Here is my recollection of my first listening to the Spotlight Kid. (the artist- not that particular album! hehehee)
In 1973 and at the age of 16, I went to New York from my hometown of St. Louis to see Jethro Tull perform ‘A Passion Play’ at The Garden and the Nassau Colluseum with a New Jersey couple, Ron Lorman and Lisa who were students at Webster College that I had met at the Tull shows here two weeks earlier. *shwew* One night between shows we were hanging at thier apartment when he hands me a clear plastic record jacket with a white cardboard insert. “Check THIS out” was all he said and put the needle onto the title track.
Swampy beefy throbbing goodness visually oozed from the speakers. ‘Clear Spot’ floored me.
“More?” ‘Too Much Time’ with it’s sweet soul then ‘Big Eyed Beans From Venus’ in all it’s glory. “More please!” was my only reply. Ron switched albums. “No, I wanna hear more of ‘Clear Spot'”. But he handed me the ‘Decals’ jacket and put on ‘Woe is uh me bop’ and again I was floored… Ron then said “See how long you can keep the beat to this next one!” and let ‘Japan in a Dishpan’ play. Admittedly I lost track right about the 15th measure but it didn’t matter ’cause AGAIN I was floored – literally rolling around the floor laughing with a joy I have yet to find anywhere else. I had arrived… I was home after 14 years in a musical desert with too few oasises (is that a word?).
Thanks Ron! Hope you stumble across this article. If you do, drop me a line, ok?
And thank you Don Van Vliet for all your lovely gifts.
– Dominic Schaeffer