NSFW – “Vibrator” by Vanity and Prince – Unreleased 1983 Demo


The song was written by Prince for Vanity 6 back in 1983. It was intended to appear on the second Vanity 6 album timed to release around the same time as the movie Purple Rain.

Vanity (the singer) and Prince ended their romantic relationship around this time. She was also unhappy with her royalties and pay. So she decided to leave the group and not to participate in the Purple Rain movie. The album and the song were shelved and never officially released.

The rather long track is a tribute to a battery-powered sex toy. The narrator (Vanity) reaches for her vibrator. When the batteries run out, she goes to a store and encounters a clerk, who offers to “carry it downstairs” and install new batteries. The narrator then takes the device to a different store, where she meets a cashier (Prince in his Jamie Starr accent). The cashier gives her the batteries and sends her out of the door.

The song concludes with the narrator achieving orgasm. Nice. I can only imagine what Tipper Gore would have said.

This demo leaked long ago. So far every example that I have found includes the sound of cassette tape hiss. They are from a cassette with a rough mix demo that Prince handed out in limited number. The example that appears on soundcloud is someone’s remaster of the track.

It is unclear if Prince’s Estate will release this song in the future. Vanity sadly passed away in 2016, the same year Prince died.

source: PrinceVault

“Tequila” by The Champs (as seen in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure) PLUS Collecting The Vinyl & Cassettes

Today is National Tequila Day and I can’t think of a better track to mark the occasion. I don’t drink hard liquor anymore but I used to enjoy Tequila shots.

“Tequila” by The Champs was first released in 1958 and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was re-released in 1987 as the demand for the track suddenly rose because of it’s appearance in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

It was available as a 7 inch 45 RPM disc. That version have a long and short version on sides A and B. It had a similar cover to what we see below, which is the 12 inch 45 RPM version.

The surprising thing about the 12 inch version is that the B side contains a rather wacky hip hop track called “Pee-Wee’s Dance” by Joeski Love.

courtesy of discogs
courtesy of discogs

Now I have a new record to add to my list of “grails”. If you are not a vinyl collector, let me explain what a “grail” is. The term comes from the Monte Python movie Quest For The Holy Grail. The records on a collector’s list of grails are usually hard to find items that may have special appeal to the collector.

It was released as a single in it’s own right. As a kid I remember hearing the Joeski Love track on the radio. I had a compilation cassette called Rap’s Greatest Hits that included the song. I used to bump this in my little boom box all day. I would love to find this on vinyl in good condition.

By now you must be wondering what this song sounded like. Well we won’t let you down! Here it is!

Note that the vocals are a little too low in the mix and hard to understand. It’s not you. They needed a better compressor on the vocals. I hope someone finds the master tapes and does up a nice new mix. Then they can re-issue the 12 inch double single again as a remaster.

TAKE MY MONEY!

NSFW – “Galactic Mermaid” by Sho Hikino

PURE PROFANITY. This song probably breaks the record for the most swear words ever to be intentionally included in the lyrics. It’s so bad that I can not play it on the live radio stream. It’s impossible to bleep this track.

A listener suggested that we add the original version by The Mermaid Sisters. I was rather shocked when I first heard it. Today I discovered this cover version by Sho Hikino that includes the lyrics. His singing style vaguely reminds me of this band from the 70s/80s called Manhattan Transfer. Great Job!

“Hip To Be The Sandman” a mashup of “Hip To Be Square” by Huey Lewis & The News and “Enter Sandman” by Metallica

Created by Bill McClintock, here we have a strange combination of musical styles that never quite mesh. Party-pop vs a thrasher. It’s entertaining to say the least. And there is a lot more where that came from.

I did embed a video on this blog, but I recommend skipping the videos, and go directly to his audio page. The sound quality is better and you can download the audio. You’ll find quite a few gems in there.

“Fraggle Metal” by Leo Moracchioli – A Heavy Metal Version of The Fraggle Rock Theme

You need this if you are old enough to remember Fraggle Rock. Either way it’s great. PLUS it’s METAL! YEAH!

We’ve been following Leo Moracchioli and his Frog Leap Studios YouTube Channel for years now. This guy is the best. We play a few tracks on our station. This is his latest effort.

courtesy Union Craft Brewing Co

“Boa Constrictor” by Johnny Cash – Written by Shel Silverstein

What better song to listen to on World Snake Day? “Boa Constrictor” was written by Shel Silverstein. Johhny Cash covered the song for his comedy album Everybody Loves A Nut in 1966.

The lyrics later appeared in a collection of poems, lyrics and stories called Where The Sidewalk Ends. first published in 1974.

I had this book myself as a child as well as the sequel, A Light In The Attic. I recommend booth books to any kid age 5-12. There is also a musical record to go with the first book.

courtesy of laut.de

“Jocko Homo” by Devo

It’s hard to call a song by Devo a favorite because I have like 20 of them. This one is from the very early times of the band. The music video is delightful. The sounds and music are weird. This track and many other classics can be found on the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!.

Pretty cool animated gif right?