Tink's Atomic Universe

Magical Record Find at the Flea Market on 10-10-10

2010-10-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of score that Record Collectors live for when they hunt fleas and garage sales....

Yesterday was one of those once in a lifetime dates 10-10-10. Craig, the Record King, told me surely it's a special, possibly lucky, date. I had ventured to a little flea market along the river early in the day and found this book set.

Now, I love Mel Blanc and Looney Tunes so of course I immediately picked this up to check on the condition of the records. There were no Mel Blanc records in this book but there WAS a Leadbelly Atlantic 78 along with an MGM Hank Williams. I asked how much for the book. ONE buck. yes! Tink's score of the week!

So that was so very exciting for me! Finding a Leadbelly is so difficult and I have been outbid on them on several occasions in the Nauck's Vintage Record auctions. So you can imagine my delight for $1.00!!

I also found this precious Musette book and record from the same dealer:

Very magical day of flea marketing. Happy Columbus Day to you all!

Spoken Word Exotica by Tink© on DVD

2010-09-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

"Poetry as Art? Yes, when you combine it with visuals and music creating a multi dimensional experience of sight and sound..."

"Art meets Poetry in an explosion of aural and visual delight..."

Hi Folks! Some of my Spoken Word Exotica pieces have been compiled into a collection on DVD! See Tink on the big screen (bigger than the little You Tube box, anyway) with quality sound. I tested the DVD's on the 52" with the Bose surround speakers and it really was magical! The sound quality is great with the pieces having been recorded through a Blue Microphones Snowball model.

The DVD's are approximately 30 minutes long and contain 9 of the pieces. They are 10.00 each with shipping included and can be purchased below. Thanks for all your continued support! I love you all! XO

Count Down Jimmie Haskell and his Orchestra 1959

2010-08-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

Ultra rare Jimmie Haskell space age fun with a moog and THEREMIN too!! WOW. Craig, the Record King put this one aside as a special surprise for me, knowing I would immediately go nuts for it. Needless to say, I did. Today I did ALOT of work for him as he was all backed up and this was my special giftie for getting him up to date! I am thrilled with this magical gem.

The back notes say "Don't worry about bringing a space suit...all you need is a good woofer and tweeter, a comfortable chair and a vivid imagination." YEAH, BAY-BAY! This is an amazing record.

It is released on the Imperial label which is no budget label, for sure, so it's a slick production and is LP #9068 High Fidelity. I've been breezing through it on the Teac this afternoon but I'll be placing it on the Fisher console here shortly. Just wanted to record a sound clip for you first! ENJOY and have fun finding a copy! You're gonna WANT this one!

I've chosen this tune, Asteroid Hop, for it's swingin, space age quality. Really Atomic and fabulous for 1959. Enjoy!

Red Raven Movie Records and Magic Mirror

2010-08-19T04:27:00.000-07:00

A rare treat for the collector of children's records or toys, these fabulous little treasures were made by Morgan Development Laboratories, Inc in Westport, Ct from 1956-1961. The records measure about 8 1/2" in diameter and have a larger than normal label, a portion of which is a little looping cartoon animation which plays by means of the Red Raven Magic Mirror which would be placed atop the record on your turntable spindle.

Some of the records are splatter vinyl like this:

And some are translucent vinyl in lovely colors like this:

From lists I see there were 20 Red Raven Magic Movie records but I had also read that there were up to 40 individual records as there were European and Asian versions of the animated records! You can see an example of it playing here:

There are 2 versions of the Magic Mirror that I am aware of. One is the type I have and show here which sits atop a short spindled record player and then there is another with a removable red top that will sit on a tall spindle. Those being produced in a smaller quantity at a later date in production and thus are rarer.

Vinyl Record Day Worldwide Holiday for Vinyl Junkies

2010-08-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

Those of you in the know may be aware that August 12th has been declared Vinyl Record Day. August 12th was not a randomly chosen date, in fact, it's significance is great! It happens to be the very day in 1877 when Great Grandfather of the audiophile, Thomas Alva Edison, invented the phonograph changing all of our lives forever!

Unlike Record Store Day which is a for profit group whose focus is to sell music on any format, the goal of Vinyl Record Day is to increase the awareness of the importance of the preservation of audio history recorded on vinyl and to encourage a day when people gather together and share their vinyl and love of music.

This sounds like our one true Atomic Vinyl Zombie Holiday. Plan something super special and celebrate your vinyl music on August 12th. You can also read an interview with Gary Frieberg, the founder of Vinyl Record Day, in issue 784 of Goldmine Magazine.

Vinyl LIVES!

Fun Record King Score Saturday Afternoon

2010-08-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Ma Baby by Chet Atkins

Fabulously fun afternoon with the Record King today and he hand picked some pieces from a new collection that came in just for me. REALLY fabulous things.

Torero~ Music of the Bull Ring What I like to call Exotica from the Source

The Sounds of India~ Ravi Shankar Super fabulous EARLY Shankar instructional record!

Delirium Hi Fi~ Elsa Popping and her Pixieland Band CRAZY stuff!

Stringing Along with Chet Atkins rare 10" LP which I have posted a track from. This one is totally guitar instrumental and is an awesome record!

There's more, but I'll do a second post to include those.

The Re-opening of the Etsy Shop

2010-06-11T04:54:00.000-07:00

So, I have been selling my creatures via their own vids on You Tube and from a huge tote that I lug around when I venture out but I figured they would be quite happy in the Etsy storefront and they'd be out there working to sell themselves for me! They are magical, mystical, whimsical little creatures who will run around your house at night while you sleep and just cause general mischief. They are a labor of love, all hand stitched and some are created from vintage wool blankets. They come alive the moment I give them lips and eyes. See them here:

Tink's Atomic Universe

And witness them being created here:

Enjoy & if you are so inclined, adopt a creature today! Thanks & hugs~ Tink xoxo

The Swelling of the Organ...Girlesque~Faye Richmonde

2010-04-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

The Swelling of the Organ and the Coming of the Bride

Very interesting platter called Girlesque featuring Faye Richmonde on Davis records catalog# JD-116. The song titles are risque to say the least but more interestingly is the controversy surrounding the record when it came out in '58.

Billboard magazine on December 22, 1958 had this article published:

'Joe Davis and three other dealers were exonerated of the charge of dealing in obscene records when a jury found them not guilty last week in court here.

Davis and three dealers were charged with handling lewd records last June when police raided some record shops in Queens NY.

At that time one dealer, of the seven charged, pleaded guilty to selling an off color record of an undercover taping made of comic Jerry Lewis at a rehearsal for a TV show.

Davis was charged with manufacturing off color disks specifically two LP's on Davis Records "For Men Only" and "Girlesque". However the jury listened to the records and after being out 12 hours returned with the not guilty verdict.

The three dealers were also cleared of selling lewd disks and the other 3 dealers trial comes up shortly.'

Weird Watusi~ John Zacherle

2010-04-20T04:47:00.001-07:00

Weird Watusi

The one & only beloved Zacherle!

John Zacherle (sometimes credited as John Zacherley, born September 26, 1918) is a U.S. television host, radio personality and voice actor known for his long career as a television horror host broadcasting horror movies in Philadelphia and New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. Best known for his character "Roland/Zacherley," he also did voice work for movies, and recorded the top ten song novelty rock and roll song "Dinner With Drac" in 1958. He also edited two collections of horror stories, Zacherley's Vulture Stew and Zacherley's Midnight Snacks.

This album is on the Parkway label catalog# 7018 and is a rare find today!

Scungilli Song by Nick Apollo 45 rpm

2010-04-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

Scungilli Song

Nick Apollo (Forte) (born 14 June 1938) is an American musician and actor best known for his role as Lou Canova in Woody Allen's 1984 film Broadway Danny Rose.
Personal life

Apollo Forte was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He married Rosalie Trapasso in 1958 and has seven children and 22 grandchildren. He spends most of his time with his family and fishing. He sings his famous songs and still plays music, and is known to sing sea shanties as well while dancing the jig.

On the Fan Records label, catalog #NA-709-45 and Scungilli Song is the B side!

National Record Store Day 4-17-2010

2010-04-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

Very fun National Record Store Day with Craig the Record King as well as Pat. James Longo and our bud Bob. LOTS and lots of folks turned out for the special event and we went home with huge stacks of records.

Art Opera on the Planet of Challenged Beings

2010-04-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

A magical collaboration between some artists, including myself under the guidance and supervision of Manic Mark. Mark mixed several of our original pieces together to create this wonderful Art Opera which lasts about 26 minutes and really needs to be listened to in it's entirety to feel the flow of the piece.

The artists who participated in this piece are Manic Mark, Stru Xus, Dave & Dave the Spark, the Hi-Hopes and myself, sideshowTink. What's next? Video, perhaps? Maybe Manic Mark Art Covers for CD's? We'll see.

"Mr Excitement" Jackie Jocko from Coast to Coast

2010-04-03T06:06:00.001-07:00

This Could be the Start of Something Big

Oh, yeah! Mr Excitement himself! The epitome of the master lounge singer Jackie has appeared from the Sahara in Las Vegas to Foster's Supper Club in Buffalo NY!

Sid Ascher tells us we are in for a terrific musical treat and he isn't kidding!

"Fabulous is the word for pianist-singer Jackie Jocko who with his aide-de-camp Joe Peters at the drums has wowed enthusiastic audiences from coast to coast. Jackie truly defies description because he never gives the same performance twice. But critics and his multitude of fans agree that he is truly unique and wonderful. The secret of the duo's success is simply this- they give the public what it wants in a tuneful, tasteful, delightful manner."

Pressed on the Strand label. Jackie Jocko is the master!

Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits

2010-04-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hard Day's Night

Ah, Mrs. Miller, that endearing lady who is just way too much fun! She is one of my all time favorites and not just for the novelty factor.

Gary Owens says: "Several years ago I had the pleasure of hearing one of the most interesting voices extant...one that brings to mind the tonal qualities of a Florence Foster Jenkins or a Mrs. B. J. Fangman.

"The voice belongs to Mrs. Elva Miller, a charming lady who lives in the pretty little Hollywood suburb of Claremont, Ca, with her husband Mr. Miller...

"...when you hear the Miller Sound I'm sure you will agree that here is a most interesting new voice for your record collection."

I have chosen Hard Day's Night as a clip as we all love a Beatles cover :-)

Guide to Family Record Club Artists

2010-04-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, He Did ~ the White Sisters

Fun oddity on the one & only Word Record label of Waco, Texas. A treasure trove of 28 oddball Christian artists jammed onto one LP with the best cover ever.

Back cover notes state comments on this 'unusual album by Jarrell McCracken, president of Word Records' and those comments include;

"We know you will find this record a very enjoyable one within itself even though some of the selections are not complete. Naturally, one of our primary objectives was to showcase as many different artists, and types of artists as we possibly could.

"We did not include any of our classical talent on this particular record. If enough of our members request it, this could be a future demonstration album."

The song I have chosen to play is side 1 track 4 Yes He Did by the White Sisters, a seriously uplifting tune by some very happy ladies. Enjoy!

The Sister's Concert

2010-04-03T05:10:00.000-07:00

Velvet Shoes

Very unusual and fun local Private Press recording by the Choral Group of the Sisters of St Dominic. The back of the record says:

"The Choral Group of the Sisters of St Dominic of Caldwell NJ presented a concert for the benefit of their Sisters' Infirmary, under the direction of Sister M. Alicia, O.P., at the Mosque Theater, Newark NJ on April 5, 1964 to a capacity audience of over 3000 people.

A second presentation was made at Mt. St Dominic Auditorium, Caldwell NJ on April 11, 1964.

By request, this record has been produced for the pleasure of those who were unable to attend either concert. Likewise, the availability may please those who desire a repeat performance in their own homes.

The proceeds from this record will be allocated to the Infirmary Fund which provides for the needs of the old and ill Sisters of St Dominic."

The record was produced and recorded by Foto Disk of Newark NJ and I thank them for pressing this gem. The tune I chose is the first track off the second side. It has an ethereal quality and I love the title.

The Trends~ The Beard RCA # 47-7733

2010-02-28T05:34:00.000-08:00

The Beard

Great vinyl! I can't find a single bit of information on the Trends except, the record label (which is RCA Victor catalog #47-7733) says 'Hugo & Luigi Producers'.

These two cousins were a well know record producing team out of New York, first coming to attention in the mid 50's with singles released on the Mercury label. They produced the likes of Perry Como, Elvis and Sam Cooke.

Hugo & Luigi were also one time co-owners of the Roulette label. They were still producing onto the '70's with the Stylistics.

No info in the Billboard book about the Trends or this song to be found.

The Duals~ Stick Shift Sue # 1010

2010-02-23T07:59:00.000-08:00

Stick Shift

Awesome Hot Rod tune by instrumental duo the Duals. Again, not much out there that I could find on these guys but I LOVE the song.

This tune hit the charts in September of 1961, peaked at the 25 spot and spent 11 weeks there.

Sorry about the styrene hiss. It's a rough copy but will have to do until I can locate a better one!

The Marketts~ Out of Limits WB #5391

2010-02-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

Out of Limits

Great little instrumental that has been a fave of mine for a long time!

The Marketts line up constantly changed, being made up of LA session musicians. Produced by Joe Saraceno, the Marketts are best known for their surf music but Saraceno took the band in whatever direction he thought would catch the buying public's ear.

This tune was originally titled Outer Limits based on the TV show but Rod Serling sued the Marketts for using the related four note theme without his permission. The title was changed to Out of Limits. It reached #3 on the Billboard charts in 1961.

The Marketts continued until 1977 but their last hit was in 1966.

First Nashville Jesus Band~ He is Coming Soon MGM # 14484

2010-02-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

He is Coming

Ok, this one is for Manic Mark. This was a surprising little Instrumental. Really no indication that it is a Christian band by hearing just the song. These weird little private pressings by Christian bands are rarely fun, upbeat instrumentals and what's the point? They can't get the hellfire message across without scary lyrics so I was very surprised by this little dittie.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered the infamous Pat Boone was affiliated with this band. I can't find much else about them other than that. Was this his little side project or was this a full blown operation? I have no idea but the tune is fun, none-the-less.

Johnny Fortune~ Dragster on Park Ave 89114

2010-02-15T05:48:00.000-08:00

Dragster

Wicked Hot Rod record, one of my very favorites!

Johnny Fortune was born in Ohio moving to California in 1959 to work as a session musician in LA in '60 & '61. It is purported that he played on Sam Cooke's Chain Gang, although this has been disputed.

He was called the World's Greatest Guitarist by Sammy Hagar. Dragster was released in 1963.

His album Soul Surfer had his 10 year old brother playing drums on the title tune.

A classic of Hot Rod Surf Guitar originally released as Park Avenue 130 this copy is catalog #89114. Johnny Fortune went to the Big Kahuna in the sky in 2006 but his legendary music lives on.

Duane Eddy~ Moovin & Groovin London 20317

2010-02-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

Moovin' & Groovin'

The one & only Duane Eddy here doing a fave of mine Moovin & Groovin on the London Label catalog #20317.

Duane's very first released album, in 1959, remained on the charts for 82 weeks. Some may not know that in the 60's Duane launched an acting career! He appeared in the films A Thunder of Drums, The Wild Westerners, Kona Coast and The Savage Seven. He also made two appearances on TV's Have Gun- Will Travel.

In 1986 he recorded with Art of Noise remaking Peter Gunn winning him a Grammy for that year. The release of Peter Gunn gave Duane the distinction of being the only instrumental artist to have had top hits in four different decades.

In 1994 Duane Eddy was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Rebel Rouser, that same year was used in the film Forrest Gump.

Duane's guitar of choice was Gretsch's Chet Atkins 6120.

The Tune Rockers~ Green Mosquito UA 139

2010-02-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Green Mosquito

AH! the Tune Rockers! I love this tune. Another great early band that I can't seem to find any info on except that they were out of the Buffalo area. They released this gem in 1958 and it debuted in August of that year on the Billboard charts spending 10 weeks there.

This is on United Artists label catalog # 139.

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith~ Guitar Boogie MGM #K66

2010-02-11T19:55:00.001-08:00

Guitar Boogie

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith was the link between Western Swing of the '40's and the rockabilly of the '50's.

He also had a religion television program, 'the Arthur Smith Show' from 1951 to 1982 which became the first syndicated country music show.

This tune, "guitar boogie", has often been called the first Rock & Roll song. Originally released on Oct 23, 1948 it sold nearly 3 million copies and reached #25 on the Billboard charts.

Dickie Goodman~ Martian Melody Mark-X 8009

2010-02-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

Martian Melody

The one and only Dickie Goodman is considered one of the earliest proponents of sampling in music. He created some of the most well known 'break-in' records of all time from a career spanning the years 1956 thru 1986.

His earliest break-in, The Flying Saucer, caused Goodman to be sued for copyright infringement but the lawsuits were settled out of court as his creations were considered 'parodies'.

The B-sides of Goodman's fab break-ins were often instrumental numbers and this one, Martian Melody, is one of those B-sides.

Our beloved Dickie Goodman died in 1989 from a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Goodman had his own label, Luniverse Records, but this record is on the Mark-X label catalog #8009.

The Frogmen~ Underwater Candix Promo #309

2010-02-07T04:35:00.000-08:00

Underwater

A California Surf Band from Bakersfield, the original incarnation of this band was the Royal Impalas.

In a brief blog Dennis, one of the original guitarists, said most band members are still around with the exception of the sax player who was killed in Vietnam and the bassist who passed away last year.

This record was released in 1961 on the Candix label as catalog #314 but this Promo copy was numbered 309-1.

The tune Underwater debuted on the Billboard Charts in April of '61 and spent 8 weeks there! A really fabulous surf/hot rod tune. A fave of mine!

The Five Finks~ Crying Guitar Bertram Int'l 226

2010-02-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Crying Guitar

Very interesting little record that I adore! However, I can't find anything about the Five Finks anywhere! If anyone knows anything about them please share some info with me!

The label is Bertram International and it is catalog #226. Nothing is listed in the Goldmine Price Guide to 45rpm Records or the Billboard book. Apparently the record never charted.

Wonderful, obscure guitar instrumental! Enjoy!

The Busters~ Bust Out Arlen 735

2010-02-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

Bust Out

This fabulous Guitar Instrumental is on the Arlen of Philadelphia label. The Busters are normally mentioned as one hit wonders and I can find little info on them.

It appears they were from Massachusetts and this single Bust Out was released in August of 1963 spending 10 weeks on the Billboard charts. Earlier incarnations of the band were the Sapphires and first recorded as the Northern Lights cutting the tune Typhoid which had a Bust Out feel to it.

The Northern Lights (later the Busters) were ahead of their time in that they played and wrote their OWN material which didn't become standard procedure for many bands of the era until the Beatles came along.

Harry Finfer (partners with Dick Clark in Arlen and Jamie records) Eventually re-recorded Typhoid as Bust Out on his Arlen label renaming the group on the master the Buster's simply "because it fit".

Northern Lights had already disbanded by the time the record was released but 2 original members, Jack Baker and Fran Parda, scrambled to assemble a touring band and went on the road extensively through the Summer of 1964.

Baron Daemon & the Vampires~ Ghost Guitars

2010-02-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

Ghost Guitars

What could be better than Guitar Instrumentals with a Horror theme? That's what you get with this super rare 45 on WNYS-TV Records.

Baron Daemon was a Horror Movie Host from 1962 to 1967 in the Syracuse, NY area. In 1963 he recorded the hottest selling local single of all time with Transylvania Twist. Ghost Guitars is the flip of that record.

The Baron originally hosted late-night horror films on Friday and Saturday nights. But parents soon called complaining that they couldn't get their kids to go to bed until they’d seen the Baron. It was then that the station added a late-afternoon kids show~ Baron and his Buddies~ five days a week.

This record was given to me for Christmas by my boyfriend who actually found it at a local Estate Sale. Recently, a copy of this record turned up in the Tefteller's Rare Record Auction with an opening minimum bid of 150.00

The Waikikis~ Hawaii Tattoo Kapp KJB-30

2010-02-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

Hawaii Tattoo

Good Morning! I have decided to start this music blog with a bunch of 45rpms from one of my favorite genres, Guitar Instrumentals. Being a huge fan of Tiki Culture I decided to start with this little Tiki Lounge piece by the Waikikis.

What's interesting here is the tune opens with Taps. Rather odd when you consider how upbeat the tune actually is. Another interesting feature is that the Waikiki's were actually Belgian. Tiki music from Belgium? The tune was recorded in 1961 and was a hit in Europe before it was released in the states in December of 1964 and it spent 9 weeks on the Billboard charts.

In 2004 the Waikikis' song Hawaiian March was used for the Prince Paul's Bubble Party track on the SpongeBob SquarePants film soundtrack!!