Rock Town Hall • Rock Music Discussion

Thrifty Music, Vol. 20.1: The Phaetons!

Mar 292010

Greetings, seekers of the rare, the weird and the unbelievably cheap! I come to you in cheerful mood, realizing that this is the twentieth episode of RTH’s popular Thrifty Music series, in which I share scratched-up slabs of vinyl I find in thrift stores, flea markets, and garbage cans around our nation’s fine capitol.

To mark this auspicious occasion, I’ve decided to post one new track every other day, until we arrive at the commemorative number of 20 — count ’em, TWENTY — new and wonderful songs I’ve rescued from perdition. Today’s track is one of many I found while combing through (no fooling) about 3000 singles I purchased from a little old lady in rural Maryland. It’s a real head-scratcher to me, because — well, why on Earth wasn’t this song a hit? And why on Earth does nobody know who The Phaetons are any more? And why can I not find a single record geek trying to sell this ultra-rarity for an absurd amount of money? It’s totally worth it, as you’ll hear. A true lost gem, in my opinion.

The only image I could find of The Phaetons is shown above. I grabbed it from this page, at which you’ll learn all there is to know — and I man that literally — about this band. But shit! Singles on Warner Brothers! Produced by Jerry Ragavoy, and co-written by “Doc” Pomus! *Great* singles, great songs, great arrangements, and… nothing. Weird.

Anyhow, enjoy the first of two Phaetons numbers I’ll be sharing as the month unfolds: “Three Weeks, Four Days and 15 Hours,” by Long Island’s own… The Phaetons!

I look forward to your comments, and I thank you for your patronage over the years.

HVB

Rock Town Hall Observes Passover

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 292010

“I shall mark The Undertones’ debut!”

This evening marks the beginning of the Jewish holy day of Passover. It is only fitting that Rock Town Hall observe this occasion, making sure not to interrupt tonight’s seder.

If God were to inflict a plague that would wipe out all debut albums, which debut album would you mark with the blood of a spring lamb?

For those of you unfamiliar with the Passover story, read on. Continue reading »

Hands Down: The Greatest Tribute Band Ever

Posted by sammymaudlin

Mar 282010

I’ve seen Queen Nation, Fab Four, some Billy Joel/Elton John thing, Which One’s Pink… But this is, hands down, the greatest tribute band ever. Continue reading »

Truth in Packaging (For Better and For Worse): You Can’t Judge an Album by its Cover, or Can You?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 282010

Truth?

You can’t judge an album by its cover, but let’s face it: sometimes we do. Based on cover art alone, which album was most likely to suck?

Lou Reed’s Ecstasy
Lou Reed’s Sally Can’t Dance
Lou Reed’s Mistrial
The Blasters’ debut
Or something else?

When you finally heard that album with the lousy record cover, did it actually suck, was there truth in packaging?

What’s a rare example of an album with a lousy cover that far surpassed your unfair expectations?

Albatross

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 262010

I just returned from seeing Miles Kurosky, former leader of Beulah, at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia. It was a pretty good show, and Kurosky was a friendly, funny guy. Following his opening song, however, he began to spend an inordinate amount of time fretting over what he called his “albatross” of a catalog of beloved (by those who love the band, at least, like myself) Beulah songs. The first time he brought up the subject, it was a little awkward but understandable. A few songs later he explained that his new album only contained 10 songs, so the band “had to learn some covers.” Then they “covered” a Beulah song, the title of which I’m forgetting at the moment – and it’s too late to pull out the CD and find the name. Take my word for it, it was a spirited cover that psyched up an already friendly, if small, crowd. Following that song Kurosky started talking about how his previous night’s show in Washington, DC was interrupted by nonstop shout-outs for Beulah songs that his current band was not steeped in playing and that he was not as interested in playing, for various reasons. All understandable and articulated in Kurosky’s friendly, chatty manner, but then… Continue reading »

Lou Reed…The Way His Music Was Meant to Sound!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 262010

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Lou kills ’em!

Dugout Chatter

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Mar 262010

Things have been a little quiet so far this week. I sense we’re burned out from the stunning conclusion of that recent Last Man Standing. It’s time we get a little chatter going. What do you say? Most of you know this drill by now, but if you’ve been following along from the sidelines and want to make your initial splash in the Halls of Rock the following questions require nothing more than your gut answers! Let’s roll!

What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?

What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?

Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?

Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?

Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?

What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?

I look forward to your responses.

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