The Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders Playlist

Introduction

I was pulled out my copy of "Close To The Edge" by Yes, my vinyl copy, which is a 1974 original, I assume. It features an inner sleeve with loss leader albums available to residents of the USA and Canada for just $2.

I would assume the offer is finished now. The Saturday, September 23, 1911, Burbank, California photograph was the flipside of that inner sleeve; the first compilation is called "Burbank", so I assume that is where the labels were based.

I thought it would be fun to select one song listed from each of those albums to create a playlist.

So here we go, ten songs, most of which are in my collection, with some observations about them. Some you might know, others may be a revelation to you, and maybe most were released before you were born.

Fanny - "Borrowed Time" from "Burbank"

A truly great rock band, and shall we say, you can see why they were groundbreaking, and they still sound amazing. I am vaguely acquainted with Jean Millington on Facebook and used some of her pictures in this piece:

Family - "No Mule's Fool" from "The Big Ball"

A favourite band of mine, with an unusual musical line-up. I believe Roger Chapman is still performing. This is my piece on Family, if you want to check them out further.

Randy Newman - "My Old Kentucky Home" from "Schlagers!"

Randy Newman comes out with some biting lines in this jolly melody, and you are not sure whether you should be laughing. I laughed the first time I heard it, and I know it is a brilliant song. You need to give it a spin.

The Incredible String Band - "My Father Was A Lighthouse Keeper" from "Days Of Wine And Vinyl"

I love The Incredible String Band, and this is as mad as some of their songs, especially the vocals, with a sparse acoustic backing. I have half a dozen of their albums in my collection.

Wild Man Fischer - "Songs For Sale" from "Songbook"

Wild Man Fischer sold songs on the sidewalk, and Frank Zappa recorded "An Evening With Wild Man Fischer". Frank told a story about Wild Man (Larry) Fischer, which roughly went:

"Larry was meeting his brother. Larry had the axe, his brother had the bad luck"

Frank Zappa

Larry was not a well man.

Ella Fitzgerald - "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" from "Record Show"

Love Ella Fitzgerald, and I always love the concept of this song, as the stalker gets outstalked by who they are preying on. Love this record.

Alice Cooper - "Billion Dollar Babies" from "Appetizers"

"Billion Dollar Babies", in my opinion, was the last truly great Alice Cooper album, finishing the sequence that started with "Love It To Death", and it still gets played a lot in my house. I love the creepiness of this song.

Deep Purple - "Strang Kind Of Woman" from "Hot Platters"

Some classic British heavy rock from my favourite Deep Purple lineup. i have this on vinyl and digital (that includes CD).

Captain Beefheart - "Click Clack" from "The Whole Burbank Catalog"

Don Van Vliet, Captain Beefheart, had an eight octave vocal range, apparently. He finished his life as a painter in the desert, and often his music was very challenging. He was also the mentor of Polly Jean Harvey. Hopefully, you can hear this as his official channel has a live version. I will share that just in case. Note this is the second compilation with Burbank in the name.

The Doobie Brothers - "Pursuit on 53rd St" from "Hard Goods"

This excellent slice of rock is the closer for the playlist, which I hope you have enjoyed.