Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic

Discoveries of a Pop Music Archaeologist

Category: Musical misspellings

Experimental pop
Zeroto180

Blink and You Miss It — Zapple Records

The timeline in Barry Miles‘ memoir of his ever-so-brief tenure as manager of Zapple Records (“the brainchild of Paul McCartney“) says it all: 1 May 1969 — Zapple launched in the US 9 May 1969 — Zapple launched in the UK June 1969 — Zapple closed. No announcement, funding simply

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"Rock and Roll Gypsies"
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Hearts And Flowers: Country Rock

Back when I did the daily commute to Baltimore and my car radio had better reception, I used to enjoy a great community radio station that shares programming with its owner, WXPN, the Philadelphia radio station known for its World Cafe program, and yet operates out of a high school from

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45 sides +/- obscure tracks
Zeroto180

Oddball Hendrix 45s & EPs Worldwide

Those familiar with Jimi Hendrix‘s song catalog might be amused by the quirky decisions made in various ‘foreign’ (i.e, non-US or -UK) markets around the globe — that’s right, it’s another romp through the 45Cat database not unlike the previous piece with The Beatles. Let us begin our quest with

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"Tomorrow Never Knows"
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Oddball Beatles EPs Worldwide

Last month’s surprising (and under-reported) research results pertaining to The Beatles’ controversial association with K-Tel, I assumed, had tapped the well of Beatledom dry.  So imagine my surprise when Zero to 180 researchers poked at 45Cat’s database with a stick and stumbled upon a treasure trove of curious and, at

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"She's So Fine"
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Jimi Hendrix (and Beatles & Stones) on a K-Tel Album?

It still boggles my mind that Ronco somehow found a way to compile an album featuring tracks from top pop acts – Jimi Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield, The Beatles, and The Byrds – one would not normally associate with TV-advertised hits labels, such as Ronco. Jimi Hendrix — 3rd artist listed

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"Silver Springs"
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“Silver Springs” Maryland: Musically Unincorporated

I was recently reminded that Stevie Nicks wrote a song in 1976 that was intended for Fleetwood Mac‘s multi-platinum (i.e., 40+ million) Rumours album but, in the end, used only as a B-side.  This song, interestingly enough, is named for the place where my children were born and educated —

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"Bourée"
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Pop-Up Record Albums

Until fairly recently, I had a Tuesday Morning “close-out retailer” store within two miles of home.  In an age when we are lucky to have just one large national bookstore chain, I was grateful to have a quirky home goods store that also offered the oddest assortment of book fare,

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"Blind Bats and Swamp Rats"
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Johnny Jenkins: Bat-Friendly

Zero to 180’s tribute to the world’s only flying mammal continues into its second day with a B-side from Johnny Jenkins — “Blind Bats and Swamp Rats“: “Blind Bats and Swamp Rats“ Johnny Jenkins (1970) Written by Jackie Avery “Blind Bats and Swamp Rats” can also be found on Jenkins’

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"Google Eye"
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Nashville Teens: 60s Internet Advocates

Yesterday’s piece about The Nashville All-Stars inspired me to take a closer look at a 1960s beat group that has generated positive buzz among the musical cognoscenti — The Nashville Teens.  Taking a peek at their 45 releases quickly revealed a startling discovery:  The Nashville Teens were musical clairvoyants who

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"Kitten on the Keys"
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“Kitten on the Keys”: Liberace Plays the Boogie

2013’s Steven Soderbergh-directed Liberace biopic was ineligible for Oscar nominations since, as Mother Jones points out, the film was released on cable television (HBO) instead of U.S. theaters due to its “conspicuous gayness.”  Along with Milton Berle, Liberace was one of TV’s earliest stars and, as pointed out in the

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