The Chevrolet Experience (Chevrolet)
Purchased at an estate sale
I do love my vinyl oddities. I don't have a substantial collection of Evangelical Christian preaching albums, but I have a few. I generally try not to spend more than $1 apiece when possible. I have a Jimmy Swaggart LP preaching against the evils of extramarital sex (ummm yup), culled from a large box of his records. I should have gotten one or two others. I have another Swaggart album on 16rpm, and I don't have a turntable that goes that speed. On a related note, I have some flexidiscs of magazines read for the blind, to be played back at 8rpm. They must sound like sludge. I don't know if most old classroom self-contained record players can go to 8rpm. I guess I'll have to look.
This particular oddity turned up at an estate sale, a monster mansion owned by the family of one of my daughter's elementary/middle school friends. The family's father is in used automobiles, so maybe this came down through the family business?
Why was this made, for whom? Was it given away at a trade show? The music (and the tracks are all vocal songs) is professionally played, the production (largely) clear, the vocal performances earnest. But why would someone listen to this, unless it's a cynic like me?
Some of the music sounds like Broadway maybe, and not Broadway at its best to be sure. Mostly it sounds like pop music that was dated at the time (1977). There's a nod to CB radio users, setting up with a tinny sounding "Breaker, breaker". Talk about antiquated technologies.
Sometimes there's a chuckle or two on promotional recordings like this. There used to be a program distributed on NPR, The Annoying Music Show. Records like this was among the fodder for the host. It could get super smarmy at times, but I'll be damned if it wasn't funny as hell sometimes too. Nothing's really hilarious here, though the gleefully delivered "Chevrolet Proud" comes close.
Really, there's no point in reviewing this record, now or at the time of its pressing.
I don't know if my wife can it hear playing upstairs, but she must think I'm crazy if she can.
No comments:
Post a Comment