Toni Childs-Union

Toni Childs' Union album has an interesting inscription. It is not Side 2 "Thank you David", which I figure is for David Ricketts. No, it is the inscription on Side 1 that has me nonplussed: "Cheryl & Sebastian, no war toys".

What do you make of that?

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!"