As you might’ve noticed, there’s a massive amount of releases on deck for the first rescheduled date of Record Store Day 2020. A few labels have multiple items coming out on August 29, so it makes sense to spotlight them early in an attempt to expand the coverage in the approaching weeks. And so, here’s the five offerings from Jackpot Records of Portland, OR, which includes a 45 from Ted Cassidy and LPs by Martin Denny, The Wild Tchoupitoulas and The Wipers. The soundtrack to Dune, featuring strange bedfellows Toto and Brian Eno, is in there, too. Let’s get down to business…
Ted Cassidy, better known as Lurch, the Frankenstein-like manservant with the deep voice and the “You rang?” catchphrase on the 1960s macabre-themed sitcom The Addams Family, cut a novelty single in 1965, which Capitol released with a picture sleeve (because who’d want a 45 by Lurch without a pic sleeve?). “The Lurch” b/w “Wesley” is half of a suitable Halloween spinner, the a-side penned by Gary Paxton of The Hollywood Argyles, they of “Alley Oop” fame. He was also the man responsible for “The Monster Mash.”
Now, rather than just being a “pure” novelty tune, “The Lurch” does emit the familiar odor of cash-in, but it’s still enjoyably goofy in how it manages to get a tight grip on the shirttails of burgeoning youth culture and specifically, the dance craze impulse. Apparently, Cassidy appeared as Lurch on the Halloween episode of Shindig shortly after the record’s release, teaching those in the studio and at home the new dance, which was surely helpful, as lyrically, the instruction is to simply…lurch.
Quick-buck scenarios like this one increase in value by moving from goofy into the realms of the often unintentionally twisted, but “The Lurch” doesn’t quite get there, though it presents a rather schizophrenic contrast to the flip, which is a pop-country number (not a steel guitar or fiddle in the mix, but backing singers, oh yes) where Cassidy gives a spoken narration in his normal voice rather than singing (well, for accuracy’s sake he does sing a little towards the end). Altogether, far from amazing, but as said, definitely appropriate for an All Hallows’ Eve DJ set.
Those getting a sweaty upper lip while gazing at the Cassidy picture sleeve, of which there are 500 in Jackpot’s reissue, might also get a little moist at the kitschy low-brow prospects of Martin Denny’s Exotic Moog; no doubt fans of the titular instrument will be excited as well, for it’s a first time reissue in an edition of 1,500 on colored vinyl (the one sheet shows orange). The set opens with “Quiet Village,” Denny’s most famous composition, which gets a satisfying Moog remodeling, though I’d say the record’s highlight comes not long after with the introduction of fuzz guitars in “Yellow Bird.”
The major limiting factor here is that the flavor of the exotic in Denny’s music, which was about as authentic as a Hawaiian shirt bought off the sale rack at JC Penny’s, was still an appealing sound, and it largely evaporates as the emphasis shifts to the Moog. Which is alright, as there is beaucoup synth spillage unfurling in an appealingly dated sorta way, partly due to covers of Middle of the Road hits of the era. This brings matters even nearer to Lounge-Cocktail-EZ Listening than Exotica. The key to this modest success is that Denny and crew were clearly engaged in the making. It’s a fun record, at least.
Dune, the early ’80s sci-fi blockbuster that wasn’t, based on a tome by Frank Herbert, was at one point slated to be directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky (of El Topo and The Holy Mountain midnight movie fame) followed by Ridley Scott and was then finally realized for the screen by David Lynch (between The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet), but unsatisfactorily for the director, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis, daughter of Dino, (there are reportedly three cuts of the film), and audiences, though the movie did pull in $30 million on a $40 budget (still, a commercial flop).
The story only gets weirder when its soundtrack is considered, specifically, the rather disparate contributors of Toto and Brian Eno, though the latter is only represented by a single track, “Prophecy Theme,” in collaboration with his brother Roger and Daniel Lanois. Those who know Toto only from “Rosanna” and “Africa” might be surprised by their involvement here, and those who disdain their hits might be thinking it spells disaster, but for these ears, both non-fans of Toto, the results, featuring the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Volksoper Choir, aren’t that bad.
The album also falls far short of great, I’m afraid, though it has enough atmospheric sections that Eno integrates into the overall mix pretty well. The soundtrack mostly reinforces how Toto can be considered an outgrowth of the late ’70s pop-prog impulse: think Alan Parsons Project, Asia, and later Yes. Although Toto’s vocalist sat this one out, the album still ends on a rather ’80s pop-schlocky low-note (as the credits were surely rolling). 2000 Copies pressed, on spice vinyl, with a poster.
Led by George Landry and featuring contributions from Neville Brothers Art, Charles, Cyril and Aaron (prior to their forming their family group), plus Ziggy Modeliste, Leo Nocentelli and George Porter, all three from The Meters, the sole LP from the Mardi Gras Indian tribe Wild Tchoupitoulas is one of the finest records New Orleans has ever produced, which makes it by extension one of the great LPs of the 1970s.
Along with Landry, aka Big Chief Jolly, the Wild Tchoupitoulas consisted of Second Chief Norman Bell, Trail Chief Booker T. Washington, Flag Boy Candy Hemphill “Carl” Christmas, and Spy Boy Amos Landry, with all five handling vocals, frequently in rich harmony, to sublime effect, in combination with a strain of funkiness simultaneously unperturbed but potent, invigorating yet calming and with moments of substantial beauty, perhaps best represented by the gorgeous “Indian Red.” But the whole record is sweet like the juice of a ripe fruit plucked from the tree of life. 1,500 on color vinyl, don’t sleep on it.
Although not tangibly funky and wielding a beauty that’s considerably Duchampian, my esteem is roughly comparable for the debut album from Portland’s the Wipers. Led by Greg Sage, the band was noted for songwriting that was stronger than the punk average, which is already in full evidence across their first LP, presented here as Is This Real? Anniversary Edition: 1980 – 2000, with a bonus 7-inch offering four cuts from the original 4 track sessions.
Along with the inspired, non-generic songs, the playing is raw and tough, remaining close to the unembellished punk root with just the right number of energetic flourishes establishing the band as heading in a positive direction rather than preparing to stagnate or regress. Sage’s guitar sound here is especially worthy of praise, reminding me a little of Cleveland’s Pagans, but helping to differentiate matters is the singing, also by Sage, who is in full command of the rare punk expressiveness that unifies with the raw passionate rock of the past and future.
Jackpot has issued Is This Real? before, back in 2006 I think, but not with the 7-inch, so this isn’t a standard priming of the well. 1,500 on clear vinyl (the 7-inch is on black wax) with a concert poster autographed by Sage. Punk albums don’t get much better, so if you’re amenable to the style, I’d say it’s essential.
Ted Cassidy, “The Lurch” b/w “Wesley”
B-
Martin Denny, Exotic Moog
B
Dune Original Soundtrack Recording
B-
The Wild Tchoupitoulas, S/T
A
The Wipers, Is This Real? Anniversary Edition: 1980 – 2000
A
