Italian 45s

Anna Identici – Era bello il mio ragazzo/
E quando saro' ricca
Ariston, AR.0537, Made in Italy, 1972

I have quite a large 45 collection but I don't buy many in thrift stores any more. Reason for this is that you hardly ever find them with their original jackets—most don't have one at all, which leaves the vinyl unprotected and all scratched up. It seems that a lot of 45s available in the US came out of jukeboxes and have therefore been played too often and are separated from their cover. When I do browse through the supply (not every thrift store carries 45s anymore). Hardly ever do I find one that is both interesting and in good enough shape. And when I do buy one it is almost always European. Apparently there's more of a 45-with-jacket culture in Europe, and almost all 45s in my collection stem from the time I was still living in Europe. But just yesterday I ended a long period of not expanding my 45 collection with the purchase of three Italian singles, the first ones of 2013. My favorite of the three is the one pictured above by Anna Identici. Both sides are really nice, they're happy and sweet, side A being the happier, while side B is the sweeter. I don't speak Italian, so my happy/sweet judgement may well be far of the mark, especially considering the bloody design of the jacket and the last word sung on side B which is "finita". And it is side B that I chose to share, the sweetest of two, it's called E Quando Saro' Ricca.

Odetta Sings Odetta

Odetta Sings...
Produced by John Boylan
Polydor 24-4048

Made in New York, 1970

The folk singer Odetta Gordon (1930-2008), known as simply Odetta, released a score of records between 1954 and 2001. Not that would like to collect all these but if I see one at a thrift store I'll pick it up for sure. I have about ten of them. My favorite is The Essential Odetta on Vanguard records released in 1973 as a package of earlier live albums. A few months ago I posted a song from her 1960 record Christmas Spirituals and today I'll do one from Odetta Sings, a 1970 record that I picked up at the Goodwill around the corner the other day. Neither of these records are "essential" but still a good listen. Odetta Sings is apparently her attempt to cross over into the mainstream as it is loaded with covers of popular songs of the time. It is also her only record on the mainstream Polydor label (most of her best work is on Vanguard) and contains renditions of Rolling Stones, Randy Newman, and Elton John songs among others. Half the record was recorded with session musicians in Los Angeles (Carole King is one of these), and the other half at the famous Muscle Shoal Studios in Alabama. The best songs on the record are the only ones that aren't covers but were written by Ms. Gordon herself: Hit or Miss and Movin' it on. You can listen to Hit or Miss below. The song was recorded at the Muscle Shoal Studios.

Conjunto

"Conjunto Obaoso" de Onelio Scull –
Santeria-Cubana: Toques y Cantos Sanretos Lucumi
Santero LP-135, Made in Mexico

Don't Judge a Record by its Cover was the title of a piece I wrote on a Hungarian record back in December. That adaption of the adage was in the spirit of its meaning then, but that the adage also has to be taken quite literally is a well known fact among collectors of thrift store records. Even the girl behind the cash register will sometimes tell you to check the record. I always check the record. But if I like the cover I'll buy the record regardless. A nice cover is worth the 50 cents or dollar, and sometimes, if there's not even a record in it, they even might give it to you for free. I did check it too, when I came across this Santeria Cubana record in the Goodwill on Palm Beach Boulevard right near our house. And I knew, before I even checked, that the content wasn't going to match the cover, it was simply too heavy for that. I knew I was going to get two for the price of one. You can't be too picky when collecting from thrift stores. Not only do you have to accept that sometimes the record inside doesn't match the picture on the outside, you also have to take the scratches for granted. The content of this Santeria Cubana record had everything wrong with it but yet I was excited to buy it. The cover is beautiful and while I regret not having the record that's supposed to be in there (a record that promises this spiritual Caribbean religious practice that combines Voodoo with Catholicism,  and all the drumming and chanting that comes with it), I still was excited to hear what was inside. It appeared to me that it would be in the spirit of the cover. The first record inside is called Santos Cantados con Nieves Quintero y Su Conjunto (Canta Luz Celeni Tirado) Y Coro on a label called L.P. Antillano (LP 25) from which I selected a track from side B Misterios Espriritistas. The second record is a rosario (a rosary prayer, I assume) that lasts more than 30 minutes. I copied the first 5 minutes of the Rosario en Honor a San Martin de Porres to share. Neither record has any information concerning place and time of recording on it. That said it didn't take too much effort to find Nieves Quintero on line. He's apparently a legend of Puerto Rican cuarto music. The rosary in honor of San Martin de Porres record yielded less information. The saint, of course, is well written about, but the recording remains a mystery. There's no name attached to the recitation, and Leonor (the record label) is not found anywhere on line. There is no additional information whatsoever printed on that label.