Release of the Day: The John Street Rockets - Rock and Roll the Hard Way

I'm a total sucker for private press records, for better or for worse. I'm also a sucker for bad records - I can enjoy a weirdo lounge record as much as a psychedelic masterpiece for completely different reasons. It's a great way to listen to music because I can get something out of exposure to even the worst of music. So I picked up a copy of this John Street Rockers record at Permanent yesterday knowing that I typically like private press stuff and even if it were bad I would get something out of it (and to be completely transparent, I know that I can generally flip it on Discogs if it doesn't jive with me and not lose any money).

But this record totally rules! In 1979, these five cats going under the name The John Street Rockets created a focused blues rock record called Rock and Roll the Hard Way. Now what I know about the band is limited to what's on the back of the record, which says that the five members of the band are Bud Moore, D.T., Terry St. Louis, Dave McKee, and Laura Chorba. The record is comprised of six somewhat long songs that sometimes make their way into instrumental jams, though for the majority of time, they maintain their cohesive song structure. And there are some genuinely catchy tunes here as well for the classic rock fiend.

There's not a ton of information on this band, but I know that Permanent in L.A. and Chicago have copies for $50, which is a heavy price, but I actually think it's totally worth it. I highly recommend picking it up because once these are gone you may never see one again! That's the beauty of the private press, folks! Act now or forever hold your peace.