Omigosh this is funny...especially after reading your description which ,I might add ,is spot-on.
thanks for the laugh.
 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Marty Rudnick <mrudnick@marturo.com>
> You've just awakened a horrible memory!  Back in the day when I worked 
> in the bowels of a semi-major label, they marketed a series of hastily 
> re-recorded hits of the day called "soundalikes" -- actually, I think 
> The Soundalikes might have even been the band's name?   If memory 
> serves, they were bad to the point of being comical...
> 
> Which in turn reminds me...I have this album of Beach Boys knockoffs 
> done by a group called The Surfsiders.   It is hi-larious.  It's as if 
> they were given a few hours to record these tracks, and only had time to 
> listen to the original version once.  If you got the chords or melody 
> wrong...no problem!  It is the 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' of records.
> 
> Ok, slightly illegal, I'm sure...but I couldn't resist.  Check it out:  
> http://marturo.com/marty/surfsiders/
> 
> Marty
> 
> 
> 
> Ken Kase wrote:
> 
> >OK, this made me think back:
> >
> >It can be worse than mere retreads by artists tenuously connected with the
> >original records. In the 70s, there was a pretty large market for the folks
> >who bought albums at Woolworth's and places like that. Pickwick used to put
> >out packages of current hits performed by some bar band or another. Some of
> >these make for hysterical listening. Longines had a record club type of deal
> >for awhile (when they weren't busy making watches). My mom used to have
> >these records like "Best Hits of 1971" that were all recreations of the
> >popular songs of the day. I first heard "Rocky Mountain High" for the first
> >time on one of those records. (They Might Be Giants name check: "My story's
> >infinite / Like a Longines symphonette") In fact, such artifacts even have
> >their own record collecting niche.
> >
> >--Ken
> >  
> >
>