Here is the second installment of “Alphabetized Into Obscurity – A Journey Into the Unknown.” It’s no challenge for us to find some awesome unknowns, tucked throughout the store. So once more, we’ve picked five records in the hopes of finding a hidden treasure and perhaps inspire you to journey into the unknown corners of your local record store, where you may find your own treasure. Again, If you happen to know any of these bands and feel disappointed that we were unfamiliar with them…get a life.

Crash Crew – Self Titled [Sugar Hill Records]

This is everything you would expect from a Sugar Hill Records 80s rap group. And, like most early rap recordings, there is a sense of uncharted territory being discovered. The culture and style surrounding early rap music definitely paved the way for a lot of the ideas present, but only time can polish those ideas into what hip hop eventually grew up to be. Take the lyrics, for instance. Following the formula set by early groups like Sugar Hill Gang and Grandmaster Flash, so much of rap is about style and ability and how you’re filled to the brim with it. But, there are so many ways to convey this message. If you’re a member of Crash Crew in the early 80s, that message can be as simple as stating you can do anything like “climb a mountain, play hockey or waterski.” This album is full of these gems. The beats are classic, mixing funk, disco and that little bit of magic that set rap apart from the other popular styles of the day.

Claudine Longet – Let’s Spend the Night Together [Barnaby Records]

This album has all the trappings of a bonus, obscure record store find. Starting with the cover: a simple, woodcut like transferred image; her name, seemingly French in origin; the album title, surely referring to the Rolling Stones song. Turns out, the entire album is a collection of covers of popular rock songs, from the Beach Boys to Leonard Cohen. The music isn’t bad, but she is certainly banking on style over substance when it comes to her vocals, all whispery and titillating, sung through a pouty french accent. However, the songs are arranged in a way that make them quite palatable and intriguing. There’s all the classic early 70s folk arrangements of strings and pianos, with finger picked guitars, similar to Nick Drake’s first two albums. But, you also get a little early synth mixed in. Now, where this gets really weird is when you start doing the research. Turns out, Claudine had quite the Hollywood story. She enjoyed a successful career in the 60s as an actress, dancer, singer and was married to pop singer Andy Williams for over a decade. Shortly after releasing this album, her career came to a halt with a conviction for misdemeanor negligent homicide in connection with the death of her boyfriend, former Olympic skier Spider Sabich. Looks like I’ve stumbled upon a little cable television drama, along with some good tunes to listen to.

Cris Williamson – The Changer and the Changed [Olivia Records]

Another great backstory behind this one! On the back of this album, it says “This album was produced with the help of the following women:” and then continues to list about 50 names. I had to look this up! Turns out Cris Williamson was a bit of a pioneer for female recording artists and an openly lesbian political activist. This was intriguing, considering the political climate of the mid-70s was not the most welcoming to such issues. The label this was released on (Olivia Records), was a collective, run by women, that recorded and marketed female recording artists. They once turned down Yoko Ono, stating they didn’t want to make themselves dependent on high-profile names. All back story aside, this album is a great listen. Plenty of solid folk/pop tunes with great arrangements and a solid rhythm section. There’s a lot of soul to this album, too. I could easily see Light In The Attic reissuing this one. This feels like a real piece of history and perhaps a precursor to the more social conscious “indie” labels and artists of the 80s and 90s.

Bent Fabric – The Drunken Penguin [ATCO]

This is as kitschy as it gets! And, as with any great kitsch from the 60s, it has an oddly psychedelic tone to it. But, that sort of psychedelia that found its way into mainstream pop culture, without most of the participants being aware. Just watch any brightly colored variety show from that time, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. On the surface, this is an album of perfectly respectable instrumental tunes that can fall into the pop, country, and jazz categorizations. But for some reason, they decided to just add a little delay on the piano, for every song! Nothing else weird going on. Everything is as tame as can be. Only, the simple notes being plucked out of the piano sound like some sort of hazy, half awake dream. So, where might this album fit into my own collection? Now, I’m not one for big parties and dance clubs; my New Year’s Eve was spent with a handful of friends, drinking cocktails, mixed with home made vegetable juice, listening to jazz. It’s no secret that I enjoy a little kitsch, now and then. Around the time of the midnight countdown (which was followed by a Youtube video of Julie Andrews singing Auld Land Syne), all the alcohol, mixed with the vitamins and beet juice and ginger, started to make things a little fuzzy and buzzy.  If The Drunken Penguin had been in my collection, it surely would have made an appearance that night.

Oscar Brand – X [Roulette]

Now, I’ve heard the name Oscar Brand in connection with the folk music of the early to mid 1900s. Having written several books and hosting a folk radio show since the 40s, he has been a powerful figure in the folk community. He has played with the greats, like Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. His radio show holds the record for the longest running show with the same host! He was partly responsible for introducing the world to stars like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Peter Paul and Mary. However, I can’t say I’ve ever knowingly listened to one of his recordings…even though he’s recorded over 100 albums. So, I suppose this is my introduction to the music of Oscar Brand. Is it too late to start with another album? I’m sure he might grimace at the idea that one of the first songs I’ve heard him perform was “The Woodpecker’s Hole” or “All About Turds.”  Sure, if I were an 11 year old, this might be a fine launching point for a lifetime of Oscar Brand fanaticism. But, as a record store employee in his 30s, I think a collection of “Bawdy” folk tunes might be a little lost on me. In the interest of paying respect to the greats, I will now seek out another one of his 100 albums, in the hopes of redeeming his legacy.

This go-around had a lot of great back stories and historical significants. These might not have all been absolute winners, but they have certainly sparked interest in several avenues of musical exploration. I suppose it’s not always about the find, but also about the journey a record can send you on.