Dollar Records

Aztec Two-Step: Second Step

The main notes we have on this record concern our confusion as to the name of this band. Later we found that the name of the album on the cover is listed above the name of the band. At the time, during beers, we were baffled: “Is it Second Step or is it Aztec Two-Step? What’s the name of this band?” High Fidelity, the store we bought this at, decided on: USED VINYL. The guy on the right must’ve gotten a lot of Garfunkel Comments. They are Dollar Records’ Simon and Garfunkel archetype.

It’s Going on Saturday YouTube iTunes

Is this about Shabbat? This is very groovy and they don’t want to end it. I don’t know what the title means but I think I approve of it.  I think it’s about everything happening in a Saturday. There’s a lot going on, it’s a big day, I’ve got temple and soccer practice. I have to fit Ralphs in there somehow. I need eggs and milk. Speaking of eggs, here’s:

Humpty Dumpty. YouTube iTunes This seems to be about mid-70’s New York disappointment. The chorus is: “Hey hey hey, did’ja lose your shoe?” Was there a shoe in the Humpty Dumpty rhyme or are they crowbarring an element to the story that did not exist? I don’t think the problem was that he lost his shoe. The main problem was that he f---in cracked. This is heavy.

On the back the guy on the right is holding a shoe. The left guy looks uncomfortable: “What, are we taking a picture now? Here, move over a little so I can fit in this old wooden window frame.”

There are lots more interesting title choices but that last tune drained us so we moved on. Sorry guys.

Hey, we missed the 40th anniversary of this album’s release! Look, these guys were there!! And now we know their actual name!

http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Aztec-Two-Step-to-celebrate-album-s-40th-6093571.php

Elizabeth Barraclough   Hi

Recorded in Memphis in ‘79. Liz does vocals, guitar, harmonica and keyboard on this!

The cover is eye-catching, she seems like a fun Partridge. On the back is a kinda saucy photo of her, in a shiny kimono, in front of a tiny hot dog/pizza van, in her uncle’s rec room. The 70s were the golden age of the Tiny Car.  Don’t you ‘member there being lots more tiny cars? Part of every home. Where’s the Tiny Car? It’s downstairs next to the pool table in the rec room. Does anybody have rec rooms anymore? I haven’t been to a house in years, let’s be straight.

The real reason we bought it was for the sticker on the front, showing it came from an organized collection. Someone named Jack downloaded a free program from Compute Magazine and fired up his dot matrix printer for at least 164 labels. It’s an honor to acquire this record from his museum.

This was such an impressive funky country party record that we didn’t talk much during it.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hi!/id281160657

Here are some links to people who actually know about music and Elizabeth, and some places you can buy this. Everybody seems to agree that she’s great. Hi, Elizabeth, hi!

http://www.discogs.com/Elizabeth-Barraclough-Hi/release/2598443

http://27leggies.blogspot.com/2009/08/elizabeth-barraclough.html

David Buskin

Why did he feel the need to have a similar photo of himself on the front and back? This is a guy you might see at Rite Aid. No offense. Plenty of fine folks go to Rite Aid. I went there tonight! And I saw this guy, David Buskin. Let’s just be straight: the 70’s were tough on guys with thinning hair. You were expected to grow it out to look cool, but man, that doesn’t look right. Fortunately, I live in a time where I can shave my head and be done with it. So let’s tip our hat to all the men in the seventies with sad, long, thin hair. When I Need You Most Of All https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lNIbKxxoC8 It has a John Denver Neil Young vibe. This song was probably inspired by a houseboat going off into the sunset. Don’t forget the importance of houseboats in these records. Every album produced in the seventies, there was a houseboat involved. Even it wasn’t recorded on a houseboat. Somebody got f----- on a houseboat, they did coke on a houseboat. A lot of this Dollar Record listening is just a game of Find The Houseboat. (this seems to be the only track online, so you’ll have to imagine what the others sound like, and our commentary doesn’t help much. sorry.) Come With In this happy song, he’s on a hot air balloon. Hot Air Balloons: also important in the seventies. Alternate modes of transportation played a big role. I’m goin’ my own path, even if it’s on a ridiculously gigantic thing that floats at 1 m.p.h. I don’t have to take the highway to get to Cape Girardeau, Missouri! If it means half way on the houseboat, half way in the balloon, so be it. I just got these ‘ludes. You haven’t lived until you’ve been in a hot air balloon on ‘ludes. We’re going to Chicago tonight. I’m going to land on the (then) Sears tower, be a big-shot on the news and then head back to Peoria. I may not make it to Peoria. I may have to fill up in Kankakee. Kankakee was meant to have a filling station for hot air balloons. It was supposed to be a thing in the seventies. This album would be on replay in the hot air balloon dealership. David’s voice goes up really high to sell the song, just like the salesmen would in the dealership. “I THINK YOU’D REALLY LIKE this hot air balloon.” I’m sold. Even with my fear of heights. I’m sick of my Toyota. The Winter Comes This sounds a little more somber, even angry. I remember this past winter, it was very tough. It got down to 50 degrees and I got a cold. But we were able to rise above it in our hot air balloon. Remember how the houseboat got frozen in? Those college co-eds in town for the volleyball tournament were very disappointed. David has a personal reason for sh----- on winter. Listen, he’s an artist. He’s trying something new, there’s plenty of Christmas songs. “Come back with me to LA on my hot air balloon tonight, you midwestern rube.” He fired up the hot air balloon, landed it on the Capitol Records building and hooked up the keyboard and pounded this guy out. They’re like “F___! F___! You’re right! Get in here and record this about winter while your balloon is tethered to the building.” “David! Get in here!”

David’s first album doesn’t seem to be available online, but let us know when you find a way to buy it. Here’s what he’s up to now (note his successful haircut):

Relax with Bent Fabric

The record store were FOOLS! to let this go at a dollar. Bent Fabric. Wearing all black and a hat and shades unironically in 1968.

The first track is entitled Pink Elephant, which is also the name of a liquor store a few blocks from where we are listening to this. It’s from Atco Records and in Mono, which is not a big deal and should sound good on your hi-fi.

Hear Pink Elephant in this YouTube clip

Utopia: Adventures in Utopia

Beers have eroded our memory of this album so about all we can confirm is that Todd Rundgren was involved. They did lots of albums and some might remember their hypnotizing “caterpillars kicking each other” video from MTV. One thing we didn't forget is this piece of rollerskating AM Gold: Set Me Free. It’s funky and has a strange sax solo that just sort of honks to a stop. For your reference, it’s featured in this iTunes sample. We also found a video of it. If you have time, enjoy the eerie footage of the hostage crisis and an electric chair in their whimsical newscast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZxHmZy-P10

Encore: The Velvet Touch of Dennis Awe

Not Really a "Dollar Record" - Pink Floyd: Ummagumma

Do you like them?

We didn't listen to very much of this; instead we just talked about growing up with Pink Floyd. College kids praising their CD box sets of Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Another Brick in the Wall was fun when heard on the school bus radio, but then you saw the video with clips from the disturb-a-thon movie.

Of course there’s a high level of craft going into their records which later inspired lots of elaborate sound design. We talked about the pompously-titled A Momentary Lapse of Reason which also had a good sound but it didn’t carry the same weight when heard on a Pizza Hut jukebox. We discover it was recorded by one member arguing over the rights to the band's name on a houseboat.

So that album may not be a “Dollar Record”, but is categorized under Houseboat Rock.

It then dawns on one of us that, at his age, he only has a few more years left for Houseboat Living. “I need to find a good tributary system of rivers to connect to the Mississippi. How will I take college girls to New Orleans? A U-Haul going to Branson is not as sexy.”