RANDO: The Nightcrawlers - The Little Black Egg 7"

 1965 / US

b/w "You're Running Wild"

Kapp Records K-709

Terre Haute Pressing

     When I was in high school, a neighbor gave me a bunch of old singles by artists like Elvis, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Small Faces. This Nightcrawlers single was in that collection. It still has the generic Kapp Records sleeve with an 88 cent price sticker. The record is in great condition, so I'm guessing it wasn't played much. Back in the '60's minor hits probably didn't have a long shelf life. It's a weird song about a "bad egg", but it's an early example of jangle pop. I did a little research, because I honestly don't know anything about this band. They formed in Daytona Beach, Florida. Apparently, "The Little Black Egg" was featured on the Nuggets compilation and has been covered by many artists, including The Cars and The Lemonheads. Who knew? Not Me. The flip side, "You're Running Wild", is a run of the mill mid-60's rock song. 

     I don't have much else to say about this single. I'm not sure why I've hung onto it all these years. I have no personal attachment to it. Maybe I should do another purge and focus on singles. I rarely ever play them. I guess I haven't done it before because record stores don't really want them either. The next RANDO should be more interesting. It's John K. Samson's Provincial. Peace.

RANDO: Styx - Renegade 7"

From the album Pieces of Eight

b/w Sing For the Day

1979 / US

A&M Records 2110-S

RCA Indianapolis Pressing

     Fifty years ago, I was a huge Styx fan. It started with the single for "Lorelei" and continued with the albums Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight. Somewhere in one of my moves, I lost those albums and haven't replaced them. Unfortunately, Styx hasn't aged well for me. I do still have this 7" of "Renegade", as well as the 7" of "Blue Collar Man". Why do I still have them? They're a link to the past, I suppose. And they jam..for Styx songs. 

     "Renegade" is mostly known today as an anthem for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's played between the 3rd and 4th quarter during their home games to fire up the crowd. I don't know why they chose "Renegade", but they did. It was written by Tommy Shaw, as was the B-side "Sing For the Day". It was part of a long songwriting tradition of songs about "wanted men", such as "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Gimme Some Water". Of course, it opens with that ominous, spoken-word section about the hangman coming down from the gallows, then it kicks into a guitar jam. The solo is actually played by James Young. Even though "Sing For the Day" is also a Tommy Shaw song, it features Dennis DeYoung in the chorus and plenty of his over-the-top keyboard antics. A little Dennis DeYoung goes a long way. In fact, they had to cut over a minute of the song for the single version. 

     On Discogs, it shows a picture sleeve for this release, but I bought it back in the day and mine never had one. Not sure what's up with that. A few years ago, I vowed not to buy anymore 45's, unless they were in their picture sleeve. That vow lasted until a few months ago when I bought a big mystery box of singles for $10. None of them had sleeves. Some of them have been entered into my Discogs database, so they may end up in future RANDO posts. Speaking of future posts, the next RANDO has been selected and it's another 7", The Nightcrawlers "The Little Black Egg". Maybe this was a dumb idea. Peace.

RANDO : HSAS - Through the Fire

1984 / US

Geffen Records / GHS 4023

Allied Record Company Pressing / Quiex II

Mastered @ The Mastering Lab by Doug Sax and Mike Reese

     Even though I'm on the record as being less than positive toward Van Hagar, I was actually a big fan of peak Sammy Hagar. By peak, I mean Standing Hampton, Three Lock Box, and V.O.A. era Sammy. Through the Fire is a supergroup album, featuring Hagar and Journey guitar wizard Neal Schon, which came out right in the middle of that run of albums. I was quite excited about this release and picked it up on cassette. At the time, I remember hearing the tracks "Top of the Rock" and "Missing You" on the radio on solid rotation. I recently picked up a used copy of the LP, mostly because it was pressed on Quiex II vinyl. Quiex was a high quality vinyl that appeared black, but when held up to a light source was translucent and colored. My copy appears to be purple. Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between the purple and brown Quiex. 

     According to Wikipedia, the only single from this album was their cover of Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale". Not a good choice by Geffen. As a result of some of my deep dives, I've become a fan of Procol Harum and this cover is not good. Sammy's vocals are weak and not even Neal Schon can salvage it. Other than that, it's a solid record. I'd probably rate it a 3.5/5. 

     I grew up in the golden age of A.O.R (Album Oriented Rock) radio. Neal Schon was one of the guitar heroes of that era, along with Gary Richrath of R.E.O. Speedwagon, Gary Moffett of April Wine, Tom Scholz of Boston, and Rik Emmett of Triumph. These guitarists never got the recognition of Hendrix, Page, Clapton or Van Halen, but they were all fantastic players with unique styles. Schon shows off his versatility on Through the Fire, setting aside his signature Journey sound in favor of a more muscular hard rock sound. However, why bring in Neal Schon and have him not sound like Neal Schon? Speaking of A.O.R, the next RANDO will be my 7" single of "Renegade" by Styx. Peace.

2026 Rock Hall Nominees

      So, I was going to come on here today to announce a new trajectory for Sound Mind, but then I saw the 2026 Rock Hall nominees had dropped. I'll get to the Sound Mind update at the end of this post, but here are my initial thoughts about the nominees. Let me begin by saying music is personal and no one ever agrees with these nominee lists. Once all the "no-brainers" were inducted this process has devolved into an exercise of agendas and gatekeeping. And I'm someone who loves the Rock Hall and what it represents. But it's clear the time has come to stop forcing mediocrity just to have an annual gala event. This list is preposterous. And truthfully, so is the fan vote. For what it's worth, here's my personal breakdown of the nominees. 

OASIS

     A polarizing bunch of wankers who don't care about the Rock Hall, but I love them and feel they should be in. At least in America, they were the face of Britpop. 

BILLY IDOL

     I would support him for a Video Music Hall of Fame, but not the Rock Hall. 

INXS

     While they have slightly more merit than Billy Idol, they aren't Rock Hall level.

IRON MAIDEN

     I suppose they belong in, but in all honesty I haven't listened to them in 40 years. They do have a legacy that merits recognition. 

JEFF BUCKLEY

     I like Grace, and apparently the precedent has been set for artists with limited catalogs being inducted. However, Buckley has had no real impact or influence in rock music. Thumbs down.

JOY DIVISION / NEW ORDER

     Stop already. Pick one or the other. Neither should be inducted.

THE BLACK CROWES

     Is there a Hall of Fame for smoking weed? Their big hit was a cover BTW.

WU-TANG CLAN

     Yes. They are better than most of the other Hip-Hop artists who have already been inducted. 

PHIL COLLINS

     Peter Gabriel is in as a solo artist, so I can support Phil getting in as well. It does seem like they're throwing a bone to someone who is in poor health, because they developed a conscience for a second.

EVERYONE ELSE

     Are the members of the Rock Hall Foundation trying to kill me? PINK??????

     The actual reason I'm posting today is to announce a new series for Sound Mind. It's called Randos. I'm going to use the Random Item feature in Discogs and reflect on whatever album or single is selected. My intention is to make it through my whole collection, but that would take several years. The first selection was Through the Fire by HSAS. I picked this up a few months ago and you may be surprised at my thoughts. I am kind of a sucker for supergroups. Peace.