I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM singles collection

Since my record player doesn’t leave the living room, this is the closest thing to portability that 45s have ever achieved. Norton Records is an independent NYC label run by two musicians (Miriam Linna, one-time drummer for The Cramps, and her husband Billy Miller). They specialize in unearthing raw & authentic music — like retro punk, rockabilly, garage rock and old R&B — and releasing it on vinyl.

They’ve just assembled forty-five 45s from their rad collection, available for the first time ever as a digital release. The quality of this rare, elusive collection of songs is out-of-this world. If you’ve ever walked into a dusty old record store and wanted to listen to everything in the stacks of obscure 45s to discover a few groups that history forgot, this is your dream.

In addition to groups we know (like an alternate version of the bittersweet perfection in Big Star‘s “September Gurls” or the original 1975 demo of The Ramones‘ “I Want To Be Your Boyfriend”) there are dozens of songs to explore that you’ve probably never heard before. My ears loved digging deeper into formats like surf music, rockabilly, ’60s teenage doo-wop, and soul-tinged ballads in this fresh and unsullied collection.

The opening notes give us The Dictators wondering, “Who Will Save Rock and Roll?” — eh, maybe Norton Records will.

Stop It Baby – Roy Loney and The A-Bones
They just don’t name bands like that anymore. From the ebullient cool of the opening riff to the “just stop it, baby” groans, this amazing tune makes me want to dance . . . or even go walking down the street for Roy Loney and his A-Bones.

All Kindsa Girls – Real Kids
Like the Ramones but fresher because I’ve never heard em before.

Hey Mrs. Jones – Long John Hunter
A “down on the corner” skiffle, plaintively asking Mrs. Jones if he can come on, if he can come in. If you know what I mean.

Listen to the kitschy “radio spot” preview they put together
which includes tastes of tracks from Herbie Duncan, Incredible Kings, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Shades of Night, and the original 1975 demo of “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” by The Ramones

Buy the I Hate CDs collection:
* eMusic
* iTunes
* Amazon Digital Store

I Hate CDs:
Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection, Vol. 1
TRACKLIST

01. DICTATORS – WHO WILL SAVE ROCK AND ROLL?
02. READYMEN – SHORTNIN’ BREAD
03. LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY – I HATE CD’s
04. BUNKER HILL – THE GIRL CAN’T DANCE
05. HERBIE DUNCAN – HOT LIPS BABY
06. ANDRE WILLIAMS – THE MONKEY SPEAKS HIS MIND
07. INCREDIBLE KINGS – THE LIMP
08. SCREAMING JOE NEAL – ROCK AND ROLL DEACON
09. DALE HAWKINS – NUMBER NINE TRAIN
10. RAMONES – I WANT TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND
11. DON “PRETTY BOY” COVAY – SWITCHEN IN THE KITCHEN
12. 5.6.7.8′s – HARLEM SHUFFLE
13. DARYL BRITT AND THE BLUE JEANS – LOVER LOVER
14. JACK STARR – CHICKEN
15. MARY WEISS – A CERTAIN GUY
16. SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS – I HEAR VOICES
17. WADE CURTISS AND THE RHYTHM ROCKERS – PUDDY CAT
18. KID THOMAS – ROCKIN’ THIS JOINT TO-NITE
19. SHADES OF NIGHT – FLUCTUATION
20. BIG STAR – SEPTEMBER GURLS
21. TRIUMPHS – SURFSIDE DATE
22. JOHNNY CLARK AND THE FOUR PLAYBOYS – JUNGLE STOMP
23. DOUG SAHM AND THE PHAROAHS – SLOW DOWN
24. REIGN – ZIPPERED UP HEART
25. ESQUERITA – ROCKIN’ THE JOINT
26. HASIL ADKINS – CHICKEN SHAKE
27. SONICS – BUSY BODY
28. DANNY ZELLA AND THE ZELL ROCKS – SAPPHIRE
29. JOHNNY POWERS AND THE A-BONES – NEW SPARK
30. MONACLES – I CAN’T WIN
31. LONG JOHN HUNTER – HEY MRS. JONES
32. REAL KIDS – ALL KINDSA GIRLS
33. RAMONES – JUDY IS A PUNK
34. SCOTTY McKAY – BAD TIMES
35. QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS – ARE YOU FOR REAL?
36. ROY LONEY AND THE A-BONES – STOP IT BABY
37. STUD COLE – THE WITCH
38. ALARM CLOCKS – MARIE
39. CREATIONS – BETTER WATCH OUT
40. SABRES – MY HOT MAMA
41. HENTCHMEN – HOT ROD MILLIE
42. JERRY McCAIN AND HIS UPSTARTS – A CUTIE NAMED JUDY
43. UNKNOWN GROUP – I’VE HAD ENOUGH
44. NEANDERTHALS – TWINKLE TOES
45. LINK WRAY AND THE RAYMEN – VENDETTA