
images/uploads/Maskman_partII.mp3
Recent score - rare Harmon Bethea 45. The A-Side wasn’t mixed very well - you can barely hear Harmon over the music. I’d assumed the B-Side (as presented here) would just be an all music version of the flip, but no. Full alternate vocals.
Ok so it’s not what anyone might call super sophisticated but I admire Harmon Bethea. The guy worked as a mail clerk by day and plugged away for 40+ years trying to ‘make it’ as a singer. Adopted an alternate persona (The Mask Man), streaked his hair pink and when that got people’s attention he decided to give them music with a sense of humor. Lord knows he must have had bucket loads himself just to keep at it over all those years.
Also, Harman? HarMAN? Jesus people. The man struggled for just a little recognition. Couldn’t you bother to proof the spelling of his name?
In 1958 IBM hired Charles and Ray Eames to produce a film that details the history of storing and analysing information.
Extended version of any already ‘ample’ song but you have to love the energy of The Chambers Brothers. Rumour has it that Columbia president Clive Davis didn’t want them to lay down this track but instead hand it over to a white group to record. Thankfully they refused. Eventually it was recorded by the group but Columbia still didn’t want to put the single out. It wasn’t until the group had a hit with "All Strung Out Over You", that the record company allowed the band to re-record the song which by then had become a major showpiece of their gigs. The song was a successes but never quite managed to crack the top ten.