Chuck’s… Make That Virgindog’s Record Collection: Super Rock Hits

If you spend any time in Maine, you’ll end up at a discount store called Marden’s.

It was started in my hometown by Mickey Marden:

A mailman who went to auctions and resold whatever he bought at whatever price he pulled out of thin air when someone asked how much an item was.

It was years before he started putting prices on merchandise.

Sixty years later, there are now thirteen locations across the state and get their merchandise from insurance claims or stores going out of business or factory seconds.

While you can safely assume that they’ll have some stock in their usual categories — clothes, shoes, tools, furniture — you never know what you’ll find from week to week, but the prices are always good.

That’s why their advertising tagline is “I should have bought it when I saw it at Marden’s.”

Sometimes – not all the time: they had records.

I bought my first album there for a dollar. I was twelve, but looking at the songs, I still think I had pretty good taste.

The album was called Super Rock Hits on Swan Records

According to Discogs, Swan was a subsidiary of the Deeds Electronics Company based in Denver and specialized in compilations on vinyl and 8-track. They released exactly the same record with a different front cover and called it Rock 25.

The back cover and track list were exactly the same as Super Rock Hits.

And that’s what Super Rock Hits is — a compilation of songs from 1971. So, inspired by Chuck Small’s K-Tel articles and rollerboogie’s recent ode to vinyl, let’s look at the first album I ever bought.

Side one starts with Stephen Stills’ “Change Partners.” This is probably my least favorite track but I appreciate how it switches from 6/8 to 4/4.

The Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose bring the R&B with “Treat Her Like A Lady…” 

…followed by The Rolling Stones’ ballad, “Wild Horses.” It’s too soon for a slow song, but “Wild Horses” is a classic.

If I have any criticism of the song selection, it’s that it’s a little ballad heavy.

1971 was the Year of the Singer/Songwriter and these are great ballads, so it can’t be much of a criticism if I’m complaining about:

• Carole King’s “It’s Too Late,” 

• The Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,” 

• James Taylor’s “You’ve Got A Friend,” 

• and The Carpenters’ “Rainy Days & Mondays.” I like each of them.

Besides, upbeat bangers like…

• “Sooner Or Later” by Grassroots, 

• “It Don’t Come Easy” by Ringo Starr,

• And Joe Cocker’s “High Time We Met” kick the adrenaline up to a high level.

My only real complaint is with “Get It On” by Chase.

Don’t get me wrong, I flippin’ love that song.

But the folks at Swan decided to cut off the tail end where it quotes “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” 

It’s a great song and that was my favorite part:

I was a disappointed preteen.

In the playlist below, I’ve used a version with the full ending.

I’ve also used a version of The Partridge Family’s “I’ll Meet You Halfway” that doesn’t turn “halfway” into two words, like Swan Records did.

Using Chuck’s scale, there are no ‘Yucks’ here. I’ll rate the rest as either “Top Shelf” or “Decent.”

Top Shelf:

• Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose – Treat Her Like A Lady
• Rolling Stones – Wild Horses
• Grassroots – Sooner Or Later
• Carole King – It’s Too Late
• Chase – Get It On
• Bee Gees – How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
• James Taylor – You’ve Got A Friend
• Neil Diamond – I’m A Believer
• Ringo Starr – It Don’t Come Easy
• Tommy James – Draggin’ The Line
• Carpenters – Rainy Days & Mondays
• Joe Cocker – High Time We Went

Decent:

• Stephen Stills – Change Partners
• Doors – Riders On The Storm
• Raiders – Indian Reservation
• Partridge Family – I’ll Meet You Half Way

That’s a pretty good Top Shelf to Decent to Yuck ratio.

But let me know how you’d rate this tracklist. This is the music of my youth so I’m biased, but I love these songs.

Here’s the YouTube playlist:

And if you were wondering? Yes…

,,, I still have it. 

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