Fans of Bernie Lowe’s Philadelphia-based label, which fell into the hands of Allen Klein in the late 1960s, and from there into desuetude, were at least somewhat mollified by Abkco’s release of a four-disc Cameo/Parkway box in 2005, but that’s an awful lot to take at a single sitting, and the box unaccountably left off a lot of worthy tracks — Chubby Checker’s post-Twist quasi-folk material, for instance — so this is my own selection, in not-quite-chronological order, which ends in 1964 when Lowe sold out, and which includes tracks not included on the Abkco box. Scott Kovel took the cover photo: that’s the Schuylkill (”Sure-Kill”) Expressway westbound, from a couple of decades ago.

Track listing for 111092-2:

1. Charlie Gracie: Butterfly
2. The Rays: Silhouettes
3. John Zacherle: Dinner with Drac (Part I)
4. Bobby Rydell: Kissin’ Time
5. Chubby Checker: The Class
6. Bobby Rydell: We Got Love
7. The Applejacks: Mexican Hat Rock
8. Bobby Rydell: Wild One
9. Chubby Checker: The Twist
10. Bobby Rydell: Swingin’ School
11. Chubby Checker: Pony Time
12. Bobby Rydell: Volare
13. The Orlons: The Wah-Watusi
14. Chubby Checker: Let’s Twist Again
15. Dee Dee Sharp: Mashed Potato Time
16. Chubby Checker with Dee Dee Sharp: Slow Twistin’
17. Jo Ann Campbell: (I’m the Girl from) Wolverton Mountain
18. The Dovells: Bristol Stomp
19. Dee Dee Sharp: Gravy
20. Chubby Checker: Limbo Rock
21. The Orlons: Don’t Hang Up
22. Bobby Rydell: The Cha Cha Cha
23. Dee Dee Sharp: Ride!
24. The Dovells: You Can’t Sit Down
25. The Orlons: South Street
26. The Tymes: So Much in Love
27. Chubby Checker: Loddy Lo
28. The Orlons: Not Me
29. The Tymes: Wonderful! Wonderful!
30. Chubby Checker: Hey Bobba Needle
31. Candy and the Kisses: The 81
32. Chubby Checker: Lazy Elsie Molly

The seventh in a series of — well, frankly, I don’t know how many there will be. It’s not like I’m going to run out of material any time soon. Another B&W picture, this time from Ergee.

Track listing for 111091-2:

1. Manfred Mann: Do Wah Diddy Diddy
2. The Hondells: Little Honda
3. Jackie DeShannon: When You Walk in the Room
4. The Sunrays: I Live for the Sun
5. The Beatles: Penny Lane
6. The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man
7. Dusty Springfield: I Only Want to Be with You
8. Buffalo Springfield: For What It’s Worth (Stop, Hey, What’s That Sound)
9. The Shangri-Las: Past, Present and Future
10. The Four Tops: Ask the Lonely
11. The Walker Brothers: The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)
12. The 4 Seasons: Save It for Me
13. Bob Dylan: Like a Rolling Stone
14. Simon and Garfunkel: The Boxer
15. The Supremes: You Keep Me Hangin’ On
16. Ronny and the Daytonas: Little GTO
17. Wilson Pickett: Land of 1000 Dances
18. The Yardbirds: Over Under Sideways Down
19. Chubby Checker: Hooka Tooka
20. Jay and the Americans: Cara Mia
21. The Lovin’ Spoonful: Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind
22. Millie Small: My Boy Lollipop
23. The Strangeloves: Cara-Lin
24. The Rolling Stones: Ruby Tuesday
25. Procol Harum: A Whiter Shade of Pale
26. Richard Harris: MacArthur Park

Very much the same, but totally different. At least, that’s the rationale for this collection, which incorporates pairs (and sometimes triplets) of different songs with the same title, and for its cover art, which is taken from some video about a spray-on hosiery replacement.

Track listing for 111090-2:

1. Steely Dan / The Beach Boys: Do It Again
2. Jon and Robin and the In-Crowd: Do It Again (A Little Bit Slower)
3. Andrew Gold / Paul Anka: Lonely Boy
4. Donna Summer / James Gang: Walk Away
5. The Miracles / The Dave Clark Five: I Like It Like That
6. The Ronettes / Aretha Franklin: Baby I Love You
7. Talk Talk / The Music Machine: Talk Talk
8. Lulu and the Luvvers / Tears for Fears: Shout
9. Bobby “Blue” Bland / Maxine Nightingale: Lead Me On
10. The Spencer Davis Group / The Yardbirds: I’m a Man
11. Pink Floyd / Barrett Strong: Money
12. The Mojo Men / The Drifters / Orleans: Dance with Me

That’s New York Daily News columnist Dawn Eden, parked in the actual Big Chair at my palatial estate at Surlywood. On the occasion of her presence, I sought to dazzle her with a collection of astonishing eclecticism and impeccable taste, and I am happy to report that she didn’t fall asleep once.

Track listing for 111089-2:

1. Ken Thorne and His Orchestra: The Bitter End
2. Sam the Sham: I Couldn’t Spell !!*@!
3. Vickie Diaz: For Eternity
4. Big Daddy: I Write the Songs
5. The Ronettes: Be My Baby *
6. The Avantis: Keep On Dancing
7. The Brunching Shuttlecocks: The Björk Song
8. Definitive Rock Chorale: Variations on a Theme Called “Hanky Panky”
9. Dickey Lee: 9,999,999 Tears
10. Evie Sands: Take Me for a Little While
11. T. Rex: Metal Guru
12. Michael Lynch: Girl on the Northern Line +
13. The Students: Any Day of the Week
14. American Boyfriends: Supergirl
15. Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra: The Bass Walks
16. Shelby Flint: Cast Your Fate to the Wind
17. Rolf Harris: Two Buffalos
18. Petula Clark: Un Mal pour un Bien **
19. The Move: Zing Went the Strings of My Heart
20. Big Daddy: Super Freak
21. Jimmy Radcliffe: This Diamond Ring
22. Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum and Durr: You Can’t Blame Me
23. The Jaynetts: Snowman, Snowman, Sweet Potato Nose
24. Gates of Eden: Too Much on My Mind
25. Carolyne Mas: Stillsane
26. Vic Diaz: So Mean to Me ++
27. The Delights Orchestra: Paul’s Midnight Ride
28. Tracey Dey: Here Comes the Boy
29. The Dave Clark Five: Try Too Hard

* Three-track version from somewhere close to the original master tape, with studio talk.
+ Written by Eden herself.
** The original French version of the song known in English as “You’re the One.”
++ Same person as Vickie Diaz. Explained in the comments here.

Sixth in the series, with no sign of slowing down. (Volume 1 is here.) Not only did we resort to a B&W photo, but it’s derived from a Woolworth’s ad. Besides, we like black and white.

Track listing for 111088-2:

1. People: I Love You
2. The Stone Poneys: Different Drum
3. The Temptations: Runaway Child, Running Wild
4. Robert Knight: Everlasting Love
5. The 4 Seasons: Rag Doll
6. J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers: Last Kiss
7. The Newbeats: Bread and Butter
8. Joe Tex: Hold What You’ve Got
9. Len Barry: 1-2-3
10. 1910 Fruitgum Co.: Simon Says
11. The Castaways: Liar, Liar
12. The Animals: House of the Rising Sun
13. Simon and Garfunkel: Fakin’ It
14. The Beatles: Strawberry Fields Forever
15. Mary Wells: My Guy
16. Johnny Rivers: Secret Agent Man
17. The Byrds: My Back Pages
18. Sagittarius: My World Fell Down
19. The Rascals: You Better Run
20. Tommy James and the Shondells: Sweet Cherry Wine
21. The Casinos: Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
22. The Turtles: You Baby
23. Peter and Gordon: A World Without Love
24. The Four Tops: Baby I Need Your Lovin’
25. The Zombies: Time of the Season

Songs with a single word for a title. The one word most pertinent to the cover (apart from “Wow”) is Cantrece®.

Track listing for 111087-2:

1. The Beatles: Help!
2. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Ohio
3. Freddy Cannon: Action
4. The Pointer Sisters: Fire
5. ZZ Top: Tush
6. Pilot: Magic
7. Terry Stafford: Suspicion
8. U2: Desire
9. Elvis Presley: Don’t *
10. Paul Revere and the Raiders: Kicks
11. Van Halen: Jump
12. Peggy Lee: Fever
13. Cream: Badge
14. John Stewart: Gold
15. Dee Clark: Raindrops
16. Dee Dee Sharp: Ride
17. Gary Numan: Cars
18. Five Man Electrical Band: Signs
19. The Presidents of the United States of America: Lump
20. Del Shannon: Runaway
21. Redeye: Games
22. Aretha Franklin: Think
23. Edwin Starr: War
24. Sly and the Family Stone: Stand!
25. Little Willie John: Sleep
26. Bee Gees: Tragedy

* Okay, it’s a contraction. So what?

This site is not in any way related to wendex.com, which is owned by someone who hopes to sell the domain, perhaps to me, or perhaps to SC Johnson, which manufactures a glass cleaner with a similar name.

More instrumental goodies, with the usual exception of the last track, though I’d hesitate to describe any sounds emitted therein as “words.”

Track listing for 111086-2:

1. Les and Larry Elgart: Bandstand Boogie
2. Al Hirt: Cotton Candy
3. Billy Vaughn: A Swingin’ Safari
4. Mason Williams: Classical Gas
5. Apollo 100: Joy
6. The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Take Five
7. B. Bumble and the Stingers: Bumble Boogie
8. Jack Nitzsche: The Lonely Surfer
9. Horst Jankowski: A Walk in the Black Forest
10. The Delights Orchestra: Paul’s Midnight Ride
11. Fleetwood Mac: Albatross
12. The Electric Indian: Keem-O-Sabe
13. Frank Mills: Music Box Dancer
14. Billy Strange and His Orchestra: Goldfinger
15. The Bob Crewe Generation: Music to Watch Girls By
16. Henry Mancini and His Orchestra: The Pink Panther Theme
17. Willie Mitchell: 20-75
18. Bent Fabric: Alley Cat
19. Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra and Chorus: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
20. The Applejacks: Mexican Hat Rock
21. The Revels: Church Key
22. Rhythm Heritage: Theme from S.W.A.T.
23. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: A Taste of Honey
24. Duane Eddy: Peter Gunn
25. The Brass Ring: The Dis-Advantages of You
26. Silvetti: Spring Rain
27. Santo and Johnny: Sleep Walk
28. The Ventures: Hawaii Five-O
29. Piero Umiliani: Mah-Na Mah-Na

The fifth in this extremely-lengthy series. Volume 1 is way back here. Our cover model is wearing “Little Prune” hosiery — I am not making this up — by Chérie.

Track listing for 111085-2:

1. Archie Bell and the Drells: Tighten Up
2. The Righteous Brothers: You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
3. The McCoys: Hang On Sloopy
4. Robert Parker: Barefootin’
5. Johnny Rivers: Summer Rain
6. Patty and the Emblems: Mixed-Up, Shook-Up Girl
7. The Reflections: (Just Like) Romeo and Juliet
8. The Troggs: Wild Thing
9. Petula Clark: Don’t Sleep in the Subway
10. Count Five: Psychotic Reaction
11. Sam and Dave: Hold On I’m Comin’
12. The Hollies: Stop! Stop! Stop!
13. Unit Four Plus Two: Concrete and Clay
14. Bar-Kays: Soul Finger
15. Vanilla Fudge: You Keep Me Hangin’ On
16. Swingin’ Medallions: Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)
17. Sir Douglas Quintet: She’s About a Mover
18. Martha and the Vandellas: Dancing in the Street
19. The Seekers: Georgy Girl
20. Slim Harpo: Baby Scratch My Back
21. The Beach Boys: Help Me Rhonda
22. The Fortunes: You’ve Got Your Troubles
23. The Platters: With This Ring
24. Max Frost and the Troopers: The Shape of Things to Come
25. The Mamas and the Papas: I Saw Her Again
26. Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders: It’s Just a Little Bit Too Late
27. The Lovin’ Spoonful: Six O’Clock
28. The Four Tops: Standing in the Shadows of Love
29. The Beatles: Hello Goodbye

A fairly random collection of stuff that had shown up on my desktop, complete with a photo I can’t even begin to explain. The Ken Thorne tracks were bits of incidental music from the Beatles movie Help! which were included on the US Capitol LP, though not on the British album of the same name.

Track listing for 111084-2:

1. Lou Reed: Intro/Sweet Jane *
2. Ken Thorne Orchestra: From Me to You Fantasy
3. The Bobby Fuller Four: Let Her Dance
4. Donna Summer: Winter Melody
5. The Zombies: She’s Not There
6. Vickie Diaz: For Eternity
7. The Clash: Train in Vain (Stand By Me)
8. Marianne Faithfull: Summer Nights
9. The Kingsmen: The Jolly Green Giant
10. Robin Trower: Somebody Calling
11. Judy Collins: Someday Soon
12. Procol Harum: Beyond the Pale
13. Leo Kottke: Machine #2
14. Todd Rundgren: An Elpee’s Worth of Toons
15. Curved Air: Metamorphosis
16. The Miracles: What’s So Good About Goodbye
17. Fleetwood Mac: Tusk
18. Ken Thorne Orchestra: The Bitter End
19. Art Garfunkel: All I Know
20. The Doobie Brothers: Listen to the Music

* This is the live version from Rock N Roll Animal.