Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic

Discoveries of a Pop Music Archaeologist

Month: February 2013

"Anaheim, Azusa and Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review & Timing Association"
Zeroto180

Jan & Dean: Avant-Pop Pioneers?

I picked up a double album anthology of Jan & Dean‘s best work and found myself rather bemused by one particular track — and outright befuddled by an entire album side. First, the song — 1964’s “The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association,” one of

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"You Can't Wynn Stewart"
Zeroto180

Musical Roll Call pt. 2: “You Can’t Wynn Stewart”

People readily associate Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Red Simpson with the legendary Bakersfield Sound, but not enough people associate the great Wynn Stewart,  as well.  Wynn’s musical roll call – “You Can’t Wynn Stewart” – playfully uses the names of country music notables (e.g., “She’ll hurt your Pride, Charley

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"Soul Train"
Zeroto180

Musical Roll Call pt. 1: “Soul Train”

Little Royal‘s musical roll call of soul music luminaries – “Soul Train” from 1972 – is connected to the post-Syd Nathan era of the King Records story after Starday Records had purchased King and henceforth became known as Starday-King: “Soul Train” Little Royal (1972) Interesting to see which artists were

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"Spaceship Races"
Zeroto180

Battle of the “Spaceship Races”

How interesting that Carole King, the musical part of the Goffin-King songwriting partnership, had been writing hits since the very beginning of the 1960s and yet had not released her first solo album until 1970.  The ad campaign that accompanied King’s debut album – an impressive and endless roll call

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"Good Vibrations"
Zeroto180

Paul Tanner: Musician-of-All-Trades & Oddball Instrumentalist

Paul Tanner, who just recently passed, lived to the ripe old age of 95.  I was delighted to learn that this one-time trombonist for The Glenn Miller Orchestra went on to play the pivotal theremin part on the Beach Boys’ worldwide 1966 hit, “Good Vibrations” – as well as on

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"Bongo Man"
Zeroto180

Jimmy Cliff: Bongo Man II

In 1970 Jamaican music legend, Jimmy Cliff, was behind a recording that used powerful Nyabinghi drumming as the song’s primary percussion track, “Bongo Man“: A couple years ago I picked up one of those Warner Brothers artist samplers at a local flea market, this one a double album from the

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"Song of Winter"
Zeroto180

Françoise Hardy Is All Alone

The “folk” label on the top of the album cover combined with the Reprise Records promotional sticker at the bottom make me think that some radio station staffer liquidated part of the radio station’s library for some cold hard cash.  I feel bad for the listeners, since this is a

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"Dixie Doodle"
Zeroto180

Music that Bridge Nations: “Dixie Doodle”

One of my favorite Link Wray tunes is one that humorously fuses our two American national anthems — “Dixie” and “Yankee Doodle“: “Dixie Doodle” Link Wray (1958) Interesting to learn that, on the strength of his hugely influential top 40 hit, “Rumble” — a menacing instrumental that was actually banned

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