This Thanksgiving, let’s all give thanks to ourselves, because none of us are as depressed as Randy was when he recorded these two songs. Neither side is well-known, but they are both shining examples of loner/downer folk. This 45, which was released by RSI Records in 1975, is the second of two singles that Randy released. The first, “There Must Be Something” / “Well,” I’ve never seen before, and I also just found out it existed!
Not much is known about Randy, but he sounds like a pretty bummed-out guy. He sings with a somewhat British-sounding (or maybe just influenced?) voice, so if he’s actually from G.B. I’d go so far as to call him a poor-man’s Nick Drake. And by that I mean he’s not even close to Drake on a songwriting level. If he’s American…well, who would I compare him to? Maybe a really, really bad Jackson C. Frank? I don’t know…Randy definitely possesses what those with music journalism credentials might call an untrained voice.
If I sold records like this on eBay, I’d probably do my best to create a new sub genre of folk called, “wrist cutter.” Why shouldn’t that exist as a new sub genre? People sell records with tags like “yacht rock” or “boot cut,” why can’t I use “wrist cutter”?
Listen for yourself and feel thankful. Or feel like you want to kill yourself. Either/or.
Randy Rogers
Just For You / Why Is It Always The Same
(RSI, 1975)
MediaFire DL Link
Side A: Just For You
Side B: Why Is It Always The Same
