BS: Most embarrasing album?

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: MarkS
Date: 11 Jul 00 - 11:50 PM

Melani - been trying to forget Mrs. Miller!

Most embarrasing album? Has to be the Village Fugs

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 11 Jul 00 - 11:51 PM

"Oak, Ash and Thorn Sing Earth, Wind, And Fire."

But really - The most embarrasing album I have is a recording of a farting competition. It was recorded in England in the 50's, and is called "The Original Crepitation Contest." The funniest thing about it is the warning on the cover: "For Mature People."

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 11 Jul 00 - 11:59 PM

Wait a minute, hold the presses...My all time WORST album was "Up With People"! Most embarrasing as well, cause if someone sees it they might think:

1. I'd buy ANY album endorsed on the back cover by John Wayne, Pat Boone and Walt Disney

2. That I'd own something partly sponsored by The John Birch Society for anything other than laughs.

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 12:01 AM

Ohmygawd......Chanteyranger, buddy, friend, old pal.....Man, it may be an embarassment for you, but I'd LOVE to have another copy of that!!!! (Typical Spaw, I know....) Now I know its completely immature, puerile, etc, etc, etc........but I loved that turkey. All the farts had names and he goes for the thundersprecht at the end and...........Ah man...PLEASE.....Run me a copy.....I'll give you gold, frankincense...the foreskins of 300 camels, whatever............

I also used to have the entire collection of Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts..............BTW, we had a discussion on the 'Cat before about your album!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 01:29 AM

Absolutely , Spaw. I love that album, too! As a matter of fact, I'm a "connisewer" of off-the-wall, bad, cornball, you-name-it records. Keep a special section of 'em at home. It includes Jim Nabors, Lawrence Welk, "Frank Fontaine Sings Like Crazy" and other such golden nuggets. To tell you the truth, I'm not really embarrassed by them.What puzzles me is, every time I've taken a date home and tried to set the mood with candlelight and the farting record, they've never returned my calls for a second date. So - send a personal message with your address and I'll tape it for you.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 01:37 AM

7) Robert Plant Salutes Tennessee Ernie Ford

8)Pollo Wolly Doodle All the Day: Steve and Edie Sing Songs of the American Frontier

9)There's A Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 01:45 AM

Oh, by the way 'Spaw, I appreciate your offer! I've operated on 299 camels, so if you could just spare that one....

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 08:25 AM

Rockys backwards and forwards in remorse....

Here are two of my worst...

Bought for me when I was born... The Wombles.

Bought by me out of my pocket money....

THE NOLANS (bursts out laughing at the ridiculousness of it... well I was only 8 (ish)

Do I redeem myself, by saying my first single I borrowed and never gave back was Blonde's Heart of Glass.

Ummmm don't thinks soo

Oh well, digs in for the winter duration.

There we go, feel better now I have got that off my chest.

Ooops

There's also the Adam and the Ants collection I have

But in the middle of all this nonsense.

I begged my mum and dad to keep the Simon and Garfunkel 8 track cartridge we had, and get it put onto tape for me when I was 7, am I redeemed? Still have the tape. not the 8track cartridge though...

Ella

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 08:40 AM

I was in the middle of a reply to this thread when we lost all power. Not just me, whole neighbourhood! Now back so here goes again, fingers crossed (perhaps the whole tale was too gruesome). I think I've told it before on another thread (and I don't have Art's excuse for CRS)but when has that ever stopped me?
When I worked in scenic Deptford in the 1970s and lived in sunny Peckham I had to pass Chris Wellard's record shop each day and usually droped in for a rummage throught the bargain bin and the excellent jazz and blues section. One day when I got my purchases home instead of "Satch plays Fats" or similar, I had a Des O'Conner record which had got in the wrong sleeve. Chris W exchanged it without hesitation, he was only worried that I might have played it without noticing and been taken ill! (well he was used to my musical tastes by then). Alas, after I moved the shop closed and I believe he is now only a wholesaler. Former colleagues attributed his closure to the loss of my trade, though my former employers who called in his lease and built on the site had more to do with it!
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 10:26 AM

I recently read an interview with Lou Reed. He was saying he is trying to get Metal Machine Music released on CD, but the record company won't do it. He is thinking of funding it himself. I had it on vinyl and thought that Lou must have owed the record company an album and that he didn't have one ready so he just went into the studio, turned all the machines on and recorded it. Turns out he is proud of it for some reason. I thought it was complete crap.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 12:29 PM

I once had an album of songs recorded by Simon and Garfunkel when they were high school kids using the name "Tom and Jerry." It was awful. I think I only listened to it once. I don't know what happened to it. Actually, I wish I had it now because it might be worth something as a collector's item. This particular album was issued AFTER they became famous as Simon and Garfunkel. I don't know if it was a reprint of an earlier album, or if it was just a bunch of old tapes thrown together to exploit their new fame. I do remember that the cover had the name "Simon and Garfunkel" and showed a recent (post-"Sounds of Silence") photo of them. In other words, it was designed as a ripoff. I don't recall the label, but I'm rather sure it wasn't Columbia.

By the way, I was (and am) a big Simon-and-Garfunkel fan, but my admiration doesn't extend to Tom and Jerry.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 01:10 PM

Florence Foster-Jenkins, The Glory??? of the human voice, is truly the most remarkable album I own. If you want to get a feeling of her (near perfect) timing and her (approaching perfectness) intonation, listen here. The book to read when listening to her singing is Das Soprano-Project, De Iaculatione Tomatonis (in cantatricem) by George Perec (The soprano Project: On the throwing of tomatoes on female singers). I cite from the English abstract: "The harder you throw the louder they yell".

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 01:21 PM

a little follow-up on Florence Foster-Jenkins copied from the web:
"Florence Foster Jenkins On Oktober 25th 1944 one of the most bizarre personalities of the musical world gave a concert in New York's Carnegie Hall: Florence Foster Jenkins. She had rented the hall herself and it was soon sold. Florence was a legend in her own time but to call her a singer would be misleading. An enthusiast that had to bring her love for music to public expression, but whose joy of song went beyond her ability. Very excentric in her performances, she was also well-known for her clothing which she designed herself (often with feathers and wings). Very self-confident Florence was determined to perform annually for the public in New York, most of the time in smaller clubs that she had founded herself. Characeristic is the anecdote that she presented the guilty party of an automobile accident with a box of cigars since she could sing a higher F than ever before after the incident. One month and one day after her performance at Carnegie Hall Florence Foster Jenkins died at the age of 72."

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 05:04 PM

Someone earlier mentioned Tiny Tim. He was living in Minneapolis when he died in 1996. The local paper did an obituary about him, and I was surprised by what I read. I didn't know him, but the obituary made me wish I had. A couple of things I remember: A trick he liked to do at parties was to ask every woman her name, and then sing a song that had her name in it. Apparently he knew a million obscure songs. He deliberately chose the ukulele as his instrument because it was small, cheap, portable, and easy to learn, and he wanted to promote more people singing and playing for the joy of it. He was a proselytizer for homemade music. More power to him! And to those who keep his memory alive! I don't have any records by him, but I wish I did.

Click here for a memorial web site.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: GUEST,JMCC
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 10:02 AM

Masked Mauraders - this was the staff of Rolling Stone mag pretending to be a Stones, Dylan, etc jam session. A pretend bootleg.

Jim Dixon - The S&G album was an attempted rip-off. It was the Tom & Jerry tracks issued as S&G on the Allegro label. Paul Simon took legal action and had it withdrawn. He claimed that had it been issued as T&J he would not object but releasing it as S&G was ripping off fans.

My personal entry for this is an E.P. on EMI Odeon called Sameir and his Swinging Sitars play the Sound of Music. I beleive there is a coresponding L.P. This is a genuine release although I might have Samier's name wrong. I'm not with my collection at the moment.
love, john.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 01:10 PM

Wolfgang,

That sound clip is incredible, LMAO. Thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 01:11 PM

Wolfgang,

That sound clip is incredible, LMAO. Thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 02:20 PM

I'm sorry, I have gone back to the sound clip about twenty times and for everyone I could share it with. SHE MAKES YOKO ONO SOUND GOOD!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 02:38 PM

My Wedding Album

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 02:43 PM

Glad you liked her, Steve. She gives a more liberal meaning to the expression "near perfect pitch".

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Irish Rover
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 03:13 PM

Florence Henderson sings Brady favs.(with the Brady Bunch) When it's time to Change........

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 03:54 PM

~I was reminded today of the Party Swingers singalong album (things like My old man, You are my Sunshine, and Roll out the Barrell) that is in my cellar (hopefully it will flood again soon) and a Chas 'n' Dave Christmas CD that I bought to frighten Micca with, and actually found myself liking parts of...... Then there is the 'Box and Banjo' CD, bought for same purpose. An album of Christmas music played on the eponymous box and banjo. Made Christmas a bit different......

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Peter T.
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 04:32 PM

Hey, I love "Walking on Sunshine" -- Katrina and the Waves. In fact, if I had a convertible, I would drive up and down the streets with it blaring in the summer sun.

Embarrassing albums by people who should know better:

Most embarrassing recent album released (I don't own it, thank god): George Martin's tribute album to the Beatles ("In My Life") -- and a TV special to go with it!!!! -- George, George, we know you are going deaf, but Goldie Hawn????????Excruciating mess.

Most embarrassing string of recent albums released: Sinead O'Connor seriatim.

Most embarrassing string of albums ever: Paul McCartney and Wings.

Most embarrassing album in my collection: The Notting Hill Soundtrack.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: sophocleese
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 06:34 PM

Wolfgang thank you for letting me know the name of that album. I heard a wonderful thing about her accompianist. He was very adept at trilling two notes whenever she hit some note that was in the crack between them. Listening to her singing is an astonishing experience, listening to him trying to back her up is another.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Hollowfox
Date: 14 Jul 00 - 02:59 PM

We should have a new thread about "Strange Albums in Our Collections". My embarrasing albums are some exotic juvenile pressings with designs in the vinyl: Barbie (as the doll), and Strawberry Shortcake (a noxious doll sold about 15-20 years ago; it was infused with bad perfume). I've never played them, honest.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Jul 00 - 03:11 PM

Yeah, well, Karen still has the "picturedisc" vinyl of Barry Manilow. Unfortunately it HAS been played.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Jul 00 - 03:23 PM

OHMYGAWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was letting Wolgang's link load while I put in the previous message and now that I have heard it.......

Geeziz.....There are NO WORDS to describe that Wolfgang. Is there perhaps a word in German, because I can't think of anything in English that suitably captures anything like THAT!!!! Maybe if you could combine hideous, shrill, pathetic, humorous, gawd-awful, and about 50 others..............

A voice like that could sterilize frogs at 100 paces........Its so crappy it could knock a buzzard of a shitwagon.............mygawd..........

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: DADGBE
Date: 14 Jul 00 - 06:24 PM

Florence Foster Jenkins' annual concerts in New York's Carnegie Hall were still happening during my misspent youth. They sold out every year and tickets were hard to find. The one concert of hers I was fortunate enough to attend was a remarkable experience.

The carryings on at midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show don't hold a candle.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Alice
Date: 14 Jul 00 - 08:05 PM

Embarrassing albums by people who should know better as Peter T suggested: Leonard Nimoy (only heard part of a cut and I ran screaming to turn off the radio/tv whatever it was on....). William Shatner, on the other hand, turned his campy attempt to record songs into a career of radio and tv advertising as he laughs all the way to the bank.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: JennieG
Date: 15 Jul 00 - 12:31 AM

I believe that Florence Foster Jenkins' accompanist was a gentleman by the name of Cosmo McMoon - I assume that was a nom de piano!

JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 15 Jul 00 - 01:24 AM

By the way - I pulled out the McGuiness Flint album "Lo and Behold" and played it just today and except for the very last song it was great. IMHO

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: GUEST,Banjo Johnny
Date: 15 Jul 00 - 02:22 AM

Most embarrasing: The Kennedy Family Album, -- came out just before the asassination.

Worst album: Telly Savalas Sings Your Christmas Favorites

Worst genre: all Christmas albums.

Worst selection: Amazing Grace played by Pipes & Drums

== Johnny in Oklahoma City

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: rangeroger
Date: 15 Jul 00 - 03:19 AM

Horst Jankowski "With Love"
I also have an album that I have listened to from time to time, trying to find some redeeming value in the music.It is "Grey Life" by Val Stoecklin. The cover is Mr. Stoecklin playing a Martin 12-string, which is why I bought it.
Every couple of years I will dig it out and listen to it. I never make it all the way through the album. It is just no good.
rr

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: GUEST,George
Date: 15 Jul 00 - 03:54 PM

How about some of Helen Reddy's stuff? Did she do one called "You And Me Against The World". If someone said that to me, I'd say "I'm changing sides."

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 15 Jul 00 - 11:08 PM

I vote for William Shatner. He has got to take top honors on this one, although the competition is fierce, to say the least. Actually, you have to fork over at least $50 (Canadian)to buy a William Shatner album at typical record collector's meets in the Toronto area. I've been to a couple of those with my friend John Ashe, who is a lifelong record collector. You should see his basement...it's like the archival history of popular music of the 20th century, most of it in mint condition, but even John doesn't have the William Shatner album. He wasn't willing to pay $50 for it. Neither was I. It is just godawful...I heard some of it once on CBC radio. Why is it so expensive? Maybe it's a Canadian thing...after all, Shatner is a Canadian from Ontario. He even went to the same university that I attended at one point. How about that, eh?

Little Hawk (George Coventry)

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 12:12 AM

100 sterilized frogs, Spaw? That reminds me of another record in my collection, "The Rhino Brothers Present: The World's Worst Records!" It's got "Surfin' Tragedy" by The Breakers, "Kinko The Klown," "Big Girls Don't Cry," to mention only a few. There's even a regurgitation bag provided with the LP. The front cover shows someone in a lead suit getting ready to dump a pile of '45's into a trash can. Maybe this and the farting record should be in a "weird records" thread, since I'm not seriously embarrased to own them. I really can't think of a record I own that really embarrasses me, since I seem to have a special place in my loins for the weird stuff. But - if I did own a Barry Manilow recording....

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 09:48 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 12:21 AM

My friend Jack was dating a woman at the time when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was playing, she had the soundtrack and loved it, and insisted he love it too. If you've seen the movie, it has about 10 minutes of background music by the Swingle Singers, the accapella group who performed vocal instrumentals, something like

Obba dobba da, da dobba da dobba da

which is either pretty funny or pretty irritating depending on your mood. Anyway, he was driving with a friend when this came on, and the particular substance they had been abusing caused them to laugh at this music to a level of hysteria which caused his friends eyes to tear up to the point that he drove off an embankment. When the car finally came to rest, upside down, Jack's side was aching where he had broken two ribs, his friend was only partially conscious, and the Swingle Singers were still going

Doo ba doo ba doo, ba doobie doo doobie doo

and all Jack could do was muster the strength to pop the tape out of the deck because, as he says, "if we were going to be found dead, I didn't want them to think that that was the kind of shit we listened to."

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: Melani
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 01:13 AM

Although I don't have the privilge of owning it, some years ago I heard on the radio an Irish group called The Bogmen doing a rather unusual version of "Rock Around the Clock". They were described by the host as a bunch of middle-aged guys who apparently made the recording on a tape deck in somebody's kitchen. For devotees of awful music, it's certainly worth a listen.

Subject: RE: BS: Most embarrasing album?
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 01:15 AM

That was Tommy and Colm Sands.

And it was a clever pastiche