jim henson

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I've been doing a fair bit of traveling lately.

When passing through a new area, I'm going to assume that I'm not the only person who categorizes seeking out dusty thrift shops, junk stores and vintage vinyl emporiums as
'sightseeing'.

Here's a batch of some more visually appealing recent record scores...

An early-ish LP from
The Spotnicks, ▶
Sweden's influential rock instrumental band, formed in 1961 and still at it.

- Click over to YouTube for a couple of 1960's Spotnicks video clips:
'Please Say Yes' and 'Rocketman'



Those curious to hear the Exotica Harmonica sound of Tommy Morgan ▼ from this 1958 LP should follow this link.

A nice cover from the always-fetching Sylvie Vartan, ▼ Queen of the '60's French ye-ye girls.

I seem to recall April March paying homage to this cover on one of her mid-'90's projects, in suitable fashion.



YouTube has a clip or two of Polish actress Barbara Rylska ▼ in action in the early 1960's...

Saxophonist Vido Musso ▶ had played with Stan Kenton and several other top Big Band leaders in the '40's.
This solo album was released on the Crown record label in 1954.










Hattie Noel ▼ was a
singer / comedienne, and a stage and film actress who tended to play the maid roles not performed by Hattie McDaniel or
Louise Beavers.

In a bizarre little footnote, it's come to light recently that she also acted as the Disney studio's animators model for the dancing hippo sequence in 1940's 'Fantasia'.



'Spoonerizer' and Grand Ole Opry star Archie Campbell ▼ was still a few years away from joining the cast of 'Hee-Haw' when he released his 'Cockfight and Other Tall Tales' album in 1966.



Center-Square Paul Lynde's ▼ 1960 comedy LP can currently be heard over at Way Out Junk!

Cartoonist Mort Drucker was a staple of MAD magazine, and is no stranger to record covers, but I'd never seen this one, 'The LBJ Menagerie' from 1968. ▼

It's another '60's political humor album, full of comedic impersonations.
I suppose that just like it's precursor, Vaugh Meader's 1962 'First Family' LP, it's sales future was marred by another Kennedy assassination...

- You can read more about Mort Drucker's art and technique in a thoughtful entry over at
Illustration Art.



Speaking of MAD artists, there's Wally Wood on this risqué (by 1964 standards) 'party' album. ▼



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Above, ▲ - - well, words fail. I guess one can polka to anything, if they set their mind to it...

Below, ▼ ridin' in style with The Willis Brothers.

Starday Records was THE place in the sixties for cool country album covers. (Especially if you like cars, girls, and trucks)






















































Below, ▼ one from Buzz Martin, 'The Poet Laureate of the Logging Industry".



















































Ray Charles struck gold when he first began blending C&W with R&B.
He put out several such albums, but here's one I haven't encountered very often.▼