Not Dead

Hey, folks.  Just popping in to let you know that I'm still here!

I'm coming off of a huge purchase of early-70s promos, so once I get those sorted out and scanned, I'll digitize and post them.  Stay tuned!

R.I.P. Mike Markiewicz

I was crushed when I found out today that the owner of my favorite Cincinnati record store, Another Part of the Forest, has passed away.

Mike Markiewicz was a gentle, kind, soft-spoken guy.  He had a real passion for music, no matter what type, and he knew about a little of everything.  Ask him what artist you wanted to look for, and he'd point you to where you should look in the LPs (chances are that he had an album or two by them in stock).  And he became well-known in the area for being the only record store proprietor to cut buyers a deal on multiple-record purposes.  He didn't have to, but he did anyway.

Most of the time, Mike was behind the counter, evaluating and pricing a new stack of albums.  He spoke when he was spoken to and not much apart from that - but I think it's better than the alternative.  In short, he really made the Forest feel like a welcome place to me and others who loved to hunt for records there.

The shop will be kept open, with help from his family and Iris Book Cafe, but I don't think it will ever be quite the same without Mike.

Scrugg - Will The Real Geraldine Please Stand Up And Be Counted/Only George (1969)

I had only heard one single from this band, the superb "Lavender Popcorn"/"Sandwich Board Man", but didn't recognize this tune when I saw it in a thrift store this past Saturday.  Unfortunately, it's been "well-loved", shall we say, and there is quite a bit of needle burn since it is a styrene pressing.

Nevertheless, here are two sides of great British psychedelia.

The Nova Local - If You Only Had The Time/Games (1967)

 Here's a garage rock gem from the summer of '67.  This band was from Chapel Hill, NC.

The Banana Splits - The Tra La La Song (1968)

I'd never admit it to any of my fellow garage collectors, but I really enjoy a lot of the Banana Splits' output.  My all-time favorite song by them would have to be "Wait Til Tomorrow," a near-perfect piece of pop that I'll put up on here sometime, but songs like "The Very First Kid On My Block" and "I'm Gonna Find A Cave" are pretty good as well.  I've found the two Kellogg's EPs, but not the LP...yet.

As if those send-away EPs didn't give the show enough exposure, Decca producers saw fit to re-record the theme song as a more radio-friendly version, featuring some fuzz guitar, another verse, and other changes.  It did get into the Hot 100...

The Mersey Makers - Day After Day/C'mon (1965)

These Canucks did a pretty good job of impersonating the British Invasion sound around 1964-65.  To me, they sound a bit similar to another band in the same vein, the British Walkers...

Piccadilly Circus - New Orleans Ruth/Come On Down To Earth (1970)

I discovered this 45 thanks to a friend of mine, Paul...you may know him from his YouTube channel, PCino45s2.  This one also came in the mail today - I thought the condition would be somewhat better, but hey, I can finally say I have a copy.  Love that funky B-side.