FRIGHT FROM THE BINS
Mister Rogers
You Are Special
(1970)
Uriah Heep ripped off the cover idea for their 1971 Look At Yourself LP from this album, which has a mylar mirror glued onto the front that makes anyone gazing into it look like a distorted troll. Anyway, if you still doubt after this visual aid that you are indeed special, the Rogers' album includes other motivational themes such as "Children Can," "You've Got To Do It" and "You Can Never Go Down the Drain," obviously penned before we had our pick of drain dwellers to choose from. At that very moment when you're feeling like used puke in a vestibule; Fred Rogers makes his big move on your self-esteem: "Just for once I want you all to myself, just for once let's play alone." I know that Mister Rogers was a certified sweetie, the gentlest authority on children and an all-around wonderful human being, but robbed of visuals — sweaters, puppets and skip sneakers — none of his benevolence translates through the speakers. On record, "nurturing caretaker" sounds an awful lot like "mildewy crawlspace." —Serene Dominic
ON THE DOWNLOAD
Will Yates — "I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman"
Hello Operator: A Tribute to the White Stripes
Five Three Dial Tone Records
Featuring mainly Detroit bands (Chapstik, Mick Bassett, Lettercamp, Illy Mack), local label Five Three Dial Tone just released this timely, mostly imaginative nod to the defunct duo. Here's "I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman" from Zoos of Berlin's Will Yates. Jams. —Travis R. Wright
