Nashville Sputnik - the Deep South / Outer Space Productions of Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan 1956-2004

Intergalactic honky-tonk, pulpy space-pop, astral R&B, and some unidentified flying doo-wop all come together on this incredibly fun and enterprising marriage of rootsy music and space-age themed songwriting. Florida country music duo Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan perform throughout this deliberately zany collection, sometimes under different pseudonyms. And though the song selection spans nearly five decades, the cream of the crop was cut between 1965 and 1974 with ample help from some of Nashville's then A-list session players who sound like they're having a blast putting weirdo analogue wave-bending effects on traditional instruments to make for a delightfully contrasting listening experience that is both pastoral and otherworldly. The jaunty "Time Machine" is a catchy country-rock ditty reminiscent of Delaney & Bonnie, while "Skellykins" bops and bounces like a Roger Miller song recorded in a space station. Fans of Dr. Demento's Funny Five radio show may remember "Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker," a Joe Meek sounding number with a chorus almost as tongue twisting as Sheb Wooley's 1958 hit "The Purple People Eater." Try "New World" for a Star Trek meets Bonanza vibe.