Incredible set of 4 rare collectible industrial musical records - 2 STILL SEALED

$

750

This is a fantastic opportunity. If you've seen "Bathtubs Over Broadway" or read "Everything's Coming Up Profits," you know that these private pressing "industrial musical" souvenir albums are some of the rarest and weirdest records in existence. These motivational musicals were staged for dealers, salesmen, distributors and other industry insiders at sales meetings and conventions, and the souvenir vinyl records were not available to the public. And many of these shows boasted outstanding music and performances along with the bizarre corporate subject matter.
I'm the collector and historian profiled in the documentary "Bathtubs Over Broadway," and the co-author of "Everything's Coming Up Profits - The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals." I'm thinning out my stash of duplicate albums, and offering this selection of blue chip industrials which are featured in the documentary. The two examples that I consider the pinnacles of the genre, "The Bathrooms Are Coming" and "Diesel Dazzle," are STILL SEALED. Finding them in any condition is almost impossible -- finding them still sealed will probably never happen again.
The four albums are:
"The Bathrooms Are Coming," American Standard, 1969. This is the one that now goes for hundreds of dollars by itself. A souvenir of the musical staged in Las Vegas and Atlanta for plumbing fixture distributors. Great songs by the late Sid Siegel, fabulously arranged and performed. Includes the hauntingly beautiful and notorious ode to a woman's private kind of place, "My Bathroom," plus other favorites like "Proximatics," "The Time For Change," "It's Revolution," and a slew of deep cuts that aren't heard in the documentary. Cover, subject matter, songwriting, execution -- they're all cranked up to 11. And this is the only STILL SEALED copy I've ever heard of.
"Diesel Dazzle," Detroit Diesel Engine Division of General Motors, 1966. Another landmark of the genre, with songs about selling and servicing diesel engines by Hank Beebe and his late partner Bill Heyer, and performed by a top-flght brassy orchestra and a cast that included Hal Linden and David Hartman. Songs include "Diesel Dazzle" and "We Were There," both heard in the documentary, as well as other weirdly awesome numbers such as "Sell Truck" and "One Man Operation." The album is a gatefold with show photos and credits on the inside. The only known industrial souvenir album offered to company personnel in both stereo and mono, this is a stereo pressing, and is the only STILL SEALED copy I've ever heard of.
"The Music from Ford-i-fy Your Future," Ford Tractor & Implement, 1959. Industrial shows were often written by future Broadway legends, and this one has music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, several years before the duo wrote the songs for "Fiddler on the Roof." Other shows by Harnick & Bock include "Fiorello," "She Loves Me," and "The Rothschilds." This is pre-fame Harnick and Bock, and on the back cover Jerry Bock's last name is misspelled as "Brock." It's a one-sided lp with four songs, performed by an uncredited cast. All four of the songs are snappy and full of Ford tractor sales boosterism, and the cover is a tractor extravaganza. The cover, seen in the documentary, shows minor wear but overall is clean and sharp, with a partial split on the top seam, and the disc is minty.
"Got to Investigate Silicones," GE Silicone Products Department, 1973. Another astonishing industrial featured in the documentary, by the "Diesel Dazzle" team of Hank Beebe and Bill Heyer. This was a B2B show, staged by GE for representatives of other companies to convince them to use GE silicones. Songs about the benefits of silicones that are way more entertaining than they should have been, thanks to the talent of Hank and Bill and the professionalism of the cast and musicians. Highlights include the chipper "Silicones, Silicones" and the amazing nearly six minute "The Answer," chock full of information about the varied uses of silicone products. The cover is in good shape with minor wear, including a small top seam split and a crease across a lower corner. The two sided disc is close to minty.
The albums will be well packed for shipment.
Don't miss this chance to acquire four key examples of this deliciously strange and secret slice of American showbiz and corporate history.