A NEW 45 rpm Vinyl Record?
What the heck is this all about?
PRETTY CRAZY ISN’T IT?
Who even has a record player or turntable to play it? Well, as amazing as it seems, there actually has been a resurgence in the popularity of vinyl records lately.
Did you know that last year more vinyl records were sold than CDs? Why, I don’t know. Some people actually have record players. And, some folks claim to like the sound better.
But, let me tell you my story. Over 60 years ago, my buddy Burt Schneider and I started a record company in high school. We recorded various rock groups from Catalina High in Tucson, AZ. All were done at the famous studio in Phoenix, Audio Recorders of Arizona. At the controls was the future Grammy Award winning engineer Jack Miller. Later on in his career he would record the likes of The Monkees and Henry Mancini. Also, he did the Rolling Stones classic, Satisfaction. You may have heard of it.
All our records were 45 rpm vinyl records, the hot medium of the day in 1959. They were played on the radio and people bought them. But, it just didn’t end in 1959. Since that time even though our records were featured on compilation albums and CD’s all over the world as examples of early American rock n’ roll, mostly they were forgotten.
Then, 40 years later, up pops the internet and our records are all over the place...YouTube, Spotify, Apple iTunes, Amazon, and all the rest. Unbelievable. Not bad from a bunch of 17-year-old kids 60 years ago.
NOW ABOUT THIS RECORD: One of our most popular groups was Pete Ronstadt and the Nightbeats. (Do I need to say that Linda Ronstadt is Pete’s little sister?) During our final session in August, 1959, the group recorded a current hit of the day, Sea of Love. Unlike the other songs by the group, it was never pressed or released.
Until now.
I decided to release this never heard version of “Sea of Love” as a special 60 Year Commemorative Edition. It’s exactly as it sounded back in 1959 and taken off the actual tape that was recorded then.
In addition, on the flip side of the record, I added strings to the original version, created by Skye van Dureen. So, side A is exactly as recorded. Side B has strings added.
The original idea for the strings came from Dan Kruse who produced a documentary about our company, entitled ZOOM. It won many awards at film festivals and you can watch it on YouTube.com.
SO HERE IT IS! I had exactly 300 copies of “Sea of Love” pressed for posterity’s sake and to raise money for one of my favorite causes, the Tucson charity Youth On Their Own. 100% OF ALL MONEY COLLECTED GOES DIRECTLY TO THEIR ORGANIZATION.
It’s just something I wanted to do. 1959 was a great year and those exciting things all of us did should be remembered. Now, you can be a part of it!
Thanks, and rock on!
Ray Lindstrom
How can you get a copy of this limited edition collector's record?
It is available in a full color sleeve as shown above with 100% of all money collected going directly to Youth On Their Own, a Tucson organization that supports the high school graduation and continued success of youth experiencing homelessness. (I do not even touch a cent of the money that I could accidentally pilfer for a dinner for Renee and me.)
NEW CD-JUST RELEASED.
TUCSON ROCK 1959
BRAND NEW FROM ZOOM RECORDS, YOUR CHS RECORD LABEL!
New CD with 9 Original Hit Recordings featuring all the Zoom star hit-makers. All the groups were composed of students from Catalina High School.
Now available for sale in Tucson at Bookmans, Hurricane Records, and Wooden Tooth Records. Also on the internet at eBay.
The year was 1959, same as the class in the hit movie Grease. It was the first rock n’ roll generation. Elvis was king. In Tucson, 3 groups were hot and Zoom Records recorded them all. Zoom Records was created by two Catalina High School students, 17-year-olds Burt Schneider and Ray Lindstrom. Jack Miller, legendary Grammy Award winning audio engineer, was at the controls for all the sessions. In addition to Zoom, Jack went on to engineer famous hits by The Monkees, Henry Mancini, and the Rolling Stones including the rock classic Satisfaction. All Zoom Records were done at Audio Recorders of Arizona in Phoenix, the same studio where famous guitarist Duane Eddy cut all his hit records.
THE ZOOM STAR HIT-MAKERS:
King Rock and The Knights: The wildest, groovinest, hard pounding-rockinest sound anywhere. Roger Hohlenkamp is King Rock with Knights Bob Dickey, Carson Noel, and Tom Hawk. Besides topping the charts in Tucson, the two cuts here were also played repeatedly by legendary Pittsburgh deejay “Mad” Mike Metrovich on WZUM and are featured on several “Pittsburgh’s Greatest Hits” compilation albums.
Pete Ronstadt and The Nightbeats: Fast or slow, Pete had a quality voice that matched his little sister Linda’s. Besides Pete (also on guitar) were Nate Foster-guitar, Bert Roberts-Drums, Lance Hoopes-Sax, and Don Grossberndt-Piano. Lonesome Road Rock was their biggest hit of the 5 cuts here. All have been featured on world-wide compilation albums as examples of great American rock n’ roll. See their photo on the CD cover.
Jack Wallace and the Hi-Tones: He could have been Elvis, but he was just a couple of years too late. Jack’s deep vocals along with the doo-wop harmony of LeRoy Meadows and Dave First of the Hi-Tones are a real treat. This was the first Zoom Record pressed and both sides here got plenty of radio plays and sales.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Scandal – King Rock and The Knights 2:08
2. Send-Di “Boss Part 2” – King Rock and The Knights 1:56
3. Lonesome Road Rock – Pete Ronstadt & The Nightbeats 2:12
4. Nightbeat – Pete Ronstadt & The Nightbeats 1:58
5. Doreen – Pete Ronstadt & The Nightbeats 2:26
6. Cryin’ All Night – Pete Ronstadt & The Nightbeats 1:45
7. Sea of Love – Pete Ronstadt & The Nightbeats 2:26
8. I Think of You – Jack Wallace & The Hi-Tones 2:44
9. You Are The One – Jack Wallace & The Hi–Tones 2:00
