Doin' it all night long....pt.2

Continuing with the oddities.....what better place to look than the Anla label?

This 45 comes courtesy of my ultra crabby friend C. who having recently reached "a certain advanced age" is now apparently immune to feminine wiles. Try as I might, I've been unable to get this bizarre slab of vinyl out of his [evil] clutches. In fact, my machinations look to have backfired. He's now threatening to leave his entire collection to the clutch of feral cats inhabiting his backyard ["to sharpen thier nasty claws on"] with the executor of the will instructed to poke each cat with a pin just to make sure none of the "little fuckers" is me in disguise. I love you too darlin'.

I've written several times about Chester Randle/Bill Parker, in fact I posted the original version of this song more than a year ago.

While the original version is great goofy fun....this later take comes very close to pure acid-damaged insanity. Sure, there's a big difference between 1962 and 1970 [?], but why would anyone think they could turn such an incredibly silly dance tune into a psychedelic freakout? The mind boggles. If there was even an ounce of irony [or a fake lisp] involved I'd be reminded of the Electric Eels. Repeated listening does nothing to solve the puzzle.

I could be wrong, but I don't think this 45 has ever been comped.

Here ya go, Sweet Potato Mash...with a side of LSD.

Some people were born to be players...

Here's another 45 that Mr. Finewine seems to like. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think it's ever been comped. Deep soulies seem to like the flip side, a marvelous song which sounds to my ears as though it was cut during a different session. I'm sure I'll post it soon enough.

Seems fairly clear that Mr. Shermack's real name was Claude Shermack Williams, or at least that's how I occasionally see him listed. The co-writing credits lead me to believe the same. The person sharing that credit is William Parker Guidry, aka Bill Parker, leader of the Showboat Band.

If you've been reading the blog for awhile you may know I'm a fan of Parker and his guitarist, Chester Randle. I believe the links are still good for the two Parker 45s I've posted previously. Click on the "Bill Parker and His Showboat Band" label below if you'd like to hear them.

Anyway, that's about it for Claude Shermack. I don't know that anyone has much in the way of info about him other than he only made one other 45. It too is good, was issued on Goldband, and also recorded with Bill Parker's band.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Fussin' and fightin' cause I won't do right....

My friend C. has been torturing me with all sorts of amazing stuff on Ebay. "Don't you want that one!", "Yes hon, of course I want it, but who's going to pay for it?"

Truth is I'm too cheap to play with the big boys, they swamp me with cash every time. Best I can hope for is that, for what ever reason, nobody's paying attention.

Two very serious 'must haves' slipped through my fingers this week alone. Both times I was the second highest bidder....the two highest bids I've ever made in my life. I'm not sure whether I should be pissed-off or relieved. [Actually, I'm pissed]

Anyway, I did win this one last week. Wasn't exactly cheap, but it's def hard to find. Funny thing is that a local dealer had it. Fool should call me before he lists stuff on Ebay. Chances are I'd pay his rent. Cash in hand is always worth double imaginary Ebay bucks.

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Here's another killer tune from Bill Parker and The Showboat Band.

In case you've forgotten, these guys were really hot in southern Louisiana in the early sixties. Parker was a drummer who ran a revue-type thing. Vocalist on this one is Jesse Palmer, about whom I have zero information.

Btw, I have no idea what's up with the label on this record. The dealer said it was water damage, but that's not right. Looks to me like Sumi ink applied with a brush. Given that I've never once made a mark on a record label, I honestly can't imagine what goes through some peoples minds. Drugs?

Hope ya'll enjoy...it's from 1960.

Doin' it all night long....

Gotta tell ya, we had one seriously awesome party last weekend, sorry most of you couldn't make it.

The expectation was that we would be out of the country for most of June and July. I even enlisted a friend to post a few things on the blog if I disappeared for too long. But plans change. Conditions in the Gulf are a very big concern. We have business which is directly related.

So, instead of searching for pirates gold on a desert island, we're hiding out at a top secret location not too far from town. Top secret cause we wouldn't want any adults to find us, would we? It's a lovely place, very old, very grand. Really just what the doctor ordered. My goal for the week is to get a massage [it's a hard life, but someone has to live it]. After that, we're off to somewhere more rustic. And then....

Anyway, I'll be around, but I'm taking it easy. I've been pushing very hard for the last nine months. The wedding prep just about sent me over the edge.

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This is a very cool 45. Everything about it, from the opening guitar riff [which reminds me of some punk record I can't quite put a name to] to the ultra silly, almost childlike sax solo, makes my endorphin levels rise.

Bill Parker's band was popular around Lake Charles La. in the early sixties. Parker was the bandleader/drummer. Vocals were carried by several folks including Little Miss Peggy. The fab guitar work is by Chester Randle, who put out several singles with his band the Soul Senders on the related Anla label [always on my hope-to-find list].

If you look closely at the label scan, you may notice something of interest. On my copy of the 45 someone has scratched out the song writers name. This was done on both sides in exactly the same careful manner. Looks to me as if a previous owner didn't agree with the credit as given. Which makes me wonder: who would care enough to do such a thing?

Copyright data shows Eddie Shuler, owner of Goldband, taking credit for the song. Now, I normally discount credits to label owners, but in this case, Shuler did actually write a lot of tunes, recorded a bunch as well. So, who knows?

Well, I guess I do. This does not sound like an Eddie Shuler song, in fact it's not even a typical record for the label. Chances are "Sweet Potato Mash" is something Parker's band worked up. I'd be pissed too, if someone took credit for a song of mine. I might even bother to carefully scratch the offending name off copies given to friends, relatives, etc.

The 45's from 1962. Normally I'd post both sides of a two-parter, but in this case, part 2 is just an inferior take.

Hope ya enjoy....