May 2010 Archives
Guy Carawan – Green Rocky Road (1976)
I figured that there wouldn’t actually be anything “hellish” about this album but since it’s fairly obscure, it still warrants a posting. Particularly since I happen to enjoy the sound of the hammered dulcimer which Mr. Carawan certainly excels at playing. Overall, the whole record has a nice Appalachian/folksy/Celtic feel to it. There’s nothing offensive to the senses and it’s damn fine music to do homework to.
The only videos of Guy that I could find were of him playing guitar so for anyone who might be wondering “what is a hammered dulcimer and how can I learn to play one?”, you’re in luck. I found this nice instructional video. Should this happen to inspire you to take up the hammered dulcimer and release an album, please send your royalty payments to Mr. Wonderful, care of: vinylfromhell.com.
Tracks:
Side One
- 01_01 – Soldier’s Joy
- 01_02 – St. Anne’s Reel
- 01_03 – Green Rocky Road
- 01_04 – Cluck Old Hen
- 01_05 – Pretty Saro
- 01_06 – Pig Town Fling
- 01_07 – Planxty Irwin/Morrison’s Jig/Little Beggerman
- 01_08 – Ain’t Goin’ Home Soon
Side Two
Dr. Kenneth McFarland – The Best of Ken McFarland’s Humor (1966)
I love collecting old comedy records. When I first heard Bob Newhart’s “Button Down Mind” and Bill Cosby’s “Bill Cosby is a Very Funny Guy….Right?”, I was hooked. They’re both classics that I measure other comedy albums against, even 40 years after they were released. What I enjoy most about older comedy albums is that they were clean. (Ok, maybe not Redd Foxx). I’m not talking hygiene here. I mean they lacked profanity. People could entertain without dropping F bombs every ten seconds. For me, there’s just nothing funny about most comedians who work blue. Once in a great while you’ll see an exception. I think Sam Kinison’s early stuff was brilliant. And let’s face it, Sam never worked clean. I’m not a prude. It doesn’t offend me. I just don’t think that it takes a creative mind to swear.
Ken McFarland wasn’t actually a comedian by trade. Most of the albums that he released were motivational or patriotic. This LP just happens to compile some of his funny bits from years of speeches. Personally, I found the majority of the stories a bit dated but what do you expect for a record that’s 44 years old. There’s some rapid-fire stories here. Sort of like Henny Youngman with longer bits. A few of the stories made me chuckle but there’s definitely some high mileage stuff here.
- Nurse – “Doctor, you’re signing that prescription with a rectal thermometer”.
- Doctor – “Well now I know where I left my pen”.
Ummm…yeah.
Where Dr. McFarland does excel is as a public speaker, something that I’ve always found very difficult to do. If you’re interested enough, you can listen to some of his better known speeches at a website devoted to preserving his works: mcfarlandspeaks.com
I decided against posted audio files of this album for two reasons. There’s an active fundraising effort at the above mentioned website to help preserve Dr. McFarland’s speeches and it’s quite possible that the contents of this album may be part of that effort. That being said, sharing them for free would be a foolish move on my part. Secondly, and this is the biggie, his daughter who is actively involved in preserving his works, was on the Kansas Supreme Court for 32 years, including 14 years as Chief Justice. Now….I may not necessarily be the brightest bulb on the tree……but I do know not to dangle my fingers in the piranha tank.
Continue reading Dr. Kenneth McFarland – The Best of Ken McFarland’s Humor (1966)
Walt Johnson – Oulun Poika Laulaa
I’m a sucker for homemade album projects, so I was thrilled to stumble on this gem last weekend at a local church garage sale. They actually had a second album of Walt’s so I grabbed that one too. According to the album, Walt and his wife were born and raised in the Oulu area of northern Wisconsin. For those who aren’t familiar with the area, it’s beautiful country with the highlight being the nearby Bois Brule River. A world class trout stream and stunning canoe and kayak destination. And don’t miss Johnson’s Berry Patch around the end of June. An Oulu hot spot. I’m drooling just thinking about those sweet, plump strawberries.
I couldn’t resist adding this video. I’ve run the Brule a few times during the summer, but these guys are nuts. I don’t care if they’re covered head to toe in Neoprene, that’s gotta be cold.
Walt decided to make this record at the urging of his friends after spending many years playing at area dances. My concern was that Walt’s friends might be telling him how good he is just to be nice. So I spun this album up fearing the worst. Well let me just say this, Walt….you rock! With a minimal organ and accordion accompaniment, Walt does a beautiful job singing. Mostly in a language that I can’t understand. He moves back and forth effortlessly between Finnish and English, and he’s so smooth that I’d still listen if he was singing in Klingon.
The part I loved best about this album was seeing that my boiler repairman, Ernie, provided “instrumental assistance”. I had no idea that he was a musician too. Although I didn’t know him well, I always looked forward to every fall when Ernie would stop by to restore my heat for the winter. The man was a wizard with my 1970′s era boiler, so I’m really not surprised that he had other talents. Very cool.
If you’re interested, I did find Walt’s follow-up LP on eBay for $9.98. I haven’t listened to it yet but if it’s half as good as this one, I’d pony up the ten spot.
Tracks:
Side One
- 01_01 – Kultainen Nuoruus
- 01_02 – Onnemi
- 01_03 – Villi Ruusu
- 01_04 – Maailman Matti
- 01_05 – Tennessee Valssi
- 01_06 – Metsa Pirtti
Side Two
Zuhrah Shrine Chanters – Encore (1986)
When I hear the word “Shriners”, I think of a couple different things. The first being the 22 children’s hospitals that they operate in North America. There’s no arguing that it’s a great cause that does a lot to paint an image of Shriners as wholesome, God-fearing, businessmen. The other thing that I think of is a bunch of old, drunken guys riding around in little cars for parades or acting badly at conventions. Here’s the story of one of these car stunts gone awry: Drunken Rampage And here’s a video of another one plowing into a crowd:
I don’t want to spend time bashing the Shriners because I really don’t know much about them. I do, however, have a natural distrust for any club with secret rituals and funny hats. Here’s an interesting website that claims to expose the Masons and Shriners as worshipers of Satan. Masonbusters.com Ya gotta love free speech.
So whatever your opinion might be, here’s a bunch of patriotic, religious and Broadway musical hits to soothe your troubled soul.
Tracks:
Side One
- 01_01 – The Sound of Music
- 01_02 – Go Down Moses
- 01_03 – The Lord’s Prayer
- 01_04 – God Bless America
- 01_05 – Let There be Peace on Earth
- 01_06 – This Land is Your Land
- 01_07 – The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Side Two
Hugo Molinares y Sus Magnificos – Salsa, Cumbia y…..Sabor (1984)
What do you get when you combine a 1980′s porn star mustache with the sensibility of a sleeveless Member’s Only jacket? You get Hugo Molinares of course. That’s about the only thing I can dis’ Hugo on though as his band plays some fantastic salsa music. The real problem is trying to find any information at all on Hugo in English, as my Spanish is……how do I say this…..no hablo Espanol.
After several minutes of Googling, I gave up trying to find any info on Hugo. About all I can tell you is that the album was recorded in Columbia and I’m guessing that’s where Hugo is from. Other than that, I found that a copy of this same album recently sold for $3.99 on eBay which means that my 50 cent investment has the potential to reap a 500% return. If only my 401k were tied up in copies of this album, I’d be on a path to early retirement.
Here’s a cool video of Hugo playing keyboard at what appears to be a restaurant. I particularly love the last couple of seconds where the old woman with the walker steps in front of the camera.
Tracks:
Side One
Side Two
Continue reading Hugo Molinares y Sus Magnificos – Salsa, Cumbia y…..Sabor (1984)
