Men & Volts ‎– Rhythms & Blues

It does not suprise me that an album featuring the creative David Greenberger would have inscriptions, but on both sides the Steak 'N Shake slogan "In Sight It Must Be Right"? Part of me hopes that there is another explanation..

Ladling from Big Dipper

Coming across this release (All Going Out Together ‎12", Maxi) made me want to resurrect this blog and post up the archived content from way back before I had put it up and updated it in Yahoo! 360° and then failed to copy it off their before that went away. Well, this Blogger thing seems a pretty durable edifice to hitch my pony to...


So this 12" 45 rpm 4-track single (a good example of a failed model on fixed and variable costs for my algebra students...) has on Side 1's runout groove: "ANOTHER TRICKY COLLECTORS ITEM". Doesn't seem that complicated to me... 
What really got my interest was Side 2: "THE DOG ATE THE 'CLUB MIX'" A nice jab at the remix craze popular when this record came out in 1987. Side 2 is my favorite side, featuring a "goofy sound collage" created by guitarist Gary Waleik which includes a 10 second snippet of Shonen Knife covering Big Dipper's "Faith Healer"

Of course, this makes me look at the band's album's runout grooves even more than I normally would. Side A of Boo-Boo offers "THE RECORD AS A WHOLE", a sentiment seemingly apt for this ringtone and 99 cent MP3 era. The flip side says "IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER". I rather like "LET'S WIN ONE FOR THE DIPPER" on Craps but I am confused by the inscription on the other side: "WHAT'S THE PLANET METER READING?". Maybe I am reading it wrong, Does anyone know what it means, if anything?

Well, they expected my searching and on their big, 199p Epic release Slam it says "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING HERE FOR?"

Fripp

Stacey Erdman wrote: Hi there, Here are a few that I have, we used to have fun looking for these... Off the top of my head, I recall: Robert Fripp's The League of Gentlemen- "The next step is Discipline" - (and so it was, with King Crimson) Kate Bush's The Sensual World - "up yours ugly" Heart's Dog & Butterfly - one side said "Lurvin' " the other said, "With Love from Honna Lee" 

[A]musing?

What other inscriptions are out there that you can document? What is the first ever used? What is the longest message known? Is there a proper taxonomy, that is classification, of these messages? Have any been spotted on 78s? I did spot one on one of those maxi 45s when a young guy was showing me the few members of his just begun record collection. The 45 was The Smiths Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others and one side demanded INITIATE ME. 

Reader Angela Bender wrote in, "Hi Im writing to you to let u know that I too have noticed these on a few of my albums. On The Hooters Nervous Night LP I have found on side 1 MANAYUNK,USA and on side 2 N.Y.RATZ On The Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975 LP I have found on side 1 "HAPPY NEW YEAR, GLYNN--- and on side 2 -- WITH LOVE FROM BILL. I hope that u enjoy these inscriptions I have found on my albums." 

I wonder what those mean? Thanks Angela! 


What's on your albums?

Pickle Picks

Reader "pickle" gives some more examples:

Various: The Concert For Bangladesh - Hare Pecko (from George Harrison's seriously religious period)
Kate Bush: Lionheart - Hope you like it!
Stranglers: No More Heroes - Handcarved for your listening pleasure
Kate Bush: Never For Ever - Remember yourself (this being a line from 'Don't Push Your Foot On The Heartbrake' on Lionheart)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band: Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - Happy Xmas Porky
Kate Bush: Babooshka - Well done John 1st Dan (I assume this refers to her brother getting a 1st Dan in judo)
Kate Bush: Breathing - We all share the same air (referring to this anti-nuclear song)
Kate Bush: December Will Be Magic Again - Merry Xmas from the B's (I'm guessing this is the Bush family)
Kate Bush: The Sensual World - Up yours Ugly.

I never found out who Ugly was! 

Sub-groovinal Messages?

Sometimes if you have a lot of space, you just got to use it. That seems to be what happened on Rhino Records RNEP 501 on "Disco Vinyl, an exclusive product of Rhino Records Inc." This member of the Rhino Catalog is Some Kazoos by Temple City Kazoo Orchestra. The four covers on the 4-song 12" 45RPM EP features a bovine rendition of "Whole Lotta Love" as well as a angry, nearly violent take on "Miss You" by the eleven-member kazoo ensemble. Side One declares "a 'top ten' smash!" and "westrex 3D sound!" along with "kazoos... Americas best entertainment value!" (This is an unusual use of almost all lower case letter for an inscription as well as generous use of exclamation points.) Side Two suggests "LIKE THE RECORD? then SEE THE MOVIE!!" and "Rhino Records! Collect them all! Trade them with your friends!"

Irreverent

Checking out dickcheese from Hard-Ons (Taang! 26, [undated] we read "THE ADVENTURES OF 'FARTMAN' AND HIS ENDLESS JOURNEY THROUGH THE REVERENT" with Side 2 offering "ARE WE GOING TO PERTH? I CANT GUY MY TOOTH FELL OUT."

Wolf talk

Peter Wolf made his nonsensical but rhythmic Bronx raps a signature element of his music. Maybe these neologisms are at the root of the inscriptions on The J. Geils Band Showtime! (EMI America, SO-17087). Side 1 says "THEESELBEE" while Side 2 says something like "DaDAKRADUP." Recently (September 30, 200), I found some more goofiness looking through my "H" section. Beach Bums Must Die! from Thee Headcoats is on Crypt (CR-024, 1990) and says right on the label "SUPPORT VINYL!" I can't agree more with that. The inscription reads DON'T BE [symbol of a square]" and the reverse says "BALLY TOG BOUND PIN HEADS." What does that mean? 

This sucks?

Of course, the LP format does not have an exclusive hold on these messages. Looking through my 45RPM collection, I found two. On a Floor / Ed Matus' Struggle split-seven inch (Space Cadette Records 7, 1996) the Ed Matus' Struggle side declares "CHUPA SANGRE!" Sangre is Spanish for blood, to me. As for "chupa:"

• Hebrew: n. marriage,canopy
• Spanish: v. [he] sucks 
• Swahili: n. bottle 
• Hindi: adj. hidden 
• Slovenian: slang. long hair 
• Tibet: national dress

Perhaps, then, this is "he sucks blood?" But who does, and why? On the Floor side, we read, "ONE MILLION FROM THE SKY..." I have another inscribed split single, Penthouse / Country Teasers ( Butchers Wig SYRUP001, 1996). The A-Side has two phrases: "BUTCHERED WIGGERY!" and "A PORKY PRIME HAIRY CUT." On the reverse, "SECOND BEST WHITE DRUMMER OOT AE FIFE." and "ANOTHER PORKY PRIME CUT." The helpful Janette Ferrise from the UK offers, "oot ae is Scottish dialect for out of, and Fife is a Scottish town." This helps explain what "Edinburgh's least favorite sons" are getting at.

Reader Keith Murphy from NJ says:

Neat site! Chupa Chups is the leading brand of suckers in Mexico, so blood sucker makes sense. On Phil Spector's first big hit, I think either the 45 of Uptown or Hes a rebel, I forget, it says Phil + Annete...

(This is undoubtedly a reference to Annette nee Merar, Phil Spector's first wife. He named Annette Records after her and that was the label he debuted Cher on.)

... I think I have a record by the Mothertruckers, a folk group, that has some interesting things on it. If you are REAL interested I could look for it. I forget whether it was 45 or LP

I'd like to hear more, Keith!

The variations on “Porky’s Prime Cut” suggest George "Porky" Peckham, a British cutting engineer whose cuttings on popular and rock music are often legendary. Richmond Audio Society covers many varieties of the phrase, but not this one. (Thanks to Tod Smith for making this connection for me.) Peckham's master discs, and the records produced from them, are known as "Porky Prime Cuts" and often bear either the motto "A Porky Prime Cut" or a cryptic or humorous comment (signed "Porky"), etched into the run-out groove. Other inscriptions attributed to him include "Pecko" and "Pecko Duck".

One of his most technically demanding achievements was the so-called "three-sided" album, The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief (1973), mastered with two concentric grooves on side two, so that different material would be played depending on where the stylus was put down on the record's surface.

"NOTHING DOES NOT EXIST"

The two sides of Skid Roper Lydia's Cafe (Triple X 51044-1, 1991) offer "SKID WAS HERE" and "RECORDS STILL SOUND BETTER." I cannot disagree with either sentiment. Co-produced with The Village Voice, the street performer compilation Streat Heat (Cachalot CA 131, 1985) bore a sticker that said "Independent Labels Make Good Records" and both side of the LP are inscribed "MINSTREL's RULE." That is another pair of sentiments few of my fellow music enthusiasts could disagree with. Enthusiasm is something independent artists need to move forward without hope of commercial success. On the A-Soma and Eve Libertine album Last One Out Turns Off the Lights the pair offer as a battle cry on Side One "AWE OR NOTHING" further whittling down the future options with the philosophical observation on Side Two "NOTHING DOES NOT EXIST."

MDC - Smoke Signals

There is a lyrical extract on MDC Smoke Signals (R Radical Records MDC-4, 1986): "ALL GOD'S CHILDREN GOT TO HAVE THEIR FREEDOM" and on the other side: "WHO LOVES YA? MDC LOVES YA."

Saint Vitus - Saint Vitus

Long on of the favorites in my collections has been Saint Vitus Saint Vitus (SST 022, 1984). This is part of the '80's Second Wave of stoner rock, the first ripple after Black Sabbath's initial splash. Side One says "SILENT AERIALS - THIS QUIETING" and Side Two offers "WORSHIPPING VOLCANOES ON VIRGIN KNEES." I admit, it's been quite some time since I listened to this and I popped it on, but there were many distractions during the listening. Still, I do not think these are lyrical extracts. As a matter of fact, lyrics are printed on the sleeve and I don't see these there. They remain mysterious.

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

As I write this, I am listening to one of the most exquisite pop albums of all time: my mono copy of The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (Capitol C1 0777 7 48421 1 2, 1966?). Side 1 says "DOS MANO." "Mr. Hand?" A search on the web shows that, beside Spanish, this phrase may translate in other languages. However the reverse has "EL SLACKO." This is probably some inside Spanish lingo jokes from the group, I'd say. Another major label inscription is on Yes Tormato (Atlantic SD 19202, 1978). Side One says "STRAWBERRY - Seán". I am sure this is because disc cutting was done by Seán Davis at Strawberry Studios, London. Did he fave permission to do this, or did he just take the liberty to add his name to an album that he knew would be in the hands of millions?

Boppin' Bob

Consider "BOPPIN' BOB" found on Ike & Tina Turner The Later Greater Hits of Ike & Tina Turner & The Ikettes: Nice "n" Rough (Liberty LBR 26-0021-1, 1984). Is Boppin' Bob a DJ, perhaps? No, I think this is the nickname of Bob Jones. Jones re-mastered this album is famous for excellent work in mastering, especially reissues. This leads me to believe these messages are actually inscribed during the mastering process when the first, master copy is made from which all subsequent instances of the album are pressed. Undoubtedly, this identifies "Herbie Jr. :^)" appearing on the 12" EP Eartha Kitt "Where is My Man" b/w "Where is My Man" (Street Wise SWRL 2217) as being Herbie "Pump" Powers, Jr., cf. http://laurent.thiebaut.free.fr/bmc/labels/jump_street.htm and http://www.disco-disco.com/tributes/herbie.html. It is apparent soul and disco collectors use his signature inscriptions as marks of quality. This leads me to ask, who is the "DAVE" listed on both sides of Andre Williams Silky (In the Red ITR056, 1998) right after "MASTERED AT CAPITOL?"

Stephen King verified my Bob Jones theory, "Boppin Bob is indeed the nickname of Bob Jones. Bob acquired the nickname whilst working at Pye Studios in London from his habit of wiggling his legs in time to the music. A few other UK mastering engineers who inscribed their name in the run out grooves are:

Porky - George Peckham (cf. http://www.jpgr.co.uk/r6007.html)
Bilbo - Dennis Blackman
Arun - Arun Chakraverty"

Lyntone Platers

I did get some good feedback on this question from Stephen King. Not the writer, but the former record biz guy! (Hear the interview with Stephen.) Stephen "worked in Quality Control at Pye Records for three years and then went on to Lyntone and became Quality Control Supervisor...Lyntone's reputation was mainly for flexidiscs, however our main business became 12" & 7" vinyl records from the early 80s. Lyntone ceased manufacture of flexidiscs around 1988. The company closed just before Christmas 1990." Stephen reveals the mysteries of the inscription's genesis, "Whilst most inscriptions in runout grooves are from Cutting Engineers, a few have come from other sources including the factory employees! Whilst at Lyntone a couple of guys in the Plating Shop (where positives and stampers are made) got into trouble for writing "Platers do it every hour and a half!" on a Telstar Greatest Hits record! The inscription was a double entendre in that it took around 1 1/2 hours to "grow" (electroform) a stamper and over here the term "plater" can have another (sexual) meaning!!" 

Wow! Does anyone out there have that Telstar greatest hits?