Have You Ever Bought A Record Based Only On Its Title?

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And if so what? In the new tradition of two-part ILM threads, this.

― Tom, Thursday, 18 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I bought a Creation compilation called "Pensioners On Ecstasy [Rejects, Mislaid Masters and Never Before Heard Rheumatical Remedies]" in the early '90s 'cause I liked the sound of the title - but the record (surprisingly) didn't live up to expectations.

― Richard, Thursday, 18 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes, Juno Reactor's "Beyond The Infinite". Best fifteen dollars I ever spent.

― Snow Dog, Thursday, 18 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes, but I only paid $1 for it (used). It was the band Mal, whom I'd never heard of, before or since. They seem to be from the San Francisco, CA area. The LP was called The Preacher From The Black Lagoon, and on the back it says "He stripped souls as bare as bodies" and that was enough for me. I think I remember liking it some when I finally got around to playing it, but I don't think I ever played it a second time. I plan to soon, just so I'll know what I'm talking about, as this is the second time this month I've answered this question.

― Nick, Friday, 19 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

More than I can remember, and I don't feel like looking through my collection. I used to get these cravings and go scout the worst of the used remainder bins for kitchsy old stuff that, if I were a cool DJ, I could mix into clever tracks. As I'm not a DJ at all, much less a cool one, these things just lie about in my obscenely large record collection, and get played maybe once. Songs Of The Green Berets is one of those only on the title records. Just what it says it is. Older people have told me that back in the 60s, people used to burn that record. Once, Mr. Mod and I ended up with a box of records for two bucks. In that box were the first three X albums and other good things. Also in that box was a record from that track runner turned disco queen -- I forget her name. Anyway, neither of us wanted it, and both of us wanted to see what would happen if we smashed a record. So we did, smacking it against a wall until it fractured. That was a good day. Uh. I bought a record from a band named Dillinger (not the reggae artist) because it had a target on the cover and a title like .44 Magnum, or something. I bought a record by a band named Ramleh, who do industrial music, because it had stuff about the V2 rocket on the cover. I have numerous electric organ workout records and hi-fi stereo demo records. I have a pressing (one of 500) of a midwest high school production of West Side Story. I once bought the Television single, by Dave Edmunds, because I thought it was a single from Television, the band (young and naive!). I have a record designed to help spelling. The voice reads out words, and you write them down. Then you check them against the proper spellings, given on the record sleeve. I bought a record once because it was called "Music to Strip To" -- it contained songs like "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" done up by a bump and grind brass band, circa 1955. Et cet.

― Sterling Clover, Friday, 19 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm always looking out for a copy of 'We hate you white South African bastards', even though I don't really need another Microdisney record.

― Nick, Friday, 19 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, I'd like to claim that I bought Big Black's "Songs about Fucking" on the strength of the title alone. But it wouldn't be true.

― alex thomson, Friday, 19 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah, Afro-Rican's "Sex and Fun." It wasn't totally awful either, it turned out to sound like an undie Will Smith getting horny over feeble beats. The best hook that I can remember went, "Let's get loose and do the nasty! Awww... yeeah! Let's get loose and do the nasty! Awwwww... yeeah!"

― Ian White, Saturday, 20 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, re Big Black: I had heard that Big Black was pretty fucked up, not much more than that, so mostly I DID buy _Songs About Fucking_ on the basis of the title.

― Josh, Sunday, 21 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Addendum to Sterls' prev, We took some of the records and rolled them down the street and flung them high up into the air to watch them smash. They rolled suprisingly well, but the edges were chipped and such afterwards. We also tried scratching them like a DJ, but didn't have as much fun with that and we became worried that we would ruin our record player.

I, personally, purchased "Strip Tease Classics," just in case the need ever arose and the wicked-bad tilt & view cover that made the girl take off er clothes when you tipped it away from you.

I also bought an orig. pressing of "Their Satanic Majesty's Request" because of the cover, so I don't know if that counts or not. Sure, It has "She's a Rainbow" but still...

― JM, Monday, 22 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i bought gbye! last album. but not only about the title, also the cover was very interessting.

Ludo

― Ludo, Monday, 22 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Only one that I can recall: Richard Pryor's _Bicentennial Nigger_. The LP sleeve bearing that title stared at me from the used record racks and there was no way I could refuse.

― Mark Richardson, Monday, 22 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

David Holmes - "This films crap lets slah the seats". Not to bad, as it goes.

― Nick Greenfield, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mine is similar to Mark's:

THIS PUSSY BELONGS TO ME by Rudy Ray Moore. This was when I was a kid and had yet to see the brilliant DOLEMITE movies.

― Jodi Shapiro, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

John Trubee and the Ugly Janitors of America--The Communists are Coming to Kill us. It also had the lyrics, as they were, printed on the back, and "song" titles like "dumping buckets of phlegm on bitchy old ladies", but I think the title got me most of the way there. Synth noise, bad poetry and prank phone calls, fairly good stuff.

― Betty Cooper, Thursday, 1 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I still have to buy it, but when I do it will essentialy be for the title, I'm talking of course of Spacemen 3's "Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To". Too bad it's a collection of demo's :(

― Omar, Friday, 2 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three weeks pass...

Did Spacemen 3 have a way with titles! I now have to find that live bootleg "Revolution or Heroin" just for the title (...and the cool looking cover with Baader & Meinhof). Probably unfindable by now :(

― Omar, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

I want to buy Terre Thaemlitz' "Still Life With Numerical Analysis" because of the title.

― Mark Richardson, Tuesday, 3 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i'm going to buy a record by DAT Politics because i just love that name..

― gareth, Wednesday, 4 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Best Dressed Chicken In Town' 'Pictures Of Starving Children Sell Records' 'You,The Night .. And The Music' 'Killing Is My Business .. And Business Is Good' 'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables' 'No Muff 2 Tuff' 'Tao Of The One Inch Punch' 'Hangover From Hell' - B-side to Zodiac Mindwarp's 'Prime Mover'

― Geordie Racer, Wednesday, 4 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two weeks pass...

I also picked up MAL - THE PREACHER FROM THE BLACK LAGOON! Mine was three bucks though, and a piece of the vinyl was broken off, so I cannot listen to the first two tracks on both sides. I've listened to it a few times, and enjoy it. I can't tell if its serious or a joke. This confusion is primarily based on the silly sticker on the album featuring MAL in black-face with the caption "soul brother #2."

― BMTG, Tuesday, 24 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three weeks pass...

I just bought a $1 copy of Kris Kristoferson's "Jesus Was A Scorpio." Him and Rita Coolidge drinking beer and smoking on the cover. We'll see, but this could also relate to the "Records Never Played" thread.

― Mark, Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pigface's 'Welcome to Mexico...Asshole'.

― tarden, Sunday, 27 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

six months pass...

Sportchestra!'s "101 Songs About Sport" LP. When I first heard about "69LS", my first thought was that this was where Merritt had got the idea. My second thought was "yeah, right". Or something.

Nice package, but, um, not very good otherwise. Apart from the chorus of "Bare! Caught with his bottom bare!" about Peter Shilton. No actually, that was not very good as well.

― OleM, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, some stuff from bargain bins for a pound; I doubt I'd spend more than that on the title alone, but good/weird titles might tip the balance in favour of things I'm not quite sure about.

So, Low Res - "Approximate Love Boat (Mistaken Alien Interpretations of Earth Music)": with a title like that it could have been genius or it could have been bloody awful, but it was a quid, and I very much like the idea. It's all right, some pretty good moments, goes on a bit though. I also bought something by Armchair Martian for a similar price, which may not quite answer the question but I did think it was the title when I bought it, so I reckon it counts. It's ok punk/pop stuff.

So, not too bad a success rate, and better than the time I rushed from the salebin to the nearest computer room to look at AMG because I'd heard the band name but nothing more. No offence, AMG types, but glower irritably at whoever wrote the review of Chokebore's "Black Black" next time you see 'em, I don't like it... (just kidding, you do a great job, and god knows nobody would agree with all of my reviews and selections)

Gareth, did you get any DAT Politics because of the name? Can't say I like what I've heard of theirs.

― Rebecca, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

"Onanie Bomb meets the Sex Pistols" by the Boredoms. (any album that features a song called "Born to Anal" has GOT to be special.)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 19:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I bought Jeff Beck's Beck-ola solely for the album cover. Does that count?

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 20:08 (twenty-two years ago)

electric lucifer~bruce haack
the rewards have been many

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)

'david tudor plays the music of cage and tudor'

thrilling

― jl, Tuesday, 10 June 2003 21:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Back in the day when I lived in Minneapolis I saw this SHITTY band called the Cows open at the Entry or someplace--this was back in the glory days of AmRep when most of the albums they were putting out were amusingly offensive/parentally threatening a la "Dope Guns-n-Fucking In the Street" comps and the like. I'm sure I probably bought a Boss Hogg thing or three just because of the Christina artwork in fact.

But I have to admit that when I saw the Cows album called "Cunning Stunts" I thought they were the most clever band in the whole world and immediately emptied my wallet of my drinking money. What a fucking waste.

― don weiner, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 01:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Kool Keith's Spankmaster
and tons of garage sale vinyl:
Music to Watch Girls By
Sexy Sax
Superbad is Back
that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

― HoraceMann, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

But I have to admit that when I saw the Cows album called "Cunning Stunts" I thought they were the most clever band in the whole world

Caravan beat them to the punch (line) by a decade or more.

― nickn (nickn), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I once bought an album called Ice Cream Headache by a band called Radial Spangle. I liked both the album name and the band name! I remember it being slightly rubbish, unfortunately. Ah well.

― kate (kate), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 08:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Last one was '9 Great Openings' by the Hafler Trio.

― Fabrice (Fabfunk), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 09:06 (twenty-two years ago)

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