THE LOST RPM

Super interesting, obscure one here. Along with a slew of other labels, McKinnon Records was owned and operated in the Reading, Pennsylvania area by William Leonard McKinnon a.k.a. "The Slide King." No info exists on Jonathan or his orchestra, but the primitive, outsider teenage vibes are strong with this one. The A-side "Cheryl" is a zonked love ballad featuring a few audible cracks in Jonathan's possibly still-developing adolescent voice. The track also features a rickety sax performance that expertly sets the tone for what Jonathan and the Orchestra are all about. While the ballad side is charming in its ineptness, the more uptempo B-side "The Mummy" is what we're all here for. This track has it all: horror movie/Halloween themed lyrics, dripping wet tremelo'd out guitar riffs, heavy Farfisa organ chord progression, and all sounding like it was recorded by a bunch of greasy pre-teens in a basement somewhere in 1950s suburban America. If you

Although the small Bay Town label out of Hayward, California is well known to local collectors, this primitive Doors-worship release by a band calling itself Yellow Brick Road remains one of the more obscure entries in the label's compact discography. Bay Town was run by a handful of people including one Barry M. Carlos, and released some pretty stellar (and sought-after) psych and soul singles in the late 1960s. I was able to track down Barry and speak with him over the phone a year or so ago.  He informed me that Bay Town operated as a one-stop shop for local bands to record, press, and promote their records. Barry served as the in-house producer of the label and does not recollect the players in Yellow Brick Road. Both original sides of this brooding, organ-driven single are amazing in my opinion, and it's hard for me to choose a superior cut. The musicianship and vocal delivery are obviously informed by Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison, and the band's playing chops are qui

Ariel Pink before Ariel Pink? Glen Banks is reportedly from Long Beach, California - the same city the author of this blog resides in - but efforts to track him down have been futile as of this writing. Glen released this 3-track 7" EP in 1989, with the standout tracks being "Coconut Dream" and the instrumental "Wish You Back To L.A." Rumors have it Glen also had a television show back in the day on a local Long Beach cable access channel. I really dig this record and have yet to see another copy surface in the wild.

All hail Johnny Impala, the teen idol that never was. Like an alternate universe Buddy Holly on quaaludes, Johnny's comin' in hot on the A-side "Mary Ann." Speaking of comin' in hot, check out those completely blown backing vocals that sneak up on you out of nowhere to bore their way into any eardrum or brainstem within a five mile radius. I debated on whether or not to include the B-side "Cry Cry" which is much more tame - and dare I say, even retains some straight-ahead bland 1950s pop sensibilities - but for completist sake here it is. My research has yielded exactly zero information pertaining to Johnny or Chanteau, so as always, if you know of the artist or label, please message me or leave a comment.

Really obscure, gritty real people rock & roll record here on the Concert Recording label out of Lynwood, California. Interesting to note that out of the 170+ Concert Recording releases catalogued in a certain online record database, most all of them are organ instrumental or easy listening LPs. Super primitive vibes served up on this release, with both sides sounding like they were recorded in a California garage. Highlights include elongated psychedelia-inspired guitar solos, a primitive drummer really going for it, presumed makeshift production elements, and a teenage female lead singer (?) I would love to find Toni Mauro of Flashing Chance to see if there are other recordings by the band. If you know any info on the artist, please message me or leave a comment.

Totally bonkers, burnt-to-a-crisp, definitely unknown Xian madness out of Gary, Indiana. Not sure what Len was on when he cut these tracks, but I need some. Both sides feature droning, minimal, scattered musical accompaniment softly nestled under Len's meditative, barely-there, stream-of-consciousness vocals, that seem to be beseeching the Lord for a variety of random things. If you have any information on this artist or release, please contact me or leave a comment.