and his musical ministry continues on the highest spiritual and professional plane. His distinction as the country's only touring lute player is some evidence of the rarity of that ancient instrument. But you soon see that his presentaion is rare also. To hear him is to be entertained, to be inspired, and to know that here is a man truly advancing the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ.

HI-FIDELITY ALMA RECORDS, INC.
33 1/3 RPM    RESEDA, CALIFORNIA

Bob Dylan's Christmas Album

Probably no mention of this album would be complete without asking if Bob Dylan should still be singing.

I love the guy completely. Always have. But really, his throat is absolutely shot.

I got it and sat down with my sweetie to listen to it. She's not quite as reverential when it comes to Dylan as I, and she was very cruel about her quick review of the album. It took some convincing on my part to get her to give it a chance.

I'm going, "But it's Bob Dylan." And yet, she had a point. It doesn't sound that great. Maybe it would've sounded not so bad if the background singers and music weren't so tone perfect. Like if you had it like one of Neil Young's grungier albums, then had Bob Dylan doing Christmas songs.

I don't think this one will go on the iPod. If I ever want to hear it, I'll just put it on the CD player. And keep it turned down fairly much.

Nancy & Lee

I got this as a download at Amazon the other day. It's one of the 50 albums at $5 for the month.

I've listened to it several times. It's cool.

I'm old enough to remember hearing the big songs on the radio, so I'm not coming to it fresh. But this is the first time I've ever heard the album with everything in context.

For the most part, the big songs, "Jackson" and I believe "Summer Wine," are very much like the other songs. Which is good.

The first song, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," if you don't know what's coming on, Lee sounds like a frog. But once you get over that, his craggy old voice is very pretty (to me anyway).

Nancy has always been represented in my album collection by her "Boots" album, which I've always liked, except we laugh at a song like "Run For Your Life."

But back to this album. Nancy and Lee's vocals are effortless -- no one's being especially stretched. Still, that's OK. I like the laid back vibe of it. The little bits of banter are cute, like Bing and Rosie.

The silliest song is "Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman." The first time through didn't appeal to me but I like it OK now. I do remember something about an "Economic Opportunity Program" in the Johnson years... Can't think what they called it exactly. Nancy says she can't even pronounce that!

Most of the songs have a serious tone to them. These are very nice, including "Summer Wine," "Sundown Sundown," and my favorite, "Storybook Children." I could listen to these over and over.

"Jackson" was a big hit and ought to be familiar to everyone who was alive at the time.

"Some Velvet Morning" is also familiar, so it must have been on the radio. It's more of a free ranging, strange poetry, psychedelic song. I'm not sure what Phaedra means. Something to do with goddesses and flowers, I guess. It's Lee's experience in the song, how she gave him life and how she made it end. It's easily the most far out song (and very nice).

"Sand" reminds me of a western song with a Mideastern twist. Maybe his name is Sand because he blows in from somewhere on the western plains or Arabian desert. I said "Some Velvet Morning" was psychedelic, but it's "Sand" that has the strange backwards played instrumental break. Nancy uses "thee" and "thy" language in regards to Sand.

With the song "Lady Bird" I'm expecting something about Mrs. Johnson, but there aren't any references that have to do with her. So that's a relief. It's just a guy who has a "Lady Bird" in his woman, who's always flying high. Maybe Twittering.

The last song is "I've Been Down So Long (It Looks Like Up To Me)." Just a down on my luck song, applied to Lee. Another song on the funny side.

I didn't mention "Elusive Dreams." That's a serious song about a couple who roam from place to place in pursuit of their elusive dreams. Their child died in Alaska (that's the way I take it), so that's sad.

Record Club Ads -- The Monkees

I always loved looking at record club ads in magazines when I was a kid. I never had any money to join them, but it was great to dream.

Now, thanks to the wonderful world of Google, we can see the ads again ... some of them anyway. They have full copies of old Life magazines there, which is quite a deal. The picture is from a two page ad for the RCA Victor Record Club, Dec. 22, 1967. Since I loved the Monkees (still do), I see they had three albums. I don't know why they didn't have the Pisces album on there, but it looks like the ad is clipped at the right hand side a little much. Maybe it was at the margin.

Of course I put the little Monkees covers at the top for this illustration, since they were scattered across the ad.

It's cute on Headquarters they highlight "Band 6," as though that's a great track to promo! And I wonder why, for the little cover they put a blue background.

A Helpful Fill In The Blank

I was looking up a record by Slim Willet and eBay asked me if I meant "Slim Wallet."

That's cute. Do I want a Willet or a Wallet? I would will a Wallet if you'd fill it and it wasn't so slim. But as it stands, I'll take a Willet.

Mackenzie Phillips

Easily the most sickening story of the day are the revelations of Mackenzie Phillips, of her sexual experiences with her father, Mama's and Papa's singer John Phillips.

I say "revelations," but apparently there's some dissension in the family, with one person at least saying John Phillips would've never done that. So Mackenzie's comments would be "charges" to them.

Anyway, whatever, it's a sickening story of incest of an ongoing nature, like 10 years or thereabouts. And drugs. Each detail worse than the last.

Might make me feel differently next time I hear a Mama's and Papa's song on the radio!

I hope whoever the folks are who profit from the old records have made enough money, because it might be ... this is beyond Chris Brown and Michael Vick ... the money's going to dry up.

Very, very yucky.

Album Cover Designer Dies

Tom Wilkes, 69, an artist who designed some famous album covers, died.

I don't remember the name but I recognize some of his work, including the cover for George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" album.

Other famous ones include "Beggars Banquet" and "Harvest."

The Inner Sleeve

When I get an album, I like looking at the inner sleeve, if it has one and if it's printed on.

This album I got today is on the ABC-Paramount Records label, and it came with a nice inner sleeve, even though it's split at the bottom (big deal) and it's black and white. I love seeing the color ones, which are rare.

I've looked at thousands of records over the years and I like to see on these inner sleeves that there are lots I still haven't seen. It just makes me want to pray the Record Fairy even harder, and leave more broken records under my pillow, to see what I might find. Really, I'm not looking to own a lot more records because I have nowhere to put them.

This inner sleeve has some nice looking records. (There's others on the other side, which I don't have a picture of.)

The Paul Anka record in the corner, "Diana," I don't believe I've ever seen that album. And the Brian Hyland one in the opposite corner, I don't see that around. I have a Brian Hyland album on ABC/Paramount, "Sealed With A Kiss."

Those Lloyd Price albums in the middle look great. But they appear to be rarities as far as Goodwill, Salvation Army, and garage sales are concerned. One is called "Cookin'" (ABC-382), another "Mr. Personality" (ABC-297), and the other "The Fantastic Lloyd Price" (ABC-346). I have a few of Lloyd's 45s but none of these albums.

Ray Charles is represented in the next to the bottom row. The album "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" by Ray I've seen numerous times over the years, never in good condition. It has a bright red cover, so bright that Ray himself could probably have seen it!

The others I'm not familiar with. Then there's some generic looking stuff, not too whoopie, but who knows, I might buy it if I saw it in pretty good condition. Don't ask me why. "Drinking Songs Around the World," "Adventures In Paradise," Italian songs, and an album that might be a documentary LP, "Sabicas: The Day of the Bullfight."

The other side has a rocker with Teddy Randazzo. I don't know much about him. I have a 45 with a nice picture sleeve I got at a garage sale a year or two ago. It's not too thrilling. It seems like I saw him in a rock 'n' roll movie from the '50s or early '60s once.

There's a few albums of bawdy ballads, songs from soldier life, some polka LPs, and one interesting looking one from Don Costa's Free-Loaders, called, "Music to Break a Sub-Lease." One by Oscar Brand, "Oscar Brand Sings for Adults." Ooo-la-la.

The bottom half is given over to jazz albums. They all have funky, evocative covers. Of these, I never see these around. There's thousands of records out there that never show up where I go.

UPDATE: I looked up "Sabicas: The Day of the Bullfight" and it's not a documentary record but has music tracks.

THE DAY OF THE BULLFIGHT
Sabicas
New York City: September 19 and October 27, 1958
Sabicas, Diego Castellon, Juan Jimenez Garcia de la Mata; Felix Garcia Vizcaino (g); Keene Crockett (sound effects); Kenyon Hopkins (orchestral introductions) with orchestra.

You can see what the tracks are called and the timings at that link. It has guitar, sound effects, and orchestra. That might be a very cool record.

Waiting For The Record Fairy

I'm waiting for the record fairy to show up, to lead me to lots of great records in great shape at a cheap price.

I don't know why I want them precisely, just more baggage to carry around, but I'm enthused by the idea of great records in great shape at a cheap price. I know you can find lots of great records in great shape at collectors' prices easily enough. But I'm also a cheapskate. I like boxes of them at a dime apiece or, you know, 50 cents. Like that.

It's happened before ... and I have faith ... I feel like I've been given the assurances from on high that someday ... eventually ... it's going to happen again!

She'll be winging her way over my neighborhood thrift stores. Some old guy from town or out in the country will drop dead (it sometimes happens this way) and his kids, grief stricken and just wanting to get rid of stuff, will listen to the subtle whispers of the record fairy, then take the records to a place, one of the thrift stores, where I will be the first customer through the door.

Destiny is a fun thing. I don't always have faith. But I see it work out in many ways. Whether it's the record fairy, or just all the other fairies in charge of things that I want, eventually they all come through for me. It's just a matter of faith, persistence, and making sure I'm the first customer through the door when the new stock comes out.

Also if I could get the power to put a hex on everyone else who might be interested, to keep them far away.

Jewel Food Stores Record - 1952

Here's an interesting record and I don't see any other mention of it on the internet.

I had no idea what "Jewel" was until I listened to the record a couple times. At first I thought it was a restaurant. But then that didn't make any sense, with 80,000 housewives, etc. So it turned out to be a grocery store. And it was called "Jewel Food Stores."

From Wikipedia:

In 1932, Jewel acquired the Chicago unit of Loblaw Groceterias, Inc., then a chain of 72 self-service stores, as well as four Chicago grocery stores operated by the Middle West Stores Company, and began operating them under the name Jewel Food Stores, Inc.

There's someone with a blog on old retail stores. And so check out this link for some photos of Jewel Food Stores in the '50s.

The record is by the Modernaires, called on the record the Modernaires 4 Rhythm. It was put out on a Chicago label, from the Master Record Company, and given the number Jewel No. 1. "If It Sparkles, It's A Jewel."

The year is 1952. It seems to be honoring Jewel's 20th year and they were thankful for their customers supporting them.

This is a one-sided disc.

1954 Capitol Records Contest Winners

Here's one of my favorite oddball records, meaning a record that was custom made, homemade, or a very limited production. (I'm speaking like one of the guys on this record, Raymond, most indubitably!)

Capitol Contest Winners - Roma, Raymond, Jim, Bozo

It's 1954, and at Younker's department store in Des Moines there's been some kind of contest in conjunction with Capitol Records, win a trip to New York.

Roma and Raymond (Roma Kelley and Raymond's last name sounds like Dickers or Deckers) are interviewed by Jim at Capitol Records.

They tell about their experiences, the churches they've visited, the cinema, going to the opera, wanting to go to the World Series, etc.

Raymond has a most impressive vocabulary, and sounds like a very learned gentleman.

Toward the end there's a surprise visit from Capitol recording artist Bozo the Clown! That's cool, huh?

I'm thinking if they had this contest in Des Moines, they probably also had it in other cities across the country. Meaning there would likely be variations of this record with other winners. But looking around the internet, I don't see any reference to such.

The record is one-sided, 33 rpm, and I took out or reduced the pops and clicks. There's some scratches you can feel.

Now That's What I Call Christmas

Christmas in June? 'Fraid so. At least on the music front.

In my never ending (foolish) quest to gather up all the decent castoff CDs of other people, I see a lot of Christmas ones. I can't even remember if I've bought any recently. There's nothing real memorable that sticks out.

Except this one ... "Now That's What I Call Christmas," a two CD set from 2001 that has "36 classic songs from Christmas past and present."

I was a little reluctant to get it since I already have lots of these songs on other CDs. Certainly Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song." And I'm drifted in with copies of Bing's "White Christmas," including a 78 rpm of the first version somewhere, unless it's broken, a few 45s, maybe on an LP, and then CD. Elvis' "Blue Christmas" I think I have three or four different copies. Perry Como's "Home For The Holidays" is probably on the Christmas CD I have by him, and just this last season I made an MP3 of the 45. Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" is a slightly different story. I only had a 45 till this past Christmas, at which point I bought her Christmas CD. Now here it is on this collection too. The Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick" I have in rich abundance. So for the first CD, I have most of these elsewhere. Maybe not Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." And I certainly don't have anything by Kathy Mattea. I'm not too sure who she is, although I've heard of her.

The second CD is more up to date, meaning I don't have too many of them. John & Yoko's "Happy Xmas" is pretty old, so I have that on the 45 and on a CD. But most of the others are probably new to my personal collection. Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime," I don't believe I've ever owned that, which is hard to believe. I don't really like it that much. Michael Bolton's on here. I wonder what that'll sound like. Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas," I always avoid stuff like that and didn't get caught up in it at all at the time. Mannheim Steamroller. I see their Christmas albums all the time, dime a dozen. Now that I mention it, I believe I did buy a couple of them in the last year. There's someone on here just called Joe, a track called "This Christmas." I don't know Joe or the song. But if it's a "classic song," I look forward to hearing it.

I hemhawed a little over spending a couple bucks for this one. But here it is.

A Forgotten Record

I was playing records out of a box (45 rpm) and came across an oldie that I'd totally forgotten.

It's one my family used to play, called "Greedy Old Dog" by Tex Ritter. It's actually in pretty good condition, which is surprising for all the times I remember playing it. But it sounds very nice still.

The lesson in this song is based on a fable (parable?) about a greedy old dog. He's got a bone in his mouth and is crossing a bridge on his way home. He sees his reflection in the water below but doesn't realize it's him. He wants to grab the other dog's bone and ends up dropping the one he's carrying. Pretty good.

Then Tex relates this fable to partners, men and women, that if you're stealing someone's sweetheart you might lose your own. But I don't think he means that the woman you're stealing is just a reflection of your own, i.e., the same woman. It's the greediness that's at issue.

The record is on Capitol Records, mid '60s.

Leon Russell - Carney

I've always loved this album. It's one of those sentimental favorites from youth.

I still have the original version I bought of this when it first came out, which is the cassette. I don't know if I've ever had the LP on this one, and I know for sure I've never had the CD. Just that cassette.

I went and got it out a couple days ago and I notice the original case isn't with the tape, so that's not a good sign. But the tape is still in good enough condition.

I hooked up my MP3 recorder to the cassette player and recorded it off, then put the track on the computer and separated the tracks and made individual tagged MP3s out of those. So now the album is also on my Ipod.

It doesn't sound too bad, pretty good in fact. I liked it. I listened to the first half, then into the second half while exercising and it sounded fine. Then the short track "Carney," then the next song, then finally into "If The Shoe Fits" before needing to turn it off and drive home. That song used to be a real favorite, but, I don't know, it's not my utmost favorite. It's still fun though.

I almost bought the MP3 download at Amazon, but it was almost $10. I could probably get a used CD for cheaper than that. And anyway, I already have this cassette ... I may as well get my money's worth, if I haven't already after all these years!

An Old Will Ferrell Album

I snapped a picture of an old record album I saw today, thinking maybe the upper right side guy might be Will Ferrell in a group from years ago, The Links. It looks like something funny enough to be him.

Teresa Brewer

I got this CD at a record store -- mostly a used record store -- a couple weeks ago.

I haven't listened to it since I've been home, but I listened to part of it in our motel on a portable CD player.

It's different from Teresa's ordinary songs, which were pop with a lot of playfulness. These are more the teenage, light rock sound of the late '50s.

20 songs. My favorite song on the CD is one I've had the 45 rpm record to for many years. It was my Mom's actually but one we played to virtual death as kids, "It's The Same Old Jazz." I believe I still have that copy, as bad looking as ever but it still plays. Then one day I got what looked like a mint copy at an antique store for $3. Then I got it home and it skipped on my record player. So that's weird, the beat to death copy plays through, but the mint looking copy doesn't.

In its place, though, I had a download of questionable origin. But now I have the CD, so everything is good and proper.

This song I believe is fully entitled, "It's The Same Old Jazz Momma." The theme of the song is a daughter's justification of the rock era and '50s teenage sensibilities to her mother by comparing all that to the mother's memories of the '20s. With the great conclusion that it's the same thing, the same old jazz, Momma!

Lyrics including this: "Remember back in '22, the shimmy shake you used to do. Remember how you'd 'Bump and Meet.' Well, bump and jump keep company." And "Rudy Vallee had a megaphone, and Clara Bow had 'It.' Now Bill Haley has a microphone, and Mary Lou's a hit. And Daddy, Daddy, Daddy wore a raccoon coat. And drove a Plymouth too. Now leather jackets are the fashion note, and motorcycles too." But you can see, "It's the same old jazz, Momma!"

Spike Jones Records

Every once in a while I'm tempted to go to the trouble of recording old records on the computer. It's not much trouble to put one on the turntable and turn it on, but that's where the drudgery begins. Cleaning, making sure there aren't any big specks, volume, then keeping track of the details of the song. It all adds up, more or less, to a big waste of time. Unless you're going to be listening to them quite a bit on an mp3, which I don't generally do.

Once you've got it on the computer, you have to clean the beginning and end, and also wonder what to do with all the surface noise, clicks, pops, etc. I have an instruction sheet somewhere by a guy who had an extensive regimen for making the track sound as good as possible. But I'm too lazy really to go to too much work. For me it only sounds like a good idea for about the first 20 minutes, then I'm thinking my life's a'wasting here!

I only worked on two records tonight and that about did me in. Both were Spike Jones records, not that I was wanting them especially but they were in the first stack I reached for. The first one is a record I like, one side anyway, "I'll Never Work There Any More." I was looking up things on this song a month or so ago, not about Spike Jones exactly but just about the song. The Spike Jones version is especially cute, with the various voices of the City Slickers. According to the label, The Mello Men (they would be the consistent, nice background singers); George Rock (the child's voice), Ole Svenson (referring to the smorgasbord), and Dick Morgan (probably the racetrack guy; I don't know my Spike Jones names). This is a really good side. The flip is "I Went To Your Wedding," funny to listen to maybe every five to 10 years but that's about it. The vocal is by Sir Frederic Gas, and it's a laughing song. That's RCA Victor 47-5107.

The other one also has a really good side and one that's not bad but not the greatest. And in fact the latter is Side A, "Ya Wanna Buy A Bunny?" with George Rock as a child whose bunnies are multiplying and he's trying to get rid of them. It's cute as can be. But for me and this record I've always preferred the other side "Knock Knock," a series of cute knock knock jokes. There's again a series of Spike Jones characters reciting the jokes, which are pretty good jokes. Doodles Weaver, Sir Frederic Gas, George Rock, and Freddy Morgan. And I'm guessing Dick Morgan and the Four Fifths handle the vocals apart from the comedic singers. The record is RCA Victor 47-2894, a good one.

They're both good records. But it's tooooooo much work recording them off. So I guess I'll just keep my stacks of records and listen to them when the spirit moves me. With the record player.

Garage Sale Records

I hit a pretty good garage sale the other day -- but I've been kicking myself that I didn't load up some more. I heard the guy telling another guy that he could take what he wanted. But I didn't know it was the general policy.

They had a bunch of LPs, but they'd been stored in a basement and had a moderately musty smell. I glanced through them and saw some good titles -- not that many -- and didn't get any. There were some other guys who were already doing some good glomming on. But I definitely had my chance to grab what I wanted. I have a hard time with smelly records, especially if they aren't leaping out at me as something I really want. I have a couple regrets, but just mild regrets.

On the other hand, there were a bunch of music books -- yet even these weren't probably that great. But who cares, for free? But I didn't know they were free at this point, just what I heard him say to that one guy, who might've been a friend for all I knew.

I did get a couple of the old Hansen Publications Beatles' songbooks, including the Revolver songs with two pin-up covers affixed to the Revolver cover. The outer was was in worn shape, but the inner was well protected by the outer. This was in pretty good condition. The other was an earlier Beatles songbook from '64, in much worse condition but apparently completely intact.

But what I really liked were the 45s I found, which probably numbered around 50-60 of pretty good '60s and '70s ones. The real treat for me was that about 40 of these were in Woolworth cut-out/close-out plastic bags. I suppose that doesn't sound like much of a treat. But I used to look at records at Woolworth all the time and they had a rack of these in the same plastic bags. I don't remember ever buying any, but that's not to say I didn't. I just remember them and looking at them many times. And this is the first time since then that I've seen any!

The other 45s I got were piled in a garbage bag, no sleeves, and the plastic bags stuck in laundry soap boxes. I didn't check them out before hand, except to see a couple and know they were in bad shape. But when I was "checking out" I asked the guy how cheap I could get these records, and that's when he told me they were free -- they're yours -- and I could come back and get as much as I wanted. Well, the person I was with didn't want to stay any longer, I was extremely tired, I had other things to do, so I didn't go back. But I really could've loaded up on some halfway decent stuff -- some more than halfway.

The 45s in the laundry boxes turned out to be nearly destroyed. As badly beaten as any records you can picture, including some entirely broken. I seriously don't know how this happens to records. I can see them in a box being jostled back and forth occasionally and scratched, but to be so completely abused, that's the tough part to picture. Some of these were '50s, then '60s and '70s. There was one by Gene Vincent ("Lotta Lovin'), and I saw a couple Chantels records, and an Elvis EP, all beat to death. Some other good ones, once upon a time good.

The Woolworths ones -- if you have any memory of these -- were general '60s/'70s hits. Mama's and Papa's, Neil Diamond, Left Banke, Chicago, Ray Stevens, Lovin' Spoonful, New Colony Six, Four Tops, Supremes, Petula Clark, 4 Seasons, Dionne Warwick, Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Elton John, Peppermint Rainbow, Mungo Jerry, Hollies, Spanky & Our Gang, etc. Also Buffalo Springfield, "For What It's Worth." These were in pretty good shape, having the protection of the inner sleeve and the plastic bag!