Exploito

Exploito is a term generally given to describe cover version or sound-alike recordings that capitalize on the official recordings of artists. Typically they are of the budget release type of album. Often the buying public would think they are buying an album by the actual artist.

Background

The typical exploito album is aimed at the unsuspecting buyer with the attraction of a budget price. In the United States, Alshire was one label that released this type of album. In Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the label there was Arc. The current hits of the day would be recorded. Sometimes local musicians would be used. Also some extra original compositions would be added by hired writers or people that worked for the label.[1] One example of how an exploito album imitates a genuine release is the Mark, Don & Terry album which has the layout and cover art and design copies a recent release of a legitimate album.[2] They often ended up being put into stores by rack jobbers. Some of the releases are by unknown or no-name artists and the sound quality and packaging in the early days made for an inferior product.[3]

There seems to almost a subgenre that is referred to as semi-exploito or exploito psychedelic rock.[4][5] The Animated Egg is one.[6] It was released on budget label Alshire Records and on Somerset Records in 1968.[7] Others that give some info on the musicians are Grass, A Rock Musical by Sven Libaek,[8]

Producers and labels

Alshire

In 1969, Alshire Records released an album called Famous Songs of Hank Williams: A Return Trip with the Modern Sounds In Modern Rock-Acid Sound, an album that featured musicians covering Hank Williams songs, but in the acid rock genre.[9] The album was a combination of country-style vocals with fuzz guitar and garage rock backing. All Music reviewer Jason Ankeny described the release as "the most absurdly conceived exploito release in the entire Alshire catalog."[10]

Crown, Custom

One label that is well known for exploito and budget albums is Crown Records. Two collectable exploito albums released on the label are The Firebirds Light My Fire album[11] and 31 Flavors Hair album[12] which were both rereleased together on a CD by Gear Fab Records.[13]

Crown's subsidiary Custom put out an album More Psychedelic Guitars which featured the tracks "Another Trip", "Really Got It Bad", "Out Of Touch", The Letdown", Psychedelic A-Go-Go", "Flower Power", Can You Dig It", "Sit- In", "Lost In Space" and "Psychedelic Venture". The artist playing on the album was guitarist Jerry Cole.[14][15]

Crown and Custom were owned by the Bihari Brothers.[16][17]

Leo Muller & Stereo Gold Award

One of the producers that has become well known for exploito records is Leo Muller which in fact was an alias for Dave Miller.[18] In 1972, he hired Thin Lizzy musicians Phil Lynott, Eric Bell and Brian Downey to record an album that would be released as Funky Junction Play A Tribute to Deep Purple.[19] The name of Funky Junction would be used again by Muller for the misleadingly titled Especially For You…Gladys Knight and The Pips with guests Funky Junction, released in 1973. The album didn't feature Gladys Knight & the Pips. It featured covers of Gladys Knight songs and two numbers credited to Funky Junction, "Talking Trash" and "Roads End".[20] "Talking Trash" also appeared on Tamla Hits by Dianne And The New Worlds, an album supposedly in the soul genre.[21] "Roads End" would appear on two Jimi Hendrix exploitation albums, Tribute To Jimi Hendrix by Jeff Cooper And The Stoned Wings, and Tribute To Jimi Hendrix by The Purple Fox.[22][23]

Deacon

Deacon was another budget label that was sold via supermarkets and gas stations. A good deal of its catalogue consisted of orchestral and middle of the road type albums.[24] The label released an album in 1970 called The Golden Hits From The Legend That Was Hank Williams. The credited artist Tex Williams & The Sundowners was displayed on the front cover positioned in the song list column in much smaller writing than the subject that was Hank Williams.[25][26] In 1972 the label issued Tribute To Johnny Cash. Like the Golden Hits From The Legend That Was Hank Williams release, the credited artist had one part of the name the same as the subject artist.[27][28] The label even issued a single-sided 45RPM single aimed at bingo halls with the songs "Let's Play Bingo" and "Bingo Goes Pop".[29]

Sutton

Sutton was founded in 1963 by Bob Blythe, formerly of Tops Records,[30] was a label known for budget exploito albums. One band that had records released under its own name but destined straight for the cut out bins to be filled by the rack jobbers was the New Dimension. Surf music producers Tony Hilder and Bob Hafner provided the material.[31][32] One album to meet this fate was Soul with The New Dimensions, released on Sutton SSU 336.[33] Another one by the same group was Surf'n Bongos that years later would end up be auctioned under the heading of THE New Dimensions Surf'n Bongos ~ Fuzz Garage Surf Exploito 1963 Sutton LP.[34] As announced by Billboard in 1965, Pat Collins aka the "Hip Hypnotist" was to do a couple of albums for the label.[35]

Exploiting mainstream artists

There have been releases made to cash in on the success of Tom Jones. In 1973, Arc Records released an album, Smash Hits Tom Jones Style which included the songs "A Minute Of Your Time", " Delilah", " Green Green Grass Of Home " and "It's Not Unusual".[36] Arc also issued an album called The Golden Ring Sing The Best Hits Of Tom Jones. There were also other releases on Arc by the so called The Golden Ring which include Tribute To Glen Campbell, A Tribute To Johnny Cash , Tribute To Elvis and Nat King Cole's Golden Hits etc..[37]

Sam Sorono recorded an album Sam Sorono Sings Tom Jones' Greatest Hits, produced by Chris Babida and released on EMI in 1978.[38] The difference with Sorono was that he was a real singer who eventually moved to the UK. He was based in Bramley, Rotherham. A former actor in Martial arts films, he had been an entertainer in the Philippines. He had played with artists such as Count Basie and Ike and Tina Turner. He died in 2008.[39][40] Similarly Tony Warren has released covers of Tom Jones' material but he has performed professionally for decades as a Tom Jones impersonator.[41][42]

Exploitation

Behavior and pastimes

One album that capitalized on human behavior was Music To Strip For Your Man by Teddy Phillips And His Orchestra.[43] In 1963, Sutton released the Surf 'n Bongos album by the New Dimensions. The cover featured swimsuit clad girls with shirtless surfing boys at the beach.[44][45]

Television shows

In 1966, a record label called Tifton released an album called Batman And Robin by The Sensational Guitars Of Dan & Dale. The guitars were actually by Danny Kalb and Steve Katz. Sun Ra and Al Kooper played organ.[46]

Quality

Some exploito albums have been of better-than-average quality with their musical arrangements. One example is the Mariano and the Unbelievables album that was released in 1967.[47] An album by a group called The Blues Train that was released in 1970 on a budget exploito label called Condor is now valued by collectors.[48]

References

1. Canehdian.com Blues Train Biography
2. Ithsmus April 22, 2012 Vinyl Cave: "Monumental Funk" by Mark Farner and Don Brewer by Bob Koch
3. Billboard May 24, 1969 C-34 Rack Jobbers Force Budget Line Sales
4. Ithsmus May 22, 2011 Vinyl Cave: Minnie Riperton and Yma Sumac rock out by Bob Koch
5. FuzzyWasabi Wednesday, April 29, 2009 Fools On The Hill 22: Fabulously Fake Freakouts – 25 wannabe psychedelic tunes from all over the world
6. Night of the Living Vinyl Thursday, 9 December 2010 Exploito-psych #1 The Id and The Animated Egg
7. Discogs The Animated Egg – The Animated Egg
8. Discogs Sven Libaek – Grass - A Rock Musical
9. Popsike MODERN SOUNDS..Hank Williams LP ALSHIRE EXPLOITO PSYCH NM- Rock-Acid Alshire
10. All Music Various Artists Famous Songs of Hank Williams in Modern Rock-Acid Sound (LP - Alshire #5136) Review by Jason Ankeny
11. Discogs The Firebirds (2) Discography
12. Discogs 31 Flavors Discography
13. Discogs The Firebirds (2), 31 Flavors – Light My Fire/ Hair
14. Both Sides Now Publications Custom Album Discography By David Edwards and Mike Callahan
15. Discogs Jerry Cole – More Psychedellic Guitars
16. Billboard Billboard 16 Dec, 1967 Page 6 Crown/Kent Buzzes As Custom Presser
17. Both Sides Now Publications The Crown Records Story By Mike Callahan, David Edwards, Patrice Eyries, Randy Watts and Tim Neely
18. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series Page 254
19. Willards Wormholes FUNKY JUNCTION Play A Tribute To Deep Purple (1973) – Early THIN LIZZY Mercenary Recordings Archived 2016-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
20. Spiral-2 LP 285: Unknown / Funky Junction – Especially For You…Gladys Knight and The Pips (Stereo Gold Award, 1975)
21. Discogs Dianne And The New Worlds – Tamla Hits
22. Discogs Jeff Cooper And The Stoned Wings – Tribute To Jimi Hendrix
23. Discogs The Purple Fox – Tribute To Jimi Hendrix
24. Billboard October 24, 1970 Page 62 International Music Reports, Crown, Premier, Budget Catalog
25. Discogs Tex Williams & The Sundowners – The Golden Hits From The Legend That Was Hank Williams
26. Discogs More Images
27. Discogs Johnny Dodds (2) – Tribute To Johnny Cash
28. Discogs Tex Williams & The Sundowners – The Golden Hits From The Legend That Was Hank Williams
29. 45 Sleeves DEACON, 1971
30. Billboard Mar 2, 1963 Page 6 Bob Blythe Starts New Name Talent Low-Budget LP Line
31. Beyond The Beat Generation The New Dimensions
32. MusicDish e-Journal 2001-05-14 From Surf to Folk Rock: He's Done it All! An Interview with SoCal's Craig Nuttycombe By Mike Dugo, 60sGarageBands
33. Popsike The New Dimensions LP Soul garage surf tittyshaker
34. Worthpoint THE NEW DIMENSIONS SURF 'N BONGOS ~ FUZZ GARAGE SURF EXPLOITO 1963 SUTTON LP
35. Billboard October 16, 1965 Page 16 Signings
36. Discogs - Unknown Artist – Smash Hits Tom Jones Style
37. Discogs - The Golden Ring Discography, Albums
38. Discogs - Sam Sorono – Sing Tom Jones' Greatest Hits
39. Sheffield Star, Wednesday 28 April 2010 - Stars shine for Sam Sorono at hospice fundraiser - VIDEO
40. Sheffield Star, Wednesday 10 December 2008 - Tributes to singing star Sam Archived 2018-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
41. The Star, Saturday, 23 Apr 2011 - LIFESTYLE, Tony Warren still rocking by Sonja Mustaffa
42. The Star, Saturday, 7 Jul 2007 - Warren makes time for grandson by Stuart Michael
43. Discogs Teddy Phillips And His Orchestra – Music To Strip For Your Man By
44. Popsike THE NEW DIMENSIONS Surf 'n Bongos ~ fuzz garage surf exploito 1963 SUTTON LP
45. Surfadelic November 13, 2014 THE NEW DIMENSIONS – Surf’N Bongos (1963)
46. Discogs The Sensational Guitars Of Dan & Dale – Batman And Robin
47. Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed Edited by Kim Cooper and David Smay, Illustrations by David Neely Mariano and the Unbelievaables (Capiltol, 1967)
48. Canehdian.com Blues Train Biography