VA ~ Murder: Songs from the Dark Side of the Soul [Trikont, 2009]

0399

01. Jimmie Rodgers - Gamblin' Bar Room Blues 2 (1932)
02. Ethel Waters - Frankie and Johnny (1938)
03. Sonny Boy Williamson - Your Funeral My Trial (1958)
04. Lord Executor - Seven Skeletons Found in the Yard (1938)
05. Billy Boy Arnold - Prisoner's Plea (1957)
06. Wilmoth Houdini and His Humming Birds - Bandsman Shooting Case (1934)
07. Roosevelt Sykes "The Honey Dripper" - 44 Blues (1939)
08. Memphis Minnie - Biting Bug Blues (1935)
09. Bessie Smith & Her Blue Boys - Send Me to the 'lectric Chair (1937)
10. Wade Mainer & Zeke Morris - Down in the Willow Garden(1937)
11. Blind Boy Fuller - Pistol Slapper Blues (1938)
12. A'nt Idy Harper & the Coon Creek Girls - Poor Naomi Wise (1938)
13. Honeyboy - Bloodstains on the Wall (1953)
14. Little Walter and His Jukes - Boom Boom, Out Goes the Light (1955)
15. Louis Armstrong with Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five - You Rascal, You (1950)
16. Champion Jack Dupree - I'm Going Down with You (1945)
17. The Stanley Brothers - Pretty Polly (1950)
18. Archibald - Stack-A-Lee Parts 1 & 2 (1950)
19. Henry Thomas "Ragtime Texas" - Bob McKinney (1927)
20. G B Grayson & Henry Whitter - Rose Conley (1927)
21. Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit (1938)
22. Lonnie Johnson - Got the Blues for Murder Only (1930)
23. The Delmore Brothers - The Fugitive's Lament (1935)



'Ever since the days of Cain and Abel, many a fine murder story has gripped people's imagination. Jealousy is not the only root cause of man's murderous impulse. Greed, lust, guilt, power - any one of these, it seems, is sufficient to justify taking a human life. Every day we read of brutal murders being committed. These stories were ripped from newspaper headlines and recast into verse and recorded, often within weeks of the actual event. They became part of the repertoire of hillbilly bands, blues guitarists, jugbands, r&b and tin pan alley entertainers, bluegrass artists and calypso singers.'

one of the most successful thematic compilations of haunted olde tunes from the trikont imprint, featuring a few familiar staples & several more stunners that don't seem to get repeatedly regurgitated on every new old-timey comp from some of the younger upstarts. 320 er FLACK + bi-lingual skannage

VA ~ Troubled Troubadours [Omni Recording Corporation, 2010]

OMNI134

01. Marty Robbins - The Chair
02. Waylon Jennings - Delia's Gone
03. Dolly Parton - The Bridge
04. Lorene Mann - Hide My Sin [A.b.o.r.t.i.o.n N.e.w Y.o.r.k]
05. Mark Slade - Are They Gonna Shoot God?
06. Dolly Parton - Daddy Come And Get Me
07. Porter Wagoner - Waldo The Weirdo
08. Bobby Bare - Big Ben Colson
09. Roger Miller - The Animal Of Man
10. Justin Tubb - The Family Way
11. Hank Williams Jr. - No Meaning And No End
12. Justin Tubb - The River Road Mystery
13. Norma Jean - Teddy Bear Song
14. Lawton Williams - Cold, Cold Hands
15. Trooper Jim Foster - Four Chrome Wheels
16. Henson Cargill - Daddy, What's A Tree?
17. Hank Williams Jr. - The Rainmaker
18. Arlene Harden - Congratulations [You Sure Made A Man Out Of Him]
19. Hugh X. Lewis - War Is Hell
20. Autry Inman - The Ballad Of Two Brothers
21. Stonewall Jackson - Push The Panic Button
22. Bobby Bare - Your Credit Card Won't Get You Into Heaven
23. Homer and Jethro - I Crept Into The Crypt and Cried
24. Lester Flatt - I Can't Tell The Boys From The Girls
25. Homer And Jethro - I Couldn't Spell Pffft
26. Roger Miller - Whistle Stop
27. Burl Ives - The Times They Are A Changin'



'27 tales from the dark and/or strange side of the tracks [1965-73]. Lust, murder, alienation, war, depravity and credit cards. Troubled times demand troubled troubadours. And here they are. 27 tales of misfortune, desperation, woe and just plain high weirdness, delivered by a stellar cast of country music luminaries. First up, Marty Robbins sits us in The Chair, the grizzly, bathetic final resting place of a man about to be electrocuted for his crimes. Next Waylon Jennings takes us to a haunting graveside confessional and then Dolly Parton places her final steps high upon The Bridge. You get the idea.

In that seminal epoch of the late 1960s and 70s, the times were a changin'€™ and it clearly wasn't always for the better. Autocide, infanticide, deicide and the desire to transmigrate into a stuffed toy are just some of the low-lights presented for your masochistic/musical pleasure.' press



by request, another superlative document of leftfield country jams from omni, nearly approaching the unhinged genius of plantation gold. before laying ears pon this mess, i pretty much figured hank williams jr was completely worthless, but his two contributions here are mighty fine indeed. & check out young dolly before she got eaten up by the star-making machinery, waylon jennings' version of 'house of the rising sun', plus a cupple dozen other weirds. one that demands repeated glistening fer full creeping seepage, tho i coulda done without ever hearing burl ives, i fink. 320 er FLACK + skannage

VA ~ Nashville Sputnik: The Deep South Outer Space Productions of Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan 1956-2004 [Omni Recording Corporation, 2008]

OMNI112

01. Strange New World - Jacqueline Hyde and the Moonfolk (1965)
02. The Lonely Sentry - Rusty Diamond, with guest star Maryanne Mail (1965)
03. We Walked This Road Before - Brad Wolfe (1971)
04. Time Machine - Joel Mathis (1971)
05. Skellykins - Rusty Diamond (1966)
06. Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker - Hank Malcolm (1964)
07. Gemini - The Jack Blanchard Group (1964)
08. Lonely Bell - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (1967)
09. Mary Turn Around - Hank Malcolm (1964)
10. Changin' Times - Brad Wolfe (1967)
11. I'm Hung Up On You - Rusty Diamond, the Country Nut (1965)
12. Boy With The Be-Bop Glasses - The Dawn Breakers (1956)
13. Hit Me One More Time - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (1967)
14. Let's Have A Hayride - Maryanne Mail (1965)
15. Cadillac - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (1968)
16. Little Orphan Annie - Joel Mathis (1971)
17. Midnight Greyhound - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (1967)
18. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - Donel Austin (1973)
19. New World - The Jack Blanchard Group (1964)
20. Runaway - Jacqueline Hyde and the Moonfolk (1965)
21. The King Of Hearts - Jackie Blanchard and The Rockin' Impallas (1960)
22. Journey's End - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (1967)
23. Monkey See Monkey Do - Hank Malcolm (1964)
24. The Love Habit - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (1973)
25. I'm Feelin' A Change in My Life - Donel Austin (1973)
26. The Look Of Nothing - Tom Carlile (1974)
27. Somewhere In Virginia In The Rain (Disco) - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (1974)
28. Don't It Look Like Georgia - Tom Carlile (1974)
29. Dance of the Living Dead Chickens - Jack Blanchard (1993)
30. A Weird Little Christmas - Jack Blanchard (2004)



'Imagine if the flying-saucer that dropped legendary producer Joe Meek in London had instead taken a left turn and landed in Nashville U.S.A. The result might have sounded something like this. Almost... Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan will forever be remembered for the novel pathos of hits like Tennessee Bird Walk and Somewhere In Virginia In The Rain. But before the bright lights of stardom found them Jack and Misty were busy working underground, writing and producing superb cuts for a fascinating cast of characters and talents who are today, unjustly, largely forgotten

Hear Jacqueline Hyde And The Moonfolk take a rocket-ship into outer [& inner] space, Rusty Diamond have an existential moment on the battle-front, Brad Wolfe investigate reincarnation and Joel Mathis evaporate into the past on his Time Machine amidst a carnival of other sonic wonders. Once heard this disc will inspire sounds you've never heard before and thoughts you've never thought before. It's kind-a-country, kind-a-pop, kind-a-weird – so strap in…another world awaits!' press

how nice to see our friend spooky's triumphant return to contributing here at der warbler. keep it up hombre. recently had a request fer this quixotic collection of leftfield country jams penned by the twisted songwriting partnership of jack blanchard & misty morgan [responsible fer such disorienting & timeless classics as the tennessee birdwalk], so now everyone may benefit(?) from some anonymous weird beard's questionable taste in the bizarre. too many jams, some as strangely compelling & catchy as they are tripped out, revelated by the same folks who brought us the superlative plantation gold

VA ~ Plantation Gold: The Mad Genius Of Shelby S. Singleton and Plantation/SSS Records 1967-1976 [Omni, 2009]

OMNI124

CD 1

1. I Am The Grass - Dee Mullins
2. Big Fanny - Neil Ray
3. Beautiful Downtown Burbank - The Harper Valley P.T.A
4. Loco Locust - Harlow Wilcox & The Oakies
5. Sold To The Highest Bidder - Johnny Moore and “Col.” Tex Herring
6. The Preacher And The Movie - Lawton Williams
7. Somebody’s Gonna Plow Your Field - Becki Bluefield
8. Ballad Of A Small Town Sheriff - Clark Bentley
9. Happy Valley C.I.A - Ray “Wong” Riley
10. Changing Of The Guard - Happy Shahan
11. Hello, I’m Johnny Credit - Johnny Credit
12. Howard Hughes Is Alive And Well - Sonny Hall
13. I’m The Mail She’s Waiting For - Chuck Wood
14. (I Want To Be) A Truck Driver’s Sweetheart - Marcie Dickerson
15. Mom And Dad’s Waltz - Tokyo Matsu
16. The Baltimore Incident - George Kent
17. D.O.A O.D - Jackie Burns
18. Please Mr Johnson - Dewey Jones
19. Hippie From Mississippi - Rusty Adams
20. Just Blow In His Ear - David Wilkins
21. I Dig Dangling Participles - The Harper Valley P.T.A
22. Honey (I Miss You Too) - Margaret Lewis
23. Long Black Veil - Marty Collins & Bobbye Jean
24. The School Bus - T. Tommy Cutrer
25. The Good Lord Giveth And Uncle Sam Taketh Away - Webb Pierce
26. Folsom Prison Blues - Little Jimmy Dempsey
27. Orange Blossom Special - Tokyo Matsu
28. Harper Valley P.T.A - Jeannie C. Riley

CD 2

1. Let That Big Plane Carry You - Ben Story
2. Big Chief Tell ‘Um Lies - Robin Cody
3. Wake Up America - “C” Company featuring Terry Nelson
4. Groovy Grubworm - Harlow Wilcox & The Oakies
5. Color Him Father - Linda Martell
6. Put A Little Lovin’ On Me - David Wilkins
7. A Woman’s World - Teresa Brewer
8. The Cheating Line - Paul Martin
9. She Hates To Be Alone - David Wilkins
10. Fallen King - Tom Sawyer
11. Ain’t That Bad About Mrs. Jones - Lawton Williams
12. Wheels Of Freedom - Melvin Nash
13. Four On The Floor (And A Fifth Under The Seat) - Trooper Jim Foster
14. C.B Savage - Rod Hart
15. Box 1000 Seagoville - Johnny Credit
16. Child Of Poverty - Paul Martin
17. It’s Not The Best Way To Live - James O’Gwynn
18. Ole Town Drunk - Clark Bentley
19. Loving Hands At Home - George Kent
20. The Medic - Neil Ray
21. The Best Fruit Of The Family Tree - Tom Sawyer
22. Appleton - Webb Pierce
23. No Brass Band - Max Powell
24. Mrs. Cooper’s Tea Party - Margaret Lewis
25. Irving - David Wilkins
26. Ballad Of Morgan - Lawton Williams
27. I Walk The Line - Little Jimmy Dempsey
28. Unfinished Dream - The Harper Valley P.T.A
29. Flag Draped Coffin - Tom Sawyer
30. Tree Of Joy - Jeannie C. Riley

All tracks Produced by Shelby S. Singleton Jr. for Shelby Singleton International Productions
Recorded at Singleton Sound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee 1967-1976



'Nashville. 1967. Something was in the air and things were about to get weird. Enter Shelby S. Singleton Jr., already a music industry veteran, he went independent with his own Plantation label. Singleton wanted to call the shots and follow his own smarts...he did and the result was incredible success and astounding music.

It’s all chronicled here: from the bizarre “Japanese Country” of Tokyo Matsu, the lysergic sitar-drenched bop of Ray “Wong” Riley’s “Happy Valley CIA” and the affecting, philosophical musings of Dee Mullins’ “I Am The Grass” to, of course, the international chart explosion of Jeannie C. Riley’s timeless tirade against hypocrisy “Harper Valley PTA”. A delirious stew of story songs, topical ruminations, exploitation-freakouts and the finest country-pop you’ve never heard!

Deluxe collector’s edition 2CD featuring rare period photos, exclusive scholarly liner notes and incredible sounds remastered direct from the Plantation/SSS vault! Many tracks are previously unissued and almost all have never appeared on CD before. Prepare yourself, you’re about to hear a Nashville you never thought possible.'

perch merch

how the fug did i miss this mess in 2k9? this correction is just as freaky deeky fresh as god less america & thrice as long. twisted & shimmering psych n' twang from the weirdest country label ever. good as gold & securing my vote fer comp of the decade? hoppy new year yokles. 320 rips later

VA ~ The World Is A Monster: Columbia Hillbilly 1948-58 [Omni Recording Corporation, 2010]

01. Rocky Porter - The World Is A Monster
02. Johnny Bond and His Red River Valley Boys - All I Can Do Is Cry
03. Andy Reynolds & His 101 Ranch Boys - Beer Bottle Mama
04. Neal Jones - I’m Playing It Cool
05. Johnny Hicks - Pick Up Blues
06. Freddie Hart - Blue
07. Billy Walker - The Record
08. Johnny Hicks - Rainy Night Blues
09. Bobby Lord - I’m The Devil Who Made Her That Way
10. Jimmy Johnson - Throwing My Life Away
11. Paul Howard & His Cotton Pickers - Drinking All My Troubles Away
12. Carl Story - What A Line
13. Little Jimmy Dickens - Me And My Big Loud Mouth
14. The Maddox Brothers - Ugly And Slouchy
15. Billy Walker - I Can’t Keep The Girls Away
16. George Morgan - A Shot In The Dark
17. Jimmy Littlejohn - No Parking Here
18. Jimmy Murphy - Here Kitty Kitty
19. Smiley Maxedon - Red Hot Mama And An Ice Cold Beer
20. The Tunesmiths - Oh Stop!
21. Frankie Miller - Hey! Where Ya Goin?
22. Charlie Adams - I’m A Railroad Daddy
23. Polly Possum & Joe Wolverton with The Dog Patch Boys - Don’t Talk To Me About Men
24. Charlie Adams - Pistol Packin’ Mama Laid Her Pistol Down
25. Ray Price - Much Too Young To Die
26. Carl Smith - There’s A Bottle Where She Used To Be
27. Chuck Wells - The Barroom Girl
28. Jimmy Johnson - I’ve Lived A Lot In My Time
29. The Country Boys - Bud’s Bounce
30. Jack Rhodes & His Lone Star Buddies - Eternity
31. Freddie Hart - The Wall
32. Rose Maddox - When The Sun Goes Down



'Out of the ashes of World War II, post-war Corporate U.S.A would sully its hands with anything in search of a buck. Heck, even Hillbilly music... Here, for the first time, are 32 of the grimiest, most delicious slabs of Hillbilly misery and mayhem to grace the Columbia Records imprint. From the Rhinestone Noir of Rocky Porter’s “The World Is A Monster” and Johnny Bond’s “All I Can Do Is Cry” to the proto-feminist declaration of Polly Possum’s “Don’t Talk To Me About Men” and the proto-punk loser’s lament of The Maddox Brothers “Ugly And Slouchy”. More tears in your beer than you can count, more kick in your heels than a regiment of cavalry.' - press

perch merch

last minnit contender fer one of the choicest comps of the year. happy kwanzaa

VA - God Less America: Country & Western Fer All Ye Sinners 'n' Sufferers 1955-66 LP [Crypt, 1995]

A1. Ramblin' Ed Bailey - 8 Weeks In A Barroom
A2. Arkey Blue & The Blue Cowboys - Too Many Pills
A3. Billy Ray - The Story Of Susie
A4. Chuck Wells - Down And Out
A5. Harry Johnson - It's Nothing To Me
A6. Horace Heller - Ed's Place
A7. Pierce Brothers - Death Row
A8. Country Johnny Mathis - Caryl Chessman

B1. Troy Hess - Please Don't Go Topless Mother
B2. Hi Fi Guys - Rock&Roll Killed My Mother
B3. Mohawk & The Rednecks - Enchanted Forest
B4. Cal Veale - Paralyzed
B5. Paul Barton - My Neighbor The Firefighter
B6. Granpa Joe - The Drunken Driver
B7. Eddie Noack - Dolores
B8. Lum Hatcher - Behind The Fear



'Hats off to the bent folks at Crypt for unearthing some of the most primal and hilariously horrifying country & western songs recorded between 1955 and 1966. God Less America is not for the faint of heart and can only be compared to the weirder tunes from Porter Wagoner. Listening to these 16 tracks, you have to ask yourself why Horace Heller went to the trouble of releasing a song like "Ed's Place," which opens with the sound of a gun blast, revealing a jealous man who has just shot his wife at the local waterin' hole. What follows is a monologue taking the listener through his ensuing confusion and realization of the murder he has just committed. Or, in the case of "Please Don't Go Topless Mother" by youngster Troy Hess, a boy despairs over his single mother's topless go-go dancing occupation in order to support her son. It's hard to suppress a guilty laugh when he whines the lines, "Please don't go topless mother/My friends won't come to see me anymore/But their daddies do." This earnestly warbled plea by the young'un features the kind of syrupy country & western instrumental sludge one might expect to hear played between just those types of shows where mom bares it all. Did these would-be country crooners really think these tales of American debauchery could have made it into the jukeboxes of honky-tonks throughout this great land? The probable answer is yes, and that's what makes God Less America so fascinating and somewhat scary.' - Al Campbell

several supearlative slices of amerikana that reflect the alienation & growing pains small townies must have felt as the conservative 1950's transmogrified into the beatnik age & 'revolutionary' ideas started to infiltrate the backwoods. the still relevant themes tackle tragic everyday issues like addiction, capitol punishment, moral corruption, drinkin n' drivin, peer pressure, drug experimentation & fear of the unknown, just to name a few. this is what the best country songs have owlwaze been about, the common thread of human experience & now fuggin sad it all is. the tunes are totally psychedelique in their own rite, just listen to the lap steel & echo drenched vocals. even some primitive electronics poppin off. 320 shots of methadrine in yer ovaltine