The Flirtations with a bold realization kick off #9! Then a yet to be lionized Lenny Bruce releases a single from his second groundbreaking (check the cover) album, recorded in 1958 at Ann’s 440 Club in San Francisco. He’s a young comic seeking to shock, relieve, poke, educate, and entertain all in 2 minutes of jazz poetry doomed for zero airplay.
Fast forward almost a decade down the line, and the hippy darlings of Grand Rapids, Michigan, hang the bedspreads on their 1967 garage walls, inhale a little Escanaba Waba, and memorialize their tie-die lifestyle in song.
NOTHING BUT A HEARTACHE The Flirtations
The Flirtations were an all girl soul group who could have called themselves the Pearce Sisters, except sisters Betty, Shirley, and Earnestine included their friend Viola Billups. They began life in the early 60s as the Gypsies, but changed their name in ’65 when they were signed by Josie Records. Betty left the group a year later. In 1967 the remaining Flirtations did their own American invasion, and moved to England, where they began recording for the Parrot, then the Deram label. Their big song of 1969 is what they are remembered for, a swinging big sound with enough Top 40 hooks to fill a tackle box. And even though it was a hit in the U.S., the group stayed in Great Britain for another ten years. Here’s the Flirtations and Nothing But a Heartache…
PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS Lenny Bruce
Comedians have been going into recording studios for a long time. Novelty hits are a fast payday if they click, and if they don’t, there’s always another club. In his 40 years, Lenny Bruce would change the face of stand up comedy, not only because he brought dirty words to the stage, but because his vision of humor included savage observations on bigotry, religious contradictions, evil politicians, and everything that can go wrong in life and love. Lenny loved jazz and was a beatnik at heart, both which come through on this single that was released from the 1959 album The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce. Psychopathia Sexualis…
BLESS OUR HIPPY HOME The Assortment
Today we dip into the Michigan garage sound of the 1960s. The Fenton label hailed from Sparta, Michigan, and ultimately became more famous than any of their bands. Most of their acts were little known, never made it nationally, but were huge on the Grand Rapids and Muskegon sock hop circuit. They also had excellent studio recordings made of their garage sounds, thanks to the Fenton engineers. Here’s a good example, a pretty dumb song with great production values. From 1967, it’s The Assortment and Bless Our Hippy Home…
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