From what I can tell, this might be Ronco’s first hits compilation – Do It Now – from 1970:
When is the last time you’ve seen Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles on the same album? Not to mention The Buffalo Springfield. And The Byrds.
Interesting to note that the Buffalo Springfield selection – Neil Young’s dark horse of a tune, “Flying On The Ground Is Wrong” – was not even released as a single. Likewise with The Byrds and their horn-driven, anti-amphetamine cautionary tale, “Artificial Energy,” as opposed to one of their more jangly numbers. Come to think of it, Jimi Hendrix’s straight-ahead blues original, “Red House,” is also an unexpected choice for a hits mix (as is Eric Burdon’s deeply questioning and frankly bizarre, “When I Was Young“).
This album was once in our family record collection growing up – I have since obtained a cheap copy. Funny to re-read the notes on the back cover:
This album is a celebration of life – a feeling of energy and love by the poets, artists and musicians who have joined together to speak up for a purpose – to relay the message against drug abuse. The Do It Now Foundation is dedicated to helping fight this problem. Never before in the history of the recording industry have so many artists donated their services for a collage album [emphasis mine]. We wish to thank all those caring people, the record companies and music publishers, whose contributions went into making this album a reality.
Do It Now includes a fairly robust mix of labels for a reissue compilation, although admittedly top heavy on the major label side:
– Atco (Buffalo Springfield)
– Bell (Crazy Elephant)
– Buddah (Melanie; The Five Stairsteps)
– Capitol (Beatles)
– Columbia (Donovan; Janis Joplin)
– Mercury (Steam)
– MGM (Eric Burdon)
– RCA (Jefferson Airplane)
– Scepter (B.J. Thomas; Mel & Tim)
– Stormy Forest (Richie Havens)
– UNI (Neil Diamond)
– Warner Bros. (The Association; Ides of March; Jimi Hendrix)
– Westbound (Teegarden & Van Winkle)
– White Whale (The Turtles)
Taking into account that Warner Brothers-Seven Arts purchased Atlantic/Atco in 1967, there are 13 different labels represented on Do It Now, which strikes me as on the high side. I wonder what the record is?
Anyway, one of the more interesting tracks on this hits compilation is “God, Love & Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Teegarden And Van Winkle from 1970 on the Westbound label:
“God, Love & Rock n’ Roll”
Teegarden And Van Winkle (1970)
45 picture sleeve
Germany
Ed Ward makes this observation about the significance of Westbound once Motown shifted operations to the West Coast:
Detroit in the late 1960s was a hotbed of talent, from the rock groups playing the Grande Ballroom to the soul talent vying for a deal with Motown, to numerous jazz groups at lounges all over town. But when Motown left for California in 1971, that talent was left with nowhere to record. But another label, Westbound Records, stuck around. In its eccentric way, it did its best to document black music as it changed in Detroit.
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Do It Now News Item
Billboard
December 21, 1968
Album Out On Evils Of Drugs; Profits To Fund
LOS ANGELES — An album of songs about drugs and containing anti-drug usage comments, is being prepared by the Do It Now Foundation, a year-old anti-drug organization.
Artists reported donating their songs free include Donovan, Sonny and Cher, Canned Heat, Buffalo Springfield, The Animals, Ravi Shankar, Hoyt Axton, Byrds, Chad and Jeremy.
Lester Sill of Colgem Records is helping the organization set up national distribution for the LP, which will sell for $2.50 with all proceeds going toward the Foundation’s educational programs to combat teen-age usage of amphetamine or speed drugs.
There will be a number of tracks in which former speed users discuss effects of the dangerous drugs. Many of the song titles have drug usage references, said Foundation spokesman, Vic Pawlak, citing “Flying on the Ground Is Wrong,” by the Buffalo Springfield, “Rest in Peace,” by Chad and Jeremy, and “Artificial Energy,” by the Byrds.
A total of twenty tracks across two album sides, and yet Chad and Jeremy ended up not making the final cut, nor did Sonny and Cher, Hoyt Axton, and Ravi Shankar.
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Philanthropy Update
Happy to report that The Do It Now Foundation [was] still going strong – click here [link no longer active] to check out this public service announcement from Frank Zappa about the dangers of amphetamine use on the Foundation’s home page.
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LINK to Various Artists Compilations
