365 DAYS PROJECT

2007   DECEMBER 8   #342

Kosher Club

MP3:
1 Gefilte Joe and the Fish - Fairfax Avenue (3:36)
2 Oy George - Be True to Your Shul (2:42)
3 Georgie Girl - Yes I Really Want to Hurt You (2:54)
4 The Screaming Faloshes - Rasta Jew (3:48)

This is Kosher Club, an EP of novelty Jewish songs that Rhino Records put out near the end of their indie-novelty label silliness in 1984. The label had been running for a good six or seven years now, and it's a wonder that they were still cool with letting fun stuff like this come out instead of concentrating on business and the bottom line. And sort of odd that old-style Jewish humor like this saw the light of day in rather "PC" 1984 (another great, and in fact better release on Rhino that year was Amazing Adult Fantasy by Barnes & Barnes- and it's been rereleased on Oglio! Go check it out!) But whatever. We have it, and while it's, in my opinion, not the best of Rhino's novelty output (compared to Fred Blassie's sublime discography, for example-- and I still want to hear things like The International Elvis Impersonators' Convention), it's still a good laugh and it's some solid, well-done music. Something of note is that "Be True to Your Shul" is actually a remake of a version heard on 1978's The Rhino Royale. It's not any better than the original, so if you don't have that platter, don't bother looking for it, even though it did come pressed on red, white and blue vinyl! Also know that Gefilte Joe and the Fish had songs on various other Rhino novelty discs, and that they were fronted by Rhino's real-life co-founder, Richard Foos. They briefly changed their name to the Yiddish People during the disco craze and bastardized "Macho Man" into "Matzoh Man"-- genius! Anyway, enjoy, and hopefully if 365 Days comes back again, I'll have more Rhino goodness for you.

- Contributed by: The Swill Man

Images: Front Cover

Media: LP
Album: Kosher Club
Label: Rhino
Catalog: RNEP-608
Credits:
Date: 1948

 

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