Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The People Hater

This is why we do it! This is why we look for the records.

I picked this one up for 50 cents. The guy with the best booth at Kudzu Antiques put out a couple boxes of rinked oddball 45s, and this was in there.

I hate people. I hate people.

The arresting and discordant breakdown puts this song decades ahead of its time. Apparently released in 1959, Brad and Jerry's tune sounds to me like Chuck Berry style fun. But that breakdown! This is just too early to be punk, even in the old sense of garage punk. This is not a movement, this is lunacy and honesty.

Shad Records is part of a group of small early rock'n'roll labels run by one Bob Shad. This song and many others are available on the compilation Rockin' On Broadway: The Time, Brent, Shad, Story released on the UK Ace label and available from Amazon.

Right now there is only one user review on Amazon - and I think the person has a really low opinion of The People Hater:

"This collection of 30 tunes from these labels contains the hits, the near misses and some sides that make one think studio time and tape must have been way too cheap. ... More could have or should have been hits, like the Jades' "So Blue". Then there are the sides like "Bury The Hatchet" and "The People Hater" that beg the question "Whaaaa?"."

I am going to get this compilation and see what's Whaaaa. Who could turn their nose up at such exciting music?! I hate people.



The People Hater

5 comments:

  1. The spoken word sections are remarkably predictive of Steve Martin's vocal stylings on "King Tut."

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  2. Dam, it does sound like Steve Martin.

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  3. I bought the CD. It has some early tracks by Lou Reed, going by the name Lewis Reed. Lines like, "Every day I walk you home from school/ But you still treat me like a fool." But it's really Lou Reed! Crazy.

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  4. Andy, so good. He is saying what we all feel. GOLD!

    @ Jack.... I know Lou Reed wrote/recorded as part of 'hit making' Brill Building type 'on staff' teams early in his career before VU (he actually met John Cale doing the same work)... for Pickwick as I recall. Seems like there are other comps available that have more of those tracks too.

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