Reeeeeeally BAD records... You know, ENTERTAININGLY BAD. So BAD that they're actually laughable!

Don't forget the great Jonathan and Darlene Edwards:



But at least the records from these two were intentionally bad. In real life they are Jo Stafford and Paul Weston, and the idea was to make some really bad sounding records - for comedy effect.
 
But at least the records from these two were intentionally bad. In real life they are Jo Stafford and Paul Weston, and the idea was to make some really bad sounding records - for comedy effect.
Definitely! In fact, my introduction to them was from a professional musician--he admires how cleverly they performed the music poorly.

In fact...here's one that is just as bad.




From the liner notes: "There will be those who question the inclusion of track 10. All I can say in my defense there is: (a) I come from the same gene pool that gave the world "Zero Tolerance for Silence," and (b) this was our small way of paying tribute to the great 'Jonathan and Darlene Edwards.'"

And to put it into a frame of reference, Mike is a Flugelhorn/EVI player, brother of Pat Metheny (who some here may have heard of). Pat recorded an album entitled Zero Tolerance for Silence that was basically 45-ish minutes of distorted guitar jamming. A small number of listeners call it "brilliant," most called it "noise," and some of us feel that since it was his final album for Geffen, it was both a throwaway album and a "middle finger" to Geffen on the way out the door.
 
Definitely! In fact, my introduction to them was from a professional musician--he admires how cleverly they performed the music poorly.

In fact...here's one that is just as bad.




From the liner notes: "There will be those who question the inclusion of track 10. All I can say in my defense there is: (a) I come from the same gene pool that gave the world "Zero Tolerance for Silence," and (b) this was our small way of paying tribute to the great 'Jonathan and Darlene Edwards.'"

And to put it into a frame of reference, Mike is a Flugelhorn/EVI player, brother of Pat Metheny (who some here may have heard of). Pat recorded an album entitled Zero Tolerance for Silence that was basically 45-ish minutes of distorted guitar jamming. A small number of listeners call it "brilliant," most called it "noise," and some of us feel that since it was his final album for Geffen, it was both a throwaway album and a "middle finger" to Geffen on the way out the door.

That was refreshingly horrible! (Who recorded my clarinet practice? :biglaugh:)
 
That was refreshingly horrible! (Who recorded my clarinet practice? :biglaugh:)
Mike I believe used to be in education, so he probably learned to play most of the band instruments back in the day. I know he and his brother Pat were both trumpet players, but Pat took to the guitar like a fish to water, and the rest is history. I can only think of one tune that Pat may have played trumpet on, and it was "Forward March" from First Circle, which isn't too far removed from Mike's clarinet d'amour. :D (It plays like an out of tune band performance.)
 
Wow! that clarinet playing really is bad! And from a Metheny yet! He plays a mean fluegelhorn though.
 
Wow! that clarinet playing really is bad! And from a Metheny yet!
"There will be those who question the inclusion of track 10. All I can say in my defense there is: (a) I come from the same gene pool that gave the world "Zero Tolerance for Silence," and (b) this was our small way of paying tribute to the great 'Jonathan and Darlene Edwards.'"

"Old Wine/New Bossa"...



(AKA, Mike redeems himself. :wink: Aside from the tracks on the Day In, Night Out album, this is one of my favorites of his.)
 
By the way, don't forget about Danny Bonaduce 1973 MGM album & Ricky Segull 1973 Bell album which are both annoying!! Danny did NOT sang on his album!! Both albums did NOT charted in Billboard. Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
I've had fun reading this thread, as these kind of albums are one of my pet things. Surprised to see one particular album not yet mentioned. If you thought Mrs. Miller was out there, imagine a Mrs. Miller knock-off, in which a shady music industry mogul brings his cantor father in to the recording studio, somewhat less than voluntarily, and has him sing an elpee's worth of recent hits. My friends, I give you one of the crown jewels of my record collection: Sam Chalpin's My Father The Pop Singer.

 
Obviously a failed a attempt to do a take off on Allan Sherman's "My Son the..." series on WB. Also reminds me of Gefilte Joe and the Fish...



(Yes, I'm a proud owner of that David's Star shaped piece of fine vinyl)

--Mr Bill
 
In the late 60s, Frank Zappa released a double lp by Wild Man Fischer. a guy who had spent a few years in several Californnia mental institutions. The vocals are awful, but I find the whole effort humorous and I still have the lp.
 
The worst jazz instrumental is by Dave Burrell. But first, as an honorable mention, I'll say that the few cuts I've heard from a jazz group called "The Rippingtons" are absolutely wretched! But even this awful band hasn't produced anything as irritating as Burrell's "Echo". I dare you to listen to the entire thing!
 
The Rippingtons weren't really that bad, but they were squarely in the "smooth jazz" category, and not everyone likes that sort of thing. Thing is, Russ Freeman knows his audience, and that is what they are after, so that is what he chooses to play. (Knowing other jazz musicians, their life is not that easy, and none of them are getting rich off of it. If they have to pursue the dollar to make a living, more power to 'em.)

One of the oddest concert lineups I saw was a three-bill act with David Benoit, Jean-Luc Ponty and The Rippingtons (who were I guess considered the headliner). I've always liked Benoit (he has genuine jazz chops, and doesn't get to stretch them out all that often), but I have been a long-time fan of Ponty's from back in the mid 70s. So the audience was this odd mix of yuppies who were there for Rippingtons (and perhaps Benoit, who opened), and a crowd that looked like aging rockers for Ponty. When The Rippingtons came on (featuring Eric Marienthal), the audience was pretty much filtering out until half the venue was empty. It was one tedious smooth jazz tune with a tropical-themed title after another. (And I don't even think they played one of their best-known tunes, "Aspen," from Curves Ahead. Maybe because it didn't have a tropical-themed song title...? :laugh: )

But here's the kicker. As an encore, The Rippingtons played one of their usual tunes, then ripped into a burning hot version of the Jimi Hendrix tune "Purple Haze," and it went on for at least ten minutes. They killed!! And Freeman burned it on guitar. Tons of energy, totally amazing. Some of us were stunned, and the entire audience was up out of their seats for the only time during their set. It's almost as though a different band came along and inhabited their souls. If only the rest of their gig had been that good, nobody would have left. They all have the chops to play just about anything but, as I said, they're playing to their audience who expects the style of music they are known for.
 
The Rippingtons weren't really that bad, but they were squarely in the "smooth jazz" category, and not everyone likes that sort of thing. Thing is, Russ Freeman knows his audience, and that is what they are after, so that is what he chooses to play. (Knowing other jazz musicians, their life is not that easy, and none of them are getting rich off of it. If they have to pursue the dollar to make a living, more power to 'em.)

One of the oddest concert lineups I saw was a three-bill act with David Benoit, Jean-Luc Ponty and The Rippingtons (who were I guess considered the headliner). I've always liked Benoit (he has genuine jazz chops, and doesn't get to stretch them out all that often), but I have been a long-time fan of Ponty's from back in the mid 70s. So the audience was this odd mix of yuppies who were there for Rippingtons (and perhaps Benoit, who opened), and a crowd that looked like aging rockers for Ponty. When The Rippingtons came on (featuring Eric Marienthal), the audience was pretty much filtering out until half the venue was empty. It was one tedious smooth jazz tune with a tropical-themed title after another. (And I don't even think they played one of their best-known tunes, "Aspen," from Curves Ahead. Maybe because it didn't have a tropical-themed song title...? :laugh: )

But here's the kicker. As an encore, The Rippingtons played one of their usual tunes, then ripped into a burning hot version of the Jimi Hendrix tune "Purple Haze," and it went on for at least ten minutes. They killed!! And Freeman burned it on guitar. Tons of energy, totally amazing. Some of us were stunned, and the entire audience was up out of their seats for the only time during their set. It's almost as though a different band came along and inhabited their souls. If only the rest of their gig had been that good, nobody would have left. They all have the chops to play just about anything but, as I said, they're playing to their audience who expects the style of music they are known for.
I've been a fan of Benoit the Rippingtons and Marienthal ( mainly their early music up to the late 90s) and Russ Freeman's first album before the Rippingtons was " Nocturnal playground" which I still have the CD I know not a lot of people like smooth jazz but I love the earlier days of the genre up until the late 90s and to me that was the Golden era of smooth jazz I wish it hadn't veered away like it did.but thankfully I still have the CDs I bought through the years and being that many of them were on Universal owned labels (GRP comes to mind) we can assume Benoit's and The Rippingtons GRP era masters were lost in The fire unless we hear otherwise. But in any case hold on to what you have physically even if it's really bad music even bad music does serve a good purpose not just as a coaster.
 
Wildman Fischer also did a few albums for Rhino Records, some produced by Barnes and Barnes, themselves famous for the tune "Fish Heads." Barnes and barnes as well as Wildman Fischer were staples of the Dr. Demento Show.

Larry "Wildman" Fischer's biggest hit (if you can call it that) was "My Name is Larry." Fischer was famed for singing in the stands at LA Dodger games and was (when management felt he was stable enough) one of those vendors in the stands. Fischer died in 2011 of heart failure.



Barnes and Barnes, (Art and Artie Barnes) are actually chiold actor Bill(y) Mumy and musician Robert Haimer, childhood friends. If you wqatch the "Fish Heads music video you will see it stars a young Bill Paxton and the good Dr. Demento himself.



--Mr Bill
 
Wildman Fischer also did a few albums for Rhino Records, some produced by Barnes and Barnes, themselves famous for the tune "Fish Heads." Barnes and barnes as well as Wildman Fischer were staples of the Dr. Demento Show.

Larry "Wildman" Fischer's biggest hit (if you can call it that) was "My Name is Larry." Fischer was famed for singing in the stands at LA Dodger games and was (when management felt he was stable enough) one of those vendors in the stands. Fischer died in 2011 of heart failure.



Barnes and Barnes, (Art and Artie Barnes) are actually chiold actor Bill(y) Mumy and musician Robert Haimer, childhood friends. If you wqatch the "Fish Heads music video you will see it stars a young Bill Paxton and the good Dr. Demento himself.



--Mr Bill
I discovered Dr Demento at age 13 he was always on past my bedtime so I had to sneak listen by putting my small radio turned extremely low next to my ear because getting caught being awake meant there was heck to pay but I remember Wildman Fisher from those days. As well as Barnes and Barnes fish heads The show was like an audio version of Mad Magazine but I loved it all .
 
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