I found The Links while haunting record stores in Omaha with my middle daughter. At first we thought Hey! It's The Kinks!, she being a big fan of Ray, Dave & Co. Then, realizing it was assuredly not The Kinks, I thought maybe it's the Will Ferrell Brothers Band. But, no relation, apparently.
As best we know, The Links were an Omaha, Nebraska regional club band in the 60s (?) or 70s (?), playing the best of the local hotel bars, all you can eat buffets, and VFW halls in the tri-state area. I don't know much more about them, except for the sweet sounds of their 8 track album.
You may notice that the back of the album is autographed by all three members of The Links. Whoo-hoo! Collectible! However, according to the dude at the record store, the real trick is finding a Links album that isn't signed. Their albums weren't sold in stores, instead being exclusively offered at their many, many, many shows. And of course, if you bought a record at a show, they signed it. So the real holy grail of Links-dom is an unsigned album.
So, this is not a Christmas album. The classics "Lucille", "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", and "Sweet Caroline" grace the track list, as does a version of the Abbott & Costello classic "Who's On First" that is, in it's own way, unforgettable.
But, when scouring the crates for essential vinyl for your collection, who could resist an album with "Macarthur Park". Heck, any album with "Macarthur Park" and all that sweet green icing flowing down is almost a must-buy, but it makes The Links impossible to pass up.
So, my very special Christmas gift to you - The Links!
P.S. I think there's a skip on here somewhere that I couldn't fix. Seems fitting....
I will greatly enjoy your comments about The Links.
Enjoy!
This is pretty wild! Thank you & Merry Christmas
ReplyDelete