Our Lady of Perpetual Obsolescence Vinyl Rescue Mission and Orphanage

Album Share: There’s A Lot Of Lovin’ In This Old Boy Yet - A. J. Marshall

mcpurvis — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:43:05 EST

Currently up for your listening pleasure is this curious recording from 1969 by A. J. Marshall. This album isn’t all that obscure, but I’ve never seen it offered for sharity in its entirety and I really think it deserves a wider recognition.

All that really needs to be said is that this is a collection of contemporary (for the end of the sixties) tunes sung, without irony or humor, by an Al Jolson impressionist. That, in a nutshell, is the premise of the album.

I wanted to be able to write some insightful/witty comments, but I’m at a loss. My suggestion is to just listen to it. My favorites include Little Green Apples, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, and You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.

The liner notes curiously allude to but never mention Al Jolson by name. They were written by Sammy Cahn, who gushes about Mr. Marshall’s and the album’s merits. The arrangements by Bobby Gosh are well done, and perfectly offset Mr. Marshall’s vocal gymnastics.

Have fun listening and as always, Enjoy!

Download individual tracks:

1. There’s A Lot Of Lovin’ In This Old Boy Yet.

2. Little Green Apples.

3. I’ll Never Fall In Love Again.

4. This Guy’s In Love With You.

5. Last of the Great Old Hang Around Type Girls.

6. Didn’t We.

7. By The Time I Get To Phoenix.

8. Young Girl.

9. The Mr. In Your Mrs. Kind Of Life

10. Need You.

11. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.

Or download all the mp3s and cover art in one 50 MB zip file.

Album Share: Schony - Jim Schoenfeld

mcpurvis — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:10:36 EST

Presented for your enjoyment is this somewhat obscure vanity release from 1971 by NHL player/coach Jim Schoenfeld.

Although Mr. Schoenfeld seems to be most famous for cussing out NHL referee Don Koharski, we at the Orphanage feel that the recording offered here is an achievement deserving of a great recognition.

As golden throats go, Mr. Schoenfeld’s larynx is 24 karat. He throws himself with complete abandon at the material he covers. He displays a wide range of vocal talents, ranging from primal screams to quiet, introspective musings. He even includes an original composition, Before, that ponders the age old question of what life was like before there were so many humans populating the earth.

The album was produced by John Valby (aka Dr. Dirty), who, I’m assuming is responsible for the unusual but oddly satisfying arrangements that permeate the recording.

Have fun listening and as always, Enjoy!

Download individual tracks:

1. All Along The Watchtower.

2. I Saw Her Standing There.

3. Great Balls Of Fire.

4. Chain Gang.

5. Before.

6. You Can’t Do That.

7. You Always Hurt The One You Love.

8. Barbecue In Heaven.

9. Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying.

10. Hey Bulldog.

Or download all the mp3s and cover art in one 49 MB zip file.

Album Share: Branch Two - The Family Tree

mcpurvis — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:34:14 EST

Our album for March is this solid offering from The Family Tree, a Country/Pop act hailing from the great state of Tennessee and spearheaded by identical twins Jerry and Larry Needham. There’s no date on the album, but judging from the style of clothing and the selection of tunes, I’d put it smack dab in the middle of the 1970s.

The album is mostly made up of recordings that feature simple but serviceable arrangements that serve to showcase the singing of Jerry, Larry, and the uncredited female member of the group. The group really shines when tackling some of the more ‘novelty’ tunes like She Taught Me How to Yodel and Auctioneer. I don’t know if it is Jerry or Larry, but one of them has an impressive set of yodeling pipes. On some of the other tunes, the quality of the singing tends to drift a bit, but the group’s personality and enthusiasm more than makes up for any less than polished moments. I was a little disappointed that they failed to breakout the trumpets that they are wielding on the back cover, but I’ll cut them some slack.

Nowadays, the Needham Twins are performing as a duo based out of Mesa, Arizona, and currently enjoy a very active concert schedule. Be sure to check out their website for more information. Have fun listening and as always, Enjoy!

Download all the mp3s and cover art in one 48 MB zip file.

Album Share: Taking A Cruise With The Citations!

mcpurvis — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:36:37 EST

A recent rescue sweep turned up this island treat from The Citations, a calypso/popular group that used to entertain vacationers at the Grand Bahama Hotel during the 1970s and 80s.
The Citations were founded by the group’s drummer and lead vocalist, Wendell ‘Swain’ Armbrister in 1975. The group was a popular one in the Bahamas and worked in many of the hotels on Grand Bahama Island. The Citations played regularly until the 1990s but disbanded when their lead guitarist, Henry Garland, was murdered during a robbery in his home. Mr. Armbrister died in 2006 at the age of 63. There is a recorded interview with Mr. Armbrister where he talks about the Citations and his conversion to born again Christianity here, and some more information about Mr. Armbrister and the group here.

This recording is the first album (out of six) that the Citations recorded. The guys put out a lot of sound for a four piece, due to the seamless way their intricate individual parts fit together. Although they sound great on the ’standard’ tourist music, the more impressive tracks on the album are the ones where they either put a different spin on an older tune (Yellow Bird) or cover a tune not usually associated with island music (Annie’s Song).

One thing that I wish I could share with everyone reading this is the way the album smells. I don’t know if this is the result of where it was sold or the environment it was kept in, but the inner sleeve has a really strong incense aroma. Every time I take the album out I feel like I’ve stepped inside of a head shop. Have fun listening and as always, Enjoy!

Download all the mp3s and cover art in one 64 MB zip file.

Welcome Guardian Readers!

mcpurvis — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:09:18 EST

Pastor McPurvis offers a hearty hello to all the folks coming to us via our recent mention in the Guardian. A big tip of the hat to Chris Salmon for including Vinyl Orphanage among all the other great places to find free and fun music. Have fun poking around and as always, Enjoy!

‘Tis the Season for some reposts: A Cabbage Patch Christmas and the CPH Christmas Concert

mcpurvis — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:29:36 EST

Time constraints and a busy schedule have conspired to prevent me from posting anything new this holiday season, so I humbly point the way to a couple of seasonal shares we’ve featured here in the past.

First off is the insanely popular album A Cabbage Patch Christmas which never fails to burn up a chunk of bandwidth during this time of year.

Second, one of my all time favorite finds is an album of a Christmas concert put on by the children in the Music Therapy Program at the Inpatient Children’s Psychiatric Hospital at the University of Michigan. It’s just not Christmas to the Pastor without it.

Thanks to everyone who visits! This is Pastor McPurvis wishing you happy holidays and all the best in 2008.

Album Share: Kathy & Tony Sing For Lovers - Kathy & Tony Rich

mcpurvis — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:17:49 EST

Our latest offering brings us the husband and wife team of Tony and Kathy Rich, a guitar and singing lounge duo that entertained vacationers in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.

If you’ve ever surfed on over to Bellybongo, you may remember that Magnus shared an album from the Riches a while ago. Although the album we’re sharing here has the same title, the cover art and most of the songs are different. It must have been released after the one Magnus shared because the liner notes on that one state that Tony and Kathy have two beautiful daughters. On this release, the number of beautiful daughters has increased to three.

For most of the recording, the tunes are presented in simple but serviceable arrangements. Some kind of rhythm box holds down the beat, Kathy and Tony trade off lead vocals, and Tony holds the whole thing together with his guitar accompaniment. There are no other musicians credited in the liner notes, so I’m assuming Tony overdubbed the electric bass and other guitar parts himself.

Although the arrangements are simple, Tony and Kathy sprinkle in a lot of little touches that really make the tunes their own. Be sure to check out the guitar imitating a ticking clock in Colour My World, the breathing and whispering in Close Your Eyes, and the way they transition from song to song in the Love Medley. Personally, I think that Miserlou is the stand out track.

As to what the Riches are doing these I cannot say. It’s obvious from the recording that they really enjoyed performing together. Let’s hope that they are still out there together and continuing to enjoy their honeymoon. Have fun listening and as always, Enjoy!

Download all the mp3s and cover art in one 39 MB zip file.

Album Share: Six Petals - Devora Clemmons (Debra Ann Anderson)

mcpurvis — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:25:49 EST

Long time visitors to the Orphanage will remember this unique CD by singer/pianist Devora Clemmons. Ms. Clemmons’ work was first shared on this site back in 2004. I didn’t have much to share about Ms. Clemmons back then. Trying to follow the meager leads that the disc offered all led to dead ends. I had almost resigned myself to the notion that Ms. Clemmons and the strange, oddly compelling music she composed would remain a mystery.

However, about a year ago, while searching the U.S. Copyright database for something else, I decided to plug old Devora’s name into the search box and see what, if anything, would pop up. I could have kicked myself for not looking there sooner, because I was rewarded with a record for the copyright registration for the album below, complete with the information that the name Devora Clemmons is a pseudonym. The copyright was filed by a woman named Debra Ann Anderson, born in 1954. Ms. Anderson has filed a total of 13 copyrights for individual songs, another CD release, and a book of poetry.

This recording looks to be self produced but the CD has been professionally pressed. The musical presentation is simple. Each of the seven tracks consists only of Ms. Clemmons/Anderson accompanying herself on an electric piano while she sings/sadly wails. The lyrics are sometimes hard to understand, but they tend to concentrate on themes of lost love, religion, animal rights, world peace and tributes to loved ones.

Unfortunately, I seem to have hit another dead end in my Devora search. I’m sharing the album again in the hopes that someone out there recognizes it, and can share more information about the elusive Debra Ann Anderson / Devora Clemmons. This technique worked for the Joe E. Neubauer album I shared a few months ago, but that’s a story for another post. Have fun listening and as always, Enjoy!

Download all the mp3s and cover art in one 50 MB zip file.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula - Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater On The Air

mcpurvis — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:54:47 EST

Just in time for Halloween is this scratchy old recording of Orson Wells and the actors of the Mercury Theater performing Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Originally broadcast on July 11th, 1938, the show features Mr. Wells directing as well as playing the parts of Dr. Seward and Dracula. This particular recording comes from an album put out in 1977 by the Nostalgia Lane label. The sound quality is not the best, but in this case, the lack of fidelity adds to the overall ambiance of the story. Don’t listen to it with the lights out!

1. Dracula - Part One.

2. Dracula - Part Two.

Sorry, no ‘Sounds to Make You Shiver’ this year

mcpurvis — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:45:59 EST

It is getting to be that time of year again and I can tell by looking at my access logs that many of you are coming here looking for the old ‘Sounds to Make You Shiver’ lp that was produced by the Pickwick record label. Traditionally we have hosted the album here at the Orphanage around Halloween. Sorry to disappoint, but we have decided to forgo sharing the album this year. There are many sites out there that are doing a much better job satisfying the Halloween audio jones than I can.

First off, Jason over at the incomparable Scar Stuff has a fine rip of STMYS. Be sure to check out everything else on his blog as well - you won’t regret it!

Forbidden Crypts Of Haunted Music has more Halloween audio than you can shake a broomstick at, as well as nice write ups and beautiful cover scans of each title.

Finally, don’t miss Dave’s countdown to Halloween over at Mostly Ghostly Music Sharing for your daily dose of things to make you go, “Blaaahhhggg!!!”

Happy hauntings!