Les Vogt 45 The Blamers / Moon Rocketin' 1958 Prowlers Vancouver CFUN # 1 VG++

$

65

-Artist / Group: Les Vogt

-Mini bio: Les Vogt was an early Vancouver B.C. rockabilly/rock & roll recording artist who had a few local hits in the late 1950's and early 1960's such as the rockabilly sizzler Rock Me Baby released as by The Prowlers on Vancouver's Aragon Record label which featured Les Vogt on lead vocals. Les Vogt also released some solo material in the early 1960's such as The Blamers b/w Moon Rocketin' which knocked off Elvis Presley's It's Now Or Never for the #1 postion on Vancouver radio station CFUN, where it remained at # 1 for eleven weeks. He also released the rockabilly classic I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You), which is a great cover of Elvis' 1956 release, and was backed with Teenager's Dream on Les Vogt's own Jaguar label and reached # 12 on CFUN's charts.

-Both The Blamer's and Moon Rocketin' were written by a local jazz musician Sipson P. Kloop (pen name of Al Parker, also a milkman from Surrey B.C. who composed songs on the run).

-Les Vogt was something of a Vancouver Elvis, able to sell rather odd recordings with his smooth delivery. And Both The Blamers and Moon Rocketin' are rather odd. The Blamers is an excellent pre-protest era song about the older generation and musically is a straightforward early 1960's pop-rock ballad in the Don't Be Cruel mould; lyrically, it's a teenage love song with something of a religious undertone. Les Vogt himself much prefers Moon Rocketin', a slightly wacky slice of space-age rock, some say a rockabilly recording, that could have been written by Joe Meek (of Telstar) fame.

-Neither The Blamers or Moon Rocketin' were intended for release. Kloop was simply looking for a group to record The Blamers as a publishing demo so he could flog it to somebody famous.  In 1958 Kloop contacted The Prowlers, and they went into Aragon recording studio on West hastings in Vancouver to cut the demo.

-Recording conditions were rather primitive: everything had to be recorded live, on one microphone. To keep the drums from overwhelming the recording, the drummer was stationed in the hallway outside the studio. There was bit of time left after The Prowlers finished The Blamers, so the band cut Moon Rocketin' off the cuff..only Les Vogt really knew the song. Then they packed up and left.

-Two years later in 1960, Kloop pitched his song (Using the Les Vogt/Prowlers Recording) to Peggy DeCastro of the Decastro Singers, a girl group that was playing The Cave nightclub in Vancouver. DeCatro's husband owned a record company and took the demo back to Los Angeles, where he decided to release it, as is. It came out on Iona 1001 in the United States and on Sparton 4-923 R in Canada.

-The problem was, by the time the 45 came out, the original Prowlers had broken up. So it was released as a Les Vogt solo record, rather than as a Prowlers single.

-No any early Vancouver rock & roll based record collection can be considered complete without this extremely rare Prowlers recording released as by Les Vogt.

-Titles: The Blamers / Moonrocketin'

-Label: Canadian Sparton 4-923R (Released in United States on Iona 1001)

-Year released: 1960

-Billboard number: Vancouver CFUN # 1

-CFUN chart debut: Not known

-Canadian pressing

-Visual grade: The Blamers is a strong VG++ with just a few scuffs off a near mint. Moon Rocketin' although visually a VG+ due to light surface scratches, plays with excellent fidelity, no distortion, and while there is a bit of background noise at the lead-in, once the needle hits the grooves and the music starts, the background noise pretty much disappears.

-Labels: Near mint

-We stock a constantly changing inventory of 45's, 78's and LP's in every genre of music. The release dates range from the early 1900's through to the 2000's. Hundreds of titles are unplayed, new old stock. Buy with confidence, we grade records accurately and have been selling records through Ebay since 2000.

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-Buyer pays shipping charges:

Canada- $4.00 for the first two 45's plus .50 for each additional 45 up to seven 45's

LP's and 78's- $10.00 for the first one plus $1.00 for each additional LP or 78 up to three records

U.S.A.- $4.00 for the first two 45's plus .75 for each additional 45 up to seven 45's

LP's and 78's- $10.00 for the first one plus $1.00 for each additional LP or 78 up to three records

International- $9.00 for the first two 45's plus $1.00 for each additional 45 up to seven 45's. Eight 45's to twelve is $30.00

LP's and 78's- $18.00 for the first one. Two to three is $30.00

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Record grading:

(M) Mint: A mint record should appear to have just left the manufacturers without any handling; that is, it should appear perfect! No light scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains on labels or writing, tears or splits; nothing. Perfect. And age has nothing to do with it; the same standards for Mint apply to a rare rockabilly single from 1955 as they do to a Top 40 record from 1988! There are no sliding values for Mint. A Mint record cover should appear to have never had a record in it; no ring-wear, dog-eared corners, writing, seam-splits; nothing! Perfect! Even a new, unplayed old stock record can have factory flaws. Mint should be used sparingly and will usually attract a premium value to serious collectors. Mint means perfect and nothing else!

(SS) Still sealed: Still sealed in the factory shrink wrap.

(M-) Mint minus: A nearly perfect record. The record will show no obvious signs of wear, very light surface scuffs from normal handling are permitted but no light scratches. Original finish intact. Picture sleeves should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling.

(VG+) Very good plus: The record will show some signs that it was played or otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some slight signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or light scratches. Picture sleeves may have some slight ring wear, lightly turned up corners, or a small seam split.

(VG) Very good: Many of the defects found in a VG+ record or sleeve will be more pronounced in a VG record or picture sleeve. Groove wear may be noticeable, the record may have light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound, but the foreign noises will be less prominent than the music. Picture sleeves may have quite prominent ring wear. Creases, folds, seam splits and tears will be more obvious and may appear on all three sides, and there may be writing as well.

(VG-) Very good minus: Foreign noises may be about as prominent as the music. The record still plays through without skipping. The picture sleeve will have more significant seam splits, perhaps to the point where they were taped closed, and highly obvious ring wear and heavier writing. Can serve as a filler until a better one comes along.

(G) Good: We seldom offer a good record for sale unless it is particularily rare for the following reasons: Foreign noises are louder than the recorded music and listening can be distracted by the noise. May or may not play through without skipping, but should be so noted. Picture sleeves are so badly seam split that they may not be able to contain the record within.Tears, folds, writing and ring wear may be overwheming.