Calling all vinyl junkies! I need to hear about the weirdest records ever released. I’m not necessarily talking about strange sounds or odd lyrics, but unusual subjects, mismatched artists to song styles (Joey Bishop’s country-western album immediately comes to mind), anything oddball in any format (single or album - CD’s okay). Here’s a f’ristance: a Christian aerobics album for children (forgot the artists name), things like “Altar Boy Responses In Latin”, or “Learn To Ski” (I assume you’re supposed to listen to the record FIRST before hitting the slopes, not WHILE you’re on the slopes). Specific artists and labels would be welcome. Thanks!
William Shatner’s The Transformed Man comes to mind. Tell me the idea of THAT GUY singing Mr. Tambourine Man and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds isn’t mind-blowing.
Sen. Sam’s spoken word album with the timeless “Bridge over troubled waters”. This gem can be found with Shatner’s work on the “Golden throats” CD.
Fagjunk Theology: Not just for sodomite propagandists anymore.
Sen. Sam’s spoken word album with the timeless “Bridge over troubled waters”. This gem can be found with Shatner’s work on the “Golden throats” CD.
Fagjunk Theology: Not just for sodomite propagandists anymore.
Lol Coxhill’s Ear of Beholder. His version of “I Am the Walrus” sets the standard for strange.
When my great aunt passed away, I was given the opportunity to go through her old albums and take away what I wanted. There were some interesting finds, among them a couple of Village People records - but the weirdest, by far, was called “Waltz and Polka Mass”.
It was what it sounds like: the Roman Catholic Mass, performed as a series of waltzes and polkas. I gave it a spin, and listened with a mixture of amusement, horror, and abject bewilderment.
Dee Dee Ramone’s Rap album, released under the name Dee Dee King – Standing in the Spotlight
Could be a dual winner…the strangest and worst album of the last 20 years.
Charles Manson’s Love and terror Cult :
A re-release of an album cut By Charles and The Family.
I forget what the original title was.
I have a copy,.
Of Course.
Middle-aged housewife makes an album fracturing popular songs of the day (“the day” being some time in the late 60s, I believe).
Also, The Shaggs.
I don’t know, Wendy O Williams’ rap record was pretty bad too. I forget what its called, something like Wendy and the Ultra Fly Hometown Girls IIRC
I have a Fuzztones 12" EP where the grooves of two songs are cut side by side, so that, depending which groove the needle slides into, it plays “Romilar D” in Spanish or Italian. Thats preety wacky.
Check out an album from the Cramps frontman Lux Interior, called The Purple Knif Show. Its a comp of a bunch of waaaayyyyyy out there songs from the 50s and sixties. Its exactly what your looking for. Also check out Scrapin’ For Hits" by The Squirrels. They do a version of “Johnny B Good” to the tune of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”, A Metal Wizard of Oz tribute “Oz on 45”, a loungr version of “Spirit In The Sky”, a ballad called “(I wanna die) In A Womens Prison” and tons of other strangeness! Great stuff
Jon
I found, among my parents’ records, a 45 called “It’s Free.” It was distributed by the public health authorities, and was a pretty typical funk tune performed by a local (Chicago) artist. But it was the song’s lyrics that set it apart: vivid descriptions of sexually transmitted disease symptoms, with a refrain that talked of “free shots to cure VD.”
My brother has a record containing instructions for what to do in the case of a nuclear holocaust.
It’s not a full album, just a 45.
Napoleon XIV’s “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Ha.” As if the song wasn’t peculiar enough, the B-side is the same song… played backwards.
Oh, it’s not even close. The strangest recording ever made was by… Tiny Tim. He recorded a Christmas song called “Santa Claus Has Got the AIDS This Year.”
A more jaw-droppingly, mind-blowingly, sickly inappropriate and wrong-headed song cannot be imagined. It starts with the voice of Santa saying “I’m sorry kiddies, but I’m not feeling well. I won’t be coming for Christmas.” Then, Tiny starts singing about how Santa is sick with “the AIDS” (why he adds the article “the” is unknown), but don’t worry kids, he’ll go to the doctor, and he’ll be good as new next year." Apparently, Tiny Tim thought AIDS was sort of like a bad cold!
Weirdest part is, I don’t THINK Tiny Tim was trying to be funny. He actually seemed to think he was making a profound social statement.
He was a genuinely strange guy!
Here’s a good place to find odd stuff.
I’m an owner of a couple of the discs mentioned in this thread, as well as Nimoy and Shatner’s combined “best of”, Spaced Out.
Probably the oddest albums I have, though, are the first two albums of Andrew Denton’s Musical Challenge. They’re excerpts from an Australian ex-breakfast DJ’s show which featured a “musical challenge” segment where a band in the studio would be asked (on more or less notice) to perform a song outside their normal musical range.
The Del-tones’ do-wop version of the Sex Pistols’ Pretty Vacant pretty much sums it up. Some are more successful than others, and an annoying number have studio interjections or giggling over the top, but many of the songs work pretty well. Some struggle to fit their talent to the song, some rework the song to fit their own style.
I Write the Songs is actually a surprisingly good song when dropped down into a trad blues groove. And Word Up will never be the same without the mobile phone solo.
It being a breakfast radio show, a number of the groups and singers are pretty much unknown outside Australia, but it’s still worth a listen.
Fascinating, yet horrifying.
Here’s a nice, utterly obscure one for you.
So there was this very successful British rock band in the 70s called The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Lead singer Alex Harvey had a serious accident, and while he was recovering the other four members of the band put out an album. They called the album, not unwittily, ‘Fourplay’.
Here’s the good bit. The album was officially credited to the following artist: “The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Without Alex”. So good old Alex Harvey, flat on his back in hospital, was actually the credited ‘artist’ not once but twice on an album on which he didn’t feature at all.
So try that on your next rock trivia quiz - ‘name someone who was the credited artist twice on an album on which he never featured in any capacity whatsoever’.
This is a fascinating thread. I have to say though, should we really be including intentionally odd recordings? I mean, “They’re Coming to Take Me Away” is intended as a joke song; I mean, are we gonna start including Weird Al in this list?
I think we should stick to serious albums that simply turn out absurd.
There was a live album released of Elvis Presley’s stage patter. Not any of the songs he was performing, just the parts where he talked to audience members between songs.
That XMAS oldie-"Walkin’ Round In Women’s Underwear."To the tune of Winter Wonderland.
Christmas in Jail-the Youngsters, El watusi-Ray Barretto,all Freberg records. Dion- doowopper supreme-“Abraham, Martin & John,” followed by “Both Sides Now.”