Rant #2,442: My Prerogative

Yes, I overslept by a lot this morning.

I simply could not get up at the normal time.

My sleep was not a very good one until I finally dug in, and when it did, I was in slumber way past my usual time.

So at this late moment, it is nearing the time when I have to go to work.

Thus, I have to write something short and sweet to fulfill my obligation to you, the readers of this column, to provide you a column a week day.

So here it is, and yes, it is going to be short and sweet.

It is my prerogative.

We spoke how I hate to buy things, hate to go to the store and make purchases--but I do like making certain purchases, for specific events and to feed my record collection.

In a future Rant, I will certainly talk about all the items I am picking up related to my sister's 60th birthday, but there is plenty of time for that, as she doesn't turn the magic 6-0 until December 26.

So today, I have decided to talk about my most recent purchases of records to feed my collecton, centering on 45s.

I have purchased some LPs, too, but for now, and since I have to rush through this column anyway, it is going to be vinyl singles that I talk about.

And if you want to get a precise reading on me, don't ask me for my MP3 collection--ask to see my record collection, and you will pretty much know who I am very clearly.

Anyway, here goes--

Four Tops - It's All in the Game/Still Water (Love): When you think of the Four Tops, you think of smooth, classic Motown soul. Their lead vocalist, Levi Stubbs, could do whatever he wanted with a song, whether it be a ballad or a full-out soul police number. I am glad that I finally found this single, because it is strange, not that the A side was strange, reaching No. 24 in 1970. What was strange is that Motown had such a belief in the B side of the single that they soon released it as an A side right after the release of this single, and it reached No. 11, but here, it debuted as simply the back side of another hit single for the Tops. Kind of interesting, I would say, and the A side cover is really neat.

(In retrospect, I made a major mistake here. The B side of this single is "Love (Is the Answer)" and not "Still Water (Love)." This is what happens when I rush when I write. But heck, it made for a good story anyhow.)

Cheech and Chong - Sister Mary Elephant/Wink Dinkerson: I really have never been much of a fan of the drugged up comedy duo, but they did put out some excellent comedy records in the early 1970s, this being one of them. Based on childhood reminiscences, the A side, which reached No. 24 in late 1973, is one of their best, really capturing the mood of the oftentimes rowdy duo. But off record, I really never got into their drug-enhanced humor, but they proved with singles like this that they could be funny without the drug references.

Dave Clark Five - Play Good Old Rock 'N' Roll: Yes, and they do it on both sides of this early 1970s single, which was a huge hit when released in Europe, but was never released--or at least the A side was never released--in the United States. You might remember that all the classic rockers from the 1950s had early 1970s revivals--Chuck Berry, Little Richard, even Bill Haley and the Comets--and the DC5, whose leader, Dave Clark, was always fast on picking up on trends, decided to release a medley of some of the greatest hits of the first rock era in the 1950s, and the group hit the top of the pop charts overseas doing it. This is the British single release, which continues the early rock vice on both sides of the single. Mike Smith's vocals are perfectly suited for these songs, and if you want to hear DC5 music that you might not have heard before, this single is it!

That is it for now.

Sorry for the brevity of this Rant, but I have to go to work.

I will try to arrange my sleeping patterns better the next time.

Have a great weekend, and speak to you again on Monday.