RECORD SWAP - PART 4: TAKIN A CHANCE

ANOTHER RECORD FOR A SUNDAY MORNING, LET'S SHOW OFF ANOTHER SWAP

RECORD GIVEN: 101 STRINGS - AWARD HITS FROM BROADWAY AND HOLLYWOOD

THIS IS SUCH A GENERIC LOOKING 'PUT A PRETTY GIRL ON THE COVER TO SELL SOME PREFAB EASY LISTENING SCHLOCK' COVER THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE THIS WAS A 101 STRINGS RECORD. NOT THAT 101 STRINGS DOESN'T EMBRACE IT'S PREFAB EASY LISTENING SCHLOCKNESS BECAUSE IT CERTAINLY DOES, BUT THEIR BRANDING NORMALLY EMPHASIZES THE STRINGS PART WITH THE SAME PICTURE OF THE ORCHESTRA IN THE MUSIKHALLE HAMBURG ON A BUNCH OF THEIR ALBUMS. THEY WEREN'T ABOVE PUTTING PRETTY GIRLS ON THE ALBUM COVERS THOUGH, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD MOVE PRODUCT BUT IT DIDN'T REALLY CLICK WITH ME THAT THIS WAS THE CLOUD LOGO ORCHESTRA UNTIL AFTER THE RECORD WAS GONE

I NEVER ONCE LISTENED TO THIS ALBUM AND DON'T PARTICULARLY WANT TO, BUT HERE'S A SAMPLE IF YOU'RE CURIOUS. THE MASTERMIND OF THIS MUSIC SELLING SCHEME WAS PRODUCER DAVE MILLER WHOSE OTHER CLAIM TO FAME WAS PRODUCING EARLY BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS RECORDS. INSTEAD OF TRACKING DOWN SOME SLUDGY STRINGS ON YOUTUBE, LISTEN TO THIS A HISTORY OF ROCK MUSIC IN 500 SONGS EPISODE THAT HAS SOME JUICY DIRT ON DAVE'S EARLY DAYS. YOU CAN THANK ME LATER AFTER YOU'VE BINGED THE WHOLE PODCAST. THE BACK OF THE RECORD IS PRETTY INGENIOUS IN ITS EFFICIENCY. GIGANTIC TITLE, TRACK LISTING, A PARAGRAPH ON HOW THE INSTRUMENTS IN THE ORCHESTRA COST HALF A MILLION DOLLARS!!!1 AND THEN A HELPFUL SELECTION OF OTHER 101 STRINGS ALBUMS YOU CAN PLUNK A BUCK NINETY-EIGHT ON. THERE WAS NO RECORD SLEEVE ON THIS ONE BUT IF FORCED AT GUNPOINT TO PLAY THE 'PICK THE ALBUM YOU WANT' GAME I GUESS I COULD GO FOR THE HENRY MANCINI DISK

I GOTTA SAY I REALLY LIKE THAT LOGOTYPE FOR ALSHIRE RECORDS. IT'S WAY COOLER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE TO SELL LOW BUDGET EASY LISTENING SCHLOCK. THE 101 STRINGS LOGO IS THE EXACT AMOUNT OF COOL FOR SELLING LOW BUDGET EASY LISTENING SCHLOCK. I WANT TO SAY THAT I WOULD WEAR A ⓣ𐊖ꞪᛁᴙŤ WITH THAT LOGO ON IT BUT I DON'T WANT EVEN MORE SPAM FLOODING MY COMMENTS. BUT I TOTALLY WOULD, THAT AND THE CHARLTON COMICS LOGO

RECORD GOT: RICK WAKEMAN - THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII

AFTER THE HAPPY LADY WITH MY BARRY WHITE RECORD WAS FINISHED, I GOT TO CHECK OUT THE ROCK/POP CRATE AND I'M GONNA BE HONEST THERE'S WASN'T MUCH LEFT BY THE TIME I GOT THERE BUT THIS THING POPPED UP AND IMMIDIATELY CAUGHT MY EYE. I AM A BIG FAN OF YES AND ANNOYED MY PARENTS WITH MANY LISTENINGS OF FRAGILE WHEN I WAS A KID. THE COVER IS PRETTY STRIKING WITH THE MUSICAL STAVES ON THE BORDER AND RICK HANGIN OUT WITH HANK AND HIS GIRLS. I HAD NEVER EVER HEARD OF THIS RECORD BEFORE BUT RICK'S KEYBOARDS ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE BITS ON YES RECORDS SO I TOOK A CHANCE AND GRABBED IT

THE BACK COVER IS AMAZING, YOU GET LITTLE BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL THE WIVES SO YOU CAN GET TO KNOW THEM WHILE SMOKING A BOWL AND LISTENING TO PROG-ROCK INTERPRETATIONS OF THEIR LIVES. I AM ALSO AMUSED THAT THE WIVES' TRACKS ARE NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. ANNE BOLEYN JUST FIT BETTER ON SIDE TWO

THE GATEFOLD IS PRETTY COOL WITH A GIGANTIC PHOTO OF WAKEMAN SURROUNDED BY KEYBOARDS USED ON THE ALBUM AND THERE'S STILL A SYNTH, A HARPSICHORD AND AN ORGAN USED THAT AREN'T IN THE PIC. FOUR MEMBERS OF YES ALSO APPEAR ON THE ALBUM. RICK LEAVES US A LITTLE NOTE EXPLAINING THAT THE ALBUM IS BASED ON HIS INTERPRETATION OF THE MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WIVES AND APOLOGISES IF THEY ARE NOT IN KEEPING WITH THEIR PERSONAL HISTORY. I RESPECT THAT, THIS IS HIS ALBUM OF QUEEN THEMES AND HE SHALL STAY TRUE TO HIS VISION

THE RECORD SLEEVE IS DIE-CUT WITH THE A&M P.O.BOX IN A FANCY FONT AT THE BOTTOM. VERY CLASSY

NOT MY FAVORITE A&M LABEL TO BE HONEST. ORANGY BROWN DOESN'T LOOK THAT GREAT. THE DISCO ERA LABEL WITH THE HUGE A M OR THE 80S VERSION WITH LITTLE ABSTRACT DISCS THROUGH THE MIDDLE LOOK MUCH NICER. OH WELL. IT KINDA FITS IN WITH THE COLOR PALLETTE OF THE ALBUM COVER AT LEAST

OK SO HOW IS THE ACTUAL MUSIC? PRETTY DAMN GOOD! I LIKE THE OPENER CATHERINE OF ARAGON AND CLOSER CATHERINE PARR THE BEST, STRAIGHT UP PROG ROCK WITH KICKASS DRUMMING AND LOTS OF GREAT KEYBOARDS. ANNE OF CLEVES IS A REALLY COOL JAM SESSION AND THERE'S SOME GREAT PIANO ON CATHERINE HOWARD THAT REMINDS ME A LITTLE OF BILLY JOEL FOR SOME REASON I CAN'T FIGURE OUT. THERE'S A BIT OF A LULL IN THE MIDDLE WITH THE JANE SEYMOUR CHURCH ORGAN AND THE NOODLING ON ANNE BOLEYN BUT THE CLOSING TRACK WILL DEFINITELY WAKE YOU UP

SO A TRADE FOR SOME JUNK I'M NOT INTERESTED IN OTHER THAN THE BACKSTORY FOR SOME PROG ROCK GOODNESS. WHATEVER WILL THE FINAL TRADE BRING?