- Artist: Gaye Bykers on Acid
- Title: Everythang’s Groovy
- Year: 1986
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 6
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1986 – When I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
- Keeper: Maybe
Live from Fayetteville, NC… where Gaye Bykers on Acid were hugely popular in the late 1980s. Who remembers Grebo? Raise your hands. OK, well I do, and GBOA was one of the first bands on the scene. The scene was possibly more about visual style than sound. The GBOA sound was a mash up resulting in a type of psychedelic punk rock. For a time I was really into the band. I think this three song record was their first noteworthy release. When I played it again the other for the first time in a long while I have to admit that I wasn’t that excited by it. After a couple days though, the lead track, “Everythang’s Groovy”, is still stuck in my head. I have a story about seeing them live that I’ll save for later.
More about Gaye Bykers on Acid and Grebo.
- Artist: Opal
- Title: Happy Nightmare Baby
- Year: 1987
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 8
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1987 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
The main folks in Opal were David Roback from Rain Parade and Kendra Smith of The Dream Syndicate. Kendra eventually left the band and Hope Sandoval joined Roback to create Mazzy Star. Opal was the record for today, and it’s just a coincidence that I was at my brother’s house tonight and he was playing Mazzy Star. That reminded me how boring that recording is compared to this one. Sure, I like the hit “Fade Into You”, but I like everything on Opal’s “Happy Nightmare Baby.” My favorite is the trippy, riffing, T-Rex-ing album opener, “Rocket Machine.”
The Yardbirds -- Roger The Engineer
- Artist: The Yardbirds
- Title: Roger The Engineer
- Year: 1966/1982 This one is a reissue.
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 9
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1983 ? – Unicorn Records in Portsmouth, VA, I think.
- Keeper: Yes
Tonight I’m writing from Asheville, NC. Another house hunting mission, this time with my brother Grayson and his wife Kellie. We just left a pizza place called The Mellow Mushroom. Excellent pizza, but unfortunately we got in late and the poor staff had to eventually turn on the bright lights to drive us out.
The Yardbirds: Any band that has had Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page as members (in succession) demands that you own at least one of their records. Jeff Beck plays on “Roger The Engineer.” I think this album had a few songs that were hits at the time. I’m guessing the one song people may recognize now is “Over, Under, Sideways, Down.” Last year I even heard it in an automaker’s ad for some new car, can’t remember which. Subaru maybe?
This record is psychedelic, bluesy, and rocked-out. Everything you really need to get through life.
- Artist: Naz Nomad & The Nightmares
- Title: Give Daddy the Knife Cindy
- Year: 1984
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 5
- Owner: Tracy Sigler
- Acquired: 1984 – I have no idea where I got this. Mail order?
- Keeper: Yes
This is a phony band, with a phony soundtrack, to a phony movie. The truth is this band is acutally The Damned. The singer Dave Vanian’s voice is immediately recognizable. This record is mostly an eclectic collection of covers of hits from the 1960s. “Nobody But Me”, “Cold Turkey”, etc. My favorite track is an original (I think) at the end of side two, “Just Call Me Sky.” It’s supposed to sound like a “live” show. Unfortunately, it fades away just as it gets going…
