Tom Wopat - Tom Wopat
LP released in 1982 or 1983
It's almost time for Thanksgiving which means it's almost time to visit with relatives whom you wonder how in heck are you related to them and to pig out on turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry, rolls, and probably some strange casserole that one of your relatives concocted. Last year, I posted a tape to help you in hunting down turkeys because I thought it would be a good idea to catch your own turkey (I still do think that's a good idea). Unfortunately, I do not have anything else on hand to aid you in hunting a turkey. Instead I'll post something that qualifies as a turkey (a different kind, of course, not the delicious and edible bird).
This item is Tom Wopat's (a.k.a. Luke Duke) debut album which is a slick slab of country-pop. This LP interested me only because Tom Wopat was one of the leading co-stars on The Dukes of Hazard, a show I watched as a child. I have to admit I am still fond of this television show. Before I wrote this post, I learned with a little astonishment that Tom Wopat is still releasing albums now with uptown jazz and showtunes and he is acting in Broadway plays. It's hard for me to picture him as a urbane sophisticated Broadway crooner as I've always seen him as a roughneck (yet sensitive) always either being chased by law enforcement on dusty back roads or just crusing along in the Dodge Charger jumping over something as this LP may show. For some reason, I've always thought he was like that in real life.
Anyway, enjoy this turkey (if you can) and hope that you have a good Thanksgiving and a delicious real turkey (even if you bought it at the grocery store ;) ). I'll be back sometime next week with more posts.
Tracklisting: (link may be back soon)
Side 1
1. Up on a Hill {3:51}
2. Sha-Marie {3:10}
3. Dreams {2:37}
4. Nobody's Fool {3:57}
5. I'm Not Worth the Hurt {3:43}
Side 2
1. Full Moon, Empty Pockets {2:53}
2. (Til) I Kissed You {3:40}
3. Savannah {3:08}
4. We Had It All {2:28}
5. The Luckiest Man in the World {3:32}
Former Fetus - A Rock Opera
CD released in 1997
recorded on January 5, 1997
band members (no mention of which instruments are played by which individual):
Ben Hofmann
John Ganz
Mark Junglen
Randy Turnquist
I acquired a copy of this CD at the latest library sale along with a truckload of solo piano LPs and nature sounds cassettes. As one can tell from the title of this album, it is a "rock opera" about a fetus that receives a warning from a dream that its mother is about to abort it. Somehow the fetus escapes its mother's womb and goes on to live in the world. The fetus lives through struggles to fend for itself as most born human beings do by trying to procure food and shelter. Later, the fetus somehow becomes prosperous and draws people to follow him. The fetus ascends to be president, but its position at the top does not last long as the world comes crashing down.
There is very little info about this band in cyberspace. However, I learned that Mark Junglen is the fellow who is the leader of this band and owner of the label Big Ball Records that released this rock opera. Big Ball Records is based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, the hub of fundamental conservative Christianity. An excerpt from some magazine is included in the liner notes that describes the band's sound as "Neil Young meets Minor Threat." I'll let you, the visitors, be the judge of that. The liner notes also offer a little bit more info: This disc is made for demonstration purposes on a limited budget and time to show the raw power of Former Fetus. If you can hear potential in a full production of this rock opera, realize ... this is our 4th album length set . . . we have THREE more sets of melodies as rampaging and powerful as this one.
The back cover has brief notes for each song and are included in the tracklisting below.
Tracklisting:
(link will be back soon)
1. Overture {1:03}
A Fetus, in the womb
2. Former Fetus {2:45}
Fetus becomes aware. A dream tells it's about to be aborted from its mother.
3. I'm Free {2:45}
The fetus escapes from the womb, wondering, into the world, he flees his death.
4. Live & Nesting {2:52}
Quietly into the world he blends, while fending for himself a creature's comfort. He grows strong and intelligent.
5. Under the Bridge {3:04}
Coming of age and completely alone.
6. Twilight Zone {2:21}
Former Fetus is propserous, has fame, and in the end, is a great leader.
7. I'm a Mom {3:40}
As you may have wondered why our hero was going to be done in.
8. Love {3:54}
Has our little guy finally found some peace and comfort?
9. After the Rapture {3:05}
His wistful taste of Love has been taken along with what good there was in the world.
10. Acoustic Nerve {2:00}
Not having been born, the Former Fetus is the only conscious being, scorned and left to witness the terror.
11. Former Fetus {5:05}
(reprise to noise)
Vanguard Stereolab Test Record
Since this is a blog mostly about audio materials and the distribution of said audio materials and also recently being inspired by the new and worthy blog Stereofound, a post here in the Basement to test your playback system is overdue. This LP includes test tones, signals, and bits of classical music such as the staple "Sabre Dance" that seems to show up on every stereo or audio playback system test record. There may be more of these playback stereo test records posted in the future as I find these types of records interesting. I also want to help ensure that your playback systems work, of course.
Tracklisting:
Note: Both sides of the LP are the same.
1. Introduction {0:21}
2. Left Channel: 15 KC to 30 Cycles (-12 DB Level) {3:11}
3. Right Channel: 15 KC to 30 Cycles (-12 DB Level) {3:14}
4. 1,000 Cycles: Left, right (0 Level) {0:57}
5. 1,000 Cycles: Lateral, Vertical (0 Level) {0:54}
6. Speaker Balancing Signal {0:59}
7. 150 Cycles In Phase, Out of Phase, In Phase {1:01}
8. 3 KC Flutter Test {1:03}
9. 400 Cycles, +8DB, +6DB, +4DB, +2DB, 0 Level {2:02}
10. Chaconne for Organ [excerpt] and Sabre Dance from Gayne Ballet {4:43}
Bob Conklin - The Key to Motivation
released on LP in 1965
People are losers in life because they do not have any drive or motivation to succeed. That is what Bob Conklin says on this LP. We should care what Bob Conklin says because not only is he successful enough in life to put out a motivational LP about motivation but he rose from a college graduate to a vice president and general sales manager of one of the nation's outstanding real estate companies in a short amount of time. That's what the liner notes say including the part where the real estate company is outstanding.
Not only did Bob Conklin accomplish that. He also built a sales force he directed (125 full time salesmen, six branch offices, six sales managers and somehow found the time to become a teacher in the Minneapolis Public School Education program. Wait, there's more. He is or was a nationally known speaker giving around 50 presentations a year. He was named the 1959 "Man of the Year" given each year by Minneapolis Sales Executives to the man making the greatest contribution to convincing people in Minneapolis and the surrounding area to consume stuff they likely won't need. To impress all of you even more, Bob Conklin was Member of the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Board of Realtors and President of the Minneapolis Sales Executives.
Bob was a busy man and I have not even gotten to the part where Bob spends his spare time studying motivation of businessmen, thinking about motivation, and developing The Key to Motivation that is based on his research.
Now to quote the rest of the liner notes:
MOTIVATION - day-to-day - drive . . . energy . . . enthusiasm . . , CAN BE DEVELOPED!
... as you will realize when you open the door on this vast new insight of life and work - "The Key to Motivation!"
Hold it there. Before we get any further, I now have found another E in my E's that are the key to life success that I developed in the Neil Brahe post: energy. So it is now the three Es to life success: enthusiasm, energy and excellence.
Here is a dramatic new perspective of YOU . . . and a refreshingly different design for the foundation of your personal growth and improvement . . .
Here is a creative program conceived for the millions and millions of people who are dedicating their lives to service . . . and purpose . . . and loved ones . . .
For these people . . . the understanding and application of these principles of motivation will mean . . .
New vitality . . . energy . . . productive power.
Elimination of negative thinking . . . boredom . . . retarding forces . . . frustration . . . futility.
An insulation against the devastating effects of criticism, complaints, envy.
A new pleasantness, new feelings of satisfaction, progress, achievement.
A discovery of new YOU . . . meant to live a purposeful, exhilarating life.
Tracklisting:
Side 1
1. Motivation is Believing {5:02}
with an introduction by Bob Richards, an athlete who won two gold medals for pole vaulting in the Olympics and ran for President in some far-right wing party in 1984
2. Belief is Conviction {3:20}
3. Belief is Service {1:12}
4. Belief is Truth {2:04}
5. Belief is Faith and Confidence {2:24}
6. Belief is an Ability {1:16}
Side 2
1. How to Develop Belief {3:06}
2. Belief Versus Criticism {3:54}
3. The Effect of Belief {2:45}
4. Belief Activates {2:26}
Zendik Orgaztra - Dance of the Cozmic Warriorz
originally released in 1988; reissued on cassette in 1999
I found this cassette at one of my favorite locally-owned thrift stores while searching for rare Indonesian cassettes and motivational and religious records. Being not familiar with this band, I was intrigued by the psychedelic black-and-white cover, album title, and the song titles on the back. Surely, something with song titles such as "Let's Get Stoned" and "Inzanity" would be worth taking a chance on. After all, the asking price was only 79 cents plus tax. I paid for my purchase and went to pop this in the cassette player in my car. (Yes, I still do have a tape player in my car, cause I'm cool like that.) I'm happy to say I got more than my money's worth from this collection of psychedlic acid-rock music.
This is loaded with guitar fuzz and vocal poetry and chants by someone named Wulf (that is the correct spelling of his name) who is the leader of this band. I looked up this guy and he has led an interesting life. Wulf Zendik wrote poetry, novels, and hung around with folks such as Allen Ginsberg and Anais Nin. He met up with someone named Arol, another artist, during the 1960s. In 1969, wanting to maintain their artistic integrity in a world dominated by commercialism, they founded Zendik Farm, an artists' collective that is still around to this day. Wulf was even more creative at Zendik Farm where he continued to write and also create and record music on albums such as this one.
Tracklisting:
Side One
1. Yang/Yin {13:20}
Wulf - poetry, vocals, harp; Bugz - bass, Kardia drum; Nez - guitars; Zoot - synth and keyboards; Monk - drums
2. Farm Jam {5:59}
Wulf - vocal chant; Bugz - bass; Zoot - synth and keyboards; Nez - drums
3. The Kiss {6:43}
Wulf - poetry, vocals; Bugz - bass, Kardia drum; Nez - drums; Zoot - synth and keyboards
Side Two
1. MadMan {5:37}
Wulf - poetry, vocals; Bugz - bass; Zoot - synth and keyboards; Nez - drums; Kan - trebura
2. Dance of the Cozmic Warriorz {10:21}
Wulf - horn; Bugz - bass; Zoot - synth and keyboards; Nez - drums
3. Let's Get Stoned {7:03}
Wulf - poetry, vocals; Bugz - bass; Zoot - synth and keyboards; Kan - kangos; Nez - drums; Monk - metal percussion
4. Inzanity {4:30}
Wulf - zax; Bugz - bass; Nez - guitar; Zoot -synth and keyboards; Monk - drums; Kan - kangos
