Beatnik/Crime/Spy/Suspense: Original LPs
The Word: It's all here: real gone hep cats, crazed beatniks, bongo bangers, spies vs. eyes, television & film soundtracks, cover versions by top jazz & pop artists. Also related "noirish" jazz, suspense, & Beat Poets. For your flaps & peepers only, Daddy-O!
Don Adams: Get Smart; United Artists UAL-3533; N/N $25 -- spy; spoken w/theme; after the classic, dumb TV-show theme it's spoken bits from the show: Satan Place, Cone of Silence, Kisses for KAOS, Weekend Vampire, The Latest Devices, Too Many Chiefs--Hotel Sequence..
Jeanne Bargy/Bill Costa: Greenwich Village U.S.A. ST; 20th Fox MasterArts FOX-4005; 1960 (1-LP abridged/expurgated version of TCF-105-2S) deep groove N/E+ $30 -- beatnik/cast; a few swinging scat, beatnik, & bongo tunes spice up this ok musical; "Birth of a Beatnik" is the best; also beatnik-y jacket art
Warren Barker (Hawaiian Eye & others not listed below) -- see Exotica-Foreign
Warren Barker & Frank Comstock: TV Guide Top Television Themes; Warner Bros. 1290; 1959; 1st/deep groove N-/N $30 (or deep groove E+/N- $25, specify) -- crime/TV themes; a collectors item that's as good as it is hard to find; 2 top bandleaders (famous for other great LPs too) unite to deliver swinging, high-impact versions of the swinging chestnuts of crime & suspense, plus other classic themes (12 cuts all told) in glorious sound "without resorting to what might be called a musical beatnik approach"; very cute cartoon jacket art; liners include a TV I.Q. test!; The D.A.'s Man, Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, Pete Kelly's Blues, Maverick, Peter Gunn, Have Gun Will Travel, Richard Diamond, M-Squad..
John Barry: The Ipcress File ST; Decca DL-9124; 1965; red label N-/E+ $35 -- spy; one of the scarcer spy classics; essential for A Man Alone, which is done in several versions; some bongos, jazz, & samisen(?!); sounds like the subtler early Bond STs
Buddy Bregman & his Orchestra: Swinging Kicks; Verve MGV-2042; blue deep groove E-/N $60 (or blue deep groove V+/V+ $25, specify) -- jazz/crime/cheesecake; rare (high book value); sensational cheesecake jacket (woman in negligee on brass bed); top Calif. players; reworks his score for "Wild Party" into 17 great modern-jazz cuts; Wild Party, Go Kicks, Mulliganville, Terror Ride, Honey Chile, Kicks is in Love, Lost Keys, Bada Blues, Kicks Swings, Gage Flips..
Lord Buckley: Lord Buckley in Concert; Liberty/World-Pacific WP-1815; rec. 1959; black label N-/N $75 -- beatnik/spoken/hip; live "Royal Concert Performance, Ivar Theater, Hollywood); mono-only; the first beatnik (& voice of "The Wild Man of Wildsville") & obvious inspiration to Captain Beefheart, Lord Buckley made this terrific 1st LP for the label; (originally titled "Way Out Humor"); his very best & most representative set!; Supermarket, Horses Mouth, Black Cross, The Naz, My Own Railroad, Willie the Shake, God's Own Drunk
Lord Buckley: Blowing his Mind (and Yours, Too); Liberty/World-Pacific WP-1849; rec. 1959-60; deep groove promo (stamped & promo label) E-/N $75 -- beatnik/spoken/hip; partly live, mono-only; the first beatnik (& voice of "The Wild Man of Wildsville") & obvious inspiration to Captain Beefheart, Lord Buckley made this terrific 2nd LP for the label; Subconscious Mind, Fire Chief, Let it Down, Murder, The Gasser, Maharaja, Scrooge
Lord Buckley: The Best of Lord Buckley; Elektra EKS-74047; rec. 1951; tan label N-/N $40 (or red label N-/N $30, specify) -- beatnik/spoken/hip; compiles best bits from the 2 collectors-item LPs on the tiny Los Angeles Vaya label; "Best of" makes these classic, peak performances available again affordably & w/great new jacket art & notes; The Nazz, Gettysburg Address, The Hip Gahn, Jonah & the Whale, Marc Antony's Funeral Oration, Nero
Lord Buckley: Bad Rapping of the Marquis de Sade; Liberty/World-Pacific WPS-21889; rec. 1960, live; E+/N ES $30 (or E-/N- ES $25, specify) -- beatnik/spoken/hip; great as any of his records but bc it came out out later, it's still not considered a collectors item (get it now while it's still cheap); H Bomb, The Chastity Belt, His Majesty the Policeman, The Ballad of Dan McGroo, Bad Rapping of the Marquis de Sade
Jack "Bongo" Burger: Let's Play Bongos; HIFI R-803; 1957; no booklet E/N- $25 -- instruction by the #2 bongo man of Hollywood (after Jack Costanzo); nice production, including photos of hand positions; one of the best bongo-instruction LPs
Edd Byrnes, Star of "77 Sunset Strip": Kookie; Warnber Bros. W-1309; 1959; deep groove E-/V+ $20 -- beatnik rock/weird/hot rod/everything; w/Don Ralke, Connie Stevens, Joannie Sommers; insane, terrific, the utmost!
Al "Jazzbo" Collins & the Bandidos: A Lovely Bunch of; Impulse A-9150; gatefold 1st cutout N/N- $40 (or same but E/N- $30, specify) -- beatnik/jazz/comedy/hip; all-star group of Steve Allen, Terry Gibbs, Hal Blaine, Mel Browne; legendary DJ's hip fairy tales & "interviews" (including hip-speak instruction that's MUCH hipper than "How to Speak Hip"!), & more!; Sonny Cool, Goldilox & 3 Bears, Jazz Mass, 3 Little Pigs, Power of the Flower, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack & the Beanstalk, Swearing in of the Banditos ("I don't need no stinkin' badges")
Jack Costanzo: Bongo Fever--Jack Costanzo at the Garden of Allah; Liberty LRP-3109; deep groove white-label promo E+/E+ $60 -- Latin jazz/bongo bop; live!; one of his best & rarest! (not to be confused w/the later Sunset compilation "Bongo Fever" which is drawn mostly from the also-rare "Latin Fever" LP); Bongo Fever, Besame Mucho Rock, Garden of Allah Bongo, Birl's Works, Consternation, Salta Perico, Harlem Nocturne, Bei Mir Bist du Schon..
Jack Costanzo: Naked City; Liberty LRP-3195; deep groove E/E $20 -- Latin/crime/bongo; classic crime themes & masterful bongos, what could be better?; Route 66, Conquest, Mr. Lucky, Naked City, Duel in the Sun, 3rd Man Theme, Peter Gunn, Untouchables..
[Chef] Slim Gaillard: Smorgasbord; Verve MG V-2013; 1956; black deep groove E-/V+ $30 -- jive/hep/beatnik jazz; reissues the singles from rare 10" LP Mish mash (MGC-126) & adds loads more for a total of 20; includes spoofs of Yma Sumac & Desi Arnaz; Mishugana Mambo, Hip Cowboy, Soony-Roony, Chicken Rhythm, Eatin' with Boogie, Potato Chips, Babalu, Sabroso, Laughing in Rhythm, Yip Roc Heresy..
Allen Ginsberg Reads Howl & Other Poems; Fantasy 7006; 1959; red vinyl, deep groove V+/V- $50 -- Beat/spoken; THE classic true Beat poem in literature & on vinyl; terrific just as decor but also a landmark statement & censorship case; extensive liner notes by Ginsberg; worth $400 when in top shape, this lacks insert, has significant wear/noise & a water-stained jacket; but even "as is," it's a prize
Jerry Goldsmith: Our Man Flint ST; 20th Century Fox TFS-4179; 1966; cutout E+/N- S $35 -- spy/electronica/exotica; w/Shelly Manne, Arthur Morton, Warren Barker; one of the very best all the way through!; exotic tunes & electronica make it a standout as well as one of the hippest, swingingest spy grooves; dig these titles: Doing as the Romans Did, Tell Me More About that Volcano, Galaxy A Go-Go, Stall! Stall! Flint's Alive..
Babs Gonzales: Live at Small's Paradise; Audio Fidelity/Chiaroscuro CR-2025 (reissues Sunday Afternoon at Small's Paradise; Audio Fidelity/Dauntless DM-4311; 1963) N/N- shrink $75 (or E+/E+ $60, specify) -- his rare live masterpiece in a slightly later pressing than the original--both highly desirable/rare; same classic artwork features far-out photo of Babs expubidenting, cig & drink in hand; w/Johnny Griffin, Clark Terry, Horace Parlan..; Dem Jive New Yorkers, Oop-Pop-A-Da, Integration, Be-Bop Santa Claus, Keep an Ugly Woman, St. Louis Blues..
Babs Gonzales: Babs; Audio Fidelity/Chiaroscuro CR-2032; 1981; E/E+ S $40 -- the original hipster's hipster live; AF reissue; w/Johnny Griffin, Clark Terry, Horace Parlan, Melba Liston, Charlie Rouse..; Cool Cooking, Speedy Gonzales (Me Spelled M-E Me), Lullaby of the Doomed, Babs Mood for Love..
Johnny Gunn w/Don Ralke: Introspection IV; Warner Bros. WS-1372; 1960; sealed S $150 -- beatnik/suspense; spoken w/music; WILD poetic narrations, or "flip-end vignettes," or "outre weirdos"; rare as the dickens & we actually have it still sealed & uncut (tho there is just the slightest bit of rub wear on the jacket just at the very bottom); see p.40 of the Taschen book "Beatsville" for what it looks like; narrated by Gunn, who sounds like Rod McKuen at his absolute hippest but comes off like Ken Nordine or even John Rydgren, comparable also to La Dolce Henke; Ralke & other top percussionists provide great background (even space music) to hip, spooky tales each with a twist & all with a very noirish feel; Chicken, Sentry, Night, Chris, Blood, Gunnsmog, Solicitress, Imagine, Voodoo, Pattern, Lastthought
Joe Harnell & his Orchestra: The Sound of the Asphalt Jungle; Kapp Medallion MS-7518; 1961; N-/N- S $30 -- crime/suspense; "the mood, the music, & the beat of the big town"; superior sequel to Naked City Theme & probably the best in the rare Kapp audiophile series (comparable to Command or Stereo Action); it's swinging bongo-noire!; Midnight Madness (best cut, uptempo original), Asphalt Jungle Theme, Love for Sale, Blues in the Night, Take the A Train, That Old Black Magic..
Mel Henke: La Dolce Henke; Warner Bros. W-1472; 1962; N/N shrink $100 (or E+/N- $85, specify) -- beatnik/space/strange/novelty; w/Mel Blanc(!); rare/in high demand, like the best moments in "Kookie" if not EVEN BETTER!!!; famous for "The Lively Ones" (wack, uptempo, beatnik jive comparing a woman's bod to a car) & the awesome "Woman in Space" (w/Beverly Ford) but it's chockablock w/many other crazy bits & Esquivellian space-age thrills; great jacket, too!; an odd-pop AND beatnik holy grail/best-of-breed!
Mel Henke: Dynamic Adventures in Sound; Warner Bros. WS-1447; 1962; gatefold N-/E+ S $75 -- exotica/space-age pop/novelty; the other rare, great one by "La Dolce" Henke (this is the OTHER Henke everyone needs), in the scarce Workshop Series, this "spectacular musical extravaganza" purports to be "architecturally constructed to induce the maximum in audio sensation" & "exploring uncharted patterns of sound"; the 2 MAJOR highlights are "Exotic Adventure" & "Old MacDonald Had a Girl," in which a woman sensuously giggles, a la Jim Backus' "Delicious" only much, MUCH better!
Alfred Hitchcock Presents Music to Be Murdered By; DRG SL-5183; 1980 (UK reissue of rare US Imperial); N/N shrink S $35 -- crime; rare, even as a reissue!; partly spoken (Hitchcock's narration is what it's all about) w/spooky-spacey-suspenseful orchestral music; Suspicion, Music to be Murdered By, Alfred Hitchcock Television Theme, I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You..
Kenyon Hopkins: The Fugitive Kind ST; United Artists UAL-4065; 1960; deep groove E/E $75 -- twist/suspense; one of the fine rare Hopkins STs (like "The Hustler"); Tennesse Williams play "Orpheus Descending" adapted for film starring Marlon Brando (pictured w/Anna Magnani & Joanne Woodward); the twist "Get Crazy" & "High Pocket Blues" are uptempo picks, but the whole thing is full of great sounds & themes, such as the strange blues vocal "Let Me Out"
Dick Hyman: The Man from O.R.G.A.N.; Command RS-891-SD; 1965; gatefold N-/N- S $35 -- organ/spy; Hyman's very distinctive Lowrey sound nails most of the very best spy themes in the loud, totally swinging way of his best work on Command; The Man from O.R.G.A.N. (great original w/guitar), The Liquidator (Lalo Schifrin!), The Cat (Lalo Schifrin!), Agent Double-O-Soul (w/chorus), I Spy, Honey West, A Man Alone, 3rd Man, Danger, Thunderball, Man from UNCLE..
Linda Lawson: Introducing Linda Lawson; Chancellor CHLS-5010; N-/E S $60 -- torch; highly desirable for several reasons: (1) rarity, (2) gorgeous jacket (she was the super-foxy bartender in Adventures in Paradise & other major TV of the day), (3) hip tunes, including the great beatnik/Beat tribute "Like Young", (4) top CA players, including Bud Shank, Frank Rosolino..
Spike Jones & the Band that Plays for Fun: Omnibust; Liberty LRP-3140; deep groove N-/N- $40 -- exotica/beatnik/crime/parody; highlights are the "Quiet Village" bit about searching for "the Exoticas" tribe ("I Search for Golden Adventure in My Seven Leaky Boots"), the crime jive of "Ah-1, ah-2, ah-Sunset Strip", & yet more "Kookie"-esque, madcap, beatnik fare: "Captain Bangaroo"; a worthy collectors item above all other Spike Jones LPs & absolutely essential!
Katie Lee: Songs of Couch & Consultation; Commentary CNT-01; E+/N- $30 (or E-/N- $25, specify) -- "vocal consultation"; w/Bob Thompson!; famous, venerated, SUPERB, MUST-HAVE, twisted, psychoanalysis-themed spoofs of folk classics (shrink-inspired comedy ballads, very beatnik); as featured in Incredibly Strange Music; mono only (there is no stereo); Shrinker Man, [I've Got] the Will to Fail, Schizophrenic Moon, Hush Little Sibling, Real Sick Sounds, Properly Loved, It Must be Something Psychological, Repressed Hostility Blues..
Katie Lee: Songs of Couch & Consultation; Reprise R-6025; 1961/195? (REISSUES Commentary CNT-01); white-label promo, deep groove N-/N $25 (or deep groove N-/N- $20, specify) -- different jacket art but just as good as the original
Katie Lee w/Ray Martin: Life is Just a Bed of Neuroses; RCA Victor LPM-
2214; 1960; deep groove E+/N- $30 (or E+/E+ $25, specify) (or E/E $20, specify) -- "vocal consultation"; wonderful, scarcer sequel to the better-known "Songs of Couch & Consultation" LP of shrink-inspired comedy ballads by charming, very beatnik folk singer; art & liners by Mad Magazine's Don Martin & Frank Jacobs!; Don'tville, The Insecure Tango, Ballad for Group Therapy, Love That Man, We Must Adjust..
Enoch Light: Paperback Ballet; Command RS-805-SD; 1963/1959; gatefold N-/N S $25 (or sealed 1972 cutout S $20, specify) -- crime; formerly "The Private Life of a Private Eye," this classic should be considered essential by crime/suspense buffs for its original tunes composed by Light & Lew Davies: Blonde Bombshell, The Creep, Mess in Morocco, Serenade for a Sweet Babe, Gum Shoe Lullaby, The Gang at the Green Grotto, Frenchy's Tune, Harlem Hot-Shot in a Hurry..
Henry Mancini: Experiment in Terror ST; RCA Victor LSP-2442; 1962; German pressing/2nd cover E/E- S $20 -- crime/twist; "1962's double 'Oscar' winner"; scarce & one of the best-kept secrets in both crime & twist, this Mancini wonder offers an unbeatable twist version of the title cut as well as the straight version, "Tooty Twist," & other winners; revised version of the jacket features a hung mannekin instead of the earlier mugging scene but equivalent appeal; nice thick vinyl
Henry Mancini: Gunn ST; RCA Victor LSP-3840; 1967; cutout N/N shrink S $15 -- crime/mod; the movie updates the famous TV character & music; not easily found & desired mainly for the great mod remake of the "Peter Gunn" theme; this time it's a vocalized version titled "Bye Bye"; The Monkey Farm, Night Owl, Dreamsville, A Bluish Bag..
Henry Mancini: The Party ST; RCA LSP-3997; 1968; deep groove 2nd press cutout E+/N shrink S $25 -- sitar (Bill Plummer!) on the title cut (both vocal & instrumental versions--uptempo, jazzy sitar-soul) make it desirable beyond even the norm: top players, wild Mad-Magazine-like cartoon jacket, groovy Peter Sellers (pictured w/sitar as "Hrundi V. Bakshi"); Birdie Num-Num, Wiggy, Brunette in Yellow, Party Poop..
Henry Mancini: Mancini's Angels; RCA Victor APL1-2290; 1977; N/N shrink S $20 -- Moog/crime/funk/disco/themes; one of his hip ones w/breakbeats; features Harvey Mason, Larry Bunker, Lee Ritenour, Chris Mancini on Arp; Charlie's Angels, What's Happening, Car Wash (funky!), Silver Streak, Inspector Clouseau, Gonna Fly Now, The Moneychangers, Roots
Johnny Mandel: Harper ST; Mainstream 56078; N/E- shrink $40 -- crime/mod soul; rare ST from the terrific Paul Newman vehicle; wide variety of '60s sounds ("Mexican Breakfast" takes care of Mexicali), but the real star is the DJ-worthy "Harper Does it Better," a mod-soul/boogaloo organ jukebox dirge (like Lalo Schifrin's "The Bird" from The Liquidator ST); slight noise in unimportant places but well worth it, espec. at the price
Skip Martin: The Music from Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer; RCA Victor LPM-2140; 1959; deep groove E/E $30 -- crime/TV; "Sound of Violence"; dramatic jacket; rare
Rod McKuen Takes a San Francisco Hippie Trip; Everest/Tradition 2063; E/N S $25 (or E/E+ shrink S $20, specify) (or E-/E- shrink S $15, specify) -- beatnik/spoken w/background music; has a toehold in the hippie era (as w/"How to Speak Hip") but is solidly bongo-bop-fueled beatnikism, with bongos & beatnik references galore; unlike his 2 other great beatnik records (The Yellow Unicorn & Beatsville), it sold well enough that it's still low-priced!
Hugo Montenegro: More Music from the Man from U.N.C.L.E.; RCA Victor LSP-3574; 1966; deep groove N/N- S $50 (or N-/E S $30, specify) (or mono N-/E+ $30, specify) -- spy; WOW!!!; hip, funky, happening--one of the very best of the idiom, if not THE best (much better than the 1st LP); besides being very strong all along, several cuts are deeply hip & essential for DJs (definitely for spy-crime fans); Sandals Only, Solo Busanova, Off & Running, Boo-Bam-Boo Baby, Slink, Run Spy Run, Jungle Heat, The Wiggely Pig Walk, Lament for a Trapped Spy, There They Go, Jo Jo's Torch Song, Dance of the Flaming Swords
Buddy Morrow: Double Impact; RCA Victor LSP-2180; 1960; deep groove N-/N- S $20 -- crime/TV/space; classic high-impact crime jazz w/effects (satellites, chorus, steel guitar, etc.) arr. Ray Martin; dramatic jacket art; Men Into Space, Hawaiian Eye, Staccato's Theme, The Deputy, Riverboat, Bourbon Street Beat, Bonanza, Twilight Zone (w/great narration!!!), San Francisco Blues, The Untouchables, Markham, International Detective
Buddy Morrow: Poe for Moderns; RCA Victor LPM-2208; 1960; deep groove 1st press E-/N- $25 (or deep groove 2nd press E-/V+ $15, specify) -- crime/suspense/twist/spoken/whistling; rare, unique wonder (far beyond anything else by Morrow); superb production (music, concept, jacket art, liners); features vocal group The Skip-Jacks & quite affecting whistling; The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Annabel Lee, The Gold Bug, A Descent into the Maelstrom, The Bells, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit & the Pendulum, Ulalume, The Black Cat, The Raven, Quoth the Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart
[Jerry Murad's] Harmonicats: Great Themes from TV & Motion Pictures; Columbia/Harmony HS-11223; N/N shrink S $15 -- spy/crime/harmonica: normally we avoid the Harmonicats (worthy as they may be for pop harmonica) except this LP, which really is worthwhile!; on the Harmony sub-label only; Avengers (hard to get this tune in the US!), Pink Panther, Spy with a Cold Nose, Peter Gunn, Charade; plus mod fare: Music to Watch Girls By, Georgy Girl, Wives & Lovers, Moon River, Born Free
Ken Nordine w/Fred Katz Group: Son of Word Jazz; Dot Jazz Horizons DLP-3096; 1958; deep groove E/E $40 -- beatnik; "more phenomenal words and jazz and hi-fi sounds!"; harder to find than the classic 1st LP & every bit as good
Ken Nordine: Robert Shure's "Twink"; Philips PHS-600-258; 1967; cutout E-/E- S $50 -- beatnik/spoken w/music; 34 far-out bits, very modern music & words, whether the backing is jazz (usually) or even 1 or 2 w/guitar-rock; we agree w/those who consider it his best work & add that it is also one of the hardest to find; groovy jacket art (see p.40 of the Taschen book "Beatsville") & notes round it off
Ken Nordine: Passion in the Desert; FM 304; N-/N $100 -- Nordine reads Balzac accompanied by bassist Johnny Frigo(!!!) & Dick Marks (piano); rare op-art label & inner sleeve are other nice features but it's most famous for the Alan Douglas jacket art of the story's subject, a bare-breasted leopard woman
[Ken Nordine &] Billy Vaughn: The Shifting Whispering Sands; Dot DLP-25442; 2nd label cutout N/N shrink S $20 -- Ken Nordine narrates the 2-part title track, centerpiece of a fine suite of Western themes
Mike Pacheco: Bongo Bop; Tampa TP-10; red vinyl, deep groove, promo E/V $60 -- bongo bop; THE classic of the idiom (see the bongo bop page at the Soul Patch) by former Perez Prado player; quartet w/Oscar Moore, Carl Perkins, Joe Comfort; Up Tempo, Buddy Can You Spare a Dime, There'll Never Be Another You, April in Paris, Warm Up, Samson & Delilah Theme, Kiss Me Again, Dinner for One, Walkin' Home, Moonlight in Vermont; wear/noise but well worth it
Mike Pacheco: Bongo Session; Tampa TP-21; deep groove E/V+ $75 -- bongo bop; sextet w/Carlos Vidal, Shelly Manne, Robert Gil, Julio Ayala, Frank Guerrero; another of his few, scarce, wonderful records; great jacket art; Move, Sometimes I'm Happy, Rhumba by Candlelight, Fascination, Caravan, Magitos, Number Four
Shorty Petterstein: The Wide Weird World of; World Pacific WP-1274 (formerly WPM-412); 1958; 2nd/black/deep groove N-/N- $300 (or WPM-412 1st/blue/deep groove E/N- $300, specify) -- beatnik/Beat/psychological comedy/spoken w/sounds; "More Interviews of Our Time"; one of the holy grails of the idiom, its 15 great mad bits include even a cover of Woody Leafer's legendary "Drums in the Typewriter"; spiced up w/electronic sounds & effects--perhaps tape manipulation--worthy of music concrete & avant garde fans; top jacket (see p.40 of the Taschen book "Beatsville"), liners, etc.
Paul Phillips & his Band/Joe Harnell: The Sound of Midnight--Naked City; Kapp Medallion MS-7517; gatefold E/E- S $15 -- crime/mod; best entry in the scarce Kapp audiophile series; interprets rare/wonderful "Naked City" (noir/urban/crime ST) in truly swinging arrangements by Joe Harnell of --what else-- mod brass & bongos (here better than most similar stuff on Time, Command, Victor, etc.); Fever, Route 66, Naked City theme, Harlem Nocturne..
Sid Ramin: Stiletto ST; Columbia Masterworks OS-3360; 1968; sealed S $65 (or promo E+/N- S $50, specify) -- crime/mod/funk; one of the very best, hippest, rarest crime/spy/suspense STs; several tunes ideal for DJs & samplers as well as crime/mod/ST fans, something for everyone, really; film stars Britt Ekland & is from a Harold Robbins novel; Knife Fight on the Hill, Stiletto, Sugar in the Rain, Tram, Follow That Man, Goat Island, Confrontation..
Blake Reed: Beat Generation Vol. 2; Musitron M-104; 1960; E-/E- $150 -- Beat/spoken; tiny NYC label's Beat Poet series are among the very rarest Beat LPs!; "readings from '21 Carlisle' & other works, including 'Brucie,' 'Loveland Pass,' & 'The Night of the 14-oz. Pound'"
George Romanis/Al Caiola: 8 on the Lam ST; MCA 25096; 1967; "MCA Classics" reissue sealed cutout S $20 -- crime; the original is a collectors item but this version serves well; Bob Hope/Phyllis Diller/Jonathan Winters/Shirley Eaton/Jill St. John vehicle; ST has 13 cuts: Eight on the Lam, Golda's Theme, Clean Wash, The Freeway Scene, The Protest Walk, Breaking into the Bank, The Money Theme..
Pete Rugolo/Jimmy McHugh: The Music from Richard Diamond; Mercury/EmArcy MG-36162; deep groove E+/V (scratch/pops) $15 -- crime/bongo bop; widely recognized as a terrific, essential LP epitomizing the crime idiom in its circa-1960 heyday; high-impact w/great use of bongos & jazz elements; dramatic jacket art caps it off; Richard Diamond Theme, Diamond on the Move, Who's Sam?, The Teaser, Teen Age Rock, The Sleeve Job, Does Mama Know You're Out?.. (offered as a starter copy or jacket upgrade only)
The Roland Shaw Orchestra: The Return of James Bond in "Diamonds Are Forever"; Decca/London Phase 4 2-BSP-24; 2-LP gatefold; N-/N- S $20 -- spy/crime; shockingly chauvinist jacket of bikinied gals as targets (full of bullet holes) could only come from the UK; but the music is romantic at times & well done; 1 LP devoted to Bond (incl. Casino Royale), 1 of other great & rare themes: The Avengers, The Saint, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Wednesday's Child, Mission Impossible, I Spy, Ipcress File, Man from UNCLE, Peter Gunn, Our Man Flint
Lalo Schifrin: Gone with the Wave ST; Colpix SCP-492; 1st/deep groove E/E S $90 (or 1st/deep groove E-/E- S $60, specify) (or mono CP-492; 1965; E+/N- $90, specify) -- "modern sounds go surfing" says the jacket (4 surf scenes in sequence--surf-photo collectors take note) though it's way beyond surf music; one of his rarest & very best; all-star players (Francisco Aguabella, Paul Horn, Frank Rosolino, Shelly Manne, Bob Bain, Laurindo Almeida, Howard Roberts, Milt Holland..) as well very creative, fun, varied (mod, Latin, exotic...), original tunes (A Taste of Bamboo, Taco-Taquito, Breaks, Aqua Blues, Surf Waltz, Breaks Bossa Nova, Waimea Bay, Halieva Blues..); bottom line: star-quality playing of hip, mod, exotic jazz--everything you want from West Coast players but rarely get
Lalo Schifrin: Cool Hand Luke ST; Dot DLP-25833; sealed S $100 (or cutout N/N shrink S $75, specify) -- crime ST/jazz-blues; long a collectors item & one of his scarcest, particularly stereo perfection
Lalo Schifrin: Once a Thief & Other Themes; Verve V-8624; 1965; gatefold; cutout N/N shrink $25 -- mod soul jazz/spy/crime/bossa; Irene Reid sings on 2 but the instrumental must-have, hot picks are "The Cat" & "The Man from THRUSH" (which Pizzicato Five famously remixed to make their hit "Twiggy"); all great & tho very affordable, one of the finest things on Verve or by the great Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin: The Liquidator ST; MGM E-4413; sealed $40 (or yellow-label promo E-/N $35, specify) (or deep groove cutout E-/E $30, specify) -- spy/mod soul/soul jazz/bossa; everything is great about this treasure from Lalo: 1st-rate artists/music, liners, jacket design; the title vocal by Shirley Bassey rates as the hipster's "Goldfinger"; then there are the contributions of U.K. legend Tubby Hayes(!); but the real star is "The Bird," a mod-soul blaster to die for: a blaring, bluesy jukebox riff/dirge that just screams swingin' '60s (a total mover for DJs); GET IT!!!
Lalo Schifrin: Mannix (TV Show ST); Paramount PAS-5004; E-/E S $25 -- crime/funky; w/about 3-4 major tracks for DJs, it's scarce, heavy-duty, & in much demand (like the Bullitt ST); priced for quick sale just bc 2 throwaway ballads have a little noise; it's still very, very respectable (& great for DJs)
The Secret Agents: Mission Impossible & Other Action Themes; Pickwick/Design DLP-287; E+/N- S $20 -- spy/crime/organ; very rare & intriguing budget-label wonder, from the low-budget photo "action" sequence on the jacket to surprising tunes (guitar & organ instros): Mannix, MI, Star Trek(!), Majorca Express, Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Under Cover Agent, The Saboteur, Win Lose or Spy
Billy Strange/Neil Norman: Secret Agent File; GNP Crescendo GNPS-2166; 1984; E+/N- S $18 -- spy; 18-cut compilation; 2 by Norman (Les Baxter co-produced "Moonraker"), 1 by The Olympic Orchestra, rest Billy Strange; nice covers of most of the classics, added bonus is the jacket collage of stills from the films/shows; The Prisoner, I Spy, Get Smart, 007, Goldfinger, Rockford Files, Our Man Flint, Run Spy Run, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Casino Royale, Octopussy, Ipcress File, Man from UNCLE, Reilly: Aces of Spies--OST..
Creed Taylor: Lonelyville--The Nervous Beat; ABC-Paramount ABC-308; deep groove N-/N- $30 (or E+/E+ $25, specify) -- crime; sought-after classic w/hip concept/jacket is also a masterpiece by Taylor, Kenyon Hopkins, & Bob Kenyon!; great sound---loud!; The Nervous Beat, Lonely Girl, Dream Beat, The Lonesome Road, Lonely Train, Lonesome River, Dark Street, St. James Infirmary..
Creed Taylor: Lonelyville--The Nervous Beat; ABC-Paramount ABCS-308; 1st/deep groove E+/E+ S $35
Armando Trovajoli: Seven Golden Men ST; United Artists UAS-5193; N/N- ES $30 (or promo E/E- ES $20, specify) -- crime/spy/wordless chorus/mod/whistling/drums; US release of a terrific, obscure ST from a hot Italian film; great variety of sounds & styles!; 15 cuts: Seven Golden Men, Ping Pong, Thunder Bolt, The Plot Thickens, Brick Top, The Chase..
Billy Vaughn: The Shifting Whispering Sands -- see Ken Nordine above
Paul Winter: Esoterica for Everyman ("A Winter's Tale--Songs to Make You Thimk"); Offbeat 4010; deep groove E/E $75 -- beatnik; one of the handful of great, essential LPs of its kind (jacket featured in the Taschen book "Beatsville"), it's a private-press wonder from Washington, DC w/Charlie Byrd on Guitar & Eddie Dimond (sic) on piano, harpsichord, bongos; 14 "vignettes" of words either sung or spoken & set to music, similar to Irving Taylor's records; Tired Blood (calypso!), Automation Blues, Fallout, Hollywood Hot Stuff, Team Man, Film Clip, Toptoon (the D.J.)..
Uncredited (possibly Skip Martin): Music from Thunderball; Alshire/Somerset SF-24700 V+/E- S $15 -- spy; nifty John Barry fest (6 titles given nice long treatments) best known for the zany color jacket art & dubious legend "The Sounds of Action...Romance...Violence!!"
Various: Black California [Vol. 1]; Arista/Savoy 2215; 1976/1945-52; 2-LP gatefold; N-/N $30 -- hep/jive/jazz; terrific compilation (great sound, liners, etc.) worth it just for rare Slim Gaillard(!!!) w/Bam Brown, Dodo Marmarosa, Zutty Singleton: "Laguna," "Boogin' at Berg's," & "Dunkin' Bagel"; there are tons of Slim Gaillard reissues out there but you'll need both 2-LP volumes of Black California to have these SUPERB tracks
Various: Capitol Jazz Classics Vol. 13--Strictly Bebop; Capitol M-11059; 1972/1949-50; yellow E/N $25 (or red cutout E-/E $20, specify) -- Babs Gonzales/Dizzy Gillespie/Tadd Dameron; a prize for both hipster & wonky collector, it's essential for the 5 rare & wonderful Babs Gonzales songs (forget about landing the original 78s clean!): Capitolizing, Professor Bop, St. Louis Blues, Real Crazy, Prelude to a Nightmare; the Dameron & Gillespie cuts are great too!
Various: Coffee House; Dorian 1001; 1959; E-/E- $50 -- Beat/beatnik/folk; live folk/ukulele/spoken set; rare & unique among "beatnik" LPs, it's actually one of the most accurate reflections of the era (neither Kerrouac nor Kookie, it's more like Pete Seeger); w/Frank Hall, Judy Henske, Paul Sykes, Marilyn Powell, Fred Thompson; Beat Nick (introductory narrative that --along with the jacket/title-- makes it worthwhile if you appreciate beatnik but not folk), Uskadara, Goober Peas, Lady of Spain, Raise a Ruckus..
Various: Merry Christmas from Sesame Street; Children's Television Workshop CTW-25516; 1975 gatefold; E+/E+ S $25 -- Christmas/beatnik; worthy in many respects, but we treat it as a killer single for Northern Calloway's "The Night Before Christmas on Sesame Street" -- rapped in hip, beatnik, Al Collins-esque jive style (for some reason there are quite a few beatnik takes on "The Night Before Christmas" but this is one of the best, if not THE best!); also has "Saludo" (Latin)
Various: Synchro Fox Golden Group; Sam Fox SF-2002; deep groove [no jacket]/N $60 -- production/crime/jazz/rock; compilation of best cuts from TOP NYC production company; Jazz Dramatic, Blue Sax, Club Cool, Fat Boy, Flutesville, Forever Frantic, Beatnik, Vibraphonics, Rock in the Rough, Jazz Club, Call Girl, High Spirits
Beatnik/Crime/Spy: Original 45s/EPs/78s
Please note: shipping/handling for 45s is gratis!
Edd Byrnes & Friend: Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)/You're the Top; Warner Bros. 5047; E $10 -- the classic of classics; A-side w/Connie Stevens; w/the Big Sound of Don Ralke
Al "Jazzbo" Collins: Little Red Riding Hood/3 Little Pigs --78--; Decca/Brunswick 86001, maroon "Brunlite" label w/picture sleeve: "Steve Allen's Grimm Fairy Tales for Hip Kids"; E-/E+ $35 -- see above or Taschen book "Beatsville" for the sleeve image
The Don Elliott Quintet EP; RCA Victor EJC-1007; 1954; 3-disc, 12-tune gatefold E-/E- $20 -- vibes/percussion/bongo bop; wonderful collectors item & great jazz-percussion record but listed here as essential for "Bingo, Bango, Bongo" (rare bongo bop!!!); equivalent to the full LP (LJM-1007) incl. liners & art/photo; both versions scarce but the EP format is more so; excellent bargain for the bongo-bop collector
The Gallants (H.B. Barnum): The Man from U.N.C.L.E./The Vagabond; Capitol 5376; E $15 -- guitar instrumental; prod. David Axelrod (some brief solos incl. drum tho not funky); mild warp but plays fine
Bob McFadden & D'Or: The Mummy/The Beat Generation; Brunswick 9-55140; V+ $20 (or V $15, specify) -- beatnik; B-side is Rod McKuen's CLASSIC of the idiom (NOT the Mamie Van Doren movie song but the one famously covered in the '80s by the Beat Farmers); the holy-grail LP is out of reach of most people; well-loved, the single shows wear but plays well
Tony Mottola w/Ray Charles Singers: Original Music from "Danger" EP; MGM X111; 2-disc gatefold; E-/E- $20 -- crime; complete--equivalent to the 10" LP
Ken Nordine & the Fred Katz Group: I Used to Think My Right Hand Was Uglier Than My Left Hand/My Baby; Dot 16000; E $20 (or E- $15, specify) -- beatnik/word jazz; B-side "From the TV Spectacular 'Another Evening With Fred Astaire'" features his son; both cuts are super hip; every jukebox of the gods needs Nordine!
Stan Purdy: Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Story Vol. II; V (Fifth Corp.) EP V-2502; (c)1954; V+/E $15 -- crime; impossibly rare & obscure treatment of music for the show (not the same as the Skip Martin ST); intriguing jacket art & notes; Velda, Oh Mike!, The Woman, The Mike Hammer Theme
Googie René: Caesar's Pad/Serenade in the Night; Class 262; 1959; E+ $25 -- beatnik/modern jazz; "Caesar's Pad" is the killer track from the great Romesville LP (Class CSLP-5003), here abridged; all-star players & Googie's far-out narration
See Also:
jazz for mod jazz, noir jazz, etc.
Latin for mod Latin
Wanted Records:
- Johnny Beeman: Laughin' Beatnik
- Bill & Ray: Hillbilly Beatnik
- Lord Buckley: Hipsters, Flipsters and Finger Poppin' Daddies Knock Me Your Lobes; RCA Victor (10" or 12" reissue)
- Lord Buckley: The Parabolic Revelations of; Pye PPL-208 (UK LP)
- The Caltones: The Beards
- Chaquito: Spies & Dolls, others (John Gregory)
- Al "Jazzbo" Collins: Snow White/Jack & the Beanstalk
- Al "Jazzbo" Collins: The Invention of the Airplane/The Discovery of America
- Al "Jazzbo" Collins: Little Red Riding Hood/The Pee Little Thrigs (Capitol)
- Bing Day: Mama's Place
- Jimmy Van Eaton: Beat-Nik/Foggy; Rita 1004 (must play cleanly)
- Gene Eunice: Beatnik
- Barbara Evans: Beatnik Daddy
- Joe Hall & the Corvettes: Bongo Beatin' Beatnik
- Jim Henson: The Country Side/Tick Tock Sick; Signature
- James Komack: The Beat Generation
- Tony Rodelle Larson: Bear Rug
- Ken Nordine: Next Word Jazz, Word Jazz Vol. 2, Grandson of Word Jazz
- Louis Nye: Teenage Beatnik
- Richard Pine: Beatnik Bill
- Patsy Raye & the Beatniks: Beatnik's Wish; Roulette
- Russ Reagan: Be Bop de Bongo
- Googie Rene: Caesar's Pad (Rendezvous version)
- Various: Radio Programme, No. 1: Henry Jacobs' "Music & Folklore"; Folkways FW03861; 1955
© Hip Wax
to order
Googie Rene: Romesville
Lalo Schifrin: The Liquidator ST
Tony Mottola: Danger ST