Loss Leaders Taught Me Everything

 After the Beatles broke up, where could I go? AM radio had the occasional banger sandwiched in  between tiresome earworms. I was just discovering FM, and would hear some great music, but never catch the DJ saying who it was. 

The first records I remember buying were Neil Young's "Harvest", and "The Kinks Kronikles". That's where I must have found the sleeve with Warner/Reprise Loss Leader albums. I mailed off $3 for "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies", a 3 record set that changed my life. I was introduced to The Faces, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Little Feat, Ry Cooder, The Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, and Captain Beefheart, among others.

I went on to buy 5 or 6 more of the series. "A Singing, All Talking, All Rocking" from 1973, included The reunited Sopwith Camel's "Dancing Wizard", from their release of that same year, "The Miraculous Return Of The Hump From Mars". William "Truckaway" Sievers was involved at the beginning, but made his solo album instead. Neither of them sold.

I was continually purging records and didn't end up keeping the Loss Leaders, but will occasionally pick one up when found in good shape. The series perfectly encapsulates the late 60's through early to mid '70's. I believe the last one was released in 1979. I downloaded .mp3 versions of them all from a long gone web page about 15 years ago. 

It wasn't long before I was subscribed to Rolling Stone, and Stereo Review. I'm still on the search for new music. There is nothing like a good discovery. That's why I spent nearly every lunch hour at NYCD.

-Sandy Cilantro