As I was talking to myself the other evening, I pointed out to me that it seems that the majority of records I highlight are, well, a tad pricey. Yeah, I know, it’s easy to get caught up in the trophy records. Especially when you find ’em sealed. But…there are sooooo many things in the Graypunk catalog that are both great and inexpensive. And that leads me to this new and occasional feature – It’s Only $10 – where I point out the good and the (relatively) cheap.
Now you may remember the last time I rolled out an idea that I thought was cute and mentioned at that time that it would also be something I would continue with, well, infrequency. That was “Should It Stay Or Should It Go”, where I would delve into my ridiculously large personal collection (seriously, I’m not bragging here as in this new world order of digital, I have enough physical music that I could actually open up a fully stocked physical record store, which is like chasing archaic with, ummm, more archaic). I will get back to that one, if only due to the fact that it was probably the only post to date that generated an extended commentary, albeit from one person who, like me, thought he really liked that Imperial Drag record until he listened to it again.
So…the Leroi Brothers. Not brothers. And no Leroi’s. First or last name. The core of the band was Mike Buck, who played drums for the Fabulous Thunderbirds (including that band’s first few albums) and vocalist/guitarist Steve Doerr. Various guitarists came and went and the bass slot became the equivalent of Spinal Tap’s drum chair in that, well, it was manned by many. But regardless of who was along for the ride at any given time, the Leroi’s were simply a seriously solid bar band. Much in the way that, say, Rockpile or the Morells were great bar bands. And there’s no shame in that.
That downside is, again like those bands, and the FabulousThunderbirds before them, there’s also no glory. Records sales were tepid at best. (Okay, the T-Birds did sell some records for a few weeks in there somewhere, but…). And while Profile Records was admittedly adventurous and aggressive in its signings at the time, it was inevitable to be somewhat forgotten when you’re looking at Run D.M.C. on one side of your roster and the Cro-Mags on the other. Leroi who? That said, if you’re not into rap or hardcore, and like your rock delivered straight-up, with occasional dashes of r&b, rockabilly, country and blues, this is a good ‘un. You’d be hard-pressed to find it cheaper on CD. And the vinyl is gonna sound soooo much better, mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk.
And hey, it’s only $10…
Discogs…http://www.discogs.com/buy/Vinyl/Leroi-Brothers-The-Open-All-Night/37131695?ev=bp_rel_det
Musicstack…http://www.musicstack.com/item/14746491
Gemm…http://www.gemm.com/item/Leroi–Brothers/Open-p-All-p-Night/GML1449112231/
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