Sometimes you can look at something time and time again and not really pick up in what it is. Such is the case with the album that I flipped past several times at Frugal Muse. It was an album called “The Mad Scene”. The cover was nothing I recognized and looked jazzy as I passed it.
In fact I flipped past this album probably 3 or 4 different trips there.
Then one night as I was Googling Madison bands and an image of the album came up. I recognized it. Then investigated. Turns out it’s a compilation of Madison bands! The Mad Scene, duh… now I get it. I read the review of it and I was astonished. Paul Black and The Flip Kings are on it !!!
I headed back to Frugal Muse at my first opportunity and was glad to still find it there. $9.98 sigh, but how could I NOT get it, it had Paul Black on it, and not just an album cut that existed on something I already had. This was a unique track called “Love Reprieve”.
Turns out Honor Among Thieves is on it too!
Spooner too. It’s a good album, a nice cross-section of Madison bands that came though Smart Studios. The album was compiled by you know who… Butch Vig. Man ya gotta love that guy.
The Paul Black and The Flip Kings track is awesome, of course. I think I NOW may have everything he ever released.
This is a good compilation to get your hands on.
In my case it’s basically a ten dollar Paul Black single, but, the guy is SO worth it.
If anyone reading this knows of any other Paul Black than “How How”, “Don’t Make Me Get Up”, “King Dollar”, Live At The Harmony”, or has their hands on some live recorded tapes of Paul Black and The Flip Kings that they would like me to convert…
Please contact me.
Paul Black spoken here.
The Aural Retentive 
Wow – Ivory Library too. Hadn’t thought of them in awhile, nor listened. I knew them a bit back then, my friend Dan K sat in with them occasionally.
I was the bass player for King Dollar and the live Flip Kings in the mid 90s. Glad you like King Dollar – it was a blast recording and playing with Paul at the time. My hero Ted Wingfield played bass on How How, another great record. Do you have the “Down on Me” recording? It was a House of Blues Janis Joplin compilation of various artists. Just Paul but a fun track done in the studio in LA.
John Tubbs! Wow, how cool. Thank you for leaving a comment. I found the Janis Joplin compilation and ordered it. Great tip! Finding Paul Black’s music is a bit like a treasure hunt. If you look online, all you can find is King Dollar (which in my opinion is the absolute best) and “How How” if you get lucky on E-bay. I happened to buy his “Don’t Make Me Get Up” tape at a show and someone else who commented a while back let me know there was a live CD recorded at The Harmony. I have a few recordings that I made at shows, but otherwise that’s about it. I am always on the lookout for other stuff. Are there any live recordings from shows during your era?
Anyway, thanks again for commenting and the tip on the Janis collection.
You guys made some fantastic music on King Dollar and I am honored that you stopped in and left me a comment.
Michael
Glad you liked King Dollar. It was fun to make and a chance to work in Memphis at a legendary studio. It hasn’t ever been quite as exciting as that experience was. That period was my extremely brief brush with rock star life. In late 97 I moved to Urbana, Illinois to be with my soon to be wife. I’ve stayed busy here playing with some good people but it’s not as fun as Madison and it’s orbit of blues, funk and jazz people. (Check out Bruiser and the Virtues, The Javelinas, Shotgun Wedding for a few things I’ve recorded here.
There was always some sound board tapes floating around from the Crystal Corner. Maybe you’ll track them down.
The show I’d really like to get is the one night only Paul Black, Jerry Alexander, Ben Sidran, Clyde Stubblefield and me at the East End. The place was packed and we had a great time just jamming. I forget what we played, probably a lot of old Flip Kings since Jerry was there. Jerry also did a bunch of work with Sidran – most notably the “Hoop Dreams” soundtrack. At that time I was doing a Sunday thing with Jerry and BIlly McDuffy a former Flip Kings drummer.
Are you a Madison person?
I heard Paul had some trouble with the law a few years back. Any new word.
John, I’ll keep my eyes open for any soundboard tapes. The few things I have been able to find out about Paul have not been very good, so I stopped digging. Better to just enjoy the music. I’m from Waunakee, so I am in range of The Crystal, always looking for shows there to go see. I’ll check out the bands you mentioned. Thanks again for writing!