klugness

Imagining Things

Three Friends Go to a Record Store in the 1960s

November 7, 2022 by Klugmeister

The three friends went into a record store in the 1960s. All three were fans of American music and were looking to add to their record collections.

Nigel recognized the teenagers and greeted them warmly/amiably. He knew they came in pretty regularly, and each of the guys usually walked out of the store having bought at least one record. Today Nigel would try to make it two.

Jeff picked out "Green Onions" by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Nigel saw his selection and asked, "A fan of Steve Cropper?" Jeff smiled and nodded. He was a bit surprised that the British record store proprieter was familiar with Booker T. & the M.G.'s. The band was one of the first racially integrated rock groups, and served as the studio musicians for Stax records in Memphis, TN.

This image of the "interior of a record store" was created by Klugmeister using artificial intelligence software. The image was reviewed by Klugmeister before posting on this web page.

The second youth, James, was a big Elvis fan. He liked the early stuff on Sun records, with Scotty Moore on guitar. He particularly liked "Baby Let's Play House." Nigel remarked, "You can never have enough Elvis, right?" James nodded in agreement. He wasn't entirely sure whether Nigel was a true Elvis fan or was talking it up to try to make a sale.

Keith had memorized several Chuck Berry solos and was always in the market for more. He held "St. Louis to Liverpool" and was now looking around to see what the other guys had picked out. He approached James, who was eyeing the "Blues" section with a furrowed brow. "Why is there only one record in the blues section?" James wondered aloud.

Just then Jeff came over. "Actually, it looks like there's about 20 records..." Jeff began. James replied, "Yes, but they're all the same one."

"King of the delta blues singers?" Keith asked, reading the album cover. "Oh yes," Nigel cut in. "Robert Johnson is the greatest blues artist of all time. Legend says he sold his soul to the devil to get his incredible talent."

"What label is he with?" Jeff asked. Nigel replied, "Oh, he recorded back in the 1930s and died a couple years later at the young age of 27. It's a real tragedy that someone with that much guitar proficiency and raw emotion was taken from us so soon."

James asked, "What are his best tracks?" Nigel responded, "Oh, all his songs are top notch. Filled with emotion, impressive guitar work, and great lyrics. He's the real deal."

The boys were sold. All three bought two albums that day: the record of their choice, and the one Nigel had spoken of so favorably: "King of the Delta Blues Singers" by Robert Johnson.

Now at home, Jeff was listening to Come On in My Kitchen and trying to reconcile his impression of it with Nigel's glowing review. The guitar sounded like it could be played by a third grader with novice guitar skills, and the melody was about as catchy as a bad Bob Dylan song. Jeff decided to keep playing the album in the hope it would grow on him.

James and Keith had similar impressions of Robert Johnson, but none of the three friends felt that it would be appropriate to voice any reservations about "the greatest blues artist of all time." The next time they met, all three expressed enthusiasm about Robert Johnson in spite of their inner skepticism.

That same night, also at home, Nigel queued up a record by his favorite blues artist of all time: B.B. King.