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THIS SET CONTAINS TWO DIFFERENT ALBUMS : 1) My pipe yellow dream LP+free download 2)Saucers in the sky CD --------------------
My Pipe Yellow Dream is the second Roaratorio anthology of the highlights of Rodd Keith’s work. Compiling fifteen previously unreissued songs from 1966 through his death in 1974 – including a never-before-heard cover of “Choo Choo Train” – My Pipe Yellow Dream showcases the full range of his talents. From exquisite mid-60s pop balladry (“Deep Velvet”) to blue-eyed soul (“You Don’t Have To Alibi”) to folk-rock (“Tired Of Waiting”) to solo Chamberlain creations (“Red Sports Car”) to gospel testifying (“O Jesus My Savior”) to a pair of patriotic screeds (the all-spoken word “America The Not So Beautiful” and the bizarre-world lounge funk of “Search Out Your Soul, American”), this collection continues the rehabilitation of Rodd Keith’s recorded legacy from thrift-shop throwaway to celebrated cult artist.
A limited edition LP in a gorgeous gatefold jacket, with artwork by Josh Journey-Heinz and liner notes from song-poem vocalist Dick Kent.
-------------------- Saucers In The Sky gathers together twenty-six previously uncollected Rodd Keith gems from the hundreds upon hundreds of songs that he recorded before he leapt from a highway overpass in 1974. It would be inaccurate to call this a collection of forgotten pop classics. "Forgotten" implies that they were known in the first place. Outside of the aspiring lyricists who bankrolled the proceedings, plus a few of their friends and relations, none of Rodd Keith's records registered the slightest blip on the musical radar of their time.
The irony runs deep: the song-poem business was a stylus' breadth away from being an outright scam, capitalizing on the dreams of would-be songwriters and filling their heads with visions of breakout hits and fame and fortune. In reality, if the lyrics themselves weren't unwieldy or strange enough to hobble any chances of entering the charts with a bullet, the assembly line production style of the recording insured that the majority of the songs were musically undistinguished. The best of Rodd Keith's work, however, easily transcends its lowly, no-hope origins, and therein lies the kicker: if the pressing runs for songs like "Magic In Her Eyes" or "Go Go Girlie" had broken the triple digit mark, or found their first point of sale in a Sam Goody rather than a thrift shop, they could've undoubtedly attained some measure of the popular success that their hapless creators were led to believe would follow. And while such tunes as "Ravens" or "Sawdust" were too lyrically bent for Billboard glory, they remain prime examples of Rodd's brilliance as a singer, composer and arranger.
Saucers In The Sky also includes two never-before-released tracks: a cover of "Here Comes The Judge" from a soul-soundalike session, and "Get On My Honda, Rhonda," written as a birthday gift for Rodd's best friend's son. Packaged in a mini-LP gatefold sleeve, with liner notes from Del Casher, inventor of the wah-wah pedal and guitarist on many of Rodd's early recordings, and Stacey Keith, Rodd's daughter.
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