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Mink DeVille ‎ –––––– Return To Magenta (1978)

With its hazy ombre pink sky, city skyline, and mysteriously handsome figure on the cover throwing a look back at the audience, this album was probably made for people like me. The cover draws you in, and the title Return To Magenta only leaves you more curious as to what tunes are etched into the black wax. And if that doesn’t sell you, the name “Mink DeVille” certainly will.

This dude, whose actual name in Willy Deville, has the vocal appeal of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger but dresses like he’s a technicolored pirate...Or part of Adam And The Ants, which is basically the same thing. Either way, DeVille’s wardrobe and the albums cover have zero to do with the music he plays. The album is stock full of soul ballads, shuffling blues tunes, and old fashioned rock and roll. He took the best parts of the era and stuffed them into one LP with mixed results. Oh and threw a bit of reggae in there for no reason.

The album starts off way too slow. I can hear the influence Phil Spector had on the album when the violins kick in during “Guardian Angel” but the drawn out fade out loses me. The last minute of that song is a waste of wax. He managed to pull me back in with the twangy rock of “Soul Twist” and it was here that a bit of George Thorogood started to peak out. Thorogood’s intense influence on the band jumps back on the second side, just wait. It’s a definite change from the opening track but then he brings it back down with “’A’ Train Lady.” I got the feeling that he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with this album and it ended up as a thousand jumbled genres.

“Rolene” wasn’t doing too much for me either. It might have had to do with the fact that his voice was suddenly ten times more raspy. “ Rolene, another rocker sees Willie Deville taking another tune from the extensive catalogue of songs written by Moon Martin. They recorded Martin’s Cadillac Walk on their debut, Cabretta (Clarke.) ” And then he throws “Desperate Days” out there. Just when I thought this album couldn’t be even more of a mess, we get a reggae tune.

Side two of the album kicks off with “Just Your Friends” which sounds good compared to the terrible array of songs on the first side. It’s Bob Dylan with strings, and the longest harmonica solo I’ve ever heard. Right after we get a plain ripoff of Thorogood “Who Do You Love” with his “Steady Drivin’ Man.”  And maybe it’s just and confidence since both songs were released in the same year. That being said, it’s one of the best songs on the entire album.

While “Easy Slider” and “I Broke That Promise” are two completely different songs, neither of them stick out on the album. They are relatively short and aren’t memorable in any sort of way. On the other hand, Return To Magenta closes with one of the strongest songs on the entire album. “Confidence To Kill” is a blues tune with vocals reminiscent of ZZ Top in their hayday. 

Overall, this album is a mess of genres and vocals and I don’t know how Phil Spector helped produce this album. Sure, there are a few tunes that stand out and that I will be saving to my playlist, but three decent songs on a ten song album isn’t the best. I’m not eager to look into his other albums and this one will be tucked away in my collection where it probably will just collect dust. Well, unless someone asks me to play some reggae in the style of Jimmy Buffett.

Clarke, Dave. “ Re-Reviewed: Mink Deville, Return to Magenta, Capitol (1978)″ The London Yodeller, 20 Aug 2014, londonyodeller.ca/london/re-reviewed-mink-deville-return-magenta-capitol-1978/. 25 Nov 2018 

Horowitz, Hal “ Return To Magenta″ Allmusic, allmusic.com/album/return-to-magenta-mw0000106789. 25 Nov 2018

Reid, Graham. “Mink De Ville: Return to Magenta (1978)″ Elsewhere, 24 Aug 2009, elsewhere.co.nz/essentialelsewhere/2515/mink-de-ville-return-to-magenta-1978/. 25 Nov 2018

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Eddie Hinton ‎ –––––– Very Extremely Dangerous (1978)

While the name Eddie Hinton didn’t stick out to me, I was surprised to learn of all the artists he has been connected to over the years. He isn’t exactly a household name, or even famous enough to have one of those dividers with his own name on it at a record store, but the people he worked with a known world wide. Penned “the white Otis Redding,” Hinton worked with Aretha Franklin, The Box Tops, Elvis Presley, and many others artists that tended to have a little more soul in their music. He even had connections to another dollar bin digs artist, Willy Deville. What a small world!

This album radiates soul and blues and the first song doesn’t disappoint. “You Got Me Singing” highlights Hinton’s raspy vocals and the horns glitter behind each note perfectly. While I wouldn’t consider myself the biggest soul fan, or even one that would pick up this album if I have known more about the contents, I enjoyed this one and the follow up track “Concept Of The World.” Both have the same selling points and made me open up to the album as a whole.

It’s probably this head-down mentality – coupled with his issues with mental illness and various substance addictions – that explains why his fabulous run of solo albums, Very Extremely Dangerous, Letters from Mississippi, Cry & Moan, Very Blue Highway, and the posthumous Hard Luck Guy, haven’t managed to escape their distinction as items of cult worship among southern soul acolytes. (Pedersen)

“I Got The Feeling” is more of a standard soulful ballad, with a nearly Marvin Gaye esque flow. It’s a length song that I would expect to be further on in the album, so it seemed a little out of place. “Shout Bamalama” and “Brand New Man” have a early 50s rock ‘n’ roll vibe to them and are more appealing to my interests in tunes. A closer look at the label proved my thoughts right, since “Shout Bamalama” was actually written by Redding and released when he worked with the Pinetoppers in 1961.

I still wasn’t too impressed with the find but I found myself jamming to “Shoot The Moon” with its hidden melody and shuffling bass line. Though it certainly isn’t rock ‘n’ roll, I pinned this as my favorite track. “We Got It” and “Yeah Man” both bring the tone of the album down considerably before the album closes with the upbeat “I Want It All.”

When it comes to soul music, the ententent of my knowledge is pretty limited. It seems that on my first try I stumbled across a hidden gem of the genre. Dollar bins often are hit or miss and this one certainly hit it out of the ballpark. Not only is the album rare, since Capricorn Records had lots of struggles in the late 70s, but the copy I stumbled across is a promotional pressing. I have a decent size collection of these types of albums since I’ve had collection donated to me by family friends and often having a stamp or white label increases the value by ten or twenty dollars. This exact pressing isn’t listed on Discogs. The normal album is listed around $40, with mint copies going as high as $130. While I don’t know the exact value of my copy, it’s safe to say paying $1 was a good deal.

Hinton, Eddie. Very Extremely Dangerous Capricorn Records, Inc., 1978

Pedersen, Jordan . “ Very Extremely Dangerous: An Appreciation of Late Southern Soulman, Eddie Hinton ″ Passion Of The Weiss, 6 Sept 2013. passionweiss.com/2013/09/06/very-extremely-dangerous-an-appreciation-of-late-southern-soulman-eddie-hinton/. 16 Nov 2018

Sweetman, Simon. “ The Very Extremely Dangerous Eddie Hinton: Revisiting A Lost Classic″ Off The Tracks, 10 Oct 2016, offthetracks.co.nz/the-very-extremely-dangerous-eddie-hinton-revisiting-a-lost-classic/. 16 Nov 2018

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Brewer And Shipley ‎ –––––– Weeds (1969)

Okay, I would be lying if I said I was completely unfamiliar with Brewer and Shipley. Of course I didn’t realize I was until I heard their incredible harmonies and folky tones. They are the ones behind the stoner hit “One Toke Over The Line” which I’m pretty sure I knew all the lyrics to before I knew what that expression meant. 

I was pleasantly surprised with this album! It takes the best parts of The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Grateful Dead and mashed them up with beautiful harmonies and minimal instruments. The album opens with “Lady Like You” and it definitely leaves me wanting more, which it gives you in the second track as well. As a big fan of the movie from the same year Easy Rider, the song “Rise Up (Easy Rider)” is another great tune. The first side of this album just kept pumping out amazing songs one after another.

“Boomerang” was released as a single before the full album came out and I think it was a good move. The track really encompses the mood of the LP with it’s happy and folky swing. Following just behind is “Indian Summer” and I can’t speak highly enough of this song. It’s a beautiful ballad that tugs at the heart string when the pair burst through with their close harmonies in the chorus. “They were just going to shake it up a bit and take a grater to some of the pop aspects of the first album.The result is country rock with folk aspects like The Byrds, Crosby Stills and Nash...The only difference is that Brewer and Shipley haven't received the laurels that they deserve. (Franko.)” The first side closes with a cover of the Bob Dylan classic “All Along The Watchtower” and while it doesn’t stand up to the original or the Jimi Hendrix Experience recording, it’s a decent song.

The second side starts off with “People Love Each Other” and it seems to die away compared to the standards put in place by the first side. “Pig’s Head” follows and adds a more rock feel to the album and as soon as that electric guitar kicked in I couldn’t help but smile. As someone who has listened to their fair share of rock ‘n’ roll, I have come to recognize the styles of certain guitar players. People like Brian May, Rory Gallagher, and Stevie Ray Vaughan have a style that is so easy to pick out of a crowd. I would also consider Mike Bloomfield to be on this list. Sure enough, I checked the back’s credits and there he was: Michael Bloomfield. Their use of his guitar makes up for the first track and brings this album back up. 

Before I knew it, that track seamlessly faded into “Oh, Sweet Lady” and brought Mark Naftali in on the organ. “Too Soon Tomorrow” adds a gorgeous percussion layer that makes the acoustic guitars sound more like a glitter in the background. These beats continue on to “Witchi-Tai-To” when the pair cover the Jim Pepper adaptation of a peyote chant. It’s an odd ending to the album, but I’m not necessarily disappointed.

If my raving review hasn’t said enough, I certainly think that this album was worth the dollar. It held so many heart warming tunes and now I know these two are much more than a stoner one-hit-wonder. The album isn’t worth much to a collector, and the cover is in pretty rough shape but the warmth that radiates from my record player when that needle hits the wax was so worth it. 

Brewer And Shipley. Weeds Kama Sutra Buddha Records, 1969

“Brewer & Shipley - Weeds (1969)” Stuck In The Past! stuckinthepast08.blogspot.com/2013/06/brewer-shipley-weeds-1969.html 15 Nov 2018

Franko. “ BREWER & SHIPLEY – Weeds – (Kama Sutra) – 1969.″ What Frank Is Listening To, 21 Feb 2016, whatfrankislisteningto.negstar.com/folk-rock/brewer-shipley-weeds-kama-sutra-1969/. 15 Nov 2018

Viglione, Joe. “ Brewer And Shipley.″ Allmusic, https://www.allmusic.com/album/weeds-mw0000836971. 15 Nov 2018

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The Nitecap  –––––– Go To The Line (1982)

Whenever I’m digging through dollar bins, I’m always looking for the staples: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. Though I rarely stumbled across these types of albums, it’s the hidden gems that make crate digging worth it. I would have never found The Nitecaps if it wasn’t for my patiences and the same goes for most of the groups on this blog. I’m so glad I grabbed this one. 

I never knew I wanted a pop punk group with heavy horns, a range of vocals, and high energy grooves this much. Every beat these dudes hit rattle the bass on my record player. The above video is the music video for the opening track “Same Situation.” I watched it after I listened to the entire album and was amazed by the lead vocalist. While it’s not actually live, he has such crazy energy and it drew me closer. I might be slowing falling in love with this group.

The second track is “Go To The Line” and holds that early eighties new wave vibe similar to that of The Human League. It’s catchy and upbeat, but for being the title track I expected more from it. “Hot Pavement” is like if David Bowie wrote “Sound and Vision” with Sting, and while it’s not my favorite track I was able to jive with it’s odd beat.

The first side closes with “Somebody Cares” which brings things down a notch from the raspy yelling highlighted in “Can’t Let One More Day Go By.” It’s a lovely ballad reminiscent of the late 40s with it’s soft horns and reaching vocals. When John Xavier’s voice finally rung out with so much more caritey, backed by Al Maddy and Peter Jordan, I officially fell in love with this group. I was even more struck when the only live video available of them online was them playing this tune. Give it a good listen and try to convince me that these guys shouldn’t have been way bigger than they were.

With these dollar albums, sometimes it’s hard to find any information on them. I can’t find any records on the success of this album but I’m disappointed that they didn’t hit the charts when ABC’s “Look Of Love” reached #4 on the UK charts. Make that song a little more bluesy and you’ve got “The New Me.” 

The Nitecaps are a great glimpse of the underground new wave and pop punk scene of the early 1980s and I wished they had more than just this one studio album. “ It`s not hard to imagine Xavier and the band maturing to the point where they could have released a very good album. As it is, they left behind a pretty good album, worth picking up in a used record store if you felt the `80s new wave/pop party ended too early (Midnight Rambler.)” The LP isn’t worth too much with prices ranging up to $10 for pristine copies. For me, this was more than worth the price. I will be raving about this group for the next few weeks and you bet “Is This The Dream?/Good Times (Medley)” will be on repeat.

Lababedi , Iman. “New York Punk's Zelig, Jahn Xavier, Remembers Part Two: The Nitecaps And Beyond.” Rock Nyc, July 2012, rocknyc.live/jahn-xavier-interview-part-ii-the-nitecaps-and-beyond.html.

Nitecaps, The. Go To The Line Sire Records Company, 1982

NME. “1982 Best Albums And Tracks Of The Year.” NME, NME, 1 Nov. 2016, www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1982-2-1045396.

Rambler, Midnight. “THE NITECAPS - Go to the Line.” SONS OF THE DOLLS, 18 Apr. 2009, sonsofthedolls.blogspot.com/2009/04/nitecaps-go-to-line.html.

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Lee Michaels  –––––– 5th (1971)

People say not to judge a book by it’s cover. That kind of tough when it’s its biggest selling point. This is definitely true for albums too. The cover is certainly why I bought this album. Lee Michaels looks like a mix of The Who’s Roger Daltrey and folk artist Graham Nash; he is gorgeous. 

I suppose that’s what A&M executives were also thinking, since this 1971 release was Lee Michaels biggest seller. “ Like the most practiced axemen of the day, Michaels played his instrument with the force and freedom of psychedelic rock (Farber.)”  While listening to this album I was surprised by the variety of moods Michaels and his drummer Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost (previously a member of Sweathog) were able to convey on in under a half hour. 

The first side of the record starts with “Keep The Wheel Turning” and helps push out his outstanding vocals. It’s soulful and keeps a frothy pop undertone throughout.  “You Are What You Do” powers through with it’s spekapated beat and colorful organ playing glittering from behind his voice. The next two songs put me off from the album a bit: a cover of Johnny Otis’ “Willie and The Handjive” and “Didn’t Have To Happen.” The latter is a slow ballad that just feels so out of place. I was so tempted to get up and pick the needle up. The first side ends with another cover, this one of B.B. King’s “Rock Me Baby,” which was actually great with Jackie Kelso on sax.

After flipping the record over and letting the needle drop, I realized maybe Lee Michaels wasn’t a complete mystery to me. “Do You Know What I Mean” charted at 19 on The Billboard Top 100 for 1971, just below The Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar.”

“Ya Ya” sounds like the same song. I thought they were at first. Turns out it is yet another cover. If you’re gonna put two very similar songs on the same album, at least don’t put them one after another. Can you guess what’s next? A cover. Made famous by Marvin Gaye, Michaels is really trying his best to do “Can I Get A Witness” justice, but it doesn’t work. Neither do the last two songs. 

Overall, this album started out very strong. “You Are What You Do” will be slipped into one of the playlists for casual listening, but the rest of the album will be collecting dust. I’m not upset with my purchase, because it was only a dollar, but it really isn’t worth more than a quarter to the average collector.

“5th (Lee Michaels Album).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_(Lee_Michaels_album)#Musicians.

Farber, Jim. “What Happened To Lee Michaels?” Music Aficionado, web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/remember_lee_michaels_by_jimfarber

“Lee Michaels - 5th.” Discogs, www.discogs.com/Lee-Michaels-5th/release/1601816.

“Lee Michaels.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Aug. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Michaels#cite_ref-Sounds_2-0.

Michaels, Lee. 5th A&M Records, 1971.

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Code Blue  –––––– Code Blue (1980)

The first time I ever heard the term “new wave” it was used by my mom to describe one of her favorite artists Elvis Costello. As my own music taste broadened I would learn about The Cars, Devo, and The Romantics. Before I knew who any of them were, I knew the lyrics to “Just What I Needed,” “Whip It,” and “Talking In Your Sleep.” But in all my time as a self proclaimed music conosur I have never heard of Code Blue. And that’s a pity.

Formed in 1977, Code Blue was founded by The Motel’s Dean Chamberlain, and featured Randall Marsh and Gary Tibbs. The latter is the only name I had vaguely heard of. It took me awhile and then I thought of the true new wave king: Adam Ant. Gary Tibbs was the blonde guy in the iridescent silver vest in one of the worst music videos of the 80s. Please watch Ant Rap, if only for a good laugh. He comes in at around 50 seconds.

Their self titled album would be their only full length LP, and has a total of 11 songs. The front and back cover feature photos of all three members taken by Tom Sheehan, while the inner sleeve is decorated with a cartoon of a man holding a guitar falling and slipping his drink. I don’t think I’m able to fully describe the other side of the sleeve; just know that it’s a collage of pictures, notable frames include a diagram of an ear canal, a keyhole, and a game piece promising a tip to the british isles or $2,500. It was released in 1980 on the Warner Brothers record label. The most famous names on the album aren’t the musicians but are producer Nigel Gray, who worked with The Police, and engineer Mike Stone, who mixed the first six studio albums by Queen. What a small world the music industry must have been back then.

The first track “Whisper/Touch” was a great introduction to the band, and I could definitely hear the influence Adam Ant had on the group. The whining guitar solo has to be my favorite part. I was surprised at the lack of a fad out, but was ready for the next track.

“Modern Times” was nothing special. These songs really are hit or miss. And, it seems like they were taking turns. “Hurt” holds a scapated beat that mirrors The Knack’s “My Sharona” and is Code Blue’s attempt at a more traditional 70s pop rock song. 

“Face To Face” is the album’s only single and it bring the band down a few notches to a more soft love song. It is the most unique song on the album, and it’s clear why they chose this song to be their single. The b-side to it was “Other End Of Town” which is as far away from the other song as possible. It also starts off the second side of the full LP, and it’s pushing the definition of new wave and nearly being a punk song. The album closes with “Paint By Numbers” and at first listen it stands as my favorite song off the entire album. It starts with a Beatles esc intro, but moves back into that new wave with a Chuck Berry solo in the second half that caught me off guard. It’s a great closer for the album, and I’ll definitely be saving that for another listen.

Overall, was this album worth $1 in my opinion? Of course! Is it worth that much to a collector? Just about. Ebay and Discogs list the album for between $2 to $10 dollars depending on condition and shipping cost. Like most new wave bands, Code Blue still has a bit of an underground following. “ Their well-crafted songs are literate, thoughtful and sensual.  Though they deserved more success than they got, the bandmembers have been involved in a wide variety of musical projects.  As far as I know, the Code Blue music has not yet made it to CD, though their first album was reissued by Rhino Records as a limited-edition LP with bonus tracks and new remixes in 2003 (Winfree.) ”  This album will be staying in my collection and will probably get spun a few more times. It’s another example of my dollar bin are amazing. You have to take a chance, and either you lose some change or you find a new artist that would never have stood out to you before. Unlike most dollar albums, this one is available for streaming on Spotify and I highly recommended both “Paint By Numbers” and “Whisper/Touch” to anyone looking for a new jam. Enjoy!

Code Blue. Code Blue Warner Bros. Records Inc., 1980

“Code Blue (5) - Code Blue.” Discogs, www.discogs.com/Code-Blue-Code-Blue/release/1088023.

Winfree, Martin. “Code Blue.” Under Appreciated Rock Artists and Bands, sites.google.com/site/underappreciatedrockartists/home/uara-articles/code-blue. November 20, 2018