VA - Burbank's Finest - 100% All Meat (1975)

The major rarity that surfaced with 1975’s All Meat – the 45RPM-only duet by Harry Nilsson and Cher, “A Love Like Yours (Don’t Come Knocking Every Day)” – was originally recorded during the sessions for John Lennon’s Rock ‘N’ Roll, under the watchful eye of future murderer, Phil Spector. How Phil managed to make the pair sound like each other is anybody’s guess. This is the only album the song has ever appeared on (unless it showed up on some obscure Spector comp somewhere). Also on this edition; Emmylou Harris is sounding like a young Dolly Parton on Rodney Crowell’s “Bluebird Wine,” from her first, post-Gram Parsons solo release; Curtis Mayfield appears on a Loss Leader for the first time, via his own Curtom label, which had just signed a new distribution deal with WB; and any album with music from Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen is worth hearing. The Airmen cover Phil Harris’ 1937 tune, “That’s What I Like About The South,” while Geoff Muldaur continues the rustic songbook raid by covering 1929’s “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You,” and Peter Yarrow (of …Paul & Mary) revisits 1930’s “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” The Band’s Robbie Robertson produces Hirth Martinez’ contribution from Hirth From Earth, while the ongoing exhumation of Jimi Hendrix continued with a cut from Crash Landing, “Captain Coconut.” Two interesting tidbits from the liner notes… 1) The Beau Brummels’ mid-60s hit, “Laugh Laugh,” was produced by a 21 year-old Sly Stone, and 2) Todd Rundgren’s LP, Initiation, contained 63 minutes of music, “the most ever presented on a single, first-edition rock disc.” Interestingly, All Meat also had a very rare promotional edition, though it’s unknown (by us, anyway) how, or to whom, it was distributed. As seen above (on the left), it featured bologna-colored vinyl encased in plastic, to mimic a package of luncheon meat. How cool is that? It’s a highly coveted rarity, so act accordingly if you ever come across one. The more conventional cover, some with a fake (or not) cut-out hole in the upper corner, is seen on the right. Click below to view the plain, text-only back cover. The album’s official title? It’s all over the map, and is alternately referred to as All Meat… 100% All Meat… Burbank’s Finest: 100% All Meat… or, as printed on the labels, All Meat Sampler.