2007 MAY 24 #144
The Moonbillies / Brett & Lori / Listen To The Quiet
MP3:
1. The Moonbillies - The 'Lectronic Brain (2:34)
2. The Moonbillies - The Fall Of The Planet Earth (2:25)
3. Brett And Lori - Lady Of Nature (3:39)
4. Brett And Lori - Life (3:48)
5. Listen To The Quiet (mono) (2:05)
6. Listen To The Quiet (stereo) (2:10)
Here's a set of three unrelated 45s that nevertheless seemed to have an associative flow to them, so I'm grouping them here together. You should listen to the sides in the order presented here.
The first is by The Moonbillies. "The 'Lectronic Brain" really reminds me of one of the earlier 365 Days cuts from this year, "The Mechanical Man." Great bass vocal on this. The flip side of this is "The Fall Of The Planet Earth," a cautionary tale which leads us into "Lady Of Nature" by Brett & Lori, a folk song on a similar theme. When I picked this one up, I was really puzzled by the B-side, called simply "Life." While the A-side was dated 1971, the B-side indicated a date of 1992...?! But after listening to the track, and reading the rest of the label, and studying the graphic, and thinking about the theme of the A-side, I figured it out. See, "Life" is just a silent groove. I managed to find Brett Slattery, the guy who created this, on the web. He writes:
That's interesting. Where did you find the 45? I recorded it 37 years ago. The B-side is silence, meant to represent a recording in Grand Central Station in the year (I think) 2000. 37 years ago, protest songs dominated the airwaves. It was believed that, by year 2000, the world would have blown itself up.
Lady of Nature was a song I wrote about mother nature. I was influenced by Joni Mitchell. Trees were being cut down in masse for urbanization.
There are only 2 copies left of this 45, including yours. You are welcome to keep it, of course. I'm just curious where you found it. It received much airtime in San Diego when it was released, but I never signed a contract because I am too tone deaf to perform. Lori Hamsch, a friend whom I've lost contact with, recorded the vocal track for me.
"Life" immediately brought to mind an odd 45 I found awhile back. It's a promo for an album called "Listen To The Quiet" on Capitol. A web search turns up an album by that name on Capitol by Joe Bushkin, though this 45 doesn't indicate any artist. And I suppose that makes perfect sense, since there's nothing on this record. Side 1 is in mono, side 2 in stereo. Be sure to listen to side 2 first in order to get the best flow of continuity from "Life," which is also in stereo.
- Contributed by: Pea Hix
Images: The Moonbillies, Brett And Lori, Listen To The Quiet
Media: 45
Titles: The 'Lectronic Brain b/w The Fall Of The Planet Earth
Label: Republic
Catalog: 2003
Credits: The Moonbillies
Date: early 1960s
Media: 45
Titles: Lady Of Nature b/w Life
Label: private issue
Catalog: FM 7182
Credits: Brett And Lori
Date: 1971
Media: 45
Titles: Listen To The Quiet (mono) / Listen To The Quiet (stereo)
Label: Capitol
Catalog: PRO 1021
Date: early 1960s
