Round Discs of Plastic ( #AtoZChallenge )

    Round discs of plastic is what one might see when looking at vinyl records.  But there is magic in the grooves of that plastic.  What a great invention the vinyl record was!

        My record purges got rid of albums by The Rascals, Lou Rawls, and Leon Russell, but at least I've got their music on CD and cassette.  My Rachmaninoff  vinyl may be gone but it's been replaced by some better albums by that Russian composer.  A few R vinyl LPs are gone, but most I have kept as you can see to follow...

Links to the music are included throughout the post if you want to hear the music.

Rig  (1970)  "Rig Selections"  "Have a Cigar"    I wish there was more on YouTube from this album as this has always been among my favorites. At least you can listen to a few cuts from this album.  When not in classes at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, I could often be found in the University Bookstore perusing the record bins.  They had one of the better record selections in Knoxville at the time, including a lot of records not easily found elsewhere.  I was intrigued enough by this album by Rig until I finally broke down to spend the big bucks to buy it full retail price.  The album became one of my favorites.  It's nice country rock pop.  It still sounds good to me.  Probably always will. 

Rich Mountain Tower (1971)   This was one terrific group that came out of Knoxville TN in the seventies.  Oddly, although I was living near Knoxville at the time, the first I heard of this group was reading about them in a Washington DC newspaper when I was visiting with a friend.  In a very positive review of their debut album I learned about this group and how their album was the first (or maybe one of the first) album to be released in Quadraphonic sound--at least that's what the review had said. When I got back home to Maryville TN I went out and bought a copy of the record.  And I was so happy that I did.  This is great mostly acoustic flavored rock with a country tinge.  Knoxville should be very proud of this group.  They didn't release many albums after this, but they are local music legends.  Sadly, though the album has achieved critical acclaim over the years, the Rich Mountain Tower debut album is mostly forgotten and neglected.  You should treat your ears and mind and give this album a listen.  Maybe you will like it as much as I do.  I maintain that it is one of the best rock albums of the early seventies. 

Todd Rundgren  "Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren" (1971)  I think there is general agreement among those who know their music that Todd Rundgren is a musical genius.  He has put out so much great music of his own as well as producing a slew of great music for other artists.  Listen to this early album of his and you might agree.  Genius or whatever, this is a wonderful album that I discovered in a cut-out bin for a steal.  I'm keeping this one.

Rebecca and the Sunny Brook Farmers  "Birth"  (1969)  This was a cool find in the cut-outs.  It was very inexpensive and very interesting.  This is psychedelia with a touch of Joplin at times. Oh, and the group has a viola player--almost like a violin and that was enough for me.  Soon after I bought this album I realized the violist was the same one who played on the Doobie Brothers hit "Black Water".  If you've been following all of my April posts you might remember my mention of Ilene Novog who went under the stage name of Novi.  After Rebecca's sunny crew broke up, three members went on to become the group Chunky, Novi, and Ernie.  But back to the "Birth" album, there's fine playing, decent vocals, variety of substance, and enjoyable songs.  I like this album so I'm not likely to get rid of it.

Cliff Richard   "We Don't Talk Anymore"  (1979)    "Walking in the Light" (1984)   I thought that the song "We Don't Talk Anymore" was such a great song that I went out and bought the vinyl.  It was during a brief period when I was living off the road and listening to records again.  This album is a very good album that evokes memories of a complex time of my life.  The "Walking in the Light" album I purchased at a previously mentioned discount bookstore in West Knoxville TN with a number of other cut-out albums. This was during the time of my life when I was buying a lot of Contemporary Christian Music.   Cliff Richard is a pro who had a long career in music so I think his albums deserve a place in my album line-up.

The Rockets  (1968)  This group's mention caught my attention from Neil Young's song "Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)",   At first I thought it was part of some kind of Neil Young mythology until I discovered this was the root group that turned into Young's back up band Crazy Horse.  The first time I ran across this LP in the cut-out bins was at the Big K in Alcoa TN and for some nutty reason I didn't buy it.  When I went back to buy it, the album was gone.  For months after that I searched cut-out bins all over with a special eye for this album.  Eventually in late June of 1971, I found a copy of the album in the bargain record bin at a big variety store in downtown Morgantown WV.  At the time I was visiting my grandparents and traveling by bus.  I had to package up the record and mail it home.  I was concerned whether the record would make it okay and fortunately it did and I have it to this day.  After all of that effort there's no way I'd give this one up.  Even though I eventually found a CD copy from Amazon.

Rotary Connection  "Aladdin"  (1968)  I had read about this group in Lillian Roxon's "Rock Encyclopedia" to which I used to refer often in 1970 and had made a mental note to be on the lookout for their albums.  Then there it was in the Big K cut-out bins!  I got it, loved it, listened to it a lot and eventually bought some of their other albums on CD.  Rotary Connection is a great group of vocalists who sing some impressive song arrangements.  

Richard Twice (1970)  I paid a dollar or less for this album procured from some unremembered cut-out bin--very likely Big K.  As I recall they had a number of  copies and it looked like an album I should have.  And I'm glad I bought it.  Reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel, this sunny pop rock album carries me back to the seventies.  I've listened to this album so many times.  From the credits I recognized the names of well known session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew.  That suggested that the music would be high quality and indeed that what's on this record.  I never knew anything specific about this artist or this album until I was researching this post and then found this 10 minute video.  It's an interesting look at this musical history.

     Anything here you remember?   Do you ever wonder what happened to certain artists you listen to?  What are some favorite R groups for you?