Frankie Meadows & The Meadowlarks "Eyeballs" b/w "Tennessee Diesel" Audio Fidelity 1965

Frankie Meadows & The Meadowlarks - "Eyeballs" b/w "Tennessee Diesel" Audio Fidelity 1965

The great thing about old country music – I suppose the same can be said for any type of music, really – is that when folks are operating on their own volition in the nascent days of any particular industry, or are just not part of the machine that recognizes a direct hit, then scuffs and sands everything that comes after into a weak knockoff in an attempt to capitalize on the success until the next left field hit comes along, things are allowed to be weird.

And I like weird.

Of course there's nothing weird about themes of paranoia and infidelity in country music, that's as common as a bur on a bear's behind. But the way that Frankie Meadows decided to narrate it, is both supremely odd and incredibly funny. I don't know anything about Mr. Meadows other than he put out a couple of singles with Frankie Meadows & The Meadowlarks, a couple more under Frankie Meadows And The Rhythm Riders and one he released as a solo artist. They all seem to be fairly similar, but none have the kooky oddball flare that "Eyeballs" has with its cider-drunk vocals, odd yodeling breakdown between verse and chorus and slurring slide guitar.

The B-side to this single, "Tennessee Diesel," is a jaunty country western instrumental that'll get you shaking the seat of your dungarees.

Please enjoy the hillbilly oddness that is "Eyeballs"!

Comments

The Schooners "Viddly Biddly Baby" b/w "Schooners Blues"

The Schooners "Viddly Biddly Baby" b/w "Schooners Blues" Ember 1958 This is one hell of a two-sider! Right out of the gate we get a barn busting rock and roll tornado with foot stompin' beat, a bleating saxophone and a great nonsensical call and response vocal like Bill Haley on stimulants! Then we turn this little black disc over and we get a cool-as-hell noir jazz number that sounds like it could have played over the titles of an early Roger Corman creature feature, or as the roadhouse juke box tune from any 1950s crime thriller. Picture if you will, Beverly Garland and Marie Windsor going about their business in some nondescript, small desert town, when suddenly a foam rubber something, larger than life, starts smashing up saloons and flipping over cars! Just imagine Sterling Hayden slowly panning the interior of some roadside dive, scowl on his face, looking for the guy who framed him! I've mentioned my appreciation for label and logo design in prev...

The Fantastics - "I Wanna Be A Millionaire Hobo" b/w/ "There Goes My Love" 1959

The Fantastics - " I Wanna Be A Millionaire Hobo" b/w "There Goes My Love" RCA Victor 1959 Today we sample some divine doo-wop from the streets of Brooklyn, New York, by way of The Fantastics. The Fantastics were a short-lived group who released three or four 45s between 1959 and 1961. In 1962, the group lost a member and renamed themselves The Keynoters and released one more 45 that same year on Keynote Records before dissolving permanently. Most of the members of the group appear to have faded into obscurity afterwards, with the exception of their first tenor, Sam Strain, who would go on to perform with Little Anthony & The Imperials as well as The O'Jays. This particular 45 is their first, and it's a good one. The A-side has that delightful humor-laced good time rock 'n' roll sound that makes groups like The Coasters and The Cadillacs so timelessly endearing. It has the right amount of that tongue-in-cheek, smart ass repartee that makes...

Marauder And The Fury - "Get Loose Mother Goose" b/w "Terminator" Public Records 1987

Marauder And The Fury - "Get Loose Mother Goose" b/w "Terminator" Public Records 1987 The year was 1987! I was six years old and wanted to grow up to be Mr. T. Hip-hop was deeply entrenched in the pop culture; not just here in the United States, but around the globe. It seemed like everyone and their Uncle Craig was dropping a 12" single, warranted or not! Movies featured hip-hop on the soundtracks, or as set pieces, including those fun plot-recap raps over the end credits in films like Maniac Cop 2. Other forms of pop music were utilizing components of hip-hop to shake up their otherwise formulaic song structures (T'Pau or New Kids On The Block anyone?). We're still a handful of years away from gangsta rap being hyper marketed by record companies and MTV as the dominant version of the art form, pushing creativity and intellect to the back burner while bored suburban white kids decide to start sagging their pants and wear colors because Snoop Dogg ...

Platter Party!

Search This Blog