#jentevinyl

Long before the Now That’s What I Call Music series, children of the 1970s watched ads for RONCO records. This one, Far Out, features hits from 1975 specifically. This is also the first compilation record I’ll be focusing on here! Huzzah!

To make this a bit easier to navigate, I’m separating these songs by how awesome or weird they were. as usual, click the song to check it out.

Songs worth checking out for sure!!!

Track 1. S.O.S.--Abba I have a weakness for Abba like my Dad. I’m not into that awful musical of their music, but  the band is great. 1970s pop is where it’s at. Abba bring fun POP to America in 1975 with this great dancing track. It also was a perfect opening track for this compilation.

Track 2. How Long--Ace I heard this song on the local classics station recently and afterward the disc jockey told me about how this song is about the bands bassist working with other bands. The Bass work in particular is awesome in this track, which has elements of 70s Pop and Rock.

Track 8. You Sexy Thing--Hot Chocolate Not only is Hot Chocolate one of the best Funk band names EVER, but this song is great. If you’ve only heard it on Legally Blonde or Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist (in which case, hahahaha), you still know this song as soon as you hear it; one of the most fun songs on this compilation.

Track 10. Get Down Tonight--KC and the Sunshine Band I will admit that I did pay for this album just because this song was on it. Something about having a high profile 1970s artist like KC made me feel like this compilation was worth while (and it was!). Not my favorite song of theirs, but a fun one none the less.

Funny songs to sing at people:

Track 5. That’s the Way of the World--Earth, Wind, and Fire Disco Falsetto. Enough Said

Most of the other tracks on the record are quite irritating or boring, but here is the full track list, and you can find the entire album for streaming pretty easily by searching RONCO Far Out. There does seem to be another that looks very similar to this, but with some different tracks. Thesse are all the tracks on the album I got (those ridiculous tracks will have a *):

1. SOS--Abba

2.How Long--Ace

3. Feelings--Morris Alpert

4.Keep our Love Alive--Patricia Dahlquist*

5.That’s The Way of the World-- Earth Wind and Fire

6. To Each His Own-- Faith, Hope, and Charity*

7. Run Joey Run--David Geddes*** (somebody had to tell me this song was to embarrassing to play with company)

8. You Sexy Thing--Hot Chocolate

9. Skyhigh--Jigsaw

10. Get Down Tonight-- K.C. and the Sunshine Band

11. Part Time Love--Gladys Knight and the Pips

12. Don’t Tell Me Goodnight--LOBO

13. Midnight Blue--Melissa Manchester

14.Could This Be Magic--Barry Manilow

15. Change with the Times--Van McCoy

16. There Goes Another Love Song--Outlaws

17. Do It Any Way You Wanna--Peoples Choice

18. Save Me-- Silver Convention

19. Poetry Man-- Phoebe Snow

20. Swearin’ to God-- Frankie Valli

Notes:

I got this inn the Used records section at the Prescott Hastings

It was priced at $1.99

There is no envelope

No Distinguishing marks besides the Hastings sticker

Jim Croce– You Don’t Mess Around With Jim

This Album came out in 1972. I knew a few of the songs on this album from local radio, and really liked the Croce songs that I had heard, but this album only helped that love grow. It is the product of a wonderful song writer. The songs are fun to sing along with, but also have deeper layers.

I didn’t know until doing research for this album that Jim Croce died in 1973 in a plane accident, not much more than a year after this album came out.

Songs you could know:

You Don’t Mess Around With Jim

Operator

Most recommended Song:

Hard Time Losin’ Man-  It isn’t my favorite song on the album, and isn’t one of those sincere love songs that I love from Croce, but it is fun, dates the album, and has one of the greatest verses ever:

Oh, Friday night, feelin’ right I head out on the street Standin’ in the doorway Was a dealer known as Pete Well he sold me a dime of some super fine Dynamite from Mexico I spent all that night Just tryin’ to get right On an ounce of oregano

Not Kidding. Check it out.

I got this album at Stepping Stones Thrift Store in Prescott Valley, AZ

It was $1

the record is in excellent condition, slightly warped at an angle, but plays with great quality

This record did have an envelope

The Monkees--More of The Monkees

The “Phenomenal Monkees” were a group of carefully cast band-mates for a Television show in 1966, but over the course of rehearsal and filming the show, got together to form a real band. More of The Monkees is their second Album, released in January 1967. Although the show was geared for children, the band had a wide audience and continued in the mainstream even after the band ended.

This album, although made up of covers is fun and energetic, and was a joy to listen to.

When: 1967; I got it a few weeks ago

Where: I got it at Stepping Stones Thrift in Prescott Valley

Condition: This album was in decent condition; it has wear, but still plays very well. It has a minor skip on side two,but almost unnoticeable

Favorite track : “She” (track 1, Side A); It’s the first track on the Album, and it rocks. Its catchy and has been stuck in my head all week.

Least Favorite: “The Day We Fall In Love” (Track 3, Side B) This song is just corny narration over slow music.

I got it for $1

It did not have an envelope

What I learned: Not long after this Album came out, a controversy happened at the reveal that The Monkees didn’t play their own instruments during the first two albums. This was devastating to fans, although they forget that the band started for a kids show. Although the band’s members were recruited based on their musical and performance talents, they couldn’t, at that time, make up a full band (no drum player). For the first two albums, which were also cover albums, The Monkees were only partially in the creative aspects. What we can observe from More From The Monkees is what the band did under the creative constraints they while the show was running.

It did have an address for The Monkees fan club. When I looked it up, It still was listed under that name. Check out the letter (Here) I wrote to The Monkees. I’m still hoping for some response.