Ever take a chance on an unknown LP and win?

Got burned on shellacs (78RPM) more often than not, but the few "unknowns" that shone did so oh-so brightly. Gambled on a guy named Bukka White when I was 10 or 11. Never regretted that one, which led to research and more focused shellac collecting. Still in all, got burned a few times on (what I thought were) "country string band" (read: hillbilly/rockabilly) sides.
 
Got burned on shellacs (78RPM) more often than not, but the few "unknowns" that shone did so oh-so brightly. Gambled on a guy named Bukka White when I was 10 or 11. Never regretted that one, which led to research and more focused shellac collecting. Still in all, got burned a few times on (what I thought were) "country string band" (read: hillbilly/rockabilly) sides.
Do you still remember when you did the first spin of that Bukka? Did 10/11 year old Mystic have "What the f$*k" in his vocabulary yet?:rflmao:
I don't recall the first time I heard him exactly, but my ears perked up in a way that doesn't happen all that much.
 
Do you still remember when you did the first spin of that Bukka? Did 10/11 year old Mystic have "What the f$*k" in his vocabulary yet?:rflmao:

Recall that I lived from very early childhood on Chicago's South Side, so lotta Bukka's words and ways of sayin (singin) 'em didn't sound so odd to me or my younger brother.
 
Yeah. Forgot about that bit, heh heh.

For me, I was a blues newb, but not a complete one. I was already listening to the likes of John Lee, Hound Dog, Robert Johnson, and some modern stuff, etc. What struck me about White was how darn propulsive (and gruff) he was. He just trucked along like a freight train.
 
I buy albums all the time by groups or artists I'm unfamiliar with. It's a great way to find new music. The one I remember the best was an album I picked up a few years ago by String Driven Thing titled The Machine That Cried. I found a promo copy in a discount bin at a record store for 33 cents. I loved the album cover and the fact it was from 1973. I collect rock and folk from 1965-1975.

I took it home and played it and it went right into my own collection. I think my favorite song on it is Night Club.


To me it's a very interesting sound with liberal use of a violin. The lead singer/ guitarist, Chris Adams, also has one of the best screams ever to grace a rock album on the song Sold Down the River.

War Story:
December 1972....WNEW-FM (NYC`s premiere radio station back then) was putting on their first-ever Christmas Benefit Concert at Lincoln Center. It was Genesis` first-ever US concert (!), and String Driven Thing was the opening act. That was a very memorable night !
 
For me, the first time I bought an album based solely on visual impact, I was in a Military PX in 1969, and happened to spot this album....I was so intrigued by the cover art, I HAD to buy it. After listening to it, I was glad that I did....

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